Slashy Fantasy Novels

[Esteliel]

Mark Anthony - The Last Rune

1) Beyond The Pale
2) The Keep of Fire
3) The Dark Remains
4) Blood of Mystery
5) Gates of Winter
6) The First Stone

[font=tahoma]"Reality is unraveling in the dusty Colorado town of Castle City. Strange symbols are carved into storefronts, and ancient legends come to life. Saloonkeeper Travis Wilder is handed an ornate iron box and a mysterious mission. And in Denver, where dead men walk, ER doctor Grace Beckett is witness to a terrifying and inhman scene of carnage. Theirs is a destiny shrouded in a coming darkness, a destiny that draws them into the otherworld of Eldh....

Eldh is a land of gods and monsters, myths and runecraft, conspiracy and blood. It is a world that has secretly coexisted beside ours for millennia. But now the boundary between worlds is crumbling in the face of a monstrous evil. And Travis and Grace must save this strange land in order to safeguard their own world."[/font]

The Last Rune is a series of 6 books. I picked up the first, but wasn't sure if I would like it. I do not like stories were people are suddenly drawn from earth into another world (it reminds me too much of your average anime made for little girls), and so I only bought it because it was supposed to contain some m/m. Of course, already after the first few chapters, Mark Anthony had managed to totally draw me into the story he was weaving. The story is exciting, and despite my initial fear, not at all the way you might expect. The characters as well are loveable, and very soon, I was waiting impatiently for the next books, just so I would see what happens to Travis, Grace and the others.

There is m/m, yes, but it is not the focus of the novels. Nevertheless, the series is so well-written that I would have continued reading it even if there had been no m/m at all. Nevertheless, it is there, and while the m/m relationship is of course not as explicitly written as in your average NC-17 fanfic, I still think that every slasher will enjoy these books - it has very quickly become one of my favourite fantasy series which I can recommend to everyone who likes fantasy, no matter if you are into slash or not!

[Esteliel]

3 new recs... and I still have several more I mean to write a short review for. *g* Hopefully I won't forget about it again and write them sometime during the next few days...

You can find more links to slashy fantasy novels here, I've linked to books I've read but not yet reviewed, as well as books I'm planning on buying.