Reading Fantasy / Horror in May 2026

[tpetty]

Finished Tchaikovsky's Cage of Souls. A good read, with great world building in a far off Earth with a likely dying sun. It's amazing to me how numerous and yet varied his books are - and usually very good. I will need to restart his Apt series at some point. I read the first few, then fell off. I'll have to start over.

Just started Eye of the World by Jordan. I read the first 8 or 9 books in the series when they first came out decades ago. I liked, but didn't love them. Too many non-essential threads/chapters that really bogged the story down and annoyed me. However, I've wanted to read Sanderson's books to conclude the story. I have the entire series taking up quite a bit of space on the shelf. I initially considered just reading online book synopsis of Jordan's books that I had read so long ago. I really only remember the over-arching main story concept, and no details. However, with some misgivings I finally decided to just take the plunge and start over at the beginning. Committing to a 10,000 page story - or whatever the number is - almost feels more like work than pleasure. Hopefully the re-read goes well. I plan to read everything, but if I start getting annoyed again I may just skim certain story-line/POV chapters

Often after I finish an entire series I will sell it on ebay. Opens up shelf space. These two series will open quite a bit of space when I can get rid of them.

 

[suciul]

Finished Condemned 7 by V Mahanenko - it started and ended great but the middle was a bit too much, very close to jumping the shark so to speak; my Goodreads review:

The book has a great beginning dealing with the fallout from Max's assassination by Karina - after all, earlier he shot her in the head with a crossbow from point blank range, so she got mad and wanted revenge and thought she got it.

However, Max only loses a few days of memory since the Citadel had brought him in for a "relearn your place" lesson in which he would be condemned to death, executed and then resurected by the magic runes secretly drawn on him by magister Meram (who kindly overloooked the fact that Max literally ripped his heart out, by wryly noting that proved he is still human), but Max confounded everyone by mounting a spirited defense and getting scot free only for the close encounter with Karina's true shot soon after.

Max now has no idea about the trial, his defense etc, but he knows that the greedy Light priests have all his stuff, want him to keep working for them for free as a "doomed soldier" despite him being now an archduke, so he needs to find a solution to get back his things and go back home.

Luckily for him and not so luckily for the Citadel, magister Elor is in the mood for destruction and using Karina's "execution" at the stake (and secret help from Academy Chancellor Kimal, manipulator supreme, who wants to take down the Citadel a peg too and help Max), unleashes an unstoppable wave on the Citadel and the Pope desperately needing Max's help agrees to all his conditions, so things seem to look up for a while at least.

But things soon get tupsy turvy again as magister Meram wants his favor promised by Max for teaching him the communication rune and enrolls Max for a mission in his service where he soon finds out he needs to work closely like best buddies with the also recently resurrected Karina to both their dismay - however there are other happenings which get close to jumping the shark and degenerating into parody, so the middle part of the novel is less interesting to a large extent, but the twists at the end get the series back on track.

Overall, still crazy fun but a bit over the top in parts, though the ending is superb

 

[Westy]

I read Sharp Ends, the collection of short stories set in the First Law Universe - like any short story collection, some are better than others, and they're never as good as the full novels (for me anyway) - not enough room to fully flesh out the characters/story. These were more like snippet stories from the same characters from the books, as opposed to shorter versions of novels with a true ending. (For me the best proponent of this is (early) Stephen King).

But definitely better than average, with Abercrombie's typical approach to writing.

 

[cgw]

Finished Onslaught (Last Life 12) by A Osadchuk - it was excellent - I got it the morning it was published and read it by noon, but it just begged for the next installment as the multiple plots just thickened.

My Goodreads review:

Starting as a sort of generic progression fantasy/hero sent into another body/world, Last Life has morphed into one of the top fantasy series with an increasing cast of characters, action, and intrigue on multiple fronts and of course magical undertones and battles on various levels of the multiverse.

Onslaught continues the multiple storylines, adding some complications - the mythical Vultarn comes to take over Max's body, though of course he is quite surprised when Max disagrees with that course of action, and on this subplot we find out more and more about Max's true past.

Among the many threads we also have:

The sort of vampire King Olgerd starts getting more and more into action and of course not quite as the benign figure he presents himself to Olgerd's vassal and Max's former associate and sort of friend, the princess witch Lada.

The vainglory of prince Heinrich (the Heir to Vestonia and Verena's semi-official fiance) and Marshall von Mansfeld (the leading light of Verena's loyalist Astlandic nobles) leads to their dismissive attitude to Verena' worries and insights as what could a young woman, princess though she may be, can know about war, politics and so on, having Verena regretting more and more she didn't go with Max.

The increasing assertiveness of King Adrian (of Attalia) and King (of Astland and Emperor to be) Otto II making their chief subordinates, the Golden Lion (most famed general of the times who put Adrian on the throne) and minister Lander (who masterminded the coup that dethroned Verena's father and put Otto on the throne) respectively, more and more worried about their futures so to speak.

Princess Astrid (the true Queen of the North as her surviving brother rules there by her will, and knows what happend with the other brother who Astrid made king but then he tried to go his way) in tow with Prince Louis (her submissive poet husband and younger brother of Heinrich) have come to Vestonia with a powerful army and nobody quite knows what Astrid intends - beyond of course becoming Queen of Vestonia in due time.

And as expected there is more about Max Renard's birth in this world as he finally finds out that while his philandering father's liason with Isabelle, the merchant heiress who most people believe to be Max's mother, was an open secret, there were some rumors about a liason with the daughter of a duke who happened to be the premier marshal of Vestonia, which was of course a much more serious business.

Just nonstop action and a book I couldn't put down until I finished it, with the only regret being that book 13 has no release date yet - and of course that the audio versions are progressing even slower with 10 scheduled for late in the year so far.

Overall, an excellent series that is getting better and better as complexity and the cast of characters keeps increasing.

That came out quickly. I was expecting a few months and not even looking for it.

 

[suciul]

That came out quickly. I was expecting a few months and not even looking for it.

When I finished Resistance (Last Life 11), I thought it will be later too but then I saw the date; the funny thing was that when Onslaught (Last Life 12) came out last week on the 8th, I was in NY and since I was awake at 12 am I wanted to get it then and just read a few pages before bed, but Amazon didn't want to let me buy it since it knows my home is in Denver so it was only 10 pm for its algorithms - despite that its Kindle app was synchronized with the NY hour...

Anyway, I just read it the next day but sadly on finishing it, one wants book 13 asap as everything depeens rather than resolves - without spoilers, the ending is close in many ways to the ending of Shadow Pass, and so far there is no announcement for 13; hopefully later this year or early next year.

Back on topic, in audio almost done with Last Paladin 4 (still funny, exciting and inventive - there was a scene that had me laughing out so loud that it was lucky I was stopped at a light - excerpt below...) and will get into 5 immediately and then back to sf, while in reading Condemned/Last of the Line 8 is going nicely, back on track so far

"Meet Amelia,” the major said. “The snow devil of the front line. Over a hundred combat deployments under her belt, and we’re lucky she was in the capital when the call came in…” He was still rattling off her accolades when Amelia finally spotted me. Her eyes widened, and every trace of composure vanished. She stumbled down the last train step with all the grace of a startled ox.
Well… at least she didn’t faceplant.
*********

The major cleared his throat and gestured toward me. “Your Grace, meet Marcus. Your unit commander.”
Amelia’s throat bobbed with a nervous swallow. She took a half-step back. “You… You must be joking, Major Winthrop,” she said, barely finding her voice.
“No jokes, Your Grace,” the major said, briefly taken aback. “Despite his low Guardian rank, Marcus has proven himself a skilled fighter and a capable commander. He’s the acknowledged leader of the Shadow Clan and was officially sanctioned as a Guardian by Argus. He’s trusted by the Head of the Nature Clan, an active Imperial Warrior, and...” He hesitated before adding, “and Maximilian.”
*********

“Forgive me, Your Grace. Perhaps… you would be willing to lead the squad instead? You’re Victoria Lugovsky, aren’t you? I’ve heard of your accomplishments. My instructors used to hold you up as an example in training. It would be a tremendous honor to follow you into battle.”
“Out of the question,” Victoria said, her tone just a little icier than necessary. “I trust Marcus completely. If you, Amelia, have doubts about the commanding officer, you’re free to remain here. There will be no consequences from us. Nor damage to your honor. Isn’t that right, Major Winthrop?”
********

The major, who hadn’t exactly been thrilled about the group composition to begin with, looked like he’d gone gray all over again.
The life of a staff officer… never easy.
“You know that girl?” Victoria asked sweetly. Too sweetly.
“Not really,” I said with a shrug.
“Liar. She definitely knows you.” She wasn’t letting this go.
“Well… we bumped into each other once. Shower room. Nothing special.” I hitched my pack higher and stepped into the train.
“The shower?” The scandalized voice came from behind me.
Up ahead, Albert stifled a chuckle so hard it turned into a snort.
“Oh, this is going to be fun,” Max said, still grinning, and followed me inside."

 

[blailock]

I finished Skeleton Crew by Stephen King. Some of King's short stories are outstanding. This wasn't his best collection, but it definitely had some good ones.

 

[suciul]

Finished Condemned 8-9 by V Mahanenko and they had some very cool parts and some way over the top ones, though they set up nicely the finale in book 10; essentially both books are now the duo Max/Kimal who switch the roles as Max is now the "mentor" and Kimal the "pupil" (because by the code of the Dark ones, the mentor is responsible for his pupils, and everyone who has Kimal on their s..t list, has Max too) dealing with various issues and trying to solve their various problems (eg Max wants to stop being an "errand' boy as he puts it for various powers of the universe and protect his independent city of Hearth and all his loved ones and his close associates, not to speak of reconciling Alia and Naira to being his "light" and "dark" wives, Kimal wants to have some new adventures and maybe solve his anti-aging runes will soon stop working problem).

By the end of book 9, a lot of things are sort of solved, including the distribution of Imperial power, the relation of Max with the Citadel and the Pope, his revenge against some of the Fardis, but others like his relation with Chaos, the fundamental question of who will ascend as the new oribtal power - or will the world be destroyed if none do and the equilibrium breaks - and of course (the former human, now a super powerful close to ascended being) Karina Fardi are still ongoing, but an inkling of where things will go is clear.

 

[chitman13]

Listened to Stephen King and Peter Straub's Black House, sequel to The Talisman. I generally enjoyed this, but I felt it was just too long with lots of filler that made it drag at times. I'm keen to see where the final book in this trilogy goes when it's released later this year.

 

[Raf]

Finished the first book of Chuck Roger's "Heroes Road" Trilogy. An epic fantasy tale that spans the Steppes of Russia to Asia. Coel ap Math, 3rd son of a Welsh Chieftain and Snorri Yaroslave, a former Varangian Guard who was run out of Constantinople are conscripted cavalry troops on the Frontiers of Europe. Attempting to work off a Debt of Service to the Papacy in Rome.

On a routine patrol, their troop is ambushed and slaughtered by goblins and Hobgoblins. Only Coel and Snorri survived to take the tale back to their leaders. The Hobgoblin race was supposedly totally destroyed by a powerful sorcerer decades ago. And no one believes that they are back.

Facing demotions to the Frontier Infantry, Coel and Snorri are approached by the Mountain Dwarf Orsini whose business associate is a Sorcerer searching for specific mystical items. Offered positions as hired swords to the Sorcerer who buys them out of Debt to the Church, Coel and Snorri embark on a journey that will take them across Russia, Central Europe and far into Asia.

This was an interesting take on the standard fantasy offerings. It takes place in the known world with historical figures playing bit parts in a world of history and magic. Dwarves, Fae, Siddhe, Hobgoblins, Goblins and Assassins abound. Good story. On to the next book.

 

[suciul]

Finished listening to The Last Paladin 4 by R Savarovsky and it was so much fun - I cannot remember when I laughed so much when listening to a book; just non-stop action as Marcus starts consolidating his position, making friends and enemies and finally doing his job as a Paladin to close the most dangerous portals in the Empire. The supporting cast is superb too. Started listening to book 5 - the last available for now in audio, but book 6 should be out soon (in ebook form we are up to 8 now with at least up to 13 scheduled). A few excerpts from the beginning of 5 as I put some from 4 above:



THE MOMENT I SPOTTED the sea-green tank outside the window, I let the curtain fall back into place and gave the room another once-over. My eyes skimmed the Eastern-style décor, the dominant shades of blue, and stopped on a towel lying at my feet, its reverse side embroidered with the crest of the Water Clan.
Honestly, I could’ve guessed as much from Amelia’s behavior last night. She’d led us in through the service entrance, insisting no one on staff see us. And the private baths in every suite… yeah, I should’ve put it together sooner. But vacation mode had made me lazy, and I’d let it slide. Still, that didn’t explain why they’d rolled in a tank and were making a fuss in the courtyard.

**********************************************

Around us, fire chewed through concrete and melted the protective constructs lining the arena. There was no more defense. No one was stopping the familiar’s rampage. Leo had lost control. And what stood before me now was no longer just a familiar. It was a creature on par with an A-class portal beast. Maybe worse.
“I didn’t care about your past stunts, Leo,” I said. My voice was calm. No smile this time. “Your cheap shots, your pathetic grudge against the Nature Clan—they were mildly entertaining. But today, you crossed a line.”
“No one died!” he shouted. “What line?”
“You summoned an uncontrollable familiar,” I said flatly, “and people died because of it. Using the power you were given to protect, you brought a monster into this world and put lives at risk. That’s a sin no Gifted should ever commit.”
“Screw your sins! What kind of delusional—”
“As an active Paladin,” I continued, “I sentence you and your familiar to death.”
“Paladin? They’re all dead!” Desperation cracked his voice.
“Not all,” I said, and moved.
Leo surged forward, fists ablaze. Too slow. My blade punched through his chest before he finished the step.
His eyes burned with fury. Fire engulfed him. He grabbed the blade with burning hands, leaned in, and hissed, “Die... monster...” Then detonated.
I let go and shielded myself with the cloak. The explosion tore through the area, a final surge of destructive fire. There’d been no oxygen left to breathe for a while. The elemental saturation had already hit one hundred percent at the center and hovered around seventy percent on the perimeter. Very few Gifted could survive in that environment.
Seventeen, to be exact. That was how many of the ambushers had managed to hang on through the tiger’s rampage, scrambling to retreat, failing all the same.
A voice called out from up ahead. “I take it back.”
A bald man in featureless armor stepped straight through the flames like he’d been waiting for an entrance. “You’re a damn interesting guy. First time I’ve seen a Shadow wielder survive something like that.”
“Oh?” I nodded. “Nice to see someone stuck around.”
“Two of us, actually.” The second voice came from behind me.
From the corner of my eye, I caught a brooding, buzz-cut figure rising smoothly out of the ground, like he’d ridden up on an invisible elevator.
Now they were just showing off.
That first redirected vortex I’d thrown at the building? It had been meant for them. I’d hoped to bait them into tangling with the tiger. But they’d read the setup. Waited. Avoided the blast zone. Closed in the second I dropped my weapon.
“Didn’t panic, adapted, followed through,” I said. “Thanks. Nice to see some professionals for a change.”
“Huh. First time a target’s ever thanked me for showing up to kill them,” the bald one said, spinning a tiny flame across his knuckles. “You Jett?”
“Don’t care,” his partner replied with a shrug. “I’m just here to fulfill a contract.”

 

[Westy]

I re-read The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell - overall I didn't enjoy as much as I remembered. Although I loved the first two sections - Holly Sykes as a young girl, then as a young woman meeting a lad from Cambridge - excellent writing and dialogue, and gradually building to something as they meet strange characters who appear seemingly from nowhere.

But the next couple of sections were slow and really spoiled the momentum, which made the reading experience not as good overall.

 

[suciul]

I finished a few more Russian portal/litrpg/etc books - first book 10 and last in the Condemned/Last of the Line series by V Mahanenko and like books 7-9, it was energetic, fast, and with enough stuff to keep me interested, but not on par with books 1-6 as it didn't really expand the universe, but kind of rehashed stuff. Still a good series and books 1-6 were excellent overall, with 7-10 ok but not as good.

I also tried The Swordsman Returns series by A Tkachev and O Law and I liked the first book as it was campy but fun; however, it started building a super villainous villain trying to get ultimate power type of plot rather than playing on the culture clashes and trying to expand the universe but volume 2 was kind of disappointing - too much my magic bigger than your magic talk, and the super villainous villain plot takes precedence rather than exploring the culture clashes and the universe, so although it moved fast and ended on a semi-cliffhanger, I will not continue for now (book 3 just published) though may go back later when more books are in.

 

[blailock]

I finished Before They Are Hanged by Abercrombie.
This is continuing my reread of the The First Law series before I pick up The Age of Madness series for the first time. I'm not going to go back through the standalones, but I've really enjoyed being back in the this world. Like The Blade Itself, I liked this one even better the second time through.

 

[Westy]

I read Wolf Worm by T Kingfisher – Sonia Wilson, a scientific illustrator, is employed to work for an eccentric old scientist studying parasitical insects. She gradually uncovers some disturbing events at the house she works in with him.

This was a good slow burn horror story – noticeably more on the horror/gore side than any of her previous books, especially some of the bot fly infestations descriptions – not for the squeamish! But it was a bit too much of a slow build, and then the sudden event things really kicked off. Better than average but not one of her best; probably not one I’d reread.

 

[fluffy bunny]

I've recently finished The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It's not non-stop action. Kay takes his time to layer his world and his characters. Heroic fantasy and legendary characters that you want to follow isn't easy to do. Even a lot of the side characters have compellingly fleshed out backgrounds. Lots of intrigue and many scenes that after the build up you can cut the tension with a knife.

The basic premise - Where do your loyalties lie? To yourself? To family? To your friends? To your faith? To your king? The web spun is really well done.

It's not for everyone. There are some storytelling tropes in this book that reminded me of my quibbles with Tigana when I read that 15 yrs ago - the author definitely takes his time in places. And some scenes happen, drop a teasing cliffhanger (eg 'and then I saw the dead body by his side'), then the scene is repeated from multiple povs over the next 30 pages or so before you find out the specifics. It does work but it's a pacing shift that is very noticeable to me.

There are choices here. The characters and their journeys take precedence over the world. The storytelling reflects that.

Spoiler

eg the main crusade that the story has been leading up to is condensed into a chapter at the end and the epilogue.

If you don't mind taking time with a book, this one pays off the reader. It's also nice to read a book that's self contained rather than being part of a multibook epic.

 

[Mark Lawrence]

I'm reading The Soft Touch - an ARC for the novella wherein Daniel Polansky returns to Low Town after a long abscence. Very good so far!

 

[Prairie_Dog]

I just finished reading A Long and Speaking Silence which is the seventh novella in the Hugo Award winning Singing Hills Cycle by Nghi Vo. It is a fantasy, set in an Asian-inspired alternate world. Like its predecessors, this novella tells a number of stories nestled within a story.

In the beginning of the story, Chih, a Cleric of the Singing Hills Temple is traveling with his neixian companion, Almost Brilliant. Neixians look like a Hoopoe, but are intelligent and conversational beings with perfect memory. Very helpful for clerics who collect stories.

This novella is a prequel of sorts as it is set early in Chih’s journeys. They have arrived in the riverside city of Luntien, where their wallet was stolen from them by an unknown cutpurse. This has caused Chih to have to find employment at a local restaurant till some funds can be sent to them so they can resume their planned journey. Luntien is currently undergoing a refugee crisis as people from the Verdant Islands are arriving daily fleeing for their lives. Unfortunately, Luntien is ill-equipped to receive them, and there is prejudice against them as well. In the midst of this, there is a festival beginning that will have the city filled with revelers. This is an opportunity for many stories to be told. It is also an opportunity for a long silence to be ended.

These novellas are all great stories, and I look forward to future tales in the Singing Hills Cycle. Goodreads indicates that there will at least be an eighth novella, which is currently untitled. It should be noted that the author and publisher agree that the novellas of the Singing Hills Cycle are linked by the Cleric Chih, but may be read in any order, with each story serving as an entry to the series.

 

[suciul]

Finished Last Paladin 5 by R Savarovsky - listened to it and some parallel reading;
the series goes from strength to strength - universe expansion, new interesting characters, evolution both in the main characters and in side ones - some former villains become friends at least sort of, some are ambiguous, some villains get eliminated but even worse come on the scene, new stuff (current day) is revealed as is old stuff (Marcus' original timeline, the Order and the Tower), and the prose is still extraordinary fun keeping me laughing out loud very often. In a pure fun sense, I cannot remember when I read a series combining so well fun, grim, and seriousness. The narration is also excellent as in previous installments and adds a lot.

Next is book 6 audio (releases at midnight and have a preorder, so will be ready tomorrow for my work commute); after that will see, as I will probably just read books 7/8 available now and will listen to them too later when they release in audio

I put some excerpts above and will add one more:

“Oh! This is a strip club?” Amelia asked, genuinely surprised.
“Used to be,” Lexa said coolly. “And what business exactly brings you here?”
“I’m the Prince’s sister. I go where I want.” Amelia slipped behind me like she expected me to block incoming fire. “And I’ve got a proposal from my brother.”
“All proposals to the Shadow Clan go through me.” Lexa’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. She was already pulling a file from her folder.
“I want to deliver it personally!” Amelia huffed, inching closer.
“Alright, girls. Easy.” I sighed and stepped between them. “We’ve had enough property damage for one day. And maybe tone down the elemental auras; my driver still needs to be in one piece.”

 

[Raf]

Finished the 2nd book of the "Heroes Road" trilogy by Chuck Rogers (at least I hope it is a trilogy...who knows these days) These are big books. 600-700+ pages and a lot is happening in this story.

I started but deleted the lengthy overview of this book. There is just too much going on to keep the review in a reasonable length. Suffice it to say, I really like this story. Both books are great epic / high fantasy.
As far as cons though, there are some editing errors I ran across. Progression from character POV's that sometimes lose track of what character is speaking. Minor stuff that I can overlook. But all too common in these KU self-edited, self-published novels

The first 2 books are available through Kindle Unlimited. The 3rd book (I'm reading it right now) was $9.99 and was published some 2 years later after the first 2.

 

[suciul]

Finished the 2nd book of the "Heroes Road" trilogy by Chuck Rogers (at least I hope it is a trilogy...who knows these days) These are big books. 600-700+ pages and a lot is happening in this story.

I started but deleted the lengthy overview of this book. There is just too much going on to keep the review in a reasonable length. Suffice it to say, I really like this story. Both books are great epic / high fantasy.
As far as cons though, there are some editing errors I ran across. Progression from character POV's that sometimes lose track of what character is speaking. Minor stuff that I can overlook. But all too common in these KU self-edited, self-published novels

The first 2 books are available through Kindle Unlimited. The 3rd book (I'm reading it right now) was $9.99 and was published some 2 years later after the first 2.

Read a few pages from Heroes Road and looks interesting - I am a bit undecided what to read next as in audio I started the just released Last Paladin 6, so I will hold on reading 7/8 until I finish listening to this one; R Savarovsky has another series, Guardian's Journey of which volume 2 has just been released and I like the writing - same combination of funny lines, occasionally grim stuff and non-stop action but it looks to involve time-travel (unless it's one way into the past or future, time travel stories rarely interest me as they generally devolve into solipsism so will see).

I saw that Heroes Road has a multi-cast audio release split into 3 parts for each book and I am not really into those - two narrators are ok if they complement well, even three like in some of the Baroque Cycle novels, but multi-cast not really, so this one will be strictly reading if I decide to continue