Much of this post originally appeared on my blog at cjbrightley.com. I’ve added reviews by other authors where possible.
A while ago I wrote an overview of noblebright fantasy, which you can find on my site and here on Noblebright.org. I want to make noblebright fantasy a recognized subgenre of fantasy the way grimdark is now.
In a discussion elsewhere on the internet, one author mentioned to me that, while the term is great, much of classic fantasy literature fits the noblebright definition. He questioned whether there is any utility in inventing a term for something that already exists and continues to be written. I agree… many of the best-loved works of fantasy are noblebright, or at least closer to noblebright than they are to grimdark. But I think there’s value in defining noblebright, not only for ourselves as writers, but also for readers. I want you to be able to find noblebright works if that’s what you want; having a recognized subgenre as a search term will hopefully make it easier to find the books you’re looking for. Steampunk wasn’t a subgenre until someone gave it a name… now it’s easier to find steampunk if that’s what you’re looking for. It may have existed before, but giving it a name gives it presence.
In that overview post, I promised reviews of the books in this first noblebright fantasy boxed set, along with content notes and caveats as appropriate. Those reviews are below. The books are in alphabetical order by author’s last name in the set, but that’s not the order in which I’m reading them, so please bear with me as we jump around. I’ve linked to the books individually below, and of course you are welcome to buy them that way, but you’ll get a much better deal if you buy the boxed set! If, after reading the books individually or in the set, you are inclined to leave reviews, that would be awesome.
Find the set on Amazon | Barnes & Noble Nook | Kobo | iBooks
Pen Pal by Francesca Forrest – I’ve reviewed Pen Pal before. It’s a story of a young girl and a political activist on the other side of the world. It’s a story of friendship and generosity, of innocence challenged but not lost, and of the bright, shining idea that if you just love deeply enough, you can make a difference. The prose is deceptively simple, but the story is not, and I’ll be reading this again. Content rating: squeaky clean.
Pen Pal starts with a message in a bottle and ends with revolution.
Em, a child from a floating community off the Gulf Coast, drops a message into the sea. It ends up in the hands of Kaya, an activist on the other side of the world, imprisoned above the molten lava of the Ruby Lake. Em and Kaya are both living precarious lives, at the mercy of societal, natural, and perhaps supernatural forces beyond their control. Kaya’s letters inspire Em, and Em’s comfort Kaya—but soon their correspondence becomes more than personal. Individual lives, communities, and the fate of an entire nation will be changed by this exchange of letters.
Pen Pal is a story of friendship and bravery across age, distance, and culture, at the intersection of the natural and supernatural world.
Christina Ochs’ review of the book is here. She says: … defies classification. If pressed, I’d call it literary young adult, but it’s more than that. There are some fantasy elements, mostly in the form of folk magic, but the whole book has a slightly dreamlike quality, in spite of the urgency of the story. … Pen Pal is a beautifully written ode to friendship and family.
Lhind the Thief by Sherwood Smith – This is an absolutely delightful story of magic, trust, kindness, friendship, and unrepentant escapism. I discovered this through the Storybundle which included The King’s Sword last year and, much to my own embarrassment, only just got around to reading it. Here is a lovely interview between Francesca Forrest (whose book Pen Pal I loved) and Sherwood Smith in which, among other things, Sherwood talks about what makes a good villain. I was delighted to discover that the book now has a sequel, Lhind the Spy, and I will undoubtedly end up reading everything I can find by this author. Content rating: squeaky clean.
Lhind has been on the run all her life.
Stealing what she needs, using magic for disguise, she never stays anywhere long. Lhind even has secrets from herself, for she has few memories, and those are troubling.
But life is good until she gets caught by Rajanas the warrior-prince, Thianra the bard, and Hlanan the scribe. And that’s when adventure begins, because someone very powerful wants them all dead.
As they evade pursuit and work to uncover their enemies, Lhind struggles with the invisible bonds of friendship and trust, while Hlanan begins uncovering her secrets one by one.
This romantic fantasy adventure will appeal to fans of A POSSE OF PRINCESSES.
Francesca Forrest interviewed Sherwood about Lhind the Thief here. The whole interview is excellent, but I especially liked what Sherwood said when talking about villains: I like villains with complexity. If they always kill, maim, or torture, they are predictable, especially if they have no reason for doing that stuff unless they want to. I like to know why villains do what they do—especially if their actions, and their reasoning, is unpredictable. I also like villains with a sense of humor, but then I like everybody with a sense of humor.
Mike Reeves-McMillan reviewed the book here. He says: The several antagonists are well motivated and believably unpleasant, and Lhind’s new friends are good people who have their own flaws and struggles. There’s a very light thread of romance which, for me, added rather than detracted. Overall, a sound and well-executed story, and the hints of a larger tale scattered throughout make me curious to read more of this author’s work.
Six Celestial Swords by T. A. Miles – This is a wuxia-influenced epic adventure with an ensemble cast that revolves around Xu Liang, a mystic and the closest advisor to the Empress. I particularly enjoyed the world-building and setting. The prose was slower and more deliberate than many other modern fantasy novels, with focus on elegance and beauty rather than grab-you-by-the-throat pacing. Content Caveat: There is a subplot of same-sex attraction that appears near the end of the book. Physically very little happens (a couple of kisses happen on the page, nothing else off the page is even implied), but there is emotion and drama associated with this sub-plot. If you’re wondering why I included this book, my post about noblebright explains how it relates to clean fantasy, Christian fantasy, and YA fantasy. Content rating: caveated PG-13
INSPIRED BY the rising chaos in Sheng Fan, Xu Liang, mystic and officer of the Imperial Court, leaves his homeland for the barbarian outer lands in search of four magical blades to unite with two sacred weapons already in the possession of the Empire. His plan is to bring all of the blades together and return them to Sheng Fan’s Empress as a symbol of unity that will bolster the people’s faith in the Imperial family and assist against the surge of dark forces. Complicating his plan is not the finding of the blades, but finding them with bearers; foreigners who have no intention of parting with them and less intention of serving an Empire they’ve scarcely heard of.
It becomes Xu Liang’s task to ally himself with these barbarians of the outer realms and unite them with his cause, as well as with one another. Only the complete reunion of all six blades and their fated bearers can stand against chaos, rising like a dragon from slumber beneath the foundation of a nation unprepared.
Christina Ochs reviewed the book here. She says: … If this all sounds very Tolkienesque, well, it is, right down to the lush language and sometimes languid pace. Once you get past a few difficult early chapters-mostly because of the many Chinese names- you find yourself in the middle of a splendid adventure that takes some fascinating twists and turns before it’s done.
Imperial law enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon is good at her job: she can deter thieves and pacify thugs, if not with a blade, then by toppling an eight-foot pile of coffee canisters onto their heads. But when ravaged bodies show up on the waterfront, an arson covers up human sacrifices, and a powerful business coalition plots to kill the emperor, she feels a tad overwhelmed.
Worse, Sicarius, the empire’s most notorious assassin, is in town. He’s tied in with the chaos somehow, but Amaranthe would be a fool to cross his path. Unfortunately, her superiors order her to hunt him down. Either they have an unprecedented belief in her skills… or someone wants her dead.
The Emperor’s Edge is approximately 105,000 words.
Christina Ochs reviewed the book here. She says: Through all of her hardships, Amaranthe’s solid integrity remains on display, helping her create a force that everyone, from the emperor on down will have to pay attention to. A super-enjoyable series. I’m saving the last few for those times when I need a fast-paced, escapist read.
Mike Reeves-McMillan reviewed the book here. He said: Three things in particular that I liked were the strong heroine whose strength is not just that of a gender-switched man, the steamed-up setting that wasn’t all brass, clockwork and airships but actually felt like a real place, and the flashes of situational humour scattered amidst the action and the desperate plots. Also, the heroes are kind of incompetent sometimes, get a little bit battered about but not to the over-the-top degree that a lot of steampunk heroes do, and don’t end up lauded as heroes. The whole thing has the worn feel of a setting like Serenity, and also the same kind of strongly individual, somewhat flawed characters in an ensemble cast that works both because of and despite its diversity.
When a renegade priest prophesies an imminent apocalypse, a conflict is sparked which will tip a continent into war.
Prince Kendryk is young, handsome and popular, his kingdom prosperous and peaceful. But in the face of the prophesied apocalypse, he must choose between conscience and power. If he chooses the side of faith, he must defy the ruthless Empress Teodora, ruler of a vast empire, imperiling kingdom and family— but if he chooses the side of power, he risks plunging his world into a darkness worse than war.
The coming conflict will touch the lives of thousands, among them…
Prince Kendryk’s adored wife, Gwynneth, the proud daughter of a king, whose ambition may come at great cost…
Braeden, a violent mercenary, commander of a legendary winged army, who will find himself in the service of an employer he must defy to protect those he holds dear…
And Janna, the merchant’s wife, forced to abandon her home and her way of life, ill-prepared to keep herself and her children safe from the ravages of war…
When a promising date ends in head trauma and ruined trousers, Hope must confront the curse she accidentally placed on herself at the end of her first relationship. But can she do so while also qualifying as a Senior Mage, solving the mystery of her parents’ toxic marriage, and helping two awkward friends communicate – all while periodically blacking out?
A love story, with engineering. About – and for – smart, nerdy women and the men who adore them.
Content warning: While it does not depict sex directly, this book does contain “adult situations” and what one reader has described as “delicate eroticism”. If you are uncomfortable with these elements, this isn’t the book for you.
Place in the series: This is a direct sequel to Hope and the Clever Man and picks up where that book leaves off, but it can be read as a standalone.
Christina Ochs reviewed the book here. She says: Unlike most romances, the main couple starts out happy and functional, with one little problem. Solving that problem is the focus of the story, and its surprisingly compelling. There’s magic, politics and yes, engineering, but most of all, it’s about two people who love each other very much and are determined to make it work.
In a world where both magic and mathematics are forbidden, Raneh is growing magic and she can’t seem to stop. She’ll face the death penalty if anybody catches her, so she hides it in the weeds of her family’s land, pretending to be a typical eighteen-year-old heir. And it works.
Until the Ruler comes to visit.
Now, with the purpose of the Ruler’s visit a mystery and not only her safety but her family’s reputation in danger, she has to find a way to do the impossible:
Stop growing magic.
Fans of the Lord of the Rings will love a new epic series by Ronald Long.
Ealrin Belouve, a man with no memory of his past, seeks the peace of a new land. After the ravages of war in Ruyn, he and his companions search for a legend in the mythical realm of the elves.
But their respite is short lived. The ever present dark comet heralds a new threat. The Empire of Enoth, an ancient elven kingdom, travels uninvited to the human lands of Darrion. As they extend a hand of friendship, a sinister plot begins to unfold.
Once again, Ealrin and his friends are catapulted into determining the fate of a continent. But can the Everring Tree restore their lost magic and heal the land before war consumes them all?
The Last Mage Guardian by Sabrina Chase – Sabrina’s work was recommended to me by Mike, so I’m really looking forward to diving into this one.
Her great-uncle, the mage Oron, bequeathed to her his oak-shaded chateau and a debt of magical honor. But in a world where women do not do magic, Miss Ardhuin Andrews must hide her magical talents. How can she repay the debt? When Oron’s enemies attack, how can she survive? Political intrigue, duty, and echoes of an old war not truly ended combine to create a smoldering crisis in a world where magic and science coexist.
Christina Ochs reviewed the book here. She says: The story took a number of fascinating twists and turns, and just when you think you know where it’s headed, it takes a different direction. Both viewpoint characters are unorthodox, yet appealing, and I enjoyed the romance, which was non-annoying. (always a plus for me)
Beneath the Canyons by Kyra Halland – I’m looking forward to this one! Content rating: for adults and older teens
Cowboys and gunslingers meet wizards in this high fantasy series inspired by the Old West. Silas Vendine is a mage and bounty hunter, on the hunt for renegade mages. He’s also a freedom fighter, sworn to protect the non-magical people of the Wildings from ambitious mages both lawless and lawful. It’s a dangerous life and Silas knows it, but when he comes to the town of Bitterbush Springs, he finds more danger and excitement than he bargained for…
In Bitterbush Springs on the trail of a dangerous rogue mage, Silas meets Lainie Banfrey, a young woman both drawn to and terrified of her own developing magical powers. Though Lainie has been taught all her life to hate and fear wizards, she and Silas team up to stop the renegade who has brought her hometown to the brink of open warfare. The hunt takes them deep beneath forbidden lands held by the hostile A’ayimat people, where only Silas’s skills and Lainie’s untamed, untrained power can save them from the rogue mage and the dark magic he has loosed into the world.
Book 1 of Daughter of the Wildings, western fantasy romance for adults and older teens.
Christina Ochs reviewed the book here. She says: … What follows is a rip-roaring chase across rugged countryside and some exciting magical brawls, a burgeoning romance woven throughout. The world is nicely developed without being overly complex, and it was one of those books where I just sat back and enjoyed myself.
Into the Storm by Angela Holder – There’s no link there because this book isn’t out yet (so the boxed set is the only way to get it!). This is a prequel novel to Angela’s The Fuller’s Apprentice, which I enjoyed. The Fuller’s Apprentice is YA, and this is probably a more adult novel, but still very clean. The world of Tevenar is incredibly noblebright; it’s far from utopian, but it’s full of people who strive to be kind and generous, even when it costs everything. Content rating: PG-13
Larine’s life is good. She loves her work as a wizard, her best friend is the Guildmaster, her troubled son is finally thriving, and she’s together at last with the man she’s dreamed about for years.
Then one hot, sunny, late summer afternoon, a warning arrives. A giant storm is heading straight for Elathir, threatening everything Larine knows and loves. The Guildmaster has a plan to save the city, but it will require unimaginable sacrifice.
Larine and her fellow wizards face a terrible choice. Some will live and some will die. For unless enough wizards volunteer to spend their lives to turn aside the storm, thousands of people will perish beneath the wind and waves.
A disillusioned soldier. A spoiled, untried prince. A coup that threatens the country they love.
When retired soldier Kemen finds the young prince Hakan fleeing an attempted assassination, he reluctantly takes the role of mentor and guardian. Keeping the prince alive is challenging enough. Making him a man is harder.
As usurper Vidar tightens his grip on power, Kemen wrestles with questions of duty and honor. What if the prince isn’t the best ruler after all?
Invasion looms, and Kemen’s decisions will shape the fate of a nation. What will he sacrifice for friendship and honor?
Christina Ochs reviewed the book here. She says: For what is essentially an action tale, it is very introspective, and handles some important issues like racism, sexism and classism in a sensitive, non-preachy way. Though the world is well-developed and interesting, the true highlight is the complex characterization of the two leads.
Francesca Forrest reviewed the book here. She says: I really loved the gradual uncovering of the intrigue and machinations of Hakan and Kemen’s enemy and how C. J. Brightly shows the impact of those machinations on the everyday lives of common folk both within Erdem (Kemen and Hakan’s country) and in neighboring lands. The wicked plot was truly wicked—I felt as shocked as the characters—and also enragingly believable. Francesca also blogged about names in fantasy here (there is an extended discussion in the comments too).
Mike Reeves-McMillan reviewed the book here. He says: It’s enjoyable, and even fresh, these days, to read a book in which the cynical, selfish opportunist is the antagonist, and the protagonist is a straightforwardly decent man. This is such a book.
The 3D image above is for Amazon, but we also have this lovely one for B&N and other retailers who prefer a flat image.
Amazon (US) | Barnes & Noble Nook | Kobo | iBooks (US)
