Tag: Dan Abnett

Warhammer 40,000: Titanicus by Dan Abnett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer3 Comments

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 September 2008)

Series: Warhammer 40,000/Sabbat Worlds Crusade

Length: 13 hours and 38 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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The Titans walk to war in this brutal and captivating Warhammer 40,000 novel from the legendary Dan Abnett, Titanicus.

Of the many great Warhammer 40,000 authors out there, few are as impressive as Dan Abnett, who has envisioned an incredible number of awesome battlefields and unique character-focused war stories across the Warhammer universe.  Abnett has written a ton of exceptional and powerful books around the franchise, including several series considered to be the seminal texts of the extended universe.  This includes his brilliant Eisenhorn trilogy (Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus), and he has multiple entries in my favourite Warhammer 40,000 books list.  However, his best-known series is the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, which I am currently in the middle of reading.

The Gaunt’s Ghosts books are a key series of Warhammer 40,000 fiction that follows the frontline human soldier of this grimdark universe.  Set in an extended multi-planet campaign, known as the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books follow a ragged regiment of soldiers as they attempt to survive the dark servants of Chaos coming for them.  I am having an exceptional time reading the Gaunt’s Ghosts series, with books like First and Only, Ghostmaker, Necropolis, Honour Guard, The Guns of Tanith, Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr, really impressing me with the complex stories and intense action.  While I need to read more of the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, I have taken a quick break to read some of the spin-off novels Abnett wrote around his main series.  Also set around the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, these spin-off novels follow other campaigns in this massive sector spanning war and provide Warhammer fans with a more in-depth view of these battles.  These spin-offs include the exceptional Double Eagle, which I had the great pleasure of reading last year, and which featured so many awesome duels between flyers.  Titanicus was another spectacular book shows a new and highly destructive battlefront of the crusade by focusing on the iconic Titan Legions of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

As war rage across the stars, the forces of Chaos constantly seek a way to disrupt the vital Sabbat World Crusade and destroy the human forces fighting to bring new worlds into the Imperium of Man.  To that end, the archenemy launches an ambitious and devastating surprise assault on the vital forge world of Orestes, whose under-strength defenders find themselves under mass attack from Chaos Titan war engines.  With both the citizens of the Imperium of Man and the forges of the Adeptus Mechanicus under threat, the planet appeals for help and soon finds its prayers answered from the stars in dramatic fashion.

Fresh from their own wars and heading out to join the crusade, the Titans of the Legio Invicta arrive on Orestes, determined to help their Mechanicus brethren.  Finding the forces of Orestes severely outwatched, the Invicta Titans stride to war, causing everything to tremble at the god-machines wrath.  Soon the world is engulfed in an engine war, with both sides wielding enough firepower to crack the planet and the entire population of Orestes caught in the conflict.

But as the war continues, a far more insidious threat arises that could impact far more than just the war on Orestes.  Deep secrets from within Orestes Forge soon begin to spill out, risking a schism between the Imperium of Man and the Adeptus Mechanicus.  With the planet trembling under the battling machines and enemy forces growing by the day, can Legio Invicta overcome the peril growing within their brotherhood before Orestes and the entire galaxy is put to the flame?

Dan Abnett presets another brilliant war story that is epic in every definition of the word.  Successfully presenting the awesome power of the Titans, Titanicus is a deeply compelling and impressive Warhammer 40,000 novel that I honestly could not get enough of.  Intense, exciting and so darn cool, Titanicus gets an easy five-star rating from me, as Abnett once again shows just how talented he is.

Titanicus had a particularly awesome and multi-layered standalone war narrative behind it that hooked me thanks to the author’s nuanced take on the destructive conflicts of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  Starting off with some dark death to hammer home how grim the situation is, you are soon thrust into the main story as the planet of Orestes comes under attack and the defenders are pushed to the limit.  However, hope soon arrives with the landing of Legio Invicta, who back up Orestes’s existing Titans and defenders with their own engines and troops.  Abnett quickly and effectively sets up multiple character specific storylines as the book progresses that show various alternative viewpoints of the war.  The author works hard to showcase multiple levels of the conflict, from the top commanders all the way to the lowliest of soldiers, and I really enjoyed some of the intriguing storylines that emerged.  This includes desperate tales of survival by following human troops caught behind enemy lines and pursued by mechanical monsters, compelling dives into the minds of the Titan pilots, looks at the various political forces on Orestes, and even some fascinating storylines inside the Adeptus Mechanicus forge.  Abnett did an amazing job highlighting the desperate strife and the complex conflicts these figures endured, and you get a fantastic overarching look at the machine war that proves hard to look away from. 

As the plot of Titanicus continues, the various storylines go in some interesting directions, as you follow each of the characters or groups on their own unique journeys.  Abnett did a really good job of ensuring these unique storylines effectively played off each other as the book continues, and the way characters reacted to events from other plotlines was quite clever and helped to produce a cohesive and intense overarching narrative.  The introduction of a compelling storyline around intrigue and dissent amongst the Adeptus Mechanicus characters provides some extra drama and character conflicts, which added some interesting complexity to the plot, especially as it gave you an alternative group of antagonists which worked well alongside the menacing forces of Chaos, whose perspective you don’t see.  I appreciated how well Abnett set this storyline up in advance, and there are some clever hints to this, and other big events, earlier in the plot.

The final third of Titanicus is particularly impressive and intense, as the author brings together his various storylines extremely well.  I especially enjoyed some of the massive action sequences, while the resolution of the Adeptus Mechanicus storyline was powerful and full of drama as big personalities try to overcome mistrust and dissent.  While I would have liked to have seen the final battle in full, I think Abnett’s effective summary worked pretty well, and I understand that spending another few hours in combat would have watered down the author’s main message.  Each major character’s arc is resolved in a very satisfying manner, and there is an excellent blend of dramatic moments and intense action to keep the reader hooked.  I appreciated how a couple of these conclusions were more depressing, rather than being uniformly happy, which fits both the grimdark nature of Warhammer 40,000 as well as Abnett’s overarching themes that war has no true winners.  This story really came together well, and I deeply enjoyed the complex standalone narrative that Abnett came up with.

This was another insanely well written novel from Abnett, who excels at telling dark, deeply personal war stories from multiple perspectives.  The author provides the perfect balance of excitement, deep intrigue and fantastic character growth in Titanicus, all expertly set within the amazing Warhammer 40,000 universe, and it proves to be such an addictive read.  I personally became engrossed in the various character-driven storylines that emerged throughout the plot, especially the long-running storylines that lasted the entire book.  However, even the more minor character arcs, such as the occasional scene from a normal citizen living in the city to an extended look at the crew of a doomed machine, was hard hitting and Abnett really gets you invested in these personal tales.  As I mentioned above, these often-separate storylines worked extremely well in concert with each other, and Abnett did such a good job pulling them together into a brilliant, overarching narrative. 

Of course, you can’t talk about Titanicus’s writing without going into how incredible the action sequences are.  Abnett crafts together so many deeply intense and powerful battle scenes throughout Titanicus that constantly had the blood pumping as you watched your favourite characters brave the dark gauntlet of battle time and time again.  The author had a lot of fun envisioning war on multiple fronts, and I loved how we got to see infantry fights, tank battles and entertaining skirmishes between various augmented foes as the story continued.  However, easily the most awesome thing about Titanicus is the Titans themselves.  Insanely massive and powerful walking war machines, the Titans steal any scene they are in, and there are so many great reactions as the normal human characters see the Titans fight, especially when the despoiled enemy machines advance on them.  However, it is the sequences shown from the perspective of the Titan pilots themselves that are the best, as you become fully immersed into the battles in the scenes as the machines rain down destruction and depth.  You can honestly feel the insane powerful and destructive ability of the Titans as you move throughout Titanicus, and every single battle involving one of these massive walkers is epic on so many levels. 

As with the rest of Abnett’s books, Titanicus proved to be a particularly strong entry in the Warhammer 40,000 canon.  Serving as a companion piece to the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, Titanicus is a must-read to anyone who has enjoyed Abnett’s main series and the overarching campaign it is a part of.  However, as there are no overlapping characters or major storylines, Titanicus can also be easily read as a standalone novel, and indeed would be a great introduction to Abnett’s writing style and his ability to write awesome war stories.  Titanicus would also be the perfect entry novel to anyone interested in exploring Warhammer 40,000 fiction, especially science fiction readers who love the idea of giant piloted war machines.  The cool action, complex character arcs and fantastic standalone narrative ensures that anyone can really dive into Titanicus and have a brilliant time, and I honestly think this book would appeal to a wide range of different readers.

However, as with most books in the franchise, Titanicus will mostly appeal to those established Warhammer 40,000 fans who will love Abnett’s dive into some unique aspects of the universe.  Naturally, this is primarily going to be around the Titans, who are a very awesome part of the Warhammer 40,000 setting that are often underutilised in fiction due to being too overpowered (or getting badly nerfed when they do appear).  I think Abnett did these war machines perfect justice in Titanicus, and you really come away appreciating every aspect of them, including their raw power, their powerful spirit, and the love the crews have for them.  However, Abnett also dives into the dark side of the machine, and some of the sequences that show the pilots losing their humanity were particularly jarring.  Honestly, I thought Abnett’s portray of the Titans was just brilliant, and I have yet to see another Warhammer author do any better.  Abnett also takes a lot of time to dive into the lore surrounding the Adeptus Mechanics.  While these parts of the book might be slightly confusing for newer readers, established fans will love seeing Abnett explore these machine-worshipping figures, especially as a theological schism becomes a major plot issue.  Other cool lore aspects include examining the uneasy relationship between the Imperium and the Mechanicus on planets they share, the dark side of human life on a planet under siege, and even little fun moments, like a toy maker finally finding success as he makes models of the Titans battling across the world.  All these elements make Titanicus a particularly epic read for fans of the franchise, and I personally loved seeing Abnett’s take on all these cool universe inclusions.

While the writing, story and Warhammer 40,000 elements are all exceptional on their own, what really brings them together and makes Titanicus truly awesome are the multiple cool characters scattered throughout the plot.  Abnett introduces a huge range of fantastic and complex characters in Titanicus who you grow quite attached to as the plot continues.  All the characters, from major figures to minor one-scene characters, are fantastically written and cleverly influence the plot in their own cool ways.  Highlights for me included the desperate crew of a destroyed tank who try to escape on foot, only to find more danger in front of them.  A group of inexperienced conscripts who are completely unprepared for the horrors of war also prove to be really entertaining, and you grow invested in their struggles to survive and the tragedies that await them.  Abnett also examines several intriguing Adeptus Mechanicus figures within the Orestes Forge, whose frustrations, ambitions and struggles for power are far more human than they’d like to believe.  However, the best character arc for me was the one that revolved around the crew of a Legio Invicta’s Titan who are forced to accept an Orestes’ Princeps (the pilot plugged into the Titan’s mind) when their own dies without a successor.  The resulting conflicts between the inexperienced and arrogant outsider pilot and the veteran Legio Invicta crew, which includes the Titan’s moderati (second-in-command), who finds himself under a suspended death sentence, sets the scene perfectly, and you become really intrigued in seeing how the Titan will survive.  Watching these figures come together as a crew is a highlight of Titanicus, although Abnett does an excellent job twisting that around later when internal conflict splits the protagonists.  All these characters, and many more, gave Titanicus some real emotional heft, and I became so damn invested in seeing the final fate of so many of these outstanding protagonists.

I think that it’s kind of a given that I listened to Titanicus on audiobook rather than seeking out a physical copy of the book.  Warhammer audiobooks are so damn good, and frankly there is no better way to enjoy the franchise’s awesome narratives and compelling action.  This is particularly true for Titanicus, as the intricate details and impressive combat sequences really shine through even better when read out.  I especially loved how incredibly epic the various Titan-on-Titan battles came across in this audiobook format, and the fantastic voice of narrator Toby Longworth ensured that you were enrapt by every single second of carnage.  Longworth, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators, always does an exceptional job bringing Abnett’s amazing stories to life, and he was once again exceptional here in Titanicus.  Longworth captures all the characters in Titanicus perfectly, and you get a real sense of their personalities, emotions and their reactions to the insane events of the book.  This includes the various Adeptus Mechanicus figures, which Longworth voices in all their mechanical glory, and you can just imagine these augmented figures, and indeed all the complex characters of Titanicus, as Longworth describes them.  This makes for such an exceptional experience, and I flew through the audiobook’s near 14-hour long runtime extremely quickly.  There is honestly no other way to enjoy Titanicus than on audiobook, and you are guaranteed to have an amazing time.

Dan Abnett continues to showcase why he is such a highly regarded author of Warhammer fiction with the brilliant and captivating Titanicus.  Perfectly showcasing a war between one of the franchise’s most epic components, the massive Titan war engines, Titanicus was an exceptional read from start to finish and one that I cannot recommend enough.  I had such a great time with Titanicus, and I look forward to reading even more Warhammer 40,000 books from Dan Abnett this year.

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WWW Wednesday – 8 January 2025

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme 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:

Gunnawah by Ronni Salt (Trade Paperback)

I finally got the chance to start reading the thrilling 2025 Australian debut novel, Gunnawah by Ronni Salt. An intriguing crime fiction read, Gunnawah provides a compelling and unique look at a turbulent region of Australia during the 1970s through the eyes of some entertaining characters. I am currently about halfway through Gunnawah at the moment and I am hoping to finish it off in the next couple of days.

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Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland (Audiobook)

I just started listening to the awesome 2025 fantasy novel, Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland.  The sequel to the awesome Five Broken Blades, Four Ruined Realms sees a group of deadly killers and rogues once again try to work together to pull off an impossible mission.  Loaded with action, fun characters, and some entertaining tension, Four Ruined Realms is proving to be a very worthy sequel to Five Broken Blades, and I have made a fair bit of progress on it so far.

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What did you recently finish reading?

The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso (Trade Paperback)

I managed to finish off the new Melissa Caruso novel, The Last Hour Between Worlds, this week. An amazing fantasy thriller, The Last Hour Between Worlds so much fun to read, and I got so caught up in its unique plot.  Highly recommended!

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

I absolutely powered through the classic Warhammer 40,000 audiobook Titanicus, this week. Set in author Dan Abnett’s iconic Sabbat Worlds Crusade overarching series (which also features the Gaunt’s Ghosts books and Double Eagle), Titanicus explores a war in the Warhammer 40,000 universe fought primarily with giant Titan war machines. An overall exceptional book that is a must read for all Warhammer fans; I am hoping to get a review up for this one soon.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

The Ascent by Adam Plantinga

In the next week I am hoping to quickly read the awesome sounding thriller The Ascent by Adam Plantinga.  One of the more exciting sounding debuts of 2024, The Ascent has been on my to-read list for a while, and I look forward to seeing how this fantastic book unfolds.

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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 – 1 January 2025

On By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme 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 Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso (Trade Paperback)

I have made a fair bit of progress on the new Melissa Caruso novel, The Last Hour Between Worlds, this week. An amazing fantasy thriller, The Last Hour Between Worlds follows an investigator who finds themself trapped in a deadly party with murder, monsters and a time loop.  I am about halfway through The Last Hour Between Worlds at the moment, and I love its awesome concept and fun story.  I look forward to seeing how the entire book comes together, and this is proving to be an outstanding read.

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

I was the mood for something particularly awesome to start 2025 with so I decided to listen to the classic Warhammer 40,000 audiobook Titanicus. Set in author Dan Abnett’s iconic Sabbat Worlds Crusade overarching series (which also features the Gaunt’s Ghosts books and Double Eagle), Titanicus explores a war in the Warhammer 40,000 universe fought primarily with giant Titan war machines.  I have made a fair bit of progress on Titanicus already and it is proving to be a very epic and impactful read that covers the destructive machine war at multiple intriguing levels.  An overall exceptional book to start the year with.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Warhammer: The Horus Heresy: Eidolon: The Auric Hammer by Marc Collins (Audiobook)

I managed to quickly power through the short Warhammer audiobook, Eidolon: The Auric Hammer by Marc Collins this week.  Part of The Horus Heresy series, Eidolon: The Auric Hammer was an entertaining read focused on an intriguing and deranged traitor Space Marine. A fun listen with an awesome story behind it.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Gunnawah by Ronni Salt

I am still planning to dive into the thrilling 2025 Australian debut novel, Gunnawah, next. An intriguing crime fiction read, Gunnawah sounds very cool and I hope to read it 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.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Pre-2024 Novels

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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-2024 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 2024, 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-2024 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 2024, 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 2024.  This proved to be a momentous task, as I read a ton of older books this year, including quite a few Warhammer 40,000 tie-in novels.  Despite the awesome array of older novels and audiobooks I enjoyed this year, I eventually managed to pull together a fantastic list that covered some of the best books released before 2024 that I read.  As I have in previous years, I combined novels that are part of the same series into a single entry, just to diversify it up a bit.  While I might be cheating in places, this list honestly reflects the best pre-2024 novels I read throughout the year, so let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Warhammer 40,000 Brutal Kunnin by Mike Brooks – 2021

A highly entertaining read from a great rising star of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.  Brutal Kunnin was particularly funny, and it allowed me to read it’s 2024 sequel, Da Big Dakka, in all it’s hilarious glory.

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Warhammer 40,000 Witchbringer by Steven B. Fischer – 2022

A fantastic Warhammer 40,000 debut from a couple of years ago, Witchbringer was an awesome novel that I was really happy to finally check out.

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Rebellion by Simon Scarrow – 2023

I got Rebellion, the 2023 entry in one of my favourite historical series, a bit late last year and it ended up being an early January 2024 read for me as a result.  A captivating and action-packed novel, Rebellion was amazing and comes highly recommended.

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Top Ten List:

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett – 1989

I had a ton of fun re-reading one of my favourite Discworld novels this year with Guards! Guards!.  One of Terry Pratchett’s best books, Guards! Guards! was just as amazing as I remembered it, and I still laugh at its elaborate narrative and exceptional humour.  While I have read Guards! Guards! before, I’m including it on this list as it was the first time I listened to the new audiobook version with Jon Culshaw, Peter Serafinowicz and Bill Nighy.  An incredible listen that I cannot recommend enough.

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Gaunt’s Ghosts series by Dan Abnett – Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr – 2002

As with last year’s pre-2023 book post, this list could have been dominated by the works of Dan Abnett if I hadn’t combined a few posts together.  That is because I am still making progress on his Gaunt’s Ghosts series, which is one of the seminal pieces of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.  Following the common soldiers of the Tanith First and Only, better known as Gaunt’s Ghosts, this series is a gritty series about camaraderie and the horrors of war for the common human soldier in the grim future of the Warhammer universe.  I managed to get through two exceptional entries in the series this year, Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr, both of which were epic in their own way.  Featuring great characters, dark moments, and some particularly realistic depictions of war, these novels were so damn good, and I loved every second I spent listening to them.  I am hoping to dive even deeper into this series next year, and I know I am going to love it.

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Warhammer 40,000: Double Eagle by Dan Abnett – 2004

One of the absolute best Warhammer 40,000 novels I enjoyed in 2024 was another classic read from Dan Abnett, Double Eagle.  A spin-off from his Gaunt’s Ghosts series (The Guns of Tanith specifically), Double Eagle was an exceptional and highly intense read that followed various Imperial pilots as they fight a brutal air war above a contested planet.  Essentially the Battle of Britain in the grimdark future, Double Eagle was utterly addictive, and I loved every single second I spent listening to it.  A must read for all Warhammer 40,000 fans, Double Eagle is just incredible, and I am looking forward to the sequel, Interceptor City, which is coming out soon.

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Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell – The Traitor’s Hand (2005), Death or Glory (2006), Duty Calls (2007) and Cain’s Last Stand (2008)

Another long-running Warhammer 40,000 series I read in 2024 was the Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell.  Following the heroic Commissar Cain as he fights in multiple battlefields, the Ciaphas Cain books are a particularly fun Warhammer 40,000 series due to the hilarious protagonist who is a lot more cowardly and practical than most people realise.  I read four books in this series this year, mainly because they are so easy to listen to and enjoy.  This includes The Traitor’s Hand, Death or Glory, Duty Calls and Cain’s Last Stand.  All four were extremely good and featured distinctive and entertaining stories, with the last three featuring a great, loosely connected storyline.  If I had to choose a favourite it would probably be Death or Glory, that set a young Ciaphas Cain on his path to hero status when he accidently leads a band of human survivors Mad Max style to victory.  An outstanding series I will probably read more of in 2025.

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Warhammer 40,000: Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons – 2010

As I’m on a roll with awesome older Warhammer 40,000 novels, the next book on this list is the impressive Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons.  A particularly dark addition to the canon, Dead Men Walking pits Lyon’s favourite Imperial Guard faction, the Death Korps of Kreig (who Lyons also writes about in Kreig and The Siege of Vraks), against the unstoppable metal-coated Necrons, resulting in a devastating battle against two equally unrelenting foe.  Cleverly told from the perspective of the normal humans caught in the crossfire of this brutal war, Dead Men Walking showcases just how dark Warhammer 40,000 fiction can get, and I loved the entire captivating and ironic story.

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Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher – Skin Game (2014) and Peace Talks (2020)

After a couple of years of having a brilliant time exploring the Dresden Files books, I finally finished off the series this year by reading Skin Game and Peace Talks.  Two excellent and compelling entries in the series, these books were particularly awesome in all the right ways.  My favourite of the two was Skin Game, which saw the wizard protagonist forced to team up with his worst enemies to complete an impossible magical heist.  However, the other book, Peace Talks, was also particularly moving and exciting, especially as it set up Butcher’s other 2020 novel Battle Ground, which is where I entered the Dresden Files series.  I have had such an incredible time reading the Dresden Files books over the years, and I hope we start to get some new entries in it soon.

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The Outsider by Stephen King – 2018

One of the books I was particularly happy to read in 2024 was the intense and brilliant Stephen King novel The Outsider.  A complex, dark and shocking horror thriller, The Outsider starts off with a great concept when a local hero is accused of a terrible crime and all the evidence irrefutably shows that he did it.  The problem, the accused claims to be innocent and he has an impossibly airtight alibi.  I loved the fantastic and powerful story King wove around this idea, and I honestly could not stop listening to it.  Probably one of the better King books I have so far read, The Outsider was so damn good and still cannot get over its exceptional story.

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The Sandman – Act III by Neil Gaiman – 2022

After having a great time listening to the first audiobook adaptations of The Sandman in previous years (see my reviews for Act I and Act II), I managed to listen to the third act this year.  An intriguing continuation of the story, Act III featured an excellent and addictive story, told by an all-star full cast of excellent actors and voice talent.  I had such an outstanding time listening to the complex tales contained within this latest adaptation of The Sandman and I really cannot recommend it enough as an awesome way to enjoy this brilliantly dark and inventive series.  I hope we eventually get a fourth act of The Sandman at some point, as I really need closure around how the series ends.

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Saevus Corax Captures the Castle and Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder by K. J. Parker – 2023

After having an exceptional time with Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead last year (one of my favourite books of 2023), I made sure to read the simultaneously released sequels, Saevus Corax Captures the Castle and Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder in 2024.  Both were clever and hilarious reads that followed the series’ smart, cynical and unlucky protagonist through a series of complex adventures.  These sequels were extremely well written and planned out, and I loved how the overarching series came together.  I cannot recommend the final two Corax books enough, and together with Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead, they form and exceptional and extremely smart trilogy.

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Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien de Castell – 2023

The final book I want to feature on this list was the captivating fantasy novel, Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien de Castell.  A loosely connected prequel to de Castell’s new Court of Shadows series, which started this year with Play of Shadows, Crucible of Chaos was an outstanding read that I am glad I went back to check out.  Set in the author’s Greatcoats universe, Crucible of Chaos follows an unlikely magistrate as he journeys to an isolated monastery to arbitrate a religious dispute that has broken out on the grounds.  However, upon arriving he discovers that the situation has irrevocably deteriorated, and he must investigate a terrible murder amongst on the storm rocked island, whilst dealing with armed factions and dark magic.  A particularly impressive read that cemented my new-found appreciation for de Castell’s writing, Crucible of Chaos is an outstanding novel and a fantastic final entry on this list.

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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-2024 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 2025, and it will be interesting to see what makes my next version of this list then.  I imagine it will also end up being very Warhammer heavy, as I have plans to finish off the Gaunt’s Ghosts and Ciaphas Cain series, and I will probably also dive into a bunch of other awesome series from the franchise.  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 2024.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books on my Summer 2024/25 To-Be-Read (TBR) List

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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 week’s Top Ten Tuesday participants get a Thanksgiving Freebie to focus on whatever topic they want.  As such, I am going to take this opportunity to look ahead for the next three months.  That is because today is the last Tuesday before December 2024, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to do my quarterly post about the best upcoming books to read in Summer (Winter for folks in the Northern Hemisphere).  This is a regular post I do at the start of each season, and I always love to highlight some of the most impressive sounding novels coming out in the next three months.

For this list, I have come up with ten books coming out between 1 December 2024 and 28 February 2025 that I am most excited for. There are quite a few amazing novels set for release in the next few months, so it took me a while to finalise my final top ten list, including my usual honourable mentions section.  I have primarily used the Australian publication dates to reflect when I will be able to get these awesome novels, and these might be somewhat different to the rest of the world.  I have previously discussed a number of these books before in prior Waiting on Wednesday articles and my most anticipated books for the second half of 2024 lists (fantasy and science fiction and other genres), and I think all of them will turn out to be incredible reads.  I am extremely excited for these next three months and I feel that quite a few of these upcoming reads have the potential to be some of my favourite books of 2024 and 2025.

Honourable Mentions:

Gunnawah by Ronni Salt – 1 January 2025

An intriguing Australian crime fiction debut from an awesome new author.  Gunnawah will probably be one of the first books I read in 2025.

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The Reunion by Bronwyn Rivers – 11 February 2025

Another awesome sounding Australian crime fiction debut that will feature the beautiful and iconic Blue Mountains as a background setting.

 

Battle Mountain by C. J. Box – 25 February 2025

I had a lot of fun with the latest book in C. J. Box’s entertaining Joe Pickett thriller series, Three-Inch Teeth, and I’m curious to see how the series continues next year.

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Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky – 27 February 2025

A complex and compelling upcoming science fiction novel from the always impressive Adrian Tchaikovsky.

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Top Ten Tuesday:

Warhammer 40,000: Interceptor City by Dan Abnett – December 2024

First on this list I had to include the upcoming Warhammer 40,000 novel, Interceptor City by Dan Abnett.  The long-awaited sequel to Abnett’s classic novel, Double Eagle, Interceptor City will present readers with even more aerial combat awesomeness as he brings back one of his complex protagonists for another massive war.  Set in his large inter-connected Sabbat Worlds Crusade series, Interceptor City sounds extremely epic, and if its anywhere as good as Double Eagle, this will end up being one of my top books of the years.  I’m not 100 per cent sure when Interceptor City is out in Australia, but I should be able to get a copy of it in December so I’m happy including it on this list.

 

Days of Shattered Faith by Adrian Tchaikovsky – 5 December 2024

Another exceptional book to end 2024 with is the new Adrian Tchaikovsky book, Days of Shattered Faith.  The third book in the author’s Tyrant Philosophers series, Days of Shattered Faith returns to his chaotic fantasy world, where a tyrannical nation attempts to bring perfection and correctness by any means necessary.  This latest book will see two diplomats attempt to navigate a complex city filled with gods, necromancy and intrigue, while also trying to work around the constrictions of their own inflexible government.  The previous two books in this series, City of Last Chances (one of my favourite audiobooks of 2023) and House of Open Wounds (one of my favourite books of 2023) have been unbelievably exceptional, and I cannot wait to see what hilarious insanity occurs in this next amazing novel.

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Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland – 7 January 2025

One of the first books out in 2025 that I am excited for is the cool fantasy novel, Four Ruined Realms.  The sequel to Corland’s brilliant 2024 fantasy debut, Five Broken Blades, Four Ruined Realms will see the author’s murderous and duplicitous protagonists try to pull off another impossible heist with everything they care about on the line.  However, after all the lies in the previous book, none of the protagonists trust each other, especially with even more betrayals on the horizon.  This should be an outstanding read, and I am hoping to grab Four Ruined Realms on audiobook, especially as it features several talented narrators.

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Grave Danger by James Grippando – 14 January 2025

I’m looking forward to some fantastic legal thriller excitement in January with the next book from acclaimed author James Grippando, Grave Danger.  The next book in the author’s Jack Swyteck series, Grave Danger features a new intriguing case that sees the protagonist become involved in a contentious international custody case.  However, things become even more complicated when Jack’s FBI agent wife is dragged into events, and the protagonist finds himself navigating a massive international conspiracy.  I really love the sound of this awesome book, and after having so much fun with Grippando’s previous novel, Goodbye Girl, I know I am going to love Grave Danger.

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Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman – 6 February 2025

It isn’t the start of my reading year if I don’t have the new Alex Delaware novel (see my reviews for The Wedding Guest, The Museum of Desire, Serpentine, City of the Dead, Unnatural History and The Ghost Orchid).  The next entry in the series, Open Season, will see Kellerman’s iconic protagonists return for a particularly complex case, when a spree killer starts taking out Hollywood hopefuls.  Open Season sounds extremely awesome, and I cannot wait to check it out.

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Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz – 11 February 2025

I always love how the start of the new year brings fresh thrillers from some of my favourite authors, and that includes Gregg Hurwitz.  A talented author with a flair for action, Hurwitz has really impressed me in recent years with his Orphan X series (Out of the Dark, Into the Fire, Prodigal Son, Dark Horse, The Last Orphan and Lone Wolf).  The next book in the series will see Hurwitz’s elite, but damaged, spy protagonist go to war with his only friend, with even more dangerous forces lurking on the horizon.  This should be another exciting and addictive addition to the Orphan X series, and I cannot wait to see what amazing action Hurwitz features in his new book.

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The Medici Return by Steve Berry – 11 February 2025

Another great thriller series I enjoy reading early each year are the Cotton Malone books by Steve Berry.  A distinctive series that combines modern day thriller storylines with historical conspiracies and secrets, the Cotton Malone books are always a ton of fun, and I love some of the compelling topics that Berry cleverly explores.  The next book in the series, The Medici Return, has an outstanding sounding narrative behind it that involves an ancient, massive debt owed by the Vatican, that could change the future of both Italy and the Catholic church.  This is one of the more intriguing plots that Berry has come up with and I cannot wait to unwrap the many mysteries in this cool upcoming thriller.

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Warrior by Simon Turney – 13 February 2025

Following on from his outstanding 2024 novel, Invader, Turney looks set to continue his great Agricola series in the new year with Warrior.  Following the early life of famous Roman general Agricola, Warrior will see the young officer attempt to survive the deadly politics of the realm in the dying days of Nero’s rule.  Warrior will no doubt be an exciting and captivating historical fiction novel, and I cannot wait to see how this fantastic series continues.

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Midnight Black by Mark Greaney – 18 February 2025

In recent years I have become a massive fan of Mark Greaney’s Gray Man series, which is probably my favourite spy thriller series now (check out my reviews for The Gray Man, Mission Critical, One Minute Out, Relentless, Sierra Six, Burner and The Chaos Agent).  Following the titular Gray Man, a legendary killer attempting to survive in a complicated world, the Gray Man series is so damn good, and I love the complex scenarios that Greaney envisions.  The next book in the series, Midnight Black, will see the Gray Man go to war with Russia after the woman he loves is captured and held in a prison camp.  Likely to be a particularly intense and bloody addition to the series, I am so excited for Midnight Black, and it is one of my most anticipated thrillers of 2025.

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Star Wars: Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear by Alexander Freed – 25 February 2025

The final book I want to highlight in this post is the epic upcoming Star Wars novel, The Mask of Fear.  The first entry in the planned Reign of the Empire trilogy, The Mask of Fear will follow several key characters from the Star Wars franchise, including Mon Mothma, Saw Gerrera and Bail Organa, during the first year of the Emperor’s rule.  I love this period of Star Wars history and there is so much potential here to show the early days of the Rebel Alliance and the tyranny they seek to overthrow.  It helps that Alexander Freed is a particularly impactful Star Wars writer, and after enjoying his Alphabet Squadron trilogy (Alphabet Squadron, Shadow Fall and Victory’s Price), I know that this is going to be an exceptional book.  I cannot wait for this epic Star Wars novel, and it is a very worthy final entry on this list.

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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.  Each of the above should be extremely epic, and I cannot wait to read each of 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.  In the meantime, it looks like I have quite a few books to get through soon and they should all be awesome.

Waiting on Wednesday – Interceptor City and Elemental Council

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Waiting on Wednesday, Warhammer5 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.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight two epic upcoming Warhammer 40,000 novels that are sure to be extremely awesome, Interceptor City and Elemental Council.

I have been on a massive Warhammer 40,000 roll lately, brought on by all the amazing books from this franchise that have been released this year.  I actually did another Waiting on Wednesday post on upcoming Warhammer 40,000 novels a few weeks ago, but in the short time since I published that post, even more fantastic new entries in the franchise have been announced.  As such, I thought I would do a quickly supplementary Waiting on Wednesday here to highlight another two epic upcoming Warhammer 40,000 books I am hoping to get my hands on.

The first of these books is Interceptor City by Dan Abnett.  Abnett is an absolute master of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, having written multiple novels within the franchise, including a couple of series universally accepted as the seminal works of Warhammer fiction.  I have fallen deeply in love with many of Abnett’s books, with his Eisenhorn trilogy and Gaunt’s Ghosts books earning a well-deserved place on my list of best Warhammer 40,000 novels.  As such, I will instantly grab anything new written by Abnett, but his next book, Interceptor City, is going to be something very special indeed.

Interceptor City is the long-awaited sequel to one of Abnett’s best novels, Double Eagle.  Double Eagle was a brilliant and epic read that followed a band of aerial fighter pilots as they attempt to save a planet under siege from a horde of enemy bombers and fighters.  I just read Double Eagle for the first time a couple of weeks ago in preparation for this sequel and it is frankly one of my new favourite Warhammer 40,000 books, especially as it featured an impressive story, great characters, and some of the most exciting and elaborate aerial action sequences you are likely to see.  I cannot emphasise just how impressive Double Eagle was, and it got a very easy five-star rating from me.  As such, I am extremely excited to now get my hands on the sequel, and Interceptor City has a great plot concept behind it.

Plot Synopsis:

The Imperium is locked into a gruelling war of attrition for the fate of Vesperus during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade – a dead hive on the planet Lysander nicknamed ‘Interceptor City’. Former ace fighter pilot Bree Jagdea is forced to give up her relatively safe life of supply runs, and is enlisted in the infamous Circus 66 squadron, whose contributions to the war effort are far more dangerous. In Vesperus’ lethal rat runs, the smallest error means certain death – the only question is whether Bree can make it through this hellish gauntlet alive.

While the plot synopsis above is a little short, it none-the-less has got me very excited for Interceptor City.  Bringing back one of the main protagonists of Double Eagle, Bree Jagdea, for another dangerous flying adventure is going to be a ton of fun, and I look forward to seeing how the character has evolved since her previous book, especially when dragged into another dangerous fighter ace squadron.  It also looks liked Abnett is setting up a pretty awesome scenario with the pilots forced to fight another brutal war, this time in the remnants of a Hive City.

Look, based on how much I love Abnett’s writing and just how awesome and epic the first book in this series, Double Eagle, was, there was no way that I wasn’t grabbing Interceptor City later this year.  However, I really love the cool sound of the plot above, and I cannot wait to see what crazy aerial antics Abnett will feature in the gritty spires of this new setting.  I am expecting another particularly impressive and action-packed adventure in Interceptor City, and I have a feeling this will end up being my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novel released in 2024.

In addition to the awesome Interceptor City, we will also be blessed with a more unique and intriguing Warhammer 40,000 novel with Elemental Council by author Noah Van Nguyen.  Set to focus on the always fascinating T’au faction, Elemental Council will see a band of specialist T’au come together in one ruling body to ensure the successful subjugation of a conquered human planet.  However, as this is the Warhammer universe, nothing is going to go their way.

Plot Synopsis:

As the Fifth Sphere Expansion continues to annex Imperial worlds on the galactic fringe, fewer and fewer planets are acquiescing peacefully to the change in leadership as the T’au Empire heads deeper into human space. Pockets of resistance are a constant thorn in their side, and one such insurrection threatens to overwhelm the recently acquired world of Cao Quo in Elemental Council – a new Warhammer 40,000 novel written by Noah Van Nguyen, author of The Godeater’s Son and Yndrasta: The Celestial Spear.

This exciting new story of intrigue and clandestine warfare stars an Elemental Council, luminaries from each of the Empire’s castes. Brought together by the enigmatic ethereal Yor’i to pacify the resistance, they’ll need to work together to forge their unique skills into an unbeatable team.

And unbeatable they will need to be, as the insurgency is no mere rabble of disorganised instigators, but one commanded by the ruthless and brilliant Brother-Sergeant Artamax – a Space Marine of the Raptors Chapter. As one of the few Chapters to specialise in sabotage, infiltration, and guerilla warfare, the Raptors are exactly the kind of Astartes you don’t want meddling in the stability of a newly conquered world.

If that was all they had to contend with, the Elemental Council would be hard-pressed, but soon even more devious enemies begin to emerge from both sides of the divide, with the fate of Cao Quo in the balance. Who they are and what their goals are is a mystery, but one you’ll be able to uncover soon.

The T’au are one of the more interesting factions in the Warhammer 40,000 canon, and there is an unfortunate dearth of books told from their perspective.  As such, I am curious to read Elemental Council when it comes out, especially as you will get a good look at each of the T’au’s four castes and how they work together for the Greater Good.  Of course, I am also quite intrigued to see how these brilliant T’au minds fare against the relentless fury of a deadly Space Marine, and I like the idea of a sabotage focuses lone Space Marine, and what over enemies emerge, gumming up the works for them behind the lines.  This mixture of unique, faction-specific characters has a lot of potential, and I cannot wait to see what sort of awesome and elaborate narrative the author comes up with here.

It looks like Warhammer 40,000 fans are in for an awesome time in the coming months, as we have another two epic books coming out soon.  Interceptor City and Elemental Council sound so damn cool, and I look forward to exploring their compelling new narratives.  I honestly believe that both these Warhammer 40,000 books have a ton of potential, and I am very excited to get my hands on them once they come out.

Warhammer 40,000: Double Eagle by Dan Abnett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer19 Comments

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 January 2004)

Series: Warhammer 40,000/Sabbat Worlds

Length: 10 hours and 16 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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The master of Warhammer fiction, Dan Abnett, takes to the skies with the deeply addictive and ultra epic fighter pilot novel Double Eagle.

Readers familiar with this blog will know that I have been extremely damn obsessed with Warhammer fiction the last couple of years, having spent a substantial amount of time reading and reviewing numerous books from the franchise.  Of the many Warhammer fiction authors I have read during this period, one of the most impressive is the legendary Dan Abnett, who has written so many exceptional and powerful books around the franchise, including several series considered to be the seminal texts of the extended universe.  I have had a ton of fun with many of his books, including his brilliant Eisenhorn trilogy (Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus), and he has multiple entries in my current favourite Warhammer 40,000 books list.  However, his best-known series is the iconic Gaunt’s Ghosts books, which I am currently in the middle of reading.

The Gaunt’s Ghosts books are a beloved and key series of Warhammer 40,000 fiction that seeks to give readers a moving look at the lives of the frontline human soldier in this grimdark universe.  Set in an extended, multi-planet campaign, known as the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books follow a ragged regiment of soldiers as they attempt to survive the dark servants of Chaos coming for them.  I am having an exceptional time reading the Gaunt’s Ghosts series, and in 2024 alone I have read two particularly epic entries, Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr.  However, before I dive any further into the series, I decided to read the spin-off novel, Double Eagle, which I have had on my to-read list for a while now.  Double Eagle was an interesting and unique novel that follows members of an airmen wing who were introduced in the fifth Gaunt’s Ghosts book, The Guns of Tanith.  Set after their mission with the Ghosts, Double Eagle follows these pilots, including a few characters from The Guns of Tanith, in a brutal new campaign.

War has engulfed the Sabbat World system as the forces of the Imperium of Man attempt to reclaim multiple worlds invaded by the forces of Chaos.  After years of fighting, the Imperium’s crusade has reached a tipping point, with victory or defeat for the entire campaign hanging on the results of a few key battles.  While the fighting is fierce throughout the system, nowhere is it more desperate than the beleaguered world of Enothis.

After failing to conquer the Chaos footholds on Enothis, the infantry and armoured forces of the Imperium are in full retreat, attempting to traverse miles of hostile terrain to return to safe territory, all while being harassed by relentless enemy aircraft.  With the fate of the planet in the balance, the commanders of the crusade deploy multiple squadrons of Imperial fighters and bombers to Enothis to turn the entire conflict into an air war.  If the Imperial pilots can hold back the advancing tides of Chaos and allow the ground forces to regroup the war for Enothis may be won.  But if the airmen fail, then Enothis and the entire Sabbat Worlds campaign is doomed.

Amongst the pilots sent to Enothis are the elite flyers of the Phantine Air Corps.  Veterans from the recent war to liberate their home planet of Phantine, the pilots of the Phantine Air Corps are determined to do their bit in this new conflict.  But the battle for Enothis will be unlike anything seen before, as thousands of Chaos aircraft descend on the planet, hoping to obliterate the defenders.  Severely outnumbered, can even the dogged Phantine pilots hold back the approaching tide of dark air machines before the planet is conquered, especially with an unnaturally skilled Chaos ace stalking the skies, determined to bring every opposing pilot down in flames?

Just when I think that Dan Abnett couldn’t impress me even more, I go and read Double Eagle.  A brilliant, intense, and exceptionally well-written novel that focuses on a particularly cool aspect of the Warhammer universe, Double Eagle blew me away with its great characters and elaborate air combat sequences.  I had an incredible time with Double Eagle, and it gets an easy five-star rating from me.

I deeply, deeply enjoyed Double Eagle, as Abnett took the brief of a Battle of Britain-inspired Warhammer 40,000 story and applied his usual impressively detailed style and powerful character-driven storytelling to produce an outstanding and addictive read.  Perfectly spinning off from the previous Gaunt’s Ghosts books and bringing the reader to another adventure in the expansive Sabbat World Crusades, Double Eagle has a brilliant narrative loaded with action that goes hard and fast for your feels and refuses to let go once it has you firmly in your grasp.

Double Eagle starts off quickly, getting the reader across the brutal new campaign and the importance of the aerial war that emerges, you are soon introduced to multiple characters and shown some initial awesome sequences with some explosive dogfights.  From there the story moves at a fast but smart pace, as you follow several distinctive and often overlapping character arcs throughout the length of the brutal campaign on Enothis.  You really get dragged into each major protagonist’s story as they attempt to survive the flying war.  There are some excellent battle scenes in this first half of the book and Abnett really shows how epic he can make a fighter pilot dogfight very early on.  The characters each experience some highs and lows in the first half of the book, and it doesn’t take you long to get attached the protagonists and their complex personal tales within the confines of the main story.

However, it is the second half of the book where everything comes together perfectly.  Each of the protagonists experience some version of personal loss or difficulty, and the impact of the war slowly drains them, taking them to some dark places.  Abnett sets up a brilliant underdog narrative around the protagonists, as the massive fleet of Chaos airships seek to crush them.  You can really see the parallels between this narrative and the Battle for Britain at this point, especially as the tired and severely outnumbered Phantine fighters and their local allies attempt to hold back the overwhelming and often Germanic-inspired forces coming for them.  Everything leads up to a massive final confrontation, as the protagonists engage in a series of brutal and drawn-out dogfights and aerial confrontations as we lead up to the finale.  While a couple of the character arcs leading up to this are a tad unsurprising, the way that Abnett writes them makes you love every second it.  The author brings everything to an epic close with continued and captivating action that honestly is impossible not to react to at times.  There are some very powerful moments at the closes, especially when some characters get everything they want, and you come away from Double Eagle wishing Abnett had made this book even longer.

Abnett once again masterfully crafts his compelling narrative together in such an effective way that I honestly just couldn’t stop listening to this book.  Making excellent use of multiple complex perspectives, you are swiftly drawn into the lives of several ordinary soldiers drafted into the deadly aerial war against a massive opposing fleet.  Featuring a range of complex characters arcs, Abnett expertly balances the character-driven plot between the various perspectives, while also featuring an epic war story that hits in all the right places.  Abnett’s use of quick-fire perspective changes works to create an excellent and fast-paced narrative, and it works especially well in some of the novel’s more intense sequences.  Speaking of action, you can’t talk about Double Eagle without discussing the amazing and epic aerial fight scenes and dogfights that make the book so damn distinctive.  Abnett did a remarkable job of harnessing the energy and feel of classic World War II fighter combat and bringing it into the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  Featuring many, many awesome sequences of aerial combat, Double Eagle really feels like you’re in a futuristic Battle for Britain as you witness fights between small groups of fighters fending off mass raids from Chaos forces, as well as sequences from the perspective of Imperial bombers.  The resulting dogfights between advanced fighter craft works so damn well in the context of the story, and you are treated to some truly epic sequences.  I was constantly enthralled by the brilliant aerial combat and flight sequences, and Abnett did an exceptional job expressing the intensities of flight, the ultra-fast pace nature of the combat, and the craziness of a massed aerial battle.  I could have honestly spent many, many more hours listening to Abnett’s descriptions of aerial combat, and there are so many excellent writing elements to this book that drag you in.

Double Eagle also proved to be an interesting and particularly strong Warhammer 40,000 novel that is really going to appeal to a wide range of readers.  Spinning off from the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, Double Eagle is tailor made for fans of the original series, although familiarity with the Gaunt’s Ghosts books isn’t necessary to enjoy this epic book.  While there are a few references, returning characters, and discussions about the overarching Sabbat Worlds Crusade, for the most part any reader can easily dive into Double Eagle and follow the story with no issues at all.  As with most tie-in books in the franchise, Double Eagle is best enjoyed by existing Warhammer fans, who will once again enjoy Abnett’s compelling insights into the canon.  I know that I really loved the exploration of Warhammer 40,000 air combat, and I loved how Abnett explored the physics, as well as the reasons why aerial fighters are still utilised in a universe where space travel exists.  However, I also felt that Double Eagle would serve as a pretty good entry point to any new readers interested in finding out why the Warhammer 40,000 universe is so damn cool.  Indeed, readers who are a fan of aerial focused military fiction or World War II fighter combat fiction can very easily jump into the new world here, as Abnett really presents a tale they would enjoy.  I need to read more Warhammer books from Abnett (I have several currently in my queue), and I currently very excited to read the recently announced sequel to Double Eagle, Interceptor City, which is set to be released later this year.

I found that the writing element that really brought Double Eagle together where the excellent characters at the heart and soul of the plot.  Focusing on several intriguing pilot characters, Abnett dove into the mindset of these flyers and did an amazing job capturing their love of the air and their desire to be the best.  However, as the book continues, you see a darker side to many of these characters, as the toil of war drags them down into their own mental hells.  While it did take me a little while to get across every protagonist, I eventually got drawn into the excellent character-focused storylines that Abnett set up in Double Eagle, and it was great to see the return of several characters introduced in The Guns of Tanith.  This includes the Phantine flight commander, Bree Jagdea, and the bombardier Oskar Viltry.  Jagdea proves to be a great centre for much of the plot, and her steady determination to keep her flight together and survive the various rigors of war, really strike a chord with the reader.  Viltry’s narrative is a little more complex, as the veteran pilot is suffering from trauma after being shot down and captured in The Guns of Tanith.  Certain about his own impending death, Viltry spends much of the book as a morose and depressed figure, until he finds someone worth living for.  Viltry’s storyline proves to be particularly heartfelt, especially as he has a relatively nice romance angle, and I felt that Abnett really captured his trauma and desire for a better life.

Aside from Jagdea and Viltry, Double Eagle also features several other impressive perspective characters who really bring the narrative together.  This includes young Phantine pilot, Vander Marquall, who serves as a major protagonist.  A rookie pilot fighting in his first campaign, Marquall has a massive desire to prove himself.  His obsession with becoming an ace and being respected becomes an overwhelming part of his character, and you find yourself occasionally disliking him, while also simultaneously cheering him on.  Thanks to his interactions with the other characters, Marquall gets some much-needed perspective at times (that scene with his mechanic at the end was brilliant), and I felt he had one of the most complex, dark and relatable storylines in the entire book.  Abnett rounds out the characters with local pilots August Kaminsky, a wounded veteran no longer allowed to fly, and Enric Darrow, a rookie without a plane after getting shot down in the opening scenes by the novel’s big bad.  While parts of Kaminsky and Darrow’s storylines are a little predictable, you really get invested in their various battles, especially as Abnett produces some interesting character moments and interactions for them.  I especially loved the hilarious exchanges between Kaminsky and Jagdea during one fun sequence, and Darrow proves to be a very likeable and determined young character to get behind.  These main characters, plus an excellent supporting cast, were great to follow in Double Eagle, and it will be awesome to continue at least one survivor’s story in the upcoming sequel.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I ended up listening to Double Eagle on audiobook, as there is frankly no better way to enjoy an epic Warhammer 40,000 novel.  While I always gush about how much I enjoy a Warhammer audiobook, I frankly really need to emphasise just how impressive and exceptional Double Eagle was in this format.  The many, many aerial combat sequences come across so damn well when they are read out to you, and I loved how easily it was to visualise the fast-paced and exceptional flight scenes.  You really get lost in the battles when you listen to them, and I was frankly buzzing the entire time I was listening to Double Eagle.  Part of the reason this audiobook was so damn good was the inclusion of one of my favourite audiobook narrators Toby Longworth.  Longworth has lent his voice to most of Abnett’s Warhammer 40,000 novels in recent years, and frankly the two are a match made in heaven.  The story comes across so effectively in Longworth’s voice, and he really makes every scene, especially the exciting action sequences, that little more epic.  I also really love the fantastic and compelling voices he uses for the various characters.  While a couple of character voices sounded the same as those Longworth used in the Gaunt’s Ghosts audiobooks, I felt that they perfectly fit every figure they were assigned to, and you really get drawn into the matching character arcs as a result.  Frankly this audiobook was perfect, and I had so much fun listening to it.  With a run time of just over 10 hours, the Double Eagle audiobook is very easy to power through, and that is exactly what I did.

With an elaborate, powerful and addictive story about glorious battles in the sky, Double Eagle was a particularly epic Warhammer 40,000 novel that proves impossible not to fall in love with.  Another exceptional novel from Dan Abnett, who once again shows why he is one of the best authors of Warhammer fiction, Double Eagle had me hooked from the very first chapter, and I honestly couldn’t stop reading it until the very end.  This book comes very highly recommended, and I cannot wait to read the sequel later this year.

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WWW Wednesday – 9 October 2024

On By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme 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:

High Wire by Candice Fox (Trade Paperback)

I didn’t make as much progress with High Wire as I’d hoped this week.  The latest book from Candice Fox, High Wire is an exciting Australian thriller with some real bang behind it.  I’m hoping to devote a bit more time to High Wire in the next week and I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

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A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan (Audiobook)

I’ve started listening to the amazing new fantasy novel A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan.  A sequel to Ryan’s The Covenant of Steel trilogy (The Pariah, The Martyr and The Traitor), A Tide of Black Steel is an epic read that takes some great new characters on an amazing adventure.  I am absolutely powering through A Tide of Black Steel, and I should hopefully have it finished by this time next week.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Warhammer 40,000: Lazarus: Enmity’s Edge by Gary Kloster (Audiobook)

I quickly finished off the awesome Warhammer 40,000 audiobook, Lazarus: Enmity’s Edge by Gary Kloster this week.  An impressive and epic read, I deeply enjoyed this exceptional audiobook, and I am hoping to get a review up for it soon.

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Warhammer 40,000: Double Eagle by Dan Abnett (Audiobook)

It turns out I was in a real Warhammer 40,000 mood this week as I also quickly listened to the awesome book Double Eagle by Dan Abnett.  A spin-off from Abnett’s Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Double Eagle is an exceptional novel about aerial combat that I couldn’t get enough off.  This was one of the best Warhammer novels I have ever read, and I will be reviewing it very soon.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

The Waiting by Michael Connelly

I am really hoping to read the new Michael Connelly novel The Waiting this week.  The latest book from Connelly to feature his awesome police protagonists, Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch, The Waiting will see them team up to investigate another series of intriguing cases, including an infamous cold case.  Set to be one of the best crime fiction reads of 2024, I have been really excited for The Waiting and I cannot wait to see what twisty mysteries Connelly has written this time.

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Warhammer 40,000: Dominion Genesis by Jonathan D. Beer

Finally, if I get through A Tide of Black Steel this week, I will probably start listening to one of the latest Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks, Dominion Genesis by Jonathan D. Beer.  An intriguing read that will follow a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus as they attempt to save their world from an alien invasion, I think Dominion Genesis has a lot of potential, especially as Beer really impressed me with his debut, The King of the Spoil, last year.

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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 – Ten Favourite Books From Ten Series

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  For this week, Top Ten Tuesday participants are tasked with choosing ten separate series and then listing their favourite book from that series.  This was a rather interesting topic that really got me thinking.  No matter how outstanding a series is, there is always at least one book that stands just that little bit above the rest, and I was curious to see how a list along those lines would turn out.

To come up with this list, I ran through some of my top novel and comic book series to try and work out what the most glaring examples of my favourite entries were.  I tried to limit my choices to longer series rather than trilogies, and I also went for series that I’m mostly up to date with, rather than those I’ve only made a little bit of progress on.  Despite these limitations, I ended up with a huge range of potential entries and I had to spend a bit of time culling down my initial list.  I’m pretty happy with how the final version of this post came out, as there are some excellent books featured within.  I do note that some of the series I mention below are recurring features in my other Top Ten Tuesday lists, but as they’re my favourites, that’s hardly too surprising.  So let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

The Gray Man – Gray Man series by Mark Greaney

An impressive debut that still stands up as the best book in this top spy thriller series.

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Necropolis – Warhammer 40,000: Gaunt’s Ghosts series by Dan Abnett

Featuring an epic siege and deadly action, Necropolis is a particularly bright spot in an exceptional Warhammer series.

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The Grove of the Caesars – Flavia Albia series by Lindsey Davis

There are so many great mysteries contained in this Roman historical fiction series, however, my favourite is The Grove of the Caesars, which contains a particularly dark story.

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Thrawn – Star Wars: Thrawn series by Timothy Zahn

An amazing read reintroducing one of the best characters in the Star Wars canon.  Thrawn is so much fun, and it serves as the best book in the new Thrawn trilogy, as well as Zahn’s other Thrawn related novels in the new Star Wars extended universe.

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Top Ten Tuesday:

Guards! Guards! – Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

Unsurprisingly considering the name of this blog, I’m starting this list off with a Discworld novel.  Written by the late great Terry Pratchett, the Discworld books remain one of my top series, and I cannot emphasise how outstanding these novels are.  While there are many, many great books in this series, if I had to pick an absolute favourite it will probably be Guards! Guards!.  Not only is this Pratchett at his very best, expertly combining a compelling mystery with hilarious fantasy elements, but it also sets up my favourite Discworld sub-series and introduces so many popular characters.  A truly exceptional read and the best book to check out if you want to become addicted to the Discworld.

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The Third Day, The Frost – Tomorrow series by John Marsden

Another formative book series for me is the Tomorrow series by John Marsden.  An iconic Australian young adult series, the Tomorrow books follow a group of teenagers attempting to survive a brutal invasion of Australia.  I honestly love every novel in this series, as Marsden produces an intense narrative that is well spaced out amongst all seven books.  However, I always felt that the best Tomorrow entry was the third book, The Third Day, The Frost.  Following the characters as they embark on their most ambitious mission yet, The Third Day, The Frost, is the darkest entry in the series, and it forces the protagonists to fully grasp the horrors of war.  A masterpiece of emotion, sacrifice and heartbreak, The Third Day, The Frost, lives eternal in my mind for very good reason.

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The Archer’s Quest – Green Arrow (2001) by Brad Meltzer

I have a lot of love for DC comics released around the turn of the century, but to my mind one of the best series that came out around then was the 2001 Green Arrow series.  Bringing back the original Green Arrow after his explosive death, this new series contains some amazing comics focussed on the Emerald Archer, with several outstanding creative leads exploring him in a new light.  While I personally think every arc of this series is exceptional, my favourite is the third volume, The Archer’s Quest.  Written by Brad Meltzer, The Archer’s Quest sees Green Arrow go back to his road-trip roots to recover multiple artifacts from his past.  While on the surface this sounds like a simple narrative, Meltzer turns it into a deep personal journey, that really captures the complex history of Green Arrow in comics.  I love how moving this comic gets at times, and Meltzer layers in the feels to keep the reader emotionally invested in the story.  One of the best comics I have ever read.

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Code Zero – Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry

Fans of this blog will know that I have a lot of love for Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series, which are some of the best science fiction thrillers out there.  Following a damaged agent charged with protecting the world from unusual and technologically impossible threats, all the Joe Ledger books are addictive, and I love the complex stories, intriguing antagonists, and over-the-top action.  There were several entries I could have mentioned here, but to my mind the best was probably the sixth book, Code Zero.  Not only does it have a great story on its own, but it features one of the more intriguing villains who brings back multiple prior cases to mess with the protagonists.  An amazing thriller that really showcased just how intense and intricate a Joe Ledger novel could be.

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Magician – The Riftwar Cycle by Raymond E. Feist

I have mentioned many times how awesome Raymond E. Feist’s epic Riftwar Cycle is, and I have literally just started reading the next book in this series, A Darkness Returns.  There were several books I considered featuring as my favourite, including the Empire trilogy, but in the end, I went with the original book Magician.  A classic piece of fantasy fiction that perfectly sets up Feist’s iconic worlds, Magician is so damn amazing, and it still stands up to this day.

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The Eagle’s Conquest – Eagles of the Empire series by Simon Scarrow

Few series have impacted me over the years as much as Simon Scarrow’s exciting Eagles of the Empire series.  One of the very best Roman historical fiction series, the Eagles of the Empire books feature some great stories and classic action as the protagonists journey across multiple Roman battlefields.  While there are multiple outstanding books in this series, my favourite is the second book, The Eagle’s Conquest.  Not only does it perfectly continue some of the great storylines set up in the first novel, but it also takes some dark turns that shake the protagonist and make sure the reader knows that tragedy is always ready to strike.  Without The Eagle’s Conquest, I’m not sure I would have become a life-long fan of Scarrow, and it proved to be an exceptional second entry in this series.

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Changes – Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher

I doubt anyone who has followed my blog in recent years will be surprised that I am featuring the Dresden Files series on this list.  As one of the very best urban fantasy series, the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher feature some elaborate and complex storylines, all following Butcher’s rebellious, but heroic, wizard protagonist, and I have deeply enjoyed binge reading all 17 books in the series.  Choosing a favourite Dresden Files book proved to be particularly hard, as there were several epic entries I could have gone with, including Skin Game and Battle Ground.  However, in the end I had to go with the 12th book in the series, Changes.  Not only is Changes a particularly groundbreaking entry that fundamentally alters the trajectory of the series, but it also contains several dark twists that will shock you to your core.  An exceptional read that shows author Jim Butcher at his very best.

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Seasons – Usagi Yojimbo series by Stan Sakai

Another series that I had to feature here were the Usagi Yojimbo comics by Stan Sakai.  I have long loved the adventures of the rabbit samurai, and every volume is a masterpiece in its own way.  While I honestly would rate all the Usagi Yojimbo volumes a full five-stars, if I had to choose a favourite it would probably be Seasons.  Loaded with a ton of memorable adventures, Seasons shows how diverse the Usagi Yojimbo stories can be, while also setting up several impressive future adventures and characters.  I also have a lot of nostalgic love for Seasons, as a chance encounter with one of its stories introduced the Usagi Yojimbo world to me.  As such, Seasons is a very worthy addition to this list, and one that showcases Sakai’s skill as both an artist and a writer.

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Homeland – The Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore

It proved very easy to put forth Homeland as my favourite book in R. A. Salvatore’s The Legend of Drizzt extended series.  Homeland starts off a prequel sub-trilogy that seeks to provide valuable background to the life of Salvatore’s most iconic protagonist Drizzt Do’urden.  Set in the underground city of the drow, Homeland expertly explores the early life of Drizzt and shows the events that led to him turning his back on his evil race.  Easily one of the best things Salvatore ever wrote, Homeland is an amazing book I have re-read multiple times.

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The Last Devil to Die – Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman

The final book in this list is part of the amazing new Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman.  A clever, funny and sweet crime fiction series that follows four retirees who solve murders in their spare time, the Thursday Murder Club books are quite exceptional, and I have loved every single one of them so far.  While both The Thursday Murder Club and The Bullet That Missed are outstanding entries, if I had to choose a favourite it would be the latest entry, The Last Devil to Die.  The fourth book in the series, The Last Devil to Die has one of the most emotionally charged stories behind it, especially as Osman chooses to end several tragic plot points in incredible fashion.  I cannot emphasise just how good this book is, and it remains my favourite in the series so far.

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Well that’s the end of this latest list.  As you can see, I have had an awesome time diving into some of my favourite series and choosing the best entry, and it produced a pretty cool collection of books.  I hope you find the above entries interesting, and I would strongly recommend them, and the series they are associated with, to anyone looking for a new obsession.

Top Ten Tuesday – Top Pre-2024 Novels That I read in the First Half of the Year     

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List3 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday was to lists books which you thought required either more or less of certain elements to make them better.  While this is an interesting concept, I’m instead going to do something different and will provide two separate lists here that continue my them of recapping the first half of 2024.  The first of these lists will look at the very best pre-2024 novels that I read in the first half of the year.

I have had a lot of fun recapping some of the best recent books and audiobooks released in the first half of 2024 in previous weeks, but I also need to talk about some of the books that came out before 2024 that I also read this year.  I am a big fan of going back and checking out older series and books, and there are so many excellent pre-2024 novels that I haven’t had a chance to read before.  This has been particularly true recently, as I have spent a lot of time this year pouring through novels and audiobooks with a variety of older release dates and featuring them in my Throwback Thursday posts.  I honestly might have enjoyed too many of these older books, as I am way behind in my 2024 readings now, but I think it was more than worth it as there were some exceptional reads there, including a bunch that got five-star ratings from me.  Due to the sheer number of pre-2024 books I have already read this year, as well as their amazing quality, I felt that it would be interesting to do a list highlighting them now.

To come up with this list I had a look at all the novels I read this year that had their initial release before 2024.  This list includes a range of pre-2024 releases, including quite a few that I had been meaning to read for a while.  To make it a little more difficult for myself, I decided to limit myself to only one book from each author for the main list, which did reduce the choices I had.  Thank to this I was eventually able to cull this down to a workable Top Ten list, with a descent honourable mentions section.  Due to my current obsession, this list is extremely Warhammer 40,000 heavy, which I’m fine with because they are awesome books, so I apologise in advance if some of my choices are a little predictable.  This proved to be a fun list to pull together, so let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Warhammer 40,000: Sabbat Martyr by Dan Abnett – 2003

An intense and epic Warhammer read that blew me away, especially as it provided a fitting end to several key characters.

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Warhammer 40,000: Cain’s Last Stand by Sandy Mitchell – 2008

Commissar Cain “bravely” faces his toughest challenge ever in this very clever and hilarious book.

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Cold Days by Jim Butcher – 2012

A fantastic, high-stakes addition to the always impressive Dresden Files series.

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Peace Talks by Jim Butcher – 2020

Another intriguing Dresden Files novel, Peace Talks was a great read that masterfully set up its explosive sequel, Battle Ground.

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Top Ten List:

Warhammer 40,000: Straight Silver by Dan Abnett – 2002

First up we have a great entry in the fantastic Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Straight Silver.  I have been slowly making my way through this exceptional Warhammer 40,000 series by Dan Abnett and Straight Silver might be my favourite entry so far.  Forcing the stealth-orientated Ghosts to fight in stagnate trench warfare, Straight Silver is a dark and compelling entry in the series that also does a good job setting up the following Sabbat Martyr.  I deeply enjoyed this book, and it was a great pre-2024 novel to check out this year.

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Warhammer 40,000: Death or Glory by Sandy Mitchell – 2006

There were several awesome entries in the Ciaphas Cain series that I checked out this year, including The Traitor’s Hand and Duty Calls, all of which were very fun and loaded with action.  However, my favourite had to be Death or Glory, which sees a younger Cain crash-land on an ork controlled planet and is forced to fight his way across it.  Essentially turning into a Mad Max inspired adventure with the cowardly Cain leading the charge, Death or Glory was pretty damn hilarious and I loved every second I spent with it.

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Warhammer 40,000 Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons – 2010

One of the most intense pre-2024 novels I’ve read this year is Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons.  A great novel that focused on Lyons’ beloved Death Korp of Krieg (check out his later novel, Krieg), Dead Men Walking saw the implacable Krieg soldiers face off against the unstoppable necrons.  Essentially a battle between two faceless and unfeeling armies, with the poor civilians of the invaded planet caught in the middle, Dead Men Walking was an outstanding read that showed a particularly dark side to the already crazy Warhammer universe.

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Skin Game by Jim Butcher – 2014

While Cold Days and Peace Talks were very good additions to the Dresden Files series, my favourite book from Butcher I read this year was Skin Game.  One of the most highly regarded Dresden Files novels, Skin Game sees wizard protagonist Harry Dresden forced to work with his worst enemy to complete an impossible magical heist.  Clever, exciting and loaded with memorable moments, Skin Game was one of the best books Butcher has ever written and I cannot recommend it enough.

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Warhammer 40,000: Brutal Kunnin by Mike Brooks – 2021

Mike Brooks has been on a real roll with his amazing Warhammer 40,000 fiction lately, and I made sure to jump back and check out one of his older novels this year, Brutal Kunnin.  A captivating and fast-paced read, Brutal Kunnin focuses on the always entertaining ork faction, as they attack a heavily defended planet.  Mostly focused on the innate humour that surrounds the orks, Brutal Kunnin was an excellent book that will have you laughing the entire way through.  It also sets up Brooks’ 2024 release, Da Big Dakka, and is a must-read as a result.

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The Sandman Act III by Neil Gaiman – 2022

I had to continue the intricate and utterly brilliant full-cast audiobook adaptation of the classic The Sandman comics with the third entry, which made for some great listening during some road trips I recently had.  Continuing the stories set up in Act I and Act II, this third volume had another amazing story that was expertly portrayed with the extensive, high-profile vocal cast who brought it together.  A magnificent audiobook that you will not be able to stop listening to.

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Warhammer 40,000: Witchbringer by Steven B. Fischer – 2022

An outstanding Warhammer debut from a few years ago I’ve been meaning to read for ages, Witchbringer was a very clever read from Fischer that saw a sanction psychic defend a regiment who all fear and hate her.  An amazing read with some interesting examinations of Warhammer 40,000 lore.

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Saevus Corax Captures the Castle/Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder by K. J. Parker – 2023

A quick double entry I had to include here was the second and third Corax novels, Saevus Corax Captures the Castle and Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder by K. J. Parker.  Continuing from the amazing Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead, these two books continue to follow the titular master of battlefield loot as he attempts to survive an array of scams and cons being run around him.  Both books are very entertaining, and contain Parker’s typical wit, intensity and cynical outlook on human nature.

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Rebellion by Simon Scarrow – 2023

The latest entries from one of my favourite historical fiction series that I had to read earlier this year rather than when it first came out.  A particularly epic book, Rebellion had a great story loaded with Roman historical action and adventure.

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Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien De Castell – 2023

After loving the amazing 2024 novel, Play of Shadows, I had to dive back into the loosely connected novel from Sebastien De Castell, Crucible of Chaos.  Released at the end of 2023, Crucible of Chaos had an exceptional story that saw an injured investigator and duellist travel to an important monastery to try and discover what drove all the monks crazy.  An elaborate and highly entertaining novel, Crucible of Chaos got an easy five-star rating from me and is guaranteed to make you a fan of De Castell and his extended Greatcoats universe.

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And that is the end of this list.  As you can see I have managed to check out a bunch of epic pre-2024 novels in the first half of this year.  Each of the above were exceptional and fun reads and I would strongly recommend them, especially if you are in the mood for some fun fantasy or science fiction adventures.  I look forward to reading more older books in 2024, although I should probably slow down a little and check out my recent releases.  However, I imagine it I will probably continue several of these series, especially the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, so be prepared to see more Throwback Thursday posts featuring.  Make sure to check out my other recent lists about the first half of 2024, especially my other Top Ten Tuesday post tonight, and let me know what cool older books you have already checked out this year.