Book Haul – 11 March 2025

I’ve had an excellent couple of weeks for books, as I was lucky enough to receive several incredible and amazing new novels from local publishers and Netgalley.  These novels include some truly awesome new releases, including books that have the potential to be some of my top reads of the year.  I cannot wait to dive into them, and I so excited to see how they all turn out.

A Death In Berlin by Simon Scarrow

Let’s start this Book Haul post on a high with the new Simon Scarrow book, A Death in Berlin.  The latest entry in Scarrow’s Berlin Wartime Thriller series (Blackout and Dead of Night), A Death in Berlin will once again follow the series’ detective protagonist as he tries to investigate crimes in Berlin against the wishes of the Nazi leadership.

Amazon

 

Pacific Heights by S. R. White

Next, we have the very cool Australian murder mystery, Pacific Heights by S. R. White.  An intriguing new book from White, Pacific Heights will see new police protagonists attempt to investigate a murder using the conflicting testimony of five differing witnesses.  I look forward to unravelling this complex tale and it should be an exceptional read.

Amazon

 

Usagi Yojimbo: Volume 40: The Crow by Stan Sakai

I was very happy to get the latest volume of my favourite comic book series with Usagi Yojimbo: The Crow by Stan Sakai.  An outstanding addition to an epic series, I have already reviewed The Crow here, and it comes highly recommended.

Amazon

 

Vanish by Shelley Burr

One of Australia’s fastest rising murder mystery, Shelley Burr, returns with her third book, Vanish.  Following on from her previous novels, Wake and Ripper, Vanish will see the series’ troubled protagonist journey to another remote Australian town to investigate a historical murder, only to encounter a dangerous cult. I have really enjoyed Burr’s first two books, and I cannot wait to see how Vanish turns out.

Amazon

 

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

I was extremely happy to receive a copy of the new John Scalzi book, When the Moon Hits Your Eye. A fun sounding science fiction comedy that will examine what happens to the world when the moon suddenly turning to cheese, When the Moon Hits Your Eye sounds so damn awesome, and I cannot wait to read it.

Amazon

 

Overgrowth by Mira Grant

One of the more intriguing novels I recently received was the intriguing science fiction book, Overgrowth by Mira Grant. A unique take on the alien invasion story, Overgrowth sounds extremely cool and I look forward to getting through it.

Amazon

 

The Other People by C. B. Everett

The final book I have recently received is The Other People by C. B. Everett.  An excellent sounding murder mystery, The Other People will follow ten strangers who wake up in a mysterious house and are forced to solve a missing person’s case while a killer stalks them. This sounds like an amazing concept, and I am intrigued to see how it turned out.

Amazon

 

 

Well, that’s the end of this latest Book Haul post.  As you can see I have quite a bit of reading to do at the moment thanks to all these awesome books that have come in.  Let me know which of the above you are most interested in and make sure to check back in a few weeks to see my reviews of them.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Horror Novels (Halloween 2024)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  In this latest edition of Top Ten Tuesday, readers get a Halloween Freebie, meaning that they can list whatever topic they want, although a horror or Halloween them is encouraged.  So, with that in mind, I thought I would take this opportunity to update some previous lists where I highlighted my favourite horror novels.

Back in 2020 for Halloween, I came up with a list where I looked at my top ten favourite horror novels.  While horror is not my absolute favourite genre, I ended up producing a rather interesting list with some unique entries that I was very happy with.  I must admit that many of my entries are hybrid books which combine horror elements with other genres I prefer to read, however, I think they make for good Halloween fare.  This list got a bit of interest, and I decided I would make a bit of effort to come back to update this list every Halloween, especially if I had some new horror novels to add to it.  I produced some interesting updates to this list in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and I have once again decided to come back to it again this year, especially as I have had the opportunity to check out some excellent and intense horror reads.

To sort out this update, I took a critical look at the previous version of the list and made some hard decisions about whether any of the horror novels I read in the last year might fit in better.  I ended up making a few changes and while I was sad to see some of the previously featured novels removed, I honestly felt that the new entries are better overall horror novels.  This resulted in a fun new version of this list, and I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

Honourable Mentions:

You Like it Darker by Stephen King

The master of horror, Stephen King, is going to appear a few times on this list, primarily because I’ve been having an epic time reading more of his stuff lately.  One of the first books on this list is the recent short story collection, You Like it Darker, which gets an honourable mention here.  Featuring a range of compelling and powerful stories, including some very memorable dark reads and even a sequel to the classic novel Cujo, You Like it Darker is an amazing horror book for all fans of Stephen King.

Amazon

 

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman

While more of a fantasy/superhero story than a pure horror comic, The Sandman did have some amazing horror sequences in it, including the infamous diner scene.  These horror elements are greatly enhanced in the full-cast audiobook and you will end up cringing away from how dark this gothic comic gets.  I also must highlight the Act II and Act III audiobooks that were released in subsequent years, especially as they also featured great stories and terrifying scenes.

Amazon

 

Warhammer 40,000: The Bookkeeper’s Skull by Justin D. Hill

Fans of this blog will know I’m a big thing of all things Warhammer, and that includes the intriguing Warhammer Horror range.  I’ve only read a couple of these so far, but my favourite is The Bookkeeper’s Skull by Justin D. Hill.  A haunting and brilliant tale that makes full use of the grim Warhammer 40,000 setting, The Bookkeeper’s Skull was an amazing read, and I look forward to exploring more Warhammer Horror books in the future.

Amazon

 

Ink by Jonathan Maberry

I had to feature one of Maberry’s best pure horror reads, Ink in the honourable mentions. While most of the other Maberry novels with horror elements focus either on zombies or Lovecraftian monsters, Ink features a particularly horrendous tale of a depraved being who steals a person’s tattoos and the precious memories associated with them.  Set in one of Maberry’s most iconic settings, Ink had a very disturbing narrative, and I deeply appreciated this unique book.

Amazon

Top Ten List (unranked):

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

I think it says a lot about my horror choices that the first book on my list is about killer mermaids.  Into the Drowning Deep is exceptional book that actually turns a mermaid attack into a pretty terrifying experience.  Grant did an amazing job of this book and Into the Drowning Deep comes very highly recommended.

Amazon

 

Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry

Patient Zero Cover

I had a ton of awesome Jonathan Maberry novels that I could have featured on this list, but the obvious choice was the fantastically dark thriller Patient Zero.  An epic book that features an elite counterterrorist unit as they attempt to stop terrorists spreading a deadly zombie virus across America, Patient Zero was the first book in a brilliant science fiction thriller series, all of which have a great horror edge to them.  I have a lot of love for the thriller aspects of Patient Zero, however, the highlights of this book are the gruesome and terrifying zombie sequences, which sees the protagonists get overwhelmed by hordes of the infected.  This results in some truly impressive horror scenes, and I had to include this book on my list as a result.

Amazon

 

Holly by Stephen King

Holly Cover

One of my favourite books from horror icon Stephen King, Holly, is primarily a thriller that sees the titular protagonist investigate a missing persons case.  However, there are some devastatingly insidious and horrifying elements loaded into the story, especially with how exceptionally evil the excellent antagonists were.  I found myself shuddering multiple times throughout the course of Holly and if that doesn’t make it a horror book, I don’t know what will.  This was easily one of the best books and audiobooks of 2023, and I had to feature it on this list as a result.

Amazon

 

The Dark by Jeremy Robinson

I had to add this brilliant and compelling horror/science fiction read onto this list.  The Dark is one of the best novels I have so far read from author Jeremy Robinson that focuses on an apparent demonic invasion of Earth.  Filled with gore, monsters and body mutations, The Dark gets pretty gruesome and scary in places, which blends perfectly with the intense action and Robinson’s quirky humour.  An outstanding read, this fantastic horror novel comes highly recommended and was one of my top novels and audiobooks of 2021.

Amazon

 

The Gathering by C. J. Tudor

One of the newer entries on this list is the impressive and memorable novel The Gathering by C. J. Tudor.  A complex murder mystery set in a remote Alaskan town, The Gathering follows a vampyr expert as they attempt to determine whether a teenage was killed by members of the local vampyr colony, or other outside forces.  Cleverly introducing a vampire focused alternate history and using it as a basis for a tense and fascinating mystery, The Gathering was an exceptional read that perfectly utilised its horror elements to enhance the entire thrilling narrative.

Amazon

 

The Anomaly by Michael Rutger

The Anomaly is an excellent horror novel from 2018 which follows an unfortunate film crew after they get trapped in a series of ancient caves and are forced to face the terrible horrors waiting for them inside.  There are a lot of amazing elements to this book, but I personally appreciated the intense and claustrophobic atmosphere that Rutger was able to produce, especially as most of the novel takes place in the dark.  Highly recommended, especially in its audiobook format that deeply enhances the claustrophobic nature of the story.

Amazon

 

World War Z by Max Brooks

One of the more unique zombie books out there, World War Z recounts the history a devastating, world-wide zombie apocalypse and the various people it impacts.  Told through a brilliant chronicle method where multiple interesting characters recount their distinctive personal stories, you get an impressive, multifaceted narrative that covers the beginning, middle and end of the zombie wars.  Epic in its scope and filled with some great stories and characters, it honestly does not take long to get extremely addicted to World War Z, especially on audiobook which features an extremely stacked cast.  While the focus is more on exploring the impacts a zombie apocalypse would have on the world, World War Z does have some pretty creepy moment.  The darker tales of underwater zombies, massacres of modern armies, and the mental turmoil suffered by zombie survivors, are excellent horror material that makes this an easy book to include here.  An epic and outstanding book that lived up to all the hype surrounding it.

Amazon

 

Star Wars: Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber

I am a big fan of Star Wars fiction, but I had never been scared while reading a Star Wars novel until I came across Death Troopers.  Death Troopers is part of the Star Wars Legends canon and features an Imperial prison ship, which of course contains Han and Chewie, encountering an abandoned Star Destroyer filled with a zombified crew.  Watching a bunch of Star Wars characters attempt to escape from zombies is really cool, and Schreiber comes up with a number of gruesome scenes that will definitely stick in your mind.  Also, if you really want to get a fright out of this book, make sure to check out the audiobook version of Death Troopers, as the various sound effects they include are extremely disturbing.

Amazon

 

Devolution by Max Brooks

In addition to World War Z, Max Brooks also gets featured on this list for the brilliant novel Devolution.  Expertly making use of a whole new horror monster when he explores the fate of an isolated community who are attacked by a tribe of sasquatches, Brooks really turns these creatures into a frightening and deadly force of nature, and readers are in for an exciting and well-written tale of survival and brutality.

Amazon

 

The Outsider by Stephen King

The final book I want to highlight is the incredible Stephen King book, The Outsider.  An extremely tense and disturbing thriller, The Outsider features a captivating narrative that sees local town hero charged with the gruesome murder of a child, with ironclad evidence indicating that he did it.  However, the suspect continues to plead his innocence and has an impossibly perfect alibi for the time of the murder.  While primarily a thriller, there is some brilliant initial personal horror as you witness a potentially innocent man and town hero so thoroughly painted as a monster before your eyes.  King pivots to more supernatural horror elements as the book progresses, which fits perfectly with the dark narrative already ongoing, and the result is an exceptional book that proves deeply disturbing on multiple levels.  An incredible read and a worthy final entry on this list.

Amazon

 

That’s the end of this latest Top Ten Tuesday list.  I think that the new horror novels were great additions to the list, and I think this new version of the list turned out really well.  Each of the above novels, both new inclusions and existing ones, are outstanding reads that come highly recommended to all horror fans.  I look forward to seeing how this list evolves once again this time next year, especially as I am sure some amazing and spinetingling horror books are likely to come out in the next 12 months.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Horror Novels (Halloween 2023)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  In this latest edition of Top Ten Tuesday, readers get a Halloween Freebie, meaning that they can list whatever topic they want, although a horror or Halloween theme is encouraged.  So, with that in mind, I thought I would take this opportunity to update some previous lists where I highlighted my favourite horror novels of all time.

Back in 2020 for Halloween, I came up with a list where I looked at my top ten favourite horror novels.  While horror is not my favourite genre, I ended up producing a rather interesting list with some unique entries that I was pretty happy with.  I must admit that many of my entries are hybrid books which combine horror elements with other genres I prefer to read, however, I think they make for good Halloween fare.  This list got a bit of interest, and I decided I would make a bit of effort to come back to update this list every Halloween, especially if I had some new horror novels to add to it.  I did a good update to it in 2021 and 2022 with several awesome novels, and I have decided to come back to it again in 2023, especially as I have had the opportunity to check out some excellent and intense horror reads.

To sort out this update, I took a critical look at the previous version of the list and made some hard decisions about whether any of the horror novels I read in the last year might fit in better.  I ended up making a few changes and while I was sad to see some of the previously featured novels removed, I honestly felt that the new entries are better overall horror novels.  This resulted in a fun new version of this list, and I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

Honourable Mentions:

Later by Stephen King

Later Cover

An excellent read from one horror mastermind Stephen King.  While primarily a character-driven story about a complicated youth’s life, Later gets pretty scary in places especially once the protagonist encounters true evil.  A deeply compelling read with some interesting connections to one of King’s most iconic horror novels, this is an excellent and unique book that is worth reading.

Amazon

 

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman

Sandman Act 1 Cover

While more of a fantasy/superhero story than a pure horror comic, The Sandman did have some amazing horror sequences in it, including the infamous diner scene.  These horror elements are greatly enhanced in the full-cast audiobook and you will end up cringing away from how dark this gothic comic gets. 

Amazon

 

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

How to Sell a Haunted House Cover

One of horrors most compelling current authors, Grady Hendrix, came up with a brilliant book earlier this year that really showcased his appreciated for the horror genre.  A fantastic and spooky examination of haunted house stories, How to Sell a Haunted House was gripping and creepy from the get-go and I loved it, even if I will never look at puppets the same way again.

Amazon

 

Warhammer 40,000: Sepulturum by Nick Kyme

Warhammer 40,000 Sepulturum Cover

The epic Warhammer 40,000 universe features a range of intense and dark horror novels and one of my favourites is the compelling novel Sepulturum by Nick Kyme.  A terrifying read set in a grim city overrun by strange zombies, Sepulturum is a gripping read that showcases just how dark Warhammer fiction can get.

Amazon

Top Ten List (unranked):

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Into the Drowning Deep Cover

I think it says a lot about my horror choices that the first book on my list is about killer mermaids.  Into the Drowning Deep is exceptional book that actually turns a mermaid attack into a pretty terrifying experience.  Grant did an amazing job of this book and Into the Drowning Deep comes very highly recommended.

Amazon

 

Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry

Patient Zero Cover

The first of two Jonathan Maberry novels I featured on this list, Patient Zero is an awesome book that features an elite counterterrorist unit as they attempt to stop terrorists spreading a deadly zombie virus across America.  I have a lot of love for the thriller aspects of Patient Zero, however, the highlights of this book are the gruesome and terrifying zombie sequences, which sees the protagonists get overwhelmed by hordes of the infected.  This results in some truly impressive horror scenes, and I had to include this book on my list as a result.

Amazon

 

The Dark by Jeremy Robinson

The Dark Cover

I had to add this brilliant and compelling horror/science fiction read onto this list.  The Dark is one of the best novels I have so far read from author Jeremy Robinson that focuses on an apparent demonic invasion of Earth.  Filled with gore, monsters and body mutations, The Dark gets pretty gruesome and scary in places, which blends perfectly with the intense action and Robinson’s quirky humour.  An outstanding read, this fantastic horror novel comes highly recommended and was one of my top novels and audiobooks of 2021.

Amazon

 

Warhammer 40,000: The Bookkeeper’s Skull by Justin D. Hill

The Bookkeeper's Skull Cover

Another intriguing Warhammer Horror novel, The Bookkeeper’s Skull is a haunting and brilliant tale that makes full use of the grim Warhammer 40,000 setting.  The book follows a planetary enforcer as he investigates a mysterious and cursed agricultural community plagued by a series of gruesome murders.  Hill creates a spooky and malevolent atmosphere, and you are constantly left wondering who is going to end up dead next.  Tightly paced and featuring some gritty depictions of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, The Bookkeeper’s Skull was an amazing read and I look forward to exploring more Warhammer Horror books in the future.

Amazon

 

The Anomaly by Michael Rutger

The Anomaly Cover

The Anomaly is an excellent horror novel from 2018 which follows an unfortunate film crew after they get trapped in a series of ancient caves and are forced to face the terrible horrors waiting for them inside.  There are a lot of amazing elements to this book, but I personally appreciated the intense and claustrophobic atmosphere that Rutger was able to produce, especially as most of the novel takes place in the dark.

Amazon

 

Holly by Stephen King

Holly Cover

The latest book from Stephen King, Holly is primarily a thriller that sees the titular protagonist investigate a missing persons case.  However, there are some devastatingly insidious and horrifying elements loaded into the story, especially with how exceptionally evil the excellent antagonists were.  I found myself shuddering multiple times throughout the course of Holly and if that doesn’t make it a horror book I don’t know what will.  This was easily one of the best books I have read all year and I must include it on this horror list as well.

Amazon

 

World War Z by Max Brooks

World War Z Cover 2

One of the more unique zombie books out there, World War Z recounts the history a devastating, world-wide zombie apocalypse and the various people it impacts.  Told through a brilliant chronicle method where multiple interesting characters recount their distinctive personal stories, you get an impressive, multifaceted narrative that covers the beginning, middle and end of the zombie wars.  Epic in its scope and filled with some great stories and characters, it honestly does not take long to get extremely addicted to World War Z.  While the focus is more on exploring the impacts a zombie apocalypse would have on the world, World War Z does have some pretty creepy moment.  The darker tales of underwater zombies, massacres of modern armies, and the mental turmoil suffered by zombie survivors, are excellent horror material that makes this an easy book to include here.  An epic and outstanding book that lived up to all the hype surrounding it.

Amazon

 

Star Wars: Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber

deathtrooperscover

I am a big fan of Star Wars fiction, but I had never been scared while reading a Star Wars novel until I came across Death Troopers.  Death Troopers is part of the Star Wars Legends canon and features an Imperial prison ship, which of course contains Han and Chewie, encountering an abandoned Star Destroyer filled with a zombified crew.  Watching a bunch of Star Wars characters attempt to escape from zombies is really cool, and Schreiber comes up with a number of gruesome scenes that will definitely stick in your mind.  Also, if you really want to get a fright out of this book, make sure to check out the audiobook version of Death Troopers, as the various sound effects they include are extremely disturbing.

Amazon

 

Devolution by Max Brooks

Devolution Cover

In addition to World War Z author Max Brooks expertly makes use of a whole new horror monster when he explores the fate of an isolated community who are attacked by a tribe of sasquatches in Devolution.  Brooks really turns these creatures into a frightening and deadly force of nature, and readers are in for an exciting and well-written tale of survival and brutality.

Amazon

 

Ink by Jonathan Maberry

Ink Cover

For the final entry on this list there was no way I could exclude one of Maberry’s best pure horror reads, Ink.  While most of the other Maberry novels with horror elements focus either on zombies or Lovecraftian monsters, Ink features a particularly horrendous tale of a depraved being who steals a person’s tattoos and the precious memories associated with them.  Set in one of Maberry’s most iconic settings, Ink had a very disturbing narrative, and I deeply appreciated this unique and book that the author came up with.

Amazon

 

 

That’s the end of this latest Top Ten Tuesday list.  I think that the new horror novels were great additions to the list, and I think this new version of the list turned out really well.  Each of the above novels, both new inclusions and existing ones, are outstanding reads that come highly recommended to all horror fans.  I look forward to seeing how this list evolves once again this time next year, especially as I am sure some amazing and spinetingling horror books are likely to come out in the next 12 months.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books with Water Terms in the Title

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  For this latest Top Ten Tuesday, participants are tasked with listing their top books that have some sort of water theme to them.  I decided to make my list simple by listing those books whose titles are related to water in some way and I was very flexible in what qualified, with bodies of water, water features, things people do in water and even things that exist on water, such as boats, making the cut.  The only real limitation I put on myself was keeping this list to one entry per author, which honestly was not that problematic.  Despite that, I struggled to come up with a full list as water related terms apparently do not show up in the titles of many books I read.  I was eventually able to pull together a descent list, and I liked how it turned out, especially as each of them are excellent books with amazing titles.

Honourable Mentions:

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars Cover

Amazon

 

Queen of Storms by Raymond E. Feist

Queen of Storms Cover 2

This one was a bit of a stretch, but Queen of Storms was the name of a ship in the book so I felt that it qualified for this list.

Amazon

 

The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman

The Isles of the Gods Cover

A fantastic nautical-based fantasy novel, which required the protagonists to travel across an enemy-filled ocean to get to a mythical island.

Amazon

 

The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst

The Lake House Cover Better

Amazon

Top Ten Tuesday:

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

Red Seas Under Red Skies

A classic fantasy novel that features some of the best nautical sequences you are likely to read.

Amazon

 

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Into the Drowning Deep Cover

Probably one of my all-time favourite horror books, Into the Drowning Deeps sees a group of scientists face deadly marine monsters in the dark and treacherous ocean.

Amazon

 

The Bone Ships by R. J. Barker

The Bone Ships Cover

Another outstanding fantasy novel set on the open seas, The Bone Ships was an exceptional read that followed a group of condemned sailors adventuring on a boat made of dragon bone.  I honestly could have feature the entire Tide Child trilogy on this list (Call of the Bone Ships and The Bone Ship’s Wake), but The Bone Ships was the awesome first entry that perfectly sets up this epic series.

Amazon

 

Usagi Yojimbo: Volume 23: Bridge of Tears by Stan Sakai

Usagi Yojimbo - Bridge of Tears

This entry from one of my favourite comic series was a bit of a stretch, but I think the combination of bridge and tears fits the theme of this list well and it is a very outstanding comic.

Amazon

 

The Drowning Girls by Veronica Lando

The Drowning Girls Cover

One of the more recent entries on this list, The Drowning Girls is an outstanding novel that sees an Australian fishing town endure a mysterious set of drownings with a sacrificial edge to them.

Amazon

 

The Voyage of the Forgotten by Nick Martell

The Voyage of the Forgotten Cover

The third and final book in the incredible Legacy of the Mercenary Kings series, the title refers to a treacherous sea voyage the protagonists undertake to reclaim a character’s memories.  The title is again a bit of a stretch, but I decided to leave it in, especially as the more nautical themed plot was very different from the city-based first two books, The Kingdom of Liars and The Two-Faced Queen.  Plus, this is a brilliant read that perfectly wraps up an exceptional trilogy.

Amazon

 

River of Gold by Anthony Riches

River of Gold Cover

An excellent historical fiction read that saw a Roman regiment travel along a river into the depths of Africa.

Amazon

 

Star Wars: Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith: The Burning Seas by Charles Soule

Darth Vader - The Burning Seas Cover

Darth Vader invades an ocean planet looking for Jedi and all hell breaks loose, need I say more?

Amazon

 

Streams of Silver by R. A. Salvatore

Streams of Silver Cover

A classic fantasy novel from the legendary R. A. Salvatore.  The streams in the title was technically referring to veins of ore, however, I am still including it here.

Amazon

 

Black River by Matthew Spencer

Black River Cover

The final entry is an outstanding and powerful Australian crime fiction debut that takes place along the shores a river running through Sydney.  Tight, intense and deeply enjoyable, this is a brilliant read.

Amazon

 

Well, that is the end of this list.  As you can see there are some fantastic novels out there that uses water-based terms in their titles, and there honestly some very interesting usages for it throughout fiction.  All the above novels are wonderful and highly recommended reads, and I had an incredible time reading them.  Let me know which books with water-based phrases or terms in the title you have enjoyed the most in the comments.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Horror Novels (Updated – 2022)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  In this latest edition of Top Ten Tuesday, readers get a Halloween Freebie, meaning that they can list whatever topic they want, although a horror or Halloween theme is encouraged.  So, with that in mind, I thought I would take this opportunity to update a previous list where I highlighted my favourite horror novels of all time.

Back in 2020 for Halloween, I came up with a list where I looked at my top ten favourite horror novels.  While horror is not my favourite genre, I ended up producing a rather interesting list with some unique entries that I was pretty happy with.  This list got a bit of interest, and I decided I would make a bit of effort to come back to update this list every Halloween, especially if I had some new horror novels to add to it.  I did an update last year with several awesome novels, and I have decided to come back to it again in 2022, especially as I have had the opportunity to check out some excellent and intense horror reads.

To sort out this update, I took a critical look at the previous version of the list and made some hard decisions about whether any of the horror novels I read in the last year might fit in better.  I ended up making a few changes, with new entries replacing some of the existing books (all new entries in red).  While I was sad to see some of the previously featured novels removed, I honestly felt that the new entries are better horror novels.  This resulted in a fun new version of this list, and I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

Honourable Mentions:

Later by Stephen King

Later Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman

Sandman Act 1 Cover

I had to include the audiobook version of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman here, as it has some great horror elements to it.  While more of a fantasy/comic story than a pure horror comic, The Sandman did have some amazing horror sequences in it, which are really enhanced in the full-cast audiobook.  The Sandman features several great horror scenes, but the most disturbing would have to be the infamous diner scene.  Contained within the sixth chapter/issues, 24 Hours, this epic extended sequence shows a group of customers in a diner slowly driven insane and then brutally killed by the villainous Doctor Destiny using Dream’s stolen ruby.  This entire chapter is masterfully portrayed and you cannot help but shudder at every atrocity the innocent patrons experience during the worst 24 hours of their lives.  This trippy diner sequence was recently adapted in the recent The Sandman television series, and while that was good, especially with David Thewlis playing Doctor Destiny, I felt that the version in the comics was even darker and creepier.  This, and a several other dark scenes, ensure The Sandman an honourable mention on this list and this comic and its audiobook adaptation are highly recommended for all horror fans.

Amazon     Book Depository

 

A People’s History of the Vampire Uprising by Raymond A. Villareal

A History of the Vampire Uprising Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

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

Death of the Black Widow Cover

Another entry that is not a full horror book, but which features amazing horror elements is the recent novel by James Patterson and J. D. Barker, Death of the Black Widow.  Following a young cop who becomes obsessed with a mysterious woman he encounters on his first day on the job, Death of Black Widow is a twisty and intriguing read that takes the protagonist on a dangerous journey to the edge of sanity.  Initially portrayed as a compelling thriller story, this book eventually develops some excellent horror elements, which led me to include it as an honourable mention.  Extremely addictive, I loved this thriller/horror blend and I look forward to reading more books from this excellent team of writers.

Amazon     Book Depository

Top Ten List (unranked):

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Into the Drowning Deep Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry

Patient Zero Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

The Dark by Jeremy Robinson

The Dark Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Warhammer 40,000: The Bookkeeper’s Skull by Justin D. Hill

The Bookkeeper's Skull Cover

One of the more recent horror books I had the pleasure of reading was The Bookkeeper’s Skull by Justin D. Hill.  Part of the intriguing Warhammer Horror subseries, The Bookkeeper’s Skull is a haunting and brilliant tale that makes full use of the grim Warhammer 40,000 setting.  The book follows a planetary enforcer as he investigates a mysterious and cursed agricultural community plagued by a series of gruesome murders.  Hill creates a spooky and malevolent atmosphere, and you are constantly left wondering who is going to end up dead next.  Tightly paced and featuring some brilliantly dark examinations of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, The Bookkeeper’s Skull was an amazing read and I look forward to exploring more Warhammer Horror books in the future.

Amazon     Book Depository

 

The Anomaly by Michael Rutger

The Anomaly Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Code Zero by Jonathan Maberry

Code Zero Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

World War Z by Max Brooks

World War Z Cover 2

After years of hearing how awesome it was, I finally got around to enjoying the iconic zombie novel, World War Z by Max Brooks.  One of the more unique zombie books out there, World War Z recounts the history a devastating, world-wide zombie apocalypse and the various people it impacts.  Told through a brilliant chronicle method where multiple interesting characters recount their distinctive personal stories, you get an impressive, multifaceted narrative that covers the beginning, middle and end of the zombie wars.  Epic in its scope and filled with some great stories and characters, it honestly does not take long to get extremely addicted to World War Z.  While the focus is more on exploring the impacts a zombie apocalypse would have on the world, World War Z does have some pretty creepy moment.  The darker tales of underwater zombies, massacres of modern armies, and the mental turmoil suffered by zombie survivors, are excellent horror material that makes this an easy book to include here.  An epic and outstanding book that lived up to all the hype surrounding it.

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Star Wars: Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber

deathtrooperscover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Devolution by Max Brooks

Devolution Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Ink by Jonathan Maberry

Ink Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

 

That’s the end of this latest Top Ten Tuesday list.  I think that the new horror novels were great additions to the list, and I think this new version of the list turned out really well.  Each of the above novels, both new inclusions and existing ones, are outstanding reads that come highly recommended to all horror fans.  I look forward to seeing how this list evolves once again this time next year, especially as I am sure some amazing and spinetingling horror books are likely to come out in the next 12 months.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books with Geographical Terms in the Title

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  For this latest Top Ten Tuesday participants are tasked with listing their top books that have geographical terms in the title.  Geographical terms in this case include terms such as mountains, islands, lands, deserts, oceans, valleys and much, much more.  Participants were actually provided a link of hundreds of potential geographical terms on Wikipedia to use as examples to help with the task here, and while I didn’t get some of the more exotic terms, it did help me select a couple of fun books to include.  I did have a bit of a struggle coming up with a full list here, as it turns out a lot of the books I have read didn’t feature geographical terms, but I was eventually able to pull together a descent list in the end.  All the books below are excellent reads and I liked how the authors used these terms in the titles.

Honourable Mentions:

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

The Lawless Land by Beth Morrison and Boyd Morrison

The Lawless Land Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

In a Great Southern Land by Mary-Anne O’Connor

In a Great Southern Land Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Half Moon Lake by Kirsten Alexander

Half Moon Lake Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

Top Ten Tuesday:

Usagi Yojimbo: Volume 21: The Mother of Mountains by Stan Sakai

Usagi Yojimbo - Volume 20 - The Mother of Mountains Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Streams of Silver by R. A. Salvatore

Streams of Silver Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett

The Last Continent CoverAmazon     Book Depository

 

The Girl and the Mountain by Mark Lawrence

The Girl and the Mountain Cover 2

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Into the Drowning Deep Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

Red Seas Under Red Skies

Amazon     Book Depository

 

River of Gold by Anthony Riches

River of Gold Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Star Wars: Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith: The Burning Seas by Charles Soule

Darth Vader - The Burning Seas Cover

Amazon

 

Glacier’s Edge by R. A. Salvatore

Glacier's Edge Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

The Grove of the Caesars by Lindsey Davis

The Grove of the Caesars Cover

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Well, that’s the end of this list.  As you can see there is some fantastic novels out there that use geographical terms in their titles, and there are some interesting usages throughout fiction.  All the above novels are wonderful and highly recommended reads, and I had an incredible time reading them.  I look forward to potentially revisiting this list in the future and it will be interesting to see what new books will feature these sorts of terms in their titles.  Let me know which books with geographical phrases in the titles you enjoyed the most in the comments below.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Wish Had a Sequel

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday participants are tasked with listing the top books that they wish had an epilogue.  This is a pretty fun topic, although I’m going to alter it slightly and change epilogue to sequel.  There are a ton of great books out there that really deserve a follow-up in some way shape or form and I can think of several awesome examples of the bat that I would really like to see more of.

To come up with this list I looked at some of my favourite standalone novels and series and had a think about which ones I thought deserved a sequel.  I made sure to avoid novels which already have a planned sequel coming out in the future (even if it has been promised for a very long time), and mostly focussed on books that have nothing currently planned or where the author has no real intention of ever doing a sequel for.  In most cases this is a real shame as I think that all the entries down below definitely deserve some more content in one shape or another.

Honourable Mentions

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra by Sara Kuhn

Doctor Aphra Audio Cover

I loved this audio adaptation of the various comics featuring standout Star Wars extended universe character Doctor Aphra, and I hope that they consider doing a sequel that covers some of her other adventures.

 

The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde

The Constant Rabbit Cover

Jasper Fforde honestly tied up everything pretty perfectly in this awesome novel, although I would gladly read more books about these hilariously sentient rabbits.

 

Kal Jerico series

Kal Jerico - Sinner's Bounty Cover

It has been a couple of years since the last Warhammer 40,000 novel or comic featured the amazing character of Kal Jerico, bounty-hunter extraordinaire.  The last novel, Sinner’s Bounty, was really good, and I want to see more of this amazing and flamboyant protagonist.

 

Later by Stephen King

Later Cover

An awesome book from last year that really needs a sequel at some point.  Get onto it Stephen King!

Top Ten Tuesday:

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Into the Drowning Deep Cover

I would give anything to see more of the freaky and terrifying mermaid monsters featured in this impressive horror read by Mira Grant.  There is still so much story that could be continued here, and I hope that Grant fleshes out Into the Drowning Deep’s unique plot into a sequel or even a whole series.

 

A People’s History of the Vampire Uprising by Raymond A. Villareal

A History of the Vampire Uprising Cover

A fun and clever novel about a vampire epidemic springing up around the world.  Villareal left a lot of potential storylines open and I would love to see this world explored more at some point.

 

The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini

Eragon Cover

Even after finishing more than 10 years ago, The Inheritance Cycle remains one of my favourite all-time fantasy series to this day, mainly due to its clever world-building and massive narrative.  As such, I would love to see more adventures set in this universe and there are a ton of unanswered questions that need to be explored.

 

Star Wars: Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber

deathtrooperscover

Ok, so technically Death Troopers, a fantastically fun novel about zombies in the Star Wars universe, did get a prequel with the Old-Republic novel Red Harvest, that explored the origins of the zombie virus.  However, I personally would love to see more zombie-related stories in the Star Wars universe and I think it would a fun addition to the current canon (although I can’t really see Disney doing that).  Still, never say never, especially for something this awesome.

 

The Coven trilogy by R. A. Salvatore

Reckoning of Fallen Gods Cover

Bestselling fantasy author R. A. Salvatore absolutely killed it between 2018 and 2020 with The Coven trilogy.  Set in his Corona universe and featuring the novels Child of a Mad God, Reckoning of Fallen Gods and Song of the Risen God, The Coven trilogy was extremely compelling and introduced some intriguing new characters while also bringing back some iconic figures from his Demon Wars Saga.  The final book left with several storylines wide open and I have yet to see any indication that Salvatore is coming back to this universe anytime soon.  Hopefully we’ll see a sequel trilogy in the next few years, I know I will have a great time with it.

 

The Holdout by Graham Moore

The Holdout Cover

The Holdout was a cool standalone legal thriller from a few years ago that I had a brilliant time reading.  While this initial story was wrapped up really well, I would love to see more jury-related storylines in the future, potentially with The Holdout’s protagonist involved in other controversial jury cases.

 

Nuking the Moon by Vince Houghton

Nuking the Moon Cover

Give me more fun stories about the most idiotic military plans and technology from history!

 

Star Wars: Dark Disciple by Christie Golden

Star Wars Dark Disciple Cover

Another great Star Wars book that deserves a sequel of some variety.  Dark Disciple followed two major characters from the Star Wars extended universe, including Quinlan Vos (recently mention in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series), and I would love to see what happened to him, and other characters, after the events of this book and Order 66.

 

Devolution by Max Brooks

Devolution Cover

Devolution was one of my favourite books of 2020 and contained an outstanding standalone read about sasquatches attacking a small community.  While this was a really awesome novel that came together extremely well in the end, I always felt that Brooks could have made his novel longer and expanded the story out a bit more.  As such, I think a Devolution sequel would be pretty awesome as there are so many more details that could be explored.

 

Redshirts by John Scalzi

Redshirts Cover

Could we get another one of these that parodies Star Trek: The Next Generation?  Wil Wheaton’s narration of the audiobook version would be even funnier that way.

 

 

 

Well, that’s the end of this latest list.  I hope you enjoy my somewhat unique choices above, and maybe if we’re lucky there might be some follow up novels to the in the future.  In the meantime, let me know what books you think deserve fun sequels in the comments below?

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I was SO EXCITED to Get, but Still Haven’t Read (Waiting on Wednesday list)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  For this latest Top Ten Tuesday, participants are required to list their favourite books that the were excited to get but still haven’t had a chance to read.  There is also a side requirement to list the length of time since you’ve received or heard about the book, which adds some interesting complexity to the list.

Now, one of the saddest things about being a reviewer is that there are always far too many books coming out every year to keep up with.  Despite my best efforts, at the end of each year there are always multiple books that I am extremely sad that I never got the chance to read.  These books have built up over the years, and I currently have an extended list of awesome sounding novels sitting around waiting to be read.  Many of these have been captured in my weekly Waiting on Wednesday posts, and I am quite ashamed to say that quite a substantial number of novels I previously highlighted in these posts haven’t been read.  As such, I thought I might slightly alter the underlying basis of this list slightly by looking at the ten oldest Waiting on Wednesday posts I have where I never actually got around to reading the book.

This ended up being a rather interesting list to pull together as I have highlighted quite a few great novels over the years.  However, it was fairly easy to find the ten oldest Waiting on Wednesday posts on my blog where I haven’t read the book, and I added them to this list in descending order.  I did have to make a few exclusions for a couple of books which still haven’t been released yet, and I also had to filter out some posts where I failed to review a book after reading it.  Still, this left me with a rather interesting top ten list of cool books that I really need to check out.  So let us see which are the ten books I have been waiting the longest to check out.

Top Ten List (Descending by Date of Waiting on Wednesday Article)

10. The Shadow Saint by Gareth Ryder – Hanrahan -6 November 2019

The Shadow Saint Cover

The sequel to one of the more intriguing debuts of 2019, The Gutter Prayer, The Shadow Saint is a fantastic sounding grimdark fantasy novel that I really need to take off the shelf and read.

 

9. Anyone by Charles Soule – 31 October 2019

Anyone Cover

An awesome sounding standalone science fiction novels from one of my favourite Star Wars authors, Charles Soule (author of Light of the Jedi, and several awesome comic series).  Anyone is an interesting thriller set around a future where people can transfer their consciousness into other bodies.  I love the sound of this concept and I hope I can make time to read it at some point.

 

8. The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso – 15 August 2019

The Obsidian Tower Cover

Easily one of the books I most regret not reading is The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso.  The first book in the Rooks and Ruins series, which serves as a sequel to her impressive debut Swords and Fire trilogy (made up of The Tethered Mage, The Defiant Heir and The Unbound Empire), this book has been high on my to-read list for ages, but I can never seem to find the time to read it.  This is a real shame, as I have heard that this is an exceptional novel, and I am sure the following books in the Rooks and Ruins series are going to be really incredible as well.

 

7. #Murderfunding by Gretchen McNeil – 3 July 2019

#MurderFunding Cover

A fun and deadly young adult thriller, #MurderFunding is the sequel to the great 2018 read, #MurderTrending, and it is one I have been hoping to read for a while.  This delay is because I unfortunately didn’t get a copy of this when it first came out.  While I did eventually grab a copy a few months ago, I still haven’t had the chance to read it, even after reading the great prequel novel #NoEscape.  I honestly need to sit down and try to read this at some point, as I will probably just power through it and finish it off in a day.

 

6. Grave Importance by Vivian Shaw – 19 June 2019

Grave Importance Cover

The third book in the Dr. Greta Helsing series, Grave Importance is an excellent book about a doctor who specialises in helping the undead, and who finds herself wrapped up in a mystery involving mummies.  I loved the first two books in this series, Strange Practice and Dreadful Company, and I really regret having not seen how the series continued.  This is another mistake I really should try to rectify, especially as my copy of Grave Importance is constantly judging me from a nearby bookshelf.

 

5. The Institute by Stephen King – 9 May 2019

The Institute Cover 1

I loved the sound of this unique and interesting Stephen King novel when I heard about it in 2019, however, I didn’t get a chance to read The Institute when it first came out.  Despite hearing some amazing things about it, I have never gone back to check it out, even after having a blast with King’s two 2021 novels, Later and Billy Summers.  I will have to carve some time out for The Institute at some point, although there are also many, many other Stephen King books I also want to read.

 

4. Salvation Lost by Peter F. Hamilton – 1 May 2019

Salvation Lost Cover

Another book that I deeply regret not reading, Salvation Lost is the fantastic sounding sequel to the great 2018 read, Salvation by science fiction master Peter F. Hamilton.  I absolutely loved Salvation when it came out, and I honestly cannot fathom why I keep failing to read Salvation Lost, it is completely mind boggling.

 

3. The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson – 13 March 2019

The Andromeda Evolution Cover

The recently released sequel to Michael Chrichton’s iconic technothriller, The Andromeda Strain.  I was very interested to see what they did in this sequel, written 50 years after the release of the first book, however, I was never able to fit it into my reading schedule.

 

2. The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling – 16 January 2019

the luminous dead cover

An interesting and compelling sounding science fiction horror novel that caught my eye a few years ago.  I failed to even get a copy of this book when it came out, although it is still on my radar to read.  Hopefully I will get a chance at some point, but it may be a while.

 

1. Alien: Echo by Mira Grant – 19 December 2019

Alien Echo Cover

The final entry (and oldest post) on this list is Alien: Echo, which I have so many regrets about not reading.  An amazing Alien tie-in novel from one of the best authors of horror fiction, the talented Mira Grant (Into the Drowning Deep is still one of my favourite horror novels), I have no idea why I never tried to read this, but I am constantly berating myself for not checking it out, especially as I know I am going to love it.  Hopefully I pull myself together at some point to read it, so we’ll see how that goes.

 

 

Well, that’s the end of this latest list.  As you can see, there are several awesome novels that I really need to try and read at some point, especially as I have been thinking about most of them for multiple years now.  All 10 books above sound extremely cool, and I desperately need to carve some time out to read them.  In the meantime, let me know which books you most regret not reading, and if you’ve enjoyed any of the entries on this list, I would love to hear what you thought about them.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Horror Novels (Updated – 2021)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  In this latest edition of Top Ten Tuesday, readers get a Halloween Freebie, meaning that they can list whatever topic they want, although a horror or Halloween theme is encouraged.  So, with that in mind, I thought I would take this opportunity to update a previous list where I highlighted my favourite horror novels of all time.

Last year for Halloween I did a list where I looked at my top ten favourite horror novels.  While horror is not my favourite genre, I ended up producing a rather interesting list with some unique entries that I was pretty happy with.  I decided last year that I would come back and update this list every Halloween, especially if I had some new horror novels to add to it.  Well, in the last year, I had the opportunity to check out some excellent and intense horror reads, and I intend to try and find out if they can fit into my list.

To sort out this update, I took a critical look at the previous version of the list and made some hard decisions about whether any of the horror novels I read in the last year might fit in better.  I ended up making some changes to list, with new entries replacing some of the existing books.  While I was sad to see some of the previously featured novels removed, I honestly felt that the new entries are better horror novels.  This resulted in a fun new version of this list, and I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

Honourable Mentions:

Nights of the Living Dead edited by George A. Romero and Jonathan Maberry

Nights of the Living Dead Cover

 

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

The Final Girl Support Group Cover

An interesting read from earlier this year that got a lot of attention, The Final Girl Support Group focused on a group of final girls from alternate versions of classic slasher films who are targeted by a brand-new killer.  While this book is more of a thriller than a horror read, it serves as a clever homage to the slasher genre, and fans of horror fiction will love it’s compelling and reference laden story.

 

Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw

Dreadful Company Cover

 

Awakened by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth

Awakened Cover

Top Ten List (unranked):

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Into the Drowning Deep Cover

 

Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry

Patient Zero Cover

 

The Dark by Jeremy Robinson

The Dark Cover

I had to add this brilliant and compelling horror/science fiction read onto this list.  The Dark is the latest novel from author Jeremy Robinson that focuses on an apparent demonic invasion of Earth.  Filled with gore, monsters and body mutations, The Dark gets pretty gruesome and scary in places, which blends perfectly with the intense action and Robinson’s quirky humour.  An outstanding read, this fantastic horror novel comes highly recommended.

 

The Anomaly by Michael Rutger

The Anomaly Cover

 

Code Zero by Jonathan Maberry

Code Zero Cover

 

Later by Stephen King

Later Cover

Earlier this year I had the chance to read the latest novel from the modern master of horror fiction, the great Stephen King, the utterly compelling Later, which focuses on a young boy who can talk to the recently deceased.  While Later is primarily a character-driven story about a complicated youth’s life, it can get pretty scary in places, especially once the protagonist encounters true evil.  A deeply compelling read with some interesting connections to one of King’s most iconic horror novels, this is an excellent and unique book that is worth reading.

 

Star Wars: Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber

deathtrooperscover

 

Devolution by Max Brooks

Devolution Cover

 

Ink by Jonathan Maberry

Ink Cover

I have already featured several great books from Jonathan Maberry on this list, but there was no way I could exclude one of his latest horror reads, Ink.  While most of the other Maberry novels with horror elements focus either on zombies or Lovecraftian monsters, Ink features a particularly horrendous tale of a depraved being who steals a person’s tattoos and the precious memories associated with them.  Set in one of Maberry’s most iconic settings, Ink had a very disturbing narrative, and I deeply appreciated this unique and book that the author came up with.

 

A People’s History of the Vampire Uprising by Raymond A. Villareal

A History of the Vampire Uprising Cover

 

 

That’s the end of this latest Top Ten Tuesday list.  I think that the new horror novels were great additions to the list, and I like how this latest version turned out.  Each of the above novels, both new inclusions and existing ones, are outstanding reads that come highly recommended to all horror fans.  I look forward to seeing how this list evolves once again this time next year, especially as there are some awesome sounding horror novels, such as Road of Bones by Christopher Golden and Dead Silence by S. A. Barnes, set for release in the next few months.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  For this latest Top Ten Tuesday, participants are encouraged to list the top ten books that they wish they could read again for the first time.  This was a very interesting choice of topic and it is one that really resonated with me.

Like many readers and reviewers, I have enjoyed some absolutely cracking novels over the years and there are many that I really wish I could forget having read just so I could have the pleasure of checking them out once again in order to have the same amazing reactions.  As a result, the moment that I saw this week’s topic I immediately started gathering a mental list of some great books I would love to enjoy for the very first time once again.  There are several reasons why I would like to read a book for the first time again, whether it is to be blown away by a crazy twist, be once again embroiled in the great action, or because some of the outstanding jokes have lost a little bit of impact as I have heard them multiple times.  Whatever the reason, I ended up pulling together a decent list containing some pretty fantastic reads, many of which I have praised in prior Top Ten Tuesday articles or in detailed reviews.  So let us see what made the top ten.

Honourable Mentions:

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

The Blade Itself

 

The Bone Ships by R. J. Barker

The Bone Ships Cover

 

Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K. J. Parker

Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City Cover

 

Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan

promise of blood cover

Top Ten List:

Legend by David Gemmell

Legend

For the first entry on this list, I am going to include the fantasy classic, Legend by David Gemmell.  Legend was an outstanding and impressive fantasy debut that I had been meaning to read for years, but which I only got a chance to finally do in 2019.  However, the moment I finished it, I felt a strong desire to forget everything I knew about it and instantly reread it once again.  Legend is a fantastic novel that contains an intense and compelling story about a massive siege where an invincible army attacks a great fortress garrisoned by a severely outnumbered force of defenders and a few legendary heroes.  This is easily one of the best siege novels I have ever read, and readers are in for an incredible and deeply exciting time as they get through it.  This was an exceptional read, and I really wish I could experience every emotion I felt when I first read this book once again.

 

Planetside by Michael Mammay

Planetside Cover 2

There was no way I could do this list without mentioning the fantastic science fiction debut, Planetside by Michael Mammay.  Planetside was an amazing read, but the main reason it makes this list is because it has an outstanding and explosive ending that I absolutely loved.  This was a perfect and memorable finale to an already great novel, and it be fun to once again experience all the shock and surprise I first felt when I originally read this book. 

 

Any Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett

The Last Continent Cover

I’m cheating a little here by including a 40+ series of novels in a single post, but I’m going to do it anyway.  This is because the Discworld novels are some of my absolute favourite novels and I have so much love for them.  Written by the legendary Terry Pratchett, these novels are a unique and exceptional collection of fantasy comedies that contains some extremely clever and inventive humour and jokes.  I have read every book in this series, such as Moving Pictures or The Last Continent, multiple times, and I still laugh out loud every time I do.  However, no matter how clever of funny a joke is, if you hear it too many times it starts to lose its impact just a little.  For that reason, I would love to have the opportunity to read the entire Discworld series for the first time once more, although I imagine I would probably die from laughing too much (totally worth it).

 

The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini

Eragon Cover

Another multi-book entry, The Inheritance Cycle was the debut series of bestselling author Christopher Paolini and featured four great books following a teenage dragon rider, Eragon, as he battles the forces of darkness.  I have a lot of love for this series, and I deeply enjoyed it when I was younger, especially due to the fantastic narrative and impressive world building.  However, after a few rereads of the series, I have noticed some issues that I now can’t ignore whenever I read these books (for example, a winy protagonist and several plot points that bear striking similarities to a certain series of space opera films).  While I still really enjoy these novels, it would be good to reread them for the first time and not have some of these flaws already sitting in my head.

 

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

The Lies of Locke Lamora Cover

An epic fantasy classic that features a group of brilliant conmen as they go up against some extremely dangerous opponents, The Lies of Locke Lamora is one of the best fantasy novels I have ever read.  Containing a lot of fun betrayals, twists and clever ploys that are still stuck in my head years after reading it, this would be an exceptional novel to read for the first time once again, and I think I might have to do a reread of it soon.

 

Battle Ground by Jim Butcher

Battle Ground Cover

The next entry on this list is Battle Ground, the 17th entry in the amazing Dresden Files series.  Featuring an all-out fantasy war in the middle of Chicago, this was an incredible and thrilling read, and it was one of the best books and audiobooks I enjoyed in 2020.  While I had an outstanding time with Battle Ground, it was the first Dresden Files novel I ever read, and I kind of wish I had read the proceeding 16 novels first to give me a little more context and make some of the reveals a little more shocking to me.  This feeling has only grown after I started reading some of the earlier books in the series, such as Storm Front, Fool Moon and Grave Peril, as information from Battle Ground ruins some surprises from the earlier books.  As a result, I wish I had read this series in order and that the first time I enjoyed Battle Ground was after getting through the rest of the series first.  Still, this was a great read, and I have only minimal regrets in jumping the gun on this one.

 

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Into the Drowning Deep Cover

One of the best modern icons of horror fiction, Mira Grant, did the impossible in the outstanding Into the Drowning Deep (one of my favourite books of 2018), but making mermaids scary.  I had an exceptional time reading this fantastic novel the first time, and it would be cool if I could forget all the fun details in it and reread every year on Halloween for the first time.

 

Green Arrow: The Archer’s Quest by Brad Meltzer, Phil Hester, and Ande Parks

Green Arrow Archer's Quest

As one of my all-time favourite comics, The Archer’s Quest storyline from Green Arrow is an amazing and complex comic that I deeply enjoy every time I read.  Author Brad Meltzer really gets to grips with the complex character of a recently resurrected Green Arrow as he travels the country with his old sidekick, collecting important items from his life.  This comic has a powerful focus on Green Arrow’s relationships and shows just how complicated and damaged he truly is.  An essential read for all Green Arrow fans, I know that reading it again for the first time would really blow me away.

 

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Skyward Cover

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Skyward, Brandon Sanderson’s clever and dramatic young adult science fiction epic, when it first came out, and I quickly became a pretty major fan of it.  This was an amazing read, which followed the reviled daughter of a coward as she attempts to prove herself by becoming a pilot to defend her planet from invading aliens.  I really became invested in the powerful story of the central protagonist, and it would be so cool to revisit these emotions for the first time all over again.

 

The Name of the Wind/The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind Cover

The final entry on this list is the exceptional first two books in the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss.  Generally considered to be some of the best fantasy novels of all time, I read these novels a couple of years ago and deeply enjoyed them.  There is so much detail, character development and world building contained within, and I know that reading them for the first time would be an amazing experience, and one that would make me fall in love with these novels once more.  The one downside of this would be once again experiencing disappointment about the seemingly unlikely upcoming third novel.  Still, it would probably be worth it, as these are some outstanding books.

 

 

That’s the end of this list and I think it turned out pretty good.  Each of the above entries are really good reads, and I think that if I was to read them again for the first time, I would have an incredible time.  Let me know which books you would love to read again for the first time in the comments below and make sure to check out some of the above fantastic reads.