Steven Erikson – The Unseen Library

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. In this latest Top Ten Tuesday, participants are tasked with listing the top mainstream authors they have not read. This proved to be a very interesting topic to pull together, as like many reviewers and book bloggers out there, I already had a pretty substantial list of big-named authors I wish I’d had the chance to read at some point. As such, this proved to be a relatively easy list for me to pull together, and it didn’t take me long to come up with a list of impressive mainstream authors that have been on my radar for years. I think the resulting list turned out pretty well, even if it is slightly fantasy fiction skewed, so let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Peter V. Brett

The Core Cover

I have been meaning to dive into Peter V. Brett’s Demon Cycle series for years as it’s a major bit of fantasy fiction I’ve been missing out on.

Janny Wurts

The Empire Trilogy Cover

I left Janny Wurts as an honourable mention, mainly because I have some experience with her writing thanks to the Empire trilogy she co-authored with Raymond E. Feist. However, Wurst has an impressive catalogue of her own classic fantasy fiction that I really need to check out.

Chris Hammer

The Tilt Cover

A major Australian crime fiction author I always regret not reading anything from is Chris Hammer, who has produced some awesome sounding books over the years.

James Rollins

Sandstorm Cover

I’m slightly cheating featuring James Rollins on this list as I have read a few of his books in the past. However, that was at least 15 years ago, and I honestly don’t remember too much of the details, except for the fact that I really enjoyed his Sigma Force books. I have been meaning to go back and try them again, especially after having so much fun with the similar Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series, and I definitely need to reacquaint myself with James Rollins in a big way.

Top Ten Tuesday:

Steven Erikson

Gardens of the Moon Cover

I’m starting this list off with one of the biggest fantasy fiction authors I haven’t had the pleasure of reading yet, Steven Erikson. I’m pretty much always on the R/Fantasy subreddit and not a day goes by that someone doesn’t recommend or gush about how good the Malazan series is. Partially cowritten by Erikson’s friend, Ian Cameron Esslemont (who I guess I’m also including on this list by default) the Malazan books are an elaborate and character-driven series that features an epic world, massive scope and complex plot. The first 10 books in the series are written by Erikson, so he’s the author I’m featuring on this list, and it sounds like he covers the major story of the franchise. I really want to check out the Malazan books, especially as they have been so hyped up for me, and it sounds like such an exceptional series to get into.

Lee Child

Killing Floor Cover

I love a good and exciting thriller and one of the biggest thriller series out there that I still need to read are the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child. Following the titular protagonist, Jack Reacher, as he drifts around America solving crime and righting wrongs with extreme violence, the Jack Reacher novels sound like a ton of fun. I really enjoyed both the film and television adaptation of the Jack Reacher novels, so I should dive into the original source material at some point and see how good an author Lee Child is.

V. E. Schwab

Vicious Cover

One author that I have had my eye on for a while is the very talented V. E. Schwab, who also writes as Victoria Schwab. Schwab is very highly regarded in fantasy fiction circles, and I honestly have seen so much praise for her work over the years, especially her Villains series, which gets a ton of love from some reviewers I follow. Many of Schwab’s other works, including her Shades of Magic series and her intriguing standalone novels, sound pretty damn awesome and I hope that I can get around to reading some of her work at some point in the future. I reckon I would start with the Villains series first, as a fun take on supervillains and superpowers is always something I’m going to love.

Pierce Brown

Red Rising Cover

Probably the science fiction author I have the biggest regrets about not reading anything from yet is Pierce Brown, who is best known for his iconic Red Rising series. An epic dystopian science fiction series with some intriguing class and race elements behind it, the Red Rising books are generally considered one of the top science fiction series of the last decade and I have always wanted to check it out. I honestly did a quick read of Red Rising’s plot as research for this list and it sounds so damn awesome, with betrayal, subterfuge and war all across futuristic Mars. I definitely need to check this series work out and I know I’m going to love Brown’s creativity and epic storytelling.

Jenn Lyons

The Ruin of Kings Cover

Another major fantasy author who is very high on my to-read list is Jenn Lyons thanks to her awesome sounding A Chorus of Dragons series. Set around a complex protagonist who finds himself dragged into tangled events surrounding dragons, demons, gods and treachery, this series sounds like a ton of fun and I’ve been meaning to dive into it for a while. I’ve actually got several A Chorus of Dragons books currently sitting on my bookshelf and I’m hoping to make a dent in them soon.

David Baldacci

Absolute Power Cover

David Baldacci is a prime example of a major crime fiction author whose work I never seem to get the chance to read. It’s actually a little embarrassing to me as I always get copies of Baldacci’s books, but I never end up reading them. This seems like such a real shame to me, especially as each of his novels sound really cool and interesting, but I can never make the time to get into them. I’m hoping to change that one day and I am sure when I do, I know I will be blown away by how much I enjoy his fantastic crime fiction.

R. F. Kuang

The Poppy War Cover

When fantasy fans online talk about the best recent fantasy fiction the name R. F. Kuang constantly comes up thanks to her highly acclaimed Poppy War trilogy. A complex and dark fantasy series with compelling Chinese influences, the series follows a young woman who is dragged into a bloody war and must overcome prejudice, addiction, and other traumas to survive. I really love the sound of the Poppy War books, which has so many awesome elements to it, and I am also quite intrigued by some of Kuang’s standalone novels such as a Yellowface and Babel, or the Necessity of Violence, which have all come highly rated. I really need to make an effort to read some of Kuang’s work in the future and I think I will start by grabbing her next standalone novel when it comes out in 2024.

Glen Cook

The Black Company Cover

Another pretty essential fantasy author whose work I’ve missed out on is Glen Cook, who is best known for the fantastically dark The Black Company series. Generally regarded by many as the gold standard of dark fantasy, The Black Company novels follow a group of amoral mercenaries who find themselves caught up in a series of brutal wars. This gritty series sounds pretty damn amazing, and I have heard a lot of positive reviews of it over the years. As such, The Black Company and Glen Cook are book very high on my to-read list and I really must check them out before someone adapts them into a television show.

Ian Rankin

Knots and Crosses Cover

Over the last couple of years I have been making some major strides to fill in some gaps in my crime fiction appreciation by reading more from established big name authors. However, one of the main ones that I have missed is Ian Rankin, who has been writing since 1986. Best known for his Inspector Rebus series, Rankin has produced some amazing books over the years and I’m sorry not to have enjoyed any of them. This will hopefully be something I can overcome in the future, and I am sure I will have a great time with Rankin’s unique take on murder mystery.

Brent Weeks

Night Angel Nemesis Cover

The final mainstream author I need to highlight on this list is acclaimed fantasy author Brent Weeks. Weeks is a pretty major fantasy fiction writer whose work I haven’t had the chance the read, which always seems like such a big shame. His two major series, the Night Angel trilogy and the Lightbringer books, sound extremely compelling, presenting the reader with complex fantasy concepts and elaborate stories. Both series are very iconic and highly regarded and I feel like I’m missing out by not reading them. Hopefully this is something I can rectify in the future and I am sure that I will be enthralled by all of Weeks’ amazing writing.

That’s the end of this latest fun Top Ten Tuesday post. As you can see, there are some pretty awesome mainstream authors out there that I still need to dive into and I am hoping that is something I can start rectifying in the new year. I have heard some amazing things about all the above authors and I can’t wait to find out just how good they are some point soon. In the meantime, let me know which mainstream authors you still need to read in the comments below.

Rejoice, A Knife to the Heart Cover.jpg

Publisher: Orion Publishing (Audiobook Format – 18 October 2018)

Series: Standalone / Book 1

Length: 15 hours and 58 minutes

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Amazon Book Depository

Rejoice, A Knife to the Heart, is a complex piece of science fiction that I listened to on audiobook earlier in the year, and which I’ve been needing to review for a while. Rejoice is an enjoyable book which contains quite a fascinating story concept of aliens intervening on Earth to stop humanity’s destruction of the planet as a viable biome.

Hachette Australia Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of the epic Malazan Book of the Fallen, comes a story of mankind’s first contact and a warning about our future.

An alien AI has been sent to the solar system as representative of three advanced species. Its mission is to save the Earth’s ecosystem – and the biggest threat to that is humanity. But we are also part of the system, so the AI must make a choice. Should it save mankind or wipe it out? Are we worth it?

The AI is all-powerful, and might as well be a god. So it sets up some conditions. Violence is now impossible. Large-scale destruction of natural resources is impossible. Food and water will be provided for those who really, truly need them. You can’t even bully someone on the internet any more. The old way of doing things is gone. But a certain thin-skinned US president, among others, is still wedded to late-stage capitalism. Can we adapt? Can we prove ourselves worthy? And are we prepared to give up free will for a world without violence?

And above it all, on a hidden spaceship, one woman watches. A science fiction writer, she was abducted from the middle of the street in broad daylight. She is the only person the AI will talk to. And she must make a decision.

I had fun with Rejoice, which is a very high-concept science fiction novel and which dives deep into the heart of current world issues. The main plot focus of this book, the intervention by aliens, is a really interesting idea, which Erikson explores to its full potential. The various ways the aliens intervene in an attempt to make humanity better are really intriguing, ranging from force fields to stop violence and destruction of natural resources to providing humans with advanced technology and ending economics as we know it. It is also really cool to see the various ways Erikson imagines humanity would change if we were no longer able to commit violence or act on our hate. Obviously, there are some political undertones to this story which some readers may not be the biggest fans of, but I thought there were some quite salient points, and it was fascinating to view these current issues from a science fiction perspective.

One of the main reasons the focus on the alien intervention worked so well was because Erikon tells this story from a huge number of different perspectives. While the main character can probably considered to be Samantha August, the woman the aliens choose to be their main contact on Earth due in part to her status as a science fiction author (they are so intelligent, don’t you know), a ton of other perspectives are shown. Not only does the reader get to see the reactions of world leaders but they also get a view of events shown from the eyes of a huge range of other people directly or indirectly impacted by the alien intervention. This includes seeing the events through the eyes of farmers, tech companies, child soldiers in Africa, a family suffering domestic violence, astronauts, fighters in Israel and Palestine, an arms dealer, reporters and conspiracy theorists. In addition, there are facsimiles of several real-world people, including a certain media mogul and a rich pair of brothers, although neither of these portrayals are particularly flattering. There are also good representations of the current regimes in countries such as America, Russia or China, although I did think some of them were a tad less critical then they could have been. Overall, all these different perspectives allowed for an extremely powerful and compelling view of world events, and it was extremely fascinating to see how the author imagines these different sorts of people would react to an alien intervention.

I ended up listening to Rejoice in its audiobook format, which was narrated by Laurence Bouvard and runs for nearly 16 hours. I felt personally that the audiobook format was the best way to enjoy this novel, as it allowed me to absorb a lot more of the clever science fiction concepts featured in the story. Bouvard’s narration was also really good, especially considering she had to produce a huge number of accents from a range of different nations and peoples.

I found that Rejoice, A Knife to the Heart was an extremely clever and well-thought-out piece of science fiction that offered a unique and intriguing story. While the complex science fiction commentary on modern issues may not be for everyone, I really liked them and would recommend this book to those readers looking for a thought-provoking science fiction story.