Top 9 Books I Read in 2024
I've been quite busy this year with writing and doing some re-reading/editing. I'm working on a series right now and this year I wrote books 4 and 5, re-read and edited the previous books in the series, and also re-read Children of the Dead City because it has a little bit crossover with book 6 which I've just started. This means that I only actually read 9 books this year, but they were all so great I couldn't choose which ones to put on this list and which ones to leave out! So I guess I should have called this post "the 9 great books I read in 2024" or something, but well... I wanted it to fit with all the other "top" posts from past years so...
Before we jump in, check out my past top books posts:
A couple of these are books I discovered through judging for SPSFC 3 as part of team peripheral prospectors and the rest are books I've been looking forward to by authors I follow. As I said above, every single one was excellent, so there will be no ranking or special order here. Here they are in the order I read them in:
Any Minor World by Craig Schaefer
Genre: Sci-Fi/Noir
Any Minor World by Craig Schaefer follows Roy - a sort of private detective/"hired muscle" who is approached by a bit of a suspicious client. Despite his misgivings, he takes the job and goes after a dead writer's unfinished manuscript and begins to unravel a mystery surrounding this author's books. The mystery brings him up against a legendary criminal network and introduces him to Lucy Langenkamp, an art restorer who once wrote a cancelled comic. As they struggle to survive the crazy adventure that springs up around them, Roy and Lucy slowly grapple with their own pasts as well. It's a well-written book with a very distinctive noir/pulp vibe to it.
Genre: Sci-Fi/LitRPG
Time to Play (Apocalypse Parenting Book 1) is a LitRPG book about a mother thrust into an apocalyptic game-like situation with her three kids. One minute she's worrying about driving them to their sports lessons and the next minute the electricity stops working and an announcement informs her - and everyone else - that earth has just become the site of some alien game-show and they're now the unwilling contestants in this game. It's such an excellent premise with some great characterization that grounds it and makes it very, very real. I flew through this book in about two days because it was such a page-turner.
Genre: Cozy Adventure Fantasy
A wonderful fantasy story full of adventure, interesting magic, and great characters. My favourite thing about this book is that it tackles the tough themes head on and faces them as a major part of the story, proving that you can have cozy moments and found family while telling a deep, meaningful story!
The main characters being a 12 year old girl and an old grandmother who is also a necromancer is also refreshing.
Never by Ashley Capes
Genre: Epic/Sword & Sorcery
It's got elements of fantasy in a well-built world, but leans a bit more towards sword and sorcery as it focuses on thieves and mercenaries. I've wanted to read something by Ashley Capes for a while and I'm glad I started with this one. It was a nice fast well-written tale that makes me want to learn more about the world and the character. The story might be short, but it packs in a lot of action, world-building, and characterization.
The Fire-Touched (Firebrand Book 2) by D. E. Olesen
Genre: LitRPG/Magical School
Firebrand Book 2: The Fire-Touched is an excellent follow-up to the first book. It continues the story of Martel as he completes his first year at the Lyceum, hoping that by the end of it, he'll finally pass the novice stage and become an acolyte like the others his age. I'll definitely be excited to dive back into this world with the third book once I get the chance.
Dragonmeat by Angela Boord
Genre: Epic FantasyThis was an excellent novella by a masterful writer. The way the setting is described is magnificent and unique, I haven't really read any other fantasy books depicting a city under siege in such a way. I can still remember the setting and events so vividly even though it's been months since I read it. It's got magic, dragons, politics, adventure, and twists I didn't expect all within the confines of a novella/short novel.
Read my original (shorter) review.
Genre: Sci-Fi
Kir's Fury is the second book in the Godeena Codex. I loved the first book, Godeena, which stood well enough on its own with a satisfying story that wrapped up nicely, but I was definitely thrilled when I found out the author had written a second book. This book has a much wider focus, showing us many different planets, characters from various different civilizations, and all kinds of interesting tech levels and even some supernatural powers. It felt epic in scale, which I really loved.
Genre: Cozy Period Drama with Dragons
Miss Percy's Guide to the Restoration of Dragons is a wonderful conclusion to this trilogy. The ever-growing cast of excellent characters that feel so real continues to grow, bringing more great characters and also giving more depth to some of the characters that were already introduced in the previous two volumes. This book is full of adventure and difficult situations for Mildred and the others, so much so that I felt intense anger and stress for her future at times, but it's also full of that same cozy vibe that permeated the other two.
I hope you find something you enjoy reading from among these excellent titles!
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