4 Star Reviews
A Prince’s Errand: Tales of the Amulet, Book 1
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: An amazing opening to what is shaping up to be an awesome, old-school epic fantasy adventure. The pacing was great, the characters were intriguing, and the story has depth without drowning you. I can’t wait for Book 2.
Ashes of the Sun: Burningblade and Silvereye, Book 1
Rating: 4.75 Star
TLDR: An amazing opening to a unique, intriguing, and thoroughly entertaining new fantasy series. Pacing, characters, world-building, this novel has it all in spades.
A Thief’s Way: Companion Story to ‘A Prince’s Errand’ (Tales of the Amulet: Book 1).
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: A short story that complements the core novel very well. If you liked A Prince’s Errand, then I’d highly recommend listening to this one as well to get a brief adventure in thievery and a few gaps in the lore filled in.
Arcanist: Spellmonger, Book 12
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: Not a vast amount of true story progression happens in this latest addition to the Spellmonger saga. Another war and another chance for Minalan to defeat them with wit, cunning, and magic. If you’ve stuck with the series for twelve books now, then you’re here because you love the world Mancour has created and not for a blockbuster in every new book. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Barbarians at the Gates: The Decline and Fall of the Galactic Empire, Book 1
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: Starships, politics, and combat. A great listen for sci-fi fans who like to look further than the barrel of a gun.
Blood of Assassins: Wounded Kingdom, Book 2
Score: 4.0 Stars
TLDR: An older Girton is thrown back into the machinations of the kingdom, but this time around we get a lot more action than Book 1. A solid improvement and a solid book.
Blood of the Chosen: Burningblade and Silvereye, Book 2
Score: 4.5 Stars
TLDR: Great characters, great pacing, and a great addition to this fresh and engaging fantasy series.
Cold Iron: Masters & Mages, Book 1
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: An engrossing story with fantastic action and witty prose. If you like your fantasy to be so well crafted that you almost want to call it realistic, this is the book for you.
Crusade: Starfire, Book 2
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: A story driven, no nonsense military hard-sci-fi that throws you straight into the action. Don’t expect any cavernously deep character development or tantalisingly subtle plotlines. This is a brilliantly written story about a war in the stars, and I loved ever moment of it.
Dark Age: Red Rising, Book 5
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: Blood, guts, battles, and hardship. This book doesn’t let up and doesn’t disappoint, and if you’ve got the iron-will to make it through all the hardship, you’ll see the book for the amazing work it truly is.
Dark Forge: Masters and Mages, Book 2
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: An exciting and worthy sequel to Cold Iron, this time transporting us to distant and exotic lands to be beset by distant and exotic adversaries. Lots of battles, lots of scenery, lots of fun.
Emerald Sea: Council Wars, Book 2
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: Another great blend of fantasy and sci-fi elements both upon the waves and beneath them. A very odd ending though.
Empire of Silence: Sun Eater, Book 1
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: A wordy, tense, and intruiging hard sci-fi with brillaint characters and a deep plot. Not always an easy listen, but well worth the time.
Exodus & Extremis: Starfire, Books 5 & 6
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: Another war-focussed adventure as humanity and its allies face off against a new species that are both utterly alien and disturbingly similar. Book 1 lacks some of the punch I’ve come to expect from the series, but Book 2 certainly makes up for it.
Footwizard: Spellmonger, Book 13
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: We leave the usual giant clashes of armies and fates of nations for an old-school quest by Minalan and a few of his closest allies to a land without magic. This book answers a whole heap of burning questions that we’ve had and poses a few more. I loved every second of it.
Forgotten Ruin: Forgotten Ruin, Book 1
Rating: 4.25 Star
TLDR: Non-stop action as a detachment of US Rangers are stranded in a fantasy world and set about systematically killing every evil being that tries to stop them. Could be heavier on a bit of world-building but overall an extremely entertaining listen.
Grey Sister: Book of the Ancestor, Book 2
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: Our ninja nuns have done some growing up since the last book, as has the pacing of the novel. We get to see more of the world of Abeth as Nona and her friends battle through plots and intrigue in this surpassing sequel to Red Sister.
Hedgewitch: Spellmonger, Book 14
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: A Rondal and Pentandra book that fills in what occurred while Min and co were off galivanting around Anghysbel. Maybe not as gripping as some of the others in the series, but still a great listen to anyone as hooked on this series as I am. But as ever, you’ll need the context of the prior novels to get anything rewarding out of this book.
Hit and Fade: Forgotten Ruin, Book 2
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: Bullets, bravery, and a legion of the undead. A high-octane story as the Rangers thrown out of time face off against the living dead. Still lacking on the actual story/character development side, but an extremely fun listen all the same.
Holy Sister: Book of the Ancestor, Book 3
Score: 4.25 Stars
TLDR: A fantastic conclusion to a trilogy that has improved with each novel. Holy Sister is an action and emotionally packed finale where the characters we have come to love are fully realised and our expectations are fully surpassed.
Howling Darkness: Sun Eater, Book 2
Rating: 4 Star
TLDR: A second outing to this grand space opera that sees a now older Hadrian continue his search for peace between mankind and the Cielcin. This book is wordy and deep. Not a light listen, but a rewarding one.
Imperator: Galaxy’s Edge, Book 4.5
Rating: 4 Star
TLDR: A slower pace and a much more introspective, psychological, and often downright weird addition to the series. Well worth a listen to existing fans.
In Death Ground & The Shiva Option: Starfire, Book 3 & 4.
Rating: 4 Star
TLDR: These are a pair of long and gruelling books about a long and gruelling war. Not as concise as previous books in the series, but that’s kind of the point for the narrative. Still a great listen.
In Fury Born
Rating: 4.75 Star
TLDR: An amazing story of honour, betrayal, and gritty ground combat amongst the stars. This book will make you laugh, slam your fist in triumph, and maybe even bring a tear or two. A fantastic book.
Insurrection: Starfire, Book 1
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: Concentrating more on the events than the characters within them, this straight-to-the-point military hard-sci-fi provides an amazing portrayal of an interstellar civil war whose only reason for the occasional slowing of pace is to catch its breath for the next push.
Kill Team + Attack of Shadow: Galaxy’s Edge, Books 3 + 4
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: A special forces adventure and a single massive battle. You’ll need to be keen on military sci-fi to get along with these books, but seeing as that’s exactly what I go for, they were brilliant.
Kingdoms of Death: Sun Eater, Book 4
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: Exciting highs, gut-wrenching low. A good book for the slightly masochistic.
King of Assassins: The Wounded Kingdom, Book 3
Rating: 4.25 Star
TLDR: An older Girton is once again thrust into the darker plots of the blue-bloods, but does he have the will left to keep going in a thankless world. Once again, this book is an improvement on its predecessor.
King’s Guard: The Shattering of Kingdoms, Book 2
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: A return to the Shattering of Kingdoms sees a lot more fighting and a lot more breadth; though once again the book falls just a little short of its full potential, snatching at greatness but losing its way. Still a damned good book though.
Oath of Swords: War Gods, Book 1
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: A straight forward story following two friends who, despite their best efforts, keep finding sharp steel as the best answer to their many, many problems. It may not have the depth of some fantasy novels, but what it does have is a constant run of entertaining adventure. A thoroughly enjoyable listen.
Preceptor: Spellmonger, Book 16
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: Awesome battles, wonderful character growth, and some brilliant storytelling. 16 books in and it just keeps getting better
Reign of Madness: King’s Drak Tidings, Book 2
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: An improvement on Book 1 in all the right ways. Our naive killing machine is about to get his hands dirty yet again, and once more, satisfying is the only word to describe it.
Sowing the Dragon’s Teeth: Gordian Knot, Book 2
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: This sequel sees the universe established in Book 1 fleshed out in all the right ways, giving us a thoroughly entertaining and interesting listen with enough gunfire, explosions, and heroism to remain fixed to every word.
Sword of Damocles: Gordian Knot, Book 3
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: The finale to the Gordian Knot trilogy does not disappoint. Fighting strange people on strange worlds, the book fills most of gaps in the story without cutting any of the action.
Sword of the Legion + Prisoners of Darkness: Galaxy’s Edge Book 5 + 6
Rating: 4.25 Star
TLDR: A non-stop mission for Victory Squad plus a sneakier jailbreak with a few good emotional gut-punches. Fantastic development of characters that I’m coming to love a great deal.
Terran Armor Corps: Volume 1
Rating: 4.75 Star
TLDR: Great pacing, great characters, great action, great story, great universe. Head to toe, a great new sci-fi series.
Thaumaturge: Spellmonger, Book 11
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: More a detailed account of the foundation of Vanador and the Magelore than an adventure novel. It could easily drag out for someone not heavily invested in the series, but by 11 books in you damn well are that invested. This book is a history/fantasy nerd’s dream.
The Bone Ships: The Tide Child Trilogy, Book 1
Rating: 4.25 Star
TLDR: Not your regular ship-board adventure but all the more brilliant for it. With a distinctive voice all its own and plenty of action to keep you hooked, this book was a breath of fresh sea air and a joy to listen to.
The Book of Joe: Forgotten Ruin, Book 5
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: Bleaker and more desperate on a personal level the prior books, but some serious character development and run-and-gun fun makes for a great listen.
The Burning White: Lightbringer, Book 5
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: An epic conclusion to an epic series. If you can remember all that’s happened in the last four novels, then you’re in for a hell of a ride.
The Empire’s Ruin: Ashes of the Unhewn Throne, Book 1
Rating: 4.75 Star
TLDR: Entertaining, moving, and fantastically written, this book has characters you will hate to love and love to hate. A great opener to the newest series in the Unhewn Throne universe.
The Grey Bastards: The Lot Lands, Book 1
Score: 4.0 Stars
TLDR: An entertaining adventure as one half-orc has a rather interesting week. Lots of blood, guts, swearing, and brotherhood. A very enjoyable read.
The Lesser Devil: Sun Eater, Book 1.5
Score: 4.75 Stars
TLDR: Short, sharp, and satisfying. This novella packs a punch in all the right ways.
The Light of All That Falls: The Licanius Trilogy, Book 3
Rating: 4.75 Star
TLDR: A perfect ending to an awesome epic fantasy series. You need to have read the first two, but if you enjoyed them then this will be the icing on the cake that you have been praying for. Fantastic book.
The Martyr: The Covenant of Steel, Book 2
Rating: 4.75 Star
TLDR: Swords, scheming, and a light dash of sorcery. This book dives deep and packs a punch. A great listen.
The Other Magic: Passage of Dawn, Book 1
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: A classic action/adventure that sets the stage for the series to come. A slow start but a very entertaining end, this series has the potential to go far if the quality and pacing of this book’s latter half is the basis for those to come.
The Pariah: The Covenant of Steel, Book 1
Rating: 4.75 Star
TLDR: Outlaws, battles, and wonderful writing. This book makes you think, flinch, and keep on listening. A fantastic opening to the series.
The Prisoner of Tardalim: Tales of the Amulet, Book 0
Rating: 4.0 Star
TLDR: A good old ancient tomb(ish) delving expedition with a thoroughly likeable main character. The pacing drops a little in the middle but picks up well at the end. Well worth a listen/read for both the great story and further fleshing out of what is becoming the beautifully constructed universe of the Tales of the Amulet series.
There Will Be Dragons: The Council Wars, Book 1
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: A tale of the collapse of utopia, rebuilding society, and fighting against the baser aspects of humanity. Smart, gripping, and brutally honest.
The True Bastards: The Lot Lands, Book 2
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: An axe-wielding, gut-punching, curse-sputtering return to the Lot Lands. The story is great, the characters are magnificent, and the foul language is so far up my alley that I’m thinking of opening a brothel there.
The Wisdom of Crowds: Age of Madness, Book 3
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: A solid ending to yet another great trilogy from Abercrombie. Slow at times but always entertaining.
Turning Point + Message from the Dead: Galaxy’s Edge, Books 7 + 8
Rating: 4.75 Star
TLDR: Both stories pack a serious punch on different levels in a series which to me has become dangerously addictive. Great start, great middle, fantastic ending.
Thorn of the Night Blossom: Children of the Black Lotus, Book 1
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: Like the daggers wielded by the book’s protagonist, this novel is short, sharp, and stabs you in the gut when you least expect it. This Asian Epic Fantasy based around geisha spies may not be long, but its content has been distilled down to something intense and entertaining.
Violence of Action: Forgotten Ruin, Book 3
Rating: 4.25 Star
TLDR: Finally, the Rangers get to do what they do best, attack. This book is a snapshot of modern tactics in a brutal fantasy world with fantastic pacing and action, and we finally get a some answers as to how the Ruin came about. A great listen.
Warbreaker: Warbreaker, Book 1
Rating: 4.25 Star
TLDR: Bright lights and bold characters. Sanderson has once again delivered on an innovative magic system and a damned good story.
You Die When You Die: West of West, Book 1
Rating: 4.5 Star
TLDR: A bunch of Viking settlers in America are forced to flee to a prophesised paradise after the natives turn on them. The story of this novel may not be anything earth-shaking, but by Oden’s beard, these are some of the best written characters I have ever found. Exciting, at times pretty dark, but consistently funny, this is an easy listen for anyone looking for something that isn’t toweringly high fantasy