2000
GRIMSLEY, Jim: Kirith Kirin **
Immortal Prince/ young but incredibly powerful magician. The story takes some odd twists and has an 'old fantasy' feel despite being published in 2000.
MACER, T.P.: The Sorcerer's Web ****
An angst-ridden tale of a sorcerer's thrall and a handsome ranger. Quality melodrama with maybe a plot twist too many. I read it in one go. Link to Wayward books, a great small publisher.
1999
FLEWELLING, Lynn: The Nightrunner Series, 3) Traitor's Moon ***
Climax to the series started with 'Luck in the Shadows' (1996). Theives turned spies, friends turned lovers and yet more tragedy.
1997
FEINTUCH, David: The Still ***
A spoilt young prince has to come to terms with what he has to do to become a good king. As usual with Feintuch this involves a fair amount of spanking. Amazing whta's making the mainstream fantasy shelves these days. The prince is really only active with guys because the magic stops him going with women. Avoid the sequel.
FLEWELLING, Lynn: The Nightrunner series 2) Stalking Darkness ***
Callow Alec starts to leanr more of the secrets about his theif mentor Seregil and about his own past. The potential romace in their relationship starts to become apparent.
PATTON, Fiona: The Stone Prince and others. **
Big fat fantasy world in need vicious editing. A good read if you skim a bit, but the characters are somewhat flat.
1996
FLEWELLING, Lynn: The Nightrunner series 1) Luck in the Shadows ***
Fast moving adventure, slow burning slash romance. Good classic fantasy with a new take on 'elves' (by another name). The romance doesn't really take off until the third book -- one for the pre-slash angst fans.
GARBER, Eric & GOMEZ, Jewelle [eds] sSwords of the Rainbow ***
A solid sci fi and fantasy anthology including work by Mel Keegan and Tanya Huff.
1990
HUFF, Tanya: The Fire's Stone ***
Very readable conventional fantasy adventure with a nice conventional slash romance between 2 of the 3 main characters; a prince and a somewhat embittered thief.
1987
KUSHNER, Ellen: Swordspoint *****
Exquisite fantasy and slash romance between a duelist and a self-destructive scholar with a shrouded past, set in a complex Venice like society. Highly recommended.
undated
LACKEY, Mercedes: the Heraldmage Trilogy *****
Enormous amounts of slash romance, angst, magic and adventure. From the blurb of the first book…
In Magic's Pawn, an ancient age in the history of Valdemar comes to life--an age when the kingdom was ravaged by the ungoverned fury of the bandit warlords, ferocious ice dragons, and the wild magic of wizards."
A warning--don't run off and buy everything else she subsequently wrote, it never gets any better, or 'gayer', than this (and goes somewhat off the boil).