Tag: Callum Davis

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Audiobooks from the First Half of 2026

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, ListLeave a comment

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday required participants to list books from authors they are unfamiliar with.  While this is an interesting idea, and one I might come back to later, I’m instead going to continue my recent trend of discussing books from the first half of the year and highlight my favourite audiobooks from the first half of 2026.  This is a continuation of my Top Ten list from a couple of weeks ago that featured my favourite overall novels from the first half of 2026.

I have a great deal of love for the audiobook format, and it is one of the main ways that I tend to check out books.  I have long been a major fan of audiobooks, and it is amazing the various ways in which listening to a book can enhance your enjoyment.  An excellent audiobook can really bring you into the story, and I find that listening to a book enhances the amount of detail that you can take in.  In addition, other features, such as captivating voices, music and sound effects can really make an audiobook something special, and there some great examples of the format I have enjoyed throughout my life.  This year alone I have listened to a ton of outstanding audiobooks, includes some of my favourite books from early 2026.  Because I love this format so much, I thought I would take this opportunity to highlight my favourite audiobooks from the first half of the year.

To pull this list off I had a look at all the 2026 releases that I listened to on audiobook to figure out my favourites.  It turns out that I have already gone through quite a few this year so there was a large collection of potential additions to this list, which I was eventually able to whittle it down to the best ten audiobooks.  There is a bit of a crossover with my previous Favourite Books from the First Half of 2026 list, but I think there are enough new additions to make this list worthwhile.  I made sure to feature only the very best audiobooks on this list, and, in addition to the quality of the baseline novel, I also looked at audiobook production and narration.  This includes whether the audiobook has outstanding narration or uses music and sound effects to enhance the plot.  Keeping these criteria in mind, I came up with the following strong Top Ten List and associated Honourable Mentions, and all the audiobooks listed below were exceptional listens that come very highly recommended by this blog.

Honourable Mentions:

Jigsaw, written by Jonathan Kellerman and narrated by John Rubinstein

A captivating addition to Jonathan Kellerman’s long-running Alex Delaware series.  John Rubinstein does an amazing job bringing Kellerman’s characters to life throughout this excellent mystery.

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Warhammer 40,000: Chem Dog, written by Callum Davis and narrated by Richard Reed

Callum Davis provides an excellent debut to the Warhammer franchise, with Chem Dog.  A very fun read that comes across perfectly on audiobook, especially with talented narrator Richard Reed on board.

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The Right to Remain, written by James Grippando and narrated by Jonathan Davis

James Grippando continues his fantastic Jack Swyteck legal thriller series this year with the very clever The Right to Remain.  I had an outstanding time listening to The Right to Remain on audiobook, especially with Jonathan Davis (one of the best Star Wars narrators) reading it out.

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Warhammer 40,000: Ghost Legion, written by Mike Brooks and narrated by Alex Lanipekun

Another great Warhammer 40,000 audiobook from earlier this year.  Ghost Legion was a fantastic sequel to Brooks’ previous novel Harrowmaster, with a new narrator reading it out.

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Top Ten List:

A Parade of Horribles, written by Matt Dinniman and narrated by Jeff Hays

Let’s start this list off with one of the more outrageous, epic and highly entertaining audiobooks of 2026, A Parade of Horribles.  The eighth book in Matt Dinniman’s deeply impressive Dungeon Crawler Carl series, A Parade of Horribles is an outstanding and hilarious new entry in the series, which sees the surviving protagonists forced to compete in a series of deadly, whacky races as they continue to traverse the dungeon.  Not only was this a particularly awesome book by itself, but it also had an exceptional audiobook version.  Now, if you know anything about the Dungeon Crawler Carl series then you know that the audiobooks are the best format to enjoy the stories in thanks to the excessive range of entertaining and distinctive voices from narrator Jeff Hays.  Hays has so much fun providing all the awesome voices in A Parade of Horribles and his brilliant take on the characters and crazy events was just perfect.  While, as an Australian I have ‘thoughts’ about the accent he gave to some giant kangaroos, the rest of the voices he came up with were so damn good, with an unhinged AI and a certain talking cat being impressive highlights.  Also, there are some exceptional musical chapters and other inclusions in this audiobook, which make A Parade of Horribles worth listening just on their own.  Honestly, A Parade of Horribles’ audiobook was on a whole other level, and if you haven’t started listening to Dungeon Crawler Carl, you are missing out!

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Warhammer 40,000: Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords, written by Denny Flowers and narrated by Harry Myers

I doubt anyone familiar with my blog is going to be too surprised that there are going to be a lot of Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks on this list.  I have a lot of love of Warhammer fiction, and the audiobook formats are always the best way to enjoy these epic and entertaining novels.  As such, one of the big entries on this list is the outstanding 2026 audiobook Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords.  The latest novel from Denny Flowers, Warlord of Warlords was an addictive and awesome read that focused on the entertaining ork faction and their legendary new leader.  Filled with humour, over-the-top action and some very interesting dives into ork lore, Warlord of Warlords was a great book on its own, but his was further enhanced by the excellent audiobook version.  Much of this is down to the narration of Harry Myers, who frankly portrays the orks better than anyone else in the current stable of Warhammer audiobook narrators.  His booming, laddish voice for the orks was just golden, and listening to a whole bevy of orks fight and scheme made for such an outstanding audiobook.  A wonderful listen guaranteed to get a chuckle out of any Warhammer fan.

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Twelve Months, written by Jim Butcher and narrated by James Marsters

When pulling together a list of the best audiobooks of 2026, there is no way I can exclude Twelve Months by Jim Butcher.  The long-anticipated 18th entry in Butcher’s Dresden Files series, Twelve Months showcases the dark fallout from the epic novel Battle Ground, with a particular focus on the mental trauma of the series protagonist.  Twelve Months was one of Butcher’s most impressive reads, and it’s unsurprising that the audiobook version was also quite exceptional.  Not only does Twelve Months’ emotional narrative become even more impactful when read out, but this audiobook also sees the return of the legendary James Marsters as narrator.  Marsters, who has narrated all the Dresden Files books, has long figured out the best way to portray all the great characters in this series, and his work in Twelve Months was impeccable and captivating.  I especially love how Marsters handled narrating the anguish and despair of the point-of-view protagonist, and this was one of his best audiobook performances.  A standout audiobook from a series with so many amazing listens.

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Red Empire, written by Jonathan Maberry and narrated by Ray Porter

It’s a rare year when one of Jonathan Maberry’s outstanding novels doesn’t appear on my regular lists of best audiobooks.  This is because Maberry’s over-the-top books are so perfectly crazy and the awesome action and fantastic characters really come across when read out, especially with the very talented recurring narrator Ray Porter on the job.  Maberry’s latest novel, Red Empire, was a particularly epic audiobook, which not only featured an excellent story, but because it has some of Porter’s best narration.  I only just finished Red Empire today, and it is one of my favourites from his current Rogue Team International series, especially with some cool revelations about some key characters and some powerful tragedies loaded into the plot.  An exceptional novel with an even more impressive audiobook.

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Pretenders to the Throne of God, written by Adrian Tchaikovsky and narrated by David Thorpe

One of the more compelling and thought-provoking fantasy audiobooks of 2026 was Pretenders to the Throne of God by the always impressive Adrian Tchaikovsky.  The fourth book in Tchaikovksy’s incredible Tyrant Philosophers series (City of Last Chances, House of Open Wounds and Days of Shattered Faith), Pretenders to the Throne of God told the complex tale of personal struggles, humorous brushes with authority and alternating motivations, all set to the background of a besieged fantasy city.  A highly addictive read, loaded with moving character arcs and elaborate fantasy elements, Pretenders to the Throne of God was so damn good as both a novel, and an audiobook.  Narrator David Thorpe expertly captures Tchaikovsky’s witty tone with his voice work, and I loved how he perfectly voiced all the unique characters, bringing their complex struggles to life.  This was such an amazing audiobook, and I cannot recommend this series enough.

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Warhammer 40,000: Hive, written by Dan Abnett and narrated by Toby Longworth

While some of the Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks of 2026 are great because they are fun and funny, this next entry, Hive, was particularly amazing because it dove into the grimdark roots of the universe.  One of the longest and most complex Warhammer audiobooks, Hive was an exceptional read by one of the franchises best authors, Dan Abnett, that dove into conspiracies, rebellions and plant-ending plots in one of the franchises’ gigantic hive cities.  A sprawling novel that wove multiple unique character arcs into one gripping narrative, Hive was so damn good, and I was deeply impressed with how amazing it came out in the audiobook format.  The always amazing Toby Longworth, who has narrating most of Abnett’s many Warhammer books, did another incredible job in Hive, voicing the entire massive (and I do mean massive) cast, on his own.  Not only does each character get their own voice, but Longworth perfectly captured the distinctive slang, language and accents of the hive city, enhancing the setting and allowing you to really envision the city and its trouble inhabitants.  I was absolutely enthralled with this wonderful audiobook, and Hive is Warhammer fiction at it’s very best.

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The Hard Line, written by Mark Greaney and narrated by Jay Snyder

One of the best spy thrillers of 2026 for me so far is The Hard Line by Mark Greaney.  An excellent addition to Greaney’s long-running Gray Man series, The Hard Line was particularly awesome, loaded with some excellent action, intrigue and interesting character moments.  I made sure to listen to The Hard Line on audiobook, which once again features narrator Jay Snyder.  Snyder always does an outstanding job bringing Greaney’s espionage vision to life, and his narration adds to the tension of the plot, especially when describing the action scenes from multiple angles.  I really loved how easy it is to absorb and become addicted to Greaney’s great stories on this format, and The Hard Line is a must-listen for all audiobook fans looking for an exciting and clever thriller.

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30Seven, written by Jeremy Robinson and narrated by Scott Brick

Jeremy Robinson is an author who often appears on my best audiobook lists, and I love his complex and intense reads.  In 2026 Robinson once again makes an appearance, especially with his unique and dark standalone science fiction thriller, 30Seven.  An entertaining and disturbing novel that sets a serial killer loose amid an alien abduction narrative, 30Seven was a great book, whose unique narrative perfectly came across on audiobook.  What was interesting with 30Seven is that it featured Robinson’s first collaboration with iconic audiobook narrator Scott Brick.  Brick clearly has fun taking a break from his usual thriller work, and he provides an entertaining and haunting narration to this gripping read.  I loved how well Brick enhanced this audiobook with his voice work, especially in scenes told from the killer’s perspective.  A particularly fun audiobook, it will be interesting to see how some of Robinson’s other audiobooks this year (Parallax and the upcoming Settle Down) stand up to it.

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Warhammer 40,000: Da Freebooterz Code, written by Justin Woolley and narrated by Harry Myers

The final Warhammer 40,000 audiobook I’m going to feature on this list, is the comedic goldmine that is Da Freebooterz Code.  The second Warhammer novel by Justin Woolley, Da Freebooterz Code follows the alternating views of a bold ork pirate captain and a slowly unravelling rogue trader, as they engage in a brutal space war.  One of the funniest Warhammer books I have read, Da Freebooterz Code was an incredible read, that gets even better on audiobook.  Harry Myers, the only narrator to appear on this list twice, does another awesome job with Da Freebooterz Code, and once again loved his take on the orks.  I particularly loved how, rather than just reusing the same ork voices he had in Warlord of Warlords, Myers went out of his way to make the orks in Da Freebooterz Code sound more ‘piratey’, which was just brilliant.  Another exceptional Warhammer 40,000 audiobook.

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Operation Bounce House, written by Matt Dinniman and narrated by Travis Baldree

Matt Dinniman is having an exceptional 2026, with two particularly awesome reads.  His second for this list, Operation Bounce House, was a clever and heartfelt standalone science fiction novel, that saw a peaceful colony world invaded by destructive mechs remotely piloted by bloodthirsty Earth gamers.  A very interesting and moving read from Dinniman, which is also further enhanced by an excellent audiobook version, this time narrated by Travis Baldree.  Baldree, a narrator who fans of Dungeon Crawler Carl would be familiar with thanks to his work in The Eye of the Bedlam Bride, does an incredible job at bringing Operation Bounce House to life with his voice work.  I really liked the personal and emotionally charged take Baldree had for this audiobook, and it resulted in one of the more moving audiobooks of 2026.  A fantastic and powerful final audiobook entry for this list.

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Well, that’s the end of this latest list.  As you can see, there have been some very good audiobooks out in the first half of 2026.  It will be interesting to see which books make the cut later in the year, especially as I currently have several major 2026 audiobooks currently sitting on my phone, waiting to be listened to.  While I get to that, make sure to let me know what your favourite audiobooks of 2026 so far are in the comments below.

Warhammer 40,000: Chem Dog by Callum Davis

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, WarhammerLeave a comment

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 27 March 2026)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 9 hours and 28 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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The Warhammer 40,000 universe continues to grow with an outstanding debut novel from new author Callum Davis, Chem Dog, a cool and intense read with a great plot behind it.

Readers of this blog will know that I have so much love for the awesome Warhammer 40,000 franchise, which produces so many amazing and unique books each year.  Part of the reason this works so well is that the Black Library makes use of an intriguing collection of new and established authors to tell tales of this complex and grim dark universe.  This includes a range of first-time authors, many of whom have a compelling Warhammer 40,000 book as their debut novel.  I have had a blast reading several of these debuts over the years, and the latest one I want to highlight is the impressive Chem Dog by Callum Davis.  The very first full novel from Davis, Chem Dog is a follow up to his previous short story, Those Without Mercy, and tells a gripping story of war, mistrust and unlikely camaraderie amid a brutal campaign.

Upon the vital, war-torn planet of Kruxx, disaster has struck the Imperium of Man.  Under attack by ruthless ork invaders, Kruxx’s most heavily defended fortress, the Bastion Ajaxus, has fallen.  Overwhelmed by hordes of brutish aliens, the defenders have been brutally cut down, and the bastion reforged into a crude but deadly ork fort.  To ensure victory on Kruxx, the remaining Imperial soldiers need to retake the bastion at any cost, but the fate of the war may lay in the hands of the most unlikely of soldiers, the Savlar Chem-Dogs.

The refuse of an infamous prison world, the Savlar Chem-Dogs are a notorious and unreliable penal legion.  Killers and thieves given the chance to die on the field of battle, the Chem-Dogs are an unlikely group of defenders for humanity whose only incentive to stay in the fight is the promise of loot taken from the bodies of the fallen.

Few know how imperfect the Chem-Dogs are more than Commissar Bastun Hasp, a relentless rule follower, dedicated to lethally enforcing order with his bolt pistol.  However, ordered to join the likely fatal assault on Bastion Ajaxus and recover vital intelligence from its occupied halls, Hasp begins to feel doubt for the first time in his career, especially as his only backup are a squad of Chem-Dogs he previously sentenced to death.  Forced to cross over deadly enemy-infested territory and join a bloody siege, can Hasp keep the Chem-Dogs loyal long enough to complete his mission, or will a far more sinister threat claim all their lives?

Chem Dog was an awesome new Warhammer 40,000 entry that quickly grabs your attention and keeps you hooked with its compelling narrative, entertaining characters and great action sequences.  A powerful and intense first full novel from new author Callum Davis, Chem Dog was an easy book to fall in love with and is a must read for all Warhammer fans.

Davis crafts together a very entertaining action and adventure narrative for Chem Dog that brings in some interesting character moments and overarching Warhammer intrigue to create a captivating and exciting read.  Starting off with an intense extended battle sequence with some short-lived characters that shows the helpless and grimdark nature of the Warhammer 40,000 universe perfectly, the story soon switches to the main protagonist, Commissar Bastun Hasp, as he is given his mission to journey to a besieged former Imperial citadel.  Chem Dog quickly expands on some story points introduced in the preceding short story Those Without Mercy, with several characters from this previous entry returning to accompany Hasp to the citadel.

Much of the resulting first half of Chem Dog is an exciting and brutal adventure arc, as Hasp and the Savlars travel across the hostile Kruxx terrain, fighting against deserters and rampaging ork bands.  This does an excellent job of setting up the desperate nature of the plot, as well as showcasing the unstable main characters as they attempt to work together.  After some great action set pieces and locations, several of which showcase just how expendable members of the main cast truly are, the book evolves into an intrigue-laden siege story, as the protagonists arrived at the Bastion Ajaxus and find themselves drawn into the big assault on the citadel, which quickly goes to hell in one particularly amazing extended sequence.

The second half of Chem Dog soon turns into one continuous and bloody affair, as the protagonists and some contentious allies are forced to fight throughout the enemy fortress in some unique ways.  Davis loads in some excellent action scenes here, while overlaying a level of mystery and mistrust over proceedings, especially as nothing goes the way they expect.  Things get progressively darker as the story continues, with the last major sequence seeing some very interesting antagonists, including a unique take on the threat of the orks.  The big finale of the story is brutal and features some not unexpected betrayals and revelations, as well as some genuinely tragic loss.  I rather enjoyed how the story came together, although I will admit I was a little disappointed by the somewhat abrupt ending to the book.  I think that Davis could have expanded on a few points and allowed for a more satisfying conclusion, however, it does leave some elements open for a potential sequel, which I would be very interested in checking out.

I felt that Davis did an excellent job writing his first full-length Warhammer novel, structuring his story and telling it in an effective manner.  While there were some issues with the ending, for the most part Chem Dog was a particularly powerful read that combined clever character work with some intriguing dives into the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  Effectively told from several alternating perspectives, the structure draws the reader into the overarching quest as well as the unashamedly criminal protagonists.  Taking some inspirations from The Dirty Dozen (although not as directly as Gav Thorpe’s Last Chancers series), this was a brutal read that covered compelling elements of trust, loyalty and intrigue, especially in the last half.  I was quite impressed by how Davis was able to capture the gritty nature of the continuous conflict the protagonists found themselves in, with the exhaustion and anger of the characters on full display.  The real highlight of the book has to be the various battle sequences that Davis loaded into the plot, with the protagonists caught up in a ton of intense and well-written action scenes.  I had such an easy time envisioning the very realistic and intense fights that emerged, as this is clearly a part of the writing process that Davis really excels at.

Unsurprisingly, considering this is Davis’s first novel, Chem Dog works well as a standalone read, written in way that made it open to a wide range of readers.  While elements of the author’s previous short story are referenced by the characters, it is done in a way that lets the reader know what previously happened, so you won’t be lost if you hadn’t read it first.  Davis’s style also allows readers with less familiarity with the Warhammer 40,000 universe to come in and read Chem Dog, and it would serve as an interesting entry novel for potential fans, especially for those who enjoy criminal antics and grim, military aesthetics with their science fiction plots.

Chem Dog naturally will appeal more to established fans of the universe, especially those who want to see the notorious Savlar Chem Dogs in action.  The author expertly captured the resourcefulness, resentment and looter mentality of these unlikely soldiers, and it was entertaining to see them in action, especially when compared to other traditional Imperial Guard regiments.  This excellent portrayal of the Chem Dogs and other human troops, as well as the Commissars commanding them, was a great highlight of the plot, and it more than made up for some certain eccentric portrayals of the orks that Davis slipped in.  As such, I felt that Chem Dog was a particularly awesome Warhammer 40,000 novel, which is guaranteed to grab the imagination or a huge range of readers.

On top of the excellent writing, I need to highlight the amazing characters.  The most prominent of these is the relentless Commissar Bastun Hasp, who is reluctantly forced to lead these criminal soldiers into battle.  Serving as the primary narrator and protagonist for the book, much of the book’s drama is based around Hasp’s inner conflict in leading the Savlars.  Initially shown to be implacable in his disdain for Chem Dogs under his command, Hasp’s growing respect for them causes him some major issues, as his harsh commissar mentality and training requires him to see them as unredeemable.  This inner conflict is perfectly enhanced by Hasp receiving comparable contempt from other officers and commissars for leading a group of criminals, as well as Hasp’s secret reliance on the battle chems that the Savlars are forced to breath.  This great inner conflict results in some powerful moments for Hasp throughout the book, and he proved to be an excellent and compelling central character for the plot.

While Hasp serves as the main protagonist of the story, Davis does ensure that the various other members of the squad are shown in some detail.  While a generally expendable group of characters, you do get quite invested in the group of criminal misfits that Hasp leads, and it was fun to see them influence and get influenced by their commissar throughout the course of the plot.  While there are a bunch of fun Salvar members in Chem Dog, the main one you follow is the squad leader, Rastus, who serves as a great secondary protagonist and point-of-view character.  Rastus’s more straightforward, if criminally minded, narrative worked well alongside Hasp’s conflict-laden thoughts, and it was entertaining to see Rastus act as a bridge between the Commissar and his opportunistic squad.  Davis has fun with the rest of this group of killers, although my favourite had to be the extremely loyal ogryn (the universe’s equivalent of an ogre) Grukkur, who serves as a dim-witted enforcer for Hasp.  Grukkur was a wonderfully over the top and simple figure, and I felt he rounded out the cast nicely, providing both comic value and insane moments in combat.  Throw in some other human solider with uncertain motives and a particularly fanatical extra commissar, and Chem Dog is loaded with some amazing drama and character conflicts, that allows for quite an addictive read.

As is my habit with most Warhammer novels I check out, I ended up getting the audiobook version of Chem Dog, which is easily the best way to enjoy the elaborate and varied tales of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  Chem Dog was a particularly good audiobook, as it easily presented its intense action narrative and unique characters, and ensured that listeners could easily power through its nine-and-a-half-hour-long runtime.  A big reason that Chem Dog was such an epic listen was thanks to the vocal talents of narrator Richard Reed.  One of more versatile narrators who lends their voice to the Warhammer franchise, Reed has previously impressed me on several previous outstanding audiobooks, including The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath, Lords of Excess by Rich McCormick (another great debut), Grim Repast by Marc Collins, just to name a few.  Reed does another outstanding job here in Chem Dog, with a range of awesome voices and a great overall tone that moves this slick action narrative along at a quick pace.  I loved the various over-the-top, yet fitting, voices that Reed came up with for several of the characters, including the stringent commissars, the unruly criminal soldiers and even a booming ogryn voice, that was particularly fun.  All this results in an exceptional listen, which allowed me to power through Chem Dog in no time at all, and I cannot recommend this format enough, especially with one of the best Warhammer narrators voicing it.

The future of Warhammer 40,000 fiction continues to look bright, as Callum Davis produced an outstanding read with his debut novel.  An exciting and intense novel, loaded with action and compelling characters, Chem Dog was an amazing read that provides some fantastic look at a unique faction in the grim dark universe.  A sharp, well-written novel that you can easily get addicted to, Chem Dog was a very impressive debut, and I hope to see more from Davis in the future, especially if he revisits the protagonists from this novel again.

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WWW Wednesday – 8 April 2026

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

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

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading:

The Exes by Leodora Darlington (Trade Paperback)

I started to read the awesome and compelling debut novel, The Exes by Leodora Darlington, this week. Following a complex character who finds herself involved in a series of problematic relationships that all end tragically for her untrustworthy partners, The Exes is a deadly and entertaining psychological thriller with some fun twists to it. I’ve made a bit of progress with The Exes this week and I’m hoping to finish it off soon.

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The Book of Fallen Leaves by A. S. Tamaki (Trade Paperback)

I also started the new fantasy novel, The Book of Fallen Leaves from author A. S. Tamaki this week.  An interesting release, The Book of Fallen Leaves is a Japanese inspired fantasy epic that I think has a ton of potential. I’ve only made a little progress on this novel so far, but I’m hoping to get a good chunk of it finished in the next week, especially as it has a very compelling story behind it.

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Warhammer 40,000: Chem Dog by Callum Davis (Audiobook)

I’m still in a major Warhammer 40,000 mood this week, so I decided to listen to one of the more intriguing recent releases from the franchise, Chem Dog. The debut novel of the talented Callum Davis, Chem Dog sees a dedicated commissar lead a group of soldiers from an infamously criminal regiment on a desperate suicide mission, where the greatest risk comes from the commissar’s own troops.  I’ve already made a decent start on Chem Dog, and I’m already quite addicted to its excellent and outrageous story.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Dark Desert Road by Tim Ayliffe (ebook)

I finished off the awesome Australian crime fiction novel, Dark Desert Road by Tim Ayliffe this week, which has been on my to-read list for a while.  An intriguing read, Dark Desert Road follows a Sydney police officer who journeys into the countryside, looking for her long-lost sister who has gotten herself caught up with a group of domestic terrorists.  A thrilling novel with some great contemporary focuses, this was an outstanding novel that comes highly recommended.

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Warhammer 40,000: Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords by Denny Flowers (Audiobook) 

I also finished off the highly entertaining Warhammer 40,000 novel, Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords by the always impressive Denny Flowers this week.  Another book from Flowers that focus on the volatile and brutal ork faction, Warlord of Warlords sees betrayal, intrigue and the usual ork carnage engulf the court of the infamous, Ghazghkull Thraka. One of the more amusing and enjoyable Warhammer novels of 2026, Warlords of Warlords was an exceptional read I’m really glad I got the chance to listen to.

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The Writers Retreat by Victoria Brownlee (ebook)

I had the time to check out the fun Australian novel, The Writers Retreat by Victoria Brownlee, which saw an aspiring author caught up in a dark conspiracy at a French writing retreat.  A clever and cosy read that is worth checking out.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Dead Fall Lake by S. R. White

If I manage to get through the two books I’m currently reading in the next week, I’m hoping to dive into the new Australian murder mystery from S. R. White, Dead Fall Lake.  Another curious and clever sounding release from one of Australia’s more distinctive, rising crime fiction authors, Dead Fall Lake has a ton of potential, and I cannot wait to check it out.

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