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A review by lezlie
The Advent of Winter by Dom McDermott
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
5.0
I backed this anthology on Kickstarter and it turned out to be the best gift of the 2023 holiday season!
When I saw the Kickstarter campaign announcement, I knew that this would be an amazing experience. A true bookish advent as backers were emailed a new Winter-themed fantasy story each day, beginning December 1st, ending on December 24th. For those of you who missed out, the good news is there will be a physical edition published that you can purchase for next year! (Actually, don't even wait for next Winter)
THE ADVENT OF WINTER is edited by Dom McDermott and contains stories from some of the biggest names of the self published fantasy world. Most of the authors I have read previously, most of the others I have heard many wonderful things about from other readers and reviewers and a couple were brand-spanking-new to me. Almost every author that I had not read previously, I ended up purchasing multiple books by after reading their contribution to this anthology. I was delighted to discover a few standout favorites were prequel stories for new series!!
This anthology is a perfect example of why I never talk about yearly favorites until at least January of the new year, because THE ADVENT OF WINTER swooped in and took the #1 Favorite Anthology of the Year for me. It just made my December memorable and had me excited to get up every morning to see what story awaited in my inbox.
Out of 24 stories, I'd said I had 22 favorites and a couple I could live without. I think I ended up purchasing around 18 books as a result - all 18 were from the authors I had not read before. Other than cautioning you to wait and read when your wallet is fat, I do want to let you know that these stories mostly lean toward the darker side of fantasy, which is my favorite subgenre preference. It seems fitting, as winter is usually cold and harsh. That's not to say there weren't sweet and endearing moments here and there along with a dash of hope.
This anthology is perfect for grimdark and dark fantasy lovers. If you've never tried the self publishing world, editor Dom McDermott has collected an arsenal of some of the absolute best in the business right now.
You can find this review along with other reviews spanning multiple genres at The Nerdy Narrative or if you prefer video format, I do have a BookTube Channel
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Sharon, Andrew, Star, Amanda L., Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Lourdes, Tara, John, Ann, Chad K., Ashley E., & Jennifer M.
When I saw the Kickstarter campaign announcement, I knew that this would be an amazing experience. A true bookish advent as backers were emailed a new Winter-themed fantasy story each day, beginning December 1st, ending on December 24th. For those of you who missed out, the good news is there will be a physical edition published that you can purchase for next year! (Actually, don't even wait for next Winter)
THE ADVENT OF WINTER is edited by Dom McDermott and contains stories from some of the biggest names of the self published fantasy world. Most of the authors I have read previously, most of the others I have heard many wonderful things about from other readers and reviewers and a couple were brand-spanking-new to me. Almost every author that I had not read previously, I ended up purchasing multiple books by after reading their contribution to this anthology. I was delighted to discover a few standout favorites were prequel stories for new series!!
This anthology is a perfect example of why I never talk about yearly favorites until at least January of the new year, because THE ADVENT OF WINTER swooped in and took the #1 Favorite Anthology of the Year for me. It just made my December memorable and had me excited to get up every morning to see what story awaited in my inbox.
Out of 24 stories, I'd said I had 22 favorites and a couple I could live without. I think I ended up purchasing around 18 books as a result - all 18 were from the authors I had not read before. Other than cautioning you to wait and read when your wallet is fat, I do want to let you know that these stories mostly lean toward the darker side of fantasy, which is my favorite subgenre preference. It seems fitting, as winter is usually cold and harsh. That's not to say there weren't sweet and endearing moments here and there along with a dash of hope.
This anthology is perfect for grimdark and dark fantasy lovers. If you've never tried the self publishing world, editor Dom McDermott has collected an arsenal of some of the absolute best in the business right now.
You can find this review along with other reviews spanning multiple genres at The Nerdy Narrative or if you prefer video format, I do have a BookTube Channel
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Sharon, Andrew, Star, Amanda L., Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Lourdes, Tara, John, Ann, Chad K., Ashley E., & Jennifer M.