I don’t know about you, but there are times when I get burned out on the tomes that we as SFF readers tend to read most. To help anyone who relates, I’ve created a list of SFF books that are shorter, easier, and lighter reads to enjoy in the midst of a tome slump.
I have included Page Count, Series Status, My Rating, and a link for my review for each of these books, as well as a short summary of my thoughts on each one.
The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson
Page Count: 175 pages
Series Status: Standalone
My Rating: 10/10
My Review: The Emperor’s Soul
My favorite novella and a great intro into the world of Brandon Sanderson and the Cosmere. At only 175 pages, this book can be found on its own as well as in the Arcanum Unbounded Cosmere short story/novella collection. It is set in the same world as Sanderson’s first ever book Elantris, but you absolutely do not need to read Elantris to read this as it is a completely separate story with no previous knowledge required. It features a fantastic magic system, an engaging story, and a compelling protagonist in Shai. If you are looking to get into the Cosmere but are intimidated by the sheer size of Mistborn, Stormlight, or even Elantris, pick up this book.
The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids (Amra Thetys #1) by Michael McClung
Page Count: 208 pages
Series Status: Ongoing
My Rating: 10/10
My Review: The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids
The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids is the first book in Michael McClung’s Amra Thetys series and what a first book it is! Somewhat grimdark because of its morally gray characters, this story is told through the eyes of Amra Thetys herself, a thief who is just trying to survive. Amra is snarky, resourceful, and good with a blade when she needs to be. This character really shines in this debut as well as the rest of the series as the plot continues to build. The nice thing about this series is that the each book is very much its own story. Each book relates to the last in some way as there is an overall narrative that is being followed, but I never felt that I had to continue the series or I would forget everything I had learned so far. Taking that away helped me to enjoy this series even more because I could just read at my own pace without worrying about having to reread or find summaries of the plot.
A Pilgrimage of Swords (The Seven Swords #1) by Anthony Ryan
Page Count: 128 pages
Series Status: Ongoing
My Rating: 8/10
My Review: A Pilgrimage of Swords
A Pilgrimage of Swords is the first book in the novella series, The Seven Swords. It is the story of a Pilgrim with a mysterious past and a demon imbued sword. He is joined by a beast charmer and her hyena, a scholar, an actor, and a wife and husband as they all seek to survive the dangers of a place called The Execration and have their petitions granted by a mad god. What could go wrong, am I right? This book is gritty and dark. Anthony Ryan uses his unique writing voice to shape this world and its people in an impressive feat using only 128 pages.
All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells
Page Count: 144 pages
Series Status: Ongoing
My Rating: 10/10
My Review: All Systems Red
Murderbot was just so much fun! I am starting to realize that my favorite characters are often snarky and Murderbot is no exception to that rule. As a self aware, security robot that has figured out how to hack its own governor module and named itself, Murderbot just wants to be left alone to watch tv shows and figure out who it is. It doesn’t want to be bothered by the humans that it scorns. However, Murderbot is sent on a mission to run security for a team of human scientists and things go belly up from there. I was really surprised at how deeply I could care for a robot, but Martha Wells writes Murderbot’s emotions so well. I also found this deeply relatable as there are times where I just want to hole up by myself for a while, not be bothered by anyone, and figure out life or just get away from all the pressures life brings. This is a heartfelt and uplifting Sci Fi story about a robot who is just trying to find its place in the world.
Unsouled (Cradle #1) by Will Wight
Page count: 294 pages
Series Status: Ongoing
My Rating: 8.5/10
My Review: Unsouled
Unsouled is very much an intro book in that it is the first in a planned 12 book series. The first half of the book is spent getting to know the characters, world, and magic system that is practiced by basically everyone in this world. For me, this was fascinating as I had never seen this type of magic system before. I say seen because I’ve heard a few people compare this magic system to what is done in Shonen Manga like Naruto. This is an Asian inspired fantasy story that focuses on the power progression of our main character Lindon and the troubles he has along the way. This series actually got me out of a book slump earlier this year as I read all 7 published books in only 22 days (which is really fast for me). I highly, highly recommend this series. It’s so good.
There you have it! 5 books under 300 pages that will give you a break from reading huge tomes or even possibly get you out of a reading slump like Unsouled did for me. I hope you enjoyed this list. Let me know if you end up reading and enjoying any books on this list. I love talking about the books I love.
I’m looking forward to the upcoming readalong of The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids, so glad you loved it!
Yay! I hope you love it too!
This is a great list! I have read only Martha Well’s book but I have the other on my TBR and I hope to read them soon!