Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Meant to Read in 2022 but Didn’t Get To

On January 10, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn List4 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, participants were required to list their most anticipated books for the first half of 2023. However, as I covered this last week with two separate lists (one for fantasy and science fiction, and one for other genres), I am instead mixing things up and instead featuring the top books of 2022 that I wanted to read but didn’t get a chance to.

2022 was a great year for novels and I had an outstanding time getting through a solid collection of cool new releases and older novels, which were pretty much all epic and impressive reads. However, no matter how hard one tries, there are always a couple of books each year that I did not get a chance to read, either due to time constraints, lack of access or from being overwhelmed with other books that I really wanted to read. As a result, this is a list that is rather tinged with regret, as each book I plan to mention below is one that I really wish I had taken the time to read.

To complete this list, I pulled together some of the more interesting and compelling sounding novels that I did not get a chance to read in the last year. Each entry was released last year and while I knew that they were coming out, I did not get a chance to read any of them. In many cases I have these books sitting on my shelf at this moment, silently and constantly judging me, and I think I will have to try and read them to stop their bookish glares. I was eventually able to cull my list of regret down to 10 entries with an honourable mentions section. The final list is an interesting collection of books from across the genres and includes a couple of big 2022 releases I did not get a chance to look at.

Honourable Mentions:

Road of Bones by Christopher Golden

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Three-Edged Sword by Jeff Lindsay

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The Girl and the Moon by Mark Lawrence

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Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham

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Top Ten List:

Kingdoms of Death and Ashes of Man by Christopher Ruocchio

A joint entry to start things off as there were actually two books in the excellent Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio released in 2022. Unfortunately, I missed both, but hopefully I get chance to read them in 2023 as this is an extremely good series to get into.

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An Empty Throne by Robert Fabbri

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The Misfit Soldier by Michael Mammay

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The Bladed Faith by David Dalglish

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Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

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Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith by Adam Christopher

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Falling Sky by Harry Sidebottom

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Khaos by Jeremy Robinson

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Warhammer 40,000: Witchbringer by Steven B. Fischer

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The Starless Crown by James Rollins

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Well, that is the end of my latest list and it looks like I have a lot catch-up reading to do if I am going to make a dent in it. There are some truly amazing-sounding novels on this list and I fully intend to get through all of them at some point, although with all the outstanding books coming out in 2023, it might take me a little time. In the meantime, let me know what books you most regret not reading in 2022 in the comments below.

WWW Wednesday – 28 December 2022

On December 28, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday1 Comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading?

Lion by Conn Iggulden (Trade Paperback)

Lion Cover

I just started reading the compelling historical fiction novel Lion by bestselling author Conn Iggulden and it is so far proving to be a fantastic read. The sequel to his previous novels, The Gates of Athens and Protector, Lion continues to chronicle the history of ancient Athens, this time focusing on the exploits of Pericles. Loaded with a ton of awesome historical detail and a compelling narrative, Lion is one of the best historical fiction books of the year and I am glad I was able to get into it before the end of 2022.

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The Voyage of the Forgotten by Nick Martell (Audiobook)

The Voyage of the Forgotten Cover

I have made a ton of progress with The Voyage of the Forgotten by Nick Martell this week and I only have a few hours left on it. The third and final book in Martell’s The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings trilogy, which follows on from The Kingdom of Liars (one of my favourite books, audiobooks and debuts of 2020) and The Two-Faced Queen (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), The Voyage of the Forgotten continues the adventures of reluctant hero Michael Kingman, who finds himself in the middle of a secret war between hidden immortals. I am absolutely loving this outstanding book and every time I listen to it there is another epic scene that drags me in. I will hopefully finish The Voyage of the Forgotten off in the next couple of days, but I have already had such a great time with this book that I added it to my Favourite Books of 2022 list last night.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Hunting Time by Jeffery Deaver (Trade Paperback)

Hunting Time Cover

An excellent and fun thriller from legendary author Jeffery Deaver, Hunting Time was a great read and I loved how twisty and intense the story turned out.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Red Dirt Road by S. R. White

Red Dirt Road Cover

I am planning to dive into some awesome Australian fiction next with the compelling murder mystery book, Red Dirt Road. Set in the Australian outback, this new novel from talented author S. R. White will see a determined detective forced to find a killer in a remote town where every resident is a suspect. Sure to be a gripping read, I can’t wait to dive into Red Dirt Road and I am sure I am going to have an amazing time with it.

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Khaos by Jeremy Robinson

Khaos Cover

I am still planning to listen to the audiobook version of Khaos by Jeremy Robinson next. The intriguing follow-up to his awesome books, Tribe, The Dark, and Mind Bullet, Khaos will bring together the protagonists of these three novels and force them to travel to the ancient Greek hell of Tartarus and summon the banished Gods and Titans to war. I am very excited to listen to this crazy book next and I am sure it will be an ultra-fun and highly compelling novel.

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That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

WWW Wednesday – 21 December 2022

On December 21, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday1 Comment

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading?

Hunting Time by Jeffery Deaver (Trade Paperback)

I just started reading the interesting thriller novel, Hunting Time by Jeffery Deaver. Bringing back his established protagonist Colter Shaw, Hunting Time features an elaborate fugitive narrative as a desperate woman attempts to outrun Shaw, her abusive cop husband, and several hitman. I have only made a little progress on Hunting Time so far, but I am really enjoying it, especially as it has a compelling story behind it. I am hoping to finish it off in the next few days and I can’t wait to see how everything comes together.

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The Voyage of the Forgotten by Nick Martell (Audiobook)

I finally got a chance to start listening to one of my most anticipated books of 2022, with The Voyage of the Forgotten by Nick Martell. The third and final book in Martell’s The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings trilogy, The Voyage of the Forgotten continues the adventures of reluctant hero Michael Kingman, who finds himself in the middle of a secret war between hidden immortals. I only just started this audiobook a few minutes ago, but I am having a great time with it, especially as there are some outstanding details up front. I already know that I am going to love this book, especially after I have had such an incredible time with this series and both of the preceding books, The Kingdom of Liars (one of my favourite books, audiobooks and debuts of 2020) and The Two-Faced Queen (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021). I have very little doubt that The Voyage of the Forgotten is going to be one of the top books of 2022 and I cannot wait to explore all its mysteries, revelations, and inevitable tragedies in the next week.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Red Winter by Marc Cameron, based on the books by Tom Clancy (Trade Paperback)

A fantastic and intense spy thriller that takes readers back to the classic adventures of Jack Ryan.

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Star Wars: The High Republic: Convergence by Zoraida Cordova (Audiobook)

The second phase of The High Republic looks set to be one of its strongest, especially if we have more outstanding books like Convergence by Zoraida Cordova. An epic and powerful read, this was one of the best Star Wars novels and audiobooks of 2022, and I am extremely glad I listened to it.

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The Perfect Assassin by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

I absolutely powered through the new James Patterson novel, The Perfect Assassin, this week. Co-written by Brian Sitts, The Perfect Assassin had an excellent and fast-paced story that takes the reader on a wild ride. Compelling, exciting, and featuring a great connection to some old-school pulp novels, this was a lot of fun, and I am hoping to get a review up of it soon.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Khaos by Jeremy Robinson

I’m not entirely certain what physical book I’ll read after finishing off The Hunting Time, but I do know that the next audiobook I will be listening to is Khaos by Jeremy Robinson. The intriguing follow-up to his awesome books, Tribe, The Dark, and Mind Bullet, Khaos will bring together the protagonists of these three novels and force them to travel to the ancient Greek hell of Tartarus and summon the banished Gods and Titans to war. I am very excited to listen to this crazy book next and I am sure it will be an ultra-fun and highly compelling novel.

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That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books on my Spring 2022 TBR

On September 6, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn List4 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official Top Ten Tuesday topic for this week was around books I got for my personal library, however, I decided to instead move up my quarterly post about the best upcoming books to read (TBR) for the following three months. This is a regular post I do at the start of each season, and as this Tuesday is just before Spring (Autumn for folks in the Northern Hemisphere), this is the ideal time to put this up.

For this list, I have come up with 10 of the most anticipated novels that are coming out between 1 September 2022 and 30 November 2022. There are quite a few very cool novels set for release in the next few months that I am extremely excited for, including some of my most anticipated books of the year. Due to how impressive some of these upcoming books are, it took me a little while to finalise my list but I was eventually able to whittle it down into a Top Ten list (with a few honourable mentions). I have primarily used the Australian publication dates to reflect when I will be able to get these awesome novels, and these might be somewhat different to the rest of the world. I have previously discussed a number of these books before in prior Top Ten Tuesdays and Waiting on Wednesday articles and I think all of them will turn out to be pretty incredible reads. I have extremely excited for the next three months as quite a few up these upcoming reads are easily going to be amongst the best books of 2022.

Honourable Mentions:

Falling Sky by Harry Sidebottom – 13 October 2022

An epic adventure from one of the best current authors of historical fiction, Harry Sidebottom. Set to bring back his best protagonist for a ton of historical action and intrigue in the Alps, Falling Sky is going to be a lot of fun and I cannot wait to read it.

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The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham – 18 October 2022

After having a fantastic time with Grisham’s latest legal thrillers, The Judge’s List and Sparring Partners, I am quite keen to read something else from this iconic crime fiction author. Luckily his new book, The Boys from Biloxi, sounds very impressive and I know I am going to have a blast getting through it.

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Friends Like These by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez – 1 November 2022

Last year, Jennifer Lynn Alvarez greatly impressed me her first young adult thriller, Lies Like Wildfire, which ended up being one of the best debuts of 2021. I loved the complex and clever story that Alvarez featured in Lies Like Wildfire, and it looks like she’s set to continue her awesome young adult thriller ways with the upcoming Friends Like These, which explore the deadly consequences of a drunken party.

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Death to the Emperor by Simon Scarrow – 8 November 2022

I will of course be grabbing the latest historical fiction epic from one of my favourite authors, Simon Scarrow, when it comes out in November. Scarrow’s last few books have all been very exciting and I cannot wait to read Death to the Emperor when it comes out, especially as it sets his long-running Roman protagonists against a massed rebellion in Britain.

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Top Ten List:

Fairy Tale by Stephen King – 6 September 2022

First on this list is the upcoming fantasy novel from legendary author Stephen King, Fairy Tale. I have been deeply enjoying King’s last few books, such as the fantastic Later and the epic Billy Summers, and I am very keen to see King dive into a dark fantasy novel. Set around a young boy who finds himself drawn into a dark realm of fairies and magic, Fairy Tale promises to be an exceptional read, and I know I am going to have a blast with it.

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Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir – 13 September 2022

Since her impressive debut in 2019 with Gideon the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir has been one of the most intriguing science fiction authors out there. Not only was her first book a ton of fun with its dark story around a group of space-faring necromancers, but her sequel, Harrow the Ninth, was a truly exceptional read that ended up being one of the best books and audiobooks of 2020. I am exceedingly excited to see what happens in the third book, Nona the Ninth, and it looks let to continue the fantastic body-swapping antics of the previous two novels. Nona the Ninth is likely to be one of the best and most distinctive science fiction reads of 2022, and I am very excited for it as a result.

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Oath of Loyalty by Kyle Mills – 13 September 2022

There are some excellent long-running spy thriller series at there now, but one of my favourites is the action-packed Mitch Rapp novels. Originally written by Vince Flynn, the Mitch Rapp novels follow the titular spy and assassin as he lays waste to America’s enemies around the world. The last several novels, such as Red War, Lethal Agent, Total Power, and Enemy at the Gates, have been written by Kyle Mills and feature some amazing narratives to them. I have been having an outstanding time getting through this series recently, and the next novel, Oath of Loyalty, looks set to be another awesome read. Oath of Loyalty will continue the feud between Rapp and the new US president and will force Rapp to defend his family when they are sold out to a deadly and unstoppable group of assassins. I love the sound of this epic read and I know I am going to have an amazing time with it.

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The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman – 15 September 2022

There was no way I can possibly exclude the upcoming Richard Osman novel, The Bullet that Missed, from this list. The third book in the Thursday Murder Club, which follows on from the exceptional The Thursday Murder Club (one of the best debuts of 2020) and The Man Who Died Twice (one of the best books and audiobooks of 2021), The Bullet that Missed will bring back Osman’s fun group of crime solving senior citizens and set them on a new case. I love the sound of this amazing book and I can’t wait to start reading it.

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The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik – 20 September 2022

Easily one of my most anticipated books coming out in the next few months is The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik. The third and final book in Novik’s exquisite and epic Scholomance trilogy, The Golden Enclaves will finally provide some closure to readers following the impressive first two novels, A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate. Both books have had perfect, dark magical school narratives, and I have had such an incredible time reading them. However, I have been dying to check out The Golden Enclaves for a year now, especially after that brutal cliff-hanger at the end of The Last Graduate, and I am just going to absorb this book the moment I get my hands on it.

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Khaos by Jeremy Robinson – 18 October 2022

I have no doubt that one of the most exciting and action-packed novels of the next three months is going to be Khaos by Jeremy Robinson. Following on from Robinson’s fantastic and fun novels, Tribe, The Dark, and Mind Bullet, Khaos will set three groups of Robinson’s protagonists on a joint mission to Hades to free the gods and titans for an upcoming war. This book has so much damn potential and I can’t wait to see what chaos happens in Khaos.

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Usagi Yojimbo: Crossroads by Stan Sakai – 25 October 2022

After already being blessed with one volume of the incredible Usagi Yojimbo comic series this year with Tengu War!, I am exceeding happy that we are getting another volume with Crossroads. Crossroads looks set to enthrall readers with several great new stories, and I am very excited to see how Sakai continues his iconic comics. There is a very good reason why this is one of my favourite comic series of all time, and I cannot wait to get another volume extremely soon.

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The Voyage of the Forgotten by Nick Martell – 3 November 2022

Another epic trilogy that is coming to an end in the next few months is Nick Martell’s Legacy of the Mercenary King series with the third and final book, The Voyage of the Forgotten. I have been absolutely and incredibly impressed with Martell’s first two novels, The Kingdom of Liars and The Two-Faced Queen, both of which have been exceptional five-star reads. I am extremely excited for the final book, and I cannot wait to see how Martell will wrap up the multiple complex and captivating storylines. There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that The Voyage of the Forgotten is going to be one of the top books of the year and it is going to be something truly epic.

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Desert Star by Michael Connelly – 8 November 2022

Another must-read I must include on this list is the next book from acclaimed crime-fiction author Michael Connelly. His new book, Desert Star, is the latest entry in his Ballard of Bosch series, which has already featured three amazing reads, Dark Sacred Night, The Night Fire and The Dark Hours. This new book sets the great protagonists on another intriguing case, and I look forward to seeing how Connelly sets out his new great mystery.

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Star Wars: The High Republic: Convergence by Zoraida Cordova – 15 November 2022

The final book I want to highlight on this list is the new upcoming Star Wars novel, Convergence by Zoraida Cordova. Convergence is part of The High Republic sub-series and will set up the entire next phase of the High Republic. This new phase serves as a prequel to the previous High Republic novels, and I am very curious to see how everything ties together. This should be a very awesome Star Wars novel and I am sure I am going to have a lot of fun reading it.

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

Waiting on Wednesday – Khaos by Jeremy Robinson

On August 31, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday5 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I check out one of the most awesome upcoming books of 2022 the utterly insane sounding Khaos by Jeremy Robinson.

Khaos Cover

Amazon

Over the last year I have been getting very attached to the writings of the very skilled and highly inventive Jeremy Robinson. Robinson has been a fantastic fixture of the science fiction thriller genre for years, writing several impressive series and standalone reads, including the Nemesis Saga and Chess Team novels, both of which sound really cool. However, the novels that I have been getting into are part of Robinson’s latest series, the massive and elaborate Infinite Timeline series.

The Infinite Timeline books are a collection of epic and over-the-top reads that initially started off as standalone reads. However, as the series continued, the books gradually became more interconnected, with characters from previous novels appearing in later entries, and the storylines started to merge. This series was broken into three loosely connected groupings of books, all of which will lead up to combined novels. So far, I have all enjoyed the excellent entries Tribe, The Dark and Mind Bullet (the latter two were amongst my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), which were part of the same connected sub-series. All three of these novels were very fun in their own right, with Tribe’s action-packed take on Greek demigods, The Dark’s intense and powerful horror narrative, and Mind Bullet’s ultra-fun adventure story about a telekinetic hitman. I had an incredible time with these books, and I especially enjoyed Robinson’s fantastic style, especially as he combines some compelling concepts with intriguing characters, insane storylines, side-splitting humour, and a ton of crazy action, which is just so epic to behold.

As such, I have been very excited to see what awesome novels that Robinson planned to release this year, especially as the novels that combine some of the standalone plots and characters together were set for release this year. Robinson has already released one book in 2022 with The Order, which had a very awesome concept to it. Unfortunately, I didn’t end up reading The Order, mainly because I haven’t read the three books leading up to it (The Others, Flux and Exo Hunter), although I should probably also go back to the very start and read Infinite. However, there is no way in hell that I am going to miss out on Robinson’s next book, Khaos. Set for release in October 2022, Khaos will bring together all the characters from Tribe, The Dark and Mind Bullet in one exceptional sounding narrative.

Synopsis:

Several months after his neighborhood was cloaked in darkness and invaded by the demon-like denizens of a hellish world, life has returned to normal for Miah Gray, aka: Laser Chicken. No longer burdened by PTSD, he is free to enjoy his family and to help pick up the pieces of a pillaged world. And at night, he trains with his eight-year-old companion, Bree, aka: Demon Dog and their neighbors, Henry and Sarah, the god-like descendants of Helen of Sparta and the mythological Zeus.

All is calm…until new neighbors move in across the street and shatter the peace. Jonas, aka: Mind Bullet, a telekinetic assassin, and his artificial intelligence, Bubbles, are pursued by strange and powerful enemies. The neighborhood is rocked by sudden violence, but the unlikely heroes band together to save the residents once more. However, their victory is short-lived when it’s interrupted by the appearance of a superhuman figure who has been influencing their lives for years: Linda.

Aka: Zeus.

In classic mythology fashion, Zeus, supreme god of Olympus, sends them on an urgent quest: descend into the underworld, travel through the realm between worlds—Khaos, face whatever trials await, find the gate to Tartarus, and summon the gods and Titans residing there to war. A grave evil is coming, and only Earth’s oldest and most powerful heroes can stop it.

TO SAVE MANKIND…

…THEY MUST RAISE THE GODS.

Now this is a very awesome sounding book that is very typical of Robinson’s history of theatrical storylines. I love the idea of a bizarre group of established protagonists coming together and then heading straight to hell (well Tartarus) to unleash the gods and Titans for the upcoming fight against the long-hinted series big bad. There is so much potential for action and outrageous moments in this fantastic sounding story, and I can’t wait to see what happens during the travel through the Khaos and the eventual descent into Tartarus. You have to imagine there are going to be a ton of obstacles and monsters straight out of Greek mythology there, as well as some hints at the upcoming big-bad that is going to need every hero in the Infinite Timeline to face off against. I have a lot of faith that Robinson is going to come up with some very wacky and powerful, and I will no doubt end up getting very caught up in the story.

One of the other major aspects that I am interested in for Khaos is how Robinson is going to bring together the protagonists of three of his previous novels. Tribe, The Dark and Mind Bullet had their own distinctive blend of characters, styles, and storylines, so seeing all this combined into one single story is going to be quite interesting. This is probably going to result in several different point-of-view perspectives, and it will be intriguing to see how all these big personalities are going to get along and how they will perceive the weird people they are suddenly working with. Throw in some potential interpersonal issues, such as one hero being a Titan and two others being Greek Gods whose ancestors are responsible for his parent’s imprisonment, and I imagine you are going to have a few bust-ups and fights. I am extremely confident that Robinson will use this opportunity to continue the fantastic character development contained in the preceding three books, and it will be awesome to find out what happens to these damaged and unique protagonists next.

After having so much fun with the three Jeremy Robinson books leading up to Khaos, there is no chance that I will miss out on this upcoming book. I loved everything about Tribe, The Dark and Mind Bullet, and I cannot wait to see how this chaotic combination with work out. I am expecting The Dark to be one of the funniest and most action-packed novels of 2022, and I am very excited to see what new insanity and over-the-top adventure that Robinson will come up with next. I will probably end up checking Khaos out in its audiobook format (due to the presence of one of my favourite narrators, R. C. Bray), and this is easily one of the books I am most looking forward to in the next few months.