I set myself a reading goal of 75 books for last year, and managed 73. I’m not overly happy about that, there were months where I barely managed to read anything
The full list, with Amazon links is at the end of this post, I’ll mention a few of the standout books first.
Dust and Light, and its sequel Ash and Silver
A novel magic system, complex politics, a war, an ancient mystery and the main character is slap in the middle of all of them, and he doesn’t remember why.
An interesting theme in these is on memory and what we are if our memory is stripped away.
Near-future Scotland. The book starts with a bank robbery, and the suspects are a bunch of orcs and a dragon. The robbery occurred in a persistent, online world, and the police are a little out of their depth. It gets more complicated from there.
A beautifully written story of the land of Arbonne, land of troubadours and joglars and courtly love, worshipping a goddess and ruled by a Queen; and a land to the north where only the warrior god is worshipped and the king and high priest have sworn to conquer Arbonne.
The first story of the Commonwealth saga, a futuristic society where space travel is almost unknown as wormholes link the worlds of the commonwealth together, and where people can live forever thanks to memory implants and rejuvenation techniques.
It all starts when an astronomer observes a star disappearing, enveloped in an instant by some form of Dyson sphere.
The last in the sequel series to Mistborn, we return to the world of Allomancy and mists. It’s hundreds of years after the end of “Hero of Ages”, the world is in an early Industrial Age.
This book completes the adventures of Wax and Wayne, started in Allow of Law and continued in Shadows of Self.
City of Stairs and its sequel City of Blades
Another completely different fantasy setting. For centuries the Divinities had ruled and protected the continent, their miracles feeding the people, protecting them, etc. Then on one day, the Divinities were killed and civilisation on the continent collapsed.
Almost 100 years later strange things with a divine feel to them are happening and must be investigated.
A book full of strange questions and well-researched answers, such as “What would happen if the Earth stopped spinning?” (Hint: Bad things would happen), or “What would happen if you tried to hit a baseball travelling at 90 percent of the speed of light?” (Hint: Bad things would happen).
It’s hilarious, it’s well-researched, it’s fantastic.
Full list:
Dust and Light: A Sanctuary Novel by Carol Berg
Skin Game: A Novel of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Sacrifice (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 5) by Karen Traviss
Inferno (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 6) by Troy Denning
Fury (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 7) by Aaron Allston
Revelation (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 8) by Karen Traviss
The Republic of Thieves (Gentleman Bastards) by Scott Lynch
Ash and Silver: A Sanctuary Novel by Carol Berg
Arthur (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 3) by Stephen R. Lawhead
City of Stairs (The Divine Cities) by Robert Jackson Bennett
This May Go On Your Permanent Record by Kelly Swails
Words of Radiance: Part Two (The Stormlight Archive) by Brandon Sanderson
Rookie Privateer (Privateer Tales) (Volume 1) by Jamie McFarlane
Invincible (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 9) by Troy Denning
Shattered: The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne
White Tiger (Dark Heavens, Book 1) by Kylie Chan
Something More Than Night by Ian Tregillis
Crown of Renewal (Legend of Paksenarrion) by Elizabeth Moon
Halting State (Ace Science Fiction) by Charles Stross
The Crimson Campaign (The Powder Mage Trilogy) by Brian McClellan
The Long Way Down (Daniel Faust) (Volume 1) by Craig Schaefer
London Falling by Paul Cornell
Learning R by Richard Cotton
Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay
Pendragon (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 4) by Stephen R. Lawhead
The First Casualty by Mike Moscoe
Dragons In The Stars (Star Rigger) by Jeffrey A. Carver
Girl on the Moon by Jack McDonald Burnett
Skinwalker (Jane Yellowrock, Book 1) by Faith Hunter
Terms of Enlistment (Frontlines) by Marko Kloos
Rath’s Deception (The Janus Group) (Volume 1) by Piers Platt
Valour by John Gwynne
Death from the Skies!: The Science Behind the End of the World by Philip Plait Ph.D.
The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality by Brian Greene
Flex by Ferrett Steinmetz
Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide by Wizards RPG Team
Lines of Departure (Frontlines) by Marko Kloos
The Dark Ability (Volume 1) by D.K. Holmberg
Shadows of Self: A Mistborn Novel by Brandon Sanderson
ATLAS (ATLAS Series) by Isaac Hooke
Pandora’s Star (The Commonwealth Saga) by Peter F. Hamilton
Interim Errantry: Three Tales of the Young Wizards by Diane Duane
Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse Book 1) by James S.A. Corey
Path of Destruction (Star Wars: Darth Bane, Book 1) by Drew Karpyshyn
Manifold: Time by Stephen Baxter
The Bands of Mourning: A Mistborn Novel by Brandon Sanderson
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100 by Michio Kaku
Ruin (The Faithful and the Fallen) by John Gwynne
Virtual Destruction: Craig Kreident (Craig Kreident Thrillers) (Volume 1) by Kevin J Anderson, Doug Beason
Before the Awakening (Star Wars) by Greg Rucka
The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure by Jason Fry
Parley (Privateer Tales) (Volume 3) by Jamie McFarlane
Calamity (The Reckoners) by Brandon Sanderson
Grail (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 5) by Stephen R. Lawhead
Into the Black (Odyssey One) by Evan Currie
Avalon:: The Return of King Arthur by Stephen R. Lawhead
Meeting Infinity by Gregory Benford, James S.A. Corey, Madeline Ashby, Aliette de Bodard, Kameron Hurley, John Barnes, S
Desert Rising by Kelley Grant
Deepsix by Jack McDevitt
The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan
Child of the Daystar (The Wings of War Book 1) by Bryce O’Connor
The Terran Privateer (Duchy of Terra) (Volume 1) by Glynn Stewart
Throne Of Jade by Naomi Novik
Wireless by Charles Stross
Outriders by Jay Posey
The Vorrh by Brian Catling
The Engines Of God by Jack McDevitt
Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos by Michio Kaku
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
City of Blades (The Divine Cities) by Robert Jackson Bennett
To Hold the Bridge: Tales from the Old Kingdom and Beyond by Garath Nix
Footfall by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
Brandon Sanderson’s White Sand Volume 1 by Brandon Sanderson, Rik Hoskin
