Book Haul – 22 October 2024

On October 22, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Book HaulLeave a comment

I’ve had another excellent week for books, as I was lucky enough to receive several incredible and amazing new novels from local publishers and Netgalley. These novels include some truly awesome new releases, including books that have the potential to be some of my top reads of the year. I cannot wait to dive into them, and I so excited to see how they all turn out.

The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne

I was very, very happy to receive the latest epic fantasy novel from John Gwynne, The Fury of the Gods. The third and final book in the Bloodsworn trilogy, The Fury of the Gods will follow on from the exceptional reads, The Shadow of the Gods and The Hunger of the Gods. Set to showcase the final battle between several bands of warriors and the reborn gods, The Fury of the Gods will easily be one of the top fantasy books of 2024 and I am extremely keen to check it out, especially after once again witnessing this glorious cover art.

The Ghosts of August by Peter Watt

Another excellent book I was happy to get my hands on was the fantastic Australian historical fiction novel, The Ghosts of August by Peter Watt. The sixth and final book in Watt’s excellent Colonial series, The Ghosts of August will continue to follow members of an Australian family as they battle their way through various key historical events. This final book will be set around World War I and should prove to be another outstanding read. I have had a lot of fun with this series over the last few years (see my reviews for The Queen’s Colonial, The Queen’s Tiger, The Queen’s Captain, The Colonial’s Son and Call of Empire), and I have no doubt Watt will end this series on a great note.

Everyone this Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

As an early Christmas gift, I was lucky enough to get a copy of the new Benjamin Stevenson book, Everyone This Christmas has a Secret. Following on from his previous awesome novels, Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone and Everyone on This Train is a Suspect, Everyone This Christmas has a Secret is a short, but intriguing entry in the series that will see the protagonist attempt to work out which performer at a Christmas show is a murderer. I know that I am going to have a ton of fun with this book, and its sure to be one of the top Australian novels of 2024.

Rebellion by Richard Cullen

An exciting historical fiction release, Rebellion is a great new novel from Richard Cullen that follows an uprising against King John by his nobles. I loved the sound of this cool book, and I actually started reading it today. It’s proving to be a very exciting and compelling historical read that focuses on a fantastic period of history.

Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang

One of the books I recently received with the most potential is the epic novel, Blood Over Bright Haven. An intrigue laden book about politics and study in a magical university, Blood Over Bright Haven sounds really cool and I am very keen to get through its fantastic sounding plot. I’m also interested in reading something from author M. L. Wang, especially after hearing some good things about her previous novel, The Sword of Kaigen, and I look forward to seeing how this book turns out.

The Great Library of Tomorrow by Rosalia Aguilar Solace

The final book I recently received was The Great Library of Tomorrow by Rosalia Aguilar Solace. An intricate fantasy novel about a multidimensional library, The Great Library of Tomorrow looks set to be a fascinating read and I am looking forward to diving into it.

Well, that’s the end of this latest Book Haul post. As you can see I have quite a bit of reading to do at the moment thanks to all these awesome books that have come in. Let me know which of the above you are most interested in and make sure to check back in a few weeks to see my reviews of them.

Warhammer 40,000: Double Eagle by Dan Abnett

On October 18, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer19 Comments

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 January 2004)

Series: Warhammer 40,000/Sabbat Worlds

Length: 10 hours and 16 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The master of Warhammer fiction, Dan Abnett, takes to the skies with the deeply addictive and ultra epic fighter pilot novel Double Eagle.

Readers familiar with this blog will know that I have been extremely damn obsessed with Warhammer fiction the last couple of years, having spent a substantial amount of time reading and reviewing numerous books from the franchise. Of the many Warhammer fiction authors I have read during this period, one of the most impressive is the legendary Dan Abnett, who has written so many exceptional and powerful books around the franchise, including several series considered to be the seminal texts of the extended universe. I have had a ton of fun with many of his books, including his brilliant Eisenhorn trilogy (Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus), and he has multiple entries in my current favourite Warhammer 40,000 books list. However, his best-known series is the iconic Gaunt’s Ghosts books, which I am currently in the middle of reading.

The Gaunt’s Ghosts books are a beloved and key series of Warhammer 40,000 fiction that seeks to give readers a moving look at the lives of the frontline human soldier in this grimdark universe. Set in an extended, multi-planet campaign, known as the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books follow a ragged regiment of soldiers as they attempt to survive the dark servants of Chaos coming for them. I am having an exceptional time reading the Gaunt’s Ghosts series, and in 2024 alone I have read two particularly epic entries, Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr. However, before I dive any further into the series, I decided to read the spin-off novel, Double Eagle, which I have had on my to-read list for a while now. Double Eagle was an interesting and unique novel that follows members of an airmen wing who were introduced in the fifth Gaunt’s Ghosts book, The Guns of Tanith. Set after their mission with the Ghosts, Double Eagle follows these pilots, including a few characters from The Guns of Tanith, in a brutal new campaign.

War has engulfed the Sabbat World system as the forces of the Imperium of Man attempt to reclaim multiple worlds invaded by the forces of Chaos. After years of fighting, the Imperium’s crusade has reached a tipping point, with victory or defeat for the entire campaign hanging on the results of a few key battles. While the fighting is fierce throughout the system, nowhere is it more desperate than the beleaguered world of Enothis.

After failing to conquer the Chaos footholds on Enothis, the infantry and armoured forces of the Imperium are in full retreat, attempting to traverse miles of hostile terrain to return to safe territory, all while being harassed by relentless enemy aircraft. With the fate of the planet in the balance, the commanders of the crusade deploy multiple squadrons of Imperial fighters and bombers to Enothis to turn the entire conflict into an air war. If the Imperial pilots can hold back the advancing tides of Chaos and allow the ground forces to regroup the war for Enothis may be won. But if the airmen fail, then Enothis and the entire Sabbat Worlds campaign is doomed.

Amongst the pilots sent to Enothis are the elite flyers of the Phantine Air Corps. Veterans from the recent war to liberate their home planet of Phantine, the pilots of the Phantine Air Corps are determined to do their bit in this new conflict. But the battle for Enothis will be unlike anything seen before, as thousands of Chaos aircraft descend on the planet, hoping to obliterate the defenders. Severely outnumbered, can even the dogged Phantine pilots hold back the approaching tide of dark air machines before the planet is conquered, especially with an unnaturally skilled Chaos ace stalking the skies, determined to bring every opposing pilot down in flames?

Just when I think that Dan Abnett couldn’t impress me even more, I go and read Double Eagle. A brilliant, intense, and exceptionally well-written novel that focuses on a particularly cool aspect of the Warhammer universe, Double Eagle blew me away with its great characters and elaborate air combat sequences. I had an incredible time with Double Eagle, and it gets an easy five-star rating from me.

I deeply, deeply enjoyed Double Eagle, as Abnett took the brief of a Battle of Britain-inspired Warhammer 40,000 story and applied his usual impressively detailed style and powerful character-driven storytelling to produce an outstanding and addictive read. Perfectly spinning off from the previous Gaunt’s Ghosts books and bringing the reader to another adventure in the expansive Sabbat World Crusades, Double Eagle has a brilliant narrative loaded with action that goes hard and fast for your feels and refuses to let go once it has you firmly in your grasp.

Double Eagle starts off quickly, getting the reader across the brutal new campaign and the importance of the aerial war that emerges, you are soon introduced to multiple characters and shown some initial awesome sequences with some explosive dogfights. From there the story moves at a fast but smart pace, as you follow several distinctive and often overlapping character arcs throughout the length of the brutal campaign on Enothis. You really get dragged into each major protagonist’s story as they attempt to survive the flying war. There are some excellent battle scenes in this first half of the book and Abnett really shows how epic he can make a fighter pilot dogfight very early on. The characters each experience some highs and lows in the first half of the book, and it doesn’t take you long to get attached the protagonists and their complex personal tales within the confines of the main story.

However, it is the second half of the book where everything comes together perfectly. Each of the protagonists experience some version of personal loss or difficulty, and the impact of the war slowly drains them, taking them to some dark places. Abnett sets up a brilliant underdog narrative around the protagonists, as the massive fleet of Chaos airships seek to crush them. You can really see the parallels between this narrative and the Battle for Britain at this point, especially as the tired and severely outnumbered Phantine fighters and their local allies attempt to hold back the overwhelming and often Germanic-inspired forces coming for them. Everything leads up to a massive final confrontation, as the protagonists engage in a series of brutal and drawn-out dogfights and aerial confrontations as we lead up to the finale. While a couple of the character arcs leading up to this are a tad unsurprising, the way that Abnett writes them makes you love every second it. The author brings everything to an epic close with continued and captivating action that honestly is impossible not to react to at times. There are some very powerful moments at the closes, especially when some characters get everything they want, and you come away from Double Eagle wishing Abnett had made this book even longer.

Abnett once again masterfully crafts his compelling narrative together in such an effective way that I honestly just couldn’t stop listening to this book. Making excellent use of multiple complex perspectives, you are swiftly drawn into the lives of several ordinary soldiers drafted into the deadly aerial war against a massive opposing fleet. Featuring a range of complex characters arcs, Abnett expertly balances the character-driven plot between the various perspectives, while also featuring an epic war story that hits in all the right places. Abnett’s use of quick-fire perspective changes works to create an excellent and fast-paced narrative, and it works especially well in some of the novel’s more intense sequences. Speaking of action, you can’t talk about Double Eagle without discussing the amazing and epic aerial fight scenes and dogfights that make the book so damn distinctive. Abnett did a remarkable job of harnessing the energy and feel of classic World War II fighter combat and bringing it into the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Featuring many, many awesome sequences of aerial combat, Double Eagle really feels like you’re in a futuristic Battle for Britain as you witness fights between small groups of fighters fending off mass raids from Chaos forces, as well as sequences from the perspective of Imperial bombers. The resulting dogfights between advanced fighter craft works so damn well in the context of the story, and you are treated to some truly epic sequences. I was constantly enthralled by the brilliant aerial combat and flight sequences, and Abnett did an exceptional job expressing the intensities of flight, the ultra-fast pace nature of the combat, and the craziness of a massed aerial battle. I could have honestly spent many, many more hours listening to Abnett’s descriptions of aerial combat, and there are so many excellent writing elements to this book that drag you in.

Double Eagle also proved to be an interesting and particularly strong Warhammer 40,000 novel that is really going to appeal to a wide range of readers. Spinning off from the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, Double Eagle is tailor made for fans of the original series, although familiarity with the Gaunt’s Ghosts books isn’t necessary to enjoy this epic book. While there are a few references, returning characters, and discussions about the overarching Sabbat Worlds Crusade, for the most part any reader can easily dive into Double Eagle and follow the story with no issues at all. As with most tie-in books in the franchise, Double Eagle is best enjoyed by existing Warhammer fans, who will once again enjoy Abnett’s compelling insights into the canon. I know that I really loved the exploration of Warhammer 40,000 air combat, and I loved how Abnett explored the physics, as well as the reasons why aerial fighters are still utilised in a universe where space travel exists. However, I also felt that Double Eagle would serve as a pretty good entry point to any new readers interested in finding out why the Warhammer 40,000 universe is so damn cool. Indeed, readers who are a fan of aerial focused military fiction or World War II fighter combat fiction can very easily jump into the new world here, as Abnett really presents a tale they would enjoy. I need to read more Warhammer books from Abnett (I have several currently in my queue), and I currently very excited to read the recently announced sequel to Double Eagle, Interceptor City, which is set to be released later this year.

I found that the writing element that really brought Double Eagle together where the excellent characters at the heart and soul of the plot. Focusing on several intriguing pilot characters, Abnett dove into the mindset of these flyers and did an amazing job capturing their love of the air and their desire to be the best. However, as the book continues, you see a darker side to many of these characters, as the toil of war drags them down into their own mental hells. While it did take me a little while to get across every protagonist, I eventually got drawn into the excellent character-focused storylines that Abnett set up in Double Eagle, and it was great to see the return of several characters introduced in The Guns of Tanith. This includes the Phantine flight commander, Bree Jagdea, and the bombardier Oskar Viltry. Jagdea proves to be a great centre for much of the plot, and her steady determination to keep her flight together and survive the various rigors of war, really strike a chord with the reader. Viltry’s narrative is a little more complex, as the veteran pilot is suffering from trauma after being shot down and captured in The Guns of Tanith. Certain about his own impending death, Viltry spends much of the book as a morose and depressed figure, until he finds someone worth living for. Viltry’s storyline proves to be particularly heartfelt, especially as he has a relatively nice romance angle, and I felt that Abnett really captured his trauma and desire for a better life.

Aside from Jagdea and Viltry, Double Eagle also features several other impressive perspective characters who really bring the narrative together. This includes young Phantine pilot, Vander Marquall, who serves as a major protagonist. A rookie pilot fighting in his first campaign, Marquall has a massive desire to prove himself. His obsession with becoming an ace and being respected becomes an overwhelming part of his character, and you find yourself occasionally disliking him, while also simultaneously cheering him on. Thanks to his interactions with the other characters, Marquall gets some much-needed perspective at times (that scene with his mechanic at the end was brilliant), and I felt he had one of the most complex, dark and relatable storylines in the entire book. Abnett rounds out the characters with local pilots August Kaminsky, a wounded veteran no longer allowed to fly, and Enric Darrow, a rookie without a plane after getting shot down in the opening scenes by the novel’s big bad. While parts of Kaminsky and Darrow’s storylines are a little predictable, you really get invested in their various battles, especially as Abnett produces some interesting character moments and interactions for them. I especially loved the hilarious exchanges between Kaminsky and Jagdea during one fun sequence, and Darrow proves to be a very likeable and determined young character to get behind. These main characters, plus an excellent supporting cast, were great to follow in Double Eagle, and it will be awesome to continue at least one survivor’s story in the upcoming sequel.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I ended up listening to Double Eagle on audiobook, as there is frankly no better way to enjoy an epic Warhammer 40,000 novel. While I always gush about how much I enjoy a Warhammer audiobook, I frankly really need to emphasise just how impressive and exceptional Double Eagle was in this format. The many, many aerial combat sequences come across so damn well when they are read out to you, and I loved how easily it was to visualise the fast-paced and exceptional flight scenes. You really get lost in the battles when you listen to them, and I was frankly buzzing the entire time I was listening to Double Eagle. Part of the reason this audiobook was so damn good was the inclusion of one of my favourite audiobook narrators Toby Longworth. Longworth has lent his voice to most of Abnett’s Warhammer 40,000 novels in recent years, and frankly the two are a match made in heaven. The story comes across so effectively in Longworth’s voice, and he really makes every scene, especially the exciting action sequences, that little more epic. I also really love the fantastic and compelling voices he uses for the various characters. While a couple of character voices sounded the same as those Longworth used in the Gaunt’s Ghosts audiobooks, I felt that they perfectly fit every figure they were assigned to, and you really get drawn into the matching character arcs as a result. Frankly this audiobook was perfect, and I had so much fun listening to it. With a run time of just over 10 hours, the Double Eagle audiobook is very easy to power through, and that is exactly what I did.

With an elaborate, powerful and addictive story about glorious battles in the sky, Double Eagle was a particularly epic Warhammer 40,000 novel that proves impossible not to fall in love with. Another exceptional novel from Dan Abnett, who once again shows why he is one of the best authors of Warhammer fiction, Double Eagle had me hooked from the very first chapter, and I honestly couldn’t stop reading it until the very end. This book comes very highly recommended, and I cannot wait to read the sequel later this year.

WWW Wednesday – 16 October 2024

On October 16, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday2 Comments

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading:

The Waiting by Michael Connelly (Trade Paperback)

I just started reading the new Michael Connelly novel The Waiting. The latest book from Connelly to feature his awesome police protagonists, Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch, The Waiting sees them team up to investigate another series of intriguing cases, including an infamous cold case murder. Set to be one of the best crime fiction reads of 2024, I have been really excited for The Waiting and I cannot wait to see how this twisty mystery unfolds.

Warhammer 40,000: Dominion Genesis by Jonathan D. Beer (Audiobook)

I also started listening to one of the latest Warhammer 40,000 novels, Dominion Genesis by Jonathan D. Beer. The second book from Beer following their excellent 2023 debut, The King of the Spoil, Dominion Genesis sees Beer follow the mechanical and inhuman tech priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus as they attempt to survive a devastating alien invasion. I haven’t gotten too far into Dominion Genesis yet, but it’s so far been an interesting start. I look forward to seeing how this entire novel comes together, and I am eager for more Warhammer awesomeness.

What did you recently finish reading?

High Wire by Candice Fox (Trade Paperback)

An exciting and explosive Australian thriller, High Wire was an excellent read and I am hoping to write a review for it soon.

A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan (Audiobook)

I absolutely powered through the audiobook version of the new Anthony Ryan fantasy novel A Tide of Black Steel this week. A sequel to Ryan’s The Covenant of Steel trilogy (The Pariah, The Martyr and The Traitor), A Tide of Black Steel was an epic read that I could not get enough of. An outstanding novel and one of my favourite fantasy books of 2024 so far.

What do you think you’ll read next?

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler

I’ve got several great books to read at the moment, but I think I’ll try to read the hilarious sounding novel, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler next. A comedic take on the classic tale of good vs evil, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying will follow a hero who keeps dying in a time loop as they finally snap and decide to become an evil dark lord to survive. I love the sound of this funny and cool fantasy novel, and I know I am going to have a ton of fun reading it.

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

Waiting on Wednesday – Whisper in the Wind by Luke Arnold

On October 16, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Fantasy, Waiting on Wednesday5 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I check out an exciting and intriguing upcoming addition to a unique fantasy series with Whisper in the Wind by Luke Arnold.

Back in 2020 I was lucky enough to get my hands on a very interesting fantasy book, The Last Smile in Sunder City. The debut novel of actor turned author Luke Arnold and the first book in his Fetch Phillips series, The Last Smile in Sunder City was a dark and compelling fantasy book with an excellent hook to it. The series is set in a fantasy realm where magic has been destroyed, and the various former magical creatures are now disfigured, depowered or dying, and the previously oppressed humans find themselves with an advantage. Following the titular character of Fetch Phillips a depressed human private investigator and odd-jobs man with a desire to help the formerly magical creatures, The Last Smile in Sunder City saw him attempt to find missing children, while also discovering a potential cure for the lost magic. This proved to be an outstanding book, especially with its unique setting and its compelling character arc around Fetch, who is shown to be personally responsible for the chaos engulfing the world. The Last Smile in Sunder City ended up being one of my favourite debuts and top Australian fiction releases in 2020, and I had a wonderful time reading it.

Arnold continued to impress with his Fetch Phillips series as the years continued. His second book, Dead Man in a Ditch, proved to be a worthy sequel, especially as it introduced a great overarching antagonist for the series, set up a great storyline about technology replacing magic and pushed the protagonist even further down a dark past. This all cumulated in a brilliant third book One Foot in the Fade, which was probably Arnold’s best book in the series. After discovering a former genie capable of returning magic to people, Fetch and several companions embark on an intense journey to recover an artefact that could empower her. This resulted in a particularly gripping read, especially as Fetch’s obsession with undoing his wrong leads him along a particularly dark path. Arnold ended One Foot in the Fade on an excellent note, as Fetch starts a new era in his journey and tries to find peace a different way.

Due to how much fun I have had with this series in the past, I have been keeping an eye out for another book from Arnold and I was happy to find out that he had a fourth Fetch Phillips book coming out next year. This fourth book, Whisper in the Wind, is set for release in April 2025, and will set Fetch on another adventure despite his desire to live a simple life.

Plot Synopsis:

The fourth installment of Luke Arnold’s Fetch Phillips series, Whisper in the Wind, takes readers to a very different Sunder City. One where government corruption is rampant and tensions are rising.

Fetch is done being a hero. Once a detective, all he wants now is to run his cafe in peace. Sunder City is still recovering from the sudden and violent end of magic, and if one man can’t solve all its problems, he can at least stop some people going hungry. But when a kid on the run shelters in Fetch’s cafe, and a chain of gruesome murders begins among Sunder’s high and mighty, trouble is brought to Fetch’s door.

There’s a word whispered on the wind, and that word is revolution…

This sounds like another pretty epic entry in the Fetch Phillips series, and I am very interested to see how Arnold is going to continue the series here. Based on the synopsis above, it seems that Whisper in the Wind is going to be set some point after the third book, with a retired protagonist forced back into his previous problems. This should be an excellent and natural continuation of the story elements that the author previously set up in the previous books, and I assume we are going to see some of the recurring antagonists and corruption from the previous novels come back to the fore. As such, I feel that Whisper in the Wind is going to be a very fascinating continuation to this series, and I am very curious to see how Arnold keeps his narrative going.

Due to the impressive quality of the previous novels in this series, I am definitely grabbing Whisper in the Wind when it comes out next year. Luke Arnold has shown himself to be a particularly skilled fantasy author, and I have become a huge fan of his Fetch Phillips series as a result. I cannot wait to see how this epic sounding book turns out and I have no doubt that Whisper in the Wind is going to be one of the more interesting fantasy novels of 2025.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I was Assigned to Read in School

On October 15, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn List8 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday I s a weekly feature that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants are tasked with listing ten books that they were assigned to read in school, with bonus points awarded if you provide a little review or your thoughts on the book in question. This proved to be a rather interesting topic, and it really got me thinking about the random works of fiction I read or had assigned to me during my turbulent school years. My resulting list on the subject proved to be an eclectic mixture or classic novels and several distinctive reads that have followed me into my later reviewing/blogging career. A such, I rather like the list below and I think it is a simultaneously fun and depressing look back at my academic past.

Top Ten List:

Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts

Whilst in college (year 11 in my school system) I signed up to do a fantasy fiction course which I thought sounded fun. Unfortunately, the teacher was absolutely rubbish, but luckily there was a silver lining in that Daughter of the Empire was a required reading. A deep and compelling fantasy book about a young woman forced to take up the reigns of leadership of her noble family, Daughter of the Empire was a brilliant read and the first book in the Empire trilogy. As a fantasy nerd, I was very familiar with Feist, having read multiple books in his Riftwar Cycle already, but I hadn’t made the leap over to the Empire trilogy yet. Naturally I loved this required reading and powered through Daughter of the Empire faster than anyone in the class. I even went a step beyond and grabbed the next two books in the series, Servant of the Empire and Mistress of the Empire, that’s how much I loved it. Daughter of the Empire remains one of my favourite fantasy books to this day (see my blog’s review for the series here), and I cannot recommend this series enough. Literally the only good thing to come out of a terrible, semester-long class.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

A true American classic, To Kill a Mockingbird was an excellent coming-of-age story that also featured a complex tale of racial inequality in small-town America. I read To Kill a Mockingbird as part of a pretty good general English course, and it proved fascinating and insightful to analyse this book. We also watched the Gregory Peck film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird in the same class, which proved to be an impressive black and white watch. A wonderful read whose message still resonates to this day.

Tomorrow series by John Marsden

A series I particularly enjoyed having to read at school was the Tomorrow series by John Marsden. An iconic Australian young adult series that follows a group of teenagers caught up in an invasion of Australia by a foreign army, the Tomorrow books are an exceptional series with a brilliant story behind it. I love all seven books in this excellent series, and I really got into them thanks to some required reading in high school. I honestly read more of this series than I needed to for school purposes, and the Tomorrow series really influenced me growing up. I remember doing some basic reviews of this book back at school, and I have since done a more detailed review of the series on my blog. A highly recommended series that still holds up.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Thanks to a holiday project, I read Jurassic Park during my summer break one year and it proved to be very epic. As a fan of the film and a massive reader, even as a teenager, it honestly wasn’t a great trial for me to read Jurassic Park during my holidays, and I really got caught up in Michael Crichton’s unique science fiction thriller. Another classic, Jurassic Park really stands on its own as a novel and I can see why a movie adaptation from it was so successful. It is quite fascinating to see the differences between the novel and the later film, and I really liked Crichton’s original science focussed and darker story. I honestly need to read this book again at some point, but I enjoyed reading it while younger, and it’s a book all science fiction and thriller fans should check out at some point.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

One of the more memorable novels I was assigned to read in college was the emotionally charged book, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. A dark and powerful read that followed the aftermath of a tragic murder, The Lovely Bones proved to be an interesting addition to my reading list while at school. While not something I probably would have chosen to read on my own, The Lovely Bones had a distinctive and intense story behind it, that dealt with the aftermath of tragedy and regret by following the victim’s surviving family. An outstanding book that allowed for a lot of literary analysis, The Lovely Bones is an excellent addition to this list.

The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett

Required to give a presentation on a specific fantasy novel, I of course chose one of my favourite books, The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett. A particularly hilarious Pratchett novel, set in the Discworld’s equivalent of Australia, The Last Continent proved fertile ground for an in-depth presentation, and I made sure to re-read the book in advance. I have a lot of love for this book (see my review for it on this blog), and I’m sure that came through in my passionate presentation.

Odyssey by Homer

A particularly interesting English class studying myths and legends let to me reading the Greek epic poem Odyssey. The stylised and distinctive tale of legendary figure Odysseus, Odyssey was a great read to get lost in as a student, and it really appealed to my love of Greek mythology. While I remember struggling with the classic prose and language, Odyssey lived up to epic in epic poem, and I had a great time learning about it at school.

Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell

As part of a decent crime fiction English course at school, we dove into the debut novel of Patricia Cornwell, Postmortem. The first book in her long-running Kay Scarpetta series, Postmortem introduced readers to world of modern forensic fiction with this in-depth and dark murder mystery. Postmortem proved to be a fantastic read, and my class had an excellent time examining the clever mystery it contained. While this is another book from school that I should probably re-read at some point, I did deeply enjoy Postmortem and I recall writing a descent essay about it.

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

One of the more entertaining recommendations/assigned readings I had during my education occurred in a hectic Post-Roman Britain archaeology course while attending university. The professor, an occasionally funny figure, would often provide us with a list of suggested readings to help us with the course. While most of these readings were academic books and papers, he also recommended The Last Kingdom series by Bernard Cornwell, which he believed perfectly captured the period we were studying. I was already a fan of this series before taking on this class, but I dutifully read more The Last Kingdom books to benefit my academic career (and for no other reason). Cornwell clearly did a ton of research on the setting for his books, and I appreciated the historical and archaeological detail he included in his story, as well as the fantastic and intense narrative that accompanied it. While I’m slightly stretching the definition of assigned reading with this entry, I’m going to leave The Last Kingdom in, as I did technically read it after a university lecturer told me to.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

The final book I want to feature on this list is the classic book, Animal Farm by George Orwell. More suggested reading than an assigned book, I read Animal Farm in my high school library over the course of several lunchtimes and classes (I was popular at school as you can no doubt tell). While I didn’t get all of Orwell’s clever satyr and commentary on the Soviet Union, I still found Animal Farm to be an interesting read that has stuck with me years after. A clever and unique examination of complex history and society, Animal Farm is a classic for a reason, and I’m glad I made an effort to read it at school.

That’s the end of my list. As you can see, I had some intriguing and memorable assigned reading during my school years. Despite often being forced to read the above, I had a great time with all these classic and distinctive books, and they are really worth checking out. I hope you find this list interesting and make sure to let me know what books you had to read in the comments below.

Book Haul – 15 October 2024

On October 14, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Book Haul1 Comment

I’ve had an excellent couple of weeks for books, as I was lucky enough to receive several incredible and amazing new novels from local publishers and Netgalley. These novels include some truly awesome new releases, including books that have the potential to be some of my top reads of the year. I cannot wait to dive into them, and I so excited to see how they all turn out.

The Waiting by Michael Connelly

I was very happy to receive a copy of the new Michael Connelly book, The Waiting. Bringing together some of Connelly’s best police characters into one fantastic narrative, The Waiting should be a pretty awesome crime fiction book, and I am very eager to check it out. I’m actually hoping to start reading it this week, and I have no doubt it is going to be one of the top books of the year.

A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan

I also recently received the epic new fantasy novel from Anthony Ryan, A Tide of Black Steel. The first book in Ryan’s The Age of Wrath trilogy, A Tide of Black Steel is a Viking-inspired tale that serves as a sequel to the author’s previous The Covenant of Steel trilogy (The Pariah, The Martyr and The Traitor). I am actually reading A Tide of Black Steel at the moment, and it is proving to be a particularly awesome read that takes the reader on a great adventure. I am hoping to finish A Tide of Black Steel off in the next day or so, and I cannot wait to see how it comes together.

Nobody’s Hero by M. W. Craven

The next book I recently received was the cool thriller novel, Nobody’s Hero by M. W. Craven. The sequel to Craven’s previous novel, Fearless, Nobody’s Hero will take Craven excessively fearless protagonist on another bloody adventure, this time to the UK. I had a lot of fun with Fearless last year and I am looking forward to reading Nobody’s Hero, especially as Craven’s other 2024 novel, The Mercy Chair, was so damn good.

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler

One of the more interesting books I received was the fun sounding fantasy novel, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler. Following a doomed hero who, after dying multiple times in a time loop, decides to try and win for once by becoming the evil dark lord instead. I love the sound of How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying and I’m hoping to read it very soon.

In Too Deep by Lee Child and Andrew Child

I’ve always meant to dive into the epic Jack Reacher thriller series, and it looks like I’ll have the chance this year as I received a copy of the latest book in the series, In Too Deep. Written by original author Lee Child and his brother Andrew, In Too Deep takes the titular protagonist on another dark vigilante adventure. I’m curious to dive into this series for the first time and I am excited to explore the author’s new thrilling story.

Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin

The final book I recently received is the latest Ian Rankin novel, Midnight and Blue. The final Rebus novel, Midnight and Blue sees the former detective protagonist trapped in prison and forced to investigate a murder from the inside. This sounds like quite an interesting book, and while I’m a little apprehensive about starting this series at the very end, I am hoping to give it a try in the next few weeks, and I reckon I’ll enjoy it.

Well, that’s the end of this latest Book Haul post. As you can see I have quite a bit of reading to do at the moment thanks to all these awesome books that have come in. Let me know which of the above you are most interested in and make sure to check back in a few weeks to see my reviews of them.

WWW Wednesday – 9 October 2024

On October 10, 2024October 10, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading:

High Wire by Candice Fox (Trade Paperback)

I didn’t make as much progress with High Wire as I’d hoped this week. The latest book from Candice Fox, High Wire is an exciting Australian thriller with some real bang behind it. I’m hoping to devote a bit more time to High Wire in the next week and I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan (Audiobook)

I’ve started listening to the amazing new fantasy novel A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan. A sequel to Ryan’s The Covenant of Steel trilogy (The Pariah, The Martyr and The Traitor), A Tide of Black Steel is an epic read that takes some great new characters on an amazing adventure. I am absolutely powering through A Tide of Black Steel, and I should hopefully have it finished by this time next week.

What did you recently finish reading?

Warhammer 40,000: Lazarus: Enmity’s Edge by Gary Kloster (Audiobook)

I quickly finished off the awesome Warhammer 40,000 audiobook, Lazarus: Enmity’s Edge by Gary Kloster this week. An impressive and epic read, I deeply enjoyed this exceptional audiobook, and I am hoping to get a review up for it soon.

Warhammer 40,000: Double Eagle by Dan Abnett (Audiobook)

It turns out I was in a real Warhammer 40,000 mood this week as I also quickly listened to the awesome book Double Eagle by Dan Abnett. A spin-off from Abnett’s Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Double Eagle is an exceptional novel about aerial combat that I couldn’t get enough off. This was one of the best Warhammer novels I have ever read, and I will be reviewing it very soon.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Waiting by Michael Connelly

I am really hoping to read the new Michael Connelly novel The Waiting this week. The latest book from Connelly to feature his awesome police protagonists, Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch, The Waiting will see them team up to investigate another series of intriguing cases, including an infamous cold case. Set to be one of the best crime fiction reads of 2024, I have been really excited for The Waiting and I cannot wait to see what twisty mysteries Connelly has written this time.

Warhammer 40,000: Dominion Genesis by Jonathan D. Beer

Finally, if I get through A Tide of Black Steel this week, I will probably start listening to one of the latest Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks, Dominion Genesis by Jonathan D. Beer. An intriguing read that will follow a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus as they attempt to save their world from an alien invasion, I think Dominion Genesis has a lot of potential, especially as Beer really impressed me with his debut, The King of the Spoil, last year.

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

Waiting on Wednesday – The Medici Return by Steve Berry

On October 9, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday6 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I look at an awesome upcoming thriller with the historical conspiracy laden novel, The Medici Return by Steve Berry.

As we near 2025, I have been looking ahead to see how several long-running series I routinely enjoy are likely to continue. One of these series are the brilliant Cotton Malone thriller books by impressive author Steve Berry. A deeply entertaining series of spy thriller novels, the Cotton Malone books follow titular government agent, Cotton Malone, as he uncovers a continuous series of hidden conspiracies and plots that have their roots in various periods of history. This fantastic overall theme of the Cotton Malone books has produced some excellent novels over the years, and I have had a wonderful time diving into elaborate stories loaded with historical detail, such as The Malta Exchange, The Warsaw Protocol, The Kaiser’s Web, The Last Kingdom and The Atlas Maneuver. Each of these has been extremely fun and addictive to me, and I always eagerly await to see what unique adventure Berry will produce next.

As such, one of my most anticipated thrillers coming out in the first half of 2025 is the intriguing novel, The Medici Return. The 19^th book in the Cotton Malone series, The Medici Return will see Berry dive into yet another intriguing period of history that will result in an intense and world-altering plot.

Plot Synopsis:

Former Justice Department operative, Cotton Malone, has been asked to assist the Swiss guard with determining whether Cardinal Jason Richter has engaged in bribery and theft. It’s a favor for Stephanie Nelle, once his boss at the Magellan Billet, who is doing a favor for the Vatican. But nothing is as it seems. Four hundred thousand euros are found, a Swiss Guardsman is murdered, and a killer sets his sights on both Cotton and the cardinal.

Together they are thrust into a search for a forgotten document, a 16th century Pledge of Christ executed by Pope Julius II that reveals a debt owed by the Vatican, still valid after five centuries, now worth in the trillions of dollars. But when the trail to collecting that debt leads Cotton to the famed Medici of Florence—a family that history says died out, without heirs, centuries ago—he realizes that two more things also hang in the balance. Who will be the next prime minister of Italy, and who will become the next pope.

From a quiet hilltop village in central Germany, to the ancient city of Siena with its famed Palio horse race, and finally to the historic piazzas, churches, and crypts of Florence, Cotton Malone uncovers the answers, one by one, everything hinging on when, and if, the Medici return.

This upcoming Cotton Malone book sounds particularly awesome and intriguing, and I love the main plot revolving around an ancient Vatican debt and the potential implications if the church is forced to pay it off. I am also very curious about the inclusion of the Medici family of Florence, and it will be interesting to see how Berry works them into the main plot. Based on how the previous Cotton Malone books have turned out, I am expecting that Berry will do a deep dive into the history and legacy of the Medici family in The Medici Return, and I am for one am eager to learn more about them. I also love the sound of the various locations that Berry is planning to take the reader in The Medici Return. Berry always does an amazing job vividly describing the elaborate landscapes and historical sites that the protagonists of his books end up visiting, and I am excited to see what cool new locations will be explored in this new book.

Honestly, I was going to read The Medici Return next year no matter what, as I have really grown to enjoy Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone series. However, the above synopsis has gotten me extra excited, and I am now deeply intrigued to see what sort of elaborate thriller adventure Berry will come up with for The Medici Return. The Medici Return will likely be one of the top thriller novels I enjoy in 2024, and I cannot wait to see how Berry utilises the unique history of the Medici family for his latest awesome book.

The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston

On October 9, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Five-Star Books4 Comments

Publisher: Angry Robot (Ebook – 13 August 2024)

Series: Standalone

Length: 376 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

One of the rising stars of dark fantasy fiction, Cameron Johnston, returns with an intense, gritty and addictive novel of revenge, desperation and brutal murder, with the brilliant novel, The Last Shield.

One of the more intriguing authors of fantasy fiction I have enjoyed reviewing in recent years is the outstanding Cameron Johnston, who has deeply impressed me with his small but excellent collection of works. Since his debut book in 2018, The Traitor God, I have grown to enjoy Johnston’s novels, especially as his first book was a brilliant story of dark magical revenge. Following up with the awesome sequel, God of Broken Things, Johnston cemented himself as an author to watch, and I have yet to be disappointed by him since. His third novel, The Maleficent Seven, was a fantastically bonkers read that saw a small town become the unwilling recipients of a band of monstrous defenders when a massive army comes to destroy them. I had an amazing time with The Maleficent Seven, and indeed all of Johnston’s books, which is why I was so eager for his latest novel, The Last Shield. One of my most anticipated books of 2024, The Last Shield had an epic and cool plot behind it, and I was so very eager to check it out.

In a world of warring realms and dark magic, the ancient forest realm of Sunweald survives by serving as a buffer country between two far mightier nations on either side of its borders. A realm of tradition and druidical magic, the heart of the nation lies in Sunweald Palace, where the Lord Regent, and the young heir to the throne reside, guarded by Sunweald’s elite warriors, the Shields. Rough and old, Sunweald Palace is an impenetrable fortress designed protect the nation’s royal family, as well as safeguarding a massive vault of unspeakably powerful magical artefacts.

Despite its peaceful status, Sunweald finds itself beset by a group of vicious brigands, the Wildwood Reivers, who have made a living stealing away magical artefacts and trading them across the border. Led by a mysterious witch, the Wildwood Reivers have grown bold, even launching an attack on the royal family. When word reaches the palace of the location of the brigand’s base, the Shields depart to destroy them once and for all. However, their mission is a devious decoy, as through treachery, dark magic and deceit, the Wildwood Reivers and their allies manage to take over Sunweald Palace.

With the Shields away and traitors holding the wall, the brigands plan to loot the palace’s ancient vaults and steal every magical artefact hidden within. However, the Wildwood Reivers face one substantial obstacle to their success, Briar, feared, if hobbled, commander of the Shields. Despite being outnumbered, wounded and near retirement, Briar is determined to perform her duty and reclaim the palace. Using her knowledge of the palace’s secret tunnels and ancient corridors, Briar sets about dismantling the invaders in brutal fashion. But battered, alone and loosing strength, can even a legendary Shield like Briar face the overwhelming odds and lethal magic set against her?

Gosh this was a very impressive and exciting read. Cameron Johnston has a real flair for fantastically over-the-top narratives, and The Last Shield is some of his best work yet. A complex and compelling tale of revenge and redemption, The Last Shield was a non-stop thrill ride, and I loved the deeply intense story that emerged. This was a truly outstanding book that gets a full five-star rating from me thanks to how much sheer fun I had reading it.

The narrative that Johnston pulls together for The Last Shield is extremely awesome, and it can best be described as a gender bent, dark fantasy Die Hard, with some amazing fantasy elements. An excellent standalone story, The Last Shield was a constantly moving book, which drew me in with its clever plot concept and the promised resulting violence. Part of the reason the story works so well is the initial setup, which introduces the new intriguing world, but more importantly effectively gets you across the central characters and the main setting of Sunweald Palace. There are some great early character moments here, especially when it comes to the main protagonist, Briar. The veteran leader of the Shields, Briar is badly wounded in the opening scenes of the book, which kicks off a great arc for her as she attempts to find her purpose after the injury potentially robs her of her position. Some other key character arcs and storylines are also introduced here, including around the young heir to the throne, whose brush with death drives him closer to the disapproving Briar as a mentor. Johnston also takes the time to explore the full extent of the conspiracy to takeover Sunweald Palace, and you grow to appreciate just how dastardly the plot is. As such, you are well prepared for the chaos and carnage to come, and the anticipation Johnston expertly builds up in first part of the book, really enhanced the overall impact of The Last Shield.

As such, the reader is very much ready to go when the villains initiate their plan around a third of the way into The Last Shield. The resulting takeover is as dark and brutal as you’d expect, and the reader is well prepared to despise the antagonists and root for any sort of victory from the protagonist. You don’t have to wait long as the despondent Briar quickly finds herself in the ideal position to fight back and begins her bloody and justified one-woman assault on the invaders. Johnston initiates a series of intense, powerful and increasingly desperate battles, as Briar encounters greater and great hurdles and opponents as she attempts to save the Lord Regent and stop the looting of the castle’s vaults. The author expertly ramps up the intensity every confrontation, and you really find yourself more and more off the edge of your seat as the story proceeds and Briar becomes increasingly injured. There are some brilliantly brutal confrontations all the way to the end, and the author throws in some great twists and major final threats. I honestly loved every second of the epic second half of The Last Shield, and Johnston wrote an amazing, blood-soaked story.

I felt that Johnston did an outstanding job bringing his cool story to life in The Last Shield, and readers are in for a great time if they check this book out. The excellent blend of dark action, intriguing fantasy, and powerful characters really worked for me, and I felt that Johnston perfectly blended storytelling elements throughout the entire book. The writing of The Last Shield is crisp, fast-paced, and well planned out, and it proves impossible not to be drawn into the fantastic scenario and intriguing storytelling. Cameron does an excellent job exploring the new fantasy world that The Last Shield is set in, and you really get drawn into the bronze-age Celtic setting, and the focus on a small kingdom with some intriguing gender roles. I particularly enjoyed how Jonston managed to emulate the feel of a classic action thriller like Die Hard or Under Siege and blend it with the dark fantasy setting. The resulting scenes, which forced a nearly retired badass female palace guard to crawl through the secret tunnels of the castle to save the male reagent while disrupting a magical heist, were so damn fun, and it was a fantastic take on a classic film trope. It helped that Johnston brought his typical, over-the-top mindset to the action sequences in The Last Shield, presenting the readers with an increasing bloody series of fights as the protagonist unleashed her inner fury. These scenes of carnage and brutality paired perfectly with the complex narrative and character arcs that Johnston built up, and the resulting book was so much fun.

I need to highlight The Last Shield’s awesome characters which were a fantastic part of the book. I have mentioned the main protagonist, Briar, a few times already, and frankly she was the heart of The Last Shield due to her intense personality and well-written storyline. Johnston very cleverly set up Briar’s story at the start of the novel, first showing the warrior in her prime, before hobbling her and forcing her to consider retirement before the main plot kicked off. As such, the version of Briar we see for much of the novel is a desperate, tired and absolutely pissed-off figure, especially when she realises the many betrayals that led up to both this current assault and her previous injury. I loved how well Johnston set up this character’s revenge arc, and it was so much fun to see Briar finally get her hands on all the people responsible for her misery. The author really dives into Briar’s mindset and emotions as the book continues, and it proves very, very hard not to root for her, especially when she is driven to her absolute limit.

While most of the focus of The Last Shield is on Briar, there are several other great characters featured throughout the book who also enhance the story. The most prominent of these is probably the heir to the Sunweald, Ves, who has excellent parallel character growth to Briar. Initially portrayed as a young fop, Ves grows due to the sacrifices he witnesses in his name and the brash mentorship of Briar, and he ends up proving himself in his own way. Aside from that, I really need to highlight the excellent group of villains who Briar finds herself up against. Featuring a band of traitors, brigands, an assassin and a dark witch, the antagonists of The Last Shield play off the stoic Briar extremely well, especially as each of them enrage her in a different way. Johnston does a fantastic job showcasing the antagonist’s perspective throughout the course of the story, and their early scenes really work to ensure the reader dislikes them. I personally loved seeing their point of view once they realised that Briar was loose in the castle with them, and the outrageous sequences of fear, anger and regret that followed are incredibly fun. These characters proved to be a great boon to The Last Shield’s plot, and I deeply enjoyed the fantastic and powerful storylines that Johnston built around them.

Cameron Johnston continues to greatly impress with his fourth novel, The Last Shield. An exceptional, addictive and gloriously over-the-top dark fantasy novel that takes inspiration from some classic action films, The Last Shield was pure entertainment and excitement, that I could not turn away from. With great characters, an awesome setting, and so much damn action, there is something for every dark fantasy fan in The Last Shield, and I cannot recommend it enough. One of my favourite fantasy books of 2024.

Terra Incognita by Simon Turney

On October 9, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical FictionLeave a comment

Publisher: Head of Zeus (Ebook – 12 September 2024)

Series: Standalone

Length: 407 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Simon Turney continues to explore the Roman Empire with his latest novel Terra Incognita, a fantastic read that proves to be one of the top historical fiction adventure novels of 2024.

Simon Turney, who also writes as SJA Turney, is a fantastic author who has been penning various intriguing historical novels for several years now. I have enjoyed a couple of his books in the past, including the deeply compelling read, Commodus, which was part of his Damned Emperors series. 2024 has proven to be another good year for Turney, as he managed to also to impress me with the first book in his Agricola series, Invader. Invader was a very fun military novel that followed the early career of a famous Roman general and his potential involvement with Boudica’s rebellion. I deeply enjoyed Invader, and I am very keen for the sequel, Warrior, which is set for release in early 2025. However, before Warrior comes out, I was very happy to receive a copy of Turney’s intriguing novel Terra Incognita. Providing his own take on a truly fascinating adventure hinted at in Roman historical records, Terra Incognita was an awesome read I was excited to check out.

Rome, 61 AD. Under the rule of Emperor Nero, the Roman Empire is a wealthy and powerful civilisation covering much of Europe and Africa. However, Nero is eager to expand the range of his control even further and sets his eyes down the River Nile. Desiring to conquer the mysterious and reportedly rich lands and kingdoms below Egypt, Nero devises an elaborate plan to learn more about the world beyond his borders.

Under the command of an ambitious tribune, Nero sends two centuries of his elite Praetorian Guard into the African wilds with orders to follow the Nile until they find the source of the river. If they succeed, they are to offer tribute to the river’s spirits, and ensure favourable waters for any subsequent invasion of the lands that follow. However, reaching these fabled waters alive will prove to be an arduous journey.

Travelling down the Nile, the soldiers of Rome experience great hardships as they make their way to their empire’s borders. But even greater challenges wait beyond, as the Romans will have to overcome bandits, hostile kingdoms, disease, inhospitable desert, fierce beasts and the madness of their own commander. Can the Romans make it to their goal alive, or will the insanity of their Emperor and the impossible mission he’s set for them destroy even these elite soldiers?

Terra Incognita was as an outstanding and epic historical read that I honestly could not stop reading. Presenting a powerful and deeply compelling narrative of trials, tribulations, and the dark side of ambition and duty in the wilds of Africa, Turney expertly grabs the reader in with his elaborate historical adventure tale and refused to let go.

I really loved the fun and distinctive story that Turney sets up in Terra Incognita, which proved to be particularly captivating and gripping to me. A fictional account of the two Praetorian centuries the historical record indicates Nero reportedly sent to find the source of the River Nile, Terra Incognita is an exciting, entertaining and occasionally grim book, that just keeps loading compelling misadventure after compelling misadventure. Told from the perspective of the venture’s two centurions, Sempronius Densus and Claudius Faventinus, you witness the full extent of the expedition through their eyes, from its hopeful if apprehensive start, all the way to its grim conclusion, and you will love every single second of it.

The narrative itself starts off as a classic Roman historical adventure, as it follows its protagonists down into Egypt. This early part of the book is very much focused on introducing the characters and setting the scene for the adventures to come, and the readers get some fun sights of Roman occupied Egypt, while also experiencing the initial hurdles of the expedition. However, once they leave Egypt and journey into land owned by the Kushites, Rome’s southern neighbour in Africa at the period, things start to unravel for them, as they come under attack, encounter greater setbacks, and are beset by bad omens.

The second half of the book sees the Romans enter unexplored territory and encounter the world beyond their known borders. The already tired and demoralised soldiers face a lengthy and grim trudge deeper into Africa, with things getting worse for them the further they get away from home. Trapped in their mission by their stubborn and seemingly unkillable commander, the book takes on a real Heart of Darkness vibe as their commander’s obsession drives them forward no matter the consequences. Things continue to get more and more desperate for the protagonists as they continue, and you are constantly on the edge of your seat waiting to see what disaster or intriguing new turn of events they are likely to stumble across next. After an increasingly tense series of events, Turney brings the reader to a deeply interesting and compelling conclusion, which fit the overall themes of obsession, insanity and a desire to survive perfectly. This ended up being an excellent and well-crafted standalone narrative, and I had such a brilliant time getting through this elaborate adventure.

Turney is probably one of the top current authors of Roman historical fiction, and he clearly had a lot of fun bringing this elaborate novel together through his great writing. Written as one continuous and compelling historical adventure, readers are really drawn into the epic tale of exploration and insanity that evolves, and Turney does a wonderful job of blending historical inclusions with a deep and powerful narrative. I think the author had the right elements of action, exploration, history and personal stories in Terra Incognita, and it’s hard not to get drawn into the constant adventure and the interaction with new obstacles and societies.

In addition to the well-written story, I really must highlight the excellent main characters of Terra Incognita, especially as you see the entire disastrous expedition through the eyes of the group’s two centurions, Sempronius Densus and Claudius Faventinus. Cast as the group’s sensible, disciplined and stubborn hearts, the two centurions doggedly lead their soldiers on, forced to serve as a buffer between the disgruntled Praetorian Guard, and their increasingly unhinged commander. While there sometimes isn’t a lot to distinguish between the two centurions, you grow attached to them, especially as they are forced into impossible situations time and time again and are compelled by duty to continue.

However, the best character in the book is easily the expedition’s leader, Tribune Lucius Curtius Lupus. An ambitious and regal figure, the tribune serves as a great foil to the sensible protagonists in the first half of the book, especially as his bluster, unreasonable orders and lack of common sense ensure that the centurions are forced to work against him to continue. However, once the Romans find themselves in the African wilds, the tribune really turns into a fantastic character. Due to a mixture of illness, pettiness and fear, the tribune becomes continuously more detached from the reality of the situation they are in and keeps dragging his mutinous soldiers further down into Africa. Absolutely driven by obsession, Lupus refuses to stop until Nero’s orders are fulfilled, no matter the cost to the troops, and every action forces his centurions to decide whether to support him or kill him. I loved the constant battle of duty and practicality that emerged, as the two centurion protagonists attempt to find their line in the sand against the tribune, only to allow him to make more bad decisions. It also proves quite amusing to see the continued tribulations that the tribune survives, so much so that his soldiers become to believe his mission is blessed by the gods. It’s hard not to both love and hate Tribune Lupus as the book unfolds, and I felt that Turney’s use of him was perfect, especially as there are some interesting parallels between him and a key figure from Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now.

Finally, I need to highlight the excellent historical inclusions featured within Terra Incognita. Turney does an outstanding job bringing the wild and uncharted territories of Africa to life through his excellent writing, and you are constantly envisioning the elaborate landscapes and intriguing people that the Romans may have encountered on this expedition. I also really appreciated how Turney utilised and expanded on details from the Roman historical records as well more modern understandings of the period in his story. The depiction of several different tribes, nations and kingdoms that likely existed along the Nile at that point in history was fascinating. I also enjoyed seeing how Turney envisioned the Roman’s reactions to the various crazy creatures, obstacles and unusual people they would have encountered, including crocodiles, hippopotamuses, and some of Africa’s more impassable terrain. These obstacles also led to some interesting solutions, and I particularly appreciated Turney’s idea for a potential malaria treatment/preventative. Throw in some great depictions of the Roman soldiers themselves, something the author has a lot of experience showcasing, and this was a great historical book with some unique features.

Terra Incognita was an outstanding standalone book from Simon Turney that provides readers with an awesome historical adventure. Fast-paced, addictive, and loaded with some fantastic intensity, especially around the great characters, Terra Incognita was an epic read that comes very highly recommended.