I actually haven't finished this one yet. I'm half way done and won't manage to finish by midnight. That's OK. I've read enough to know that it's one of the best books I've read this year. Great world building, cool characters, and... assassins.
Again, great world building, great characters, and this one has mech armor! Don't get me wrong, it is a pseudo-medieval world, but it includes clockwork technology that you wouldn't find in the Middle Ages. My only complaint is that the book was too short!
Christian Cameron is one of my all-time favorite authors. He writes historical fiction under his own name and fantasy as Miles Cameron. He has an incredible talent to paint a vivid world that really captures your imagination. I love his medieval historical fiction series that starts with The Ill-Made Knight and continues with the latest book, Sword of Justice. If you like your fiction set in ancient Greece, I highly recommend Killer of Men. It is one of my favorite books. Fall of Dragons is the final book in the EPIC Traitor Son series. Cold Iron is a fantastic start to an entirely new fantasy series.
Mark Lawrence puts the grim in grimdark. I read the entire Broken Empire series this year. I'll be honest - I almost didn't get through the first few chapters of the first book. It was really grim. The protagonist was really unlikable. I stuck with it and was richly rewarded. There's a reason why the protagonist is so dark. The more you read the more you get pulled into the character's backstory and the more you want to find out what's to come.
Wow! Loved this book. It's like reading the best Dungeons and Dragons adventure you can imagine. The world building, like that in the rest of the books I've listed is great. Unlike the others, Kings of the Wyld doesn't take itself too seriously. This is a very funny, action-packed book. Despite the humor it has its serious, tender, and even tear-jerking moments.
This, and its sequel, Arm of the Sphinx, were my favorite books of 2018. Terrific, unique setting combined with an unusual protagonist, Senlin Ascends was a refreshing surprise. It isn't epic my usual epic fantasy. It has a steampunk/Gulliver's Travels feel that made it a really unique read. I can't recommend it enough!
What I'm really excited about is the fact that all of the above authors have more books for me to read. Well... almost. I have to wait a month for Bancroft's The Hod King and I've read everything that Cameron has published. The good thing about Cameron is that he's a prolific author - which means I won't have to wait long for something of his to appear.
I hope you all have a wonderful 2019! Happy New Year!
