Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Audiobooks of 2023

On December 27, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List59 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 list involved listing the ten most recent additions to your bookshelf, which is a topic I would usually try to address. However, I am afraid I’m going to have to skip this topic and instead I will continue my annual end of year wrap up of some of the best books of 2023. In previous weeks I have highlighted some of the best pre-2023 novels, best new-to-me-authors and the best 2023 sequels I read in the last year. However, this week I am going to look at something near and dear to my heart, the best audiobooks of 2023.

Readers of this blog only need to check out my extensive audiobook category to know that I have a lot of love for the audiobook format. In my opinion, the audiobook is often the best way to experience a good book and in many cases this format makes a novel far more enjoyable. As a result, I listened to quite a few audiobooks this year, and while a good chunk of them were books released before 2023 and featured in my Throwback Thursday posts, most were released this year. There were some truly outstanding and impressive audiobooks released in 2023 and I knew going in that I was going to have an extremely hard time coming up with a final version of this list.

For this list I have only included audiobooks released in 2023 that I have listened to, which left me with a long list of extremely impressive audiobooks which I wanted to include in this post. To help cut this down, I considered a range of factors, including the quality of the original novel, the skill of the narrator, production value, pacing and other features. Looking at all this I was eventually able to cut the list down to the absolute best 10 audiobooks, with my typical generous honourable mentions section. I had to make some very hard decisions here, and I ended up excluding several extremely good audiobooks from the main list. Still, I think it really represents the best audiobooks I enjoyed this year and there are some amazing productions below.

Honourable Mention:

The King of the Spoil, written by Jonathan D. Beer and narrated by Gabrielle Nellis-Pain

A fun and intense Warhammer 40,000 book that effortlessly blends gothic science fiction with a great crime fiction narrative.

The Last Kingdom, written by Steve Berry and narrated by Scott Brick

Intriguing European history and modern-day espionage combine perfectly in this new Cotton Malone novel by Steve Berry, which is expertly brought to life by veteran narrator Scott Brick

Cypher: Lord of the Fallen, written by John French and narrated by Jon Rand

The very talented Jon Rand does a wonderful job of bringing one of the most mysterious Warhammer 40,000 figures to life in this cryptic and fast-paced audiobook by John French.

Murtagh, written by Christopher Paolini and narrated by Gerard Doyle

Christopher Paolini cleverly adds to his iconic Inheritance Cycle with original series audiobook narrator, Gerard Doyle, returning as well, bringing some familiar and compelling voices to this epic piece of fantasy fiction.

Top Ten List:

Son of the Poison Rose/Cave 13, written by Jonathan Maberry and narrated by Ray Porter

In 2023, we were lucky to get two novels from one of my favourite authors, Jonathan Maberry, as he continued some of his best series. These novels were the dark fantasy epic, Son of the Poison Rose and the science fiction thriller, Cave 13, which continued the outstanding Rogue Team International series. Both books were awesome in their own way, but I chose to combine their audiobooks into a single entry here, due to the fact both shared the same narrator in the legendary Ray Porter. Porter, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators, is synonymous with Maberry, having lent his voice to most of his books, and he always provides an exceptional performance that works so well with Maberry’s style and captures his complex and damaged protagonists. The combination of Maberry and Porter is always a winner, and the resulting audiobooks are something extremely special. As such, both come highly recommended, and both are some of the best audiobooks of the year.

Holly, written by Stephen King and narrated by Justine Lupe

I have been really enjoying some of the legendary Stephen King’s more recent books and my favourite so far is his latest novel, Holly. A continuation of the adventures of Holly Gibney that started in Mr Mercedes, Holly was a complex and dark thriller that saw the protagonist investigate a missing persons case, only to discover something truly disturbing and horrifying. This was such an incredible novel, that featured great characters and some shocking twists, and I can honestly say that my love for Holly was even more enhanced because of its amazing audiobook as the producers cleverly brought in actress Justine Lupe to narrate the book. Lupe, who played the character of Holly Gibney in the Mr Mercedes television series, once again dove into the character and really brought her to life. Combined with her great take on several other impressive characters, including two of King’s most surprisingly sinister villains, and Holly was a joy to listen to from start to finish, and indeed proved to be an excellent accompaniment for a fun road trip.

The Will of the Many, written by James Islington and narrated by Euan Morton

One of my favourite fantasy novels of 2023 was the inventive and exciting release from Australian author James Islington, The Will of the Many. A powerful read that saw a clever teenager with secrets attend a prestigious magical academy while also trying to bring down a destructive empire, The Will of the Many was one of the most impressive books of the year and I got really addicted to its elaborate storytelling and unique new world. The audiobook version of The Will of the Many proved to be extremely good, especially as it allowed me to absorb more of the compelling world detail and envision some of the more elaborate elements of the story. Narrator Euan Morton also provided a unique voice to the story, and this ended up being on of the best fantasy audiobooks of the year.

The Last Devil to Die, written by Richard Osman and narrated by Fiona Shaw

After wowing me with his previous Thursday Murder Club books, including The Thursday Murder Club (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2020), The Man Who Died Twice (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021) and The Bullet That Missed (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022), Richard Osman produced another outstanding release this year with The Last Devil to Die. Thanks to its clever mystery, subtle humour, and some of the best character work you likely to see, The Last Devil to Die was Osman’s best book yet, and I cannot emphasise how wonderful and moving it ended up being. The audiobook version proved to be particularly good, as they once again brought back actress Fiona Shaw to narrate. Shaw has an amazing handle on all the characters, and her excellent voice conveyed all the intense and powerful emotional that this book contained. I honestly teared up in placed while listening to this audiobook and I cannot recommend it enough as a result.

The Fall of Cadia, written by Robert Rath and narrated by Mark Elstob

I’m still listening to this next entry; however, I’m having such a great time with it that I had to include it here. This book is a fantastic Warhammer 40,000 book, The Fall of Cadia. Covering one of the most important events from the Warhammer 40,000 canon, the end of the 13^th Black Crusade, The Fall of Cadia follows the epic last stand of the fortress planet of Cadia to the forces of Chaos. Massive in its scope and carnage, The Fall of Cadia is a difficult book to pull together but Robert Rath, who massively impressed me with his prior novels Assassinorum: Kingmaker and The Infinite and the Divine, does an incredible job of tying everything together into an exciting and manageable read. I am particularly loving the audiobook version as narrator Mark Elstob moves the lengthy novel along at an excellent pace and provides a huge range of voices to cover all the over-the-top personalities featured in the book. His narration also perfectly captures the full intensity of the many battles featured within The Fall of Cadia and he makes it sound as epic and brutal as possible. I am loving every second with this audiobook and I look forward to seeing how well the big finish comes out.

City of Last Chances, written by Adrian Tchaikovsky and narrated by David Thorpe

Probably one of the cleverest fantasy books I got to read in 2023 was City of Last Chances by the unstoppable and highly talented Adrian Tchaikovsky. Set in an occupied city loaded with rogues, revolutionaries and other lost souls, City of Last Chances was a clever, character-driven read, loaded with unique personal stories and unusual scenarios. This fascinating and entertaining narrative was expertly expressed by narrator David Thorpe who really dove into the strange characters and showcased all the absurdities and deep dramas perfectly. A wonderful audiobook from start to finish that I honestly could not stop listening to.

Burner, written by Mark Greaney and narrated by Jay Snyder

One of the leading authors of spy thriller fiction, Mark Greaney, produced another outstanding entry in his Gray Man series this year with Burner. Setting his infamous protagonist against both his former lover and a desperate Russian special forces unit, Burner was an amazing and intense read that expertly and tastefully utilised contemporary events to tell a complex story. The resulting action, spy craft, personal drama and carnage was expertly showcased by narrator Jay Snyder, who has lent his voice to all the Gray Man books. The resulting audiobook was extremely moving and intense, and Burner was one of Greaney’s best releases yet.

The Shadow Casket, written by Chris Wooding and narrated by Simon Bubb

The longest audiobook I listened to in 2023 was the epic fantasy novel, The Shadow Casket by Chris Wooding. The sequel to Wooding’s previous novel, The Ember Blade, The Shadow Casket was an outstanding listen that saw a desperate group of freedom fighters try to turn the tide against their relentless oppressors. Perfectly continuing the story set up in The Ember Blade while also featuring some impressive character interactions and a ton of worldbuilding, The Shadow Casket was a brilliant book, and I was so glad to get a continuation of this series. I deeply appreciated the audiobook version of The Shadow Casket, narrated by Simon Bubb, as it really helped me absorb this massive read so much better. Bubb did an outstanding job of making this lengthy story easy to follow, and I loved the fitting voices he gifted to all the complex characters. A captivating and extensive listen, I don’t think I would have enjoyed The Shadow Casket as much in any other format.

The Traitor, written by Anthony Ryan and narrated by Steven Brand

Bestselling fantasy author, Anthony Ryan, brought his Covenant of Steel trilogy to an awesome end this year with The Traitor. The fantastic follow-up to The Pariah and The Martyr, The Traitor showcased the end of Ryan’s scribe protagonist’s big adventure, and the inevitable fall to darkness that accompanied it. Intense, highly detailed, and featuring an outstanding antagonist, The Traitor was such a good conclusion, and I had such an incredible time listening to the audiobook version. Steven Brand, who did such a great job narrating The Pariah and The Martyr, provided another brilliant bout of narrating in this finale, and he perfectly captured the protagonist’s despair and determination as they fought to do the right thing one final time. A highly recommended audiobook and the only way to enjoy the Covenant of Steel books.

The Lion: Son of the Forest, written by Mike Brooks and narrated by Timothy Watson

The final entry on this list is another Warhammer 40,000 audiobook, The Lion: Son of the Forest by Mike Brooks. Brooks, who is quicky becoming one of the best authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction (a quick shoutout to Brook’s other 2023 release, Warboss), sought to bring back one of the canon’s most significant characters, and did so with this deeply personal and symbolism laced novel. Intense, moving, and featuring some compelling characters, The Lion: Son of the Forest was extremely good, especially in the audiobook format narrated by Timothy Watson. While all Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks are pretty special and fun, I really enjoyed this one as Watson captures the gravitas of the main character perfectly while also highlighting the complex plot and pivotal action. One of the best Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks of 2023 as a result, this is really worth a listen.

Well that is the end of this latest Top Ten list, and as you can see, I have been lucky enough to listen to some awesome audiobooks this year (although I clearly focused a little too much on Warhammer fiction). All the above audiobooks are extremely good and I would highly recommend each of them in their audiobook format. Let me know what your favourite audiobooks of 2023 were in the comments below, and make sure to check back next week to see what my overall favourite novels of the year were.

WWW Wednesday – 13 December 2023

On December 13, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday2 Comments

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

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

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading:

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose (Trade Paperback)

The Mystery Guest Cover

I honestly haven’t made any progress since last week on the new murder mystery from Nita Prose, The Mystery Guest. The intriguing sequel to Prose’s first novel, The Maid, The Mystery Guest features another compelling murder, seen through the eyes of Prose’s unique protagonist. I am hoping to finally get to grips with The Mystery Guest this week, but I’ll have to see how I go.

Warhammer 40,000: The Fall of Cadia by Robert Rath (Audiobook)

Warhammer 40,000 - The Fall of Cadia Cover

I have just started listening to the fantastic Warhammer 40,000 novel, The Fall of Cadia by Robert Rath. A novelization of one of the key lore moments of the Warhammer 40,000 canon, The Fall of Cadia looks set to be a complex and massive novel that covers the main moments of the 13th Black Crusade. This is probably going to be one of most significant Warhammer 40,000 novels of the year and I am very glad that they got Robert Rath to write it as he has been one of the most impressive authors of Warhammer fiction in recent years (check out my reviews for Assassinorum: Kingmaker and The Infinite and the Divine). I am hoping to make a ton of progress on The Fall of Cadia this week and I have a feeling it is going to be one of the best Warhammer novels of the year.

What did you recently finish reading?

Murtagh by Christopher Paolini (Audiobook)

Murtagh Cover

I made a huge effort and managed to finish off the audiobook version of Murtagh this week. A brilliant continuation of Paolini’s classic Inheritance Cycle novels, Murtagh was a pretty damn awesome read and I loved seeing another novel in this outstanding fantasy world. I am hoping to get a review up for Murtagh soon, and it proved to be quite an outstanding piece of fantasy fiction.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Deadly Game by Michael Caine

Deadly Game Cover

I am hoping to dive into the fun sounding thriller, Deadly Game, next. Written by legendary actor Michael Caine, Deadly Game sounds like an exciting and fantastic novel and I am very curious to see how good an author Caine is.

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

Top Ten Tuesday – Top New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2023

On December 12, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn List16 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 looked at books on ones Summer 2023-24 to-read list. However, due to wanting to get a start on my end of year best of lists, I actually covered this topic a couple of weeks ago. Instead, I will be moving forward the official topic from 30 January 2024 and looking at New-to-Me Authors I discovered in 2023. This is a list I have covered for the last couple of years (make sure to check out my 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 versions), and it is one that I always have a lot of fun doing.

Each year I am lucky enough to read a great number of awesome novels and this often includes books written by authors whose work I was previously unfamiliar with. 2023 was a particularly good example of this as there were an incredible collection of amazing novels written by authors who were completely new to me. This included some debuting authors, as well as more established writers whose work I only got around to reading this year. Many of these new-to-me authors produced some truly exceptional novels, including one or two which I consider to be some of the best books released in 2023 (more on that later), and I really feel the need to highlight them here.

To appear on this list, the book had to be one I read this year and be written by an author who I was unfamiliar with before 2023. If I had not read anything from this author before last year, it was eligible to appear here, although I did exclude debut novels as I am going to cover those in another list. Even with debuting authors excluded, I still had a massive amount of potential inclusions, as I apparently got through 31 new authors in 2023. After some hard work, I was able to whittle this down to a manageable top ten list, with my usual generous honourable mentions section. I am really surprised at some of the impressive and enjoyable authors I had to exclude from this list, and I was honestly tempted to increase this to a top twenty list. I managed to resist and I think the below entry really highlights the best new-to-me authors I enjoyed in 2023. It does crossover a little bit with my top pre-2023 books list I published last week, but I am still pretty happy with it.

Honourable Mention:

Marsheila Rockwell – The Hunger

The Hunger Cover

My first book from Rockwell was a zombie-filled book set in the Marvel Universe, need I say more?

Darius Hinks – Leviathan

Warhammer 40,000 - Leviathan Cover

Hinks wowed me with this dark and brutal Warhammer 40,000 read, that saw an entire world slowly digested by an advancing alien fleet.

Martha Wells – Witch King

Witch King Cover

I have been meaning to read one of Martha Wells’ books for years, especially her science fiction works, but this cool fantasy release proved to be an excellent introduction to an intriguing author.

Gav Thorpe – Grudge Bearer, 13^th Legion and Kill Team

13th Legion Cover 2

I read several great Gav Thorpe books for the first time this year, including novels from both the Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy ranges. My favourites were probably the Last Chancer novels, 13^th Legion and Kill Team, although the standalone fantasy novel Grudge Bearer was also really fun.

Top Ten List:

James Islington – The Will of the Many

The Will of the Many Cover

James Islington is a name that is going to be coming up a lot in my end of year lists the next few weeks, mainly because the first novel of his I checked out was so damn epic. That book is The Will of the Many, a complex and addictive fantasy novel that pits a fugitive prince against a conquering empire. Featuring a compelling and unique magical system, a great setting, fantastic characters and an elaborate narrative loaded with betrayal, secrets, plots, survival and an amazing magical school storyline, The Will of the Many had everything I could have asked for and more. One of the easiest five-star ratings I gave in 2023, I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel next year.

John French – Cypher: Lord of the Fallen

Cypher - Lord of the Fallen Cover

There are going to be a few Warhammer 40,000 authors on this list, mainly because I dedicated a lot of 2023 to going back and reading some classic novels from this awesome franchise. One of the cleverest Warhammer 40,000 novels I read this year is John French’s Cypher: Lord of the Fallen, which saw the universe’s most notorious fugitive infiltrate the most secure place imaginable, the Imperial Palace on Holy Terra. Featuring a uniquely written story, loaded with sneaky misdirects, twists, and the most unreliable narrator imaginable, Cypher: Lord of the Fallen proved to be an outstanding introduction to author John French, and I had such a brilliant time with this amazing read.

Ian Ross – Battle Song

Battle Song Cover

Easily my favourite new-to-me historical fiction author in 2023 was Ian Ross. I have heard some amazing things about Ross’s Roman historical fiction novels before, and I eagerly grabbed a copy his latest novel, Battle Song, when it came out. An exciting and powerful read about a lesser-known English civil war, Battle Song followed two amazing protagonists during the height of the knightly age and the result was an action packed and historically rich novel. I have so much love for Ross after reading Battle Song and I am eagerly awaiting the upcoming sequel, War Cry.

Guy Haley – Flesh and Steel

Flesh and Steel Cover

One major Warhammer 40,000 author I had an amazing time getting to know this year was Guy Haley, who has a range of great books under his belt. I mainly got to know Haley thanks to his impressive Warhammer Crime novel Flesh and Steel. One of the most unique buddy cop novels you are ever likely to read, Flesh and Steel was an outstanding book and it definitely made me want to check out more of Haley’s works. I have several Haley’s audiobooks currently loaded onto my phone and I am hoping to enjoy them all next year.

Sebastien De Castell – The Malevolent Seven

The Malevolent Seven Cover

One of the most relentlessly entertaining new authors I checked out for the first time in 2023 was acclaimed fantasy writer Sebastien De Castell. Known for his dark and elaborate fantasy worlds, I had my first introduction to De Castell when I read his hilarious and bloody novel The Malevolent Seven. Setting seven unusual and maligned battle wizards on a path to becoming unlikely heroes, The Malevolent Seven was an incredible read that I absolutely powered through. I really hope that De Castell releases a sequel to The Malevolent Seven soon and I must make an effort to read some of his other amazing fantasy novels/series.

Marc Collins – Grim Repast

Warhammer 40,000 - Grim Repast Cover

One of the main new-to-me authors who encouraged me to check out more Warhammer Crime novels in 2023 was the very talented Marc Collins who wowed me with the gritty novel, Grim Repast. Following a damaged detective as he attempts to stop an influential and murderous cult in a downtrodden mega-city, Grim Repast was an impressive novel and one that really showcased just how good an author Collins is.

M. W. Craven – Fearless

Fearless Cover

An exceptional crime fiction author I read for the first time this year was bestselling writer M. W. Craven. While Craven is probably best known for his Washington Poe series, my first experience of his works was the outrageous 2023 novel Fearless. The start of a compelling new series that follows an arrogant, and literally fearless, drifter with a price on his head, Fearless was a blast from start to finish and Craven clearly had a great time coming up with this action-packed read. I had a ton of fun with Fearless and Craven has a sequel set for next year that I am very excited for.

Sandy Mitchell – For The Emperor and Caves of Ice

Warhammer 40,000 - For the Emperor Cover

Well before 2023, I had heard some amazing things about Sandy Mitchell’s Ciaphas Cain series, which was apparently made up of the funniest Warhammer 40,000 novels out there. Naturally I had to check this series out whilst I was on my 2023 Warhammer reading spree and I ended up enjoying the first two entries, For The Emperor and Caves of Ice. Well, the rumours about how funny these books are proved to be very true as For The Emperor and Caves of Ice were both hilarious and clever novels that made full use of their grim background setting. Following a cowardly officer who somehow gained a reputation as a legendary hero, these books see the titular Cain attempt all manner of schemes to survive and stay out of the fighting, only to be thrust into the most dangerous situations imaginable. Very entertaining and featuring a particularly clever wit, the Ciaphas Cain books really showcased Mitchell’s exceptional writing skills and I cannot recommend this series enough, especially in its audiobook format.

Anthony McCarten – Going Zero

Going Zero Cover

I had to mention screenwriter and author Anthony McCarten on this list, as I was lucky enough to read a copy of his 2023 release Going Zero, which was so much fun. Following a unique competition that sees multiple people attempt to hide from a new nationwide surveillance system, Going Zero went in some very interesting directions and ended up being a particularly entertaining and unique thriller. An amazing read that served as a great introduction to McCarten.

Chris Wraight – Bloodlines

Warhammer 40,000 - Bloodlines Cover

The final entry on this list is Chris Wraight, who gave me one of my favourite Warhammer Crime novels in Bloodlines. A gripping and memorable novel that makes excellent use of a both its classic police procedural storyline and the unique Warhammer 40,000 setting, Bloodlines was such a brilliant read and one that really deserves an immediate sequel. Wraight really impressed me with this great novel and I need to go back and check out the rest of his contributions to the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

Well, that’s the end of this latest Top Ten list. I think it turned out rather well and it encapsulates some of the best new authors I checked out in 2023. I look forward to reading more books from these authors in the future and I have no doubt they will produce more epic and incredible reads. Make sure to let me know which new authors you enjoyed in 2023 in the comments below and make sure to check back next week for another exciting end of 2023 list.

Throwback Thursday – Warhammer: Grudge Bearer by Gav Thorpe

On December 9, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Extended Universe, Fantasy, Quick Review, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer3 Comments

Grudge Bearer Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Paperback – 12 June 2005)

Series: Warhammer Fantasy

Length: 250 pages

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

For this week’s Throwback Thursday I am doing a double feature. In addition to my review of the awesome Warhammer 40,000 novel Lords of the Night by Simon Spurrier, I am also doing a quick review of the classic Warhammer Fantasy novel, Grudge Bearer by Gav Thorpe.

I have a lot of love for all forms of Warhammer fiction across the various genres, but I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the intense and elaborate adventures that took place in the Warhammer Fantasy realm. Before its destruction, the Warhammer Fantasy universe featured a raft of epic novels and stories, most of which tied into the gaming events surrounding the various campaigns or model releases. While I haven’t read nearly as much Warhammer Fantasy books in recent years as Warhammer 40,000 fiction, there are still some amazing books there, including the Gotrek and Felix books by William King (Trollslayer, Skavenslayer, Daemonslayer, Dragonslayer, Beastslayer, Vampireslayer and Giantslayer), Van Horstmann by Ben Counter, Runefang by C. L. Werner and Broken Honour by Rober Earl.

All of these fantasy books have been very impressive, and I am always keen to check out more from this awesome setting. As such, I eagerly read the second-hand copy of Grudge Bearer by Gav Thorpe earlier this year. Thorpe has been one of the main authors of Warhammer fiction over the years, with books across the various sub-series. I know him from his outstanding Warhammer 40,000 Last Chancers novels, which followed a doomed group of convicts sent to complete a suicide mission. The first two books in this series, 13^th Legion and Kill Team, were so much fun, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the Last Chancers books. Grudge Bearer was the first Warhammer Fantasy novel of his I have read and it proved to be an excellent book that focussed on some of the most entertaining and determined figures in the Warhammer Fantasy canon, the dwarfs.

Plot Synopsis:

When his father dies, Barundin, prince of Zhufbar, becomes king of that realm and lord of one of the mightiest outposts of the ancient and powerful dwarf empire. Over the centuries that follow, he sets out to right many of the wrongs done to his people, fulfilling ancient grudges and bringing death to his foes as he wages war against his father’s killers, and strives to protect Zhufbar from the dark forces of Chaos.

Grudge Bearer ended up being quite a fun and quick paced read that I had a wonderful time getting through. As the somewhat sparse plot synopsis above indicates, Grudge Bearer follows Barundin, a prince who becomes king of Zhufbar, a dwarf stronghold after his father’s death in battle. Due to the betrayal of a local human lord whose cowardice resulted in his father’s death, Barundin swears a grudge against the man who betrayed him and becomes determined to get appropriate vengeance. However, before he can marshal enough of his forces and resources to lead an army into an assault on the lord’s castle, he needs to get his realm in order.

As such the book turns into a series of short stories, which cover different periods of Barundin’s reign and the events that lead up to him attempting to settle his grudge. While the first two chapters deal with the events that result in Barundin becoming king, each of the following chapters is essentially a connected short story, that see the protagonist and his forces go up against a series of different traditional Dwarf enemies, including the forces of Chaos, the skaven and goblins, as well as deal with other issues, such as an overly-inventive dwarf engineer and Barundin’s attempts to get married. Each of these stories are pretty intriguing in their own right, giving some fantastic insights into the dwarfs as a race, and they come together to tell an intriguing and action-packed overarching story. Most of these stories result in a pretty typical hack-and-slash battle, and Thorpe has a good eye for action, producing intense and bloody scenes throughout Grudge Bearer. Some of the stories within this book are really cool, and I especially loved the eventual resolution of the grudge against the treacherous human lord and his family, especially as it proves just how ridiculously determined the dwarfs can be. I did think the overall end of Grudge Bearer was a little sudden, especially as it could resulted in one more fantastic battle, but this ended up being a pretty strong and easy to read piece of Warhammer Fantasy fiction.

Now I do have to get a little cynical in that while Grudge Bearer is good, it was a marketing tool to help boost sales for the 6^th edition of the Dwarfs Warhammer Army book that also came out in 2005. I actually recall reading a few extracts from Grudge Bearer that appeared in White Dwarf, so I had a couple of early moments ruined for me. Still, Grudge Bearer was a pretty fun book to read, and Thorpe clearly had fun exploring the lore and diving into what makes the dwarfs tick, both in combat and in real life. The compelling focus on the dwarven grudge was particularly fun, and it was interesting to see how much their desire for vengeance ruled their lives. It also covers several quite a substantial period of Warhammer Fantasy history due to the long lives of the dwarf protagonists, and it was very entertaining to see them watch their human neighbours go through major historical events while the dwarfs constantly remain the same. There was even a tie-in to the Storms of Chaos campaign that happened in the game the year before, so there is a lot going on for established fans. At the same time, Grudge Bearer serves as a pretty good starting point for those readers unfamiliar with either the dwarfs or the Warhammer Fantasy setting and it makes for a great introductory novel.

One thing that I was a little disappointed by in Grudge Bearer is that we didn’t get to see more of the legendary White Dwarf character. The White Dwarf had a pretty major role at the start of the book, and there are even some hints to his origin at the start, but after this initial appearance we never see him again, which I think was a bit of a waste. It would have been cool to see him come back a few times to offer advice or help in battle, possibly while providing more clues to who he really is. I know this is a pretty minor complaint which doesn’t dramatically impact my enjoyment of Grudge Bearer, but it was something that bothered me as I was reading as a wasted opportunity.

Overall, Grudge Bearer was a fun action and lore packed novel that managed to fit in several fantastic and exciting shorter stories. Containing one of the best and compact examinations of the always entertaining dwarf faction you will likely see in a Warhammer Fantasy novel, Grudge Bearer is well worth checking out, especially if you were a fan of the tabletop game and its lore back in the day.

Throwback Thursday – Lord of the Night by Simon Spurrier

On December 9, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Warhammer4 Comments

Lord of the Night Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Paperback – 25 January 2005)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 413 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Welcome back to my Throwback Thursday series, where I republish old reviews, review books I have read before or review older books I have only just had a chance to read. This week I check out an impressive and dark older entry from the excellent Warhammer 40,000 extended universe, Lord of the Night by Simon Spurrier.

Readers of this blog will know that I have a lot of love for the always intense and fun Warhammer 40,000 fiction, having read quite a bit of it this year. One of the better older pieces of this fiction I managed to check out this year was the awesome novel Lord of the Night by acclaimed author Simon Spurrier. Spurrier is an excellent author who is best known for his work on various graphic novels and comics series across the major companies. I have read a couple of his comics over the years, although my favourite is probably his run on the original Doctor Aphra series (check out my reviews for the awesome volumes Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon and A Rogue’s End). Spurrier also wrote several Warhammer 40,000 novels back in the mid-2000s, including the highly regarded Lord of the Night. I was lucky enough to get a copy of Lord of the Night second-hand, and I ended up reading it while away on holiday. Unsurprisingly I loved it, as Spurrier came up with a powerful story about two complex characters caught up in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Interrogator Mita Ashyn of the Ordo Xenos is newly arrived in the service of veteran Inquisitor Kaustus after the death of her previous master. Desperately trying to earn her place amongst the Inquisitor’s haughty acolytes and her mysterious new master, Mita is isolated due to the taint associated with her advanced psychic powers. Seeking alien cultists on the hive-world of Equixus, Mita is tasked with rooting out minor corruption and heresy. However, when an ancient ship crash lands on the planet, Mita receives psychic warnings of a dark and terrible foe.

Ten thousand years ago at the end of the Horus Heresy, Commander Sahaal was chosen by his crazed Primarch, Konrad Cruz, as the heir to the Night Lords legion of Space Marines. However, before Sahaal could take command of the Legion, his Primarch’s most sacred artefact was stolen, and Sahaal’s pursuit of the thief saw him trapped out in the depths of space for millennia. Awaking on his crashed ship on Equixus, Sahaal finds the artefact gone, stolen by thieves from the planet. Determined to claim lordship of his legion, Sahaal will stop at nothing to reclaim what is rightfully his, no matter how many people he has to kill.

As Sahaal begins a deadly campaign of fear in the underbelly of Equixus, Mita appears to be the only person in the Inquisitor’s retinue concerned about the danger. Working against the wishes of her master, Mita attempts to destroy the traitor Astartes that has invaded the city before it is too late. However, Sahaal is a master of urban warfare and soon his solo campaign of destruction has the entire hive on its knees. As the two lost souls move to confront each other, they soon discover that there are even greater secrets at work than either of them realises, and soon the fate of Equixus hangs in the balance.

This was a powerful and compelling Warhammer 40,000 story from Spurrier that had me hooked from the very beginning. Focussed on the two unique perspective characters of Mita and Sahaal, Spurrier sets up an intriguing and vicious story with great thriller elements in a fantastic and gloomy hive-city setting. Starting off with some effective set-up that introduces both protagonists and their complex lives, Lord of the Night soon evolves into an impressive cat and mouse scenario between the two as Mita fights to stop Sahaal before he recovers his prize and destroys the city from within.

This leads to all manner of chaos and destruction, as Sahaal initiates a brutal urban warfare campaign by enlisting the help of a curious raft of unconventional allies, while Mita manipulates the city’s official resources to her use. While this battle rages, Spurrier also introduces some compelling and highly important side storylines which see Mita trying to gain the respect and aid of her secretive Inquisitor master, while Sahaal comes to terms with his missing years, his complex past, and what it is to be a Night Lord. This leads up to several great confrontations before all the characters finally come together a brutal final sequence. There are some great reveals here, especially about who is pulling all the strings surrounding the characters, and I loved some the brilliant twists that emerged. The book ends on a pretty dark note, with both protagonists getting what they wanted, even though it nearly destroys them, and this ended up being quite an epic and captivating read.

I love how dark and intense Spurrier made this novel, and it has such an elaborate and complex narrative surrounding it. The split between the two main characters works extremely well to tell an elaborate and multilayered story, and I enjoyed how the two separate arcs bounced off each other, with both dealing with betrayals, personal lows and the realisation that nothing is as it seems. The grim setting of the hive city is also very impressive, and there is a reason that Warhammer 40,000 authors use it as a prime location for their stories. The multiple layers of tunnels, caverns, and cityscapes makes for an outstanding background to this story of urban warfare and bloody revenge, and you can easily feel the confinement, corruption and fear that Spurrier envisions in this epic location.

Lord of the Night also turns out to be quite an impressive and elaborate piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction. Spurrier clearly has a great appreciation and love for the lore, and it really shows in his portrayal of both a secretive Inquisitor squad and the Night Lords Space Marines. While Inquisitors are well covered in Warhammer 40,000 fiction, such as the Eisenhorn books by Dan Abnett (Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus), I personally loved seeing a book focussing on a Night Lord, especially as they are a little unrepresented in the extended universe fiction. Spurrier really dives into what it is to be a Night Lord, especially during the Horus Heresy and before their full corruption, and his primary Night Lord character gives the reader a full course on how to terrorise and manipulate a city to get what you want. It was so cool to see a Night Lord in all his fear-bringing glory, and it made for quite a dark and bloody read as a result. Spurrier also does a great job of exploring some of the wider lore of the Warhammer 40,000 universe and working it into the plot of Lord of the Night. This ensures that readers a little less familiar with the canon can enjoy this book fairly easily and not have to worry about external lore details. That being said, fans of the franchise are always going to get a little more out this book and Lord of the Night proved to be a particularly good earlier novel in the canon, especially with its great insights into both the protagonist and antagonist.

One of the things that I most liked about Lord of the Night was the complex and impressive protagonists that the story was set around. Despite being on different sides, Mita Ashyn and Sahaal have a lot in common with each other, having been lost and reviled in various different ways. Mita proves to be a great example of how dark and unfair the Warhammer 40,000 universe is, as the thing that makes her a useful servant to the Imperium, her psychic abilities, also ensures that everyone sees her as unclean and tainted. Watching her desperately trying to prove herself to the Inquisitor, his cronies, and the people of Equixus, only to be rejected and reviled, is very heartbreaking, and you can’t help but feel for Mita as she is routinely betrayed, spurned, or ignored. Spurrier does some wonderful work with Mita as Lord of the Night continues, and it was great to see her find her confidence, fight back against those who oppress her, and start to question her superior and the teachings that bound her and her powers. Watching her come to terms with her place in the Imperium, and still try to do the right thing was extremely powerful, and it leads to some impressive and emotionally charged scenes.

Sahaal also prove to be a surprisingly deep and complex character to follow. Before reading Lord of the Night, I thought Sahaal would be a deranged Chaos Space Marine, and indeed the first few scenes with Sahaal show him to be a deadly and remorseless killer who uses terror as an effective weapon. However, as the book continues, you start to realise that there is more to Sahaal than meets the eyes. While he kills to achieve his goals, often in brutal ways, some of the interactions he has with his surprising allies, as well as a series of compelling flashbacks, paint him in a somewhat noble light defined by his loyalty to his Primarch and his ideals for control and order. This paints a bit more as a victim of circumstance rather than a full Chaos infected traitor, and it was fascinating to see him act very differently from other antagonistic Space Marines characters. There are some intriguing hidden depths to Sahaal that are revealed towards the end of the book, especially when certain manipulations are uncovered, and there are some good revelations regarding his actual mindset and mental status. I also loved the scene where he is finally reunited with his beloved Legion, only to realise just how far they have fallen in his absence. Sahaal ends up having some intriguing interactions with Mita throughout the course of the book, and the two play off each other perfectly, representing different angles of betrayal, loyalty and misunderstood misuse. I deeply appreciated how well Spurrier utilised both of these point of view characters in Lord of the Night and the helped to turn this into quite an amazing read.

Overall, Lord of the Night was an exceptional read and a wonderful piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction. Simon Spurrier does an excellent job of bringing together two amazing, misunderstood characters together in a brutal battle across a terrified city and I was hooked the entire way through this plot. Clever, intense, and loaded with some intriguing pieces of Warhammer lore, Lord of the Night is an outstanding read and it was one of the better pre-2023 Warhammer 40,000 novels I enjoyed in 2023.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Pre-2023 Novels

On December 5, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn List13 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. This week participants of Top Ten Tuesday get a freebie to list whatever topics they want. So, I am going to take this opportunity to start my annual end-of-year lists here by looking at my favourite pre-2023 novels that I read this year.

Each December I have a lot of fun looking at some of the best and most impressive books and comics that I have read throughout the year in a series of Top Ten Lists. While these lists will mostly focus on books that came out in 2023, for the last few years, I have also taken the time to list out some of the best older novels that I have read in the last 12 months. There are some excellent novels that were released pre-2023 out there that I haven’t had the chance to read before, and it is always fun to go back and explore them. I ended up reading a bunch of awesome older books throughout 2023, including some pretty incredible novels that got easy five-star ratings from me and are really worth checking out.

To come up with this list I had a look at all the novels I read this year that had their initial release before 2023. This proved to be a momentous task, as 2023 was a year where I spent a lot of time reading and listening to a ton of older books, including quite a few Warhammer 40,000 books. There were so many awesome older novels I got through this year, that I honestly couldn’t fit it all into a Top Ten list. Instead, I turned this into a pretty expansive Top 20 list, just to highlight how much fun I had with older books this year. This mega list ended up containing an interesting combination of novels, although there was a bit of an overload of entries from the Dresden Files’ series by Jim Butcher and Warhammer 40,000 novels, both of which I really got into throughout this year. Indeed, it got a little bad that I ended up combining several of these novels into a single entry, just to diversify it up a bit. While I might be cheating in places, this list honestly reflects the best pre-2023 novels I read throughout the year, so let us see what made the cut.

Top Twenty List (by release year):

Gaunt’s Ghosts novels by Dan Abnett – 2000-2002

Warhammer 40,000 - Necropolis Cover

If this list is going to show anything it is that 2023 was the year that I really started diving into older pieces of Warhammer 40,000 fiction and boy did I have fun doing so. One of the most important of these series is the Gaunt’s Ghost books by Dan Abnett. Generally considered the most seminal series of the entire Warhammer 40,000 franchise, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books are a compelling and moving military fiction series that follow the common human soldier as they face the worst horrors the Warhammer 40,000 universe has to offer. I ended up reading four Gaunt’s Ghosts books in 2023, including Ghostmaker, Necropolis, Honour Guard and The Guns of Tanith. Each novel had an outstanding story behind it and I loved seeing the great characters continue to evolve in each entry. Compelling, intense and very addictive, each book was worthy of its own entry on this list, although I combined all four into this one entry to add more diversity. I am hoping to really dive into this series next year and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

13th Legion and Kill Team by Gav Thorpe – 2000-2001

13th Legion Cover 2

Another cool, older Warhammer 40,000 series I started reading in 2023 was the fantastic Last Chancers books by Gav Thorpe. Essentially The Dirty Dozen in space, the Last Chancers books follow an elite squad of condemned soldiers as they pull off suicidal missions hoping to receive a pardon. I had an incredible time with the first two books in this series, 13^th Legion and Kill Team, and I loved the intense action, compelling characters and insane scenarios. I am hoping to get the rest of the series in 2024 and I cannot wait to see what chaos the Last Chancers cause next.

Eisenhorn Trilogy by Dan Abnett – 2001-2002

Warhammer 40,000 - Xenos Cover

Another major Warhammer 40,000 series from Dan Abnett that I finally got around to reading this year is the iconic Eisenhorn trilogy. Made up of Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus, the Eisenhorn books follow the titular Inquisitor Eisenhorn as he faces off against dangerous aliens and the forces of Chaos seeking to destroy humanity from within. All three books in this trilogy are so damn good, and I love how they showed an interesting progression of internal corruption as the principled Eisenhorn begins to use darker methods to fight his war, even using the tainted weapons of his enemy. An outstanding series that all Warhammer 40,000 fans need to read, I cannot recommend these books enough and this trilogy is a worthy entry for this list.

Giantslayer by William King – 2003

Giantslayer Cover

While I mostly read the science fiction focussed Warhammer 40,000 books this year, I also dove back into the Warhammer Fantasy universe as well with another cool Gotrek and Felix book, Giantslayer. Following a doomed dwarf slayer and his human companion as they battle through a mysterious magical island, Giantslayer was a pretty fun entry to this already great series and I loved seeing these fantastic characters again. Giantslayer marked William King’s last entry on this long running series and I look forward to seeing how the series evolved under Nathan Long when I read the next book, Orcslayer.

For the Emperor and Caves of Ice by Sandy Mitchell – 2003-2004

Warhammer 40,000 - For the Emperor Cover

One of the more distinctive and beloved Warhammer 40,000 series is the fun Ciaphas Cain books by Sandy Mitchell. Following a famous and heroic Imperial Commissar who is actually a massive coward, the Ciaphas Cain books are often more comedy than serious action, as Cain tries to do everything he can to avoid danger, only to be thrust into the middle of the battle against his will. I have been meaning to dive into this series for a while and I finally got the chance to read the first two books in the series, For the Emperor and Caves of Ice this year. Both are amazing reads and I really have to highlight their outstanding audiobook formats that feature three outstanding narrators. Some of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 books out there, the Ciaphas Cain books live up to all the hype around them and I cannot wait to read more of them in the future.

Blood Angels: Deus Encarmine by James Swallow – 2004

Deus Encarmine

A powerful and exciting read that sees members of the iconic Blood Angels chapter of Space Marines, fall under the sway of a new champion of their order. However, not everything is as it seems, and one Blood Angel seeks to find the truth before war and zealotry destroys him.

Lord of the Night by Simon Spurrier – 2005

Lord of the Night Cover

A fantastic, dark and compelling Warhammer 40,000 novel that pits an ostracised psychic against the personification of fear in a Night Lords Space Marine in a desolate and decaying city. Lord of the Night was an outstanding piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction that I am planning to review fully in my next upcoming Throwback Thursday post. Highly recommended.

Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher – 2006-2012

Ghost Story Cover

Ok, so I’m kind of going a bit overboard with this entry as I’m actually covering six different books here. Readers of this blog will be aware I have been having fun getting through the awesome Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher over the last couple of years, and it has been a pretty epic experience. I really picked up my Dresden Files game in 2023 as I ended up listening to six books, including Dead Beat, Proven Guilty, White Night, Small Favour, Turn Coat, Changes and Ghost Story. All six were exceptional five-star reads and would have taken up a spot on this list each if I hadn’t combined them into one entry here. I had such a brilliant time with these Dresden Files novels in 2023 and Butcher tells some elaborate, entertaining and emotionally charged tales in this iconic urban fantasy series. I am hoping to finish it off in the new year, but before I do make sure to check out the linked reviews for books 7-13 above.

Mr Mercedes by Stephen King – 2014

Mr Mercedes Book Two

In anticipation for the release of the new Stephen King novel, Holly (which is going to top a bunch of my end-of-year best of lists), I went back and read the book she was introduced in, Mr Mercedes. A slick, powerful and intense thriller, Mr Mercedes was an absolute riot, with complicated characters, unique crimes and one of the best games of cat-and-mouse you are likely to see. An outstanding read from one of the best authors of all-time, this is such a highly recommended read, especially if you loved King’s latest book.

Kingsblade by Andy Clark – 2017

Kingsblade Cover

I had to include the action-packed extravaganza that was Kingsblade on this list. Written by the highly talented Andy Clark (who impressed me last year with Steel Tread), Kingsblade is a great Warhammer 40,000 novel loaded with explosions, battles and war. Focussing on the legendary Imperial Knights, nobles who fight in deadly mecha, Kingsblade is set in the middle of a brutal war where a newly crowned king must contend with the very worst of treachery. A particularly exciting book, Kingsblade was so much fun and I’m glad I got to check it out this year.

Flesh and Steel by Guy Haley – 2020

Flesh and Steel Cover

A cool Warhammer 40,000 sub-series I had an excellent time exploring in 2023 was the Warhammer Crime series of books. Set in a massive and corrupt city, the Warhammer Crime books each recount a unique criminal investigation that could only take place in that sort of setting. Flesh and Steel was a great example of this, as it featured a distinctive buddy-cop storyline with a disinherited heir and a machine priest teaming up to work out why lobotomised machine/human hybrids are suddenly killing people. A fantastic and impressive novel that is really worth checking out.

The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath – 2020

The Infinite and the Divine Cover

One of the absolute best Warhammer 40,000 novels I enjoyed in 2023 was The Infinite and the Divine. Focussing on two eternal rivals as they plot and scheme across the millennia to obtain a rare artifact, The Infinite and the Divine is a brilliant read that gets funnier and funnier with each passing scene. Watching two typically taciturn and serious immortals devolve into petty children as the rivalry continues is so damn good, and Rath builds such an outstanding story around it. I loved this book so much and it got a full five-star rating from me.

Sepulturum by Nick Kyme – 2020

Warhammer 40,000 Sepulturum Cover

Another fun and gruesome Warhammer 40,000 novel, Sepulturum is part of the Warhammer Horror range and is set in a dying city overrun by zombies. Scary, fast-paced, and filled with some interesting twists, Sepulturum is a great read for those after an exciting horror story in the Warhammer universe.

Bloodlines by Chris Wraight – 2020

Warhammer 40,000 - Bloodlines Cover

Probably one of the most impressive Warhammer Crime books I read all year was the outstanding and elaborate Bloodlines by Chris Wraight. Featuring a much more standard crime fiction storyline about gangs, illicit dealings and missing heirs, Bloodlines was a fascinating book that still made great use of its impressive setting. The main crime fiction storyline, combined with the tired protagonist and the unique crime, really resonated with me and I loved how well a classic cop story could come across in this setting. This book desperately needs a sequel and I hope we see more books from Chris Wraight soon.

The Sandman: Act II by Neil Gaiman – 2021

The Sandman - Act II Cover

I managed to finish off the second audiobook adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s epic comic The Sandman this year. Featuring two impressive central storylines, as well as multiple intriguing standalone tales, Act II of The Sandman continues to tell the complex and dark tale of Morpheus, the personification of dreams, as he faces off against dangerous threats and elaborate games from other immortals. Complex, highly inventive and featuring an outstanding voicecast, this epic audiobook is such an amazing way to enjoy this excellent comic and I cannot recommend it enough.

Grim Repast by Marc Collins – 2021

Warhammer 40,000 - Grim Repast Cover

The final Warhammer Crime novels I want to highlight on this list is the outstanding read, Grim Repast. A grim and dark novel that leans heavily into the noir traditions, Grim Repast is a particularly bleak read that sees an ostracised detective try to solve a series of murders connected to a corrupt company. This was one of the more memorable and chilling Warhammer 40,000 books I have had the pleasure of reading, and it really encouraged me to check out the other Warhammer Crime entries on this list.

The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston – 2021

The Maleficent Seven Cover 2

After falling in love with Johnston’s first two novels, The Traitor God and God of Broken Things, I have been hoping to read his next dark fantasy novel, The Maleficent Seven, since it came out in 2021. I finally got the chance to read it while away on holiday and boy was I missing out. Pitting seven monstrous former comrades against a dangerous army of religious fanatics in a deadly siege scenario, The Maleficent Seven was an intense and action-packed read that I had such a hard time putting down. I really regret not reading this book sooner and I will try to get a proper review up for it soon.

Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky – 2022

Ogres Cover

One of the things I most regretted not reading in 2022 was the cool novella Ogres. Written by Adrian Tchaikovsky, an author I am growing to love more and more each year, Ogres was an intriguing sounding read that many people gushed about when it first came out. I ended up listening to the audiobook version of Ogres in advance of reading a more recent Tchaikovsky novel, City of Last Chances, and it turned out to be such a clever read. Set in a world where ogres rule, Ogres was a captivating tale of revolution and deceit, with some excellent social commentary included. One of the more unique stories I read all year, this was everything I hoped it would be and more.

Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans – 2022

Notorious Sorcerer Cover

A cool and unique fantasy novel from last year, Notorious Sorcerer had been on my to-read list for a while and I finally got the chance this year while on holiday. Featuring a great story with a complex magical system, Notorious Sorcerer was a fine book and I’m hoping to get a review up for it soon.

Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham – 2022

Age of Ash Cover

The final pre-2023 book I want to highlight on this list is the outstanding fantasy read, Age of Ash by one half of the team behind The Expanse, Daniel Abraham. Set in an elaborate fantasy city loaded with secrets and lies, Age of Ash follows several complex protagonists as they try to survive the chaos following the sudden ascension of a new ruler. I had a great time with this book, and I’m hoping to check out the next entry soon, especially as it apparently has a compelling, multi-layered story that ties into the first book in a unique way.

And that is the end of this list. As you can see, I have managed to read a huge number of epic pre-2023 releases this year. Each of the above were exceptional and fun reads and I would strongly recommend them, especially if you are in the mood for some fun fantasy or science fiction adventures. I look forward to reading some other older books in 2024, and it will be interesting to see what makes my next version of this list then. I imagine it will end up looking a little similar, especially as I have plans to finish off the Dresden Files, as well as examining some other outstanding Warhammer novels. Make sure to check back in next week for some other end-of-year lists as I continue to highlight some of my favourite reads from 2023.

Top Ten Tuesday – Audiobooks I Need to Listen to by the end of 2023

On November 8, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List2 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants were requested to list book titles that they thought would make great newspaper headlines. While this was a fun and unique sounding topic, it wasn’t one that I felt I could contribute to at this time, although I might come back to it in the future. So instead, I return to my favourite medium of enjoying literature and do another list about audiobooks. In particular, I take this opportunity to look at what remaining 2023 audiobooks I need to listen to before the end of the year.

2023 has been a pretty awesome year for fiction and I have already enjoyed several epic audiobooks which have really brought some elaborate stories to life (make sure to check out my list of top audiobooks from the first half of 2023). We now have just under two months left in 2023 and I still have a ton of epic audiobooks that I need to listen to before the year is out. So, to motivate me, I decided to come up with a list highlighting the top 2023 audiobooks I still need to listen to, including some major releases from this year.

To qualify for this list, an audiobook just needed to be released sometime in 2023. I decided to include a mixture of audiobooks I already have copies of, as well as a couple of 2023 audiobooks that still need to be released and which I need to make room in my listening schedule. I already knew somewhat in advance which main audiobooks I needed to include, but it was very satisfying and helpful to list it out like this. So let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Warhammer 40,000: Genefather by Guy Haley

Warhammer 40,000 - Genefather Cover

An epic Warhammer 40,000 audiobook I really want to listen to, although I will probably try to get through Haley’s previous novel, The Great Work, first.

Star Wars: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson

A fun Star Wars audiobook that focuses on an intriguing new villain.

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

Sword Catcher Cover

A major and compelling fantasy novel I really wanted to read this year, hopefully I can try to listen to it at some point.

The Lie Maker by Linwood Barclay

The Lie Maker Cover

A great sounding thriller from an author I’ve been meaning to check out for a while.

Top Ten List:

Murtagh by Christopher Paolini

Murtagh Cover

Having just been released, Murtagh is the audiobook I am hoping to listen to next. The sequel to Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, Murtagh will follow a major morally grey supporting character as he embarks on his own quest. I loved Paolini’s original Inheritance Cycle and I cannot wait to explore his impressive fantasy world again, especially as they got Gerard Doyle back as narrator.

Slayers by Christopher Golden and Amber Benson

Slayers Cover

I am a massive fan of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series and I was very excited when I heard about the Slayer audio adventure. Written by the team of author Christopher Golden and actress Amber Benson, Slayers is a compelling audio sequel to the original series that features many members of the original cast, including James Marsters, Charisma Carpenter and Anthony Head. I am very excited to check this epic audio exclusive out and I am hoping to get into it soon.

Gods of the Wyrdwood by R. J. Barker

Gods of the Wyrdwood Cover

One of the books that I most regret not reading so far in 2023 is the awesome new fantasy novel from R. J. Barker, Gods of the Wyrdwood. Barker has really impressed me with his previous series and I have been eager to dive into Gods of the Wyrdwood for a while, although I haven’t had a chance to do so yet. I am planning to grab an audiobook copy of Gods of the Wyrdwood in the next few weeks and try to enjoy it that way. I already know I am going to love this outstanding novel and it easily has the potential to be one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023.

Warhammer 40,000: The Fall of Cadia by Robert Rath

Warhammer 40,000 - The Fall of Cadia Cover

Out of all the Warhammer 40,000 books released in 2023, the one that has some of the most raw potential is the recently released novel, The Fall of Cadia. Written by the very talented Robert Rath (The Infinite and the Divine and Assassinorum: Kingmaker), The Fall of Cadia will follow one of the most infamous events in Warhammer 40,000 history, the destruction of the planet Cadia during the 13^th Black Crusade. Set to feature a powerful and elaborate war story of epic proportions, The Fall of Cadia sounds like an outstanding book and I cannot wait to listen to this amazing tale unfold in its audio format.

Generation Ship by Michael Mammay

Generation Ship Cover

I’m in the mood for some compelling science fiction before the end of 2023 so I will try and listen to the new Michael Mammay novel, Generation Ship. Mammay has written some amazing science fiction thrillers in the past, including his epic Planetside series (Planetside, Spaceside and Colonyside), and Generation Ship has a great standalone plot about an ill-fated journey to colonise a planet. I love the sound of this audiobook and I hope I get the chance to listen to it.

The 9^th Man by Grant Blackwood and Steve Berry

The 9th Man Cover

Earlier this year I had an exceptional time listening to the new Cotton Malone novel by Steve Berry, The Last Kingdom, which was a pretty epic audiobook. As such, I was very excited when I saw that Berry had released a Cotton Malone spin-off novel, The 9^th Man, which focuses on one of the series’ main supporting characters. Co-written by Grant Blackwood, The 9^th Man sounds like an fantastic read, and I am hoping to get through another great history/thriller hybrid before 2023 ends.

Warhammer 40,000: Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons

Dead Men Walking Cover

Another awesome Warhammer 40,000 audiobook I’m hoping to listen to in 2023 is Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons. A sequel to his previous audiobook, Krieg, Dead Men Walking will pit the relentless soldiers of the Death Korps of Krieg against the metallic alien Necrons. Essentially a book about two fearless and unrelenting foes destroying each other, Dead Men Walking promises to be a particularly grim addition to the series and I for one am very excited for it.

Defiant by Brandon Sanderson

Defiant Cover

I had to include one of the most anticipated young adult science fiction novels of the year on this list with Defiant by Brandon Sanderson. The fourth and final book in Sanderson’s Skyward series, Defiant finishes off the elaborate adventure contained in Skyward, Starsight and Cytonic. Featuring warring aliens, compelling teenage protagonists, elaborate universes, and some of the best fighter pilot combat you are likely to read, this is an excellent series and I cannot wait to see how it ends.

House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky

House of Open Wounds Cover

After enjoying Tchaikovsky’s earlier 2023 fantasy novel, City of Last Chances, I am extremely eager to listen to the sequel, House of Open Wounds, which comes out in early December. Set to follow an outstanding protagonist as he takes place in a crazed military medical hospital with the most unusual healers, House of Open Wounds sound amazing and I cannot wait to check it out. While I would love to listen to House of Open Wounds on audiobook, I might be forced to read an electronic version of it instead, but I will see how I go. No matter what though, this should be an exceptional read.

Star Wars: Cataclysm by Lydia Kang

The final book on my list is the cool Star Wars: The High Republic novel, Cataclysm by Lydia King. I’ve been pretty slack with getting through Star Wars fiction lately and I really need to keep going with the High Republic series, which I have already invested a lot of time in. As such, I decided I needed to include the very early 2023 release, Cataclysm on my list. Cataclysm looks set to end the second phase of High Republic sub-series, and I am very eager to check it out, especially as it leads to the dark third and final phase of the series. I’m not entirely sure I’ll be able to fit it into my audiobook listening schedule before the close of 2023, but I’ll try, especially as this sounds like an amazing novel.

Well that’s the end of my list. As you can see, there are still a ton of audiobooks I need to listen to in 2023, including some pretty major releases. Each of the above sound really awesome, and they all honestly have potential to be one of the top books or audiobooks of 2023. I really need to sit down and power through some of the above, and I cannot wait to find out just how awesome each of them is.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books with Weather Events/Words in the Title

On October 18, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn List3 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly task 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 their top books that have a weather event or weather-related word in their title (i.e. wind, storm, flood, frost and more). This was a pretty interesting topic and it is one I had a lot of fun pulling together as it forced me to look at some of the more obscure novels that I have read. I eventually managed to work out a full list of novels that qualified, although it turned out to be a somewhat harder challenge than I imaged and I possibly ended up with too many books where “Storm” was the defining title word. Still, I am pretty happy with the final result and each of the entries below are quite exceptional.

Honourable Mentions

Stormblood by Jeremy Szal

Before the Storm by Christe Golden

Season of Storms by Andrzej Sapkowski

Top Ten Tuesday:

In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McClellan

The first entry on this list was a very easy one with In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McClellan. One of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022, In the Shadow of Lightning is an addictive and clever introduction to a new fantasy world where battles are fought using magical glass. The weather event in the title is referring to the man character, who goes by the monicker “the Lightning Prince” and the many shadows that cover his life. A highly recommended read for those looking for a new fantasy series.

Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Iron by Graham McNeill

The next book I want to highlight is a fantastic and very fun Warhammer 40,000 novel that sees a literal storm of iron descend on a fortress in the form of the infamous Iron Warriors Chaos Space Marines. A clever and dark siege novel, Storm of Iron is an outstanding read and one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels.

The Third Day, The Frost by John Marsden

One of the easiest inclusions for this list had to be The Third Day, The Frost by John Marsden which is the third book in the Tomorrow series. I have a lot of love for this iconic Australian young adult series, and The Third Day, The Frost is probably my favourite book in the series, especially is this is where things get particularly dark for the protagonists. The weather themed title has a lot of meanings to the plot, as well as being a reference to Shakespeare and I was very glad I got to highlight this excellent book here.

Queen of Storms by Raymond E. Feist

I had to feature one of the latest books from one of my favourite fantasy authors here with Queen of Storms. The second book in The Firemane Saga, Queen of Storms is a very cool read with some bloody surprises hidden in its centre.

Star Wars: The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott

Probably one of my favourite books so far from the High Republic range of Star Wars fiction, The Rising Storm is an exciting and complex read, and the title refers to the catch phrase and motifs of the insidious antagonists.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I feel this is going to be a popular entry for many fantasy fans participating in this Top Ten Tuesday as The Name of the Wind is a pretty iconic and bellowed novel for very good reason. The first entry in Rothfuss’s exceptional Kingkiller Chronicles, The Name of the Wind is such a damn good novel and the catchy title refers to a key magical concept that sees the protagonist harness the ability to control wind.

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

The first epic book in one of the best urban fantasy series out there. The title Storm Front refers to intense weather magic that is being used as a clever murder weapon, and I have so much love for this epic book.

We Are Blood and Thunder by Kesia Lupo

A brilliant debut where the title refers to an unnatural storm surrounding a doomed city.

Warriors of the Storm by Bernard Cornwell

A bold and fun inclusion in one of my favourite historical fiction series.

Usagi Yojimbo: Seasons by Stan Sakai

Now I may be slightly cheating with Seasons, however, as the name refers to the four different seasons featured throughout the book which results in distinctive weather and landscape shots for the story, I felt it was very appropriate to feature here.

Well, that is the end of this list. As you can see there are some fantastic novels out there that uses weather-based terms in their titles, and there honestly some very interesting usages for it throughout fiction. All the above novels are wonderful and highly recommended reads, and I had an incredible time reading them. Let me know which books with weather-based phrases or terms in the title you have enjoyed the most in the comments.

Warhammer 40,000: Cypher: Lord of the Fallen by John French

On September 20, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer4 Comments

Cypher - Lord of the Fallen Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 18 July 2023)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 5 hours and 8 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

One of Warhammer 40,000’s most mysterious and elusive characters finally gets the spotlight in the awesome new book from John French with Cypher: Lord of the Fallen.

Gosh, 2023 is turning out to be a brilliant year for Warhammer 40,000 fiction. I have already had a ton of fun with such great books as The Lion: Son of the Forest, Warboss, Shadowsun: The Patient Hunter, Leviathan, The King of the Spoil and Longshot, but the best is honestly yet to come. There are still several great Warhammer 40,000 novels coming out before the end of the year, and one of the most intriguing was Cypher: Lord of the Fallen. Written by well-established Warhammer fiction author John French, Cypher: Lord of the Fallen follows one of the most iconic and mysterious figures in the Warhammer 40,000 canon and places them in a sinister new adventure.

Thousands of years ago, at the end of the Horus Heresy, the Space Marines of the Dark Angels Legion suffered a devastating schism, as betrayal and deceit tore them apart from within. The resulting civil war destroyed their home planet, killed their Primarch, and scattered the Dark Angels who rebelled across space and time. Since then, the remaining loyal Dark Angels and their successor Chapters have hunted these traitors, known as the Fallen, throughout the galaxy, determined to bring them all to justice and hide the truth about their Legion’s fall.

Out of all the Fallen still at large in the galaxy, none is more hated or more dangerous the mysterious warrior known only as Cypher. A Space Marine with strange motivations and deadly martial ability, Cypher has haunted the Dark Angels for centuries, manipulating them for unknown reasons and threatening everything they hold dear. His latest mysterious scheme saw him and a small band of Fallen save the reborn Ultramarines Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, from the forces of Chaos and then accompany him to the Imperial Palace on Terra for his own purposes. But rather than being welcomed as honoured guests, the suspicions around Cypher have seen him and his Fallen comrades locked up in the Dark Cells of the Adeptus Custodes, the most secure prison in all the Imperium, designed to never be breached or release their occupants.

But Cypher is no ordinary prisoner, and as the Great Rift unfolds across the skies of Terra, strange and seemingly unpredictable events will allow him to escape from the Dark Cells into the Imperial Palace proper. Now loose in the most sacred and heavily guarded location in the entire Imperium of Man, Cypher leads his Fallen brothers from captivity and deeper into the palace complex.

However, their presence has not gone unnoticed, and Cypher and his comrades find themselves contending with the relentless defenders of Terra, including the Emperor’s personal bodyguards, the Adeptus Custodes, lethal Imperial Assassins and powerful predictive seers. Worse, the Dark Angels are aware of Cypher’s presence on Terra, and a desperate strike force soon arrives, determined to capture or kill Cypher no matter the cost. But as all these forces start to close around the members of the Fallen, it becomes clear that Cypher has a far greater agenda than anyone realised: to stand before the Emperor on the Golden Throne. But are Cypher’s intentions noble, or does he intend to destroy the Emperor and sacrifice all of humanity to Chaos gods?

Cypher: Lord of the Fallen was a very fun and tricky Warhammer 40,000 entry that fans of the franchise are going to absolutely love. French does a wonderful job of bringing the enigmatic and chaotic Cypher to life in all the best ways, pressing him and several other unique figures into a fast-paced and intense series of manipulations and conflicts. The book is slick, addictive and loaded with clever references and allusions to the wider Warhammer 40,000 canon. I managed to power through the audiobook version of this book in no time at all and had a wonderful time doing so.

Cypher: Lord of the Fallen has a short but exceedingly sweet story to it that wastes no time dragging the reader in. This is primarily because of the unique narration that French features in this book, with the entire story told through Cypher’s enigmatic perspective. Cypher describes all the events that are occurring, even when the chapter’s focus is on other characters far away from him, and his depiction of events is quite unique, as you are never certain how he is seeing events, or whether he is making everything up. French, through the mechanism of Cypher, quickly dives into the events of Lord of the Fallen, efficiently setting the scene of the Imperial Palace in chaos and the defenders stretched thin. Thanks to the arrival of the Dark Angels and other machinations, Cypher and his cohort are soon unleashed into the larger palace.

The narrative splits off into several threads, some following Cypher, some following the Dark Angels infiltrators, and some following the Palace defenders trying to restore order. However, all of these scenes are still shown through Cypher’s mind’s eye, and his confident and possibly unreliable narration gives each sequence a compelling and ethereal edge that I quite enjoyed. There are some great sequences spread throughout this part of the story as everyone dances to Cypher’s tune one way or another and you quickly grow attached to the great cast and their unique motivations. Each character meets an intriguing end or conclusion to their tale, which is quite fitting in its own way, as French layers in the action, the compelling world building, and the constant allusions and stories from Cypher. The overall conclusion of the main story is interesting, if a tad anticlimactic and overly mysterious, but the reader can make some substantial inferences from what happened. I honestly was hooked the entire way through, and French did such a great job of creating as unique a read as possible that was perfectly fitting for the titular character.

While I usually find most Warhammer 40,000 novels are quite accessible to readers somewhat unfamiliar to the franchise, this is one piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction that is best enjoyed by those people exceedingly familiar with the franchise’s lore. French does do a good job of explaining certain aspects of what is going on, however this story quickly dives into some of the more complex pieces of lore surrounding the game, such as the hidden history of the Dark Angels and the mysteries surrounding the character of Cypher. As someone highly familiar with the background lore, I personally found this to be extremely fascinating, although I could see new readers getting fairly frustrated. However, even those fans of the game might get a little frustrated here, mainly because they are not going to find as many solid lore revelations here as they might hope for. The narrator flat out states at the beginning of the book that this tale is not about him, and Cypher’s history remains mostly hidden as a result. There are certain hints and anecdotes that could lead knowledgeable fans to make guesses, but the narrator fully admits that these could be lies or falsehoods designed to hide the truth even from the reader. Those Warhammer 40,000 fans familiar with who or what Cypher might potentially be and how he operates will absolutely love this, and I personally enjoyed how French kept us guessing.

For those readers who are hoping for more, French does paint a fantastic and elaborate picture of the Emperor’s Palace on Terra, which is one of the more fascinating settings in Warhammer 40,000 fiction. The dark and elaborate depiction of the palace, with its excessive bureaucracy, forgotten corners, vast religious underpinnings, and millions of workers, is endlessly fascinating, and I loved all the cool details French provided. I particularly enjoyed seeing the Custodes in action, and the elaborate depictions of the Dark Cells, a truly unique location, was very damn fun. This compelling dive into one of this universe’s best locations more than makes up for any disappointments a reader may have regarding the lack of revelations around Cypher, and French does such a great job bringing this entire setting to life. A fantastic read for those already in love with all things Warhammer!

As I mentioned above, I ended up listening to the audiobook version of Cypher: Lord of the Fallen, which is honestly the best way to enjoy a Warhammer 40,000 novel. This was once again the case in this tricky and fun book as Cypher: Lord of the Fallen’s impressive story really comes to life when it is read out to you. All the secrets, twists and fantastic depictions of Terra are so much more epic in this format, and I really had a blast listening to it. It helped that the audiobook was narrated by the very talented Jon Rand, who has previously impressed me in Ghazhkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! and Dredge Runners. Rand has a great voice for dark Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and he puts that to full use in Cypher: Lord of the Fallen, especially when he brings the very cryptic narrator to life. The near whispering and often gloating tones Rand ascribes to Cypher are pretty perfect, and I felt he captured this mythical and notorious trickster perfectly. His portrayal adds a lot of depth to Cypher’s appearance in this audiobook, especially as he also covers the evident regret and occasional sad despondency that Cypher experiences as he manipulates events, which makes you grow attached to the figure, even though he could be faking it. At the same time, the rest of the cool cast, including the proud Custodes, the vengeful Dark Angels and the lost members of the Fallen, are also portrayed extremely well. Rand gives each of them very fitting voices and you cannot help but feel their relative emotions of duty, resolve and occasional despair that follow. This was a masterful bit of voice work by Rand, and he really helps to turn this format into the ultimate way to enjoy the exceptional Cypher: Lord of the Fallen.

Overall, Cypher: Lord of the Fallen is an outstanding and epic piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction that I cannot recommend enough. John French did a remarkable job bringing together a novel that perfectly portrays and encapsulates one of the most mysterious and beloved figures in the canon, and shows him at his manipulating best. Featuring a unique and enjoyable writing style, as well as a ton of hints for established Warhammer 40,000 fans, Cypher: Lord of the Fallen was one of my favourite Warhammer books of the year and is really worth checking out, especially in its audiobook format.

Warhammer 40,000: Longshot by Rob Young

On September 17, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer11 Comments

Longshot Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 12 August 2023)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 10 hours and 28 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Prepare to dive into one of the grittiest battles in Warhammer 40,000 fiction with the awesome and captivating novel, Longshot by Rob Young.

2023 has definitely been an outstanding year for Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and I have had a ton of fun reading several pretty amazing entries from this extended universe in recent months. Examples of this include The Lion: Son of the Forest, Warboss, Shadowsun: The Patient Hunter, Leviathan and The King of the Spoil just to name a few. However, the year is far from over and there are still several great-sounding Warhammer 40,000 novels coming out that I have my eyes on. One of the more intriguing was the fantastic Longshot by new author Rob Young, which sounded extremely fun. Longshot, which follows on from Young’s short stories, Transplants and Memories of Broken Glass, is the author’s debut Warhammer 40,000 novel, and it proved to be a very intense and action-packed novel with a great story.

Several years after the fall of Cadia, which saw the Imperium of Man split in two by a great rift in space, humanity is still attempting to recover as many lost planets and systems as possible. The latest target of the relentless Indomitus Crusade sees the troops of the Cadian 217^th arrive at the former manufactorium world of Attruso, whose people have fallen under the sway of the seeming beatific alien t’au.

As the initial assault begins in the battered city of Miracil, the Cadian forces struggle to make progress against the determined t’au defenders and their human auxiliaries. As the fighting gets even more desperate, the tides of war soon place the keys to victory into the hands of Sergeant Darya Nevic and her squad of snipers. Nevic is a legendary figure within the 217^th, a transplant from a non-Cadian regiment renown for her abilities of infiltration, assassination and survival, Nevic excels at disrupting the enemy from the top down. However, when the t’au unleash their own deadly sniper against the Cadians, Nevic is forced into a battle of wits with a killer just as skilled and ruthless as she is. But has Nevic finally come across a foe even she can’t best, especially as she begins to doubt her mission in the face of her own infamy, the lies of her commanders and the t’au’s insidious promises?

Longshot is an awesome and fast-paced novel that perfectly showcases the horror of war in this grim universe through the lens of a skilled sniper. Young did an outstanding job with his debut novel and I loved the intriguing and powerful narrative that placed great characters into a deadly setting. I managed to knock this book off in a couple of days, and it is one of the most exciting and fun Warhammer 40,000 novels of 2023 so far.

I loved the complex and intense story that Young pulled together for Longshot, which perfectly presents a tale of the common soldier in the grim Warhammer 40,000 universe. I have often said that some of the very best Warhammer 40,000 novels are those that focus on the common human soldier facing off against alien or inhuman forces (for example, Steel Tread, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books or Catachan Devil). Longshot is a very good example of this as you follow a tired soldier as she faces internal and external threats on the frontline of a desperate conflict. Thanks to its focus on snipers, city fighting, camaraderie and propaganda, Longshot is honestly the Warhammer 40,000 version of Enemy at the Gates, which I deeply enjoyed. The reader really gets invested in the protagonist’s journey which follows her through some fantastic missions, battles and character growth in the first half of the novel. This leads to a great second half, where Nevic becomes a victim of her own success and is forced to go up against a deadly enemy sniper. Due to everything the protagonist experiences, there is some real tension leading into the final third of Longshot, especially after she experiences some terrible losses. Thanks to the protagonists’ conflicted state, you honestly don’t know how the story is going to turn, and Young loads up some great twists and swerves. While the ending was a tad predictable, I really enjoyed it and the author really pulled together a satisfying and exciting read that you can really power through.

This ended up being a pretty addictive standalone book, and it is one that would definitely serve as a great introductory novel to Warhammer 40,000 fiction for those readers unfamiliar with the franchise. Young does a great job of expanding his previous short stories into his first full-length novel, and you really get to grips quickly with the situation, the characters, and the wider universe. The sharp and intense character-driven story which primarily focuses on the protagonist, Darya Nevic, with a few chapters shown from other key character perspective, has a lot of great elements to it. The focus on character motivation, the depravities of war, and the grim realities of the background universe really cut through the main story, and you understand the difficulties that many of the conflicted characters experience. The subsequent focuses on morale in battle and the impacts of propaganda and manipulation also proves to be very fascinating and adds a great edge to Longshot. I also deeply appreciated how well Young built up his main protagonist throughout the course of Longshot, diving into Nevic’s complex history and examining how she gained her legend. You grow quite attached to Nevic as the book continues, especially she is forced to make several difficult decisions, and Young turns her into a relatable and understandable figure, especially when it comes to her conflicted feelings about her fame and leadership. Nevic is well supported by other great characters, and Young was able to establish and utilise these figures in a short amount of time.

The real highlight of Longshot is the awesome and well-written action sequences that dominate the book and constantly keep the reader on their toes. Young paints an effective and dark picture of brutal city fighting, and you can tell he was using the battle of Stalingrad as inspiration. The gritty battles that take place are very exciting and powerful, and you can really feel the desperation and weariness of the combatants. The author proves particularly adept at writing high-quality sniper scenes, and the focus on shooting, infiltration and calculated strikes makes Longshot stand out from other battle-heavy Warhammer 40,000 novels. This ended up being a very slick and addictive read and Young proved quite skilled at getting his fantastic story across to the reader in the most effective way.

Well-established fans of Warhammer 40,000 canon will really appreciate Young’s compelling and insightful look into two distinctive factions who provide a very interesting contrast to each other. This includes the members of the Cadians, one of the most iconic Imperial Guard factions in the game. While the Cadians are already pretty heavily featured in Warhammer 40,000 fiction, I felt that Young provided a particularly effective dive into their current problems, namely the gradual deaths of the natural-born members of the regiment and their replacement by transplants from other regiments. Thanks to the focus on Nevic, herself a transplant from another regiment, you see the dire internal conflict this causes as the strongly traditional Cadian regiment begin to lose their identity after the loss of their planet. Young does a wonderful job of expressing this throughout the course of Longshot and the resultant impacts this has on the characters makes for some interesting story moments. I also quite enjoyed seeing several outsider perspectives of the Cadians that Young worked into the story, which often contrasts well with what the Cadian protagonists feel, and it makes for some fantastic story moments. The author also examines other fascinating elements of the Imperial war machine, such as the exhausting Indomitus Crusade, the current crumbling state of the Imperium, the way other supporting regiments are treated, and the internal propaganda and planning of the regiment.

While the Cadians do get most of the story focus in Longshot, Young does take the time to also dive into the alien t’au who serve as the main antagonists of the plot. Most Warhammer 40,000 novels that have the t’au as antagonists often nerf or underutilise them to a degree (for example Kill Team or Deathwatch: Shadowbreaker), which is frustrating for fans of the faction. However, Young effectively showcases the t’au as skilled and deadly enemies who are able to weather the Imperial forces and overwhelm them in several key theatres. Young has fun bringing several key t’au units to life throughout the course of Longshot and you really start to appreciate them as effective opponents to the Cadians. There is also an interesting examination of t’au motivations, philosophies and manipulations, specifically around their recruitment of human auxiliaries. This compelling dive into the t’au muddies the moral waters around the protagonists and the Cadians, and you soon start to question who has the best interest of the people of Attruso at heart. This, and other intriguing similarities to the human soldiers, adds an awesome edge of consideration and concern to the story that I quite enjoyed. I really think that Young had some of the better portrayals of the Cadians and the t’au I have so far seen in Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and fans of the franchise are going to have a wonderful time diving into that in this book.

Unsurprisingly, I chose to check out Longshot on audiobook, which in my opinion the best way to enjoy a Warhammer 40,000 novel. Longshot is a particularly good example of this, as the audiobook format really helped to move the already exciting novel along at a fast clip, especially when the action scenes are brought to life by the narrator. Coming in at around 10 and a half hours, this is very easy audiobook to get through quickly, and I made sure to power through it in only a few days. It helped that this book was narrated by the very talented Colleen Prendergast, who already has a bit of experience narrating Warhammer novels featuring the Cadians. Prendergast did a wonderful job bringing all the major characters to life, especially the main protagonist of Darya Nevic, and I loved the elaborate and fitting voices that she gifted the cast which really helped to draw you into the story. However, the real benefit of Prendergast’s narration is the way that she walks the listener through all the elaborate battle sequences, especially those that show the snipers facing off against each other. I felt that this narration expertly captured all the inherent intensity and danger of these scenes and I got really invested into the book as a result. Thanks to this amazing narration and story enhancement, I would strongly recommend checking out Longshot on audiobook and I know I had a lot more fun thanks to this amazing format.

Overall, Longshot is an awesome and compelling addition to the Warhammer 40,000 canon and one that I had a ton of fun with. Young produced a powerful and intriguing character driven war story that will appeal to a wide audience of readers, especially with its fantastic focus on sniping and some of the more fascinating elements of Warhammer lore. I deeply enjoyed this fantastic novel and Longshot comes highly recommended.