TOP 10
Here is a list of my 10 favorite books from 2016!
01
City of Blades is the hotly anticipated sequel to the first Divine Cities book (City of Stairs) by fabulous new fantasy author Robert Jackson Bennett. We particularly loved the first entry because it was not only exciting and innovative fantasy, but also a very well-crafted mystery novel. As an additional bonus, from the early blurbs it looks like we’ll get to see a lot more of our favorite character, the hilariously crass General Mulaghesh.
02
THE BANDS OF MOURNING
How Brandon Sanderson puts out so many great books so quickly is beyond us, but we’re glad he does because with the open mysteries left at the end of Shadows of Self (Mistborn #5) we can’t wait to find out what happens next!
03
Unhewn Throne is the unfolding story of an Emperor’s master succession plan in which he separates his three children to each be trained in different skills needed to one day rule the Empire: the daughter to master politics, the youngest son to master war, and the heir-apparent to master the powers of the mind. A seemingly perfect plan…..
The first two books in this series have set the stage for The Last Mortal Bond to be an absolutely epic finale.
04
This book of short stories set in the world of The First Law promises to give fans of the original trilogy details they have been begging for for YEARS, including prequel/origin stories for two of our favorite fantasy characters of all time: The Bloody Nine and Sand dan Glokta!
Considering how great Mr. Abercrombie’s other standalone works have been (especially The Heroes), we can’t wait!
05
A BLADE OF BLACK STEEL
The Crimson Empire feels (in the best ways) like Joe Abercrombie’s First Law Series mixed with Mark Lawrence’s Broken Empire Trilogy while also containing several distinct differences that make it both unique and highly entertaining.
Speaking specifically, using a fifty-something female primary POV character (General Zosia) breaks the mold on almost every fantasy cliché, and Zosia’s unstoppable drive for revenge combined with her masterfully creative use of profanity make her one of our favorite fantasy characters of all time, even with only two published works.
06
THE WHEEL OF OSHEIM
Prince Jalan Kendeth is unquestionably the most reluctant hero in all of Fantasy, and simultaneously one of our all-time favorites. We have never seen a protagonist who takes such great pride in the advanced strategies he uses to flee from dangerous situations, including zombies, monsters, and angry fathers.
07
AGE OF MYTH
Planned as a 5-book series, First Empire is set the same world as Riyria Revelations, but takes place thousands of years in the past. While Riyria is not required pre-reading (though we recommend you do because they are all fantastic), fans of the series will learn the real events by which legendary hero Novron saved mankind and founded the First Empire.
08
THE OBELISK GATE
We’ve read plenty of fantasy series in which the world was ending, but we’ve never read one where the ending of the world was not necessarily a bad thing….until now.
If that concept just blew your mind (and it should), this series is for you, beginning with Book #1, The Fifth Season.
09
THE THORN OF EMBERLAIN
Sadness abounds, as another planned publication date has slipped. BUT REJOYCE: what a great opportunity to re-read the book that started it all,The Lies of Locke Lamora.
10
THE BURNING ISLE
This grimdark, revenge fantasy debut by Will Panzo is being compared to works by Joe Aercrombie and Mark Lawrence — high praise indeed in our eyes.
From the Publisher: “A man has only three reasons for being anywhere: to right a wrong, to earn a coin, or because he is lost.”
