Curious if you have ever read "The Long Walk" and your thoughts on it... over the years I have bought, lent out, and not gotten back this book probably a dozen times. Being in the US Military for nearly 2 decades now this book just resonated so hard for me on intestinal fortitude... curious how it hits for those outside of service.
Have you read Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik? Pat Rothfuss just gave it a glowing review on Twitter, so I picked it up myself. It feels like traditional fairy tale turned epic fantasy.
I have started reading the wheel of time this year, with your read along. I am curently halfway trought book 7 and i absolutly love the series so far. Thanks for the recomendation, honorable goblin.
I'm also halfway through book 7! Started at a poor time though, was reading around a book every day and a half during exams. It was just so addictive. So far 7 hasn't been quite as page turning as the others, might take 2 or 3 days to finish.
@@calebwinfield1403 It starts with the best prologue I've ever read and the initial mystery was enough to enrapture me from the off. Although yes it really picks up with the attack.
Started reading Brandon Sanderson’s stuff with Elantris and actually read LOTR for the first time. This channel has really helped me get into fantasy and sci-fi in the last year. Thank you Daniel.
That's awesome! I love LOTR, Sanderson's books, the wheel of time, etc. If you want a little bit of a little more simple series check out the Rangers Apprentice, it's a 13 book series (14 with a pre-qual) but they're pretty decent!
MY TOP TEN READS 1.A doctor's report diagnosing me of corona 2. Someone's mind 3. A mysterious paper under my pillow which proclaimed in blood red ink, "I see you." 4. Those letters they display to check your eyesight 5.That one newspaper 6. That random signboard on that street 7. Urband dictionary 8. Oxford dictionary 9. A Facebook rant about how all politicians are reptilian clones 10. A divorce paper.
you post just made my top ten reads of the year and i have read 10 books in the WoT series and a Wisdom of crowds. Your post started strong, turned hilarious and the ending was... unexpected. well done.
I know you've done top sci-fi/fantasy series before but would you ever consider a list of top one-offs/stand-alone books? As much as I love book series sometimes it's a bit refreshing to have a story started and finished in a single book.
I have loved all your content this year, but especially the One Piece reviews have warmed my heart. Seeing you loving, analyzing, and criticizing it has just been pure joy
The Jade Bones saga has definitely been my favourite read this year. The familiarity you feel with the Kaul's becomes familial. Hilo and Anden were such good characters! Hilo forever being a stone, only willing to shift in slight increments as the river of time washed over him. While Anden shifts and adapts to any and everything while keeping his principles. That scene with Anden brokering the deal with the bad kek showed just how green in the soul he was!
My top 10 (multiple vooks per author, bu only one per "series") 1: fools errand by robin hobb 2: wrath by john gwynne 3: ship of destiny by robin hobb 4: piranesi by susanna clarke 5: the truth by therry pratchett 6: heir of novron by michael j. sullival 7: the fifth season by n.k. jemisin 8: bloody rose by nicholas eames 9: sword of kaigan by m.l. wang 10: a man called ove by frederik backman (Sorry for the lack of capitals btw)
Oo I loved heir of novron years back and still think about that series a lot! Not many people talk about Ryria Revelations but it's such a fun ride and so well plotted!
Most one piece fans thought that you're gonna hate it when they recommended it to you so even if the series is on number 10 not number 3 is still a massive W 😂
I started reading Jorge Luis Borges this year and that's really what dominated my reading patterns in 2021. It's not strictly sci-fi or fantasy, but certainly speculative fiction of some sort or other, and no one writes a short story like Borges does.
I read a lot of old books this year. Here were the 10 best works of fiction: 10. Treasure Island. Robert Louis Stevenson 9. Animal Farm. George Orwell 8. The Scarlett Letter. Nathanial Hawthorn 7. Heart of Darkness. Joseph Conrad. 6. The Graveyard Book. Neil Gaiman. 5. Howell's Moving Castle. Dianna Wynne Jones. 4. Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austin 3. Brave New World. Alduous Huxely. 2. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Robert Louis Stevenson 1. The Picture of Dorian Grey. Oscar Wilde.
I'm hoping to finish The Way of Kings by the end of the year, I haven't read a lot of fantasy recently but reading that and binging videos like these has reignited my love for the genre :) So much to read...
Oh man, the Book Depression is a hard place to climb out of. Sometimes I try to find standalone books to even me out after a hard goodbye to an awesome series. I hope you find some good palliative reading ideas in the comments. /patpat
Totally agree with your thoughts on Brown's RR series. Its lead me down a sci-fi road that I never thought I would like! And your recommendation of Joe Abercrombie has been the most pleasant surprise I've had in reading for a long time. I have been reading Abercrombie and the Stormlight Archives alternatively this last year for the first time. Been awesome to watch your videos this year Dan, can't wait for more quality in 2022!
I’ve been alternating between those two all year as well. I’m up to my 10th Sanderson book and 5th Abercrombie- slightly prefer first law actually because I’m a sucker for grim dark, but it’s just so much harder to binge lol
Fonda Lee just manages to put this greasy ball of dread into your stomach while you read. From one moment to another, things can go from "oh hey everything seems to go quite well" to "oh fuck, did that just happen?". I also just love the reactions we get from the characters when something happens, that shakes up the entire family
I highly doubt I'll finish it this year, despite getting through 100 pages a day as of recent, but Knife of Dreams has been a perfect read so far. A Crown of Swords killed my love for Wheel of Time and reading as a whole for a good few months so I wasn't able to read anything really and the entire series felt like a let down to me. Luckily though, Crossroads of Twilight was actually much better than people make it out to be, and Knife of Dreams hit with a bang and they didn't stop coming, fed to the build up and it hit the ground running, didn't make sense to have a stagnant plot, so Jordan moved it on in every page. Unfortunately I've only read WoT books this year but I'm reading some Sanderson again and should be getting an entire haul from family this Christmas so my journey isn't over yet. My actual best read though would be Fires of Heaven. I dunno what it is but that book was perfect for me.
When I read the series a few years ago, Knife of Dreams was the book that I KNEW would make it worth it. That was the book that many of the story arcs started really paying off. The protagonists felt like fully realized adults finally. I could see the end game in sight. It’s not my favorite in the series, but it was one that I enjoyed so much.
@@totesmagotes213 yeah I've both accidentally and purposely spoiled myself on a lot of stuff, including what chapters to read (the slog started that lovely little trend of wanting to skip chapters and eventually doing so *looking at you Perrin and Faile*) but while I'm spoiling myself on what happens overrall in these chapters, it doesn't take away from the overrall effect. For a book were almost a good 1/7th of it is just prologue, it progresses the politics, the battles, the bloody courting and so much more farther on. It feels sad saying that what currently feels like Jordan's best work to me, was also the one he made in desperation and fear of dying before he could finish it all. Either way the series has and continues to be brilliant despite the slump that is ACoS to me and I'm beyond prepared to get to the ending. Well, an ending.
@@gaybowser4967 Overall the slog wasn’t too bad for me, besides how long the Perrin/Faile thing was dragged out. That should have been resolved in the book after it started. Besides that, I think that Rand, Nyneave, Egwene, Mat, Elayne, and many side characters had a ton of growth in those books. I hope you enjoy the transition to Sanderson. I know I did. In fact, The Gathering Storm is my favorite in the entire series.
@@totesmagotes213 oh nice! I've heard lots of conflicting reports on how well the transition and the last 3 books are overrall but I've already loved Sanderson as an author and just him being a great guy so I reckon I will! And yeah the Perrin Faile stuff could have been finished by CoT latest I would say. At least in that book Perrin had some growth but he completely undermines the point he was sent out to Ghealdan for. Be spends more time trying to get his wife and a Queen with no authority back, than he does following the plan he and Rand set out. All of this could have been avoided if the Shaido just gave up were mostly slaughtered at Dumai's Wells which has been spoken of enough and I think most fans have entertained the idea ever since it truly started to drag. And tbh yeah the slog wasn't terrible, it just hurt reading a lot of stuff that wasn't moving at all or just very little. ACoS as I think I've made clear is easily my least favourite book, PoD was actually very good with Rand and Egwene... WH I will have to re-read and CoT was actually a pretty good read considering everything.
Crown of Swords really is a stinker. The only 2 star WOT book for me. Also I agree Crossroads of Twilight is nowhere near as bad as people say. It isn't as exciting as other entries, but unlike CoS, there is nothing that actively annoys me.
Started reading the Mistborn trilogy yesterday, couple hundred pages in and I’m loving it. Finished Leviathan Falls a couple weeks ago and couldn’t be happier with how they finished that series, one of my long time favorites. Read The Three Body Problem Series and while I couldn’t connect to the characters, I highly recommend it on the ideas and philosophy discussed. Also loved Wrath of the Gods!
I love when you chat about the squiggly things on the pulpy things. Big in my SFF world this year: WoT, Red Rising, Mistborn. A Memory of Light, Golden Son, and The Final Empire were all standouts.
Wisdom of Crowds was amazing. In general the age of madness was amazing. Orso and Clover are possibly some of my favorite characters of all time. Thanks for making me wanna read it
I didn’t read much this year, but I found some of the best fantasy I have ever read. It’s called The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams, and it is fantastic! And the next two books are even more amazing, so READ THEM!! They are so underrated, it’s insane. It’s basically fantasy alien invasion with vampire elves, green fire witches and mythical beasts all in one, it’s so good.
Have them on my February TBR but I am scared because last time I read something hyped by RU-vid it was a bit mixed for me… hopefully this one will be different! Internet recommendations seems to be hit and miss for me.
@@Halo_Legend Clichés can be done well and in new and interesting ways, so I wouldn’t dismiss a series just for that. And anyway, these books aren’t full of cliches, I’ve never read a more original series.
Here's my top favorite reads of 2021 1. Crescent city 2. In the ravenous dark by a.m Strickland 3. From blood and ash 4. Best served cold 5. A little hatred 6. Wizard and glass by Stephen king 7. The wastelands by Stephen king 8. The comeback by ella berman 9. The kiss quotient by helen Hoang 10. The trouble with peace
Yes for Robin Hobb influence!!! I really, really enjoyed seeing all the little details that Patrick Rothfuss has taken from her books into his Kingkiller Chronicles (ok, at times it felt not so little, but like whole scenes, but hey, it's good stuff), and I'd love to learn more.
Thrilled to see Leviathan Falls on here, I'm glad you finished the series. I'm still processing all my thoughts on it. Damn it was a great a story though, and a very well made ending. It sucks to see the series end, but I'm glad it made it all the way through 9 books! I also want to give a shoutout to Project Hail Mary. Very fun read with an interesting story throughout.
This year I read (for the first time), Mistborn Era 1 and 2, the entire Stormlight Archive, Warbreaker and Elantris. Brandon Sanderson is my favourite author of all time, and I owe my finding of him to your videos. I also owe you for introducing me to Nicholas Eames and his books, as well as the Powder Mage trilogy (which is also one of my all time favourites), as well as Robin Hobb (I'm on Assassin's Quest) and finally for encouraging me to read more Stephen King, I read 4 of his books this year! Thank you for not only being the best booktuber on here (in my humble opinion) but for giving me so much joy in reading, your recommendations brought back my love for it after 2 years of burnout. Have a fantastic Christmas
I've just recently (2 days ago) started the jade triology and am almost through the first book. I must say it is really well done and am all the more exited about it now because you have said each succesive book becomes stronger. Good entertainment for the holidays!
Love seeing the Liveship Traders in the mix, that series has always been my favourite of hers so it’s nice to see it getting some love. Picked up a couple for next years tbr too so thanks! 😊
Thanks, Daniel, your videos have really influenced what I'd like to read and what I am reading; I'll get around to reading these series when my TBR isn't a heaping mass of constant existential dread.
It’s a really good book, and I really love it, but I needed a character sheet to keep track of the characters the first time I read it. If you are thinking of reading it I would recommend it but be warned it is a lot.
I read Jade City this July and right now I have less than 20% left of Jade War and I am seriously amazed how a book series has managed to grip me with every page I turn (on my kindle lol). With you and Petrik Leo both putting Jade Legacy in your first spot gives me high hopes for enjoying the finale, too. With the exception of Stormlight, it's been a long time since I was this emotionally invested in fictional characters.
I'm a few hours into Jade War at the moment and it is outstanding! I adored Jade City already and I'm so utterly blown away by the even further rise in quality. Something really cool that cracked my top ten this year was Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor. I know you loved Octavia Butler so you might really enjoy this series. Nnedi Okorafor is also in the writer headlining the adaptation of Octavia Butler's "Wild Seed" so my comparison between them absolutely draws from that!
For the last few years I've found myself aging out of YA and sadly reading less fantasy as a result. I'm so happy to discover your channel (via OSP streams😁) and find such thoughtful recommendations I can use to dip into adult fantasy
That "Tighttighttight" felt more Tuco Salamanca than Ryan George to me! Anyway, I haven't thought much about my top 10, but some of my favorite reads were Best Served Cold, Wisdom of Crowds, the Books of Babel series as a whole, and Project Hail Mary
I have to say, I'm actually looking forward to you reading and reviewing the Tawny Man trilogy even more than I'm looking forward to your One Piece reviews! Of course, that in part comes from you being almost caught up with OP, while with Elderlings you still have so much amazing stuff ahead of you. But I truly believe that even compared to the Farseer trilogy and Liveships, Tawny Man can truly blow you away with how incredible it is.
I wasn’t a big Red Rising fan, but you convinced me to push on and I loved it. I also read all of Dresden this year, also great. I think my favorite book of the year was Project Hail Mary.
Thank you Goblin! I spent 2021 rereading old favorite series. It has been a godawful year for me and I didn't feel up to any surprises. 2022 will be different! Thanks for the recommendations....I'm starting off with Fonda Lee.....Happy New Year!
After seeing your reviews of WoC and Jade legacy, I did not expect for you to rank One Piece above them. I'm working through Jade Legacy now, and I'm withholding judgment on it until I finish, but it could be an incredible finale if done right. I'm not a super huge fan of Grimdark, and I hated the ending of the First Law, so I'm unlikely to pick up the Age of Madness, although if I feel like torturing myself, I might. My top reads this year were probably: The Books of Babel, Re-read of The Book of the New Sun (it's so good, man), The Masquerade by Seth Dickinson - some of the smartest fantasy around, and now that I've gotten past books 1-3 of Dresden, prolly the Dresden files too, Iron Widow, Monster, and Three Days of Happiness. Happy new year
I mean, the way he explained it.. If he had to have took every singular one piece arc's as a book, then it would be little more top Cuz of marineford and water 7/ enislobby, duhh!!... But that would mean there will be more one piece in one list... So assembling all arc's into one does make it a little less effective compared to jade legacy which was amazing and it was one book, it had one particular starting point and a concrete ending.
Hi, newbie reader here (started in June and I've read about 12 books at the time of writing this), so a lot of my entries will probably be old news for most of you, but these are my Top 10 books that I read in 2021: 10. How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes by Peter D. Schiff and Andrew J. Schiff 9. Breach of Peace by Daniel B. Greene 8. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman 7. The Gunslinger by Stephen King 6. Mistborn Book Two: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson 5. Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier 4. Dune by Frank Herbert 3. Mistborn Book 1: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson 2. Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky 1. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman A few oddballs there, I know (#10 was recommended by a friend). My decisions were made based on level of enjoyment more than anything else and it was close for one or two. And as Mr Greene is fond of saying, THIS IS ALL MY OPINION. 👍
It's not from 2021 but I only read it this year: The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker This book literally blew me away. Haven't read such a good book in years. Outstanding prose, extremely philosophical, deep and dense in every way (especially some of the dialogues) and equipped with S-tier worldbuilding. But it's very grim even for Grim Dark. If you are a made of cotton ball rainbows, keep your distance from this one, because it doesn't give a shit about being politically correct or maybe putting some of it's readers into heavy distress. Bakker paints a very sinister and disturbing world and succeeds at it with flying colors.
I know you kind of stopped doing OP videos because of the whole Mark thing but I'd love to hear your thoughts on the latest stuff. Specifically the Oden flashback, and the madness that is the raid to Onigashima.
@@dre1201 Are you serious? lol How can anyone even have this opinion? One Piece has been the most hype it has been in many years since Onigashima started.
@@franconicolas3995 it's been all hype, compared to every other climactic arc in one piece, this pales, and u can't say i am wrong when even uk deep down u too feel that the yonkou have been a let down, i mean compare the hype u felt when kaidou and big mom declared their alliance, that was some next level shit like, old whitebeard almost brought down entirety of the marines, so imagine two...... Now supernovas and pretty mid level fighters are going to beat both of em..... That's not accurate depiction of strength, and the argument of laidou has been fighting so may ppl is bullshit, old wb would've bodied em, let alone two old wb's
Thanks to both Goblin-Sensei and the Horde--typing up my 2022 TBR now as I watch and scan through comments. My list, not really in any order. Decisions are hard. --The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik --Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne --Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir --Kings of the Wyld & Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames --The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin --The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher --The Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal --Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman --Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon --Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
I just started getting properly back into reading this year after years of just rereading books from my childhood. This channel has helped me a ton with figuring out what kind of stuff I'm interested in diving into and this year I read my first Sanderson series (Mistborn), my first Discworld book (Guards! Guards!), and bought the Eye of the world. I hope that I'll be able to fill in some more of my fantasy gaps this year and thanks so much for all your recommendations Daniel!!
no particular order except for 1 but here are my favorite reads of the year! 1. green bone saga by fonda lee 2. the jasmine throne by tasha suri 3. the broken earth trilogy by nk jemisin 4. the heart principle by helen hoang 5. the anthropocene reviewed by john green 6. legendborn by tracy deonn 7. the song of achilles by madeline miller
Glad the book reviews will be coming back! Been watching this channel for a while for the book reviews and discussions and missed them. But also I understand getting burned out. Take your time! Pretty much everything you do and enjoy it.
Had eye surgery multiple times when I was a kid, I remember hating everything about it BUT my eyes are better than they were! I hope your surgery helps your eyes Daniel so you can get back to reading and being able to see!
Since you like Discworld and One Piece I can recommend the Zamonia series starting with "The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear". It is imaginative, smart and unique. And therefore one of the most iconic fantasy novels in Germany.
This year I've been reading a lot of graphic novels so some made their way onto my top 10: 1) The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott lynch 2) Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan 3) The Wicked + The Divine by Kieron Gillen 4) Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb 5) The Mermaid, The Witch and The Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall 6) DIE by Kieron Gillen 7) The Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan 8) The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by Victoria Schwab 9) Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo 10)Breach of Peace (genuinely one of the best books I've read this year)
I started reading The Expanse this year, having caught up on the show. I'm blown away by how accurate to the books the show is, very much enjoying spending more time with the crew of the Rocinante
So glad to see a return of book content on this channel, and I hope your eyes are recovering well! I would love to see a Ship of Destiny review from you, or even a spoiler/non-spoiler chat for the whole trilogy
I've read 25 books this year, so I figured a top 5 fits that number better 😂 In no particular order, my five favorite reads of 2021 are: Gideon the Ninth, A Memory Called Empire, Anxious People, Sunreach, and Crown of Feathers :D
My favorite reads off the top of my head are The Hyperion Cantos (Rise of Endymion was my favorite) Swan Song by Robert McCammon Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon 2666 by Roberto Bolano The Frank Herbert Dune Saga (God Emperor of Dune or Heretics were my favorite) The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones A Man at Arms by Steven Pressfield The First Law Trilogy Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami.
I lol'd at the GRRM endorsement "Interplanetary adventure the way it ought to be written" on Leviathan Falls. My copy of Fool's Assassin says "Fantasy the way it ought to be written" -GRRM.
I can't even take a GRRM endorsement seriously any more, they just pay him for cover quotes. Especially so for the Expanse, one of the co-authors was his protégé so he's obviously going to endorse the series.
I read the first law trilogy in the summer and am about to finish Best Served Cold and just wooooooow. Abercrombie my goat right now and I’m pumped for Heroes, Red Country & the Age of Madness
I recently started and finished what’s written so far of the burning series by Evan Winter because of your channel… Evan Winter is now one of, if not my number one favorite modern fantasy writer. Thanks Daniel! Keep up the good work
The Expanse, Hyperion, and Red Rising??? A man after my own heart. Great list btw, haven't gotten to Wisdom of Crowds yet as it gathers dust on my shelf but you're pumping me up for it. As for 2022 recommendations: The Expanse show is excellent and honors the books in the best way possible. Would love to see a video about it from you, as an adaptation of the final trilogy seems reliant on how popular the show gets in the near future. As for books, since I'm on an Expanse train, one half of James S.A. Corey (Daniel Abraham) has an excellent fantasy series called The Dagger & the Coin. It's very ASOIAF adjacent but actually complete and not as grim. If you have any interest, hit me up so I can send it your way. I have four of the five books on my shelf and I'm not much of a rereader so I can save you the trouble there. Here's to a great 2022, peace!
I have absolutely loved all of the Robin Hobb books I've read this year. The Farseer trilogy really pulled me in and I've loved how expansive the world has gotten as I've gone through the Liveship Traders, Tawny Man, and Rain Wild Chronicles. I'm excited to get through the Fitz and Fool Trilogy over the next couple months. Just excellent all around.
i love fantasy but Farseer is the most unsatisfying book series i´ve ever read. Story, magic system and characterwise it has no coherent logic. Besides that it is poorly written rhetorically
My reading year was mainly focused on Malazan as I read books 1-7 (currently on 8), so I could probably fill my whole list with those, but that would be boring. These are in no particular order: Deadhouse Gates Memories of Ice Reaper's Gale Ruin (John Gwynne) Dune Assassins Apprentice Before They Are Hanged Shadows of Self The Shadow Rising (reread) The Fires of Heaven (reread)
I'm reading Heaven Official's Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, her 3 novels were recently translated into English and got into NYT best sellers' list. It's going to be 8 books jusf for this novel. I can say it's one of the best books I've read ever.
I’m happily ensconced and focused in the video’s book review discussion today like it was in the old days away from the madding crowd and nervous jitters and deafening buzz out there. Just a nice quiet booktube talk on books esp SFF where I was zoned in for each book review. I didn’t feel rushed, stressed or anxious about what’s “next, next, next... clock ticking down, gotta go, bye!” vibes that I’ve oddly been interpreting from far too many a booktube in general through no fault of anyone but myself. Today, I felt I was tuned in. And it was concise! And titles intrigued! Gonna read Hyperion in paperback..added to list to-read!
Good to know that you have at least caught up to one piece manga. Now you should check out Mr. Morj's channel. Really amazing analysis video. Also, can you tell me what do you think of his raid will fail theory
A Desolation Called Peace, Memories of Ice and (from the far left field) She Who Became the Sun were likely my top 3 for the year. I really need to get to Jade City.
İ started Dresden this year. İ just finished Small Favor(book 10) this morning. İt is becoming my favorite series. Even the short stories are better and has better character work than most novels.
Throughout this year I have started and caught up on Dresden and Stormlight Archive. Thanks for recommending two excellent series to a someone trying to get back into reading fantasy and sci-fi. Plan to finish up the rest of cosmere and catch up with The Expanse series. Best of 2022 to the GOAT of Goblins
Hey Daniel! It's been so awesome seeing your channel grow and the quality of your videos just getting better and better. Some of your recommendations have become favorites of mine and it's so great seeing the overlap of my books and yours. You're fucking awesome, dude. Cheers!
I just wanted to comment on your point about reading books as they come out. I hate the wait! BUT! It's really important for new authors that people read their series as their series comes out, or they wont get to keep publishing or achieve the success they deserve! Also as much as I hate the wait, the hype and the theory crafting (especially for things like Wheel of Time) do really help the stories sprout and bloom in my mind
as an addendum, if you haven't read The Masquerade by Seth Dickinson they're really good queer fantasy novels that will rip your heart out, and then slowly put it back together. I love them and would love to see them get more love before the last one gets published.
Hi Daniel, I recently found you through your One Piece reviews and I absolutely loved them! I'm not much of a reader these days but there isn't a single series I'd recommend more then Adrian's Undead Diary by Chris Philbrook. I haven't read it in years and I still can't forget it, maybe I'll have to give it another read :) Edit: When I read the series last there were 8 books total, but now there are 12! Guess I'll definitely have to read it again xD
My top 6 would be easy, because it would just be the six books by David Mitchell I read this year. Top 5 if we exclude rereads (namely, Cloud Atlas). But let's just have the number one spot be The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell try to share the love. And let's leave out all rereads, because otherwise Terry Pratchett would take up the rest of my top 10. 1. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell 2. This Is How You Lose The Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar 3. 2001: Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke 4. The Nonexistent Knight by Italo Calvino 5. The Great Passage by Shion Miura 6. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 7. The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons 8. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher 9. The Stand by Stephen King And then I would feel way too uncomfortable putting anything else in front of the second best Mitchell of the year, so on the ten spot we'll put Black Swan Green by David Mitchell And yes. Not all of Mitchell's books are strictly speaking fantasy or scifi, but the Über-novel as a whole is SF/F, and because all of his books are in the Über-novel, they count. The Great Passage just clearly isn't SF/F in any way, but I just couldn't leave it out. It's a novel about making a Japanese language dictionary, and it was adapted into an anime. So all you weebs should just go watch that. Kafka, I'm not even going to debate that. Dude wakes up and is a beetle or something. Not even going to debate.
I’m trying to decide if Daniel put a 0 instead of an O in the “of” in the title of this video on purpose so people would comment and point it out… if so: you got me.
This year I enjoyed reading Naomi Novik's "Temeraire" series and I honestly think it's criminally underappreciated. I mean, it has amazing dragons, incredible social commentary, impeccable historical fantasy setting AND it avoids toxic masculinity - how is it not one of the most read series of all time?! I also read more of the Robbin Hobb's ELderling Realm and finished the "Tawny Man" series and damn, I loved it even more than "Liveship Traders"! One of the plot points felt very clunky and cheap, but I won't spoil it and it's at the very beginning and doesn't ruin the series for me, plus Fool has always been my favourite character and it was a pure joy to have the whole series dedicated to him.
