Top Ten Tuesday – Books on my Winter 2023 TBR

On May 30, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn List5 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 Top Ten Tuesday topic for this week was Things That Make Me Instantly NOT Want to Read a Book, which was a pretty interesting topic that I might come back to at some point. However, as we are about to enter the new season later this week, I decided to instead move up my quarterly post about the best upcoming books to read (TBR) for the following three months. This is a regular post I do at the start of each season, and as we’re starting Winter (Summer for folks in the Northern Hemisphere) in a few short days, this is the ideal time to put this up.

For this list, I have come up with 10 of the most anticipated novels that are coming out between 1 June 2023 and 31 August 2023. There are quite a few very cool novels set for release in the next few months that I am extremely excited for, including some of my most anticipated book of the year (as well as my most anticipated fantasy/science fiction books of the year). Due to how impressive some of these upcoming books are, it took me a little while to finalise my list but I was eventually able to whittle it down into a Top Ten list (with a few honourable mentions). I have primarily used the Australian publication dates to reflect when I will be able to get these awesome novels, and these might be somewhat different to the rest of the world. I have previously discussed a number of these books before in prior Top Ten Tuesdays and Waiting on Wednesday articles and I think all of them will turn out to be pretty incredible reads. I have extremely excited for the next three months as quite a few up these upcoming reads are easily going to be amongst the best books of 2023.

Honourable Mentions:

Star Wars: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson

An awesome upcoming Star Wars novel that will follow a fallen Jedi as they learn the horrors of becoming an Inquisitor.

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The Hunters by David Wragg – 20 July 2023

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Thick as Thieves by M. J. Kuhn – 25 July 2023

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Assassin Eighteen by John Brownlow – 8 August 2023

The sequel to one of my favourite debuts of last year, Seventeen (also released as Assassin Seventeen), Assassin Eighteen looks set to be another exciting and very fun read that I cannot wait to read.

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Top Ten List:

Gods of the Wyrdwood by R. J. Barker – 27 June 2023

The start of a new fantasy trilogy from the insanely talented R. J. Barker, which is very high on my current to-read list.

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Warhammer 40,000: The King of the Spoil by Jonathan D. Beer – 4 July 2023

The next amazing Warhammer Crime novel, no way this isn’t an exceptional read.

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Killer Traitor Spy by Tim Ayliffe – 5 July 2023

The latest intriguing John Bailey novel from Australian thriller author Tim Ayliffe, Killer Traitor Spy should be a pretty epic read. I loved the first three books in this series, The Greater Good, State of Fear and The Enemy Within, and this latest entry will dive back into a hidden espionage war in Australia.

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The Traitor by Anthony Ryan – 11 July 2023

The final book in the Covenant of Steel trilogy and probably the fantasy book I’m most excited for in 2023.

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Warhammer 40,000: Cypher: Lord of the Fallen by John French – 18 July 2023

A legendary Warhammer 40,000 figure attempts to break into the most secure place in the universe, the Imperial Palace of Terra.

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Kill For Me Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh – 25 July 2023

I got a copy of this a couple of days ago and I’m very keen to read it. A standalone thriller from one of my favourite authors at the moment, Steve Cavanagh, I have very high hopes for this book and it is going to be amazing.

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Dark Corners by Megan Goldin – 8 August 2023

The sequel to the fantastic and moving novel, The Night Swim, Dark Corners is the latest cool book from one of Australia’s top thriller authors, Megan Goldin, and should be pretty damn exceptional.

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Warhammer 40,000: Longshot by Rob Young – 15 August 2023

A captivating and dramatic sniper war in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, now that’s something that I can get behind.

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Cave 13 by Jonathan Maberry – 29 August 2023

I’ve already been lucky enough to have one Jonathan Maberry book this year with Son of the Poison Rose, so I was exceedingly excited when I saw he had a second book coming out in 2023. Maberry’s next book, Cave 13 is the third in his Rogue Team International series (following on from Rage and Relentless), which I have so much love for. Cave 13 will see Maberry’s best protagonist, Joe Ledger, face off against a group of international criminals and terrorists as they attempt to recover legendary scrolls from a cave that drives anyone who goes near it insane. I have no doubt this is going to be one of my favourite books of 2023 and I cannot wait to read Cave 13.

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Ripper by Shelley Burr – 30 August 2023

The sequel to the amazing 2022 Australian novel Wake and one of my most anticipated crime fiction books in the second half of 2023.

Well, that is the end of my Top Ten list. I think it turned out pretty well and it does a good job of capturing all my most anticipated books for the next three months. Each of the above should be extremely epic, and I cannot wait to read each of them soon. Let me know which of the above you are most excited for and stay tuned for reviews of them in the next few months. In the meantime, it looks like I have quite a few books to get through soon and they should all be pretty awesome.

Top Ten Tuesday – Titles with Animals in Them

On April 11, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn List4 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants are tasked with listing their top books with animals in the title. This is a rather interesting topic and it has several similarities to other topics that have been featured as part of the Top Ten Tuesday meme before.

I ended up coming up with quite a few good books that had animals in the titles, far too many if I’m going to be honest as it turns out it is quite a common practice to feature some form of animal in a title. To make this list a little more manageable, I decided to exclude any mythical creatures or animals from this list, mainly because I don’t think that was in the spirit of the topic, but also because this book would end up being very similar to my recent list that looked at book covers featuring dragons. When this exclusion still left me with way too-many options, I decided to further limit myself by restricting this list to only one book per author. This ensured that I had reasonable input from several authors who favour animal-themed titles, or who I have a great deal of books from. The resultant list, which still required some cutting, ended up looking pretty good and I think that I ended up covering the top books I have read with animals in the titles. So let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Space Wolf by William King

Space Wolf Original Cover

Following the genetically enhanced and wolf-like members of the Space Wolves Space Marine chapter, this intriguing Warhammer 40,000 is pretty damn awesome, and the title fits extremely well.

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Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz

Dark Horse Cover

A great entry in Hurwitz’s awesome Orphan X series, Dark Horse was a fantastic book and its animal-themed title had great multiple meanings within the plot.

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The Black Hawks by David Wragg

The Black Hawks Cover

An amazing and captivating fantasy read; The Black Hawks references the titular mercenary group the book follows who get into all manner of trouble in a dark fantasy realm.

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The Bear Pit by S. G. MacLean

The Bear Pit Cover

An excellent historical murder mystery which features a fighting bear as a potential suspect and lethal murder weapon.

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Top Ten List:

Usagi Yojimbo: Volume 5: Lone Goat and Kid by Stan Sakai

Usagi Yojimbo Lone Goat and Kid Cover

Now, realistically I could include any of the Usagi Yojimbo comics on this list, as Usagi is Japanese for rabbit. However, I chose to ignore that and instead the animal in the title I am focusing on can be found in the fifth collected volume, Lone Goat and Kid. A great addition in the Usagi Yojimbo series, this is a pretty epic volume, and I loved the story focussing on the titular Lone Goat and Kid, who are animal parodies of Lone Wolf and Cub. I really like the fun homage contained in this title, which is why I included this volume, rather than the later volumes Fox Hunt and Red Scorpion, which I could have also used.

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Dogs of War by Jonathan Maberry

Dogs of War Cover

The always amazing Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry has some great titles to it, but the only one I could fit here was the fantastic novel Dogs of War. This was an outstanding read, and while the title, Dogs of War, is a play on the famous saying, it also refers to robotic attack dogs featured within the book. As such, I had to include this here, and this book is an outstanding addition to the series.

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Talon of the Silver Hawk by Raymond E. Feist

Talon of the Silver Hawk Cover

Legendary fantasy author, Raymond E. Feist has featured a couple of animals into his fantasy titles over the year, such as with King of Foxes, but the one I’m going to focus on in this list is Talon of the Silver Hawk, which was the first Feist novel I ever read. Not only is this an incredible and eye-catching title, but Talon of the Silver Hawk also references the main character, who gains his name early in the novel when he witnesses a hawk on a vision quest. An epic inclusion that has a very special place in my heart.

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The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett

Fifth Elephant

I’m featuring a few of my favourite authors on this list and that includes the legendary Terry Pratchett who used animal names in a few of his books. I was very tempted to use one of my favourite Discworld books, Hogfather, here, although that is more of a character name rather than a reference to an animal. So instead, I used The Fifth Elephant, which is a fantastic and impressive entry to the series. Elephants are a very important part of the Discworld books, as four of them hold up the titular Discworld while standing on-top of a giant turtle, so The Fifth Elephant is a title that is guaranteed to get reader’s attention. The book itself is a compelling addition to the City Watch sub-series and this entry sees the main characters to travel to a Transylvania-esque land, which has been gifted great riches by the crashing fifth elephant, to solve several murders and resolve political discord. This is an outstanding entry in the series and I’m glad I could feature it on this list.

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Death of the Black Widow by James Patterson and J. D. Barker

Death of the Black Widow Cover

An excellent, animal-themed book title I wanted to highlight was Death of the Black Widow by the excellent team of James Patterson and J. D. Barker. The black widow in the title refers to a mysterious, supernatural figure who seduces and kills many people over an extended period. I had an amazing time with this novel, which was one of my favourite books of 2022, and I will admit the cool title was one of the reasons I chose to read Death of the Black Widow.

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White Wolf by David Gemmell

White Wolf Cover

One of the more interesting books I wanted to feature on this list was the epic fantasy novel White Wolf by the late, great David Gemmell. I’ve mostly only ever talked about Gemmell’s debut novel, Legend, on this blog, but I also deeply enjoyed one of his later novels, White Wolf. Following a deadly warrior who attempts and fails to leave his life of violence behind, White Wolf is an incredible novel that has so many great moments to it. This was one of the earlier big pieces of fantasy that I read when I was younger, and it has stuck with me for years. I have been meaning to go back and read this series for a while and White Wolf is one of the main reasons for this.

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The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde

The Constant Rabbit Cover

When it came to books with animals in the titles, I just to include The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde, which is such an awesomely fun book. The Constant Rabbit is a complex novel set in a version of England where anthropomorphic rabbits have emerged and started living with humans. This ended up being a very impressive novel that is simultaneously inventive, hilarious and a brilliant parody of British politics. One of my favourite books of 2020 and a great addition to this list.

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Under the Eagle by Simon Scarrow

Under the Eagle Cover

Out of all the authors I’m featuring on this list, few have as many books with animals in the title than historical fiction author Simon Scarrow. That is because his long-running Eagles of the Empire series, features eagle in the titles of the first seven books (i.e. The Eagle’s Conquest, The Eagle and the Wolves and The Eagle in the Sand), as well as some other animals, like The Blood Crows. I decided to feature the very first book in the series, Under the Eagle, which is a brilliant introduction to a gripping and powerful Roman history series, and which comes highly recommended.

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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Cover

Next, we dive into Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games series, which had a lot of bird imagery involved with it. While the third book does have an animal in the title with Mockingjay, I decided against featuring it as this was a fictional species. Instead, I decided to feature the prequel novel Collin’s released a couple of years ago with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which features two separate animals in the title. This was an excellent prequel to the very cool young adult trilogy and I look forward to seeing it turned into a movie later this year.

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War of the Wolf by Bernard Cornwell

War of the Wolf Cover

The final entry on this list is War of the Wolf by Bernard Cornwell, which served as a great addition to his long running Saxon series. This great book sees the aging protagonist engage in another series of battles against enemies on all fronts. Serving as the beginning of the end of this brilliant series, I have a lot of love for War of the Wolf and it was an outstanding addition to both the Saxon series and this list.

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Well, that’s the end of my list. It turns out that I’ve read a good number of books with animals in the title, so this ended up being a great list for me in the end. I am pretty happy with how this turned out and it was fun to figure what to include. Let me know what your favourite books with animals in the titles are in the comments below.

Waiting on Wednesday – The Hunters by David Wragg

On February 15, 2023May 30, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Waiting on Wednesday3 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I check out a fun sounding upcoming fantasy book with The Hunters by David Wragg.

The Hunters Cover

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A few years ago, I grabbed a copy of a very entertaining and compelling fantasy novel from a new author, The Black Hawks by David Wragg. An excellent novel that saw a desperate young noble and a cowardly prince get rescued/kidnapped by an eclectic band of dangerous mercenaries who drag them into a series of deadly encounters across the lands. Fast-paced, action-packed, and loaded with funny and memorable characters, The Black Hawks was a pretty epic read and I really enjoyed how the excellent story played out. I had a lot of fun with The Black Hawks and I was really impressed by Wragg’s writing and storytelling ability. While I haven’t had a chance to read the sequel to The Black Hawks, The Righteous, yet, I have been keeping an eye out for more books from Wragg and I was intrigued when I heard the premise for his next book, The Hunters.

The Hunters, which is currently set for release in July 2023, will be the first book in his Tales of the Plains trilogy. Set in the same universe as The Black Hawks, The Hunters will be only loosely connected to Wragg’s first two books, with a mostly standalone a plot. As such, I am very interested in checking it out, especially as the plot synopsis below sounds extremely fun. The Hunters will follow a violent woman and her niece as they are hunted through the wilderness of the realms by several bands of mercenaries for unknown reasons. Sure to be loaded with action, adventure and some crass by clever humour, The Hunters is bound to be one of the most exciting fantasy novels of 2023 and I am really keen to check it out, especially after all the fun I had with The Black Hawks. I might also try to read The Righteous in advance of The Hunters coming out, but even if I don’t this book remains one of the top upcoming fantasy books that I am looking forward to this year.

Plot Synopsis:

Ree is a woman with a violent past – a past she is eager to put behind her. After years of wandering, she and her niece, Javani, have built a small farm in mining country, at the edge of the known world, and Ree is keeping her head down.

But one day two groups of professional killers arrive in town, looking for a young girl and an older woman. A deadly chase through deserts, mountains, and mines begins. And Ree will have to discover her former self if she is to keep them both alive.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books From My Past Seasonal TBR Posts I STILL Haven’t Read

On July 26, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn List5 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. In this latest Top Ten Tuesday participants need to go back to their old Seasonal TBR lists and see which books from them they have still not read. This was a very interesting and useful topic to look at as this once again reminds me about all the awesome books out there that I was excited for but which I never got around to reading.

There are quite a few books out there now that I have been meaning to read for a very long time. Many of these books have been featured to a degree on my blog either through optimistic Waiting on Wednesday posts or in shameful “I wish I had read” Top Ten lists, where I air my great regrets about not checking out a certain release (to be fair, I only have so much time and there are so many awesome books out there). So now again it is good to go back and see which ones I have missed to remind me of what I need to read and provide some motivation for it. I just did a similar post last week regarding books from the first half of the year that I still need to read, however, I like the idea of going back and looking at some previous Top Ten Tuesday posts and seeing what other books lie there.

To appear on this list, a potential book needed to be both unread by me and have appeared on a previous Top Ten Tuesday Seasonal TBR post that I have done. I chose to exclude a couple of my more recent Seasonal TBR posts, namely those from 2022, as that would have just doubled up my list from last week. Despite these exclusions, there were still several lists to scour for potential entries and I was able to determine several books that would be appropriate for this list. However, this wasn’t as easy as I had thought, as it turns out I’m pretty good at getting through the books on these TBR lists, and most had been read and reviewed by me. In the end, I did manage to find 10 entries, as well as a few honourable mentions, and the results below are quite intriguing. So let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Providence by Max Barry

Star Trek: Rogue Elements by John Jackson Miller

The Liar’s Knot by M. A. Carrick

Top Ten Tuesday:

The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston

Gamora & Nebula: Sisters in Arms by Mackenzie Lee

The Righteous by David Wragg

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

A Fool’s Hope by Mike Shackle

Star Trek: The Dark Veil by James Swallow

The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso

Eagle Station by Dale Brown

Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett

Daughters of Night by Lauren Shepherd-Robinson

Well, that ended up being a rather interesting list. As you can see from the above, there are still several outstanding novels that I really need to read, and I hope that I get the chance at some point in the future. All 10 of the above sound like incredible reads, and I honestly have not purposely chosen not to read any of them, I just haven’t had the time or ability to check them out. Hopefully that will eventually change, as I am extremely keen for several of them, and I have no doubt they will be epic reads.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Meant to Read in 2021 but Didn’t Get To

On January 11, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn List8 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, participants were required to list their most recent additions to their book collections. However, due to some upcoming lists that I planned out I am instead mixing things up and instead featuring the top books of 2021 that I wanted to read but didn’t get a chance to.

2021 was a great year for novels and I had an outstanding time getting through a solid collection of cool new releases and older novels, which were pretty much all epic and impressive reads. However, no matter how hard one tries, there are always a couple of books each year that I did not get a chance to read, either due to time constraints, lack of access or from being overwhelmed with other books that I really wanted to read. As a result, this is a list that is rather tinged with regret, as each book I plan to mention below is one that I really wish I had taken the time to read.

To complete this list, I pulled together some of the more interesting and compelling sounding novels that I did not get a chance to read in the last year. Each entry was released last year and while I knew that they were coming out, I did not get a chance to read any of them. In many cases I have these books sitting on my shelf at this moment, silently and constantly judging me, and I think I will have to try and read them to stop their bookish glares. I was eventually able to cull my list of regret down to 10 entries with an honourable mentions section. The final list is an interesting collection of books from across the genres and includes a couple of big 2021 releases I did not get a chance to look at.

Honourable Mentions:

Galaxias by Stephen Baxter

An interesting sounding science fiction novel about the end of the world that would have been fun to check out.

The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker

One of the coolest young adult fantasy books I didn’t get to read last year.

The Burning by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman

I have been really getting into Jonathan Kellerman’s novels lately and I reckon I would have enjoyed this fantastic novel if I had a chance to read it.

Star Trek Discovery: Wonderlands by Una McCormack

2021 was a bit of a null year for me when it came to Star Trek fiction as there were several Star Trek great tie-in books I wanted to read but didn’t get a chance to. The one I think I would have enjoyed the most was Wonderlands by Una McCormack that tied into the third season of Star Trek Discovery.

Top Ten List:

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

One of the books I most regret not reading last year is the epic Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff. Set in a world completely ruled by vampires, this book chronicles the life of a human resistance fighter/vampire hunter. I have heard some impressive things about Empire of the Vampire, and I really wish I could have read it last year. Unfortunately, I could not fit it into my reading schedule as it is a pretty massive book with an extensive run time. I will try extremely hard to read it this year though, especially if Kristoff has sequels planned.

The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston

Another book I deeply regret not reading in 2021 was The Maleficent Seven by the amazing Cameron Johnston. An intriguing fantasy reversal of classic films like The Magnificent Seven and Seven Samurai, The Maleficent Seven follows seven villains as they join forces to defend a village from an army even more evil than them. I really liked the sound of this book, and I am a big fan of Johnston’s previous novels The Traitor God and God of Broken Things. As such, I will also make a huge effort to check out The Maleficent Seven this year, and I already know I am going to love it.

The Noise by James Patterson and J. D. Barker

James Patterson cowrote several great books in 2021, and while I did manage to enjoy his fun 2 Sisters Detective Agency (cowritten by Australian author Candice Fox), I didn’t get a chance to read his most interesting sounding novel, The Noise. Cowritten by horror author J. D. Barker, The Noise is a trippy and captivating sounding science fiction thriller set in a remote area of America. Filled with mysterious science, government conspiracies and a dangerous elemental force, I was deeply intrigued by this novel and I am hoping to read it soon.

Unforgiven by Sarah Barrie

Unforgiven is a powerful Australian thriller about a former victim of a paedophile who hopes to hunt down her abuser. I heard that this book was pretty epic and intense, and I meant to read it in the last week. I may try and start it in the next day or so, but I will have to see how I go.

The Righteous by David Wragg

Another book that I really regret not reading in 2021 was The Righteous by David Wragg. The sequel to his impressive debut, The Black Hawks, The Righteous apparently continues his cool dark fantasy storyline about a group of mercenaries caught in the middle of an evil conspiracy. This is another one I will make a big effort to read soon and I cannot wait to see what happens to the series’ entertaining protagonists next.

Gamora and Nebula: Sisters in Arms by Mackenzi Lee

An interesting Marvel young adult tie-in by bestselling author Mackenzi Lee, Sisters in Arms was a book I really wanted to read last year, especially after enjoying Lee’s last novel Loki: Where Mischief Lies.

Star Wars: Visions: Ronin by Emma Mieko Candon

A fun tie-in to the Star Wars: Visions anime movies, Ronin was one of the few Star Wars books I didn’t read in 2021 and I hope to rectify that oversight soon.

The Last Watch by J. S. Dewes

This was apparently one of the best debut novels of 2021 and I really regret not checking it out. An epic and fascinating science fiction novel about a group of criminals and failures who try to save the universe, The Last Watch got a lot of love from some top reviewers, and I am keen to see how awesome it truly is.

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

Another major novel that got a lot of love in reviewers circles last years was The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman. Set to follow an odd couple pairing in a brutal fantasy world, this was apparently an exceptional novel, and it was one that I regret not getting a chance to read. I might try this year, especially if Buehlman has a sequel on the horizon, and I look forward to seeing what all the fuss is about.

The Liar’s Knot by M. A. Carrick

The final book on this list is The Liar’s Knot by M. A. Carrick, which is the second book in the Rook and Rose series of fantasy novels. I read the first book in this series, The Mask of Mirrors, earlier in the year, and I really enjoyed its fun and compelling story. I was hoping to read the sequel in 2021, but I never got the chance, especially as the audiobook version apparently isn’t out yet (I think I’d want to listen to it). I am hoping to listen to it in a few months’ time, but I’ll have to see how I go.

Well, that is the end of my latest list and it looks like I have a lot catch-up reading to do if I am going to make a dent in it. There are some truly amazing-sounding novels on this list and I fully intend to get through all of them at some point, although with all the outstanding books coming out in 2022, it might take me a little time. In the meantime, let me know what books you most regret not reading in 2021 in the comments below.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Want to Read Before the End of 2021

On November 9, 2021 By The Unseen LibraryIn List10 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this latest Top Ten Tuesday the official topic involved listing your favourite memorable things that characters have said. However, I am going to do something a little different and instead I am going to list the top ten novels I want to read before the end of 2021.

This is a bit of a continuation of a list I did this time in 2019 and 2020, when there were only approximately 50 days left in the year and I was freaking out about all the books I still wanted to read. Well, once again the year is nearly over, and there are currently only just over 50 days left in it. While I am rather keen to escape 2021, I am very mindful of the big pile of novels from this year currently sitting on my table (and a couple of bookshelves, and the floor). So, with that in mind, I thought I would do another version of this list to inspire me to read these books and knock them out before this year comes to an end.

For this list I have had a look through my many book piles and reading lists to work out which novels I really need to read before the year ends. To focus this on the books that are cluttering up my house or my phone storage, I decided to exclude novels that I do not currently have copies of (such as Never by Ken Follett, which is hopefully on its way) or have not yet been released. I also decided to exclude novels that I am definitely going to read before the end of the year, as I have plans to review them for some Canberra Weekly holiday columns (such as Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson or Kill Your Brother by Jack Heath). I am also going to exclude some novels from the big haul I got on Saturday, as I am hoping to get to them soon, and I am excluding The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly, as I am currently reading it. Using these parameters, I was able to come up with a list of 10 books (with some honourable mentions), that I would really like to read before the year ends. This list includes an interesting range of novels, including some big 2021 releases and some other novels that came in under the radar. All 10 sound really good and I desperately hope I have time to read them all.

Honourable Mentions:

Red Wolves by Adam Hamdy

The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker

Cave Diver by Jake Avila

Top Ten List:

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

The first book on this list is the awesome and fantastic sounding Empire of the Vampire by Australian author Jay Kristoff. I have only just finished reading Kristoff’s awesome Aurora’s End (co-written by Amie Kaufman), and I am keen to read some more of his stuff. In particular, I really want to read his awesome adult novel, Empire of the Vampire, which came out a little while ago. Empire of the Vampire is set in a world with no sunlight and ruled by vampires, who are hunting down the remaining humans. I have heard some impressive things about this book, and I really hope I get a chance to read it. I currently have the audiobook loaded up on my phone, although the trick will be fitting it into my listening schedule as it has a pretty substantial run time.

Gamora & Nebula: Sisters in Arms by Mackenzi Lee

I also really want to check out this cool young adult comic tie-in novel from Mackenzi Lee. I had a lot of fun with Lee’s previous novel, Loki: Where Mischief Lies, and her latest book has an intriguing story involving the two warring sisters, Gamora and Nebula. I am planning to grab a copy of this book when I can, and I am sure that I will have a great time with this interesting story.

The Righteous by David Wragg

Last year I had a lot of fun reading Wragg’s debut dark fantasy novel, The Black Hawks, which followed a rogue band of mercenaries on an impossible quest. I was really keen to read the sequel, The Righteous this year, but I haven’t had a chance to grab a copy yet. I am very curious to see what happens after the big cliff-hanger at the end of The Black Hawks, and I cannot wait to see what happens in this series next.

Star Wars: Visions: Ronin by Emma Mieko Candon

There is no way I can end 2021 without reading every single Star Wars tie-in novel that has been released, and at the moment the only one I haven’t had an opportunity to read is Star Wars: Ronin by Emma Mieko Candon. Ronin is a tie-in to the Star Wars: Visions anime series, and this book tells the tale of the Ronin character. I am hoping to get to this one in the next week or two, and I cannot wait to see what cool story Candon has come up with.

The Noise by James Patterson and J. D. Barker

I was recently lucky enough to receive the curious sounding novel, The Noise, written by James Patterson and J. D. Barker. The Noise has an interesting and compelling sounding story about Government conspiracies, mysterious explosions and an unexplained sound haunting the countryside. This one really caught my attention, and I really want to see what The Noise is about before the year ends.

Among Thieves by M. J. Kuhn

2021 has been a great year for debut novels, and I have been lucky enough to enjoy several fantastic debuts that have really showcased the talents of some new authors. However, there are still a couple of debuts I want to read before the year is out, and the main one of these is Among Thieves by M. J. Kuhn. Among Thieves is a brilliant sounding fantasy book that follows several desperate characters as they attempt to undertake a daring heist. I have already heard some great things about this book, and I think it has loads of potential. I am actually planning to read this book next, and hopefully nothing will come up preventing that.

The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield

One of the more intriguing novels of 2021 that I have not had the chance to read is the cool science fiction thriller, The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield. The Apollo Murders is a science fiction epic set in 1973, that involves a secret and deadly mission to the moon during the height of the Cold War. I love the sound of this awesome book, and I am hoping to listen to its audiobook format later this week, especially as it is voiced by one of my favourite audiobook narrators, Ray Porter.

The Last Watch by J. S. Dewes

Another impressive sounding debut I have been meaning to check out is the science fiction epic The Last Watch by J. S. Dewes. I have been hearing some incredible things about The Last Watch from some other reviewers, and this has made me pretty curious. Set out in the depths of space, this book follows a small group of criminals and exiles as they attempt to save the galaxy. Based on the buzz around this book, I think I am going to have a great time reading it, and I really hope I get the chance to do so before the end of 2021.

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

Throughout 2021, I have seen innumerable reviews about The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, a cool sounding fantasy novel with an intriguing plot to it. Most of these reviews have been pretty positive, and it seems like every fantasy reviewer I follow has managed to check this book out. As such, I am really keen to read The Blacktongue Thief before the end of the year, just to see what all the fuss is about. Unfortunately, I have not been able to fit it into my reading schedule, but I will try to do so before the end of the year so I can be ready for any upcoming sequels.

The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston

The final book on this list is probably the 2021 book that I regret not reading the most, The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston. Johnston, who has previously written the awesome dark fantasy novels, The Traitor God and God of Broken Things, is a talented author, and I am very keen to see how his latest novel has turned out. The Maleficent Seven follows a group of former fantasy villains who reunite to defend a town from an evil army. Essentially a dark, magical version of The Magnificent Seven, I think this book has so much potential, and I am so annoyed with myself that I haven’t read it yet. Hopefully I will rectify this soon, and I already know I am going to love this book.

That’s the end of this week’s Top Ten list. I am extremely happy with how this list turned out as I am really keen to read each and every one of the novels listed above. All of them have an amazing amount of potential and I think several could end up being some of my favourite books of 2021. Make sure to check back in a few weeks to see if I have managed to get around to reading any of them yet. In the meantime, let me know which books you really want to read before the end of 2021 and best of luck getting through them.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books on my Winter 2021 TBR

On June 15, 2021 By The Unseen LibraryIn List4 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this Top Ten Tuesday, participants need to list the top releases that they are looking forward to reading this summer (or winter for us down here in Australia). This is a fun exercise that I have done for each of the preceding seasons, and it is always interesting to highlight the various cool-sounding books and comics that are coming out in the next few months.

For this list I have come up with 10 of the best novels that are coming out between 1 June 2021 and 31 August 2021. I have decided to exclude novels that I have already read, or I am currently reading, so that took a couple of key books off the list. Still, this left me with a rather substantial pool of cool upcoming novels that I am excited for, which I was eventually able to whittle down into a great Top Ten list (with a few honourable mentions). I have previously discussed a number of these books before a number of my Waiting on Wednesday articles and I think all of them will turn out to be some really impressive and enjoyable reads.

Honourable Mentions:

The Coward by Stephen Aryan – 6 June 2021

The Councillor by E. J. Beaton – 20 July 2021

The Dying Squad by Adam Simcox – 27 July 2021

Star Trek: Picard: Rogue Elements by John Jackson Miller – 17 August 2021

Top Ten List:

Gamora & Nebula: Sisters in Arms by Mackenzie Lee – 1 June 2021

The Righteous by David Wragg – 10 June 2021

Star Wars: The High Republic: The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott – 29 June 2021

The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry – 30 June 2021

I am really looking forward to reading the extremely fun-sounding science fiction thriller, The 22 Murders of Madison May by Australian author Max Barry. This fantastic novel will feature an amazing narrative about a reporter who hunts a serial killer across various alternate realities. I am very keen to check this great novel out, and I am expecting a compelling and entertaining read.

It Ends in Fire by Andrew Shvarts – 6 July 2021

I am very, very keen to get my hands on this book, especially after how much I have enjoyed some of Shvarts’s previous novels (such as City of Bastards and War of the Bastards). However, I may have to wait a little longer to read it down in Australia as it is coming out here a little later than in the rest of the world. Still, I am sure it will be worth the wait, as It Ends in Fire has the potential to be one of the best young adult books of 2021.

Relentless by Jonathan Maberry – 13 July 2021

Billy Summers by Stephen King – 3 August 2021

Starlight Enclave by R. A. Salvatore – 3 August 2021

The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston – 10 August 2021

I have to say that I absolutely love the new cover for The Maleficent Seven which looks absolutely crazy and really fun.

The Pariah by Anthony Ryan – 31 August 2021

The final entry on this list is the intriguing upcoming novel from bestselling author Anthony Ryan, The Pariah. While I have not previously had the pleasure of reading any Ryan’s books before, I have heard some incredible things about his pervious series, and I fully intend to check them out at some point in the future. In the meantime, I am keen to read his next book, The Pariah, especially as it contains an amazing sounding narrative about a former outlaw turned soldier. Based on how beloved Ryan’s previous novels are I am fairly confident that The Pariah will turn out to be one of the top fantasy reads of 2021 and I cannot wait to check it out.

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

Waiting on Wednesday – The Righteous by David Wragg

On March 10, 2021 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Waiting on Wednesday6 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I take a look at The Righteous by David Wragg, an upcoming fantasy sequel that should be extremely entertaining.

The Righteous

David Wragg is an awesome author who debuted in 2019 with the fantastic and exciting fantasy novel, The Black Hawks, which served as the first entry in his Articles of Faith series. The Black Hawks was a great read that followed an eclectic group of mercenaries as they kidnap an incompetent prince and his loyal protector to involve them in a deadly revolution. I had an incredible time reading this novel last year, especially as Wragg came up with some cool characters and an entertaining story, including an awesome twist at the end.

Due to how amazing The Black Hawks was I have been keeping an eye out for the sequel ever since I finished the first book and so I was extremely pleased when I saw that the cover and synopsis for The Righteous had been released. The Righteous, which is due to come out on 10 June 2021, looks set to take off right after the events of The Black Hawks and will see the main characters break out of the terrible prison they find themselves in and engage in a desperate fight for survival. No doubt set to be filled with a ton of action, some enjoyable humour and other cool features, I think that The Righteous should be an outstanding and exciting read and I am really looking forward to it.

Synopsis:

Bound by oath and honour, Vedren Chel found himself drawn to the heart of a deadly rebellion. With him stood the mercenaries of the Black Hawk Company, who were there for the money.

But their uprising was betrayed and crushed. Now, Chel and the sell-sword Rennic languish in prison, watching as their comrades are taken one by one for execution.

A daring escape will set them free, but with the forces of an entire nation arrayed against them, Chel and the Black Hawks must embark on a desperate search for new allies.

Journeying from frozen wastes to towering cities, from drug dens to lavish palaces, THE RIGHTEOUS is the thrilling and riotous second adventure from one of fantasy’s most exciting new voices.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Debut Novels of 2020

On February 9, 2021 By The Unseen LibraryIn List36 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants get a freebie to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and I thought that I would take this opportunity to highlight some of the best debut novels from 2020. I really wanted to highlight some of the best debut novels of last year and I had originally intended to do this list a little earlier, but I could not fit it into my schedule, so I leapt at this chance.

2020 proved to be a fun year for new novels as several fantastic authors appeared on the scene. I was lucky enough to receive an excellent selection of debut novels from across several different genres last year, and many of these debuts proved to be exceptional and outstanding reads. As a result, I was easily able to come up with 10 impressive releases for this list and each of the entries below come highly recommended, especially as several were amongst my favourite books (and audiobooks) of 2020. I also decided to feature a couple pre-2020 debut novels that I read last year in the honourable mentions section to highlight these as well, as they were some impressive and captivating reads. The result was a pretty awesome list, so let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

We Are The Dead by Mike Shackle

We are the Dead Cover

The Black Hawks by David Wragg

The Black Hawks Cover

Top Ten List:

Stormblood by Jeremy Szal

Stormblood Cover

The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell

The Kingdom of Liars Cover

The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold

The Last Smile in Sunder City

The Viennese Girl by Jenny Lecoat

The Viennese Girl Cover

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club Cover

Altered Realms: Ascension by B. F. Rockriver

Altered Realms cover

Night Lessons in Little Jerusalem by Rick Held

Night Lessons in Little Jerusalem Cover

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

The Space Between Worlds Cover

Assault by Fire by Hunter Ripley Rawlings

Assault by Fire Cover

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

The Bone Shard Daughter Cover

That’s my Top Ten list for this week. I am pretty happy with the varied collection of debut novels I read last year, and I think that all the above authors are going to go on to do amazing things. Several of them already have second novels on the way this year, and I fully intend to grab them when they come out. 2021 is also shaping up to be an excellent year for debut novels, and I have already enjoyed a couple of awesome debuts that will no doubt make the 2021 version of this list. While I spend this year compiling which debuts of 2021 are my favourite, make sure to let me know what your favourite 2020 debut novels are in the comments below.

Top Ten Tuesday – New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2020

On January 13, 2021January 13, 2021 By The Unseen LibraryIn List16 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 “Resolutions/Hopes for 2021 (bookish or not!)”, however, I am going to do something a little different and instead I will list the top New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2020. This is actually the official Top Ten Tuesday topic set up for a fortnight’s time, but I have an Australian fiction themed list planned for that week (it falls on Australia Day), so I decided to move this list forward a little.

I am very excited to do this list as each year I am lucky enough to read novels from authors who I was previously unfamiliar with and whose works I really love (make sure check out my 2019 version of the list). 2020 was no exception and throughout last year I had a wonderful time reading a huge range of books from several authors who were completely new to me. This includes some debuting authors, as well as more established writers whose works I only got around to this year; as long as I had not read anything from them before 2020, they were eligible for this list. Many of these new-to-me authors produced amazing novels, some of which I consider to be some of the best books released in 2020. As a result, this list may feature a bit of overlap with my top books and audiobooks lists of 2020 that I have previously published on this blog.

Like many of these lists that I do, I ended up with quite a substantial group of authors that I wanted to include, many of whom produced some fantastic and compelling reads. I was eventually able to whittle this list down to my top ten favourites, as well as featuring a generous honourable mentions section. While I did have to exclude a couple of authors whose books I really liked, I think I came up with a good list that represents which authors I am really glad I decided to try for the first time last year.

Honourable Mentions:

David Wragg – The Black Hawks

John Jackson Miller – Star Trek Discovery: Die Standing

Jeremy Szal – Stormblood

Steve Parker – Deathwatch: Shadowbreaker

Top Ten List:

Luke Arnold – The Last Smile in Sunder City and Dead Man in a Ditch

The first author that I am going to feature on this list is Luke Arnold, who had an impressive debut earlier this year with The Last Smile in Sunder City, a great urban fantasy novel set in dark city where magic has suddenly and traumatically died. Arnold managed to complete two novels this year, and with the sequel, Dead Man in a Ditch, did an awesome job following up from the first book. I look forward to seeing how this series continues in the future, and Arnold is a great new author that I was glad I tried out.

Nick Martell – The Kingdom of Liars

There was no way I could do this list without featuring Nick Martell, who debuted in early 2020 with The Kingdom of Liars, an outstanding fantasy novel that was extremely impressive. Not only was The Kingdom of Liars one of the best debuts of 2020 but it was also one of my favourite books of the entire year. I had an incredible time reading this cool novel and I am eagerly awaiting the sequel, The Two-Faced Queen, which is set for release in a couple of months.

Richard Osman – The Thursday Murder Club

Another exciting new author I checked out in 2020 was British comedian and television personality Richard Osman, who debuted with the clever and hilarious crime fiction novel, The Thursday Murder Club. This was an amazing first novel from Osman, and I am now deeply invested in checking out any future novels from him, especially the sequel to The Thursday Murder Club planned for later this year.

Jim Butcher – Battle Ground

I have been meaning to read one of legendary fantasy author Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files novels for ages now, and this was the year I finally took the plunge by listening to the latest entry in the series, Battle Ground. Battle Ground was an epic thrill ride that I had an incredible time listening to and which served as an intriguing introduction to the series for me. I think that I will try to listen to several earlier entries in this awesome series this year, and I look forward to seeing how the initial adventures turn out.

Jeff Lindsay – Just Watch Me

I was quite intrigued when I heard that Jeff Lindsay, the author of the iconic Dexter thrillers, was writing a series that focused on epic heists, and I ended up grabbing a copy of the first book, Just Watch Me. Just Watch Me was a fantastic and captivating read, and I just started reading the sequel, Fool Me Twice, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

Mark Lawrence – The Girl and the Stars

High acclaimed fantasy author Mark Lawrence is another author who I have had my eye on for several years but never had a chance to read before. However, when Lawrence released the first entry in a brand-new series last year, I decided to check it out, and boy was I glad that I did. The Girl and the Stars was an impressive and captivating novel set deep beneath the ice of a desolate planet that I had an amazing time reading. I am eagerly looking forward to the next entry in this series, and I will have to go back and read some of Lawrence’s earlier books.

Sarah Beth Durst – Race the Sands

I have mentioned quite a few times this year how much I deeply enjoyed the latest novel from Sarah Beth Durst, Race the Sands, which was the first book I checked out from this bestselling author. Race the Sands was an outstanding novel filled with cool action, creative fantasy elements and great characters, I had an excellent time getting through it. Due to how much I loved my first Durst novel, I am planning to read some more of her books soon, starting with The Bone Maker, which is coming out in a couple of months.

Max Brooks – Devolution

Another major author who I finally got around to checking out this year was Max Brooks, who produced the thrilling and exciting horror novel Devolution, which sees a small village attacked by sasquatches. This was an excellent and amazing novel that was so much fun to read and I fully plan to check out Brooks’ other big book, World War Z soon.

Mike Shackle – We are the Dead

I heard some really good things about Mike Shackle’s 2019 debut, We are the Dead, when it first came out, and I really regretted not reading it then. I decided to remedy this last year when I grabbed the audiobook version of this book, which turned out to be a captivating and fantastic read. I had an amazing time reading We are the Dead and I cannot wait to check out the sequel, A Fool’s Hope, which just came out.

John Scalzi – Redshirts

The final entry on this list was the clever and wildly entertaining Star Trek parody Redshirts by bestselling science fiction author John Scalzi. Scalzi is an author whose books I have been thinking of checking out for a while, and when I had a long road trip earlier in the year I took the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of this extremely funny novel which was narrated by Wil Wheaton. I was not disappointed, as Redshirts ended up being an excellent novel that presents a hilarious parody of classic Star Trek tropes and was an insane amount of fun.

Well, that’s the end of this latest Top Ten list. I think it turned out rather well and it encapsulates some of the best new authors I checked out in 2020. I look forward to reading more books from these authors in the future and I have no doubt they will produce more epic and incredible reads. Make sure to let me know which new authors you enjoyed in 2020 in the comments below and make sure to check back next week for another exciting list.