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And sorry to break it to you, but if you keep going with the Expanse they change the spine after the first couple. I literally got rid of my almost complete Expanse series because it was too ugly and bought the last two books on my Kindle.

I would love to hear your comments on the later books. Book 6 "Avalon" and the upcoming Book 7 "Aurelia". I haven't read them all yet but am planning to do a whole read of the entire series in the future. I know at least the original Trilogy is being re-released in trade paperback and the new book in hardcover. I hope Books 4-6 are also to be re-released.

How about book 6: Avalon?

Plenty there to keep you out of mischief for awhile! I hope you get some great stories. One subscriber away from 650!

Epic list! I read Elric a few years back, and was blown away. Can't wait to read Spear Cuts Through Water as well! So glad Malazan is on your list, and look forward to hopefully having discussions with you as we make our way through the books!

Smart move starting with Bakker-sort of wish in hindsight I did because the 10 books massive epic has taken up so much of my brain😂

Considering that you read and understood The Shadow of the Torturer, you have nothing to fear from Malazan. I think its rep is extremely overblown.

The HYPE is REAL! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on TDTCB. Thanks for giving it a try, Sam. If, at any point, you get confused about something or have any questions you'd like answered just hit me up or ask away in the Second Apocalypse channel in the Talking Story server. Obviously, I won't be spoiling anything so you need not worry about that at all.

I love the variety of genres. I think the only overlap we have is with Lord of Light and The Mechanical. Super excited for both of them.

I loved your list! Bakker's The Second Apocalypse and Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen are masterpieces. Bakker's series is a little easier to follow, though it has ample depth and complexity. I think you'll enjoy The Dark Tower conclusion, and hooray for enjoying Song of Susannah! While I did not love my experience reading The Spear Cuts Through Water, I think it's one of the best modern fantasy standalones I've read in recent years. I doubt you'll hate it. The Obsidian Path trilogy is a dark, fun, wild ride. It's not the deepest series, but it reads fast. It could be good to insert between denser books. Age of Madness is First Law at its best, in my opinion! Loved it, and I'm confident you'll have a good time! Elric of Melnibone is classic! I've read the first 6 Elric Saga books (in the recent bind-ups). I think you'd enjoy some of those (I also wasn't crazy about Epic Pooh). Lord of Light was number 7 in my Top 10 of 2023. I cannot predict how you'll feel about this one, but I loved it. The Sunset Limited has a strong portrayal of nihilism. I recommend watching the film with Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel Jackson. It's the exact script in the book. The Prophet of Edan has my favorite elf scenes in the trilogy. It will be exciting with Allen's narration! Happy reading!

I think I’ve recommended it to you before but Fitzpatrick’s War by Theodore Judson is one of my favorite books of all time. It’s a post apocalyptic steam punk sci fi novel with heavy Christian and Catholic themes. It’s extremely expensive nowadays for some reason but if you even happen to see it for a reasonable price I definitely recommend snatching it up

Apologies if I end up with two similar comments, but my first attempt seems to have disappeared into the ether. Anyway, I think you’ll find Age of Madness to be Abercrombie’s most theme-driven work to date. I would advocate for you to nudge Malazan up the list, mainly because I suspect you’ll ending not only appreciating but loving it. And, of course, I’m delighted to find The Prophet of Edan here - I can’t wait to hear Allen’s narration myself!

I had a super long comment typed up and then accidentally backed out of RUclips and it disappeared. 💀 Let’s see what I remember lol. Happy to hear the Song of Susannah love! Super underrated in the DT community. I also have a Lewis planned for 2025! Till We Have Faces. I’ve been interested in his Space trilogy, but hadn’t heard much on it. Glad to hear you recommend! Never heard of The Failures, but blurbed by Ruocchio and inspired by Dark Tower? SOLD. PKD is also on my list for next year. Don’t know if I want it to be The Man in the High Castle or Do Androids Dream, though. 🤔 The Moorcock joke. 😂😂😂 Never heard of Andrew Klavan, but I LOVE crime fiction. Where should I start? Ordinary Grace is one of my favorites. I read it last year and it left such an impression on me. WKK is amazing!! Still need to get to Dr. Chase’s books. Soon!! Happy reading, my friend!!

Dude where did you get that single volume of New Sun? I need it

Loads of good stuff! I finished «The Prince of Nothing» Trilogy this Summer: I was surprised how naturally took in the prose, given the infamous reputation of the series, but that is more a matter of the (very dark from the very start, not gonna lie!) material, I much more easier visualized the story and atmosphere then say, Malazan. Loads of philosophical, religious and historical references, and even if I don’t agree with everything Bakker suggests, it is well presented and food for thought! And also I quickly clocked Achamian as very much a John le Carre Spy Pov! I had not before heard of «The White Horse King» (or that terminology about King Alfred, again interesting from the (generally) Saxon White Horse symbol Tolkien used for the Rohirrim! Will definitely check out that one and excited for your thoughts of it! «Elric» is fun, but can also recommend the brilliant Julien Blondel Graphic Novel Adaptation, as well as the «Corum» novels by Moorcock! Just finished «Lord of Light», great fun read, extra fun knowing was used as material in the real-life «Canadian Caper» CIA Operation! Enjoy your continued journey into «Edan»! 🙌 My own SFF/Historical Fiction 2025 TBR list: «Doom of Destiny» (Sundered Nation #3) by Vaughn Roycroft (Epic/Historical Fantasy inspirert by the Historical Ancient Goths and the Rohirrim of Tolkien, with a dash of «Dune») «Alamut» by Vladimir Bartol (Philosophical Historical Fiction, set among the Order of Assassins Sect during the Crusades, with parallels to the growth of Fascism in Bartol’s own 1930s) «Mannen som bar solen» («The Man Who Carried The Sun») by Kristian Bang Foss (Historical Fiction set in the Nordic Bronze Age) «Hengist» by Sean Poage (Historical Fiction, set during the Anglo-Saxon Invasion of Britain) «All the Horses on Iceland» by Sarah Tolmie (Historical Fiction/Fantasy about an Medieval Icelander’s Journey to Central Asia) «Bloodstone» & «Dark Crusade» by Karl Edward Wagner (Both in the «Kane» series, S&S/Proto-Grimdark) «Lancelot» by Giles Kristian (Arthurian Fantasy/Historical Fiction) «Sun Eater» 3-6: «Demon in White», «Kingdoms of Death», «Ashes of Men» & «Disquiet Gods» (Space Opera) «Navola» by Paolo Bacigalupi (Political Fantasy inspired by Renaissance Italy & «The Godfather») «Carthage Ascendant» by Mary Gentle (Book of Ash #2, Alt-Historical Military Fiction inspired by the Mercenary Wars of the Renaissance) «The Blood Dimmed Tide» by Stephen Aryan (Historical Fantasy inspired by the Mongol Conquest of Persia) «Firelord» by Parke Godwin (Arthurian Historical Fiction) «Women of Troy» by Pat Barker (Historical Fiction take on the Iliad, from the perspective of Achilles’ and Agamemnon’s «War Bride» Briseis) «The Crystal Cave» by Mary Stewart (Arthurian Fantasy from the perspective of Merlin) «The Wolf Den» by Elodie Harper (Historical Fiction set in the, eh, «Red Light District» of Ancient Pompeii) «Informocracy» by Malka Older (Cyberpunk) «Brothers of the Wind» by Tad Williams (Prequel to «Memory, Sorrow & Thorn», Epic Fantasy) «The Folding Knife» by KJ Parker (Political Fantasy) «Pompeii» by Robert Harris (Historical Crime Fiction, set against the Destruction of Pompeii) «The Bright Sword» by Lev Grossman (Arthurian Fantasy) «Augustus» by John Williams (Epistolary Historical Fiction about the Eponymous Roman Emperor’s Life) The “Aspect Emperor» series by R. Scott Bakker (Epic Dark/Grimdark Fantasy, sequel series to «The Prince of Nothing» Trilogy) «Written in the Dark» by Guy Gavriel Kay (Published in 2025, Fantasy inspired by Medieval France) Cheers, Mate! 🙌

I got a decent way into The Failures by Benjamin Liar and couldn't make it any further for the exact same reason. I was listening to the audiobook and was physically cringing at the dialogue so much I probably harmed my body in some way.

I've also got Elric and Lord of the World on my tbr! The latter is more of a dystopian. I'm shocked that more publishing houses haven't picked it up. It was written in 1907 so it predates 1984, Brave New World, and We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. I had no idea that Christopher Ruocchio recommends it too! That makes me eager to pick it up sooner. Highly recommend The Spear Cuts Through Water and a Scanner Darkly as I've read both!

Age of Madness is fantastic, I'd definitely bump that up. I've got Gardens of the Moon and Darkness That Comes Before here to start over the christmas break

I would definitely recommend beyond redemption.. black stone heart was very average and I sadly dnf the second book “she dreams in blood”. Beyond redemption is absolutely amazing

Okay, so, Gardens of the Moon. I think this is an amazing and under-rated book. However, it can be tough on a first read (I just re-read it in August.) So just take it nice and slow and don't sweat confusion about the worldbuilding - focus on the characters and plot. Erikson will give you everything you need to follow those. By about book 3 you will have a solid handle of the very complex world. In Gardens, just enjoy it. And bunch of the rest of these are on my own TBR as well.

So thrilled to see Malazan on your list! I hope you enjoy it.

Get his 1975 novel, Peace. It's weird, mysterious, and a little unsettling.

as described, it makes no sense. he's already PRINCE! why would he need to WORK to be king?! it's on the calendar already! and after he escapes to testify who did it, why wouldn't his father the king have the count's head? and how dare a mere count attack the family of a king? where was the SECURITY DETAIL?

You have a great channel! Awesome analysis.

Great video man! I think you'll like the end of the trilogy, but I'm curious.

Very thoughtful and nuanced analysis. Great job. I haven’t read Mark Lawrence yet, but I’m reading The Blade Itself right now, and have no trouble rooting for several of the morally grey characters (perhaps that’s an indictment of myself), but it’s definitely funny. I look forward to reading this one for grim comparison.

One of my favourite lines in the series is "faster than an arrow, faster than a bullet even. Oh yes, I know of those." I just love the smugness that drips from it.

read this in afgahn alone out in the middle of nowhere, loved it. got me back into reading.

I have a lot of thoughts about this series. It is one of my favorites. I appreciated that Lawrence didn’t try to say his main character is “better” than the road brothers. Jorge didn’t just suffer the trauma of his mother and brother being brutally murdered in front of him, he also suffers the incredible consistent abuse of his father. On top of all that, Jorge is constantly fighting against the darkest parts of himself. He is self aware enough to know how that darkness can destroy him and his dreams and works to counteract it. I struggle to take people seriously who write Jorge off because of SA. Not the murder of innocent people, just the SA. Anyways, great video!

I love Lawrence and find his books fascinating. The fact that he can make a complete sociopath like Jorg a sympathetic character by the end of the trilogy shows how great a writer he is. And then to turn around and write the Red Queens War, which has a completely different vibe? He is so talented.

Lawrence does what Gemmell used to do. Stories that feel complete and pack a punch with 350pgs or less. Skipping appetizers and straight to the main course without making you feel like you are missing something.

Mark's stuff is definitely in my top 10 fantasy, all 6 of the Broken Empire books (i.e. Thorns and Red Queen), and I don't think of Jorg as evil or bad, he''s flawed, perhaps deeply, but not evil...

First interesting pitch I’ve heard of this series.

You're going to have to go on to The Red Queen's War. It's a concurrentquel, but is incredibly entertaining, as it follows a Han Solo-style loveable rogue who gets magically bonded to a Viking warrior against both their will. It is a bunch of fun, and gives you all the missing pieces about what happened in the past of the Broken Empire. So, you get the humor of The First Law, but in a Broken Empire-setting. ...then, you should also be aware that ALL books released by Lawrence since are, in some way, connected to the Broken Empire...

I really enjoyed your review and the way you approached it. I look forward to hearing what you'll think after you finished all three books.

You've done an excellent job with this video, Sam! I found myself nodding in agreement many times as I listened to you. The fact that you can articulate this level of understanding about Jorg without having read Emperor of Thorns makes me keen to find out what you'll think once you finish the trilogy. For me, the ending adds even more layers of understanding and fascination to his character.

Love the video. Such a nuanced take and I praise you for actually doing the leg work to trying to understand the main character in context of the story and what Mark Lawrence is trying to do. I think that's what a mind like Gene Wolfe would be proud of. I haven't read the books yet and based on the premise it wouldn't be my absolute Top 5 fantasy sci fi for me either, but it is worth trying to see this character's journey. Also, love that comparison to Batman.

Although the ending/reveal negatively impacted my experience with the trilogy, I still recommend it to people nonetheless. That being said, this might be the best video on the book I’ve seen in all of BookTube! I agree with your points for sure.

7:40 If the Pope is a woman, that is NOT the Catholic Church 😂

I still haven't read anything by Mark Lawrence, but I appreciate your take on looking at what the book is doing rather than criticizing it for not following a certain fantasy formula. I personally find the genre term grimdark too reductive, but that's a whole other conversation. Great hearing your thoughts here!

I read the reviews for this book And everyone was talking about the grape in chapter 1 and how disgusting it was and because of that they dropped the book When i read chapter 1 i was like " what are the se people talking about" There is no grape scene there is only one sentence the impkies a grape happened If this is so disturbibg for you in a made up world then ypu have a problem I was expecting a grim dark extreme fanatasy book and to be honest i felt it was mid conpared to the other grin dark books i have read Honesty the book does not deaerve the hatw it gets because there ia no justification for it

Spoilers: "Inside the silken tent we knelt before a simple altar heaped with flowers. Ava prayed. I, knowing no prayers, spoke without sound to someone who seemed at times within me and at times, as the angel had said, infinitely remote." This book is offensively amazing. It's not at all fair how good Gene Wolfe is.

think you would highly enjoy robin hobbs realm of the elderlings

I’m going to be another comment: “I am torn about Suneater Series” I tried the novella and didn’t liked it. 🙁 I have a huge respect for the author and really enjoy his personality on RUclips. I just found that novella as bland and as mediocre as it gets without being bad or garbage. I literally wanted to like it so much but ended up with like 3 star rating at the most. Nothing worked for me as intended. I felt bad, everyone seems to enjoy it. Do you think I could enjoy the main series bounced of the first novella so badly? Did you like the first novella and how do you think it compares with the main series in terms of complexity of plot, writing skills etc.

I don't think Severion is overtly evil. He has a code he lives by and not a wonton killer. He has a conscious and just seems like he was trying to eek out a living as an executioner. He didn't have parents and was basically raised by that trade. For the most part he kinda goes with the flow. He does have to deal with the consequences of his actions which usually a situation which he picks the lesser of two evils. But, I will admit the scene where he took advantage Jolenta was very questionable. I love hearing about other peoples impressions of the series. Keep on keeping on buddy.

i loved the series. I had to consult the thesaurus a few time though. Dorcas and the Doctor where awesome secondary character. He write and expects you to already know the things he casually referances. Like animals and places you should already have a mental map or have heard about the fictional fauna your entire life. But when things fall into to place you're like OH DAMN!!!