Strange Fortune in Q&A with Josh Lanyon

May 25, 2012 ttg rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m, challenge-read, reviews

Strange Fortune is probably the biggest departure for Lanyon, a fantasy adventure novel about two very different men, one witch, one soldier, who are forced to journey together to retrieve a religious artifact, and along the way, discover a far more sinister plot with potential world-ending consequences.

The story is set in an AU world, but Lanyon’s fantasy setting is heavily inspired by turn-of-the-century India under Britain’s colonial rule. In this story, ruling Alba is trying to maintain its ...more

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Apr 16, 2014 Ami marked it as my-issues-not-yours · review of another edition

Shelves: mm-fantasy-pnr-futuristic-scifi, mm-historical-medieval-steampunk

** A SPRING CLEANING REVIEW **

Okay, a disclaimer first, I did NOT finish this book. I made it around 50% and decided to give up. But let me say this upfront: this is NOT the book’s fault. I repeat, NOT the book’s fault. High-fantasy is not my genre and I always have difficulties enjoying it, M/M or otherwise. When it comes to fantasy, I can count the number of authors I can read on one hand…

What I can say is … this is a different kind of story from Josh Lanyon who usually write ** A SPRING CLEANING REVIEW **

Okay, a disclaimer first, I did NOT finish this book. I made it around 50% and decided to give up. But let me say this upfront: this is NOT the book’s fault. I repeat, NOT the book’s fault. High-fantasy is not my genre and I always have difficulties enjoying it, M/M or otherwise. When it comes to fantasy, I can count the number of authors I can read on one hand…

What I can say is … this is a different kind of story from Josh Lanyon who usually writes contemporary. It combines fantasy elements with a dash of historical, where two men go on a quest to retrieve a dadem. The world building might not be all out new – it has a touch of Indian setting – but it still feels quite rich in offering. The romance is typical Lanyon’s, there seems to be a disagreement between the two men at first and they need time to build their attraction. In fact, until I stopped around half way, there wasn’t a single kiss happening yet *haha*. So yes, high in fantasy and adventure but rather low in the romance department.

Unfortunately, it was difficult for me to get into the story. Again, the combination of this being a high fantasy and my reluctance of the genre in the first place made me feel disconnected with the world and characters from the very beginning. I think the switch genre from what I am used to from Josh Lanyon’s stories also contributes to my struggle – maybe my brain perceives Lanyon with a contemporary setting and it was difficult to think of his stories otherwise.

There were a few times when I thought I could get into it, especially when Strange and Grimshaw started conversing – but a few minutes later, I found myself being pulled away again. I couldn’t find a steady ground in which I could enjoy. The longer I tried, the more the words became gibberish in my head. Definitely an issue that was my own.

Then why the hell did I buy the book in the first place, you say? Well, it was early 2010, I was on a high with the genre (I started reading MM in 2009), I was deliriously in love with the Adrien English series by Josh Lanyon – so you could say that it was an impulsive buy (in paperback no less). Of course after the book arrived a few weeks later (hey, I live in Indonesia!) I realized that I never read fantasy, decided to shelf it … and voila, it had gathering dust since then. At least now I have given it a try, I know that high fantasy is still not my favorite genre, and I can FINALLY take this off my TBR list and chuck it as “impulsive buy that sadly doesn’t work” *lol*

So, don’t let my review be the basis of your judgment. You can see that Tracy, the “fantasy lover” in our team gave this her high praise. So, if you love fantasy and quest adventure with a relationship that slowly builds, I think you should give this one a try. I am just not the target reader of this book.

RATING: MNY (ME NOT YOU) ...more

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Oct 07, 2018 Liz (Bugetta) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, audiobook, fantasy, m-m-romance, e-book, arp-borrow

Well, this was really great and very different from the usual Josh Lanyon book! This is a fantasy adventure that takes place in an world which seems to be based on India when it was occupied by Great Britain, except there’s magic. The MCs are Valentine Strange a soldier for hire and Aleister Grimshaw, a temple witch. The MCs go on a trip to the mountains to get a diadem for the Holy Order and of course it turns out to be much more complicated than they expected. There’s something following them ...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Emily G rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, gay-male, action, kindle, books-2012, supernatural

This book is very different from Josh Lanyon's usual stories, and I thought it was brilliant.

The world Josh has created for this tale where magic exists, has a distinctly Indian Raj feel to it, which works very well, and I really liked the characters of both Strange and Grimshaw. (Although that name does amuse me, as my boss is called Grimshaw)! ...more

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May 25, 2010 R rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, gay, m-m

Not my favorite Lanyon book, but still an enjoyable read. My main concern with this book is it took too long for me to feel invested in the characters. It took 100+ pages before I truly liked what I was reading. By the end of the book, I didn't want to put it down. ...more

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