Fiction

Novels and stories I'm reading or have finished. Short notes on the synopsis and what kept me turning pages.

Heads up — the Premise on each card was drafted with AI help, using publicly available book descriptions (publisher blurbs, Goodreads, etc.).

Cover of Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

Kings of the Wyld

by Nicholas Eames

Ebook

Currently Reading

Premise

Clay Cooper has put his sword away, married down, and made peace with being forgotten. Then his old bandmate turns up at the door: rescue my daughter, reunite the crew, one last run. The band is scattered, aging, and past their prime — and between them and the besieged city lies the Heartwyld, a forest full of monsters no one has crossed in years. A fantasy adventure written like a rock-and-roll reunion tour — warm, funny, and asking whether glory is still worth chasing once you've already had it.

Joel's Quick Comments

Still reading — comments coming once I'm done.

Cover of The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells

The Murderbot Diaries (Series)

by Martha Wells

Audiobook · great

Currently Reading

Premise

A science fiction series following a hacked corporate security cyborg that secretly calls itself Murderbot. Free from its governor module, it would rather binge-watch soap operas than save anyone, but it keeps getting pulled into missions where its humans need protecting. The books follow it across novellas and novels as it slowly, reluctantly, figures out what to do with its freedom.

Books in the series: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, Network Effect, Fugitive Telemetry, System Collapse.

Joel's Quick Comments

Read these without an accompanying show, and I've enjoyed each book so far. Each entry stands on its own while building Murderbot's arc, and the audio narration carries the dry humor really well. Currently on System Collapse.

Cover of The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

The Book of Doors

by Gareth Brown

Ebook · must-read

Finished

Premise

Cassie works at a quiet New York bookshop when an elderly regular dies at the counter, leaving her a small leather-bound book. A few lines of English inside reveal its secret: hold the book, and any door is every door. She and her best friend Izzy start testing what it can do — until they learn the Book of Doors isn't the only one like it, and the people hunting these books will do anything to get theirs. A fast-paced blend of fantasy and thriller built on an irresistible premise.

Joel's Quick Comments

Great pace and suspenseful page turner. Good mixture of action and fantasy, leaving you on the edge of your seat with twists and turns.

Placeholder cover for The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown

The Society of Unknowable Objects

by Gareth Brown

Ebook · great

Finished

Premise

Three members of a secret society meet every six months in the basement of a London bookshop, guarding a hidden archive of magical objects — ordinary items with extraordinary properties. When the newest member, Magda Sparks, is sent to Hong Kong to investigate a new artifact, she walks straight into a professional killer who already knows more about these objects than she does. What follows pulls her across the Atlantic, through the secrets her fellow members have been keeping from each other, and toward the uncomfortable truth about what the Society actually exists to do.

Joel's Quick Comments

Good story and pacing. Some elements can seem repeated from Book of Doors, but it does not take away from the overall feel of adventure and suspense in the book.