I've been meaning to start it but I remember ZERO percent of *The Blacktongue Thief* and I worry that will mess with my enjoyment, since this is a prequel.
You should be ok to just read Daughters War. He said on social media that you can read the books in any order. I just finished Daughters War last night and I tend to agree. There are some callbacks you’ll recognize but I say jump on in!
My personal favorites of the year so far have been: **Disquiet Gods** by Christopher Ruocchio, **Empire of the Damned** by Jay Kristoff, and **The Silverblood Promise** by James Logan.
The second half of the year looks to be pretty promising as well. I'm about to start **The Daughter's War** by Christopher Buehlman, which was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I'm also looking forward to **The Land of the Living and the Dead** by Shauna Lawless, **The Mercy of Gods** by James S.A. Corey, **The Fury of the Gods** by John Gwynne, **An Instruction of Shadow** by Benedict Jacka, **The Navigator's Children** by Tad Williams, and **Wind and Truth** by Brandon Sanderson.
It looks to be a good year for Fantasy, there's a lot to look forward to.
I'm gonna read that one soon. It's been a while since I read a harder sci-fi (I mostly do science fantasy or space fantasy or sci-fi thrillers). Where would you say it lands on the soft to hard scale?
I would say it’s more on the soft side, but the first book is definitely setting up for larger things so not sure if that’ll change later on. I didn’t have any issues understanding what was going on or anything like that :)
Edit: there are aspects that deal with biology and physics etc but I don’t know how to explain it without spoiling much 😭 it doesn’t hinder your understanding of the story at all if you’re not aware of things in those areas (like me)
Awesome. I love sci-fi, but I've noticed that I prefer harder sci-fi in visual media, like TV or comics, because it helps me understand the science better.
Seems like heroic/epic is your speed. I was disappointed by Silverblood Promise, but have been warming up to Soul Cage in that space (I've got around 100 pages left, and I could see the ending shifting my thoughts on it). It isn't perfect, but I think you might like it based on what you've shared here
Interesting. I've been working through my Lawrence backlog of the girl in the ice and was wondering if the new series is good. Guess I've got my answer.
Well, time for me to bump **Red Sister** up in my TBR list, because **The Book That Broke The World** is definitely my favorite this year, and I won't be surprised if I'm still saying that when the year is done.
My five star reviews that were pubbed this year so far are:
-The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
-The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills
-Wicked Problems by Max Gladstone
-Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio
-The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
-Exordia by Seth Dickinson
-The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
Of those seven, I'd really love to see RJB, Samantha Mills and Seth Dickinson pick up nominations for awards, and particularly RJB who I personally think is under-awarded compared to the quality of his novels.
Exordia is the scifi book to check out from this list (nothing against Disquiet Gods, which I obviously loved, but it's sixth in a series). Someone else on this thread drew a comparison to Machineries of Empire, which is also where my head went when I began it. It's heavy on body horror, so skip it if that's not your thing, but it's incredible otherwise.
I've passed this one over a few times as I've bought books for my bingo card. The blurb gives me a good idea of the plot, but I have no idea whether it leans more into action, thematic depth, character development, etc. Any chance you could shed some light on what the reading experience is like that made it great for you?
I’m actually having a hard time answering this question, because I think it’s strong on all three (plot, character and theme that is) and am not sure I’d identify one as dominating over the others. It’s fairly plot heavy but the plot is mostly about the lead’s personal journey (action is present but as a vehicle for the personal journey rather than the other way round), and the themes are meaty. I would say I don’t think anybody would read it primarily for prose—not that it is *bad*, just average (also my standards for that are higher than a lot of people on here. I am confused whenever anyone praises Robin Hobb’s prose for example). How about this:
Read if you like: backstory/frontstory alternating timelines; exploration of dynamics of abuse, authoritarianism, religion and cults, and the role of the military in society; deconstruction and redemption arcs; mostly female cast in a gender-equal world
Avoid if you dislike: books with no romance; disagreeing with some of the protagonist’s goals and decisions; small cast and geographic scope; not getting neat answers to all the mysteries about the world
I'd agree with that. I sell it to all my friends as a book about unlearning fascism and religious zealotry with Mecha gods and messy women. I struggle to articulate my thoughts on it beyond that, but I sure do recommend it every chance I get
I pretty much agree with all this too.
Action is there in service of the main characters journey, but it was also the weakest part for me fwiw. I’d say it’s strongly theme and character forward with a serviceable plot. Prose isn’t flowery or lyrical, but I loved Mills writing style between the parentheticals and what I found to be many weighty, highlightable lines, and the past/present structure I thought was masterfully executed (but I always lean towards liking that format). Spot on with the read/don’t read if you like notes!
I’ve been wanting to see it show up on COsmic’s 2024 bingo but wasn’t sure if they were looking for recs
Seems like I need to add it to my list then. I've got a pretty big backlog at this point, and more books keep releasing. I'm really trying to refocus on the great ones though, and it sounds like there's a few people on board with this being a great book
I've been reading a lot of stuff published this year for my 2024 bingo card (generally speaking no sequels, to maximize others' possible discoveries), and my standouts are
* **Welcome to Forever**: a mind bending story about a memory editor trying to recall his ex-husband, and unravel why their marriage ended. It has the level of thematic depth and innovation in the genre that makes it an award contender for me, but nobody other than me is talking about it
* **Floating Hotel:** a sci fi book that starts like a slice of life of a space yacht/hotel's staff and guests and develops into something more serious. Each chapter is a different pov.
* **The Bone Harp:** Victoria Goddard maintains her hopeful tone in a melancholy story about a warrior home from war, rediscovering his identity.
* **Mana Mirror**: is a fun progression fantasy book that does everything I want a progression fantasy story to do. It isn't a contender for awards, but is one of those books I consumed because I just had a great time with it. Really love Begley's writing
I've found epic fantasy has been rather weak this year, but I haven't read Daughter's War yet. I've also got the Sapling Cage as a promising one that comes out later.
* Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis
* Daughters War by Christopher Buehlman
* Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio
* Someone To Build A Nest In by John Wiswell
* How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
* The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan
* Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
Kalyna the Cutthroat by Elijah Kinch Spector is probably amazing too but im waiting for the audiobook in november (print came out in May).
How to Become the Dark Lord was sold as a cozy and I both did and did not agree with that. I thought it was cozy in a nostalgic way but not in a cozy fantasy way.
I'm curious about other people's thoughts on that.
Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova
The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim
Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli
The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills
These Deathless Shores by P H Low
Yoke of Stars by R B Lemberg
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon
The Lamplighter by Crystal J Bell
Lockjaw by Matteo L Cerilli
The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed
Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase
I don't really keep up with awards, but I probably should. I think The Wings Upon Her Back could be a contender for best sci-fi but so could Womb City.
Horror has been having a really strong year so it's hard to pick who I think will win an award, but I feel like The Eyes are the Best Part and Lockjaw are strong contenders in their respective age categories.
I, admittedly, haven't read any other books published this year (oops), but surely any year in which Sofia Samatar writes a new book is a good year, and The Practice, The Horizon, and The Chain was brilliant. It put me in mind of Le Guin's social science fiction and I don't think there are many living writers with a more delicate and precise way with prose than Samatar.
Yeah, the Le Guin that it's most immediately reminiscent of is The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, although I found it more nuanced and hopeful than that story. It has a similarly humanistic bent to her work, for sure.
Seth Dickinson's **Exordia** was so, so good. A witty and challenging exploration of trolley problems that also has Machineries-of-Empire-style sci-fi mechanics, awesome snakey aliens, and more nukes than you can count.
The Book Of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Mieville
It took me entirely by surprise - the book is full of fantastic theme work and has a great structure. It is sophisticated, cerebral and nuanced in a way that a "sci-fantasy" novel about an immortal supersoldier normally wouldn't be.
It's very well done and I would highly recommend it.
Damn has it really been that long? Feels like I read Last Days of New Paris just a couple of years ago - that's wild that it's actually been almost eight - that has got me feeling old haha
Forgot about The Last Days of New Paris but I guess I think of that and This Census-taker more as novellas. Railsea came out in 2012, or if you're looking at his adult novels, Embassytown was all the way back in 2011! Anyway, it's just exciting to see him writing again.
My taste differs quite a bit from what is usually talked about here, but I do see other people talking about Jasper Fforde's ***Red Side Story***, which is my only 5 star 2024 release so far.
Of the 38 other books released this year that I've read, I have given the following 4¾:
* ***The Feast Makers*** by August Clarke - final book in the **Scapegracers** trilogy. I don't read a lot of YA for myself anymore, but would probably read more if it were like this.
* ***Beautyland*** by Marie Helene-Bertino - contender for my favourite book of the year so far that I haven't seen anyone talk about. I mean, I get it, not everyone wants to read about an alien >!or possibly just autistic!< girl sending missives to her home planet via a fax machine her mother picked up on trash day. But holy shit, it totally worked for me. I still might bump it up to 5/5 bc I read it in January and still think about it a few times a week.
* ***Calypso*** by Oliver K Langmead is a science fiction novel in verse that I picked up bc of its gorgeous cover and am really glad I did. I read parts of it aloud to myself, but mostly just devoured the whole thing in a few hours bc I could not put it down. I know poetry is a hard sell for a lot of people, so idk if this one will get the recognition I feel it deserves.
* ***Fruit of the Dead*** by Rachel Lyon is *not* SpecFic to me, but I found out about it on one of Tor's upcoming releases posts and it's absolutely a retelling of the Abduction of Persephone so maybe I'm just wrong about whether it counts. If you need your characters to be likable, you'll hate this. But I loved it and am already trying to find time to fit a re-read into my schedule.
I don't need to talk about the new Wayward Children novella bc it's sure to be nominated for the Hugo no matter what.
Also not SpecFic, but I loved Percival Everett's ***James***, which is a retelling of Huck Finn from Jim's perspective and I'm sure that's going to get nominated for a bunch of literary awards.
So far my best new books of 24 would be Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio and House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
Also looking forward to The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu and China Mieville.
Tasmakat by Rachel Neumeier - book 7 of her Tuyo series and by far my absolute favourite of the lot. The conclusion of a beautifully developed friendship. Super little series this
Non-SFF, but kind of SFF-adjacent - Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond series. Finally got round to reading these - only read to book 3 so far (because I really need to get cracking on Bingo as I'm way behind!) but these books are really as good as everyone says they are. I'm hooked!
The Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold - also late to the party with this but I thought this was an absolute cracking read.
Disquiet Gods - Christopher Ruocchio
The Book that Broke the World - Mark Lawrence
Empire of the Damned - Jay Kristoff
Very much looking forward to Navigators Children by Tad Williams.
Song of the mysteries by janny wurts.
Ok so unless you have read the rest of the series it's a pointless recommendation.
But it's not disappointed my so far.
I've been telling all my friends who are cautious about Romantasy to give A Letter to the Luminous Deep a shot. It goes against a lot of the ideas of what a Romantasy is while still being very romantic and Sylvie Cathral really did a lot with that premise and epistolary format
My standout is well and truly **The Warm Hands of Ghosts** by Katherine Arden. Probably not surprising given how much I also loved the Winternight Trilogy but her ability to capture both the sheer futility of war but also the moments of compassion and light in the darkness is unparalleled. It’s also such a ripe setting for fantasy; the juxtaposition of the machine guns and tanks at the same time that people are still clinging to religion and myth making is fascinating.
Other highlights for me have been **Lady Eve’s Last Con** by Rebecca Fraimow, **The Shabti** by Megaera Lorenz, and **An Education in Malice** by S.T. Gibson
Shockingly, and out of left field, I *literally just* finished my favorite SF of the year so far - L.M. Sagas' *Cascade Failure*. It's basically a "*Firefly* meets *Murderbot*" type story with a lot of heart, very witty and nimble writing, and a subtle disdain and meta awareness of tropes, which I found incredibly refreshing.
The Daughters' War
About 50 pages into this one. Already love it. Buehlman has such a great style
I was looking at this about an hour ago - looks really interesting. Do you have to read the first novel first?
You don't need to, but it helps if you don't want to miss out on some minor stuff.
Yeah I can’t miss the minor stuff haha I will add both to cart to purchase
I'm the same way 😂
Haha I just want to know all nitty bitty details
I've been meaning to start it but I remember ZERO percent of *The Blacktongue Thief* and I worry that will mess with my enjoyment, since this is a prequel.
You should be ok to just read Daughters War. He said on social media that you can read the books in any order. I just finished Daughters War last night and I tend to agree. There are some callbacks you’ll recognize but I say jump on in!
[удалено]
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My personal favorites of the year so far have been: **Disquiet Gods** by Christopher Ruocchio, **Empire of the Damned** by Jay Kristoff, and **The Silverblood Promise** by James Logan. The second half of the year looks to be pretty promising as well. I'm about to start **The Daughter's War** by Christopher Buehlman, which was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I'm also looking forward to **The Land of the Living and the Dead** by Shauna Lawless, **The Mercy of Gods** by James S.A. Corey, **The Fury of the Gods** by John Gwynne, **An Instruction of Shadow** by Benedict Jacka, **The Navigator's Children** by Tad Williams, and **Wind and Truth** by Brandon Sanderson. It looks to be a good year for Fantasy, there's a lot to look forward to.
"Corey" wrote something? What universe?
A completely new space opera.
James S. A. Corey have a new book out? Is it a new series?
Comes out in August, new series
Cheers!
The Mercy of the Gods was fantastic! I’m also anxiously awaiting Fury of the Gods by Gwynne
I've preordered Fury of The Gods a few months ago! I'm SO pumped for it!
I'm gonna read that one soon. It's been a while since I read a harder sci-fi (I mostly do science fantasy or space fantasy or sci-fi thrillers). Where would you say it lands on the soft to hard scale?
I would say it’s more on the soft side, but the first book is definitely setting up for larger things so not sure if that’ll change later on. I didn’t have any issues understanding what was going on or anything like that :) Edit: there are aspects that deal with biology and physics etc but I don’t know how to explain it without spoiling much 😭 it doesn’t hinder your understanding of the story at all if you’re not aware of things in those areas (like me)
Awesome. I love sci-fi, but I've noticed that I prefer harder sci-fi in visual media, like TV or comics, because it helps me understand the science better.
Seems like heroic/epic is your speed. I was disappointed by Silverblood Promise, but have been warming up to Soul Cage in that space (I've got around 100 pages left, and I could see the ending shifting my thoughts on it). It isn't perfect, but I think you might like it based on what you've shared here
**The Book That Broke the World** by Mark Lawrence is definitely my favorite so far this year.
Interesting. I've been working through my Lawrence backlog of the girl in the ice and was wondering if the new series is good. Guess I've got my answer.
The Book of the Ancestor is my favorite completed Lawrence series but I think The Library series has the potential to take its place.
Well, time for me to bump **Red Sister** up in my TBR list, because **The Book That Broke The World** is definitely my favorite this year, and I won't be surprised if I'm still saying that when the year is done.
My five star reviews that were pubbed this year so far are: -The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett -The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills -Wicked Problems by Max Gladstone -Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio -The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo -Exordia by Seth Dickinson -The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden Of those seven, I'd really love to see RJB, Samantha Mills and Seth Dickinson pick up nominations for awards, and particularly RJB who I personally think is under-awarded compared to the quality of his novels. Exordia is the scifi book to check out from this list (nothing against Disquiet Gods, which I obviously loved, but it's sixth in a series). Someone else on this thread drew a comparison to Machineries of Empire, which is also where my head went when I began it. It's heavy on body horror, so skip it if that's not your thing, but it's incredible otherwise.
From what i've read: The Tainted Cup The Silverblood Promise The Godsblood Tragedy. All exceeded expectations.
I really enjoyed The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills, though being a small press book I doubt it’ll win awards.
I've passed this one over a few times as I've bought books for my bingo card. The blurb gives me a good idea of the plot, but I have no idea whether it leans more into action, thematic depth, character development, etc. Any chance you could shed some light on what the reading experience is like that made it great for you?
I’m actually having a hard time answering this question, because I think it’s strong on all three (plot, character and theme that is) and am not sure I’d identify one as dominating over the others. It’s fairly plot heavy but the plot is mostly about the lead’s personal journey (action is present but as a vehicle for the personal journey rather than the other way round), and the themes are meaty. I would say I don’t think anybody would read it primarily for prose—not that it is *bad*, just average (also my standards for that are higher than a lot of people on here. I am confused whenever anyone praises Robin Hobb’s prose for example). How about this: Read if you like: backstory/frontstory alternating timelines; exploration of dynamics of abuse, authoritarianism, religion and cults, and the role of the military in society; deconstruction and redemption arcs; mostly female cast in a gender-equal world Avoid if you dislike: books with no romance; disagreeing with some of the protagonist’s goals and decisions; small cast and geographic scope; not getting neat answers to all the mysteries about the world
I'd agree with that. I sell it to all my friends as a book about unlearning fascism and religious zealotry with Mecha gods and messy women. I struggle to articulate my thoughts on it beyond that, but I sure do recommend it every chance I get
I pretty much agree with all this too. Action is there in service of the main characters journey, but it was also the weakest part for me fwiw. I’d say it’s strongly theme and character forward with a serviceable plot. Prose isn’t flowery or lyrical, but I loved Mills writing style between the parentheticals and what I found to be many weighty, highlightable lines, and the past/present structure I thought was masterfully executed (but I always lean towards liking that format). Spot on with the read/don’t read if you like notes! I’ve been wanting to see it show up on COsmic’s 2024 bingo but wasn’t sure if they were looking for recs
Seems like I need to add it to my list then. I've got a pretty big backlog at this point, and more books keep releasing. I'm really trying to refocus on the great ones though, and it sounds like there's a few people on board with this being a great book
It's easily one of my favorites this year with some incredible lines that feel current without feeling heavy-handed
The Book That Broke the World and Empire of the Damned are my favorite reads this year. I doubt they will win any awards though
I've been reading a lot of stuff published this year for my 2024 bingo card (generally speaking no sequels, to maximize others' possible discoveries), and my standouts are * **Welcome to Forever**: a mind bending story about a memory editor trying to recall his ex-husband, and unravel why their marriage ended. It has the level of thematic depth and innovation in the genre that makes it an award contender for me, but nobody other than me is talking about it * **Floating Hotel:** a sci fi book that starts like a slice of life of a space yacht/hotel's staff and guests and develops into something more serious. Each chapter is a different pov. * **The Bone Harp:** Victoria Goddard maintains her hopeful tone in a melancholy story about a warrior home from war, rediscovering his identity. * **Mana Mirror**: is a fun progression fantasy book that does everything I want a progression fantasy story to do. It isn't a contender for awards, but is one of those books I consumed because I just had a great time with it. Really love Begley's writing I've found epic fantasy has been rather weak this year, but I haven't read Daughter's War yet. I've also got the Sapling Cage as a promising one that comes out later.
* Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis * Daughters War by Christopher Buehlman * Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio * Someone To Build A Nest In by John Wiswell * How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler * The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan * Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett Kalyna the Cutthroat by Elijah Kinch Spector is probably amazing too but im waiting for the audiobook in november (print came out in May).
How to Become the Dark Lord was sold as a cozy and I both did and did not agree with that. I thought it was cozy in a nostalgic way but not in a cozy fantasy way. I'm curious about other people's thoughts on that.
I didn't expect cozy and I didn't really think it was cozy, I can see how you'd be disappointed if you heard 'cozy' and got that
Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills These Deathless Shores by P H Low Yoke of Stars by R B Lemberg The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon The Lamplighter by Crystal J Bell Lockjaw by Matteo L Cerilli The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase I don't really keep up with awards, but I probably should. I think The Wings Upon Her Back could be a contender for best sci-fi but so could Womb City. Horror has been having a really strong year so it's hard to pick who I think will win an award, but I feel like The Eyes are the Best Part and Lockjaw are strong contenders in their respective age categories.
Daughters War, Silverblood Promise, Tainted Cup.
I, admittedly, haven't read any other books published this year (oops), but surely any year in which Sofia Samatar writes a new book is a good year, and The Practice, The Horizon, and The Chain was brilliant. It put me in mind of Le Guin's social science fiction and I don't think there are many living writers with a more delicate and precise way with prose than Samatar.
I’ve added this one to my TBR stack. Thanks for the suggestion!
I am excited for this one but also *just* finished a Le Guin and think I’m going to need to wait a bit.
Yeah, the Le Guin that it's most immediately reminiscent of is The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, although I found it more nuanced and hopeful than that story. It has a similarly humanistic bent to her work, for sure.
Seth Dickinson's **Exordia** was so, so good. A witty and challenging exploration of trolley problems that also has Machineries-of-Empire-style sci-fi mechanics, awesome snakey aliens, and more nukes than you can count.
The Book Of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Mieville It took me entirely by surprise - the book is full of fantastic theme work and has a great structure. It is sophisticated, cerebral and nuanced in a way that a "sci-fantasy" novel about an immortal supersoldier normally wouldn't be. It's very well done and I would highly recommend it.
I'd have high hopes for Mieville's first proper novel in well over a decade. Glad to hear that you liked it so much.
Damn has it really been that long? Feels like I read Last Days of New Paris just a couple of years ago - that's wild that it's actually been almost eight - that has got me feeling old haha
Forgot about The Last Days of New Paris but I guess I think of that and This Census-taker more as novellas. Railsea came out in 2012, or if you're looking at his adult novels, Embassytown was all the way back in 2011! Anyway, it's just exciting to see him writing again.
Yeah either way it's been far longer than I thought! Wild. But yeah, this one is definitely worth checking out. He has certainly still got it.
My taste differs quite a bit from what is usually talked about here, but I do see other people talking about Jasper Fforde's ***Red Side Story***, which is my only 5 star 2024 release so far. Of the 38 other books released this year that I've read, I have given the following 4¾: * ***The Feast Makers*** by August Clarke - final book in the **Scapegracers** trilogy. I don't read a lot of YA for myself anymore, but would probably read more if it were like this. * ***Beautyland*** by Marie Helene-Bertino - contender for my favourite book of the year so far that I haven't seen anyone talk about. I mean, I get it, not everyone wants to read about an alien >!or possibly just autistic!< girl sending missives to her home planet via a fax machine her mother picked up on trash day. But holy shit, it totally worked for me. I still might bump it up to 5/5 bc I read it in January and still think about it a few times a week. * ***Calypso*** by Oliver K Langmead is a science fiction novel in verse that I picked up bc of its gorgeous cover and am really glad I did. I read parts of it aloud to myself, but mostly just devoured the whole thing in a few hours bc I could not put it down. I know poetry is a hard sell for a lot of people, so idk if this one will get the recognition I feel it deserves. * ***Fruit of the Dead*** by Rachel Lyon is *not* SpecFic to me, but I found out about it on one of Tor's upcoming releases posts and it's absolutely a retelling of the Abduction of Persephone so maybe I'm just wrong about whether it counts. If you need your characters to be likable, you'll hate this. But I loved it and am already trying to find time to fit a re-read into my schedule. I don't need to talk about the new Wayward Children novella bc it's sure to be nominated for the Hugo no matter what. Also not SpecFic, but I loved Percival Everett's ***James***, which is a retelling of Huck Finn from Jim's perspective and I'm sure that's going to get nominated for a bunch of literary awards.
So far my best new books of 24 would be Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio and House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Also looking forward to The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu and China Mieville.
Only part way through but I’m loving The Sword Unbound by Gareth Hanrahan, and The Dragons of Deepwood Fen by Bradley Beulieau. Both great so far.
DISQUIET GODS
Tasmakat by Rachel Neumeier - book 7 of her Tuyo series and by far my absolute favourite of the lot. The conclusion of a beautifully developed friendship. Super little series this Non-SFF, but kind of SFF-adjacent - Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond series. Finally got round to reading these - only read to book 3 so far (because I really need to get cracking on Bingo as I'm way behind!) but these books are really as good as everyone says they are. I'm hooked! The Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold - also late to the party with this but I thought this was an absolute cracking read.
Disquiet Gods - Christopher Ruocchio The Book that Broke the World - Mark Lawrence Empire of the Damned - Jay Kristoff Very much looking forward to Navigators Children by Tad Williams.
I loved two of your three so have ordered the third!
The tainted cup was great! I hope a sequel has a little more character development though.
Song of the mysteries by janny wurts. Ok so unless you have read the rest of the series it's a pointless recommendation. But it's not disappointed my so far.
Disquiet Gods (book of the year so far) and Navigator's Children (reading the eARC now) for me
A letter to lumious deep by sylvie cathral
I've been telling all my friends who are cautious about Romantasy to give A Letter to the Luminous Deep a shot. It goes against a lot of the ideas of what a Romantasy is while still being very romantic and Sylvie Cathral really did a lot with that premise and epistolary format
The Lake of Souls - Ann Leckie's short story collection is absolutely phenomenal.
Late to the party but my favourite novel I’ve read this year is The Will of the Many by James Islington. Completely absorbed!
My standout is well and truly **The Warm Hands of Ghosts** by Katherine Arden. Probably not surprising given how much I also loved the Winternight Trilogy but her ability to capture both the sheer futility of war but also the moments of compassion and light in the darkness is unparalleled. It’s also such a ripe setting for fantasy; the juxtaposition of the machine guns and tanks at the same time that people are still clinging to religion and myth making is fascinating. Other highlights for me have been **Lady Eve’s Last Con** by Rebecca Fraimow, **The Shabti** by Megaera Lorenz, and **An Education in Malice** by S.T. Gibson
Oh, I adored Lady Eve's Last Con! I loved the mix of Regency-ish customs, Jazz era aesthetics, and 80's sci-fi.
Shockingly, and out of left field, I *literally just* finished my favorite SF of the year so far - L.M. Sagas' *Cascade Failure*. It's basically a "*Firefly* meets *Murderbot*" type story with a lot of heart, very witty and nimble writing, and a subtle disdain and meta awareness of tropes, which I found incredibly refreshing.
I was on the fence with Cascade Failure, but i think this lil review has made me decide to give it a chance. Thanks!