WWW Wednesday – 7 June 2023

On June 7, 2023June 7, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a 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?

Witch King by Martha Wells (Ebook)

Witch King Cover

I haven’t made a lot of progress with the new fantasy novel from Martha Wells this week, Witch King. While I am enjoying this book, I honestly haven’t had a lot of reading time, instead focusing more on writing and other stuff. I am hoping to get a bit of reading done on it this weekend, so we’ll see how it goes.

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Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher (Audiobook)

Proven Guilty Cover

After all the fun I had last week with Dead Beat, I decided to dive into another of Jim Butcher’s epic Dresden Files this week with Proven Guilty. The 8th book in the series, Proven Guilty sees wizard Harry Dresden investigate a series of mysterious magical murders committed by monsters from horror films. This is proving to be another excellent read and I will hopefully finish it off in the next day or two and do a Throwback Thursday post about it.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Warhammer 40,000: The Lion: Son of the Forest by Mike Brooks

The Lion - Son of the Forest Cover

I managed to finish off the recent Warhammer 40,000 novel The Lion: Son of the Forest this week, and boy was it epic. Written by rising Warhammer author Mike Brooks, The Lion: Son of the Forest follows the return of the legendary founder of the Dark Angels Space Marines as he awakens in a changed universe. This was an exceptional read and you can check out my review for it here.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Falling Sky by Harry Sidebottom

Falling Sky Cover

I am still hoping to quickly dive into the fun historical fiction novel, Falling Sky in the next week. Written by one of my favourite historical fiction authors, Falling Sky will follow a determined Roman general as he attempts to win a dangerous battle in the Alps while also countering treachery in his own camp. I have been meaning to read this book for a while and I know I am going to have a ton of fun with it.

Amazon

The Will of the Many by James Islington

The Will of the Many Cover

I’m also hoping in the next week to start listening to the cool epic fantasy novel, The Will of the Many by James Islington. Set in a deadly magical school, The Will of the Many is a thrilling sounding novel filled with politics, mystery, and an intriguing magical system. I love the sound of The Will of the Many and it looks set to be one of the biggest fantasy releases of the year.

Amazon

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.

Warhammer 40,000: The Lion: Son of the Forest by Mike Brooks

On June 7, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer24 Comments

The Lion - Son of the Forest Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 22 April 2023)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 12 hours and 15 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

One of the fastest rising authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, Mike Brooks, returns with another exceptional read, this time covering one of the most significant events in recent Warhammer fiction, the return of Lion El’Johnson with The Lion: Son of the Forest.

At this point I think that my love for all things Warhammer is pretty well established, especially after my lengthy post earlier this year detailing my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels. I have been having a ton of fun in 2023 with this cool franchise, and I have just managed to finish off the newest Warhammer novel with The Lion: Son of the Forest. This is the latest book from the very impressive Mike Brooks, who has been making a real name for himself in Warhammer 40,000 fiction and who seems to get better with every one of his books that I read. His previous novel, Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom was a great read about an excellent established villain, and I had a lot of fun with his most recent book, Warboss, a highly entertaining novel about the always crazy orks. However, I think that The Lion is probably his most ambitious and captivating novel yet as he covers the return of the Primarch of the Dark Angels, Lion El’Johnson. This is a pretty big deal in Warhammer circles, and I was very impressed with how Brooks puts his own spin on the return to create an epic and powerful read.

At the dawn of the Imperium of Man, there was no force more deadly nor more loyal to the Emperor than the Dark Angels, the first Legion of Space Marines. Led by their implacable and unstoppable Primarch and genefather, Lion El’Johnson, better known as the Lion, nothing was able to stop the Dark Angels as they crusaded from planet to planet dispensing the Emperor’s will. However, following the events of the Horus Heresy and the Lion’s inability to save the Emperor, the Dark Angels imploded from within. Treachery and years of resentment saw the Legion engage in a brutal and sudden civil war, which resulted in the destruction of the Dark Angel’s home world of Caliban, the scattering of the traitor Dark Angels throughout time and space as the Fallen, and the disappearance and apparent death of the Lion right when the galaxy needed him most.

Now in the 41^st millennium, humanity is facing the greatest threat since the Horus Heresy. The fall of Cadia spawned the Great Rift, a sprawling gap of daemon infested space that split the already crumbling Imperium in two, distributing travel, communications and coordination between humanity’s armies. Into this darkness, the dread forces of Chaos emerge, destroying all before them, while other malign threats begin to eat away the remains of the Imperium. The doom of all mankind seems certain, but hope is about to emerge in the most unlikely of places.

After a 10,000-year absence, the Lion awakens on the far-flung and devastated planet of Camarth, with no memory of how he got there. Discovering one of his former sons, the Fallen Zabriel, the Lion soon discovers what has happened to the Imperium in his absence, as well as the terrible threats of the Great Rift and the forces of Chaos. Unsure of his purpose or what has happened to him, the Lion sets out to preserve humanity from the forces trying to destroy it. Rallying members of the Fallen from their long exile, the Lion begins a new campaign throughout the besieged systems of man, while trying to reconcile himself to everything he has lost. But a dangerous and well-organised Chaos warband, the Ten Thousand Eyes, led by two of the Lion’s Fallen sons, are determined to destroy the returned Primarch and enact an ambitious plan with galaxy shattering consequences. Can an isolated Lion survive the insanity of the 41^st millennium, or has he returned only to face his doom?

Wow, now this was a pretty damn awesome Warhammer 40,000 novel. Mike Brooks continues to really impress me with this cool new book, and I loved the elaborate and captivating tale contained within The Lion: Son of the Forest. Featuring an intriguing and emotionally charged narrative that perfectly revives a key Warhammer 40,000 character, The Lion is an outstanding read and I think this is probably Brooks’ best Warhammer novel yet.

The Lion had a particularly interesting narrative that was firmly set around the return of Lion El’Johnson, and I loved the unique tale that Brooks came up. The initial scenes of the book are quite fascinating as Brooks presents a symbol laden couple of chapters to show the Lion’s initial return, which I felt was a great way to start the story as it set up a lot of intriguing moments and gave the book quite a distinctive theme. The introduction of two new alternate perspective characters a few chapters in helps to morph the story into a more typical Warhammer 40,000 narrative as it sees the Lion and other former members of the Dark Angels awaken in the current timeline. The story soon sees the Lion reunite with one of his former sons and begin to reclaim a conquered Imperial planet from a notorious Chaos warband while trying to understand the new universe he’s in. Getting back to his roots as a protector, the Lion soon is soon drawn into larger affairs, thanks a mysterious new ability he has obtained, and he sets out to do the right thing and right the wrongs of his past. His actions not only lead him to more of his sons, ensuring that this book has a deep emotional heart to it, but it also leads him into conflict with a dangerous enemy, one that has big plans for him.

The Lion’s narrative is pretty epic in its scope and power as Brooks tells an exciting and compelling story about both the past and the present, and how one hero can make a difference. The story features some great moments, including cool battles, emotional reunions, and dives into ancient history, as the characters come to grips with what the Lion’s return means to the greater universe. Everything leads up to an ultra-intense finale as the Lion encounters a truly fallen son and is forced to reckon with the sins of his Legion and family. I really enjoyed this epic narrative and Brooks sets out all the events extremely well, ensuring that readers will follow one excellent scene to the next. While not every mystery is explained, the author does lay out some intriguing events that will grab a lot of Warhammer fans attention, and it leaves it open for more awesome books in the future. I had an incredible time with The Lion and I managed to finish it off in a short amount of time.

This outstanding story is beautifully brought to life in Brooks’s capable hands as he deploys an excellent and captivating writing style throughout The Lion. Brooks really had a tall order here in bringing back a key character from the Warhammer mythos and I think that he handled in an outstanding way by focusing on the emotional aspects of the character, rather than a pure action novel. While The Lion does have some outstanding battle sequences designed to showcase just how epic a Space Marine can be, the focus is really on character development as Brooks examines three outstanding point of view figures while also telling an excellent narrative about characters trying to find their place in a strange new galaxy.

I loved how the author split the story across the three different perspectives, and I enjoyed how he made them so distinctive by using different styles and tenses for each of them. For example, Baelor’s chapters use a third-person narration to show his struggles without going too deep into his head, the scenes shown from Zabriel’s eyes are written in a first person chronicle style as he recounts his story as if writing a journal, while the chapters focusing on the Lion are also in the third person, but feature a different, more epic style, which at times put me in mind of an older story or saga. These different styles really fit the characters and their specific stories, and I appreciated how Brooks utilised these changes of styles to really tell a complex by subtly layering a classic Warhammer tale with pain, emotional damage, and uncertainty.

I felt that the author got the right balance of action and adventure with character growth, and you really get attached to the protagonists and their unique experiences in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. I also loved how Brooks layered the story with a ton of Arthurian symbolism, as the Lion is meant to mirror King Arthur in this book, returning during his people’s darkest hour after dying during a war with his sons. This included an excellent take on the Green Knight tale, with a dark Warhammer 40,000 twist to it, which also leads to one of the book’s funniest moments with a Monty Python homage. I really got drawn into this outstanding story thanks to the way that Brooks told it, and this was an excellent and captivating read.

Now, this one of those Warhammer 40,000 novels that I probably wouldn’t recommend to new Warhammer readers as the story dives into some deep canon elements of the franchise. Due to its focus on the return of Lion El’Johnson, a particularly important character that was only recently brought back in the game as a major event, The Lion is a key book in the Warhammer 40,000 expanded universe, and I felt readers needed a good understanding of the lore to fully appreciate its story. This is because is strongly related to the history of the Dark Angels, and indeed all the Space Marines, and while Brooks does revisit and explain these events, having a more in-depth knowledge really does make that story that much clearer and more intriguing. For those established fans of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, you are in for a real treat as Brooks expertly expands the lore while also providing some intriguing insights into established canon. Seeing the Lion return and interact with his Fallen brethren was so damn cool, and it really tied into some of the best bits of Dark Angel lore that has been building for years and years.

I loved how the story examined both the current state of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, as well as the Horus Heresy, and it was fantastic to see characters who survived the Heresy arrive in the current universe and see what has been unleashed by the arrival of the Great Rift. There are also a ton of jokes, references, and in-universe discussions that I had a lot of fun with, including intriguing new descriptions of events of the Horus Heresy, as well as more intriguing Dark Angels history. I personally deeply enjoyed seeing the various ancient characters discuss the events that happened after they disappeared, and their reactions at the state of the Imperium, the deification of the Emperor to godhood, and what happened to the Dark Angels in the Lion’s absence, and this lead to some outstanding scenes. The Lion proved to be a pretty epic piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction and I was really impressed with how Brooks told such a unique and important story.

As I mentioned before, The Lion is a very powerful character driven novel as Brooks focuses on a cast of damaged and dispossessed figures thrust into an uncompromising future. This is mostly clearly seen in the main character of Lion El’Johnson, the legendary Primarch of the Dark Angels and son of the Emperor, who returns after 10,000 years of mysterious disappearance. Brooks paints quite the intriguing and complex picture around the Lion, showing him as a being out of time who, after experiencing some of the greatest losses and betrayals imaginable, awakens 10,000 years in the future with no idea of what happened to him. The Lion is shocked at what the Imperium has become and how badly the universe has changed without him there. Forced to reconcile with both this new future and his many failures, the older and wiser Lion heads back to the basics of his youth, protecting humans from monsters while also trying to reconnect with his lost sons, the Fallen, who he has mixed feelings about. Brooks’s characterisation of the Lion is very different to what we’ve seen in previous novels, which I think a smart move, as the character is tired and lonely in this reality, and very much aware of the mistakes he has throughout his life. Watching him relive some of the worst decisions he made during the Horus Heresy is very moving, and I loved how his insights into the past allowed him to move forward with his rediscovered sons and attempt to forgive them. While there are a still a lot of questions around how the Lion returned (something I hope Brooks addresses in the future), I think that this was a pretty impressive return of such a key character, and I look forward to seeing more books focused on him.

The other major characters featured within The Lion are former Dark Angels who rebelled against their father thousands of years ago and were scattered throughout time and space following the destruction of Caliban. Known collectively as the Fallen, these Space Marine characters have very complex feelings about Lion El’Johnson, especially as many believe he betrayed them and the Imperium, and they have all spent the intervening years being relentlessly hunted by the modern Dark Angels and their successor chapters. This intriguing background was fertile ground for rich character development and backgrounds, and a large portion of the novel’s emotional depth relied heavily on the Lion meeting and reconciling with his lost sons. Brooks produces several brilliant scenes that showcase the turbulent relationship between the Lion and the returning Fallen, and it was fascinating to see the Lion, a usually stubborn and proud character, admit that he was wrong and try to make amend to his sons. I loved the intriguing group of characters that emerged in a supporting role as a result, especially as Brooks set them up as counterpoints to the Knights of the Round Table to match the Arthurian vibes around the Lion.

The most prominent of these supporting characters is Zabriel, the first Fallen that the returned Lion encounters, who serves as his guide to the new universe. Zabriel has some amazing scenes in this book, especially as he provides the Lion with the first taste of the trauma the Fallen have experienced thanks to their father, and he makes sure the Lion knows that. His well written chapters really capture his deep emotional conflict throughout The Lion, as he tries to reconcile the betrayals of the past with the hope that surrounds the revelation that Lion El’Johnson has returned. His interactions with other members of the Fallen are really impressive as well, and I think he had some of the best chapters in the book. Zabriel’s intriguing perspective is well matched by the other major point of view character, Baelor, a fellow Fallen who has chosen to continue following his former commander Seraphax, who he believes has a great plan to save the Imperium. To achieve this goal, Seraphax has taken to wielding dark magic and is working with the followers of Chaos, forming the deadly warband, The Ten Thousand Eyes. This forces Baelor to make a lot of compromises as he works to maintain his loyalty to Seraphax, even though they are doing terrible things. The return of the Lion really throws Baelor for a loop, and there is a great undercurrent of denial to him as he tries to process all the implications that this has for him. Brooks paints a brilliantly narrative of conflicted loyalty and duty around Baelor which worked wonderfully with all his chapters depicting the horrors of Chaos. The rest of the Fallen characters in The Lion are very well written, and while some of them didn’t get a lot of focus, I loved some of the distinctive personalities that emerged. It will be interesting to see how many of them are featured in the future, especially as there are still some secrets I wouldn’t mind knowing (who is The Red Whisper?), and I deeply appreciated how well Brooks featured them here.

To nobody’s great surprise, I checked out The Lion on audiobook, which is easily the best way to enjoy any good Warhammer novel. Naturally, The Lion was pretty damn epic in this form, and everything about the book is greatly enhanced by the narration, as the epic story, amazing characters, and intriguing additions to the Warhammer universe, all come to life when read out. I particularly enjoyed the voice work of Timothy Watson, who previously impressed me in last year’s Warhammer 40,000 audiobook, Krieg. Watson has a wonderfully booming and commanding voice that worked well with all the powerful Space Marine characters in The Lion. The narrators take on the confident and radiant tones of Lion El’Johnson was particularly awesome, and I really felt that he captured both the majesty of the character, as well as his deeper uncertainty and regret. The other Space Marine characters are also extremely well captured, and I liked the fun range of voices that emerged, especially as they all seemed to fit that respective character and convey the key parts of their identity to the listener. The villains are also cleverly narrated, and Watson goes out of his way to make them sound as inhuman as possible in places. Coming in with a run time of over 12 hours, The Lion has a decent length for a Warhammer audiobook, although Watson’s fantastic narration moves the story along at a swift pace, ensuring that the listener is constantly hooked on the plot. This entire production was just amazing, and I had an exceptional time listening to The Lion on audiobook, which is such an epic way to enjoy a Warhammer 40,000 novel.

Mike Brooks continues to rise through the ranks of Warhammer 40,000 authors with his outstanding new novel, The Lion: Son of the Forest. The impressive and captivating read brilliantly brings back one of the most significant characters in the Warhammer canon and places him in an intense and deeply powerful tale of betrayal, forgiveness and displacement. I had such an epic time with The Lion: Son of the Forest and this probably the best Warhammer book of 2023 so far. I cannot wait to see what happens to this iconic character in the future, nor can wait to get my next Mike Brooks novel. Highly recommended and required reading for all fans of Warhammer fiction.

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WWW Wednesday – 31 May 2023

On June 1, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a 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?

Witch King by Martha Wells (Ebook)

Witch King Cover

I started reading the epic new fantasy novel from Martha Wells this week, Witch King. Following a demon who awakens after being murdered to a bold new world, Witch King is a very interesting novel that I am having a great time reading. I have only gotten about 50 pages in so far, but I am deeply enjoying it’s complex narrative and I look forward to seeing how the entire thing turns out.

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Warhammer 40,000: The Lion: Son of the Forest by Mike Brooks

The Lion - Son of the Forest Cover

I decided to listen to the fantastic recent Warhammer 40,000 novel The Lion: Son of the Forest this week. Written by rising Warhammer author Mike Brooks, who previously impressed me with Huron Blackheart and Warboss, The Lion: Son of the Forest follows the return of the legendary founder of the Dark Angels Space Marines as he awakens in a changed universe. The return of this character is one of the more significant events of recent Warhammer 40,000 history and Brooks has produced an amazing story around this. I am loving the complex and emotionally rich story which is really highlighting Brooks’ fantastic writing ability as one of the rising stars of Warhammer fiction.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Battle Song by Ian Ross (Trade Paperback)

Battle Song Cover

I managed to finish reading the awesome historical adventure, Battle Song by Ian Ross. Following a young squire as he reluctantly follows his new amoral master to tourneys and war in 13th century Europe, Battle Song was a compelling and highly exciting novel, and one that I am hoping to review soon.

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Dead Beat by Jim Butcher (Audiobook)

Dead Beat Cover

Another epic and awesome entry in the Dresden Files series, Dead Beat was an exceptional read and I have already reviewed it for last week’s Throwback Thursday.

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The Malevolent Seven by Sebastien De Castell (Trade Paperback)

The Malevolent Seven Cover

I had a lot of fun powering through the wildly entertaining fantasy novel, The Malevolent Seven, this week. Following seven damaged and immoral magicians as they set off on a doomed assassination mission, The Malevolent Seven is a great book that was so much damn fun to read. Review to follow soon.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Falling Sky by Harry Sidebottom

Falling Sky Cover

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The Will of the Many by James Islington

The Will of the Many Cover

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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 – 24 May 2023

On May 24, 2023 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?

Battle Song by Ian Ross (Trade Paperback)

Battle Song Cover

I finally managed to start reading the awesome historical adventure, Battle Song by Ian Ross. Following a young squire as he reluctantly follows his new amoral master to tourneys and war in 13th century Europe, Battle Song is already proving to be an excellent and exciting novel and I cannot wait to see how its interesting story unfolds.

Amazon

Dead Beat by Jim Butcher (Audiobook)

Dead Beat Cover

I was in the mood for something I knew I could effortlessly fall into this week, so I decided to continue the awesome Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher with the seventh book, Dead Beat. Following Butcher’s entertaining wizard protagonist as he gets dragged into an elaborate battle for a powerful necromantic book, Dead Beat is an exceptional piece of urban fantasy fiction, and one that I have no doubt is getting a full five-star rating from me.

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What did you recently finish reading?

The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence (ebook)

The Book That Wouldn't Burn Cover

I finally managed to finish off the latest Mark Lawrence novel, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, and boy did it turn out to be something extremely special. Lawrence wrote an epic story, set around a massive and elaborate library, and I still cannot believe all the elaborate twists and turns it contained. Easily one of the best fantasy books of the year, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn comes very highly recommended and I am hoping to get a review up for it soon.

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Warhammer 40,000: Shadowsun: The Patient Hunter by Phil Kelly (Audiobook)

Warhammer 40,000 - Shadowsun Cover

I also managed to finish of the fun Warhammer 40,000 audiobook, Shadowsun: The Patient Hunter by Phil Kelly this week. Focusing on the intriguing T’au faction, Shadowsun is a pretty cool read that sees a legendary T’au commander face off against the forces of Nurgle. Action-packed, lore heavy, and somewhat gruesome in places, this was a fantastic novel that fans of the franchise can have some fun with.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Falling Sky by Harry Sidebottom

Falling Sky Cover

I hoping to quickly dive into the fun historical fiction novel, Falling Sky in the next week. Written by one of my favourite historical fiction authors, Falling Sky will follow a determined Roman general as he attempts to win a dangerous battle in the Alps while also countering treachery in his own camp. I have been meaning to read this book for a while and I know I am going to have a ton of fun with it.

Amazon

The Will of the Many by James Islington

The Will of the Many Cover

I’m hoping in the next week or so to really dive into the cool epic fantasy novel, The Will of the Many by James Islington. Set in a deadly magical school, The Will of the Many is a thrilling sounding novel filled with politics, mystery, and an intriguing magical system. I love the sound of The Will of the Many and it looks set to be one of the biggest fantasy releases of the year.

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Warhammer 40,000: The Lion: Son of the Forest by Mike Brooks

The Lion - Son of the Forest Cover

Before I get to The Will of the Many, I’m thinking I might quickly fit in another Warhammer 40,000 novel with The Lion: Son of the Forest. Written by rising Warhammer author Mike Brooks, who previously impressed me with Huron Blackheart and Warboss, The Lion: Son of the Forest, will follow the return of a legendary character from within the canon. This book will shadow one of the more significant events of recent Warhammer 40,000 history, and it will probably end up being a key read for any major Warhammer fan.

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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 – 3 May 2023

On May 3, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a 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?

The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman (Trade Paperback)

The Isles of the Gods Cover

I just started reading the intriguing and exciting young adult fantasy novel, The Isles of the Gods by Australian author Amie Kaufman. I have been a big fan of some of Kaufman’s previous works, including the Aurora Cycle series she wrote with Jay Kristoff (Aurora Rising, Aurora Burning and Aurora’s End), and I have been interested in this new book for a while. Set in a new fantasy world, The Isles of the Gods follows several different young protagonists as they attempt to stop two warring gods from awakening and bringing back their destructive wrath. I have made a bit of progress on this novel so far and I am really enjoying it’s great story and compelling style.

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The Last Kingdom by Steve Berry (Audiobook)

The Last Kingdom (Steve Berry) Cover

I have been having a lot of fun this week listening to the latest captivating thriller from veteran author Steve Berry, The Last Kingdom. Part of his long-running Cotton Malone series, The Last Kingdom sees the protagonist uncover another elaborate conspiracy from out of history, this time focusing on the kingdom of Bavaria and it’s complex past. I have had an amazing time with the Cotton Malone books in the past (check out my reviews for The Malta Exchange, The Warsaw Protocol and The Kaiser’s Web), and this latest novel is proving to be just as impressive. I am hoping to knock The Last Kingdom off in the next few days and I am looking forward to seeing how this entire elaborate narrative unwinds.

Amazon

What did you recently finish reading?

Fire With Fire by Candice Fox (Trade Paperback)

Fire With Fire Cover

I managed to finish off the excellent crime fiction novel, Fire With Fire, by Australian author Candice Fox this week and it ended up being an outstanding read. Focusing on the chaos that follows two desperate parents taking over a police forensic lab and holding all the evidence within hostage to finally get information about their missing daughter, Fire With Fire was an intense and amazing novel.

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Warhammer 40,000: Warboss by Mike Brooks (Audiobook)

Warhammer 40,000 - Warboss Cover

One of the more entertaining, comedic and addictive Warhammer 40,000 novels I have read for a while, Warboss is an outstanding novel and make sure to check out my review for it here.

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Echo Lake by Joan Sauers (Trade Paperback)

Echo Laker Cover

A fantastic and emotionally rich murder mystery novel set in my local area. I really loved Sauers descriptions of some of the local towns and it was very impressive how she wove her intriguing mystery narrative around this great setting.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence

The Book That Wouldn't Burn Cover

I am very keen to start reading the upcoming Mark Lawrence novel, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, in the immediate future. An epic and impressive sounding fantasy novel, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn will probably be one of the top releases of 2023 and I am very excited to get to grips on a brand new Mark Lawrence series.

Amazon

Battle Song by Ian Ross

Battle Song Cover

If I get a chance in the next week my plan is to start reading the awesome sounding historical adventure, Battle Song by Ian Ross. I have been in love with the plot of this cool novel since I first saw it and I really want to see what epic historical adventure Ross has come up with.

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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.

Warhammer 40,000: Warboss by Mike Brooks

On May 3, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer27 Comments

Warhammer 40,000 - Warboss Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 25 March 2023)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 8 hours and 48 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Prepare for the ultimate battle for control as several feuding ork bosses fight to become the new leader of the Waaagh! in this amazing and highly entertaining Warhammer 40,000 novel, Warboss by Mike Brooks.

2023 has been a big Warhammer 40,000 fiction year for me as I have been having an absolute blast reading all manner of cool novels from across the franchise (make sure to check out my recently released list about my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels). However, while I have read a ton of Warhammer books this year, I have not had the opportunity to read any 2023 Warhammer releases. Well, I am on my way to rectify that by looking at the recently released Warboss by awesome author Mike Brooks, who also wrote the 2022 novel Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom. Brooks did an outstanding job with this fantastic new book, and I had so much damn fun with Warboss and its highly entertaining and hilarious story.

In the far future of the 41^st millennium, there are few things are more destructive or unstoppable than an ork warband on a rampage. One of the most effective bands currently killing its way through the galaxy is that of Warboss Gazrot Goresnappa whose Waaagh! has conquered the once mighty human fortress world of Aranua. After several decisive and bloody victories, the Waaagh! celebrates in front of the planet’s remaining bastion, the massive Davidia Hive. All it will take is one final assault to totally defeat the humans on Aranua so Warboss Goresnappa can strip their resources and lead his boyz to bigger and better fights out in the stars.

However, before Goresnappa can achieve his great victory, an unfortunate accident sees him very, very dead under the giant decapitated head of a Gargant war machine. With their leader squashed, the Waaagh! now has an opening for Warboss, and several ambitious orks from across the no-longer united clans step forward to fight for the job. However, before the usual brawl for leadership can begin, a prophecy from the clan’s resident weirdboy, Old Morgrub, reveals that the ork gods have something very special in store for the Waaagh! and its next leader. A mysterious gate lies underneath the human city that could transport the Waaagh! to fights anywhere in the galaxy, and whichever boss finds it first will be the new Warboss.

Forced to obey the words of the gods, the bosses engage in their own elaborate plans to breach the Hive City and claim the gate. But which boss can triumph over the others? Will it be the brutal Goff Big Boss Mag Dedfist, the suicidally fast Speedboss of the Evil Sunz, Zagnob Thundaskuzz, the sneaky and cunning leader of the Blood Axes, Da Genrul, or could it even be the leader of the grot uprising, the self-proclaimed prophet of Gork and Mork, Snaggi Littetoof? All four believe that they are the only ones capable of leading the Waaagh! and they will fight tooth and nail to become Warboss. But to succeed they’ll need to not only overcome all their rivals but the human defenders of the Hive City and an Aeldari army waiting in the depths to defend their gate. May the best ork win!

Oh dear, oh dear, what a damn funny book. Honestly, any Warhammer 40,000 novel that focuses on the orks is bound to be comedy gold, but Warboss is one of the better ones I have had the pleasure of reading. Author Mike Brooks does a wonderful job of telling a tight and amazingly fun story that perfectly showcases the orks in all their green skinned glory. I had so much fun with this book and I managed to power through Warboss in very short order.

This proved to be a pretty fast-paced and impressive story, and it’s one that I was able to have a blast listening to as it unfolded. Primarily focusing on the various ork characters that are part of Waaagh! Goresnappa, Warboss starts off with a sudden game changer for the protagonists as the infamous Warboss Goresnappa is killed off in hilarious fashion thanks to a group of argumentative grots and the falling head of a massive war machine. This leads several of the remaining ork bosses throwing their hats into the ring to become the Warboss, and all hell follows as a result. Tasked with finding a hidden Aeldari gate under the human city, each of the ork bosses implements their own plans to get into the city first, whether that be through blowing down the walls, infiltrating from below, or driving around the city at high speeds, hoping for the best. Brooks breaks the story up around the main three contenders nicely, and you soon get a good idea of their different, but very orkish strategies. However, the story is made even more enjoyable thanks to some of the alternate perspectives that emerge. This includes the ambitious grot Snaggi Littletoof who, after accidently killing Warboss Goresnappa, attempts his own grot uprising and tries to find the gate to gain his cause legitimacy. Several human characters are also shown, often to add some interesting contrast to the orks, and it is fun to see their attempted counterattacks, which often leads to disaster. This makes for an excellent first two-thirds of the book and Brooks does a great job of showcasing both the protagonists and the ork nation as a whole while also setting up a very entertaining story.

Unsurprisingly, the orks make it into the city and everyone starts arriving at the gate at the same time, often in comedic or unexpected ways. This leads to a very fast-paced final third as everyone starts fighting everyone else to become Warboss, facing off against humans, Aeldari, and every rival faction of the Waaagh!. Brooks showcases this final big battle in some excellent ways, and you get really drawn into the crazy carnage that follows thanks to the well-written and exciting action scenes. The use of multiple perspectives was pretty useful here, and I liked how the author showed the same massive battle again and again, each time from the point of view of another character. This added more detail to the brawl each time, as well as some amusing alternate opinions of events from some very different characters. Brooks throws in some excellent twists and turns here and you are never quite certain who is going to come out on top in the battle for supremacy. The eventual fate of every major character is pretty fantastic and really fits the storylines that have been building up throughout the book. I personally came away from Warboss extremely satisfied and I loved all the cool developments and totally insane moments that occurred. Overall, this was a very impressive standalone Warhammer 40,000 narrative and it is very hard not come away loving this story thanks to the awesome humour and all the fantastic, over-the-top interactions that occurred.

All fans of Warhammer fiction know that ork focused novels are some of the funniest novels out there, due to the way that they focus on the over-the-top antics of this beloved faction. Some good examples of previous Warhammer books that strongly featured orks include Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! by Nate Crowley (one of my favourite books of 2022) and Catachan Devil by Justin Woolley, and I think that Warboss is up there with these fantastic reads. This outstanding book really dove into the humour as you watched the crude and eternally underestimated orks battle it out amongst each other and the other factions, often coming up with insane and funny solutions to all the deadly problems they encounter. There honestly wasn’t a single chapter where I wasn’t laughing at some of the crazy stuff that just occurred, and Brooks had a real talent for writing from the ork perspective. There was some great consistency in the way that the ork characters acted and thought throughout Warboss and every chapter focussed on them saw the characters using similar lingo, slang and descriptions of the other races in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. As such, you get a great appreciation for the ork mindset and it was great to see the ork perspective on all the book’s over-the-top moments.

One of the things that I felt set Warboss aside from some other Warhammer 40,000 novels featuring orks is that Brooks didn’t fall into the trap of portraying them simply as funny simpletons. Instead, Brooks shows that the orks are quite smart and complex in their way, it just that their culture, in comparison to humans or Aeldari, has more of a focus on violence and straightforwardness than the other races in the galaxy. This is backed up by scene after scene of the orks utilising their skills, technology and cunning to win various encounters against seemingly smarter or more organised opponents, and it is always quite fun to see the orks looking down on their opponents for making mistakes that they wouldn’t do. While this love of extreme violence is mostly played for fun, Brook’s also tries to show the darker side of it, as the orks are pretty damn brutal in how they deal with the humans and Aeldari they encountered. I loved the great contrast between the ork and human characters that Brooks added into Warboss, as the humans were always so arrogant and condescending towards the orks’ intelligence, even when they were beating them. This complete lack of understanding by most of the human characters really enhanced the various ork chapters, especially those that showed the orks managing to understand and outthink their human opponents, and I really appreciated this fantastic deeper dive into ork mindset and society. I did think that Brooks might have made the orks slightly too overpowered in Warboss, as they manage to take on quite a few major enemies with relative ease, but this always added some fun to the story and it was interesting to see the full potential of the orks.

This deep dive into the orks is further cemented thanks to the several outstanding character arcs that Brooks set up throughout Warboss, particularly around the four main characters fighting for control of the Waaagh! in their own way. The three ork characters Mag Dedfist, Zagnob Thundaskuzz and Genrul Uzbrag (Da Genrul), are in some ways quite similar, in that they have several similar racial tendencies towards violence or leadership. However, each of them represents a different clan, and so they have different battle tendencies which really helps to highlight the different factions within ork society. Mag Dedfist is a Goff, and so he relies more on classic violence and explosions to achieve his goals in the most direct ways possible. Zagnob is an Evil Sun boss who has dedicated himself to the Kult of Speed and believes in riding the fastest vehicle he can find right towards the enemy. The most entertaining of these is probably Da Genrul, a member of the Blood Axe clan who admire human martial ability and utilise their own take on tactics, discipline and stealth to achieve their goals, often outsmarting the humans they are aping.

I was also a big fan of the character of Snaggi Littletoof, a grot with ideas of grandeur who attempts to start a grot uprising against their cruel ork masters. The grots (also known as gretchins, essentially goblins from classic fantasy), smaller cousins of the orks who are used as slave labour and cannon fodder, aren’t particularly well featured in most Warhammer 40,000 fiction, so I had fun with a whole character arc around them in Warboss. Snaggi and his band of rebellious grots (Da GrotWaaagh!), are a very entertaining inclusion, and I liked the revolutionary storyline that Brooks set around them that provided both humour and an interesting look at typical grot life. It was so much fun to see Snaggi inspiring his followers to go against their nature and rebel, especially as the orks had no idea what they heck they were doing. Thanks to Brook’s use of Mag, Zagnob, Da Genrul and Snaggi, you get a great understanding of each of their specific faction and the author did a particularly good job of featuring each of them equally. Indeed, thanks to the appearance of several different ork characters in a supporting role, you get a pretty good idea of nearly every major ork clan, faction and designation, and even those readers completely unfamiliar with orks can come away from this book knowing most of the key things you need to know about them.

These ork and grot protagonists are well backed up by several entertainingly arrogant human characters who honestly make the orks seem reasonable and likeable in comparison. The best is easily Captain Armenisu Varrow, who is held prisoner by Da Genrul as his pet and tactical advisor. Varrow goes through so much hell in this book, but is so deliciously haughty while he does so that you really can’t feel sorry for him. Despite his ironclad belief in his own intelligence, Varrow is outsmarted time and time again, and it is just great to see him cower his way through events while still thinking he is the smart one. His story arc is very entertaining and I loved how very dark it gets, especially at the end. The rest of the humans are also great in their own ways, even if they are only featured for a short amount of time, and their ongoing false remarks about the abilities of the orks in the face of the carnage they are laying down always made me chuckle. An overall great group of characters who help to turn this amazing story into something truly special.

I checked out Warboss on audiobook, which honestly is becoming my go-to format for all things Warhammer. This proved to be another excellent decision as the Warboss audiobook was a ball of absolute fun that I had a brilliant time listening to. Coming in with a runtime of under nine hours, this is a pretty easy audiobook to power through quickly and I managed it in a few, hilarious sessions. The outstanding, comedy laden story really works well in the audiobook format and so many of the great jokes come across that much better when you listen to them. It definitely helped that they brought in established Warhammer narrator Harry Myers to voice this book as he did a spectacular job here. I have deeply enjoyed Myers in several recent Warhammer audiobooks, including The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley (one of my favourite audiobooks of 2022) and Day of Ascension by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and he has another amazing performance in Warboss. His voice is just perfect for all the alien characters featured within this novel, and the various gruff tones of the orks and high-pitched squeals of the grots are very spot on. In addition, several of the human characters are shown in all their arrogant finery throughout the audiobook and you really appreciate just how stupid they are through this medium. Each character is expertly showcased to the reader through Myers’ voice, and I loved every line he read out as a result. I also deeply enjoyed how well his narration worked to convey all the fantastic jokes loaded throughout the production, including that hilarious bit involving the ork characters failing to know the chapter numbers. This was a such a great audiobook to listen to and I cannot recommend this format enough for Warboss as you are guaranteed to have an exceptional time listening to it.

Mike Brooks continues to impress me as an outstanding author of Warhammer fiction with his amazing novel Warboss. A comedy heavy novel that perfectly showcases the always fun orks, Warboss is pure entertainment from start to finish that both established fans of the franchise and new readers can easily enjoy. Brooks has a clear appreciation for this faction which really shines through in his storytelling, and I loved his great take on everything orkish. One of the funniest and enjoyable releases of 2023 so far, this is essential reading for all interest in hilarious Warhammer fiction, and I am very glad I checked it out.

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Quick Review – Warhammer 40,000: Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom by Mike Brooks

On April 27, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Quick Review, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer11 Comments

Huron Blackheart Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 7 May 2022)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 6 hours and 23 minutes

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

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I am really in love with the Warhammer 40,000 universe at the moment as they are producing some incredible books. While many feature huge casts or examine vast conflicts, some of the very best Warhammer 40,000 novels provide greater context and insight into the game’s legendary characters. These major character driven novels often result in some intriguing and powerful reads, and I love the complex stories that they tell. One of the more interesting ones recently was the epic Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom by rising Warhammer 40,000 fiction author Mike Brooks. This was a great and exciting read from last year, which I unfortunately never got the chance to properly review. However, as I have just started listening to one of Brooks’s more recent novels, Warboss, I thought it would be beneficial to do a quick review of Huron Blackheart.

Plot Synopsis:

Huron Blackheart is the lord of the Red Corsairs, master of the lawless Maelstrom and its piratical denizens – but oathbreakers and renegades can seldom rely on the loyalty of their followers. With the galaxy thrown into turmoil by the return of Roboute Guilliman, the former Tyrant of Badab faces a renewed Imperium and fresh challengers emerging within his own ranks.

Huron must call on every trick he knows to stay in control – and alive. Yet even a warrior as ferocious and opportunistic as the Blood Reaver must be wary, for although there are many bargains he can strike, all power comes at a price…

Brooks has produced a very awesome and enjoyable read with Huron Blackheart which drags you in with its intense and entertaining story. As the name suggests, the book primarily focuses on one of the more interesting characters from the wider Warhammer 40,000 canon, Huron Blackheart. Huron Blackheart is a particularly cool character with a well-established background as a former loyal space marine who turned traitor and become a notorious pirate lord, haunting vast swathes of the Imperium. Rather than diving into the full history of the character, Brooks instead tells a more contemporary narrative that shows the current actions of Huron Blackheart in the aftermath of the return of Roboute Guilliman.

The story sees Huron planning his next great offensive against the hated Imperium when one of his subordinates suddenly becomes a threat when he arrives with a mighty war prize, a legendary Ultramarines battle cruiser and Roboute Guilliman’s personal flagship, which the canny underling had managed to capture. Now faced with a potential rival, Huron is further blindsided when several of his underlings ensure that a powerful daemonic relic falls out of his hands, further weakening his hold on his minions. Forced into a corner, Huron soon finds himself caught between his murderous minions and the dark powers that surround him, and he’ll need to make a deadly decision that could change his existence and the remnants of his soul forever.

This is a pretty enjoyable and compelling overall narrative, and it is always quite a lot of fun to see events unfold from a villain’s perspective. The author did a good job of balancing out some of the elements of the story, and the reader is treated to a great mix of Chaos politics, intense action, and a focus on the always awesome figure of Huron Blackheart. Brooks makes good use of a multi-character perspective throughout Huron Blackheart, which is mostly effective in telling the fun and enjoyable narrative. The main one of course is from Huron itself, which gives you some very interesting views into his mind, but several other characters are also well featured, including a captured Tech Priest who is forcibly recruited into Huron’s ranks at the start of the novel. She provides a great outsider perspective to the entire story, and, when combined with Huron’s own cynical observances, you get a great view of the book’s events, especially all the backstabbing, politicking and carnage that emerges. Not every character is given this great treatment however, as several of the supporting cast end up being a bit one-dimensional in places, which make their subsequent perspective shots a bit hard to care about. Still, Brooks’s great use of perspective does capture the novel’s slightly darker and more bloody tone that some of the other Warhammer 40,000 novels out there as Brooks attempts to capture the villainous edge to every character. I particularly enjoyed several of the scenes that showed the entire elaborate nature of Huron’s corsair organisation, and it was a lot of fun to see all the different factions, as well as several different groups of Chaos Space Marines, working together for piratical purposes. I did think that the story itself was a little basic in places, especially when it came to its direction, and several of the twists or reveals were well telegraphed. Still, I was pretty entertained the entire way through Huron Blackheart, and readers are guaranteed a pretty good time with the story.

Naturally for a book titled Huron Blackheart, a lot of the story is built around the exploration of who Huron is and what role he fills in the galaxy. I must admit that this was one of those established Warhammer characters that I wasn’t particularly familiar with, so I was quite keen to see how the author would feature them. Unsurprisingly, Brooks does a good job of setting Huron up as a particularly intense and ghastly central character for the novel, and you soon get a good idea of his motivations and the rage burning within him. While Brooks was a little light on Huron’s full character history, readers fully understand his hatred, as well as other intriguing aspects of his character, such as his pragmatism, his deep-seated rage, and an actual understanding of the powers he has bound himself to. I loved seeing the world through Huron’s eyes in parts of the book, especially as you see all his canny and cynical insights into the motivations of his minions and the key players of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Watching Huron attempt to manipulate every situation to his advantage is a ton of fun, and he cuts quite a distinctive figure in this book, even when on the losing end of a potential scheme. Despite some of the setbacks he suffers in this novel, Huron comes away as a particularly strong and intelligent character, and it was fun to follow a Chaos leader that can control so many naturally treacherous beings. Brooks also does a good job of tying Huron’s story into the wider current canon of the Warhammer 40,000 universe and it was fascinating to see what role Huron envisions his raiders having in the current wars of the galaxy. There are some great references to other recent books and events, particularly when it comes the events around the captured Ultramarines ships, and I felt that this entire novel slid in nicely into this wider canon.

I ended up listening to Huron Blackheart on audiobook, which is always my preferred medium for Warhammer stories. The Huron Blackheart audiobook ended up being a pretty awesome listen, especially with the impressive narration of Andrew Wincott. Wincott captured every dark and bloody setting perfectly with his narration, and you got a real sense of the scale and menace of every scene, especially those focused on Huron himself. Wincott made sure to also feature some great voices which really showed the full range of crazed figures that made up the supporting cast. However, the best voice work was saved for Huron Blackheart himself, as Wincott wanted to inject some intensity into him. Wincott gives him a deep, loud, and croaky voice, that perfectly captures his inhuman nature and helps readers to envision his mutilated flesh. As such, the Huron Blackheart audiobook is an outstanding way to the enjoy the story, and with a run time of just under six and a half hours, it is one that you can power through pretty quickly.

Overall, Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom was a great Warhammer 40,000 book and I am glad that I got the chance to listen to it last year. Mike Brooks had a lot of fun bringing the intriguing central protagonist to life in this new book, and his subsequent story of treachery and survival was interesting and easy to get through. This was a particularly solid entry in the Warhammer canon, and all established fans of the franchise will have an excellent time with Huron Blackheart, especially in its audiobook format.

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WWW Wednesday – 26 April 2023

On April 26, 2023 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?

Fire With Fire by Candice Fox (Trade Paperback)

I just started reading the cool crime fiction novel, Fire With Fire, by Australian author Candice Fox today and it is off to a pretty good start. Fox is a pretty impressive author and I have had a great time with some of her recent releases. Her new book sees two desperate parents take over a police forensic lab and hold all the evidence within hostage to finally get information about their missing daughter. While I haven’t made too much progress with this book yet, I am loving the cool scenario and I think that Fire With Fire has a lot of awesome potential.

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Warhammer 40,000: Warboss by Mike Brooks

I am still in a mega Warhammer 40,000 mood so I thought I would try and get through some recent releases from the franchise, and the one that stood out to me the most was Warboss by Mike Brooks. This fantastic novel follows several Ork characters as they duke it out to become Warboss of their massive warband after the unfortunate death of their previous leader. I have made a great deal of progress into Warboss so far and it is proving to be one of the funniest and more entertaining books I have enjoyed all year, especially on the audiobook format. I will hopefully finish this off in the next couple of days, but I can already tell that Warboss is a particularly great addition to the amazing Warhammer canon.

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What did you recently finish reading?

The Tyrant Skies by David Annandale (eBook)

I managed to finish off the awesome tie-in book The Tyrant Skies by David Annandale which I received on Netgalley. Featuring a cool story about Doctor Doom taking on the Red Skull, The Tyrant Skies was a ton of fun and I loved getting through it.

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Warhammer 40,000: Honour Guard by Dan Abnett (Audiobook)

I managed to read more of Dan Abnett’s Gaunt’s Ghosts series this week, as I finished of the fourth book Honour Guard. This was an amazing addition to the series with a good focus on characters and I really powered through it. Make sure to check out my review for it in last week’s Throwback Thursday.

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Warhammer 40,000: The Guns of Tanith by Dan Abnett (Audiobook)

After having fun with Honour Guard I also quickly listened to the fifth Gaunt’s Ghosts book, The Guns of Tanith, which was just as awesome as the previous novels from Abnett. Featuring an intense and captivating narrative that really dove into the heart of the regiment, The Guns of Tanith was a brilliant read and I am planning to get a review for it up tomorrow night.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Star Wars: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs

I’ve had to delay reading Battle Scars a couple of times over this last few weeks, but I’m still hoping to read this cool Star Wars books soon, especially as we are so close to the new Star Wars Jedi game coming out. I am very curious to see how Sam Maggs captures the feel of both the game and the extended Star Wars universe and this sounds like it will be a fun and interesting read.

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Echo Lake by Joan Sauers

I am also planning to dive into the awesome Australian crime fiction novel, Echo Lake, in the next week or so. Featuring an intriguing murder mystery in an iconic Australian setting, Echo Lake sounds pretty great and I always enjoy seeing crime fiction set close to where I live.

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The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence

I am also very keen to start reading the upcoming Mark Lawrence novel, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, in the immediate future. An epic and impressive sounding fantasy novel, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn will probably be one of the top releases of 2023 and I am very excited to get to grips on a brand new Mark Lawrence series.

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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 – 6 July 2022

On July 6, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday3 Comments

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?

Black River by Matthew Spencer (Trade Paperback)

Black River Cover

I’ve been in a bit of an Australian crime fiction mood recently so I just started reading the cool new Australian murder mystery novel, Black River. The debut book from author Matthew Spencer, Black River follows the intense investigation into a series of murders in Sydney. A powerful and dark read, I am pretty hooked on the compelling mystery at the moment and should hopefully finish this off soon.

Kagen the Damned by Jonathan Maberry (Audiobook)

Kagen the Damned Cover

I finally managed to start listening to the latest book from one of my favourite authors, Jonathan Maberry. Taking a break from his usual horror and science fiction thriller novels, Maberry has dived into the epic fantasy genre in a big way with Kagen the Damned. Following a despair riddled hero, the titular Kagen, as he attempts to get revenge for the dead royal family he served, this is an extremely dark novel, with a ton of brutal action and over-the-top violence in it. I am already a few hours in and I am enjoying seeing the author’s transition to a new genre, as well as the compelling narrative Kagen the Damned contains. I am extremely curious to see where the rest of the story goes, and this will probably end up being one of the best books I read all year.

What did you recently finish reading?

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (Trade Paperback)

Wrong Place Wrong Time Cover

Warhammer 40,000: Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom by Mike Brooks

Huron Blackheart Cover

Armored by Mark Greaney (Trade Paperback)

Armored Cover (2)

Wake by Shelley Burr (Trade Paperback)

Wake Cover

What do you think you’ll read next?

Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor

Dirt Town Cover

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 – 29 June 2022

On June 29, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday2 Comments

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?

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (Trade Paperback)

Wrong Place Wrong Time Cover

I didn’t have a lot of time to read Wrong Place Wrong Time during this last week, although I did make a bit of progress earlier today. This time-travel orientated thriller is very good though, and I am getting really caught up in its intriguing mystery. I will hopefully knock this book off in the next day or so and I can’t wait to see how the entire complex story comes together.

Warhammer 40,000: Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom by Mike Brooks

Huron Blackheart Cover

I’ve been in a major Warhammer mood lately and I ended up listening to three awesome Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks in a row. In my defense, the first two were extremely good, and I figured I’d go for the hat-trick and try to find a third outstanding Warhammer read. My choice ended up being the recently released Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom by Mike Brooks, which follows the marauding pirate Chaos Space Marine, Huron Blackheart, as he struggles to retain control of his damned realm. I have already made a bit of progress with this audiobook and it is turning into a rather interesting book. Hopefully this will slake my need for Warhammer fiction for a little while, although there are several other great Warhammer books currently sitting near the top of my to-read pile.