Category: Fantasy

He Who Fights With Monsters: Outworlder by Travis Deverell (Shirtaloon)

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Publisher: Michael Joseph (Trade Paperback – 7 July 2026, originally published 23 February 2021)

Series: He Who Fights With Monsters – Volume One

Length: 755 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Looking for something to scratch your LitRPG itch?  Then dive into the acclaimed world of He Who Fights With Monsters, the first entry in an impressive series from Australian author Travis Deverell.

Fantasy fiction has a lot of interesting subgenres to it, with one of the more distinctive being the popular LitRPG genre, which throws ordinary humans into RPG settings.  This often results in some awesome narratives, where self-aware characters attempt to survive in fantasy worlds where the game system and its components are part of the setting.  While I so far haven’t read a ton of LitRPG books, it is a subgenre that I’m getting a lot more into recently, especially as there are a ton of awesome and often bonkers LitRPG books out there.  It’s thanks to this interest in the wider LitRPG genre that I made sure to pick up a copy of the first volume of Travis Deverell’s He Who Fights With Monsters, a long-running series that is considered a major recent addition to LitRPG fiction.

Travis Deverell is an Australian author who rose to prominence through writing on the Royal Road web novel site.  Also known as Shirtaloon, Deverell’s work on Royal Road formed into the He Who Fights With Monsters series, which has previously been released through independent publishing.  I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of the new trade paperback first volume of He Who Fights With Monsters released by Penguin Random House Australia (through their Michael Joseph imprint), I was quite intrigued by its fun sounding plot.  As such, I eagerly dived into this first book (titled in this release as Outworlder), and swiftly got drawn into this cool new series.

Plot Synopsis:

It’s not an easy career jump, going from retail assistant manager to interdimensional adventurer. Jason doesn’t have much of a choice, though, when he wakes up naked confused in a world of mystery and magic.

It wasn’t prophecy that brought him here. He wasn’t chosen. It was the wrong place, the wrong time and the very, very wrong guy. The wizard who summoned him by accident does not react well.

In short order, Jason will have to fight monsters, face cultists, escape cannibals and find some pants, preferably not in that order.

The good news? He has powers. The bad news? They’re kind of evil.

With no idea where he is or what he’s doing, he’s going to need friends, and fast, because in this world, power isn’t just about magic and monsters.

Jason will have to deal with politicians, noble houses and crime lords to survive. He’ll need to master his powers, evil or not, hopefully without becoming the worst monster of all.

Now that was a particularly epic and ultra-fun read.  I must admit that I didn’t quite know what to expect from He Who Fights With Monsters, but I honestly loved every second I spent with it.  There was something about this great first volume that quickly drew me in, and I soon got stuck powering through the novel’s wildly entertaining and compelling story.  A remarkably addictive read that serves as an outstanding introduction to the He Who Fights With Monsters series, I am so very glad I got a copy of this book.

The plot behind this first volume of He Who Fights With Monsters was extremely fun and awesome, and I was really impressed with how effectively Deverell dragged me into the action.  Starting off with a classic LitRPG set-up, with protagonist Jason Asano awaking in a strange fantasy land with no idea how he got there.  Equipped with a gaming interface and character abilities, Jason is soon forced to fight off monsters and cannibalistic cultists in a series of escalating misadventures while trying to figure out what is going on.  I quite liked this start to the story, although I felt it didn’t get going until Jason met up with several fellow adventures who, after some mutual saving and unlikely victories, agree to help Jason and teach him about this new world.

From this initial starting point, Deverell soon creates a rich and complex larger narrative and surrounding setting, and the reader gets an excellent crash-course in the magical system, how the world is set up, an explanation for how Jason is there.  With no other option, Jason accompanies his new friends on a journey to a nearby major city, and starts the process to become an adventurer, which includes taking on quests, fighting monsters and finding his own unique magical style.  The author keeps building in more world-building elements in this first half of the book, and you start to get a better idea of Jason’s personality, as well as hints about future threats.  The plot gets particularly interesting once Jason arrives at this volume’s central location of Greenstone, a major city where Jason endeavours to become a professional adventurer and soon gets in embroiled with a whole new range of supporting characters.

While I did quite enjoy the first half of He Who Fights With Monsters, I think the second half was stronger as Deverell didn’t need to explain the key concepts of his world as much and instead was able to unleash Jason and his full personality onto the unsuspecting city.  Jason soon finds himself experiencing multiple challenges and threats as he joins the Adventurer’s Society and becomes a player in local politics.  At the same time, Deverell sets up several intriguing secondary storylines around the other supporting characters, which blend well with the main adventure.  There is some excellent progression in the protagonist’s abilities and insights in this second half of the book, and I found it quite amusing to try and deal with the various threats and influences of the city.  Several of the ongoing storylines set in Greenstone come together in impressive fashion towards the end of the novel, especially as there is an extended series of fights with a dangerous new threat.  The author throws in some last-minute tragedy, as well as some moments that hammer home the underlying issues of corruption and stupidity that Jason was fighting through most of the book.  I felt that this volume ended on an interesting and compelling note, and there are several open storylines left to explore in the next volume of the story.

I rather enjoyed the writing in He Who Fights With Monsters, although it was admittedly rough in places.  It was a little obvious that Deverell was writing for an online audience, which resulted in some interesting style choices, most of which you get used to as the book continues.  For example, I initially questioned the author’s choice of writing this story in the third person, as I felt that a first-person perspective would have been a better choice.  However, the author made this third-person perspective work, as it allowed him to set up several storylines outside of the Jason’s perspective, while also showcasing the supporting character’s view the protagonist.  This book also had a great flow to it, with lots of action, compelling worldbuilding, and some very entertaining sequences.

All this resulted in an excellent blend of excitement, intrigue and humour, which was honestly addictive enough to keep me coming back and power through the over 700 pages within this volume.  This very compelling writing allowed me to overlook a lot of the book’s initial roughness, although I cannot forgive the weird error that resulted in various sentences of the book having noticeably different spacing.  I’m not sure if this was an issue with the Penguin release of He Who Fights With Monsters, or it’s just been carried over from the online edition, but it kept taking me out of the story, especially as the first few times I thought it was a deliberate choice to attempt to show a character talking quickly.  Whatever it was, I hope it’s not in future volumes, as it looks quite amateurish next to the rest of the fantastic formatting and artwork.

On top of the exciting story, I felt that a major highlight of He Who Fights With Monsters was the compelling worldbuilding.  The author clearly put a lot of thought into this compelling new fantasy world, which serves as a mirror to ours, filled with monsters, adventurers and magic.  Many of these elements were quite clever in concept and utilisation, as Deverell did an outstanding job introducing all these ideas to the reader.  He Who Fights With Monsters’ magical system, which involves adventurers absorbing various essences and slowly unlocking abilities associated with them, was particularly clever and helped to standout.  This cool system allowed for the author to introduce to some interesting power combinations, especially for the protagonist, and you quickly get the hang of its peculiarities and enjoy all the possibilities around it.

I also was very impressed with how the author worked the LitRPG aspect of the book into the narrative, introducing a credible reason why the protagonist had a game interface into his head, and ensuring that his ability to accept quests, loot corpses and more, seemed quite natural in the context of the story.  This great use of the LitRPG concept, as well as making the setting a real world with real people rather than a video game, ensured that there were some real stakes to the story, and helped to turn it into a particularly captivating adventure.

Another very interesting part of the He Who Fights With Monsters are the characters, especially the protagonist Jason Asano, who I had heard in advance was a bit of a divisive figure for readers.  I initially didn’t see any issues with Jason, who at first seemed to be a typical fish-out-of-water fantasy protagonist whose lack of knowledge about what is going on allowed readers to learn about the world and magic system at the same pace.  Even after the initial parts of the book, Jason seemed liked an entertaining main character, with a quirky sense of humour and insights into the fantasy world born from gamer experience.

However, once you get to the part of the story set in Greenstone, I began to understand why some readers didn’t like him, as Deverell starts to showcase his ability to read people and manipulate them.  Despite being framed as a good guy, there is a certain arrogance behind how he interacts with a lot of characters, including being quite dismissive of well-established aspects of the new world he finds himself in.  Jason also came across as kind of conceited when it came to dealing with the inherent inequalities of the fantasy world.  While in a lot of cases this was justified, especially when dealing with incompetent or corrupt adventurers and nobles, it honestly came across as a little preachy at times.  Still, this slightly annoying character trait wasn’t enough to reduce my enjoyment of He Who Fights With Monsters, and I quite enjoyed seeing Jason develop as an adventurer.  While there is a certain amount of plot armour in how quickly he advances, I felt that Deverell hit the right mark in Jason’s development in this first book and ensured that it filled the bounds of a typical progressive fantasy book.  I especially liked the character build that Deverall gifted Jason, turning him into a shadowy affliction specialist with various evil-themed powers.  Watching Jason attempt to balance his pleasant nature with the scary abilities he needs to work with was a key part of the character’s arc in this first volume, and I think it was a compelling and memorable bit of character development.  I’m very curious to see Jason evolves as the series continues, and must highlight how fun it is to have an Australian character in a big fantasy series.

I do quickly want to mention the larger cast of this first He Who Fights With Monsters book, as Deverell introduces a large group of supporting characters throughout the novel.  While most of these characters are very overshadowed by Jason and his antics, there are still some entertaining or complex figures here, whose own personal storylines work into the large plot of the novel.  I quite enjoyed seeing some of their relevant storylines, and it also ensured the reader got several outsider perspectives of Jason and his actions, which helped to highlight just how weird the protagonist seems to the inhabitants of this new fantasy world.  Many of these characters were quite likeable, and I rather got attached to Jason’s initial party in this world, Rufus, Farrah and Gary (the three of whom get a short story at the end of this volume).  While there is no major named antagonist in this first book, Deverell introduces some fun secondary villains who serve as a good initial opponent for Jason alongside the multitude of monsters he faces, especially as he is forced to deal with politics, intrigue and criminal networks.  All these characters, and more, added a lot to the larger story, and the resulting interactions produced some great moments.

With a highly entertaining blend of action, complex world building and a certain chaotic energy, the first volume of Travis Deverell’s He Who Fights With Monsters proved to be an exceptional hit that I couldn’t stop thinking about.  Featuring an outstanding LitRPG adventure set around a compelling protagonist, He Who Fights With Monsters was really something special, and I really couldn’t stop reading it at times.  I’m definitely planning to keep reading this series now that I’ve powered through the first volume, and I cannot wait to see what crazy antics and moments happen in the rest of the series.

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Waiting on Wednesday – Termina Station by Nick Martell

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, 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 my latest Waiting on Wednesday post, I look at a unique and compelling new fantasy novel coming out in 2027 with Termina Station by Nick Martell.

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There have been some very talented fantasy authors who have gotten their start in the 2020s, but one of these authors who really stood out to me was the incredible Nick Martell.  Debuting in 2020, Martell impressed me right off the bat with The Kingdom of Liars.  The first book in his Legacy of the Mercenary King trilogy, The Kingdom of Liars was an exceptional fantasy novel that saw a damaged protagonist attempt to restore his disgraced family and uncover a conspiracy impacting his city.  I had such a great time with The Kingdom of Liars and it ended up being one of my favourite books, audiobooks and debuts of 2020.  Martell continued this excellent writing throughout the entirety of the Legacy of the Mercenary King series, with the following books, The Two-Faced Queen and The Voyage of the Forgotten, each being incredible reads. Indeed, The Two-Faced Queen was one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021, while The Voyage of the Forgotten was one of my favourite books of 2022.

After such a great opening trilogy, I made sure to keep an eye out for more books from Martell, and I was especially keen for some sort of sequel series that would follow some of the open storylines from the first series.  However, after a few years without any news from Martell and I was beginning to worry we might not see any more from him.  That changed earlier this week when by chance I found out that Martell had a new book coming out in 2027, Termina Station.

Termina Station, which is currently set for release in February 2027, is an intriguing new novel from Martell, which takes a protagonist on a unique sounding journey through life and death.  This new book has very compelling plot idea behind it, which should prove interesting to explore as it is a very different sort of fantasy adventure from Martell.

Plot Synopsis:

Joe Hill’sNOS4A2 meets Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes in this captivating novel about a father trapped in Knowhere, a deadly border town between life and death, run by the sinister Mister Teeth.

When Roger falls asleep on the train after a long day at work, he’s shocked to learn he isn’t stuck at the end of the line. Instead, he emerges from the last stop to step out into the rainy gloom…in a place he’s never heard of: Knowhere, where monsters roam at night and the only way home is to travel through each of the five ringdoms to the very center. It is only there, at Termina Station, that he can take a train out of Knowhere and return to his wife and children.

But each ringdom has its own twisted logic, and the ticketmaster, Mister Teeth, isn’t keen on letting Roger out of Knowhere. With Mister Teeth’s son in tow, Roger hopes he has what it takes to puzzle his way out of each ringdom and face his demons in the process. But Mister Teeth is a powerful enemy, and he’ll do anything to stop his son from boarding the train at Termina Station.

Termina Station looks set to be a very curious and compelling new book, which is looks set to be very different from Martell’s previous epic-fantasy trilogy.  A standalone fantasy story about exploring a dark realm of death and mystery likely inspired by the protagonists’ own demons has a Stephen King-vibe to it (or Joe Hill as the above synopsis suggests), and I’ll be interested to see how Martell brings this about in Termina Station.  This will likely be a very personal, character-driven story, with the protagonist forced to overcome aspects of their past, and I’m curious to see how that ties into the more fantastic or horror-inspired aspects of the setting.  I’m also intrigued by the book’s villain, Mister Teeth, who has the potential to be a chilling and haunting figure, and I cannot wait to see them hunting the protagonist.  All this promises to be quite a cool story, and I know that Martell has the writing chops to really pull it together into something special.

If I’m being honest, the moment that I saw Nick Martell had a new book coming out, I knew I had to read it.  However, the above intriguing plot idea has also gotten me quite excited, and I am now very keen to read Termina Station.  Sure to be one of the more unique novels of early 2027, Termina Station is now very high on my to-read list for the new year, and I cannot wait to dive into it.

Waiting on Wednesday – Absolon Creed by R. S. Ford

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Murder Mystery, Waiting on WednesdayLeave a 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 check out an awesome upcoming fantasy novel with Absolon Creed by R. S. Ford.

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I’m always in the mood for epic and dark fantasy reads and one of the more compelling sounding upcoming releases of 2026 is set to be released by R. S. Ford.  Ford is a veteran fantasy author who has previously written several intriguing series across the genres.  This includes his The Age of Uprising series (Engines of Empire), as well as some other excellent fantasy releases.  Readers may also be familiar with Ford’s contributions to the historical fiction genre under the alternate pen name of Richard Cullen, which includes his excellent Chronicles of the Black Lion series (Rebellion and Crusade).  I’ve had a great time with several of Ford’s previous novels; however, his next book has the potential to be his most exciting.

This new book is the fantastic sounding Absolon Creed, which is currently set for release in November 2026.  A grimdark fantasy novel with a compelling murder mystery centre, Absolon Creed sounds awesome, as it sets a monster-slaying knight on a quest to uncover a killer in city on the edge of ruin.  Everything about this novel, including its brutal setting, damaged protagonists and captivating plot, sounds incredible, and I have no doubt it is going to result in an outstanding read.  As such, I am extremely excited for Absolon Creed, and I have a feeling it is going to be a top fantasy novel of 2026.

Plot Synopsis:

A legendary soldier is the last line of defense between his city and monstrous chaos in this grimdark adventure from an unmissable voice in epic fantasy.

Bastion, the once-shining capital of Morrengard, teeters on the brink. Its grand spires are crumbling and its nobility fight over scraps, all while eldritch creatures stalk the streets. The only thing standing in the way of its utter destruction is the Order of Draken: a knightly order more brutal than the threats the city faces. And its most brutal champion… Absolon Creed.

When two nobles are found murdered in a manner most grotesque, suspicions arise about a traitor within the Order itself. Creed is tasked with investigating, and for his sins he is saddled with a partner: Guenivar Blackmere, a daughter of nobility and the Order’s newest, and most untested, initiate.

Together, they are plunged into Bastion’s fetid underbelly, where warlocks rub elbows with corrupt nobles and necromancers cavort with the dead. Guenivar must learn fast or perish under Creed’s cold tutelage. Her mentor is quick to anger, and about as friendly as a cornered wolf, but that is the only way to survive these unforgiving streets.

But as the investigation deepens, Guenivar discovers a secret about him that could shatter everything she believed about the order and its heroes. While Creed himself must defeat the ghosts he’s spent years trying to bury… before they bury Bastion itself.

The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Historical Fiction, LGBT+1 Comment

Publisher: Tor (Trade Paperback– 24 February 2026)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 535 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Australian author Cameron Sullivan delivers one of the best and most compelling debuts of 2026, with the historical fantasy epic, The Red Winter, a truly impressive read that you won’t be able to put down.

Plot Synopsis:

A devastating love story.
A bewitching twist on history.
A blood-drenched hunt for purpose, power, and redemption.

In 1785, Professor Sebastian Grave receives the news he fears most: the Beast of Gévaudan has returned, and the French countryside runs red in its wake.

Sebastian knows the Beast. Twenty years ago, it nearly cost him his life to bring the monster down. Now, he has been recalled to the hunt by Antoine Avenel d’Ocerne, an estranged lover who shares a dark history with the Beast and a terrible secret with Sebastian. With the help of his indwelling demon, Sarmodel – who takes payment in living hearts – Sebastian must return to Gévaudan for a final reckoning, while the Beast is poised to plunge the continent into war.

In this dark retelling of the hunt for the Beast of Gévaudan, Cameron Sullivan tears the heart out of history. He lifts the veil on the hidden world behind our own and reimagines the story of Europe, from Imperial Rome to Saint Jehanne d’Arc and the first flickers of the French Revolution.

Wow, want an outstanding and incredible debut.  I must admit that when I first received The Red Winter, having very little prior knowledge of what it was about, I didn’t know what to expect.  Still, I decided to give it a chance, and found myself quickly enthralled by Cameron Sullivan’s brilliant storytelling, excellent humour, and use of multiple intriguing periods of French history.  One of the best books I have so far read in 2026, The Red Winter gets a full five-star rating from me, and I loved it so damn much.

I loved the unique and layered story that Sullivan came up with for The Red Winter, which thrust readers through several different periods of French history in a slightly alternate world filled with demons, angels and spiritual power.  Told primarily from the perspective of Professor Sebastian Grave, an immortal sorcerer with a demonic spirit bound to him, the book serves as a personal chronicle of several connected past adventures in France.  Starting with a storyline set in 1785, the book sees Professor Grave encounter Jacques Avenel d’Ocerne, the son of his former lover Antoine d’Ocerne, who requests Grave return with him to the Gévaudan region of France to fulfil a contract he holds with his father.  Setting off on this new journey, the reader soon starts following Grave’s previous adventure in Gévaudan in 1766, when Grave first encounters Antoine and finds himself drawn into the hunt for the infamous Beast of Gévaudan, a monster terrorising the area and killing many locals.  The story also features an interesting third storyline set out as an Addendum to the main narrative.  This Addendum takes place throughout the early 14th century and is also told in the form a chronicle, this one primarily written by Grave’s succubus servant Livia, who attempts to uncover a valuable artifact in war-torn France, dragging her employer into further danger and carnage.

Without giving too much away, Sullivan masterfully binds these storylines together, as he simultaneously follows the events of all three time periods.  Most of the focus is on the two 18th century storylines, with the consequences of Grave’s attempts to hunt the beast in 1766 coming back to bite him when the same monster returns in 1785, with even greater savagery.  At the same time, the Addendum narrative contains even more chaos, which sees Grave first unknowing encounter with the Beast, and establishes much of this creature’s history and motivations, as well as Grave’s long-time obsession with obtaining its power.

Each of these different plotlines provides the reader with something different, including a great tragic romance narrative in the 1766 adventures, covered over with dark unexplained events from real-life history.  This blends well with the more entertaining misadventures showcased in the Addendum, and the darker storyline in 1785, as Grave and other character are forced to relive all their past mistakes and uncover how the Beast survived.  I honestly grew quite attached to all three of the different plot threads, as each contains a brilliant and compelling narrative that stands on its own.  However, it’s the way that Sullivan weaves a larger, more complete narrative from them, that is the real highlight of The Red Winter, and which raised this entire book to a five-star epic.  Each storyline perfectly flows into the other, and learning revelations from one has great impacts on your understanding of the others.  Sullivan also captures the regret and anger of the protagonist (and other characters), in each progressive timeframe, and I loved seeing the true impacts of past decisions and bad decisions haunt people years down the line.  I really cannot emphasise just how impactful, addictive and well-put-together this incredible narrative was, and you are guaranteed to come away from it deeply entranced.

While the epic storyline of The Red Winter was very awesome in its own right, Sullivan’s moving writing style added an extra impressive kick to it that constantly kept the reader coming back for more.  I’ve already mentioned a few times the different time periods, separate narrative threads and even an alternate narrator, and these effective writing tools were each used to great effect.  However, I really need to emphasise the way that each of them had their own unique feeling of tragedy, anger and personal regrets, especially thanks to the different experiences of the protagonist, that ensured they all stood out.  The difference in tone between these three simultaneous plotlines produces a truly vibrant and emotionally charged novel, and I loved how each storyline got dark in their own way, while still having some moments of levity.

While there are some tonal differences, each plotline has some excellent and consistent humour behind it.  Much of this humour is driven by the interaction between Grave and his internal spirit, Sarmodel, as well as the selfish and cynical antics of Livia in the 14th century plotline.  Sullivan also makes great use of various entertaining footnotes, which not only provide further context for this fantasy version of the world, but also add some additional comedy outside the flow of the main story.  This humour blends well with the darker elements of The Red Winter, and the contrast and occasional lighter tone makes this book even easier to read and enjoy.  Indeed, Sullivan’s entire writing style in The Red Winter was very inviting and easy going at times, and I was quite impressed with how effortlessly he conveyed a lot of complicated bits of real-life history and his own personal lore to the reader.  There was never a part of The Red Winter that got bogged down in extensive occult discussion or deep dives into history, and Sullivan’s writing keeps the reader hooked all the way from start to finish.

One of the big highlights of The Red Winter for me was Sullivan’s clever use of French history, which also tied into a wider world of magic and religious truth that only the protagonist and his associates are aware of.  As with most successful urban fantasy series, Sullivan ensures that the setting of The Red Winter is very similar to the real-world in terms of history and society, but with hidden magic just beneath the surface and only visible to a few.  The author works these elements cleverly into the story, with the protagonist explaining to the reader the realities of magic and the divine, both in text and through the aforementioned footnotes.  These descriptions and explanations work into the main narrative well, and you soon understand the implications of what the protagonist is experiencing or doing, as well as the dark consequences of everything that he does.  While much of the magic in this book is more subtle than some other fantasy reads, it is still quite impactful, and its clever design and inclusion of battling angels, demons and other godlike beings really upped the stakes at times.

On top of the fantasy elements, Sullivan does an excellent job showcasing three different periods of French history, especially based around the Gévaudan region of France.  This includes the post-Hundred-Years War period in the 14th century, the early waning days of the French monarch in 1766, and the angry start of the French revolution around 1785.  Each of these are explored masterfully, and not only does this help to give each separate plotline its own unique identity, but Sullivan gives some interesting mystical or spiritual origin to some certain historical events.  However, the historical element I liked the most was the compelling dive into the mysterious occurrence of the Beast of Gévaudan.  A heavily documented series of creature attacks in Gévaudan in the 1760s, the story of the Beast of Gévaudan wasn’t something I was too familiar with before getting this book, but boy am I interested in it now.  While Sullivan does put his own spin on the origins of these events, he did capture much of the actual recorded history of the Beast of Gévaudan attacks, with several historical figures appearing as supporting characters.  I found this to be deeply fascinating, and it served as a very interesting centre to much of the story, primarily the near half of the book set in 1766.  I cannot emphasise just how fascinating Sullivan’s dive and use of this curious event was to the plot of The Red Winter, and I really must congratulate him for finding and using such a fitting piece of historical weirdness.

Finally, I need to mention some of the great characters featured throughout The Red Winter.  Sullivan utilises a rich cast, combining immortals and magical beings, with normal humans caught up in their crossfire.  The obvious focus is on main protagonist and point-of-view character Professor Sebastian Grave, a seemingly immortal being who has already lived for over a thousand years at this point in the story.  An entertaining figure, bowed by his experiences yet still retaining the ability to fall in love and make mistakes, Grave was an interesting conduit for the reader to explore this dark tale, and I loved his unique and often cynical take on events, often written with some unfortunate hindsight.  While you don’t get a lot of character development from Grave due to his immortal status, there is still some moving moments with this character, especially when more tragedy comes his way, and he is forced to deal with old mistakes and failings.  The way that Sullivan simultaneously showcases Grave’s passionate romance with Antoine in 1766, and the distain Antoine holds for him in 1785, added some great drama to the plot, and you really become intrigued by what led to these events.  This doomed romance and the history behind it drive much of Grave’s later story, and it was compelling to see how much regret he holds and how it continues to impact him.

Aside from Grave, there are several other great characters of note in The Red Winter, many of whom steal the show in their own way.  This includes the demonic spirit Sarmodel, a mysterious being that has lodged itself into Grave’s soul, giving him immortality and much of his power.  Thanks to their connection, which is nearly another romance, Sarmodel serves as a background voice to Grave’s actions.  I loved the constant bickering back and forth between Grave and Sarmodel (like a very old married couple), and it honestly added a lot of humour and internal discord to the novel.  Sarmodel’s needs also serve as a great motivator for this protagonist duo, with Sarmodel constantly driving Grave to find sources of life and magic to feed him, and it was interesting to see how that impacted their adventures.  The use of the d’Ocerne father and son duo was also an excellent character use in The Red Winter, primarily because of their relationships with Grave, but also because of how their separate mistakes and secrets impact each other and bring greater tragedy to the plot.  Throw in a disobedient succubus assistant, controlled by her own vices, various interesting historical luminaries and even the Archangel Michael who is working his own angle in events, and the cast of The Red Winter was impressive, and helped move the story in some awesome directions.

Thanks to his obvious talent, impressive ability and fantastic imagination, Cameron Sullivan’s debut novel, The Red Winter, was an exceptional read, and I honestly still can’t get over how much I loved it.  A particularly clever, moving and addictive novel, The Red Winter was an absolute pleasure to read, and I loved every single second I spent with it.  I honestly hope that Sullivan revisits his main characters again in the future, as there is so much potential for further adventures across history.  Until then, The Red Winter remains one of the most impressive recent debuts I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and indeed it was one of the very best books I read in the first half of 2026.

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Top Ten Tuesday – Most Anticipated Books Releasing During the Second Half of 2026 (Fantasy and Science Fiction)

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, List, Science Fiction2 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.  For this latest Top Ten Tuesday participants need to list their top anticipated releases for the second half of 2026.  I am planning to do two versions of this list, one that will exclusively look at upcoming thrillers, crime fiction, historical fiction, and more, and this one that will focus on upcoming fantasy and science fiction books.

2026 has so far been an amazing year for books (something I will cover in next week’s Top Ten Tuesday), with some impressive novels coming out and blowing me away.  However, the year is far from over and there are so many epic-sounding novels set for release in the second half of 2026.  To fill out this list I have scoured my list of anticipated upcoming releases and tried to work out which of the books coming out between the start of July and the end of December I am most looking forward to.  I already have a couple of these books, but I think it’s worth including them here, especially as I still need to make time to read them.

I had initially intended to only do a single list featuring all the genres, however, I ended up with way too many awesome upcoming novels on my radar.  So, to fairly feature them all, and to save myself from some hard decisions, I decided to split this post into two separate lists, starting with this one on fantasy and science fiction.  I still had to cut out several impressive upcoming releases, but I was a lot happier with how these lists turned out, especially as I was able to feature so many epic upcoming reads that I am going to have the most fun reading.  Due to how much potential that I think the entries on this list have, several have previously appeared in my weekly Waiting on Wednesday articles, as well as on my recent Winter TBR list.   So let us get to my selections and find out which upcoming novels are my most anticipated fantasy and science fiction releases for the second half of 2026.

Honourable Mentions:

The Infinite State by Richard Swan – 4 August 2026

An intriguing science fiction read from a rising Australian author known for his compelling fantasy books.

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The Deep and the Drowned by Ian Green – 6 August 2026

An epic fantasy novel with an outstanding cover that also sounds like an extremely awesome read.

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Scion by James Islington – 1 September 2026

A cool science fiction thriller from the very impressive James Islington.  This will be an interesting departure from some of Islington’s recent, massive fantasy novels, and I’m keen to explore this Australian author’s alternate work.

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Absolon Creed by R. S. Ford – 10 November 2026

An interesting sounding dark fantasy novel, which sees a feared knight investigate a murder within a city besieged by eldritch forces.

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Top Ten Tuesday:

A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett – 11 August 2026

Let’s start this list off on a high note with the new book from Robert Jackson Bennett, A Trade of Blood.  Following on from Bennett’s exceptional novels The Tainted Cup (one of my favourite books of 2024) and A Drop of Corruption (one of my favourite books of 2025), A Trade of Blood will return the reader to a chaotic land constantly under attack from giant sea monsters to follow an unusual investigative duo of a troubled detective and her practical assistant.  This time attempting to stop a civil war by proving a clearly guilty party did not actually commit a murder, A Trade of Blood sound very intriguing and I am very curious about where it’s narrative will go.  Based on how exceptional the first two books in this series were, I already know that A Trade of Blood is going to be one of the top books of 2026.

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The Dungeon Book by Gareth Hanrahan – 11 August 2026

The next book on this list is one of the more entertaining entries, with The Dungeon Book by Gareth Hanrahan.  Set to follow a surprisingly innocent protagonist raised in a fantasy dungeon by various classic monsters and beasts, The Dungeon Book has a very amusing plot behind it, especially when our hero encounters true evil entering the dungeon, other humans.  I love the sound of this amazing upcoming novel, and The Dungeon Book seems like something that I can have a lot of fun with.

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Upon the Forge of Battle by Anthony Ryan – 25 August 2026

After consistently having an incredible time with Anthony Ryan’s various fantasy novels over the last few years, there is no way that I will be missing out on Upon the Forge of Battle in 2026.  The third and final book in Ryan’s Age of Wrath series, Upon the Forge of Battle will conclude the outstanding, Viking-themed story already featured in A Tide of Black Steel and Born of an Iron Storm.  I am excited to see how all the big character arcs in this series come together, and I have no doubt Upon the Forge of Battle is going to be an epic final entry in a very strong series.

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Settle Down by Jeremy Robinson – 25 August 2026

After already impressing me with the twisted and compelling 30Seven (review to follow very soon) Jeremy Robinson will provide even more entertaining science fiction hijinks in 2026 with his next novel, Settle Down.  Another science fiction hybrid, Settle Down will feature a unique combination of genres when a group of plane-crash survivors find out that the rest of the world has been invaded by aliens while they’ve been marooned on an isolated island.  This is honestly one of the more entertaining plot ideas I’ve seen in 2026, and I’m sure Robinson is going to turn Settle Down into a particularly clever and powerful novel.

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The Wolves of War by John Gwynne – 8 September 2026

Even more Viking-inspired adventure is in store for fantasy fans in the second half of 2026, with the new book from the acclaimed John Gwynne, The Wolves of War.  The first book in The Wolfheart Chronicles, The Wolves of War will see an unlikely protagonist attempt to master her powers to save everyone she loves from a looming war.  I am really looking forward to reading this book, especially after loving every second of Gwynne’s previous Bloodsworn Saga, and it seems like The Wolves of War is going to be a particularly powerful and personal novel from this author.  An exciting and cool book for the second half of 2026.

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Star Wars: Edge of the Abyss by Rebecca Roanhorse – 15 September 2026

Star Wars fans have a lot to look forward to in the second half of 2026, with the next book in the Reign of the Empire series, Edge of the Abyss.  Following on from The Mask of Fear, this second Reign of the Empire novel will be written by Rebecca Roanhorse and will chart the early days of the Rebel Alliance.  Following several key extended universe characters, Edge of the Abyss will feature a great mixture of space politics, personal storylines and compelling insights into one of the best periods of Star Wars lore.  I am quite excited to see how Roanhorse will continue this series, and I can’t wait to get my next dose of Star Wars nerdom.

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The Only Way Out is Up by Django Wexler – 29 September 2026

Another delightful book that I’m excited for later this year is the exciting science fiction novel, The Only Way Out is Up by Django Wexler.  Set to follow a small-time scrap salvager and his pet robot as they enters a legendary robot fighting tournament, The Only Way Out is Up sounds like a ton of awesome fun, and I am very keen to read it, especially after loving some of Wexler’s previous works.

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The Thrice-Bound Fool by Christopher Buehlman – 13 October 2026

One of the most anticipated fantasy novels coming out in the second half of 2026 is The Thrice-Bound Fool by Christopher Buehlman.  The long-awaited sequel to Buehlman’s beloved The Blacktongue Thief, The Thrice-Bound Fool will see the protagonists from the first book embark on a continent spanning quest as they attempt to survive a deadly guild of killers coming after them.  I am excited for this book after finally reading The Blacktongue Thief earlier this year, and I’m also hoping to read the prequel novel, The Daughter’s War before The Thrice-Bound Fool comes out in October.

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Ghosts of the Void by Jonathan Maberry – 13 October 2026

One of my favourite authors, Jonathan Maberry, brings one of his series to a close later this year with Ghosts of the Void.  The third and final book in the NecroTek trilogy, Ghosts of the Void will follow on from NecroTek and Cold War and will follow a stranded group of humans as they attempt to fight a galactic war against cosmic horrors.  I’ve had a brilliant time with this shocking series, and I’m sure that Maberry has some excellent dark twists in store to finish it off.

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Monsters of Ohio by John Scalzi – 3 November 2026

The final book on this list is the next entertaining release from the wonderful John Scalzi, Monsters of Ohio.  A very compelling sounding standalone novel, Monsters of Ohio will take readers on an unusual journey when strange, world-changing events start in a small town in Ohio.  Scalzi always provides some clever and thought-provoking reads, and I’m sure that Monsters of Ohio is going to be a fantastic novel for the end of 2026.

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That is the end of this list.  I am extremely happy with how my latest Top Ten Tuesday article turned out, and this list contains an intriguing collection of upcoming fantasy and science fiction books that should prove to be incredible reads.  I think that every one of the books I mentioned above has some amazing potential, and most, if not all, will probably end up with a full five-star rating from me.  Make sure to also check out my next list where I dive into upcoming thrillers, crime fiction, historical fiction and more.  Let me also know if any of the above interest you and let me know what your most anticipated releases for the next six months are in the comments below.

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Comedy/Satire, Extended Universe, Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Murder Mystery, Throwback ThursdayLeave a comment

Publisher: Gollancz/Penguin Random (Audiobook – 6 June 1996)

Series: Discworld – Book 19/City Watch – Book Three

Length: 12 hours and 20 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Even after many, many re-reads, the awesome fantasy satire novel Feet of Clay remains one of my favourite Discworld novels by the late, great Terry Pratchett, with its intricate crime fiction narrative, compelling characters, and even a cool new audiobook version.

I’ve done a lot of Discworld re-reading recently as I have been checking out several of the best books in the series on their new audiobook formats, which featured cool new narrators.  This new format has proven particularly awesome for books like Mort, Pyramids, Moving Pictures and Small Gods, as well as for entries in my favourite Discworld subseries, the City Watch books.

While I have a lot of love for all the books in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, my absolute favourites come from the City Watch subseries.  Following the unlikely members of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, a rag-tag team of guards who go from losers to an effective police force, the City Watch books features an exceptional combination of fantasy and crime fiction elements, wrapped up in Pratchett’s usual satirical humour.  The first two books in this series, Guards! Guards! and Men at Arms are quite exceptional, and it was a very easy decision to also check out the epic third novel in the series, Feet of Clay.

After several unlikely but successful investigations, things are looking up for the Ankh-Morpork City Watch.  No longer a home for the dregs of society, the City Watch is now a respected crime-fighting unit.  Led by Commander Sam Vimes, the Watch’s enthusiastic, if unusual, members are determined to bring some law and order to the city of Ankh-Morpork, whether it wants it or not.

However, even with their new resources and members, the Watch find themselves troubled by a series of brutal murders occurring throughout the city.  All the victims were bludgeoned to death, but there is no evidence of anyone alive, or undead, having been at the crime scene.  At the same time, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork has been poisoned by unknown methods and is only barely clinging to life.  If the Patrician dies, sanity in the city will be the next to fall.

To solve both cases, Vimes and his watchmen will need to investigate an overlooked underclass in the city, the golems, whose ancient secrets and desires may lie at the heart of the killings.  But with desperate conspiracies, unlikely noble heirs and a new deranged king coming to light, can the City Watch uncover the figures pulling the strings in the darkness of Ankh-Morpork before it’s too late?

Wow, how is this book still so damn good?  Feet of Clay was another outstanding read from Terry Pratchett, who once again deeply impresses with his exceptional writing, unmatched humour, and deeply relatable characters.  This third City Watch book is probably some of Pratchett’s very best work, and it gets an extremely easy five-star rating from me.

I absolutely love the great narrative that Pratchett came up with for Feet of Clay, which I personally thinks has one of the author’s best crime fiction narratives behind it, as the complex characters humorously manoeuvre around the gritty streets of Ankh-Morpork.  This book features a fun start that perfectly sets the scene for several of the key characters, including protagonist Sam Vimes’s daily routine of assassins and high society.  You are also quickly thrust into the Watch’s new case involving two elderly academics bludgeoned to death.  These initial investigations, as well as some other great sequences, set the scene for much of the rest of the book, with the narrative becoming even more hectic when Vimes discovers that the Patrician has been poisoned by unknown conspirators.

Afte the initial set-up, the rest of the story flows by extremely fast, with several character-driven storylines that flow together perfectly.  The primary focus is on the two seemingly separate investigations into the murders and the poisonings, with Captain Carrot and Vimes taking control of each case.  Both these major storylines go in some very interesting directions, with Vimes desperately trying to work out how the poisonings happened, while Carrot and Angua begin investigating the city’s golems, one of whom seems responsible for the murders.  At the same time, Pratchett also provides some fantastic character-based storylines around several of the supporting Watch characters. This includes the unusual proclivities of the Watch’s new dwarf officer Corporal Cheery Littlebottom, Corporal Nobby Nobbs’s unbelievable reveal as a potential noble, one golem’s journey towards self-determination, and Angua’s continued feelings of alienation at being a werewolf.

All these storylines cross over perfectly in the final third of Feet of Clay, as the protagonists finally put together the subtle clues for the main two cases.  While the reveal about who or what is behind the murders is fantastic in its own way, I must highlight the extremely well-hidden poisoning method that Pratchett devised for this plot, which is just so damn devious and cleverly set-up by the author.  This leads to an excellent, action-focused collection of sequences that eventually pull together into an intense confrontation.

Pratchett wraps this up perfectly, with some amazing final reveals about who was ultimately pulling all the strings.  While the mastermind of the conspiracy isn’t too surprising (especially if you listen to one of the audiobook versions), the way that Vimes works out their identity is so much fun thanks to some ironically hidden clues, and I love the big reveal scene between Vimes and the main antagonist.  Pratchett also wraps up the remaining storylines perfectly, providing some great final touches to each of the characters’ respective arcs, and ensuring that the readers come away extremely satisfied.  I honestly cannot emphasise enough just how addictive and clever this narrative was, and every single aspect of this plot was perfectly set up and utilised by Pratchett as he wove his fantasy, crime fiction magic.

I’ve always felt that Feet of Clay was one of Pratchett’s best-written novels, as he manages to expertly balance a range of competing storylines inside this highly entertaining, hybrid novel.  As with all his City Watch books, the way that Pratchett manages to blend fantasy and crime fiction elements with his usual brilliant humour is just incredible, and I love how well this mixture of elements works to tell an effective narrative.  I must particularly commend the great mystery in Feet of Clay, which is just so damn intricate with all its clues and mixture of compelling character storylines.  Feet of Clay easily has some of Pratchett’s best mystery writing in its plot, and there is an outstanding amount of complexity built into both cases, with the truly elaborate poisoning arc being a particular highlight.  The sheer amount of cleverly crafted and often humorous clues that the author scatters throughout the book is so damn awesome, and it is so much fun to pull them all together.

The book’s outstanding crime fiction elements are perfectly enhanced by the background fantasy elements of the setting, with the protagonists forced to investigate the crimes in the context of a chaotic city populated with different species.  Compared to previous books, the investigation in Feet of Clay is much more like a modern police procedural, with classic forensic concepts enhanced with fantasy elements like scent tracking done by a werewolf and crime scene photos drawn by imps.  The protagonists also need to deal with various fantasy creatures, such as golems, vampires, dwarfs and a very angry gnome, and understanding their motivations becomes a key part of the plot.  Pratchett also uses these fantasy elements to address and lightly satirise contemporary social trends.  For example, one dwarf’s attempt to find herself leads to a complex, nuanced and thought-provoking discussion on gender identity, which can still be readily applied to modern discourses on transgendered rights and modern gender norms.  Another storyline focusing on golems gaining free will is also highly relevant, especially when you consider artificial intelligence.  Throw in the general chaos and disorder of the city, which results in additional fun conflicts and incidents (Vimes’s one-sided battle against the Assassins Guild is particularly amusing), as well as a focus on the changes that have occurred to Ankh-Morpork thanks to the actions of the Patrician and the Watch, and you really have to appreciate just how fell the inherent fantasy elements of Feet of Clay enhances the plot.

While both the mystery and fantasy elements of Feet of Clay are very compelling, what really turns this into a five-star read is the clever humour that Pratchett adds to his books.  There are various layers to the humour in this novel, although much of it lies in classic fantasy or murder mystery scenarios going in particularly absurd directions, or being artfully dissected by self-aware protagonists who find the situation and its real-world historical precedent very absurd.  There are also the brilliant footnotes that seek to enhance the story and showcase just how ridiculous the Discworld is by providing additional details about the universe and the people within it.  Finally, you have humour driven by the outrageous characters scattered throughout the plot, with ultra-sarcastic figures rubbing shoulders with entertaining parodies of terrible people.  The more direct humour drawn from the storylines of several of these characters, such as Corporal Nobbs’s foray into the upper class, and Sergeant Colon unfortunate agricultural experiences, blends well with the rest of the complex novel, and ensures that there are entertaining moments, no matter where in Feet in Clay you are.

This great combination of humour, fantasy elements and a crime fiction narrative helps to make Feet of Clay one of the more appealing novels in all the Discworld series, and so many different readers will end up getting a lot out of it.  As such, Feet of Clay works incredibly well as a standalone novel, with new readers easily able to enjoy this book without any prior knowledge of the Discworld or previous City Watch books, especially as Pratchett covers any relevant history or characters quite effectively.  However, I do feel that to get the best experience with Feet of Clay, readers would benefit from checking out Guards! Guards! and Men at Arms first.  The continuing storylines, history of the city and character arcs all come into play extremely well in Feet of Clay and you get a much more complete experience viewing all City Watch novels in order.

As with all of Pratchett’s novels, one of the real joys of Feet of Clay is the complex and comedic characters the author weaved such incredible, entertaining, and often extremely heartwarming tales around.  Featuring a great combination of the well-established cast of the previous City Watch books, as well as a couple of awesome new figures, Pratchett did an exceptional job diving into the cast of his novel and the resulting depth to their characters was so damn impressive.

At the centre of Feet of Clay lies main character Commander Samuel Vimes, the recently ennobled and married commander of the City Watch.  Transformed from a drunken and hated figure to the leader of a respected police organisation, Vimes has been forced to up his game, especially as he now finds himself being targeted by the elites of the city which he does with some comedic vigour.  Feet of Clay is probably the book where Pratchett twists the focus of the City Watch fully towards Vimes.  The definite centre of the plot, Pratchett really dives into Vimes’s obsessive nature, his simmering anger at the upper classes, and his determination to bring justice to everyone equally.  Vimes dogged, yet cynical, approach to investigation and crime solving comes face to face with a particularly dastardly plot in Feet of Clay, and there are some wonderful sequences as he tries to puzzle out the poisoning.  Pratchett also provides some extra detail about Vimes’ poor upbringing and the history of his family, which really showcases his motivations to a great degree.  All this allows for a much more complicated figure then we saw in previous books, and it was an interesting change of pace for this central character that Pratchett would expand on in later books.

In addition to Vimes, there are some interesting focuses on Captain Carrot and Constable Angua, who led the investigation into the murders in the city, and Pratchett wraps some compelling elements around them.  Carrot remains the charismatic and skilled leader of men for much of the story, with a continued focus on his love for the city and ability to charm anyone he encounters.  However, Pratchett does attempt to break his seemingly perfect facade in this novel by having him struggle to come to terms with Cheery Littlebottom’s identity issues.  The author also continues to shift away from Carrot as a perspective character, instead allowing his many appearances to be mainly told from the view of other, more cynical members of the cast.  This gives his actions and motivations a little more mystery and allows the reader to wonder just how perfect he really is.  For Feet of Clay, most of this narration was done by Angua, the Watch’s werewolf officer and Carrot’s love interest.  Angua proves to be a very practical and sarcastic personality foil to the upbeat Carrot, which helps to humanise both to a degree.  Pratchett also adds in a compelling underlying storyline of Angua struggling with how others perceive her as a werewolf, and her certainty that her relationship with Carrot can’t last.

While Carrot and Angua represent the more serious side of the Watch, Pratchett continues to have fun by focusing on the always amusing and comedic duo of Sergeant Fred Colon and Corporal Nobby Nobbs.  Their narrative in Feet of Clay is particularly good, especially for Nobby, who finds himself elevated to nobility status when it is discovered he is the long-lost descendant of the Earl of Ankh.  Suddenly forced to hobnob with other nobs, Nobby has some fantastic reactions and interactions, especially going from despair at being a penniless noble, to trying to fit in with the city’s elite.  While this seems like a mostly comedic storyline to undercut the tension of Feet of Clay’s serious crimes it fits into the main narrative in some clever ways, although Nobby’s reaction when he finds this out is so damn funny and perfectly reflects his own mentality and his knowledge of Vimes’ reactions.

Sergeant Colon, on the other hand, is somewhat less used in Feet of Clay, although Pratchett has fun satirising the ‘policeman three days away from retirement’ trope through him.  Keen to get out of the Watch because his wife wants him to buy a farm (another subtle and fun joke from Pratchett), Colon inevitably runs into insane trouble in the second half of the book, and it was fun to see the craziness of the other storylines literally stampede over him.  I have loved these two characters since their first appearance in Guards! Guards! and this is one of their funniest books (although their next appearance in Jingo is also peak comedy).

While these recurring characters are awesome, special mention needs to go to the new members of the Watch that Pratchett introduces in Feet of Clay, who have major impacts on the plot.  The most significant of this is the new dwarf forensic officer, Corporal Cheery Littlebottom (a very traditional dwarf name).  Cheery serves as a compelling outsider figure, with Pratchett moving her across both investigations.  However, it’s her characterisation as a female dwarf who wants to acknowledge her gender rather than act like a male dwarf, as is tradition, that really sets Cheery up as a standout character.  Naturally working in aspects of identity and overcoming established mindsets are a big part of Cheery’s character, and it was wonderful to see her gain confidence and skill as a Watch officer.  Pratchett did such an excellent job of handling these complex cultural elements through Cheery, and it’s amazing how significant Cheery’s actions are in the larger Discworld narrative, as well as how relevant they are today.

Other characters I need to mention as I finally wrap up this section include the mysterious golem Dorfl.  A voiceless and dutiful figure that is part of the city’s exploited golem underclass, Dorfl has a compelling connection to the murders in Feet of Clay and serves as an unlikely witness and suspect.  Pratchett writes a particularly compelling motivation around Dorfl’s actions in this novel, which cleverly ties into discussion about self-determination and artificial intelligence.  I also had a lot of fun with Dorfl’s later scenes, especially as he becomes the city’s most unexpected and dramatic revolutionary.  Other highlights for me include Lord Vetinari, who takes his role as a poison victim with his usual special interest.  Throw in an ancient vampire with a love of terrible puns, an extremely angry gnome, and other compelling characters dragged into the narrative’s web, and the cast of Feet of Clay was one of Pratchett’s strongest, especially with all the emotional impact they add to the plot.

As with all the other Discworld novels I have reviewed, I have enjoyed Feet of Clay on various formats over the years, but my favourite is once again its audiobook version.  The various audiobook releases are always the absolute best ways to enjoy a Discworld novel, and the fantastic humour, compelling characters and entertaining locations that Pratchett comes up with, always come across in impressive fashion when read out.  This is especially true for Feet of Clay, which, like many of the series, has had several different audiobook versions over the years.  This includes the classic version released back in 1997, featuring narration by one of my favourite audiobook narrators, the legendary Nigel Planer.  I have raved about Planer in several previous reviews, including for Guards! Guards! and Men at Arms, and few narrators can capture Pratchett’s style and comedic charm with their voices like Planer did.  His work narrating Feet of Clay was particularly impressive, especially with his portrayal of all the cool characters, including an over-the-top vampire, the new dwarf member of the watch, and more.  The Planer narration of this novel is probably the definitive Feet of Clay audiobook, and I have been in love with this version since I was a child.

I also need to highlight the new audiobook released a couple of years ago.  Featuring the very impressive cast of Jon Culshaw, Peter Serafinowicz and Bill Nighy, this more recent Feet of Clay release was also very exceptional, building off the great work these three narrators did with their Guards! Guards! and Men at Arms audiobooks.  Coming in with a runtime of 12 hours and 20 minutes, this Feet of Clay audiobook is a bit longer than the Planer release (which had a runtime of 9 hours and 38 minutes), although listeners are still in for an exceptional time.  Much of this is down to British radio and television personality Jon Culshaw, who once again made this audiobook his own with his take on the story and his characters.  His gritty and entertaining voices for the cast are very fitting, and like Planer, he excels at showcasing their complicated personalities, as well as the overall humour of the book.  I am once again very impressed with just how excellent Culshaw was for the City Watch books, and he is my favourite narrator from these new Discworld audiobooks.

As with all books in this new collection of Discworld audiobook’s, Culshaw’s main narration was perfectly backed up by recuring voices of Bill Nighy and Peter Serafinowicz.  These performances were once again perfect, and I especially loved Nighy’s excellent work with the vital, comedic footnotes. Serafinowicz’s role in Feet of Clay is also very fun, as he brings the fan-favourite character of Death to life.  While Death only has a few scenes in Feet of Clay, Serafinowicz makes the most of his appearances, and hearing the actor’s deep Death voice suddenly appear amongst the general narration really increases the impact of the character.  Both Bill Nighy and Peter Serafinowicz’s inclusions were extremely fun, and I felt that they were combined with Culshaw’s main narration in a very impressive way.  These three brilliant British talents ensured that the new version of Feet of Clay was particularly impressive and while my heart will always belong to the original audiobook with Nigel Planer, this new multi-cast audiobook will likely inspire a new generation of Discworld fans.

With an incredible and winning combination of charm, mystery and comedic brilliance, Feet of Clay was another exceptional and classic read in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.  Providing an ultra-addictive story that also perfectly adds in some great new characters, Feet of Clay is one of the very best Discworld books, and one of my personal favourites.  An exceptional read I will recommend until the day I die!

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The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Throwback Thursday1 Comment

Publisher: Gollancz (Trade Paperback – 16 March 2021)

Series: Blacktongue series – Book One

Length: 416 pages

My Rating: 5 out 5 stars

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Prepare for brutal action and adventure in the highly acclaimed fantasy novel, The Blacktongue Thief, a modern classic from a fast-rising author of fantasy fiction.

Several years ago, I made note of an intriguing upcoming fantasy novel that had caught my attention, The Blacktongue Thief.  Written by Christopher Buehlman, an established fantasy and horror writer who I wasn’t familiar with, The Blacktongue Thief had an awesome and intriguing plot behind it, and I was determined to read it when it came out in 2021.  Unfortunately, due to time constraints I never got the chance to read it when it first came out.  However, for the next several years all I heard from fellow fantasy fans was just how good The Blacktongue Thief and its prequel The Daughter’s War was.  Despite this constant praise, which felt a little judgemental towards me, I kept failing to read The Blacktongue Thief, although I was lucky enough to find a good secondhand copy of it last year.  With the sequel to The Blacktongue Thief announced for late 2026, I finally decided to take the plunge with this book earlier this year, and boy was I happy, if unsurprised, with how much fun I had with it.

Plot Synopsis:

Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics. His debt has driven him to lie in wait by the old forest road, planning to rob the next traveler that crosses his path.

But today, Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark.

Galva is a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death. She is searching for her queen, missing since a distant northern city fell to giants.

Unsuccessful in his robbery and lucky to escape with his life, Kinch now finds his fate entangled with Galva’s. Common enemies and uncommon dangers force thief and knight on an epic journey where goblins hunger for human flesh, krakens hunt in dark waters, and honor is a luxury few can afford.

Whelp, it turns out that I made a big mistake not reading The Blacktongue Thief sooner.  Featuring a powerful and dark take on the classic fantasy quest, The Blacktongue Thief was a compelling character-driven journey into an elaborate and war-riven fantasy world that effortlessly grabs your attention and refuses to let go.  An utterly addictive read from Buehlman that gets a full five-star rating from me.

Buehlman hits the ground running hard with The Blacktongue Thief, quickly introducing you to witty and likeable rogue, Kinch Na Shannack, the book’s protagonist and point-of-view character, as he engages in a little light banditry in the forest.  However, things quickly get out of hand for the protagonist as he fails to rob travelling knight and goblin wars veteran Galva in dramatic fashion.  However, there is far more to Galva than expected, as Kinch finds himself tasked by his employers, the powerful Takers Guild of thieves to follow Galva on her quest to the remote, giant-ravished nation of Oustrim, where she seeks to find her lost friend and queen.  Manoeuvring his way into Galva’s travel plans, Kinch soon becomes attached to his new friend, while the Takers Guild continue to control his actions.  I liked how effectively Buehlman set up his narrative in the early pages of The Blacktongue Thief, as there is a lot of early hints and starting storylines that play out as the novel continues.  The author also lays out some interesting details about the larger fantasy world, including much of its recent troubles and wars, which effectively draws you in alongside the compelling central narrative.

After this intriguing start, Buehlman gets into the story proper, as The Blacktongue Thief takes on many characteristics of a classic fantasy adventure story, with the protagonists travelling from one end of the continent to another.  Picking up some interesting new companions, as well as hints of some of the shadowy motivations around the various players of the plot, Buehlman starts loading in the action, with several entertaining and bloody sequences.  I personally loved the extended run with the protagonists travelling on a piratical whaling ship that takes up much of the centre of The Blacktongue Thief, especially as Buehlman litters this part of the book with feuds, monster fighting, multiple skirmishes and other nautical misadventures.  There are some great moments here, and the author shows the reader what type of book The Blacktongue Thief is with plenty of brutal deaths and sudden changes of fortune.  While much of this part of the book is focused on adventure and modern carnage, Buehlman also makes sure to continue providing intriguing dives into additional details of the setting, as well as some compelling character histories, much of which comes into play as the book continues.

After several dark encounters, tragedies and compelling dangers, the book enters its final third, which proves to be particularly compelling.  Set in the giant-stalked ruins of Oustrim, this final part of The Blacktongue Thief is particularly intense, and you are constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop amongst the dangerous exploration, encounters and sudden sharp conflict.  Buehlman cleverly drops some big revelations as you get towards the end of the book, with developments that change your entire perspective of events.  It also leads to a final series of deadly confrontations, which proves to be quite shocking in places, even after the book’s various prior tragedies.  Buehlman keeps you guessing about what will happen next right to the very end, especially with a final mind-blowing twist about a supporting character.  I loved the intriguing note that Buehlman leaves The Blacktongue Thief on, especially as it sets up its potential sequel which will no-doubt expand on several loose ends from this cool book.  All this is quite addictive, and I honestly got so hooked on all the crazy adventures that the author loaded into this novel.

I really enjoyed how The Blacktongue Thief came together, especially as Buehlman provides a dark take on the classic quest narrative.  Bringing the reader into a beat-up fantasy world, The Blacktongue Thief has a very readable and edgy style that effectively draws you in from the start.  It really doesn’t take you long to get stuck into the book thanks to the great combination of entertaining humour, distinctive worldbuilding and intense action, all of which blends in an excellent and intense manner.  Much of this humour is driven from the amusing antics of The Blacktongue Thief’s protagonist, and the combination of other unique personalities adds a lot to the overall adventure aspect of the plot.  The intrigue, mistrust and hidden motivations increase the tension of the plot nicely, with old mistakes and dark histories perfectly inserted into the main plot by Buehlman.  I deeply enjoyed the multiple awesome action set-pieces that the author throws into The Blacktongue Thief, with so many intense moments of well-choreographed and described combat weaved into the plot.  There is an amazing amount of brutality thrown into the book, which the darker nature of the universe and the desperate plot extremely well, and I was glad that Buehlman didn’t hold back any punches.  I also really enjoyed how there were no slow or quiet moments in The Blacktongue Thief, with the reader constantly moving forward, much like the protagonists.

For me one of the big highlights that put The Blacktongue Thief on another level was the complex and grim fantasy world the story takes place in.  While there are many classic fantasy elements within this book, Buehlman sets it apart with some very intriguing details.  In particular, the book is set in the aftermath of a brutal war between the various human nations and an invading army of goblins.  As such, there is a battered feel to the setting, with the remaining humans wary and militant, and distrust and change in the air.  I loved how well Buehlman captured the desperation and despair of the inhabitants of the realm, as they attempt to survive in the post-war period, and it adds an even darker edge to the already brutal proceedings.  The clever inclusion of several consequences of the war, such as the loss of all the horses in the world thanks to a goblin-wrought disease, and the necessity of woman to be called up to fight in the last war, further enhances the uniqueness of The Blacktongue Thief, and it was really cool how it impacted the current journey and the protagonist’s pasts.  I also quite enjoyed how Buehlman set up multiple unique fantasy realms and kingdoms within the larger world, which the protagonists are forced to move across to reach their goals.  The differing politics, cultures and allegiances that they experienced, as well as the realistic length of the journey across the large continent, ensured that the protagonist’s journey felt like a proper epic quest, and I really enjoyed following the journey on the map provided at the front of the book.  Tracing the protagonist’s journey across the lands helped to enhance the enormity of the plot, and it also hinted at a ton of fun new realms that the protagonists will likely visit in the other entries in this series.  Buehlman’s excellent world building in The Blacktongue Thief really was quite impressive, and it was a big factor in my eventual five-star rating.

The final thing I want to talk about with The Blacktongue Thief are the excellent and memorable characters Buehlman sets his plot around.  The author ends up introducing a fun central cast that engage in the main quest, each of whom have their own demons and interesting quirks.  The primary character is Kinch Na Shannack, a low-level thief who is indebted to the Takers Guild after they trained him and taught him some basic magic.  The narrator and central perspective protagonist, Kinch entertains as the willey tricksters of the group, using his brains and talents for deceit and thievery to survive rather than brute force.  Much of The Blacktongue Thief’s humour comes from Kinch’s funny jokes, cutting observations and somewhat unreliable narration, which blended surprisingly well with the darker setting of the book.  While mostly always comedic, Kinch does have a serious side to him, especially when it comes to his many secrets and hidden motivations.  Buehlman writes a great plot around Kinch finding his true purpose, as his loyalties to the group and his growing courage is forced up against the control of the Takers Guild and the general craziness of the world he encounters.  An overall amazing main character who was the perfect depiction of the rebellious yet faithful rogue.

The other major character I really need to highlight is the striking Galva, a deadly female knight whose quest the plot is set around.  A scarred and dangerous veteran of the goblin wars, Galva is a no-nonsense figure in the book, dedicated to her mission, as well as her worship of the setting’s death goddess.  Buehlman ensures that Galva is set up as pretty badass character from the very start of the book, and you really get drawn to her honourable personality in this dishonourable world.  While mostly serious and unforgiving, there is a certain lighter side to Galva at times, which makes even more likeable, and she ended up being the perfect foil and straight woman to Kinch, with the two having some great interactions.  There is also a certain amount of battle-born trauma to Galva, much of which looks set to be explored in the prequel novel, The Daughter’s War, which added some extra complexity to her appearance.  Galva truly was a great character, and I loved her use as the serious and militant heart of the larger cast.

While Kinch and Galva get most of the focus in The Blacktongue Thief, there are some other entertaining characters who add a lot to the plot.  This includes the young witch, Norrigal, who serves as an interesting interest to Kinch, and whose overarching story had some clever and twisty moments to.  I also must mention Malk Na Brannyck, a countryman of Kinch who adds a lot of drama to the plot due to his history with the protagonist.  Another war veteran, Malk worked well as a minor antagonist who eventually morphs into a reluctant ally, and his various caustic interactions with Kinch added to the larger dysfunction of the protagonists.  Special mention also needs to go to the stray cat, Bully Boy, who tags along with the group against all the odds, and whose appearance definitely isn’t sinister or mysterious.  Throw in a range of rogues, thieves, killers and other dangerous figures that the protagonists encounter, and the cast of The Blacktongue Thief is stacked.  All these characters, and more, have some great storylines attached to them, and I really enjoyed the entertaining and often dark interactions that occurred, especially as it added to the general chaos of the plot.

After finally reading this epic novel, I can confirm that The Blacktongue Thief lives up the hype surrounding it.  Christopher Buehlman introduced a wonderfully dark fantasy world in this book and then moulded a powerful adventure story around it.  Loaded with intense action, great characters and a captivating story, The Blacktongue Thief was utter fun from the very beginning, and I had so much fun getting through it.  I am so glad I finally got the chance to read this novel, and I am hoping to read The Daughter’s War next, especially with the next book in series, The Thrice-Bound Fool, set for release later this year.

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Pretenders to the Throne of God by Adrian Tchaikovsky

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Fantasy, Five-Star BooksLeave a comment

Publisher: Head of Zeus (Audiobook – 12 February 2026)

Series: The Tyrant Philosophers – Book Four

Length: 20 hours and 1 minute

My Rating: 5 out 5 stars

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The legendary Adrian Tchaikovsky continues to showcase his incredible writing skill with his deeply impressive novel, Pretenders to the Throne of God, an outstanding read that perfectly continues one of his very best series.

Over the last few years, I have fully fallen in love with the writings of Adrian Tchaikvosky, who is honestly one of the best current writers of fantasy and science fiction.  Known for his Shadows of the Apt, Children of Time, Echoes of the Fall and Final Architecture series, as well as several awesome standalone novels, Tchaikovsky has a truly outstanding catalogue of works to his name, and there are some true classics captured there.  I personally have had the pleasure of reading several of his latest great books, with entries like Service Model (one of my favourite books of 2024), Alien Clay, the novella Orges and the Warhammer 40,000 novel, Day of Ascension (one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels) and the awesome fantasy novel Guns of the Dawn (which I only recently finished), proving to be quite amazing.

While I have had an exceptional time with many of Tchaikovsky’s novels, my favourites are the awesome novels of his Tyrant Philosophers series.  This gripping, brilliant and highly amusing series is set in a cool fantasy world filled with magic, gods and demons, all of which are being consumed by the Palleseen, an anti-religious empire of perfection-seeking fanatics who have been conquering the world through elaborate military and diplomatic action. The first three books in the series have been quite exceptional, including City of Last Chances and House of Open Wounds (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023), Days of Shattered Faith (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2025), as well as the cool novella Lives of Bitter Rain.  I really love these elaborate and highly entertaining novels, which made me very excited for the fourth book in the series Pretenders to the Throne of God, one of my most anticipated books of 2026, which very much lived up to all my expectations.

Plot Synopsis:

Arthur C. Clarke winner and Sunday Times bestseller returns to a world steeped in magic – and the Tyrant Philosophers’ campaign to bring reason, logic and ‘perfection’ to it.

Eres Ffenegh – “the City on the Back of a Crab” – is the next state slated for conquest by the Palleseen, but its citizens won’t give up sovereignty easily, and the siege has now dragged into the harsh Eresi winter. The defenders – both locals and Pal renegades – hold an uneasy alliance against the enemy at the gates, while the Pal army is constantly looking over its shoulder for the next self-destructive dictate of their government back home.

Within the city, Devil Jack is the apprentice to the notorious conjurer and bawd known as the Widow, a good man driven to bargaining with hell to get back what he’s lost. Meanwhile Kiffel ea Leachan is the city’s champion, a child of privilege who’s just lost everything to the invaders. We follow the ups and downs of both as they try to survive the siege and make their own destinies in a world that’s cut them loose.

Outside the city, the Pals have been desperately waiting for reinforcements so they can finally take the city, but when new soldiers finally march in with the winter it’s the worst kind of help, enough to damn the entire army.

Tchaikovsky continues to showcase why he is one of the world’s leading authors of unique fantasy fiction with his latest Tyrant Philosophers novel.  A wonderful and complex character-driven read, Pretenders to the Throne of God was an outstanding novel that perfectly tells its own story, while also continuing the epic overarching series narrative.  Clever, incredibly moving, and featuring some subtle but effective satire, Pretenders to the Throne of God is an exceptional novel that gets a full five-star rating from me.

Even after reading all the previous books in the Tyrant Philosophers series, I honestly was so impressed by how Tchaikovsky pulled this latest distinctive story together.  Pretenders to the Throne of God once again sees the bureaucratic, yet effective, armies of the insidious Palleseen trying to recapture the city of Eres Ffenegh.  However, between the city’s unique defences, determined citizens, and a group of former Palleseen soldiers sworn to two cults, the Palleseen assault has mostly halted, awaiting the arrival of fresh reinforcements.  Told through multiple chapters, each of which generally focus on one point-of-view character who is witnessing the events of the siege unfold from their perspective, Tchaikovsky effectively introduces the setting and the key players in the siege, and you soon get a sense of the chaotic nature of the conflict and the volatile figures on both sides.  These initial chapters do a good job of setting up a variety of book-wide story elements, including early introductions to figures who will have a bigger impact later in the plot as side figures in other characters perspective chapters.

The plot of Pretenders to the Throne of God quickly gets into overdrive when unexpected and uncomfortably undead Palleseen reinforcements arrive outside the city.  Despite reservations and restrictions, the besiegers make use of their new troops and swiftly gain ground, causing the defenders to make some desperate decisions.  Tchaikovsky makes sure to expand on all his character storylines as this plot continues, including in several compelling ‘mosaic’ chapters, which generally surround big events and split the focus across multiple characters as they try to deal with new developments.  There are some great character-focused moments built into this part of the plot, with various members of the cast dealing with their own issues or chasing their own desires.  This includes the continued torment of Devil Jack, internal politics of the besieged city, the machinations of a leading Palleseen officer, the struggles of isolated Palleseen specialists, and various people discovering how far they’ll go to get back what they have lost.

Everything leads up to a particularly intense and complex final third of Pretenders to the Throne of God, focused on the final days of the siege.  Without giving too much away, things inevitably go to hell for all the major characters, as desperation, determination and deceit guide them to their destinies.  I love how so many characters take the final steps towards being the people they want or think they should be, and there are some amazing moments built into this final bit of narrative.  Tchaikovsky has an even-handed approach to tragedy and happy endings here, with various characters encountering either an ironic conclusion to their story or their ideal fate.  The author ensures that the main standalone story of Pretenders to the Throne of God is nicely wrapped up by the end, with all the major character storylines finalised one way or another.  At the same time, certain storylines from previous entries in the series are cleverly continued, with various threads remaining for the final upcoming Tyrant Philosopher novel to finalise.  All this ensures that readers come out of Pretenders to the Throne of God extremely satisfied, while also remaining curious enough to instantly get the next book when it comes out.

Tchaikovsky ended up using a similar writing style to the previous entries in the Tyrant Philosophers series, which I think works extremely well to convey his elaborate and entertaining narrative.  Relying heavily on multiple perspective changes to tell his layered story, Tchaikovsky embarks on providing a deep and personal story, set around a large collection of compelling supporting characters.  The author excels at creating elaborate and complex backgrounds for the various protagonists which are worked into the larger plot extremely well, especially as each character has their own unique motivations and damage.  All these varied story elements are well woven together into one complex story, and it was fascinating to see all the different figures react to the continually changing events.

Tchaikovsky cleverly altered the tone of Pretenders to the Throne of God multiple times within the course of the story.  While there is an easy, compelling and cynical humour to much of this novel, especially when the various characters provide their realistic and sarcastic commentary on events, at times Pretenders to the Throne of God can get quite dark and moody.  Much of this is down to Pretenders to the Throne of God being a gritty siege novel, and the desperation of the characters fighting on both sides is heavily evident during the plot.  Into this potent mix, Tchaikovsky adds in some intense action sequences, as well as an overlay of intrigue, betrayal and hidden motivations, all of which is quite awesome to see.  There is even a moving love story right at the heart of the plot, which, while unique and twisted, adds some real emotional heft to the novel.  All this ensures that Pretenders to the Throne of God has an extremely unique feel to it, even compared to the other Tyrant Philosophers novels, and I loved how well the compelling fantasy elements fit with the very human narrative.

Pretenders to the Throne of God works well as both its own distinctive standalone narrative and as a continuation of elements and character-focused storylines from the previous books in the series.  Due to how it initially focuses on several central characters stuck in a new setting in the established world, readers can easily come into Pretenders to the Throne of God without any real pre-knowledge of the other Tyrant Philosophers books.  However, as the story eventually grows to focus on several major characters from the previous novels, existing Tyrant Philosophers readers will end up appreciating the plot of Pretenders to the Throne of God a little more, as you are a little more familiar with the events that forged them.  Much of this prior character history is cleverly reintroduced throughout the course of Pretenders to the Throne of God, so new readers can also appreciate the continued personal arcs and storylines very easily.  The author also features references to events from the previous books throughout Pretenders to the Throne of God, and readers will find it fascinating to see how certain decisions or plots from the recurring characters, such as religious conversion in House of Open Wounds, wider rebellion against the Palleseen and the continued tragedy of a certain former priest, continue to be explored here.

One of the big highlights of Pretenders to the Throne of God is the elaborate setting for his compelling narrative.  While the book is set in the same fantasy world as the other Tyrant Philosophers novels, much of the action occurs around the newly introduced and besieged city of Eres Ffenegh.  An ancient city of gods and the sea located on top of the body of a long-dead crab god, Eres Ffenegh is currently under attack from the Palleseen, with various factions within the city, both new and old, struggle to work together to defend it.  Tchaikovsky excelled at introducing the various unique elements of Eres Ffenegh with some deep dives into its history and culture, all of which bleeds into the plot. In many ways Eres Ffenegh felt like its distinctive character of the book, with an understanding of its people, their mindset, and the city’s relationship to the rest of the world, vital to appreciating the full plot of Pretenders to the Throne of God.  Tchaikovsky cleared had fun developing the many quirky and unique features of Eres Ffenegh, and this ended up being a particularly compelling fantasy setting, which added a lot to the wider book.

I also must highlight Tchaikovsky’s excellent continued use of the villainous Palleseen, who serve as the series’ main antagonistic group.  Ideological zealots often bound by their own rules and processes as they slowly and greedily try to take over the world, all the books in this series are dedicated to examining their methods and serves as a humorous critique of militarisation and empire building.  Pretenders to the Throne of God once again features the Palleseen as an occupying force as they attempt to reconquer Eres Ffenegh. However, thanks to the events of the previous novels, many of the foreign magic and occult practices they co-opted as weapons, such as necromancy and demonology, are at risk of being designated as imperfect, with potential dire consequences for the Palleseen soldiers who specialise in them.  It has been very fun to see the slow decline of the mighty and insatiable Palleseen over the last few books, and the continued symptoms of their unsustainable growth and continually narrowing definition of perfection has been a fantastic ongoing storyline.  Tchaikovsky works these elements into the plot of Pretenders to the Throne of God perfectly, especially when it comes to the various Palleseen characters, who come to fear their own side more than their opponents in the siege.  Not only does this add to the drama for half the cast but it also serves as an insightful critique of militaristic and fascist governments and how they always turn on each other.  I look forward to seeing how the various storylines about the Palleseen come to an end in the final Tyrant Philosophers’ novel, and it has been a real treat to see how Tchaikovsky has utilised them.

Another key aspect of Pretenders to the Throne of God that I need to highlight are the incredible characters featured throughout this story.  Tchaikovsky loads this novel with an outstanding array of complex or damaged characters who are the true highlight of the plot thanks to their collective dark histories and layered motivations.  The sheer range of different characters in this novel is very impressive, with a combination of local inhabitants of the city, newcomers determined to defend it for their own reasons, the invading Palleseen, and others who have their own complex motivations for being there, which Tchaikovsky explores in detail.

Some highlights of the cast include Kiffe lea Leachan, Eres Ffenegh’s current champion, who finds herself at a moral crossroads when her magical sword that allowed her to be a great fighter is destroyed.  Disgraced and caught up in despair, Kiffe is forced to fight between her natural meekness and determination to regain the thing that made her special by any means necessary.  Kiffe is well matched by Nieve a Galeaff, a fixer for one of the city’s leaders, who not only serves as a cynical buffer to the more naïve Kiffe but provides one of the more interesting perspectives of the Eres Ffenegh’s defenders, as she tries to hold the city together.  Other highlights include the damaged or insane leaders of the two former Palleseen religious cults that have taken up residence in Eres Ffenegh.  This includes the Mouth of the Sea; one cult’s conflicted second in command who will be very familiar to fans of the second Tyrant Philosopher’s novel.  There is also the quite entertaining Abellaime, better known as The Widow.  A dangerous conjurer, Abellaime serves as a dark temptress for many characters in the city, while also manipulating events for her own designs, and in many ways is a more dangerous villain than the Palleseen.

In addition to the defenders of Eres Ffenegh, Tchaikovsky spends a good chunk of the novel focused on the Palleseen army besieging the army, especially the members of an officer’s club known as the Heretics.  Made up of several specialists with controversial fields of study, the Heretics prove to be fun characters as they reluctantly fight for an empire that is likely to brand them imperfect and expendable any day.  Their alternating perspective of the novel, as well as their weariness and damage from previous wars, make the associated Heretics quite fascinating to follow, and their storyline was one of the more intense and interesting in the book.  However, my favourite Palleseen character had to be Fellow-Archivist Dantell, the second in command of the regiment and a self-serving schemer who serves as one of the main antagonists of the book.  Known as ‘the Stoat’ for her sneaky and backstabbing behaviour, Dantell was a highly entertaining figure who attempts to outthink and manipulate every other character in the book, with mixed effects.  A wonderfully sinister schemer who perfectly showcases the larger issues of the Palleseen in her actions and personality, Tchaikovsky clearly enjoyed writing Dantell, and I felt she had one of the more amusing storylines in the book.

While all these characters are amazing and intricate in their own ways, the best and most emotionally compelling character in Pretenders to the Throne of God had to be that of Devil Jack.  The closest thing this series has to a main character, Jack has appeared in all four novels so far with a different name or occupation each time, starting off as a priest to a selfish fallen god.  Much of the series has focussed on his struggle to escape his past and find a better life.  This latest novel sees Jack at his very lowest, having lost his demon lover and one chance of happiness in the previous novel.  Determined to do the impossible and bring her back, Jack apprentices himself to the Widow to learn all about conjuring and demonology, while the Widow attempts to corrupt him in turn.  Tchaikovsky writes an impressive narrative about Jack’s despair and desperation in Pretenders to the Throne of God, as he attempts to hold onto his humanity while trying to recover his lost love.  You really get drawn into his emotionally charged inner battle, and Tchaikovsky writes some fascinating scenes and interactions with the other characters, such as the unlikely friendship he forms with Kiffe.  I personally loved the scene where he meets his former god once again, with the two continuing to influence each other in entertaining and complex ways.  This was one of the most heartfelt appearances of Jack in the series yet, and he was the perfect highpoint Pretenders to the Throne of God’s other exceptional characters.

As with most big fantasy novels, I ended up listening to the audiobook version of Pretenders to the Throne of God, which turned out to be an awesome way to enjoy this incredible book.  Coming in with a decent runtime of 20 hours, the Pretenders to the Throne of God audiobook is a bit of a longer listen, however, it is worth it, as this format really helps to capture the elaborate nature of Tchaikovsky’s narrative, as well as the multiple complicated characters within.  Hearing the story read out really helps me absorb more of the book’s impressive detail, and I found myself more easily dropping into the besieged city and witnessing the various interactions between the characters.

Much of the impact associated with Pretenders to the Throne of God’s audiobook is due to the excellent voice work of David Thorpe, who has previously narrated the other Tyrant Philosophers audiobooks.  Thorpe has a real knack for bringing Tchaikovsky’s unique style and characters to life with his voice work, especially as he constantly matches the tone of the various scenes perfectly.  Not only does Thorpe always land the book’s subtle humour and sarcastic observations in every scene, but the more serious and tragic moments are given the solemnity and emotional depth they deserve.  Thorpe also has an incredible array of voices for the various characters of Pretenders of the Throne of God, and I loved some of the fun and unique tones he attributed to some of the more supernatural creatures in the plot.  I personally appreciated how Thorpe brought back several voices from the previous entries in the series, and it was great to get this continuity.  At the same time, the various new voices were also extremely good, with the tones always matching the personalities of their respective characters.  Thorpe also showcased a real talent for pronouncing the over-the-top names, titles and other unique words that Tchaikovsky invented for his fantasy world, and I loved how authentic the Pretenders to the Throne of God audiobook felt, as it was clear that Thorpe was really putting in the effort.  All this makes for quite an exceptional listen, and I loved every single second I spent listening to Pretenders to the Throne of God.

Thanks to his captivating and layered narrative, great characters, and wonderful storytelling, Adrian Tchaikovsky once again impresses with Pretenders to the Throne of God.  An exceptional continuation to the Tyrant Philosophers series, Pretenders to the Throne of God was so damn good, and I honestly couldn’t get enough of this outstanding read.  One of my favourite novels of the year so far, Pretenders to the Throne of God comes very highly recommended, and I cannot wait to read more from Tchaikovsky this year, especially with his next novel, Green City Wars, nearly here.

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Waiting on Wednesday – Upon the Forge of Battle by Anthony Ryan

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, 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.  This week I’m actually going to do a few Waiting on Wednesday posts to make up for my recent shortfall in updates.  As such, I’m starting this ultra-Wednesday post series off strong with one my most anticipated books for 2026, the epic upcoming fantasy novel Upon the Forge of Battle by Anthony Ryan.

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In recent years, one of my favourite fantasy authors has been veteran writer Anthony Ryan.  Known for several intriguing and varied series, I become a fan of Ryan when I started reading The Covenant of Steel trilogy.  Following a young bandit turned scribe, who finds himself taking on many roles in his chronicled adventures, including that of knight, spy, rebel and heretical traitor, The Covenant of Steel series was a really impressive example of fantasy fiction, and I had an incredible time with The Pariah (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), The Martyr (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022), and The Traitor (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023), all of which were five-star reads.

Due to how much I loved these amazing novels, I was very excited in 2024 when Ryan released the first book in the Age of Wrath series, which served as a sequel to the Covenant of Steel books.  The first Age of Wrath novel, A Tide of Black Steel, is set a couple of decades after the events of The Traitor and builds on some of the events of the first series, while also featuring its own unique story.  I really enjoyed A Tide of Black Steel, which veered away from the chronicle style of the previous trilogy, and instead set out a Norse saga inspired tale of adventure and war and it ended up being one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2024.  Ryan followed this first Age of Wrath novel up in a big way last year with Born of an Iron Storm.  A compelling book that perfectly followed on from the twists of the first book and saw the protagonists continue their journeys of self-discovery, Born of an Iron Storm was another impressive read, and it ended up being one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2025.

Unsurprisingly after having such a great time with the previous Age of Wrath novels, I’m quite invested in seeing how the series concludes, which it is set to do later this year with Upon the Forge of Battle.  The third entry in the trilogy, Upon the Forge of Battle will deliver the final batch of carnage and intrigue, as the series’ four fantastic protagonists each encounter their true destinies.

Plot Synopsis:

As the Age of Wrath reaches its bloody conclusion, the world will be reforged in steel and fire …

Thera Blackspear was once champion to the Sister Queens. Now she’s a queen herself, with Elvine as her spear maiden, wielding a weapon forged by the gods. But while the traitorous Sister Lore plots in the shadows, Ascarlia will never be safe.

Felnir has won a crown of his own and forged a kingdom at the tip of his divine blade. Yet his dreams are troubled by visions of the brother he thought long dead. A brother who needs his help, and whom Felnir would give anything to save—even his hard-won kingship.

Ruhlin’s many victories have made him a hero to the Morvek, who believe he is the prophesied saviour who will overthrow their Nihlvarian enemies. But now he finds himself a prisoner of the Vortigurn, the King of Nihlvar, who has secrets and schemes of his own. Secrets that could unmake the world.

I love the sound of this new awesome novel from Ryan, and I think it has a narrative with a lot of potential.  While there aren’t too many surprising details captured in the above synopsis, it’s clear that Ryan has some big plans when it comes to finalising this series and I’m very curious to see how each of the four storylines come together.  I’m expecting a lot more crossover between these character arcs in this novel, and I’ll also be interested in seeing if certain characters from the Covenant of Steel novels appear.  All this looks set to produce a pretty epic overarching story, and I have faith that it’s going to be very special.

Thanks to how deeply enjoyed the previous entries in this series, there is no way I won’t be grabbing Upon the Forge of Battle later this year.  Anthony Ryan has set up some awesome narrative threads that I cannot wait to see resolved, and I am expecting even more carnage, treachery and complex character resolutions in this upcoming novel.  Likely to be one of my favourite fantasy novels of 2026, Upon the Forge of Battle is going to be good and I plan to read it the first chance I get.

King Sorrow by Joe Hill

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Horror, Thriller1 Comment

Publisher: Headline (Trade Paperback – 21 October 2025)

Series: Standalone 

Length: 881 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of the more unique and addictive novels I’ve had the great pleasure of reading in recent months has to be the exceptional horror read, King Sorrow, by the very impressive Joe Hill.

Joe Hill is an author who is well known for his creative and over-the-top narratives, especially with his very interesting contributions to the horror genre.  The son of the legendary Stephen King, Hill has followed in the family footsteps with some amazing releases, including several standalone novels like Horns, Heart-Shaped Box and NOS4A2, a huge array of short stories (including The Black Phone), and even some comics (Locke & Key being the obvious candidate).  Several of these publications have been turned into film and television adaptations over the years, and I have been keen to read something from Hill for a while.  As such, when I saw the compelling narrative of Hill’s new book, the massive King Sorrow, I knew I had to check it out, and boy was I glad that I did.

Plot Synopsis:

Bookish dreamer Arthur Oakes is a student at Rackham College, Maine, renowned for its frosty winters and beautiful buildings.

But his idyll – and burgeoning romance with Gwen Underfoot – is shattered when local drug dealers force him into a terrible crime: stealing rare and valuable books from the exceptional college library.

Trapped and desperate, Arthur turns to his closest friends for help: the wealthy, irrepressible Colin Wren; brave, beautiful Allison Shiner; the battling twins Donna and Donovan McBride; and brainy, bold Gwen. Together they dream up an impossible, fantastical scheme that they scarcely imagine will work: to summon the fabled dragon King Sorrow to kill those tormenting Arthur.

But the six stumble backwards into a deadly bargain – they soon learn they must choose a new sacrifice for King Sorrow each year or one of them will become his next victim. Unleashing consequences they can neither predict nor control, this promise will, over the course of four decades, shape and endanger their lives in ways they could never expect.

King Sorrow was a truly outstanding read from Hill that had me hooked from the very beginning, all the way to its heartfelt and complex end.  A wonderfully powerful read filled with great characters and dark moments, King Sorrow was an exceptional horror epic that proves near impossible to put down.  King Sorrow was one of my favourite books of 2025, and I cannot recommend it enough.

I really loved the elaborate narrative of King Sorrow, which I can tell Hill put an awful lot of care and thought into.  Told initially from the perspective of Arthur Oaks, a young scholar at Rackham College (in Maine, naturally) who is forced to steal rare books from the school’s library for local drug dealers with the ability to hurt his mother in prison.  When his secret becomes known to his friends, an eclectic mixture of fellow students at the college, they agree to help him with his troubles.  However, this help gets out of hand when, after a night of drinking, the group decides to use an infamous occult tome to summon a fabled dragon, King Sorrow, to kill those tormenting Arthur.  But to the group’s horror, this is no one-time occurrence, as King Sorrow decrees that the bargain they struck entitles him to a new soul each year.  This was a pretty awesome first part of King Sorrow, which, while long, was a very impactful introduction to the larger story and perfectly set up the chaotic events and dark bargains to come.

After this first part, King Sorrow’s story evolves into a more long-term storyline, skipping ahead years with each new part and focusing on the various main characters and how they are dealing with the Faustian bargain they have struck.  After deciding to live with King Sorrow and his desires, the group have primarily decided to use the dragon to punish the worst of humanity around the world, by setting him on murderers and terrorists.  However, thanks to the entertaining machinations of King Sorrow, many of these kills have unexpected consequences, forcing the protagonists to react in different ways, and bringing new characters into the group’s orbit.  Highlights include a particularly intense extended sequences, where two members of the group try to save a passenger jet containing one of their intended targets, which King Sorrow wants to burn as collateral.  Another harrowing part of the book sees twin protagonists Donna and Donovan McBride kidnapped and held hostage by a government organisation with knowledge of their actions, a course of action that goes well for nobody.  At the same time, Hill throws in some fascinating interludes that provide greater depth for some of the book’s more interesting characters, while also providing glimpses at a long-term threat that is coming for the main cast.

The author effectively keeps up the drama much of King Sorrow’s plot, and you are constantly on the edge of your seat as you attempt to guess where the story will go next.  However, even I was really thrown by the great antagonistic curveball that Hill threw in about three-quarters into King Sorrow, that really adds in some substantial drama and provides some fascinating revelations about previous adventures in the plot.  With one of the protagonists brilliantly taking on a far more villainous role, the surviving characters are constantly thrown through a loop as they attempt to find a way to end their bargain.  However, nothing goes the way anyone anticipates, with tragedy, more betrayals and dark moments consuming the entire cast.  Everything leads up to an excellent full-circle confrontation with the beast that shaped all of them, with some heartwarming final encounters and resolutions to the plot.  Hill wraps everything up perfectly, and you come away from King Sorrow extremely satisfied, especially after getting so wrapped up in the author’s elaborate, character-driven plot.

I must admit that before I read King Sorrow, I didn’t know quite what to expect from Joe Hill as a writer.  However, his style really resonated with me, and I ended up being quite blown away with the elaborate nature of this book when I got the chance to read it.  Set up as a complex character-focused book with a layered narrative, King Sorrow was a particularly powerful epic that covered decades of several brilliant characters.  Featuring an exceptional use of multiple character perspectives and interludes, King Sorrow was a cleverly and intricately written story that examined so many points of human nature and compelling character development throughout its near 900-page run.  Despite its length (it’s one of the longer physical books I’ve ever read), there was never a second that I was bored with King Sorrow, and I honestly powered through it in a relatively short amount of time.

Much of this addictive edge is because Hill effortlessly blended a great mixture of genres into this plot, with horror, fantasy and thriller elements all working well together.  Setting a terrifying and vengeful dragon spirit against the worst of humanity makes for some interesting contrasts, and I rather enjoyed seeing how normal criminals and even intelligence organisations would react to a magical dragon occasionally terrifying the world.  There are also some entertaining historical elements to King Sorrow, as the author cleverly ties the plot of this book into certain real-world events, with the actions of the protagonists often leading to some major tragedies.  I really enjoyed the unique feel that this gave the book, especially when combined with the certain gothic edge of the more supernatural scenes, especially the multiple varied depictions of the crazy occult ceremony that first summoned King Sorrow.  Hill maintains these elements for the entirety of the book, and I have a lot of appreciation, for the elaborate way he tied his cast together with tragedy and bad decision.  The result was an incredibly well written novel from Hill, who emulated aspects of his father’s style while also providing his own distinctive feel.

Another outstanding highlight of King Sorrow that I must mention are the incredible and complex characters loaded into the plot.  This includes its six main characters, whose inadvertent summoning of King Sorrow sets the dark events of the book in motion.  While I don’t want to go into too much detail about these characters to avoid spoilers, I will say that Hill does an amazing job introducing and exploring their experiences throughout the course of the novel, and you really get caught up in their specific arcs as a result.  Hill really dives into the dark choices surrounding their deadly bargain, and I found it fascinating to see how the impact of their decisions hit each of them differently, with each reacting in a fantastic manner.  There is some real tragedy involved with these characters, and you really fall in love with most of them (with one or two exceptions), even if it hurts to do so.

The character I will go into a little more detail about is the titular dragon, King Sorrow.  A malevolent, supernatural figure, King Sorrow is a haunting presence in the novel, stalking both the protagonists and their victims and revelling in their fear.  Thanks to his vindictive and manipulative nature, King Sorrow proves to be one of the more entertaining figures in this novel, and I loved the multitude of ways he messed with the protagonists, especially when it forces them to make hard decisions.  I really loved the various scenes King Sorrow was in, and he matched the main cast so perfectly, especially as he slowly brought out the worst in several of them.  Throw in an array of intriguing side characters, including several criminals whose actions haunt the group for decades, and the cast of King Sorrow was something special, especially once you get drawn into this novel’s outstanding narrative.

With a truly remarkable story, some amazing characters, and a brilliant writing style that sets him apart from other authors, Joe Hill’s latest novel, King Sorrow, was truly impressive and an exceptional novel to check out.  A sprawling epic with so many complex layers to it, King Sorrow was so damn addictive, and I still cannot believe how quickly I powered through it.  A highly recommended read that lives up to all the hype surrounding it, King Sorrow was Joe Hill at his finest, and I cannot wait to see what he writes next.

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