Here's another First, Last, Everything. And this time it's author Jaime Castle.

Jaime Castle hails from the great nation of Texas where he lives with his wife and two children and enjoys anything creative. A self-proclaimed comic book nerd and artist, he spends what little free time he can muster with his art tablet.

Jaime co-created and co-authored The Buried Goddess Saga, which includes the IPPY award-winning Web of Eyes.

I’ve been a reader as long as I can remember. I have a vivid recollection of having Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton taken away from me in fifth grade as a punishment for reading in class. It was devastating, as I was nearing the end of the climax of the book. Sure, I’d seen the movie, but as any reader will tell you, movies rarely stack up to the books. That said, I read his work veraciously, moving onto Sphere, and Congo, and others. 

In addition to reading, I was also a video game fiend, spending in upwards of ten to twelve hours a day in the online world of Ultima Online. To this day, I have friends I’d met playing that game as Sir Odemus Leigh. One such friend was a neighbor named Alex. He was young than I was, and I was dating his sister. There’s a unique aspect to dating your next door neighbor. I think it’s every guy’s dream—however, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be once you break up. Hah!

Alex, knowing my love of reading and fantasy, introduced me to someone, who soon became one of my all-time best friends. His name is Drizzt Do’Urden, and he his a dark elf from Menzoberranzan.

Thus, The Crystal Shard, book one in the Icewind Dale Trilogy becomes my FIRST. It was, and remains, my number one Fantasy pick. I’ve recently re-read it, and although my tastes have changed, Bob’s (RA Salvatore) writing holds up splendidly over the years.

As an author myself, I don’t have a ton of time to read anymore. My rule is, generally speaking, if I have time to read, I have time to write. However, that said, I believe every author needs to be a readers as well. In today’s world, Audiobooks have allowed for a new way to digest stories. I’m a huge audiophile. I listened to upwards of 100 books a year since I can listen while I cook, clean, drive, run, shop, and do yard work, amongst other things.

My LAST listen was Sworn Guardian by T.L. Branson.

Unless you’ve been hiding in the crypts beneath Winterfell, you’ve, no doubt, seen the newest sub-genre to take Fantasy by storm.

LitRPG or GameLit is a book told like a video game. I’ve not become an addict like many LitRPG readers, but I have found myself listening to quite a few.

This one was unique in that it is very reminiscent of Final Fantasy VII, arguably the greatest of the FF franchise. I can still remember my birthday in 1997, having just received a copy of FFVII for Playstation. I spent days playing that game. I recall naming Tifa (since you were allowed to rename the characters) after a girl I had a crush on. She will remain nameless for sake of any unforeseen embarrassment.

Sworn Guardian did an amazing job recapturing this time in my life, and for that, I give it five glowing stars. There were some predictable moments, some cliches and tropes, but let’s face it—we all tend to lean on these things at times. In this case, it is especially forgivable as it is an unabashed attempt to stir the readers emotions toward the nostalgia of those great games.

I am tempted to go with the staples of fantasydom—Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, or any other series that all readers of this blog would instantly agree with. However, as worthy as those books are, the hope of a blog like this (I’d assume) is to turn readers toward new endeavors.

My choice for EVERYTHING is a series I return to often, especially on audio. Although the first few audiobooks were rough in quality, they are beyond worth powering through to get to the remaining dozen.

Narrated by James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel), The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher is a series I can’t recommend enough. It has absolutely everything I look for in a book (series). I love books written in first person with a strong protagonist voice. This absolutely has that. It’s funny, snarky, inventive and creative. It’s deep, yet light enough to enjoy without overthinking or being bogged down by details and nonsense.

The Dresden Files never gets old.

Thanks very much, Jaime.

Remember, if you want to take part I’ll post your entry. Just drop me a line on Twitter or via email to dave@dpwoolliscroft.com and I’ll send you some simple instructions.