Books

Robert Langdon continues to save the world, one crisis at a time.

Didn't realize going in that this is a series — now I have to track down the next two. Features a class of people whose spirits can jump from body to body, taking over the host. Follows the young daughter of murdered royals who enters a Hunger Games-style competition to get close to the king and tear the system down from the inside. Some interesting twists near the end I didn't see coming.

Found this one searching for books similar to the Robert Langdon series. Stars Cotton Malone, a former spy turned bookstore owner who has relocated from the US to Europe — and who gets conveniently drawn back into his old lifestyle because, of course, he alone can resolve the situation. Familiar formula, but it works. A solid series starter for fans of historical conspiracy thrillers.

A wayward priest thinks he's getting a promotion — turns out he's been appointed head of a ragtag group of misfit super-powered mystical deviants, pulled together in a Suicide Squad-style team to thanklessly save the world. My first Abercrombie, and it's opened up a whole new world of literature. If you like dark fantasy with sharp wit and morally complicated characters, start here.

A very long read, but the characters are mostly likeable and the concept is genuinely unique — I've never read anything quite like it. Also didn't realize until after that Joe Hill is Stephen King's son. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Picked this up straight after Devils — couldn't resist more Abercrombie. Starts with a disjointed cast that spends most of the first half separated and doing their own thing, which gets confusing as it bounces between POVs. Stick with it: once the characters finally converge the story starts to build real momentum. Being the first in a trilogy, the ending doesn't deliver a satisfying payoff on its own — but it's clearly setting up something much bigger.

A wildly inventive Arthurian retelling set in a dystopian future where humanity has scattered across three galaxies and the Mercer Corporation rules through forced commerce. Arthur #42 is Ari Helix, an adopted teenage girl, paired with a teenage Merlin who de-ages with each new reincarnation cycle. As book one of a series it's clearly setting up something sprawling — legendary characters reborn in a space opera framework, with the fate of the universe hanging on breaking a cycle thousands of years in the making. A fun, genre-blending ride.