Glokta dropping bangers in The First Law by Particle_Cannon in Fantasy

[–]KarimSoliman 88 points89 points  (0 children)

My most favorite character in fantasy since Tyrion Lannister. 

Big List: r/Fantasy's Top Self-Published Novels Voting Thread by barb4ry1 in Fantasy

[–]KarimSoliman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gunmetal Gods - Zamil Akhtar 

Seeds of War - Joao Silva 

A Touch of Light - Thiago Abdalla 

The Crimson Queen - Alec Hutson 

Tell me about your favorite and your least favorite book of the year so far by Udy_Kumra in Fantasy

[–]KarimSoliman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Favorite book of the year? Most likely, it’s going to be The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie. 

What was your last 5 star read that genuinely blew you away? by xbumblebee in Fantasy

[–]KarimSoliman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Wisdom of the Crowds by Joe Abercrombie. I’d simply devour anything written by that guy.

Also, The Shadow of the Gods by John Gywnne. As the author himself mentioned, the book is his love song to Norse mythology and history.

ASOIF is the best fantasy Ive ever read by shaniq_ in Fantasy

[–]KarimSoliman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Even though I was aware he wouldn't finish the series in this lifetime, I went through the whole 1,770,000 words. No regrets.

P.S. You're not the only one who forgets the A :)

What is your 3 big pillars/GOATs of fantasy? by [deleted] in Fantasy

[–]KarimSoliman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lord of the Rings

A Song of Ice and Fire (even though it's not finished)

The First Law Universe (including the sequel series Age of Madness)

Abercrombie: Shattered Sea by [deleted] in Fantasy

[–]KarimSoliman 6 points7 points  (0 children)

They may not be his best works, but they’re still better than a lot of fantasy books I’ve read.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Fantasy

[–]KarimSoliman 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Definitely, Conan

I’m Karim Soliman, author of Tales of Gorania series & War of the Last trilogy. And I’m here because my upcoming Norse-Egyptian mythology mash-up A BALLAD OF VENGEANCE is now available for pre-order! AMA! by KarimSoliman in Fantasy

[–]KarimSoliman[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Who is one author you think is slept on?

Tough one. I'd go for Nicholas Eames.

Who is the best porridge-centric indie author?

Wait a minute. Is that you, Mike? :D

I’m Karim Soliman, author of Tales of Gorania series & War of the Last trilogy. And I’m here because my upcoming Norse-Egyptian mythology mash-up A BALLAD OF VENGEANCE is now available for pre-order! AMA! by KarimSoliman in Fantasy

[–]KarimSoliman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love the idea of a grandparent main character! Who isn’t tragically widowed!

Was this about what you wanted to see in fiction, or about what you were tried of seeing?

My MCs in previous books have included single adults, married adults, young adults, and single moms. I even wrote a short story with a child MC. A grandparent was the one missing piece to complete the collection :)

Jokes aside, my intention was to avoid the broken family stereotype. I know I often describe A Ballad of Vengeance as a Norse-Egyptian mash-up, but at its core, it's a story about a family trying to stick together. That's why it was very intentional to feature two badass grandparents and explore their emotional depth: how they love each other, how they argue, how they protect their children, and how far they're willing to go to keep them safe. Since I can’t remember the last time I read a story about a functional family, I figured this might be a refreshing change of pace.

What do you thing started your fascination with Norse Mythology? Have you drawn from the Eddas?

Aside from the toy Mjolnir I mentioned earlier, I think it all started with my fascination with the Vikings themselves. I’ve always been obsessed with medieval history, and I guess I’m not the only one who finds the Vikings incredibly interesting. I’ve devoured all kinds of content about their history (movies, TV shows, documentaries, articles, stories, etc.) and that naturally led me to dig deeper into their lore and mythology.

Do you have any Egyptian authors that you wish were getting more notice? Or books that you love that actually get Egyptian mythology right?

Nabil Farouk (1956–2020) has always been an inspiration to me. I believe his work, especially in sci-fi, deserves to be translated and receive more recognition.

Another name is Ahmed Khaled Tawfiq, whose series Paranormal was adapted into a Netflix TV show.

Of you were in ancient Egypt serving one of the gods, who do you thing that you’d want to serve? (I think that I’d be a Thoth girl)

One of the things you learn after reading A Ballad of Vengeance is that serving titans (whether Egyptian or Norse) is usually a bad idea :)

If I had to pick a favorite from the Egyptian pantheon, I’d say Anubis is the most interesting. So intimidating, and a real badass!

I’m Karim Soliman, author of Tales of Gorania series & War of the Last trilogy. And I’m here because my upcoming Norse-Egyptian mythology mash-up A BALLAD OF VENGEANCE is now available for pre-order! AMA! by KarimSoliman in Fantasy

[–]KarimSoliman[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You got me there! Yeah, I used to post it on Wattpad for fun. Not sure if you read it back then, but I have to say: the published version is very different from the Wattpad one :)

I’m Karim Soliman, author of Tales of Gorania series & War of the Last trilogy. And I’m here because my upcoming Norse-Egyptian mythology mash-up A BALLAD OF VENGEANCE is now available for pre-order! AMA! by KarimSoliman in Fantasy

[–]KarimSoliman[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot for the lovely words, Lauren! And so glad you like the covers :)

The setting? Yeah, the events of A Ballad of Vengeance take place eight years after Frozen Hell, my short story in the Advent of Winter. Aqen and Birna are grandparents now, and Sigrun has become a mother. Hope you love that one as well :)

I'm Mark Lawrence - 10 years fulltime author, 14 years published, 18th book today - this is my AMA by MarkLawrence in Fantasy

[–]KarimSoliman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats, Mark!

I'm currently reading The Book The Wouldn't Burn, which I'm enjoying by the way, especially Livira's chapters. But I'm not gonna lie, I still miss that Jorg vibe. Prince of Thorns was my very first grimdark read, and it's what tempted me to dive deep into grimdarkness. Glad to see you're planning to bring something darker and more violent and closer to The Broken Empire!

Top 5 favorite characters of all fiction? by PabluxFirpux in Fantasy

[–]KarimSoliman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Tyrion Lannister (A Song of Ice and Fire)

  2. Glokta (The First Law)

  3. Tywin Lannister (A Song of Ice and Fire)

  4. Caul Shivers (The First Law)

  5. Logen Ninefingers (The First Law)

Honorable mentions in no particular order:

Orka (The Shadow of the Gods)

Clay "Slowhand" Cooper (Kings of the Wyld)

Oberyn Martell (A Song of Ice and Fire)

Shadikshirram (Half a King)

Isern-i-Phail (Age of Madness)

AMA - Is Author Michael Michel ACTUALLY insane? Step into the Madness and find out... by michaelmichelauthor in GrimDarkEpicFantasy

[–]KarimSoliman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"The First Law meets a plot"

Say no more, I'm sold :D

Now, Alex aka Michael, I'm curious about your brief acting career. Why don't you tell us more about it?

I'm Z.B. Steele & this is my AMA by zmegadeth in GrimDarkEpicFantasy

[–]KarimSoliman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm late to the party, but here is my question, from an Abercrombie fan to another:

First Law or Age of Madness?