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Top 25 countdown of 2019

#21 The First Law

The First Law
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The First Law
By: Joe Abercrombie
Narrated by: Steven Pacey

The First Law Trilogy
The Blade Itself – Book 1
Before They Are Hanged – Book 2
Last Argument of Kings – Book 3

First Law World
Best Served Cold – Book 1
The Heroes – Book 2
Red Country – Book 3

My friend Lenora recommended The First Law Trilogy to me and it did not disappoint. A couple years after I read the First Law World. Even though these books are most definitely fantasy, Joe Abercrombie does not do nearly as much world building and focuses a lot on swordplay. It is a different writing style than I am used to with other authors like Sanderson and occasionally it is nice to switch it up some. It is a big commitment with 2 large trilogies, but you can easily break them up for variety. One very distinctive thing I remember about these is that Steven Pacey crushes it on the narration and that may be enough on its own to give this a try on audible.

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Top 25 countdown of 2019

#22 Books of the Ancestor

Red Sister
Red Sister

Books of the Ancestor
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Books of the Ancestor
By: Mark Lawrence
Narrated by: Heather O’Neill
Red Sister – Book 1
Grey Sister – Book 2
Holy Sister – Book 3

I attended a panel called Writing Rebel Girls at Phoenix Comic-con and realized 95% of the books I have read did not have a female protagonist. Red Sister had been on my wish list for over a year and by the end of the panel I bought the book and downloaded it. It is a shame that most of the fantasy genera is primarily male protagonists and double shame to myself for not even realizing it. The Books of the Ancestor series is a somewhat dark coming of age story of a girl named Nona. Mark Lawrence does a great job of making you feel for the main character, but the real award goes to Heather O’Neill who narrates it. Heather does a magnificent job with all of the character voices. I would recommend reading all 3 books in a row as the third book doesn’t pick up as well in the beginning as the other two.

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Top 25 countdown of 2019

#23 The City Stained Red

The City Stained Red
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The City Stained Red
By: Sam Sykes
Narrated by: David DeSantos

This is an action-packed novel with great fight scenes. It really felt like I was reading a D&D campaign as a party of 6 characters with different skills join up to take down the big bad. And this makes sense as I have seen/met Sam Sykes at Phoenix Comic-con and San Diego Comic-con. He runs a panel called All Bards that is wildly entertaining and guarantee many hearty laughs if you attend. As funny as Sam is and well worth the admission to any Comic-con you can tell he is a very knowledgeable author and passionate about the fantasy genera. I have only read the first book in the series, but The Mortal Tally and God’s Last Breath are on the top of my wish list once time allows.

Brandon Sanderson, Sam Sykes, Patrick Rothfuss, V. E. Schwab
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Top 25 countdown of 2019

#24 The Reckoners

The Reckoners
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The Reckoners
By: Brandon Sanderson
Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
Steelheart – Book 1
Firefight – Book 2
Calamity – Book 3

A book about superheroes that takes place on Earth. Don’t let the young adult tag fool you as these books are great for all. I found it extremely entertaining, good twists and turns in the story, and a fulfilling ending. This is the first of many Brandon Sanderson books to come.

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Top 25 countdown of 2019

#25 Ender’s Game

Ender’s Game: Special 20th Anniversary Edition
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Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow.
By: Orson Scott Card
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Harlan Ellison, Gabrielle de Cuir

The same story written from two different perspectives. This is the only, what I consider “classic” novel on my list. If you saw the movie I am sorry as it really did not do this book justice. This made the cut at #25 due to the unique ability to read the same story twice and still be fully engaging throughout Shadow. I would definitely read Ender’s Game first and then follow it up with Ender’s Shadow.

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Top 25 countdown of 2019

Starting my top 25 countdown

I have listened to over 160 books and accumulated over 2,300+ hours of listening time. I primarily focus on the fantasy and sci-fi genre. This December I will be doing a top 25 countdown of my favorite series’s ending with my #1 series on Christmas day. Look out at we take a wild ride though magical creatures, wizards, star ships, rogues, time travel, magic systems and Star Wars.