Recap: My First 50 Books of the Year (1 -7)

No. 1: The Last Kingdom

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Published: 2004 by HarperCollins

Genre: Historical Fiction, Military, Coming-of-age

Series: The Last Kingdom (Book 1 of 13)

Best Bits: Vikings, longships, epic battles, and deep characters.

My Rating: 5/5

No. 2: Imaro

Author: Charles R. Saunders

Published: 1981 by Daw Books

Genre: Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Mythology

Series: Imaro (1 of 4)

Best Bits: African mythology, blood and guts, evil spirits, and a complex, antihero protagonist.

My Rating: 4.5/5

No. 3: Jirel of Joiry

Author: C.L. Moore

Published: 1969 by Paperback Library (collection of short fiction published throughout the 1930s)

Genre: Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Pulp Fiction

Series: N/A

Best Bits: Heroic female protagonist, eerie hellscapes, weird magic, and a gloomy, gothic atmosphere.

My Rating: 4.5/5

No. 4: Atomic Beasts and Where to Kill Them

Author: Rob Rimes

Published: 2022 Independently

Genre: Science Fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Comedy

Series: Barbarians of the Storm (Book 2 of an ongoing series)

Best Bits: Raunchy humor, talking koalas, barbarian babes, and an UNDEAD DRAGON PIRATE SHIP!!!

My Rating: 4/5

No. 5: The Mad God's Amulet

Author: Michael Moorcock

Published: 1968 by Lancer Books (as "Sorcerer's Amulet")

Genre: Science Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Post-apocalyptic

Series: History of the Runestaff (Book 2 of 4)

Best Bits: Dark world-building, fast-paced action, and interdimensional travel.

My Rating: 3/5

No. 6: The Sword of the Dawn

Author: Michael Moorcock

Published: 1968 by Lancer Books

Genre: Science Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Post-apocalyptic

Series: History of the Runestaff (Book 3 of 4)

Best Bits: Magic swords and a demonic, pirate death-cult.

My Rating: 2/5

No. 7: The Runestaff

Author: Michael Moorcock

Published: 1969 by Lancer Books (as "Secret of the Runestaff")

Genre: Science Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Post-apocalyptic

Series: History of the Runestaff (Book 4 of 4)

Best Bits: Death and destruction, and an epic final battle.

My Rating: 2/5