Tag: Timothy Zahn

Top Ten Tuesday – Oldest (aka Earliest Published) Books on my TBR

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  For this latest Top Ten Tuesday, participants are tasked with listing the books with the earliest publication date that is currently sitting on their to-be-read (TBR) pile.

Like most book lovers, I have a huge backlog of novels out there that I want to read but I haven’t been able to fit into my schedule due to lack of time or other books I needed to get through first.  As such, this is a rather interesting list to pull together, and I hope that it inspires me a little to go back and read some books on my TBR pile.  I also love the shoutout to the older TBR books I have, especially as I am easily distracted by new and shiny things.

I must admit I struggled a little to pull together some really old titles, so my list is most made up of books from the 80s and 90s.  Still, this ended up being a rather interesting, if slightly predictable list if you know who some of my favourite authors are, although I made sure to limit myself to one inclusion from each author.  Despite these limitations, I really like how it came together, so let us see who made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman – 1985

A classic crime fiction book from an author still going strong.

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Space Marine by Ian Watson – 1993

An old-school Warhammer 40,000 novel I currently have on my shelf.  While not the first Warhammer 40,000 novel ever written, it sounds bonkers, and I’m curious to see original universe from before they established the current canon.

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Killing Floor by Lee Child – 1997

The first book in the epic Jack Reacher series.  I loved the television adaptation of this book and I’m curious to read the series from start to finish.

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Excavation by James Rollins – 2000

A fantastic older thriller I have sitting on my shelf. 

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Top Ten List:

Carrie by Stephen King – 1974

After some awesome recent experiences with Stephen King’s writing, I’ve been meaning to read more of his amazing books and there is no better place to start than his first novel, Carrie.  A classic piece of horror fiction, Carrie is a bloody and complex read that I hope to check out one day.

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Sharpe’s Eagle by Bernard Cornwell – 1981

I’m a massive fan of Bernard Cornwell, who is one of the biggest names in historical fiction.  While I have read a couple of books in his iconic Richard Sharpe series, I need to read more, including the first book he published, Sharpe’s Eagle.  A compelling historical adventure, Sharpe’s Eagle was the book that introduced the world to Richard Sharpe and Cornwell’s vision of the Napoleonic War.  Thanks to Cornwell releasing his books out of chronological order, Sharpe’s Eagle is now the eighth book in the series, but it remains a key entry.  I look forward to reading Sharpe’s Eagle one day and it sounds like a lot of fun.

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Magician by Raymond E. Feist – 1982

I am slightly cheating by including Magician here, as I have read it a couple of times before.  However, I really want to do a big re-read of Feist’s entire Riftwar Cycle and Magician is the best place to start this series.  A particularly iconic fantasy novel, Magician sees a young boy discover his destiny as a mighty mage after the kingdom he lives in is invaded by soldiers from another world.  This is a really, really good book and I cannot wait to read it again at some point.

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The Black Company by Glen Cook – 1984

I have long wanted to read the epic The Black Company fantasy series by Glen Cook, which started back in 1984 with this book of the same name.  Generally considered to be one of the best dark fantasy novels/series of all time, The Black Company follows a band of dangerous mercenaries as they find themselves drawn into a bloody and all-consuming war.  I already know that I am going to love this book, and I will hopefully be able to make time for it at some point in the future.

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The King Beyond the Gate by David Gemmell – 1985

A few years ago, I had the great pleasure of reading David Gemmell’s classic fantasy debut, Legend, which is honestly one of the best books I have every read.  Gemmell was a very skilled author, and I have been meaning to check out more examples of his work.  The obvious next step would be to read The King Beyond the Gate, which is the second novel in the series that started with Legend.  Another compelling read that follows a small band of aging heroes as they face a seemingly unbeatable foe, The King Beyond the Gate sounds awesome, and I need to dedicate some time to getting through the rest of Gemmell’s books.

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The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis – 1989

Long-term readers of this blog will know that I am a huge fan of historical fiction author Lindsey Davis, who has greatly impressed me over the years with her Flavia Albia series, which follows some deeply unique murder investigations in ancient Rome.  However, the Flavia Albia books are only the latest series from Davis, who originally started back in the 1980s with her Falco novels.  Following the father of Flavia Albia as he solves his own crimes, the Falco books have been on my radar for a while, and I fully intend to read them at some point.  The obvious starting point for this would be The Silver Pigs, which introduced the world to Falco and Davis’s distinctive style.  I have a copy of The Silver Pigs sitting on my bookshelf, and I look forward to the day when I get around to reading it.

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Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn – 1991

Some of my very favourite Star Wars novels were the recent Thrawn trilogies written by legendary author Timothy Zahn.  A complex and compelling collection of books, the Thrawn and Thrawn Ascendancy trilogies follow Zahn’s best original character, Grand Admiral Thrawn and help to reintroduce him into the new Disney canon.  However, Thrawn first appeared back in 1991 when Zahn released the iconic Star Wars novel, Heir to the Empire.  A sequel to Return of the Jedi, Heir to the Empire was one of the very first proper Star Wars tie-in novels, and it set the stage for the massive Star Wars Extended Universe that followed.  As a massive Star Wars fan, I have been remiss in not going back to check out this important novel, although I hope to change that in the future.  From all accounts this book is extremely epic, and I am very curious to see the novel that first introduced Grand Admiral Thrawn to the galaxy.

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The Black Echo by Michael Connelly – 1992

The next entry on this list is The Black Echo by Michael Connelly.  The very first book from Connelly to feature his famous detective character Harry Bosch, The Black Echo set up the author’s shared universe which would later expand to feature so many memorable protagonists.  I have had an exceptional time reading all of Connelly’s most recent works and I have been meaning to go back and explore his universe from the beginning, starting with The Black Echo.  Like The Silver Pigs, I have a copy of The Black Echo sitting on my bookshelf, and when my reading schedule opens up, I hope to grab it and power through it.  I have no doubt that I will love The Black Echo, and I am curious to see what Connelly’s writing style was like in this first book.

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The Demon Awakens by R. A. Salvatore – 1997

I am a huge fan of R. A. Salvatore various additions to the expanded Forgotten Realms universe, having read nearly all of them over the years.  However, I am also keen to read more books in Salvatore’s original Corona universe.  I had a ton of fun reading the latest trilogy set in this world (The Coven books made up of Child of a Mad God, Reckoning of Fallen Gods and Song of the Risen God), and I felt that this was an excellent fantasy universe that I’d like to see more of.  As such, I will try to explore this series from the beginning, which means starting with The Demon Awakens.  An exciting adventure novel with some great characters, The Demon Awakens should be a ton of fun and I am keen to read it in the future.

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A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin – 1998

The final book on this list is A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin.  The second book in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Clash of Kings doesn’t need a massive introduction.  I have been meaning to continuing this series after reading A Game of Thrones a few years ago, which means going through A Clash of Kings next.  I am sure I will deeply enjoy this major book, and I am curious to see how it differs from the television show.

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And with that, my list concluded.  I felt that this latest Top Ten Tuesday post came together well, and I like the intriguing collection of books I listed above.  It turns out there are a ton of older novels on my to-be-read list, and I hope I get the opportunity to get through them soon.  In the meantime, let me know what older books are on your TBR lists in the comments below.

Top Ten Tuesday – Ten Favourite Books From Ten Series

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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, Top Ten Tuesday participants are tasked with choosing ten separate series and then listing their favourite book from that series.  This was a rather interesting topic that really got me thinking.  No matter how outstanding a series is, there is always at least one book that stands just that little bit above the rest, and I was curious to see how a list along those lines would turn out.

To come up with this list, I ran through some of my top novel and comic book series to try and work out what the most glaring examples of my favourite entries were.  I tried to limit my choices to longer series rather than trilogies, and I also went for series that I’m mostly up to date with, rather than those I’ve only made a little bit of progress on.  Despite these limitations, I ended up with a huge range of potential entries and I had to spend a bit of time culling down my initial list.  I’m pretty happy with how the final version of this post came out, as there are some excellent books featured within.  I do note that some of the series I mention below are recurring features in my other Top Ten Tuesday lists, but as they’re my favourites, that’s hardly too surprising.  So let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

The Gray Man – Gray Man series by Mark Greaney

An impressive debut that still stands up as the best book in this top spy thriller series.

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Necropolis – Warhammer 40,000: Gaunt’s Ghosts series by Dan Abnett

Featuring an epic siege and deadly action, Necropolis is a particularly bright spot in an exceptional Warhammer series.

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The Grove of the Caesars – Flavia Albia series by Lindsey Davis

There are so many great mysteries contained in this Roman historical fiction series, however, my favourite is The Grove of the Caesars, which contains a particularly dark story.

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Thrawn – Star Wars: Thrawn series by Timothy Zahn

An amazing read reintroducing one of the best characters in the Star Wars canon.  Thrawn is so much fun, and it serves as the best book in the new Thrawn trilogy, as well as Zahn’s other Thrawn related novels in the new Star Wars extended universe.

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Top Ten Tuesday:

Guards! Guards! – Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

Unsurprisingly considering the name of this blog, I’m starting this list off with a Discworld novel.  Written by the late great Terry Pratchett, the Discworld books remain one of my top series, and I cannot emphasise how outstanding these novels are.  While there are many, many great books in this series, if I had to pick an absolute favourite it will probably be Guards! Guards!.  Not only is this Pratchett at his very best, expertly combining a compelling mystery with hilarious fantasy elements, but it also sets up my favourite Discworld sub-series and introduces so many popular characters.  A truly exceptional read and the best book to check out if you want to become addicted to the Discworld.

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The Third Day, The Frost – Tomorrow series by John Marsden

Another formative book series for me is the Tomorrow series by John Marsden.  An iconic Australian young adult series, the Tomorrow books follow a group of teenagers attempting to survive a brutal invasion of Australia.  I honestly love every novel in this series, as Marsden produces an intense narrative that is well spaced out amongst all seven books.  However, I always felt that the best Tomorrow entry was the third book, The Third Day, The Frost.  Following the characters as they embark on their most ambitious mission yet, The Third Day, The Frost, is the darkest entry in the series, and it forces the protagonists to fully grasp the horrors of war.  A masterpiece of emotion, sacrifice and heartbreak, The Third Day, The Frost, lives eternal in my mind for very good reason.

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The Archer’s Quest – Green Arrow (2001) by Brad Meltzer

I have a lot of love for DC comics released around the turn of the century, but to my mind one of the best series that came out around then was the 2001 Green Arrow series.  Bringing back the original Green Arrow after his explosive death, this new series contains some amazing comics focussed on the Emerald Archer, with several outstanding creative leads exploring him in a new light.  While I personally think every arc of this series is exceptional, my favourite is the third volume, The Archer’s Quest.  Written by Brad Meltzer, The Archer’s Quest sees Green Arrow go back to his road-trip roots to recover multiple artifacts from his past.  While on the surface this sounds like a simple narrative, Meltzer turns it into a deep personal journey, that really captures the complex history of Green Arrow in comics.  I love how moving this comic gets at times, and Meltzer layers in the feels to keep the reader emotionally invested in the story.  One of the best comics I have ever read.

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Code Zero – Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry

Fans of this blog will know that I have a lot of love for Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series, which are some of the best science fiction thrillers out there.  Following a damaged agent charged with protecting the world from unusual and technologically impossible threats, all the Joe Ledger books are addictive, and I love the complex stories, intriguing antagonists, and over-the-top action.  There were several entries I could have mentioned here, but to my mind the best was probably the sixth book, Code Zero.  Not only does it have a great story on its own, but it features one of the more intriguing villains who brings back multiple prior cases to mess with the protagonists.  An amazing thriller that really showcased just how intense and intricate a Joe Ledger novel could be.

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Magician – The Riftwar Cycle by Raymond E. Feist

I have mentioned many times how awesome Raymond E. Feist’s epic Riftwar Cycle is, and I have literally just started reading the next book in this series, A Darkness Returns.  There were several books I considered featuring as my favourite, including the Empire trilogy, but in the end, I went with the original book Magician.  A classic piece of fantasy fiction that perfectly sets up Feist’s iconic worlds, Magician is so damn amazing, and it still stands up to this day.

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The Eagle’s Conquest – Eagles of the Empire series by Simon Scarrow

Few series have impacted me over the years as much as Simon Scarrow’s exciting Eagles of the Empire series.  One of the very best Roman historical fiction series, the Eagles of the Empire books feature some great stories and classic action as the protagonists journey across multiple Roman battlefields.  While there are multiple outstanding books in this series, my favourite is the second book, The Eagle’s Conquest.  Not only does it perfectly continue some of the great storylines set up in the first novel, but it also takes some dark turns that shake the protagonist and make sure the reader knows that tragedy is always ready to strike.  Without The Eagle’s Conquest, I’m not sure I would have become a life-long fan of Scarrow, and it proved to be an exceptional second entry in this series.

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Changes – Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher

I doubt anyone who has followed my blog in recent years will be surprised that I am featuring the Dresden Files series on this list.  As one of the very best urban fantasy series, the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher feature some elaborate and complex storylines, all following Butcher’s rebellious, but heroic, wizard protagonist, and I have deeply enjoyed binge reading all 17 books in the series.  Choosing a favourite Dresden Files book proved to be particularly hard, as there were several epic entries I could have gone with, including Skin Game and Battle Ground.  However, in the end I had to go with the 12th book in the series, Changes.  Not only is Changes a particularly groundbreaking entry that fundamentally alters the trajectory of the series, but it also contains several dark twists that will shock you to your core.  An exceptional read that shows author Jim Butcher at his very best.

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Seasons – Usagi Yojimbo series by Stan Sakai

Another series that I had to feature here were the Usagi Yojimbo comics by Stan Sakai.  I have long loved the adventures of the rabbit samurai, and every volume is a masterpiece in its own way.  While I honestly would rate all the Usagi Yojimbo volumes a full five-stars, if I had to choose a favourite it would probably be Seasons.  Loaded with a ton of memorable adventures, Seasons shows how diverse the Usagi Yojimbo stories can be, while also setting up several impressive future adventures and characters.  I also have a lot of nostalgic love for Seasons, as a chance encounter with one of its stories introduced the Usagi Yojimbo world to me.  As such, Seasons is a very worthy addition to this list, and one that showcases Sakai’s skill as both an artist and a writer.

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Homeland – The Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore

It proved very easy to put forth Homeland as my favourite book in R. A. Salvatore’s The Legend of Drizzt extended series.  Homeland starts off a prequel sub-trilogy that seeks to provide valuable background to the life of Salvatore’s most iconic protagonist Drizzt Do’urden.  Set in the underground city of the drow, Homeland expertly explores the early life of Drizzt and shows the events that led to him turning his back on his evil race.  Easily one of the best things Salvatore ever wrote, Homeland is an amazing book I have re-read multiple times.

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The Last Devil to Die – Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman

The final book in this list is part of the amazing new Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman.  A clever, funny and sweet crime fiction series that follows four retirees who solve murders in their spare time, the Thursday Murder Club books are quite exceptional, and I have loved every single one of them so far.  While both The Thursday Murder Club and The Bullet That Missed are outstanding entries, if I had to choose a favourite it would be the latest entry, The Last Devil to Die.  The fourth book in the series, The Last Devil to Die has one of the most emotionally charged stories behind it, especially as Osman chooses to end several tragic plot points in incredible fashion.  I cannot emphasise just how good this book is, and it remains my favourite in the series so far.

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Well that’s the end of this latest list.  As you can see, I have had an awesome time diving into some of my favourite series and choosing the best entry, and it produced a pretty cool collection of books.  I hope you find the above entries interesting, and I would strongly recommend them, and the series they are associated with, to anyone looking for a new obsession.

Top Ten Tuesday – Authors I’d Love a New Book From

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants are tasked with listing the top authors that they’d love a new book from.  This could be because the author hasn’t written anything for a while, has passed away, or because the blogger has loved the author’s work so much that they have outpaced their writing.

This proved to be a rather interesting topic to pull together and I was eventually able to come up with a good ten entries, including my typical honourable mention section.  I ended up with a good mixture of authors, many of whom haven’t released a book quick enough for my liking for various reasons.  I have cheated a little bit in places when it comes to some writers, but I did try to avoid authors who had a new book out in the last year, even if said book wasn’t part of a series that I was interested in.  I think my final list turned out rather well and there are several awesome authors I wish I could get a new book from.

Honourable Mentions:

Brian McClellan

In the Shadow of Lightning Cover

I really enjoyed McClellan’s last book, In the Shadow of Lightning, and I am desperate for a sequel.  However, I should also read his Powder Mage series properly to get some epic fantasy adventures.

 

Andrew Shvarts

It Ends in Fire Cover 2

Shvarts is an excellent young adult fantasy author who had been really growing on me thanks to his Royal Bastards trilogy (Royal Bastards, City of Bastards and War of the Bastards) and his standalone novel, It Ends in Fire.  Unfortunately, we haven’t had anything from Shvarts for a couple of years, which is a real shame.

 

Chris Wooding

The Shadow Casket Cover

Chris Wooding probably shouldn’t be on this list, considering he did have a book out last year.  However, I am extremely keen to get a copy of his next novel in his Darkwater Legacy series, especially after how good his first two books, The Ember Blade and The Shadow Casket, were.  I’m mostly including Wooding here because I know it will be a while until we get a third Darkwater Legacy novel, and I am very impatient.

 

Suzanne Collins

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Cover

I’m of the firm belief that there is even more that can be pulled from The Hunger Games universe, and I really hope Collins develops some additional awesome books.

Top Ten Tuesday:

Terry Pratchett

Guards! Guards! Cover

Let’s start this list off very strong with the late, great Terry Pratchett.  I have made it no secret that Terry Pratchett is one of my absolute favourite authors, and his books have been a big part of my literary journey, including inspiring the name of this blog.  I have had the great pleasure of reading all his books over the years many times, and if we could get at least one more, I would be very happy.  I would especially love another entry in the Discworld universe, mainly because there are still a few questions that need to be answered, but alas that is not to be.  As such, Pratchett was the easiest choice I made for this entire list, and I am sure many other readers out there would agree with my desire for another Pratchett novel.

 

Jim Butcher

Battle Ground Cover

The second entry on this list is another pretty obvious one for me, as I have been absolutely powering through Jim Butcher’s iconic Dresden Files series the last couple of years.  All 17 books in this series, such as Storm Front, Dead Beat, Changes and Skin Game have been so damn epic, and I have loved every second I spent reading it.  However, we haven’t had a new Dresden Files book since 2020, when the last two books, Peace Talks and Battle Ground came out.  Now that I have read through the entire series, I am desperate for a new book, and the 18th entry in the series cannot come soon enough.

 

Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind Cover

An author who will no doubt appear on many participants lists is Patrick Rothfuss.  An excellent writer of epic fantasy fiction, Rothfuss deeply impressed readers with his first two novels, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear, both of which are part of his iconic Kingkiller Chronicles.  Unfortunately, we have not had a new book in the series since The Wise Man’s Fear came out in 2011, and people are very, very keen for a third entry.  While Rothfuss did recently release the novella, The Narrow Road Between Desires, I would give anything to finally get my hands on the long promised third book, The Doors of Stone.

 

Sam Hawke

Hollow Empire Cover 2

One series I have been particularly upset not to see anything from recently is the Poison War series by Sam Hawke.  Hawke really impressed me with her first two novels, City of Lies and Hollow Empire, and I have been eagerly awaiting a third entry in the series, or even a new book from Hawke, for a while.  Unfortunately, we haven’t had anything from Hawke since 2020, and I hope that changes at some point in the future.

 

Max Brooks

Devolution Cover

Max Brooks is another great author who hasn’t written a new novel for a while.  Brooks, who shot to fame with the exceptional World War Z, has only really written another full novel, Devolution, which was another amazing book.  Devolution came out in 2020 and that was the last book we’ve seen from Brooks, excluding his Minecraft novels (I might be a snob by leaving them out, but oh well).  I would absolutely love another clever horror novel or unique thriller from Brooks, and hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later.  Brooks does have a cool sounding novella coming out later this year, so that might hold me over for a while.

 

Joe Abercrombie

The Wisdom of Crowds Cover

I am a huge fan of Joe Abercrombie, and his awesome and addictive dark fantasy novels are so damn good, especially those that are part of his First Law universe.  His last trilogy, the Age of Madness books (A Little Hatred, The Trouble With Peace and The Wisdom of Crowds), were particularly epic, and Abercrombie left The Wisdom of Crowds on an intriguing note.  However, it has now been three years since we’ve seen a new book from Abercrombie, and I am really eager to see more from him.  Abercrombie does have a new book, The Devils, coming out next year, and while it’s not part of the First Law series, I cannot wait to check it out.

 

Scott Lynch

The Lies of Locke Lamora Cover

Another major author who many people would include on this list is Scott Lynch, whose Gentleman Bastards series has inspired many fantasy fans.  Made up of The Lies of Locke Lamora, Red Seas Under Red Skies and The Republic of Thieves, the Gentleman Bastards novels are so damn good, and I had an amazing time reading them.  Unfortunately, it has been over 10 years since we got a new entry, and the fourth book, The Thorn of Emberlain, still has no firm release date.  Many fantasy fans, including myself, are still hopeful that we will get The Thorn of Emberlain at some point, and I know I am going to love it when it finally comes out.

 

Timothy Zahn

Thrawn Cover

After falling in love with his epic Star Wars novels, including Thrawn, Alliances, Treason, Chaos Rising, Greater Good, Lesser Evil and Scoundrels, I would love another book from Zahn, especially if he returns to the Star Wars universe again.  I think there is a need for Zahn’s talents in the Star Wars extended fiction space, especially as his most iconic character, Grand Admiral Thrawn, recently had his live action debut in the Ahsoka television series.

 

Nick Martell

The Voyage of the Forgotten Cover

Nick Martell is an author who greatly impressed me over the last few years.  His debut trilogy, the Legacy of the Mercenary Kings series, was exceptional, and I loved the elaborate story he told.  All three books, including The Kingdom of Liars (one of my favourite books, debuts and audiobooks of 2020), The Two-Faced Queen (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021) and The Voyage of the Forgotten (one of my favourite books of 2022), were exceedingly good, and I had an outstanding time reading them.  However, it has been nearly two years since Martell’s last book, and we have yet to have any details about his future works.  While I don’t want to rush Martell, I sure would love another book from him, especially if it continues the elaborate narrative he set up in his initial trilogy.

 

Andy Weir

Project Hail Mary Cover

The last entry on this list is acclaimed science fiction author Andy Weir.  Weir deeply impressed me with his 2021 novel, Project Hail Mary, which featured an exceptional and highly clever story, and I am also a big fan of his iconic book The Martian.  Due to these, Weir is on my instant-read list, and anything new that comes from him will be grabbed and enjoyed on sight.  However, we haven’ seen anything from him for a while, and I hope that he pulls something together soon.  Still Weir is known for having a big gap between books, so I’m sure something will turn up at some point.

 

 

That’s the end of my list.  As you can see, there are several great authors I would love another book from, and hopefully I won’t have to wait too long for some of them.  I think this list turned out great, and I look forward to seeing which of these authors will provide me my desired book first.  Let me know which authors you would love another book from in the comments below.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Literary Trilogies – April 2024

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  While the official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday required participants to list the 10 characters they would like to go on vacation with, I have decided to do something a little different, and instead I will be updating my favourite literary trilogies list from a few years ago. 

Trilogies in literature are a long-running and deeply fun tradition that packs an epic connected tale, into three consecutive novels.  There are some truly amazing trilogies out there, from the classics, like The Lord of the Rings, to some recent trilogies that I have been deeply enjoying.  Indeed, 2023 just saw the end of several epic and outstanding literary trilogies, while 2024 will see some intriguing new trilogies start up.  I have had the great pleasure of reading some truly awesome and exciting trilogies over the years, and back in 2021 I had a wonderful time coming up with a list that featured my absolute favourite literary trilogies.  Since I had so much fun last week updating my favourite Warhammer 40,000 fiction list, I figured it was also time to update my previous trilogy list, especially as I had more than enough new entries to highlight.

This proved to be a fun update to pull together, especially as I had a great wealth of new potential trilogies to feature on this list.  To be eligible, the proposed trilogy must consist of three, inter-connected novels.  I only included series that were intended to end after three novels, rather than by happenstance, so that means that series like The Gentleman Bastards will not be featured (it technically has a fourth novel on the way).  This meant that a previous entry, the Planetside books by Michael Mammay (made up of Planetside, Spaceside and Colonyside), had to be taken off this new list because Mammay has just announced a fourth book.  I also excluded trilogies that I have not yet completed, even if I have already read and deeply enjoyed the first two novels.  This is because I really need to see how the third book turns out, as a bad third entry can easily spoil a trilogy that starts out strong.

Even with these restrictions, I ended up with a descent list of trilogies, which took me a little while to cull down and which resulted in a generous honourable mentions section.  I am judging these trilogies on several factors, including how complete their story is, how well connected the novels are, and whether the component novels provide good introductions, conclusions and connections to the other books in the trilogy.  Overall, I am very happy with how this latest version of this list turned out, even though I combined a couple of entries together, and I think that this accurately represents the best trilogies that I have so far finished.

Honourable Mentions:

Swords and Fire trilogy by Melissa Caruso

Swords and Fire Trilogy

My first honourable mention is the debut trilogy from talented fantasy author Melissa Caruso.  Featuring The Tethered Mage, The Defiant Heir, and The Unbound Empire, the Swords and Fire trilogy tells the tale of the unlikely partnership of an ambitious noble and a reckless, ultra-powerful mage, whose fates are literally bound together.  This is an amazing and inventive fantasy trilogy that pits this duo against conspiracies, a nation of terrifying magical users, and their own substantial personal issues.

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Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron trilogy by Alexander Freed

Alphabet Squadron Cover

There are some great Star Wars series out there, and one of the very best is the Alphabet Squadron trilogy by Alexander Freed.  Made up of Alphabet Squadron, Shadow Fall and Victory’s Price, this trilogy followed a group of pilots in the immediate aftermath of Return of the Jedi, as they continue to fight the brutal war to claim the universe.  This trilogy combined a gritty and complex war story with the iconic Star Wars universe to create three impressive novels that work brilliantly as an overarching series. 

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The Century trilogy by Ken Follett

Century Trilogy

A massive and comprehensive historical fiction trilogy, made up of Fall of Giants, Winter of the World and Edge of Eternity.  These books take place throughout the 20th century and follow three generations of several families as they navigate the century’s big historical events, including two world wars and the Cold War.  Some of the best historical fiction writing you are ever likely to see; this is a powerful and captivating series.

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The Icewind Dale trilogy by R. A. Salvatore

Icewind Dale Trilogy

Iconic fantasy author, R. A. Salvatore, has made a career out of writing trilogies, and there were several I could have included, especially his Dark Elf trilogy.  However, I think that his debut Icewind Dale series, is his most consistently impressive trilogy.  While the first novel, The Crystal Shard is a tad rough, the second and third books, Streams of Silver and The Halfling’s Gem, more than make up for it, and produce a brilliant overall story that perfectly set up all his iconic characters for decades to follow. 

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Top Ten List:

The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

First Law Trilogy

Let us start this list off with the dark fantasy masterpiece that is Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law trilogy.  Consisting of The Blade Itself, Before they are Hanged and Last Argument of Kings, this amazing trilogy follows a group of extremely complex and damaged characters as they attempt to navigate a dark world filled with betrayal, uncontrolled ambition, and all manner of human monsters.  All three books are really incredible, with The Blade Itself providing an outstanding introduction, while Last Argument of Kings wraps everything up perfectly and leaves the reader with a troubling but memorable conclusion.  I powered through this trilogy in a very short time, and it remains one of my all-time favourite pieces of fantasy fiction.

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Warhammer 40,000: Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett

Eisenhorn Trilogy

It was inevitable that a Warhammer 40,000 trilogy was going to end up on this list at some point, and no trilogy deserves it more than the Eisenhorn books (Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus) by Dan Abnett.  Considered one of the pillars of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, the Eisenhorn books follow an Imperial Inquisitor, the titular Eisenhorn, as he attempts to root out hidden alien and Chaos threats to humanity.  However, throughout the course of the trilogy, Eisenhorn starts to use the methods of his enemies and slowly becomes corrupted by them without even noticing.  A brilliant collection of three books that spawned some intriguing sequel series, I cannot recommend this trilogy enough and it is essential readding for all Warhammer fans.

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The Empire trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts

The Empire Trilogy Cover

I was spoiled for choice when it came to Raymond E. Feist and his multitude of great trilogies, from his iconic Riftwar Saga to his more recent The Firemane Saga (King of Ashes, Queen of Storms and Master of Furies).  However, I think his most consistent and impressive trilogy were The Empire books he cowrote with Janny Wurts.  Set at the same time as the Riftwar Saga, this trilogy explored an alien fantasy world with some major Japanese influences.  An intense and action-packed fantasy trilogy loaded with political intrigue, family feuds and a female ruler battling for control in a male-dominated world, The Empire books, Daughter of the Empire, Servant of the Empire and Mistress of the Empire, form an exceptional trilogy that is really worth reading.

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The Siege trilogy and Corax trilogy by K. J. Parker

Siege and Corax Trilogies

Since my original list in 2021 I have finished two awesome trilogies by K. J. Parker, The Siege trilogy and the Corax trilogy, both of which were outstanding pieces of fantasy fiction that leaned heavily on humour and cynical insights into human nature to tell their entertaining tales.  While the Siege books tell three separate stories connected to the siege of a massive city, the Corax trilogy follows the misadventures of the titular Saevus Corax, a conman battlefield salvager.  The Siege books featured three amazing reads, Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City, How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It, and A Practical Guide to Conquering the World, while the Corax series featured the excellent books Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead, Saevus Corax Captures the Castle and Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder (review to follow soon).  Both series were very exciting, clever, and featured a heavy dose of dark wit I honestly found irresistible, enough so that all six books mentioned here got five-star reviews from me.  Due to the similarities in style, comedic inclusions, and the fact they are set in the same universe, I had an extremely hard time determining which of these trilogies I enjoyed the most.  In fact, it proved so impossible to choose, I ended up calling it a tie and combined the trilogies together into a single entry.  Both trilogies are quite impressive, and you are guaranteed to have an outstanding time with all the books in them.

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The Tide Child trilogy by R. J. Barker

The Tide Child Trilogy

The trilogy that inspired me to write the first version of this list was the exceptional The Tide Child trilogy by rising fantasy fiction start R. J. Barker.  Barker did some incredible work here producing an intense and addictive dark fantasy series that takes place primarily on a naval vessel made from dragon bones.  With some exceptional character work, beautifully written scenes, and some truly unique fantasy features, The Tide Child series is one of the absolute best fantasy trilogies out there.  All three novels, The Bone Ships (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2019), Call of the Bone Ships, and The Bone Ship’s Wake, are incredible and enchanting reads, which come together to form a brilliant and highly recommend trilogy.

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Lessons of the Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik

Scholomance Covers

Few trilogies impressed me more in recent years than the Lessons of the Scholomance books by veteran fantasy author Naomi Novik.  Essentially a dark take on the magical school genre, the Scholomance books follows a trouble and ultra-destructive teenage magic user who has been sent to the Scholomance, a magical school filled with harsh lessons and infested with hungry monsters.  I really got drawn into this elaborate series, especially with its unique setting, damaged characters, and fantastic stakes.  Made up of three excellent reads, including A Deadly Education, The Last Graduate and The Golden Enclaves, the Scholomance books were a very powerful series that traumatised the reader (I still haven’t recovered from The Last Graduate’s ending) and took its characters through hell and back, all while also making great use of Novik’s inventive concepts.  A brilliant, beautiful, and intense three books that you will not regret picking up.

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Legacy of the Mercenary King trilogy by Nick Martell

The Voyage of the Forgotten Cover

Out of all the exceptional fantasy trilogies I have enjoyed over the years, few have struck me as hard as the Legacy of the Mercenary King trilogy from Nick Martell.  Martell’s debut trilogy, the Legacy of the Mercenary King books follows the scion of a disgraced family who fights to uncover various conspiracies and lies inflicting his city as dark forces move to destroy everything.  Starting with The Kingdom of Liars (one of my favourite books, debuts and audiobooks of 2020), the series kept moving from strength to strength as the following two books, The Two-Faced Queen (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021) and The Voyage of the Forgotten (one of my favourite books of 2022), moved the story in some outstanding directions while continuing to introduce and expand on the series’ impressive characters.  Easily one of the best trilogies from a debuting fantasy author I have had the pleasure of reading, the Legacy of the Mercenary Kings books are extremely exceptional, and a guaranteed hit for anyone looking for something fresh and addictive.

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The Age of Madness trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

Age of Madness Trilogy

Not content with only having one exceptional fantasy trilogy, Joe Abercrombie had to double down and write the epic sequel trilogy, The Age of Madness, which frankly I had no choice but to give a separate entry on this list.  Set a generation after The First Law trilogy, the three Age of Madness novels, A Little Hatred, The Trouble with Peace and The Wisdom of Crowds, contains another outstanding dark fantasy tale following a whole new group of complex and troubled protagonists.  This brilliant trilogy featured Abercrombie’s trademark character work, dark storytelling, and cynical edge, which resulted in three outstanding five-star reads.  These amazing novels form a deeply thrilling and powerful trilogy which is just as good, if not better than the original First Law novels.

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The Covenant of Steel trilogy by Anthony Ryan

The Traitor Cover

Another brilliant fantasy trilogy that I fell in love with recently is The Covenant of Steel books by acclaimed author Anthony Ryan.  Made up of The Pariah, The Martyr and The Traitor, The Covenant of Steel books tell the tale of a bandit turned scribe who finds himself caught up in deadly, kingdom changing events, including war, religious upheaval, and supernatural calamities.  All three books in this series were quite exceptional, and I love the intricate and impressive overarching narrative they told, which drew you in with powerful storytelling, great characters, and dark twists.  I will have to go back and check out some of Ryan’s other series in the future, but for the moment, my eye is on a new trilogy of his, debuting later this year with A Tide of Dark Steel.  I have no doubt this new trilogy will be a strong contender for future versions of this list, and I cannot wait to see how Ryan’s next captivating adventure unfolds.

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Star Wars: Thrawn and Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy by Timothy Zahn

Thrawn Ascendancy Trilogy Covers

The final entry on this list is another joint entry with the epic Thrawn and Thrawn Ascendancy trilogies by Timothy Zahn.  Bringing back his iconic extended universe character, Grand Admiral Thrawn, to the new Star Wars canon, these trilogies expand on the character’s appearances in recent shows and provide a whole new history to the character.  The first trilogy, made up of Thrawn, Alliances and Treason, provides a great coverage of Thrawn’s service to the Empire before the finale of Star Wars: Rebels, while the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy, made up of Chaos Rising, Greater Good and Lesser Evil, dives into his complex past on his home world.  Both trilogies are very well balanced, although I would say they each have a strongest and weakest point to them.  I was initially going to feature these as two separate entries, much like I did with John Abercrombie’s books above, however, due to the way they support each other, and because they are both very similar, I felt it was better to combine them into a single entry.  All six book are very awesome, and feature some of the best novelised Star Wars space combat sequences you are likely to see.  A must read for all Star Wars fans, I really hope that Zahn comes back and writes more Thrawn books, especially after the character had his live action debut last year.

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Well, that’s the end of this list.  As you can see, I have read some awesome trilogies over the last few years, and I think this update does a great job highlighting some of the best recent additions.  I am planning to come back to this list again in a year or two, especially as there are some more outstanding trilogies, I am currently in the middle of that will easy make this list in the future.  In the meantime, let me know what your favourite trilogies are in the comments below.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books on my Autumn 2024 To-Be-Read (TBR) List

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  The official Top Ten Tuesday topic for this week required participants to list the most unusual topics that they have looked up online as a result of reading a book, which while interesting, wasn’t something I felt I could contribute to.  However, as this is the first Tuesday of March, I thought this would be a good opportunity to do my quarterly post about the best upcoming books to read in Autumn (Spring for folks in the Northern Hemisphere).  This is a regular post I do at the start of each season, and I always love to highlight some of the most impressive sounding novels coming out in the next three months.

For this list, I have come up with the ten books coming out between 1 March 2024 and 31 May 2024 that I am most excited for.  There are quite a few very cool novels set for release in the next few months that I am looking forward to, including some of my most anticipated books of the year (as well as my most anticipated fantasy/science fiction books of the year).  Due to how impressive some of these upcoming books are, it took me a little while to finalise my list, but I was eventually able to whittle it down into a Top Ten list (with a few honourable mentions).  I have primarily used the Australian publication dates to reflect when I will be able to get these awesome novels, and these might be somewhat different to the rest of the world.  I have previously discussed a number of these books before in prior Waiting on Wednesday articles and I think all of them will turn out to be incredible reads.  I am really excited for the next three months as quite a few up these upcoming reads have the potential to be some of my favourite books of 2024.

Honourable Mentions:

White Ash Ridge by S. R. White – 14 March 2024

White Ash Ridge Cover

A cool, imminent Australian murder mystery with a very intriguing premise behind it.

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The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill – 19 March 2024

The Mystery Writer Cover

Another unique novel from one of Australia’s best crime fiction authors.

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Behind a Closed Door by J.D. Barker – 13 May 2024

Behind A Closed Door Cover

A brilliant and dark thriller from the always impressive J. D. Barker

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The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton – 21 May 2024

The Last Murder at the End of the World Cover

A fantastic sounding science fiction thriller with a particularly distinctive murder premise behind it.

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Top Ten List:

Devil’s Kitchen by Candice Fox – 26 March 2024

Devil's Kitchen Cover

The first book on this list is probably the novel I will be reading next, with Devil’s Kitchen by Candice Fox.  A compelling and fun sounding thriller by one of Australia’s most popular crime fiction authors, Devil’s Kitchen sounds extremely awesome and I cannot wait to read it, especially after how much I enjoyed The Murder Inn by Fox earlier this year.

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Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky – 28 March 2024

Alien Clay Cover

After his exceptional 2023, where he released both City of Last Chances and House of Open Wounds (two of my favourite books of 2023), I am eagerly waiting to read all of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s upcoming books.  His first 2024 release is Alien Clay, an outstanding and entertaining science fiction read set in a deadly prison on an alien planet.  It sounds like Alien Clay will combine over-the-top characters with unique science fiction concepts and I have no doubt that this is going to be one of the most entertaining reads of the next three months.

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The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence – 9 April 2024

The Book That Broke the World Cover

The gripping sequel to Lawrence’s exceptional 2023 novel, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, The Book That Broke the World is an awesome upcoming read that I am so very excited for.  Continuing the elaborate narrative started in The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, which follows two connected characters whose lives revolve around a massive library; The Book That Broke the World will no doubt contain more of Lawrence’s exceptional world building and amazing storytelling.

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Star Wars: The Living Force by John Jackson Miller – 9 April 2024

Star Wars - The Living Force Cover

It has been a little while since I read a Star Wars novel, but that is going to change in April when I get my hands on The Living Force by John Jackson Miller.  Set before the events of The Phantom Menace, The Living Force has an intriguing story that will expand out the early lore of the Star Wars franchise.  I cannot wait to see what excellent story Miller has planned for The Living Force, and I have no doubt I am going to love this book.

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Death on the Tiber by Lindsey Davis – 9 April 2024

Death on the Tiber Cover

One of my favourite historical fiction authors, Lindsey Davis, will continue her impressive Flavia Albia series in April with the new book, Death on the Tiber.  Featuring another intriguing mystery set in ancient Rome, Death on the Tiber promises to be a particularly awesome addition to the series, especially as it pits the protagonist against an old foe from her traumatic past.

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Warhammer 40,000: Deathworlder by Victoria Hayward – 23 April 2024

Warhammer 40,000 - Deathworlder Cover

I have been loving some of the great Warhammer 40,000 novels in 2024, but one of my most anticipated releases is Deathworlder by Victoria Hayward.  Set to feature the ultimate battle of survival between the hardest human jungle warriors in the canon and the deadliest aliens, Deathworlder has so much awesome potential and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

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The Silverblood Promise by James Logan – 7 May 2024

The Silverblood Promise Cover

The fantasy release that has me most intrigued in the next few months is The Silverblood Promise.  The debut novel of James Logan, The Silverblood Promise will combine a cool new fantasy world with thrilling criminal intrigue, as a young lord tries to determine who killed his father in a deadly city.  This book sounds so damn amazing, and I am hoping to dive into it very soon.

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The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe – 14 May 2024

The Girl in Question Cover

Back in 2021, I had the very great pleasure of reading The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe, a young adult thriller that pitted a teenage con artist with a past against deadly bank robbers.  I absolutely loved The Girls I’ve Been, and I was excited to find out a sequel, The Girl in Question, is coming out in May.  Set to follow the protagonist as she once again faces off against the ghosts of her past, The Girl in Question is going to be outstanding and I cannot wait to read it.

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Cloaked Deception by Timothy Zahn – 14 May 2024

Cloaked Deception Cover

One of the more unique books coming out in Autumn this year is Cloaked Deception by Timothy Zahn.  An epic and entertaining science fiction thriller, Cloaked Deception features a brilliant narrative that will see a deadly assassination plan involving nuclear weapons become entangled with the theft of advanced cloaking technology.  I love the over-the-top plot of this book, and I cannot wait to see how it unfolds.

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Necrotek by Jonathan Maberry – 28 May 2024

Necrotek Cover

The final book I want to highlight on this list is Necrotek by one of my favourite authors Jonathan Maberry.  The first book in a new series from Maberry, Necrotek is a dark and brutal sounding piece of science fiction that will see human scientists encounter a deadly, Lovecraftian threat in space.  I have no doubt that Maberry is going to deliver another outstanding read here with Necrotek and I cannot wait to get my hands on its audiobook version, especially with the always amazing Ray Porter narrating it.

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Well, that is the end of my Top Ten list.  I think it turned out pretty well and it does a good job of capturing all my most anticipated books for the next three months.  Each of the above should be extremely epic, and I cannot wait to read each of them soon.  Let me know which of the above you are most excited for and stay tuned for reviews of them in the next few months.  In the meantime, it looks like I have quite a few books to get through soon and they should all be pretty awesome.

Book Haul – 4 February 2024

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I have been having another excellent couple of weeks for books, and I was lucky enough to receive several incredible and amazing new novels from some of my local publishers and Netgalley.  These novels include some truly awesome new releases, including several books that have the potential to be some of my top reads of the year.  I cannot wait to dive into them, and I look forward to seeing how they turn out.

Glenrock by Lee Christine

Glenrock Cover

Let’s start this Book Haul post off with the novel I am currently reading, Glenrock by Lee Christine.  Set in coastal Australia, Glenrock is a gripping murder mystery that sees several intriguing characters become wrapped up in dark events after a judge is murdered.  This book has an awesome sounding plot behind it, and I am already enjoying its excellent story.

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Body of Lies by Sarah Bailey

Body of Lies Cover

Another Australian novel I was particularly happy to receive was Body of Lies by Sarah Bailey.  Bailey, who previously impressed me with The Housemate, has produced another excellent crime fiction novel that sees a unique mystery arise when an apparent car crash victim dies and then her body is stolen from the morgue.  This sounds like quite an awesome read and I have no doubt Body of Lies will be one of the top Australian crime fiction reads of 2024.

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The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

The Invocations Cover

A gripping and interesting young adult fantasy novel that sees three girls with different experiences of magic try to hunt down a supernatural serial killer.  I love the cool plot of The Invocations and I look forward to diving into this fascinating read.

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Gone by Glenna Thomson

Gone Cover

A powerful sounding Australian novel that sees a women return home to finally solve the mystery of her long-missing sister.

 

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

The List of Suspicious Things Cover

A distinctive and fun sounding murder mystery that I know I will have a great time with.

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Three-Inch Teeth by C. J. Box

Three-Inch Teeth Cover

I was lucky to receive an early copy of the new Joe Pickett novel by C. J. Box, Three-Inch Teeth.  Three-Inch Teeth once again follows Box’s long-running game warden protagonist as he attempts to hunt down a killer bear in the wilds of Wyoming.  However, he is unaware that old foes from the past have returned and are using the bear attacks for their own sinister purposes.  I have actually already read Three-Inch Teeth and it proved to be an awesome and highly exciting read.  Review to follow soon.

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Blood Roses by Douglas Jackson

Blood Roses Cover

I am a huge fan of historical murder mysteries, and I just got my hands on the electronic copy of Blood Roses by Douglas Jackson.  Set in occupied Poland during World War II, Blood Roses follows a Polish cop as he attempts to hunt down a serial killer using the Nazi invasion for cover.  This book has a ton of potential and I am hoping to dive into it as soon as I can.

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Agricola: Invader by Simon Turney

Agricola - Invader Cover

The always impressive Simon Turney starts a new Roman historical fiction series with Agricola: Invader.  Set in the dire Roman province of Britannia, Agricola: Invader will follow a new Roman tribune as he finds himself dragged into Boudica’s revolution.  Sure to be an excellent read, I look forward to checking it out.

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Sword of the War God by Tim Hodkinson

Sword of the War God Cover

An interesting and fun novel that sees a group of adventurers attempt to recover a legendary magical sword before it can fall into the hands of Atilla the Hun.  I love the epic and compelling sounding plot of Sword of the War God and I have high hopes for this cool book.

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To You Shall All Flesh Come by Lumen Reese

To You Shall All Flesh Come Cover

A weird, but amazing sounding book about a doctor keeping the local vampire population in line through some very unique methods.  I had to pick up a copy of this book after reading the excessively awesome synopsis and I cannot wait to see how over-the-top it gets.

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Cloaked Deception by Timothy Zahn

Cloaked Deception Cover

The last book I want to highlight in this Book Haul is the outstanding sounding read, Cloaked Deception by Timothy Zahn.  I know Zahn through his epic Star Wars novels, including Scoundrels, the Thrawn trilogy (Thrawn, Alliances and Treason), and the Thrawn Ascendency trilogy (Chaos Rising, Greater Good and Lesser Evil).  I have never had the pleasure of reading any of his non-Star Wars book, but that is going to change as I just received an early copy of his upcoming science fiction thriller novel Cloaked Deception. A gripping read that sees a deadly assassination plan with an excessive amount of collateral damage clash with the theft of the world’s first cloaking device.  I have so much love for Cloaked Deception’s epic plot synopsis, and I have no doubt this will be an exceptional read.

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

Top Ten Tuesday – Books With One-Word Titles

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme 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 involved listing characters from different books that the participants believe should team up.  While this is certainly a unique list, it wasn’t anything I felt I could contribute to, so I instead went back and did the July 18 topic of books with one-word titles, which I missed a few weeks ago.

This is a simple, yet interesting topic that requires people to list their favourite books whose title is a single word.  This actually proved to be a rather difficult list for me to pull together, mainly because there are so many good books out there that have a single word title to them.  To make this easier, I tried to limit myself to only one entry from each author or series, although I did fail that in places.  Even with this limitation, I still ended up by a ton of books to use, so I went big and instead make this a full 20 book list.  I am pretty happy with how this turned out, so let us see what made the cut.

Top Twenty List:

Xenos by Dan Abnett

Warhammer 40,000 - Xenos Cover

A fantastic and complex thriller set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  All three books in the Eisenhorn trilogy (including Malleus and Hereticus) could be used here, but I decided to feature the first book only as it expertly sets the great series up.

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Legend by David Gemmell

Legend

A classic and exceptional piece of fantasy fiction that features one of the best sieges you’ll ever read.

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Burner by Mark Greaney

Burner Cover

There are several great books in Mark Greaney’s outstanding Gray Man series that have a one-word title, however, my favourite is probably the most recent entry Burner, which was an impressive read from start to finish.

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Homeland by R. A. Salvatore

Homeland Cover

Quite a few of Salvatore’s fantasy books only have one word in the title, however I had to include his very best book, Homeland, which serves a perfect origin story for his most iconic character.

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Tombland by C. J. Sansom

Tombland Cover

A gripping and exceptional historical murder mystery/legal thriller, Tombland was one of the best books of 2018.

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Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Eragon Cover

I had to include at least one of the books from Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle on this list, as it is one of my very favourite fantasy series.  While all four books in the series could be featured here, I decided to go with Eragon, mainly because it serves as such an excellent introduction to this entire fun series.

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Devolution by Max Brooks

Devolution Cover

A very captivating and entertaining horror that cleverly features sasquatches as a terrifying and intriguing monster.

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Bloodlines by Chris Wraight

Warhammer 40,000 - Bloodlines Cover

One of the best novels in the outstanding Warhammer Crime series.

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Magician by Raymond E. Feist

Magician Cover

One of the seminal pieces of fantasy fiction out there, Magician is a brilliant read that honestly got me into the genre years ago.

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Thrawn by Timothy Zahn

Thrawn Cover

A highly entertaining novel that perfectly reintroduces the iconic Star Wars character of Grand Admiral Thrawn to the current canon.

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Outgunned by Denny Flowers

Warhammer 40,000 - Outgunned Cover

A powerful and moving Warhammer 40,000 novel that shines a whole new light on a unique battlefield in the chaotic future.

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Blackout by Simon Scarrow

Blackout Cover

An excellent and intense murder mystery set in Nazi controlled Berlin by one of my favourite historical fiction authors.

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Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Skyward Cover

The first book in Sanderson’s awesome Skyward series, Skyward is a powerful and addictive read about a young girl who attempts to become a pilot to save her planet.  The sequels, Starsight and Cytonic, are also very good, and would have been worthy additions to this list.

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Later by Stephen King

Later Cover

A quick, compelling and highly entertaining read from the master of fiction, Stephen King.

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Necropolis by Dan Abnett

Warhammer 40,000 - Necropolis Cover

One of the best entries in the exceptional Gaunt’s Ghosts series of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, Necropolis is an outstanding siege novel that I powered through in no time at all.

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Relentless by Jonathan Maberry

Relentless Cover

While I was tempted to feature the first book in the Rogue Team International series, Rage, I decided to instead go with the sequel Relentless, as it has a much darker story with some major character moments.

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Planetside by Michael Mammay

Planetside Cover 2

A brilliant debut novel that followed a gruff solider as he investigated a sinister disappearance on an alien planet.  This was such a great read, and the sequels, Spaceside and Colonyside, would also be worthy additions here.

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Redshirts by John Scalzi

Redshirts Cover

A hilarious and captivating novel that cleverly parodies classic Star Trek tropes by telling a story from the perspective of a doomed redshirt.

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Recursion by Blake Crouch

Recursion Cover

One of the most intriguing and captivating science fiction novels I have ever read, I have so much love for this outstanding novel and its cool time travel concepts.

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Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn

Star Wars Scoundrels Cover

The final book I want to finish here is the fantastic standalone Star Wars novel, Scoundrels.  Set in the now defunct Star Wars Legends canon, Scoundrels is an awesome heist book featuring your favourite rogues, Han, Lando and Chewie.

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Well that’s the end of this latest list.  As you can see, there are a ton of brilliant books out there at feature a single-world titles and it is amazing the sheer variety of different novels I have read over the years that use this naming convention.  I think the above list does a great job capturing my absolute favourite single-word title novels, and I would strongly recommend all the above for anyone looking for an exceptional read.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Star Wars Tie-in Novels and Comics – May 2023

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme 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 was “The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed From My Shelf” which actually sounded like a ton of fun.  However, I might try and revisit that at a later date because it is time for my annual list were I highlight one of the coolest and awesome franchise out there, Star Wars.

As many of you may be aware, this week contains the annual celebration of all things Star Wars with May the Fourth, better known as Star Wars Day.  I am a pretty massive fan of the Star Wars franchise (just check out my extended Star Wars category on the side of this page), and in recent years have really fallen in love with the various aspects of its extended universe, including the films, television shows, animated series, comics and of course the tie-in novels.  Each year, a ton of cool novels, intense comics, and even some epic audio dramas are released with impressive connections to the extended Star Wars universe, covering various periods of the canon and beyond.  I have had an absolute brilliant time reading some of the very best of these tie-in novels and comics over the years, and there are some excellent and powerful adventures featured within them.  Due to how much I have enjoyed these books and comics, I have decided to celebrate the upcoming May the Fourth this year by once again highlighting my absolute favourite Star Wars novels and comics.  This is a continuation of several lists I have done in recent years, however this year, rather than splitting the novels and comics in separate lists, I am instead going to one giant list capturing all pieces of literary Star Wars media.

To pull this list together I looked at all the Star Wars novels and comics I have read (or listened to as an audiobook) over the years and tried to determine what my absolute favourites were.  I slightly cheated in places by featuring whole trilogies and series, particularly those with really well-connected storylines, as a single entry, although I don’t feel too guilty about that.  This allowed me to pull together quite a comprehensive list, which I expanded out to 20 entries to really highlight the awesome range of fiction surrounding this franchise.  I will admit that there isn’t a great deal of difference between this list and some of the previous ones I have featured, mainly because I’ve been a little light with my Star Wars reading in the last few months.  Still, I am pretty happy with how this list came together, and I think that this list fully highlights my absolute favourite Star Wars tie-in novels.  So let us see what makes the cut.

Top Twenty List (no particular order):

Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn

Thrawn Trilogy

Let’s start this list off with the epic trilogy of books that follow one of the best characters in the Star Wars extended canon, the Thrawn trilogy.  Made up of Thrawn, Alliances and Treason, these amazing books follow the Imperial career of Grand Admiral Thrawn in the current Disney canon.  Written by the legendary Timothy Zahn, who reinvents his greatest fictional creation for a new age, this series featured a brilliant central character, impressive storylines, and some intense and well-written space battle sequences.  It is so much fun to see the ultimate tactician go against the very worst the galaxy has to throw at him, and this ended up being a particularly awesome trilogy.  This trilogy also stands as essential reading before the Ahoska series comes out later this year, which will finally see the live-action debut of Thrawn (nerd squeal).

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Star Wars (2015)

Star Wars (2015) Volume 1 Cover

You really cannot talk about Star Wars comics without mentioning this awesome long-running series, which was the centrepiece of the Star Wars comic franchise between 2015 and 2020.  Set between the events of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, this series features the joint adventures of Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, C-3PO and R2-D2 as they attempt to overthrow the Empire.  Filling in many gaps between the films, this series contained some clever and unique storylines that explore the Rebellion and the harsh battles they fought.  This series started off big with an epic first volume, Skywalker Strikes, which not only had some awesome opening issues as the team faces off against Vader for the first time but which also shows the first time that Vader found out that Luke was his son (a very epic scene).  There is an immense amount of talent behind these comics, with several awesome writers, including original writer Jason Aaron, Kieron Gillen and Greg Pak, as well as an outstanding array of artists, such as John Cassaday, Salvador Larroca and Phil Noto.  The different teams produce a little variability in the series, but they all managed to produce an excellent and clever array of stories and big moments that make this series an absolute treat to read from one end to the other.

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Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy by Timothy Zahn

Thrawn Ascendancy Trilogy Covers

Zahn followed up this initial Thrawn trilogy in a big way with the epic Thrawn Ascendancy prequel trilogy.  Featuring three great books, Chaos Rising, Greater Good and Lesser Evil, the Thrawn Ascendancy novels showcase a younger Thrawn as he battles to save his home system from a relentless and multi-pronged alien invasion.  Containing all the best elements of the Thrawn trilogy, as well as some intensive and detailed universe building that bears noticeable connections to the author’s previous work in the Legends extended universe, this is another exceptional trilogy that is well worth reading.

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Darth Vader (2015)

Star Wars - Darth Vader Volume 1 Cover

While I did read some other Star War comic series first, this would be the one the really made with fall in love with the genre.  Created by the awesome team of Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca, this great comic follows Darth Vader after A New Hope and sees Vader set out to gain more power and influence after discovering the true identity of Luke Skywalker.  Teaming up with his new subordinate/prisoner, Doctor Aphra, Vader smashes through the galaxy while coming to terms with the fact that he has a son.  An epic and powerful series that is consistently awesome from start to finish, this is one of the absolute best Star Wars comics out there and all four volumes (including Vader and Shadows and Secrets) are five-star reads.

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Alphabet Squadron trilogy by Alexander Freed

Alphabet Squadron Cover

Alexander Freed has probably had one of the strongest and most emotionally charged Star Wars trilogies in recent years with his exceptional Alphabet Squadron books.  Made up of Alphabet Squadron, Shadow Fall and Victory’s Price, this incredible trilogy followed five unique New Republic fighter pilots in the aftermath of Return of the Jedi, as they attempt to finish off the Imperial remnant.  This trilogy perfectly follows its five damaged and despairing central characters, as well as several morally grey Imperial characters, as they all seek redemption and deliverance in their own unique way.  Featuring some blistering and epic fighter combat sequences, as well as some of the best Star Wars character development you are ever likely to see, the Alphabet Squadron novels are extremely good, with Victory’s Price (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021) serving as an intense and unbeatable finale.

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Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith

Darth Vader - The Burning Seas Cover

I really had to highlight one of the first Star Wars comic series I ever read fully on this list with the epic and insanely intense Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith.  Written by the legendary Charles Soule and drawn by Giuseppe Camuncoli, this series follows Darth Vader in the aftermath of his transformation from Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith.  This comic catches Vader at his rawest emotional period, and I loved the complex and powerful stories that Soule weaved around this iconic figure.  This comic had the perfect blend of emotion, action and character development, and every single entry (including Volume 2: Legacy’s End and Volume 3: Burning Seas), was exceptionally well written and intensely addictive.

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Darth Plagueis by James Luceno

Star Wars - Darth Plagueis Cover

There was no way that I couldn’t feature the very intriguing and comprehensive Star Wars Legends novel, Darth Plagueis on this list due to how damn interesting it is.  Written by the talented James Luceno, Darth Plagueis tells the entire story of the mysterious Darth Plagueis the Wise, including his complex relationship with his ambitious apprentice, Darth Sidious.  A clever novel that connects to multiple parts of the now defunct Legends canon, Darth Plagueis is a must read for all hardcore fans who love detailed Star Wars lore, and a potential source of great inspiration for anyone attempting to bring Plagueis to life in the future.

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Doctor Aphra (2016)

Doctor Aphra Volume 1

Spinning off from the Darth Vader (2015) series, this comic chronicles the wild adventures of the titular protagonist, Doctor Aphra, as she attempts to con everyone she comes across, be they family, former lover, deadly droid or Dark Lord of the Sith.  Initially produced by the character’s original creators, Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca, this long-running series was later written by Simon Spurrier, who produced some outstanding storylines with support from an excellent cast of artists, including Kev Walker, Andrea Broccardo and Emilio Laiso.  I absolutely loved this great series from its first issue, and it has some extraordinary storylines to it.  Both volumes I reviewed, Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon and A Rogue’s End got five star reads from me, and I would definitely give the same to most of the earlier volumes in this epic and extremely entertaining series.

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Dark Disciple by Christie Golden

Star Wars Dark Disciple Cover

Prepare to dive into the Dark Side of the Force with the excellent Dark Disciple from tie-in fiction extraordinaire Christie Golden.  Serving as a follow-up to The Clone Wars animated series (it is based on several unproduced episodes), this novel follows two fan-favourite characters from the extended universe, Quinlan Vos and Asajj Ventress, as they attempt to assassinate Count Dooku.  Containing an intense character-driven narrative that sees both protagonists at their very worst, Dark Disciple provides some intriguing closure to fans of The Clone Wars, as well as an exceptional story.

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Vader Down

Vader Down Cover

There was absolutely no way I could exclude this fantastic limited series off this list as it is the very definition of pure awesomeness.  Vader Down is a clever and memorable crossover between the 2015 Star Wars and Darth Vader series and features the creative teams from both comics coming together to create a joint story.  This cool limited series sees Vader forced down on a Rebel controlled planet while trying to capture Luke.  Facing off against a horde of Rebel soldiers and vehicles, Vader does what he does best and annihilates everyone he comes across as he hunts his prey and the people who betrayed him.  At the same time, Han, Leia, Doctor Aphra, and the entire supporting cast of both series get drawn into an epic showdown as they all try to escape with what they want.  An outstanding and action-packed comic with some amazingly clever inclusions to it, this is an incredible piece of Star Wars fiction to check out.

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Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn

Star Wars Scoundrels Cover

While Zahn is best known for his epics around Thrawn, he has also written some thrilling standalone novels, such as the excellent Star Wars Legends novel Scoundrels.  Essentially a Star Wars heist novel, Scoundrels sees Han, Chewie, Lando and several of their villainous compatriots attempt to pull off the ultimate theft, while also facing gangsters, Imperial agents and multiple betrayals from within.  An outstanding novel that showcases just how good a crime fiction novel in the Star Wars universe can be, this is an exceptional read I cannot praise enough.

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Star Wars (2020)

Star Wars (2020) - Volume 1 Cover

Following the coordinated end of the original range of Star Wars comics, Marvel immediately started a new assortment of series in 2020, set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.  The flagship series of this new range is the Star Wars (2020) comic, written by Charles Soule and featuring art by Jesus Saiz, Ramon Rosanas and Jan Bazaldua.  This series has been pretty incredible since the first volume, The Destiny Path, I am deeply enjoying this fantastic narrative which follows the key original trilogy protagonists (with the exception of Han, because he’s frozen) as they come to terms with their defeats in The Empire Strikes Back.  Some of the major storylines include Luke’s journey to become a Jedi master after finding out his father is Vader, Leia’s attempts to bring the Empire down and save the man she loves, a determined Imperial officers plot to destroy the scattered Rebel fleet, and Lando’s quest for redemption.  This series has been pretty incredible so far, especially with its connections to some of the big comic tie-in events (which are also usually written by Soule) and it is one of the stronger newer entries in the canon.

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The High Republic: The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott

Star Wars - The Rising Storm Cover

While Light of the Jedi serves as a great introduction to the High Republic books, and there have been some excellent later books, such as The Fallen Star, I think that the current best entry in this fantastic sub-series is the intense and captivating The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott.  Continuing many great storylines from the first book, The Rising Storm sees the villainous Nihil raid the high-profile Republic Fair in a brazen public attack.  Containing scenes of utter chaos, as well as some outstanding character development, The Rising Storm serves as a perfect middle novel for the first High Republic phase and was a deeply captivating and powerful read.

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Darth Vader (2020)

Darth Vader - Dark Heart of the Sith

Another great addition to this list from the current range of comics is the excellent Darth Vader (2020) series by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco.  Set directly after Luke refuses to accept him as his father, this series contains an epic and powerful narrative about Vader as he comes to terms with his rejection in the most destructive way possible.  The first volume in this series, Dark Heart of the Sith, was one of the best things I read in 2020, and the rest of the series, which has focused on Vader’s relationship with the Emperor, as well as the discovery of someone from his past, has turned into quiet the incredible and powerful thrill ride.

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Kenobi by John Jackson Miller

Star Wars - Kenobi Cover

An intriguing and unique Star Wars Legends novel that was hopefully on everyone’s to read list after a certain epic 2022 television series, Kenobi is a key addition to this list, and one that is very well deserved.  Written by the insanely talented John Jackson Miller, Kenobi follows the titular character in the immediate aftermath of Revenge of the Sith, as he attempts to settled down on Tatooine.  However, trouble is always around the corner for this former Jedi, and Kenobi soon finds himself involved in a brewing war between the Tuscan Raiders and local farmers.  Containing a great, outside look as this iconic character during his darkest days, Kenobi is an impressive read that serves as an alternative to the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, and many readers will be interested to see the previous Legends take to Kenobi’s time on Tatooine.

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Poe Dameron

Poe Dameron Cover

Charles Soule is currently the MVP of the Star Wars comic community, and I had to include another one of his key series with the Poe Dameron comics.  Working with artists Phil Noto and Angel Unzueta, Soule did an incredible job of making Poe and his cohorts in the Resistance compelling and complex protagonists in this series, which is something the films struggled with.  With fascinating connections to other Star Wars comic series, this great work is set in the lead-up to The Force Awakens and examines the complex shadow war between the Resistance and the First Order.  I deeply appreciate how much extra depth that Soule and his team gave these characters and this series is a must read for fans of the franchise as a result.

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Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp

Lords of the Sith Cover

An indisputable fact about the Star Wars universe is that some of the very best stories are all about the franchise’s amazing villains, and Lords of the Sith is an impressive example of this.  Following the characters of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, Lords of the Sith pits these legendary Dark Side users against rebels, monsters and traitors, all of whom are set on killing them.  Featuring an addictive story and some entertaining depictions of the Sith Lord’s destructive powers, skills and malevolence, Lords of the Sith is a brilliant read that will try to tempt you to the Dark Side.

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Master & Apprentice by Claudia Gray

Master & Apprentice Cover

I am a major fan of this awesome novel from a few years ago by Claudia Gray.  Master & Apprentice tells a powerful story of the early relationship between Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi as they investigate strange occurrences around an upcoming coronation.  Providing a deep dive into both these key characters, this was a moving and intense novel that is really worth checking out especially in its epic audiobook format.

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Star Wars: The High Republic: Convergence by Zoraida Córdova

Star Wars - Convergence Cover

One of the newer entries on this list is Convergence by rising author Zoraida Córdova.  Set in the current phase of High Republic fiction, Convergence is an emotionally powerful and character driven narrative that sees the Jedi attempt to bring peace to warring planets through a political marriage.  However, the intense hatred of the planet’s citizens, as well as malign influences from other interested parties, result in all manner of chaos and heartbreak, especially when some of the twists are fully revealed.  This was probably one of the strongest Star Wars novels of 2022 and it ended up being one of my top audiobooks of the year as a result.  I look forward to seeing what contributions Córdova makes to the Star Wars universe in the future, and I am sure she will make more appearances on this list when she does.

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Maul: Lockdown by Joe Schreiber

Star Wars - Maul - Lockdown Cover

The final entry on this list is the extremely cool and epic Star Wars prison novel, Maul: Lockdown.  Following a young Darth Maul in the Legends canon as he infiltrates an infamous prison that broadcasts death matches between its prisoners, Lockdown was an outstanding and highly entertaining read.  I was already a big fan of Schreiber before reading Lockdown thanks to his excellent Star Wars zombie novel, Death Troopers, but this is probably his best novel in the franchise.  A highly recommended read and a great book to finish off this list with.

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Overall, this latest version of the list looking at my favourite Star Wars tie-in novels and comics contains some fantastic reads and really covers the full spectrum of what a Star Wars story can achieve or contain.  All the entries above are very epic reads and come highly recommended to anyone who wants to get into the Star Wars genre.  I am going to have to make an effort to read more Star Wars books in the next year or so, as there are some really cool upcoming novels, as well as a few older entries, that I have my eye on.  Let me know which Star Wars tie-in novel or comics is your favourite in the comments below and as always, May the Fourth be with you!

Top Ten Tuesday – Audiobook for a Road Trip (June 2022)

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List4 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  The official topic for this week’s Top Tuesday revolved around Bookish Wishes, however, I am going to do something a little different and instead head back to my favourite format, audiobooks, with a list revolving around suggested books to listen to on road trips.

A couple of years ago I did a fun list where I presented my top ten suggestions for audiobooks that would be awesome for a road trip.  Road trips are always a great time to listen to some fantastic books, and I have personally had a great time listening to audiobooks while driving.  I actually just got back from a big road trip a few weeks ago where my wife and I listened to several impressive audiobooks as we made our way around Australia.  These cool audiobooks, several of which made the list below, proved to be incredibly entertaining, and the long hours of driving just flew by as a result.  So, I thought that this would be a great time to update this list, especially as I have listened to some more epic audiobooks since the last time, I wrote this list.

People familiar with my blog will know that I am a big fan of audiobooks; in many ways, they are some of the best way to enjoy a book from a talented author.  However, not all good audiobooks make for great entertainment on a road trip.  With that in mind, I have scrolled through some of my favourite audiobooks to find the ones I think would be the best for anyone taking a long trip.  To make this list, the audiobooks I chose had to not only be amazing novels but also had to have an excellent narration and the ability to keep a driver or passengers’ attention on a long trip.  While I know that some people are going to be experiencing particularly long trips, I tried to feature audiobooks with shorter runtimes so that those who are taking shorter excursions (say a roundtrip of eight or nine hours) can get through an entire book without trying to make time at home to finish it off.  That being said a few longer novels did end up making the cut, but all of these are great for longer trips.  I also tried to avoid any novels that would require a great deal of prior knowledge or hard-to-obtain background information so that everyone in the car could enjoy the book without any need for explanation or lectures from those people more familiar with the series. To that end, I have tried to avoid any novels that are later entries in a series or which require some form of assumed knowledge about a franchise.  I also tried to avoid anything that was a particularly extreme example of a genre (like fantasy or science fiction), and instead looked to include novels that would appeal to a wider group of readers.  While I have included a couple of tie-in novels, I tried to use those books that require only a smidge of familiarity with their respective franchise to enjoy, and I am confident anyone can easily enjoy any book I ended up featuring.

While I did have quite a few criteria to meet, I was eventually able to come up with a good list for this topic, including several honourable mentions.  I am pretty happy with how this list turned out and I have personally really enjoyed each of the below audiobooks.  I honestly believe that all of them would make for a great listen during an extended bit of travel or a road trip and each of them comes highly recommended.

Honourable Mentions:

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, written by Sarah Kuhn and performed by a full cast – 5 hours and 35 minutes

Doctor Aphra Audio Cover

One of the most purely entertaining and impressive Star Wars audio production, Doctor Aphra is a wonderful listen that covers the storyline of a particularly fun character from the comics.  A great story combined with an awesome cast, including Emily Woo Zeller perfectly capturing the fantastic main character.

 

Tomorrow, When the War Began, written by John Marsden and narrated by Suzi Dougherty – 7 hours and 20 minutes

Tomorrow, When the War Began Cover

An old favourite of mine, Tomorrow, When the War Began is the exceptional introduction to the brilliant Australian young adult Tomorrow series by John Marsden.  This audiobook is very easy to get into and you will swiftly fall in love with this amazing series.

 

The Salvage Crew, written by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne and narrated by Nathan Fillion – 8 hours and 21 minutes

The Salvage Crew Cover

Come for the Fillion and stay for the unique science fiction story.

 

Planetside, written by Michael Mammay and narrated by R. C. Bray – 8 hours and 38 minutes

Planetside Cover 2

An insanely addictive science fiction thriller, Planetside is a particular favourite of mine and the audiobook, featuring the voice of the excessively talented R. C. Bray, is a great listen that will appeal to everyone.

Top Ten List:

World War Z, written by Max Brooks and performed by a full cast – 12 hours and 9 minutes

World War Z Cover 2

It is appropriate that the first entry on this list be the book that inspired me to go back and revisit this topic with the impressive World War Z by Max Brooks.  I had been meaning to read World War Z for ages and finally got a chance with my recent road trip when we listened to the massive, full-cast audiobook version of this iconic zombie novel.  I instantly fell in love with the complex story and elaborate take on a zombie apocalypse, especially as the entire novel was enhanced by an incredible cast of narrators.  Fantastic actors like Mark Hamill, Alan Alda, Alfred Molina and more, did an incredible job telling this brilliant and powerful story, and the entire production is just perfect.  A truly awesome audiobook that made a massive drive go by extremely quickly.  Highly recommended!

 

Redshirts, written by John Scalzi and narrated by Wil Wheaton – 7 hours and 41 minutes

Redshirts Cover

If you want to laugh your way through a quick road trip, then you should think about listening to quirky science fiction author John Scalzi’s Redshirts.  A comedic and meta homage to classic Star Trek, Redshirts imagines a fictional, Enterprise-esque spaceship that faces episodic danger that always leads to the death of its lower ranked crew members.  When the crew start to notice just how deadly their job has become, they go to extraordinary lengths to avoid it, even if that means escaping to the strangest of places.  Incredibly funny, but with some real heart to it, Redshirts is a great book to listen to, especially with its narration from Wil Wheaton himself.

 

The Thursday Murder Club, written by Richard Osman and narrated by Lesley Manville – 12 hours and 25 minutes

The Thursday Murder Club Cover

One amazing mystery novel that would keep me very entertained on a long trip is British comedian Richard Osman’s debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club.  Following four senior citizens as they attempt to solve complex murders around their retirement village, The Thursday Murder Club has an excellent mixture of mystery, humour and likeable characters, and proves to be quite the addictive read.  Throw in the perfect narration from actress Lesley Manville, and you have an exquisite listen that is guaranteed to keep you alert and happy all the way to your destination.

 

Any Discworld novel, by Terry Pratchett

Moving Pictures Cover

It is no secret that we at The Unseen Library love the incredible Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, with every novel in this impressive series being extremely compelling, clever and hilarious, all at once.  Thanks to the series’ great audiobook adaptations, I honestly could have filled every single entry on this list with Discworld books and called it a day.  However, as I am limiting this to a single entry, I will instead recommend either a standalone novel, such as Moving Pictures, Pyramids or Small Gods, or one of the cool City Watch novels like Guards! Guards!  All of these would be exceedingly high on my list of potential books to listen to on a road trip, and I know I would be very entertained the entire way through.

 

The Dark and Mind Bullet, written by Jeremy Robinson and narrated by R. C. Bray – 10 hours and 25 minutes (The Dark) and 11 hours and 42 minutes (Mind Bullet)

The Dark and Mind Bullet Cover

Just like with my Favourite Books of 2021 list last year, I couldn’t decide on which Jeremy Robinson novel to feature over the other.  Both of Robinson’s 2021 releases, The Dark and Mind Bullet, would be perfect for a road trip as they have some very intense and exciting stories to them.  While Mind Bullet probably has the narrative that would appeal to the most passengers, its connections to Robinson’s other may confuse new readers.  The Dark on the other hand is a much more standalone read, although its darker, horror tones may have less of a fanbase.  Both novels however are very, very good reads and their audiobook versions, which feature the incredible voice of R. C. Bray (one of my favourite audiobook narrators), would serve as outstanding entertainment for any long drive.

 

Legend, written by David Gemell and narrated by Sean Barrett – 13 hours and 13 minutes

Legend

Anyone interested in a fantasy epic for their road trip experience would be extremely smart to check out the classic novel, Legend, by the late, great David Gemell.  Legend, Gemell’s iconic debut, imagines the ultimate fantasy siege with a massive, unbeatable army besieging an impregnable stronghold garrisoned by a small force of heroes.  This outstanding fantasy battle plays out perfectly as an audiobook and you will be enthralled throughout your entire road trip.

 

Star Wars: Scoundrels, written by Timothy Zahn and narrated by Marc Thompson – 13 hours and 57 minutes

Star Wars Scoundrels Cover

If you wanted to try out a Star Wars story for a long drive than your best bet is probably going to be the Star Wars Legends novel Scoundrels by the superbly talented Timothy Zahn.  Despite no longer being canon, Scoundrels has one of the most appealing, fun, and compelling stories out there as it follows several of our favourite scoundrels, including Han, Chewie and Lando, as they embark on an elaborate heist.  Containing one of the best Star Wars stories out there, as well as the amazing talents of narrator Marc Thompson, Scoundrels will ensure a very entertained car.

 

The Gray Man, written by Mark Greaney and narrated by Jay Snyder – 11 hours and 11 minutes

The Gray Man Cover

If you’re the sort of person who wants non-stop action for their road trip than you really should load up Mark Greaney’s impressive first thriller, The Gray Man.  Following a legendary spy/assassin as he runs a gauntlet of bad guys throughout Europe, this slick novel never slows down and you will love all the thrills, twists and elaborate situations.  Set to be a major film in the next few months, an upcoming road trip would be the perfect opportunity to read ahead and the fantastic narration from Jay Snyder really brings the story to life.

 

Storm Front, written by Jim Butcher and narrated by James Marsters – 8 hours and 1 minute

Storm Front Cover

I had to recommend the Harry Dresden series somewhere on this list and the best option to listen to is probably the first novel Storm Front.  Serving as the perfect introduction to Jim Butcher’s urban fantasy series, Storm Front has a great story to it and you have to love the narration from outstanding actor James Marsters.  It won’t take long for you to become addicted to this series on your road trip and before you know if you’ll have listened to every single magical adventure.

 

The Sandman, written by Neil Gaiman, adapted by Dirk Maggs and performed by a full cast – 11 hours and 2 minutes

Sandman Act 1 Cover

The final entry for this list is another production we listened to on our recent road trip, the audio adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s iconic The Sandman comic.  Performed by an extremely awesome team of actors, including James McAvoy, Taron Egerton, Kat Dennings, Michael Sheen and more, this is a perfect way to enjoy this complex comic and you will have a brilliant time with its elaborate and insanely inventive narrative.  We powered through this on our road trip and have already started the second act of it, which would also be a great bit listen for a drive.  A fantastic and epic comic turned into an even better audiobook.

 

 

Well, that is the end of this latest list.  I think it turned out pretty well and if you have some upcoming travel planned you would do well to try out any of the above books.  Other outstanding audiobook suggestions can be found in my best audiobooks lists of 2020 and 2021, so you’ll have plenty of ideas for your next drive.  Let me know which of the featured audiobooks you enjoyed the most, as well as what productions you would recommend for a car trip in the comments below.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Star Wars Novels (2022)

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List, Star Wars4 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday was to provide one-word reviews the last 10 books I have read.  While this was a rather interesting topic, I have done something a little different and instead decided to focus on something more Star Wars orientated.

As many of you may be aware, this week contains the annual celebration of all things Star Wars with May the Fourth, better known as Star Wars day.  I am a pretty massive fan of the Star Wars franchise (just check out my extended Star Wars category on the side of this page), and in recent years have really fallen in love with the various aspects of its extended universe, including the films, television shows, animated series, comics and of course the tie-in novels.  Each year multiple cool and complex novels are released with impressive connections to the extended Star Wars universe covering various periods of the canon and beyond.  I have had an absolute brilliant time reading some of the very best of these tie-in novels over the years and there are some excellent and powerful adventures featured in these awesome books.  Due to how much I enjoy these books, I have decided to celebrate May the Fourth this year by once again highlighting my top ten favourite Star Wars novels.  This is a continuation of several lists I have done in recent years, including two I did last year about Star Wars novels and Star Wars comics.

To pull this list together I looked at all the Star Wars novels I have read (or listened to in its audiobook format) over the years and tried to determine what my absolute favourites were.  I slightly cheated in places by featuring whole trilogies, particularly those with really well-connected storylines, as a single entry, although I don’t feel too guilty about that.  This allowed me to pull together quite a comprehensive list, as well as my typical generous Honourable Mentions section.  I am pretty happy with how this list came together, especially as there are some interesting changes from my previous entries, and I think that this list fully highlights my absolute favourite Star Wars tie-in novels.  So let us see what makes the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber

deathtrooperscover

A fun and terrifying Star Wars horror novel that features zombies chasing after Han and Chewie.  An entertaining read best enjoyed in its audiobook format, which has some very disturbing sound effects.

 

Doctor Aphra by Sarah Kuhn

Doctor Aphra Audio Cover

A captivating and well-produced full cast audio production that looks at the unique and always amusing character of Doctor Chelli Aphra, the rogue space archaeologist and conwoman.  An audio reproduction of storylines from the Darth Vader (2015) comic (see my reviews for Volume 1: Vader, Volume 2: Shadows and Secrets, and the Vader Down limited series), Doctor Aphra perfectly captures the titular character in all her conniving glory and it is an extremely amusing listen.

 

Maul: Lockdown by Joe Schreiber

Star Wars - Maul - Lockdown Cover

A brutal and action-packed prison story featuring a young Darth Maul involved in broadcast death fights.  What is there not to love?

 

The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

Star Wars - Light of the Jedi Cover

A brilliant and powerful introduction to the new High Republic sub-series, set hundreds of years before the Skywalker Saga.  This was an excellent novel and a must read for anyone interested in checking out the current focus of the Star Wars extended universe.

Top Ten List:

Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn

Thrawn Trilogy

Let’s start this list off with the epic trilogy of books that follow one of the best characters in the Star Wars extended canon, the Thrawn trilogy.  Made up of Thrawn, Alliances and Treason, these amazing books follow the Imperial career of Grand Admiral Thrawn in the current Disney canon.  Written by the legendary Timothy Zahn, who reinvents his greatest fictional creation for a new age, this series featured a brilliant central character, impressive storylines, and some intense and well-written space battle sequences.  It is so much fun to see the ultimate tactician go against the very worst the galaxy has to throw at him, and this ended up being a particularly awesome trilogy.

 

Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy by Timothy Zahn

Thrawn Ascendancy Trilogy Covers

Zahn followed up this initial Thrawn trilogy in a big way with the epic Thrawn Ascendancy prequel trilogy.  Featuring three great books, Chaos Rising, Greater Good and Lesser Evil, the Thrawn Ascendancy novels showcase a younger Thrawn as he battles to save his home system from a relentless and multi-pronged alien invasion.  Containing all the best elements of the Thrawn trilogy, as well as some intensive and detailed universe building that bears noticeable connections to the author’s previous work in the Legends extended universe, this is another exceptional trilogy that is well worth reading.

 

Alphabet Squadron trilogy by Alexander Freed

Alphabet Squadron Cover

Alexander Freed recently wrote one of the strongest and most emotionally charged Star Wars trilogies with his exceptional Alphabet Squadron books.  Made up of Alphabet Squadron, Shadow Fall and Victory’s Price, this incredible trilogy followed five unique New Republic fighter pilots in the aftermath of Return of the Jedi, as they attempt to finish off the Imperial remnant.  This trilogy perfectly follows its five damaged and despairing central characters, as well as several morally grey Imperial characters, as they all seek redemption and deliverance in their own unique way.  Featuring some blistering and epic fighter combat sequences, as well as some of the best Star Wars character development you are ever likely to see, the Alphabet Squadron novels are extremely good, with Victory’s Price (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021) serving as an intense and unbeatable finale.

 

Dark Disciple by Christie Golden

Star Wars Dark Disciple Cover

Prepare to dive into the Dark Side of the Force with the excellent Dark Disciple from tie-in fiction extraordinaire Christie Golden.  Serving as a follow-up to The Clone Wars animated series (it is based on several unproduced episodes), this novel follows two fan-favourite characters from the extended universe, Quinlan Vos and Asajj Ventress, as they attempt to assassinate Count Dooku.  Containing an intense character-driven narrative that sees both protagonists at their very worst, Dark Disciple provides some intriguing closure to fans of The Clone Wars, as well as an exceptional story.

 

Kenobi by John Jackson Miller

Star Wars - Kenobi Cover

An intriguing and unique Star Wars Legends novel that is probably going to get some more attention in the next few weeks, Kenobi is a new addition to this list, but one that is very well deserved.  Written by the insanely talented John Jackson Miller, Kenobi follows the titular character in the immediate aftermath of Revenge of the Sith, as he attempts to settled down on Tatooine.  However, trouble is always around the corner for this former Jedi, and Kenobi soon finds himself involved in a brewing war between the Tuscan Raiders and local farmers.  Containing a great, outside look as this iconic character during his darkest days, Kenobi is an impressive read that may serve as an influence for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi show.

 

The High Republic: The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott

Star Wars - The Rising Storm Cover

While Light of the Jedi serves as a great introduction to the High Republic books, I think that the current best entry in this fantastic sub-series is the intense and captivating The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott.  Continuing many great storylines from the first book, The Rising Storm sees the villainous Nihil raid the high-profile Republic Fair in a brazen public attack.  Containing scenes of utter chaos, as well as some outstanding character development, The Rising Storm serves as a perfect middle novel for the first High Republic phase and was a deeply captivating and powerful read.

 

Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp

Lords of the Sith Cover

An indisputable fact about the Star Wars universe is that some of the very best stories are all about the franchise’s amazing villains, and Lords of the Sith is an impressive example of this.  Following the characters of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, Lords of the Sith pits these legendary Dark Side users against rebels, monsters and traitors, all of whom are set on killing them.  Featuring an addictive story and some entertaining depictions of the Sith Lord’s destructive powers, skills and malevolence, Lords of the Sith is a brilliant read that will try to tempt you to the Dark Side.

 

Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn

Star Wars Scoundrels Cover

While Zahn is best known for his epics around Thrawn, he has also written some thrilling standalone novels, such as the excellent Star Wars Legends novel Scoundrels.  Essentially a Star Wars heist novel, Scoundrels sees Han, Chewie, Lando and several of their villainous compatriots attempt to pull off the ultimate theft, while also facing gangsters, Imperial agents and multiple betrayals from within.  An outstanding novel that showcases just how good a crime fiction novel in the Star Wars universe can be, this is an exceptional read I cannot praise enough.

 

Master & Apprentice by Claudia Gray

Master & Apprentice Cover

I am a major fan of this awesome novel from a few years ago by Claudia Gray.  Master & Apprentice tells a powerful story of the early relationship between Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi as they investigate strange occurrences around an upcoming coronation.  Providing a deep dive into both these key characters, this was a moving and intense novel that is really worth checking out.

 

Darth Plagueis by James Luceno

Star Wars - Darth Plagueis Cover

The final entry on this list is the intriguing and comprehensive Star Wars Legends novel, Darth Plagueis.  Written by the talented James Luceno, Darth Plagueis tells the entire story of the mysterious Darth Plagueis the Wise, including his complex relationship with his ambitious apprentice, Darth Sidious.  A clever novel that connects to multiple parts of the now defunct Legends canon, Darth Plagueis is a must read for all hardcore fans who love detailed Star Wars lore, and a potential source of great inspiration for anyone attempting to bring Plagueis to life in the future.

 

 

This latest version of the list looking at my favourite Star Wars tie-in novels contains some fantastic reads and really covers the full spectrum of what a Star Wars story can achieve or contain.  All the entries above are very epic reads and come highly recommended to anyone who wants to get into the Star Wars genre.  This will probably be a list I come back to this time next year and it will be interesting to see how much it changes in the meantime.  There are some outstanding Star Wars books coming out in the next few months (Brotherhood and Shadow of the Sith, for example), as well as some other great Star Wars books from this year I am yet to check out, all of which I could easily see being added to this list next year.  There are also a ton of older Star Wars novels I need to read as I have heard some epic stuff about some of them (Battlefront: Twilight Company, A New Dawn, Outbound Flight, Razor’s Edge and Honor Among Thieves are all high on my to-read list).  I could honestly see this list expanding out to a top 20 list in the future, which is a whole lot of Star Wars books.  Let me know which Star Wars tie-in novel is your favourite in the comments below and as always, May the Fourth be with you!