Top Ten Tuesday – Books on my Summer 2020-21 TBR

On December 15, 2020 By The Unseen LibraryIn List4 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 Top Ten Tuesday, participants need to list the top releases that they are looking forward to reading this winter (or summer for us down here in Australia). This is a fun exercise that I have done for each of the preceding seasons, and it is always interesting to highlight the various cool-sounding books and comics that are coming out in the next few months.

For this list I have come up with 10 of the best novels that are coming out between 1 December 2020 and 28 February 2021. I have decided to exclude novels that I have already read, or I am currently reading, so that took a couple of key books off the list. Still, this left me with a rather substantial pool of cool upcoming novels that I am excited for, which I was eventually able to whittle down into a great Top Ten list (with a few honourable mentions). I have previously discussed a number of these books before a number of my Waiting on Wednesday articles and I think all of them will turn out to be some really impressive and enjoyable reads.

Honourable Mentions:

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Vol. 1 – Fortune and Fate by Alyssa Wong and Marika Cresta – 26/01/2021

Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson – 1/02/2021

Serpentine by Jonathan Kellerman – 2/02/2021

City of Vengeance by D. V. Bishop – 9/02/2021

Top Ten List:

A Fool’s Hope by Mike Shackle – 3/12/2020

The first entry on this list is A Fool’s Hope by Mike Shackle, the sequel to Shackle’s epic debut, We are the Dead. I have been hearing some great things about his book already and I am really looking forward to checking it out. The trade paperback version of this novel is apparently not available down here in Australia until February 2021, but the audiobook version is already out, so I might grab that instead.

Colonyside by Michael Mammay – 29/12/2020

Colonyside is the third book in the amazing Planetside series by impressive science fiction author Michael Mammay. I have really enjoyed the first two novels in this series, Planetside and Spaceside, both of which were among my favourite books of 2018 and 2019 respectfully, and I cannot wait to see how the third entry in this excellent science fiction thriller series turns out.

Star Trek: Picard: The Dark Veil by James Swallow – 5/01/2021

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to read the first Star Trek: Picard novel, The Last Best Hope, which did an awesome job of bridging the gap between The Next Generation and Picard television series. Now acclaimed tie-in fiction author James Swallow presents the second Picard book, The Dark Veil, which will follow Captain William Riker and his crew as he gets drawn into the chaotic events the precede the Picard series. I had an amazing time reading the previous Picard novel and I have high hopes that this new upcoming book is going to be just as enjoyable.

Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule – 5/01/2021

Now what would a Top Ten List on this book be without a Star Wars tie-in novel featured somewhere. Luckily there are several great upcoming Star Wars novels set for release in the next three months that I am quite excited to check out. Most of these novels are part of The High Republic range of Star Wars novels and comics, which are going to be set 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menace. Of these, the one I am most interested in reading is Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule. Light of the Jedi is set to be the main introductory novel to this new range of Star Wars fiction, and I am very curious to see what happens in this new period of the expanded universe. This new novel is written by one of the top authors of Star Wars fiction, Charles Soule, whose work on Star Wars comics such as the Dark Lord of the Sith comics (check out my review for Volume 2: Legacy’s End and Volume 3: The Burning Seas), has been rather incredible, and I am very excited to see what happens in this new book.

A Prince and a Spy by Rory Clements – 21/01/2021

The fifth book in Clement’s exciting Tom Wilde historical thriller series, A Prince and A Spy looks set to be an excellent novel to start off 2021 with. I have really enjoyed the previous entries in the Tom Wilde series, including Nucleus, Nemesis and Hitler’s Secret, and this upcoming book sounds particularly exciting as it contains a conspiracy set around the death of the Queen’s uncle during World War II.

Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz – 2/02/2021

I am particularly looking forward to checking out Prodigal Son, the upcoming sixth book in Hurwitz’s Orphan X series. The Orphan X book are an awesome and wildly thrilling series that sets an elite and incredibly deadly former government assassin go up against a series of dangerous opponents across America. I have really enjoyed the last two novels in the series, Out of the Dark and Into the Fire, and I cannot wait to see how Prodigal Son turns out.

The Mask of Mirrors by M. A. Carrick – 27/01/2021

The Mask of Mirrors is an intriguing upcoming fantasy debut that I think has a lot of potential and should make for a compelling and entertaining read.

The Three Paradises by Robert Fabbri – 1/02/2021

One of my favourite historical fiction authors, Robert Fabbri, returns with the second entry in his Alexander’s Legacy series, The Three Paradises. The first book in this series, To the Strongest, was a lot of fun and I am very keen to see where this crazy historical story goes next.

Relentless by Mark Greaney – 23/02/2021

Top thriller author Mark Greaney returns with the 10^th novel in his Gray Man series, Relentless, that sees his protagonist, assassin Court Gentry, investigate a new conspiracy around the world. Greaney has been killing it over the last couple of years, especially with the previous two entries in the Gray Man series, Mission Critical and One Minute Out, and this upcoming book looks set to be another fantastic and captivating novel.

The Kaiser’s Web by Steve Berry – 23/02/2021

The final entry on this list is The Kaiser’s Web, the 16^th upcoming entry in the long-running Cotton Malone series. The Cotton Malone books are an exciting and interesting collection of novels that feature a series of fascinating history-based conspiracies. I have been really getting into this series over the last couple of years, and the last two novels, The Malta Exchange and The Warsaw Protocol, have contains some excellent and intriguing adventures. The Kaiser’s Web features another cool sounding plot and I cannot wait to dive into this latest adventure.

Well that is the end of my Top Ten list. I think it turned out pretty well and it does a good job of capturing all my most anticipated books for the next three months. All of the above books should be pretty epic, and I cannot wait to read them soon. Let me know which of the above you are most excited for and stay tuned for reviews of them in the next few months.

Waiting on Wednesday – Colonyside by Michael Mammay

On July 8, 2020 By The Unseen LibraryIn Science Fiction, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday5 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For this latest Waiting on Wednesday I take a look at one of my most anticipated books for the second half of 2020, Colonyside by Michael Mammay.

Colonyside Cover

Mammay has been absolutely killing it over the last couple of years ever since he debuted in 2018 with the excellent and action-packed Planetside. Planetside featured a fantastic narrative that combined inventive science fiction elements with a first-rate thriller and military fiction story to create and epic and captivating read that was capped off with one heck of an ending. I absolutely loved Planetside, and not only was it one of my favourite books of 2018 but it is also one of the best debut novels that I have ever read. Mammay did an incredible job following up his first novel last year, as the sequel, Spaceside, was another impressive and clever read that ended up being one of my favourite books of 2019. Thanks to these two amazing books, I have been eagerly keeping an eye out for Mammay’s next release, and I was really excited when I found out that it was also going to be part of the Planetside series.

This upcoming release from Mammay, Colonyside, is currently set for release on 29 December 2020, and it should prove to be an amazing read for the end of the year. While this book does not come out for several months, some exciting details have already emerged, such as its eye-catching cover and a detailed plot synopsis. This synopsis sounds like a lot of fun, and it will be great to see what adventure series protagonist, Carl Butler, finds himself involved with this time.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A military hero is coming out of disgrace—straight into the line of fire…

Carl Butler was once a decorated colonel. Now he’s a disgraced recluse, hoping to live out the rest of his life on a backwater planet where no one cares about his “crimes” and everyone leaves him alone.

It’s never that easy.

A CEO’s daughter has gone missing and he thinks Butler is the only one who can find her. The government is only too happy to appease him. Butler isn’t so sure, but he knows the pain of losing a daughter, so he reluctantly signs on. Soon he’s on a military ship heading for a newly-formed colony where the dangerous jungle lurks just outside the domes where settlers live.

Paired with Mac, Ganos, and a government-assigned aide named Fader, Butler dives head-first into what should be an open and shut case. Then someone tries to blow him up. Faced with an incompetent local governor, a hamstrung military, and corporations playing fast and loose with the laws, Butler finds himself in familiar territory. He’s got nobody to trust but himself, but that’s where he works best. He’ll fight to get to the bottom of the mystery, but this time, he might not live to solve it.

I really like the sound of Colonyside’s plot; it looks like it is going to have another really cool and exciting story behind it. Based on this synopsis, Butler will be running another intense and dangerous investigation on an alien planet where everyone is trying to kill him. I look forward to seeing what unique circumstances come up as a result of Butler’s meddling this time, and I am sure that whatever results will be filled with all manner of action and intrigue. I am also curious about the new setting that is being utilised for the story: a newly formed jungle colony. The previous two books have had some great locations, including an occupied alien planet and the heart of humanity’s military industrial complex, and it will be interesting to see if this new location will measure up.

I am also looking forward to learning about what has happened to the protagonist in the years following Spaceside. Spaceside ended on another major cliffhanger, as Butler risked everything to save an alien species and then entered cryostasis, not knowing how his gamble was going to pay off. It seems like Butler’s life is going to take another blow, as he is apparently going to start this next book off living as a recluse, and it will be interesting to see what happened in the aftermath of the previous book.

Colonyside is sure to be another impressive and exciting addition to this outstanding series. Based on how much I enjoyed Mammay’s previous two novels, I know that I am going to have an incredible time reading Colonyside, especially as this upcoming book has an amazing-sounding plot to it. I have high hopes for this book, and there is an exceptionally good chance that this one will be one of my top books of 2020.

Top Ten Tuesday – Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2020

On June 30, 2020June 30, 2020 By The Unseen LibraryIn List20 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 2020.

2020 has so far been a pretty amazing year for books, with some outstanding and impressive novels coming out and blowing me away. However, the year is far from over, and there are a number of incredible and epic-sounding novels set for release in the second half of 2020. In order 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.

This proved to be a rather hard list to finalise, mainly because of how many awesome novels are coming out in the next six months. I had to make some hard decisions for this list, and I ended up cutting out several upcoming releases that I am really looking forward to. Despite this, I am rather happy with the eventual choices that I made, and I think that this upcoming list reflects which upcoming novels I am going to have the most fun reading. Due to how impressive they sound and because they have already caught my attention, several of these books in my weekly Waiting on Wednesday articles, and some of them also appeared on my recent Winter TBR list. However, there are also some interesting new books that I am discussing for the first time here, so that should give this list a bit of variety. So let us get to my selections and find out which upcoming novels are my most anticipated releases for the second half of 2020.

Honourable Mentions:

Total Power by Kyle Mills – 15 September 2020

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton – 1 October 2020

Hollow Empire by Sam Hawke – 26 November 2020

Hollow Empire was a book that I was really hoping to read last year, but it has faced some delays. Luckily it looks set for release in a few months time and I am rather excited to check it out, especially after how much I enjoyed Hawke’s first novel, City of Lies.

Colonyside by Michael Mammay – 29 December 2020

This is the third book in the incredible Planetside series of science fiction thriller novels that I have been having an outstanding time reading the last couple of years. The first book in this series, Planetside, is one of my favourite debuts of all time, and last year’s follow-up book, Spaceside was also really impressive. Colonyside is set to be another amazing addition to this series, and I cannot wait to see what sort of complex and clever space mystery Mammay cooks up this time.

Top Ten Tuesday (By Release Date):

Demon in White by Christopher Ruocchio – 28 July 2020

The Gates of Athens by Conn Iggulden – 4 August 2020

I actually got a copy of this book last week and I am planning on reading it soon. Gates of Athens is set to be one of the top historical fiction releases of the year, and it should prove to be an epic and detailed read.

How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It by K. J. Parker – 18 August 2020

Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn – 1 September 2020

The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett – 15 September 2020

The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie – 15 September 2020

I used The Trouble with Peace’s more recent cover for this article because it looks extremely cool and is a nice contrast to the cover I used in the linked Waiting on Wednesday article.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini – 15 September 2020

Assault by Fire by Hunter Ripley Rawlings IV – 29 September 2020

I just want to point out that Assault by Fire is the only debut novel that I have featured in this article. Not only does it have an awesome and exciting story concept behind it, but I really loved the book that Rawlings cowrote with Mark Greaney last year, Red Metal. If Rawlings’ first solo book is anything as good as Red Metal, then this should prove to be a fantastic read that I know I am going to enjoy.

The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly – 10 November 2020

I have been really enjoying Michael Connelly’s books over the last couple of years, including Dark Sacred Night and The Night Fire, both of which were exceptional pieces of crime fiction. I am also in the middle of reading his latest book, Fair Warning, which is so far pretty amazing. Because of this, I was rather excited when I heard that Connelly had another book coming out later this year. The Law of Innocence sounds extremely interesting as it sees the return of the Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller, as he faces the trial of his life. Also set to feature his most iconic protagonist, Harry Bosch, The Law of Innocence should be a particular impressive read and I am very much looking forward to it.

Call of the Bone Ships by R. J. Barker – 24 November 2020

The final book on this list is a book that I know that I am absolutely going to love, and which is pretty much guaranteed to get a full five stars from me. Call of the Bone Ships is the upcoming sequel to one of the best books of 2019, The Bone Ships, by the always amazing R. J. Barker. This new book will continue the epic nautical fantasy adventures started in The Bone Ships, and I for one am extremely eager to see what outstanding and inventive new narrative that Barker comes up with this time.

That’s the end of this list. I am extremely happy with how my latest Top Ten Tuesday article turned out, and my Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2020 list contains an intriguing list of upcoming books that should prove to be incredible reads. I think that every one of the books I mentioned above has the potential to get a full five-star rating from me and I cannot wait to see what amazing and exciting stories they contain. While I am waiting to get my hands on these books, why not let me 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.