Waiting on Wednesday – Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz

On June 26, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on WednesdayLeave a comment

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For my latest Waiting on Wednesday, I look ahead to 2025 and highlight an awesome thriller from one of my favourite authors with Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz.

Nemesis Cover

Amazon

I have made no secret about the fact that I am a huge fan of Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X series at the moment. The Orphan X books, which started back in 2016, follows the adventures of Evan Smoak, the former government assassin known as Orphan X, who now spends his time seeking redemption as the vigilante of last resort, the Nowhere Man. This series is so much fun, and I always get very hooked on the elaborate narratives that Hurwitz comes up for with. All the most recent Orphan X books have been extremely incredible, and I had a wonderful time reading and reviewing entries like Out of the Dark, Into the Fire, Prodigal Son, Dark Horse, The Last Orphan and Lone Wolf, especially as Hurwitz combines complex characters with intense action.

Due to how much I have enjoyed the last several books, the Orphan X series is a must-read for me each year and I try to get through them as soon as I can. While we’re not even halfway through 2024 yet, I am already excited for the next book in the series, especially as Hurwitz looks set to release a particularly compelling and moving entry, with the epic sounding Nemesis. Set for release in February 2025, Nemesis will be the 10^th Orphan X book and will pit Evan against his most dangerous enemy yet, his very best friend.

Plot Synopsis:

In the latest explosive novel in this New York Times bestselling series, Evan Smoak, having shaped his life with a rigid set of rules, finds himself at odds with his oldest friend in the world, where principles are in conflict with honor―and everyone is the loser.

At one time, Evan Smoak was a highly successful black ops assassin known as Orphan X, dedicated to a rigid set of operational rules. Now, even after breaking with the government program, going deep underground, and remaking his life, Smoak is dedicated to his assassin’s Ten Commandments. But for the first time, those principles have put him on a collision course with the man who might be his best friend in the world, Tommy Stojack.

Stojack, a gifted gunsmith who has created much of Evan’s own weapons and combat gear, has apparently crossed one of Evan’s sharply delineated lines. When Evan decides to go to his workshop and have it out with Tommy, Evan finds himself under attack by a group attempting to ambush and kill him. But, with all his training and skills, Evan is extremely hard to kill―and the dispute explodes into open warfare between him and Tommy. Now Evan has no choice, in his mind, than to track down and face down his only friend.

In the meantime, Tommy is honoring an old promise to an Army friend and goes to help his dead friend’s son. In a depressed rural area, with conflicts flaring up, that son is partially responsible for the death of an innocent. And while Tommy is trying to keep him, and his friends, alive, Evan arrives, with vengeance in mind.

The scary thing? Evan isn’t even the most dangerous threat to arrive on the scene.

Well damn, I was already very excited for Nemesis before I knew what it was about, but boy is that a cool sounding plot. Hurwitz is cleverly continuing the series right after the events of the latest book, Lone Wolf, where Evan discovered that his best friend and armourer Tommy had been helping a rival assassin he’d been hunting. This was a very compelling ending to an already intense book, and I have been curious for a while how Hurwitz was going to continue it. Setting up an all-out war between Evan and Tommy sounds pretty damn extreme though, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the resulting carnage.

Based on the synopsis above, I am thinking that Nemesis is going to be another particularly emotionally charged entry in the series, as the protagonist will have to balance his friendship with his unbendable sense of right and wrong. Likewise, Tommy seems to be trying to do what he thinks is right by helping his friends and other clients, which will no doubt conflict with Evan’s more black and white approach to life. As such, I feel that this book is going to be a battle between two very stubborn figures, which will no doubt be frustrating for the reader while also continually hitting them in the feels. Throw in several extra enemies gunning for the protagonists and I think that Nemesis is going to be a very strong entry in this remarkable series.

Honestly, there was no way that I wasn’t grabbing Nemesis next year, as anything new from Hurwitz is an instant must-read for me. However, after reading the awesome synopsis above, as well as the fantastic conclusion of Lone Wolf, I am even more excited for this new Orphan X book, and I have a feeling it is going to be particularly impressive. Nemesis has a ton of potential, and I cannot wait to explore Hurwitz’s new captivating narrative, especially as it is bound to bring action, emotion and impressive story writing in equal measure.

Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz

On April 27, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller2 Comments

Lone Wolf Cover 2

Publisher: Michael Joseph (Trade Paperback – 20 February 2024)

Series: Orphan X – Book 9

Length: 420 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Leading thriller author Gregg Hurwitz continues his high-octane Orphan X series in a big way with the epic and compelling novel, Lone Wolf.

The Orphan X books by Gregg Hurwitz is an epic series that follows a former elite government assassin, Evan Smoak, known to the intelligence community as Orphan X. Upon leaving the program, Smoak decided to make up for his prior misdeeds by becoming an elite vigilante, The Nowhere Man, who helps those with nowhere else to turn. This series started back in 2016 with Orphan X, although I personally started reading it with the fourth book, Out of the Dark. Out of the Dark had a great plot behind it that really drew me in, as Evan went to war with a corrupt US President. This resulted in an amazing and highly entertaining read that made me a fan of Hurwitz’s writing and ensured I would grab the next book in the series, Into the Fire. Into the Fire was a particularly epic read, and the Orphan X books quickly entered my yearly must-read books list as a result. I have since had an outstanding time reading the following releases, with Prodigal Son, Dark Horse and The Last Orphan being awesome in their own way. As such, when 2024 came around, I had very little choice but to read the latest Orphan X book, Lone Wolf, which took the protagonist in another interesting direction with a deadly adventure.

Evan Smoak, better known as either as Orphan X or the Nowhere Man, is suffering a personal crisis. Having reached out to his long-lost father, Evan is in a dangerous emotional spiral, and is no longer the calm and confident secret agent he once was. Looking for an easy mission to get back into his stride, Evan finds himself with an unusual job, helping a young girl find her lost dog. Initially reluctant, Evan agrees to help, but this unlikely job will lead the infamous vigilant into all manner of trouble.

An elite female hitwoman is in Los Angeles, taking out a range of seemingly unconnected people. Known only as the Wolf, she excels in targeted strikes and apparent accidental deaths, leaving no trace behind. However, her final kill leaves behind two witnesses when Evan arrives on the scene looking for the lost dog. Forced to intervene to save the daughter of the Wolf’s last victim, Evan finds himself a target of an assassin just as deadly as himself.

With the girl he just saved still in danger from a vengeful Wolf, Evan decides to save her and stop this killer terrorising his city. But first, he needs to work out who hired her and what secrets lie behind their deaths. His investigation leads him to two rival tech billionaires, both of whom had a motive for hiring the assassin and organising the killings. To save the day, Evan needs to find out which of them is responsible and destroy them and the psychotic killer they hired. But is the emotionally compromised Nowhere Man up to the task?

Lone Wolf was another outstanding addition to the Orphan X series that really showcased Hurwitz’s distinctive writing style. Blending an intense, action-packed story, with some outstanding character development, this was an amazing book that I deeply enjoyed reading.

Hurwitz comes up with a pretty excellent story for Lone Wolf that dragged me in very quickly. Starting off with some intense and personal character work around Evan Smoak that follows through from the last few books, Hurwitz does a good job setting the scene for much of the story off the bat, especially when it comes to the protagonist’s distracted headspace and his reliance on his unconventional family. The author also spends this time introducing one of the book’s main villains, the Wolf, who serves as an effective mirror for Orphan X. This initial setup works very well, as you quickly get drawn into the plot by the Wolf callous nature, while also getting invested in the protagonist’s emotional well-being. These story aspects quickly collide, as Evan, who finds himself helping his recently discovered niece, accidently intrudes upon one of the Wolf’s kills. The resulting extended action sequence is glorious, as Evan is forced to contend with the assassin and an army of cops, while trying to keep the daughter of the Wolf’s last victim alive. This entire action scene is a major highlight of the first half of the book, and Hurwitz wrote a brilliant continuous and frenetic chase sequence that pushes Evan to the limit.

Following this chase sequence, the pace of the book slows down a little, although Evan still finds himself in trouble as he enters a game of cat-and-mouse with the Wolf over the fate of the bystander he just saved. Forced to determine who hired the Wolf, Evan begins a compelling investigation angle where he probes two rival billionaires with twisted and unique morals. At the same time, Evan also finds himself in several intriguing personal situations, including trouble with his half-brother, mentoring his adopted daughter, and even a rather entertaining side-story about a battle for control of his building’s HOA. These work to keep the unique feel of the Orphan X series intact, and I loved how emotionally rich the book got at times.

The final third of Lone Wolf is mostly awesome, starting off with a great sequence that sees Evan interrogate a gang of thugs who have details he needs about the Wolf. The very entertaining and over-the-top way he goes about getting said information is so damn good, and it was another major highlight off the book. Unfortunately, the rest of the novel seems a little rushed, and frankly Hurwitz could have benefited from including another 100 pages or so to really wrap everything up perfectly. While it is still a fun and exciting read, the reveal about who is truly behind everything isn’t too surprising, despite some attempts at misdirection. In addition, the final confrontation against the main antagonists is somewhat weak, and could have been a little more epic, especially as one character went down way too easily. Still, the deep character development aspects of the story end up being extremely strong, and I liked the intriguing final twist that is going to cause additional drama in the next book. As such, I felt this was a really good story and I got so wrapped up in it.

I really enjoyed how Lone Wolf came together, especially as Hurwitz brought his usual blend of intensity and compelling human moments to this latest book. There is a great balance here between character development and thriller action, which I deeply appreciated. Indeed, I felt this was one of the better-balanced novels that Hurwitz has written recently. While the action sequences are always the highlight of this book, I have really appreciated how Hurwitz seeks to offset them with more typical moments, and the focus on character relationships and ordinary occurrences, such as a funny HOA election, adds a certain level of fun to the book. I really do think this was a great entry in the Orphan X series, and like most of the books in this series, Lone Wolf can mostly be read as a standalone, as Hurwitz is good at revisiting the key plot points from the previous books. However, those readers going in with a greater understanding of some of the characters, especially the protagonist and his complex relationships, will get a bit more out of this book, and it was fantastic to see the further development.

As I have alluded to a few times above, a lot of Lone Wolf’s strength lies in the excellent character work that Hurwitz layers into the story. Much of this is done to attempt to humanise the usually deadly protagonists featured within, especially as many of them are trying to adjust to a more civilian focused life after years being government assassins. The most prominent of these is Evan Smoak, the infamous Orphan X who his trying to redeem himself as the Nowhere Man. While Evan is usually a calm figure, minus his OECD, in this book he finds himself completely outside of his headspace as a bad encounter with his biological father at the start throws him completely out of whack. This was a very interesting situation, and it was really moving to see this implacable figure so out of sorts and relying on his family, both adopted and newly discovered, to find himself. Watching Evan grapple with the many personal battles surrounding him is an amazing part of the book, and you really get drawn into his emotional concerns. At the same time, Evan continues to struggle with the more mundane elements of a normal existence, and the various awkward encounters he has with certain family members and the residence of his building, show you just how lost and damaged he truly is. All this results in a great portrait of a complex figure, and Evan Smoak is honestly one of the best and most unique thriller protagonists out there.

While Evan is the focus of the book, he would be nothing without the unique array of side characters that have been drawn to him over the years and who supporting him in various ways. The most prominent of these is Joey Morales, Evan’s surrogate daughter and former trainee spy who serves as his tech support. Flippant, immature and only slightly more normal than her mentor, Joey serves as the major humanising force in Evan’s life and is a key ally, despite being a teenager. Joey is always a fun highlight, especially as she can push the protagonist’s buttons while bringing out his protective side. However, I liked how Hurwitz showed in Lone Wolf that despite her advanced knowledge of the world of espionage, she is still a teenager girl, and the scenes where Evan talks her through a social crisis, is surprisingly heartwarming and really captures their close relationship. The other major character is Tommy Stojack, Evan’s armourer and one of the few constant figures in his life. While cantankerous and unusual, Tommy serves as Evan’s rock for much of the series, and it was great to see him in this role again. While Tommy isn’t too controversial in Lone Wolf, there were some interesting developments with him that are going to be cool to follow in the next book.

Of course, no thriller would be complete without its villains, and Hurwitz did a great job of this with both the Wolf and the nefarious billionaire who may be behind her. Both are threatening in their own way, although I think I preferred the Wolf, as her deadly skills, ruthlessness, and enjoyment of the kill, made her an interesting opponent for Evan. The billionaire figure was also great, and his various monologues about the state of society and how his control of personal information allows him to control people in so many ways, was nearly as menacing as the killing. Throw in some intriguing new family elements for the protagonist, as well as the eccentric residence of his apartment complex (minus his long-term love interest who has been seemingly cut from the books), and this was an excellent group of characters whose interactions deeply enhanced the narrative.

Gregg Hurwitz continues to impress with his latest addition to the very cool Orphan X series with Lone Wolf. An emotionally charged thriller with powerful character work, Lone Wolf is an outstanding read that comes highly recommended. I cannot wait to see how Hurwitz follows up Lone Wolf in the future and I remain a massive fan of this amazing series.

Lone Wolf Cover

Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday – Upcoming 2024 Thrillers

On December 20, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday11 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For my latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight three outstanding sounding thrillers coming out in the first half of 2024.

In recent years I have really grown to love the thriller genre, having had a lot of fun reading a variety of different books from this awesome category of fun novels. Something about the action, intrigue and adventure really speaks to me, and I always have an outstanding time with a good thriller. Thanks to my increased interest in this genre, there are several series and authors I am a massive fan of, and whose books I am always going to grab whenever they come out each year. As such, there are three particularly outstanding thrillers coming out in the first half of 2024 that I am very excited for, and I cannot wait to check them out.

The first book I want to look at is the awesome sounding Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz. Lone Wolf is part of Hurwitz’s Orphan X series that follows a former government assassin turned resourceful vigilante as he attempts to help those who have nowhere else to turn. This is a very fun series and I have enjoyed several epic entries so far, including Out of the Dark, Into the Fire, Prodigal Son, Dark Horse and The Last Orphan.

Lone Wolf Cover

Amazon

The next Orphan X book, Lone Wolf, is set for release in February 2024 and has another epic sounding plot behind it. This time the protagonist is caught between a dangerous assassin who might be as good as he is and a mysterious tech billionaire, each of whom have their own twisted agendas. This upcoming novel sounds pretty awesome, and I cannot wait to see what carnage, intrigue and deep personal growth occurs in this next fantastic book.

Plot Synopsis:

AN ASSASSIN IN FREEFALL: Following a career in which he was always the most dangerous man in the room, ex-government assassin Evan Smoak is the last person his friends should ever have to worry about. But when Evan, formerly codenamed Orphan X, drops out of sight they’re concerned. They were right to be. A personal crisis has left him on his knees.

A RECLUSIVE BILLIONAIRE: If anyone remembered his first name they never cared to use it. But Allman’s lack of empathy hasn’t proven any barrier to building a tech empire whose tentacles reach into every aspect of people’s lives. And in the rush to praise his genius, no one’s asking what it could mean for humanity. Nor what Allman’s got coming next.

A KILLER AT LARGE: Someone is leaving a trail of dead in their wake. Apparently chosen at random, their deaths dressed up as accidents or suicides. The woman responsible is known only as the Wolf and looks to be every bit Evan’s equal. She now has him in her sights.

How does it all connect? What is at stake? And will Evan rediscover the instinct and skill he needs to prevail? Or die trying . . .

The second book I want to highlight is the complex and entertaining sounding new release from Steve Berry, The Atlas Maneuver. The 18^th entry in Berry’s long-running Cotton Malone series, The Atlas Maneuver contains another intricate conspiracy laden storyline whose origin lies in the depths of history. I have a lot of love for this awesome series as Berry constantly works outrageous moments from history into elaborate modern day thriller storylines, and I have really enjoyed the last few entries, including The Malta Exchange, The Warsaw Protocol, The Kaiser’s Web and The Last Kingdom.

The Atlas Maneuver Cover

Amazon

This next Cotton Malone book, which is coming out in late February 2024, will see Cotton Malone thrust into another conspiracy, this time involving hidden Japanese war gold, the world’s oldest bank and the CIA, all wrapped into a story about bitcoin. I am very intrigued to see a financial based thriller plot, especially with such awesome sounding historical elements, and I know Berry will do a wonderful job bringing this all together. As such, The Atlas Maneuver is currently one of my most anticipated releases for 2024 and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

Plot Synopsis:

From celebrated New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry comes the latest Cotton Malone adventure, in which Cotton unravels a mystery from World War II involving a legendary lost treasure, Yamashita’s Gold, worth billions.

1945. In the waning months of World War II, Japan hid vast quantities of gold and other stolen valuables in boobytrapped underground caches all across the Philippines. By 1947 some of that loot was recovered, not by treasure hunters, but by the United States government, which told no one about the find. Instead, those assets were stamped classified, shipped to Europe, and secretly assimilated into something called the Black Eagle Trust.

Present day. Retired Justice Department operative, Cotton Malone, is in Switzerland doing a favor for a friend. But what was supposed to be a simple operation turns violent and Cotton is thrust into a war between the world’s oldest bank and the CIA, a battle that directly involves the Black Eagle Trust. He quickly discovers that everything hinges on a woman from his past, who suddenly reappears harbouring a host of explosive secrets centring around bitcoin. The cryptocurrency is being quietly weaponized, readied for an assault on the world’s financial systems, a calculated move that will have devastating consequences. Cotton has no choice. He has to act. But at what cost?

From the stolid banking halls of Luxembourg, to the secret vaults of Switzerland, and finally up into the treacherous mountains of southern Morocco, Cotton Malone is stymied at every turn. Each move he makes seems wrong, and nothing works, until he finally comes face-to-face with the Atlas Manoeuvre.

The final book I want to highlight is Nobody’s Hero by M. W. Craven, an author I only recently became a fan of. Craven has written several intriguing thriller novels over the years, and I was lucky enough to get a copy of his latest book earlier this year with Fearless. A fast-paced and over-the-top read that focussed on a cocky and deadly protagonist who literally feels no fear, Fearless was an exciting and exceedingly entertaining revenge romp that saw the protagonist destroy a sinister organisation.

Nobody's Hero Cover

Amazon

I had an amazing time with Fearless and I was very excited to see that there was another Ben Koenig book coming out in June 2024. This outstanding book will see the protagonist thrust into another daring adventure, this time involving the CIA, a deadly killer in London and a long-hidden agent with a ton of secrets in her head. Nobody’s Hero sounds extremely fun and impressive, and I am expecting another crazy and bloody action romp from Craven.

Plot Synopsis:

The man who can’t feel fear is back, in a race against time to find the woman who knows a secret that could take down the world as we know it.

When a shocking murder and abduction on the streets of London leads investigators to him, Ben Koenig has no idea at first why the highest echelons of the CIA would need his help. But then he realises he knows the woman who carried out the killings. Ten years earlier, without being told why, he was tasked with helping her disappear.

Far from being a deranged killer, she is the gatekeeper of a secret that could take down the West, so for years she has been in hiding.

Until now.

And if she has resurfaced, the danger may be closer and more terrifying than anyone can imagine.

So Ben Koenig has to find her before it’s too late. But Ben suffers from a syndrome which means he can’t feel fear. He doesn’t always know when he should walk away, or when he’s leading others into danger . . .

Fast, brutal, smart, and violent, Nobody’s Hero is an engrossing story of contract killers, international terrorism, hard choices — and a fearless man.

Early 2024 is shaping up to be a hell of a year for thriller readers. The three books above sound so damn awesome and I am very excited to continue all these great series. I imagine all three are going to be some of my favourite books of the year and I look forward to seeing what elaborate new adventures these amazing authors have come up with.

Quick Review – The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz

On August 7, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Quick Review, Thriller6 Comments

The Last Orphan Cover 2

Publisher: Michael Joseph (Trade Paperback – 21 February 2023)

Series: Orphan X – Book 8

Length: 342 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

The always impressive Gregg Hurwitz continues his amazing Orphan X series with the awesome and wonderful new addition, The Last Orphan.

One of my favourite spy thriller series at the moment is easily the exciting and cool Orphan X series by rising thriller author Gregg Hurwitz. This fantastic series follows a former elite government assassin, Evan Smoak, codenamed Orphan X, who is forced to go rogue and hide himself away from his old employers. Hoping to redeem himself after all the killing he’s done, Evan takes up a new identity, the Nowhere Man, a vigilante who helps the most desperate people in ways no one else can. I have been a fan of this series for ages, ever since I read Out of the Dark, which pitted the protagonist against a deranged US President. Since then, I have had an outstanding time reading the latest books in the series, including Into the Fire, Prodigal Son, and Dark Horse. I always make it a point to pick up the new Orphan X book each year, and the latest entry, The Last Orphan, was another pretty awesome book that I was quickly able to power through.

Plot Synopsis:

As a child, Evan Smoak was plucked out of a group home, raised and trained as an off-the-books assassin for the government as part of the Orphan program. When he broke with the program and went deep underground, he left with a lot of secrets in his head that the government would do anything to make sure never got out.

When he remade himself as The Nowhere Man, dedicated to helping the most desperate in their times of trouble, Evan found himself slowly back on the government’s radar. Having eliminated most of the Orphans in the program, the government will stop at nothing to eliminate the threat they see in Evan. But Orphan X has always been several steps ahead of his pursuers.

Until he makes one little mistake…

Now the President has him in her control and offers Evan a deal – eliminate a rich, powerful man she says is too dangerous to live and, in turn, she’ll let Evan survive. But when Evan left the Program he swore to only use his skills against those who really deserve it. Now he has to decide what’s more important – his principles or his life.

The Last Orphan was another outstanding entry in this great series and Hurwitz ensures that it features all his trademark features, including strong characters, a powerful emotional heart, and a ton of action and intrigue.

This latest Orphan X book has a very strong start to it as Evan is ambushed right at the beginning of the novel by a massive Secret Service detail, determined to finally bring him in after he went rogue on the President a few too many times. Captured and trapped, Evan is forced to make a deal: kill mysterious industrialist Luke Devine or lose his own life. However, Orphan X makes his own decisions about who he assassinates, and after escaping, he begins his own research into his target, hoping to determine if he deserves to die. Investigating a mysterious death associated with Devine’s estate and the massive parties that go on there, Evan begins to make his own connections about the case and is forced to go up against Devine’s lethal and morally dangerous security detail. There are some pretty intense scenes in this part of the book as Evan makes some curious discoveries about Devine and his company, while also being forced to protect potential witnesses from his target’s security. At the same time, Evan begins to wonder if Devine actually deserves to die and must soon choose between his conscious and his peaceful life of anonymity.

This was a pretty good entry in this series, although possibly not the best that I have so far read (in my mind, that’s Into the Fire). I really liked the awesome start to The Last Orphan, especially as the over-the-top and intense capture by the Secret Service was so damn cool and it was interesting to finally see Evan taken down by the Government. However, this doesn’t last long, and once he rather easily escapes, the intensity and pace of the story kind of slows down a bit. Don’t get me wrong; I did really enjoy the subsequent storyline set around the investigation into the mysterious industrialist and his security crew, but it was a bit of a step down after the initial excitement. Still, this second half of the novel is a ton of fun, and Hurwitz presents his usual blend of fascinating spy thriller moments, particularly intense and brutal action, as well as the focus on Evan’s strained and unique personal life.

The villains of this story, Devine’s security detail, are some pretty over-the-top but genuinely threatening figures, and Hurwitz comes up with some excellent scenes around them, even presenting them as real threats to the protagonist. At the same time, Hurwitz works in a very compelling morality edge to the story, as Evan tries to work out whether Devine is actually evil or just a political threat to the President. The author makes this determination pretty hard, especially as Devine comes across as a very manipulative and unusual figure who manages to make even the legendary Orphan X doubt himself. The big conclusion of this books is very good and features all the typical action and carnage that you would expect. However, parts of the story go in some very surprising directions and I liked the unique ideas that Hurwitz presented here.

In addition to all the action and intrigue, quite a lot of The Last Orphan revolved around the compelling and moving emotional and personal concerns of the protagonist and his great supporting cast. Evan has always been a very complex figure due to his unusual upbringing, his lack of personal skills, and his crippling OCD, and a fantastic recurring theme of the books has been him trying to overcome this and finally make some connections. This continues extremely well in The Last Orphan, as he once again relies on his friends and his surrogate daughter/little sister to pull him out of the fire and keep his sanity. There are some pretty emotional interactions between Evan and these figures throughout the course of The Last Orphan, especially as it appears that Evan might not be able to come back from his latest adventure, and I felt that this was another powerful and impressive evolution of some already deep character growth. There are some other pretty big personal moments for Evan in The Last Orphan, including the seeming end of one relationship due to Evan’s fugitive status, and the potential development of another as Evan finally attempts to dive into his own complex past. It will be fascinating to see how this develops in the future, and I am sure that Hurwitz has some very intense moments planned for all of us. I honestly felt that the author got the right balance between action and emotion for The Last Orphan, and this ended up being a stronger book as a result.

Overall, The Last Orphan was a pretty awesome new entry in the great Orphan X series, and I really liked how Gregg Hurwitz continued his fantastic ongoing narrative. Featuring an excellent blend of spy thriller fun and powerful character work, The Last Orphan was an addictive and clever read, and I am glad I got the chance to check it out. Highly recommended, especially to established fans of the series, The Last Orphan is really worth the read.

Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday – The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz

On October 5, 2022February 2, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday7 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight one of the most intriguing upcoming thrillers of early 2023 with The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz.

The Last Orphan Cover

Amazon Book Depository

Over the last several years, one of the most compelling and memorable thriller series out there has been the fantastic Orphan X series. Starting off with Orphan X in 2016, this series follows Evan Smoak, a former elite government assassin who operated under the codename of Orphan X. Eventually retiring from this role and seeking redemption, Evan took on a new persona as the Nowhere Man, a vigilante who would help those most in need.

I started reading this series a few years ago with the fourth book, Out of the Dark, mainly because it had a fantastic story around Evan attempting to kill the President. This was a pretty fun book to start the series on and it made me a big fan of Hurwitz’s work. Since then, I have made sure to check out each successive Orphan X novel, all of which have been pretty awesome. This includes Into the Fire, Prodigal Son, and Dark Horse, all of which had intriguing narratives that blended great story elements with impressive character work. Throughout these books, Hurwitz made sure to dive into the complicated relationships that surrounded the former spy, and this resulted in a very intense and impressive series of distinctive novels.

As such, I am always extremely eager for the next Orphan X book and luckily I don’t have to wait that much longer. The next Orphan X book will be The Last Orphan which is currently set for release in February 2023. The Last Orphan will follow on from the fantastic conclusion of Dark Horse and will see Evan once again forced into government service after they finally manage to track him down.

Plot Synopsis:

Evan Smoak returns in The Last Orphan, the latest New York Times bestselling Orphan X thriller–when everything changes and everything is at risk.

Until he makes one little mistake…

This sounds like it will be another intriguing and intense Orphan X read. From the summary it seems that Evan will be forced into another unwinnable situation where he must balance his principles against the survival of himself and those he cares about. Seeing Evan once again forced to work for the government against his will is going to be very intriguing, especially as this will set him on a new assassination mission against a mysterious and powerful foe. Throw in the intense relationship elements that were featured in the last book, especially the medical emergency concerning his love interesting, and The Last Orphan (which is a slightly concerning title) should prove to be quite an awesome and addictive read.

Based on how strong the rest of the Orphan X series has turned out, I have no doubt whatsoever that I am going to deeply enjoy The Last Orphan. Gregg Hurwitz has an outstanding writing style and I can’t wait to see how this powerful and action-packed read will turn out. The Orphan X novels really are some of the most unique and impressive thrillers out there now and I have no doubt that The Last Orphan will be an exceptional 2023 release.

Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz

On March 6, 2022February 2, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Thriller16 Comments

Publisher: Michael Joseph (Audiobook – 15 February 2022)

Series: Orphan X – Book Seven

Length: 454 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon Book Depository

One of the top spy thriller authors in the world today, Gregg Hurwitz, returns with the latest book in his exciting and captivating Orphan X series, Dark Horse.

Over the last few years, I have been having an absolute blast checking out the epic Orphan X series by Hurwitz, which has featured some amazing and extremely fun reads. The series started back in 2016 with Orphan X, which introduced the former government assassin turned vigilante known as Orphan X. Since then, the Orphan X series has expanded to seven great books, each of which pushed the protagonist against some dangerous and ruthless foes. I have deeply enjoyed the last few books, including Out of the Dark, which set Orphan X against the corrupt President of the United States; Into the Fire, which was one of the top audiobooks of 2020; and Prodigal Son, a fantastic and exciting dive into the world of advanced military technology. All these novels have been really good and I was quite excited to see what Hurwitz had planned for his latest book, Dark Horse.

After barely surviving a deadly explosion in his sanctuary, Evan Smoak, the former government assassin known as Orphan X, has returned to his mostly usual life. Once again taking up his persona as the elite vigilante, the Nowhere Man, Evan attempts to balance his dangerous activities with the unusual romantic and familial bonds he has formed. However, his latest case will push him like none before as he finds himself thrust into a deadly and conflict between two notorious criminal organisations.

Aragon Urrea is a lifelong criminal who has established himself in south Texas as a major underworld figure. Operating a subtle and profitable undercover drug smuggling operation, Aragon has set himself as the patron of his local area, supplying employment, help and justice to those who need it, while ensuring the love and loyalty of everyone surrounding him. However, despite all his power and influence, Aragon has one weak spot, his teenage daughter, Anjelina, who is kidnapped by one of the most vicious and notorious drug cartels. Now held captive in the cartel’s impregnable stronghold, Aragon has no way to rescue her, and in desperation he turns to a man even more dangerous than him, the Nowhere Man.

Despite his misgivings about working for a drug kingpin, Evan soon finds himself drawn to Aragon’s side to save Anjelina, and discovers his new client is an honourable man worthy of his help. Forced to contend with dangerous murderers, drug dealers and psychopaths, Evan starts his attempt to infiltrate the cartel’s ranks and enter their fortress. However, what he discovers inside the fortress will change the entire mission and force Evan to attempt an impossible rescue. But can even the Nowhere Man defeat an entire drug cartel by himself, or has this legendary spy finally met his match?

This was another great novel from Hurwitz that combines an intense and action-soaked story with deep character moments and powerful self-examinations, all of which comes together into one heck of a novel. I had a brilliant time with Dark Horse, and it was an awesome continuation of the Orphan X series.

Dark Horse has an excellent narrative that I found to be extremely captivating and fun, especially as it pits the protagonist against a brutal drug cartel. The story has an interesting start, introducing the client and his kidnapped daughter, before resetting the story towards Evan and showing how he survived the cliff-hanger conclusion of the last novel. From there, Evan is slowly drawn into Aragon Urrea’s life as the drug lord convinces him to save his daughter, which eventually leads to the Nowhere Man attempting to infiltrate the rival cartel. This leads to some impressive and dark scenes as Evan draws the attention of the cartel and starts to gain the trust of their deranged leader. This central part of the book is very powerful, especially as the protagonist finds out several complications to his plans and witnesses the true evil of his target. At the same time, Evan is dealing with multiple personal problems, as issues with his friends, family and love interest all impact upon his mind, resulting in a richer narrative. This all leads up to the epic and destructive final major sequence where Orphan X is unleashed and takes out his opponents in some very clever and brutal ways. The book ends on a satisfying conclusion which touches on many of the brilliant character moments built up throughout the novel, while certain hints at the events of future novels will ensure that you come back for me.

I love how Hurwitz told the cool story in Dark Horse. Like the rest of the novels in the series, Dark Horse can be read as a bit of a standalone read, although Orphan X fans will really enjoy seeing the continuation of certain storylines, especially those raised in the last couple of books. Readers are in for the suspense, intense and highly detailed action, and intriguing dives into the complex character that have been such a distinctive feature of this series, and I loved how they improved the cool new story Hurwitz came up with. The scenes set down in Mexico are particularly dark, and I found myself inevitable drawn to the over-the-top depictions of cartel country and the dangerous people living there. I also need to highlight a particularly gruesome scene inside a drug house in San Bernardino, which will leave you shocked and reeling, especially with Hurwitz’s descriptive writing. There was a very interesting focus on ethics, morality and personal emotion throughout Dark Horse, with two very different drug organisations shown. Evan’s attempts to decide whether the person he is trying to help is a good person become a key part of the story, and I enjoyed the captivating comparisons between the protagonist and the various people he interacts with throughout the novel. I do think that Hurwitz could have perhaps sacrificed a little of this philosophical introspection and replaced it with some more action or suspense in a few of the slower parts of the novel, but overall this was an impressive and highly enjoyable read.

Hurwitz has once again loaded his novel with some complex and intriguing characters who add a substantial amount to the story. The most prominent of these is main protagonist Evan Smoak, the titular Orphan X. Evan is a particularly complicated figure who Hurwitz has been carefully building over the entire series. Raised since childhood to be an assassin, Evan lacks many of the appropriate social skills people are supposed to have. This, combined with his intense OCD and lack of emotional awareness, ensures he has difficulties adjusting to everyday life now that he is mostly retired from his assassin work. His many issues cause multiple strains on his relationships in Dark Horse and it is very compelling to see him continue to adapt and improve as a person. Evan also experiences many revelations in this novel, especially when it comes to the complex people and families he encounters. Seeing people who strive to be good like him while also supporting evil or illegal actions really impacts him, and it proves to be very intriguing to see him attempt comprehend what sort of person he is and the people he is dealing with.

In addition to Evan, Dark Horse contains an interesting collection of supporting character who round out the story and ensure that the main character’s life is even more complex and meaningful. Dark Horse makes use of a good combination of recurring characters from the previous novel and several new figures, including several over-the-top and menacing antagonists. A large amount of focus is placed on new character, Aragon Urrea, who in many ways is a similar figure to Evan, as he is a genuinely good person, but he does bad things to achieve his goals. There is also the character of Anjelina, who finds herself as a secondary point-of-view character in parts of Dark Horse. A young, scared teenager, Anjelina makes some dangerous decisions in this novel and Hurwitz throws in some great surprises about her actual motivations and mindset. I also really enjoyed seeing more of some of the recurring characters from the previous novels. Evan’s main love interest, Mia, goes through some dark moments in this book, which adds to the emotional weight on the protagonist’s shoulders. It was also cool to see more of Joey and Peter, Evan’s substitute children, whose interactions with the protagonist go to show how unprepared and damaged he truly is. Throw in the residence of Evan’s building, who have some entertaining and frustrating interactions with Evan, and you have a fantastic cast for this novel that proves to be extremely fascinating to follow.

While I did receive a physical copy of this novel, I ended up listening to the audiobook version of Dark Horse, which was a fun and enjoyable experience. Dark Horse’s audiobook has a run time of just over 15 hours, and proves to be easy enough to power through, especially when you get caught up in the cool story. I loved having this cool action-packed story read to me, and I found it helped me to really envision the great fight scenes, as well as context with the multitude of compelling characters. This great audiobook also features the impressive voice work of Scott Brick, a veteran narrator of thriller audiobooks, including the previous Orphan X books, as well as entries in the Cotton Malone series by Steve Berry (The Malta Exchange, The Warsaw Protocol and The Kaiser’s Web). Brick has an excellent voice that really lends itself to the spy thriller genre. I felt that he perfectly captured many of the great characters in this novel, and he ensured that their full range of emotions and reactions were on full display. This amazing voice work helped to turn the Dark Horse audiobook into a real treat, and I am very glad that I decided to enjoy it in this format.

With the awesome and impressive Dark Horse, Gregg Hurwitz presents an excellent continuation to his outstanding Orphan X series. Containing an epic story filled with cool action, entertaining sequences and impressive characters, Dark Horse is a captivating and addictive read that is really worth checking out.

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Waiting on Wednesday – Dark Horse, Sierra Six and Armored

On October 13, 2021 By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday13 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For my latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight some incredible upcoming thriller novels that I feel are going to be some of the best books of the next few months.

Over the last few years, I have really been getting into the thriller genre, having read a great number of awesome and fast-paced novels across the various sub-genres. I have had a particularly awesome time with the spy thrillers, and I love a novel that follows a dangerous and talented intelligence agent facing off against a range of clever opponents and outrageous odds. Two of the best series I have been getting into are the Orphan X and Gray Man spy thriller series, which contain complex protagonists and fantastic storylines, and I thought I would take this opportunity to look at their next amazing sounding entries.

Dark Horse Cover

The first of these books is the fun sounding Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz, which will be the seventh Orphan X novel. The Orphan X series follows the titular Orphan X, Evan Smoak, a legendary agent who has gone rogue and taken up the persona of the Nowhere Man, a vigilante who helps people that have nowhere to turn to. I got into this series a few years ago when I read Out of the Dark, an amazing book that saw Orphan X attempting to kill the President of the United States. I had a fantastic time with this cool concept, and I made sure to check out the next two books in the series, both of which were five-star reads. The first of these, Into the Fire (one of the best audiobooks of 2020), saw a concussed Orphan X tearing through a sinister criminal organisation in LA, while the latest book, Prodigal Son, forced a semi-retired Evan to go up against a crazy weapons developer. All three of these novels were really good, and I loved the high-concept fights, complex antagonists and the interesting personal issues surrounding the former orphan who was raised by a group of killers.

The next book in the series, Dark Horse, also sounds really good, as the protagonist faces another impossible challenge, while also dealing with secrets from his past. Dark Horse is currently set for release on 8 February 2022, and it looks like it will be a deeply impressive read.

Synopsis:

Gregg Hurwitz’s New York Times bestselling series returns when Orphan X faces his most challenging mission ever in Dark Horse.

Evan Smoak is a man with many identities and a challenging past. As Orphan X, he was a government assassin for the off-the-books Orphan Program. After he broke with the Program, he adopted a new name and a new mission—The Nowhere Man, helping the most desperate in their times of trouble. Having just survived an attack on his life and the complete devastation of his base of operations, as well as his complicated (and deepening) relationship with his neighbor Mia Hall, Evan isn’t interested in taking on a new mission. But one finds him anyway.

Aragon Urrea is a kingpin of a major drug-dealing operation in South Texas. He’s also the patron of the local area—supplying employment in legitimate operations, providing help to the helpless, rough justice to the downtrodden, and a future to a people normally with little hope. He’s complicated—a not completely good man, who does bad things for often good reasons. However, for all his money and power, he is helpless when one of the most vicious cartels kidnaps his innocent eighteen year old daughter, spiriting her away into the armored complex that is their headquarters in Mexico. With no other way to rescue his daughter, he turns to The Nowhere Man.

Now not only must Evan figure out how to get into the impregnable fortress of a heavily armed, deeply paranoid cartel leader, but he must decide if he should help a very bad man—no matter how just the cause.

Unsurprisingly I love the sound of this cool new novel, especially as the main plot will revolve around the protagonist storming the impregnable fortress of a Mexican cartel. This book has an awful lot of potential and I cannot wait to see what surprising and outrageous schemes that the protagonist will utilise to save the kidnapped girl. I am also very curious about the inclusion of a drug kingpin being Evan’s client, as he usually only helps normal, innocent people. Working to help a rich criminal will be an interesting change for the Nowhere Man, and I look forward to seeing his inner conflict around it. The character of Aragon Urrea will also make for a compelling alternate narrator (each of Evan’s clients are usually featured pretty heavily), and he should have a pretty unique take on the events occurring around him. Based on the events of Prodigal Son, it is likely that Aragon will have connections to Evan’s past, and it wouldn’t surprise me if you see the protagonist’s family grow just a little more. All this sound pretty amazing, and I am extremely keen to check Dark Horse out.

Sierra Six Cover

The next book is Sierra Six, the 11^th novel in the impressive Gray Man series by bestselling author Mark Greaney. The Gray Man series follows Court Gentry, an elite spy and killer known as the Gray Man. I got into this series back in 2019 when I checked out the fantastic Mission Critical. This was an awesome read that saw Gentry hunting a team of Russian spies who planned to cripple the Western intelligence community. Greaney has since followed this book up with two exceptional five-star reads, One Minute Out (one of the best books of 2020) and Relentless (one of the best books and audiobooks I have so far read this year). I also recently went back and checked out the first novel in the series, The Gray Man, which was incredibly awesome and contained an epic storyline that saw Gentry square off against 100 elite killers across Europe.

The 11^th Gray Man novel, Sierra Six, currently has a release date in February 2022 and looks set to examine some terrible secrets from Gentry’s past, with a compelling look at his first mission with the CIA.

Synopsis:

It’s been years since the Gray Man’s first mission, but the trouble’s just getting started in the latest entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

Before he was the Gray Man, Court Gentry was Sierra Six, the junior member of a CIA action team.

In their first mission they took out a terrorist leader, but at a terrible price–the life of a woman Court cared for. Years have passed and now The Gray Man is on a simple mission when he sees a ghost: the long-dead terrorist, but he’s remarkably energetic for a dead man.

A decade may have gone by but the Gray Man hasn’t changed. He isn’t one to leave a job unfinished or a blood debt unpaid.

This sounds like such an awesome read, and I really love the idea of Greaney going way back into his protagonist’s past. I’m assuming that Sierra Six will have a split narrative, with a good portion following Gentry’s first mission, and I looking forward to learning more about this character’s backstory. It will also be interesting to see how Gentry is going after the events of Relentless when he was blackballed by the CIA again, and I will be quite intrigued to find out what happens with some of the series’ ongoing storylines. I am very excited for this novel, although I might try and check out one or two earlier Gray Man novels beforehand, just to build up some more context.

Armored Cover

I also must take the time to talk about Greaney’s other big upcoming release, Armored. Armored is a standalone audiobook written by Greaney that currently has a release date of 9 December 2021. This fantastic sounding audiobook will be voiced by a full cast of narrators, including the impressive Jay Snyder, and it has the potential to be one of the most intense and action-packed releases of the year, especially as Mr Explosion himself, Michael Bay, has already obtained the film rights for it.

Synopsis:

A team of military contractors fights for its life in this high-adrenaline, full-cast drama from Mark Greaney, author of the Audible and New York Times best-selling Gray Man series.

Josh Duffy is staring into the abyss.

A decorated army veteran turned military contractor, his last mission went sideways, leaving him badly injured and his career derailed. Now, he’s working as a mall cop, trying to keep his family one step ahead of the bill collectors.

So when a chance at redemption – and a big pay day – comes his way, Duff eagerly jumps in.

The job – to ride shotgun on a motorcade of heavily armed and armored vehicles as they roll into Mexico’s cartel country. The mission – to find a notorious drug lord and bring him to the negotiating table with the Mexican government and the UN.

But Duff’s employer, Armored Saint, has a track record that’s sketchy, at best. And from the moment the motorcade hits the dusty roads, the danger only increases.

It’s a suicide run – and for Duff, the violent forces of the cartels may not be the biggest threat.

So, another book set down in cartel country, Armored also sounds pretty damn cool, and I think that I am going to have an amazing time with this book. Based on the synopsis, it looks like the protagonist and his friends will be forced to endure a gauntlet of death and destruction, along with a traitor in their ranks and some dodgy dealing from the corporation running them. I cannot wait to check this book out, and I have very high hopes for the audiobook format, especially with its comprehensive and intriguing cast. I must admit that I am pretty excited to get multiple books from Greaney is so short a time frame, and I look forward to seeing what madness is featured in both his upcoming reads. I have also heard rumours that a sequel to Red Metal, which Greaney cowrite with H. Ripley Rawlings (one of the best books and audiobooks of 2019), is on its way, and I will make sure to feature that in another Waiting on Wednesday entry when I get some more details.

As you can from the above, I have quite a lot of thrillers to read very soon. All three of these books have an immense amount of potential, and based on my experiences with their authors, I already know that I am going to have an outstanding time getting through all of them.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Audiobook Narrators

On September 28, 2021 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List22 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants have been given a freebie topic, meaning that they can do a list on whatever interests them. So, I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about something I am very passionate about, audiobooks. In particular, I am going to have a crack at listing my favourite top ten audiobook narrators.

Readers of my blog will know that I have a particular love for the audiobook format, and it is one of my favourite ways to enjoy a good book (I’m listening to one now as I put this post up). I have long loved audiobooks, going all the way back to my childhood when I had Goosebumps books on cassette tape. While I eventually grew out of these series (and cassette tapes), my appreciation for audiobooks has remained, and I have become even more fond of them in recent years, due to how easy and accessible audiobooks are these days. As such, I have had the great pleasure of listening to some outstanding audiobook in the last few years, and I honestly find myself enjoying some books a hell of a lot more in this format.

One of the main reasons why I have so much fun with audiobooks is because a lot of them have outstanding narrators who excel at telling the story or bringing the characters to life. A great narrator can turn a good book into something truly magical, while boring narrators can ruin even the most compelling stories. Over the years I have found myself becoming a big fan of several talented narrators due to their ability to make every story they read incredibly awesome with their impressive range. Some of these narrators have been so good that I have followed them to other books and series, as I know that I am going to have a great time with whatever they are reading. As a result, I thought it was about time that I highlighted my absolute favourites of these on this blog.

To pull this list together, I sifted through the best narrators I have listened and tried to work out who I enjoy listening to the most. While there were a couple of great narrators I have enjoyed once or twice, my list tended to focus on those narrators whose work I have heard multiple time. I ended up pulling together a descent list, which I was able to cull down into a good top ten list with a generous honourable mentions section. The end result turned out pretty good, and I liked the cool cross section of genres and narrators that this list contained. So, let us see who made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Scott Brick – Orphan X and Cotton Malone series

Scott Brick is the narrator of two awesome thriller series, the Orphan X and Cotton Malone books. I have listened to several great books narrated by Brick, including Into the Fire and Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz, and The Malta Exchange, The Warsaw Protocol and The Kaiser’s Web by Steve Berry, all of which were fantastic and compelling listens.

Jim Dale – Harry Potter series

I had to include actor Jim Dale somewhere on this due to his outstanding work narrating the Harry Potter audiobooks. While Stephen Fry also did a version, I have only had the pleasure of listening to Dale’s version, and it is such an outstanding way to enjoy this iconic series.

Jonathan Keeble – Trollslayer series

I have recently enjoyed Jonathan Keeble’s work on the Trollslayer series by William King, set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe. I have so far listened to three of these books, Trollslayer, Skavenslayer and Daemonslayer, and each of these has featured some impressive voice work, especially around the main characters. I am planning to check out more Warhammer novels narrated by Keeble soon, which should be a lot of fun.

Emily Woo Zeller – Star Wars: Doctor Aphra and Cyber Shogun Revolution

I also needed to highlight a rising audiobook narrator who has done some awesome books lately, Emily Woo Zeller. Zeller came to my attention when she voiced the titular character in the outstanding Star Wars: Doctor Aphra audio drama, perfectly capturing this outstanding and complex protagonist. This amazing performance, as well as her work in Cyber Shogun Revolution, really impressed me, and I look forward to seeing what Zeller will do in the future.

Top Ten List (unranked):

Ray Porter – Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International series

The first entry on this list is the incredible Ray Porter, a narrator whose work I am deeply enjoying. While Porter has narrated an amazing number of books, I know him primarily through his collaboration with author Jonathan Maberry. Porter has narrated most of Maberry’s novels over the years, and they are an impressive and captivating team. I particularly enjoyed Porter’s work in Maberry’s Joe Ledger series (which includes books like Assassin’s Code, Code Zero, and Dogs of War) and the sequel Rogue Team International series (featuring Rage and Relentless), as Porter always perfectly fits into the skin of the titular protagonist. I also really enjoyed his work on the standalone horror novel Ink, which was one of the best audiobooks of 2020, and I am particularly keen to check out more novels narrated by Porter.

R. C. Bray – Planetside series and The Dark

Another fantastic narrator whose work I have been appreciating lately is R. C. Bray, who has lent his voice to some amazing audiobooks. I first came across Bray through his work on Michael Mammay’s Planetside series, including Planetside and Colonyside (one of the best audiobooks from the first half of 2021). Bray did an outstanding job on these science fiction military thrillers, and his gruff voice was perfect for the veteran soldier the series followed. However, Bray can also voice some other unique characters, a fact I recently discovered when I listened to the wildly entertaining horror novel, The Dark by Jeremy Robinson. In this book, Bray voiced a stoner character who finds himself leading the fight against a horde of invading demons. Not only did Bray really get into this different protagonist, but he helped to turn The Dark into one of the best audiobooks of the year. I look forward to checking out more from Bray in the future, especially as he has already narrated a ton of books by Robinson that sound really cool.

James Marsters – Dresden Files series

The next entry on this list is someone who I was a fan of well before I enjoyed their audiobook work, actor James Marsters. Best known for his roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Marsters has also provided his voice to the audiobook versions of the Dresden Files urban fantasy series by Jim Butcher. I found this out last year when I listened to the awesome latest entry in the series, Battle Ground, and I instantly fell in love with Marsters’ take on the various characters. Marsters really dived into the role of titular protagonist Harry Dresden, and I appreciated all the cool voices he did throughout this novel. When I decided to go back and check out the earlier entries in this series, I was very excited to see that Marsters narrated all these prior audiobooks as well, so it was an easy choice to check them out in audiobook as well. I have so far enjoyed another four Dresden Files novels, Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril and Summer Knight, and each of them has featured some exceptional voice work from Marsters, which is really worth checking out.

Robert Petkoff – Star Trek audiobooks

Each year there are a ton of Star Trek tie-in novels released, all of which get adapted to audiobook. Of these multiple Star Trek books, nearly all feature the voice of Robert Petkoff. Petkoff has an excellent voice for Star Trek, especially as he can perfectly replicate most of the Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation cast. I have already listened to a great number of his Star Trek audiobooks including More Beautiful Than Death by David Mack, Agents of Influence by Dayton Ward, The Unsettling Stars by Alan Dean Foster, Picard: The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack and The Captain’s Oath by Christopher L. Bennett, just to name a few. I currently have several of his audiobooks currently loaded up on my phone, and I will hopefully listen to some of them soon.

Marc Thompson – Star Wars audiobooks

Moving from Star Trek to Star Wars the next narrator I need to highlight is the outstanding Marc Thompson. Thompson is a wonderfully talented narrator who has been lending his voice to some of the best Star Wars tie-in novels out there, and perfectly bringing them to life. I love the outstanding range of characters that he can voice, including those from the films, characters from the animated shows, and new characters never seen on screen. I am a particular fan of the voice he uses for the character of Grand Admiral Thrawn, as he perfectly captures the character’s complexities, especially in books like Thrawn, Chaos Rising and Greater Good by Timothy Zahn. Other impressive examples of his voice work can be seen in the audiobook versions of Scoundrels, Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule and The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott.

Steven Pacey – First Law and Age of Madness trilogies

I am a major fan of Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series, so I also must highlight the impressive Steven Pacey. Pacey is a great narrator who I primarily know through his work on Abercrombie’s novels. I deeply enjoyed the narration he provided to Abercrombie’s iconic dark fantasy series, the First Law trilogy, with each of the complex characters perfectly portrayed by this talented narrator. Pacey really puts a lot of himself into this exceptional audiobook adaptions, and I was very happy that he continued to provide his voice to Abercrombie’s Age of Madness sequel trilogy, providing his exceptional voices to books like A Little Hatred, The Trouble with Peace and The Wisdom of Crowds.

Joe Jameson – King of Assassins and The Legacy of the Mercenary King series

The next entry on this list is Joe Jameson, a narrator whose voice I have been hearing a fair bit of lately. Jameson is a very talented voice worker who has been narrating several amazing recent fantasy novels. I first heard Jameson’s voice when I listened to the audiobook version of King of Assassins by RJ Barker, and I was particularly impressed by his impressive take on the intriguing characters contained within. Following this, Jameson was also provided his voice to The Legacy of the Mercenary King series (currently made up of The Kingdom of Liars and The Two-Faced Queen), where I was deeply impressed with his exceptional ability. I cannot wait to hear more of Jameson’s work on this series as it continues, and I am also thinking about listening to several unrelated novels that were also voiced by this talented narrator.

Nigel Planer/Stephen Briggs – Discworld series

There was no way that I could do a list about audiobook narrators without mentioning the epic duo of Nigel Planer and Stephen Briggs. Both Planer and Briggs are talented actors and narrators, but I love them the most for their work on adapting the epic Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. The Disworld books (such as Moving Pictures and The Last Continent), are my absolute favourite books, and I have so much love for them, especially in their audiobook format. All the Discworld novels (as well as some other standalone books that Pratchett wrote), were voiced by either Planer or Briggs, with Planer voicing the first 23 books, while Briggs narrated the last 18 books. Each of these narrators brings something a little different to the books they adapted, but both do an amazing job capturing Pratchett’s unique humour and compelling characters. I would strongly recommend any Discworld audiobook that these two narrate, and I have so much appreciation for them.

Jonathan Davis – Star Wars audiobooks

Another great narrator who has lent his voice to the Star Wars tie-in genre is the talented Jonathan Davis. Like Thompson, Davis is a leading Star Wars audiobook narrator, and he always does a great job portraying some of the iconic characters from the franchise. I have had a lot of fun listening to Davis’ work on such books as Master & Apprentice by Claudia Gray, Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp, Maul: Lockdown by Joe Schreiber and the Dooku: Jedi Lost audio drama by Cavan Scott. I especially love Davis’ take on characters like Emperor Palpatine and Qui-Gon Jinn and I look forward to listening to more books from him in the future.

Jay Snyder – Gray Man series

The final audiobook narrator I need to highlight on this list is the fantastic Jay Snyder. I have recently been really getting into the Gray Man books, and a lot of that is because of Snyder whose audiobook version of the last two novels, One Minute Out and Relentless, were pretty incredible. I even recently went back and checked out the first novel in the series, The Gray Man, and I was really impressed by Snyder’s work on this initial book. As I am intending to get through all the Gray Man books in the next little while, I will be hearing more of Snyder’s voice work in the future, and I cannot wait to see what other cool adventures he gets to narrate.

That’s the end of this latest list. I think it turned out pretty well, and I liked the intriguing selection of narrators I ended up featuring. Each of the above narrators are pretty damn amazing and I would honestly listen to any novel that they cared to lend their voices to. Any audiobook narrated by them comes highly recommended and I am deeply excited to hear more from them in the future. I had a fair bit of fun coming up with this list, and I think it is one that I will revisit in the future. Hopefully the next version of this list will have more variety (such as more female narrators), and I cannot wait to explore even more awesome audiobooks in the future. In the meantime, let me know who your favourite audiobook narrator is in the comments so I can check them out.

Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz

On February 17, 2021February 2, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Thriller19 Comments

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (Audiobook – 2 February 2021)

Series: Orphan X – Book Six

Length: 13 hours and 42 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon Book Depository

One of the most exciting and impressive thriller series out there returns with the sixth entry in Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X series, Prodigal Son.

Over the last couple of years I have really been expanding my love for the thriller genre and I have been getting into several cool series, many of which have been spectacular reads. One of my favourites at the moment is the fantastic Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz. The Orphan X series follows protagonist Evan Smoak, the titular Orphan X, a lethal and highly capable special operator who was recruited out of an orphanage when he was 12 and trained in every conceivable aspect of combat and spycraft. After breaking from the Orphan Program and moving to Los Angeles, Evan has taken on a new moniker as The Nowhere Man, a vigilante who helps those in desperate situations as penance for his former life as an assassin. I had a lot of fun reading the fourth book in the series, Out of the Dark, which saw Evan go up against the corrupt President of the United States. I also deeply enjoyed the fifth book, Into the Fire, which was one of my favourite books from the first half of 2020 and one of the best audiobooks of the year. As a result, I have been really looking forward to reading the new Orphan X novel for a while now and I was excited to see what sort of fascinating story Prodigal Son would have.

After successfully taking down the shadowy forces behind the Orphan Program, Evan Smoak is ready to retire. With an unofficial pardon from the new President, all Evan has to do to stay off the government’s radar is to stop his activities as The Nowhere Man and live a normal life. However, the past once again returns to haunt Evan when he receives a phone call from a woman claiming to be his long lost mother, asking for his help.

Shocked and rattled by the revelations, Evan’s curiosity and need for family drives him to meet with this woman and discover what she wants. After tracking her down, Evan is surprised at the woman’s one request: to find and help Andrew Duran, a nobody living in LA whose life has gone off the rails. Working a dead-end job at an impound lot, Andrew witnesses the mysterious death of a former drone pilot, and now finds himself being hunted by a pair of brutal killers.

While initially reluctant to take the case and risk his pardon, Evan’s interest is piqued when he barely survives a hellfire missile strike on Andrew’s house. Digging deeper in the circumstances around the murder at the impound lot, Evan begins to uncover a deadly conspiracy involving a ruthless weapons contractor and his next generation drone weaponry. However, the biggest dangers to Evan may come from a direction he would never expect, as his new client, Andrew, brings up unwanted memories from his traumatic past. What is Andrew’s connection to Evan’s mother and his childhood and how will an emotionally compromised Evan save everyone important to him?

Wow, that was impressive. Hurwitz has once again come up with an epic and exciting Orphan X novel that combines high-octane action, with a fantastic plot, some excellent characters and an intense amount of growth and emotional turmoil surrounding the series’ protagonist. The combination of this results in a deeply addictive and extremely captivating read that ended up getting a full five-star rating from me, and it proved extremely hard to put Prodigal Son down.

This latest Orphan X novel contains a particularly clever and enjoyable narrative that sees Evan once again engage in a deadly mission as The Nowhere Man, although this time he is drawn in for far more personal reasons than usual. Hurwitz starts Prodigal Son off with a fun introduction, as Evan attempts to live a peaceful life in retirement (which goes about as well as expected), before his curiosity at the cliffhanger ending of the previous novel, Into the Fire, drives him to seek out the woman claiming to be his mother. This in turn leads him to attempt to save another lost soul from dangerous forces, as he goes up against a sociopathic tech genius and their ruthless assassins (as well as some repugnant bastards he encounters along the way). The rest of the story progresses at an intense and enjoyable pace as Evan attempts to get to the bottom of the plot that his client finds himself in. This results in several really impressive fight scenes, including a particularly brutal sequence in a impound lot (I will never, ever think about putting a torch in my mouth again). Hurwitz really has a talent for writing action scenes, and I loved all the ruthless detail and fun moments that he features within them (never bring a Tesla to a gun fight). In addition, there are some cleverly written infiltration scenes that I had fun with, especially when it comes to Evan breaking into some very high-security places with some elaborate disguises and a vape pen. All of this comes to a head with an explosive conclusion which, while a tad predictable, was still a fun way to end the book and should make for some interesting future entries in the series. I really enjoyed getting through Prodigal Son’s story and I found it to be particularly addictive and fun.

One of the most impressive and distinguishing highlights of the Orphan X series has always been its compelling and complex protagonist, Evan Smoak. Evan is a highly trained professional assassin who learnt a meticulous code of honour and responsibility as a child and now seeks to redeem himself by helping those in trouble. Thanks to his troubled and complicated past, as well as some mild OCD (brought on by a need for perfection in his work), Evan has been a particularly compelling character to follow, and there has been an intriguing subplot about his troubles connecting to other people. However, the emotional turmoil hidden within the character really comes to a head in Prodigal Son when Evan is reunited with the woman who abandoned him as a baby. Hurwitz really dives deep into the character’s psyche for this latest novel, presenting an intricate and powerful picture of a conflicted person, one who is torn between his long-repressed desire for family and to fit in and his training to be independent and alone. This emotional turmoil becomes even more pronounced when several secrets and revelations come to the surface, and this really throws Evan for a lot of the book. These added emotional distractions prove to be an intriguing part of the book’s plot, especially as it dulls Evan’s usual keen senses and amps up the risk during his missions. Hurwitz also spends time diving back into Evan’s childhood, including through a series of flashbacks to when he was first recruited to the Orphan Program, and it was fascinating to see more of his early life, especially when it impacts on his current state of mind. I also quite enjoyed the way in which Hurwitz explores Evan’s relationship with several other characters, and it was fascinating to see more of this killer’s paternal instincts and cravings come to life, especially after he finally comes face to face with his mother. In addition, Hurwitz also explores his protagonist’s mentality when it comes to retirement, and it proved interesting to see how Evan reacts when he is once again exposed to danger and violence. This is easily some of the best character development and exploration that Hurwitz has ever done, and I really appreciated the dramatic edge that it gave to Prodigal Son’s story.

Aside from Evan, this novel is filled with a selection of amazing and well-developed characters. The most prominent of these are probably Evan’s client, Andrew, and his long-lost mother, Veronica. Both serve as intriguing catalysts to Evan’s own development, and it was fascinating to see how their introduction to the plot impacted the protagonist’s mentality, especially when their various secrets come to life. Andrew in particular proves to be a great addition to the plot, and I liked to see another one of Evan’s clients whose life is both upended and improved by his interactions with The Nowhere Man. Several recurring characters from the previous Orphan X series also have some fantastic roles in this book, and I really enjoyed seeing more of Joey, a former Orphan Program participant and master hacker, who Evan treats like a little sister/daughter. Joey is a very fun character whose style, personality and expertise in all things technological strongly clash with Evan, but together they form a great team, and they have some amusing interactions throughout the book, especially when Evan finds out that Joey is dating and instantly enters protective dad mode. There is also the usual inclusion of the other residents of Evan’s apartment complex, including his love interest Mia and her young son Peter. While many of the characters in this complex seem a bit weird or one-dimensional, they actually prove to be an intriguing part of the book’s plot, especially as Evan is able to reconcile his own emotional issues with some of the problems they are facing. This is particularly true when it comes to Mia and Peter, and there are some interesting developments on that relationship throughout Prodigal Son.

Aside from these excellent side characters, Hurwitz has also come up with some fun villains for this latest novel that Evan needs to contend with. The main three villains of the story are a pretty unique group of antagonists, including the brother-sister team of Declan and Queenie Gentner, contracted assassins who have been hired to kill Andrew and other witnesses to their boss’s plot. Declan and Queenie are an interesting and sadistic pair of killers who prove to be a bit of a challenge for Evan throughout the book. I really appreciated that Hurwitz spent the time developing both of them, especially Declan, who has some major childhood traumas, and I felt that their arc throughout Prodigal Son was rather clever. The main villain of this story is the Gentner’s employer, known as the Doctor, who has access to some rather dangerous technology. The Doctor has a very James Bond villain feel to him, right down to having an odd and distinguishing physical characteristic and a sinister vision for the future. While a little more mystery or a twist about who the Doctor ultimately was might have worked out well, I still thought they were a great villain. I particularly liked the inclusion of all the drones that they used, and it was really fascinating to see how the author envisioned the future of warfare and how a trained agent like Evan would deal with them. Overall, there are some great side characters in this novel, and I look forward to seeing how Hurwitz utilises them in future Orphan X entries.

Like I did with the previous novel in the Orphan X series, I ended up choosing to listen to Prodigal Son’s audiobook format. This was a fantastic decision as this version of Prodigal Son was well put together and proved to be an excellent way to enjoy this amazing story. Prodigal Son has a decent run time of 13 hours and 42 minutes, which dedicated listeners can get through fairly quickly, and was narrated by the talented Scott Brick. Brick is an exceptional narrator who has lent his voice to an impressive catalogue of audiobooks, including several excellent thrillers, such as the Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone series (I enjoyed his narration for The Malta Exchange and The Warsaw Protocol) and the rest of the Orphan X novels. For Prodigal Son, Brick once again gives an excellent performance, providing the characters with some tough voices which fit each of the perfectly and helped to bring the story to life. I ended up getting really wrapped up in this audiobook and I felt that it was an amazing way to experience and step inside of this fantastic novel.

Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz is an exceptional and powerful read that serves a great new addition to the amazing Orphan X series. I had an outstanding time listening to this fantastic new book, especially with its epic story and terrifically deep characters, and this is swiftly becoming one of my favourite thriller series. Prodigal Son comes highly recommended and I cannot wait to see how Hurwitz continues this in the future.

Amazon Book Depository

Top Ten Tuesday – Books that Should be Adapted into Netflix Shows/Movies

On August 18, 2020 By The Unseen LibraryIn List8 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants need to list the books that they think need to be adapted into a Netflix show or movie. My first thought when I heard about this topic was, is Netflix sponsoring this post somehow? Are they that desperate for new ideas that they are conducting some sort of sneaky market research on us? If they are, I am personally fine with it. Netflix has a pretty good track record of turning some popular books and comics into some fun shows and movies, many of which I have enjoyed. An obvious recent example is The Witcher, although other great examples include The Umbrella Academy (I just binged the second season over two days), A Series of Unfortunate Events, You, The Last Kingdom, and Orange is the New Black. So if Netflix is looking for some more books to turn into awesome shows, I am all for it and I definitely have some ideas for them.

In order to do this list, I scoured through some of my favourite books and comics to try and decide which ones would make the best television series. I already had a few on my mind the moment I found out what this week’s topic was, as several of these novels have television potential that really stands out when you are reading. As the topic was Netflix shows and movies, I did try to exclude any series or universe that had already been bought by another streaming company or which is already in development at Netflix (such as any of Mark Millar’s comics). As a result, you won’t be seeing The Lord of the Rings or The Wheel of Time on this list, as both are already in production in some form or other, and I have also excluded any comics or books owned by Disney or DC Comics (although a Doctor Aphra Star Wars series would be pretty epic).

I eventually came up with quite a few books, series or comics that I thought would make a good television series, and I was able to whittle away a few options to make a Top Ten List. I am actually rather happy with how this list turned out, as there are some interesting options on this list. People familiar with my blog will not be surprised by some of the entries I included, but I think there are some good surprises in there that will make this stand out a little. So let us see how this turned out.

Honourable Mentions:

The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind Cover

As one of the best fantasy series ever written, The Kingkiller Chronicle is an obvious choice for this list, as its potential to be an awesome series is hard to deny. However, due to the fact that an adaption for this series is already in the works, I decided to leave it as an honourable mention. The Kingkiller Chronicle is a special case, as the last I heard about the adaptation was that it was going to avoid the main story of the novels and instead do a whole new narrative in the same universe. As I personally think a good Netflix adaptation of the main story would be much better, I decided to include this series on the list and hope like heck any adaption turns out alright.

Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz

out of the dark cover

This is a fun and exciting spy series that features a rogue super-agent on the run fighting criminals and helping people as a vigilante. I have been absolutely loving these books, including the last two novels Out of the Dark and Into the Fire, and I think that these novels could be turned into something really cool, for example: Out of the Dark features the protagonist going up against the entire Secret Service in order to kill a corrupt President, which is pretty damn awesome.

The Cleric Quintet by R. A. Salvatore

Canticle Cover

It’s apparently quite hard for me to do a Top Ten Tuesday list without mentioning one of my favourite fantasy authors, R. A. Salvatore. I am a major fan of Salvatore’s writing and I think many of his books would make awesome shows or movies. However, as it would be pretty impossible to adapt any of his Drizzt Do’Urden novels into movies of television shows (you can imagine the issues they would have trying to cast and portray any Dark Elf characters), I have instead featured The Cleric Quintet fantasy novels. The Cleric Quintet follows a young priest and his unusual friends and companions as they attempt to defend their region of the Forgotten Realms from all manner of evil. This is a great piece of classic high fantasy fiction and I think that viewers would love the intriguing tales included within (I personally loved the second book, In Sylvan Shadows, the most), as well as the fantastic development shown by the main characters throughout the course of the series.

Top Ten List:

The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie

The Blade Itself

When I was coming up with the entries for this list, the first books I thought about were The First Law novels by Joe Abercrombie. This is because The First Law books are an outstanding dark fantasy series that features all manner of blood, brutality and manipulations, which would translate extremely well into a powerful and addictive television series. The real strength of these novels is their unique collection of complicated and flawed characters, each of whom is doing their best to survive in an extremely harsh world. There are some great protagonists in these novels, each of whom has the potential to become an iconic television character if portrayed right, including a deadly warrior with severe rage issues, a pompous dandy who has greatness violently thrust upon him and an exceedingly manipulative mage whose wisdom and plots are entirely self-serving (think an evil version of Gandalf). The main reason these books could be adapted into an epic show is thanks to the character of Sand dan Glokta, a dark and ugly character, physically and mentally twisted by years of torture by the enemy, who now dishes out torture himself as an inquisitor, when he finds himself investigating some of the strange events troubling his nation. Glokta is an incredible character, and with the right actor he could easily be the next Tyrion Lannister. As a result, I really want to see an adaption of this series, and Netflix can easily make something pretty epic from these books, including the recent sequel novel, A Little Hatred.

Joe Ledger novels by Jonathan Maberry

Patient Zero Cover

Now these are some books that would make for an exciting television series. Jonathan Maberry’s action-packed Joe Ledger novels are a compelling thriller series that sets government agents against some of the weirdest things that science can create. There are some amazing stories contained within the Joe Ledger novels, including weaponised zombies (Patient Zero), ancient vampires (Assassin’s Code) and genetically modified killers (The Dragon Factory), and the clever way that Maberry sets out each novel with interludes and chapters told from the antagonists perspective would translate very well into a television series. These books also have some fantastic characters, including some insanely brilliant villains, a damaged protagonist and a mysterious spy master, that are just waiting to be brought to life by a group of talented actors in order to become something iconic. Out of all of the entries on this list, this one might have the most potential to get made as Maberry already has connections with Netflix, after his V-Wars series of comics were turned into a show last year.

The Gentleman Bastards series by Scott Lynch

The Lies of Locke Lamora Cover

This is another exceptional series of fantasy novels that I thought would make an incredible show as I was reading it. These books follow a group of con men who attempt to swindle and steal from some of the most dangerous people in their fantasy world. These books are amongst some of the best pieces of fantasy fiction out there, and their unique blend of fantasy and crime fiction elements would definitely make for a memorable and exciting television series.

World War Z by Max Brooks

World War Z Cover

Now this was an entry that my editor/wife Alex wished me to include on this list. I have to admit that I have not read this book (I’ll get to it at some point), but I did enjoy the movie. I understand that this awesome book is substantially different to the movie, comprising of several vignettes detailing different experiences of the zombie apocalypse, as opposed to the rather narrow perspective represented by Brad Pitt in the film. Alex seems to think that a Netflix series would probably be a much better way to translate this fantastic story to the screen, and from what I have heard about the book I think I agree, especially after I really enjoyed Brooks’ latest book, Devolution.

Legend by David Gemmell

Legend

Legend is an amazing classic fantasy novel that contains an incredible storyline that depicts an epic siege, as the largest army ever assembled attempts to conquer an impenetrable fortress. This was such an awesome read, filled with large amounts of action, adventure and memorable characters, including the world’s most legendary hero, who chooses to die here rather than wither into obscurity. Legend has so much raw potential as either a limited series or a movie (I think a six episode series might be good), and it also serves as an excellent entry into Gemmell’s wider fantasy series, which would also make for some great shows.

Vespasian series by Robert Fabbri

Rome's Sacred Flame Cover

Netflix already has some great historical fiction adaptions, such as The Last Kingdom television series, but if you want to see some wild and troubling bits from history, then they need to adapt Robert Fabbri’s Vespasian series. The Vespasian series follows the titular Emperor Vespasian from the beginning of his career as he navigates the deadly minefield that is ancient Rome. Watching the protagonist attempt to gain power and influence in this outrageous city would make for an incredible show, especially as Fabbri spent a lot of time highlighting all the insanities of the various Emperors who ruled Rome during Vespasian’s lifetime. I am a major fan of this historical fiction series (make sure to check out my reviews of Rome’s Sacred Flame, Emperor of Rome and Magnus and the Crossroads Brotherhood) and I believe that Netflix could make a very crazy and impressive television adaption of these books.

The Powder Mage trilogy by Brian McClellan

promise of blood cover

This is another dark and epic fantasy series that would definitely make for a good television series. The Powder Mage books (starting with the awesome Promise of Blood) are set in the aftermath of a bloody revolution and follow several key figures as they attempt to keep their nation intact, while also uncovering ancient secrets and terrible plots. There are a ton of amazing elements to these books that would translate extremely well into television awesomeness, but I personally would love to see the unique gunpowder magic brought to life, as all the resultant explosions and displays of power would be quite a spectacle to behold.

Chew by John Layman and Rob Guillory

Chew Volume 1

I had to include at least one comic series on this list, and I could think of nothing better than this weird and wonderful series. Chew is an action/comedy hybrid series that follows a detective who gets physic impressions from anything he eats, allowing him to solve crimes in the most unique, and often disgusting way. Chew is an incredibly creative series, with a lot of fun elements to it, all of which would work extremely well as a live action adaption, and I really think that Netflix could turn this into quite a magical and entertaining television series.

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

WAY OF KINGS MM REV FINAL.indd

When you think ‘epic fantasy’ these days, you really cannot exclude the massive and extraordinary series that is The Stormlight Archives. Sanderson is one of the best fantasy/science fiction authors in the world today, and each of his books are an absolute joy to read. While I was strongly tempted to include his young adult novels Skyward and Starsight on this list, in the end I had to feature his main body of work, The Stormlight Archive. Starting with the exceptional novel, The Way of Kings, this is a deeply impressive series of fantasy novels that feature massive wars, incredible characters and a huge interconnected universe. While any adaption might need to tone down some of the connections to some of Sandersons’ other series, a television version of The Stormlight Archive easily has the potential to become the next Game of Thrones, and Netflix would be smart to jump aboard that as soon as possible.

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Into the Drowning Deep Cover

Into the Drowning Deep is a fun horror novel that would make for an awesome Netflix movie. Written by the exceedingly talented Mira Grant, this book and its preceding novella, Rolling in the Deep, set humans against the most dangerous predators in the world, mermaids. This book was one of the best novels of 2018, and I loved the way that Grant was able to make the mermaids so dangerous and frightening. You would need to combine Into the Drowning Deep with Rolling in the Deep to get the full story, and there is a really outstanding movie waiting to be made when you do. Plus, it would also be really cool if it encourages Grant to write a sequel to Into the Drowning Deep, which is something I really want to see.

Whew, that is the end of that list. As you can see, I have put a lot of thought into what books and comics Netflix should adapt, and I honestly believe that each of the above books could become something really incredible. I really hope we see some form of adaption of each of these in the future, and if any of them ever get made, then they would be at the top of my to-watch list. In the meantime, make sure to let me know which of the above books and comics you enjoyed, as well as which novels you think Netflix should adapt in the comments below.