Tag: Dan Abnett

WWW Wednesday – 10 June 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 Yacht by Kayte Nunn (Trade Paperback)

I’ve started reading the intriguing thriller, The Yacht by Australian author Kayte Nunn.  An intense read that showcases the events leading up to the destruction of a giant superyacht hosting the troubled members of an elite family, The Yacht is so far proving to be a very entertaining read, and I’m already hooked on its story.  While I haven’t made too much progress on The Yacht yet, I’m hoping to knock it off in the next couple of days and I look forward to seeing how its cool narrative comes together.

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Paradox by Douglas Preston and Aletheia Preston (Audiobook)

I’m absolutely powering through the audiobook version of the entertaining science fiction thriller, Paradox.  The sequel to Douglas Preston’s Extinction, which featured an outstanding story about killer neanderthal clones, Paradox has another over-the-top narrative to it, with aliens, religious murders and more, all coming into play.  I’m having an amazing time with Paradox, and it looks like I’ll be finishing it off in the next day or so.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Sisters of the Lizard by Jackson Ford (Trade Paperback)

I managed to finish off the fun fantasy novel, Sisters of the Lizard by Jackson Ford this week.  The sequel to Ford’s 2025 release, The Bone Raiders, Sisters of the Lizard was another awesome read, loaded with entertaining characters and an intriguing adventure with giant, fire-breathing lizards.  A fantastic and exciting read.

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Warhammer 40,000: Hive by Dan Abnett (Audiobook)

I also finally finished off the extensive new Dan Abnett Warhammer 40,000 novel, Hive. A vast political thriller, that showcases multiple perspectives of a gigantic underground hive city, Hive was an elaborate and addictive read, that relentlessly kept me hooked to the very end. One of my top Warhammer 40,000 novels of 2026.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

LIT by Anna Woods

The next book I’m hoping to read is the compelling new novel LIT by Anna Woods. A gritty New Zealand psychological thriller, LIT has a very interesting plot behind it, when a woman finds herself seemingly haunted by visions of a missing friend. Set to be a tense and powerful novel, I’m looking forward to reading LIT soon.

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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.

WWW Wednesday – 3 June 2026

On By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday1 Comment

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:

Sisters of the Lizard by Jackson Ford (Trade Paperback)

I started reading the fun fantasy novel, Sisters of the Lizard by Jackson Ford this week.  The sequel to Ford’s 2025 release, The Bone Raiders, Sisters of the Lizard sees a small group of raiders and thieves, attempt to stop the ravages of war and vengeance with their new giant, lizard mounts. I’m currently about 100 pages into Sisters of the Lizard and I’m enjoying its exciting narrative and entertaining characters.  A fantastic novel that I am hoping to power through in the next few days.

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Warhammer 40,000: Hive by Dan Abnett (Audiobook)

I’ve still got a little left of the extensive new Dan Abnett Warhammer 40,000 novel, Hive. Abnett, who has contributed some amazing entries to the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, has this time imagined a vast political thriller, taking place at multiple points in a gigantic underground hive city. Filled with intricate detail and a ton of great characters, Hive is a fantastic and elaborate read, that is relentlessly keeping me hooked.  I’ve got just over an hour or so of Hive’s audiobook left, and its already one of my top Warhammer 40,000 novels of 2026.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Our Lady of Blades by Sebastien de Castell (ebook)

I managed to get through the awesome fantasy novel, Our Lady of Blades by the very talented Sebastien de Castell this week.  The follow-up to de Castell’s previous impressive novels, Crucible of Chaos and Play of Shadows, Our Lady of Blades continued the adventures in the author’s Greatcoats universe, this time exploring a corrupt city ruled by powerful families and sadistic dualists. Featuring a compelling narrative of revenge and redemption Our Lady of Blades was an exceptional read that lived up to all my expectations.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Paradox by Douglas Preston and Aletheia Preston

The next book I’m planning to enjoy is the entertaining sounding science fiction thriller, Paradox.  The sequel to Douglas Preston’s awesome novel Extinction, Paradox looks set to introduce another intriguing and over-the-top mystery, while the killer neanderthal clones from the first book lurk in the shadows.  I have no doubt I’m going to love this book, and I look forward to exploring Paradox’s crazy story.

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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.

WWW Wednesday – 27 May 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:

Our Lady of Blades by Sebastien de Castell (ebook)

I’ve recently started reading the awesome fantasy novel, Our Lady of Blades by the very talented Sebastien de Castell.  The follow-up to de Castell’s previous impressive novels, Crucible of Chaos and Play of Shadows, Our Lady of Blades continues the adventures in the author’s Greatcoats universe, this time exploring a corrupt city ruled by powerful families and saddistic dualists. Featuring a compelling narrative of revenge and redemption Our Lady of Blades is proving to be an exceptional read, and one I’m very glad to finally be reading.  I am flying through this novel already and I look forward to seeing how the fully story unfolds when I finish it off in the next couple of days.

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Warhammer 40,000: Hive by Dan Abnett (Audiobook)

I’m still having an exceptional time listening to the new Dan Abnett Warhammer 40,000 novel, Hive. Abnett, who has contributed some amazing entries to the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, has this time imagined a vast political thriller, taking place at multiple points in a gigantic underground hive city. Filled with intricate detail and a ton of great characters, Hive is proving to be quite a fantastic read, especially with its multiple layered plotlines and conspiracies.  I’m currently halfway through Hive, and it’s shaping up to be one of the top Warhammer 40,000 novels of 2026.

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What did you recently finish reading?

The Couples Retreat by Mercedes Mercier (Trade Paperback)

I managed to finish off the intriguing Australian crime fiction read; The Couples Retreat this week. A compelling novel set on Australia’s iconic Kangaroo Island, this is an interesting read with a compelling murder mystery at its heart.  Highly recommended.

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Ironwood by Michael Connelly (ebook)

I also managed to start and then finish off the new Michael Connelly novel, Ironwood, this week.  The sequel to Connelly’s 2025 novel, Nightshade, Ironwood returns the reader to Catalina Island, with gunfights, drug deals and cold cases marring the seemingly perfect island paradise.  Ironwood ended up being a particularly addictive and captivating release from Connelly, and it is easily one of the top crime fiction novels I have so far read in 2026.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Sisters of the Lizard by Jackson Ford

The next book that I am planning to read is the fun fantasy novel, Sisters of the Lizard by Jackson Ford.  The sequel to Ford’s 2025 release, The Bone Raiders, Sisters of the Lizard sees a small group of raiders and thieves, attempt to stop the ravages of war and vengeance with their new giant, lizard mounts. Looking set to take this fantastic series in an interesting direction, Sisters of the Lizard is going to be an amazing read, and I’m very excited to dive into it.

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

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Books by my Favourite Authors

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Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly task that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers creating and sharing lists on various book topics.  For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants are tasked with identifying their top ten favourite authors and then listing out which one of their books is the blogger’s favourite.  This was a very interesting idea, and while I’ve previously highlighted some favourite books in a specific series, I’ve never tried to list my overall favourite authors and their top books.

This proved to be quite a difficult list to pull together, mainly because I had to spend a lot of time thinking about who my favourite authors are.  While several writers were instant choices that I didn’t need to think too much about, the rest of my current favourites was a little harder to pin down.  I was eventually able to whittle it down to my absolute favourite authors now (with a generous honourable mentions section), although it took some difficulty.  It was quite interesting to consider how my favourites have changed over the last few years, and it wouldn’t surprise me if this changes dramatically the next time I try to list it out.

After working out my favourite authors, identifying my favourite book from them was an easier process, although I did have to do some deep thinking at times.  It didn’t help that all these authors tend to have multiple epic novels to their name, all of which I’ve had an incredible time with.  Stil, I gave it a try, and I think the final list is a pretty good representation of both my favourite authors and my favourite books from them.  So let us see who made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Richard Osman – The Last Devil to Die

A brilliant and particularly heartbreaking entry in Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series.

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Michael Connelly – Fair Warning

I have the pleasure of reading several of Michael Connelly’s more recent books, and my favourite is the chilling Fair Warning, which combines a great mystery with warnings about companies owning a person’s DNA.

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Mark Greaney – The Gray Man

There are so many exceptional spy thrillers from Mark Greaney out there, but my favourite remains his original release, the over-the-top and addictive The Gray Man.

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Adrian Tchaikovksy – Days of Shattered Faith

The consistently impressive and inventive Adrian Tchaikovsky had a range of awesome reads I could have featured here, but I had to go with his compelling and elaborate 2025 release, Days of Shattered Faith as my current favourite.

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Top Ten List:

Terry Pratchett – Guards! Guards!

With a blog named after a location in his Discworld series, I doubt anyone is surprised that Terry Pratchett is one of my favourite authors.  A master of humour, complex characters and elaborate worlds, Pratchett’s book are so damn good, and even after all these years I still get so much joy out of them.  As such, Pratchett was an easy author for this list, although I had a lot of trouble deciding which of his books to feature here (I’ve previously done a whole list about my favourites).  While books like Jingo, Small Gods and Witches Abroad were all strong contenders, in the end I had to go with the hilarious and clever Guards! Guards!.  Not only was it a complex novel, perfectly combining a clever crime fiction narrative with amazing fantasy elements and some outstanding humour, but Guards! Guards! also serves as the first entry in Pratchett’s City Watch sub-series, and I have so much love for how he set up some other amazing reads here.  An incredible book from my very favourite author, and a worthy start to this list.

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Stan Sakai – Usagi Yojimbo: Volume 11: Seasons

For as long as I have been reviewing, I have been singing the praises of Stan Sakai, who remains one of my favourite comic book authors thanks to his Usagi Yojimbo series.  I have had an incredible time reading the entire Usagi Yojimbo series multiple times over the years, but if I had to pick a favourite it would probably be the 11th volume Seasons.  Not only does this volume feature one of the stories that first drew me to the Usagi Yojimbo series, but it also features several other captivating stories that showcase both Sakai’s great artwork, and his long-term writing and character creation.  I particularly enjoy how he introduces various interesting figures and sets up multiple ongoing arcs in a series of fascinating shorter stories, and it was a real joy to see these play out in the next several volumes.  As such, Seasons has a very special place in my heart, and it’s an excellent comic to feature here.

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Jonathan Maberry – Code Zero

Few authors have kept me enthralled in recent years than the master of dark fiction, Jonathan Maberry.  An author primarily focusing on horror and science fiction themed thrillers, Maberry has produced some outstanding novels over the years, and has branched out into several different genres, including fantasy (with Kagen the Damned), and pure science fiction (NecroTek).  However, my favourite series is the amazing Joe Ledger books, which follows a highly damaged agent as he attempts to keep the word safe from all manner of advanced technology and weaponry.  There are some amazing entries in the Joe Ledger series, however, my favourite is probably the sixth novel, Code Zero.  Revisiting some of the worst weapons the protagonist has ever defeated and working against an enemy who knows all their secrets, Code Zero was an excellent read with some awesome intensity behind it.

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Jim Butcher – Changes

After spending years getting through his iconic and impressive Dresden Files series, Jim Butcher now reigns as one of my all-time favourite fantasy authors, and I have so much love for his main body of work.  Currently made up of 18 books, the Dresden Files follows Chicago’s only wizard as he tries to protect his city from various arcane threats.  There are multiple incredible novels within this series, although if I had to pick a favourite, it would be Changes (only just beating out Skin Game).  Changes is a standout entry in the series, especially as it completely alters much of the Dresden Files’ established status quo and pushes the protagonist to his very limits.  If you’ve read this series, you know why this book is so significant, and the raw emotion, carnage and multiple dark twists, ensure that Changes remains Butcher’s very best book.

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Matt Dinniman – The Butcher’s Masquerade

One of the more recent additions to my list of favourite authors is the very popular Matt Dinniman.  An author who primarily specialises in LitRPG fiction, I became a mega-fan of Dinniman last year when I decided to try his acclaimed book Dungeon Crawler Carl, which then led to me reading the rest of the series.  I honestly cannot remember becoming as obsessed with something as easily as I did with the Dungeon Crawler Carl books, as I absorbed all of them in record time.  I’ve only just finished the recently released eighth book in the series, A Parade of Horribles, and this has reinforced Dinniman’s inclusion on this list.  I did struggle to decide which of the Dungeon Crawler Carl novels to feature here, with the brutal sixth book The Eye of the Bedlam Bride, being a strong contender.  However, in the end I decided that the epic fifth book, The Butcher’s Masquerade, was the entry I had to include as my favourite.  Featuring some of the best combination of humour, tragedy and utter insanity that I have ever read in fiction, The Butcher’s Masquerade was an exceptional novel, that hits hard and refuses to let go.  A truly epic novel that earns its spot on this list with very little trouble.

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John Marsden – The Third Day the Frost

Going back to some childhood favourites, I’ve added the late Australian author John Marsden to this list, mainly because of his iconic Tomorrow series.  One of the best pieces of Australian fiction ever written, the Tomorrow series is a powerful young adult series that follows several teenagers caught up in a sudden invasion of Australia.  I have so much love for this series, and I’ve had the great pleasure of reading multiple times since I was a young teenager.  All seven books in this series are good, but my favourite is The Third Day the Frost, which serves as the dramatic third entry.  A powerful novel that sees the protagonists experience the horrors of war and learn to regret decision to fight like never before, The Third Day the Frost was Marsden’s most traumatic book, and it is a harrowing highlight amid the other exceptional entries.

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R. A. Salvatore – Homeland

I’ve had the pleasure of reading books from many fantasy authors over the years, but one of the original authors who I became a fan of was the iconic R. A. Salvatore.  One of the key contributors to the Forgotten Realms fantasy universe of Dungeons and Dragons, Salvatore has written so many books in this setting, as well as several outstanding series set in his own fantasy universe.  I have had so much fun over the years reading his various novels, with the extremely long-running Legend of Drizzt books and his Cleric Quintet being a major favourite.  Of these, the book I must highlight as my favourite is the 1990 release, Homeland.  A compelling read that serves as a prequel to Salvatore’s original Icewind Dale trilogy, Homeland follows the origins of Salvatore’s most iconic character, Drizzt Do’Urden, and his earlier years surviving amongst his brutal kind.  A complex novel that provides some chilling insights into the subterranean dark elves know as drow, Homeland is an outstanding read that provides an extreme version of nature vs nurture.  A very easy choice to include on this list.

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Simon Scarrow – Under the Eagle

I’ve always been a fan of historical fiction, and my favourite author of the genre is Simon Scarrow.  I have been a fan of Scarrow since I started reading historical fiction, with his long-running Eagles of the Empire series being a major factor in this.  Following two Roman soldiers as they try to survive the various battlefields and politics of the empire’s peak, the Eagles of the Empire books have always been must-reads for me, and I am still a fan to this day (check out my review for the latest entry, Tyrant of Rome).  There are way too many books in this series to have a definitive favourite, but I think I’m going to go with Scarrow’s very first book, Under the Eagle.  Serving as an excellent introduction to the main characters as they prepare to invade Britannia, Under the Eagle sets up the rest of the series perfectly and was an excellent initial entry.  A very impressive first novel that the series keeps coming back to, Under the Eagle was an amazing read that has had me hooked for so very long.

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Joe Abercrombie – The Trouble With Peace

I had to include Joe Abercrombie on this list, as the master of grimdark fantasy fiction has consistently impressed with his powerful plots and delightfully flawed characters.  His books, from the First Law series, all the way to last year’s entertaining gore-fest, The Devils, have all been quite incredible and addictive.  However, if I had to choose a favourite, I’d have to go with The Trouble With Peace.  The second book in Abercrombie’s Age of Madness trilogy, The Trouble With Peace narrowly edges out the trauma of excellent third novel, The Wisdom of Crowds, thanks to its concise story and powerful battle sequences.  I also love how it turns the previous novel’s seemingly foppish protagonist into an extremely likeable leading man, while the supposedly heroic young star of the preceding A Little Hatred, is effortlessly morphed into a selfish heel.  An incredible read from one of dark fantasy’s absolute best authors and a fantastic inclusion for this list.

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Dan Abnett – Warhammer 40,000: Double Eagle

The final person I want to feature on this list is Dan Abnett, who was an automatic inclusion here for being my favourite author of Warhammer fiction.  An intense author who always tries to showcase the average human perspective of the over-the-top Warhammer universe, Abnett has written some truly amazing novels over the years, many of which are among my favourite Warhammer 40,000 entries.  However, my favourite is probably his classic novel, Double Eagle, which follows a group of fighter pilots battling for survival above a bloody warzone.  Featuring some of the very best aerial combat sequences you are ever going to read, Double Eagle was an ultra-addictive masterpiece, that I couldn’t stop listening to.  A highly recommended and action-packed read that perfectly wraps up this list.

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Whew, well that was a far more extensive Top Ten list than I intended, although I’m happy with the result.  The above really are some of my very favourite books from some of my favourite authors, and I love every single one of them.  All the above come very highly recommended, and there is a good chance you will start a new obsession the moment you start to explore them, so good luck. Make sure to also let me know your absolute favourite books and authors in the comments below.

WWW Wednesday – 20 May 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 Couples Retreat by Mercedes Mercier (Trade Paperback)

I’ve made a bit of progress with the intriguing Australian crime fiction read, The Couples Retreat this week. A compelling novel set on Australia’s iconic Kangaroo Island, this is an interesting read with a compelling murder mystery at its heart.  I’m hoping to finally get through the rest of The Couples Retreat in the next week, and I look forward to seeing where this excellent narrative goes.

Amazon

 

Warhammer 40,000: Hive by Dan Abnett (Audiobook)

I was very excited to start the new Dan Abnett Warhammer 40,000 novel, Hive, this week. Abnett, who has contributed some amazing entries to the Warhammer 40,000 franchise , has this time imagined a vast political thriller, taking place at multiple points in a gigantic underground hive city. Filled with intricate detail and a ton of great characters, Hive is shaping up to be quite a fantastic read, and it’s one I’m glad I decided to check out.  I’ve already managed to make a bit of progress on Hive, and it’s shaping up to be one of the top Warhammer 40,000 novels of 2026.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Warhammer 40,000: Da Freebooterz Code by Justin Woolley (Audiobook)

I managed to quickly finish off the awesome new Warhammer 40,000 novel, Da Freebooterz Code, by Justin Woolley last week. A fun and hilariously over-the-top novel that sees an ambitious ork pirate face off against a noble Rogue Trader, Da Freebooterz Code was an outstanding and particularly entertaining book that comes highly recommended.

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A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman (Audiobook)

The book I ended up focusing the most on this week was the outstanding new Dungeon Crawler Carl novel from Matt Dinniman, A Parade of Horribles. Continuing all the epic chaos of Dinniman’s incredible LitRPG series, A Parade of Horribles lived up to all its potential, with so many crazy turns and outrageous moments. Easily one of the best books of 2026, I powered through this book so damn fast and I loved every second I spent with it.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Ironwood by Michael Connelly

I hoping to start reading the new Michael Connelly novel, Ironwood next.  The sequel to Connelly’s 2025 novel, Nightshade, Ironwood will return the reader to Catalina Island, with gunfights, drug deals and cold cases marring the seemingly perfect island paradise.  I’m very much looking forward to reading Ironwood, and it will likely end up being one of the top crime fiction reads of 2026.

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

Top Ten Tuesday – Book Titles Featuring Ordinal Numbers

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Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly task that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers creating and sharing lists on various book topics.  For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants need to list their favourite books that feature ordinal numbers in the title.  As defined by The Artsy Reader Girl topic page, ordinal numbers are numbers that define an item’s place in a series, for example whether it’s the first, second, third, etc, book in the series.

This was a very interesting topic, which I was curious to try out.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a lot of books I’ve read that specifically used a number in the title to correspond where it sat in the series.  As such, I’ve been a little creative with this subject and included some more unusual examples, as well as books where the number in the title corresponds to where the novel sits in the series.  I’ve also wasn’t too attached to putting the actual numbers in and have relied on a few number-based words (for example first instead of one, twice instead of two and so on).  This produced an interesting list from a bunch of different authors, and I ended up liking the final result.  So, let’s see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Fool Me Twice by Jeff Lindsay

The fun second book in Jeff Lindsay’s Riley Wolfe series.  A special shoutout also needs to go the third and fourth entries in the series, Three-Edged Sword and The Fourth Rule.

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The Two-Faced Queen by Nick Martell

The ultra-impressive second entry in Nick Martell’s The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings.  I’ve left this as an honourable mention as the name really is a coincidence tied to a character’s title.

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Top Ten List:

First Watch by Dale Lucas

My first choice for this list (pun intended), was the cool fantasy crime novel, First Watch by Dale Lucas.  An interesting read with an excellent mystery premise behind it, First Watch was the great first book in a series and a fun inclusion here.

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First and Only by Dan Abnett

Another ‘first’ book in a series that identified itself as such in the title was the cool Warhammer 40,000 novel, First and Only by Dan Abnett.  Book one in the iconic Gaunt’s Ghosts series, First and Only was a great opening entry that perfectly introduced the series’ scenario and solider characters.  An outstanding first book in one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 series.

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Fool Me Once Harlan Coben

Another cool novel that proclaims’ where it sits in a series is the outstanding read, Fool Me Once from the always impressive Harlan Coben.  Previously a standalone novel, Fool Me Once just became the first book in a series after Coben released a sequel in 2025 with Nobody’s Fool, allowing for its inclusion on this list.

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Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry

I’m being slightly cheeky by including Patient Zero in this list, as it was technically book one in Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series.  However, I think it’s appropriate because the premise of this novel is a team of elite operators attempting to hunt down and killing the first patient in a man-made zombie plague (i.e. the titular patient zero). In some ways, Patient Zero followed a similar trend as it was the first book in a series that quickly and relentlessly spread out into a massive, long-running franchise.  As such, I’m going to include Patient Zero on this list, and it comes very highly recommended for those who like an extreme, science fiction thriller.

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The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

Moving onto the twos/twice, we have The Man Who Died Twice.  The second book in Richard Osman’s exceptional Thursday Murder Club series, The Man Who Died Twice was an excellent novel and a wonderful sequel.  A fun and hilarious inclusion for this list.

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The Third Day, The Frost by James Marsden

I just had to include The Third Day, The Frost here, as it is one of my favourite Australian novels.  While James Marsden took the name from a Shakespeare line, the title does also correspond with The Third Day, The Frost being the third book in the author’s iconic Tomorrow series.  I have a lot of love for this novel, especially as this third entry is easily the best entry in this outstanding young adult war series.  A highly recommended read and a very worthy novel to highlight in this post.

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Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland

The next entry on this list is a little different, as the Four Ruined Realms is the second book in its series.  However, as the four decreases from the five in the first book, Five Broken Blades, I think that it counts as an ordinal number as it does indicate to readers where Four Ruined Realms lies in the Broken Blades series.  It helps that the third book in the series, Three Shattered Souls (which I still need to read), also negatively changed number to reflect its position in the series, relative to the five in the first book.  As such, I think this is an acceptable inclusion for this list, and an interesting loophole I’m happy to exploit.

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The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett

Due to the name of this blog, I generally try to include one of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels on my lists, and for this Top Ten Tuesday I’m going to use The Fifth Elephant.  A fun and highly entertaining fantasy crime fiction novel set out in an entertaining Transylvania parody setting, The Fifth Elephant is a good inclusion for this list as it is the fifth book in the City Watch sub-series.  An excellent book that really expands the setting in some interesting directions for the rest of the Discworld series, The Fifth Elephant fits into this post perfectly, and I’m glad I could highlight Terry Pratchett’s legendary words again.

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The Malevolent Eight by Sebastien de Castell

This next entry is another slightly different inclusion, as The Malevolent Eight is really the second book in a series, rather than the eighth.  However, I’m including it here because The Malevolent Eight is the sequel to Sebastien de Castell’s fun, parody-titled dark fantasy novel, The Malevolent Seven, which as you can imagine brought together seven malevolent adventurers for a job.  The subsequent title of The Malevolent Eight helps to showcase this book as a sequel to The Malevolent Seven, and as such I think it counts as an ordinal number and a perfect inclusion for this list.  A highly recommended read as well, The Malevolent Eight is a ton of fun and I deeply enjoyed getting through it last year.

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Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh

The final book that I want to include on this list is the highly entertaining legal thriller, Witness 8.  A great read on its own, the eight in this title serves to refer to a malevolent witness who is manipulating the events of a trial for her own ends.  However, Witness 8 also serves as the eighth book in Steve Cavanagh’s outstanding Eddie Flynn series, so it also works as an ordinal number inclusion.  A very cool read whose title works on several levels, Witness 8 is an excellent novel for fans of crazy legal thrillers and the perfect book to end this post on.

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As you can see, I’ve had the pleasure of reading a few cool books with ordinal numbers in their titles over the years.  While I didn’t always follow the expected rules for this list, I quite like how it turned out, and I think it nicely shows off some of the unique novels that I have fun reading.  I had a great time pulling this latest list together, especially as I needed to think hard about the books I wanted to feature here, and I think the results speak for themselves.  Let me know what cool books you’ve enjoyed that had ordinal numbers in the title and make sure to check out some of the above awesome books when you get a chance.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Books of 2025

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List10 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and feature bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  As we roll into the new year I am going to list my absolute favourite books of 2025, which is something I look forward to every year.  This is a continuation of several lists I have done in recent weeks that highlighted the authors and books that have most impressed me this year.  Previous lists looked at topics like my favourite pre-2025 novels, as well as my favourite audiobooks, sequels, and new-to-me authors of 2025. However, this list is the big one as it covers my absolute favourite releases of the year, of which there are quite a few.

I think we can all agree that 2025 has been another rollercoaster year for the world, but thankfully readers got a little bit of solace as this was an amazing year for books, with a huge range of incredible releases coming out across the genres.  Not only did several new series start but we had some exceptional debuts, and some big continuations of established series.  I have had an amazing time reading or listening to some outstanding books this year and quite a few releases have become instant favourites.  I must admit that I somewhat struggled to pull this list together, as there were so many books that deserved to be mentioned.  Therefore, because I am a very soft touch, and because the quality of the books I read this year was so impressive, I have decided to expand this list out to 20 entries (just like I have the last several years, I’m a very soft touch).  These 20 books are my absolute favourites from 2025, and I would strongly recommend every one of them to anyone interested in a great read.

To make it onto this list a book only needed to be released here in Australia during 2025.  I have naturally excluded anything I have not read yet, even though there were quite a few awesome-sounding books I sadly didn’t squeeze into my reading schedule.  I decided to leave off my usual Honourable Mentions section as the extra 10 entries make it unnecessary.  There will be a bit of crossover between the below entries and some of my previous lists.  For example, several of these novels appeared on my Top Ten Favourite Audiobooks of 2025 list and my Top Ten Favourite Books from the First Half of 2025 list, which I ran back into July.  Overall, I am very happy with how this Top 20 list turned out, and I think it contains a pretty good range of novels that showcase the different types of books that I chose to read this year.  So, without further ado, here is the list.

Top Twenty List:

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

The first book I want to highlight on this list was one of my favourite fantasy novels of 2025 with The Devils by Joe Abercrombie.  An exceptional and comedic dark fantasy from the master of grimdark fiction, The Devils is set in an alternate medieval Europe and follows several loveable monsters in the employ of the church as they attempt to enthrone a street thief as Empress of Troy.  A gloriously over-the-top novel, The Devils was Abercrombie at his best, and I had an exceptional time getting through it.

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Cold War by Jonathan Maberry

Diabolical dark fiction master Jonathan Maberry is an author who has appeared consistently on these end-of-year lists since I started them, and 2025 is no exception.  Maberry had two books out in 2025, including the twisted thriller Burn to Shine.  However, my favourite book of Maberry’s this year is the outstanding science fiction novel Cold War.  The sequel to his 2024 release, NecroTek, Cold War was a gripping read that sees groups of stranded humanity facing off against Lovecraftian horrors in the future.  Featuring an intriguing narrative split, awesome action and some classic Maberry horror, Cold War was another excellent novel, especially on audiobook.

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Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow and Ten Thousand Plums by Stan Sakai

It’s kind of inevitable the new volumes of the Usagi Yojimbo comic series are going to appear on this end of year list.  One of my favourite comic series, the Usagi Yojimbo comics follow a rabbit ronin as he traverses an alternate version of feudal Japan.  I have so much love for this series, and creator Stan Sakai released two exceptional volumes this year with The Crow and Ten Thousand Plums.  Both were amazing and intricate reads, and I loved every second I spent reading them.  Due to how impressive there were, I am combining these two volumes together into one entry, and as both comics are very worthy inclusions to this list.

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Days of Shattered Faith by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Easily one of the more impressive and complex fantasy novels on this list is the incredible Days of Shattered Faith by the highly inventive Adrian Tchaikovsky.  The third book in the author’s Tyrant Philosopher’s series, Days of Shattered Faith follows on from City of Last Chances and House of Open Wounds and focuses on a new fantasy city beset by internal strife and dangerous diplomats.  A unique read, Days of Shattered Faith was one of the best books of the year, and I loved every second I spent in Tchaikovsky’s latest complex cityscape.

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Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz

Acclaimed thriller author Gregg Hurwitz ensured readers were hooked this year with one of his best Orphan X novels, Nemesis.  The 10th book in the Orphan X series, Nemesis sees the relentless protagonist forced to go to war with his only friend in an emotionally charged and complex read.  Filled with exceptional character moments, Nemesis was an especially compelling novel that keeps you hooked all the way to its powerful and heartbreaking end.  I really loved Nemesis, although I way never forgive Hurwitz for what he put me through with this book.

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Warhammer 40,000: Interceptor City by Dan Abnett

I had so much fun returning to the skies this year with the incredible Warhammer 40,000 novel, Interceptor City.  The sequel to Dan Abnett’s iconic book Double Eagle, Interceptor City saw the first novel’s protagonist return for another harrowing tour of duty, this time flying fighter aircraft in the ruins of a gigantic city.  Featuring some of the best aerial combat sequences you are ever going to read, Interceptor City was a true highlight of 2025 and a must-read for all Warhammer 40,000 fans.

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A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

The new master of fantasy crime fiction, Robert Jackson Bennett had another exceptional year, thanks to his new novel A Drop of Corruption.  The sequel to his exceptional novel The Tainted Cup (one of my favourite books of 2024), A Drop of Corruption sees an enhanced investigator and her loyal assistant, attempt to solve an impossible disappearance in an empire constantly under attack by giant monsters.  Featuring a particularly elaborate and impressive murder mystery that makes full of it’s fantasy setting, A Drop of Corruption was unbelievably good, and I cannot get over how awesome and complex the story turned out.  I love this series from Bennet so damn much and I cannot wait to read the third book in 2026.

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Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

The iconic Hunger Games franchise got a major boost in 2025, thanks to the outstanding prequel novel Sunrise on the Reaping.  Set at the 50th Hunger Games, Sunrise on the Reaping follows a fan favourite as he tries to survive the deadliest games of all time.  Suzanne Collins honestly outdid herself with this latest Hunger Games books, especially as she subverted all expectations and showcased a story with so many clever twists and manipulated surprises, all wrapped up with earthshaking tragedy.  The Hunger Games series will never be the same again, and I am still not over just how far Collins went with this exceptional read.

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Midnight Black by Mark Greaney

Mark Greaney continues to showcase why he is one of the very best authors of spy fiction with the amazing 2025 release, Midnight Black.  A particularly exciting and intense entry in Greaney’s Gray Man series, Midnight Black sees an exhausted version of Greaney’s long-running protagonist attempt the impossible, as he takes on the entire Russian state to free the women he loves.  An extremely exciting and moving novel, Midnight Black was Greaney at his very best, and I powered through this book so damn quickly.

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The Malevolent Eight by Sebastian De Castell

This year, author Sebastian De Castell followed up his amazing fantasy novel, The Malevolent Seven, with an even more outrageous and frankly bonkers sequel, The Malevolent Eight.  Following a group eight crazy individuals as they attempt to stop the warring armies of heaven and hell, The Malevolent Eight was utter chaos from start to finish, and I loved every second of it, vampiric kangaroo included.  One of the funnier books of 2025, The Malevolent Eight comes highly recommended, especially for those who like their fantasy novels as cleverly weird as possible.

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The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson

Another excellent fantasy novel released in 2025 was the very impressive and elaborate book, The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson.  The author’s first foray into fantasy fiction, The Raven Scholar featured a fantastic tournament plot, with several champions competing to become the ruler of a divided realm.  However, nothing is as it seems, and the contenders, including a damaged scholar dragged into the proceedings, are forced to contend with murder, intrigue and betrayal at every turn.  A wonderful piece of fantasy fiction from a very talented new voice in the genre.

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Never Flinch by Stephen King

The legendary Stephen King continues his domination of all thing’s fiction with the brilliant and deeply addictive Never Flinch.  A sequel to the outstanding novel Holly, Never Flinch sees unlikely investigator, Holly Gibney, attempt to stop two deadly predators attempting to kill in her town, including a guilt-riddled serial killer and a troubled stalker.  An excellent character-driven read, Never Flinch had me hooked very early on, and I still cannot get over how intense the last third of the book turned out.

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Born of an Iron Storm by Anthony Ryan

I had to include the awesome new fantasy novel from Anthony Ryan, Born of an Iron Storm, on this list.  The second book in the author’s Viking-inspired Age of Wrath series, Born of an Iron Storm perfectly followed on from last years A Tide of Black Steel (as well as Ryan’s previous Covenant of Steel trilogy), and treated readers to a powerful narrative shown through the eyes of four different heroes.  Loaded with cool world-building, great characters, and an adventure-laden plot, Born of an Iron Storm was an amazing read, and one I couldn’t get enough of.

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The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

Richard Osman returned to his Thursday Murder Club series this year, with the latest book The Impossible Fortune.  Following the retiree protagonists as they try to uncover the secret behind a mysterious vault and its missing owner, The Impossible Fortune was a wonderful novel, that really dove into its amazing character’s lives after the great tragedy of the previous Thursday Murder Club book.  Osman perfectly reconnected with all his great characters again, and this ended up being a very clever and heartwarming read.

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King Sorrow by Joe Hill

For the first time ever, I have two separate family members appear on this list, thanks to the amazing Joe Hill trying to outshine his father.  Hill’s new book is the massive, but deeply captivating King Sorrow, an elaborate fantasy horror novel with an exceptional plot behind it.  Following a group of damaged friends who inadvertently forge a Faustian bargain with an interdimensional dragon, King Sorrow follows these figures over multiple years, as each member of the group is forced to designate several victims for the dragon to hunt down and kill.  A complex and very powerful novel with some amazing characters, King Sorrow proved to be an outstanding book to fall in love with, and I still cannot get over some of the outstanding twists and turns Hill imagined.

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The Strength of the Few by James Islington

The much-anticipated fantasy novel, The Strength of the Few, lived up to all the hype surrounding it, and ended up being one of the top books from the end of 2025.  The sequel to Islington’s exceptional The Will of the Many (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023), The Strength of the Few was an extremely ambitious read that followed three separate versions of the same protagonist as he lives through simultaneous adventures of three parallel worlds.  A particularly intricate and intelligent fantasy novel, The Strength of the Few was a true highlight of the year, and I cannot recommend this impressive fantasy series enough.

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Artifact by Jeremy Robinson

The always impressive Jeremy Robinson produced another captivating, standalone science fiction horror read this year with the fantastic novel Artifact.  Following a small group of likeable and isolated Alaskans who attempt to discover what went wrong at the secretive scientific research laboratory hidden at the outskirts of town, Artifact was an ultra-exciting read that went to some dark places.  An outstanding novel that is really worth checking out on audiobook.

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The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly

While I was spoiled for choice with Michael Connelly books in 2025 (including the great murder mystery Nightshade), my favourite was The Proving Ground.  The latest Lincoln Lawyer novel, The Proving Ground saw the titular character attempt to take down an artificial intelligence company who he believes is partially responsible for a young girl’s murder.  Clever, insightful and very addictive, The Proving Ground was a brilliant legal thriller and one I can’t stop thinking about.

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Star Wars: Sanctuary by Lamar Giles

There were several amazing Star Wars books this year, including The Mask of Fear and Master of Evil, however, I had to focus on the amazing and highly entertaining novel, Sanctuary by Lamar Giles.  A tie-in to the Bad Batch animated series, Sanctuary was an extremely entertaining and captivating read that saw the unruly clone protagonists attempt to pull off several easy-money gigs.  Unsurprisingly, all their clever plans fall apart, and the protagonists and their trouble-causing cargo soon find themselves being chased by a brilliant ISB agent and a psychotic, uber-wealthy crime lord.  Relentlessly entertaining and compelling, but with some real heart, Sanctuary was an exceptional Star Wars novel, and one I cannot recommend enough.

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Whisper in the Wind by Luke Arnold

The final book I want to highlight on this list is the captivating urban fantasy novel, Whisper in the Wind.  The fourth book in Australian author Luke Arnold’s Fetch Phillips series, Whisper in the Wind sees the very damaged protagonist once again dragged into a dangerous attempt to bring magic back to his devastated city.  However, forced to contend with the city’s new elites, and their dark plans, Fetch finds himself pushed to his limit as his attempts at living a quiet life are blown to hell.  A complex and wonderfully written novel, Whisper in the Wind is an impressive entry in one of the more compelling ongoing fantasy series, and Luke Arnold honestly gets better with every book he writes.  A highly recommended read and a very worthy final inclusion on this list.

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Well, those are my 20 favourite books of 2025. It turned out to be quite a good list in the end, and I am very glad that I was able to highlight so many fantastic books.  2026 is set to be another excellent year for amazing reads, and I will be examining some of my most anticipated books next week.  In the meantime, let me know what your favourite books of 2025 were in the comments below, and make sure you all have a happy and safe New Years.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Audiobooks of 2025

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List10 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently reside at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  The official topic for this list involved listing the ten top books you hope that Santa would bring you this year.  While this is a fun sounding topic, I am instead going to continue my annual end of year wrap up of the best books I read in 2025.  In previous weeks I have highlighted some of the best pre-2025 novels, best new-to-me-authors and best 2025 sequels I read in the last year.  However, this week I am going to look at something near and dear to my hear, the best audiobooks of 2025.

Readers of this blog only need to check out my extensive audiobook category to the right to know that I have a lot of love for the audiobook format.  In my opinion, the audiobook is often the best way to experience a good book and in many cases this format makes a novel far more enjoyable.  As a result, I listened to quite a few audiobooks this year, and while a good chunk of them were books released before 2025 and featured in my Throwback Thursday posts, most were released this year.  There were some truly outstanding and impressive audiobooks released in 2025 and I knew going in that I was going to have an extremely hard time coming up with a final version of this list.

For this list I have only included audiobooks released in 2025 that I have listened to, which left me with a long list of extremely impressive audiobooks which I wanted to include in this post.  To help cut this down, I considered a range of factors, including the quality of the original novel, the skill of the narrator, production value, pacing and other features.  I was eventually able to reduce the list down to the absolute best 10 audiobooks, with my typical generous honourable mentions section.  I had to make some very hard decisions here, and I ended up excluding several extremely good audiobooks from the main list.  Still, I think it really represents the best audiobooks I enjoyed this year and there are some amazing productions below.

Honourable Mentions:

Burn to Shine, written by Jonathan Maberry and narrated by Ray Porter

The latest book in the always excellent Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry that always comes across awesome on audiobook.

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Four Ruined Realms, written by Mai Corland and narrated by Greg Chun, Zion Jang, Roger Yeh, Donald Chang, Jaine Ye and Sophie Oda.

An excellent and elaborate fantasy novel whose audiobook made perfect use of several great narrators.

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Sunrise on the Reaping, written by Suzanne Collins and narrated by Jefferson White

More Hunger Games excitement expertly brought to life from a great new narrator.

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Warhammer 40,000: Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok, written by Denny Flowers and narrated by Harry Myers

Hilarious Warhammer 40,000 fun from the impressive Denny Flowers, featuring one of the franchise’s very best narrators, Harry Myers.

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Top Ten List:

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

While I had the great pleasure of listening to several impressive Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks in 2025, my favourite had to be the awesome and addictive Interceptor City by Dan Abnett.  The sequel to Abnett’s classic Warhammer 40,000 novel, Double Eagle, Interceptor City was an impressive listen that saw the returning protagonist forced back into aerial combat, this time fighting for survival admit the towers of a giant, ruined city.  I deeply enjoyed Interceptor City especially on audiobook, voiced by one of my favourite narrators Toby Longworth.  The audiobook version really enhanced the epic flying fight sequences of Interceptor City, and this was one of the very best listens of the year.

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The Devils, written by Joe Abercrombie and narrated by Steven Pacey

Legendary grimdark fantasy author Joe Abercrombie returned in a big way in 2025 with his incredible novel The Devils.  Set in an alternate, medieval Europe, The Devils follows an elite group of literal monsters controlled by the church as they engage on a deadly mission to crown a queen.  This was one of the more compelling and entertaining novels of the year, and I must highlight the great audiobook version narrated by Abercrombie’s long-time collaborator Steven Pacey.  Pacey did an amazing job voicing all the unique characters in The Devils, and few narrators work as well with Abercrombie’s impressive storytelling and fantastic writing as Pacey.

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Cold War, written by Jonathan Maberry and narrated by Ray Porter

I doubt anyone is too surprised that an audiobook written by Jonathan Maberry is appearing on this list.  Maberry’s outstanding and ultra-intense novels always come out extremely well on the audiobook format, especially with the legendary Ray Porter narrating, who always perfectly matches the tone and tension of Maberry’s stories, while also providing impressive voices for his cast.  Of the two Maberry audiobooks released in 2025, my favourite was the dark science fiction novel Cold War.  Serving as a sequel to one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2024, NecroTek, Cold War was a brilliant follow-up, that really took the series in some powerful directions.  Porter once again brought out all the inherent fear and craziness of Maberry’s great writing, and the result was an exceptional audiobook that I could not get enough of.

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Never Flinch, written by Stephen King and narrated by Jessie Mueller

The iconic Stephen King continued to dominate the crime fiction genre in 2025 with the outstanding new Holly Gibney novel Never Flinch.  Following on from books like Mr Mercedes, The Outsider and Holly, Never Flinch once again saw King’s unique protagonist investigating dark crimes in her city.  However, this time there are two different killers stalking those close to her, and the resulting story was laden with threat, high stakes and deadly sequences.  I really enjoyed how the audiobook version of Never Flinch turned out, and new narrator Jessie Mueller killed it voicing the various characters in Never Flinch, as well as providing the occasional bit of singing.  A very spectacular audiobook and easily the best way to enjoy the latest Stephen King novel.

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Star Wars: Sanctuary, written by Lamar Giles and narrated by Marc Thompson

Everyone knows that I’m a sucker for Star Wars audiobooks, and one of the best of 2025 was the addictive listen Sanctuary.  A tie-in to The Bad Batch animated series, Sanctuary follows the rogue clones of the titular squad engage in some dangerous missions to help those closest to them.  A compelling and fun adventure novel that expertly captures the characters from the show, Sanctuary got even better thanks to its audiobook adaptation.  Not only was the iconic Star Wars music and sound effects expertly utilised throughout the audiobook run, but the always impressive Marc Thompson proved to be an outstanding narrator, providing exceptional imitations of the show’s cast.  A fantastic and highly addictive listen, Sanctuary was a Star Wars audiobook at its best.

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Days of Shattered Faith, written by Adrian Tchaikovsky and narrated by David Thorpe

One of the more elaborate and entertaining fantasy audiobooks of 2025 was the amazing Days of Shattered Faith by Adrian Tchaikovsky.  The third book in the author’s Tyrant Philosophers series (following on from City of Last Chances and House of Open Wounds), Days of Shattered Faith was an incredible piece of fantasy fiction that detailed the intrigues and betrayals taking place within crumbling kingdom besieged by friendly diplomats.  I loved this book, and I was really impressed with how effectively Tchaikovsky’s elaborate and clever narrative was showcased on audiobook.  David Thorpe did an outstanding job showcasing all of Tchaikovsky’s compelling detail and subtle twists with his narration, while also matching the author’s tone, and the resulting audiobook proved to be a complex and highly enjoyable treat to listen to.

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Artifact, written by Jeremy Robinson and narrated by R. C. Bray

The team of author Jeremy Robinson and narrator R. C. Bray returned in 2025, with the dark science fiction adventure, Artifact.  Following a group of likeable protagonists as they venture into a sinister secret laboratory in the wilderness, Artifact soon turns into a shocking story that you are unable to turn away from.  This excellent story is brilliantly enhanced by narrator R. C. Bray’s powerful voice that expertly fits the main protagonist and helps throw the reader into his damaged shoes.  As such, this was a very easy book to include on this list, and I cannot wait for more from Robinson and Bray in 2026.

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Born of an Iron Storm, written by Anthony Ryan and narrated by Steven Brand

Anthony Ryan continued his awesome fantasy adventures with the epic Born of an Iron Storm.  The great follow-up to last year’s A Tide of Black Steel, Born of an Iron Storm continues it’s Viking inspired story in some fantastically big ways.  I had an excellent time listening to Born of an Iron Storm on audiobook, especially with returning narrator Steven Brand, and it was one of the best ways to enjoy Ryan’s entertaining narrative.

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The Strength of the Few, written by James Islington and narrated by Euan Morton

One of the more elaborate audiobooks of 2025 was intense and ambitious The Strength of the Few by Australian author James Islington.  The incredible sequel to The Will of the Many, The Strength of the Few saw the protagonist from the first book split across three separate worlds, resulting in an amazingly layered novel.  Thanks to the distinctive narration of Euan Morton, The Strength of the Few works extremely well on audiobook, and I loved how well the author’s intricate detail came across in this powerful audiobook production.

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Star Wars: Master of Evil, written by Adam Christopher and narrated by Marc Thompson

The final audiobook that I want to highlight on this list is the captivating listen Master of Evil.  Featuring an intriguing narrative set around a recently forged Darth Vader exploring the dark side of the Force, Master of Evil proved to be a powerful, character-driven Star Wars book, with some true heart to it.  This great book was once again enhanced by the iconic Star Wars music, sound effects and the voice of Mark Thompson, and there is frankly no better way to enjoy Master of Evil than on audiobook.

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Well that is the end of this latest Top Ten list, and as you can see, I have been lucky enough to listen to some awesome audiobooks this year.  All the above audiobooks are extremely good and I would highly recommend each of them in their audiobook format.  Let me know what your favourite audiobooks of 2025 were in the comments below and make sure to check back next week to see what my overall favourite novels of the year were.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Sequels of 2025

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List9 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday required participants to list their most anticipated books for Summer (Winter for the Northern Hemisphere).  However, as I have already done this list a few weeks ago, I decided to continue with my annual end-of-year lists that I have been working on the last few weeks.  I have already covered my favourite new-to-me authors I read in 2025, as well as the best pre-2025 novels I read this year, but in this week’s list I am going to highlight the best sequels I read in 2025.  This is a relatively new topic that I have only explored in 2023 and 2024, however it’s proving to be a great topic that I’m keen to keep going back to.

Everyone loves a good sequel, and nearly every novelist and author has written some form of sequel in their career.  I’m sure we can all name some awesome books that requires some form of continuation and each year the talented authors we follow produce interesting sequel novels that cleverly expand from outstanding first novels.  I read a ton of sequels every year and I felt that it was about time that I highlighted the very best sequels of the year in a specific post.

To complete this list, I pulled together the best sequels released in 2025 that I had the pleasure of reading.  I primarily focused on second novels in a series that were released this year, especially those that I felt were outstanding follow ups to an impressive first novel and which followed the same characters or storylines.  For my top ten list, I prioritised those books I considered to be the best sequel, so while I might have enjoyed a specific novel more overall, if a book was a better sequel, it made the cut instead.  I think the resulting top ten list turned out pretty well as a result, and definitely highlights my favourite sequels released in 2025.

Honourable Mentions:

Crusade by Richard Cullen

A great and very exciting historical fiction novel that serves as an excellent sequel to the first book in Cullen’s Chronicles of the Black Lion series, Rebellion.

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Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben

Harlan Coben provided an intense and clever sequel to one of his better-known novels, Fool Me Once, this year with the awesome new book, Nobody’s Fool

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The Bluff by Joanna Jenkins

I had a lot of fun reading the compelling Australian crime novel, The Bluff by Joanna Jenkins, this year, which serves as an outstanding sequel to the author’s debut, How to Kill a Client.

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Hotel Lucky Seven by Kotaro Isaka

One of the more entertaining sequels of the year was the hilarious and charming English release of Hotel Lucky Seven by iconic Japanese author Kotaro Isaka.  A direct sequel to Bullet Train, Hotel Lucky Seven follows the previous book’s terminally unlucky protagonist as he finds himself trapped in a hotel full of outrageous assassins.

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Top Ten Tuesday:

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

The first incredible 2025 sequel I want to highlight on this list is A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett.  An elaborate and deeply clever fantasy murder mystery novel, A Drop of Corruption serves as a sequel to The Tainted Cup, which was one of my favourite books of 2024.  Following an unnaturally skilled detective and her loyal assistant as they investigate impossible crimes in a land constantly under attack from giant monsters, A Drop of Corruption, was an outstanding read that will keep you hooked until the end.  Featuring an exceptional mystery that perfectly utilises elements from the universe started in The Tainted Cup, A Drop of Corruption was one of the best books of the year and an incredible sequel.

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Warhammer 40,000: Interceptor City by Dan Abnett

Possibly one of the most long-awaited sequel on this list is the awesome Warhammer 40,000 novel, Interceptor City.  The sequel to Dan Abnett’s classic novel, Double Eagle, Interceptor City sees the original protagonist return for another gritty war story, this time forced to fly amongst the ruins of a giant city.  Featuring some of the best aerial combat sequences you are likely to read in fiction, Interceptor City was an exceptional read and it was amazing to see Double Eagle’s story continue in such a fantastic manner.

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The Malevolent Eight by Sebastian De Castell

I had a hilarious time getting through the highly entertaining and gloriously over-the-top fantasy novel, The Malevolent Eight.  The sequel to De Castell’s outstanding novel, The Malevolent Seven, The Malevolent Eight follows eight crazy mages as they attempt to save their world from the combined armies of heaven and hell.  A comedic treat that I couldn’t put down, this was an incredible fantasy sequel that comes very highly recommended.

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Broke Road by Matthew Spencer

I had to feature the impressive Australian crime fiction novel Broke Road by Matthew Spencer on this list.  Serving as an interesting follow-up to Spencer’s debut novel Black River, Broke Road is a gritty and complex murder mystery that sees a troubled detective and a rogue journalist investigate a shocking crime in regional Australia.  I deeply enjoyed Broke Road and it ended up being a particularly amazing sequel that overshadowed Spencer’s original novel.  One of the best pieces of Australian fiction in 2025, I cannot wait to see how Spencer continues to grow as an author.

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Born of an Iron Storm by Anthony Ryan

Acclaimed fantasy author Anthony Ryan continues to greatly impress with his new fantasy novel, Born of an Iron Storm.  The second book in Ryan’s Age of Wrath series, Born of an Iron Storm continues the excellent story started in A Tide of Black Steel, as four separate protagonists attempt to weather a dark invasion coming down upon their lands.  A wonderful fantasy adventure sequel that makes full use of its Viking inspiration, Born of an Iron Storm was a powerful read that is really worth checking out.

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Cold War by Jonathan Maberry

One of my favourite authors, Jonathan Maberry, continued his distinctive and dark NecroTek science fiction series this year with the fantastic second entry Cold War.  Set right after the events of the first book, NecroTek, Cold War was an inventive, intense and disturbing sequel that pitted human scientists and soldiers against the very worst Lovecraftian monsters.  A great sequel that cleverly brings in some awesome new characters and further raises the stakes of the crazy plot, Cold War was an exceptional read that I honestly couldn’t stop listening to.

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Never Flinch by Stephen King

I’m slightly cheating by including this next entry, however, I honestly count Never Flinch as a sequel as it is the second novel from Stephen King to feature his unique character, Holly Gibney, as protagonist.  Following on from the success of Holly (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023), Never Flinch sees the protagonist attempt to stop two deadly killers stalking their prey in her city.  A particularly moving and intense book, Never Flinch was so damn good, and I’m very glad that King produced a second Holly Gibney focused novel.

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Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler

The always fun Django Wexler wrapped up his Dark Lord Davi duology in amazing fashion this year with Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me.  Following a slightly insane fantasy protagonist who finds herself trapped in a deadly time loop, this entry was the wonderful sequel to Wexler’s 2024 novel, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying.  With the protagonist now a deadly Dark Lord, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me sees her attempt to save the human nation her minions want to conquer through an elaborate infiltration mission.  Filled with mishaps, adventure and outrageous humour, Everybody Wants to Ruel the World Except Me was so damn fun, and I cannot recommend this sequel enough.

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The Strength of the Few by James Islington

I had to feature the very impressive novel I just finished, The Strength of the Few by James Islington, on this list.  The most elaborate sequel of 2025, The Strength of the Few, serves as a follow-up to Islington’s highly acclaimed 2023 novel, The Will of the Many.  Upping the ante in a particularly inventive way, this great sequel sees the protagonist of The Will of the Many split across three separate versions of the same world, requiring three unique story arcs.  A very ambitious novel that shows some true inventiveness, The Strength of the Few was an exceptional novel that serves as a worthy sequel to Islington’s previous epic book.

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Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland

The final sequel I want to highlight on this list is Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland.  The sequel to Corland’s 2024 novel, Five Broken Blades, Four Ruined Realms sees the murderous and mistrustful protagonists of the first book attempt to once again work together to pull off an impossible heist.  Full of compelling characters, doomed romances and clever worldbuilding, Four Ruined Realms was an excellent novel, that worked extremely well as a sequel to Corland’s previous adventure.  Four Ruined Realms comes highly recommended as a result, and I really need to check out the third and final book in the series before the end of 2025.

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Well, that’s it for this list.  As you can see, I have read several outstanding sequels this year and had a wonderful time doing so.  Every entry above was an epic novel, and I loved how they each successfully continued impressive story threads started in the previous novel.  All these books come highly recommended, and I cannot wait to see how these talented authors add to their already awesome series in the future.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Pre-2025 Novels

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List6 Comments

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

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

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

Honourable Mentions:

Warhammer 40,000: Crossfire by Matthew Farrer – 2003

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

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The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso – 2024

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

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Death on the Tiber by Lindsey Davis – 2024

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

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Top Ten List:

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett – 1992

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

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Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett – 1993

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

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Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett – 1996

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

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Warhammer 40,000: Titanicus by Dan Abnett – 2008

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

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

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

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Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman – 2020

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

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Mickey7 by Edward Ashton – 2022

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

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The Butcher’s Masquerade by Matt Dinniman – 2022

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

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The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman – 2023

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

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The Ascent by Adam Plantinga – 2024

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

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