From cyberpunk cityscapes to fungal-grown sprawls.
From things that bump in the night to our stuffed guardians fighting monsters while we rest.
From alien encounters to a city the size of a solar system.
This was my year in reading, 2024 edition!

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INDIE DARLINGS!

This year, we saw some excellent new editions in the world!

Adrian M Gibson debuted his first novel, Mushroom Blues, a wild Fungalpunk ride through a city in turmoil. We’re taken to every corner of the world Adrian has built and follow a detective tracking down a mystery that isn’t for the faint of heart. Her comrade comes from the fungal community, and although they are at odds, they have to work together to solve the case. I gave it 5 stars and look forward to whatever Adrian does next.

Read my full review of Mushroom Blues here.

Buddy the Knight and the Queen of Sorrow by Peter David (aka Peter Hartog, author of the Guardian of Empire City novels, which I also loved.) He has changed it up with a very clever and heartfelt story about a brave teddy bear named Buddy, tasked with saving his human. I loved this book and intend to read it to my kids. It’s full of charm and awesome worldbuilding and lands heavy with Peter’s signature dialogue style. You’ll love this book, young or old.

Read my full review of Buddy the Knight and the Queen of Sorrow here.

DIEROCK 88 by S. A. Ernster is a great story involving a prison planet and a son paying for his father’s crimes. We’re treated to a workforce of various criminals (and some not-criminals) forced to work for a giant company in indentured servitude. Lots of really cool tech in this book, and I enjoyed the characters a lot. Curious to see where this one goes next!

Read my full review of DIEROCK 88 here.

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RED RISING

Yes, I finally dove headfirst into the Red Rising series and completed the first three this year.
WHAT. A. RIDE.
It lived up to the hype, for sure. I can gush about these books for hours, but everything landed with me. Characters, settings, themes, dialogue, everything. Despite doing these via audiobook, I bought the coolest edition I could get my grubby hands on. Narrator Tim Gerard Reynolds nailed it. It was such a great time. I only stopped at three to catch my breath (yes, I was worried my favorite characters might get hurt if I continued, haha.)

Read my full reviews for each here:
RED RISING
GOLDEN SON
MORNING STAR

(BONUS: I 3D printed Darrow’s slingblade! Check it out!)

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EXODUS

Time to talk about my most recent read and possibly my book of the year. Exodus is a novel tie-in to a videogame coming out sometime soon (at time of writing there is no release window. But a REALLY cool gameplay trailer!) Although this book is set within the same universe as that game, it’s set in an adjacent part of the galaxy. I had never read Peter F. Hamilton before, but I immediately fell in love with his writing style. It was nonstop cool ideas delivered with likable characters and action that felt unique and real. I love sci-fi like this, and it didn’t disappoint. I highly recommend it, and I hope the game is even half as good. We’re in for a home run here!

Read my full review for Exodus: the Archimedes Engine here.

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DUNE MESSIAH

I finished Dune Messiah in February this year, just in time to see the second film.
This book plays out way differently than I was expecting. It’s the struggle Paul Atreides suffers after becoming Emporer and worshipped as a God. It plays with philosophical quandaries like how someone who sees themselves one way would rather die than change and what makes a person their personality. A plot encircles Paul, Chani, and Alia, and they are forced to play along to a certain extent, putting themselves in political and physical danger. I really enjoyed this book and I intend to pick up the next book, probably when the Dune bug bites me again when the Messiah movie starts to show off stuff.

Read my full review of Dune Messiah here.

(BONUS: I 3D printed a Crysknife! Check it out!)

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OTHER ADVENTURES

Altered Carbon is set in a world I will think about for a long time. I have read other books about transferring consciousness or life into bodies (in this case, sleeves), but this book takes the concept to a whole new level and uses it in the most complete way. I was enthralled with how many new ideas it threw at me, including the philosophy of body and mind and what makes a person who they are.

Read my full review for Altered Carbon here.

BLAME! is set in a mysterious and dangerous city the size of a solar system, where humans are scattered and scarce, and the Authority that operates the machinery in the city has gone corrupt and kills many humans on sight.

Read my full review for BLAME! here.

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WHAT I’M READING NOW

2024 was a pretty good year of reading, but the train doesn’t stop there!

I am currently reading 3 books at once. Perdido Street Station was on my radar for a long time, and I am currently about 75% through the audiobook and loving this beautiful, weird novel.

People might be happy to know I began my journey into Brandon Sanderson with two novels at once. I’m reading Tress and the Emerald Sea, and Skyward. I love them both so far, and I get the vibe I will be a commuter on the Brandon Sanderson hype train from now on.

I hope you enjoyed this list and maybe found some stuff to add to your 2025 TBR. I like to review books often on my Instagram, and now I’ve also become an avid user of Blusky. Find me there, and feel free to chat about books!

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WHAT AM I DOING?

Well I plan to release a second edition cover for Down Below Beyond sometime next year, I’m excited to be working with Tom Edwards Designs for the refresh. Also, I feel the itch to start working on Super Nova Wildflower more and more every day! So stay tuned for some exciting stuff in 2025!

Happy Holidays, everyone!
—T.A.