Best Reads of 2024
Perhaps I’ve decided to turn this Blog into a bunch of book reviews. Who’s to say. Could be anything. For now, I’ll just share my favorite reads from 2024. I read 39 books, a handful of which were re-reads, so I’ll try to pick stuff that i read for the first time. These are in no particular order. Well, they’re in the order that I read them, just not ranked.
Magician: Apprentice/Master by Raymond E. Feist (1984) - These are technically the same book. They were written and released in the UK as a single volume called “Magician,” but I guess the deemed US audiences too dumb to read one long book, so they broke it into two volumes. It actually works cause there’s a big time jump about halfway through. It’s the first volume in the Riftwar Saga, which encompasses over 30 books, and also the first in the Riftwar CYCLE, the opening trilogy of the whole damn thing. Whatever format you get it in, this is a great example of classic fantasy. It has a very formal turn of phrase to it - sort of Tolkien-esque - and the world building is excellent. In fact, it takes place on two worlds, and they’re each very well done. From a story standpoint, Feist isn’t really breaking new ground here, but it’s charming and a lot of fun to read. More from Feist later in the list.
Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan (2013) - Promise of Blood is the first book in the “Powder Mage” trilogy. It’s what’s known as “Flintlock fantasy” meaning it occurs in a world where flintlock pistols and rifles are common place. It has a very unique magic system (three actually,) and some really fun characters. I guess some might consider it sort of grimdark, but I don’t. It’s not QUITE that violent. The world is vivid, though, and it’s a pretty fast read, when you consider the length. The story is quite unique. It STARTS immediately following a coup/revolution. We don’t get to see that part. There is a lot of supplemental material in this world, short stories and novellas and such. Highly recommended.
Silverthorn by Raymond E. Feist (1985) - The second in the Riftwar Cycle, this book focuses on Arutha, one of the side characters from Magician. Incidentally, he was one of my favorite characters, so it was nice to see him take center stage here. Another fairly quick read, “Silverthorn” isn’t as long as some other books on this list. We see a bit more of the world of Midkemia fleshed out here, and as with “Magician”, it’s really well done. There aren’t many slow points in this one. I kept wanting to turn the page.
Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson (2011) - The first book in Mistborn Era 2. The original Mistborn (technically called “The Final Empire”) was my introduction to Brandon Sanderson, and he quickly became certainly one of my favorite authors, if not THE favorite. His focus on hard magic systems is totally original, and this one - Allomancy - is one of the best. “Alloy” takes place a few hundred years after the original trilogy, and sees the magic system expand a little. Technology has advanced in the world, and the characters are forced to adapt to the new ways of doing things. This second trilogy also zeroes in on the heist/mystery vibes the original book put out. It’s a genre mashup that you barely even notice, in the best of ways. One minute you’re enjoying living in this fantastical world, and the next you’re trying to solve a mystery. How did that happen? I don’t even LIKE mysteries. By Sanderson standards, this is a short book, and it reads very fast. I think I finished it in 4 days WHILE on vacation in Italy. So I was already crazy busy.
A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist (1986) - The conclusion to the original Riftwar Saga series. This book is basically one long battle, and everyone who knows me knows that’s a good way to hook me. In fact, one of the next books is similar in that regard. But “Sethanon” re-visits characters from the first 3 books and brings all of that to a wonderfully satisfactory conclusion. It’s comparatively short, about 450 pages paperback, and read very fast. I should mention that the audiobook narrations of these books was excellent. Nicholas Guy Smith is the narrator and he’s really great! There’s not much more to say here. The quality of the original Riftwar trilogy still holds up after 40 years.
The Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne - Consisting of “Shadow of the Gods” (2021), “Hunger of the Gods” (2022), and “Fury of the Gods” (2024). These are based on Norse mythology, which is a big source of inspiration for Gwynne. There is a magic system, but it’s pretty soft (meaning there aren’t many hard and fast rules.) It’s definitely Grimdark, definitely violent. But the characters are SO GOOD, and the world itself is excellent. The magic system is based on reading incantations and spells. On my kindle, I’d highlight them and see if it could translate. Turns out, they’re speaking Icelandic. Which sort of made me want to learn Icelandic. But I digress. Unfortunately, the third book is the weakest of the three. It’s still absolutely worth reading, but the first two are in a class by themselves. Vikings, sords, magic, blood. What else could you ask for?
Brothers in Battle: Best of Friends by Bill Guarnere and Edward “Babe” Heffron, with Robyn Post (2007) - The lone non-fiction book on my list. Though not the only one I read. This is, I believe, the only “Band of Brothers” related memoir I hadn’t read yet. If there’s another one out there, someone let me know. I started with the TV series a few years ago (took me that long to get to it,) and immediately started devouring everything related to it. The things these men went through, and the attitude they have about it floors me. I don’t think I could do it. Of the “BoB” books I’ve read, this is admittedly my least favorite, but it’s still outstanding. If you like WWII history, or the tv show, or just want to read a great memoir, pick this up.
The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson (2023) - This was the fourth and final of his “secret projects” and the last to be shipped in “the year of Sanderson.” Also my second favorite. It takes place in his greater universe called “The Cosmere,” and is sort of “Stormlight Archive” adjacent. It’s 381 pages. Sanderson can barely clear his throat in that amount of time. So as you’d imagine, it reads pretty quickly. “Sunlit Man” is just a fun book. You may recognize a character or two, but even if you don’t, it’s still great.
A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie (2019) - Joe Abercrombie is often hailed as the reigning King of Grimdark. “A Little Hatred” is the first book of the “Age of Madness” Trilogy, which is the second trilogy in his “First Law” universe. It takes place several years after the original series, and many of the characters make return appearances, though they’re not the focus. A new generation of people has advanced into the industrial age, but the political machinations are still in full effect. Dark, violent, and profane, these are some of my favorite words. Abercrombie’s character work is second to none, and I very much look forward to reading the next two books. Sidenote: there’s also a lot of supplemental material here. He’s written 3 standalones in this same world, as well as a short story collection. I’ll get to them eventually.
Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson (2024) - Told you I was a Sanderson fan. I read 4 of his books last year. One of them didn’t make this list. Womp. But THIS thing. This is the fifth and final installment of the FIRST arc of the Stormlight Archive. Without a doubt, one of my favorite series of all time. It has everything: A unique and vivid world, tremendous characters, a MAGNIFICENT magic system, and a wonderful story. This beast is 1330 pages. It came out on December 6th. I managed to finish it right before Christmas. I was proud of that. Anyway, I’m still in my feelings about the way this arc ended, which of course I’m not going to spoil, but the whole damn thing was exceptional. Despite it’s tome-like page count, there were very few lowlights in “Wind and Truth.” I could gush about this series for pages, but I won’t. Save to say, if you haven’t read Stormlight Archive, you’re missing out.
