Tag: Dan Abnett

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favorite Audiobooks from the First Half of 2024

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List6 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 required participants to pick a single book and list the top ten things they love about it.  While this is an interesting idea, and one I might come back to later, I’m instead going to continue my recent trend of discussing books from the first half of the year and highlight my favourite audiobooks from the first half of 2024.  This is a continuation of my Top Ten list from a couple of weeks ago that featured my favourite overall novels from the first half of 2024.

I have a great deal of love for the audiobook format, and it is one of the main ways that I tend to check out books.  Each year I enjoy a great number of different audiobooks and use the format to enjoy both recent releases and older novels.  I have been a major fan of audiobooks for years, and it is amazing the various ways in which listening to a book can enhance your enjoyment.  A great narrator can really bring you into the story, and I find that listening to a book enhances the amount of detail that you can take in.  In addition, other features, such as captivating voices, music and sound effects can really make an audiobook something special, and there some great examples of that out there.  This year alone I have listened to a ton of outstanding audiobooks, includes some of my favourite books from early 2024.  Because I love this format so much, I thought I would take this opportunity to highlight my favourite audiobooks from the first half of the year.

To pull this list off I had a look at all the 2024 releases that I listened to on audiobook to figure out my favourites.  It turns out that I have already gone through quite a few this year so there was a very large collection of potential additions to this list.  I was eventually able to whittle it down to the ten audiobooks I consider to be the best.  There is a bit of a crossover with my previous Favourite Books from the First Half of 2024 list, but I think there are enough new additions to make this list worthwhile.  I made sure to feature only the very best audiobooks on this list, and, in addition to the quality of the baseline novel, I also looked at audiobook production and narration.  In my experience an outstanding narration or use of music and sound effects can enhance the plot, and I think that all the audiobooks listed below were exceptional listens that are really worth checking out.

In addition, I also featured my typical generous Honourable Mentions section, which featured some great books from the first half of the year that I didn’t feature in my main list for various reasons, as well as a couple of pre-2024 audiobooks that really impressed me.  With these honourable mentions, I am very happy with how the overall list turned out and I think that the below entries really highlight what my favourite audiobooks from the first half of the year are.

Honourable Mentions:

Warhammer 40,000: Siege of Vraks, written by Steve Lyons and narrated by Timothy Watson

Warhammer 40,000 - Siege of Vraks Cover

My first honourable mention is the awesome Warhammer 40,000 audiobook, Siege of Vraks, which is the audiobook I am currently listening to.  The successor to Lyon’s previous novels, Dead Men Walking and Krieg, Siege of Vraks is a great book that covers the epic and bloody siege of the same name.  While this is an amazing audiobook, I’m leaving it as an honourable mention for the moment as I have only just started listening to it and I need to see how it unfolds fully.  Still, based on what I have listened to so far, this could end up being one of my favourite audiobooks of 2024.

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Alien Clay, written by Adrian Tchaikovsky and narrated by Ben Allen

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An outstanding and cool science fiction audiobook from and insanely inventive author.

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Skin Game, written by Jim Butcher and narrated by James Marsters

Skin Game Cover

One of my favourite pre-2024 audiobooks I listened to in the first half of the year.  Skin Game was one of the better books in the iconic Dresden Files series, and I loved how well the fun fantasy heist story was told by narrator and actor James Marsters.

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

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I have had the pleasure of listening to a few pre-2024 Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks in the first half of the year, however my favourite is Straight Silver.  An epic entry in the fantastic Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Straight Silver was an intense and compelling book, especially when read out by the talented Toby Longworth.

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Top Ten List:

NecroTek, written by Jonathan Maberry and narrated by Ray Porter

Necrotek Cover

For the first entry on this list, I had to include the latest audiobook from Jonathan Maberry, NecroTek, which proved to be an exceptional dark science fiction adventure.  Maberry is one of my favourite authors at the moment, and he consistently produces gripping and dark reads that turn into exceptional audiobooks, especially when narrated by his long-time audiobook collaborator Ray Porter.  Porter has an amazing voice, and I love how he takes Maberry’s elaborate stories and makes them even more special.  NecroTek was an exceptional audiobook, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second Maberry/Porter audiobook coming out in 2024, The Dragon in Winter.

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Point Nemo, written by Jeremy Robinson and narrated by R. C. Bray

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Few audiobooks were as impressive as Point Nemo by Jeremy Robinson this year.  A fast-paced and highly awesome science fiction thriller, Point Nemo had an outstanding plot behind it that followed a fun band of adventurers as they attempted to uncover the secrets of an island created from alien spores.  The story and action of Point Nemo are very amazing on their own, but I felt that the narration of R. C. Bray added even more to it.  A very talented voice actor who has lent his voice to many of Robinson’s works, Bray is one of my favourite narrators, and I really love the fantastic energy and power he gave to Point Nemo’s audiobook.  An exceptional listen that I cannot recommend enough.

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Goodbye Girl, written by James Grippando and narrated by Jonathan Davis

Goodbye Girl Cover

I was eager to try out the intriguing legal thriller, Goodbye Girl by James Grippando, this year, and decided to grab it on audiobook because narrator Jonathan Davis had previously voiced some great Star Wars audiobooks.  Goodbye Girl proved to be an amazing listen, and I deeply enjoyed how effectively the compelling and entertaining legal thriller elements came across in this medium.  A wonderful and thrilling audiobook that had me hooked the entire way through.

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Warhammer 40,000: Da Big Dakka, written by Mike Brooks and narrated by Harry Myers

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Unsurprisingly, I have several Warhammer audiobooks featured on this list, as it is frankly the best format to enjoy this extensive franchise in.  The first of these is the outstanding and hilarious Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks.  The sequel to Brooks’ previous books, Brutal Kunnin and Warboss, Da Big Dakka followed a rowdy group of orks as they raided a dark fortress filled with torture obsessed space elves.  I laughed pretty much the entire way through this audiobook, especially with the fantastic narration of Harry Myers, who effectively captured the many excentric participants in this battle.  An amazing and highly entertaining audiobook that you won’t be able to stop listening to.

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The Chaos Agent, written by Mark Greaney and narrated by Jay Snyder

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One of my favourite thriller authors, Mark Greaney, continues to impress with his latest Gray Man novel, The Chaos Agent.  An exciting and impressive read, The Chaos Agent had a great story behind it that was even crazier than usual.  As with most of the books in this series, I grabbed The Chaos Agent on audiobook, which proved to be an excellent experience.  Veteran narrator Jay Snyder has always done a great job with the Gray Man audiobooks, and his work in The Chaos Agent was on point again.  I really enjoyed this fantastic audiobook, and the format really enhances the excitement and intensity of the plot.

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Star Trek: Pliable Truths, written by Dayton Ward and narrated by Robert Petkoff

Star Trek - Pliable Truths Cover

I ended up having a brilliant time listening to the latest Star Trek audiobook from Dayton Ward, Pliable Truths.  A compelling and entertaining book that serves as a bridge between The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine shows, Pliable Truths was a lot of fun and will really appeal to Star Trek fans.  Of course, no Star Trek audiobook is complete without the impressive narration of Robert Petkoff, who has lent his great voice to so many audiobooks in the franchise.  Petkoff’s ability to mimic key Star Trek characters is well known and he does another outstanding job in the Pliable Truths audiobook, enhancing this already awesome book in an outstanding way.

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Warhammer: The Old World: Lords of the Lance, written by Graham McNeill and narrated by Peter Kenny

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This year the Warhammer franchise brought fans back to the iconic Old World fantasy setting, including through the exceptional book Lords of the Lance.  Written by one of the Black Library’s best authors, Graham McNeill, Lords of the Lance was an exciting and addictive adventure story that saw the legendary knights of Bretonnia traverse some of the most hostile terrain in the setting to face off against an army of the dead.  Expertly narrated by Peter Kenny, this amazing story was loaded with action, compelling characters, and a fantastic appreciation for the setting.  I really had a lot of fun listening to the Lords of the Lance audiobook, and it was the best way to experience this amazing story.

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The Atlas Maneuver, written by Steve Berry and narrated by Scott Brick

The Atlas Maneuver Cover

I had a lot of fun listening to the new Cotton Malone book by Steve Berry, The Atlas Maneuver.  Another intricate and captivating spy thriller that makes use of fun historical conspiracies, The Atlas Maneuver was a great book and I felt that the excellent audiobook version, narrated by Scott Brick, enhanced its unique elements.  An outstanding listen from one of my favourite thriller series.

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Crucible of Chaos, written by Sebastien de Castell and narrated by Joe Jameson

Crucible of Chaos Cover

I’m slightly cheating with this next entry as Crucible of Chaos came out in 2023.  However, due its late December 2023 release date, as well as it’s connection to the fantastic 2024 novel, Play of Shadows, I have decided to include it as part of this list.  Crucible of Chaos was an exceptional book from talented fantasy author Sebastien de Castell, that saw an unlikely investigator and his noble steed attempt to uncover the cause of insanity and chaos in a famous monastery.  A clever and funny read, Crucible of Chaos was an impressive audiobook, and I had a lot of fun with how Joe Jameson, another favourite narrator of mine, brought it too life.

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Warhammer 40,000: Deathworlder, written by Victoria Hayward and narrated by Gabrielle Nellis-Pain

Warhammer 40,000 - Deathworlder Cover

The final audiobook I want to highlight on this list is the amazing Warhammer 40,000 production, Deathworlder.  Written by debuting author Victoria Hayward, Deathworlder was a grim and complex tale of survival in a planet full of horrors.  Featuring two of the most compelling factions in the Warhammer 40,000 canon, Deathworlder was so damn good, and I deeply appreciated how effectively the audiobook version captured the turmoil and intensity of the plot.  Narrator Gabrielle Nellis-Pain did an amazing job bringing the traumatised protagonists to life, and the resulting audiobook came across masterfully.  A deeply impressive audiobook and one of the best Warhammer reads from the first half of 2024.

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Well, that’s the end of this latest list.  As you can see, there have been some very good audiobooks out in the first half of 2024.  It will be interesting to see which books make the cut later in the year, especially as I currently have several major 2024 audiobooks currently sitting on my phone, waiting to be listened to.  While I get to that, make sure to let me know what your favourite audiobooks of 2024 so far are in the comments below.

Warhammer 40,000: Sabbat Martyr by Dan Abnett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer8 Comments

Sabbat Martyr Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 December 2002)

Series: Gaunt’s Ghosts – Book Seven

Length: 10 hours and 35 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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In addition to my review for Straight Silver, I also present a review for the impressive and epic seventh novel in Dan Abnett’s Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Sabbat Martyr.  This was an outstanding and fantastic addition that perfectly followed on from some of the previous books in the series, including Necropolis, Honour Guard and The Guns of Tanith, while also throwing the beloved protagonists into all manner of trouble.

It is a time of miracles in the Imperium of Man.  As Warmaster Macaroth continues his extensive and exhaustive Sabbat World Crusade, the forces of the Imperium are stretched like never before.  However, word has reached the ears of all the faithful in the Sabbat Worlds that the legendary Saint Sabbat has reincarnated on the isolated and pious world of Herodor.  There, in Civitas Beati, a holy city dedicated to her, the reborn Saint awaits the faithful, the pilgrims, and the mighty warriors of the Imperium.

Amongst those summoned to Herodor are the battle tested and weary soldiers of the Tanith First-and-Only, better known as Gaunt’s Ghosts.  Thanks to their previous victories, as well as their involvement in miracles associated with the Saint, the Ghosts and their leader, Colonel-Commissar Gaunt, have been personally chosen by Sabbat to be her honour guard.  However, nothing on Herodor is as it seems, and Gaunt finds himself drawn into deceptive military politics and the manipulated beliefs of the city.  Worse, the forces of the Emperor of Mankind aren’t the only ones who have heard the call of the new Saint.

As Gaunt attempts to establish order in the city, an unstoppable danger appears on the horizon in the form of the infamous followers of Chaos, the Blood Pact.  Lead by the terrible Chaos warlord, Enok Innokenti, the invading forces of Chaos have one mission: find and kill the reborn Saint, and, by doing so, rob the Imperium of hope.  Desperately outnumbered and faced with impossible odds, Gaunt and his ghosts will need to do all they can to save the Saint and the city.  However, the dread Innokenti will have the Saint’s head by any means necessary and has sent nine deadly and corrupt killers to ensure this happens.  Can Gaunt and the Tanith First-and-Only pull off a miracle in the name of their blessed saint, or is this their final battle?

Abnett pumps up the feels and brings together some amazing storylines in this seventh excellent Gaunt’s Ghosts book.  An action-packed and highly intense read, Sabbat Martyr was another exceptional read, and one that I absolutely powered through thanks to its addictive and powerful story.

Sabbat Martyr has a pretty impressive story behind it, especially as Abnett wraps up the Saint sub-series within the larger Gaunt’s Ghosts books, in a big way.  Starting off fairly typically, with the Ghosts arriving on a new world to take care of some riffraff, Abnett quickly sets the scenes and revisits several of the key existing storylines and character arcs.  However, Sabbat Martyr goes in some intriguing new directions as Gaunt and his soldiers encounter what appears to be a reborn Imperial Saint, who has inspired a new bout of religious fervour and devotion in the region.  This proves to be an interesting new angle which ties this book into the larger concerns of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, rather than focusing on the fight of the common footslogger.  I liked this change of focus, especially as it fits with the hints raised in the preceding novels, and the initial intrigues of the novel added a level of uncertainty that worked quite nicely.  A fantastic, extended battle scene ended the first third of the book nicely, especially as it leads to some big revelations and sets the scene for the second half of the book.

The second half of Sabbat Martyr is where things get really interesting.  Abnett cleverly uses the start of this half to quickly extend several great character arcs, which sets some figures up for some dark times, while others are restored in interesting ways.  However, you don’t have a chance to fully appreciate that, as Abnett then launches the reader right into a new phase of war, as deadly enemies literally rain down around the protagonists.  Essentially the entire second half of the book is pure warfare, as the forces of Chaos arrive and harry the Imperial forces on every front, including with an extended space combat sequence.  From there, the enemy arrives on Herodor in force, including the nine promised deadly killers, and all the protagonists are thrust into a deadly battle for survival.

I loved this last part of the book, especially as Abnett knows how to write an exceptional war sequence.  Expertly splitting the story between numerous point-of-view characters, the resulting carnage is epic, with the protagonists forced into intense street fighting to survive.  All these battles are well crafted, and show the protagonists at their most desperate, as they are slowly pushed back with seemingly no hope to win.  I really loved these battles, as well as the simultaneous character arcs that tied into them, and you really get drawn in towards the big climax.  I did think that Abnett slightly rushed this last half, mainly because he was trying to fit in too much at once.  While the nine killers get a good introduction, they weren’t utilised as effectively as they could have been, and their appearances are a little briefer than you would have liked.  Indeed, there is so much potential material in this second half that Abnett could have honestly fit his story across two books and really expanded everything out.  Still all the big battles are very epic, and the big climatic fight sequence proves to be everything you could have wanted.  Abnett wraps everything up with some major tragedy, as multiple character arcs come full circle in a big and emotionally charged way.  As such, readers, especially established fans of the series, come away from Sabbat Martyr shaken while Abnett clearly and decisively ends a major chapter in the Gaunt’s Ghosts series.

Abnett does a really good job bringing this epic story to life, and I deeply appreciated just how dark and intense Sabbat Martyr got in places.  Expertly utilising multiple character perspectives to tell an elaborate story, you really get sucked into the massive carnage that emerges, and I really must commend Abnett for the impressive battle scenes.  Abnett has his methodology set for the Gaunt’s Ghosts books by this point in the series, and I love how smoothly his story unwinds.  The blend of character focussed storytelling and intense action makes for an exciting read, and I really got invested in this outstanding seventh entry in the series.  I did appreciate how Abnett took his protagonists into the much wider realm of faith, saints and holy power that is well established in other Warhammer 40,000 fiction, but not something we’ve typically seen in this series.  It honestly made for a unique change of pace, and Abnett does a great job wrapping ongoing storylines around it.  I also appreciated how several loose ends and antagonists from previous novels got revisited here, including one of the big issues I had with Honour Guard which got nicely resolved here.  This does mean that unlike the other Gaunt’s Ghosts books, Sabbat Martyr is less accessible for new readers, although Abnett does a good job of summarising old storylines where needed.  As such, this proved to be an epic entry in the wider series, and I really enjoyed how this chapter of the Gaunt’s Ghosts books came to an end.

As with all the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, the heart of Sabbat Martyr lays in the extended cast of protagonists from whom the elaborate story emerges.  Abnett has a very well-established cast of characters for Sabbat Martyr, and it was frankly moving to see how this story unfolded for them.  The author does a good job splitting the story amongst the cast, and I appreciated how this book, unlike the previous novel, didn’t overdo the number of primary cast members.  The resulting character arcs and personal stories proved to be very moving and intense to different degrees, and Abnett really got dark in places, especially when it came to bringing certain character storylines full circle.

Now, I won’t go into too much detail about the characters here, because I don’t want to ruin some major parts of the book.  However, I will say that Gaunt is once again a great central figure, and it was intriguing to see him impacted by his fate, as well as the many friendships he’s made throughout the series.  In addition, Gol Kolea gets a nice addition to his story, which I really appreciated, while one of the original Ghosts, Brin Milo, finds himself going on some bold new adventures that tie in nicely to his long-hinted destiny.  The feud between Lijah Cuu and Hlaine Larkin that was such a dark and memorable part of Straight Silver, comes to a great conclusion here, and Cuu really proves to be the ultimate villain of this series.  Agun Soric’s battle with his unusual messages is another highlight, especially as Abnett works in some powerful personal struggles, as well as a very dark ending that will leave you hurting.  All these character arcs, and more, are handled perfectly and all readers, especially those who have enjoyed the rest of the series, will really appreciate how Abnett continues or concludes them here.  However, I may never forgive Abnett for the big tragedy that occurs at the end that ensures the Tanith First-and-Only will never be the same again.

It goes without saying that I ended up listening to Sabbat Martyr on audiobook, especially after how impressed I have been with the previous Gaunt’s Ghosts audiobooks.  Coming in with a run time of 10 and half hours, Sabbat Martyr was another descent length Warhammer 40,000 audiobook that I just flew through.  This format works so well to tell epic Warhammer 40,000 stories, and I loved how effectively the fight sequences came through in Sabbat Martyr, as you can so easily envision Abnett’s massive action set pieces.  A lot of how effective Sabbat Martyr’s audiobook is comes down to excellent narrator Toby Longworth, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators.  Longworth, the established narrator for all things Gaunt’s Ghosts (as well as Abnett’s other audiobooks like, Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus), has long perfected the voices he uses within these audiobooks, and it was great to hear his established tones and voices again.  The narrator really has all the key characters down and love the fitting and effective voice each of them has.  This impressive voice work deeply enhances an already awesome story, and you really get to feel the emotions and actions of each of the characters.  I honestly had such a great time listening to the Sabbat Martyr audiobook, especially in some of the more intense action scenes which swept my imagination away, and this is easily the best format by which to enjoy this amazing book .

With fire, blood and faith, Abnett wraps up a major part of his iconic Gaunt’s Ghosts series in a big way with the epic Sabbat Martyr.  Loaded with war, personal conflict, powerful developments, and some memorable tragedy, Sabbat Martyr was a worthy and intense addition to the series, and one that I couldn’t stop listening to.  I had such an exceptional time with this book, and Sabbat Martyr, and indeed the entire Gaunt’s Ghosts series, is required reading for all Warhammer 40,000 fans.

Sabbat Martyr Cover 2

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Warhammer 40,000: Straight Silver by Dan Abnett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer9 Comments

Straight Silver Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 December 2002)

Series: Gaunt’s Ghosts – Book Six

Length: 9 hours and 52 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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After having a blast reading and reviewing The Traitor’s Hand, my desire for more things Warhammer 40,000 needed to be sated, so I dove into the exceptional and gritty Gaunt’s Ghost book by Dan Abnett, Straight Silver.

While there are some truly impressive Warhammer 40,000 authors out there, few can match Dan Abnett in terms of quality and impact.  One of the most significant authors of Warhammer fiction, Abnett has produced a great number of books in the franchise over the years, which includes several must-read series for all Warhammer fans.  These include his substantial contributions to the massive Horus Heresy series, as well as the iconic Inquisitor extended series.  The Inquisitor books include his impressive and highly compelling Eisenhorn trilogy, made up of Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus, and which are amongst my favourite literary trilogies.  While I am a huge fan of these novels, probably his most grounded and well-known contribution to the Warhammer 40,000 canon are the Gaunt’s Ghosts novels.

The Gaunt’s Ghosts books are an extended series that follows the members of the Tanith First-and-Only, a weary and battle-hardened regiment of Imperial Guard soldiers.  Led by Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and known for their stealth abilities and the destruction of their home planet, the Tanith First-and-Only have taken up the name Gaunt’s Ghosts and are fighting in the massive Sabbat World Crusades hoping to find a new planet to call home.  This series emphasises the common human soldier and the gruelling realities of war in the grim Warhammer 40,000 future, and it is one of the most compelling series out there.  I have had an outstanding time with this series and all the books I have read, including First and Only, Ghostmaker, Necropolis, Honour Guard, The Guns of Tanith, and the prequel novel The Vincula Insurgency, have been extremely epic and complex, perfectly blending great characters with intense action.  Despite still having several books to go, the Gaunt’s Ghosts novels are one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 series for a very good reason and I had no hesitation diving into the next book of the series, Straight Silver, when I needed something fun to read.

As the massive Sabbat World Crusades gain traction against humanity’s enemies, the Imperial forces finally have the capacity to send aid to the long-isolated planet of Aexe Cardinal.  There the loyalist nations of the Aexe Alliances have been locked in a gruelling 40-year war against the Chaos corrupted Shadik Republic.  Amongst the Imperial reinforcements sent to Aexe Cardinal are the veteran Ghosts of the Tanith First-and-Only, who are ready to make a dent in a new foe.

However, upon arriving on Aexe Cardinal, the Ghosts are surprised to find themselves under the command of the Aexe Alliance rather than their own generals.  Forced to serve the whims of their new allies for political reasons, the Ghosts are soon thrust into the archaic way of fighting that have led the war to linger for decades.  Worse, their new commanders refuse to use the Ghosts to their full potential, and the lightly armoured scouts find themselves fighting in bloody trench warfare.

Forced to endure confined conflict in ill-maintained trenches, the Ghosts find death constantly on the horizon as raids, bombardments, gas weaponry, and their own shattered morale begin to take their toll.  To keep his regiment alive and sane, Gaunt volunteers his troops for the most dangerous missions where the Ghost’s scouting skills can be best utilised.  However, the resulting campaigns will test Gaunt and his troops to the utter limit as the relentless forces of Chaos come crashing down upon them.

Straight Silver proved to be an exceptional entry to this amazing Warhammer 40,000 series.  Featuring some powerful and gritty action that took its protagonists to dark places, this sixth entry in the Gaunt’s Ghosts series was so damn good that I managed to power through it in no time at all.

Abnett did a brilliant job coming up with a particularly intense and dark story that plants the protagonists and the reader into the middle of a gritty warzone.  The main story is initially a little basic, with the Ghosts arriving on a new planet and finding themselves caught up in another long-standing war.  However, the book takes an outstanding turn when the Ghosts, who work best as a scout force, are forced into an elaborate trench warfare scenario.  Thanks to the excellent World War I inspired setting, the Ghosts are figuratively thrust back into the past and are forced to fight an old-fashioned type of war with their lasguns going up against firearms, chemical shells, and fixed lines of trenches.  The constant grim trench battles, raids and fights across no man’s land that dominate the first half of this book are very intense, gory, and pointless, and the reader is swiftly drawn into the unusual and dangerous scenario the Ghosts find themselves in.  Abnett masterfully captures so many aspects of this grim scenario, and you have to appreciate how brutal he makes the battles and the terrible conditions the characters find themselves in.

All these initial battles are expertly shown through the eyes of the many recurring characters of the Gaunt’s Ghosts series, and you swiftly begin to feel their despair and the rising tensions within them.  This works well with many of the existing character arcs, as several figures deal with grudges, uncertainty about duty, and growing relationships.  This excellent use of character arcs and perspectives humanises the fight, and you can’t help but get dragged even more into their hopeless situations.  I particularly enjoyed how Abnett deliberately made the antagonists a purely human force, with no named enemy characters serving as the villain.  This helps to reinforce that the true antagonist of the plot is human nature and their ability to wage unforgiving war, as the two opposing armies destroy everything around them.

While Abnett could have kept the characters in the trenches for a while and still had a good book, he chooses to accelerate the plot about halfway through Straight Silver, as the Ghosts are given a chance to prove themselves by going on two deadly missions.  This splits the story, as Gaunt leads half the characters on a series of deadly raids behind enemy lines, while another small group of key characters find themselves away from the fighting as they scout a critical location in the woods.  Naturally both storylines result in deadly chaos for the relevant protagonists, but I loved how they played out.  The storyline with Gaunt was brutal infiltration across no man’s land at its finest, and there are so many shudder-inducing moments as they continuously encounter the horrors of war.  The other storyline is much more a slow burn, as the characters find themselves isolated in the woods and only have themselves to fight with, as the grudges and resentments introduced at the start of the book are refreshed.  While the characters come together when an enemy presents itself, they are still caught up in their raw emotions, and this results in some dark moments.  Both storylines are resolve in an impressive and compelling manner, and the reader will come away enthralled, excited, and a little angry, as one excellent villain gets away with everything again.  You are honestly left wanting more, especially as Abnett throws in some tantalising hints for the future, and the bloody battles and horrors of Straight Silver will stay with you long after you’ve finished.

As with most books in the Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Straight Silver can be read as a mostly standalone read, as many of the key characters and story arcs are expertly reintroduced throughout the course of the book.  While readers will always get more out of Straight Silver if they read the other Gaunt’s Ghosts books first, especially as that will allow them to become more attached to the characters, a new reader can easily pick up Straight Silver and have an outstanding time getting through it.  Straight Silver and the Gaunt’s Ghosts books can also be readily enjoyed by those people with minimal pre-knowledge of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  The Gaunt’s Ghosts books exist in their own little pocket of the universe, with the story completely focused on their own struggle as soldiers.  As such, this makes these books perfect entry level reads for those wishing to learn more about Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and anyone with a love for science fiction or military fiction is going to love Straight Silver.

I’m always impressed with the amazing range of characters that Abnett fits into each of his Gaunt’s Ghost novels, as the author tries to constantly capture the entire experience of the regiment in a Band of Brothers sort of way.  Unlike his Eisenhorn books, which had one perspective character, the Gaunt’s Ghosts follow many different protagonists, which allows you to see a massive picture of events unfolding.  This works really well, and I loved the huge range of unique perspectives and personalities that emerged, as well as the different views of the fights and internal conflicts.  I did think that Straight Silver might have featured a few too many different perspectives, as Abnett tried to bring some new characters to the fore.  This meant that several of the established cast from the previous book didn’t have a chance to shine here and were often sidelined, while the newer characters didn’t impress as much in their first big appearance.

There were still a ton of great character arcs going on, and even with less time in the spotlight, many of these characters made the most of it.  Main protagonist Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt gets a good showing, especially as he is forced into conflict with his friend, the highly moral Chief Medic Tolin Dorden, and he is forced to balance his responsibilities as a Commissar with the love he holds for his soldiers.  Newly promoted Sergeant Tona Criid proves to be an absolute badass character, and it was great to see her take command and kick butt.  Sergeant Agun Soric has some great scenes as he slowly comes to realise his latent psychic abilities, while the formerly charismatic Gol Kolea is a hard figure to read about, after suffering a head wound in the previous book and losing his intelligence.  However, the best storyline in Straight Silver involves the mad sniper Hlaine Larkin and the nefarious trooper Lijah Cuu (sure as sure).  Thanks to their interactions in the previous book, the slippery murderer Cuu has a major grudge against Larkin and is determined to kill him, just like he did Bragg.  This results in a deadly game of cat and mouse between the two, as Larkin tries to survive both the enemy and Cuu.  Cuu comes away as such a good villain for this book (even more than the enemy), and you can’t help but hate the guy, especially as there is something slick and scary in his every appearance.  These characters, and many more, helped to turn Straight Silver into an exceptional read, and you really get wrapped up in their unique experiences of war.

I doubt anyone who has every read one of my Warhammer reviews will be surprised that I ended up listening to Straight Silver on audiobook.  All Warhammer books are so much better in this format, and the Gaunt’s Ghosts audiobooks are a great example of this, especially with narrator Toby Longworth.  Longworth, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators, has lent his voice to most of Abnett’s Warhammer audiobooks, and he always does a remarkable job moving the story along and describing the book’s epic battle sequences.  This is extremely evident in Straight Silver, and I very quickly powered through this audiobook because of how good it is.

I especially loved the awesome voices that Longworth came up with for the various characters featured throughout the book, and he goes out of his way to ensure that every figure has their own distinctive and fitting voice.  Many of these voices are carried over from the previous audiobooks, and it was great to get the continuity for each of the recurring characters, so much so that by this point listeners of the other Gaunt’s Ghosts books can figure out who is talking just by hearing their particular tone.  One thing I particularly appreciate is the range of accents that Longworth distributes across the audiobook.  Each group of soldiers, such as the original Tanith troopers, the new Verghastite recruits, and the soldiers of Aexe Cardinal, are given their own distinctive accents, and this cool attention to detail is what makes Longworth such a good narrator.  This was such an epic audiobook; with a runtime of nearly ten hours, most people can power through it, especially when they get caught up in the epic story.

Straight Silver is a particularly epic and impressive addition to the Gaunt’s Ghosts series as Dan Abnett takes his fame regiment down into battle hell.  Loaded with intense moments, a powerful background setting, and multiple engaging character arcs, Straight Silver is an exceptional read, and it is honestly one of the strongest Gaunt’s Ghosts books I have so far read.  An utterly addictive Warhammer 40,000 novel, I can give it no higher honour as a reviewer than to say the moment I finished it, I instantly grabbed the next book in the series, read it, and will be putting up a review for it now.

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WWW Wednesday – 24 April 2024

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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:

Behind a Closed Door by J. D. Barker (ebook)

Behind A Closed Door Cover

I barely got any physical reading done this week so I’m still going with the very adult thriller, Behind a Closed Door by J. D. Barker.  Set around a troubled couple who begin using an unusual relationship app, Behind a Closed Door will see them tested like never before by the app’s sinister requirements.  I’ve made a bit of progress on Behind a Closed Door since last week, and I’m very intrigued where things are going with it.  Hopefully I will get more opportunities to read this week and I will aim to finish this novel off by this time next week.

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Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Audiobook)

Alien Clay Cover

I had a lot more success getting through audiobooks this week, so I just started listening to the awesome science fiction novel Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I have become a major fan of Tchaikovsky is recent years, and Alien Clay is the first of four (yes, four!) books he has coming out this year.  An intriguing novel about an infamous prison on an alien world, Alien Clay has some great potential that really grabbed my attention.  I’m only a little way into Alien Clay but I am enjoying its great concept, cynical political undertones, and underlying scientific mysteries.  I am hoping to get through Alien Clay rather quickly, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Warhammer 40,000: Straight Silver by Dan Abnett (Audiobook)

Straight Silver Cover

I have really been in the mood for some classic Warhammer 40,000 fiction this week, especially after recently updating my list on the subject, so I continued my dive into the Gaunt’s Ghosts series by Dan Abnett with Straight Silver.  An excellent addition to the series, Straight Silver was a dark and gritty war story that proved to be highly addictive and which I could not get enough of.

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Warhammer 40,000: Sabbat Martyr by Dan Abnett (Audiobook)

Sabbat Martyr Cover

Indeed, I loved Straight Silver so much I immediately listened to the next book in the Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Sabbat Martyr.  Another awesome read, Sabbat Martyr saw the soldier protagonists dragged into another bitter conflict as a new religious figure emerges to lead them.  A great novel that cleverly wrapped up several ongoing storylines in some suitably tragic ways, I had such an incredible time getting through this audiobook.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

The Silverblood Promise by James Logan

The Silverblood Promise Cover

If I manage to get some reading time this week, then the next physical book that I am hoping to check out is The Silverblood Promise by James Logan.  The debut novel of Logan, The Silverblood Promise is an epic sounding fantasy debut that will see a disgraced heir to a noble family attempt to find his father’s killer in a city of notorious rogues, killers and villains. I have very high hopes for this book, and I have no doubt that The Silverblood Promise will be one of the top fantasy books of 2024.

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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 – 17 April 2024

On By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday1 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:

Behind a Closed Door by J. D. Barker (ebook)

Behind A Closed Door Cover

I started reading the thriller novel, Behind a Closed Door by J. D. Barker this week and it is proving to be interesting so far.  Set around a troubled couple who begin using an unusual relationship app, Behind a Closed Door will see them tested like never before by the app’s sinister requirements.  I haven’t gotten too far into this book yet, but I am so far quite intrigued by its start and premise.  I look forward to seeing how it turns out and I think I am in for quite a wild ride.

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Warhammer 40,000: Straight Silver by Dan Abnett (Audiobook)

Straight Silver Cover

I was really in the mood for some classic Warhammer 40,000 fiction this week, especially after recently updating my list on the subject, so I thought I would continue my dive into the Gaunt’s Ghosts series by Dan Abnett with Straight Silver.  An excellent addition to the series, Straight Silver sees the Ghosts transferred to a war-torn planet and forced into desperate trench warfare.  A dark and gritty war story, Straight Silver is extremely addictive and I should knock it off in the next day or so.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Play of Shadows by Sebastien De Castell (Trade Paperback)

Play of Shadows Cover

I managed to finish off the awesome and entertaining new fantasy novel from Sebastien De Castell, Play of Shadows.  Set in his Greatcoat universe, Play of Shadows is the start of new series from De Castell that sees a hapless actor become wrapped up in all manner of trouble when he begins to mystically channel the spirt of his city’s greatest historical villain while on stage. I had an exceptional time with Play of Shadows, and this was honesty one of the best books I have read in 2024 so far.

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The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry (Audiobook)

The Atlas Maneuver Cover

I also knocked off The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry this week and proved to be another amazing addition to the epic Cotton Malone series. Review to follow soon.

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Warhammer 40,000: The Traitor’s Hand by Sandy Mitchell (Audiobook)

The Traitor's Hand Cover

Another Warhammer 40,000 audiobook I got through this week was the funny and brilliant The Traitor’s Hand by Sandy Mitchell.  The third in the hilarious Ciaphas Cain series, The Traitor’s Hand provided a lighter edge to the usually grim Warhammer 40,000 universe and I had an amazing time listening to it.  Check out my review for it here.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

The Silverblood Promise by James Logan

The Silverblood Promise Cover

The next book that I am hoping to check out is The Silverblood Promise by James Logan.  The debut novel of Logan, The Silverblood Promise is an epic sounding fantasy debut that will see a disgraced heir to a noble family attempt to find his father’s killer in a city of notorious rogues, killers and villains. I have very high hopes for this book, and I have no doubt that The Silverblood Promise will be one of the top fantasy books of 2024.

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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 Literary Trilogies – April 2024

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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.  While the official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday required participants to list the 10 characters they would like to go on vacation with, I have decided to do something a little different, and instead I will be updating my favourite literary trilogies list from a few years ago. 

Trilogies in literature are a long-running and deeply fun tradition that packs an epic connected tale, into three consecutive novels.  There are some truly amazing trilogies out there, from the classics, like The Lord of the Rings, to some recent trilogies that I have been deeply enjoying.  Indeed, 2023 just saw the end of several epic and outstanding literary trilogies, while 2024 will see some intriguing new trilogies start up.  I have had the great pleasure of reading some truly awesome and exciting trilogies over the years, and back in 2021 I had a wonderful time coming up with a list that featured my absolute favourite literary trilogies.  Since I had so much fun last week updating my favourite Warhammer 40,000 fiction list, I figured it was also time to update my previous trilogy list, especially as I had more than enough new entries to highlight.

This proved to be a fun update to pull together, especially as I had a great wealth of new potential trilogies to feature on this list.  To be eligible, the proposed trilogy must consist of three, inter-connected novels.  I only included series that were intended to end after three novels, rather than by happenstance, so that means that series like The Gentleman Bastards will not be featured (it technically has a fourth novel on the way).  This meant that a previous entry, the Planetside books by Michael Mammay (made up of Planetside, Spaceside and Colonyside), had to be taken off this new list because Mammay has just announced a fourth book.  I also excluded trilogies that I have not yet completed, even if I have already read and deeply enjoyed the first two novels.  This is because I really need to see how the third book turns out, as a bad third entry can easily spoil a trilogy that starts out strong.

Even with these restrictions, I ended up with a descent list of trilogies, which took me a little while to cull down and which resulted in a generous honourable mentions section.  I am judging these trilogies on several factors, including how complete their story is, how well connected the novels are, and whether the component novels provide good introductions, conclusions and connections to the other books in the trilogy.  Overall, I am very happy with how this latest version of this list turned out, even though I combined a couple of entries together, and I think that this accurately represents the best trilogies that I have so far finished.

Honourable Mentions:

Swords and Fire trilogy by Melissa Caruso

Swords and Fire Trilogy

My first honourable mention is the debut trilogy from talented fantasy author Melissa Caruso.  Featuring The Tethered Mage, The Defiant Heir, and The Unbound Empire, the Swords and Fire trilogy tells the tale of the unlikely partnership of an ambitious noble and a reckless, ultra-powerful mage, whose fates are literally bound together.  This is an amazing and inventive fantasy trilogy that pits this duo against conspiracies, a nation of terrifying magical users, and their own substantial personal issues.

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Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron trilogy by Alexander Freed

Alphabet Squadron Cover

There are some great Star Wars series out there, and one of the very best is the Alphabet Squadron trilogy by Alexander Freed.  Made up of Alphabet Squadron, Shadow Fall and Victory’s Price, this trilogy followed a group of pilots in the immediate aftermath of Return of the Jedi, as they continue to fight the brutal war to claim the universe.  This trilogy combined a gritty and complex war story with the iconic Star Wars universe to create three impressive novels that work brilliantly as an overarching series. 

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The Century trilogy by Ken Follett

Century Trilogy

A massive and comprehensive historical fiction trilogy, made up of Fall of Giants, Winter of the World and Edge of Eternity.  These books take place throughout the 20th century and follow three generations of several families as they navigate the century’s big historical events, including two world wars and the Cold War.  Some of the best historical fiction writing you are ever likely to see; this is a powerful and captivating series.

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The Icewind Dale trilogy by R. A. Salvatore

Icewind Dale Trilogy

Iconic fantasy author, R. A. Salvatore, has made a career out of writing trilogies, and there were several I could have included, especially his Dark Elf trilogy.  However, I think that his debut Icewind Dale series, is his most consistently impressive trilogy.  While the first novel, The Crystal Shard is a tad rough, the second and third books, Streams of Silver and The Halfling’s Gem, more than make up for it, and produce a brilliant overall story that perfectly set up all his iconic characters for decades to follow. 

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Top Ten List:

The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

First Law Trilogy

Let us start this list off with the dark fantasy masterpiece that is Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law trilogy.  Consisting of The Blade Itself, Before they are Hanged and Last Argument of Kings, this amazing trilogy follows a group of extremely complex and damaged characters as they attempt to navigate a dark world filled with betrayal, uncontrolled ambition, and all manner of human monsters.  All three books are really incredible, with The Blade Itself providing an outstanding introduction, while Last Argument of Kings wraps everything up perfectly and leaves the reader with a troubling but memorable conclusion.  I powered through this trilogy in a very short time, and it remains one of my all-time favourite pieces of fantasy fiction.

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Warhammer 40,000: Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett

Eisenhorn Trilogy

It was inevitable that a Warhammer 40,000 trilogy was going to end up on this list at some point, and no trilogy deserves it more than the Eisenhorn books (Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus) by Dan Abnett.  Considered one of the pillars of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, the Eisenhorn books follow an Imperial Inquisitor, the titular Eisenhorn, as he attempts to root out hidden alien and Chaos threats to humanity.  However, throughout the course of the trilogy, Eisenhorn starts to use the methods of his enemies and slowly becomes corrupted by them without even noticing.  A brilliant collection of three books that spawned some intriguing sequel series, I cannot recommend this trilogy enough and it is essential readding for all Warhammer fans.

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The Empire trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts

The Empire Trilogy Cover

I was spoiled for choice when it came to Raymond E. Feist and his multitude of great trilogies, from his iconic Riftwar Saga to his more recent The Firemane Saga (King of Ashes, Queen of Storms and Master of Furies).  However, I think his most consistent and impressive trilogy were The Empire books he cowrote with Janny Wurts.  Set at the same time as the Riftwar Saga, this trilogy explored an alien fantasy world with some major Japanese influences.  An intense and action-packed fantasy trilogy loaded with political intrigue, family feuds and a female ruler battling for control in a male-dominated world, The Empire books, Daughter of the Empire, Servant of the Empire and Mistress of the Empire, form an exceptional trilogy that is really worth reading.

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The Siege trilogy and Corax trilogy by K. J. Parker

Siege and Corax Trilogies

Since my original list in 2021 I have finished two awesome trilogies by K. J. Parker, The Siege trilogy and the Corax trilogy, both of which were outstanding pieces of fantasy fiction that leaned heavily on humour and cynical insights into human nature to tell their entertaining tales.  While the Siege books tell three separate stories connected to the siege of a massive city, the Corax trilogy follows the misadventures of the titular Saevus Corax, a conman battlefield salvager.  The Siege books featured three amazing reads, Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City, How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It, and A Practical Guide to Conquering the World, while the Corax series featured the excellent books Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead, Saevus Corax Captures the Castle and Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder (review to follow soon).  Both series were very exciting, clever, and featured a heavy dose of dark wit I honestly found irresistible, enough so that all six books mentioned here got five-star reviews from me.  Due to the similarities in style, comedic inclusions, and the fact they are set in the same universe, I had an extremely hard time determining which of these trilogies I enjoyed the most.  In fact, it proved so impossible to choose, I ended up calling it a tie and combined the trilogies together into a single entry.  Both trilogies are quite impressive, and you are guaranteed to have an outstanding time with all the books in them.

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The Tide Child trilogy by R. J. Barker

The Tide Child Trilogy

The trilogy that inspired me to write the first version of this list was the exceptional The Tide Child trilogy by rising fantasy fiction start R. J. Barker.  Barker did some incredible work here producing an intense and addictive dark fantasy series that takes place primarily on a naval vessel made from dragon bones.  With some exceptional character work, beautifully written scenes, and some truly unique fantasy features, The Tide Child series is one of the absolute best fantasy trilogies out there.  All three novels, The Bone Ships (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2019), Call of the Bone Ships, and The Bone Ship’s Wake, are incredible and enchanting reads, which come together to form a brilliant and highly recommend trilogy.

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Lessons of the Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik

Scholomance Covers

Few trilogies impressed me more in recent years than the Lessons of the Scholomance books by veteran fantasy author Naomi Novik.  Essentially a dark take on the magical school genre, the Scholomance books follows a trouble and ultra-destructive teenage magic user who has been sent to the Scholomance, a magical school filled with harsh lessons and infested with hungry monsters.  I really got drawn into this elaborate series, especially with its unique setting, damaged characters, and fantastic stakes.  Made up of three excellent reads, including A Deadly Education, The Last Graduate and The Golden Enclaves, the Scholomance books were a very powerful series that traumatised the reader (I still haven’t recovered from The Last Graduate’s ending) and took its characters through hell and back, all while also making great use of Novik’s inventive concepts.  A brilliant, beautiful, and intense three books that you will not regret picking up.

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Legacy of the Mercenary King trilogy by Nick Martell

The Voyage of the Forgotten Cover

Out of all the exceptional fantasy trilogies I have enjoyed over the years, few have struck me as hard as the Legacy of the Mercenary King trilogy from Nick Martell.  Martell’s debut trilogy, the Legacy of the Mercenary King books follows the scion of a disgraced family who fights to uncover various conspiracies and lies inflicting his city as dark forces move to destroy everything.  Starting with The Kingdom of Liars (one of my favourite books, debuts and audiobooks of 2020), the series kept moving from strength to strength as the following two books, The Two-Faced Queen (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021) and The Voyage of the Forgotten (one of my favourite books of 2022), moved the story in some outstanding directions while continuing to introduce and expand on the series’ impressive characters.  Easily one of the best trilogies from a debuting fantasy author I have had the pleasure of reading, the Legacy of the Mercenary Kings books are extremely exceptional, and a guaranteed hit for anyone looking for something fresh and addictive.

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The Age of Madness trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

Age of Madness Trilogy

Not content with only having one exceptional fantasy trilogy, Joe Abercrombie had to double down and write the epic sequel trilogy, The Age of Madness, which frankly I had no choice but to give a separate entry on this list.  Set a generation after The First Law trilogy, the three Age of Madness novels, A Little Hatred, The Trouble with Peace and The Wisdom of Crowds, contains another outstanding dark fantasy tale following a whole new group of complex and troubled protagonists.  This brilliant trilogy featured Abercrombie’s trademark character work, dark storytelling, and cynical edge, which resulted in three outstanding five-star reads.  These amazing novels form a deeply thrilling and powerful trilogy which is just as good, if not better than the original First Law novels.

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The Covenant of Steel trilogy by Anthony Ryan

The Traitor Cover

Another brilliant fantasy trilogy that I fell in love with recently is The Covenant of Steel books by acclaimed author Anthony Ryan.  Made up of The Pariah, The Martyr and The Traitor, The Covenant of Steel books tell the tale of a bandit turned scribe who finds himself caught up in deadly, kingdom changing events, including war, religious upheaval, and supernatural calamities.  All three books in this series were quite exceptional, and I love the intricate and impressive overarching narrative they told, which drew you in with powerful storytelling, great characters, and dark twists.  I will have to go back and check out some of Ryan’s other series in the future, but for the moment, my eye is on a new trilogy of his, debuting later this year with A Tide of Dark Steel.  I have no doubt this new trilogy will be a strong contender for future versions of this list, and I cannot wait to see how Ryan’s next captivating adventure unfolds.

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Star Wars: Thrawn and Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy by Timothy Zahn

Thrawn Ascendancy Trilogy Covers

The final entry on this list is another joint entry with the epic Thrawn and Thrawn Ascendancy trilogies by Timothy Zahn.  Bringing back his iconic extended universe character, Grand Admiral Thrawn, to the new Star Wars canon, these trilogies expand on the character’s appearances in recent shows and provide a whole new history to the character.  The first trilogy, made up of Thrawn, Alliances and Treason, provides a great coverage of Thrawn’s service to the Empire before the finale of Star Wars: Rebels, while the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy, made up of Chaos Rising, Greater Good and Lesser Evil, dives into his complex past on his home world.  Both trilogies are very well balanced, although I would say they each have a strongest and weakest point to them.  I was initially going to feature these as two separate entries, much like I did with John Abercrombie’s books above, however, due to the way they support each other, and because they are both very similar, I felt it was better to combine them into a single entry.  All six book are very awesome, and feature some of the best novelised Star Wars space combat sequences you are likely to see.  A must read for all Star Wars fans, I really hope that Zahn comes back and writes more Thrawn books, especially after the character had his live action debut last year.

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Well, that’s the end of this list.  As you can see, I have read some awesome trilogies over the last few years, and I think this update does a great job highlighting some of the best recent additions.  I am planning to come back to this list again in a year or two, especially as there are some more outstanding trilogies, I am currently in the middle of that will easy make this list in the future.  In the meantime, let me know what your favourite trilogies are in the comments below.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels – April 2024

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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 are given a freebie, where they can talk about any book topic they want.  While I had a few ideas, I decided to update a fun list from last year where I highlighted my absolute favourite Warhammer 40,000 tie-in novels.

Warhammer is a long-running extended universe that is based around a series of miniature table-top games.  Started by Games Workshop decades ago, Warhammer in its various forms has a large and dedicated following to it, and there are several existing or defunct games associated with the franchise.  The most iconic of these is probably the futuristic Warhammer 40,000 franchise which is set millennia in the future and details a grim-dark universe where multiple factions engage in massive wars and battles.  Thanks to years of extended lore, there are a ton of Warhammer 40,000 books and comics out there, with a massive team of great authors contributing more and more to it all the time. 

Due to how much I love this franchise and how many books I have been reading from it, around this time last year, I went out of my way to list my favourite Warhammer 40,000 books, which ballooned into a 20-entry feature.  This proved to be a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed highlighting the top Warhammer 40,000 books I read.  While I was happy with how this prior list panned out, I was only really scratching the surface of this massive collection of fiction, as there are a ton of other epic Warhammer 40,000 books out there.  I’ve spent the last year or so getting even further into this franchise, and I have read several additional awesome books, which includes several brand-new favourites.  As such, I figured this would be a good time to update my previous list and feature even more epic pieces of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.

As with my previous list about Warhammer 40,000 fiction, I have loaded this entry up with my top 20 favourite books, including several great books I discovered in the last year.  There are some amazing Warhammer 40,000 novels here, and it was interesting to see what new pieces of fiction made it onto the latest version of this list.  I had some very hard decisions to make, and several books that I featured last time needed to be cut, which wasn’t easy to do.  I did once again decide to compact several books from the same series (and written by the same author) into a single entry to increase variety, which I think worked out well.  Overall, I’m very happy with how my Top 20 list turned out and there are so many exceptional and epic novels I would strongly recommend.

Top 20 List (no particular order):

Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett

Warhammer 40,000 - Xenos Cover

The first entry on this list is the iconic and epic Eisenhorn trilogy by legendary Warhammer author Dan Abnett.  Generally considered one of the most influential authors of Warhammer fiction, Abnett has written several key series and novels in this canon and the Eisenhorn books are some of his finest work.  Made up of Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus, this series follows the titular Inquisitor Eisenhorn who investigates several complex conspiracies while trying to keep the Imperium of Man safe.  However, along the way he starts making dark compromises and deals to fight the forces of Chaos, which slowly corrupts him.  Providing an outstanding mixture of elaborate stories, impressive characters and some epic moments, the Eisenhorn trilogy is damn near perfect, and I have had a wonderful time getting through it.  Easily one of the best Warhammer series out there, the Eisenhorn novels are a must-read, and there is a reason why most fans recommend it as a brilliant starting Warhammer 40,000 fiction starting point.

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Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! by Nate Crowley

Ghazghkull Thraka - Prophet of the Waaagh! Cover

For readers looking for something a little less human-focussed, Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! is the perfect book.  A unique retelling of iconic ork character Ghazghkull Thraka’s origin story, this fantastic novel presents a powerful and instantly compelling story that shows a far deeper side to the ork boss and his followers.  Crowley expertly utilises a series of distinctive perspectives to tell a particularly striking story, and I loved the fun combination of serious elements and humorous undertones.  I had a brilliant time with this novel, and it ended up being one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022.  Highly recommended, especially on audiobook due to the amazing team of talented narrators the recruited to voice it.

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Assassinorum: Kingmaker by Robert Rath

Assassinorum Kingmaker Cover

Another Warhammer 40,000 novel from 2022 that topped my best of lists was the insanely good Assassinorum: Kingmaker by talented author Robert Rath.  Following three ultra-elite assassins, Kingmaker showcases their mission to assassinate a king and bring a new era to a feudal Imperial Knight planet.  The only problem is that their target is permanently bonded to a giant mecha, and there are far darker secrets hidden on the planet than they realised.  This book was highly addictive from the very start, and I cannot emphasise how impressively amazing the narrative was.  You really get attached to the major characters, and I loved all the epic mecha-on-mecha fights than ensued.  A top read from one of the franchises fastest rising stars.

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The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley

The Wraithbone Phoenix Cover

One of the things that I most love about Warhammer 40,000 fiction is the sheer range of different stories that can be featured in this universe.  Probably the best example of this is the Warhammer Crime subseries that set a series of powerful crime fiction novels in a futuristic and corrupt Warhammer 40,000 city.  The first one of these that I read was The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley, which features a fast-paced, crime thriller romp as several teams of over-the-top criminals fight to recover a mysterious McGuffin, the titular Wraithbone Phoenix.  The story primarily focuses on the hilarious team of thieving ratling (a futuristic halfling/hobbit) and an enlightened Ogryn (ogre), who find themselves caught in the middle of the heist and hunted by everyone.  Fun, intense and surprisingly moving, this was an amazing book, and readers should also check out Worley’s short audiobook, Dredge Runners, which serves as an exceptional prequel.

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Storm of Iron by Graham McNeill

Storm of Iron Cover 2

From cool crime fiction to brutal sieges, my next entry is the awesome epic Storm of Iron by the legendary Graham McNeill.  Storm of Iron is a powerful and intense read that chronicles a deadly futuristic siege of a legendary citadel by the Iron Warriors Chaos Space Marines, the galaxy’s most accomplished siege experts.  What follows is a brutal and lengthy siege novel that sees both sides engage in a hellish campaign to try and survive.  Cleverly showcasing both sides and providing some great context to the antagonists, this is a particularly fun book that is easily one of the best siege novels I have ever read.

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Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks

Da Big Dakka Cover

One of the more entertaining recent additions to this list is Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks.  Brooks is one of the most talented rising authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, especially with books like The Lion: King of the Forest and Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom.  While I enjoy his serious work, my favourite book of his is Da Big Dakka.  An intriguing and ultra-entertaining follow-up to his ork novels, Brutal Kunnin and Warboss, Da Big Dakka sets a deadly ork warband against the lethal Drukhari in a battle of wits, carnage and pain.  Hilarious and clever from start to finish, I cannot recommend this book enough as it had me laughing all the way through.

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Sinner’s Bounty by Joshua Reynolds

Kal Jerico - Sinner's Bounty Cover

While Deathwatch: Shadowbreaker was the first current Warhammer 40,000 novel I read, Sinner’s Bounty was the book that sealed my fate and ensured I would get hooked on this franchise again.  Set in the Necromunda sub-series/game, Sinner’s Bounty presents a whole new adventure from one of the franchise’s best characters, bounty hunter Kal Jerico, as he follows a notorious criminal into the darkest parts of the massive Necromunda hive city.  A massively entertaining romp that features multiple teams of bounty hunters, an army of mutants, and all manner of monsters in the dark sewers of the city, Sinner’s Bounty is so much damn fun and I loved seeing my favourite character back in action.  I hope we get more Kal Jerico books in the future, but in the meantime Sinner’s Bounty an amazing read that perfectly showcases one of the franchises best settings and protagonists.

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The Infinite and The Divine by Robert Rath

The Infinite and the Divine Cover

Another outstanding novel from Robert Rath that I had to feature here is, The Infinite and The Divine.  Focussed on two compelling and brilliant Necron characters, The Infinite and The Divine showcases the legendary feud between them as they spend thousands of years battling over a recovered artefact and its secrets.  Devolving into quite a petty scrap at times, The Infinite and The Divine is one of the funniest and cleverest Warhammer 40,000 books out there as it makes excellent use of humour, intense lore, and some very serious moments to tell a unique and memorable tale.  I had an exceptionally fun time with The Infinite and The Divine, and it is a fantastic novel for all Warhammer fans.

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Gaunt’s Ghosts series – Dan Abnett

Warhammer 40,000 - Necropolis Cover

There was no way I could exclude Dan Abnett’s other iconic series, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books from this list.  Generally considered one of the key pillars of Warhammer 40,000 fiction and essential reading for all newcomers to the franchise, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books follow the Tanith First and Only, a small regiment from a destroyed planet fighting for redemption in a deadly crusade.  Containing great characters, compelling storylines, and a gritty examination of the common Imperial soldier’s life, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books are pretty damn captivating and I have had a great deal of fun with them.  While last year I had only read the first two books, First and Only and Ghostmaker, as well as the prequel novel, The Vincula Insurgency, I spent a bit of time in 2023 getting through more of the series, including the epic books Necropolis, Honour Guard and The Guns of Tanith.  While Necropolis is probably my favourite of these books so far, all of them are very cool in their own way and form a great overarching series.  While I still have to read several more Gaunt’s Ghosts books, this is one of the best Warhammer series out there and I would strongly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about this cool universe.  I’m hoping to make more progress on this series in the next year and I cannot wait to see how everything pans out.

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Lord of the Night by Simon Spurrier

Lord of the Night Cover

A classic Warhammer 40,000 novel that I have a lot of love for is the dark and compelling Lord of the Night by Simon Spurrier.  A unique read that sees a lone Night Lords traitor Space Marine terrorise an entire giant city in the hunt for a legendary artefact, Lord of the Night is a complex, character driven novel that really dives into the villain’s perspective.  Loaded with twists, compelling protagonists and a legendary game of cat and mouse, Lord of the Night is an outstanding read that I’m glad I got the chance to read.

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Steel Tread by Andy Clark

Steel Tread Cover

While most Warhammer novels tries to capture the gritty realities of war, few have succeeded as well as Andy Clark’s 2022 novel, Steel Tread.  Set within the close confines of a tank, the book sees a crew of large personalities try to survive each other amid a destructive and terrifying warzone.  A super intense and deeply personal novel, I had an exceptional time with Steel Tread and it was one of the best soldier-focused Warhammer 40,000 novels I have had the pleasure of reading.

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The Twice-Dead King books – Nate Crowley

The Twice-Dead King - Ruin Cover

The next entry is a joint entry featuring the two The Twice-Dead King novels by Nate Crowley, Ruin and Reign.  A Necron focussed series, The Twice-Dead King follows a fallen Necron prince who battles to regain his power and throne when a deadly invasion of humans threatens his realm.  Providing one of the deepest examinations of the intriguing Necron faction in all of Warhammer fiction, you really get to understand this complex race, especially when they are faced with their own terrifying internal demons.  This book powerfully showcases Crowley’s talent for diving into alien races with his writing and you come away from these books extremely moved and highly impressed with just how good Warhammer fiction can be.

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For The Emperor by Sandy Mitchell

Warhammer 40,000 - For the Emperor Cover

Easily one of the funniest Warhammer novels I have ever read was the brilliant and compelling read, For the Emperor by Sandy Mitchell.  The first book in the long-running and beloved Ciaphas Cain series, For the Emperor follows the adventures of Commissar Ciaphas Cain, one of the Imperium’s greatest heroes.  However, it is soon revealed that Cain is a manipulative coward who actively tries to avoid combat, only to end up in even worse situations.  Mitchell paints a pretty hilarious picture around this scenario, and the result is just spectacular and side-splittingly funny.  An exceptional and fun novel that serves as a great introduction to the Ciaphas Cain novels, while also showing just how impressive and varied this franchise can be.  I’m hoping to read more of these books in the future, especially as the second novel, Caves of Ice, is a very worthy sequel.

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The Fall of Cadia by Robert Rath

Warhammer 40,000 - The Fall of Cadia Cover

Robert Rath makes yet another appearance on this list with his latest novel, The Fall of Cadia.  A truly epic read that recounts the dire events of the canon-changing, Imperium wrecking, final battle of the 13th Black Crusade, The Fall of Cadia is a remarkable book that Warhammer 40,000 fans will not be able to put down.  Filled with massive battles, unique moments, and so many larger-than-life characters, The Fall of Cadia perfectly captures one of the more essential moments in recent Warhammer 40,000 lore.  Rath is really proving himself to be one of the absolute best authors of Warhammer fiction, as The Fall of Cadia ended up being one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023.

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Outgunned by Denny Flowers

Warhammer 40,000 - Outgunned Cover

While Denny Flowers’ first book, Fire Made Flesh, was a great Necromunda novel, it pales in comparison to Outgunned which had me hooked very early on.  Outgunned follows an Imperial propaganda specialist who arrives on a swampy battlefield to film inspiration footage of a legendary fighter pilot as she battles an ork invasion.  However, nothing goes to plan as the protagonist soon discovers that his preferred subject is an arrogant drunkard, the planet has some unusual secrets and the orks are actually winning the war.  A brilliant and intense novel that not only featured a ton of great aerial combat, but which also dives into some very dark places that shows just how far humanity has fallen in the far future.  Highly recommended.

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Flesh and Steel by Guy Haley

Flesh and Steel Cover

The Warhammer Crime hits keep on coming with Flesh and Steel by renowned author Guy Haley.  This compelling read acts a bit of an odd-couple, buddy cop story when two very different detectives are forced to team up to investigate a dismembered body left across a city border.  Mixing some fantastic comedy with some pretty dark and horrific elements, Flesh and Steel provided one of the best character-focused stories in the Warhammer Crime range and I was deeply impressed with how everything unfolded.  A key Warhammer Crime read and one that I have a great deal of affection for.

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Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons

Dead Men Walking Cover

Another book that highlight’s the unique human soldiers of the Warhammer 40,000 universe is the moving and tragic novel, Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons.  Featuring a battle between two unrelenting foes, Dead Men Walking pitted the Death Korps of Krieg against the Necrons in a brutal, all-out war with no true winners.  Cleverly told from the perspective of the poor unfortunates caught in the middle of the fighting, Dead Men Walking is an outstanding and dire novel that really highlights how desperate the Warhammer 40,000 universe can be.  The book that cemented Lyons as the master of the Death Korps of Krieg (check out his other novel, Krieg), Dead Men Walking was a dark riot from start to finish that will stick with you for a very long time.

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Day of Ascension by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Day of Ascension Cover

A great example of the impressive talent that this franchise attracts can be seen in the 2022 novel, Day of Ascension, written by highly renowned author Adrian Tchaikovsky, making his Warhammer debut.  Day of Ascension was a short and sweet novel which sets the robotic and callus Adeptus Mechanicus against a revolution started by a dangerous Genestealer Cult.  Featuring Tchaikovsky’s flair for highlighting alien mindsets and cultures, there are some very clever divergent perspectives in this novel, and I loved diving into the distinctive minds of two very different types of human hybrids.  Successfully introducing a great talent to the franchise, Day of Ascension is a brilliant read and one that I had an epic time with.

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13th Legion by Gav Thorpe

13th Legion Cover 2

Next up we have the first Last Chancer novel, 13th Legion, that perfectly adds in some expendable space convicts to a desperate military fiction narrative.  Written by another iconic Warhammer fiction author, Gav Thorpe, 13th Legion follows the 13th Penal Legion who are forced to participate in a series of suicidal missions to gain their freedom and redemption.  Essentially The Dirty Dozen in space, 13th Legion is an exciting and entertaining novel with a very high body count, that I honestly could not put down.  I also must highlight the sequel, Kill Team, which proved to be a fun follow-up to the first book.  I am hoping to find the rest of the books in the series at some point, as the Last Chancer’s novels are a fun and fantastic inclusion to the canon.

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Bloodlines by Chris Wraight

Warhammer 40,000 - Bloodlines Cover

The final entry on this list is the insanely good Warhammer Crime novel, Bloodlines by Chris Wraight.  Following a cynical, veteran detective as he is dragged into a problematic missing person’s case, Bloodlines soon devolves into a hard tale of rich privilege and gangster violence as the protagonist refuses to stop investigating a crooked corporation.  Probably one of the best pure crime fiction novels in this range, I loved the clever conclusion to the narrative and Bloodlines is an outstanding read, and one I am particularly keen for a sequel for (the protagonist has some dark secrets that need to come into the light).  Highly recommended.

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And that’s the end of my list.  All 20 of the above books/series come very highly recommended, and each of them would make an excellent addition to any budding Warhammer 40,000 fan’s collection.  I really loved that I was able to update this awesome list with several new books, and I have no doubt I will have even more to add next year when I update it again, especially as there are some great Warhammer 40,000 books coming out in 2024.  I hope I’ve inspired at least one reader to embark on a Warhammer 40,000 adventure, and you honestly won’t be disappointed.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Pre-2023 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-2023 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 2023, 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-2023 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 2023, including some pretty 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 2023.  This proved to be a momentous task, as 2023 was a year where I spent a lot of time reading and listening to a ton of older books, including quite a few Warhammer 40,000 books.  There were so many awesome older novels I got through this year, that I honestly couldn’t fit it all into a Top Ten list.  Instead, I turned this into a pretty expansive Top 20 list, just to highlight how much fun I had with older books this year.  This mega list ended up containing an interesting combination of novels, although there was a bit of an overload of entries from the Dresden Files’ series by Jim Butcher and Warhammer 40,000 novels, both of which I really got into throughout this year.  Indeed, it got a little bad that I ended up combining several of these novels 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-2023 novels I read throughout the year, so let us see what made the cut.

Top Twenty List (by release year):

Gaunt’s Ghosts novels by Dan Abnett – 2000-2002

Warhammer 40,000 - Necropolis Cover

If this list is going to show anything it is that 2023 was the year that I really started diving into older pieces of Warhammer 40,000 fiction and boy did I have fun doing so.  One of the most important of these series is the Gaunt’s Ghost books by Dan Abnett.  Generally considered the most seminal series of the entire Warhammer 40,000 franchise, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books are a compelling and moving military fiction series that follow the common human soldier as they face the worst horrors the Warhammer 40,000 universe has to offer.  I ended up reading four Gaunt’s Ghosts books in 2023, including Ghostmaker, Necropolis, Honour Guard and The Guns of Tanith.  Each novel had an outstanding story behind it and I loved seeing the great characters continue to evolve in each entry.  Compelling, intense and very addictive, each book was worthy of its own entry on this list, although I combined all four into this one entry to add more diversity.  I am hoping to really dive into this series next year and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

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13th Legion and Kill Team by Gav Thorpe – 2000-2001

13th Legion Cover 2

Another cool, older Warhammer 40,000 series I started reading in 2023 was the fantastic Last Chancers books by Gav Thorpe.  Essentially The Dirty Dozen in space, the Last Chancers books follow an elite squad of condemned soldiers as they pull off suicidal missions hoping to receive a pardon.  I had an incredible time with the first two books in this series, 13th Legion and Kill Team, and I loved the intense action, compelling characters and insane scenarios.  I am hoping to get the rest of the series in 2024 and I cannot wait to see what chaos the Last Chancers cause next.

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Eisenhorn Trilogy by Dan Abnett – 2001-2002

Warhammer 40,000 - Xenos Cover

Another major Warhammer 40,000 series from Dan Abnett that I finally got around to reading this year is the iconic Eisenhorn trilogy.  Made up of Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus, the Eisenhorn books follow the titular Inquisitor Eisenhorn as he faces off against dangerous aliens and the forces of Chaos seeking to destroy humanity from within.  All three books in this trilogy are so damn good, and I love how they showed an interesting progression of internal corruption as the principled Eisenhorn begins to use darker methods to fight his war, even using the tainted weapons of his enemy.  An outstanding series that all Warhammer 40,000 fans need to read, I cannot recommend these books enough and this trilogy is a worthy entry for this list.

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Giantslayer by William King – 2003

Giantslayer Cover

While I mostly read the science fiction focussed Warhammer 40,000 books this year, I also dove back into the Warhammer Fantasy universe as well with another cool Gotrek and Felix book, Giantslayer.  Following a doomed dwarf slayer and his human companion as they battle through a mysterious magical island, Giantslayer was a pretty fun entry to this already great series and I loved seeing these fantastic characters again.  Giantslayer marked William King’s last entry on this long running series and I look forward to seeing how the series evolved under Nathan Long when I read the next book, Orcslayer.

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For the Emperor and Caves of Ice by Sandy Mitchell – 2003-2004

Warhammer 40,000 - For the Emperor Cover

One of the more distinctive and beloved Warhammer 40,000 series is the fun Ciaphas Cain books by Sandy Mitchell.  Following a famous and heroic Imperial Commissar who is actually a massive coward, the Ciaphas Cain books are often more comedy than serious action, as Cain tries to do everything he can to avoid danger, only to be thrust into the middle of the battle against his will.  I have been meaning to dive into this series for a while and I finally got the chance to read the first two books in the series, For the Emperor and Caves of Ice this year.  Both are amazing reads and I really have to highlight their outstanding audiobook formats that feature three outstanding narrators.  Some of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 books out there, the Ciaphas Cain books live up to all the hype around them and I cannot wait to read more of them in the future.

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Blood Angels: Deus Encarmine by James Swallow – 2004

Deus Encarmine

A powerful and exciting read that sees members of the iconic Blood Angels chapter of Space Marines, fall under the sway of a new champion of their order.  However, not everything is as it seems, and one Blood Angel seeks to find the truth before war and zealotry destroys him.

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Lord of the Night by Simon Spurrier – 2005

Lord of the Night Cover

A fantastic, dark and compelling Warhammer 40,000 novel that pits an ostracised psychic against the personification of fear in a Night Lords Space Marine in a desolate and decaying city.  Lord of the Night was an outstanding piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction that I am planning to review fully in my next upcoming Throwback Thursday post.  Highly recommended.

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Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher – 2006-2012

Ghost Story Cover

Ok, so I’m kind of going a bit overboard with this entry as I’m actually covering six different books here.  Readers of this blog will be aware I have been having fun getting through the awesome Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher over the last couple of years, and it has been a pretty epic experience.  I really picked up my Dresden Files game in 2023 as I ended up listening to six books, including Dead Beat, Proven Guilty, White Night, Small Favour, Turn Coat, Changes and Ghost Story.  All six were exceptional five-star reads and would have taken up a spot on this list each if I hadn’t combined them into one entry here.  I had such a brilliant time with these Dresden Files novels in 2023 and Butcher tells some elaborate, entertaining and emotionally charged tales in this iconic urban fantasy series.  I am hoping to finish it off in the new year, but before I do make sure to check out the linked reviews for books 7-13 above.

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Mr Mercedes by Stephen King – 2014

Mr Mercedes Book Two

In anticipation for the release of the new Stephen King novel, Holly (which is going to top a bunch of my end-of-year best of lists), I went back and read the book she was introduced in, Mr Mercedes.  A slick, powerful and intense thriller, Mr Mercedes was an absolute riot, with complicated characters, unique crimes and one of the best games of cat-and-mouse you are likely to see.  An outstanding read from one of the best authors of all-time, this is such a highly recommended read, especially if you loved King’s latest book.

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Kingsblade by Andy Clark – 2017

Kingsblade Cover

I had to include the action-packed extravaganza that was Kingsblade on this list.  Written by the highly talented Andy Clark (who impressed me last year with Steel Tread), Kingsblade is a great Warhammer 40,000 novel loaded with explosions, battles and war.  Focussing on the legendary Imperial Knights, nobles who fight in deadly mecha, Kingsblade is set in the middle of a brutal war where a newly crowned king must contend with the very worst of treachery.  A particularly exciting book, Kingsblade was so much fun and I’m glad I got to check it out this year.

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Flesh and Steel by Guy Haley – 2020

Flesh and Steel Cover

A cool Warhammer 40,000 sub-series I had an excellent time exploring in 2023 was the Warhammer Crime series of books.  Set in a massive and corrupt city, the Warhammer Crime books each recount a unique criminal investigation that could only take place in that sort of setting.  Flesh and Steel was a great example of this, as it featured a distinctive buddy-cop storyline with a disinherited heir and a machine priest teaming up to work out why lobotomised machine/human hybrids are suddenly killing people.  A fantastic and impressive novel that is really worth checking out.

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The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath – 2020

The Infinite and the Divine Cover

One of the absolute best Warhammer 40,000 novels I enjoyed in 2023 was The Infinite and the Divine.  Focussing on two eternal rivals as they plot and scheme across the millennia to obtain a rare artifact, The Infinite and the Divine is a brilliant read that gets funnier and funnier with each passing scene.  Watching two typically taciturn and serious immortals devolve into petty children as the rivalry continues is so damn good, and Rath builds such an outstanding story around it.  I loved this book so much and it got a full five-star rating from me.

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Sepulturum by Nick Kyme – 2020

Warhammer 40,000 Sepulturum Cover

Another fun and gruesome Warhammer 40,000 novel, Sepulturum is part of the Warhammer Horror range and is set in a dying city overrun by zombies.  Scary, fast-paced, and filled with some interesting twists, Sepulturum is a great read for those after an exciting horror story in the Warhammer universe.

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Bloodlines by Chris Wraight – 2020

Warhammer 40,000 - Bloodlines Cover

Probably one of the most impressive Warhammer Crime books I read all year was the outstanding and elaborate Bloodlines by Chris Wraight.  Featuring a much more standard crime fiction storyline about gangs, illicit dealings and missing heirs, Bloodlines was a fascinating book that still made great use of its impressive setting.  The main crime fiction storyline, combined with the tired protagonist and the unique crime, really resonated with me and I loved how well a classic cop story could come across in this setting.  This book desperately needs a sequel and I hope we see more books from Chris Wraight soon.

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The Sandman: Act II by Neil Gaiman – 2021

The Sandman - Act II Cover

I managed to finish off the second audiobook adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s epic comic The Sandman this year.  Featuring two impressive central storylines, as well as multiple intriguing standalone tales, Act II of The Sandman continues to tell the complex and dark tale of Morpheus, the personification of dreams, as he faces off against dangerous threats and elaborate games from other immortals.  Complex, highly inventive and featuring an outstanding voicecast, this epic audiobook is such an amazing way to enjoy this excellent comic and I cannot recommend it enough.

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Grim Repast by Marc Collins – 2021

Warhammer 40,000 - Grim Repast Cover

The final Warhammer Crime novels I want to highlight on this list is the outstanding read, Grim Repast.  A grim and dark novel that leans heavily into the noir traditions, Grim Repast is a particularly bleak read that sees an ostracised detective try to solve a series of murders connected to a corrupt company.  This was one of the more memorable and chilling Warhammer 40,000 books I have had the pleasure of reading, and it really encouraged me to check out the other Warhammer Crime entries on this list.

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The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston – 2021

The Maleficent Seven Cover 2

After falling in love with Johnston’s first two novels, The Traitor God and God of Broken Things, I have been hoping to read his next dark fantasy novel, The Maleficent Seven, since it came out in 2021.  I finally got the chance to read it while away on holiday and boy was I missing out.  Pitting seven monstrous former comrades against a dangerous army of religious fanatics in a deadly siege scenario, The Maleficent Seven was an intense and action-packed read that I had such a hard time putting down.  I really regret not reading this book sooner and I will try to get a proper review up for it soon.

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Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky – 2022

Ogres Cover

One of the things I most regretted not reading in 2022 was the cool novella Ogres.  Written by Adrian Tchaikovsky, an author I am growing to love more and more each year, Ogres was an intriguing sounding read that many people gushed about when it first came out.  I ended up listening to the audiobook version of Ogres in advance of reading a more recent Tchaikovsky novel, City of Last Chances, and it turned out to be such a clever read.  Set in a world where ogres rule, Ogres was a captivating tale of revolution and deceit, with some excellent social commentary included.  One of the more unique stories I read all year, this was everything I hoped it would be and more.

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Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans – 2022

Notorious Sorcerer Cover

A cool and unique fantasy novel from last year, Notorious Sorcerer had been on my to-read list for a while and I finally got the chance this year while on holiday.  Featuring a great story with a complex magical system, Notorious Sorcerer was a fine book and I’m hoping to get a review up for it soon.

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Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham – 2022

Age of Ash Cover

The final pre-2023 book I want to highlight on this list is the outstanding fantasy read, Age of Ash by one half of the team behind The Expanse, Daniel Abraham.  Set in an elaborate fantasy city loaded with secrets and lies, Age of Ash follows several complex protagonists as they try to survive the chaos following the sudden ascension of a new ruler.  I had a great time with this book, and I’m hoping to check out the next entry soon, especially as it apparently has a compelling, multi-layered story that ties into the first book in a unique way.

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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-2023 releases 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 some other older books in 2024, and it will be interesting to see what makes my next version of this list then.  I imagine it will end up looking a little similar, especially as I have plans to finish off the Dresden Files, as well as examining some other outstanding Warhammer novels.  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 2023.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books With One-Word Titles

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List4 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday involved listing characters from different books that the participants believe should team up.  While this is certainly a unique list, it wasn’t anything I felt I could contribute to, so I instead went back and did the July 18 topic of books with one-word titles, which I missed a few weeks ago.

This is a simple, yet interesting topic that requires people to list their favourite books whose title is a single word.  This actually proved to be a rather difficult list for me to pull together, mainly because there are so many good books out there that have a single word title to them.  To make this easier, I tried to limit myself to only one entry from each author or series, although I did fail that in places.  Even with this limitation, I still ended up by a ton of books to use, so I went big and instead make this a full 20 book list.  I am pretty happy with how this turned out, so let us see what made the cut.

Top Twenty List:

Xenos by Dan Abnett

Warhammer 40,000 - Xenos Cover

A fantastic and complex thriller set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  All three books in the Eisenhorn trilogy (including Malleus and Hereticus) could be used here, but I decided to feature the first book only as it expertly sets the great series up.

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Legend by David Gemmell

Legend

A classic and exceptional piece of fantasy fiction that features one of the best sieges you’ll ever read.

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Burner by Mark Greaney

Burner Cover

There are several great books in Mark Greaney’s outstanding Gray Man series that have a one-word title, however, my favourite is probably the most recent entry Burner, which was an impressive read from start to finish.

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Homeland by R. A. Salvatore

Homeland Cover

Quite a few of Salvatore’s fantasy books only have one word in the title, however I had to include his very best book, Homeland, which serves a perfect origin story for his most iconic character.

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Tombland by C. J. Sansom

Tombland Cover

A gripping and exceptional historical murder mystery/legal thriller, Tombland was one of the best books of 2018.

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Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Eragon Cover

I had to include at least one of the books from Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle on this list, as it is one of my very favourite fantasy series.  While all four books in the series could be featured here, I decided to go with Eragon, mainly because it serves as such an excellent introduction to this entire fun series.

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Devolution by Max Brooks

Devolution Cover

A very captivating and entertaining horror that cleverly features sasquatches as a terrifying and intriguing monster.

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Bloodlines by Chris Wraight

Warhammer 40,000 - Bloodlines Cover

One of the best novels in the outstanding Warhammer Crime series.

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Magician by Raymond E. Feist

Magician Cover

One of the seminal pieces of fantasy fiction out there, Magician is a brilliant read that honestly got me into the genre years ago.

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Thrawn by Timothy Zahn

Thrawn Cover

A highly entertaining novel that perfectly reintroduces the iconic Star Wars character of Grand Admiral Thrawn to the current canon.

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Outgunned by Denny Flowers

Warhammer 40,000 - Outgunned Cover

A powerful and moving Warhammer 40,000 novel that shines a whole new light on a unique battlefield in the chaotic future.

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Blackout by Simon Scarrow

Blackout Cover

An excellent and intense murder mystery set in Nazi controlled Berlin by one of my favourite historical fiction authors.

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Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Skyward Cover

The first book in Sanderson’s awesome Skyward series, Skyward is a powerful and addictive read about a young girl who attempts to become a pilot to save her planet.  The sequels, Starsight and Cytonic, are also very good, and would have been worthy additions to this list.

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Later by Stephen King

Later Cover

A quick, compelling and highly entertaining read from the master of fiction, Stephen King.

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Necropolis by Dan Abnett

Warhammer 40,000 - Necropolis Cover

One of the best entries in the exceptional Gaunt’s Ghosts series of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, Necropolis is an outstanding siege novel that I powered through in no time at all.

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Relentless by Jonathan Maberry

Relentless Cover

While I was tempted to feature the first book in the Rogue Team International series, Rage, I decided to instead go with the sequel Relentless, as it has a much darker story with some major character moments.

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Planetside by Michael Mammay

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A brilliant debut novel that followed a gruff solider as he investigated a sinister disappearance on an alien planet.  This was such a great read, and the sequels, Spaceside and Colonyside, would also be worthy additions here.

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Redshirts by John Scalzi

Redshirts Cover

A hilarious and captivating novel that cleverly parodies classic Star Trek tropes by telling a story from the perspective of a doomed redshirt.

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Recursion by Blake Crouch

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One of the most intriguing and captivating science fiction novels I have ever read, I have so much love for this outstanding novel and its cool time travel concepts.

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Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn

Star Wars Scoundrels Cover

The final book I want to finish here is the fantastic standalone Star Wars novel, Scoundrels.  Set in the now defunct Star Wars Legends canon, Scoundrels is an awesome heist book featuring your favourite rogues, Han, Lando and Chewie.

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Well that’s the end of this latest list.  As you can see, there are a ton of brilliant books out there at feature a single-world titles and it is amazing the sheer variety of different novels I have read over the years that use this naming convention.  I think the above list does a great job capturing my absolute favourite single-word title novels, and I would strongly recommend all the above for anyone looking for an exceptional read.

Top Ten Tuesday – Top Pre-2023 Novels That I Read in the First Half of the Year

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List2 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday was to list books with one-word titles, however, I am going to do two separate lists here that continue my theme of recapping the first half of 2023.  I have already published one list tonight that looked at which books from the first half of 2023 that I still need to read, however, I will also be highlighting the best pre-2023 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 2023 in previous weeks, but I also need to talk about some of the books that came out before 2023 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-2023 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 2023 readings at the moment, 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-2023 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 2023.  This list includes a range of pre-2023 releases, including quite a few that I had been meaning to read for a while.  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.  I also decided to cheat a little by combining a few series together into a single list entry, although that was mainly done to add a little variety to the post.  Still this honestly reflects the best pre-2023 novels I read throughout the year, so let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions

Giantslayer by William King

Giantslayer Cover

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Caves of Ice by Sandy Mitchell

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Kill Team by Gav Thorpe

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Kingsblade by Andy Clark

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Top Ten List:

Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett

Warhammer 40,000 - Xenos Cover

Let us start with the outstanding Eisenhorn books by Dan Abnett, which are some of the seminal pieces of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.  Following a passionate Inquisitor as he attempts to destroy insidious alien and Chaos threats inside the Imperium of Man, the Eisenhorn books are a fantastic thriller and science fiction blend that prove to be highly addictive, especially as they also detail the protagonist’s own gradual personal corruption.  Made up of Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus, all three of these books really lived up to the hype and got easy five-star ratings from me.

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Dead Beat, Proven Guilty and White Night by Jim Butcher

White Night Cover

I have been having a lot of fun diving back into the iconic Dresden Files urban fantasy series this year, especially after how epic the series has been in the past.  I managed to get through three books in the series this year with Dead Beat, Proven Guilty and White Night, and each one was more compelling than the last.  This is easily one of the best fantasy series out there and I cannot recommend each of these books enough, especially as they all got five-star ratings from me.

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Ghostmaker, Necropolis, Honour Guard and The Guns of Tanith by Dan Abnett

Warhammer Ghostmaker Cover

In addition to his Eisenhorn novels, Dan Abnett is probably best known for his military fiction focused Warhammer 40,000 series, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books.  Following a doomed regiment as they traverse from bloody battleground to bloody battleground, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books are considered one of the backbones of the Warhammer 40,000 fiction and I have been making a real effort to dive into the series this year.  I have managed to read four books from this series so far in 2023, including Ghostmaker, Necropolis, Honour Guard and The Guns of Tanith, and each has proven to be exciting and addictive in its own way.  Each of these books are outstanding reads, although my favourite is probably Necropolis, mainly because it was set around a massive siege, and I cannot wait to dive even further into this series in the future.

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The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath

The Infinite and the Divine Cover

Perhaps one of the best pre-2023 Warhammer 40,000 novels I read this year was The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath, who is one of the best current authors of Warhammer fiction.  Following two ancient Necron lords as they fight for control of a mysterious artefact, The Infinite and the Divine is a brilliant read that perfectly combines backstabbing treachery and humour with the dark Warhammer 40,000 universe.  This book essentially showcases a petty feud between two immortals that lasts millennia and destroys entire worlds, and it is something glorious to behold.  Easily one of the best Warhammer 40,000 novels I have so far had the pleasure of reading, this book comes very highly recommended to all fans of the franchise.

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Flesh and Steel by Guy Haley

Flesh and Steel Cover

One of my favourite sub-series of Warhammer fiction are the Warhammer Crime books.  Set in a corrupt Warhammer 40,000 city, the Warhammer Crime books detail several unique crime fiction narratives that make full use of the unique setting.  I have read several Warhammer Crime books in 2023, but the one I want to highlight first is the fun and entertaining Flesh and Steel by Guy Haley.  Essentially an odd couple buddy cop story, Flesh and Steel sees a wealthy by lonely officer and a cyborg investigator team up to solve a very unique murder with deadly consequences.  This was a very impressive read that helped cement my love for the entire Warhammer Crime sub-series.

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Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Ogres Cover

I have been deeply enjoying the works of the brilliant Adrian Tchaikovsky this year, and I made the effort to go back and read his 2022 novella, Ogres, when I had a chance.  Set in a deadly world where humans are enslaved by ogre overlords, Ogres follows a bold human who finally fights back against his oppressors with dark consequences.  A complex and quick novella with an insanely good and complex plot, Ogres will have you guessing to the very end and I am very glad I made the effort to read it this year.

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Grim Repast by Marc Collins

Warhammer 40,000 - Grim Repast Cover

Another outstanding older Warhammer Crime book I enjoyed in early 2023 was the dark read, Grim Repast by Marc Collins.  Set out as a classic noir mystery, Grim Repast follows a damaged cop as he attempts to stop a crazed serial killer, only to find himself a suspect in the crimes.  This is one of the more intense Warhammer novels I have read, and I liked the grim feel and complex characters that Collins featured.  A brilliant addition to a very unique sub-series.

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For the Emperor by Sandy Mitchell

Warhammer 40,000 - For the Emperor Cover

From dark mystery to absolute fun, another pre-2023 novel I checked out this year was the classic Warhammer 40,000 read, For the Emperor by Sandy Mitchell.  The first book in the fan favourite Ciaphas Cain series, For the Emperor introduces the reader to the titular character, a legendary hero of the Imperium, who is secretly a coward with terrible luck and great survival instincts.  Outrageously funny, especially as Cain finds so many different ways to try and avoid danger, only for his plans to backfire continuously, this is an outstanding read, especially in its audiobook format.

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Bloodlines by Chris Wraight

Warhammer 40,000 - Bloodlines Cover

The final older Warhammer Crime book I check out in 2023 was Bloodlines by acclaimed author Chris Wraight.  Probably one of the more straightforward crime fiction reads in this series, Bloodlines follows a tired, veteran cop as he attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding a high-profile disappearance and a looming gang war.  A very addictive read, you will come away from Bloodlines with a great appreciation for just how good a crime story in the grim Warhammer 40,000 universe can be.

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13th Legion by Gav Thorpe

13th Legion Cover 2

The last pre-2023 novel that I want to highlight on this list is the powerful 13th Legion by leading Warhammer fiction author Gav Thorpe.  Essentially The Dirty Dozen in space, 13th Legion is a classic Warhammer 40,000 novel that follows a condemned penal legion as they fight for survival and a potential pardon.  Intense, dark and very fun, 13th Legion was an epic book and I have a lot of love for the outstanding series it sets up.

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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-2023 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 2023, 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 Dresden Files and 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 2023, especially my other Top Ten Tuesday post tonight, and let me know what cool older books you have already checked out this year.