HOLIDAY BOOK HAUL - Including 2 Subterranean Press Editions 

Are you doing a book buying ban? I'm trying to only buy new releases or books on kindle deals this year. I'll likely fail lol

Also that first edition storm of swords 😍😍

I loved Shards of Earth.

Book hauls are good! Thank you for all you do!

That copy of the Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is amazing! 😃 I literally LOL when you held up Empire of the Vampire 🤣😅

Hi 👋 great book haul!! I hope u enjoy all ur reads!! Happy reading to you!! 🥳📓🎬📚

I really loved Empire of the Vampire. Kristoff's humour is not for everybody I guess, he and Terry Pratchett are the only authors that make me laugh out loud while reading, such a good time. Also just the perfect vampire story.

Children of Time was a five star read for me in 2021, so I definitely recommend it for great science fiction! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Interesting haul! I just finished The Last Wish. It was... an interesting read. I mostly liked it. It's an interesting mix between classical fairytales and modern short story writing and even feels a bit like a western sometimes. I also finished Shards of Earth and it was the best space opera that I've read in years. Great stuff.

lmao "i like the cover, it's pretty cool" the only reason I need to buy books too

yesss

Love the book haul! I want that ALH sub press so bad 😂

Those two subterranean press editions are so nice. Going to read The Pariah later this month. Excited to read something new from Anthony Ryan.

Wow that’s a great haul Jimmy! I’ve heard good things about Ken Liu and Anthony Ryan. I’m a huge Witcher fan, and I love the show! James Rollins writes mostly suspense thrillers, and I’ve heard they’re good. Being honest, I was a little leery about a fantasy book from him, but I respect Terry Brooks a ton lol. Dunk and Egg was soooo good! That edition sparks a little jealousy lol.

Congrats on all the beautiful editions! I’m also interested in Grace of Kings. As for Empire of the Vampire, I don’t think you’re going to get Allen to read that one with you unless he loses a challenge, but that would be fun! 😂

A night of the seven kingdoms is on my TBR and I finally got it from kindle sales :D that edition looks amazing! too bad I'm too late, the Joe Abercrombie looks AMAZING!

James Rollins is famous for spy thrillers. This is his first fantasy book under his real name. He previously published a fantasy series under the name James Clemens and I really liked it. I bought his new book too.

Jeez Jimmy we hauled a ton of the same books. Shards of earth and among theives and James Rollins!!!

Gunmetal God's caught my attention too. I also plan on starting Grace of Kings; read the beginning but I held off cause I was in the middle of Malazan then. Empire of the Vampire was good, chunky, but it just blew by. And you are not alone in liking both the Witcher show and books. Never played the games though. And I'm jelly of those subterranean press editions. Lol

Totally agree about not buying old editions online - I love finding them in used bookstores.

The Pariah was so good! The second one is already coming out in June too, can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Havent bought a book in at least 2 months. Yay! Fingers crossed I'll catch up on some of my physical tbr. 😬

The dandelion dynasty is really great

Gunmetal gods is great. I read it back in December. It's the best book I've read in at least the last three or four months.

So many new books added to my TBR now😬

Just finished Billy Summers. Given that you loved 11/22/63, I think you’ll really like it.

Yesss for Emperor's Blades! I absolutely love the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne trilogy. Can't wait to hear your thoughts! 😄 I also love Anthony Ryan. I have not read the Pariah yet, but Blood Song and that entire trilogy (called the Raven's Shadow trilogy) is great. Blood Song is an all time favorite at this point. Same for Grace of Kings. It had ASOIAF vibes for me, in how the characters were portrayed and how good the political intrigue was, so I hope you'll love it as a ASOIAF die hard fan.

I’m crazily jealous of that signed Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Durfee just reviewed a few Rollins thriller books and is loving them. He used to write Fantasy under the name of James Clemens and I liked those. He has described this book as a mix of his writing styles and more of a SciFantasy. I just picked it up on audio and looking forward to listening to it.

Wow, what a great haul! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Gunmetal God 🤪 and on Empire of the Vampire. I DNF’d that one after 100 pages, so curious what you think.

some great books you got there - but just to share my thoughts on Billy Summers - I read it on release, and King does what he does best. Great characters, great atmosphere, and a bit of a road trip - which I really enjoy, plus a coming of age story, all packed into one in typical King style, May not be his best work but guaranteed fun time and you're gonna be turning the pages like a madman. That cover is absolutely slick too. cheers jimmy :)

YAY! I really enjoyed EotV Also, if you're buying books KNOWING you're not going to get to them until at least next year - you can absolutely limit yourself to bargains only for a while!

I pre ordered the Barnes & Noble signed edition of EOTV. It was a wild ride; a fantastic adventure and the way it ends says " sequel " to me.

I just picked up A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. I’m reading ASOIAF this year after it being on my TBR for years. Good grief it’s spent way too long on my TBR! I think I’ll start with these prequel novellas. Empire of the Vampire is pretty good. Mike’s Book Reviews has a great interview with Jay Kristoff and a review of this book if you’re interested.

That ALH sub press is amazing

The James Rollins I have read was all around the Michael Crichton fast-paced adventure era. Vibes very similar to Indiana Jones (but not quite as holy grail) adventure fiction, fun but mediocre with some definite Clive Cussler-esque plot holes you just kind of have to roll with the absurdity and take it for what it is. Also, yes, LOVE Adrian Tchaikovsky's sci-fi! Children of Time has been my favorite of his, although his short novellas like Elder Race have been thought-provoking and fun; can't speak to his fantasy, but Liene almost has me convinced to read the Guns of the Dawn lol

Hmm, I try to budget out my books and downloads. First, I have limited space on the physical books. Second, I have limited funds! 😅 I do try to hit up the kindle book sales though! Nice book haul though! 👍 I do want to read Empire of the Vampire.

Alex and Allen prompted me to read the preview chapter of Empire of the Vampire and good godddddddddddddd I simply could not. 🤣I loved Nevernight many years ago but by the third book I was very much over the cringe edgelord shenanigans hahaha I WISH YOU BOTH THE BEST as you read that one, whenever you do. 😆 That Abercrombie is awesommmeeee!

James Rollins writes alot if special forces/historical/science books. And then at end he explains how the fantastical stuff in the book is based off plausible science. I've read a few and thought they were good. My favorite was altar eden. It revolved around an animal getting reverted to an earlier evolutionary state and getting loose in the Louisiana swamps. Very good.

Great video! Just wanted to say that ‘The Last Graduate’ is a sequel to ‘a deadly education’ and spinning silver is one of the best by her.

the last graduate is actually the sequel to a deadly education lmao. i have mixed feelings on novak but i hope you enjoy her! also for tchaikovsky children of time is simply impeccable 5/5 stars for me so i would recommend giving it a try! really excited to get to shards of earth!!

Lol I did exactly the same thing with empire of the vampire, bought it cus it was half price and heard others rave about it. It’s nowhere near the top of my tbr 😂 Also got the emperors blade cannot wait to read that in February.

Looking forward to your review/discussion on «The Grace of Kings»! Andy Smith has read all the available books so far, so he could be a good partner to bounce of thoughts about the book.

Having read gunmetal gods last year it is definitely worth the read. Not only are the characters great but the plot just never stops and is constantly just going at a breakneck pace to the point where I had to just put it down due to the huge twist and turns. Im hoping to get to the second book in the series some point soon.

I just bought a Copy of empire of the vampire as well, it sounds really interesting, I know that mark from slowly red loves it as well as Mike from Mike's book reviews, with both their views on it, the book shot up my tbr

I love your channel. That said, we have a lot of opposite opinions. The Last Wish was my favorite Witcher book, I like the show but haven’t seen S2. I have the stunning Illumicrate edition of Empire of the Vampire but haven’t read it yet due to people dissing it without reading it. I know Rollins from his Sigma Force thriller books so fantasy seems weird but I was surprised & really enjoyed it. I like the US jacket covers of ALH better but I’m tempted to break my book buying ban if there are any left. Great book haul! Don’t stop buying! 😁

I cannot be arsed to do book hauls anymore haha I really want to read Grace of Kings! let me know when you get to it 👀 EotV noooo you and Alex, shaaaaame shaaaaame shaaaaaame only Tchaikovsky I've read is Guns of the Dawn and I loved it! ALH subpress 🤤

This is my first time commenting, I discovered you from your SOIAF videos with Alex and Liene and those have finally cracked me to reading this series. With regards to James Rollins, he is one of my favourite writers. He predominantly writes military thriller with a sci-fi bent. He wrote a vampire trilogy that is my favourite take on the vampire mythos. Starless Crown will be my first fantasy from him, he has written a series under a pseudonym. I’m hoping it’s entertaining at the very least 🤠 Sorry for being so verbose. Thank you for your videos and for pushing me off the cliff to finally cracking ASOIAF 🍻🍻

Dude, my copy of EoTV is in the mail - I got the UK cover. So many people I trust have loved this book, so im giving it a shot soon as well. I'm actually just about to start Nevernight, which will be interesting...

the cover of empire of the vampire threw me off at first. but i ended up getting it during the barnes and noble half off thing too, and I finished it in like 3 days, and i just need to say that book KICKS ASS such a gritty badass vampire book.

James Rollins has written fantasy in the past under the name James Clemens. His series The Banned and the Banished is way up there on my list of favorites. Someone recently mentioned that he was back to writing fantasy. I have no idea what the new book is about or if it's any good, but I will definitely be checking it out at some point in the near future.

Lmao 🤣 I sprung for the waterstones Empire of the vampire. I’ll buddy read it with you if you want

I know James Rollins has a action/adventure thriller series that I read the first few of when I was in high school. I remember liking them. Kind of like the da Vinci code. I don't know how that translates to fantasy.

I only buy books if it's one that I absolutely love or if the library doesn't have it

As someone who listened to all of The Witcher books on audible and enjoyed the books, I also enjoyed the show

first editions ! if I have my own house I will definitely collect first edition copies of my favorite books. I think James Rollins is popular and has his own community of followers or fans, his Sigma Force series is like Dresden Files there are more than 15 books, I am not into it but Brian Lee Durfee reviewed it, check it out. And to answer your question about book buying, after 2 years I bought more than 3 books, both physical and e-books. One is Dune and the other is the latest from Mary Beard, the rest are e-books. After hitting some kind of reading slump I am rekindling my love of reading overall, especially about fantasy and history. Anyways I am like geeking over here, I think you should do holiday book hauls rather than any kind of book hauls. And see what kind of books you get for the holidays, especially you get that half off. And speaking of going to bookstores, there are always random gems when you least expect it. Hope I get to travel again and visit bookstores from other places. Cheers!

I agree that the Illustrated Last Wish isn't great but I also picked it up for $20. The short stories are fun and same with Sword of Destiny. The Witcher show is also tons of fun! We gotta buddy read Empire of the Vampire this year =D

Empire of the Vampire was great. As someone who doesn’t prefer traditional fantasy and prefers more Abercrombie, Evan Winter and Pierce Brown (I know he’s not fantasy), this book scratched that itch

Empire of the Vampire is such a great book. Kristoff is a fantastic writer.

I've bought a lot of Subterranean horror titles over the years (I read more horror than fantasy), and there's just something really great about their books. You can tell they really care about books.

Im stuck waiting on my hardcover of Empire of the Vampire from the UK, I just prefer that cover sooooo much

Heads up, The Last Graduate is book 2 in a trilogy, first book being A Deadly Education. I loved the 1st book but haven’t read the 2nd one yet, and 3d isn’t out yet. Children of Time was really interesting but I hate spiders, 😂 and I really want to read Shards of Earth. Oh and I’m dying to read Grace of Kings!!

I wish I enjoyed reading from hardcovers cuz those are awesome... aside from EotV (US)

Read blood Song by Anthony Ryan. Spectacular book. Bought the pariah. Haven't read it yet.

For what it's worth, I'm currently reading Empire of the Vampire and I'm having a good time with it. It's my first Kristoff read, but so far it's been entertaining. It may not be steak and lobster, but could still pass as a juicy cheeseburger 😀

James Rollins writes the popular Sigma Force adventure novels that combine history and science with action-packed stories. He also published fantasy under the name James Clemens.

I really enjoyed Empire of the Vampire. Give it a shot, you might be surprised

Man! Read Empire of the vampire. You'll have some great time reading it but might need therapy after finishing it. Read it though 😁

You're gonna want to read Anthony Ryan's Blood Song👌

Rollins writes sarong thrilled, Sigma Force series. I haven't read the one you picked up but there is no fear with Rollins as an author. Move it up on your list. Last Graduate is Book 2 in the series and will suffer without reading Deadly Education first. It is Dark Academia sub-genre but more hopeful than most.

I’ve been reading James Rollins books for close to 15yrs now. He is a veterinarian who writes modern sci-fi action thrillers. He is one of my auto buy authors. He had this idea of a world where the world doesn’t rotate and one side is always light and the other is always dark. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to make it one of his typical sci fi novels so instead he decided to write a post apocalyptic sci fi fantasy novel. He typically has very straightforward prose and One of the criticisms I heard he that tries to write more “fantasyesque “ in this book and it doesn’t quite work. But if your ever interested in actual historic and scientific concepts and facts with Fast and furious/ mission impossible action you should read more by him. Brian Lee Durfee is reviewing is Sigma Force series right now on his channel

The last wish is my favorite Witcher book

Blood Song by Anthony Ryan is top tier. It made my top 10 of the year.

Gunmetal God's is unreal

The Witcher show is awesome 👌 I don't care what the haters say 😉

The last graduate is a second book in a series/duology! I don't think you've read the first one, so don't pick it up yet (btw unfortunately I've almost only bad things about this series😓)

I'm currently reading book 3 of the Dandelion Dynasty and really loving it, hope The Grace of Kings works out for you! Andy Smith did a very informative review recently so I'm glad to see the series get more attention.

I love Empire of the Vampire however,that cover is horrible.The UK cover on the other hand is stunning 😍.

Omg PLEASE read Chronicles of a Bitch Queen by K. S. Villoso! Has a VERY unlikeable character that you still find yourself rooting for! Epic fantasy and only a trilogy so it’s a short series.

Why does everyone automatically assume Empire of the Vampire is some YA shit or something. Think Interview with a Vampire mixed with The Name of the Wind. It’s brutal and a real great read! Can’t wait for the next instalment!

I made it roughly 150 pages or so in The Pariah and I lost interest. I may pick it up again later but some of the plot elements just weren’t working for me.

Lmao get your book haul here

Haven't met a peeps yet who doesn't like Witcher series!

Gunmetal gods is.... okay. It's definitely epic, but there's some stuff in there that rubbed me wrong. It's really just the romance and then one scene that's problematic for me.

Never, Jimmy. Never.

Lol do people not like Empire of the Vampire? I've only heard positive things from everyone who's read it!

I don’t understand why Empire of the Vampire gets so much hate. I started it thinking it would probably suck due to all the controversy, but I’m like halfway through and really enjoying it. The “interview” aspect is definitely cringe af at times, but that’s only a very small portion of the book. I honestly just don’t get it 🤷🏻‍♂️

bro read Shadows of the Apt