Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants are challenged to list their favourite debut novels. I actually have listed my favourite debuts in the past, both at the end of the last few years, and in a 2020 list, where I looked at some of the very best debut novels I have ever read.
Over the years I have had the great pleasure of reading a number of impressive and captivating debut novels, many of which formed the start of an amazing series, or which helped launch the writing career of some of the best authors of a variety of different genres. Some of these debuts have been so good that they have stuck with me for life, and I look forward to once again listing my absolute favourites. I am taking a rather broad stroke approach with this list, and I am going to make any debut that I have read eligible to be included. It does not matter if I read this book out of order, whether I enjoyed later entries from the author first, or whether I have gone back and read this book years after it came out; as long as it is the first full-length novel from an author, it can appear on this list.
This proved to be a rather intriguing list to pull together, as I had a rather large collection of debut novels to sort through, and I ended up discarding several great books from the previous version of this list. I think that my new Top Ten list (with a generous Honourable Mentions section), has a much better selection of debut books, and I quite like how it turned out. Unsurprisingly, as many of these books are written by my favourite authors, I have mentioned some of these entries and their authors before in prior lists, and for many of these authors, I am still reading a number of their current novels. So let us see what I was able to come up with.
Honourable Mentions:
Under the Eagle by Simon Scarrow
The very first book in Simon Scarrow’s Eagles of the Empire series, Under the Eagle was a fantastic and exciting debut, and one that made me a huge fan of the historical fiction genre.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
While the author may have shown her true colours, you still have to respect this classic debut that spawned an iconic world.
Fire In the East by Harry Sidebottom
Another iconic historical fiction debut from a great author, Fire in the East is an amazing book that features one of my very favourite sieges.
A particularly epic science fiction thriller guaranteed to keep you on your toes. Planetside was an amazing read with an exceedingly epic ending that served as the perfect introduction to talented author Michael Mammay.
Top Ten List:
Magician by Raymond E. Feist
Right off the bat we have Magician by Raymond E. Feist, which may be one of my favourite fantasy novels of all time. I first read this book years ago, and its clever story and substantial universe building has helped make me a lifelong fan of both the author and the fantasy genre. This was the first book in the epic and long-running Riftwar Cycle, which included the fantastic spinoff series, The Empire trilogy. I am still enjoying Feist’s books to this day, and I am planning to read his newest novel, A Darkness Returns, in the next couple of weeks.
A massive debut I finally got around to reading after my first version of this list was Storm Front by Jim Butcher. The first book in his iconic Dresden Files urban fantasy series, Storm Front was an outstanding novel that I decided to check out after reading the explosive 17th novel in the series, Battle Ground. Going back to Storm Front after that was an interesting experience, but it proved to be an amazing first novel that expertly set up the rest of the series. I have so much love for everything that followed Storm Front, and the Dresden Files wouldn’t be what it is today without this excellent first novel.
Back in 1984, fantasy readers were gifted with an outstanding debut in the form of Legend by the late, great David Gemmell. A debut that is epic in every sense of the word, Legend saw an unstoppable army attempt to take the world’s greatest fortress, defended by a legendary hero. A simple, but highly effective premise, that produced an exceptional and highly addictive read, Legend ended up being an incredible read, and one that all fans of fantasy fiction, especially awesome sieges, need to check out.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
A more recent debut that I need to feature on this list is The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. A highly entertaining crime fiction novel, The Thursday Murder Club followed four residents of a retirement village who decide to solve murders in their spare time, including the deaths of several people around their community. Osman did a very impressive job with The Thursday Murder Club, blending a complex mystery with some intriguing characters and his trademark subtle, but highly effective humour. I cannot emphasise just how enjoyable this debut proved to be, and Osman showed himself to be an immensely skilled author with this outstanding read, and the following books, The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed and The Last Devil to Die, all of which were exceptional five-star reads. A highly recommended debut, I look forward to seeing how the film adaptation currently in production turns out.
Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan
Another particularly epic fantasy debut is Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan. A compelling and intense flintlock fantasy story, Promise of Blood sets up McClellan’s The Powder Mage trilogy, which follows a compelling group of protagonists, including several mages whose magic is derived from gunpowder, as they attempt to save a nation from revolution, war, and their own vengeful god. It is frankly impossible not to love this amazing debut, and McClellan produced an outstanding story in Promise of Blood that was impossible to put down. I really need to read the rest of The Powder Mage books, although McClellan’s most recent novel, In the Shadow of Lightning, proved to be extremely impressive.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
This was an exceedingly entertaining and wildly impressive fantasy novel which followed a group of conmen in a dangerous, magical city. The Lies of Locke Lamora was a really good book, and I think it would be impossible for someone to read it and not instantly fall in love with it. This book also served as the first entry in the outstanding Gentleman Bastards series, which currently contains three amazing books, with the fourth novel, The Thorn of Emberlain, hopefully coming out at some point in the future.
A great spy thriller debut I had to feature here was The Gray Man. The first novel from one of the world’s current premiere thriller authors, The Gray Man was an action-packed extravaganza that pitted a legendary assassin against a raft of hit-teams and contract killers. Fast-paced, fun and featuring some truly exceptional action sequences, The Gray Man was extremely awesome, and I honestly could not stop listening to this outstanding book. Greaney has since parlayed this debut into an iconic thriller series of the same name, and the Gray Man books are routinely my favourite thrillers of the year (such as the latest Gray Man book, The Chaos Agent).
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
One of the best fantasy debuts of all time has to be The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. An outstanding and epic dark fantasy novel that follows several complex and highly flawed protagonists through a brutal journey, The Blade Itself is an exceptional debut that perfectly sets up the rest of Abercrombie’s The First Law series. I have been a massive fan of the author ever since I read The Blade Itself, and I cannot wait to read his next novel, The Devils, in 2025.
The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell
Another recently released debut I had to feature here was The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell. The first book in the author’s Legacy of the Mercenary Kings series, The Kingdom of Liars was an amazing 2020 release, that proved to be a particularly complex and impressive read. Following the scion of a disgraced noble house who attempts to clear his father’s name and find out who is trying to destroy his city, The Kingdom of Liars was a particularly complex and captivating novel that I could not get enough of. One of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2020, The Kingdom of Liars was so much fun when I first read it, and my appreciation for it has only grown in hindsight after seeing where all the outstanding storylines Martell set up here ended up going. An epic debut that starts something truly wonderful.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The final book I want to feature here is The Name of the Wind, which might be one of the best fantasy novels of all time. The debut novel of Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind is a particularly impressive, character-driven story that follows the early days of a man destined to become an infamous legend. I cannot emphasise how much I loved this book, and it is pretty much the epitome of the chronicle narrative. While many have started to fall out of love with this series due to lack of progress on the final entry, The Name of the Wind is still an exceptional novel, made even more impressive with-it being Rothfuss’ very first book.
Well, that’s my Top Ten List for this week. I rather liked the new version list that I came up with here, and there are some incredible novels here, although it is still very fantasy heavy. Each of these books comes very highly recommended, and they all proved to be exceptional first outings from some very talented authors. This is probably a list that I will come back to again in the future, as there are always impressive new debuts coming out, and I cannot wait to see what new author is on the horizon.
The Unseen Library 