I’m in the middle of two series right now: the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, and the Twilight Reign series by Tom Lloyd. I’ve just finished the second book of each, and am taking a break to read some other things for a little bit before I tackle book 3 of each one.
Of the two, the Dresden Files are my definite favorite so far. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a wise-cracking narrator/protaganist. Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a wizard after my own heart. Sarcastic hard-ass on the outside, big old chivalrous, fight-for-good softie on the inside. It’s classic detective fiction meets all things paranormal/fantastical. The characters are well-rounded and engaging; the plot is believable without being predictable, and moves along at a nice pace; the narration is great. I’ve yet to find something I don’t like about this series, other than book 3 not being available at my library yet.
That’s not to say that the Twilight Reign series isn’t good; it definitely is. I read a LOT of fantasy, so when I say this series does something new and interesting, I hope that carries some weight. The whole series is based around the concept of white-eyes, beings who are human but amplified through the attention/favor of a god. They aren’t elves; those have a separate place in the story, though they haven’t shown up much yet. The plot is very intricate, and the character list quite long – this is definitely one of those series that would benefit from including a map of the world, and a list of the cast of characters. It includes neither, so I do get a bit lost sometimes as to who/where the chapter is focusing. But I’m intrigued enough so far that I’ll keep reading the series, just to see where it goes.