1) My all time favorite is The Year of the Warrior by author Lars Walker
2) Coming in second is the wonderful story Blaggards Moon from author George Bryan Polivka.

To start things off, I'd like to begin with George Bryan Polivka's Blaggards Moon. This is what I like to describe as a pirate fantasy. It is a stand alone book, and at the same time, a prequel to Polivka's Firefish series (which were enjoyable reads.)

Blaggard's Moon, is in a class of it's own. Polivka's characters are what drives this often funny, sometimes tragic story. Several story lines from a score of characters weave together, be it ruthless pirate captains, the bumbling pirate crewmen, pirate hunters, greedy shipping managers, or the main story--which is a love story revolving around Jenta, a poor girl whose beauty makes her a prize in the eyes of the wrong people. If you haven't read this book, it is excellent.

Click HERE for my full review of Blaggards Moon! And here's Part 1 and Part 2 of an author interview.


Now to The Year of the Warrior, a mix of heroic fantasy and historic fantasy set in Viking Norway around 1000 A.D. during the spread of Christianity. This is not only my favorite spiritual speculative fiction book, it is one of my top five books ever read in any genre (think The Road by Cormac McCarthy, or Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck). This beautifully written novel is an unknown treasure. Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia are considered by many to be literary classics. I would emphatically add The Year of the Warrior right beside them. In comparison to the aforementioned classics, TYOTW is bloodier, more humorous, more tragic, more raw and real. It is honest. And it is also a gripping battle between good and evil, pagan dieties and God.

If you want my full review of TYOTW Click HERE! Or check out some of the Amazon reviews on it HERE. And I also interviewed Mr. Walker on my blog a while back, click HERE for that!

Also, The year of the Warrior is out of print, but it is available electronically at Baen books HERE! (Get it! Or fore-go reading an incredible story!!)

Pictured to the left is Walkers newest book, West Oversea. It is a follow up novel to The Year of the Warrior and it is also excellent. For my review of West Oversea click HERE.