What a great year for books! I for one had a fantastic year of reading. I’ve read the most amount of books in one year that I have ever done before (41 at the time of writing), with many being utterly brilliant! Only a few DNF’s, which is also a good thing, and just one (or two) controversial opinions about some very popular fantasy & Sci-fi series (of which I will tell no one!)
And now, it is time to rank them, and show off my favourites!
But first, we have some…
HONOURABLE MENTIONS!
These following books are all brilliant, and have only just narrowly missed out on entering my top ten, but I wanted to show them some love anyway.
Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White
The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson
The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan
Herald by Rob J Hayes
All The Fiends of Hell by Adam L. G. Nevill
The Fall of Cadia by Robert Rath (I am currently 400 pages into this and, if I had finished it before posting this list, I am sure it would have been in the top 3!)
Please check these books out, they truly are amazing!
But now, we move on to my Top 10!
#10 – Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Dungeon Crawler Carl is hands down the best audiobook I’ve ever experienced. The production quality is absurdly good, and the performance by Jeff Hays is sublime. This book is hilarious, bombastic, yet so full of heart that it is more than just a wacky adventure of an everyman protagonist and his cat. As someone who isn’t a fan of LitRPG/Progression subgenres, this took me by surprise how much I liked it. The sequel is also amazing too, and I look forward to listening to book 3 soon.
#9 – The Last Ranger by J.D.L. Rosell
The Last Ranger is an adventure that hooked me on its exciting premise and beautiful setting, but kept me on the journey with its wonderful set of characters and Rosell’s aptitude for exciting storytelling. This is a really great book one in what is promising to be a wild, gorgeous ride through the wilderness of the Titan Wilds.
#8 – Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan
This is classic-style fantasy done right! An unforgettable duo in Hadrian & Royce, a thriller-like plot, a comfortable feeling yet richly storied world, Theft of Swords is so easily readable that you’ll blast through its nearly 700 page runtime in mere days.
#7 – The Silverblood Promise by James Logan
A book I read in two sittings because I was just that hooked, this is Lies of Locke Lamora for a new generation. A city so dense and vivid it practically bleeds off the page; characters so believable and well-written I wish had more time with them; and a plot so breakneck and exciting I couldn’t put it down.
#6 – Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson
Winner of Best Cover 2024 in the esteemed and lauded Harry Awards, Adrian’s debut is one of the most unique reads I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing this year. Steeped in atmosphere only achieved before by greats such as Akira, Neuromancer, Blade Runner, and Ghost In The Shell, this police drama set in a mushroom city is frankly absurd in the mental imagery it creates, whilst also feeling like a believable, Neo-Noir straight out of David Fincher’s back catalogue. The book itself is best obtained physically, as the production quality for the standard hardcover is what some special editions try to aim for.
#5 – A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
The second Gibson on this list, A Dowry of Blood is a vampire novel exploring the abusive nature of power & control, particularly over others, through the vectors of obsessive love and devotion. S.T. Gibson’s thorough examination of this from the lens of a vampires “bride” is fascinating to watch unfold, beautifully written, and impossible to put down.
#4 – The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan
The final book in the Empire of the Wolf trilogy, Swan’s closing chapter in his exploration of law, order, and the morality of these whilst under the rule of a dominating institution, takes a massive turn into the horrific (which I loved), all the while continuing to deliver some of the best dialogue and thought provoking prose this side of Abercrombie. Fantasy Eisenhorn ends of a banger!
#3 – Fever House by Keith Rosson
For all the fans of Joe Hill, Rosson’s Fever House grabs you with its demonic pull within a few pages, and then refuses to ever slow down or let go. The most rip-roaring thrill ride I’ve read this year, this book contains punk rock, demon limbs, shadowy organisations, small-time criminals, madness, chaos, weird visions, all the while going at a million miles per hour.
#2 – Boys In The Valley by Philip Fracassi
This is my kind of horror novel. Isolation, paranoia, religious imagery and vivid, brutal storytelling drives Boys In The Valley. It’s a story that is screaming for a screen adaption. Not a moment was wasted in this coming of age tale, and I think this may be one of the perfect places to start if you’re looking to get into this genre in the modern golden age I believe that we are in for horror. Fracassi crafts a masterful story that had me cringing at the bone-crunching violence, and in awe at the quality of the symbolism on display.
And now, here we are. My number 1 pick. Drum rolls please…
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#1 – The Horus Heresy (books 1 – 5)
Okay so this may be seen as a bit of a cop out, but please, bear with me. Why have I put 5 books as my number one pick? Well, this year has been my Warhammer 40K year. I’ve read some of the fiction here and there, but this year I really fell down the Black Library rabbit hole, especially the Horus Heresy series (which is a massive 54 book series plus spin offs, novellas, audio dramas, and an 8 or 10 book sequel series, depending on if you count the final book as 1 volume or as the split 3 volumes it was published as). I read Horus Rising, book one, last year, but I decided to reread it again this year before I continued with the series. I then fell in love with False Gods, was devastated by the events of Galaxy In Flames, was enthralled by the high stakes storytelling of The Flight of the Eisenstein, and was finally enraptured by the perfection that is Fulgrim (which, if I had to give a singular book from this the true top spot, it would be this one). For me, all 5 books tell the shared tale of the fall of those who should have been greater than us, who should have led us to the next step in humanity’s evolution amongst the stars. It’s a Shakespearean tragedy of epic proportions, and I am totally and utterly obsessed with this series, and the 40,000 universe as a whole. I don’t quite know what about this vile, dark, grim setting appeals to me. Maybe it’s the exploration of religion, science, faith, loyalty, betrayal and power that grips me. Maybe it’s the Bolter blasting action and Warp-related nonsense that usually takes centre stage. Whilst I have read up to and including the first 11 books, from book 6, they vary in quality (books 7 and 9 are great, 8 and 11 are okay, and 6 is unreadably bad). The first three are essentially parts one, two and three of one cohesive narrative; four expands this and shows us what to expect to come; and five is, well, a deep exploration of the destructive nature of perfection, whilst also acting as the final cherry on top for this first arc. I love Warhammer!
And that, dear reader, is my top 10ish books of 2024. Please let me know your favourites reads and why, I love talking to people about books and I love adding more great books to my TBR! Here’s to a good 2025!
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