It’s time to wrap-up the wonderful Wyrd and Wonder challenge. The rule for this last prompt is to describe your five-star reads in five (or near five) words each. Well, I do keep a running list of all my favorite SFF reads HERE, but trying to describe them each in a phrase or less was a completely new exercise!
- Macbeth by William Shakespeare: Self-prophesying catastrophe. Cunning riddle.
- The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope: Scottish Tam Lin ballad retelling.
- Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: One book to rule them all.
- Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik: Heady combination of Hades-Persephone and Rumpelstiltskin.
- Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges: Magical realism at its best.
- Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie: Gender-bending thought-provoking AI tale.
- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke: Napoleonic fantasy masterpiece on slippery slope of wizardry.
- Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling: Do I need to explain this?
- October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire: Adventures of self-deprecating supernatural PI hero.
- Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier: Poignant, lyrical retelling of Six Swans folktale.
- Song of Fire and Ice Series by George R. Martin: Gory York/ Lancaster 100-Year War retelling.
- Goblin Moon by Teresa Edgerton: Masked Victorian Vigilante vs. Evil Cartels.
- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl: Found families are the best, even if within a giant peach.
- The Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold: The gods test humans in strange ways.
- The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin: Centuries-old genocide pits gods against victims.
- Six Gun Snow-White by Catherynne M. Valente: Snarky, action-packed Snow White retelling.
- The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf by Gerald Morris: Imp meets swearsome lady in this Arthurian comedy.
- Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton: Victorian satire / comedy of manners, with dragons.
- The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell: Brilliant commentary on religion vs. science in outer space.
- Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones: Curses cannot survive compassion, Ghibli style.
- Chime by Franny Billingsley: Ye Olde Swamp Monster vs. Industrial Revolution.
- Tales of Mystery and Terror by Edgar Allan Poe: Afterlife has never been as lurid and sensational.
- Deerskin by Robin McKinley: Stark look at abuse through Donkeyskin folktale.
- The Riddle-Master of Hed Trilogy by Patricia McKillip: Tense, non-stop mystery about why a farmboy has 3 stars on forehead.
- Alpha & Omega Series by Patricia Briggs: UF with masterful plotting and pack dynamics depiction.
Which five star reads would you recommend? Always up for new SFF recommendations — so, fire away!
10 replies on “Five Star Reads in Five Words Each #WyrdAndWonder”
Very tricky to sum up a favorite book in five words, or just a phrase. You did awesome!
Sheesh, thanks for saying that!
Oh this is fun! I can’t believe Wyrd & Wonder is over already. 🙁
“One book to rule them all”. I love that!
Chime has me super curious now, and you have me wanting to read Riddle- Master a bit…
I want to re-read Riddle-Master too! And Chime is excellent — esp. the audiobook because the narrator Susan Duerden has an amazing voice.
That Lord of the Rings one is right!
Haha, it was the shortest I could think of!
Brilliant, and some really funny too
Haha, some of the “funny” ones may have been purely accidental! 😂
You did great with these posts. I’ve read Macbeth and The Sparrow – excellent! I love magical realism but have never read Jorge Luis Borges and really need to remedy that!
Borges is amazing. It’s too bad he’s not better known. Labyrinths is a collection of short stories, and literally each one of them just blew my mind. I was thinking about it for days afterwards.