Tag: Five Star

The Infinite State by Richard Swan

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Australian, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, ThrillerLeave a comment

Publisher: Gollancz (Audiobook – 28 July 2026)

Series: The Decurion Saga – Book One

Length: 15 hours and 19 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

One of Australia’s most prominent science fiction and fantasy authors, Richard Swan, starts a bold new series with the powerful and deeply compelling novel The Infinite State, an outstanding science fiction read with some relevant messaging.

Few fantasy authors have been as successful in recent years as Australian Richard Swan.  A talented author with some unique stories under his belt, Swan has gained a lot of attention in recent years thanks to his Empire of the Wolf series, which started in 2022 with The Justice of Kings.  A complex series that examined law and order in a crumbling fantasy empire, the Empire of the Wolf books proved to be very popular, enough so that Swan is currently following up the original trilogy with his The Great Silence sequel series, which examines a whole new era for his established world.

While I am more familiar with his fantasy fiction work, Swan also has a bit of experience with science fiction, which includes his latest release The Infinite State. The first book in Swan’s new Decurion Saga, The Infinite State follows several protagonists as they attempt to escape a fascist space government.  I have been looking forward to reading The Infinite State since I first heard about it, and made sure to listen to it on audiobook as soon as I could.

Plot Synopsis:

WHO GIVES YOU LIFE?
PATER AETERNUS.

Katherine Fuller’s husband is dead. As an esteemed member of Pater Aeternus—governing party of the fascist, galaxy-spanning Decurion Empire—he has left behind an estate of immeasurable wealth. And Katherine is going to inherit it.

WHO GIVES YOU PURPOSE?
PATER AETERNUS.

Life under the Eternal Father is rigidly stratified, surveilled, and controlled—each new day to be endured, not lived. But with Katherine’s newfound fortune, she is presented with a rare and dangerous opportunity: purchase a virgin world, and create a better, fairer society.

WHO GIVES YOU JOY?
PATER AETERNUS.

But the Empire cannot allow its wayward daughter to succeed. And as Katherine works in secret, recruiting allies she’s not even sure she can trust, she will discover exactly how far Pater Aeternus is willing to go to stop her. Because Katherine is going to create something nobody has seen for many years.

A democracy.

Wow, now that was a truly impressive read.  Richard Swan was firing on all cylinders with The Infinite State, producing a powerful and highly addictive character-driven book that I had an amazing time getting through.  Captivating, insightful and perfectly introducing an exciting and dark futuristic universe, The Infinite State was so damn good, and I have to give it a full five-star read, especially in its audiobook format.

Swan produces a highly impressive narrative for The Infinite State that follows three compelling protagonists as they attempt to overcome and escape the evils of the Decurion Empire.  This includes Katherine Fuller, the widow of a high-ranking party official, who finds herself inheriting a vast fortune upon her husband’s death.  Already disillusioned with the Empire, Katherine embarks on the radical plan of buying her own planet and setting it up as a democracy.  The book also follows Julian Yashego, a famous hypersled pilot born on an independent planet outside the Decurion Empire.  Having been recruited to race for the premier team in the Decurion hypersled circuit, Julian is forced to contend with the unforgiving politics and propaganda machine of the empire as an outsider, especially when his personal secrets are discovered.  The third storyline follows Cyprian Reis, a weary inspector charged with investigating murders in the empire’s capital, Kada Gamar.  However, his latest case, a mutilated body fished out of the river, sees him caught between two competing factions of the Pater Aeternus party, while also trying to reign in his ambitious and unhinged young partner.

There is a great mixture of elements in this first part of the book, as Swan successfully develops three complex character-focused storylines that initially exist independent of each other.  This includes a moving personal journey to independence in Katherine’s POV with a lot of key universe-building, a look at the true dark side of the regime in Julian’s storyline that also has a compelling science fiction sports element to it, and an exciting noir crime story in Cyprian’s chapters, all told in the shadow of Pater Aeternus influence.  This was honestly one of those rare multi-POV novels where I enjoyed each of the storylines equally, and I deeply enjoyed the separate narrative threads.  While these storylines are kept separate for most of The Infinite State, they produce an impressive overarching narrative, with some overlapping ideas and supporting characters.  You also become highly invested in each protagonist’s specific journeys, as well as their attempts to survive the party’s attention.  Swan eventually brings the three storylines together in the final third of The Infinite State, which has an interesting change of setting to Katherine’s newly established world.  The author does a good job of bringing these characters together naturally, and none of the storylines are negatively impacted by the suddenly joined narrative.  All of this results in an exciting and captivating conclusion that brings some excellent action to the book and introduces some great reveals.  Swan wraps everything up quite nicely with some big climatic moments that allow each of the protagonists to shine in their own unique ways.  At the same, Swan leaves several storylines open for the sequel, ensuring that readers will need to come back and check out the rest of the books in the series.

I was really impressed with how The Infinite State turned out, as Swan produced a gripping science fiction story centred around some great characters intent on escaping an overbearing fascist government.  As I mentioned above, Swan does an excellent job showcasing the story through three separate perspectives, and you really get a fantastic mixture of storylines as a result.  The resulting blend of elements that emerged throughout The Infinite State, including political discourse, espionage, mystery, space colonisation, proxy propaganda battles and more, was so damn good, and Swan did an outstanding job bringing all this together.  I was particularly impressed with the cool background setting surrounding this narrative, as Swan envisions and portrays a chaotic universe dominated by the Decurion Empire and the controlling Pater Aeternus party.  The idea of a vast fascist empire is familiar in the modern context, but Swan makes it his own, showcasing how such an empire could spread throughout the stars, and how other planets would react to it.  The evils and weaknesses of such an empire is on full display, and I appreciated how well Swan showcased the machinations and rivalries of the party’s power players, and how they manipulate the inherent fear, despair and anger of the normal inhabitants.  All this was quite inventive, if worryingly familiar, and the dose of reality in amongst the science fiction added to the emotional impact of the overall story.

I must once again highlight the outstanding main protagonists of The Infinite State, each of whom had unique and emotionally charged personal stories.  These great character arcs worked perfectly as the centre for the main storylines of The Infinite State, and Swan took many of these characters to their extremes as part of the plot.  This includes central character Katherine Fuller, the wife of a high-level party member, who, after several personal loses, decides to finally rebel against the system that has held her down her entire life.  Much of Katherine’s storyline involves her attempting to gain a confidence that has been quashed by Pater Aeternus’s patriarchal system and embark on her own journey.  It was great seeing her start to become a leader in this book, and it will be interesting to see how she continues to develop as the series continues.  Another key protagonist is the dour Cyprian Reis, a senior police inspector who finds himself on the wrong side of a political skirmish between two of Pater Aeternus’s ministers.  Already broken and suicidal at the start of the book, Cyprian finds his long-buried desire for justice clashing with the dark realities of the monsters above him.  Swan perfectly captures the impotent anger of Cyprian as he is manipulated and threatened by everyone, and while there are periods of rage, you can see that deep down Cyprian is a good man who has been wrecked by the system.  Of all the characters, Cyprian has the best redemption arc in the novel, and it was wonderful to see him start to find himself after the dark first half of the book.

The final protagonist is Julian Yashego, who honestly has one of the most complex, if traumatising, character narratives in the entire novel.  A champion racer considered to be the best hypersled driver in the galaxy, Julian is introduced in The Infinite State as a naïve foreigner who doesn’t understand the true dangers of the Decurion Empire.  However, after some early scenes, Julian soon finds his survival tied into his success as a racer, as he gets caught up in certain political machinations.  Things get quite dark for Julian, especially when his personal secrets are uncovered, and you really get drawn into his continuous downward spiral.  Not only does Julian’s storyline have some impressive emotional depth, but I enjoyed how the character’s hypersled background referenced the political battles fought around foreign race-car drivers and the Olympics in Nazi Germany.  Swan’s portrayal of Julian’s trauma was so well written, and he ends up being the protagonist you most relate to as a result.

While most of the focus is understandably on the three perspective protagonists, I do need to mention the great supporting cast featured within The Infinite State, who add some interesting elements to each of the main storylines.  Swan does a great job of introducing these various characters through the eyes of the main protagonists, and there are some fascinating relationships that emerge as a result.  Highlights include Jaroslav Droor, the Decurion Empire’s propaganda minister, who appears to be manipulating many of the key plot points from the shadow.  A malevolent force in both Cyprian’s and Julian’s early storylines, Swan sets Droor up as a sinister Machiavellian figure with a hidden agenda, and it was so fun to see his dark machinations.  Another excellent supporting character is Cyprian’s young partner, Lang, an ambitious investigator with a romanticised view of Pater Aeternus and life in the Decurion Empire.  Thanks to his naivety and near-brainwashed personality, Lang soon becomes a problem for Cyprian, and his worse traits are only enhanced as the story continues.  These great supporting characters, and more, perfectly populate the crazy universe of The Infinite State, and it was fascinating to see their storylines unfold alongside the perspective protagonists.

As I mentioned above, I ended up checking out the audiobook version of The Infinite State, which proved to be an incredible way to enjoy this epic book, as it allowed listeners to really absorb the compelling details of the setting.  Thanks to its use of multiple narrators, The Infinite State audiobook perfectly tells Swan’s complex narrative, while also cleverly giving life to the three protagonists, as well as the compelling supporting cast.  The audiobook does a great job of splitting itself between its three narrators, with each of them taking over the chapters told from the perspective of one of the main protagonists. These narrators include Helen Keeley, who provides a powerful performance in the chapters told from the perspective of Katherine Fuller.  Not only does Keeley provide a refined voice to Fuller, capturing her grief, frustration and determination every step of the way, but she also provides some impressive voices for the various characters that Fuller interacts with, including multiple senior party members.  Another great performance was Chris Rowe, who voices the chapters from the perspective of Julian Yashego, the famous hypersled driver who experiences the dark side of the empire.  This requires Rowe to provide a lot of range, as his initial portrayals of a cocky and naïve athlete are soon tinged with despair.  Rowe does a great job of capturing the changing emotions of his main character, while also providing some terrifying and harsh voices to the dark people he encounters, especially Droor, who comes off as his most sinister here.

The final narrator I need to highlight is Nathaniel Priestley, who fans of Swan might recognise from his work with the author’s fantasy books, and who has another great performance providing the narration of the POV of Cyprian Reis.  Priestley unsurprisingly does an amazing job in The Infinite State, and I loved his take on the weary investigator and the dangerous people he encounters.  This includes a striking accent for Cyprian that fits the character perfectly and helps to enhance the rage and impatience in his voice as he is manipulated and threatened.  All three of these narrators are incredible in The Infinite State, and I enjoyed how their performances were spaced out through the audiobook.  This includes in some of the later chapters, where the quickfire change in perspectives from the three protagonists also includes changes in narrator.  It was also fun to hear the different narrators try to emulate the established character voices of their colleagues, such as when they try to match the accent Priestley gives to Cyprian with varying results.  Overall, I think these narrators brought out the best of The Infinite State and this was one of the more exceptional audiobooks of 2026, that I cannot recommend enough.

Richard Swan continues to showcase his ability to tell an incredible and addictive story, this time diving back into science fiction with The Infinite State.  A brilliant and incredible start to a compelling new series, The Infinite State had me hooked very early on, and I loved seeing the powerful journeys each of Swan’s complex characters took.  I cannot wait to get my hands on the next entry in this series, and I will be very keen to read the sequel in 2027.  In the meantime, I need to get my hands on Swan’s recently released Warhammer 40,000 novel, Voice of Command, which also sounds extremely cool.

Amazon

The Detective Matthew Reilly

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Five-Star Books, Murder Mystery, Thriller, Throwback ThursdayLeave a comment

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia (Trade Paperback – 21 October 2025)

Series: Sam Speedman – Book One

Length: 383 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Prepare for one of the most over-the-top and highly impressive thrillers of recent years, with the brilliant and utterly addictive The Detective by Matthew Reilly.

Those who follow my blog will know that I tend to read a lot of Australian fiction, not only because I like to support local authors but because there are some cracking and captivating reads from my talented countryfolk.  Of the current crop of awesome Australian authors out there, few are more well known internationally than Matthew Reilly, a thriller writer with a raft of distinctive novels in his bibliography.  Known for books like his Shane Schofield and Jack West Jr series, as well as some of his outrageous standalone novels, Reilly has been a consistently entertaining author since the 1990s.  Despite this, I’ve only had the chance to read a couple of books from Reilly, including The Secret Runners of New York and Mr Einstein’s Secretary (one of my favourite books and pieces of Australian fiction of 2023), both of which were excellent in their own ways.  As such, I’ve tried to grab some more of his books, including his 2025 release, The Detective.  I only recently got the chance to read The Detective, and boy was I glad that I did.  The first book in Reilly’s new Sam Speedman series, The Detective was a highly addictive read with an exceedingly thrilling narrative behind it.

Plot Synopsis:

For 150 years, women have been going missing.

And all of the investigators who went in search of them – from 1877 to the present day – have disappeared, too.

Now Sam Speedman, a most unique private detective, is on the case.

Brilliant, direct and disarming, Sam is … different. He’s not your average private detective. But then again, this isn’t your average case.

For not even he will be prepared for what he will find.

Set in the darkest corners of the American South, tapping into hot-button issues that simmer beneath the surface of the modern United States, this is Matthew Reilly writing faster and bolder than ever before, bringing you a detective thriller like no other.

Well damn, now that was a crazy ass book!  While I knew I was likely going to enjoy The Detective, I was unprepared for just how over-the-top and entertaining it was going to be.  I honestly read this outstanding novel from Matthew Reilly in less than a day, it was damn addictive, especially when the full insanity of the plot emerged.  Due to just how fun and exciting The Detective was, I have to award this book a full five-stars, a rating it very much deserves.

I had an amazing time getting through The Detective’s narrative, primarily because Reilly came up with a powerful and detailed story that provides some intriguing mystery, heavy thrills and very over-the-top moments.  Reilly starts the narrative off strong, with an exciting introduction to the protagonist and main point-of-view character, Sam Speedman, the unlikely autistic private investigator.  While this opening sequence and early exploration of Reilly’s unique protagonist was great, it was the introduction of The Detective’s main case that personally drew me in, which starts when DNA test reveals that a dead newborn baby in the Louisiana swamp is the child of missing person Speedman has been hired to find.  To raise the stakes and interest, this disappearance is the latest in a long string of missing African American women dating back to the end of the Civil War.  Even more troubling, every previous detective who has investigated the case, including Speedman’s mentor, has either disappeared or turned up dead.

Despite this terrifying background, Speedman investigates and soon finds himself teaming up with an FBI agent also interested in the case.  Reilly does a lot of solid set-up in this first half of the book, and you are presented with some intriguing suspects, great supporting characters, and a real appreciation for the unique case and the way that the protagonist investigates.  The case goes in some interesting directions here, especially as Speedman finds an unlikely collection of clues and suspicions, before a seemingly early end to the investigation.  However, this is just a prelude to the rest of the plot, especially when Speedman quickly identifies a massive coverup surrounding the case.  Despite being offered everything he ever wanted, Speedman is unable to drop his investigation, which results in utter chaos and destruction being thrown at him and everyone he cares for.

While the first half of The Detective was very good and quickly draws you in, it was the brutal and insanely over-the-top second half of the book that makes this a truly memorable read.  Reilly throws everything that he can at his protagonist, as Speedman journeys through the deep south to find answers.  There are some great moments here, with plenty of action and clever investigating, all pulling together into a crazy result.  I don’t want to give too much away, but the hidden secrets behind the case are incredibly insane, while still cleverly fitting into the overarching narrative of The Detective.  Everything leads up to an explosive confrontation which delivers some very cathartic moments, as well as some memorable action sequences.  Reilly also throws in a great, if now depressingly unrealistic, solution to the giant odds the protagonists are facing, and watching their plan come together was really impressive.  An overall outstanding narrative, that you won’t be able to stop reading, even if you wanted to.

I had a lot of fun with Reilly’s style for The Detective, which was very easy to read and really highlighted the book’s fantastic action.  The author makes excellent use of the first-person perspective, which showcased the entertaining viewpoint of the primary perspective character.  Thanks to this, you get a great view of the investigation and the protagonist’s mind as he pulls the unique threads of the mystery together.  The mystery itself is quite well set up, and I appreciated the variety of clues and hints that Reilly introduces early in the book, even if you can’t imagine just where the author is going with them.  I will say that Reilly makes good use of the southern setting for the plot, with race, cultural heritage and other issues all working as motives or underlying factors.  These contemporary issues, as well as some key historical events, are cleverly referenced or alluded to (including quotes from real-life events or people), and while Reilly naturally takes everything several steps further than reality, it still makes you think.  I deeply enjoyed the narrative extremes that Reilly went to, which added a lot of entertainment to this book, and you must imagine that some of the world’s current craziness bled into Reilly’s mind as he wrote it.  I also have to highlight some of the cool diagrams and helpful alternate formatting that was added into the paperback version of The Detective, which helped order key parts of the plot and allowed even more insights into the protagonist’s mind.

I’ve already mentioned the unique protagonist of The Detective, Sam Speedman, a few times, and I want to again make it clear how interesting and fun he proved to be.  Introduced as a questionable investigative protagonist due to his lack of social skills and distinctive way of thinking, Speedman quickly grows on the reader thanks to his insights, down-to-earth view, and determination to do the right thing no matter what.  I liked how Reilly already had Speedman set up as a very competent figure right at the start of the book, and you are soon drawn into his personality, as well as the unlikely connections he already has.  The author also throws in some growth for Speedman in this book, with the protagonist becoming even more comfortable with other people while continuing to stick to his principles no matter the cost.  I really think that Reilly did a good job of providing a nuanced portrayal of an autistic central character, and I liked how Speedman’s eccentricities, such as his preferred restaurant and inherent caution, played into the plot in some natural ways.  Speedman proved to be one of the more memorable crime fiction protagonists in recent years, and I’m very curious to see what other adventures Reilly takes him on in the future.

Aside from Speedman, The Detective features an intriguing array of supporting characters, each of whom add their own spin on the plot.  Reilly has fun showcasing many of these great characters from Speedman’s perspective, and it was interesting to see his take on them.  I personally enjoyed secondary protagonist FBI agent Audrey Mills, who serves as a motivated support to Speedman, as well as a moving love interest once she realises who she is working with.  Other fun characters include Speedman’s eclectic contacts, such as an enterprising assistant, an exceedingly brave fellow investigator, and several Hooters waitresses who are some of the protagonist’s best friends.  Finally, we have the various antagonists of the story, who exist at near supervillain levels thanks to their audacious evil plans.  To avoid spoilers, I won’t say too much about these antagonists, except that they make for a terrifying opposition thanks to their reach and influences.  This fantastic and over-the-top group of characters all fit naturally into Reilly’s ambitious and ultra-entertaining narrative.

Thanks to its outrageous story, complex characters, and non-stop fun and excitement, The Detective proved to be an incredible read, and one that I still cannot stop thinking about.  Matthew Reilly really came up with something special with The Detective, and it was a crazy pleasure to read it.  I am now exceedingly excited for the soon to be released sequel, King’s Ransom, which I already know is going to be exceedingly awesome and crazy.

Amazon

The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Historical Fiction, LGBT+1 Comment

Publisher: Tor (Trade Paperback– 24 February 2026)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 535 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Australian author Cameron Sullivan delivers one of the best and most compelling debuts of 2026, with the historical fantasy epic, The Red Winter, a truly impressive read that you won’t be able to put down.

Plot Synopsis:

A devastating love story.
A bewitching twist on history.
A blood-drenched hunt for purpose, power, and redemption.

In 1785, Professor Sebastian Grave receives the news he fears most: the Beast of Gévaudan has returned, and the French countryside runs red in its wake.

Sebastian knows the Beast. Twenty years ago, it nearly cost him his life to bring the monster down. Now, he has been recalled to the hunt by Antoine Avenel d’Ocerne, an estranged lover who shares a dark history with the Beast and a terrible secret with Sebastian. With the help of his indwelling demon, Sarmodel – who takes payment in living hearts – Sebastian must return to Gévaudan for a final reckoning, while the Beast is poised to plunge the continent into war.

In this dark retelling of the hunt for the Beast of Gévaudan, Cameron Sullivan tears the heart out of history. He lifts the veil on the hidden world behind our own and reimagines the story of Europe, from Imperial Rome to Saint Jehanne d’Arc and the first flickers of the French Revolution.

Wow, want an outstanding and incredible debut.  I must admit that when I first received The Red Winter, having very little prior knowledge of what it was about, I didn’t know what to expect.  Still, I decided to give it a chance, and found myself quickly enthralled by Cameron Sullivan’s brilliant storytelling, excellent humour, and use of multiple intriguing periods of French history.  One of the best books I have so far read in 2026, The Red Winter gets a full five-star rating from me, and I loved it so damn much.

I loved the unique and layered story that Sullivan came up with for The Red Winter, which thrust readers through several different periods of French history in a slightly alternate world filled with demons, angels and spiritual power.  Told primarily from the perspective of Professor Sebastian Grave, an immortal sorcerer with a demonic spirit bound to him, the book serves as a personal chronicle of several connected past adventures in France.  Starting with a storyline set in 1785, the book sees Professor Grave encounter Jacques Avenel d’Ocerne, the son of his former lover Antoine d’Ocerne, who requests Grave return with him to the Gévaudan region of France to fulfil a contract he holds with his father.  Setting off on this new journey, the reader soon starts following Grave’s previous adventure in Gévaudan in 1766, when Grave first encounters Antoine and finds himself drawn into the hunt for the infamous Beast of Gévaudan, a monster terrorising the area and killing many locals.  The story also features an interesting third storyline set out as an Addendum to the main narrative.  This Addendum takes place throughout the early 14th century and is also told in the form a chronicle, this one primarily written by Grave’s succubus servant Livia, who attempts to uncover a valuable artifact in war-torn France, dragging her employer into further danger and carnage.

Without giving too much away, Sullivan masterfully binds these storylines together, as he simultaneously follows the events of all three time periods.  Most of the focus is on the two 18th century storylines, with the consequences of Grave’s attempts to hunt the beast in 1766 coming back to bite him when the same monster returns in 1785, with even greater savagery.  At the same time, the Addendum narrative contains even more chaos, which sees Grave first unknowing encounter with the Beast, and establishes much of this creature’s history and motivations, as well as Grave’s long-time obsession with obtaining its power.

Each of these different plotlines provides the reader with something different, including a great tragic romance narrative in the 1766 adventures, covered over with dark unexplained events from real-life history.  This blends well with the more entertaining misadventures showcased in the Addendum, and the darker storyline in 1785, as Grave and other character are forced to relive all their past mistakes and uncover how the Beast survived.  I honestly grew quite attached to all three of the different plot threads, as each contains a brilliant and compelling narrative that stands on its own.  However, it’s the way that Sullivan weaves a larger, more complete narrative from them, that is the real highlight of The Red Winter, and which raised this entire book to a five-star epic.  Each storyline perfectly flows into the other, and learning revelations from one has great impacts on your understanding of the others.  Sullivan also captures the regret and anger of the protagonist (and other characters), in each progressive timeframe, and I loved seeing the true impacts of past decisions and bad decisions haunt people years down the line.  I really cannot emphasise just how impactful, addictive and well-put-together this incredible narrative was, and you are guaranteed to come away from it deeply entranced.

While the epic storyline of The Red Winter was very awesome in its own right, Sullivan’s moving writing style added an extra impressive kick to it that constantly kept the reader coming back for more.  I’ve already mentioned a few times the different time periods, separate narrative threads and even an alternate narrator, and these effective writing tools were each used to great effect.  However, I really need to emphasise the way that each of them had their own unique feeling of tragedy, anger and personal regrets, especially thanks to the different experiences of the protagonist, that ensured they all stood out.  The difference in tone between these three simultaneous plotlines produces a truly vibrant and emotionally charged novel, and I loved how each storyline got dark in their own way, while still having some moments of levity.

While there are some tonal differences, each plotline has some excellent and consistent humour behind it.  Much of this humour is driven by the interaction between Grave and his internal spirit, Sarmodel, as well as the selfish and cynical antics of Livia in the 14th century plotline.  Sullivan also makes great use of various entertaining footnotes, which not only provide further context for this fantasy version of the world, but also add some additional comedy outside the flow of the main story.  This humour blends well with the darker elements of The Red Winter, and the contrast and occasional lighter tone makes this book even easier to read and enjoy.  Indeed, Sullivan’s entire writing style in The Red Winter was very inviting and easy going at times, and I was quite impressed with how effortlessly he conveyed a lot of complicated bits of real-life history and his own personal lore to the reader.  There was never a part of The Red Winter that got bogged down in extensive occult discussion or deep dives into history, and Sullivan’s writing keeps the reader hooked all the way from start to finish.

One of the big highlights of The Red Winter for me was Sullivan’s clever use of French history, which also tied into a wider world of magic and religious truth that only the protagonist and his associates are aware of.  As with most successful urban fantasy series, Sullivan ensures that the setting of The Red Winter is very similar to the real-world in terms of history and society, but with hidden magic just beneath the surface and only visible to a few.  The author works these elements cleverly into the story, with the protagonist explaining to the reader the realities of magic and the divine, both in text and through the aforementioned footnotes.  These descriptions and explanations work into the main narrative well, and you soon understand the implications of what the protagonist is experiencing or doing, as well as the dark consequences of everything that he does.  While much of the magic in this book is more subtle than some other fantasy reads, it is still quite impactful, and its clever design and inclusion of battling angels, demons and other godlike beings really upped the stakes at times.

On top of the fantasy elements, Sullivan does an excellent job showcasing three different periods of French history, especially based around the Gévaudan region of France.  This includes the post-Hundred-Years War period in the 14th century, the early waning days of the French monarch in 1766, and the angry start of the French revolution around 1785.  Each of these are explored masterfully, and not only does this help to give each separate plotline its own unique identity, but Sullivan gives some interesting mystical or spiritual origin to some certain historical events.  However, the historical element I liked the most was the compelling dive into the mysterious occurrence of the Beast of Gévaudan.  A heavily documented series of creature attacks in Gévaudan in the 1760s, the story of the Beast of Gévaudan wasn’t something I was too familiar with before getting this book, but boy am I interested in it now.  While Sullivan does put his own spin on the origins of these events, he did capture much of the actual recorded history of the Beast of Gévaudan attacks, with several historical figures appearing as supporting characters.  I found this to be deeply fascinating, and it served as a very interesting centre to much of the story, primarily the near half of the book set in 1766.  I cannot emphasise just how fascinating Sullivan’s dive and use of this curious event was to the plot of The Red Winter, and I really must congratulate him for finding and using such a fitting piece of historical weirdness.

Finally, I need to mention some of the great characters featured throughout The Red Winter.  Sullivan utilises a rich cast, combining immortals and magical beings, with normal humans caught up in their crossfire.  The obvious focus is on main protagonist and point-of-view character Professor Sebastian Grave, a seemingly immortal being who has already lived for over a thousand years at this point in the story.  An entertaining figure, bowed by his experiences yet still retaining the ability to fall in love and make mistakes, Grave was an interesting conduit for the reader to explore this dark tale, and I loved his unique and often cynical take on events, often written with some unfortunate hindsight.  While you don’t get a lot of character development from Grave due to his immortal status, there is still some moving moments with this character, especially when more tragedy comes his way, and he is forced to deal with old mistakes and failings.  The way that Sullivan simultaneously showcases Grave’s passionate romance with Antoine in 1766, and the distain Antoine holds for him in 1785, added some great drama to the plot, and you really become intrigued by what led to these events.  This doomed romance and the history behind it drive much of Grave’s later story, and it was compelling to see how much regret he holds and how it continues to impact him.

Aside from Grave, there are several other great characters of note in The Red Winter, many of whom steal the show in their own way.  This includes the demonic spirit Sarmodel, a mysterious being that has lodged itself into Grave’s soul, giving him immortality and much of his power.  Thanks to their connection, which is nearly another romance, Sarmodel serves as a background voice to Grave’s actions.  I loved the constant bickering back and forth between Grave and Sarmodel (like a very old married couple), and it honestly added a lot of humour and internal discord to the novel.  Sarmodel’s needs also serve as a great motivator for this protagonist duo, with Sarmodel constantly driving Grave to find sources of life and magic to feed him, and it was interesting to see how that impacted their adventures.  The use of the d’Ocerne father and son duo was also an excellent character use in The Red Winter, primarily because of their relationships with Grave, but also because of how their separate mistakes and secrets impact each other and bring greater tragedy to the plot.  Throw in a disobedient succubus assistant, controlled by her own vices, various interesting historical luminaries and even the Archangel Michael who is working his own angle in events, and the cast of The Red Winter was impressive, and helped move the story in some awesome directions.

Thanks to his obvious talent, impressive ability and fantastic imagination, Cameron Sullivan’s debut novel, The Red Winter, was an exceptional read, and I honestly still can’t get over how much I loved it.  A particularly clever, moving and addictive novel, The Red Winter was an absolute pleasure to read, and I loved every single second I spent with it.  I honestly hope that Sullivan revisits his main characters again in the future, as there is so much potential for further adventures across history.  Until then, The Red Winter remains one of the most impressive recent debuts I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and indeed it was one of the very best books I read in the first half of 2026.

Amazon

30Seven by Jeremy Robinson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller1 Comment

Publisher: Podium Audio (Audiobook – 20 January 2026)

Series: Standalone

Length: 11 hours and 51 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Jeremy Robinson presents one of the most awesome and unique science fiction reads of early 2026 with the impressive and over-the-top novel, 30Seven, a clever alien abduction novel with some daringly dark horror elements behind it.

Jeremy Robinson is an outstanding author who has a fantastic career writing clever, fun, and occasionally terrifying thrillers that often feature intriguing science fiction elements.  Best known for his Antarktos Saga, Chess Team and Nemesis Saga series, Robinson has written a staggering amount of fiction over the years, including additional cool series and standalone reads.  I got into Robinson’s work a few years ago when I read a few books from his addictive interconnected Infinite Timeline series, including Tribe, The Dark and Mind Bullet (the latter two of which were amongst my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021). I have also started getting into Robinson’s standalone novels, including Point Nemo (one of my favourite audiobooks of 2024), and Artifact (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2025). As such, I was very excited to read some more books from Robinson in 2026 novel, including the awesome sounding 30Seven, which was one of my most anticipated releases for the first half of the year.

Plot Synopsis:

Twenty-eight people are abducted from a lakeside beach-and a killer is among them-in this twisty UFO horror novel from the bestselling author of The Others.

After a year of torment following the loss of his wife, Isabella, to a serial killer with an artistic flair, Marcus Lockwood retreats with his son, Elias, to Moose Hollow-a secluded campground in backwoods Maine-in search of healing. There, a close-knit band of lifelong campers immerses them in a warm, nostalgic experience filled with fishing, canoeing, crackling barbecues, and a taste of normalcy.

When whispers of eerie UFO sightings ignite a vigil on the beach, Marcus and Elias eagerly join the hunt for the inexplicable. But when the sky erupts in otherworldly light, they’ll get much more than they bargained for. A mysterious craft descends, and in one surreal moment, the group is abducted and transported into the unknown. Amid the chaos and disorientation, a gut-wrenching discovery terrifies Marcus:

One of them is Isabella’s killer.

Jeremey Robinson hits it out of the park again with this outstanding standalone science fiction thriller.  30Seven was a complex and addictive novel, that cleverly twisted the classic narrative of alien abductions into a brutal and manic thriller.  A highly addictive novel I couldn’t get enough of, 30Seven gets a very easy five-star rating from me, especially as I’ve still got some of the reveals and revelations stuck in my head.

I loved the dark and very clever story that Robison featured in 30Seven, which I frankly think was one of the strongest the narratives that I have so far seen from this author.  A slick, character driven novel, the book quickly introduces you to the main point-of-view protagonist, Marcus Lockwood, a highly damaged figure who has journeyed to the remote Moose Hollow campgrounds with his son, Elias.  However, despite the serene setting, nothing is quite what it seems, especially with strange alien sightings and evidence that Marcus and Elias were lured to the camp by the serial killer responsible for destroying their family.  Robinson does an interesting job of setting up a lot of key elements in the first part of 30Seven, especially as you are introduced to the key cast of fellow campers, as well as some early information about potential alien encounters.

While this first part of the book moves quickly and effectively draws the reader in, Robinson makes sure to kick the narrative up a notch with the sudden abduction of the entire protagonist group by a UFO, a moment that changes 30Seven’s entire status quo.  Not only do the characters now have to deal with terror caused by interacting with telepathic aliens but the abduction awakens the serial killer, who begins a murderous reign of terror aboard the ship.  What follows is a horrifying jaunt as Marcus tries to find and protect his son amid disastrous alien first contact, while a deranged killer stalks around them, butchering and artistically posing multiple victims.

The entire second half of 30Seven is so damn good, and I loved just how dark things ended up getting, with so many gruesome horrors.  The clash of fascinating alien interactions against human insanity makes for an intense and fast-paced story, and you race towards the end eager to see who the killer is.  Everything leads up to a fantastic final confrontation, where all the author’s twists come to light.  While I saw part of the big reveal coming, the full extent of it was very impressive, and it makes you rethink everything that took place earlier in the novel.  Readers will come away very satisfied, if a little disturbed, and Robinson does an amazing job wrapping up the entire story and ensuring this was a tight and captivating read.

30Seven ended up being a spectacular novel, and I really enjoyed the unique feel that this book had.  Featuring an alien abduction narrative that devolves into a horror-laden slasher novel, Robinson perfectly emulating both genres to pull together an intense read.  The resulting story is unique, and Robinson expertly tells it through a primary first-person perspective which allows readers to have a front-row view of 30Seven’s crazy carnage.  I loved how the book got darker the further you went along, with Robinson moving the story further into the horror genre, especially when it comes to having the bodies displayed as artworks (a certain moving art exhibit was particularly disturbing).  This really ups the tension of the plot, and you are constantly on edge all the way through the final clever reveals.  Throw in some interesting thoughts about the potential for alien life, the influence they’ve had on humanity, as well as some interesting concerns about the rise of AI, and this ended up being a very clever and well-written novel.

Robinson always excels at creating likeable figures for his readers to follow, and 30Seven was no exception, featuring an interesting collection of major characters.  Unsurprisingly most of the focus goes to main protagonist, Marcus Lockwood, who serves as the novel’s primary point-of-view character.  A clever and relatable father, who has been severely traumatised by the recent murder of his wife, Marcus serves as a great heart to the story, especially as he encounters the horrors of Moose Hollow.  I felt that Robinson did a good job at painting Marcus as an excellent everyman hero, with some very understandable reaction to events going on around him.  In addition, the first-person perspective allows Robinson to really get stuck into Marcus’s trauma, allowing for an authentic and powerful look at a grieving father’s fear, attempts to protect his child, and establish a new connection.  All this allows for a fantastic emotional ride, which enhances 30Seven’s main narrative, while pushing the plot in some interesting directions.

In addition to Marcus, 30Seven features a great collection of supporting characters who help or develop the protagonist’s journey in some compelling manners.  Most of these supporting characters are fellow campers at Moose Hollow, whose connection to the camp and previous alien encounters provide some interesting side-plots and hints at what is to come.  I don’t want to go into too much detail about these supporting characters, especially as it could spoil who is and who isn’t the antagonistic serial killer.  However, I will say that each of these supporting characters are well utilised, even if they have an untimely and brutal death.

The one character I do want to go into a little more detail about is the serial killer antagonist of the story.  A sinister shadow for some of the early parts of the book, this serial killer awakens when the first alien abduction occurs, and you start seeing parts of the novel from their perspective.  These additional perspective shots are some of the best parts of 30Seven, primarily because the killer talks to an unseen watcher that also acts as a proxy for the reader themselves.  The resulting sarcastic commentary from the killer as he haunts the ship and the protagonists is so damn brilliant and adds a dark bit of humour to the story.  There are also some extremely clever moments as the killer seems to taunt the reader with his words, while also providing hints about who he really is.  The final reveal about the figure behind this narration is impressive, especially as it twists the hints around, while the killer mocks readers who guessed wrong (or even partially right).  I laughed so damn hard at some of the jokes Robinson loaded into the killer’s chapters (especially those that seem personally aimed at cynical readers like me), and these sections were some of my favourites in the book, especially when they attacked my preconceived notions of how the plot should unfold.  Honestly all the characters in 30Seven were great, and I really appreciated the amazing depth, complexity and humour they added to the plot.

As has been habit with all the previous Jeremy Robinson novels I have enjoyed, I ended up grabbing the audiobook version of 30Seven.  This format always works extremely well to enhance Robinson’s outstanding and crazy narratives, and 30Seven is no exception to this, as I quickly powered through its near 12-hour long runtime.  A lot of this is down to the exceptional narration of Scott Brick, who proves to be an interesting replacement to Robinson’s usual audiobook collaborator R. C. Bray.  Brick, whose work on the Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz and Cotton Malone by Steve Berry audiobooks I’ve previously enjoyed, is a very talented narrator who brings his substantial experience with voicing thriller novels to this complicated read in all the best ways.

Despite this being Brick’s first time narrating one of Robinson’s novels, I felt that Brick did an outstanding job adapting to the author’s style.  Not only does he have a little more energy in his voice when reading out the over-the-top science fiction action, but he also perfectly expresses Robinson’s excellent humour.  I also really liked the fantastic voices that Brick pulled together for the extended cast of 30Seven.  While a couple of voices were similar to tones Brick used in previous audiobooks, most of the cast sounds unique, and you’re able to easily distinguish between the characters.  I especially loved the old, wise voice he gives to Emmett, the camp caretaker, while the over-worldly voices of several alien characters were well done.  However, it is the sinister and delightfully malicious tone that Brick utilises in the various interludes where the serial killer is seemingly talking to the reader that was the true highlight of this audiobook’s narration.  The sarcastic and mocking voice that comes out here was just perfect, and I loved how it helped increase the threat this mysterious figure had.  All this results in an exceptional audiobook, which does an incredible job showcasing Robinson’s compelling story.

The brilliant and dark mind of Jeremy Robinson was once again on full display with his new novel, 30Seven.  A wonderfully twisted science fiction novel that sets a serial killer loose on a spaceship with dark results, 30Seven was an outstanding standalone novel I couldn’t get enough of.  Clever, shocking and highly addictive, 30Seven was an incredible novel and it was one of my top books so far this year.  I will definitely be reading more Robinson in 2026, and I cannot wait to try out either the recently released Parallax or the upcoming novel Settle Down when I get a chance.

Amazon

Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Science FictionLeave a comment

Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio (Audiobook – 10 February 2026)

Series: Standalone

Length: 10 hours and 49 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

The always inventive and uniquely funny Matt Dinniman kicks off a big year with the epic and outstanding read, Operation Bounce House, an incredible and heartfelt novel with one of the most distinctive plots of 2026.

In the last year, I have become one of the many readers/reviewers that has irrevocably fallen in love with the writings of Matt Dinniman.  A clever and hilarious author, Dinniman has gained attention from the world thanks to his intriguing contributions to the LitRPG franchise, producing some very compelling and over-the-top books.  This includes his most famous body of work, the beloved Dungeon Crawler Carl series, which has attracted a diehard group of fans thanks to its addictive overarching plot, complex characters and bonkers humour.  I personally read the entire Dungeon Crawler Carl collection in one straight go last year, with the then seven books in the series, including Dungeon Crawler Carl, Carl’s Doomsday Scenario, The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook, The Gate of the Feral Gods, The Butcher’s Masquerade, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride and This Inevitable Ruin, all getting very easy five star ratings from me.  Due to how unbelievably addictive the Dungeon Crawler Carl books are, I just had to check out Dinniman’s latest read, the standalone novel Operation Bounce House.  Due to both my experiences with Dinniman and its very cool sounding plot, Operation Bounce House ended up being one of my most anticipated releases of early 2026, and boy did it not disappoint.

In the far future, humanity has expanded out amongst the stars, with massive ships sent to colonise remote planets.  Many planets were found and settled, but few experienced the hardships of New Sonora, where tragedy forced the colonists to adapt through minor changes to their genetics.  Now, after years of isolation, New Sonora is on the brink of opening its public transport gate back to Earth.  However, this attempt at reconnection will cause hell to reign down upon the peaceful planet.

Young New Sonoran native Oliver Lewis has only ever wanted to live peacefully on his family farm, where his biggest problems are his uncertain love life, his sister’s plans to move to Earth, and the slow decline of his family’s aging fleet of ‘honeybee’ agricultural robots.  However, the craziness of a futuristic Earth comes abruptly crashing down on him when a deadly mech descends on his farm, remotely piloted by a petulant child trying to kill him.

As more mechs land on New Sonora, it becomes clear that something disastrous is befalling the planet.  Instead of New Sonora’s promised independence, the governments of Earth and their proxy, the Apex Corporation, have declared that New Sonora is home to anti-Earth terrorists, and have initiated a plan to wipe out the entire population in a shameless landgrab.  Worse, the Apex Corporation has decided to maximise their profits by starting the online hit Operation Bounce House, in which bored Earth gamers are given the opportunity to design and remotely pilot their own armed mechs to massacre the supposed terrorists on New Sonora, all from from the comfort and safety of their own home.

Oliver and his friends decide to fight back.  Utilising a hidden defence protocol left behind by his grandfather, the fleet of honeybee robots are converted into deadly war machines, armed with impromptu but effective weaponry.  But even with these new weapons, can the remaining New Sonorans survive the relentless wave of mechs coming for them, or do they have to find another way to bring the pain to their long-lost cousins from Earth?

Operation Bounce House was another exceptional novel from Matt Dinniman, who takes a break from his Dungeon Crawler Carl books with a unique and heartfelt standalone novel.  Exciting, well-written and extremely clever, Operation Bounce House was an inescapably addictive read that I absolutely absorbed, and which gets an easy five-star rating from me.

Operation Bounce House honestly has one of the more unique science fiction plots of 2026, as Dinniman sets up a powerful narrative of survival, sacrifice and friendship.  Starting with a quick introduction to the protagonist and main point-of-view character, Oliver Lewis, and his sassy farm robot Roger, the plot quickly gets explosive when the two encounter a remotely piloted mech on the outskirts of their land, which serves as a harbinger for a larger force of mechs coming for the planet.  Perfectly utilising a single protagonist perspective to tell the main story, the reader is soon very much enmeshed in the resulting story of survival and the fun interactions between Oliver and Roger.  These opening sequences do an excellent job of setting up the larger story of Operation Bounce House, and you get addicted fairly on, especially once Dinniman started expanding the world building and introducing more characters.

After this effective introduction, Dinniman starts to the throw the readers into the action, including an extended sequence to a nearby town.  A lot of these initial action sequences are quite bleak and really showcase the stakes of the war and the innocence of the protagonists.  Dinniman cleverly cuts these sequences with some deeper dives into the history of future Earth and New Sonora, all of which is relevant for later revelations in the plot.  Many of these deeper dives include transcripts of an in-universe documentary series, The Rhythm Mafia Tapes, which are scattered throughout the plot and provide humanising shots of the main characters and the world that is being destroyed.

The plot of Operation Bounce House eventually devolves into a relentless and bloody siege, with the protagonist and other surviving New Sonoran locals defending the Lewis farm from waves of oncoming mechs.  However, their unique strategies escalate the situation beyond their control, with all of Earth and the Apex Corporation focused on them.  This results in even more carnage, tragedy and hopelessness, and you are unbelievably hooked the entire way through the second half of the book.  I don’t want to go into too much detail about the conclusion of Operation Bounce House, but I will say it is crazy, and nothing goes the way you’d expect.  The big finale sequence is the perfect way for the protagonists to respond to the war around them, and it was one of my favourite parts of the entire book.  Dinniman also lays down several impressive swerves and revelations, many of which perfectly tie back to story and worldbuilding elements he cleverly laid down earlier in the plot, and you are constantly left guessing about where this bloody standalone story will go next.  Readers are guaranteed to come away from Operation Bounce House very satisfied with its ending, and I honestly wished for a longer story.

Dinniman presented another outstanding narrative in Operation Bounce House, and I really enjoyed how this powerful story came together.  Most readers are probably coming into this novel as fans of Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl books, and as one of those people I can guarantee that if you loved the author’s previous works, you’re going to love Operation Bounce House.  This new novel has a similar style in some places to the Dungeon Crawler Carl books, especially when it comes to the over-the-top story elements and outstanding character work.  Dinniman also once again showcasing his exceptional abilities at worldbuilding, and I was very impressed by how quickly and effectively Dinniman introduced the setting and brought you into the crazy scenario, loaded with dark action, complex tragedy and some incredible personal history.  There are so many compelling details featured within this setting, and I loved how well the author utilised these details and history in the larger narrative.  Dinniman makes sure to feature some similar themes his readers may be familiar with, including his love of RPGs, his anti-corporation messaging and his focus on the uncertainty around artificial intelligence, all of which are taken to fun new extremes in this novel.  The book also works as a dark parody of the current streaming culture, with interesting comparisons between crass online personalities and humble farmers, there are a range of clever messages thrown into the story about the future of modern society.

While there are some notable similarities to the author’s previous work here, I do think that Operation Bounce House also serves as an evolution of the author’s writing ability, and I really appreciate him branching out into something more straightforwardly science fiction.  I was very impressed with how well Operation Bounce House works as a standalone story, as there was a lot of detail expertly crammed into this read.  In many ways Operation Bounce House was a somewhat more grounded and personal story than the Dungeon Crawler Carl books.  Thanks to a smaller cast and the carnage focused on the protagonist’s local area, there is a lot more emotion, and I appreciated the focus on family, friends and local community.  Dinniman also provided some more subdued humour for most of the book, which I think helped to raise the impact of the stakes at time.  There are still of course a ton of funny moments in this book though, especially when it comes to fighting back against the mech controllers in unique ways, and things do get very out of hand at times.  Dinniman also ensures that the action is extremely unique, especially considering the context of the conflict, and his depictions of overpowered mechs attacking older robots and lightly armed people were realistic, brutal and intense.

One of the most impressive things about Operation Bounce House was the complex and deeply moving character storylines that Dinniman was able to work into this standalone narrative.  Featuring a well-written cast of colonists defending their homes against insane gamers, you really get absorbed into their powerful story of loss, despair and family.  The story is primarily told through the eyes of main protagonist, Oliver Lewis, a young man who is forced to transform from a farmer worried about everyone leaving him behind, to a traumatised resistance leader trying to save the last sparks of his planet.  Thanks to powerful first-person perspective, you fully witness Oliver’s growth into a reluctant leader throughout the book, while experiencing his sadness and loss.  Dinniman does an excellent job writing Oliver as an everyman character, and while he steps up, he isn’t as overpowered or strategic as some of Dinniman’s other protagonists, allowing for a more relatable story.  I deeply enjoyed the compelling and full narrative that Dinniman wrote around Oliver in this book, which was loaded with love of family and friends, and he worked well as a main character for this plot.

The rest of the natives of New Sonora serve as a wonderful supporting cast, with all of them having a great out-of-their-depth edge to them.  Most of the main cast are Oliver’s friends who find themselves the unlikely faces of a revolution.  Featuring several excellent characters, each with their own distinctive arc, whose relationship with Oliver and each other defines them in the chaos to come.  Standouts include Sam Amboya, Oliver’s best friend and one of the main comic reliefs in the plot.  A dedicated friend and soon-to-be parent, Sam is one of the emotional hearts of the story, whose survival you become very invested in.  I also really enjoyed Oliver’s sister, Lulu, who serves as an interesting and more worldly foil to her brother.  A sassy and confident figure, Lulu has some interesting scenes around her, including her fame in an adult vocation that works surprisingly well in building her up as an independent and charismatic woman.  These great New Sonoran characters, and more, prove to be excellent focusses for the plot, who the reader can really get behind.  The Rhythm Mafia Tape interludes provide some great snapshots and help to build up the defenders as real people.  Dinniman perfectly matches these likeable farmers with some very over-the-top antagonists, primarily the Earth based mech pilots participating in Operation Bounce House, as well as some shady corporate overlords.  Dinniman clearly had fun introducing a range of sadistic gamer characters and corporate managers, who while exaggerated, seem like a natural progression for some current trends.  These antagonists contrast in very entertaining ways to the New Sonoran defenders, and it was amusing to see many of them get their just-deserts thanks to the unique tactics of the protagonists.

While all these human characters are amazing, I honestly found that one of the best figures in the book was a robot, which is typical for a Dinniman novel.  This character is Roger (short for Roger-Roger), the Oliver family hive queen, an AI robot used to manage the farm and the other honeybee robots.  Roger serves various roles in this novel, including a key deliver of exposition about the larger setting, as well as a great comedic figure due to his role as a strict tutor and disciplinarian for the adult Oliver and Lulu (and their friends).  However, when the mechs invade, he starts following a hidden “perimeter defence protocol”, turning him into the control nodule for the protagonist’s entire defence network.  Dinniman writes some intriguing narratives around Roger, as the new protocols allow him to expand his learning capacity and overcome his coded limitations to make him a truly terrifying weapon.  Roger’s history, and the fear that future Earth has for AI, also serves as a fascinating central narrative thread for Operation Bounce House, and it proves interesting to see Roger transform from a simple farm robot to a major threat to all humanity.  Despite this, there are some heartwarming personality traits attached to Roger, and he honestly proves to be one of the more loveable figures in the novel, especially when seen through the protagonist’s eyes.  All this allows for quite a powerful and personal narrative, with Dinniman once again showing his aptitude for creating distinctive and complex characters.

While I was lucky enough to receive a physical copy of Operation Bounce House, I just had to listen to the audiobook version of it, especially after loving the Dungeon Crawler Carl series on this format.  Unsurprisingly, the Operation Bounce House audiobook was also extremely awesome, and listening to the plot really enhanced the unique scenario, elaborate plot and crazy characters.  I ended up powering through Operation Bounce House’s near 11-hour runtime in a very short amount of time (it’s a great book for a road trip), and there was frankly not a single second that I wasn’t enjoying this great audiobook experience.

Part of the reason that this audiobook was so damn fun was the incredible narration that accompanied it, with two outstanding and familiar voice actors coming along for the ride.  The primary narrator for Operation Bounce House was Travis Baldree, who Dinniman fans would be familiar with due to his appearances in two of the Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobooks, including The Eye of the Bedlam Bride where he had one of the series’ funniest lines: “I need a baby seal”.  Baldree continues his exceptional work in Operation Bounce House, successfully voicing the tense plot perfectly, ensuring that the story moved along at a tight clip while also expertly enhancing the book’s tight humour.  Baldree also does an outstanding job with the various characters, with a compelling range of voices attributed to the entire cast.  My personal favourite was probably the amazing tone he gave to Roger, which helped showcase his robot nature while also still containing some excellent emotion and humour.  I also enjoyed how his various human main characters had a good rural rasp to their voice, that fit nicely with the agricultural nature of their world, and Baldree unsurprisingly did justice to the various Latino characters featured in the plot.

On top of Baldree’s outstanding central narration, we also get the legendary Jeff Hays, the voice of the Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobooks, voicing several secondary characters.  Hays, who is just so damn good, has a ton of fun with these characters, including one of the main antagonists, who he gifts a particularly entertaining and arrogant voice, which was just perfect.  The combination of voices coming out of this impressive narration team was so damn amazing, and they really turned this audiobook into something special.  This is frankly the absolute best way to enjoy Operation Bounce House, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Matt Dinniman has fun showcasing a new, unhinged narrative with the wonderfully powerful Operation Bounce House.  An outstanding standalone science fiction novel that perfectly showcases Dinniman’s ability to craft elaborate universes and intense character arcs, Operation Bounce House was just incredible, and I still cannot get over some of the clever twists and intense action.  A deeply impressive read, and an outstanding novel to check out before Dinniman’s new Dungeon Crawler Carl novel, A Parade of Horribles, which I am currently reading as I write this review.

Amazon

Lives of Bitter Rain by Adrian Tchaikovsky

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Short StoriesLeave a comment

Publisher: Head of Zeus (ebook – 15 October 2025)

Series: The Tyrant Philosophers – Book 2.5

Length: 128 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

From the amazing mind of Adrian Tchaikovsky comes a brilliant and heartfelt fantasy novella Lives of Bitter Rain, an outstanding read that provides some intriguing extra context to one of the author’s previous impressive releases.

Last year I had the great pleasure of reading the amazing Days of Shattered Faith by the legendary Adrian Tchaikovsky.  The third book in the author’s outstanding Tyrant Philosophers series (which previously featured City of Last Chances and House of Open Wounds), Days of Shattered Faith was an exceptional read that perfectly continued the loosely connected Tyrant Philosophers series with a tale of betrayal, personal growth and diplomacy gone wild in a world slowly being taken over by an empire of religion-hating perfectionists, the Palleseen.  I deeply enjoyed Days of Shattered Faith, which ended up being one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2025, and I have been eagerly awaiting the next entry in the series for some time.  However, before I get to that, I decided to also check out awesome novella Lives of Bitter Rain from Tchaikovsky, which served as an interesting companion-piece to Days of Shattered Faith, with a powerful and heartfelt personal story behind it.

Plot Synopsis:

City-by-city, kingdom-by-kingdom, the Palleseen have sworn to bring ‘Perfection’ and ‘Correctness’ to an imperfect world. But before these ruthless Tyrant Philosophers send in their legions, they despatch Outreach – the rain before the storm.

Outreach is that part of the Pal machine responsible for diplomacy – converting enemies into friends, achieving through words what an army of five thousand could not, urging the oppressed to overthrow the bloody-handed priests, evil necromancers and greedy despots that subjugate them.

Angilly, twelve-years-old, a child of Pal soldiers stationed in occupied Jarokir, does not know it yet, but a sequence of accidents and questionable life choices will lead her to Outreach. As she travels from Jarrokir to Bracinta, Cazarkand, Lemas, The Holy Regalate of Stouk and finally, Usmai, she’ll learn that the price of her nation’s success is paid in compromise and lost chances, and that the falling rain will always be bitter.

Lives of Bitter Rain was a very clever and highly addictive novella that dives into one of the main characters of Days of Shattered Faith, Sage-Invigilator Angilly, the Palleseen ambassador who spent most of the book caught between her duties and responsibilities to her people, and her feelings for the crown prince of the nation she was assigned to.  Providing a compelling personal history of Angilly that was mostly left out of Days of Shattered Faith, Lives of Bitter Rain is a wonderful tie-in to the main book that will appeal to a wide audience.

Starting off fast, as any good novella should, Lives of Bitter Rain quickly dives into the formative events of Angilly’s childhood and captured the tragic events and influences that led her to join Outreach.  From there, the book covers how Angilly went from a brainwashed Palleseen orphan to the more flexible and unconventional figure we meet in Days of Shattered Faith.  This leads naturally to the second half of Lives of Bitter Rains’ short narrative, which shows Angilly’s assignment to the nation of Usmai and the start of the relationship that will bring her so much pain in the accompanying full novel.  Tchaikovsky does an outstanding job tying up all the loose ends surrounding this main character by the end of Lives of Bitter Rain, which provides some intriguing and deeply tragic context to this character’s actions in advance of the story from Days of Shattered Faith.

This proved to be an exceptional new release from Tchaikovsky, who provides a short and sweet read in Lives of Bitter Rain.  I really enjoyed how intense and complex he made this novella, which told its own unique story while also providing some excellent additional character work.  The expansion of Angilly’s personal history, as well as her experiences in Usmai before the events of Days of Shattered Faith, really provides some fantastic context around a lot of her actions and emotional connections in the later story.  This was honestly a very perfect prequel narrative, and you can clearly see that Tchaikovsky had all these details about this character’s past and motivations in his head when he wrote Days of Shattered Faith.  Throw in some fantastic extra worldbuilding for his Tyrant Philosophers universe, especially for the always fascinating Palleseen, and this was an exceptional novella that I couldn’t get enough of.

One of the key things readers must consider when reading Lives of Bitter Rain is whether to enjoy it before or after Days of Shattered Faith.  Both options have some appeal to it, although I personally read it after enjoying the main novel, which meant that Lives of Bitter Rain provided a certain post-mortem enjoyment which I deeply appreciated.  Not only did you finally get some lingering questions about Angilly answered but it also ensured that I found certain events from the book a little more tragic in retrospect.  However, if I had read Lives of Bitter Rain in advance, I would have had a better idea of Angilly’s personality and relationships, as well as some advance knowledge about Usmai and the city of Alkhalend, both of which would have helped me appreciate the narrative more as I was reading it.  I personally think that I made the right choice reading Lives of Bitter Rain after Days of Shattered Faith, but there really isn’t a wrong answer here and readers who do it either way are guaranteed to have an amazing time with this cool, prequel novella.

Overall, Lives of Bitter Rain comes very highly recommended, especially for those who have already got caught up in the magic and insanity of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Tyrant Philosophers series.  An exceedingly clever prequel novella with some deep character work behind it, Lives of Bitter Rain was well-worth the read, and I am now even more excited to dive into the recently released fourth Tyrant Philosopher’s novel, Pretenders to the Throne of God.

Amazon

Whisper in the Wind by Luke Arnold

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Murder Mystery3 Comments

Publisher: Orbit (Trade Paperback – 29 April 2025)

Series: Fetch Phillips – Book Four

Length: 381 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Australian author Luke Arnold delivers another incredible fantasy hit with his deeply impressive fourth novel, Whisper in the Wind.

In recent years, one of my favourite fantasy series has been the underrated but always amazing Fetch Phillips Archive.  Written by Australian actor Luke Arnold, who has very successfully transferred to a whole new career, the Fetch Phillips series is a clever and memorable urban fantasy series with an amazing, if dark, twist to it.  Primarily set around the fantasy metropolis of Sunder City, the Fetch Phillips books showcase the aftermath of a worldwide catastrophe that destroyed all magic and permanently warped the various magical citizens of the city into disfigured mortal beings.  Following titular investigator and odd-job man Fetch Phillips, a human partially responsible for the disaster, the books see Fetch attempt to solve unique crimes in the ruined city, while also looking to bring back magic in the face of human technological progress.  All three previous books in the series have been very impressive, including The Last Smile in Sunder City (one of my favourite debuts and Australian novels of 2020), Dead Man in a Ditch and One Foot in the Fade (one of my favourite Australian novels of 2022).  I have been eagerly awaiting this fourth book for a while, and Whisper in the Wind really did not disappoint.

Plot Synopsis

The fourth instalment of Luke Arnold’s Fetch Phillips series, Whisper in the Wind, takes readers to a very different Sunder City. One where government corruption is rampant and tensions are rising.

Fetch is done being a hero. Once a detective, all he wants now is to run his cafe in peace. Sunder City is still recovering from the sudden and violent end of magic, and if one man can’t solve all its problems, he can at least stop some people going hungry. But when a kid on the run shelters in Fetch’s cafe, and a chain of gruesome murders begins among Sunder’s high and mighty, trouble is brought to Fetch’s door.

There’s a word whispered on the wind, and that word is revolution…

Whisper in the Wind was another exceptional novel from Luke Arnold, who is very clearly getting better as an author with each new book he writes.  Bringing his damaged protagonist back into action, Whisper in the Wind was another extremely clever and impressive fantasy crime novel that makes full use of the author’s exceptional imagination and world-building.

I really enjoyed the new story that Arnold came up with for Whisper in the Wind, which, thanks to its great combination of a complex mystery, compelling characters and some ongoing storylines about changes to a former magical land, is probably the author’s best work yet.  Arnold starts the story off very effectively by showcasing returning protagonist Fetch Phillips as a changed man, no longer obsessed with trying to return the magic he helped destroy.  Managing his friend’s café in peace, Fetch is dragged back into the chaotic life when one of the city’s police officers is murdered after talking to him.  Initially trying to stay out of it, Fetch is blackmailed into investigating some additional killings plaguing the city, seemingly caused by acts of magic.

Arnold sets up this early part of the story extremely well, and you are once again dragged into Fetch’s often unsuccessful attempts to make his city a better place.  Things get very intense as the story continues, especially as it becomes apparent that the murderer has started targeting the city’s elite who are responsible for handing effective control of Sunder City over to a ruthless corporation that Fetch has long opposed.  Caught between various big players, Fetch tries to find the killer and uncover the latest corruption besetting his city from those in charge.  There is a great mixture of compelling investigation which dives into some outstanding character arcs and some fantastic action as the protagonist gets closer to his goal.  Arnold throws in some amazing and powerful twists as the reader gets towards the end of Whisper in the Wind, and the dark revelations play into the author’s long-term storytelling extremely well.  I loved the complex revelation about who the killer was and why they were doing their crime, as well as final big moments of the plot as Fetch shows the reader what kind of hero he really is.  Ending the book on a fantastic cliffhanger that brings back some interesting moments from the very first book, the entirety of Whisper in the Wind’s narrative was extremely awesome, and I honestly could not get enough of it.

As I have mentioned above, Luke Anrold has really gotten better as an author since starting the Fetch Phillips series, and I think that Whisper in the Wind showcased how good an author he really is.  Perfectly continuing the series from the turbulent conclusion of One Foot in the Fade, Arnold once again paints a compelling picture around a despondent former hero who is only now finding his way again.  This book’s mystery is probably one of Arnold’s best, as he presents an excellent conspiracy laden plot that presents as much tragedy as possible.  The author also once again expertly utilises his chaotic setting to really enhance his narrative, forcing the protagonist to deal with his past mistakes as well as the pliable nature of people.  A lot of the story revolves around a focus on how the wealthy and powerful manipulate the working classes through lies, fear and promises of safety and comfort, which has a certain real-world resonance to it, especially after the last year.  Arnold handled these elements extremely well, especially as it provided extra despair to his already damaged protagonist in a particularly relatable way.  The result is a particularly powerful read, that provides an exceptional balance of mystery, character growth, and a focus on the author’s unique fantasy elements.

While Whisper in the Wind would likely work well as a standalone novel for new readers, especially as Arnold is able to provide useful in-text recaps of the relevant prior books, this book is probably best read by those who have enjoyed the previous Fetch Phillips novels.  The author brings back a lot of ongoing storylines from these books, especially those involving the human corporate takeover and modernisation of a formerly magical city, which is quite fascinating.  In addition, reading the other Fetch Phillips books allows readers to get a lot more emotional impact from Whisper in the Wind, especially as you get some much better insights into the protagonist’s growth as well as his ongoing trauma and despair.  I personally also loved seeing more of the world that the Fetch Phillips books are set in, especially the changes around the main setting of Sunder City.  It has been fascinating to watch Arnold’s continued world-building since the first book, and he has turned this setting into some unique and distinctive.  I honestly cannot wait to see what changes come to this world next, and Arnold has some interesting avenues when it comes to continuing his current storylines.

A lot of Whisper in the Wind’s strength, and indeed that of the whole series, lies in the excellent portrayal of the titular protagonist Fetch Phillips.  Arnold has done an exceptional job turning Fetch into a highly tragic and repentant figure who was manipulated into betraying the magical races and taking away their power.  Fetch’s growth from the first book has been very impressive, especially as he spent much of that time trying to undo the damage he did, before he was worn down by hopelessness and the machinations of the powerful who like the new status quo.  This new book sees a somewhat healed Fetch who has managed to find a more peaceful life and has become an impromptu mentor to several younger characters.  However, the spectre of his past and his frustrations with the world around him keep coming back to haunt him, and he finds himself in the fight again, although this time in a more thoughtful and less emotional way.  I enjoyed the compelling and understandable changes to Fetch’s personality in this novel, playing off his prior failures extremely well, and his genuine attempts to stay out of trouble this time allowed for a refreshing change in narrative focus.  Despite his best efforts, Fetch once again has his life unravelled, and his attempts at being a hero backfire on him again.  Still, there was some genuine growth here, and I really appreciate the compelling way Arnold explores and enhances this great protagonist as the series continues.  Throw in an excellent collection of supporting characters, as well as some wonderfully despicable corporate adversaries, and the cast of this book was extremely awesome, and added a lot to both the story, and the emotional impacts of Whisper in the Wind.

Luke Arnold continues to impress as one of Australia’s more captivating current authors of fantasy fiction.  His fourth Fetch Phillips novel, Whisper in the Wind, was so damn good, and I honestly could not get enough of his elaborate and addictive plot, loaded with clever mystery and complex characters, all set in a unique fantasy world.  I must give Whisper in the Wind a full five-star review, and this ended up being one of my favourite books of 2025.  A highly recommended read, if you are a fantasy fan and you haven’t tried the Fetch Phillips series yet, you are missing out.

Amazon

The Feeding by Anthony Ryan

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Horror, Science Fiction1 Comment

Publisher: Orbit/Blackstone Publishing (Audiobook – 14 October 2025)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 10 hours and 13 minutes

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Acclaimed fantasy author Anthony Ryan continues to explore the horror genre with the fantastic post-apocalyptic vampire novel, The Feeding, an awesome and deeply addictive read that you won’t be able to read fast enough.

Anthony Ryan is an author I’ve talked a lot about in recent weeks, primarily because his outstanding fantasy novel, Born of an Iron Storm.  The impressive second novel in the author’s Age of Wrath series, Born of an Iron Storm was one of my favourite books, audiobooks and sequels of 2025, and I am currently very excited for the third and final entry in the series, currently titled Upon a Forge of Battle, which is coming out later this year.  However, before we get to that I need to also highlight Ryan’s second book of 2025, the awesome horror novel The Feeding.  Released here in Australia under the pen-name A. J. Ryan, The Feeding is Ryan’s second major horror release after Red River Seven in 2023.  This new horror novel had a great plot behind it, as a desperate protagonist attempts to survive a twisted landscape filled with dangerous monsters.

Plot Synopsis:

Layla has spent her entire life in the Redoubt, one of the last bastions of humanity in a ravaged world. She’s never been beyond the Redoubt’s walls; only Crossers, with their special training and survival skills, are permitted to venture into the shadow-haunted wastelands.

When Layla’s father falls ill, she knows she needs to find a cure. But no such medicine can be found within the Redoubt. Instead, her only chance is to pass a series of gruelling trials to become a Crosser, and then to strike out into the wilderness.

Where the feeders are.

Internationally bestselling fantasy author Anthony Ryan – writing as A. J. Ryan – delivers a nerve-shredding horror novel where humans are no longer top of the food chain.

The Feeding was another extremely awesome novel from Ryan that I ended up powering through in no time at all.  A clever and intense vampire horror novel, The Feeding effortlessly keeps your attention with its impressive worldbuilding and fast-paced story.  I had such an incredible time with this book, and I deeply enjoyed seeing what Ryan could do in the horror space.

The plot of The Feeding was a great, grungy post-apocalyptic read that was a very interesting change of pace from the sprawling fantasy epics I’m used to from Ryan.  Featuring a much more fast-paced story, Ryan quickly and effectively introduces you to The Feeding’s protagonist, Layla, and the dark world she inhabits.  A lowly scavenger in the dying walled city of Redoubt, Layla finds herself desperate enough to become a Crosser, the city’s elite runners who leave Redoubt to trade in the wasteland, to find medicine for her dying father.  This leads to an excellent extended early section of the book where the protagonist needs to go through a compelling Selection process, featuring several trials designed to whittle down the applicants and ensure only true survivors can go over the wall.  This early sequence does an excellent job of hammering home just how dangerous the world outside of Redoubt is, as well as giving some intriguing insights into what the feeders, this universe’s vampire substitute, are capable of.  This first part of the book really sets the tone for the rest of the novel, and I was frankly hooked on The Feeding the second we got to Selection.

I felt that the second half of The Feeding, which takes place primarily beyond the walls, lives up to the expectations Ryan sets up in the first part of the book.  The protagonist and an interesting band of supporting characters enter the desolate wasteland and soon encounter all manner of horrors from wild feeders, even wilder humans, and the general abandonment of the outside world.  Ryan also starts working in an excellent overarching narrative threat that stalks the protagonists from a distance.  While you can easily guess at who or what this threat is, as well as a certain supporting character’s connections to it, the full impact and intensity of this looming danger keep hitting the protagonists hard and fast.  There are some brutal losses as the plot continues, and you are constantly on edge as everything closes in and the stakes keep on rising.

Everything leads up to an intense finale, as after another dark confrontation the protagonist finds herself at her most desperate.  Forced to rely on an unlikely ally, Layla attempts the impossible and soon finds herself stuck in the middle of someone else’s dark tale.  The raw intensity of the plot really grabs your attention at this point, and you are so very eager to see how the book will continue.  Ryan also throws in some interesting additional worldbuilding as the novel heads towards the conclusion, which provides some answers to the questions you’ve built up throughout The Feeding, while also ensuring you’re even more curious about what else is out in the wasteland.  After a gritty final confrontation, as well as some last-minute tragedy, Ryan ends The Feeding on a mostly hopeful and heartfelt note, which includes an excellent family moment bonding over a classic.  This proved to be an excellent end to The Feeding’s standalone narrative, although Ryan does leave the story open for a potential sequel going forward, which I personally would be curious to see.

Ryan pulls together a tight, complex and character-driven narrative in The Feeding that I think worked extremely well.  Grabbing the reader’s attention early, Ryan does an excellent job painting the post-apocalyptic scene, and I loved the complex world of walled cities and vampire-infested wastelands that emerged.  The combined tension of mass human desperation and the dark overwhelming threat of feeders surrounding the city ensures that the reader knows how deadly this version of the world is from the beginning, which ensures you are really invested in the protagonist’s personal journey.  The feeders themselves prove to be outstanding vampiric antagonists for much of the plot, especially with the combination of feral beast gamma feeders and more intelligent betas and alphas, providing some variation in the threat they posed.  Ryan crafts together some outstanding and scary sequences involving the feeders as the novel continues, and your pulse is guaranteed to race every time they appear, especially once the death toll starts to rise.  Combine that with Ryan’s proven ability to write good action scenes, of which there are some fantastic moments, as well as some excellent and compelling supporting characters (try not to get too attached though), and this really was a fantastically written novel.  I was honestly really impressed with how Ryan transitioned from his usual fantasy style to this powerful and moving horror novel, while also retaining his typical imagination and intense storytelling ability.

As has become my habit with all the previous Anthony Ryan novels I’ve enjoyed, I ended up listening to The Feeding on audiobook, which I’ve always found compliments the author’s writing style and worldbuilding extremely well.  This proved to once again be the case for The Feeding, with the format really enhancing the tension and fast-paced sequences loaded into this great horror story.  It helped that they got another very skilled narrator in the form of Devon Sorvari, who took on the role of the one perspective protagonist extremely well.  While it did take me a chapter or two to completely appreciate Sorvari’s narration style, once I got into her groove, I begun to really appreciate her take on the story and the intriguing characters.  Sorvari perfectly captures the damaged and determined spirit of the main character Layla throughout The Feeding, and the alternate accents and voices she brings for the rest of the cast also work really well.  Sorvari also keeps the pace of The Feeding constantly going, and the way she can enhance the tension of the audiobook through her voice work ensures you are constantly on the edge of your seat as you listen to it.  Thanks to this excellent narration, I got through the audiobooks roughly 10-hour runtime extremely quickly, and this proved to be a particularly amazing audiobook to listen to.

Anthony Ryan continues to greatly impress with his captivating and highly entertaining horror novel The Feeding.  Featuring an outstanding vampire-focused narrative in a complex post-apocalyptic world, The Feeding was a very fun and emotionally charged read, that I couldn’t get enough of.  I had such a brilliant time with The Feeding, and it comes very highly recommend as a result.  I will be seeking out more of Ryan’s dives into the horror genre going forward, and I cannot wait to see what other creepy tales he has planned.

Amazon

Warhammer 40,000: Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok by Denny Flowers

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer1 Comment

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 July 2025)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 6 hours and 55 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

One of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 authors, Denny Flowers, returns with one of the more entertaining novels of 2025 with Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok.

Denny Flowers is an interesting rising author of Warhammer 40,000 fiction who has so far written several particularly notable books.  Starting with his cool debut, Fire Made Flesh, Flowers went on to write his two exceptional Lucille von Shard novels, Outgunned and Above and Beyond (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2024), both of which are among some of my favourite pieces of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.  I also had a great time with Flowers’s inclusions in Da Red Gobbo Collection, Da Gobbo’s Demise and Da Wrong Type of Green, two hilarious entries that focused the always entertaining orks and grotz.  These short stories were quite hilarious, and it made me very excited when I saw that Flowers had a new Warhammer 40,000 novel focusing on the orks coming out this year with Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok.

Plot Synopsis:

“I made Ghazghkull. Not the Gods. Me.”

Grotsnik comes to the aid of Beastboss Bakum on Hive Prome, and it soon becomes apparent that the Mad Dok is feverishly working on something that could change the fate of ork-kind forever.

READ IT BECAUSE
How wild does a painboy have to be to earn the nickname “Mad Dok”? Find out as you follow Grotsnik – with eager scalpel in hand – as he plans his latest galaxy-changing creation. What could it be?

THE STORY
Da Mad Dok Grotsnik, creator of Ghazghkull Thraka, is a painboy beyond legend. What – and who – he harbours in his formidable brain is a mystery to every ork but himself, and an army of orderlies provides him with a constant supply of flesh with which to tinker.

So, when Grotsnik comes to the aid of Beastboss Bakmun, whose rampage on Hive Prome teeters on the brink of going out not with a Waaagh! but with a whimper, Bakmun can’t believe his luck.

Following a series of increasingly unlikely accidents, however, it soon becomes apparent that the Mad Dok is working on something in the depths of his colossal Painwagon. Something big. Something that could change the fate of ork-kind forever, surpassing Grotsnik’s own forging of the Prophet of the Waaagh!…

Denny Flowers continues to showcase why he is one of the fastest-rising authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction with this highly entertaining and addictive new novel.  Perfectly taking on the always entertaining Warhammer orks, including the over-the-top titular character, Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok was an absolute hoot from the very beginning, and I laughed my way through the entire epic story.  One of the most hilarious novels of 2025, Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok gets a five-star rating from me due to the pure fun it contained.

Flowers comes up with an exceedingly fun narrative for Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok, which I ended up getting through in a very short amount of time.  As the title suggests, this novel follows the machinations of Grotsnik, an ork dok partially responsible for the creation of the legendary Ghazghkull Thraka, the boss of bosses for all ork-kind.  However, on the outs with his creation, Grotsnik joins up with a small band of orks led by Beastboss Bakmun, who is attempting to invade a mysterious human city.  Amongst this new band of orks is the aptly named Valtun the Patient and his clever grot Ikor, both of whom are very suspicious about Grotsnik’s intentions in joining them, especially once various members of the warband start going missing.  What follows is a hilarious series of events as Grotsnik gathers the material for his grand ambitions, while dealing with the strange humans and monsters within the city they are invading, as well as the unique intentions of other ork characters.  Primarily told through the perspective of Valtun and Ikor, who find themselves stuck in Grotsnik’s murderous orbit, these perspective protagonists slowly learn more about the titular character’s intentions, as well as the unique modifications he has made to himself, which turns him into something truly sinister.

Flowers moves this story along at a very quick pace full of funny interactions, crazy battles and the typical brutish humour that all fans of the orks will appreciate.  The action-packed and regularly over-the-top scenes that emerged were so damn fun, and there is honestly not a single slow moment in this book.  At the same time, Flowers installs a clever story throughout Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok, mostly based around the maniacal machinations of the titular character and his attempt to outsmart the suspicious Valtun.  It all leads up to a very entertaining ending that completely changes your perspective of Grotsnik’s intentions, while also leaving some of the remaining characters in ironic situations.  I personally loved where the multiple character arcs ended up at the end of this book, and while Valtun and Ikor were both great central figures, Grotsnik really stole the show with his weird behaviour, insane experiments, and the hilarious interactions he had with his unsuspecting patients/victims.  An overall awesome and well-written story that is guaranteed to suck you in with its exceptionally crazy characters and entertaining storytelling.

As with a lot of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, Flowers’s Da Mad Dok book is probably best read by established fans of the franchise, who will have a lot of fun seeing the titular character come to life.  Grotsnik’s unique mentality and connection to the most iconic ork character, Ghazghkull Thraka, makes him a very interesting figure to follow for those in love with the Warhammer canon, and Flowers clearly had a lot of fun utilising him in his story.  However, Flowers has already proven himself to be a very good at making his previous Warhammer 40,000 novels accessible to all readers, and this book is no exception.  Most people with a general knowledge of Warhammer lore and fiction can easily dive into Da Mad Dok’s narrative, and the inherent humour of the characters and the ork faction will keep them coming back for more.  I personally loved Flowers’s latest dive into the orks, and his takes on this crazy faction and some of their more distinctive members were both entertaining and accurate to the lore.  As such, Da Mad Dok has a ton of appeal, and I think most readers are going to have an exceptional time with it.

As has become my habit with all things Warhammer, I ended up listening to Da Mad Dok on audiobook, which is easily the best way to enjoy this fantastic and fun novel.  Coming in with a run time just under seven hours, Da Mad Dok is a very easy audiobook to power through, especially thanks to the great narration of Harry Myers.  Myers, who has really impressed me with books like Day of Ascension and The Wraithbone Phoenix, has an outstanding voice for Warhammer 40,000 fiction, which really fits the over-the-top nature of the universe.  He is particularly good at doing ork voices, such as in Da Big Dakka, Warboss and Da Red Gobbo Collection audiobooks, so I was very happy that he leant his voices to Da Mad Dok.  Myers uses some very fun and excessively gruff voices to bring the various ork characters to life, and the multiple laddish tones he employs are very fitting and very funny.  I cannot emphasise just how good Myers’s voice for these outrageous figures is, and I especially love how he changes from his deeper voices for the orks, to the more petulant and squeaky voice for the grot characters.  There is even a cool voice he uses for one of the more intimidating and iconic members of the cast towards the end of the book, which sounds particularly epic thanks to some vocal enhancement.  This great combination of voices, as well as Myers’s entertaining overall narration was extremely awesome, and it really enhanced Flowers’s already fantastic story.  I honestly cannot recommend this Warhammer 40,000 audiobook enough, and it ended up being one of my favourite listens of the year.

Thanks to the outstanding humour and overall craziness of its characters, Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok was a truly wonderful Warhammer 40,000 novel that is very easy to fall in love with.  Denny Flowers excelled at showcasing both the orks in general, and the cruelty and insanity of the titular characters, and the resulting intense and exciting story was a true joy to listen to.  An overall exceptional read, I cannot wait to see what epic Warhammer fiction Flowers writes next.

Amazon

Born of an Iron Storm by Anthony Ryan

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Fantasy, Five-Star Books7 Comments

Publisher: Orbit/Little Brown Audio (Audiobook – 26 August 2025)

Series: Age of Wrath – Book Two

Length: 19 hours and 33 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Acclaimed fantasy author Anthony Ryan continues to explore an epic fantasy world of warriors, scholars and monsters with his outstanding new novel, Born of an Iron Storm, the impressive second entry in his Age of Wrath series.

In recent years, one of my favourite fantasy authors has been veteran writer Anthony Ryan.  Known for several intriguing and varied series, I become a fan of Ryan a few years ago when I started reading The Covenant of Steel series.  Following a young bandit turned scribe, who finds himself taking on many roles in his chronicled adventures, including that of knight, spy, rebel and heretical traitor, this amazing series was a really impressive example of fantasy fiction, and I had an incredible time with The Pariah (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), The Martyr (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022), and The Traitor (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023), all of which were five-star reads.

Due to how much I loved these amazing novels, I was very excited last year when Ryan released the first book in the Age of Wrath series, which served as a sequel to the Covenant of Steel books.  The first Age of Wrath novel, A Tide of Black Steel, is set a couple of decades after the events of The Traitor and builds on some of the events of the first series, while also featuring its own unique story.  I really enjoyed A Tide of Black Steel, which veered away from the chronicle style of the previous trilogy, and instead set out a Norse saga inspired tale of adventure and war.  Just like the Covenant of Steel novels, A Tide of Black Steel got a full five-star rating from me, and it was one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2024.  As such, I have been very eager to get my hands on this sequel, which was one of my most anticipated books of 2025, and Ryan once again did not disappoint.

War and treachery have come to the sprawling island nation of Ascarlia, as the long-lost nation of Nihlvar begins an invasion centuries in the making.  The once powerful Sister Queens of Ascarlai lie dead at the hands of one of their own, the deranged Sister Lore, and their capital of Skar Magnol has been captured by Nihlvarian forces.  With their massive fleet in Skar Magnol’s harbour, and the forces of Ascarlia scattered, the Nihlvarian victory looks assured, and soon their eye turns to the wealthy port city of Olversahl and the lands of Albermaine beyond.

However, there are some who chose to resist the Nihlvarian threat.  In Skar Magnol, the young scholar Elvine finds herself trapped as an unwilling accomplice to Sister Lore.  To survive, she must play along with her queen’s twisted designs, while setting her own rebellious schemes into motion.  At the same time, loyal Ascarlian war leader Thera has survived the first skirmish against the Nihlvarian in the Outer Islands and finds herself leading a mismatched fleet against the invaders.  However, facing overwhelming odds, Thera must seek allies wherever she can, while the burdens of leadership lay heavy upon her, as if she fails, all Ascarlia falls.

As war rages in Ascarlia, other fights for survival occur across the sea.  Following his discovery of the Vaults of the Altvar, Thera’s brother Felnir has been promised a kingdom, and voyages to a hidden land filled with blood and suffering.  If he wishes to rule, Felnir will have to fight for the loyalty of his new people, while discovering the ancient secrets of those who came before him.  At the same time, in Nihlvar, the captured Ascarlian Ruhlin and his friends have escaped from captivity and are now fugitives from the Nihlvarian ruler, the Vortigurn.  If he wishes to keep himself and his comrades alive, Ruhlin needs to learn to control his inner monster and escape the bonds of prophecy, but dark secrets and beings have their eyes on him.

As war continues to spread like fire, Elvine, Thera, Felnir and Ruhlin must all fight their own desperate battles to survive and find their place in this new world.  But with treachery and hard choices all around, can these four unlikely heroes survive the wrath of the Vortigurn, or will their ambitions, fears and doubts tear them apart?

Anthony Ryan continues to showcase why he is one of the leading modern authors of fantasy fiction with this incredible and impressive novel.  Serving as an outstanding second entry in the Age of Wrath series, Born of an Iron Storm brilliantly continued Ryan’s complex, multilayered narrative, while taking the series in some exciting new adventures.  A classic fantasy tale filled with great characters, complex worldbuilding and intense, nautical action, Born of an Iron Storm was an epic read which gets a full five-star rating from me.

I felt that Born of an Iron Storm had an awesome overall narrative to it, as Ryan continued his elaborate series in strong fashion.  Once again split between the returning point-of-view characters from A Tide of Black Steel, you are essentially treated to four separate storylines, each with their own unique focus, setting and style.  This includes the intrigue laden storyline around Elvine as she attempts to survive the chaos surrounding the coup at Skar Magnol, which results in a compelling, espionage focused narrative.  Elvine’s story goes hand-in-hand with Thera’s storyline, which sees this protagonist attempt to raise an army to defend Ascarlia and retake the capital.  Thera’s chapters were some of the more action-heavy in the book, with a ton of great naval combat sequences, and it was fascinating to see this character grow into a leadership position.  Aside from Elvine and Thera, there was also the fantastic narrative around Felnir, who sets out to claim a new land as king by taking down a group of religious fanatics whose origins mirror that of the Nihlvarians.  Finally, escaped slave and occasional monster Ruhlin finds himself and his new comrades being hunted through Nihlvar and must seek an alliance with the land’s original inhabitants to survive.

Unlike the first book in the series, which saw several of the storylines cross over regularly, all four distinctive character plotlines remained mostly separate in Born of an Iron Storm, with only a few points of interaction in the Elvine and Thera narratives occurring.  This essentially meant that each of the narratives developed in a vacuum and were allowed to play out at their own pace.  Not only do these separate narratives stand out on their own merits but they come together nicely to form an intricate and addictive overarching narrative, as the alternating character-driven tales came to parallel each other extremely well.  All four of these distinctive narratives started off a lot quicker in Born of an Iron Storm than they did in the previous book, which allowed the reader to effectively get drawn into each character’s journeys as their storylines proceed.  Each storyline went in some intriguing directions, and the disparate adventures resulted in quite an exciting novel.  Ryan ensured that there were some exciting moments and compelling character interactions in each character’s respective chapters, and there was a great focus on action and war in this second Age of Wrath book.  Indeed, there were a few chapters that saw all four protagonists essentially fighting their own separate battles at the same time, with near simultaneous naval conflicts, sieges, pitched battles and forest ambushes.  Ryan ends each action and adventure laden narrative of Born of an Iron Storm on a very compelling note, with a few interesting twists and reveals hitting the two plotlines set outside of Ascarlia.  It also leaves the overall narrative of the series in a great place for the third, and presumably final, book, and I am extremely keen to see what happens to each protagonist in the next thrilling instalment.

I deeply enjoyed how Born of an Iron Storm came together, and it works well as the second entry in this epic series.  Ryan utilises many of the same style elements of A Tide of Black Steel, with the Viking-inspired setting and focus on multiple character adventures working particularly well to present an overall layered narrative with a lot of moving parts to it.  The author’s switch from the first-person chronicle style in the previous Covenant of Steel books to a third-person perspective told from four distinctive protagonists in this series allowed for a wider focus to the book, and Ryan makes sure to provide some intriguing expansions to his fantasy world.  Each chapter switches the narrative to another of the four perspective characters, and it was interesting to see how each switch would change the tone of the narrative depending on whichever protagonist was in focus.  I felt that Ryan did a great job of balancing the four distinctive storylines throughout the novel, and each plotline developed in some compelling ways.  I honestly found myself enjoying each of these separate storylines equally, with no noticeable weak links.  However, my favourite was the Elvine plotline, thanks to its inherent intrigue and focus on one of the book’s more fascinating protagonists, and Thera’s chapters, which had the most action and multiple cool scenes of long-ship on long-ship warfare.

Due to being the second book in a complex fantasy series, which is itself a sequel to a previous trilogy, Born of an Iron Storm is probably best enjoyed by those who have read the preceding novels from Ryan.  While there is a very intensive summary of the events of A Tide of Black Steel at the front of this novel, Born of an Iron Storm dives into the narrative very quickly, and reading the previous book really does help to increase enjoyment and understanding of the plot.  Ryan does a good job of recapping key plot points as he writes, and when combined with the comprehensive summary, new readers can probably drop into Born of an Iron Storm without too much effort.  However, this novel is going to appeal to those existing Ryan fans the most, especially those who previously enjoyed the Covenant of Steel novels.  While not too excessively vital to the plot, there are a lot of references to the events of the Covenant of Steel series, including the appearance of a couple of minor characters from these books, which was fun to see.  The events of these original books also play a big role in a couple of characters storylines and development, especially in the Elvine sections of the book (which features the two children of the Covenant of Steel’s protagonist), which lead to some compelling and intense moments.  I personally loved seeing Ryan continue to build on his already existing setting, and it was great to see what followed the chaotic events of the Covenant of Steel novels.

Ryan once again spent a lot of time developing his four central characters in Born of an Iron Storm, and their unique personalities, histories and continued changing perspectives, added some intriguing elements to the narrative.  Each of these characters have some fascinating moments and interactions in this novel, which cleverly builds on their storylines from the previous novel.  This includes Elvine, the young scholar revealed to be the long-lost daughter of Alwyn Scribe, who is forced to find her inner courage in this novel after being trapped in the captured Skar Magnol.  Caught up in the madness of Sister Lore, who develops a dark obsession with her, Elvine finds her inner rebel, while also trying to comprehend the sentient magical spear she recovered in the previous book.  Elvine’s storyline was really well written in Born of an Iron Storm, and Ryan had fun turning the previously mousy scholar into a dangerous warrior and leader, who gets into just as much trouble as her father.  Ryan’s other badass female protagonist in this novel was Thera, who finds herself the reluctant leader of the Ascarlian loyalist forces.  A skilled fighter, Thera spends much of Born of an Iron Storm learning to take on the mantel of leadership, while also dealing with her traumatic past, and her current emotional complexities.  Thera proved to be a very intriguing character to follow, especially with her chapter’s naval content, and it was fascinating to see her influence grow thanks to her actions.

On the other side we have the male protagonists, Felnir and Ruhlin, both of whom go through their own development and hell in this book.  Ruhlin’s character arc was a good continuation from A Tide of Black Steel, as he works to control his newly discovered inner monster and turn it into a force for good.  Like Thera, Ruhlin finds himself reluctantly leading a group of people who have placed their lives in his hands, and it was interesting to see him rise to the challenge, especially when even more figures put their hope in him.  Felnir, on the other hand, works to change fate by actively seeking leadership in a fun contrast to his sister and rival, Thera.  Finding himself in an unfamiliar land, Felnir works to inspire people unfamiliar with his past and soon finds the acclaim and respect he’s always wanted.  However, Ryan also writes a great storyline around his unchecked ambition and the consequences it has on those around him, and there is a great darkness to this character that is going to make him the wildcard of the series.

While the above four characters naturally get most of the focus in this series, Born of an Iron Storm also features a massive supporting cast, some of whom prove to be just as compelling and memorable as the main protagonists.  A lot of these figures are returning from A Tide of Black Steel, and I must admit that I was glad that Ryan put up his comprehensive summary at the front of this book, or I would have probably lost track of who they were.  Most of the best characters in this book were primarily in Elvine’s chapters, with the returning Colvyn (son of a certain scribe and a dark saint), being very fun, even if he got a little less focus here.  The ancient Ascarlian warrior and spymaster, Margnus Gruinskard, the Tieldwald was a great inclusion, first as a prisoner, then a reluctant ally to Elvine, and Ryan wrote a distinctive wearied element to him in this novel.  The author also did an amazing job of building off the big twist at the end of A Tide of Black Steel by featuring more of the traitor Sister Queen, Sister Lore.  Ryan made Lore into a particular twisted and dangerous antagonist, and her obsessive interactions with Elvine were some of the most compelling parts of the book.  Aside from these figures from the Elvine chapters, my favourite supporting figures were Lynnea, the innocent yet dangerous companion to Thera, and the mysterious Wohtin, who serves as Felnir’s guide to his new land.  Both were outstanding supporting characters in this novel, and I loved the intense, and very different, interactions they had with their respective protagonist.  I’m honestly barely scratching the surface of all the great supporting figures in Born of an Iron Storm, and I really appreciated the strong and varied cast that emerged in this novel.  All of them were very well written, and I really appreciate how Ryan utilised them to enhance his excellent narrative.

As I have tended to do with Ryan’s previous novels, I ended up enjoying Born of an Iron Storm on audiobook, which was an amazing experience.  I often find that compelling fantasy novels really come across well when read out by a talented narrator, and Born of an Iron Storm was an excellent example of this.  Thanks to the excellent narration of Steven Brand, who previously narrated the Covenant of Steel series, Born of an Iron Storm was a great treat to listen to, and I ended up powering through its near 20-hour long runtime.  Brand did an amazing job diving into the multilayered narrative and bringing out all the detail, action and compelling story elements through his narration, and I ended up absorbing a lot more detail thanks to having the story read out.  The narrator also brought back all his fantastic character voices from the previous audiobook, as well as a few new ones, to give the cast of Born of an Iron Storm life.  These characters came across amazingly, and I ended up having a blast listening to Born of an Iron Storm, especially the cool action sequences, which were so epic to listen to.  As such, I really recommend checking out this novel on audiobook, as you will be in for an amazing time.

Overall, Born of an Iron Storm was another exceptional novel from Anthony Ryan, who continues to expand on his cool fantasy world with another amazing, adventure-filled read.  Loaded with action, a fun story, and some excellent characters, Born of an Iron Storm was an impressive second outing in the author Age of Wrath series, and I loved how the story continued to evolve.  As such, this book comes highly recommended, and I cannot wait to see how Ryan continues his outstanding series next year.

Amazon