Reading
You can view all the books I’ve read on StoryGraph. Below are the books that I’ve completed and written something about.
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying (Dark Lord Davi #1) by Django Wexler ★★★★☆: What a surprise! I went in somewhat blind expecting something softer like his Forbidden Library series and it is quite not. It’s a funny, violent, isekai-meets-Groundhog Day adventure with just the right amount of world building. I normally shy away from fantasy intersecting with our world but it worked well.
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett ★★★★★: Phenomenal fantasy murder mystery. My mental checklist was satisfyingly fully resolved in the last 10%.
When Wizards Follow Fools by Andrew Rowe ★★★★☆: More depth to the LitRPG aspects is fun; definitely enjoying the increased understanding of the magic systems.
All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay ★★★★★ (Spoilers): Inverted my expectations of lost siblings: strongly heart-warming rather than heart-breaking like Tigana. Loved the depth of lived religious experiences and how certain characters receiving an epilogue comfortably filled in the story.
A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay ★★★★★: Every Kay novel can be summed up as: thorough. This fills in the background of stories past–and works better knowing them–while feeling individually compelling. What rich characters, even the “villain” is once again somehow lovable.
Disquiet Gods (Sun Eater #6) by Christopher Ruocchio ★★★★☆: Informative, interesting and often inconsequential but the world building keeps me going. I really enjoy the universe but again I’m torn by narrator hints of future calamities; this plot device isn’t my favorite.
Ashes of Man (Sun Eater #5) by Christopher Ruocchio ★★★★☆: This series has not shied away from killing off major characters, to say the least, but off-screen at the end was a bit weak; the common failing with this series is the endings feeling like brief sudden pauses. Still captivating world-building action with solid forward momentum. Hard to believe I’m nearly caught up.
Kingdoms of Death (Sun Eater #4) by Christopher Ruocchio ★★★★☆: I couldn’t stop. There’s something about the story line and the gradual reveals that makes me really captivated. This was a much harder book to read, probably owing to Hadrian’s experiences. I’m a little confused about the contrast between going down a path with no foresight past this point and earlier books narrator proclaiming some of the visions after this point had happened. I’m guessing it’s a continuity problem, a retcon, or something that’ll be settled in the books in the future. This one ended at a weird point and really did not feel like a conclusion: both unsatisfying and immediate.
Demon in White (Sun Eater #3) by Christopher Ruocchio ★★★★☆: I’m appreciating more the time-skips and forward references but I’m still not entirely convinced it’s going to continue to work. I feel like the end of this book came quickly, predictably and uninterestingly. The plot overall was still fun, and the world-building definitely kicked up a notch. I’m not sure I’ll be reading the rest of the series, given I’m halfway through what’s released so far, but I think I’m happy to have read to this point too.
Howling Dark (Sun Eater #2) by Christopher Ruocchio ★★★★☆: The deus ex machina was a little much here, but also clearly not necessary from a plot perspective, so I can overlook it at least a little bit. I guess I can see how it paves the road ahead, but I am really stuck on it. I think the plot expansion was useful and enjoyable and I’m looking forward to the next book as we expand more into the Empire itself.
Empire of Silence (Sun Eater #1) by Christopher Ruocchio ★★★★☆: There’s something interesting here, at least at the core. The world building is unique and I think can best be described as cribbing some good tropes and combining them together well. I feel like it’s probably 30% longer than needed, but at least reasonably unpredictable. The thing I dislike the most is the constant discussion of the long-future-from-this-novel state of the narrator. It’s good that it’s wrapping up loose ends (“and I never saw them again” after a chapter, e.g.) but it’s hard that it’s projecting some weird future state (look how awful I made the galaxy). I’m torn, really, but erring on the side of liking it more than I expected from the beginning.
Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay ★★★★★: This was an interesting one. A lot of disconnected and reconnected plot lines that danced around each other but never quite melded. Still a solid Kay novel and really quite interesting to see the post-Sarantine world affairs
River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay ★★★★★: I loved the hints throughout of the impact of the actions as perceived a few hundred years later; really a fun way to contextualize the actions in the novel. Great amount of foreshadowing, and a very satisfying array of opinions of characters. Another killer Kay novel.
Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay ★★★★★: I was a bit disappointed by the last Kay novel, but this one is a return to form. I love how well we marinate in the culture; not a lot happens, but a lot happens. The political machinations were a fun departure from the normal Kay experience of a character out of their element, though of course the protagonist here can mostly claim that to be the case.
The Will of the Many (Hierarchy #1) by James Islington ★★★★★: Solid, unpredictable, interesting world building and plot. An absolute joy of a novel and a great introduction to a new series.
Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay ★★★☆☆: A fun but minor side story in the Fionavar Tapestry world. Happy to enjoy it, but a little outside of the things I find most satisfying in a Kay novel: a plot that lasts longer than a few days. Felt a lot more stretched out than it needed to be, and I never really doubted where the ending was going to be.
Empire of the Damned (Empire of the Vampire #2) by Jay Kristoff ★★★★☆: The world is so rich and interesting, and the added viewpoint really helps sell the expanded world. I wish I could say I was surprised by the ending, but it was projected from the beginning and without it the next book wouldn’t be possible.
The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay ★★★★☆: After reading several of Kay’s novels in a row, this one felt like the rare miss. I enjoyed the story and world building, but it didn’t feel like I built up or resolved anything. It was kind of a glimpse into the life, not really a well-unified epic story. I did enjoy the long-term impact of The Sarantine Mosaic in some side conversation of characters in the book.
Lord of Emperors (Sarantine Mosaic #2) by Guy Gavriel Kay ★★★★★: The back half of this novel really kept me on my toes; I couldn’t predict at all where we were going, and I loved it. As I’m finding more and more reading his back catalog, Kay’s ability to pull at emotional threads is unmatched; I’m sympathizing with the protagonists and antagonists alike!
Sailing to Sarantium (Sarantine Mosaic #1) by Guy Gavriel Kay ★★★★★: I’m finding the best part of the author’s writing is the room to breathe and establish ideas and inferences myself without being bashed over the head with the conclusion. From start to finish the first of this two-part series let me soak up the rich world-building and amusing characters. The time-jumps were a bit unexpected, but helped set the stage, and I can’t believe I moderately care about chariot racing.