Top Ten Tuesday – Books with Occupations in the Title

On August 26, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn List5 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature 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 get a freebie option, allowing them to post whatever they want. I’m going to use this freebie to jump ahead and do next week’s topic, mainly because I’m hoping to highlight upcoming books for Spring 2025 next Tuesday. As such, this week I will be listing my favourite books that have occupations in the title.

This was an interesting list topic, and I always enjoy Top Ten Tuesday tasks where I can dive into the titles of the various unique books I have had the pleasure of reading over the years. Listing occupations featured in titles was a cool choice, and there are a surprising number of books out there that feature job titles or professions in their names. I ended up with a substantial list of potential inclusions for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, so I made sure to restrict entries to one book from each author. I also tried to show the most varied list of occupations I could, as I didn’t want my list to get bogged down in the various uses of solider or miliary ranks. I think my resulting list had a great combination of various occupations used in book titles, and it liked the intriguing combination of novels that emerged.

Honourable Mentions:

The Recruiter by Gregg Podolksi

The No.1 Lawyer by James Patterson and Nancy Allen

The Interpreter by Brooke Robinson

The Maid by Nita Prose

Top Ten Tuesday:

Usagi Yojimbo: Volume 30: Thieves and Spies by Stan Sakai

A classic entry from one of my favourite comic series. While early volumes The Ronin and Samurai would have also been excellent choices for this list, I’m instead going with the 30^th volume, Thieves and Spies, which features two separate occupations in the title.

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson

An excellent recent fantasy novel that follows a scholar character as she tries to uncover a dark conspiracy amongst a complex and deadly tournament. Scholar was a great occupation to have in the title, and I deeply enjoyed this epic fantasy read.

Mr Einstein’s Secretary by Matthew Reilly

A deeply captivating historical fiction novel that follows a talented secretary who finds herself involved in multiple world events in the lead up to World War II.

The Judge’s List by John Grisham

A judge is an excellent occupation to feature on this list, especially as this judge has some very dark secrets.

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

A classic novel from the legendary Terry Pratchett that follows the humble city guard in a fantasy city as they come face to face with a magical murder. This is an incredible novel and a great choice for this list. Other books from Pratchett such as Men at Arms or Reaper Man might have fit in here nicely as well, but Guards! Guards! was my first choice for this list, and I’m glad I get to highlight it again.

The Chaos Agent by Mark Greaney

I suppose that it was inevitable that a book in one of my favourite, long-running spy thriller series would feature “agent” in one of its titles, which is a great way to describe the occupation of the protagonist. This particular novel from Greaney was a great addition to the Gray Man series, and readers are in for a wild time with its cool plot and compelling action.

Priest of Bones by Peter McLean

An impressive and awesome fantasy novel that follows returning soldiers determined to take over their home city’s underworld. While the “priest” in this title is a little more criminal you would usually associate with the occupation, it still works to make this book a worthy entry to this list.

The Devil’s Advocate by Steve Cavanagh

A title taken from a classic saying, advocate works as an occupation for the sake of this list, and I was pleased to feature a fun legal thriller from Steve Cavanagh.

The Queen’s Captain by Peter Watt

I had a few novels with the occupation of “captain” in the title, but I decided to go with The Queen’s Captain by Australian author Peter Watt. While captain here refers to a military rank, the word also works to describe a general occupation, so I think it works well for this list.

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

The final novel I want to feature on this list is Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. There were several amazing books I could have used here that featured the nefarious occupation of “assassin” in the title, but I decided to go with this beloved fantasy novel, which I deeply enjoyed reading years ago. Following a young bastard prince who finds a new, secret occupation as a court assassin, Assassin’s Apprentice is true classic and it rounds out this list perfectly.

Well, that’s the end of this list. I had fun listing my top books with occupations in the titles, and I’m happy with how the above list turned out, especially as there is an interesting collection of books there. All the above come highly recommended, and I hope everyone else enjoys this topic when they look over it next week.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Books of 2024

On December 31, 2024December 31, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn List41 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and feature bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. As we roll into the new year I am going to list my absolute favourite books of 2024, which is something I look forward to every year. This is a continuation of several lists I have done in recent weeks that highlighted the authors and books that have most impressed me this year. Previous lists looked at topics like my favourite pre-2024 novels, as well as my favourite audiobooks, sequels, and new-to-me authors of 2024. However, this list is the big one as it covers my absolute favourite releases of the year, of which there are quite a few.

I think we can all agree that 2024 has been another rollercoaster year for the world, but thankfully readers got a little bit of solace as this was an amazing year for books, with a huge range of incredible releases coming out across the genres. Not only did several outstanding new series start but we had some exceptional debuts, and some big continuations of established works. I have had an amazing time reading or listening to some outstanding books this year and quite a few releases have become instant favourites. I must admit that I somewhat struggled to pull this list together, as there were so many books that deserved to be mentioned. Therefore, because I am a very soft touch, and because the quality of the books I read this year was so impressive, I have decided to expand this list out to 20 entries (just like I have the last five years, I’m a very soft touch). These 20 books are my absolute favourites from 2024, and I would strongly recommend every one of them to anyone interested in a great read.

To make it onto this list a book only needed to be released here in Australia during 2024. I have naturally excluded anything I have not read yet, even though there were quite a few awesome-sounding books I sadly didn’t squeeze into my reading schedule. I decided to leave off my usual Honourable Mentions section as the extra 10 entries make it unnecessary. There will be a bit of crossover between the below entries and some of my previous lists. For example, several of these novels appeared on my Top Ten Favourite Audiobooks of 2024 list and my Top Ten Favourite Books from the First Half of 2024 list, which I ran back into July. Overall, I am very happy with how this Top 20 list turned out and I think it contains a pretty good range of novels that showcase the different types of books that I chose to read this year. So, without further ado, here is the list.

Top Twenty List:

The Dragon in Winter by Jonathan Maberry

Let’s start this list off with the exceptional fantasy novel, The Dragon in Winter by Jonathan Maberry. The third and final book in the Kagen the Damned trilogy, The Dragon in Winter follows on from the exciting and impressive reads, Kagen the Damned (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022) and Son of the Poison Rose (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023). Featuring an outstanding and action-packed dark fantasy storyline that saw the damned and damaged series protagonist attempt to finally get his vengeance during the final battles of a brutal war. Intense, powerful and loaded with some dramatic character moments, The Dragon in Winter was an awesome end to one of my favourite fantasy trilogies and I was enthralled the entire way through this great book.

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Richard Osman has really become a notable fixture on these end of year lists thanks to his brilliant and hilarious Thursday Murder Club books (The Thursday Murder Club, The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed and The Last Devil to Die). This year he presented readers with a new treat in the standalone thriller, We Solve Murders. Featuring the exceptional humour and fantastic writing that made the Thursday Murder Club books so much fun, We Solve Murders is a clever and addictive international thriller focused on a great new group of protagonists. Witty, charming and extraordinarily compelling, We Solve Murders was another incredible novel from Osman that I cannot recommend enough.

Warhammer 40,000: Above and Beyond by Denny Flowers

2024 proved to be an outstanding year for Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and I had the pleasure of reading multiple fantastic novels from this franchise. One of the best was the captivating and cynical novel, Above and Beyond. The sequel to one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels, Outgunned, Above and Beyond reunites Flower’s damaged protagonists, a broken propaganda expert and a crass heroic pilot, for another outrageous adventure. Cleverly examining the role propaganda plays in the wars of the grim future, Above and Beyond ended up being a very exciting and powerful thriller that I could not get enough off. An incredible novel from one of the fastest rising Warhammer authors (make sure to also check Flower’s novella in Da Red Gobbo Collection).

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Earlier this year I had the great pleasure of reading The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. An intriguing combination of fantasy and crime fiction, The Tainted Cup focussed on an unusual investigative duo in a monster besieged fantasy kingdom as they attempt to uncover the truth behind a series of brutal magical killings. The Tainted Cup proved to be an exceptional and intelligent novel I could not put down as Jackson effortlessly combined complex fantasy elements with his brilliant murder mystery narrative. One of the most inventive books of 2024, The Tainted Cup was something truly special, and I cannot wait to dive into the sequel, A Drop of Corruption, in the new year.

The Chaos Agent by Mark Greaney

I had a brilliant time in 2024 continuing Mark Greaney’s awesome Gray Man spy thriller series with The Chaos Agent. Setting his iconic spy protagonist against a dangerous and terrifying new enemy, The Chaos Agent had a fantastic story behind it that proceeded to get very crazy once some memorable weapons are unleashed. An amazing entry in one of the best thriller series out there, The Chaos Agent was epic from start to finish and leaves readers on a major cliffhanger that I am looking forward to seeing resolved in 2025 with Midnight Black.

The Gathering by C. J. Tudor

One of the more unique novels of 2024 had to be The Gathering by C. J. Tudor. A powerful and clever murder mystery set in a world where vampires exist, The Gathering follows a government vampire expert who travels to an isolated town to determine whether a recent murder was as vampire kill and whether the local colony should be exterminated. Blending a great small-town murder narrative with an inventive world history featuring vampires, The Gathering was such a compelling and dark book, and I loved every single second I spent reading it.

Play of Shadows by Sebastien De Castell

While I have previously enjoyed some of Sebastien De Castell’s great fantasy fiction before with The Malevolent Seven, this year I dove into his Greatcoat’s universe with the relentlessly entertaining novel, Play of Shadows. The first book in his new Court of Shadows series, Play of Shadows followed a fugitive actor who gains the ability to manifest the spirt of a notorious historical villain whenever he appears on stage. Suddenly caught in a massive city-wide conspiracy, the protagonist needs to survive to tell the spirit’s true story and soon finds out just how deadly the theatre can be. A truly fantastic and fun novel that I couldn’t stop reading, Play of Shadows had such a unique and powerful story behind it that perfectly fit into the author’s existing universe. A highly recommended novel, especially when read in concert with the outstanding prequel, Crucible of Chaos, that was released just in advance of Play of Shadows.

The Mercy Chair by M. W. Craven

Awesome crime fiction author M. W. Craven had a great 2024, as he released two books including the outrageous thriller Nobody’s Hero. However, my favourite novel of his was the sixth book in the Washington Poe series, The Mercy Chair. Following the author’s cynical protagonist and his unusual team as they investigate the brutal murder of a controversial religious leader, The Mercy Chair contained an exceptionally intense narrative as the protagonists uncover a raft of shocking secrets that will shake you to your very core. A dark and twisty British murder mystery, The Mercy Chair was a truly remarkable read that had me hooked from start to finish thanks to its barrage of clever reveals. One of the best pure murder mysteries of 2024.

NecroTek by Jonathan Maberry

In addition to The Dragon in Winter, Jonathan Maberry also released the dark and compelling science fiction novel, NecroTek. A cool dive into pure science fiction, Maberry utilised his usual style to effectively tell a massive tale of survival in strange space as the protagonists encounter Lovecraftian horrors and must fight them using necromancy-infused alien technology. Intense, compelling, and loaded with some powerful human moments, NecroTek was another impressive novel from Maberry in 2025 that I had to feature here as well.

The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne

John Gwynne brought his epic Bloodsworn Saga to an end in a big way with The Fury of the Gods. The final book in the trilogy that has previously featured the amazing reads The Shadow of the Gods and The Hunger of the Gods, The Fury of the Gods was a very awesome read that saw all the various character arcs finally come together as everyone picked a side in massive war between gods and mortals. Making full use of the series’ Viking aesthetic, The Fury of the Gods was an exceptional fantasy epic from start to finish, and I deeply enjoyed how Gwynne brought everything together.

Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

This was a bumper year for Adrian Tchaikovsky as he released several amazing books across the science fiction and fantasy genres. Of the ones I have so far read my favourite was Service Model. An intriguing and captivating novel that follows a robot exploring a post-apocalyptic wasteland, this book was filled with great humour and cynical take on the future of humanity. Service Model ended up being a very highly entertaining novel that I cannot recommend enough, especially to readers looking for something particularly clever and funny.

Usagi Yojimbo: Volume 39: Ice and Snow by Stan Sakai

A surely unsurprising inclusion on this list is the latest Usagi Yojimbo comic, Ice and Snow by Stan Sakai. One of my favourite comic series, I always make sure to grab the new Usagi Yojimbo volume each year and they always prove to be quite exceptional. Ice and Snow was a particularly epic entry in the series, as the protagonists face off against a raft of supernatural foes, including Usagi’s dark nemesis Jei. Beautifully drawn and incredibly fun to read, Ice and Snow was another brilliant and beautiful comic that I powered through the second I got my hands on it.

Warhammer 40,000: Renegades: Lord of Excess by Rich McCormick

The other Warhammer 40,000 novel I wanted to include on this list was the twisted Renegades: Lord of Excess. The debut novel of Rich McCormick, Lord of Excess followed a warband of the hedonistic Emperor’s Children traitor Space Marines as they take over an isolated planet. McCormick perfectly captures the obsessive nature of his colourful characters, and I loved seeing the villain’s perspective in this deliciously dark novel. I had an incredible time with this warped and complex character driven novel, and McCormick is an impressive new talent to keep an eye on.

The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston

After wowing me with amazing books like The Traitor God, God of Broken Things and The Maleficent Seven, Cameron Johnston continues to get even better as an author with his 2024 release, The Last Shield. Essentially a gender-bent, fantasy fiction Die Hard, The Last Shield sees a group of bandits and traitors take over a royal palace to rob its vault filled with powerful magical artifacts. The only hope the inhabitants have is the wounded commander of the palace guard, who fights back from the many hidden passages to save those she loves. Clever, compelling and loaded with so much incredible action, The Last Shield was a highly addictive read that I really couldn’t put down and Johnston is swiftly becoming one of my favourite dark fantasy authors.

King’s Enemy by Ian Ross

Ian Ross brought his incredible de Norton historical fiction series to a gripping end with King’s Enemy. Following on from Battle Song and the other 2024 release War Cry, King’s Enemy saw the recently knighted protagonist, Adam de Norton, declared a traitor and king’s enemy for the role he played in Simon de Montford’s rebellion. Determined to fight back after losing everything, de Norton journeys towards the last bastion of resistance against the crown and finds himself engulfed in one of the most famous sieges in English history. A fantastic and captivating novel loaded with adventure, action and some fascinating historical detail; King’s Enemy was an outstanding book that is really worth checking out.

A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan

Acclaimed fantasy author Anthony Ryan followed up his Covenant of Steel series (The Pariah, The Martyr and The Traitor) in a big way with the new book, A Tide of Black Steel. Featuring an exciting and intriguing new narrative that expands Ryan’s existing setting, A Tide of Black Steel was an epic fantasy novel that I had so much fun with, especially on audiobook.

Darkside by Michael Mammay

Another awesome novel that is particularly cool on audiobook is Darkside by Michael Mammay. The fourth book in the author’s excellent Planetside series (Planetside, Spaceside and Colonyside), Darkside follows a maverick former military officer when he investigates a missing persons case at a mining operation on an isolated moon. Featuring intrigue, mystery and warring corporations, Darkside was another exceptional read from Mammay and one I really got hooked on.

You Like it Darker by Stephen King

I just had to highlight the exceptional short story collection You Like It Darker by the legendary Stephen King on this list. Featuring 12 short stories from King, You Like it Darker was a horror-themed thrill ride from start to finish as the author wowed me with his versatility and unique narratives. This volume contains some noteworthy short stories, including a sequel to Cujo and an outstanding story about the downsides of psychic visions, all of which grabbed my imagination and refused to let go. I loved every second I spent with You Like It Darker, and I cannot wait to experience more Stephen King awesomeness in 2025, especially with the epic upcoming book Never Flinch.

Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang

One of the most inventive and powerful fantasy novels I read this year was Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang, which, while technically released as an independent novel last year, I’m counting it as a 2024 release as that’s when it officially came out here in Australia. I have so much love for Blood Over Bright Haven, as Wang centres a complex and emotionally charged narrative around an intriguing and unique magical system. The result is an intense and memorable book that hits the reader with some amazing twists. I honestly have still not recovered from all the big reveals of this book, and it was all I needed to read to become a major fan of this awesome author.

Deep Black by Miles Cameron

The last book I want to highlight on this list is the massive and captivating science fiction epic Deep Black by Miles Cameron. The sequel to the exceptional Artifact Space, Deep Black continues to follow a gigantic human trading space vessel as it attempts to survive a complex conspiracy to destroy it. Featuring some impressive science fiction detail, powerful action sequences, and an elaborate plot, Deep Black was an outstanding read and a worthy final entry for this best-of-2024 post.

Well, those are my 20 favourite books of 2024. It turned out to be quite a good list in the end, and I am very glad that I was able to highlight so many fantastic books. 2025 is set to be another excellent year for amazing reads, and I will be examining some of my most anticipated books next week. In the meantime, let me know what your favourite books of 2024 were in the comments below, and make sure you all have a happy and safe New Years.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Audiobooks of 2024

On December 26, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List23 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently reside at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official topic for this list involved listing the ten top books you hope that Santa would bring you this year. While this is a fun sounding topic, I am instead going to continue my annual end of year wrap up of the best books I read in 2024. In previous weeks I have highlighted some of the best pre-2024 novels, best new-to-me-authors and best 2024 sequels I read in the last year. However, this week I am going to look at something near and dear to my hear, the best audiobooks of 2024.

Readers of this blog only need to check out my extensive audiobook category to the right to know that I have a lot of love for the audiobook format. In my opinion, the audiobook is often the best way to experience a good book and in many cases this format makes a novel far more enjoyable. As a result, I listened to quite a few audiobooks this year, and while a good chunk of them were books released before 2024 and featured in my Throwback Thursday posts, most were released this year. There were some truly outstanding and impressive audiobooks released in 2024 and I knew going in that I was going to have an extremely hard time coming up with a final version of this list.

For this list I have only included audiobooks released in 2024 that I have listened to, which left me with a long list of extremely impressive audiobooks which I wanted to include in this post. To help cut this down, I considered a range of factors, including the quality of the original novel, the skill of the narrator, production value, pacing and other features. Looking at all this I was eventually able to cut the list down to the absolute best 10 audiobooks, with my typical generous honourable mentions section. I had to make some very hard decisions here, and I ended up excluding several extremely good audiobooks from the main list. Still, I think it really represents the best audiobooks I enjoyed this year and there are some amazing productions below.

Honourable Mentions:

The Chaos Agent, written by Mark Greaney and narrated by Jay Snyder

An excellent continuation of the Gray Man series once again read out by Jay Snyder.

Five Broken Blades, written by Mai Corland and narrated by Greg Chun, Zion Jang, Roger Yeh, Donald Chang, Jaine Ye and Sophie Oda

A fun fantasy novel that was perfectly brought to life by a brilliant team of narrators.

Goodbye Girl, written by James Grippando and narrated by Jonathan Davis

One of my favourite Star Wars narrators, Jonathan Davis, made this excellent legal thriller particularly awesome to listen to.

Warhammer 40,000: Da Red Gobbo Collection, written by Mike Brooks, Denny Flowers and Rhuairidh James, narrated by Harry Myers

Three fantastic authors present an array of outstanding Warhammer 40,000 stories around a legendary figure, Da Red Gobbo, all of which is narrated by the highly talented Harry Myers.

Top Ten List:

NecroTek/The Dragon in Winter, written by Jonathan Maberry and narrated by Ray Porter

First up on this list we have a double entry, as we were lucky enough to get two books from one of my favourite authors, Jonathan Maberry. Made up of the dark science fiction adventure, NecroTek, and the brilliant fantasy epic, The Dragon in Winter, both of which were particularly awesome. I chose to combine these two audiobooks into a single entry here, due to the fact they both shared the same narrator in the legendary Ray Porter. Porter, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators, is synonymous with Maberry at this point, having lent his voice to most of the author’s books while always providing an exceptional performance. I love how well Porter’s narration enhances Maberry’s exceptional novels, and it makes these audiobooks extremely special. As such, I had to include them here, and both NecroTek and The Dragon in Winter come highly recommended as some of the best audiobooks of the year.

We Solve Murders, written by Richard Osman and narrated by Nicola Walker

After wowing us with the first four Thursday Murder Club books (The Thursday Murder Club, The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed and The Last Devil to Die), Osman went on a different path this year with the clever and fast-paced thriller, We Solve Murders. A particularly fun book that combines Osman’s classic humour with a brilliant and intense story, We Solve Murders was another exceptional read that I couldn’t get enough of, especially in its audiobook format. Thanks to the impressive narration of actress Nicola Walker, We Solve Murders was an extremely awesome listen that made the elaborate narrative became even more fantastic. A truly great audiobook production that you won’t be able to stop listening to it.

Warhammer 40,000: Above and Beyond, written by Denny Flowers and narrated by Phillip Sacramento

I have a few Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks on this list, but one of the most unique and compelling was Above and Beyond by Denny Flowers. The sequel to one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels, Outgunned, Above and Beyond brought together a damaged propaganda expert and a broken hero into a cynical and entertaining adventure that really dives into the dark side of the Warhammer universe. Funny, powerful and featuring an outstanding story, Above and Beyond was so damn good, and it was even better when listened to on audiobook. Phillip Sacramento perfectly captures the grim themes of Flowers’ writing with his narration, and you soon become enthralled in following the book’s damaged characters on their new adventure. An exceptional and amazing listen, you will not be dissatisfied with this Warhammer 40,000 audiobook.

The Fury of the Gods, written by John Gwynne and narrated by Colin Mace

John Gwynne brings his epic Bloodsworn Saga fantasy series to a powerful end with the brutal and impressive The Fury of the Gods. Finalising a series of great character arcs and pushing his protagonists into one particularly deadly war, The Fury of the Gods was everything I could have hoped for, and I loved how it wrapped up the storylines previously raised in The Shadow of the Gods and The Hunger of the Gods. I had a fantastic time with this novel, and I particularly enjoyed the cool audiobook version that was narrated by Colin Mace. Mace brings so much energy to this narrative, and his excellent take on the characters turns this into an outstanding listen.

Darkside, written by Michael Mammay and narrated by R. C. Bray

One of the most awesome and fun science fiction audiobooks of 2024 had to be Darkside by Michael Mammay. Mammay, who previously impressed me with his previous books, Planetside, Spaceside and Colonyside, produced an intriguing fourth entry to his Planetside series with Darkside, as his maverick protagonist investigates a new conspiracy driven by corrupt corporations. This fourth entry was such a great listen on audiobook, especially as it featured the return of the always incredible R. C. Bray as narrator. Bray, who has such a distinctive voice and style, helps to make this audiobook even more special, and I had so much fun with Darkside as result.

Warhammer 40,000: Lord of Excess, written by Rich McCormick and narrated by Richard Reed

Another particularly cool Warhammer 40,000 audiobook in 2024 was Renegades: Lord of Excess. The debut novel of Rich McCormick, Lord of Excess followed a band of hedonistic Chaos Space Marines as they conquer an isolated planet, only to have everything come crashing down around them. A fascinating and captivating addition to the Warhammer 40,000 canon, Lord of Excess was an amazing read from McCormick, and like most Warhammer 40,000 books is deeply benefited from its audiobook format. Not only does the outrageous story really come to life when read out, but narrator Richard Reed ensures all the larger-than-life characters are perfectly showcased. A truly outstanding Warhammer audiobook that I had such a great time with.

Point Nemo, written by Jeremy Robinson and narrated by R. C. Bray

Few audiobooks were as epic this year as Point Nemo by Jeremey Robinson, which was also narrated by R. C. Bray. A fast-paced and highly awesome science fiction thriller, Point Nemo had an outstanding plot behind it that followed a band of adventurers as they attempted to uncover the secrets of an island created from alien spores. The story and action of Point Nemo are very amazing on their own, but I felt that the narration of Bray added even more to it, and I was very impressed by all of Bray’s amazing performances this year. An exceptional listen that I cannot recommend enough.

A Tide of Black Steel, written by Anthony Ryan and narrated by Steven Brand

Acclaimed fantasy author Anthony Ryan followed up his Covenant of Steel series (The Pariah, The Martyr and The Traitor) in a big way with the new book, A Tide of Black Steel. Featuring an exciting and intriguing new narrative that expands Ryan’s existing setting, A Tide of Black Steel was an epic fantasy novel that I had so much fun with, especially on audiobook. It helped that the narrator of the Covenant of Steel audiobooks, Steven Brand, once again lent his voice to proceedings, and the resulting production was a powerful and amazing production that I couldn’t stop listening to.

Warhammer 40,000: Da Big Dakka, written by Mike Brooks and narrated by Harry Myers

The final Warhammer audiobook I need to feature on this list is the outstanding and hilarious Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks. The sequel to Brooks’ previous novels, Brutal Kunnin and Warboss, Da Big Dakka follows a rowdy group of orks who raid the most dangerous city in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. A clever read that I laughed the entire way through, especially with the fantastic narration of Harry Myers, who always perfectly captures the rowdy orks and their eccentric enemies. This was a really impress audiobook and I had a wonderful time listening to it.

Crucible of Chaos, written by Sebastien de Castell and narrated by Joe Jameson

I am slightly cheating with this final entry as Crucible of Chaos came out in 2023. However, due to its late December 2023 release, as well as it’s connection to the early 2024 novel, Play of Shadows, I have decided to include it as part of this list. Crucible of Chaos was an exceptional book from talented fantasy author Sebastien de Castell, that saw an unlikely investigator and his noble steed attempt to uncover the cause of insanity and chaos in a famous monastery. A clever and funny read, Crucible of Chaos was an impressive audiobook, and I had a lot of fun with how Joe Jameson, another favourite narrator of mine, brought it too life.

Well that is the end of this latest Top Ten list, and as you can see, I have been lucky enough to listen to some awesome audiobooks this year (although I clearly focused a little too much on Warhammer fiction). All the above audiobooks are extremely good and I would highly recommend each of them in their audiobook format. Let me know what your favourite audiobooks of 2024 were in the comments below, and make sure to check back next week to see what my overall favourite novels of the year were.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favorite Audiobooks from the First Half of 2024

On July 16, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List6 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday required participants to pick a single book and list the top ten things they love about it. While this is an interesting idea, and one I might come back to later, I’m instead going to continue my recent trend of discussing books from the first half of the year and highlight my favourite audiobooks from the first half of 2024. This is a continuation of my Top Ten list from a couple of weeks ago that featured my favourite overall novels from the first half of 2024.

I have a great deal of love for the audiobook format, and it is one of the main ways that I tend to check out books. Each year I enjoy a great number of different audiobooks and use the format to enjoy both recent releases and older novels. I have been a major fan of audiobooks for years, and it is amazing the various ways in which listening to a book can enhance your enjoyment. A great narrator can really bring you into the story, and I find that listening to a book enhances the amount of detail that you can take in. In addition, other features, such as captivating voices, music and sound effects can really make an audiobook something special, and there some great examples of that out there. This year alone I have listened to a ton of outstanding audiobooks, includes some of my favourite books from early 2024. Because I love this format so much, I thought I would take this opportunity to highlight my favourite audiobooks from the first half of the year.

To pull this list off I had a look at all the 2024 releases that I listened to on audiobook to figure out my favourites. It turns out that I have already gone through quite a few this year so there was a very large collection of potential additions to this list. I was eventually able to whittle it down to the ten audiobooks I consider to be the best. There is a bit of a crossover with my previous Favourite Books from the First Half of 2024 list, but I think there are enough new additions to make this list worthwhile. I made sure to feature only the very best audiobooks on this list, and, in addition to the quality of the baseline novel, I also looked at audiobook production and narration. In my experience an outstanding narration or use of music and sound effects can enhance the plot, and I think that all the audiobooks listed below were exceptional listens that are really worth checking out.

In addition, I also featured my typical generous Honourable Mentions section, which featured some great books from the first half of the year that I didn’t feature in my main list for various reasons, as well as a couple of pre-2024 audiobooks that really impressed me. With these honourable mentions, I am very happy with how the overall list turned out and I think that the below entries really highlight what my favourite audiobooks from the first half of the year are.

Honourable Mentions:

Warhammer 40,000: Siege of Vraks, written by Steve Lyons and narrated by Timothy Watson

My first honourable mention is the awesome Warhammer 40,000 audiobook, Siege of Vraks, which is the audiobook I am currently listening to. The successor to Lyon’s previous novels, Dead Men Walking and Krieg, Siege of Vraks is a great book that covers the epic and bloody siege of the same name. While this is an amazing audiobook, I’m leaving it as an honourable mention for the moment as I have only just started listening to it and I need to see how it unfolds fully. Still, based on what I have listened to so far, this could end up being one of my favourite audiobooks of 2024.

Alien Clay, written by Adrian Tchaikovsky and narrated by Ben Allen

An outstanding and cool science fiction audiobook from and insanely inventive author.

Skin Game, written by Jim Butcher and narrated by James Marsters

One of my favourite pre-2024 audiobooks I listened to in the first half of the year. Skin Game was one of the better books in the iconic Dresden Files series, and I loved how well the fun fantasy heist story was told by narrator and actor James Marsters.

Warhammer 40,000: Straight Silver, written by Dan Abnett and narrated by Toby Longworth

I have had the pleasure of listening to a few pre-2024 Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks in the first half of the year, however my favourite is Straight Silver. An epic entry in the fantastic Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Straight Silver was an intense and compelling book, especially when read out by the talented Toby Longworth.

Top Ten List:

NecroTek, written by Jonathan Maberry and narrated by Ray Porter

For the first entry on this list, I had to include the latest audiobook from Jonathan Maberry, NecroTek, which proved to be an exceptional dark science fiction adventure. Maberry is one of my favourite authors at the moment, and he consistently produces gripping and dark reads that turn into exceptional audiobooks, especially when narrated by his long-time audiobook collaborator Ray Porter. Porter has an amazing voice, and I love how he takes Maberry’s elaborate stories and makes them even more special. NecroTek was an exceptional audiobook, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second Maberry/Porter audiobook coming out in 2024, The Dragon in Winter.

Point Nemo, written by Jeremy Robinson and narrated by R. C. Bray

Few audiobooks were as impressive as Point Nemo by Jeremy Robinson this year. A fast-paced and highly awesome science fiction thriller, Point Nemo had an outstanding plot behind it that followed a fun band of adventurers as they attempted to uncover the secrets of an island created from alien spores. The story and action of Point Nemo are very amazing on their own, but I felt that the narration of R. C. Bray added even more to it. A very talented voice actor who has lent his voice to many of Robinson’s works, Bray is one of my favourite narrators, and I really love the fantastic energy and power he gave to Point Nemo’s audiobook. An exceptional listen that I cannot recommend enough.

Goodbye Girl, written by James Grippando and narrated by Jonathan Davis

I was eager to try out the intriguing legal thriller, Goodbye Girl by James Grippando, this year, and decided to grab it on audiobook because narrator Jonathan Davis had previously voiced some great Star Wars audiobooks. Goodbye Girl proved to be an amazing listen, and I deeply enjoyed how effectively the compelling and entertaining legal thriller elements came across in this medium. A wonderful and thrilling audiobook that had me hooked the entire way through.

Warhammer 40,000: Da Big Dakka, written by Mike Brooks and narrated by Harry Myers

Unsurprisingly, I have several Warhammer audiobooks featured on this list, as it is frankly the best format to enjoy this extensive franchise in. The first of these is the outstanding and hilarious Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks. The sequel to Brooks’ previous books, Brutal Kunnin and Warboss, Da Big Dakka followed a rowdy group of orks as they raided a dark fortress filled with torture obsessed space elves. I laughed pretty much the entire way through this audiobook, especially with the fantastic narration of Harry Myers, who effectively captured the many excentric participants in this battle. An amazing and highly entertaining audiobook that you won’t be able to stop listening to.

The Chaos Agent, written by Mark Greaney and narrated by Jay Snyder

One of my favourite thriller authors, Mark Greaney, continues to impress with his latest Gray Man novel, The Chaos Agent. An exciting and impressive read, The Chaos Agent had a great story behind it that was even crazier than usual. As with most of the books in this series, I grabbed The Chaos Agent on audiobook, which proved to be an excellent experience. Veteran narrator Jay Snyder has always done a great job with the Gray Man audiobooks, and his work in The Chaos Agent was on point again. I really enjoyed this fantastic audiobook, and the format really enhances the excitement and intensity of the plot.

Star Trek: Pliable Truths, written by Dayton Ward and narrated by Robert Petkoff

I ended up having a brilliant time listening to the latest Star Trek audiobook from Dayton Ward, Pliable Truths. A compelling and entertaining book that serves as a bridge between The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine shows, Pliable Truths was a lot of fun and will really appeal to Star Trek fans. Of course, no Star Trek audiobook is complete without the impressive narration of Robert Petkoff, who has lent his great voice to so many audiobooks in the franchise. Petkoff’s ability to mimic key Star Trek characters is well known and he does another outstanding job in the Pliable Truths audiobook, enhancing this already awesome book in an outstanding way.

Warhammer: The Old World: Lords of the Lance, written by Graham McNeill and narrated by Peter Kenny

This year the Warhammer franchise brought fans back to the iconic Old World fantasy setting, including through the exceptional book Lords of the Lance. Written by one of the Black Library’s best authors, Graham McNeill, Lords of the Lance was an exciting and addictive adventure story that saw the legendary knights of Bretonnia traverse some of the most hostile terrain in the setting to face off against an army of the dead. Expertly narrated by Peter Kenny, this amazing story was loaded with action, compelling characters, and a fantastic appreciation for the setting. I really had a lot of fun listening to the Lords of the Lance audiobook, and it was the best way to experience this amazing story.

The Atlas Maneuver, written by Steve Berry and narrated by Scott Brick

I had a lot of fun listening to the new Cotton Malone book by Steve Berry, The Atlas Maneuver. Another intricate and captivating spy thriller that makes use of fun historical conspiracies, The Atlas Maneuver was a great book and I felt that the excellent audiobook version, narrated by Scott Brick, enhanced its unique elements. An outstanding listen from one of my favourite thriller series.

Crucible of Chaos, written by Sebastien de Castell and narrated by Joe Jameson

I’m slightly cheating with this next entry as Crucible of Chaos came out in 2023. However, due its late December 2023 release date, as well as it’s connection to the fantastic 2024 novel, Play of Shadows, I have decided to include it as part of this list. Crucible of Chaos was an exceptional book from talented fantasy author Sebastien de Castell, that saw an unlikely investigator and his noble steed attempt to uncover the cause of insanity and chaos in a famous monastery. A clever and funny read, Crucible of Chaos was an impressive audiobook, and I had a lot of fun with how Joe Jameson, another favourite narrator of mine, brought it too life.

Warhammer 40,000: Deathworlder, written by Victoria Hayward and narrated by Gabrielle Nellis-Pain

The final audiobook I want to highlight on this list is the amazing Warhammer 40,000 production, Deathworlder. Written by debuting author Victoria Hayward, Deathworlder was a grim and complex tale of survival in a planet full of horrors. Featuring two of the most compelling factions in the Warhammer 40,000 canon, Deathworlder was so damn good, and I deeply appreciated how effectively the audiobook version captured the turmoil and intensity of the plot. Narrator Gabrielle Nellis-Pain did an amazing job bringing the traumatised protagonists to life, and the resulting audiobook came across masterfully. A deeply impressive audiobook and one of the best Warhammer reads from the first half of 2024.

Well, that’s the end of this latest list. As you can see, there have been some very good audiobooks out in the first half of 2024. It will be interesting to see which books make the cut later in the year, especially as I currently have several major 2024 audiobooks currently sitting on my phone, waiting to be listened to. While I get to that, make sure to let me know what your favourite audiobooks of 2024 so far are in the comments below.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Books From the First Half of 2024

On July 2, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn List15 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently reside at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday involved listing books with your favourite colour on the cover. While this is an interesting topic which I might come back to later, I had already decided in advance that this week I would take this opportunity to celebrate the fact that we are into the second half of 2024 by highlighting some amazing books from the first half of the year.

2024 has already proven to be a fantastic year for books, and I have already read some incredible new releases, including impressive standalone books, amazing entries in established series and fantastic debuts. Because of this, I thought that I would take the time to work out what my top ten favourite books from the first half of 2024 were. To be eligible, a book had to be a particularly epic novel released in the first half of this year. I have excluded any books released during this period that I have not so far read, although a couple of releases I have my eye on might have appeared on this list if I had read them in time.

Coming up with this list proved to be a rather bigger task than I originally intended, as I ended up amassing nearly 20 releases, all of which I consider to be outstanding reads. I was eventually able to whittle this down to an acceptable Top Ten list, although I did include my typical generous honourable mentions section. I am rather happy with how this list turned out, although I am surprised at some of the great recent books that ended up being excluded. Still, the entries below represent what I considered to be some of the best books from the first half of 2024, and I would strongly recommend each and every one of them.

Honourable Mentions:

Warhammer 40,000: Deathworlder by Victoria Hayward

Warhammer 40,000 - Deathworlder Cover

One of the darkest and most compelling Warhammer 40,000 novels I have had the pleasure of reading.

Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien De Castell

Crucible of Chaos Cover

An outstanding fantasy murder mystery from the very end of 2023 that I am sneaking into the honourable mentions due to how good it was.

Devil’s Kitchen by Candice Fox

Devil's Kitchen Cover

One of Australia’s best thriller authors once again wowed me with the epic and moving Devil’s Kitchen.

The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe

The Girl in Question Cover

An awesome sequel to the amazing young adult thriller The Girls I’ve Been.

Top Ten Tuesday:

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

The Tainted Cup Cover

The first book I want to highlight was the delightfully compelling and intriguing fantasy murder mystery The Tainted Cup. The start of a cool new series by Robert Jackson Bennett, The Tainted Cup saw a fun pair of investigators attempt to uncover the truth behind an impossible magical murder in a land constantly under siege from giant monsters. A relentlessly entertaining novel with a fantastic mystery behind it, The Tainted Cup was an early favourite of 2024 that I cannot recommend enough.

The Gathering by C. J. Tudor

The Gathering Cover

Another excellent book that blended the genres together was The Gathering by acclaimed author C. J. Tudor. A compelling murder mystery set in an alternate world where vampyrs exist, The Gathering sees the protagonist travel to an isolated Alaskan town to investigate whether a murder was committed by a local vampyr colony or something far darker. A unique tale that sets up an intriguing new world from Tudor, The Gathering was an addictive read that really impressed me.

Play of Shadows by Sebastien De Castell

Play of Shadows Cover

Sebastien De Castell continues to expand his exceptional Greatcoats universe in a big way with Play of Shadows, the first book in the author’s new Court of Shadows series. Play of Shadows was a particularly clever and entertaining novel that followed a cowardly actor who taps into magical forces that allow him to reveal ancient secrets while on the stage. Thrust into a series of battles and intrigues, this resulted in a very fun and compelling story that I deeply enjoyed, and which made me seek out more books from this amazing author.

Extinction by Douglas Preston

Extinction Cover

I had to include Extinction by Douglas Preston on this list, mainly because it was so damn entertaining and exciting. Focussed on a series of murders occurring in a park full of clone megafauna, Extinction was instantly addictive, and I loved just how crazy the story got at times. The last third of Extinction was so damn bonkers and I had such a brilliant time watching the chaos unfold. A very fun book that proved impossible not to enjoy.

The Silverblood Promise by James Logan

The Silverblood Promise Cover

Debuting fantasy author James Logan burst onto the scene with the amazing first novel, The Silverblood Promise. Set in a cool new fantasy world and following a disgraced heir trying to uncover his father’s murderer, The Silverblood Promise featured a fast-paced and highly enjoyable narrative loaded with intrigue, adventure and mysteries. I absolutely powered through this awesome book and I cannot wait to see what fantasy stories Logan produces in the future.

The Mercy Chair by M. W. Craven

The Mercy Chair Cover

A last-minute addition to this list is the epically dark crime fiction novel, The Mercy Chair by M. W. Craven. This distinctive murder mystery sees the ritual stoning of a controversial religious figure turn into a haunting tale from the past for two unique investigators. I really got stuck into this story, especially as Craven cleverly layers twists upon twist for the reader to discover. I honestly cannot believe how much darker each reveal made this story as Craven leads the reader down a terrible path of betrayal, secrets and lies. Easily one of the best crime fiction novels of 2024.

Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks

Da Big Dakka Cover

One of the most entertaining Warhammer books of 2024 is the insane and hilarious read, Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks. The follow-up to his previous novels, Brutal Kunnin and Warboss, Da Big Dakka follows an ork horde as they attempt to destroy the infamous city of the Drukhari, with nothing going the way anyone planned. An excessively fun and action-packed novel that mixes subtle humour with the outrageous actions of his alien protagonists, and which showcases why Brooks is one of the best current authors of Warhammer fiction.

The Chaos Agent by Mark Greaney

The Chaos Agent Cover

Mark Greaney continues one of my favourite spy thriller series with the new Gray Man novel, The Chaos Agent. Setting his iconic spy protagonist against a dangerous new enemy, The Chaos Agent had a great story behind it that proceeded to get very crazy once some memorable weapons technology is unleashed. An amazing entry in one of the best thriller series out there, The Chaos Agent was fun from start to finish and leaves the reader on a very interesting cliffhanger.

Point Nemo by Jeremy Robinson

Point Nemo Cover

One of the best authors of the science fiction thriller, Jeremy Robinson, returns with an impressive new novel, Point Nemo. Set on a mysterious island formed from alien material, Point Nemo is a gripping and thrilling adventure that blends unique science with dark and twisted moments. A very compelling book that I could not get enough of, especially in its audiobook format, Point Nemo comes very highly recommended and is really worth a read.

You Like it Darker by Stephen King

You Like It Darker Cover

The final book I want to highlight on this list is the exceptional short story collection You Like It Darker by the legendary Stephen King. Featuring 12 short stories from King, You Like It Darker was a horror-themed thrill ride from start to finish as the author wowed me with his versatility and unique narratives. This book contains some particularly noteworthy short stories, including a sequel to Cujo and a unique story about the downsides of psychic visions, all of which grabbed imagination and refused to let go. You Like It Darker was so damn good and I loved every second I spent with it.

Well, that’s the end of this latest list. As you can see, I have already read some amazing and epic books so far in 2024 and we are only halfway through the year. I am pretty happy with how this list turned out, and it will be interesting to see which of these books ends up being amongst my top reads of the year. All the novels above come very highly recommended, and you are guaranteed to have a wonderful time reading them. Let me know what your favourite releases for the first half of the year are in the comments below and make sure to check out my two most anticipated reads lists for the second half of 2024 (fantasy and science fiction and other).

The Chaos Agent by Mark Greaney

On June 30, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Thriller13 Comments

Publisher: Sphere/Audible (Audiobook – 20 February 2024)

Series: Gray Man – Book 13

Length: 17 hours and 34 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

One of the leading authors of the spy thriller genre, Mark Greaney, returns with another epic entry in his iconic Gray Man series, The Chaos Agent.

Readers of this blog will know that I am a massive fan of thriller author Mark Greaney, who has been wowing the world with his elaborate and exciting stories for years. Ever since I started reading thrillers, Greaney has been a major figure in my yearly reading schedule, with books like Armored and Red Metal (cowritten with Hunter Ripley Rawlings IV), ensuring that he became a must-read author for me. However, his most iconic body of work is his Gray Man series, which follows legendary former CIA agent and assassin Court Gentry, known as the Gray Man, as he engages in carnage across the world. This series, which people may be familiar with thanks to the Netflix adaptation, is so damn good, and I really love the elaborate and intense stories that emerge. This includes the impressive first novel The Gray Man, as well as later books like Mission Critical, One Minute Out (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2020), Relentless (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021) and Sierra Six (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022) and Burner (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023). Naturally, I grabbed Greaney’s latest novel, The Chaos Agent, the first chance I could, and it proved to be another amazing read.

Across the world, elite scientists are being murdered in a series of elaborate and well-coordinated assassinations. The killers are well equipped, well prepared, and seem capable of striking across multiple countries. The only connection between the killings is the area of expertise the victims are known for, as someone is targeting the world’s leading experts in artificial intelligence and robotics.

As the killings continue, it appears that only two major assassins aren’t involved in the plot, the Gray Man, Court Gentry, and his lover Zoya Zakharova. Hiding out in Central America after their last mission once again forced them to become fugitives, Court and Zoya are seeking the quiet life together after all their years apart. But an assassin’s work is never done, and soon an old family friend of Zoya’s seeks them out, hoping that they can help identify the individuals behind the attack. Initially reluctant to get involved, Court and Zoya soon find themselves targeted by association, and must flee an army of dangerous killers and mysterious advanced combat drones.

Forced to find out who is hunting them, Court and Zoya soon discover that the killings are linked to a deadly proposed artificial intelligence weapon that could change everything about modern warfare. To discover what’s truly going on, the two former agents and their allies need to investigate the one survivor of the ongoing assassinations. But with their target now protected by an old friend of theirs, Zack Hightower, in an isolated fortress, Court and Zoya will need to use all their connections and luck to find the truth before it’s too late?

The Chaos Agent was another excellent novel from Greaney, who continues to highlight why he is one of the world’s leading spy thriller writers. This latest Gray Man novel ended up being a lot of fun, especially as Greaney goes a little overboard with the plot, and I deeply enjoyed the resulting adventure.

Greaney came out of the bag with something very exciting in The Chaos Agent, which is mainly down to how over-the-top and crazy the main narrative ended up being. This story starts off relatively low-key, with a couple of random killings, and an update on the lives of the protagonist, Court Gentry, and his partner Zoya Zakharova. Naturally, it doesn’t take long for Gentry and Zakharova to get dragged into the action, and this starts an intense fugitive arc for them, as they find themselves being hunted by various killers across central America. At the same time, the other supporting characters of the book are investigating the worldwide plot around the assassination of various AI experts. This results in a compelling investigation angle that continues for a large portion of The Chaos Agent, and it was fun to not completely know the identity of the book’s antagonist until towards the end. This first half of The Chaos Agent definitely got my attention, and the compelling action, intense mystery, and intriguing characters help to draw the reader in.

The second half of The Chaos Agent is where things start to get particularly interesting, as Greaney amps up the story and throws it into overdrive. In particular, the antagonists get even more crazy, which is well shown in an intense action sequence involving Gentry and Zakharova in contact’s house in Central America. These additional opponents give The Chaos Agent a real science fiction edge to them, and it was a gloriously over-the-top inclusion that I really loved. The various character storylines soon come together after that, as all the characters end up in Cuba investigating who is truly behind everything and why. There are some cool sequences here, including complex and intricate multi-perspective operations as various players manoeuvre around each other to achieve their goals. This all leads up nicely to the big extended finale, where all hell breaks loose as Greaney sets up a massive firefight with various sides thrown into the mix. The action here is intense, with the carnage flying thick and fast, and with so many perils coming for the protagonists. It all ends on a pretty big cliffhanger that will play nicely into the next book in the series, especially as two major supporting characters find their situation drastically changed due to their decisions.

I deeply enjoyed how this cool novel unfolded, and Greaney utilises his trademark writing style to great effect with this excellent story. The high-intensity action, fast-paced plot, and intriguing overarching storyline came together wonderfully, and it proves very hard not to get drawn into The Chaos Agent as a result. I particularly love how Greaney so effortlessly jumps between different character perspectives throughout the course of the book, which allows for a more complex and enhanced story. These quickfire changes in perspective also work extremely well in some of the book’s more intense sequences, especially as seeing the various participants continuously react to other character’s actions, allows for some outstanding scenes. Good examples of this include a sequence in the Cuban docks where Gentry and a rival assassin move around each other trying to simultaneously protect or kill their target. These scenes, and more, are true highlights of this book, and I love how well they were able to incorporate the particularly eccentric inclusions that Greaney featured within The Chaos Agent.

As with most of the books in the Gray Man series, The Chaos Agent can easily be read as a standalone novel. Greaney does a good job of recapping any the relevant key events from the prior novels where needed so new readers can enjoy this book without knowing anything about the rest of the series. That being said, established Gray Man readers will probably get a little more out of The Chaos Agent, especially when it comes to seeing how the various character relationships unfold. It also helps that this proved to be a particularly memorable entry in the series. Not only does Greaney go all out with his very inventive and exciting story, but there is a great combination of story elements there that everyone can enjoy. The intense action pairs well with a deep dive into modern technology elements, and Greaney pulls together an intriguing mystery about who is behind everything, rather than showing the antagonist from the get-go. While some of the twists around the true antagonist are a little predictable, Greaney played them out well, and they worked into the massive status quo changes at the end of the book. I will admit that I did find some of Greaney’s writing, including the dialogue, to be a little robotic at times in The Chaos Agent, which is kind of ironic when you consider the story focus. The way some parts of the writing or dialogue came together just didn’t feel right to me at times, and that slightly decreased my enjoyment of the book. Still, the awesome story more than made up for it, and I felt this was an awesome addition to the overall series, especially as the epic ending has got me extremely excited for the next book.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about The Chaos Agent was Greaney’s intriguing look at the future of AI and how it could be utilised in the military and intelligence fields. Greaney clearly did some research on the subject, and several characters spend significant time lecturing about the potential advantages and dangers of AI weaponry. I found this to be utterly fascinating, and this ends up being quite a key part of the book, especially once the protagonists find themselves beset by advanced drones and other distinctive weaponry. As I mentioned above, Greaney uses this AI concept to make The Chaos Agent a little more science fiction than his previous novels. While I won’t go into too much detail here, as frankly it is best experienced in the context of the story, some of these elements were very outrageous, and it made the story quite fun with some unique action. While it was very over-the-top, Greaney did paint everything with a film of realism, and I came away from The Chaos Agent with a healthy respect and fear for the potential future of AI in the military, especially as Greaney is probably right and someone will use it to kill the rest of us.

Aside from the complex writing and cool AI elements, The Chaos Agent’s story is also enhanced by a great cast of characters who are cleverly showcased throughout the plot. This includes protagonist Court Gentry and his partner Zoya Zakharova, who were reunited in the last book. Gentry and Zakharova form an effective team as the main protagonists of The Chaos Agent, and it was fun to see them in action again. However, Greaney also adds in an element of dissention, especially as neither really has the ability to trust other people, and they are both concerned about their potential future. Their combined storyline goes in some interesting directions, and the final twist of the book ensures that their relationship will be a big part of the next entry in the series. Greaney also brings back fun recurring character Zack Hightower, who worked with Gentry and Zakharova in the past. Hightower is always great value for money, and he had an interesting run in The Chaos Agent as he’s hired as security for a tech billionaire being targeted. Hightower ends up being an integral part of the book, and it was great to see him working with Gentry and Zakharova again, especially as his new job leads to some dark moments for him. Throw in an excellent supporting cast, which includes some recurring faces and some new intriguing antagonists, and this ended up being an excellent book that makes fantastic use of its characters.

I have always found that the best way to enjoy one of the Gray Man novels is to listen to it in its audiobook format, which really enhances the story. This is once again true for The Chaos Agent, which turned out to be such an epic listen. The audiobook format, which has a substantial runtime of 17 and a half hours, proved to be a lot of fun, and I deeply appreciated how well it enhanced Greaney’s already fun story and writing style. The constant movement between perspective characters, especially in the action sequences, comes across really well, and the intense fights feel so much more real and impactful when they are read out. It helps that The Chaos Agent was once again narrated by Jay Snyder, who has voiced all the other Gray Man novels. Snyder has a great vocal range that really lends itself to a spy thriller novel like The Chaos Agent, and all the over-the-top tough characters are captured extremely well in this audiobook, with Snyder expertly bringing back recurring voices from the previous Gray Man audiobooks. The rest of the extended cast also get appropriate and fitting tones, and you can see Snyder is really trying to get the voices to match the characters. This includes accents, as Snyder tries to capture many of the ethnicities captured within The Chaos Agent’s story, including a pretty good attempt at the New Zealand accent. As such, I really found myself getting drawn into The Chaos Agent’s story while listening to it, and while Snyder can also be a tad robotic at times, this audiobook format was a pretty exceptional way to enjoy this amazing book.

Overall, The Chaos Agent was another excellent addition to one of the very best spy thriller series currently running. Mark Greaney always goes all out with his amazing Gray Man novels, and The Chaos Agent is one of his most intense and gripping reads yet. Clever, compelling, and featuring some particularly fun story features, The Chaos Agent is an excellent read that gets another five-star rating from me.

WWW Wednesday – 20 March 2024

On March 21, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading:

A Clean Kill by Steven Konkoly (Ebook)

A Clean Kill Cover

I was in the mood for a good thriller this week, so I started reading the upcoming book, A Clean Kill by Steven Konkoly. An intriguing read about a dangerous serial killer and the sinister conspiracy surrounding him, A Clean Kill sounded extremely interesting, and I have been meaning to read it for a while now. I’ve made a bit of progress on A Clean Kill so far and I am really enjoying its unique narrative. I am planning to finish it off in the next couple of days and I look forward to seeing how it comes together.

Warhammer 40,000: Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks (Audiobook)

Da Big Dakka Cover

Nothing is more fun than a Warhammer 40,000 book that focuses on the orks, and Da Big Dakka is proving to be particularly awesome. Following a band of orks as they rampage through a unique area of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Da Big Dakka is proving to be pretty damn amazing, and I should hopefully finish it off soon.

What did you recently finish reading?

Blood Mountain by Alisa Lynn Valdés (ebook)

Blood Mountain Cover

I managed to finish off Blood Mountain by Alisa Lynn Valdés this week. Set in the mountains of New Mexico, Blood Mountain has a great locked-room premise behind it as several people start getting killed in an isolated ranch. Fun and exciting, this was an interesting book to check out.

The Chaos Agent by Mark Greaney (Audiobook)

The Chaos Agent Cover

An awesome continuation to one of my favourite spy thriller series, The Chaos Agent was an incredible read and I am hoping to get a review up for it soon.

War Cry by Ian Ross (Trade Paperback)

War Cry Cover

Following on from Ian Ross’s outstanding 2023 novel, Battle Song, War Cry was an impressive historical fiction novel that followed a young knight as he fights in a complex English civil war. I had an outstanding time with War Cry and managed to finish it off in a very short amount of time.

What do you think you’ll read next?

White Ash Ridge by S. R. White

White Ash Ridge Cover

Once I get through A Clean Kill, I will probably start reading the captivating sounding Australian murder mystery, White Ash Ridge by S. R. White. An awesome sequel to books like Prisoner, and Red Dirt Road, White Ash Ridge has an outstanding mystery behind it, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry

The Atlas Maneuver Cover

I am still hoping to start listening to The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry next. The latest book in the long-running Cotton Malone series, The Atlas Maneuver will feature another outstanding plot that blends historical conspiracies with modern day thriller storylines. I have deeply enjoyed all the recent Cotton Malone books, and I have no doubt The Atlas Maneuver will be another exceptional and fun entry.

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

WWW Wednesday – 13 March 2024

On March 13, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday1 Comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading:

Blood Mountain by Alisa Lynn Valdés (ebook)

Blood Mountain Cover

I just started reading the intriguing thriller, Blood Mountain by Alisa Lynn Valdés. Set in the mountains of New Mexico, Blood Mountain has a great locked-room premise behind it as several people start getting killed in an isolated ranch. I haven’t made a ton of progress on Blood Moutain yet, but it is proving to be an excellent and enjoyable read, and I look forward to seeing how it turns out.

The Chaos Agent by Mark Greaney (Audiobook)

The Chaos Agent Cover

I am still listening to the latest Gray Man novel from Mark Greaney, The Chaos Agent. Featuring a great plot that pits Greaney’s long-running protagonist against those looking to unleash the next big AI weapon, The Chaos Agent is already proving to be an excellent read, and I am really enjoying the elaborate plot and interesting examination of real-world threats. I am getting close to the end of The Chaos Agent, and I look forward to seeing how the elaborate narrative turns out.

What did you recently finish reading?

Devil’s Kitchen by Candice Fox (Trade Paperback)

Devil's Kitchen Cover

I managed to knock out the latest Candice Fox book, Devil’s Kitchen, this week. Featuring an incredible plot about a group of firefighters who engage in heists, Devil’s Kitchen was extremely good and I loved the amazing and powerful story that Fox came up with. Highly recommended.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry

The Atlas Maneuver Cover

If I manage to finish off The Chaos Agent this week, I will probably start listening to The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry next. The latest book in the long-running Cotton Malone series, The Atlas Maneuver will feature another outstanding plot that blends historical conspiracies with modern day thriller storylines. I have deeply enjoyed all the recent Cotton Malone books, and I have no doubt The Atlas Maneuver will be another exceptional and fun entry.

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

WWW Wednesday – 6 March 2024

On March 7, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading:

Devil’s Kitchen by Candice Fox (Trade Paperback)

Devil's Kitchen Cover

After having such a good time with The Murder Inn earlier this year, I just started to read the next Candice Fox book, Devil’s Kitchen. Featuring a great plot about a group of firefighters who engage in heists, Devil’s Kitchen is proving to be a very awesome book and one I am very glad I decided to check out. I am about 50 pages into Devil’s Kitchen at the moment and I think it has a ton of potential.

The Chaos Agent by Mark Greaney (Audiobook)

The Chaos Agent Cover

In the last week I have had a lot of fun listening to the latest Gray Man novel from Mark Greaney, The Chaos Agent. Featuring a great plot that pits Greaney’s long-running protagonist against those looking to unleash the next big AI weapon, The Chaos Agent is already proving to be an excellent read, and I am really enjoying the elaborate plot and interesting examination of real-world threats. I am about halfway through The Chaos Agent at the moment, and it is already turning out to be one of my favourite books of the year so far.

What did you recently finish reading?

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead by Jenny Hollander (Trade Paperback)

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead Cover

I had a great time this week finishing off Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead. The debut novel of Jenny Hollander, Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead followed the survivor of a deadly massacre as she comes to terms with secrets of her past. Intense, moving and filled with great twists, Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead was an excellent read and I am hoping to get a review up for it soon.

Skin Game by Jim Butcher (Audiobook)

Skin Game Cover

I managed to finish off the 15th Dresden Files novel, Skin Game last week, and boy was it awesome. Featuring a great heist narrative, Skin Game is a particularly epic entry in an amazing series. Highly recommended.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry

The Atlas Maneuver Cover

If I manage to finish off The Chaos Agent this week, I will probably start listening to The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry next. The latest book in the long-running Cotton Malone series, The Atlas Maneuver will feature another outstanding plot that blends historical conspiracies with modern day thriller storylines. I have deeply enjoyed all the recent Cotton Malone books, and I have no doubt The Atlas Maneuver will be another exceptional and fun entry.

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

WWW Wednesday – 28 February 2024

On February 29, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading:

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead by Jenny Hollander (Trade Paperback)

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead Cover

I just started reading the compelling and unique read, Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead. The debut novel of Jenny Hollander, Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead follows the survivor of a deadly massacre as she comes to terms with secrets of her past. I am about a third of the way through Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead at the moment and it is proving to be quite an intriguing and powerful read. I am hoping to finish it off in the next couple of days and I look forward to seeing how it turns out.

Skin Game by Jim Butcher (Audiobook)

Skin Game Cover

I was in the mood for a guaranteed hit, so I once again dove into the well of awesomeness that is Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series by checking out the 15th book in the series, Skin Game. One of the more intriguing and fun books in the series, Skin Game follows the protagonist as he gets dragged into an elaborate heist scenario against his will and is forced to outsmart a deadly fallen angel. I love this book so much and I will finish it off either tonight or tomorrow and get a Throwback Thursday post up ASAP.

What did you recently finish reading?

Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz (Trade Paperback)

Lone Wolf Cover 2

A wonderful addition to the Orphan X thriller series, Lone Wolf was a particularly epic book from Hurwitz and well worth checking out. Review to follow soon.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Devil’s Kitchen by Candice Fox

Devil's Kitchen Cover

After having such a good time with The Murder Inn earlier this year, I am excited to read the next Candice Fox book, Devil’s Kitchen. Featuring a great plot about a group of firefighters who engage in heists, Devil’s Kitchen has so much damn potential and I cannot wait to check it out.

The Chaos Agent by Mark Greaney

The Chaos Agent Cover

One of my absolute favourite thriller authors, Mark Greaney, just released his latest Gray Man novel, The Chaos Agent, which I will start reading as soon as possible. Featuring a great plot that pits Greaney’s long-running protagonist against deadly AI and an old friend, The Chaos Agent will probably end up being one of my top books of 2024 and I am so excited to read it.

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.