The Recommended Reading section grows again.

It seemed like a mere matter of days since I added a new book to the Recommended Reading section... this is because it was. Either I'm getting soft in my old age or I've read three great books in a row, each deserving their place on the site.

So what is it this time that has caught my eye, you ask?

Take a look at that cover, now flip it upside down. That's not your standard fantasy cover, that's a work of art.

The intention is clear right from the get go with Ours is The Storm: it's not the average fantasy book. It's well-plotted, keeps you guessing, has well-realised characters and an excellent pace to it all.

I was contacted directly via e-mail and was impressed by both the unconventional artwork and intriguing blurb. I bought it outright before the author could send me a free copy and I consider it money well spent.

Like many of the entries onto this site, this one is very new indeed: it came out a matter of weeks ago as of this blog post. I'm hoping that this streak of great fiction can continue well into 2015. Here's hoping I unearth a number of little diamonds in the great coal mine that is the world of self-publishing.

In other news, preparations for both a new section and a new anthology are ongoing. This will involve much e-mailing on my part, and it will happen very soon.

Another new entry into the Recommended Reading section and details of new sections.

Well, it's that time again. I've got my greasy little mitts on another quality piece of writing and now I have to wax lyrically about how awesome it is.

Construct by Luke Matthews was a book that caught my eye due to the quality cover, but kept my attention through the interesting plotting and fantastic protagonist.

You can find a full review on Goodreads or the Recommended Reading section, where it has slotted in nicely alongside all the other books I thought worthy of the section.

Speaking of sections, I have plans for a new one: Artist's Corner.

Artist's Corner isn't up and running yet, and that's because I'll be contacting a plethora of cover artists to see if they're interested in having their work advertised for free.

The goal of the section is to provide authors with a selection of affordable but quality designers who are willing to make a good cover for less than $300. This will hopefully reduce the number of horrific pieces of cover art that people like myself have been assailed by in the past.

I'll be making a post when the new part of the site is up and running.

In addition to this, tentative plans are being made to provide a similar section for editors. This is very much an embryonic endeavour, so I'm keeping quiet about it until it's a little more than an idea.

That's all for now folks, expect more updates in the coming months!

New entry into the Recommended Reading section.

I'm delighted to be able to add yet another fine entry into our growing Recommended Reading section!

Graham Austin-King's Fae - The Wild Hunt is a solid fantasy tale that straddles the line between high fantasy of yesteryear with darker elements of more modern pieces. The setting is intriguing and the writing is of a high quality, much like the cover art from Vin Hill.

As with all the books on the Recommended Reading list, it was apparent that a great deal of care had been taken in the presentation and editing of this work, and as a result it was a pleasure to read.

Austin-King is no stranger to the scene, garnering plenty of positive praise from review sites and stores and maintaining a welcome presence on /r/fantasy. I've already bought the sequel and I'm looking forward to the long and interesting career that's clearly ahead for this talented author.

The first post!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Fictiongarden.com, where the best independent titles in Fantasy Fiction are reviewed and compiled into our Recommended Reading section.

I'd just like to throw out that we are not affiliated with http://fictiongarden.blogspot.co.uk/ or https://fictiongarden.wordpress.com/ for that matter. We're not affiliated with anything currently, but we wish to congratulate anybody else going under the Fictiongarden name for their impeccable taste.

It reminds me of an awkward situation where one of my characters, who had been germinating in my debut for close to fifteen years, had to be renamed due to the emergence of gaming company Trion Worlds. Hopefully I won't be getting any cease and desists due to my usage of the name!

Things are being added and updated on the site all the time, and that's what this news page will primarily be used to highlight. If we have any other interesting things to comment/inform you about then we shall.

First and foremost, the biggest change is of course the addition of this blog! We're not sure whether we're going to stick this on the front page or just have it as a separate news section in the long term, we'll see how that plays out. Hopefully the blogger connection won't blow out and everything will work smoothly. If  not you'll soon be hearing about it!

Last but not least, the 'Why is this book recommended?' addendum to the Recommended Reading section has been added. This essentially sums up what was different/special about the work, whether it be the plot or setting or genre amalgamation. Hopefully the review preceding it should have given you a fair understanding of why it holds a place in the section, but for those of you who aren't interested in lyrical waxing it can be a quick summary that you can skip to.