My sales pitch for you starting Hobb next year is that IM starting Hobb next year. I am a stranger on the internet but if you want a buddy to read through this series with I’m here for it!
@@TomOrange Oh awesome! I'm probably going to be reading Assassins Apprentice in January or Febuary of 2025 but I'll keep an eye out for whenever you pick it up and maybe we can make something work! Zero pressure of course.
I read a lot, fantasy/sci-fi probably accounts for around 50%, but Lonesome Dove is without a doubt the best book I have ever read. You must prioritise it! It may take around 100/150 pages to completely pull you in but it was so incredibly worth it.
The Wandering Inn is all about the characters and world building. You'll get conclusions to story arcs but it's definitely a slow burn, at least for that first book. You'll spend time with tons of different characters and learn all sorts of things about them and the world. If you are in the mood for a series that does those things well then you really can't beat The Wandering Inn. Take your time and enjoy the ride. The narration is also excellent if you want to go with the audiobooks. I just started book 14!
Awesome video Tom! Realm of the Elderlings is so good. I’ve been reading one sub-series every year, and it’s very doable. I’ll be reading Rainwild Chronicles next year. Dandelion Dynasty is on my list to get to eventually as well, and so is Swan Song. I also loved Boys Life.
The problem of too many good choices! You might’ve seen Merphy, Allen, and me rant about Promise of Blood this last weekend 😆, but the three of us loved Guns of the Dawn. Of all book you mentioned, however, I most higly recommend you read Lonesome Dove!!!
First time watcher here!! Loved Empire of Silence!!! I have never gotten back to any of the rest of the series though, which is kind of weird. lol I read the first three of the Red Rising series this year. Had a blast with them as well. Lonesome Dove is such a huge book, but is worth it!! As far as what I hope to get to next year that I didn't this year... Boy's Life comes to mind. Also need to dive back into the next books in A Song of Ice and Fire.
I'm excited for you to pickup Sun Eater and Red Rising. But you've got time for both since they wont have their final books until the end of next year (but maybe longer for Red Rising). I love both series, but not exactly for all the same reasons. Red Rising is just binge-able and awesome. Sun Eater has some of my favorite things from sci-fi, but it isn't as easily consumed, imo. Howling Dark is one of my all time favorite books though (I still haven't picked up Disquiet Gods which I just found out my library has the audiobook for so I'm going to be fixing that real soon). The audiobooks for both Red Rising and Sun Easter are pretty great, IMO, but Sun Easter has a much more consistent quality since RR changes narrators with the sequel series in a way that doesn't make sense. 😂 I loved the second book in the Dandelion Dynasty, but I didn't really like books 1 & 3 and ended up hating book 4. I got really tired of how Liu structured the story, the weird fake enegineering stuff (I say this as a mechanical engineer), and I absolutely hated how he handled one the characters particularly one main character... Anyway. I think it probably will work much better for you, since I think I'm in the minority about those books.
You may be the first person I’ve heard who has not just loved the Dandelion Dynasty books. It’s actually kind of nice to hear someone on the other side of that series
As always I will champion The Culture! You needn’t worry about interconnectivity, it’s really not important at all, anything related within the books are merely Easter Eggs and the books are just a wide look at the society of The Culture. They make great inbetween books. Some can be a tad dense but I don’t think you’ll get lost. Dandelion Dynasty is my priority series for next year.
@TomOrange I would say start with Player of Games. Then on to either Use of Weapons or Consider Phlebas. From there I would go in publication order or basically any you like! Definitely don't start with Inversions or Excession (they do better with a bit more context).
Sun Eater is awesome. I love how Rucchio plays with history, myth, and language. I finished book 4 recently and will likely do book 5 next month. I believe the final book (#7) is coming out in 2025. This is priority series for me. I just read the first trilogy of the Realm of the Elderlings at the end of 2024. Absolutely loved it. I think it's pretty easy to break that one up by the arcs. I'll be reading the Liveship Traders arc in 2025. I've read book 1 of Red Rising so far and thought it was great. I'm going to make more headway on it next year, probably completing it in 2026 though. Lonesome Dove is on my list for next year. McCammon in general is one author I want to get into. Maybe late 2025 if not 2026, we shall see! Wind and Truth is going to be a February read for me, but it's on the must read list. I've going to start The Wars of Light and Shadow next month and read along with everyone. I'll also be getting to the Edan trilogy and at least start Wistful Ascending.
House of Suns, Bone Clocks, Anathem, and Folding Knife are at the top of my list of ones I didn’t get to. Series I wish I could have started are Culture, Edan, Five Warrior Angels, and Malazan.
Only thing on there that I've read is a couple Discworld novels, but I really enjoyed them a lot. Like Hitchhiker's, I consider them to be easy fallback books: stuff I can read when I can't read anything else. Humor is definitely subjective, but I think there is more to enjoy in DW. The world building seems more purposeful and less random than in Hitchhiker. Characters are more interesting too, I think. I want to get into the Culture series eventually; I own a couple of them. But it probably won't be next year. McCammon and Lonesome Dove, too, someday.
Ok I loved Guns of the Dawn! (I thought the flintlock pride&prejudice vibes in a weird swampy battlefield was very cool, and I liked how the magic worked) but my husband was impressed than I was 😅 Its definitely an AT novel with a different vibe. Edit: bonus is that it's standalone so not a huge commitment
Ah yes. Suneater. 😅 I’ve been hearing about it since before it became popular. I’ll get to it some day. Same with Red Rising and RotE. Dandelion Dynasty is a long ways off for me. -T
Yeah, man. Tough to do WoLaS + Malazan + Realm of the Elderlings. I'll be starting the Banks stuff sometime next year. Yeah, if you want progression fantasy that I think it up your alley, definitely some other choices than The Wandering Meh. There, I just lost 8 more subs. Hell yes on Lonesome Dove. Just do it as a standalone for now.
I truly do think that you will love Sun Eater. I did an audible novella and the narrator was so good-I believe he’s on all of em too. So dang good. And so far into the first three books of Elderlings and it’s so dang good. But if you’re deep into Malazan and WoLaS-I get why you’d put most of these off😂😂
I've read two books from The Wandering Inn. I'll probably read more. They're...pretty good. There's a reason they're not a priority for me. I've tried three times to read Discworld books and finished two of them. I feel no need to read more. They are the sort of heavy-handed satire that annoys me about a certain type of British humor (or "humour" if you prefer). I got the joke the first time, And the second time. By the fifth time, I feel no need to read the same joke again. The Empire of Silence really didn't work for me. It felt choppy and I really disliked the first-person retrospective style it's written in. Many people like it, so you might too. I won't be back. The writing style of Realm of the Elderlings didn't engage me. I thought Assassin's Apprentice was tedious to read and reading anything more in the series is a very low priority for me. Others obviously disagree. YMMV. I bounced off the Ian Banks books hard. I DNF'd Player of Games very quickly and haven't been back. Not my style at all. Starship Troopers has been one of my favorite books for decades and I really think it's worth reading. That said, I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is better. Either would be a good choice, and neither is all that long. When you get to either, I'll be looking forward to your opinions.
If you haven’t already, you might want to try the audiobooks. I’ve never been very keen on reading first person novels, but that narrator is now Hadrian Marlowe to me. Even if I tried to read them now, I’d hear his voice in my head. Empire of Silence is very good, but the rest of the series gets much better in Howling Dark and especially Demon in White and beyond.
@@TomOrange It was too much like the dune for me. More specifically, I just didn't care about the main character and that was the whole entire point of the series from what I could gather.
I know I’m in the minority, but I thought Red Rising was incredibly bad.. Immature, “edgy” and written like it was a young 19 year old that boasts and makes up stories about how great they are.. This book is fiction, and I still don’t believe the main character.. It was so bad to me that I can’t imagine trying book 2 anytime soon if ever.. On another note, I really want to read Lonesome Dove too. Man, I just can’t get to every book that interests me.
My sales pitch for you starting Hobb next year is that IM starting Hobb next year. I am a stranger on the internet but if you want a buddy to read through this series with I’m here for it!
Not a bad selling point lol
@ January it is then 🔥
(Genuinely would be down to collab on some Hobb content if you were into it - I’m a very new and very small channel but could be fun!)
@@charlie-read-a-book I would be down. I just have no idea when Ill fit Hobb into my read
@@TomOrange Oh awesome! I'm probably going to be reading Assassins Apprentice in January or Febuary of 2025 but I'll keep an eye out for whenever you pick it up and maybe we can make something work! Zero pressure of course.
I read a lot, fantasy/sci-fi probably accounts for around 50%, but Lonesome Dove is without a doubt the best book I have ever read. You must prioritise it! It may take around 100/150 pages to completely pull you in but it was so incredibly worth it.
I 100% agree with your comment. I normally read fantasy but lonesome dove is the best book I’ve ever read and loved the characters so much!
Im hoping sometime in 2025
@ can’t wait to see your review on it if you get to it!
You haveee to get to the sun eater series! If you ever have a down period get to it and you’ll fall in love again.
2025 should be the year
The Wandering Inn is all about the characters and world building. You'll get conclusions to story arcs but it's definitely a slow burn, at least for that first book. You'll spend time with tons of different characters and learn all sorts of things about them and the world. If you are in the mood for a series that does those things well then you really can't beat The Wandering Inn. Take your time and enjoy the ride. The narration is also excellent if you want to go with the audiobooks. I just started book 14!
Book 14! wow and those things are huge
Awesome video Tom! Realm of the Elderlings is so good. I’ve been reading one sub-series every year, and it’s very doable. I’ll be reading Rainwild Chronicles next year. Dandelion Dynasty is on my list to get to eventually as well, and so is Swan Song. I also loved Boys Life.
Rainwilds is one ive thought about reading for a while as well!
I got Ken Liu and Robin Hobb for year 2025 hopefully.😊
Sounds like some great reading
Same here for Empire of Silence!
one of these days ill read it
The problem of too many good choices! You might’ve seen Merphy, Allen, and me rant about Promise of Blood this last weekend 😆, but the three of us loved Guns of the Dawn. Of all book you mentioned, however, I most higly recommend you read Lonesome Dove!!!
That chat was like the last nail in the coffin for powder mage. It was the second time recently someone talk about it in a more negative light.
I would love to hear your thoughts on Red Rising so I’m hoping you get to it next year. The narrator is great as well
I always enjoy a good narrator!
First time watcher here!!
Loved Empire of Silence!!! I have never gotten back to any of the rest of the series though, which is kind of weird. lol
I read the first three of the Red Rising series this year. Had a blast with them as well.
Lonesome Dove is such a huge book, but is worth it!!
As far as what I hope to get to next year that I didn't this year... Boy's Life comes to mind. Also need to dive back into the next books in A Song of Ice and Fire.
Boy's Life and ASOIAF are some great reads
A packed lineup ahead! Sun Eater lets goooo 🔥🔥🔥🔥
I’m very ready for that one
When you binge Red Rising and get to books 2 and 3, I predict it will become one of your favorites.
Swan Song is an incredible book.
As soon as we hear about a release date for Red God I’ll start planning the read
@TomOrange HAIL REAPER!! (you'll get that later 😏)
I'm excited for you to pickup Sun Eater and Red Rising. But you've got time for both since they wont have their final books until the end of next year (but maybe longer for Red Rising). I love both series, but not exactly for all the same reasons. Red Rising is just binge-able and awesome. Sun Eater has some of my favorite things from sci-fi, but it isn't as easily consumed, imo. Howling Dark is one of my all time favorite books though (I still haven't picked up Disquiet Gods which I just found out my library has the audiobook for so I'm going to be fixing that real soon).
The audiobooks for both Red Rising and Sun Easter are pretty great, IMO, but Sun Easter has a much more consistent quality since RR changes narrators with the sequel series in a way that doesn't make sense. 😂
I loved the second book in the Dandelion Dynasty, but I didn't really like books 1 & 3 and ended up hating book 4. I got really tired of how Liu structured the story, the weird fake enegineering stuff (I say this as a mechanical engineer), and I absolutely hated how he handled one the characters particularly one main character... Anyway. I think it probably will work much better for you, since I think I'm in the minority about those books.
You may be the first person I’ve heard who has not just loved the Dandelion Dynasty books. It’s actually kind of nice to hear someone on the other side of that series
Currently reading Sun Eater and Faithful and the Fallen and both are incredible
I need to read faith and the fallen at some point
I would love to read the First Law trilogy, The Dark Tower series, and Dune. I would also like to dive into Brandon Sanderson and Robin Hobb.
I should read more from the Dune world. I only read the first one
As always I will champion The Culture! You needn’t worry about interconnectivity, it’s really not important at all, anything related within the books are merely Easter Eggs and the books are just a wide look at the society of The Culture. They make great inbetween books. Some can be a tad dense but I don’t think you’ll get lost.
Dandelion Dynasty is my priority series for next year.
What is your recommended reading order for The Culture?
@TomOrange I would say start with Player of Games. Then on to either Use of Weapons or Consider Phlebas. From there I would go in publication order or basically any you like!
Definitely don't start with Inversions or Excession (they do better with a bit more context).
I wanna read Lonesome Dove so badly. Perhaps I'll make that time investment next year, haha.
I feel the same way
Sun Eater is awesome. I love how Rucchio plays with history, myth, and language. I finished book 4 recently and will likely do book 5 next month. I believe the final book (#7) is coming out in 2025. This is priority series for me.
I just read the first trilogy of the Realm of the Elderlings at the end of 2024. Absolutely loved it. I think it's pretty easy to break that one up by the arcs. I'll be reading the Liveship Traders arc in 2025.
I've read book 1 of Red Rising so far and thought it was great. I'm going to make more headway on it next year, probably completing it in 2026 though.
Lonesome Dove is on my list for next year.
McCammon in general is one author I want to get into. Maybe late 2025 if not 2026, we shall see!
Wind and Truth is going to be a February read for me, but it's on the must read list.
I've going to start The Wars of Light and Shadow next month and read along with everyone.
I'll also be getting to the Edan trilogy and at least start Wistful Ascending.
With how slow im reading Wind and Truth I may not be finished by February lol
I am about to start Red Rising.
Side note, you have got to be the only person that can pull off an orange shirt and mustache simultaneously lol
lol thanks! Hope you enjoy red rising
House of Suns, Bone Clocks, Anathem, and Folding Knife are at the top of my list of ones I didn’t get to. Series I wish I could have started are Culture, Edan, Five Warrior Angels, and Malazan.
I had such a good time with the first Five Warrior Angels book
Only thing on there that I've read is a couple Discworld novels, but I really enjoyed them a lot. Like Hitchhiker's, I consider them to be easy fallback books: stuff I can read when I can't read anything else. Humor is definitely subjective, but I think there is more to enjoy in DW. The world building seems more purposeful and less random than in Hitchhiker. Characters are more interesting too, I think. I want to get into the Culture series eventually; I own a couple of them. But it probably won't be next year. McCammon and Lonesome Dove, too, someday.
I say someday about so many books lol
Ok I loved Guns of the Dawn! (I thought the flintlock pride&prejudice vibes in a weird swampy battlefield was very cool, and I liked how the magic worked) but my husband was impressed than I was 😅 Its definitely an AT novel with a different vibe.
Edit: bonus is that it's standalone so not a huge commitment
I do really like that it’s a standalone
Can't decide between finishing the book of the new sun or start Sun Eater
why not both
Ah yes. Suneater. 😅 I’ve been hearing about it since before it became popular. I’ll get to it some day. Same with Red Rising and RotE. Dandelion Dynasty is a long ways off for me.
-T
There are a few series that I was ahead of the curve on but never read
Yeah, man. Tough to do WoLaS + Malazan + Realm of the Elderlings. I'll be starting the Banks stuff sometime next year. Yeah, if you want progression fantasy that I think it up your alley, definitely some other choices than The Wandering Meh. There, I just lost 8 more subs. Hell yes on Lonesome Dove. Just do it as a standalone for now.
Fantasy and these nice long series. Always a fun balancing act
I truly do think that you will love Sun Eater. I did an audible novella and the narrator was so good-I believe he’s on all of em too. So dang good.
And so far into the first three books of Elderlings and it’s so dang good. But if you’re deep into Malazan and WoLaS-I get why you’d put most of these off😂😂
LD is an absolute hitter
I also gotta do swan song-so I gotta follow along and maybe I’ll pick it up the same month you do
If so we will have to chat about it
yeah so many long series its a fun balancing act.
@ absolutely-I loved the stand. So I’m curious to see how it compares
You should re-visit Fablehaven. A film adaptation will come out in 2026. I also wanna check out Sun Eater next year.
I had no idea it was getting an adaptation
Im also waiting for book 7 of Red Rising to come out so I can just binge the whole series
It’s probably my favorite way to read a series
If Sun Eater is anything like Red Rising I'm sure I won't like it. Red Rising is something I should have read as a teenager not 25 years later.
I do think Sun Eater and Red Rising are similar from what ive heard.
SUN EATER
Hopefully soon
I've read two books from The Wandering Inn. I'll probably read more. They're...pretty good. There's a reason they're not a priority for me.
I've tried three times to read Discworld books and finished two of them. I feel no need to read more. They are the sort of heavy-handed satire that annoys me about a certain type of British humor (or "humour" if you prefer). I got the joke the first time, And the second time. By the fifth time, I feel no need to read the same joke again.
The Empire of Silence really didn't work for me. It felt choppy and I really disliked the first-person retrospective style it's written in. Many people like it, so you might too. I won't be back.
The writing style of Realm of the Elderlings didn't engage me. I thought Assassin's Apprentice was tedious to read and reading anything more in the series is a very low priority for me. Others obviously disagree. YMMV.
I bounced off the Ian Banks books hard. I DNF'd Player of Games very quickly and haven't been back. Not my style at all.
Starship Troopers has been one of my favorite books for decades and I really think it's worth reading. That said, I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is better. Either would be a good choice, and neither is all that long. When you get to either, I'll be looking forward to your opinions.
Starship Troopers will be my first book by him but not the last
Thanks for watching!
Sun eater was not for me
Anything specific about it?
If you haven’t already, you might want to try the audiobooks. I’ve never been very keen on reading first person novels, but that narrator is now Hadrian Marlowe to me. Even if I tried to read them now, I’d hear his voice in my head. Empire of Silence is very good, but the rest of the series gets much better in Howling Dark and especially Demon in White and beyond.
@@TomOrange It was too much like the dune for me. More specifically, I just didn't care about the main character and that was the whole entire point of the series from what I could gather.
I know I’m in the minority, but I thought Red Rising was incredibly bad.. Immature, “edgy” and written like it was a young 19 year old that boasts and makes up stories about how great they are.. This book is fiction, and I still don’t believe the main character.. It was so bad to me that I can’t imagine trying book 2 anytime soon if ever.. On another note, I really want to read Lonesome Dove too. Man, I just can’t get to every book that interests me.
That's the struggle! So many books not enough time