Book Haul – Canberra Bookfair – September 2025

During the last weekend I was able to attend the Canberra Lifeline Bookfair, an event that occurs several times a year and gives great opportunities to pick up secondhand books donated for charity. I ended up managing to pick up several pretty awesome books at this bookfair which I was very happy with. This includes multiple books I had been keeping an eye out for, as well as a few interesting novels that proved to be very welcome surprises. Due to these successes, I decided to do a bonus Book Haul post to show off just how varied the books you can potentially find at this bookfair can be.

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

One of the most talked about fantasy novels in recent years has to be The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman.  I heard a lot of awesome things about The Blacktongue Thief when it first came out, and I even did a Waiting on Wednesday post about it.  Despite this, I kept failing to find a copy of The Blacktongue Thief, even though I was still extremely interested in reading it.  As such, I was pretty damn happy to find a good secondhand version of this book on the weekend and I’m hoping to read it soon.

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Long Past Dues by James J. Butcher

Another book I was particularly happy to find over the weekend was Long Past Dues by James J. Butcher.  The second book in Butcher’s Unorthodox Chronicles, Long Past Dues is the awesome sounding sequel to the author’s debut novel, Dead Man’s Hand.  I had a great time reading Dead Man’s Hand when it first came out, and I’m very excited to finally get my hands on the sequel.

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Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien De Castell

I just had to pick up a copy of Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien De Castell when I saw it was available, especially after enjoying some of the author’s more recent novels.  The first book in the author’s Greatcoats series, Traitor’s Blade sounds pretty amazing, and I’m curious to see how De Castell set up his entertaining universe.

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Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan

So, I’m not going to lie, I picked this one up purely because of the puns on the front page, which still makes me chuckle.  A comedic novel about zombie cows is frankly something I’d never be able to turn down, and it sounds like Apocalypse Cow is a particularly funny read, which I am very keen to check out.

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Star Wars: The Mandalorian Armor by K. W. Jeter

While I haven’t explored the now defunct Legends canon of Star Wars fiction as much as I would have liked, I was very interested in this copy of The Mandalorian Armor by K. W. Jeter I found.  The first book in a series that pits the infamous bounty hunters of Star Wars universe against each other, The Mandalorian Armor sounds pretty damn awesome, and I look forward to diving into it when I get a chance.

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Warhammer 40,000: Grey Knights by Ben Counter

More fun Warhammer 40,000 fun from the always impressive Ben Counter, how could I possibly turn that down.

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Footprints of Thunder by James F. David

The final book I picked up is the intriguing classic science fiction novel, Footprints of Thunder by James F. David. A compelling and thrilling novel that sees the modern world merged with the dinosaur inhabited past, Footprints of Thunder is an excellent book that I was very happy to find a good copy of.  I think I actually read this book when I was younger, so it will be interesting to revisit it after all these years.

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

Book Haul – Second-Hand Books

In addition to all the recent books I have received, I’ve also done a bit of second-hand book shopping that I want to talk about.  Not only did I majorly clean up at an awesome second-hand bookstore in the Blue Mountains, but I also scored big at the recent Canberra Lifeline Bookfair (a great event to check out if you’re ever in Canberra).  I honestly probably went overboard with some of the books I picked up, but the end result is a pretty awesome collection of older books, including some fantasy classics I have been keen to read for a while, and a ton of Warhammer fiction to fuel my current major obsession.  So let us see what epic second-hand books I managed to obtain.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

The Lies of Locke Lamora Cover

I managed to grab a copy of the epic fantasy crime-fiction novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.  I have actually already read this book before (on audiobook), but I wanted to quickly re-read it before doing a Throwback Thursday review in the future.

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Ashes of Prospero by Gav Thorpe

Ashes of Prospero Cover

The first of many Warhammer 40,000 novels I managed to grab, Ashes of Prospero is an epic Space Marine focused read that see the Space Wolves return to Prospero, the ravaged planet of their greatest enemy

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13th Legion and Kill Team by Gav Thorpe

13th Legion Cover 2

I was extremely happy to get a copy of the first two Last Chancers novels by Gav Thorpe, which I have been trying to get for a while. Essentially billed as The Dirty Dozen in space, the Last Chancers are an epic series and I’ve actually already read and reviewed the first book, 13th Legion, in the last week, and it was everything I hoped it would be.

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Temeraire by Naomi Novik

Temeraire

After enjoying some of her previous books, I decided to grab a copy of iconic fantasy author Naomi Novik’s first novel, Temeraire.  An alternate history novel that imagines the Napoleonic Wars fought with dragons, I have heard some great things about this series and look forward to seeing how fun they actually are.

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Gotrex and Felix – The Third and Fourth Omnibus – by William King and Nathan Long

Gotrek and Felix - Third Omnibus - Cover

Of all the Warhammer Fantasy series out there, few have been as iconic and epic as the Gotrek and Felix novels by William King and later continued by Nathan Long.  Following a suicidal dwarf slayer and his human companion, the Gotrek and Felix books are some of the best books in the Warhammer range and I have been having a lot of fun getting through the first several (see my reviews for Trollslayer, Skavenslayer, Daemonslayer, Dragonslayer, Beastslayer and Vampireslayer).  As such, I was extremely pleased when I managed to get the third and fourth omnibuses of the series that contain the next six books I need to read.  I cannot wait to dive into these epic fantasy reads, and I know I am going to have a ton of fun with them.

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Space Wolf series – Ragnar’s Claw, Grey Hunter and Space Wolf: The Second Omnibus by William King and Lee Lightner

Space Wolf Cover

Another series that I got a ton of books for in my recent second-hand book hunt are the next five novels in the iconic Space Wolf series of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.  I deeply enjoyed the first book, Space Wolf, last year, and it was pretty epic to find good copies of the next several entries, including the single copies of Ragnar’s Claw and Grey Hunter, as well as the second Space Wolf omnibus.  This should set me up with some cool space viking adventures I will ever need and I can’t wait to continue this fantastic series.

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Ulrika the VampireBloodborn by Bloodforged by Nathan Long

Bloodborn Cover

I’m always happy for some cool Warhammer Fantasy vampire fiction and few vampire series sound better than the Ulrika the Vampire books by Nathan Long.  A spin-off of the Gortek and Felix books, Bloodborn and Bloodforged will follow recent vampire convert Ulrika as she comes to terms with her condition and new place in society.

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   Helsreach by Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Helsreach Cover

There was no way I could resist an epic novel about orks versus the Black Templar Space Marines on the planet of Armageddon, which is going to result in quite an epic read.

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Hunt for Voldorius by Andy Hoare

Hunt for Voldorius Cover

Another Space Marines focused novel, Hunt for Voldorius will see the White Scars and their allies go to war to kill an evil Daemon Prince.

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Death & Dishonour, edited by Alex Davis, Nick Kyme and Lindsey Priestley

Death & Dishonour Cover

A cool Warhammer Fantasy short story anthology that should make for quite an interesting and fun read.

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Soul Drinkers Series – Soul Drinker, The Bleeding Chalice, Crimson Tears and Chapter War by Ben Counter

Soul Drinkers Cover

I was very pleased to grab the first four books in Ben Counter’s iconic Soul Drinkers series, which I have heard some excellent things about.  Following the doomed Soul Drinkers chapter of Space Marines as they attempt to save themselves from corruption and mutation, only to be declared heretics and traitors by the Imperium.  I have had a lot of fun with Ben Counter’s books in the past (such as Van Horstmann) and I have a feeling this is going to be an outstanding and great series that I am going to really love.

Amazon     Book Depository

 

Shira Calpurnia series – Crossfire, Legacy and Blind by Matthew Farrer

Shira Calpurnia Cover

The last addition to my collection I got during my second-hand book foray was all three Shira Calpurnia books by Matthew Farrer.  An intriguing Warhammer 40,000 series that follows a member of the Arbites, intergalactic space cops, these books look set to blend crime fiction with high-concept Warhammer 40,000 elements.  I am very interested in checking these books out and I think I will have a great deal of fun doing so.

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That’s the end of my post and as you can see, I have managed to grab quite a few second-hand books in recent weeks, perhaps too many if that’s a thing.  All of the above sound pretty epic to me and I cannot wait to dive into all of them in time.  This will probably be a bit of a lengthy process, so make sure to check back over the next year or so to see how I do.