Author: The Unseen Library

The Unseen Librarian I have been reviewing since 2009. I previously reviewed for the Canberra Times. I am now a reviewer for the Canberra Weekly.

WWW Wednesday – 10 December 2025

On By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday3 Comments

WWW Wednesday is a weekly post 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:

King Sorrow by Joe Hill (Trade Paperback)

I’ve started reading the massive and addictive horror novel, King Sorrow by Joe Hill this week. A particularly epic novel that follows a group of friends who make a dark deal with an ancient evil, King Sorrow is proving to be a very compelling read, with a fantastic story, compelling imagery and a growing sense of dread.  I’ve managed to get a fair bit into King Sorrow already, although there is still a ton to go.  I’m hoping to finish it off in the next week or so, and I’m very curious to see where this elaborate novel goes.

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Star Wars: Master of Evil by Adam Christopher (Audiobook)

I also started listening to the recently released Star Wars audiobook, Master of Evil by Adam Christopher. An intriguing novel that follows the newly created Darth Vader on a journey of discovery as he tries to fully understand the dark side of the Force, Master of Evil is a fascinating read that I have been looking forward for a while.  I’m making some pretty good progress on this audiobook as well, and I already think that Master of Evil has the potential to be one of the more compelling Star Wars novels of 2025.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Gone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben and Reese Witherspoon (Trade Paperback)

An awesome and compelling thriller, with some interesting twists to it.

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The Strength of the Few by James Islington (Audiobook)

I finally finished off the epic fantasy novel, The Strength of the Few by James Islington this week. The sequel to Islington’s deeply impressive The Will of the Many, The Strength of the Few was a particularly gripping and captivating read with a really elaborate plot behind it. Easily one of the best books I’ve read in 2025, The Strength of the Few was so damn good and I’m hoping to write something about it soon.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

The Blackfire Blade by James Logan

If I managed to get through King Sorrow this week, I’m hoping to dive into the compelling fantasy novel The Blackfire Blade by James Logan next. The sequel to Logan’s excellent debut, The Silverblood Promise, The Blackfire Blade sounds like a very fun read as the protagonist and his unlikely companions travel to a new, unique fantasy city for their own mission, only to get sidetracked by crazy local plots and conspiracies. I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for a while, and I’m so excited to finally get the chance to check The Blackfire Blade out.

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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.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite New-to-Me Authors I read in 2025

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List7 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday was books set in a snowy place, which while interesting, is something I am putting aside for the moment as I want to continue with my end of year best-of lists, which I started last week when I looked at pre-2025 novels I read this year.  instead, this week I will be looking at new-to-me authors I discovered in 2025.  This is a list I have covered for the last couple of years (make sure to check out my 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 versions), and it is one that I always have a lot of fun doing.

Each year I am lucky enough to read a great number of awesome novels and this often includes books written by authors whose work I was previously unfamiliar with.  2025 was a particularly good example of this as I powered through an incredible collection of amazing novels written by authors who were completely new to me.  Many of these new-to-me authors produced some truly exceptional novels, including one or two which I consider to be some of the best books released in 2025 (more on that later), and I really feel the need to highlight them here.

To appear on this list, the author had to be someone whose work I checked out for the first time in 2025.  All new-to-me authors were eligible to appear here, although I did exclude debut authors as I am going to cover them in another list.  Even with debuting authors excluded, I still had a ton of potential inclusions, as I apparently got through 21 new authors in 2025.  After some hard work, I was able to whittle this down to a manageable top ten list, with my usual generous honourable mentions section.  I am really surprised at some of the impressive and enjoyable authors I had to exclude, and I was honestly tempted to increase this to a top twenty list.  I managed to resist and I think the below entry really highlights the absolute best new-to-me authors I enjoyed in 2025.

Honourable Mentions:

Adam Christopher – Star Wars: Master of Evil

A talented Star Wars author whose latest book has an interesting look at the newly created Darth Vader. I’m only a little way into Master of Evil now, else Christopher would have likely made the Top Ten list

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Matthew Farrer – Warhammer 40,000: Crossfire

An author of some classic Warhammer 40,000 novels, including the exciting early Warhammer crime fiction novel Crossfire. I’m hoping to read more from Farrer next year, especially as I have the two sequels to Crossfire siting on my shelf.

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Joe Hill – King Sorrow

Joe Hill is another new-to-me author I have to keep on the honourable mentions list as I’m only partway through his latest book, King Sorrow.  Still, I am really enjoying my first experience with Hill’s writing, and King Sorrow is shaping up to being one of the more compelling novels of 2025.

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Ryan North – Star Trek: Lower Decks

A fun author who is currently leading the Lower Decks comic series. I loved the first volume of this comic, and I’m hoping to read more soon.

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Top Ten List:

Matt Dinniman – Dungeon Crawler Carl series

Without a doubt the biggest new-to-me author in 2025 had to be Matt Dinniman, especially as I fell in love with his epic Dungeon Crawler Carl series.  A cool LitRPG series that sees the remnants of humanity forced to fight down multiple levels of a dungeon as a form of entertainment for the rest of the galaxy, the Dungeon Crawler Carl series is pretty damn exceptional, especially as it is loaded up with intense action, awesome mechanics, over-the-top humour, complex characters, and so many entertaining moments.  I ended up chain listening to the entire series this year, and all seven books in the series, including Dungeon Crawler Carl, Carl’s Doomsday Scenario, The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook, The Gate of the Feral Gods, The Butcher’s Masquerade, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride and This Inevitable Ruin are exceptional five-star reads, and once you start reading this series, you won’t be able to stop.  Dinniman is an author I will be reading more of going forward, especially as he has two books coming out in 2026, with a new Dungeon Crawler Carl book, and his standalone novel Operation Bounce House.

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Lamar Giles – Star Wars: Sanctuary

I got back into Star Wars fiction in 2025 in a big way, with my favourite book so far (noting I have only made a little progress on Master of Evil) being Sanctuary by Lamar Giles.  Giles really impressed me with his first Star Wars novel, especially as Sanctuary was an entertaining addition to the Bad Batch animated series.  Following several of the titular clones on another bonkers adventure, Sanctuary was a great novel from Giles, and I loved his fantastic humour, amazing take on the established characters, and the outstanding new villains who were a highlight of the book.  I hope Giles writes more Star Wars fiction going forward, as his first full novel in the franchise was really incredible.

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Scott Mariani – The Pilgrim’s Revenge

I started reading veteran thriller author Scott Mariani this year, primarily because he started a cool historical fiction series this year, starting with The Pilgrim’s Revenge.  An exciting and detailed novel that followed a peasant who chases after King Richard’s crusade to get revenge of the men who killed his wife, The Pilgrim’s Revenge was an outstanding historical novel and a great introduction to Mariani’s writing.  I’ve already got a copy of the sequel to The Pilgrim’s Revenge, and I’m hoping to read it before the end of the year.

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Adam Plantinga – The Ascent

Another cool thriller author I read for the first time in 2025 was new writer Adam Plantinga, after I finally got the chance to read his debut from last year, The Ascent.  A gritty and bloody thriller that sees several entertaining characters attempt to escape through several levels of an out-of-control prison, The Ascent was an extremely exciting and gripping novel that I had an absolute blast with.  I’m keen to read more from Plantinga going forward, especially the sequel to The Ascent, Hard Town, and I cannot wait to see what he writes next.

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Jackson Ford – The Bone Raiders

I had the very great pleasure of reading my first book from Jackson Ford this year, with The Bone Raiders.  A fun author who has previously come up with some outstanding scenarios for his books, Ford is an author I have been meaning to read for a while, and there was no way I could avoid the awesome sounding The Bone Raiders.  Following a group of grassland warriors who attempt to defeat an invading army by taming giant fire-breathing lizards, The Bone Raiders was an amazing read that I got really hooked on.  I will be grabbing the sequel to The Bone Raiders, Sisters of the Lizard, next year, especially as it sounds just as crazy as the first book.

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Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child – Badlands

For the next entry on this list, I am featuring the pairing of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.  While I have read something from Preston before, with last year’s exciting novel Extinction, 2025 was the first year that I read something written by both authors.  This long-running writing team’s new novel was awesome crime fiction novel Badlands, which saw the protagonists investigate several suspicious deaths linked by Native American artefacts each victim was holding. Part of Preston and Child’s Nora Kelly series, Badlands was a great read, and I loved the crazy ending and entertaining twists.

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Gabriel Bergmoser – High Rise

Gabriel Bergmoser provided all the Australian action I could need when I checked out his 2025 novel, High Rise.  An ultra-violent read that sees a former cop and his estranged daughter try to escape from a building full of killers and bounty hunters, High Rise was a very exciting read that I powered through extremely quickly.  I really loved this book, and Bergmoser is now an author I will be keeping a close eye on for new, cool novels.

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R. F. Kuang – Katabasis

I finally got around to reading something from R. F. Kuang, who has been on my to-read list for a while.  Kuang, who has written several very interesting previous books, presented one of the more unique fantasy novels of 2025 with Katabasis, an intriguing and complex book about two academics journey to Hell to recover their professor’s soul.  I really enjoyed this impressive and inventive novel, and Kuang really lived up to the hype around her intricate books.

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Edward Ashton – Mickey7

A fun road trip gave me my first experience of science fiction author Ashton Edward this year, as I read his entertaining novel, Mickey7.  A fun and clever novel about an inadvertent extra clone on a space exploration mission, Mickey7 has always sounded like an amazing read, and I was very glad I got the chance to read it this year.  An excellent and highly recommended novel that is worth checking out.

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Krysten Ritter (with Lindsay Jamieson) – Retreat

The final new to me author this year is actress Krysten Ritter, who presented her second novel Retreat.  A wonderful and compelling thriller about a con artist who takes over a client’s rich social life, only to encounter murder, plots and snobby neighbours, Retreat was a great read with some fun twists to it.  I ended up really enjoying this book from Ritter, and it will be interesting to see what other cool novels this actress/author will produce in the future.

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Well, that’s the end of this latest Top Ten list.  I think it turned out rather well and it encapsulates some of the best new authors I checked out in 2025.  I look forward to reading more books from these authors in the future and I have no doubt they will produce more epic and incredible reads.  Make sure to let me know which new authors you enjoyed in 2025 in the comments below and make sure to check back next week for another exciting end of 2025 list.

Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy3 Comments

Publisher: Harper Voyager (Trade Paperback – 26 August 2025)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 549 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Acclaimed author R. F. Kuang produces one of the more distinctive and intelligent fantasy novels of 2025 with her elaborate and compelling Katabasis.

Rebecca Kuang, who mostly goes by R. F. Kuang, is a very interesting author who has been making a big impact on the fantasy scene in recent years.  Known for her elaborate and dark fantasy novels that often feature strong Chinese inspiration, Kuang has written some intriguing novels over the years, including her bestselling Poppy War trilogy, as well as the standalone novels Babel (also released as Babel, or the Necessity of Violence), and her contemporary satirical novel Yellowface.  I have been meaning to read something from Kuang for a while, especially after seeing a lot of love for her works online, so I made sure to seek out a copy of her 2025 release, Katabasis.  An intricate read with some excellent academic twists, Katabasis was a compelling novel with a very unique plot.

Plot Synopsis:

Dante’s Inferno meets Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi in this all-new dark academia fantasy from R. F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel and Yellowface, in which two graduate students must put aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul—perhaps at the cost of their own.

Katabasis, noun, Ancient Greek:

The story of a hero’s descent to the underworld

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality: her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world.

That is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams….

Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the very same conclusion.

With nothing but the tales of Orpheus and Dante to guide them, enough chalk to draw the Pentagrams necessary for their spells, and the burning desire to make all the academic trauma mean anything, they set off across Hell to save a man they don’t even like.

But Hell is not like the storybooks say, Magick isn’t always the answer, and there’s something in Alice and Peter’s past that could forge them into the perfect allies…or lead to their doom.

Katabasis was an outstanding novel from Kuang, who presents a highly academic and moving journey into the underworld.  Featuring a very distinctive style, Katabasis was a thoughtful and intricate fantasy read with some outstanding character moments, which really draw you in with its drama and complexity.

Kuang envisions a compelling standalone narrative for Katabasis, which combines an intelligent adventure into the afterlife with some great character-driven story elements.  Following protagonists Alice and Peter as they journey together into Hell to recover the soul of their recently deceased professor, Katabasis has a bit of a slow start to it, primarily due to the highly theoretical nature of this world’s magic system and the various ideas of Hell.  Kuang is forced to explore a lot of this in the early part of the book, but it serves as an excellent basis for the rest of the novel, especially when combined with hints at the troubled relationship between Alice and Peter, as well as their own dark histories.  Once the story gets going in earnest, it proves to be a lot more exciting, especially when exploring the different planes of Hell, and Kuang soon adds in some other dark threats that further imperil the protagonists.

The second half of Katabasis is particularly good, as the protagonists continue their journey down the various levels of Hell, now being hunted by murderous constructs and their sinister masters.  Kuang really amps up the risk factor for this part of the book, and there are some great scenes here, including one that completely changes the trajectory of the narrative.  At the same time, the author fully reveals the traumatic pasts of both protagonists, which really alters the way you see them and their motivations for undertaking this adventure.  Following some dark tragedy and excellent searches for self-discovery amongst the other trapped souls in Hell, the big threat of the story is eventually resolved, and the goal of the protagonists is reached.  Kuang does an excellent job wrapping the book up, with the final decision of the main protagonist serving as a great full-circle moment for the entire proceeding plot.  I quite liked the hopeful note that the author left her fantastic novel on, which I felt was quite fitting and allowed the reader to come away very satisfied and moved.

I felt that Kuang utilised a very distinctive, and personal style for Katabasis, that really helped her to make the classic journey into Hell story her own.  A powerful, character-driven book, Kuang brings together a great adventure narrative that is constantly enhanced by a range of academic elements and the author’s own complex magick system.  There is a substantial dive into both the concept of Hell, and the study of the novel’s archaic magick, and Kuang cleverly dives into the deep detail of both as the book continues.  Fans of Dante’s Inferno and other classic texts about Hell will love the constant references and comparisons that occur throughout the course of the story, and it was fun to see the differences between what the protagonists expect and what they experience.  I felt that this mixture of homages and the author’s own imagination was very impressive, and the author went above and beyond to set up this setting and her magick system, including with several great maps of Hell that appear in the version of the book I got.  I also felt that the author’s compelling dive into the torture that is advanced academia and the various pressures, lies and rivalries that formed was particularly gripping.  Kuang clearly adds a lot of her own experiences with academia, especially in the elite British universities, into the protagonist’s past, and it gave a gritty bit of academic realism to the plot.  It does need to be said that Kuang made her novel a little too complex at times, and there are a few sections which drag as the protagonist’s dive into obscure lore, elaborate equations, or complicated logic.  Still, for the most part Katabasis was a well-written and addictive standalone read, that will really appeal to established fans of the author.

I think that another major highlight of Katabasis was the excellent character work that Kuang featured throughout the plot.  Focused primarily on the main characters of Alice Law and Peter Mudoch, both protagonists are initially portrayed as brilliant and highly ambitious academics whose journey into Hell only seems to enhance their own rivalry.  However, as the book continues, Kuang does a masterful job of diving deeper into their backstories and showcasing more of their pasts to give their current adventure and motivations more meaning.  It turns out that both characters are a lot more damaged than you’d initially realised, due to their own experiences in academia, their interactions with their supervisor, and the crippling rivalry that has formed between them.  The slow reveal of the full extent of their damage, which also includes both characters reevaluating previous information and conclusions they’ve made, is very impressive, and each revelation adds some greater emotional heft to the plot.  Combine that with the gradual evolution and repair of the relationship between Alice and Peter as the book continues, and this was quite a powerful journey for the two protagonists, especially as they experience even more tragedy, betrayal and uncertainty in Hell.

While most of the book is focused on Alice and Peter, I do have to also highlight how well Kuang set up supporting character Professor Jacob Grimes in the Katabasis.  Despite being dead and appearing mostly in flashbacks and the memories of the protagonists, Professor Grimes serves as an influential figure in the plot, primarily for the impact he had on his various students.  Initially shown as a brilliant and supportive academic, the flashbacks shown throughout the course of Katabasis soon reveal a more malicious side to Grimes, which really changes your view of the protagonists’ journey to save him.  Kuang’s slow burn reveal of all of Grimes’s flaws and manipulation was just perfect, and I loved how your perception of this shadowy figure the plot is chasing changes the more honest and open the protagonists become.  The full extent of Grimes’s actions, and his students’ complicated feelings for him, is such a compelling part of the Katabasis’s plot, and I liked how well it’s tied into the larger problems with academia.  I really do appreciate how well Kuang set up Professor Grimes as a dark supporting figure in this book, whose influence has major implications to the story, even if he only actually appears in the present adventure once.  Throw in some other intriguing denizens of Hell, including a twisted family doing their own dark experiments on the dead in brutal fashion, and Kuang really showcased her ability to write complex and damaged characters in Katabasis.

Overall, Katabasis was a highly compelling and deeply intricate fantasy novel that was a distinctive highlight of the 2025 reading year.  I certainly got the full experience of Kuang’s intriguing imagination with this elaborate book, and the resulting story was an interesting take on dark academic fantasy.  Clever, moving and full of some unique features, Katabasis was an outstanding read that is really worth checking out.

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Badlands by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Thriller2 Comments

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (Audiobook – 3 June 2025)

Series: Nora Kelly – Book Five

Length: 10 hours and 45 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Prepare for a crazy and highly entertaining crime fiction thriller as the superstar team of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child continue their amazing work with the fantastic novel Badlands.

Last year I had the great pleasure of reading the awesome thriller Extinction by Douglas Preston. A cool novel that saw strange murders occur within a park filled with cloned prehistoric animals, Extinction proved to be a ton of fun, especially with some of the entertaining and over-the-top twists that Preston threw into it.  As such, I was keen to read more from Preston going forward, and I decided to see what other books he wrote.  Naturally that took me into the orbit of his partnership with fellow thriller author Lincoln Child.  Together, the two have written an insane number of unique crime fiction reads, often featuring an exciting science fiction twist, including big series like their Agent Pendergast novels and Gideon Crew series.  Due to how fun this partnership sounded, I decided to try out one of the pair’s newer works, with their 2025 release, Badlands.  The fifth book in their Nora Kelly series, Badlands had a really interesting plot behind it, which panned out into an exciting and captivating read.

Plot Synopsis:

In the New Mexico badlands, the skeleton of a woman is found—and the case is assigned to FBI Agent Corrie Swanson. The victim walked into the desert, shedding clothes as she went, and then died in agony of heatstroke and thirst. Two rare artifacts are found clutched in her bony hands—lightning stones used by the ancient Chaco people to summon the gods.

Is it suicide or… sacrifice?

Agent Swanson brings in archaeologist Nora Kelly to investigate. When a second body is found—exactly like the other—the two realize the case runs deeper than they imagined. As Corrie and Nora pursue their investigation into remote canyons, haunted ruins, and long-lost rituals, they find themselves confronting a dark power that, disturbed from its long slumber, threatens to exact an unspeakable price.

Badlands proved to be a very entertaining novel from Preston and Child that I had an outstanding time getting through.  Featuring a compelling and twisty mystery that went in some very fun directions, Badlands was an exciting and well-written read that was hard to put down, especially when the authors decided to make things a little crazy and over-the-top.

This new Nora Kelly book starts off strong and fast, bringing the protagonists into the case and setting them onto the course of a strange series of deaths throughout New Mexico desert.  Primarily focused on FBI agent Corrie Swanson, archaeologist Nora Kelly, and Nora’s brother, who goes off on his own side quest with a rich collector, the plot soon takes shape rather nicely, especially with the case clearly tied around the mysterious artefacts the victims were holding.  Preston and Child soon set up quite a compelling mystery that forces the protagonists to dive into ancient Native American myth, unhealthy academic relationships and other dark secrets, all to uncover why several young women are committing suicide out in the desert.

The plot moves along at a mostly smooth pace, minus one or two unnecessary shortcuts, and it proved fun to have Corrie examine the criminal aspect of the case while Nora dove into the myths and history that seemed to dominate the deaths.  It all leads up to an outstanding final third, with the main storylines all coming together in an intense, expanded sequence, where the protagonists are forced to confront the people responsible for the mystery in a dark and violent way.  While certain twists about the main antagonist and the method needed to save the day are well telegraphed, Preston and Child overcome this by making things as crazy as possible, and the sheer tension the authors manage to generate here is very impressive.  I particularly loved the ending of Badlands, which nicely blended the crime fiction and more occult elements of the story together in a cleverly ambiguous way that leaves you wondering about what exactly happened well after you finish the book.

Preston and Child pulled together an outstanding novel in Badlands, and I enjoyed how their combined writing brought this entertaining story together.  The plot of Badlands itself is quite fast-paced and exciting, as the primarily investigative narrative follows much of the classic crime fiction conventions.  However, the authors do an outstanding job of twisting the story around, with a compelling focus on Native American history and archaeology, as well as some very amusing depictions of academic relationships.  Preston and Child’s love of history and archaeology is quite evident throughout the course of Badlands, and I loved how the various myths and sites of the past played into the modern crime fiction narrative.  Combine that with the vivid depictions of the New Mexico badlands as a major setting, which is loaded with hoodoos, rock spires, and other ancient secrets, and Badlands has a very distinctive feel to it that Preston and Child use to enhance the story and give it some entertaining and over-the-top tweaks.

While part of a larger series, Badlands works extremely well as a standalone novel, and new readers can come into this Nora Kelly book really easily thanks to the author’s open style.  Indeed, I personally was able to slip into this series quite easily, and there wasn’t a single second that I felt I was missing out on key plot or character details from not having read the previous books.  Each of the key recurring characters is expertly re-introduced in this new novel, and it honestly doesn’t take you too long to fully appreciate their respective storylines and the role they play in the book.  As such, I feel that Badlands is a book that will appeal equally to new readers looking for an unusual thriller as well as established fans of either author, who are curious to see how their new novel turned out.

I ended up grabbing the audiobook version of Badlands, which I felt was an excellent format that added a lot to the reading experience.  Coming in with a runtime of just under 11 hours, Badlands was a relatively quick audiobook to get through, and I liked how well the entertaining story was read out.  Narrated by Cynthia Farrell, a veteran audiobook narrator with a lot of experience in the thriller space, this format of Badlands moves at a quick pace, and listeners are easily able to absorb the unique narrative and all it’s cool details.  Farrell excels at showcasing all the key parts of the plot, from the intense action scenes, the dramatic investigation sequences, and even a few moments that are supernatural in nature, and I really enjoyed how easily I got drawn into this compelling audiobook.  There are also some great voices for the various characters featured throughout Badlands, and Farrell ensured that each character got their own, unique and fitting voice, that allowed the listener to relate to them.  This ended up being a great audiobook, and I think I will utilise this format going forward with Preston and Child’s work, especially if I decide to read more Nora Kelly novels.

With some unique twists and turns and a truly crazy ending, Badlands was an outstanding novel that I had a brilliant time with.  I ended up being really impressed with the cool team of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, and their new Nora Kelly book was a fun novel with some fantastic moments behind it.  A highly recommended read and one of the more distinctive thrillers of 2025.

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Book Haul – 6 December 2025

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Book HaulLeave a comment

I’ve had an excellent couple of weeks for books, as I was lucky enough to receive some incredible and amazing new novels from 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.

King Sorrow by Joe Hill

I finally got my copy of the cool new Joe Hill book, King Sorrow. An extensive novel that will follow a group of friends who make an unwise, life-time bargain with an ancient dragon, King Sorrow sounds really awesome, and I’ve heard some great things about it.  I’m actually hoping to start reading King Sorrow next, and I have no doubt it is going to be something special.

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The Feeding by Anthony Ryan

I was very happy to receive a copy of Anthony Ryan’s new novel, The Feeding, especially after having so much fun with his other 2025 release, Born of an Iron Storm. The Feeding is an excellent post-apocalyptic novel, set in a future overrun with vampires. I’ve actually already read The Feeding, and it was an outstanding novel that I deeply enjoyed.

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The Blackfire Blade by James Logan

I was very happy to get a copy of The Blackfire Blade by James Logan in the last week. The sequel to Logan’s outstanding debut, The Silverblood Promise, The Blackfire Blade features another awesome plot as the protagonist journeys to another dangerous and unique fantasy city to uncover more clues about his father’s death. I really enjoyed Logan’s first novel, and I cannot wait to see how this sequel unfolds.

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Pretenders to the Throne of God by Adrian Tchaikovsky

My reading list for 2026 is already off to a strong start, as I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of Pretenders to the Throne of God by Adrian Tchaikovsky. The fourth book in the Tyrant Philosophers series, Pretenders to the Throne of God is set in an unique and complex fantasy world and will follow on from outstanding books like City of Last Chances, House of Open Wounds and Days of Shattered Faith. Set to feature more war, magic and brilliantly damaged characters, Pretenders to the Throne of God is one of my most anticipated books coming out in 2026 and I cannot wait to dive into it.

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Tyrant by Conn Iggulden

I recently grabbed a copy of Tyrant by Conn Iggulden, which I have been keen to read all year. The entertaining sounding sequel to Iggulden’s 2024 novel, Nero, Tyrant will continue to follow the rise of the infamous Roman emperor, with this book focusing on his teenage years. I had a lot of fun with the previous entry in this series, and I cannot wait to see more of Iggulden’s unique take on this iconic historical figure.

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Forged in Rome by Conn Iggulden

I also managed to grab a copy of Iggulden’s other 2025 release, Forged in Rome, which I honestly didn’t realise was coming out. Set to follow a former slave turned treasured scribe, Forged in Rome should be a unique Roman story and I cannot wait to dive into it.

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Everyone Wants to Rule the World by Ace Atkins

A fun 1980’s thriller with some entertaining twists to it. I look forward to checking this book out, especially as I haven’t read anything from Ace Atkins before.

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On the Edge by Kate Horan

An exciting and complex Australian murder mystery that should be a highlight of early 2026.

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No Man’s Land by Richard K. Morgan

One of the more distinctive novels I recently received a copy of is the cool historical fantasy novel No Man’s Land by Richard Morgan. A gritty standalone novel that envisions England being overrun by a race of fae during World War I, No Man’s Land has a lot of potential, and I feel it is going to be one of the most impressive fantasy novels of 2026.

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Star Trek: Shaxs’ Best (and Worst) Day by Ryan North and Derek Charm

The final book I recently was received was a copy of the fun Star Trek comic, Shaxs’ Best (and Worst) Day. Written by Ryan North and featuring art from Derek Charm, this cool entry serves as an entertaining spin-off to the pair’s Lower Decks comic, the first volume of which I recently reviewed. I love the sound of Shaxs’ Best (and Worst) Day, which will see the titular character attempt to save the day when the universe is rewritten by Lore. I’m sure this is going to be a ton of fun and I look forward to diving into it.

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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 – 3 December 2025

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly post 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:

Gone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben and Reese Witherspoon (Trade Paperback)

I’ve started reading the exciting thriller Gone Before Goodbye.  Written by the intriguing team of Harlan Coben and Reese Witherspoon, Gone Before Goodbye follows a disgraced former surgeon who is dragged into a dark conspiracy when she is selected to perform surgery on a mysterious Russian oligarch. This book is proving to be awesome and compelling thriller, and I am hoping to finish it off soon.

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The Strength of the Few by James Islington (Audiobook)

I’m still going with the epic fantasy novel, The Strength of the Few by James Islington this week. The sequel to Islington’s deeply impressive The Will of the Many, The Strength of the Few features a complex plot, as three separate versions of the protagonist from the first book simultaneously journey through alternate worlds. I’m in the final stages of this incredible book, and I am having an outstanding time, especially as things are getting so damn desperate and dark. I already know that The Strength of the Few is going to be one of my top books of 2025, and I cannot wait to see the final twists and turns that Islington has imagined for this intricate and captivating novel.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Hotel Lucky Seven by Kotaro Isaka (Trade Paperback)

I finished off the amazing Japanese thriller, Hotel Lucky Seven by Kotaro Isaka this week. A follow-up to some of the author’s previous novels, including Bullet Train and Three Assassins, Hotel Lucky Seven sees the unlucky protagonist of Bullet Train trapped in hotel with several deadly assassins. This was a very fun novel, and I’m hoping to get a review up for it soon.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

King Sorrow by Joe Hill

I hoping to read the excellent sounding horror novel, King Sorrow, in the next week. A particularly epic sounding novel that will follow a group of friends who make a dark deal with an ancient evil, King Sorrow has a ton of potential, and it sounds like it is going to be a twisted and impressive read.

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Star Wars: Master of Evil by Adam Christopher

Once I get through The Strength of the Few this week, I’m hoping to start listening to the recently released Star Wars audiobook, Master of Evil. An intriguing novel that will follow the newly created Darth Vader on a journey of discovery as he tries to fully understand the dark side of the Force. I have been looking forward to reading this novel for a while, and I think it has the potential to be one of the more compelling Star Wars novels of 2025.

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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 Right to Remain by James Grippando

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday1 Comment

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 focus on a cool upcoming legal thriller I recently highlighted as one of the top books I’m looking forward to reading in early 2026 with The Right to Remain by James Grippando.

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Over the last couple of years, I have grown to really enjoy the fantastic legal thrillers of veteran author James Grippando, especially those that form part of his Jack Swyteck series.  Following the titular Jack Swyteck, a Miami based criminal defence attorney who takes on the toughest cases, the series features some outstanding court sequences and legal scenes, especially as Grippando routinely envisions some very clever and unique scenarios and clients for the protagonist to defend.  I had an incredible time with the last two books in the series, Goodbye Girl and Grave Danger, and I am extremely keen to see where the series goes next.

Luckily, I don’t have too much longer until the next Jack Swyteck novel is released with the epic upcoming book, The Right to Remain, coming out in early January 2026.  The 20th entry in the Jack Swyteck series, The Right to Remain features another very interesting plot idea, with the protagonist this time forced to defend a man accused of murder who is literally refusing to speak up in his own defence.  I love the cool idea behind this upcoming book, and I can only imagine just how awesome and unique the resulting trial is going to be.  As such, The Right to Remain is now poised to be one of the first new thrillers I check out in 2026, and I am so damn curious about how this story will unfold.

Plot Synopsis:

In this thrilling novel from bestselling author James Grippando—the twentieth in his revered series—legendary criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck takes on a twisty, difficult case that becomes one of the most complex in his illustrious career.

Miami criminal defense lawyer Jack Swyteck must contend with a unique problem. His client, Elliott Stafford, indicted for murder, has gone silent. Not just silent in asserting his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination—Elliott refuses to speak. He won’t talk to the judge, his girlfriend, or even the attorney fighting for his life. There seems to be no medical or psychological reason for his silence. He has, as Jack puts it, “chosen to become his own worst enemy.”

To some, it’s an act of protest against a broken criminal justice system. Jack doesn’t buy it. Undeterred by the hoopla and calls to walk away, he keeps his client and tries his best to save Elliott from himself. As he digs for facts, Jack discovers a much more disturbing reason for Elliott’s silence. Virtually everything Elliott told Jack before the indictment is proving false, including Elliot’s criminal history, family turmoil, and secret past. As Jack plunges deeper, he comes to believe that Elliott isn’t trying to hide his own guilt. He may be protecting someone else—and the stakes could not be higher.

With plenty of courtroom action, scenes in which “Grippando’s years of experience shine brightest” (New York Times), The Right to Remain is one of the most thrilling entries yet in this hugely popular series that keeps going strong.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Pre-2025 Novels

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List6 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. This week participants of Top Ten Tuesday get a freebie to list whatever topics they want.  So, I am going to take this opportunity to start my annual end-of-year lists here by looking at my favourite pre-2025 novels that I read this year.

Each December I have a lot of fun looking at some of the best and most impressive books and comics that I have read throughout the year in a series of Top Ten Lists.  While these lists will mostly focus on books that came out in 2025, for the last few years I have also taken the time to list out some of the best older novels that I have read in the last 12 months.  There are some excellent novels that were released pre-2025 out there that I haven’t had the chance to read before and it is always fun to go back and explore them.  I ended up reading a bunch of awesome older books throughout 2025, including some incredible novels that got easy five-star ratings from me and are really worth checking out.

To come up with this list I had a look at all the novels I read this year that had their initial release before 2025.  While I struggled due to an overabundance of choice, I eventually managed to pull together a fantastic list that covered some of the best books I read this year released before 2025. I did have to put one restriction on my choices for this year’s list, primarily because I read quite a few novels from authors, Matt Dinniman and Terry Pratchett, and I could have filled this top ten list with books from these two alone.  As such, I limited myself to three books from each author, which ensured a bit more diversity in this list.  With this rule in place, I feel that this list still reflects the best pre-2025 novels I read throughout the year, so let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Warhammer 40,000: Crossfire by Matthew Farrer – 2003

An intense classic novel from the Warhammer 40,000 franchise with a great crime fiction twist.

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The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso – 2024

An intricate fantasy novel that makes excellent use of a clever, time-loop scenario

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Death on the Tiber by Lindsey Davis – 2024

Flavia Albia returns for another ancient Rome mystery, this time hunting down an organised crime boss that she has a dark history with.

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Top Ten List:

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett – 1992

I had a lot of fun re-reading several Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett in 2025, including the impressive and thought-provoking Small Gods.  One of Pratchett’s absolute best Discworld books, Small Gods provides a clever and hilarious look at religion and how it impacts the human condition, all while following two of the author’s most relatable protagonists.  There is so much to love about Small Gods, and it was a pleasure to read it once again, especially with the new audiobook format that featured narration from Andy Serkis.

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Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett – 1993

Another outstanding Discworld book I enjoyed in 2025 was the second entry in the City Watch sub-series, Men at Arms.  The sequel to Pratchett’s earlier release, Guards! Guards!, Men at Arms sees the unlikely heroes of the Ankh-Morpork city watch attempt to stop a deranged killer wielding the Disc’s first firearm.  A very impressive crime fiction novel that makes full use of the iconic city of Ankh-Morpork as a gritty background setting, Men at Arms was another early classic from Pratchett, that I will never get tired of re-reading.

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Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett – 1996

The final book from Pratchett that I want to highlight on this list is the third City Watch book, Feet of Clay.  Following the returning protagonists from Men at Arms as they attempt to solve a series of brutal murders connected to Ankh-Morpork’s golem population, as well as stop the poisoning of the patrician.  Probably the best crime fiction novel that Pratchett ever wrote, Feet of Clay is an exceptional book that still brings me joy whenever I read it.

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Warhammer 40,000: Titanicus by Dan Abnett – 2008

It wouldn’t be a reading year for me without some older Warhammer 40,000 novels thrown into the mix.  One of my favourites of these was the epic novel Titanicus by the legendary Dan Abnett.  A spin-off of his Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Titanicus follows a sprawling war between the gigantic Titan war machines, as they rain destruction and death across an entire planet.  Massive in scope and featuring some outstanding battle sequences, Titanicus was an outstanding read and one I had such an incredible time getting through.

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Warhammer 40,000: The Emperor’s Finest by Sandy Mitchell – 2010

I also continued my dive into another awesome older Warhammer 40,000 series this year with The Emperor’s Finest by Sandy Mitchell.  A particularly hilarious entry in the entertaining Ciaphas Cain series, The Emperor’s Finest once again follows the galaxy’s smartest, if most cowardly, commissar, as he attempts to avoid deadly danger in space, only to inadvertently end up facing even worse monsters or deadly situations.  I laughed myself silly throughout The Emperor’s Finest and it was a great entry in one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 series.

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Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman – 2020

Those who are familiar with this blog will already know that 2025 started my obsession with the incredible Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman, as I dove into several of these novels which were all released before 2025.  I ended up powering through the entire series on audiobook in a couple of weeks, it was that damn good, and I just had to include a few entries from this series on this list as a result.  This includes the very first book in the series, Dungeon Crawler Carl, which serves as a powerful introduction to the elaborate narrative and setting.  I love how well Dungeon Crawler Carl sets the entire adventure up, and you get a perfect taste of the author’s unique humour and crazy imagination with this incredible read.  Highly recommended, although be warned, once you start reading this book, you won’t be able to stop.

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Mickey7 by Edward Ashton – 2022

The highly entertaining and inventive science fiction novel, Mickey7, proved to be excellent entertainment for a road trip earlier this year.  A fantastic novel that I’ve been meaning to read for a while, Mickey7 featured a great story about an expendable member of a distant space colony, who gets in trouble when an extra clone of him is created.  I really enjoyed this awesome novel and it really worth going back and checking out.

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The Butcher’s Masquerade by Matt Dinniman – 2022

After already featuring the first Dungeon Crawler Carl novel on this list, I was spoiled for choice about which other entries from the series to feature here, especially as I read them all this year.  however, in the end the choice was rather easy for me as I had to feature one of the very best books from Dinniman with the fifth book in the series, The Butcher’s Masquerade.  Featuring an elaborate plot that sees the increasingly damaged protagonists transported to a new level filled with alien hunters who plan to butcher them for sport, The Butcher’s Masquerade was another exceptional entry in the series.  Between its epic story, amazing humour, crazy moments, and impressive emotional depth, The Butcher’s Masquerade was a true standout amongst an already incredible series, and I just had to feature it here.

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The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman – 2023

The third Dungeon Crawler Carl novel I decided to feature on this list was the sixth book, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride, which I honestly think was one of the most impressive entries in the series.  Perfectly building on the plot from the previous novels, Dinniman turned what could have been a fun bridging novel into an emotionally charged and traumatic read that really dived into several of the series’ outstanding characters.  Funny, exhilarating and absolutely heartbreaking, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride features some of Dinniman’s best writing, and I honestly could not get enough of the elaborate scenarios and shocking moments in this book.  The crown jewel of one of the best ongoing series you need to read.

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The Ascent by Adam Plantinga – 2024

The final book I want to highlight on this list is the very exciting 2024 thriller The Ascent by Adam Plantinga.  A compelling read that saw a damaged former cop attempt to climb up through a chaotic and deadly rioting prison, The Ascent was a very impressive novel, and one I flew through extremely quickly.  I really enjoyed this great book, and I’m hoping to read the sequel, Hard Town, sometime soon.

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And that is the end of this list.  As you can see, I have managed to read a huge number of epic pre-2025 releases this year.  Each of the above were exceptional and fun reads and I would strongly recommend all of them, especially if you are in the mood for some fun fantasy or science fiction adventures.  I look forward to reading many more older books in 2026, and it will be interesting to see what makes my next version of this list then. Make sure to check back in next week for some other end-of-year lists as I continue to highlight some of my favourite reads from 2025.

Warhammer 40,000: Crossfire by Matthew Farrer

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Thriller, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer2 Comments

Publisher: Black Library (Paperback – 1 January 2003)

Series: Warhammer 40,000: Shira Calpurnia – Book One

Length: 320 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

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I finally got around to reading the awesome Warhammer 40,000 novel, Crossfire.  A classic entry in the Warhammer 40,000 canon with a cool crime fiction twist, Crossfire was a great novel that serves as an excellent first entry in Farrer’s Shira Calpurnia trilogy.

In the grim future of the 41st millennium, order and control of the massive Imperium of Man is maintained through the strictest interpretation of Imperial law, with no room for variation or leniency.  The ultimate arbitrators of this law are the dedicated members of the Adeptus Arbites, elite law bringers, trained to weed out corruption, dissent and disloyalty wherever they are deployed.

Shira Calpurnia Lucina, recently promoted arbitor senioris of the Adeptus Arbites, has been assigned to the bustling dockyards of the Hydraphur system.  A glistening gem of Imperial rule dedicated to providing material to the navy, Hydraphur is a seemingly unlikely place for dissention.  But this elite planet harbours dark secrets which come to the surface after a deadly assassination attempt is made in public against Calpurnia amid the distraction and celebration of a major religious festival.

Attempting to uncover who would want her killed after only just arriving on world, Calpurnia begins her relentless investigation.  However, this is no simple case, and soon Calpurnia finds herself forced to navigate the many plots and schemes of the Hydraphur elite.  With more attacks striking close to her and the fate of the whole planet seemingly in the balance, Calpurnia must uncover all Hydraphur’s secrets before the assassins stalking her finally succeed.

Crossfire was an excellent and compelling Warhammer 40,000 novel from Farrer that proved very fun to get through.  Featuring a fantastic plot that is one of the earlier examples of a crime fiction narrative melding with the iconic Warhammer 40,000 universe, Crossfire was a great read and one that is worth checking out.

I liked the captivating story that Farrer came up with for Crossfire, which quickly gets the reader’s attention with a powerful introduction to the protagonist, as she quickly finds herself under fire from a lethal assassin.  Serving as a good start to the main investigation arc, the plot follows the protagonist as she attempts to uncover the identity of the assassin, while also learning more about the planet of Hydraphur.  While a very lore-heavy story, Farrer keeps the plot going quickly and effectively, especially as there are soon more apparent attacks against the protagonist, each of which give her more clues to follow to try and find the mastermind of the plot against her.  At the same time the protagonist gets bogged down in dealing with various other interested parties on Hydraphur, including the planet’s local elites, agents of the Imperial church, the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Inquisition, each of whom have their own interests in finding out who is trying to kill Calpurnia.

While Farrer keeps up a good pace for Crossfire as the plot continues, I do think that he might have overloaded the narrative with details about Hydraphur’s society, as well as the various plots that infest it.  While these serve as good red herring motives for the protagonist to follow, it did overcomplicate the plot at times, which slowed things down even amid some great action sequences.  Despite this, the overall narrative for Crossfire was quite strong, and you get hooked into the continued investigation, especially as the author kept raising the stakes of the case.  After some exciting scenes, everything leads up to the big final confrontation, as the protagonist fully unwinds all the conflicting conspiracies they’ve been forced to encounter.  The conclusion was a sufficiently intense and over-the-top fight, which you need in Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and I liked the clever way the protagonist was able to turn the tables on the antagonist, even if the set-up for it was a little heavy handed.  An overall excellent Warhammer 40,000 plot that nicely tells its own story, while also introducing the character for the larger trilogy.

I’ve previously had a lot of fun with previous Warhammer 40,000 novels that utilise strong crime fiction elements in their story telling, such as Bloodlines by Chris Wraight and Grim Repast by Marc Collins, as there are some outstanding crime narratives in this grimdark universe. Crossfire is an interesting early example of this utilisation of crime fiction in Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and I felt that Farrer did a pretty good job of building a compelling investigation around this fantastic setting.  The resulting story is a layered and intense read that sees the protagonist slowly unwind the case amid various battle sequences and other dark distractions.  The relevant clues, hints and misleading details are well scattered throughout the plot, and I felt there was a good amount of foreshadowing to some of the key plot reveals.  While some story elements and conspiracies came a little out of nowhere, for the most part this was a concise and ordered novel, well told through the perspective of the protagonist.  Farrer excelled at fitting a ton of interesting and heavy lore elements in the plot, and I particularly appreciated how well he utilised his setting throughout the story.  The various plots and schemes of planet’s noble families and prominent organisations, as well as the elaborate religious festival the novel is set around (ceremonial details of which are cleverly included at the start of each chapter), are expertly worked into the larger plot, and it was fascinating to see how they impacted the story and drove the investigation.

One of the more entertaining elements of Crossfire I enjoyed was the narrative’s compelling characters.  The focus is primarily around series protagonist Shira Calpurnia Lucina, the arbitor senioris through whose eyes we see the story unfold.  Calpurnia serves as an interesting central figure, especially as she provides an outsider perspective to the complex setting.  While Farrer writes Calpurnia as a somewhat bullish and highly determined figure that is initially hard to appreciate, I felt that this was an intentional choice by the author, which reflects the typical attitudes of the Arbites in the general Warhammer 40,000 setting.  Forcing her to deal with the more subtle techniques needed for the politically delicate Hydraphur brought in some interesting conflict for Calpurnia, as well as producing some interesting character growth.  Despite this, the outsider status of Calpurnia continues to be a compelling plot feature throughout Crossfire, which Farrer utilised extremely well with his writing.  The rest of the cast, while less prominent, adds some complexity to the plot, and I enjoyed the compelling array of fellow Arbites members, the gentry of Hydraphur, and other prominent figures in the planet’s hierarchy.  I particularly enjoyed the motivations of the book’s eventual antagonist, which had a great hint of madness behind it, and this was an overall excellent group of characters.

While I really enjoyed Crossfire’s compelling story, I must admit that this wasn’t the easiest Warhammer 40,000 novel to read.  The plot details of Crossfire are very dense, and it takes a lot of effort to absorb and follow the story.  I felt this was especially noticeable in the small-print paperback version I had, and you really had to focus to take everything in.  As a result, this one probably wouldn’t be a recommended starting point for a new Warhammer reader.  Farrer utilises a lot of intricate details about the Warhammer 40,000 universe that even people casually familiar with the franchise are going to struggle to follow at times.  While most new readers can probably follow along well enough through context, I would suggest it’s best enjoyed by veteran fans who will probably have a lot more fun with it.

Overall, Crossfire by Matthew Farrer was an awesome Warhammer 40,000 novel, and one that I was glad I finally got the opportunity to read.  A compelling crime fiction novel that makes great use of Farrer’s complex setting, Crossfire proved to be an exciting and interesting read.  While not the easiest novel to get through at times, Crossfire proved to be an excellent piece of Warhammer fiction and I’m hoping to get through the rest of the Shira Calpurnia trilogy soon.

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