A collection of books I've read that I feel at least semi-strongly about sharing.

2025

• Never Flinch - Stephen King
  • The latest book in the Holly Gibney series. It wasn't my favorite but I can't help reading the latest installment.
• Eifelheim - Michael Flynn
  • I read this book from a Reddit comment on similar books to the Dark Eden trilogy and I honestly have no idea what that commentor was thinking in relating this book to that series. But, this book was surprisingly good and proposes that maybe history is a lot more unknown than we think. Despite a few loose ends and way more narrative than maybe necessary about German life, it was gripping. One mental image I couldn't let go of was a bunch of Zoraks hopping around.
• The Maracot Deep - Arthur Conan Doyle
  • It was interesting to read a book by the famous author of Sherlock fame not about Sherlock at all but a story more Vernian! I think this story would make an excellent movie and in a way reminds me of the very underrated Atlantis animated film.
• Cup of Gold - John Steinbeck
  • This is a book on the surface about Henry Morgan the pirate of Welsh origin but under the hood is a book about finding happiness with a healthy dose of memento mori.
• Some Desperate Glory - Emily Tesh
• Dark Eden, Mother of Eden, Daughter of Eden - Chris Beckett
  • I could read two or three more books in this series. They could probably be a bit shorter, but there's lots of extrapolations on what happens when a society does not have the written word. And even when it does, how time compounded with humans can become an insatiable twister of truth.
• Dark Wire - Joseph Cox
  • I remember when the news broke in Australia on this operation and how amazing of an idea that an American government agency could do something so novel to infiltrate criminal networks. The book however was a pretty loose overview of various anecdotes and dramatizations of what must've been collected transcripts from chats and statements from the eventually apprehended criminals. I wish it had been more technical and I wish it had been as first-hand as "Number Go Up".

2024

• The Mercy of Gods - James S.A. Corey
  • Very much enjoyed the mercilessness of the alien civilization and the adaption of a clever group of posturing post-grads. Keen to gobble up the sequel.
• The Mountains in the Sea - Ray Nayler
  • I enjoyed this book but I really wanted more out of it. The threads of so many characters eventually intertwined but in such shallow ways. So many things left unanswered!
• Fatherland - Robert Harris
  • I can't recall how I came across this book but it hit just the right spot as someone who enjoyed Man in the High Castle, Wolfenstein, and Inglorious Basterds. I found it really well done exploring an alternate universe where the Nazis have won and where a small victory is found.
• The Watchers - A.M. Shine
  • Wanted to read this before watching the fated film which received pretty poor reviews. As a book, it was eerie and had a writing style that felt like reading in monochrome.
• Infinity Gate & Echo of Worlds - M.R. Carey
  • A great opening book with a sequel which I don't think was fully baked.
• Alien Clay - Adrian Tchaikovsky
  • Reading this book set me up completely for playing Factorio: Space Age and landing on the new planet Gleba. As someone who avoided mud and dirt as a child, the thought of the planet being a loosely-tied?, strongly-tied?, living organism made me feel uncomfortable in all the right ways.
• Number Go Up - Zeke Faux
  • tl;dr Tether is both a complete sham and powering many nefarious activities around the world. Also SBF is either/both a genius and/or a sociopath. The author's insistence on risking his life going to Laos is very commendable and makes for a thrilling tale.
• Use of Weapons - Iain M. Banks
  • This is a terrific book that is told in absolutely great fashion. Probably Banks' best novel.

2023

• Leech - Hiron Ennes
• Children of Memory - Adrian Tchaikovsky
  • Upon finishing I hated this book. But after a few days reflection I found that I actually really enjoyed it and it changed my perspective. Meaning can still be found in the immaterial. What is consciousness? What is a memory?
• Fairy Tale - Stephen King
• Elder Race - Adrian Tchaikovsky

2022

• The Three Body Problem, The Dark Forest, Death's End - Cixin Liu
• The Hound of Baskervilles - Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne