Published in 1995 by American author Robin Hobb, this is the first book set in the universe of the Realm of the Enderlings, which is composed of a staggering 19 books. Assassin’s Apprentice currently sits at 4.1 stars out of 5 on GoodReads, a rating composed from over 331,000 ratings.

Article mentioned: https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Fan_Fiction_Rant

Published in 2015 by American Author Pierce Brown, Golden Son is the sequel to the novel Red Rising, making it the second book in the Red Rising saga. The novel continues the story of Darrow as he seeks to infiltrate and destroy from within the society that oppressed his family and killed his wife. The novel has a rating of 4.46 stars out of 5 on GoodReads, which places it slightly above the first book. It placed #6 on the New York Times best-seller list, and won the 2015 Good Reads choice award for science fiction. The rating was accumulated from over 259,000 ratings.

Published in 2020 by American author P. Djèlí Clark, Ring Shout is a historical southern gothic fantasy/horror novella that was nominated and won multiple awards and categories, including the 2020 Nebula Award for best novella. It was also nominated for the best horror category of 2020 on GoodReads.com. The story occurs in 1922 Macon, Georgia, where a monster butcher and his demon minions called “Ku Kluxes” are growing in power and influence within the human world and only the protagonist Maryse Boudreaux, a young black woman chosen by ancestral spirits, can thwart their plans. The book is rated 4 stars out of 5 on goodreads, a rating averaged from over 34,000 reviews.

Published in 2007 by American author Dan Simmons, The Terror describes an arctic adventure that descends into death and, obviously, terror. Based on the real-life story of what is called ‘The Franklin Expedition,’ Dan Simmons imagines a story that, for all we know, could have actually happened to the two ships and the 129 souls aboard. The Terror is rated four stars on Goodreads, a score that was taken from over 61,000 ratings. 

Published in 2018 by American author Christopher Ruocchio, Empire of Silence is the first book in a series of six called the Sun Eater series. The story is described by the author as a space opera, as readers follow an exiled young prince named Hadrian as he flees the path chosen for him by his governor father and instead seeks to create his own life among the stars. The book is rated 4 stars out of 5 on GoodReads, gathered from over 11,000 ratings.

 Published ten years ago in 2014 by American author Pierce Brown, Red Rising is the first of the Red Rising Saga, a series of six books, with the seventh book, called Red God, expected to be released some time next year in 2025. The first book follows a young male protagonist named Darrow as he transitions from an existence as little more than a subterranean slave into an elite citizen fighting for glory within a wilderness gladiatorial arena. If that sentence is strange to you, now you know how I feel as I read the story. The book is rated 4.2 stars out of 5 on GoodReads, a review accumulated from over 41,000 reviews.

#scifi #redrising #piercebrown #fiction

Published in 2001 by American author Lois McMaster Bujold, The Curse of Chalion is the first in a series called the ‘World of the Five Gods,’ which consists of four novels and eleven novellas. The story follows the exploits of a ruined man named Cazaril as he finds himself entangled in a complex succession plot as the secretary of a princess in line to inherit the throne of the land of Chalion. Curse of Chalion currently sits at 4.1 stars out of 5 on Goodreads, which was accumulated from over 38,000 ratings. This review is accompanied by art from the series on my Youtube channel, and if you like this podcast, please like and subscribe on Youtube and Spotify.

#fantasy #books #chalion #bujold #bookreview

Published in 2023 by American author Martha Wells, Witch King is the story of a man named Kaii searching for both friends and answers. After he awakens from a magical underwater stasis, Kaii travels the world with his friend Ziede, a witch with the power to control air spirits, and together they search for her wife and brother-in-law. Along the way, they encounter magical warriors who threaten to thwart their plans and flashbacks tell the story of Kaii’s demonic origins and the means by which he was imprisoned. Witch King is currently rated 3.7 stars out of 5 on GoodReads, a rating taken from over 13,000 reviews. I have to admit, I almost did not finish this book. I attempted to read it before I read Jade City but I stopped reading around page sixty to read that book instead. But I was intrigued enough by the beginning of the book to come back to it a few weeks later and I am glad that I did, for reasons I’ll cover in this review. The New York Times rated this book as one of the top ten fantasy books of 2023 and I have to admit, I just don’t see it. I give Witch King two stars out of five, and here is why.

Published in 2017 by Canadian-American author Fonda Lee, Jade City is a fantasy novel set in an Asian-inspired island nation amid boiling political strife and street war between the country’s two largest family clans. Included on Time’s 2022 list of the best fantasy books of all time, Jade City is the first of a gangster trilogy called the Green Bone Saga. The book currently sits at 4.1 stars out of 5 on Goodreads, a score accumulated from over 59,000 ratings.

Published in print in 1971 by American author William Peter Blatty and adapted for film in 1973, The Exorcist represents a benchmark in American entertainment. Audiences of the film were left horrified, disgusted, and entertained by the grotesque Catholic horror story crafted a narrative about twelve year old Reagan McNiel’s helpless descent into the throes of demon possession and the brave priests that rallied for her cure. Although the film stands out as a more significant cultural moment than the novel for Americans, it is a near identical adaptation of Blatty’s book, in which the author sought to perfect the plot of the 1968 horror film Rosemary’s Baby. Voices in the contemporary culture decried the film and it’s shocking scenes of blasphemy and many cities and countries banned the film altogether. The book currently sits at a high rating of 4.2 stars out of 5 on Good Reads, a rating that was accumulated from over 230,000 ratings. 

#horror #horrorbooks #books #bookreviews #scary