I read a crapton of books every month: besides smashing records for how many Kindle Unlimited books I can borrow & return in a day, I also buy a lot of ebooks that seem interesting. Most nowadays are in the genre of science fiction and fantasy, and for the past few months, even a couple of narrower genres inside that called LitRPG and Wuxia.
So I thought I’ll push some recommendations for books I read in July. Note: please do not expect intellectual books & deep moving stories here, I read mostly to wind down my brain and my selections reflect that.
Homeland, Exile and Sojourn (The Legend of Drizzt 1-3) by R.A. Salvatore
Drizzt is one of the most iconic characters created in heroic fantasy. He’s a dark elf, but he does not conform to the template & vagaries of his race. I’ve read other books where he played a lead role and it was always fascinating reading about the character, but these 3 books look at his origins. It’s not only a nice intro to Drizzt, it’s also a deep look at Menzoberranzan: the cruel city of his origins.
Song Maiden, Mistress and Matron by Jonathan Brooks
A Gamelit fantasy book that breaks most of the stereotypes in the genre. The protagonist is a young disabled girl who enters a game as a plain-looking dwarf & wants to be left alone, and who then finds her voice in the game. The writing is a bit amateurish at times, but the concept carries the day, and the sequels end up levelling her up pretty well. It’s also got a decent conclusion at the end of 3 books, but as always, there’s a chance of more books.
Silver Fox & the Western Hero series by M.H. Johnson
Silver Fox & the Western Hero is quite an interesting Wuxia for western readers. It’s got every trope in the genre: cultivation, tough fights, and rumours of an epic destiny, but it’s much more accessible to western fantasy readers. It’s also an isekai, but one where you don’t really have to suspend your disbelief that much. Overall a good read, but do note: this is incomplete, in fact, the series seems to be just beginning 🙂
Get Book 1 Warrior Reborn here.
Pilgrim by Harmon Cooper
Pilgrim is one of those books that took me by surprise. I got into it expecting the usual trashy read, but this novel has depth. It’s also an amazing example of what happens when amateur authors become better at their craft, and it’s a tribute to distribution mechanisms like Kindle Unlimited (read Cooper’s earlier books to see what I mean). Pilgrim has got an original plot, a brooding hero, and a world that is very original and well built. I’m really looking forward to future books in this series.
