The Lesser Devil by Christopher Ruocchio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Sun Eater (Book #1.5 of 7)
Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Science Fantasy
Pages: 205 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 14th April 2020 (Self-Published)
The Lesser Devil is an action-packed spin-off novel that offers readers the chance for a more extensive dive into the mind of Crispin Marlowe.
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This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on Empire of Silence.
Cover art illustrated by Sam Weber
Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Sun Eater (Book #1 of 7)
Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Science Fantasy
Pages: 612 pages (Hardcover edition)
Published: 3rd July 2018 by DAW Books
This was an absolutely stunning, ambitious, and well-written debut novel. From the first page to the last, Empire of Silence is an unputdownable new addition to my list of favorite books.
“It is a mistake to believe we must know a thing to be influenced by it. It is a mistake to believe the thing must even be real.”
ARC provided by the publisher—Saga Press—in exchange for an honest review.
The Will of the Many by James Islington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Hierarchy (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Science Fantasy
Pages: 640 pages (Hardcover edition)
Word Count: 240,000 words
Published: 23rd May 2023 by Saga Press
This is not an exaggeration. The Will of the Many by James Islington is the best fantasy book with a magical school trope I’ve ever read since The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
“The power to protect is the highest of responsibilities… When a man is given it, his duty is not only to the people he thinks are worthy.”
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art by: Damonza
Dark Theory by Wick Welker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Dark Law (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Science Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic
Pages: 796 pages (Kindle Edition)
Published: 17th April 2022 by Wick Welker (Self-Published)
Dark Theory is an ambitious and imaginative blend of fantasy and hard science fiction.
“You get a little older—either wiser or dimmer, not sure—and you realize the questions don’t matter. It’s what you do with the mystery that matters.”
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Founders Trilogy (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Science Fantasy, Urban High Fantasy, Science Fiction
Pages: 512 pages (Hardcover)
Published: 1st August 2018 by Crown (US) & Jo Fletcher (UK)
Thrillingly fun and highly imaginative, Foundryside is one of the most promising starts to a series I have read.
ARC was provided by the publisher—Del Rey—in exchange for an honest review.
Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Founders Trilogy (Book #3 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Science Fantasy, Urban High Fantasy, Science Fiction
Pages: 560 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 28th June 2022 by Del Rey (US) & Jo Fletcher (UK)
Locklands is a truly inventive, emotional, genre-blending, and reality-defying finish to The Founders Trilogy.
“We’re all the result of countless actions and choices made throughout the centuries, and the odds of those actions and choices going the exact same way again are basically nil.”
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Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Acts of Caine (Book #1 of 4)
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Grimdark, Grimdark science fantasy, Dystopia
Pages: 627 pages (Kindle edition)
Published: 21st July 1998 by Del Rey (US) and 27th May 2013 by Orbit (UK)
It’s unbelievable that this insanely terrific story is hidden behind this horrific cover art. Heroes Die was absolutely bloody and glorious.
“Does it matter? When you tell a story loud enough and long enough, a story that plays right into people’s worst fears of betrayal, it grows its own truth.”
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Review copy provided by the publisher—Tor.com—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover illustrated by: Tommy Arnold
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Locked Tomb (Book #2 of 3)
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fantasy, Space Opera
Pages: 512 pages (Hardback)
Published: 4th August 2020 by Tor.com
Harrow the Ninth was insanely confusing, and I am both annoyed and impressed at the same time. …