Hello, everyone! I hope you’ve all had a nice break over Christmas. It’s a cold and windy month over here, so am looking forward to lighting the fire and sitting in with the kids for the next few days.
I’ve already been looking ahead to the books I want to read in 2022. It’s not exhaustive, and I may make changes, but as it stands, here are the series/books that are top of my list.
New Fantasy Series
These are series that have been on my radar for a while. They are all completed, or soon to be completed, which is also a bonus.
I’m not sure which order I will read them in. If you’ve read any of these books and enjoyed them, let me know!
The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu
I’ve heard so much praise for this series. It really sounds epic and full of classic fantasy. Also, how beautiful are the new covers. Head of Zeus have outdone themselves with these beautiful prints. The fourth and final book is set for release in June 2022.
Ken Liu is a Nebula and Hugo award winning author – and I feel like I’m going to be in a very safe pair of hands.
The Winnowing Flame Trilogy by Jen Williams
I’ve heard this compared to The Witcher and Robin Hobb. Lots of monsters and fantastic magical characters.
Sounds brilliant! Seriously, what more do you want?!
After watching the second season of The Witcher on Netflix this Christmas, I’m looking forward to this series even more – and I think it will be the first new series I will delve into in the New Year.
The Empire Trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts
This has come highly recommended by Blaise at Under the Radar SFF books. I’m a big fan of Raymond Feist, however, have never read anything by Janny Wurts. I’m taking on this series to set this right – and may read her series – The Wars of Light and Shadow – at some stage too. I believe there are 10 books in that series so far and it sounds incredible.
For The Empire Trilogy, I’ve been told to expect some Game of Thrones style political and dynastic struggles, which is my favourite type of fantasy trope.
The Book of Ice by Mark Lawrence
Mark Lawrence is one of my favourite authors. Books of the Ancestor is such an amazing trilogy and was my first introduction to his writing. This new series by Mark is set in the same land as Red Sister, however, is a different story and set during a different time. I really enjoyed the world-building established, and can’t wait to read this new trilogy.
The Rigante Series by David Gemmell
This series has been on my list for a long time. I believe there is a lot of Celtic influence on the story, so I’m bound to love it!
I believe this is classed as heroic fantasy and I think it will be a nice change to the grimdark I have on my list. Although Celtic myths and legends tend to be tragic. So maybe I should have the tissues at the ready, just in case…
CONTINUING FANTASY SERIES
The Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft
Senlin Ascends, Arm of the Sphinx, and The Hod King were all big hits with me. I’ll be starting the new year with The Fall of Babel as I am desperate to find out how the story ends.
The Firemane Saga by Raymond E. Feist
I really enjoyed King of Ashes by Raymond E Feist. The final book in the trilogy, Master of Furies, comes out in June and I intend to read Queen of Storms around May, so I can pick up the third book once it’s released.
Covenant of Steel Series by Anthony Ryan
If you read my review of The Pariah, you will know I loved it – and it was in my top 3 books of 2021. I can’t wait to read the sequel, The Martyr, which I believe is out in June 2022.
The character of Alwyn was brilliant and the magic system was only starting to be uncovered by him – so I’m intrigued to find out more. I’m also wondering if we will see the ‘second scourge’.
The Burning Kingdoms Series by Tasha Suri
I’ve literally just finished The Jasmine Throne. It was so good and I just loved the Indian inspired fantasy. The world building felt very unique and the sapphic romance was beautiful. I’m definitely reading The Oleander Sword when it is released.
The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne
I am a massive fan of John Gwynne. Shadow of the Gods was amazing and full of the battles and mythology that I adored in The Faithful and the Fallen.
Orka was my favourite character, however, John Gwynne is a master at weaving together various story strands and leaving the reader with unbelievable cliffhangers. So that being said, I’m very keen to find out the fates of quite a few characters.
Before they are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
The Blade Itself is an amazing book. The characters of The Bloody Nine, Glotka, and Jezal are already firmly fixed in my mind and I really want to continue with this trilogy. This is definitely a series I’m going to take up early in 2022.
Keeping my fingers crossed for Jezal and Ardee too. I know this is grimdark, but maybe there can be some happy endings? No??
Self-published series
With so many great self published titles published these last few years, there are quite a few series I want to get to this year. These are the four authors who are top of my list. All of them sound excellent and come highly recommended.
2022 Debut Fantasy Authors
It’s always great to find completely new authors! These three books from debut authors are high on my TBR list and I’ll be reading and reviewing them in the new year.
Here are their blurbs!
The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan
NO MAN IS ABOVE THE LAW
The Empire of the Wolf simmers with unrest. Rebels, heretics and powerful patricians all challenge the power of the imperial throne.
Only the Order of Justices stands in the way of chaos. Sir Konrad Vonvalt is the most feared Justice of all, upholding the law by way of his sharp mind, arcane powers and skill as a swordsman. In this he is aided by Helena Sedanka, his clerk and protégé, orphaned by the wars that forged the empire.
When the pair investigate the murder of a provincial aristocrat, they unearth a conspiracy that stretches to the very top of imperial society. As the stakes rise and become ever more personal, Vonvalt must make a choice: will he abandon the laws he’s sworn to uphold in order to protect the empire?
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
Out on the Yorkshire Moors lives a secret line of people for whom books are food, and who retain all of a book’s content after eating it. To them, spy novels are a peppery snack; romance novels are sweet and delicious. Eating a map can help them remember destinations, and children, when they misbehave, are forced to eat dry, musty pages from dictionaries. Devon is part of The Family, an old and reclusive clan of book eaters. Her brothers grow up feasting on stories of valor and adventure, and Devon—like all other book eater women—is raised on a carefully curated diet of fairytales and cautionary stories. But real life doesn’t always come with happy endings, as Devon learns when her son is born with a rare and darker kind of hunger—not for books, but for human minds.
The Shadow Glass by Josh Winning
Jack Corman is failing at life.
Jobless, jaded and on the “wrong” side of thirty, he’s facing the threat of eviction from his London flat while reeling from the sudden death of his father, one-time film director Bob Corman. Back in the eighties, Bob poured his heart and soul into the creation of his 1986 puppet fantasy The Shadow Glass, a film Jack loved as a child, idolising its fox-like hero Dune.
But The Shadow Glass flopped on release, deemed too scary for kids and too weird for adults, and Bob became a laughing stock, losing himself to booze and self-pity. Now, the film represents everything Jack hated about his father, and he lives with the fear that he’ll end up a failure just like him.
In the wake of Bob’s death, Jack returns to his decaying home, a place creaking with movie memorabilia and painful memories. Then, during a freak thunderstorm, the puppets in the attic start talking. Tipped into a desperate real-world quest to save London from the more nefarious of his father’s creations, Jack teams up with excitable fanboy Toby and spiky studio executive Amelia to navigate the labyrinth of his father’s legacy while conjuring the hero within––and igniting a Shadow Glass resurgence that could, finally, do his father proud.
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Bio
Shauna Lawless is an author and her upcoming series is a historical fantasy set in 10th century, Ireland. The first book, The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, is now available to pre-order.
Shauna Lawless is writing 