In the world of gaming, we’re constantly introduced to new worlds, characters, and stories.?? But when the game is over, we usually have to say goodbye to th??at world and get back to reality. 

However, some beloved game franchise??s move past the screen and provide fans with written entries that add more detail to the canon universes. If you’re looking for a new book to curl up with, then here’s 10 video game novelizations that I strongly recommend. 

Assassin’s Creed novel series

There are many, many Assassin’s Creed novel?s and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend each of them, because of how accurately they follow the story of the games, giving you a whole new insight into the characters, s?urroundings, and hidden plot points. 

I? will always favour the three novels that accompany the Ezio trilogy, because those were my first real deep dive into the world of gaming and had me truly hooked, bordering on obsessed. However, whichever Assassin’s Creed book you pick up, you’re going to be in for a wild ride of well written, true-to-the-source-material fun. 

BioShock: Rapture

Written by John Shirley and released in 2011, BioShock: Rapture follows multiple iconic BioShock characters in their adventures through the early days of Rapture, describing how it all came to be, and how it came to end. ?;

There’s something that never fails to grab my attention in the BioShock universe, whether it’s the post-apocalyptic themes, the desperation of humanity to live in peace, or the terrifying events that happened deep beneath the surface of the ocean. This book features all of them, and John ??Shirley captures the spirit of Rapture perfectly. 

Alan Wake

Written by Rick Burroughs and first published in 2010, the Alan Wake novel follows the story of the first game with additional sub-plots and side stories. While faithful to the source material, it is not considered canon within the playerbase, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth readi??ng.?? 

If you love the dark, horror-laden world of Alan Wake, you’ll really enjoy the novelization. You’re likely to appreciate the added details about Robert Nightingale, or the s??lightly different ending, and there are even additional manuscript pages between the chapters. 

Halo: The Fall of Reach

There are a lot of Halo novels, but The Fall of Reach is widely accepted as the best of the bunch. Written by Eric Nylund and first published in 2001, it acts as a prelude to Halo: Combat Evolved and explains?? the origins of SPART?AN-II supersoldiers. 

Master Chief takes center stage, of course, while Catherine Halsey, Jacob Keyes, and Franklin Mendez also appear heavily??. Cortana features, although not in the role of Master Chiefs companion. Instead, she’s Dr. Halsey’s aide in the events leading up to the Spartans??â€?mission. 

Alien: Isolation

Alien: Isolation is a novelization of the game with the same name, written by Keith R. A. DeCandido, who previously wrote other novels set in the Alien universe. While it i??s true to the source material, the novelization dives deeper into both Amanda and Ellen’s backgrounds, giving a whole new dimension to the characters. 

You’re definitely not go??ing to feel as scared reading the book as you were while playing the mic-listening game, but it’s worth the sacrifice to learn mo?re about the characters who have become so iconic. 

Final Fantasy XV: The Dawn of the Future

The Dawn of the Future is the novelization of a cancelled DLC collection for Final Fantasy XV, so if you wanted to know more about Noctis, Lunafreya, and other characters from XV, then I would high??ly recommend reading the novel by Jun Eishima. 

The novel focuses on the events of Episode Ardyn, and Ardyn Izunia’s choice to reject his role in Astral Bahamut’s plans, but it goes further than that. It also follows on from the choice, a?dding far more to the story than the game ever did. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character. 

The Infernal City

Written by Greg Keyes, this novel is based on and set within the universe of The Elder Scrolls games. It’s set four decades after the events of Oblivion, when the floa??ting city of Umbriel descends upon the?? coast of the Black Marsh. 

This novel is filled with twists, turns, and hardship for the protagonists, and even some slavery for our main characters Annaig and Mere-Glim. It’s definitely worth reading for any fan of The Elder Scrolls games, and a ??good introducti??on for anyone who prefers reading to gaming. 

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy

The Umbrella Consiracy is the first in a series of Resident Evil novels written by S.D. Perry. It’s a novelization of the very first Resident Evil game, and tells the s??tory of the goings on in Raccoon City. 

As with anything associated with Resident Evil, there’s a lot of horror elements within the books and, at times, they can be hard to read. But if you love the game, then you’ll love the books, and all of the added detail that the written version brings to the Resident Evil universe.

Fable: The Balverine Order

The Balverine Order was written by Peter David and released in 2010. When first published, it included a one-use code that unlocked a unique weapon in Fable 3. The events depicted in the book are split between the present and the pas?t, with the Storyteller weaving tales about things that once happened in Albion. 

The story in the present is centered around the adventures of James and Thomas, friends of the last Hero of Albion who now sits on the throne. They’re on a mission to hunt down the dreadful Balveri?ne, in a world where science and industry are taking over from magic and myth. 

L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories

If you’d rather read a collection of shorter stories than dive into one long novel, then the L.A. Noire Collected Stories might be for you. It contains eight stories, written by different authors. Each story expands upon a story that ?was touched upon in the game, adding more details and a new level of understandi??ng. 

1940s Hollywood is an undoubtedly glamorous and intriguing setting, but it’s well known that terrible things happened at the time,? and this collection of crime thr??iller stories will have you hooked from the very beginning.

The post 10 excellent novels based on beloved gam??e franchises appeared first on Destructoid.

Verity, by Colleen Hoover, is a twisted tale of obsession, roman??ce, betrayal, and ultimately confusion. Since it was released in December 2018, it’s become a much-loved fixture with?in the romantic thriller literary genre. 

If you’ve read Verity, you’ll likely be looking?? for more books in the same vein, filled with the same angst and horror as the Hoover title. There are a lot of romantic thrillers out there, and it can be hard to sift through them for other books that give yo??u the same edge-of-your-seat, gut-wrenching reading experience. 

As someone with an extensive history with romantic thrillers, I’ve read more than I care to admit, and I’ve come across a few that replicate that Verity-esque feeling, and even some that may have served as inspiration in a way. Here are 11 books similar to Verity for you to sink your teeth into next. 

Junior Missing by Khristina Chess

Junior Missing is a book that everyone should read at least once, whether they’re a fan of the romantic thriller genre or not, because it centers around the dangers of anonymous online? encounters and putting your trust in the wrong person.

After 16-year-old Grace Keegan goes missing, her parents and the local police assume th?at she has run away from the pressures of the?? child pageant world. Sadly, this isn’t the case, and the person that she met online has taken her to a whole other state. He’s not what he seemed to be in the online world, and she needs to escape before he does her harm.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

A seemingly perfect relationship between an artist called Alicia and her fashion photographer husband, Gabriel, co??mes crumbling down when, for no apparent reason, Alicia shoots Gabriel five times, point blank, in the face. And if that’s not enough t??o make you want to know what on earth happened, then I’m not sure what will be. 

While the price of her art skyrockets and she’s thrust into a whole new level of notoriety thanks to her crime, Alicia is locked in an inpatient facility, where psychologist Theo Faber becomes obsessed with trying to figure out why she did what she did. The Silent Patient will have you utterly hooked, so be warned.

The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose

It’s natural to feel at least a little envy when someone you know is having all of the success while you flounder and nothing goes right for you, but Adam takes this to a whole new level in The Perfect Marriage when he start?s to have an affair because he’s jealous of his Sarah, his wife, hav?ing all the success in their lives.

He thinks that things are looking up, at least until Kelly, his mistress, shows up stabbed to death in their love shack on the edge of the woods. After being arrested for his murder, he turns to the best defense attorney he knows to defend himself �his wife, who he just cheated on, will now have to defend him in the case of his mistress�murder. Talk about twist??ed.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

Meeting someone new is hard enough, ?especially when you’ve just moved to a new area and know nobody. Imagine how much harder that gets when the person you meet is not only rich, handsome, and mysterious but also the widower of his late wife, who mysteriously drowned alongside her best friend. 

Jane, the star of The Wife Upstairs, mus??t come to terms with ??the fact that she may never measure up to the seemingly flawless ex-wife of Eddie, but is everything as it seems? Eddie has his own secrets to hide, and being obsessed with your partner's ex is never a healthy road to go down.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I think we can all agree that commuting to work is about as dull as life gets, so as Rachel takes the same train to work every single day, she s?tarts to make up stories for the people she sees outside the window on a regular basis, including a couple she dubs “Jess and Jasonâ€?who live in a house that she passes each day. 

It’s all imaginary until one morning, she passes the house and sees something that she wasn’t supposed to see and definitely wasn’t expecting. Rather than stay out of other people’s business, she decides to step in and become part of a life she only daydreamed about, and things get pretty messed up pretty quickly. There’s a reason that The Girl on the Train is a global bestseller.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Rebecca is by far the oldest book on this list, first published in 1938, and you could say that it serves as inspiration for a lot of the others on it. There are familiar elements, such as the sudden proposal of a new relationship with a rich stranger?? and the shadow of an ex-wife that is hard to step out of. 

Rebecca was even adapted for the silver screen, and the resulting 1940 movie was directed by the father of on-screen thrillers himself, Alfred Hitchcock. There’s something special about this book that stands the test of time despite the slightly dated language that you’ll encounter. You’ll get chills while reading, and I cannot recommend Rebecca enough. 

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

Behind Closed Doors is a cautionary tale to not believe everything that’s presented to you because you never know what’s h??appening in a relationship, well, behind closed?? doors. Jack and Grace seem perfect: in a loving relationship, wealthy, and joined at the hip. But is it natural to literally never be apart? Is it healthy?

On closer inspection, things aren’t as they seem, with Grace acting as the perfect host in front of visitors and then seemingly wilting under her husband's shadow. Behind Closed Doors will leave you questioning everyone around you and even bri??efly wondering what happens in their homes when nobody is watch??ing. 

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Laurel is haunted by the disappearance of her fifteen-year-old daughter a decade previously, and her life has been all but paused ever since. Then, one day, she meets a stranger ca??lled Floyd and begins to fall for him, eventually going round to his place for dinner with him and his nine-year-old daughter, Poppy. 

Poppy is horribly familiar in all of the worst possible ways. Her daughter's features are looking back at her from the face of a child who couldn’t possibly be her, and old wounds begin to re-open. The desire to know what happened to her daughter is relit, and the answers she finds will horrify her. Then She Was Gone is definitely worth a read.

You by Caroline Kepnes

If you have Netflix, you’re likely aware of the successful on-screen adaptation of You. However, as with most adaptations, the book outshines the TV versio?n by a long mile, and I highly recommend that you give it a try. 

You focuses on two people, Guinevere and Joe, who meet by chance in a bookshop in the East Village. He memorizes her name from her bank card and uses it to find her on social me??dia, manipulating further “chance�meetings. He begins to take over her life without her knowledge. He will stop at nothing to be the hero in her tale, even if he has to get his hands bloody in the process. 

The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn

Anna in The Woman in the Window is an agoraphobic, bo??rderline-alcoholic resident of New York City. She hasn’t ventured outside of her apartment in a very long time, and she fills her days with wine, movies, and ?memories. That is, until the Russells move into the house opposite.

After seeing something that she wasn’t supposed to witness, her quiet (albeit sheltered) life is thrown into chaos as she tries to fig?ure out what she saw. She can’t tell what’s real or what’s imagined, and secrets start to be uncovered that change her life in ways she never expected. 

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

Hannah’s husband, Owen, mysteriously disappears suddenly, leaving behind only a note asking her to protect his daughter, Bailey. Although this would usually?? be a hard task considering the tragic circumstances, it’s made harder by the fact that Bailey isn’t ??exactly fond of Hannah. 

It’s made even harder when Hannah is forced to confront the fact that her husband is not who she thought he was and has actually been hiding a life filled with secrets from her. Cue a cross-country trip, some dealings with a mafia-esque gang, and betrayal on all sides. The Last Thing He Told Me is hard to?? read at times, but it’s also hard to put down.

The post Our Top 11 Boo?ks To Read If You Love Verity by Col??leen Hoover appeared first on Destructoid.

There’s nothing like curling up, picking up a twisting, edge-of-your-seat novel, and possibly a glass of wine to simmer down after a long day. There’s someth??ing immensely satisfying about predicting a twist, especially if you turn out to be right. 

Throw some romance into the mix, especially angsty, will-they-won’t-they relationships between two people who seem indescribably wrong for each other, and you’ve got a recipe for a hit book. Of course, there are other things that matter, like the writing style and the actual story, but romance an?d mystery are a classic combo. 

I’ve got shelves full of romance thrillers, and there are s??ome that I will go back to time and time again. With that in mind, here are 10 of my favorites that had me on the edge of my seat and ?kept me guessing from start to finish. Of course, this is subjective, but these are the ones that I personally recommend. 

10. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (2022)

The Housemaid centers around a recent parolee who gets ??a job as the housemaid to the wealthy Winchester family. To start with, things seem fine. Maybe not ideal, but fine nonetheless. 

However, things quickly go downhill. As Aly tires of cleaning the huge house of? messes created specifically for her to clean, caring for the kids, and cooking all the meals, she begins to notice that the man of the house is more broken by the day. He’s handsome, and he deserves better than his wife is giving, and Aly starts thinking about breaking her parole in ??the worst possible way.

9. Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver (2023)

If you’re sick of the “detective and victim fall in loveâ€?trope, then may I recommend Butcher and Blackbird, which instead ce??nters around two competing serial killers who inevitably end up getting the hots for each other? 

Rowan and Sloane are taking part in an annual competition to kill other serial killers, and when Rowan hel?ps Sloane out of a tight spot, an attraction begins to grow that will make future annual competitions more complicated. Their periodical encounters through the months only serve to grow their attraction, but it’s definitely not all smooth sailing. 

8. Monarch by Sophie Lark (2024)

Monarch is actually the second book in the Grimstone series, and the setting makes this entry different from any other on this list. Monarch is filled with gothic architecture as dark as the themes in the story. This is also the most recently rel?eased on this list, having only been available since October 8, 2024.

Wanting to get away from her life in its current form, Elena sig?ns up to marry someone she’s only met a couple of times. With his house being renovated, they end up living temporarily at the Monarch Hotel. Sadly, her husband might actually be a monst??er in disguise, but the owner of the hotel has a soft spot for Elena and will do everything he can to protect her.

7. Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan (2020)

Josie Stratton is the victim of a monster who kidnapped her, t??rapped her in a basement, and kept her there for 10 months before she escaped. She’s worked hard to escape the trauma, and her torturer took his own life shortly after her escape. 

When a new string of attacks occur close to where Josie moves her life to, identical to that which happened to her all those years ago, her life is thrown into turmoil. As if that wasn’t enough, throw in Cincinnati Police Detective Zach Copeland, who makes Josie feel things she hasn’t felt in almost a decade, and you’ve got an addictive romantic thriller. Where the Blame Lies will keep you reading for hours.

6. A Cold Dark Place by Toni Anderson (2014)

A Cold Dark Place centers around?? Mallory, whose twin sister was abducted 18 years ago, and Mallory has since worked hard to get into a career that can help prevent the same thing from happening to anyone else. Now an FBI agent, she’s confronted with a new string of crimes that are hauntingly familiar to her own pa?st experience. 

Alex is a former soldier-turned-assassin who works to take out predators and murderers before they enter ??the justice system. He’s hunting the same killer as Mallory, and when she seems to become the next? target, he’s forced to step in and protect her. Of course, being this close to each other is bound to spark fireworks, but Alex’s past is dangerous to them both. 

5. Troublemaker by Linda Howard (2016)

Sharing a house with someone always has hard moments, regardless of how long you’ve known them or how you feel about them. But sharing a house with a complete stranger, even if they’re incredibly attractive? A nightmare, and the premise of Troublemaker.

Morgan Yancy is a paramilitary team leader who gets sent into something akin to witness protection after he gets attacked. Isabeau Maran is a part-time police chief with a spare bedroom. The two are thrust together in a situation neither of them appreciates, and?? even as the attraction between them grows, Isabeau knows that Morgan?? is hiding something.  

4. Don’t Look Now by Mary Burton (2021)

There’s something about a knight in shining armor that, while overplayed in the literary world, always manages to hook me in. Don’t Look Now ??takes this concept and ups the anté by placing the vulnerable maiden in murderous situations.

While investigating the third in a string of horrifyingly familiar crime scenes, Detective Jordan Poe is attacked and left with the issue of losing some of her sight. Thankfully, she has Texas Ranger Carter Spencer to aid her in navigating the newly darkened world, and he needs? her expertise to solve the crimes that continue to happen around them. 

3. Closer Than You Think by Karen Rose (2014)

A victim of repeated stalking and other nightmares, psychologist Faith Corcoran is relieved when her grandmother leaves a house in Cincinnati to her in her will. She th??inks that this is the solitude she needs to work through her experiences, at least until two local college girls go missing and FBI Special Agent Deaco??n Novak comes tumbling into her life. 

The story of Closer Than You Think will keep you hooked from the very first page and even if you’re well versed in the “detective falling in love with a witness�trope, there’s something special about Faith, Deacon, and their developing relationship that makes Closer Than You Think impossible to put down.

2. The Girl in 6E by A.R. Torre (2013)

The Girl in 6E is often labeled an erotic thriller, for good reason. There’s a lot of sexual content, so if that’s not your c?up of tea when it comes to your reading time, then this one might be worth skipping over. 

However, the concept of this story is what makes it stand out. Deanna hasn’t left her apartment in three years, making money throu?gh cam girl sites and other online sex work. When a murder is reported on the news, she realizes that it’s far too close to a fantasy expressed t?o her by one of her online clients, and also that she might need to leave her apartment despite her demons. 

1. The Obsession by Nora Roberts (2016)

Nora Roberts is renowned in the world of thrillers, romantic or otherwise, under her own name or her pen-name of J.D. Robb. The Obsession is a great example of her work, and definite??ly worth reading if you’ve got?? some time on your hands. 

After exposing her father for the horrifying crimina?l that he was when she was a child, Naomi has grown up and moved ?across the country. She’s living under an assumed name, and hiding her past from those she meets, at least until familiar crimes start to pop up again and she meets someone who might want to get to know her on a less-than-superficial level.

The post The 10 Most Heart-Thumping Thriller Books We’ve Ever Read appeared first on Destructoid.

It's quite possible for psychological thrillers to leave you scared, jittery, and constantly looking over your shoulders, but there's something about the knife-cutting tension underlying these stories that m??akes them utterly irresistible?.

From rural sociopaths with amnesia to strange??, inexplicable phenomena occurring in a clandestine site, here are the best psychological thriller books you c?an get your hands on in 2024.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Gillian Flynn is the unrivaled master of psychological thrillers, and even her breakthrough novel, Sharp Objects, released in 2006, remain?s one of the best books you could read in this genre. The story follows Camille Preaker, a journalist who covers crime stories. Camille is dissatisfied with her job, and when she is?? sent to her rural hometown of Wind Gap in Missouri, she has to confront her traumatic history and investigate the case of a murdered girl and a missing child.

Sharp Objects is visceral and grim. Flynn doesn’t flinch from dep?icting dark themes like self-harm and mental illness, but they’re handled in a way that i??s deliberative and mature.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

A masterful stroke of the unreliable narrator trope, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is a best-seller from 2015, with some reviewers referring to it as “the next Gone Girl.â€?The narrative follows Rachel Watson, a 33-year-old alcoholic,? wh?o still feels the bitter pang of divorce from her ex-husband Tom, who left her for another woman. Rachel is obsessed with Tom’s new family, and she often experiences blackouts due to drinking too much. 

Rachel also gets involved with Scott and Megan, a seemingly perfect couple. When Megan suddenly goes missing, Rachel shows up and begins to investigate a hazy night where she may have done something with her. The Girl on the Train was adapted for the big screens in 2016, but do yourself a favor and pick? up the book instead.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Christine Lucas is dealing with anterograde amnesia; meaning that she wakes up every day unable to recall her past life. Before I Go to Sleep follows her tale as she tries to reconstruct her memories with the help of a journal and a doctor. As the novel progresses, however, and fragments of the truth start bubbling up to the surface, Christine starts to question everything she knows and everything she’s been told. The plot of Before I Go to Sleep is chock full of twists, psy?chological tension, and the? philosophical ponderance of identity and how it fundamentally shapes our lives.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Alex Michaelides was a screenwriter before he tried his hand at literature. The Silent Patient was his first novel, and it garnered universal acclaim and went on to sell more than 6 million copies. Of his short-lived career in Hollywood, this is all he needs to say: “I made three films, and they went from bad to worse.�/p>

In many ways, The Silent Patient is what Michaelides wanted to work on but couldn’t because of everything that gets lost in the process of making a big flick. The story follows Alicia Berenson, a famous painter who, randomly and without explanation, kills her husband and falls silent. This draws the attention of one Theo Faber, a forensic psycholo??gist, who wants to unravel the mystery sitting at the heart of Berenson and her mentality. Trust me when I say you’ll never forget the plot twist at?? the end of this book.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Another gripping tale by Gillian Flynn, now also an acclaimed motion picture by David Fincher, Gone Girl tells the story of a marriage gone wrong, wrought with lies and a grim mystery. Nick and Amy will soon celebrate their fifth anniversary, but when the latter suddenly disappears, the media and t?he authorities look to Nick as the prime suspect, little knowing that the dark web of deceit sitting at the heart of this marriage is too terrible for any of them to fathom.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

The story of Dark Matter centers around a content and otherwise indistinguishable physicist who gets abducted and sent to another reality where he's a hotshot scientist celebrated worldwide. The only catch is that Jason Dessen doesn't have a family in this new reality. Dark Matter has lots of thought-provoking themes to keep readers engaged, but the beating heart of the narrative is the twists and the emotional depth, mixed with a rather modern understanding of quantum mechanics and how they shape our world. Dark Matter was? adapted for television by Apple TV+ and received positive reviews for its first outing?. The series has been renewed for a second season.

Verity by Colleen Hoover

There's no middle ground when it comes to Verity by Colleen Hoover; you either love this book and gush about it non-stop, or you hate it with a fiery passion. It's hard to explain what the story does because the plot is as gripping and psychologically messed up as you could expect from the best works in this genre. You follow a struggling author who has been contracted to finish the best-selling works of Verity Crawford, but when she moves into the Crawford home to review the notes, she uncover??s a manuscript that sheds light on dark and criminal secret?s within the household. I guess the word I'm ultimately groping for here is "creepy," but nothing that would put you off if you've ever taken a shine to any of the books on this list.

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

A lot of psychological thriller books go for the tired trope of the unreliable narrator or the protagonist who is unable to trust their own senses. The Woman in the Window is �at first glance �just another cliche story set in this worn-out genre. But A.J. Finn somehow manages to turn that tedious premise into a gripping tale full of tension and plot twists. You follow an agoraphobic, solitary woman who spends her days inside her New York house, watching old movies, drinking wine, and spying on her neighbors. But when this burgeoning heroine witnesses a violent crime across the street, her whole life gets turned on its head. If you're a fan of suspense literature, pick up The Woman in the Window.

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Millie Calloway lands a job as a live-in housemaid for the Winchester family. She has a troubled past, but her traumas are nothing compared to what she's going to experience in that twisted home, especially under the care of the lady of the house, Nina Winchester, and her erratic ways. There's sex and violence in The Housemaid, but nothing the initiated of the genre would raise their eyebrows at. The Housemaid is one of the most popular books in recent memory, and Freida McFadden's voice is a fine addition to the ever-expanding psychological thriller? genre.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

The story of Annihilation combines elements of science-fiction with psychological thriller to deliver a truly unnerving tale. You follow an all-female expedition into Area X, a remote location cut off from the rest of the world, where many other teams have gone to die, disappear, or commit suicide. With its outstanding atmospheric storytelling, psychological depth, and an eerie exploration of the unknown tacked on for good measure, Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer remains a classic o??f the thriller genre??.

The post The 10 best psychological thriller bo??oks that will leave you haunted for years to come appeared first on Destructoid.

Some people conflate Halloween with all-out, skin-animating horror, especially if they're into grindhouse slasher flicks. H?owever, everything has shades. All Hallow's Eve has a more cunning side, and one of the best ways to experience the holiday's more seductive face is to crack open a "spooky" book.

"Spooky" describes a feeling too elusive for any other word. To me, a spooky book chi?lls my spine without burning away the intrigue that drew me to it. Reading a spooky book is like walking home down? that quiet, moonlit sidewalk next to the graveyard, excited and afraid of what the night might send your way.

Here are ten of the best spo??oky books to read this Halloween for all the autumn-loving book fans hungry for some slow-burn,? quiet dread.

10. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Haunted houses are a defining symbol of Halloween, and they’re fantastic places to set a pulse-pounding book in. Books about houses and the phantoms roaming their halls number in the thousands, but Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House set the standard most try to live up to.

The premise is simple: overworked and underappreciated Eleanor Lance volunteers to stay in a supposedly haunted house as part of an eccentric doctor’s research into the supernatural. Soon enough, strange phenomena unfold all around her, but no one else seems to notice any of it. As she often did in her work, Jackson never gives us ?a straight answer, leaving us to wonder if an evil ??presence haunts Hill House or if Elinor is losing her sanity.

9. More Than This by Patrick Ness

Picture this: a troubled teenage boy, let's call him Seth, tumbles into the Pacific and gets bashed to death against the rocks. Then he wakes up in his desolate hometown, alone and stalked by an ominous black van. This is the inciting incident of Patrick Ness's More Than This, and things only get more unnerving from here.

As you can probably guess, the world Seth finds himself in isn’t what you’d call normal. Soon he’s joined by other teens who also ended up in this abandoned suburb after meeting a violent end, and every question they ask adds another layer of mystery to their situation. More Than This is a disquieting thriller, told with a wounded yet confidant voice that captures the feelings so many teenagers have about the world they’re in??heriting.

8. Alice isn't Dead by Joseph Fink

Have you ever been on a long road trip, passing by towns, highway hikers, and roadside attractions so fast it’s hard to tell if they were even there? Joseph Fink’s Alice Isn’t Dead takes you on one such road trip, only ??now the strange things you see in your rearview mirror aren’t something you’d want to stop and snap a photo of.

We follow Kiesha, an amateur truck driver who takes to the road to search for her missing wife, the titular Alice. Written with the same casual, matter-of-fact approach to the macabre that defined Fink’s work on Welcome to Night Vale, Alice Isn’t Dead is a tribute to the American r?oadway tha??t, somehow, balances blood-freezing horror and cozy romance.

7. The Only Good Indians by Steven Graham Jones

Many of the best horror stories are also about coming home and facing the demons of your past. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones follows this tradition by bringing a group of estranged childhood friends back together to face a supernatural threat. However, Jones adds another layer to this time-honored tradition by grounding his story in the Native American ??experience.

The Only Good Indians is a st??ory about something tha?t hunts and eats in the shadows. It’s also an exciting dive into the agonizing disconnect many Native Americans feel toward their culture and an empowering story about reclaiming one’s identity from those who’ve objectified it.

6. Hell Followed Us by Andrew Joseph Right

Growing up on the LTGHTQ+ spectrum isn’t easy, especially when you don’t share the space you occupy with people who accept your identity. Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White makes the apocalyptic metaphors often associated with queer experience literal, telling a tragic yet triumphant tran?sition story set against the backdrop of Armageddon.

Benji, a sixteen-year-old trans boy, is on the run from the people who raised him: a fundamentalist cult who infected him with a bio-weapon capable of finishing the apocalypse they helped start. Finding shelter and solace in a commune of LGBTQ+ youth, Benji struggles to accept himself and find salvation for his new frie??nds before the ticking biological time bomb inside him turns into the monster his former “family�wants him to be.

5. Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landry

Skulduggery Pleasant ??by Derek Landry is that one-in-a-million fantasy book that appeals to children and adults. When her eccentric uncle leaves her his estate and fortune after his death, Stephanie Edgely uncovers a secret that sends her on a dangerous journey through a hidden world of mages and monsters. Luckily, she’s got a wise-cracking, fireball-flinging skeleton detective on her side.

Skulduggery Pleasant’s premise will feel familiar to YA fantasy buffs, but it’s willing to embrace magic's darker side more than makes up for it. People die a lot in ??this book, but Landry’s humorous prose keeps you glued to ??the pages. If you’re looking for a good creepy book to recommend to your kids this Halloween, I’d recommend this one.

4. Tales from the Gas Station by Jack Townsend

Gas stations are weird: linoleum tile wastelands where stacks of glittering snack food loom and odd characters come and go like the tide. Jack Townsend’s Tales from the Gas Station ?takes full advantage of it??s setting, weaving a tale of surreal horror and absurdist comedy.

Formatted as a series of blog posts penned by a fictionalized version of Townsend, Tales from the Gas Station is one of the funniest trips to the pumps you’ll ever have. Written with a deadpan bluntness that screams, “I’m not paid enough for this,�Tales somehow weaves small-town politics, ancient cults, and garden gnomes into a hilarious supern??atural mystery you ??won’t want to put down.

3. John Dies at the End by Jason Pargin

I love cosmic horror, but that’s only one of the many reasons I recommend John Dies at the End by Jason Pargin. The titular soon-to-be-cadaver and his best friend David are self-styled paranormal investigators who discover they’re the only things standing between Earth and an eldritch invasion after taking a ?less-than-legal magical drug at a party.

John Dies at the End combines the unknowable dread of the Cthulhu Mythos and mixes it with the down-to-earth comedy of Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy. The result is a book I can recommend to Lovecraft lovers, Supernatural fans, and anyone looking for a book that will ??make you laugh, jump, and cry.

2. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

I spent a good chunk of the time it took me to write this list kicking around ways to introduce Mark Z. Daneiewski’s House of Leaves. This epistolary nov??el is a locked-and-coded puzzle box that any fan?? of off-putting literature will have a fantastic time unraveling.

Presented as a transcription of a screenplay, House of Leaves tells the story of a family who discovers their house’s interior design doesn’t conform to the laws of physics. Written in a way that forces the reader to turn the book on its head more than once, House of Leaves consta?ntly leaves you guessing where one character’s descent into madness begins and when yours will end.

1. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

It would’ve felt wrong to end this list with a book that isn’t Coraline by Neil Gaiman. The titular youth discovers a hidden door in her family’s new home and finds herself in a wondrous realm ruled by a stranger named the Other Mother. Unfortunately, what looks like paradise soon becomes a gilded cage, one Coraline has to?? escape from befo??re it’s too late.

Coraline is the t??extbook definition of spooky. Gaiman’s prose elegantly describes a world as whimsical as it is terrifying, and you feel the excitement that? drives Coraline to delve deeper into this secret world.

The post The 10 Spookiest books to read for Halloween 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

We all know of horror works that will hit you hard upon first contact �perhaps because you're a kid lacking in training ?against the dark arts �but that lose all their magic as you grow older and more powerful.

Great horror novels, however, will somehow never lose their magic, possibly because th??ey're cursed, cursed and doomed to never stop giving spooky thrills to whomever comes in contact with them. Let's look at some all-time classics.

The Shining

Stephen King created a masterpiece by weaving deeper themes into what could've been a simple ghost story. There's no schlock here, and in its place you will find a family dealing with?? the real and sadly very real horrors that victims of abuse have to deal wit??h �and also ghosts.

Most people know of Stephen King's magnum opus because of its film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick, and those people will likely be surprised to learn King absolutely loathed it. King would later write the teleplay for a more direct adaptation of his book. It's not?? good, but the book sure is, so definitely give it a try whether you love or hate the movie!

Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)

As you may already know, Frankenstein tells the story of a mad scientist hellbent on creating new life that no one asked for in ways that no one should attempt. The result is a mon??ster that will inevitably prove the doctor's (and some other people's) demise.

How far is too far when it comes to creating technology that never really seemed promising remains a sadly prescient question in our times. Mary Shelley probably didn't predict the woes of the AI days back in 1818, but she was well aware of human stupidity when she nonchalantly created a horror masterpiece and invented the Sci-Fi genre all at once.

It (Stephen King)

Aliens, spiders, and clowns are three evergreen sources of terror when it comes to literature and cinema. In IT, author Stephen King had the genius idea of combining all three to make its villain, Pennywise the Clown. To further heighten the fright?? factor, King originally has Pennywise messing not with the lives of adults, but straight-up hunting down kids by preying upon their greatest fears.

Pennywise isn't scary for one specific reason, but for all the reasons. It's an all-time classic, and a great source of inspiration for anyone interested in clown-related ?horror.

Dracula (Bram Stoker)

Aside from Satan himself, Dracula is the most enduring villain in the history of villains, and with good cause. Vlad the Impaler couldn't have asked for a better myth creator than Bram Stoker, who turned yet another bloodthirsty ruler from histo??ry into ?a literal bloodthirsty monster who was inexplicably also very sexy.

Much like the character himself, Bram Stoker's Dracula just doesn't age �so long as it's properly fed by the peo??ple who'll read and further its legacy.

The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson)

If you're into ghost stories, th??en Shirley Jackson's 1959 opus is what you might be looking for. Completely different from the excellent Netflix TV series, the book tells a story based on accounts of what author Shirley Jackson describes not as paranormal experts, but misguided people who wanted to see something that didn't exist. The result is a scary story, yes, but also an interesting study on differing personalities and respons??es to the paranormal.

Just remember not to confuse it with House on Haunted Hill, an unrelated movie with a si??milar plot that somehow also came out in the same yea?r �though it's also good.

The Hellbound Heart (Clive Barker)

The Hellraiser film series has enj??oyed a lot of success over the years, and Pinhead is?? one of the most unforgettable villains in the history of the medium.

If you want to experience the first story featuring the cenobites and have it permeate your mind through your own imagination and not that of writer/filmmaker Clive Barker, then ?this is the way to go. Expect something gory, and perhaps even a bit sexy, if you happen to be into a specific sort of thing.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Shirley Jackson)

Mystery, family drama, town folklore, and a surprising amount of humor are what live at the heart of this Castle. Shirley? Jackson's final story tells of a family destroyed by mysterious killings fairly or not blamed on one of its members.

It also tells the story of what happens on the outside, as the minds of the townsfolk fester while they make their own judgements on what's happening with this peculiar family. We Have Always Lived in the Castle isn't exactly the scariest of books, but it proves an original variation of the genre that you'll never f??orget.

Something wicked this way comes (Ray Bradbury)

Something wicked this way comes tells the story of Mr. Dark, a vile entity posing as a good-willing wish-granting ?being. Mr. Dark is all about exploiting one's deepest desires ??to spread great malice, and thus immediately one of the most interesting villains of all time.

"Careful what you wish for" is one?? of the shortest and most important lessons you can learn. If you haven't learned ??it from life itself yet, learn it from this Ray Bradbury classic.

The Exorcist

You sure know about this one, but likely not from this angle. The Exorcist, the movie, though featuring the involvement of author William Peter Blatty, mostly shows the vision of director William Friedkin. The two did not really get along during filming, and Blatty maintains that his v?ision of what the novel should be in visual format didn't come to fruition.

We now know that the real story behind the inspiration for the book, and movie, is total bunk. Still, the story of a little girl who's possessed by an entity with no agenda other than to do harm is sure to still hit the heart of any even remotely religious person out? there.

Cujo (Stephen King)

What's scarier than having your best friend turn on you, and try to murder you? That's Cujo, a huge Saint Bern??ard who'd be the main character's best pal in any other tale. In here, Cujo is, for some reason, a murder machine. It works because the concept works in a beautifully simple twist, but also because it's quite a ride.

King says he doesn't remember writing Cujo, meaning Cujo might have taken possession of the author's body and w??ritten itself. Good boy!

Related: Best Horror Game Characters That Made Their? Games so Much Scarier on Twinfinite.

The post 10 Best classic horror books that still hold up appeared first on Destructoid.

With Dragon Age: The Veilguard just around the corner, now might be the time to revisit the world of Thedas and brush up on the anci??ent lore of the Chantry and the old gods that preceded it.

If there's one thing BioWare always does in the superlative, it's worldbuilding. The world of Dragon Age, while certainly inspired by many fantasy works that came before it (including Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time—especially the latter) is sprawlin??????????????????????????g with riveting stories, compelling characters, and a fantastic history going thousands of year??????????????????????????s back.

Dragon Age h??as also branched out into other mediums over the years, comprising not only three amazing games wit??h dozens of hours of content, but also several books, more than ten comic series, a few tabletop games, and recently, an anime adaptation on Netflix.

But as we know, the beating heart of every great fantasy universe is in its books. Even Dragon Age, originally conceived as a video game series and despite taking full advantage of RPG elements to world-build, can't help but fall under the same enchantment. If you want lore and details, you'll have to inevitably approach the Dragon Age books and comics, and since most? of them have been written by BioWare's own writers who also worked on the games, they are must-reads for ardent fans of Thedas.

Barring the two-volume World of Thedas, which is little more than a companion encyclopedia with entries detailing different characters, factions, countries, and events, here is every Dragon Age book and comic ranked worst to best.

All Dragon Age Books

There have been seven major books in the Dragon Age series, all? of them canon. Some expand on the lore already established in the games, and some give fans much-needed context on the inner workings of Thedas and what goes on behind the scenes in this politically-charged high fantasy world. Here we’ve ranked them from w?orst to best based on significance, the quality of the narrative, and the overall community reception.

7. Dragon Age: Hard in Hightown

We all know that Varric is an accomplished and best-selling author renowned across Thedas, but have you ever wondered what it would be like to read a book penned by him? Hard in Hightown expands on the character’s noir detective story found in the Dragon Age: Inquisition codex entries, and BioWare has also marketed the book as being written by Varric himself. The other contributing author is Mary Kirby, who worked in the studio from 2006 to 2023 and is credited for her writing chops in all four Dragon Age games, including the upcoming Veilguard.

6. Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne

The first novel by David Gaider as well as the first Dragon Age book, The Stolen Throne takes place before the events of Origins in the country of Ferelden. We follow the tale of the rebel queen Moira, who has just been assassinated through a plot orchestrated by the nobles in her court. Her son Maric escapes unharmed, and now with Ferelden under occupation by the Orlesian Empire, Maric has to fight for the revival of his nation with the help of Loghain, whom fans will recognize as one of the main characters in Origins. If you always found Loghain intriguing and were desperate to learn more about his past and motives, then The Stolen Throne is a must-read, even if it’s not exactly the best Dragon Age book out there.

5. Dragon Age: The Calling

Taking place eleven years after the events of The Stolen Throne, this is David Gaider’s second literary outing in the Dragon Age universe. The story chiefly revolves around the Grey Wardens, who had been exiled from Ferelden for 200 years, before King Maric revoked that ban and welcomed them back.?? The Grey Wardens come to the king’s court with dire news, however, of one of their rank escaping into the Deep Roads and aligning himself with the Darkspawn. The Grey Wardens ask the king to lead them through the Deep Roads, which he traversed years before, to save the kingdom from peril, little realizing the dangers that lurk in these uncharted dwarven territories.

4. Dragon Age: Asunder

The Mage-Templar War is one of the defining conflicts in the entire Dragon Age chronology, and it is explored in depth in Dragon Age: Asunder by David Gaider. This is arguably the author’s best novel in the series, and his nuanced storytelling, whether it be compelling character arcs or even a deft hand at weaving political intrigue together, shines in Asunder. Other than explaining in detail why the Seekers of Truth and the Circle of Magi broke off from the Chantry, the story also features Wynne, who is one of the fanbase’s favorite companions in Origins.

3. Dragon Age: Last Flight

Last Flight by Liane Merciel is arguably one of the best stories in the multi-media Dragon Age franchise. The narrative once again brings the Grey Wardens to the forefront. After the events of Origins, this ancient group of warriors are once again being hailed as?? heroes across Thedas. The Darkspawn has been driven underground and the threat of extinction has been snuffed out. Not all is well in the continent, however. A young elven mage named Valya, who has recently been recruited into the organization, is tasked with studying historical records to gain insight into previous Blights, research that leads her to question what she knows about the so-called heroic Grey Wardens and learn the truth about the fate of griffons.

2. Dragon Age: The Masked Empire

Trick Weekes wrote for the three Mass Effect games as well as Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and the forthcoming Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The Masked Empire is a tie-in novelization for Dragon Age: Inquisition released in April 2014, and it deals with the Orlesian Civil War. The events of the novel paint a starkly different picture of Orlesian politics for fans, and many of you might end up regretting the decisions you made during Inquisition, or replaying the game so that you can change it. Some of the characters in The Masked Empire include Briala, Celene Empress of? Orlais, Felassan, Gaspard de Chalons, and our own bard-tur??ned-spymaster Leliana.

1. Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights

Tevinter Nights is an anthology series written by nine different BioWare staff writers, and some fans already consider it to be a tie-in to Dragon Age: The Veilguard. You’ll find many familiar faces in the course of reading this novel, which consists of fifteen short stories mostly set in the Tevinter Imperium, as well as other areas like Nevarra, Rivain, the Anderfels, Orlais, and the Free Marches. The novel also goes into events such as the Qunari invasion and Solas�defection from the Inquisition. If you don’t want to bother with the rest of the Dragon Age books before The Veilguard, Tevinter Nights can thrust you back into the political and historical landscape of Thedas before the fourth main entry comes along.

All Dragon Age Comics

Dragon Age has maintained a steady and prominent line of comic strips since the release of Origins in 2009. Some might even argue that because Dragon Age is a video game, comics are an even more congruent medium for expansion. There are close to a dozen comic book series in Thedas, and we’ve ranked them all in this list. H??ere are which publications you should pr?ioritize before October 31.

8. Dragon Age: Until We Sleep

This three-issue comic series focuses on Varric and gives fans more insight into his past life. It is written by David Gaider and illustrated by Chad Hardin, featuring amazing artwork and a grim story that chooses BioWare’s own canon, meaning that in Until We Sleep’s timeline, Alistair is the king of Ferelden.

7. Dragon Age

There's something irresistibly charming about the first proper Dragon Age comic strip, which came out monthly in 2010 in six issues. The story expands on the lore already established in Origins, and deals with the inner workings of both the templar and mage orders in Thedas. The art style is very unique, perfectly fitting that dark aesthetic the franchise had going for itself back in the old days, even if there are also lore inconsistencies abound, something that eagl??e-eyed fans will no? doubt pick up on with ease.

6. Dragon Age: Magekiller

Released in five issues from December 2015 to April 2016, Magekiller tells the story of Marius, the titular mage killer, and his handler Tessa Forsythia. It’s set during the events of Inquisition and centers around the rise of the Venatori cult. The art style is pretty neat, but for pacing issues as well as a shallow storyline, Magekiller often finds itself very low in the list of fan-favorite Dragon Age stories.

5. Dragon Age: Those Who Speak

Following the events of The Silent Grove, King Alistair continues to travel across Thedas to learn what happened to his father. On this journey, he's assisted by everyone's favorite pirate Isabela, and second-favorit??e novelist Varric Tethras. The journey is wrought with danger, but ??nothing that the trio can't handle, especially when you realize that they've been through worse than a band of cultists hindering their way.

4. Dragon Age: Wraiths of Tevinter

This is actually a compilation of three Dragon Age comic series released in a single volume. It includes Deception, Blue Wraith, and Dark Fortress, all involving the Tevinter Imperium to one degree or another. In Deception, we follow a failed actress turned con artist who targets the heir of a wealthy family in Tevinter. The second and third series are more closely linked, with the former dealing with a Qunari plot against Tevinter and featuring Fenris, and the latter starring her as the main character as she's joined by a band of Inquisition agents to assault a seemingly impregnable fortress. All great short stories in the sprawling Dragon Age universe.

3. Dragon Age: The Silent Grove

The first Dragon Age comic series to be published by Dark Horse, and arguably one of the best even now, The Silent Grove depicts the Alistair, Varric, Isabela trio in another era-defining adventure. The party travels to Antiva City, and there they attempt to stage a prison break, getting swept up in a tale that ends up unveiling one of the darkest secrets in the history of Thedas. The Silent Grove was originally published in 2012 in six issues.

2. Dragon Age: Knight Errant

What is a Dragon Age story without the universe's meta storyteller around to shake things up? Knight Errant is the tale of an elven thief named Vaea, who arrives in Kirkwall just in time to witness the appointment of its latest viscount, Varric Tethras. The artwork in Knight Errant is very enthralling, and you'll find yourself drawn to look at the pages even if you're not a fan of the story itself. Still, there have been theories in the community circles about Knight Errant possibly tying into The Veilguard, so the title is worth picking up for that reason al?one??.

1. Dragon Age: The Missing

The Missing directly ties into The Veilguard and features Varric Tethras and Lace Harding (who is going to be a companion in the upcoming game) as they descend into the Deep Roads in pursuit of Solas. We already know Solas and his shenanigans are going to play a huge part in The Veilguard, and The Missing not only serves as a story that bridges the gap between this fourth entry and Inquisition, but also a perfect primer to get you into the mood for some Dragon Age in November.

The post All Dragon Age books and comics?? (ranked worst to ??best) appeared first on Destructoid.

The Witcher is now a multimedia franchise consisting of an extremely popular and acclaimed video game series and a live-action television adaptation by Netflix, but the story of Geralt traces its roots back to more than three dec?ades ago, and in book format, no less.

Reading the books is a must if you're a fan of The Witcher games. The Netflix show also doesn't do any of the stories justice by a long stretch, so forget everything you've seen from the Henry Cavill-led ensemble so far. Below are all The Witcher books ranked worst to best.

Warning: The following paragraphs contain spoilers for the overall plot of? each book.

8. The Lady of the Lake (book 5)

The last book in The Witcher saga is arguably the worst-paced entry in the series. The writer seems to have given up on the idea of a satisfying conclusion halfway through, opting to depict a drawn-out battle between Nilfgaard and the Northern Kingdoms that doesn’t really have anything to do with the main story. Geralt is absent for most of the tale, and Ciri doesn’t experience an??y more palpable character growth. The ambiguous and open-ended nature of those final chapters is also something that many ??fans might find confusing or disappointing, especially since all it does in effect is make allusions to the Arthurian legend.

It's a great thing CD Projekt Red decided to continue Geralt’s tale in the video game trilogy because as far as satisfying endings go, The Lady of the Lake is subpar. That said, the final confrontation between G?eralt and Vilgefortz, and Ciri and Leo Bonhart, is always a joy to read, paying off 3 books worth of buildups in an explosive action sequence.

7. Season of Storms (prequel)

The reception to Season of Storms has always been mixed in the fandom. This spinoff prequel is set somewhere between The Last Wish and stars Geralt of Rivia as he takes on a contract with none of his conventional weapons at hand. Yennefer of Vengerberg is also a character in the story, but other than the familiarity of Geralt getting down to the task of hunting and killing monsters �what he does best �there isn’t much that makes Season of Storms stand out.

If you’re finished with the main saga and want to see a Geralt side quest with all of the usual charms of the series, then reading Seasons of Storm is recommended. Just go in expecting Andrzej ??Sapkowski’s prose and storytelling chops to be a little flimsier than they usually are.

6. The Tower of Swallows (book 4)

The story of The Tower of Swallows mostly centers around Ciri, who is living a new life under the care of the Rats. The mercenary group is being tracked by a vicious killer named Leo Bonhart, who eventually finds and slaughters the??m a??ll, taking Ciri as a prisoner. Geralt and Yennefer are still looking the Continent over for Ciri, with the former’s hansa getting entangled in a war in Rivia and the latter confronting Vilgefortz but failing to overpower him.

The Tower of Swallows ends with Ciri reawakening her powers and besting the people who are looking to capture or kill her. She enters the mystical Tower of the Swallow and begins to travel across time and space, thus setting up the events of The Lady of the Lake. The story in this installment can ??feel dragged out at times, but the overall narrative is riveting in sca?le and rife with epic moments.

5. Blood of Elves (book 1)

The first book in the Witcher saga after the two collection of short stories, Blood of Elves begins with the entire Continent in upheaval over the destruction of Cintra and the death of Queen Calanthe. Ciri is undergoing Witcher training at Kaer Morhen under the guidance of Geralt, Vesemir, and the rest of the monster hunters when Triss Merigol??d arrives to help with the ward’s magical training. She learns that Ciri is a “Source,�and asks Geralt to find her old flame Yennefer so that she can properly train Ciri to control her powers.

The company sets out for the temple of Nenneke in Ellander, their forebodings reaching a treacherous degree as they learn that all is not well in the world, and a “time of contempt�is nigh. Blood of Elves also marks the first time Ciri meets Yennefer, and the two develop a mother-daughter attachment. There’s political intrigue, there’s great action sequences, and there’s amazing character work in Blood of Elves, but most importantly of all, there’s a whole lot of Geralt ba??dassery which fans of the saga will find most gratif?ying to read through.

4. Baptism of Fire (book 3)

Baptism of Fire picks ??up the story after the disastrous events of the Thanedd coup, where Geralt was mortally wounded in his fight with Vilgefortz. Our main protagonist is recovering from his physical traumas in Brokilon Forest, but one of the great things about this turn of events is that he’ll never be the warrior he used to be. Fantasy has always been about heroe??s who only grow in power, so having Geralt, once a mountain of resoluteness in the face of adversity, brought down to an almost broken warrior who needs to rely on the help of others, was a great twist for the character and his future in the world.

Baptism of Fire is the book where Geralt’s hansa forms for the first time, consisting of Dandelion, the archer Milva, the vampire Regis (whom you’ll recognize from the Blood & Wine ??DLC) and the N??ilfgaardian who isn’t a Nilfgaardian named Cahir.

3. Time of Contempt (book 2)

This is my favorite book in the novel series, bec?ause the build-up of tension as soon as Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri walk into Aretuza is done exquisitely well. It all boils over by the end of the novel, and every faction in the Northern Kingdom and beyond starts fighting with one another in a bid to take power, all orchestrated by Vilgefortz and Emhyr var Emreis.

It al?so gives us more time with this unconventional family before they’re separated until the end of the story. Having Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer interacting in the same space tugs at everyone’s heartstrings, making you shed tears for the things that could’ve been had Ciri been a normal child, Geralt an inconsequential player in the politics of the Continent, and Yennefer not a part of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers.

2. The Last Wish (anthology 1)

The Last Wish introduced the world to the story of Geralt, a stoic monster-hunter with a proclivity for philosophizing unbidden. It introduced fans to the world of the Continent, where monsters roam freely and it is up to mutated warriors like Geralt to stop them from killing innocent people, the same people who would shun these protectors, calling them “freaks.�Lastly, it introduced us to unforgettable characters like Julian Alfred Pankratz aka Dandelion and Yennef?er of Vengerberg.

I believe Andrzej Sapkowski was at his best when he didn’t write elaborate narratives that span several books. Every short story in The Last Wish is self-contained and a joy to read, not to mention quite effective at building up this fi??ctional world and the character of Geralt as unforgettable additions to fantasy literature.

1. Sword of Destiny (anthology 2)

The second batch of short stories featuring Geralt, Sword of Destiny introduces Ciri as Pavetta’s daughter (from “A Question of Price�in The Last Wish) and knits her fate tightly together with her ward. The collection features some of the best and most emotionally potent stories from The Witcher worl??d, like “Shard of Ice�dealing with Geralt and Yennefer’s strange bond, “A Little Sacrifice�discussing the unrequited love of Essi Daven, and “Something More�reuniting Geralt and Ciri at a time where they need each other the most.

It might not be much of a compliment to say Sapkowski peaked here, but it is nevertheless the bitter truth about The Witcher saga. This story was original??ly conceived as a series of interconnected short stories, and it’s no su??rprise to see it works best when it sticks to that formula.

The post All T?he Witcher novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

Mystery and romance are both bedrocks of fiction, but their combination gives rise to something that remains as of yet unbea?ten in the entire history of literature.

Every great tale has a bit of romance in it. Every memorable story takes advantage of suspense and mystery to keep the readers hooked. And the two of them together turn out to be entirely too irresistible to bookworms all over the world. Whether it falls on you the reader to piece together the puzzle and divine the hidden truth of a tale or the writer to suddenly upend your expectations, the idea is to keep you on your toes throughout the narrative. As for romance, what is character dynamic and chemistry without a bit of sexual tension? Or a tinge of social appre??hension and dysphoria?

From the beginning of the Romanticism movement in the 18th century, mystery romance has remained a potent and insightful storytelling tradition, and even now, it manages to steal hearts and rope in readers with as little as a simple enigmatic premise. So, in case you're itching for your next fiction mystery romance book, read ahead for some of our best picks, old and new, from across the literary timeline.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

A highly acclaimed and revered young adult trilogy, followed by a standalone sequel, The Inheritance Games tells the story of Avery Grambs, who is suddenly bestowed with the immense fortune of a billionaire named Tobias Hawthorne. Avery has no idea why she was chosen, but she has to move to the Hawthorne mansion to claim this unexpected inheritance. The only problem is that the Hawthorne mansion is filled with secrets, mysteries, puzzles, and dangers, with Avery trying to uncover the truth and maneuver her way through Tobias�disgruntled family—especially his four grandsons. Trust me when I say that you’ll never be bored with The Inheritance Games and its intricate plot, not to mention the layered roman?ce sitting at the heart of the adventure.

Five Decembers by James Kestrel

One of the best books of the past decade, Five Decembers turned into an instant classic when it came out in 2017, largely thanks to Kestrel’s nuanced and atmospheric storytelling. You follow a detective called McGrady, who is investigating a brutal murder case at the height of World War II. McGrady’s story takes him to several regions in the war-torn world of the late �0s, and amid all the horrors of the conflict that rages across different countries, he finds solace in the company of a female partner, with whom he develops a romantic relationship. Five Decembers is epic, mysterious, and surp?risingly rich, not only offering readers a gripping mystery thriller but also a profound historical s?tudy of the times.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Released at the height of gothic romance traditions of the 20th century, Rebecca is the story of an unmarried young woman who weds a widower called Maxim de Winter and moves into his great estate. The unnamed protagonist of our story soon learns that the Maxim estate is haunted by the master’s former wife, Rebecca, who died under mysterious circumstances. The narrator soon grows obsessed with Rebecca and the circumstances surrounding her death and struggles to learn the truth about the de Winter household, while simultaneously dealing with the tense dynamic she has with Maxim himself. Rebecca explores themes of identity and jealousy, with a boatload of suspense and twistin?g ??revelations added in for good measure.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

This is admittedly a bit of an odd choice for this list, but the romance in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo—while uncomfortable and unconventional—is rooted in past trauma and ??complex power dynamics. You follow the tale of Mikael Blomkvist, a discredited journalist, and Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant hacker, as they come together to explore the mystery of Harriet’s vanishing, the niece of an old businessman who went missing 40 years ago.

The author Stieg Larsson claimed that he got the inspiration for Lisbeth when he b?ore witness to a friend of his getting gang raped by three men. In his account, Larsson stood by and did nothing, which later wracked him with guilt. Later, one of Larsson’s colleagues revealed that the author only heard this tale second-hand, and then passed it off as his own. The truth of the matter remains ambiguous to date, but the fact does lend a lot of depth to the character of Lisbeth Salander as she develops a bond with Mikael and attempts to deal with past traumas.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

The story of Big Little Lies takes place in an idyllic suburb in Australia. You follow three women—Jane, Celeste, and Madeline—whose children attend the same school. Each of them is dealing with their own personal struggles like domestic abuse, past trauma, and infidelity, and as the mysterious plot of Big Little Lies unravels around a sudden murder at the school, Jane, Celeste, and Madeline have to piece the puzz??le together and learn the truth at the heart of this unlikely tale.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

One of the most popular mystery romance novels in recent memory, Then She Was Gone is about? the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl named Ellie. Ten years later, Ellie’s mother Laurel is still grieving the loss of her little girl, when, unexpectedly, she meets a man named Floyd and is immediately attracted to him. Floyd has a 9-year-old daughter called Poppy, who bears a striking resemblance to Ellie. Meeting Poppy compels our main character to dig up old?, unresolved traumas surrounding Ellie, and she begins to unravel a dark web of secrets at the heart of her life in a tension-filled narrative that explores themes of love, loss, and closure.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

One of the greatest novels in the English language, and a timeless exploration of love and morality with a deep sense of social, religious, and class criticism embedded in its core, Jane Eyre is still one of my foremost picks when it comes to the romantic and Gothic traditions. But it also serves that the novel is a mysterious ride as the titular character tries to discern the true nature of Mr. Rochester, with whom she falls in lov??e. Jane’s love burns hot and fierce, but is weighed down, alas, by the moral dilemmas involving Rochester’s past life.

You might assume that many trendy "romantasy" books of the past decade, buoyed up to an absurd degree thanks to social media and "BookTok," are a post-modern invention, but that would be a very reductive way of thinking about it. Many strong heroines of fiction trace their roots to works like Jane Eyre—as do many feminist undertones in literary traditions of the past century. The Brontë sisters were all about questioning gender roles and criticizing the social hierarc??hies of the Victor??ian era, but their work still remains a relevant and quintessential piece of social studies in our modern times.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Imaginative, poetic, and sensational. These are the best words to describe The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The 2011 romance fantasy novel has been compared to many classic works like Harry Potter and Neil Gaiman's Stardust because it involves magic, mysticism, and a fair bit of romance. The story follows a magical circus that appears without warning and only operates during the night. We follow a non-linear narrative centering around two young magicians, Celia and Marco, engaged in a high-stakes magical duel. Their spells, illusions, and wondrous apparitions soon c??reate chaos within the circus, trapping a cast of unforgettable characters in the midst of their shenanigans.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Diana Bishop teaches history of science at Yale University, and by all tokens, she's nothing but a reluctant scholar. Yet there's more to this heroine than meets the eye, even if she doesn't know it yet. Diana has magical powers, which she has suppressed after the death of her parents. One day, when conducting her research in Oxford, Diana comes upon an occult manuscript that reignites her powers and brings her to the attention of mythical and supernatural beings like demons and vampires. Among these monsters is Matthew Clairmont, who gets involved with Diana and eventually falls in love with her. A Discovery of Witches remains a ?timeless classic of the fantasy romance as well as the mystery romance genres.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

I wonder if anyone regardless of the depth of their grasp of literature could say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what genre Wuthering Heights belongs to. It’s certainly among the strangest works of fiction I’ve ever come across, and try as I might to divine all of its hidden meanings and allusions, it still eludes comprehension to a large degree. But as far as conventional wisdom allows, Wuthering Heights ind?eed belongs to the romantic tradition, and since the reader is suddenly thrust into the remote countryside of Yorksh??ire, England, and has to slowly unravel the mystery of Wuthering Heights, its peculiar Tennant's, and its eccentric owner Mr. Heathcliff, it’s safe to presume that it belongs on this list as well.

Wuthering Heights is a haunting, grim tale of love, loss, and abuse. It underlines some of the darkest human tendencies, teaching us about class, prejudice, resentment, and the importance of a decent upbringing. It is poetic, yet brutal; It is romantic, yet cruel; It is mystifying, yet depressive. And it is, arguably, one of the best novels you could read in your lifetime. If you want to see the best and worst of humanity all in one tale, do yourself a favor and pick up Wuthering Heights.

The post 10 ?greatest fiction mystery romance books of all time appeared first on Destructoid.

A sudden death, an unknown killer, and a handful of shocking twists are just a few of the hallmarks of?? the mystery genre that draw you in and make for an exciting page-turner. If you’re looking for a new novel for the fall season, try any one of the ten best new mystery books we’ve assembled in the list below- they won’t disappoint.

10. Everyone on This Train is? a Suspect, Benjamin Stevenson

Fans of the classic whodunnit will love Everyone on This Train is a Suspect, the second novel to follow the story of Ernest Cunningham and the mysteries he encounters in his writing career. Ernest, along with all the other people on the train, has previously published a book about a murder. It stands to reason then that everyone in the group would easily be able to get away with such a crime if something were to suddenly happen. If you love Agatha Christie’s classic Murder on the Orient Express, then you’ll have a great time with this one.

9. Murder at King’s Crossing, Andrea Penrose

Murder at King’s Crossing is Andrea Penrose’s e??ighth novel in the Wrexford & Sloane series, but it is still a great place to start reading the author’s work. The story stands on its own, and the overlap with previous books is simply from recurring characters. While Wrexford and Sloane are attending a wedding, the police?? find a body at nearby King’s Crossing. Its discovery comes with only a single clue- an invitation to the wedding. However, the invitation was not originally intended for the dead man.

8. Nightwatching, Tracy Sierra

Nightwatching is a tense page-turner that blends the thriller and horror genre into its core mystery. In the dead of night, in the darkness of a relentless blizzard, an intruder steps into a mother’s home. He’s clearly dangerous, and there’s something about him that f?eels oddly familiar. The mother a??nd her children have to avoid making any noise or risk a deadly confrontation. Incredible atmospheric details and more than a few surprises await the reader.

7. A Step Past Darkness, Vera Kurian

The unassuming town of Wesley Falls, with its seemingly perfect homes, hosts a terrifying crime in the summer of 1995. The main characters of A Step Past Darkness, who were teenagers at the time of the incident, must return more? than twenty years later after another murder occurs to uncover the dark secrets of a case they had hoped to leave behind forever. The story hops between two timelines and lets the reader piece together w?hat’s really happening.

6. Secrets of Rose Briar Hall, Kelsey James

Secrets of Rose Briar Hall features an ensnaring gothic darkness that makes it difficult to put down. The year is 1908, and Millie Turner, the wife of one of Long Island’s rich elite, plans to throw an elegant party. However, not everything goes according to her plan. When Millie later wakes up, she finds that the manor is mysteriously dark and that she has no memories of what really happened that evening. The novel is a loose adoption of the classic 1944 film Gaslight.

5. The Hunter, Tana French

When a former Chicago police officer moves to Ireland for retirement, he takes some of his most important experiences and personal ties with him into a new mystery. The most notable from the start is his tie with the two other main characters, Trey and Lena. The former is a teenager whose father returns to town with tales of gold and an easy-to-acquire fortune. The Hunter is a sequel to Tana French’s novel The Searcher, but you don’t necessarily have to read the former book to follow ?what’s going on in the new one.

4. Displeasure Island, Alice Bell

In Displeasure Island, Claire’s ability to talk to ghosts makes all the difference when she’s trying to solve a new mystery. When she goes on vacation with her best friend, who is incidentally a ghost, she attempts to use her experiences and insight to find a hidden pirate treasure. However, a murder occurs before she can reach her goal, and she’ll need to clear her name before it’s too late. There’s plenty of tension here in the sequel to Bell's Grave Expectations, but also lots of comedic moments as well.

3. Summerlin Groves, Elizabeth Camden

If you’re looking for a blend of mystery, romance, and history in your next read, Summerlin Groves might be just the ticket. There’s a skeleton out back buried under the orange trees on Jenny Summerlin’s property with more than a few Cold War-era secrets. However, to uncover these secrets, Jenny will have to work with a local detective who’s also her former lover. Though auth?or Elizabeth Camden is best known for her historical fiction novels about the late 1800s, her foray into a more contemporary setting is a great success.

2. Death at the Sign of the Rook, Kate Atkinson

Private detective Jackson Brodie is back in Kate Atkinson’s newest novel, Death at the Sign of the Rook. The mystery starts out with a simple art theft. However, as it continues, it quickly evolves into a story that utilizes the best tropes in t?he genre to its advantage. Brodie and the cast of suspects are snowed in at an old English manor that often hosts murder mystery nights for weekend patrons. Inside, there are plenty of secrets and traps, as well as a killer who’s on the loose.

1. The Hitchcock Hotel, Stephanie Wrobel

When the world’s biggest fan of Alfred Hitchcock opens a theme hotel that celebrates his favorite films, there are plenty of surprises in store for his guests. However, it’s not until one year after the grand opening, when the owner invites his college friends for a reunion, that things get seriously suspenseful. If you’re a fan of any of the classic films, you’re pretty much guaranteed to love this book. The Hitchcock Hotel is full to the brim with exciting references, from the rookery of ravens to direct quotes from films like Rope and Psycho.

The post The 10 Best New Mystery Books You Should R??ead This Year (Ranked) appeared first on Destructoid.

Most of the romantic literary tradition and its history are defined by will they/won't they relationships, but since the 21st century, authors have pushed the envelope a little further by incorporating more modern themes and interactions into their plots, and the result is books that aren't afraid to get a little up close and personal, pushing away the curtains, not mincing words, and having a bit of ??extra heat betwee?n the pages. You know the drill.

At the same time, there is quite a world of difference between so-called "smut" and romance novels that feature compelling characters and compelling narratives. Sure, they're not what you'd call high art, but the write??rs at least put in a bit of effort to make the guilty pleasure of reading them a little more palatable. To that end, here we 10 spicy romance novels you could pick up right now to sc??ratch that particular itch and not feel like you've wasted hours reading garbage.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Arguably one of the best historical fantasy book series of all time, Outlander by Diana Ga??baldon centers around a 20th-century British nurse called Claire Randall. Visiting the Scottish Highlands with her husband after the conclusion of World War II, Claire a?ccidentally travels back in time to the 18th century and has to traverse a hostile world where the rules of engagement are much different from the brutal frontlines of the global conflict.

The romantic bond between Claire and Jamie Fraser, a Highlander from the 18th century, shapes most of the Outlander series, and its narrative, ultimately a tale of love and passion (Gabaldon doesn’t mince words when it comes to spicy scenes), also deals with real-world history, social criticism, and many philosophical and timeless human dilemmas. You could always opt to watch the television series by Starz, acclaimed in its own right, but Gabaldon's prose and characterization in the book are unrivaled by her contemporaries. If we were to write the best blurb for Outlander, this wo??uld be it: A book series for serious literature consumers who don't mind a little bit of steam now and again.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Let's admit it, you knew we would start the list with this one. A Court of Thorns and Roses may start timidly, but by the end ??of the first novel, Feyre Archeron’s exploits in the oth?erworldly court will take on a much more mature tone. And by that, we mean Sarah J. Maas will dial up the spice factor to eleven and make you blush like you never have when reading a fantasy book. By the time you reach the second and third books, you begin to expect steamy scenes whenever characters so much as share the same space for a brief second.

What sets A Court of Thorns and Roses apart from many other contemporaries and latent clones is that readers might actually find the story engaging, the characters interesting, and the world intricate in its design. I’m of the unpopular opinion that more than 90% of “romantasy�these days consists of barely ramshackle, make-shift stories that are just an excuse to write and consume smut. A Court of Thorns and Roses, while admittedly formulaic and sometimes uninspired, at least ?tries to be more than the sum of its parts. And for that, Sarah J. Maas deserves some measure of respect, if not acclaim.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

The prized child of BookTok and its controversial community, Fourth Wing is probably one of the most popular books in the market right now. The story revolves around a heroine named Violet Sorrengail, and takes place in a fictional f??antasy world where there’s a military school for dragon riders. Violet has trained her entire life to be a scholar, mostly because of her physical ailments (which roughly mirror Ehlers–Danlos syndromes), but when fate thrusts her into the titular Fourth Wing, under the command of one Xaden Riorson, she has to navigate a treacherous world hell-bent on destroying?? her life.

And yes, if you’re wondering about the spice level, let’s just say that it’s definitely up there with some other showboating names featuring graphic intimate scenes. A sequel, Iron Flame, was released in Octo?ber 2023, and a threequel is planne??d for release next year.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

I wasn’t entirely sure about including The God of Small Things in this list. The novel is not your typical spicy teen romance, but rather deals with important and sensational themes like love, loss, societal restrictions, and the devastating impacts of colonialism. That being said, there are many heartfelt and heart-rending moments in The God of Small Things, sprinkled in between with intimate scenes that bring us closer to these characters and make us feel the depth of their human emotions. The God of Small Things follows t?he tale of fraternal twins in Kerala, India, who have to deal with casteism and the ridiculous “love laws�prevalent in India at that time.

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

The first book in the so-called Bridgerton series, now one of the most-watched shows on Netflix, The Duke and I is a historical romance taking you to the height of the Regency era. Explore the inner workings of the London high society during social seasons, where the cream of the crop of?? the great families interact with each other hoping to find a match that not only elevates their status but also makes them?? a truly respectable member of the queen’s coterie.

The steamy scenes in The Duke and I are written tastefully, and the story itself is a study of relationships and what makes them work, as opposed to a searchlight that only underscores our throes of sensuality. If you want romance and spice and real-world history all in one book, then pick up the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn.

The Deal by Elle Kennedy

You’ve probably read or watched this story a thousand times. Hannah is a smart, driven girl who wants to get her crush's attention, but feels ill-equipped to the task. Garrett Graham, on the other hand, is charming and charismatic, and just the guy she needs to teach her the ropes when it comes to this stuff. Garrett is failing his classes, s?o he asks Hannah to help him in exchange for some much-needed lessons in the art of seduction. 

Well, go ahead and roll your eyes. I know you want to. There’s no denying that The Deal is a rom-com plot exhausted to the point of ridicule, leaving practically no room for any novelty, but there’s something charming about the way Elle Kennedy has written The Deal. You know whatâ€?™s going to happen; you can see every twist coming your way from a mile away, and yet you can’t help but r?ead on. And yes, the steamy scenes are every bit as juicy as you might imagine, unlike a lot of other rom-coms out there â€?especially in the cinematic medium â€?that tend to play it safe.

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Jennifer L. Armentrout usually gets lumped in with A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing, but compared to her, those two books come off as rather bashful. The story follows a Maiden named Poppy, destined for greatness from an early age, but also destined to be lonely, “never to be touched, never to be looked upon, never to be spoken to.�Poppy has a free spirit, however, and despite the responsibility of serving her people, she eventually breaks free of her bonds with the help of a dashing member of her guard named Hawke. From Blood and Ash has numerous spicy scenes in the narrative, and ??things only get more graphic as you progress through the book series.

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

If you want a steamy romance novel with that nostalgic college aura, then look no further than Icebreaker by Hannah Grace. The story follows Anastasia, who gets a scholarship at the University of California and joins the figure skating team. Anastasia is doing her best to join Team USA, but her life is upended when she meets Nate, a member of the ice hockey team. Ana and Nate are paired up for a project, and from there blooms a very unlikely romance, filled with intense moments and extremely steamy and explicit interactions. The affair is a bit of a slow burn, but the characters themselves are written extremely well, turning Icebreaker into something of a page-turner?? despite its unconventional length.

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

The first book in the Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas, the story centers around a girl named Bryce Quinlan, half-fae half-human, who lives in Midgard. When Bryce’s closest friends are murdered, she finds herself in the middle of a treacherous investigation that thrusts her into the underbelly of Crescent City. House of Earth and Blood garnered a lot of acclaim when it came out in 2020. As for the so-called “spice levels,�it’s safe to say that the graphic scenes find themselves a level above A Court of Thorns and Roses, and there ?are quite a few of them in the first book.

Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman

Call Me by Your Name follows 17-year-old Elio Perlman in a coming-of-age tale that deals with such themes as desire, identity, and the intense feeling of infatuation over the course of a summer as Elio comes in contact with the 24-year-old Oliver. With all of these stories, it’s not so much about the graphic details of the intimate encounters as it is about the build-up and the compelling characterization that undermines them. Call Me by Your Name, now also an acclaimed movie headlined by Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer, does this in a subli?me fashion, leaving audiences heartbroken and shattered, and reminiscing about their own young life and the intense feelings that defined it.

The post 10 spicies??t adult romance novels you? could read right now appeared first on Destructoid.

If you went to middle school in the mid-2000s or know a kid who goes to middle school, you probably know the name Rick Riordan. One of the most prolific fantasy authors of our time, Riordan has wri?tten ?dozens of addictive books, and he's showing no signs of slowing down.

I can't think of a writer who's changed my life more than Rick Riordan. Percy Jackson and the Olympians cam?e out around the time I started reading seriously as a hobby, and I've kept mysel??f caught up on his work ever since. There's something magical about Riordan's prose, a charge coursing through every word that magnetizes my eyes to the page whenever I open one of his books.

Riordan has written many books throughout his career, and I'd argue all of them are among the best of their respective genr?es. However, it wouldn't be a ranking list if all of them were of equal quality, would it?

It's "Rick Riordan Presents," NOT "Rick Riordan Writes"

Before we dig into the meat of things, I want to clarify a spot of confusion that pops up often in discussions about Rick Riordan and his body of work. In 2016, Riordan launched a unique publishing imprint called "Rick Riordan Presents." Created in direct response to fans of the author's desire to see YA books based on various world mythologies, Rick Riordan Presents scouts ?out writers from underrepresented cultural heritages, enabling them to give their history and folklore the "urban fantasy glow-up treatment" Riordan??'s already given Greco-Roman, Egyptian, and Norse mythology.

Riordan edited and promoted every standalone book and series published under the Rick Riordan Presents label, but?? he wasn't their author. These stories are fantastic in their own right, and I'd re??commend them to any fan of the "modern mythology" sub-genre Riordan helped prop up.

6. Tres Navarre

Before he set the world of YA literature ablaze, Riordan honed his authorial talents by writing Tres Navarre, a series of neo-??noir novels set in his home state of Texas. Jackson “Tres�Navarre, an unlicensed private investigator and Tai Chi enthusiast, solves mysteries th??at spring up across San Antonio, encountering a litany of colorful characters and nefarious ne'er-do-wells along the way.

Reading the Tres Navarre series was a surreal ride for me. There are no fantastical elements here: these books are about the terrible crimes that can unfold on the gritty streets and dusty plains of the Lone Star State. That said, there are glimmers of the author Riordan would become hidden throughout Tres Navarre's page??s. The titular detective is an obvious prototype of the snarky, ungovernable protagonists that ??headline Riordan's later series, and though the humor's darker than what you might be used to, these books are still hilarious.

5. The Trials of Apollo

The third and final (for now, at least) installment in Riordan's career-defining Camp Half-Blood Chronicles, The Trials of Apollo series is also the only one in the franchise that doesn't follow a demigod. Instead, our protagonist is ?Apollo, the god of archery, art, healing, and prophecy. Cast down from Olympus after a series of world-imperiling slip-ups, Apollo must earn his god-hood back by protecting five oracles from Triumvirate Holdings, a multinational corporation headed by three of Rome's worst emperors.

ToA has many good things going for it. Riordan takes full advantage of the enormous cast he's built up over a decade of storytelling here. He pushes established characters in new and exciting directions wh??ile in??troducing memorable new faces to his already-expansive roster.

Unfortunately, as fun as ToA is, it's held back by an unescapable air of franchise fatigue. Barring one jaw-dropping twist in the third book, ToA plays it pretty safe, which is a big disappointment. I still remember all the challenging but thrilling turns the previous Camp Half-Blood Chronicles series took, and it's disappointing that ToA never lets itself take similar risks.

4. The Kane Chronicles

Written less than a year after he wrapped Percy Jackson and the Olympians (for the first time), The Kane Chronicles proved Riordan wasn't a one-trick pony. When their estranged Egyptologist father disappears after a strange incident at the British Museum, Carter and Sadie Kane discover thei?r family's connection to a hidden world ?of magic, sorcerers, and gods of the Nile.

Rather than repeating the pattern he set with Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Riordan does something entirely new with the characters and the secret magic world of TKC. The Egyptian gods don't influence the world through their half-mortal children like the Greek Gods of PJO; they act through magicians trained in magical schools. Instead of one smart-mouthed protagonist writing his ??thoughts in a journal, we have two inscribing their adventures as audio files (related not: the audiobook versions of Riordan's b??ooks are all fantastic).

While the pacing feels rushed after the first book, TKC is a fun romp from cover to cover with well-rounded characters, creative uses of magic, and even a blatant ?exploration of the prejudice bi-racial children face all too often.

3. The Heroes of Olympus

Percy Jackson and the Olympians tell a satisfying story about Greek mythology's most iconic deities and creatures. However, it only scratches the surface of the culture's massive cast of characters. The Heroes of Olympus, a direct sequel? to PJO, dives even deeper into that mythos, and it's all the better for it.

Following a group of demigods tied together by a prophecy foretelling the end of the world, HoO expands the scope of PJO's world to astronomical proportions.?? Camp Jupiter, a second demigod c?amp inhabited by the children and descendants of the Greek Gods' Roman aspects, is introduced, and with it comes a host of enthralling new characters, many of whom have gone on to become fan favorites.

Everything feels big in HoO; the gods are more awe-inspiring, the odds against our heroes keep escalating, and their journey stretches far beyond the borders of the continental United States. With that said, things get messy by the final book, with too many ongoing plotlines getting wrapped up before they reach their full potential. Despite that, HoA kept the Percy Jackson name alive, triaging most of the damage 20th Century Fox's disast??rous and ultimately aborted film series did to the franchise's reputation.

2. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

With stories about the Greeco-Roman and Egyptian pantheons under his belt, Riordan tackled Marvel's favorite classical mythology with Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. We follow Magnus Chase, estranged cousin of Percy Jackson's friend-turned-girlfriend Annabeth, who discovers ??he's the son of a Norse god after he dies and ascends to Valhalla.

MCGA is noticeably more mature than most of Riordan's other series. The books use the gods and monsters of Scandinavian myth to explore challenging themes like homelessness, ableism, islamophobia, and anti-LBGTQ rhetoric. Thankfully, the series doesn't ditch the charm that defines other Ri?ordanverse installments. Magnus is a fantastic protagonist, armed with the same razor-sharp wit we've come to expect from Rirodan's leads.

If you're a fan of Norse mythology, you'll have a great time with MCGA. Just be ready to brace yourself when the heavy moments fall like Mjolnir o?n a giant's skul??l.

1. Percy Jackson and the Olympians

What would happen if the gods of Greek mythology were real and they never stopped having kids with mortals? That's the question at the core of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Percy Jackson is a troubled boy with ADHD and dyslexia, ??and even he's betting against his odds of living a good life. That is until he discovers he's the son of Poseidon and the gods of Olympus' last hope to win a war against the vengeful Titans they overthrew millennia ago.

Riordan weaves one of the most engaging fantasy worlds I've ever encountered, putting a fun twist on the gods and monsters of Greek mythology while introducing some unique ideas into the mix. Despite that, the real heart of the series l?ies in its protagonist.

Percy Jackson is one of the most inspi??ring YA heroes ever written. His coming-of-age is a powerful exploration of the struggles neurodivergent youth face, and seeing him rise to the occasion and prove his worth as a hero and a person never loses its luster. Knowing that Percy was inspired by Riordan's son makes it even more touching.

The post Every Rick Riordan book series, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

With Halloween just around the corner, it’s natural to want to get into the ??spooky spirit. Reading scary b??ooks is a staple of the fall season, and I’m not just talking about ghosts, ghouls and vampires.

??When I think of scary books,?? I don’t immediately get bogged down in the supernatural, but instead I think of stories which have a possibility of coming true, however remote. The potential of people to do awful things is far scarier than ghosts in the attic, because it’s something that any of us could, if things went horribly wrong, live through. 

Of course there are some entries on this list which focus more on the stereotypical spooky factor, but yo??u might be surprised by some of the books included.

1984 by George Orwell (1949)

Imagine everything you do being monitored by Big Brother, with no privacy and strict consequences for acting in any way they deem undesirable or illegal. The world is stuck in a state of war and Winston, a worker at the Ministry of Truth wants out. 1984 is dystopian, horrif??ying, and ultimately believable in a time when CCTV is everywhere and people broadcast their entire lives on the internet. 

Pet Sematary by Stephen King (1983)

Any list about scary books wouldn’t be complete without Pet Sematary, considering the fact that it unnerves even the king of horror Stephen King himself. Definitely not o?ne that should be read if you’re easily unsettled, and it will definitely upset you if you have children, but one that I will always recommend to anyone looking for a creepy book to read. 

Naomi’s Room by Jonathan Aycliffe (1991)

Even for the most seasoned of horror aficionados, Naomi’s Room is incredibly creepy and sure to have you double checking over your shoulder in the dark. Sure, it’s focused on the supernatural goings on in Charles and Laura’s home, but the expl??anations aren’t too farf??etched to make sense and there also aren’t any logical explanations. My advice? Don’t read this before going to sleep, because you won’t rest easy afterwards.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991)

American Psycho is the story of Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, and incredibly vain investment banker who? also happens to be a serial killer. I read this book for the first time in 2006 when I was 15 and it has remained etched in my memory ever since. 

The reason for it being on this list is the fact that you never know what someone is truly like behind closed doors. Even the most respectful of people you pass on?? the street could be hiding the darkest of secrets, and that’s a truly scary thought. If you haven’t read this one, or seen the movie adaptation, you need to. Be warned, ??the book is far more unsettling than the movie, and that’s really saying something.

Misery by Stephen King (1987)

Romance novelist Paul Sheldon ends?? up in the care of his deranged and psychopathic ‘number one fanâ€?Annie Wilkes, who happens to be a former nurse. Using pain medication to get him addicted and essentially holding him hostage, she makes a big display of nursing him back to health??. 

Even if you’ve not read the book or seen the movie adaptation, you’ll undoubtedly know of one thing from Misery �Annie breaking both of Paul’s ankles w??ith a sle?dgehammer when he starts to recover. 

Penpal by Dathan Auerbach (2012)

Penpal is a novel that’s actually based on a series of creepypastas that were posted to the r/nosleep subreddit, which is always a creepy subreddit to visit. It’s a series of non-linear memories told from the unnamed narr??ator's perspective ??that focus on a series of strange events from his childhood. 

After taking part in a penpal experiment, the nar?rator starts to receive polaroid photos periodically that all focus on him and his mother. There are few things more scary than the idea ??of someone watching you, and this really taps into that fear. 

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962)

There is little more frightening than a generation of people who grow up loving ultra-violent actions and revelling in the misery of others, and that’s exactly what A Clockwork Orange focuses on. Alex is vicious, and depraved, and commits horrific acts to get his kicks, at least until ??he’s convicted of murder. 

The true fear factor of this book come in the form of the psychological torture that’s used to ‘cureâ€?Alex. Aversion therapy and behaviour modification are both far too real in the world of psychology and have been u??sed in the past to change the way that people act. 

I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid (2016)

Although you might not expect this to be a scary book, it gets more horrifying the more you read. I’m Thinking of Ending Things starts off as a woman with doubts about the man whose parents ??she’s on the way to meet but ends up disjointed, frightening, and indescribably unsettling. At times, it’s hard to keep track of what’s going on and who is who, and that feeling of uncertainty leaves a partic?ular sense of dread and confusion within you long after reading. 

Come Closer by Sara Gran (2003)

Demonic possession is a theme that has been written repeatedly for centuries, but Come Closer somehow manages to do it differently and in a much more scary way. The book starts out from the perspective of Amanda, a happily married successful architect, but the narration slowly starts to evolve and eventually the story is being told by Naa?mah, the demon who possessed Amanda. It’s a deeply unsettling read, and although it probably won’t give you nightmares, it will definitely stick with you long after the last page is turned. 

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (2017)

What would hap??pen to the world if a virus infected a??ll meat that’s used for human consumption? Would society as a whole become vegetarian, or would it take a wholly more horrifying path?

Tender is the Flesh, also known as Cadáver Exquisito in its original Spanish, is a depiction of what would happen in this scenario, with cannibalism becoming legal. The story is centered around Marcos, a human meat supplier who is unsure about the new way of things. Humans bred purely for consumption by other humans, and scavengers who will get their ‘special meat�however they can. Once you’ve read this mast?erpiece, you’ll never forget it.

The post 10 Scariest books of all time appeared first on Destructoid.

I still remember the first time I read A Court of Thorns and Roses years ago after a friend recommended the series to me. I was expecting it to be identical to other generic romantic novels I'd read in th??e past, so I took my time getting through the first book.

A few days later, I'd caught up and read the first four novels before buying the fifth when it came out. I've also since read Sarah J. Maas' two other series and plan on keeping up with any new ??releases. Let's say I've become a fan?? of Maas' work over time.

Since being introduced to ACOTAR, I've been curious about how other series compare to it and what unique twists they introduce to stand out among the crowd. Let's check out some of the best books that are reminiscent �or very similar to �A Court of Thorns and Roses that you can start reading right now.

10. Throne of Glass / Crescent City - Sarah J. Maas

While this may sound like a no-brainer, I would be doing Sarah J. Maas a disservice if I didn't mention her two other popular series, Throne of Glass and Crescent City. Like ACOTAR, they're both ?set in a world full of Fae, romance, and a bit of spice to make their respective stories a little more interesting. Don't worry; they all have crucial differences to make them stand out.

As the first in Maas' fantasy romance series, Throne of Glass is very similar to A Court of Thorns and Roses. While it's also a high fantasy novel series mixed with romance, there are also elements of mystery right from the ??get-go. T?he books progressively focus more on the overall conflict in the kingdom of Adarlan and how the main character, Calaena, deals with it.

Of the three series, this is the one I had the hardest time getting into but became the most absorbed in? as I read the last few novels.

Crescent City's world, on the other hand, is far more technologically advanced and reminiscent of our world. Although magic and otherworldly beings are still the focal point, with the main protagonist, Bryce Quinlan, being half-Fae, half-Human, it feels more familiar with the presence of modern-day technology and slang. This series a??lso explores other species beyond humans and Fae, with several of the main cast members being shapeshifters, angel-like beings, and more.

It's also the... let's call it spiciest of the three series. If that's what you're ??here for, then you'll have no shortage of that. I'm still getting through the third book, but if you like ACOTAR, you'll want to sink your teeth into this one, too.

9. The Kingdom of Crows - Olivia Wildenstein

If romance and Fae politics are your favorite parts of ACOTAR, The Kingdom of Crows is right up your alley. Like A Court of Thorns and Roses, this story is full of intricate w?orld-building, interesting character development, and mysteries within the main plot that continue to evolve throughout the series.

The story follows Fallon, a half-Fae, half-human girl?? living in a world where halflings are considered low-class. Despite this, she has the power to communicate with anima?ls, including a whole lot of crows. One crow, in particular, made me laugh quite a bit while reading the series. I'll admit to thinking the female lead was slightly aggravating at times, especially with her inability to notice red flags. Still, the story as a whole was more captivating than I expected.

Outside of this, the series has many similarities to ACOTAR and M?aas' other works without feeling like a copy. There's even plenty of romance, which is what we're all here for.

8. Dark Court Rising - Bec McMaster

Continuing the theme of Fae-centered stories is Dark Court Rising. While most stories on this list have some sort of conflict, Dark Court Rising jumps into it i??mmediately within the first book, with our female lead, Iskvien, directly tackling the conflict between her mother, the Queen of Thorns and ongoing war. While she's offered as the object of peace between the queen and Thiago, the Prince of Evernight, this quickly evolves into a romance that balances sweetness and spice.

That's where a good chunk of the fun is in this story. Rather than a slow-burn romance that can take a while to enjoy, this story progresses through it quickly. Let's just say ev??en the most seasoned romance readers can feel a slight blush from some of th?e scenes in these books.

If you want a romance story with dark elements and fast-paced action that's still enjoyable without feeling rushed, the Dark Court Rising series is definitely for you.

7. Crowns of Nyaxia - Carissa Broadbent

Taking a break from Fae stories is The Serpent and the Wings of Night, a story that's, admittedly, more fantasy-themed Hunger Games than A Court of Thorns and Roses. Nonetheless, it takes ??everything?? that makes ACOTAR enjoyable and changes things in a way that makes it different but equally, if not more, captivating.

Although I enjoyed plenty of aspects about the Crowns of Nyaxia series, I can narrow it down to three main points: the characters' personalities, complex world-building, and the romance being a subplot rather than a focal ?point. Everyone in the story, especially the main character, is interesting in their own way and makes me want to learn more about every one of them, while the gradual world-build?ing feels worthwhile without being rushed.

If you enjoy romance but don't necessarily want it to be the book's main point, Crowns of Nyaxia is definitely worth checking out.

6. Blood and Ash - Jennifer Armentrout

Let's take another step away from Fae politics and universes by talking about vampires instead. Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout immediately takes an interesting turn by having our main character, Poppy, be a maiden who questions her identity. Over time, she realizes that being a maiden kind of sucks sometime??s, and part of this journey is her figuring out what she truly wants. I'm all for character development, and there's a whole lot of that in this series.

As for similarities with A Court of Thorns and Roses, they are less noticeable than other series on this list, but the parallels are certainly there. Like ACOTAR, you get a solid mix of romance, political conflict, and fantasy elements to make Blood and Ash's story enjoyable. A few very specific points in the book almost felt like exact copies, but I won't spoil what they are. Nonetheless, they didn't take away from the experience, and I'd still rec?ommend this series if you're curious about what ACOTAR would be like with ??vampires instead of Fae.

5. Kingdom of the Wicked / Prince of Sin - Kerri Maniscalco

Kingdom of the Wicked and Prince of Sin are both a wild ride. Mixing in elements of the seven deadly sins, Kingdom of the Wicked follows a murder mystery story of Emilia, a witch who discovers her twin sister has be?en killed and tries to uncover who the culprit is.

Although Prince of Sin is in the same universe, it's completely separate from KOTW's story and has an entirely new cast of characters. Rather than following a murder mystery story, you follow the tales of various Princes of Sin embodying, well, the seven deadly sins. Kerri Maniscalco's page for this series describes it as Bridgerton in Hell, and I couldn't agree more. Admittedly, the similarities between these series and ACOTAR ar??en't as apparent as others on this list, but I'd still recommend them as solid romantic fantasy stories.

Of these two series, I preferred Prince of Sin over Kingdom of the Wicked. They're both separate storylines, so you can skip to Prince of Sin and have no trouble following along, but you'll miss out on some story and returning character context if you do. Regardless, they're both great series with a mix of alluring characters, romance, and supernatural elements to make both stories unique. Prince of Sin is also particularly heavy on spicy scenes, which, although unsurpr?ising, was interesting to re?ad.

4. The Bargainer - Laura Thalassa

The Bargainer is another darker romance series that, although it has parallels to A Court of Thorns and Roses with the existence of Fae and Otherworldly confli??ct?s, has its own unique presence in how it delivers its story.

The story follows Callypso Lillis, a young bead-wielding Siren who meets a peculiar man initially known as the Bargainer. As the name suggests, he is your go-to when you need a favor, and it just so happens that our female lead does. Considering this is a romance-fantasy b?ook, the events after aren't too surprising.

What is surprising is how this story unravels these plot points. Right away, the premise is intriguing, and the way the books shift between the past and present makes its storytelling much easier to understand. I'll also admit to liking the char?acters in this book more than a few others on this list, but that's mainly because the male lead reminds me of Rhysand from ACOTAR.

3. The Shepherd King - Rachel Gillig

If you like romance mixed with Gothic fantasy, I've got an interesting entry for you. The Shepherd King series is a duology about our female lead, ?Elspeth, suffering from inner turmoil caused by a highwayman she unexpectedly meets and a condition known as the Nightmare.

Although the romance isn't at the?? forefront as much as oth?er series on this list, it's certainly there, and rather than detracting from the story, it highlights Elspeth's struggles further.

It's also rare for the second book of a series to be better than the first, but The Shepherd King manages to pull it off. I was already impressed by the first, and the second sealed the deal as being a top pick for me. I also enjoyed how the books tackle magic through ??Providence Cards and saw it as an interesting concept I'd never seen before when I first heard about this series.

2. The Powerless Trilogy - Lauren Roberts

The Powerless advertises itself as a story that's perfect for Sarah J. Maas fans, and oh boy, it sure is. Although it definitely has similarities to ACOTAR, I would say it's more like Throne of Glass with the power dynamics between the female lead and main love interest, political struggles, and the main character's mysterious secrets. It also feels a lot like the Hunger Games, which I'm noticing is a surpri???singly common trend with these series.

In The Powerless?, we follow the POV of Paedyn, an ordinary person surrounded by the Elites. Being an Elite is so important in the Ki?ngdom of Ilya that Ordinary folks are doomed to be banished or killed, with Paedyn risking her life by pretending to be a psychic. Her life gets flipped on its head when she saves the life of one of Ilya's princes, eventually leading to a complicated game of cat and mouse.

This story is all about forbidden romance, numerous plot twists that were unexpected and unsurprising, and the female lead's struggles with surviving on the streets before the main plot unfolds. There are more layers to The Powerless than you'd expect, and ?although I had a hard time getting into it initially, the latter half got me.

1. The Folk of the Air - Holly Black

Last but not least is The Folk of the Air, a story that focuses more on the political side of the Fae than its romantic side. Even within the first book, we immediately see how dark this story gets as we're introduced to Jude, a girl who witnessed her parents get murdered and her sisters get abducted at just seven ye??ars old. As a human herself, she has to struggle with navigating the High Court of the Faerie to save her sisters, leading to a journey to uncover palace intrigue, survive in a court that hates humans, and deal with Prince Carden, a wicked and cruel Prince.

Although Faerie Court politics and conflict are at the forefront of The Folk of the Air's plot, there's still some romance mixed in. It certainly isn't the story's focal point, and you won't find much spice, but the lead-up to its eventual romance is satisfying. If you're a fan of romance-fantasy novels but want a story that's more focused on world-building and character development, The Folk of the Air is another worthwhile grab.

The post 10 Books Like ACOTAR for Fans of Epic Romances appeared first on Destructoid.

Comedy movies ruled in every past decade that you can remember, but we've since seen most of the industry moving away from ?them. That sucks, but it doesn't mean that comedy is gone. ??Let's look at this absence as an opportunity.

Most great comedy is born fr??om written text,? so why not use your newfound time to read some of the best comedy novels ever written?

A Confederacy of Dunces

A Confederacy of Dunces is the holy grail of modern comedy novels if there is one. It tells the story of Ignatius J. Reilly, a man smart man who's also plagued by enormous laziness and personality quirks that make him a fun character to read about, maybe not one you'd like to deal with. To make matters better, Reilly has the propensity to make equally wacky characters gravita?te towards him in his supposed quest to get a job.

The story behind this novel is nearly as interesting as the work itself, as it was only published 11 years after the death of author John Kennedy Toole, and over 15 years after being written. Dunces spent a few years getting more popular via? word of moth, and only then became a huge hit that all comedy writers must read.

Ignatius J. Reilly's physical description and smartass wit might remind you of pretty much every main character in every successful animated sitcom in existence. It's likely we have?? to thank Ignatius for having inspired all following generations of popular comedy.

If you're wondering why the supposed all-time great comedy book never became a major movie, well, the answer might be a curse. Now, while I don't believe in curses, it's true many directors have tried adapting A Confederacy Of Dunces to the big screen ever since its release, but big or small acciden??ts always ended up derailing the production.

Catch 22

Joseph Heller's Catch 22 soared ??high enough to have its name become synonymous with any dilemma too powerful to get out of.

The sp?ecific dilemma posed by the novel states that If you're clinically insane, you are unfit to serve in the war. If you ask to have a psychological evaluation, however, you're already demonstrating enough sanity?? to serve in the war.

Catch 22 tells the story of John Yossarian, a WWII bombardier captain who tries to be discharged to no avail as the atrocities that he witnesses on a daily basis push him towards the limit. It doesn't seem very funny when put like that, but Catch 22 does a marvelous job of picking apart all the bureaucracy that make war even more???? of a nightmare than it's supposed to be.

Catch 22's greatest achievement, in my opinion, is not just being hilarious. It's managing to make you laugh while not trying to turn the entirely vile affair of war into a joke. There are a lot of great jokes here, but Catch 22 never fails t??o deliver a relevantly humane mes?sage.

American Psycho

Brett Easton Ellis' American Psycho gained immense notoriety as its movie adaptat?ion starring Christian? Bale immediately became a cult classic, but the novel remains a poignant read.

Whereas the movie portrayed Patrick Bateman's she??ll of a person as a creepy sociopath, the bo??ok does, well, the same thing, albeit in a much funnier way.

Bale gets a lot of deserved praise for his portrayal of Patrick Ba??teman. Still, over 20 years later, too many Internet memes portraying that character as a total chad show not everyone got the message. You're much less likely to misinterpret the movie, as the satire elements greatly outweigh the scary parts, or the ones some can misunderstand as "badass".

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Critique of Bureaucracy seems to be a good foundation for a hit comedy book. Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy tel??ls the story of one man who loses his planet (Earth), because it was somehow located in a part of space someone designated for the construction of a new galactic highway.

Fortunately, right before getting crushed to death by space construction workers, he's gets saved and taken on a journey through the galaxy even though he doesn't own a ship. Many hail The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as the greatest piece of sci-fi comedy every written, while some have a hard time enjoying Adams' peculiar humor. Either way, it has undoubtedly inspired ?a lot of other great sci-fi comedy material, and is thus something completely worth checking out.

Night Watch

If you believe even most great artists will lose their mojo with age, then you should really read Terry Pratchett's Night Watch, the 29th book in the Discworld series.

It follows Samuel Vimes, the leader of Ankh-Morpork's city watch, as he's sent back in time before capturing a notorious criminal responsible for the murder of various watchmen. Time travel is a complicated subject, one that can either make or completely break your story, but this is one of the greatest in the overall very good list of Discworld novels.

Please just be reminded that while you can read it if you've never read any other Discworld tale, Night Watch is the sixth bo?ok in the inner "City Watch" series, so you ??might want to check those out beforehand.

Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas: A Sa?vage Journey to the He?art of the American Dream

If you're into stoner comedies, Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas i?s likely both the originator, and still one of t??he best outings in the genre.

Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas follows Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo on a road trip to Las Vegas in an attempt to "find the American Dream. When you know a story will involve Las Vegas at some point, your mind immediately pictures the wackiest moments taking place there. You'd be wrong. Fear And Loathing is equally hilar??ious and weird at all times, as well as way more though-provoking than you'd originally think.

Funniest of all, a lot of it isn't made up, bu?t ??merely an "enhanced" version of real-life events late author Hunter S. Thompson actually went through.

Going Postal

Going Postal tells the ta??le of Moist Von Lipwig, a con artist who's saved from execution to endure a possibly even worse fate: managing Ankh-Morpork's postal service. Naturally, he has to contend wi?th the bonkers bureaucracies you'd expect from this job - even if it didn't take place in an already magical wacky city - but also with a mystery pointing to a bigger conspiracy.

Remember when I made a big fuss about Terry Pratchett still being on a role when he delivered his 29th Discworld novel? Welp, Going Postal is his 33rd.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

In My Year of Rest and Relaxation Author Ottessa Moshfegh talks about one of the most interesting proposition of all time: being able to sleep all the time, literally. The main character begins to try out a few interesting drugs and arrives at one that allows her to sleep the entire time. There's only one caveat though, which is sleepwalking. That twist immediately turns the entire?? premise upside down, and the story is all the better for it.

If you're tired, stressed out, or have arrived at a?? time of your life when you're nonplussed about everyday's busy activities, work or otherwise, then this one might be for you.

Cat’s Cradle

Kurt Vonnegut is one of the best when it comes to getting laughs out of serious scenarios. In Cat's Cradle, he tells the story of John (or Jonah), a man who once set out to write a book about the bombing of Hiroshima and got interrupted by a very similar scenario taking place on his doorstep. That's not a very promising synopsis for a funny book, especially one that also satirizes religion and the global arms race. Still, Cat's Cradle more than delivers in the laughter department as we follow John in a relatively short sci-fi adventure where he?? finds faith in the form of a silly made-up religio??n.

The Princess Bride

If I try to make you see the greatness of The Princess Bride by only telling you the plot, you'll just think I'm some idiot who's never seen a Disney film. Though it seemingly tells the regular story of the hero who goes on an adventure to rescue a princess from an evil captor, Princess Bride does a great job of subvertin?g all genre tropes in hilarious ways.

The immense popularity of the film made many forget The Princess Bride is actually the adaptation of a novel by author William Gol?dman. In all honesty, I do think the movie version to be superior, but that's one of my favorite films of all time. Still, if you're looking for one of the funniest works of fantasy ever written, you should totally give this one a try.

The post 10 Funniest Books For Adults To Laugh Throu??gh This Year appeared first on Destructoid.

Is the endless catalog of recommendations on Kindle Unlimited giving you a headache too? Do you wish to know what some of the most well-read romance books on the platform are, without having to scroll down and read review after review to ?make a choice? In that case, we've got just?? the list you need.

From mysterious libraries that hold the secret of the universe to the world of faeries and even modern Oakland, California, ??here are the best romance novels on Kindle Unlimited.

The Lost Bookshop

While the romance in The Lost Bookshop is ever subtle and never takes up the spotlight, Evie Woods�acclaimed novel wouldn’t have worked without it. This is a story of magical realism, historical fiction, and the bonds of love an??d understanding between human beings, tied together with a self-conscious string that goes back to the so-called lost bookshop, where rare literary items can change the lives of the people who pick them up. The story is set in two timelines; one after World War I and featuring Opaline, who runs away to France and starts working in a bookshop an??d meets famous real-life writers like Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce, and the other in the modern day and featuring two characters, Henry and Martha, whom fate brings to the city of Dublin, where Opaline ultimately ended up.

The Serpent & the Wings of Night

The story follows Oraya, who is the adopted human daughter of a vampire king. Since her early years, Oraya has learned to survive in a harsh world that sees her as only prey. She is cunning and strong, but for all of her steadfastness, Oraya needs to prove herself by being more than just a trophy princess. That’s why she decides to enter a deadly tournamen??t called the Kenari, organized by the goddess of death herself, Nyaxia. 

In a literary scene filled with generic, cliche garbage that seems to perpetually repeat itself with no daring strides towards anything resembling novelty, a book like The Serpent & the Wings of Night should be cherished. For while this? may have th??e premise of your typical “romantasy,�the characters go through a compelling arc, and the steamy scenes are tastefully written.

Icebreaker

One of the most popular BookToks in the last few years, Icebreaker centers around Anastasia Allen, who has worked her entire life to become a famous figure skater. She finally experiences a measure of breakthrough by getting a scholarship at the University of California, but things start to go awry when she meets the captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins. Icebreaker is ??a very, very, very slow burn when it comes to romance, and the book is on the lengthy side, but if you find that premise compelling enough and? want to see what the fuss is really about, then reading this sensational debut by Hannah Grace is a must. 

Bounded by Thorns

A romantasy parody of the timeless Beauty and the Beast tale, Bounded by Thorns follows the tale of Rosalina as she wanders into the realm of the fae in search of his father and ends up getting imprisoned in a palace occupied by several princes who turn into beasts at night. The romance is a slow burn, there are love triangles abound, and the dark themes remind readers of grim fairy tales. If you’ve always wondered what Beauty and the Beast with a bit of steam would look like �or as the kids these days call it, “spice��then Bounded by Thorns will be able to scratch that particular itch.

One Dark Window (The Shepherd King)

Elspeth Sindle needs a monster to survive in the harsh, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder. One Dark Window, being the first book in The Shepherd King series by Rachel Gillig, blends magic, romance, and political intrigue in a book that will have you sitting at the edge of your seat from the first few chapters to the end. Elspeth meets a highwayman who happens to be the king’s own nephew, accused of high treason and in command of the most nefarious men in Blunder, but as they journey together to save the realm from the treacherous magic that besets it, their personal lives intertw??ine in a most unexpected way.

The Cruel Prince

If you’re looking for a proper and compelling romantasy book that isn’t just a cheap excuse to write spicy content, then you should definitely pick up The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. In the first book in a trilogy called The Folk of the Air, you follow Jude and her two sisters, human girls who get taken to the world of the faerie when their parents are killed. Jude was 7 years old when it happened, and now, 10 years later, she wants nothing more than to fit into this new world of magic and intrigue despite her mortality. Complex characters, unexpected twists, and themes of identity and character have all turned The Cruel Prince into a classic of the burgeoning romantasy genre.

Things We Never Got Over

Now the story of this next novel on the list is a bit of a strange pitch. Things We Never Got Over tells the story of Naomi, who runs away from her own wedding to the rescue of her estranged twin living in Virginia. And that’s not even the strangest bit. Naomi’s twin, who is a bit of a jerk in ?all the right ways, steals her sister’s car and leaves her in that middle-of-nowhere town with a surprise�a surprise niece. Now, Naomi is stuck in a town with no car, no home, and an 11-year-old to take care of, and to complicate things even further we have Knox, who has to help Naomi out of this situation despite his better judgment. 

Things We Never Got Over is one of t?he most-read books on Kindle Unlimited, so give it a go if yo??u’re into modern urban romance books.

Fourth Wing

The reputation of Fourth Wing precedes its name. “That TikTok book�is probably all any of us need to recognize the speaker is talking about Rebecca Yarros�2023 best-seller. While many serious readers might be on the fence about giving this one a go, let’s make a case for why you shouldn’t simply disregard Fourth Wing as a book that for one rea?son or another simply ??managed to crash the center stage.

The inundated romantasy genre is filled with novels that are an exact replica of what came before them. Just swap the character names, use a different element for your magic system, come up with a generic name for a generic fictional world where your story takes place, and voilà! You’ve got yourself the next romantasy hit. Fourth Wing, on the other hand, features a world of dragon ride??rs and a military school and hard?ly falls in the same category.

This is the story of Violet, a girl who has grown up working to be a clerk, ??but is suddenly thrust into a military wing of the Basgiath War College. What? makes Violet unique and perhaps iconic is the fact that suffers from a disease approximating the Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, which makes her trials all the more difficult to bear and overcome.

Spark of the Everflame

While this list is full of powerful heroines who undergo journeys of self-discovery, Spark of the Everflame is a book series that takes the concept to its zenith. We follow Diem Bellator, whose mother suddenly disappears, compelling her to seek the Descended, the rulers of the world, and learn the truth about her existence. The four-book series is a slow-burn romance that fans of Sarah J. Maas�A Court of Thorns and Roses and Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash will find particularly captivating.

Heart of the Fae

Now I’ll admit, I only picked up this book because I loved the cover art, but Heart of the Fae ended up being a pleasant surprise in terms of narrative and characters, blending elements from Beauty and the Beast with Irish mythology to give you a depiction of the world of the fae and will-o�the-wisps in a vivid and relatable manner. Frankly, we couldn’t move on from faeries and this tired, worn trope any sooner, but I was willing to make an exception for Heart of the Fae and you should too.

The post 10 best romance books on Kindle Unlimite?d to start reading right now appeared first on Destructoid.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re happily settled ??in an amazing relationship, ??or dreaming of finding your perfect someone, we all long for some romance in our lives. If you want to live vicariously through others, or want some inspiration, romance books are great. 

I’m a f?an of romance, although I’m not sure there’s anyone in the world who could say otherwise. Whether it’s on the screen or within the pages of a book, there’s something so special about witnessing the growth of a relationship between two people, living through their drama with them, and coming out on the other side for better or worse. 

Romance books are also the perfect basis fo?r romance movies, and most of the books on this list have been turned into a movie either directly or a??s inspiration. Some of them have become tropes in their own right, while others have become beloved and classic flicks to curl up and cry over.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (1996)

Noah and Allie, two people who meet during the summer and fall head over heels in love with each other, only to be parted by the judgement of others and the end of the season. Except that’s not the end. ??Noah, sworn in to a promise to build Allie her perfect waterfront home, bumps into her later on when she’s already engaged to another man. Heartbreak, frustration, hope, and true love all featur?e heavily in this absolute classic. 

The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary (2019)

Imagine sharing a one bedroom home with someone that you’ve never met because you work opposite hours. And then imagine falling in love with this person despite having never met them, through their belongings and consideration displayed through notes left around the house. That’s the plot of The Flat Share, and it’s an interesting and very cute read.

The Time Traveler’s? Wife by Audr?ey Niffenegger (2003)

If you’re a fan of Doctor Who, this plot might be vaguely familiar to you. Henry has a condition that he can’t control, which sends him traveling through time against his will. Clare has known Henry since they first met when she was six, while in Henry’s mixed-up timeline he meets her for the first time when she’s 20. She spends all of life waiting for him to appear, while he hops around his own timeline. If you’re not put off by time travel and out-of-order storytelling, The Time Traveler’s Wife is definitely?? worth a read, although it’s quite sad so? grab some tissues.

The ?Love of my Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood (2024)

Let me set the scene: you die in the most embarrassing way you could imagine (choking on a microwave burger) and suddenly find yourself in front of the most attractive person you’ve ever seen in the waiting room which comes before the afterlife. Except he’s not supposed to be dead yet, and is returned to his life. That’s what happens in The Love of my Afterlife and in order to find this mysterious not-quite-dead stranger again?, Delphie is sent back down to earth with a 10?? day deadline to find him again, and no idea where to begin. 

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (1597)

I can’t write a list about romance without including the inspiration for countless more recent books and movies, Romeo and Juliet. Two teenagers from opposing families fall in love, only to be forced apart by their families beliefs. It all ends in disaster, of course, but the fact that this Shakespearian?? tale has gone on to inspire a whole world of other familiar stories earns it a place on this list.

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern (2003)

Meeting the love of your life and starting your journey together is a wonderful thing, until it gets cut short by an inoperable brain tumor. However, Gerry had time to prepare for his death and, knowing that Holly will be a mess without him, he organizes some help for her during the grieving process. From notes, to gifts, and even a vacation that reminds her that she has another chance at lo?ve, Gerry provides it all from beyond the grave. 

A word of warning, you will cry, so make s?ure to have some tissues on hand. 

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (2012)

Lou finds herself out of the job and in need of a new one, and takes on the challenge of being the home carer for Will, who became paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. He’s made a deal with his parents that he will give them six final months before heading to Dignitas in Switzerland? to pe?acefully die. Lou tries to give him a reason to live, and they do fall in love, but it’s not enough to make him change his mind.

Of all the books on this list (and their movie adaptations), this one is the one that absolutely broke me. It’s full of the worst kind of heartbreak, learning to accept others as they are, and respecting the decisions of those you love most, even i??f you don’t agree with them at all. 

The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella (2023)

Burnout is real, and Sasha has hit the wall. Instead of letting it take her down, she goes off to her childhood escape, a beach in Devon. All is well, despite how run down the area has become, until a stranger with his own issues shows up and throws a spanner in the works. After ignoring each other, and then butting heads, the two are drawn together by notes on the beach and then events unfold that neither expected. This is a very cut?e and fun read, and hugely relatable to anyone who has ever just wanted to get away from life's hardships.

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey (2022)

It’s a story that’s b??een told over and over again; two people fall in love while one of them tries to help the other get the attention of someone else. Fox is a notorious lad?iesâ€?man, and his best friend Hannah knows it only too well. However, as he tries to help her attract her co-worker, feelings develop that she can’t ignore. Little does she know that he’s having a very similar problem himself, except neither can be honest about their own feelings. 

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding (1996)

This list would simply be incomplete without the inclusion of the romance novel (and movie) series which shaped adolescence ?for my entire generation. And now I’m the age that Bridget was when she started her diary, and despite having read this book when it was first published back in the early 2000s, e??verything makes so much more sense now. 

Bridget need??s to take control of her life, and she’ll do it through a diary. Everything goes into the diary: successes, heartbreaks, embarrassments, and everything in between. And then t?here’s Mark Darcy, who is snobby and immediately disliked by Bridget, but they played together as children, so surely he can’t be all bad?

The post 10 Great Romance Books For Adults, Listed appeared first on Destructoid.

The 2000s gave us the Shrek movies and a ton of nu-metal bands, but I think the dec??ade managed to redeem itself with its literature.

It’s hard to say what the canon will look like a hundred years from now, but I’m willing to bet several of these books manage to stand the test of time. Whether you’re looking? for a nostalgic re-read or trying to go back for something you missed, here’s a book that still holds up from each year of the aughts.

House of Leaves - 2000

Picking a favorite book is an impossible task, but if I had to do it, I’d pick House of Leaves. The debut novel from Mark Z. Danielewski is still arguably his best work, and it’s truly unlike any other book you’ll encounter in your life. House of Leaves is part critical film analysis, part drug diary, and part horror story. The bulk of the novel follows a family whose lives are torn apart when they discover their house has an infinite labyrinth of dark hallways inside of it, but their story is ??really only the beginning of the terror. 

American Gods - 2001 

American Gods is a sprawling fantasy novel written by Neil Gaiman. The story follows an ex-convict named Shadow who, after being released from jail, gets a job as a bodyguard. The only problem is that Shadow doesn’t know his new boss is secretly the god Odin and that a whole range of mystical and mythological figures are struggling for power all across Am??erica. Shadow soon finds himself fighting for his life as he struggles to figure out the nature of the plot he’s been pulled into. 

Middlesex - 2002

Jeffrey Eugenidesâ€?moving novel is a coming-of-age story about Cal (Calliope) Stephanides, who was born intersex and raised as a girl. Cal’s story actually begins long before their birth, however, and the novel travels back to 1922 to explain how Cal’s grandfather immigrated to the United States. Middlesex is a phenomenal example of an intergenerational story, but it also ?has one of the most memorable protagonists of the aughts. 

Oryx and Crake - 2003

The only thing you really need to know about Oryx and Crake to know it’s worth reading is that it was written by Margaret Atwood. The book is actually the beginning of a trilogy about a post-apocalyptic world and the end of humanity. In typical Atwood fashion, Oryx and Crake is a great read for anyone who loves entertaining genre fiction, but there’s also something here for people who want a deeper examination of themes like ??love, gender, and the dangers of medical techno??logy. 

How I Live Now - 2004

How I Live Now is a post-apocalyptic young adult novel by Meg Rosoff that was adapted into a 2013 movie starring Saoirse Ronan as the protagonist, Daisy. Just as a third world war is beginning to break out, Daisy is sent away to?? live with her aunt in the UK. There, she falls in love with a boy named Edmond, but before their relationship can take off, the country collapses, and soldiers seize the property where Daisy’s aunt lives, forcing her to fight for her own survival at all costs. 

Never Let Me Go - 2005

With Never Let Me Go, author Kazuo Ishiguro crafted one of the most emotionally devastating sci-fi novels of all time. The novel is set in an alternate version of the 1990s, where human clones are mass-produced and harvested for their organs. The protagonist is Kathy, a woman who spent her childhood at a boarding school for clones and grew up to be a caretaker providing a kind of hospice care to clones who are kept alive until they’ve donated so many organs they can’t survive. Like the best sci-fi, Never Let Me Go puts the? characters at the forefront, and after reading the book, you won’t be able to forget them. 

Fun Home - 2006 

Fun Home is the only comic on this list, but it more than earns its spot. Drawn and written by Alison Bechdel, the book was published in 2006 and became a smash success. Fun Home is a memoir about Bechdel’s childhood and? relationship with her father that also doubles as a story about her coming to terms with her own gender and sexuality. The book is equal parts moving and hilarious, which is exactly why it worked so well when it was adapted into a Broadway musical in 2015. 

A Thousand Splendid Suns - 2007

Khaled Hosseini is best known for writing The Kite Runner, but I’d argue that A Thousand Splendid Suns is an even better novel. The book is set in the city of Herat and follows two women, Miriam and Laila, struggling to find their place in the world. As a young woman, Miriam is forced to marry a much older man named Rasheed. more than a decade later, Rasheed als??o marries Laila, their young neighbor. The two women are brought together unwillingly, but their relationship changes their lives forever. 

The Hunger Games - 2008

The Hunger Games is emblematic of the fascination the 2000s had with dystopian fiction. ?Plenty of the dystopian novels released during that decade don’t hold up??, but surprisingly, The Hunger Games really does. Say what you want about the sequels, but Suzanne Collins’s original vision of a TV-obsessed world being ruled by a violent fascist government feels every bit as prescient today as it did nearly 20 years ago. 

The Help - 2009

Kathryn Stockett’s The Help made such an impact when it was first published in 2009 that two yea?rs later, we got a film adaptation starring Viola Dav??is, Olivia Spencer, and Emma Stone. The novel is set in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960s and follows three women from different walks of life. Aibileen and Minny are maids who work for wealthy white families, and Eugenia “Skeeter�is an aspiring writer who starts looking into the disappearance of another maid named Constantine and makes some shocking discoveries.

The post 10 Amazing Books Of The 00s That Are Still Great appeared first on Destructoid.

Pierce Brown's Red Rising stole my heart, held it up, and whispered through a smile, "See this? This is mine, now." Don't let the "Young Adult" label on its Goodreads page fool you; Red Rising is peak science fiction, an unflinching story of rebellion that unfolds agains??t the backdrop o?f outer space.

We're still waiting for the next installment of the Red Rising series to hit bookstore shelves, but that doesn't mean fans of Pierce Brown's epic sci-fi saga have to go hungry. The world of sci-literature is bustling with books that will let you relive that electric thrill you felt when you leafed through Red Rising's first chapter for the first ti??me, and I've picked out ten of the best I've read.

10. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

Let’s start with another book about the red planet and the plight of those who live on it. The ethical implications of terraforming have always fascinated me. I mean, what right do we as a species have to alter the topography and meteorology of another planet, anyway? That’s just one of the many fascinating questions raised by Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars.

This book follows the tribulations of the first wave of Martian colonists as they struggle to create a sustainable civili??zation. Resource shortages, logistical issues, and a profound ideological divide over the morality of terraforming keep the tension high and character dynamics fluid from start to finish. Despite this, Robinson keeps hope alive by dropping plenty of wholesome moments of camaraderie and hopeful twists of fortune.

9. The Mars House by Natasha Pulley

Many books explore humanity's efforts to terraform Mars, but far fewer dare to dream of what a society on the red planet might look like. The Mars House by Natasha Pulley does precisely that. January, one of many Earth-born ??ex-pats ostracized by the citizens of Mars for their c??omparatively superior strength and size, agrees to wed Aubrey Gale, a cynical Martian senator, to save himself. As the political situation worsens on the Red Planet, January and Gale’s political marriage–and the genuine bond they form�may be the only thing that can save the world they both call home.

The Mars House kicks around a few heavy subjects: the impact of climate change, the treatment of refugees, and the many ways ableism manifests itself in the modern world. No matter how grim things get, Pulley’s thoughtful, tender prose keeps the story from drifting too far into the darkness, pushing an inspiring, engaging message of the healing power of love and understanding that made me just a little optimistic about space travel. It also doubles as a charming romance novel.

8. Legend by Marie Lu

When I think of teen sci-fi, my mind almost always drifts into the passionate, ungovernable world of YA dystopia novels. This is my way of saying Legend by Marie Lu won't be the only Y.A book on this list. June Iparis and Daniel "Day" Alta??n Wing exist on opposite ends of the stratified Republic of America; the daughter of a prominent military family and an impoverished revolutionary from the slums. As one ??would expect, paths cross, conspiracies are unmasked, and romance looms.

Legend's narrative takes many of the same ques as Red Rising's, cataloging an oppressed underclass’s rebellion against a prejudicial system. Like Brown, Lu knows how to write a cast of characters you’ll feel compelled to root for and craft a system of power you want to see burned to the ground. Espionage, political intrigue, and bouts of cathartic violence keep the pace electric thr??oughout, but Lu never lets her characters' inner turmoil and growing relationships fall to the wayside, eithe?r.

7. Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

The cyberpunk genre loves to explore the darker aspects of technological progress, and Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan is one of the best examples of this. Takeshi Kovacs, a soldier-turned-criminal sentenced to spend eternity as a disembodied, digitized consciousness, ?gets the deal of a lifetime when the copy of an influential business magnate hires him to solve his template’s murder.

Altered Carbon is a gritty, cynical neo-noir reflected through a pristine, condensed cyberpunk prism. Korvacs shares quite a few traits with Red Rising’s Darrow; their minds occupy a body that isn’t theirs anymore, and a deep sense of justice drives them to challenge tyrants and upend a calcified status quo. If you ever wanted to see what would happen if Red Rising met Cyberpunk 2077, this book is for you.

6. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I adore subversive, genre-jumping retelling of classic fairy tales, and few are more twisted than Cinder by Marrissa Meyer. A cyberpunk reimagining of Cinderella, Cinder’s incarnation of the titular put-upon step-daughter is a cyborg mechanic who w?inds up caught in a vicious power struggle between the rulers of a post-apocalyptic Earth and the civilization that’s cropped up on the Moon.

Cinder does what all the best fairy tale rearrangements do: takes everything that made the original story great and translates it into a new setting. At its core, Cinder is a story about an abused girl rising, overcoming her trauma, and discovering her self-worth. It’s also a top-she?lf piece of sci-fi fiction that tackles space travel, class conflict, and forbidden romance.

5. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson is best known for his massive, interconnected fantasy universe, but Steelheart proves he can also write good sci-fi. Aft??er a mysterious celestial object clipped through Earth’s orbit and turned a small percent int?o superpowered “Epics,�the world has become a feudalist nightmare ruled by those claiming to be superheroes. When the Epic Steelheart murders his father, David Charleston joins a secret resistant movement hellbent on killing Epics.

The world-building of Steelheart isn’t as deep as it is in Sanderson’s other work, but he more than makes up for it by delivering an electrifying deconstruction of the superhero genre. We’ve all seen (or at least heard) of The Boys; we all know how terrifying superheroes can be when they decide they don’t have to answer to the people they fly over. Sanderson uses his incredible literary gifts to explore this idea further than most, and he also lets us feel how satisfying it would ?be to bring a self-proclaimed god to?? their knees.

4. The Expanse by James S. A. Corey

Many sci-fi stories have examined the socioeconomic divide that will probably form between the people of Earth and those who end up living on other planets. Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey takes this simple idea and elevates it to epic space opera proportions. The destruction of the ice-hauling ship Canterbury brings the deeply sp??lintered galaxy to the brink of war, and those who survived the ship’s downfa?ll have no choice but to pull together and find out what really happened.

Leviathan Wakes leans harder into hard sci-fi than any other book on this list, examining what an intergalactic human society running off slower-than-light space travel could look like and the problems that might plague it. If the top-notch sc?i-fi world-building doesn’t play you, the intense plot, driven by some incredibly engaging characters, will.

3. The Maze Runner by James Dashner

I don't get nightmares very often, but the few I wrestle with almost always involve some terrifying creature I don’t have the luxury of seeing chasing me through a claustrophobic space. The Maze Runner by James Dashner taps into humanity’s collective, primordial fear of being hunted. Thomas wakes up in the heart of a massive labyrinth, unable to remember anything except his name. All he knows is that if he wants to get out, he’ll have to make it through the maze without bec??oming lunch for the monsters inside it.

The Maze Runner's premise is about as engaging as it gets, with a plot that starts as a slow burn before exploding into a breakneck race. Like Red Rising’s Darrow, The Maze Runner’s Thomas runs a brutal gauntlet that forces him to become the revolutionary destined to free his people from the walls that bind them. With a new film on the way, now’s the perfect time to learn why this series became one of the most successful? products of the late-2000s YA boom.

2. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Yet another proud member of the “corporatocratic space travel sucks�party, Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff narrows its narrative focus around the story of two people caught in a conflict they never asked?? to be part of. When a war between two megacorporations levels their colony, Kady Grant and Ezra Mason hitch a ride on one of the last escape vessels. Unfortunately, that vessel has a few minor issues: a plague is spreading through its halls, ??its managing A.I. might be insane, and one of the aggressing corporations�warships is hot on its tail.

Illuminae’s isn't written like most other space operas. I??nstead, we learn Kady and Ezra’s story through interviews, emails, transcripts, and documents presented at a trial. I initially had a hard time understanding the book’s unconventional style. Still, my desire to see the end of the electrifying tale it told gave me more t?han enough motivation to push through my initial frustration.

1. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Literature inspires literature, and that’s okay. Red Rising shares much in common with The Hunger Games by Suzzane Collins, but that doesn't mean the two books are carbon copies. If anything, their similar??ities prove that the struggl??e between social classes is engaging and relevant, especially if you throw fun sci-fi elements into the mix.

With that said, it’s hard to deny how well The Hunger Games�plot and themes align with those of Red Rising. Katniss Everdeen’s struggle against the Capital might induce deva-vu in those familiar with Darren’s blood feud with the Golds, and both book’s villainous regimes love to partake in genetic manipulation. If you’re looking for something to scratch that Red Rising itch, you will find it in the pages of The Hunger Games.

The post 10 Best Books Like Red Rising for Sc??i-Fi Thrills (Ranked) appeared first on Destructoid.

Adolescence is ?one of life's stormiest seasons. Your body changes, friends start acting differently, and the shadow of adulthood looms in the distance. Everyone needs an anchor to help them weather these years, and for me, that anchor was the enormous pile of fantasy books perched perennially on my desk.

Fantasy is a robust genre, and young-adult fantasy?? is even more so. As someone who part-times as a paraprofessional at a middle school, I can confidently say that YA Fantasy is doing better than ever. It’s hard to count the number of “teen fantasy�books out right now; it’s even harder to narrow down which ones are the best.

Young adults are still adults, even if most "real" adults disagree

Uninformed onlookers have a nasty habit of d??ismissing fantasy, especially fantasy written for young adults, as shallow escapism. However, fantasy can be an excellent teachi?ng tool when written well. Challenging fantasy enables young readers to see the world from new perspectives, allowing them to engage with challenging subjects personally and gain new insight into the world they return to when they put their books down.

I spent most of middle and high school with my nose in a fantasy book, and I’ve tried to keep reading YA fantasy literature as an adult to stave off becoming a fanta??sy lit-boomer. Here are th?e ten best fantasy books for teen readers as of 2024.

10. The Kinder Poison by Natalie Mae

The success of The Hunger Games proved young readers can’t help but gravitate towards books about children forced into life-or-death competitions. The Kinder Poison by Natalie Mae is the first of many books on this?? list to do just that. 

In the Kingdom of Orkena, the royal family’s heirs win the right to rule by competing in a deadly game that ends with one of them taking the life of a human sacrifice. Zahru, a witty young stable girl and animal whisperer forced to serve as the contest’s latest sacrifice, has no intention of dying. Unfortunately, survival depends on her ability to outwit all three of Orkena’s potential rulers. Maes's wry prose knows how to find the comedy in an otherwise dark tale, and surprising revelations about the three heirs keep you on your toes from start t??o finish.

9. The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

I can’t in good conscience recommend anything by George R. R. Martin to inexperienced teenage readers. However, I have reservations about doing the same for Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. Mare Barrow’s a thief trying to make a living in a kingdom ruled by a decadent aristocracy of sorcerers. A series of unfortunate events ends with Mare getting engage??d to one of the? kingdom's princes, forcing her to adapt to a life she’s always watched from afar or die trying.

Red Queen puts a unique spin on the game of political intrigue at the heart of so many great fantasy novels. Driven forward by a cast of active characters, Red Queen spins a captivating tale of romance and betrayal tha??t t??eens will have difficulty putting down.

8. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

In recent years, the fantasy literature scene has seen a massive influx of BIPOC authors, and The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna proves why that’s a good thing. When sixteen-year-old Otera uses her innate magical powers to defe??nd her village from deadly specters, she’s imprisoned and left to die. Released by an envoy of the ruling emperor who recruits her into the imperial army, Otera soon learns?? her country’s rulers aren’t as noble as people think.

Inspired by West African history and oral tradition, The Gilded Ones is a fiery tale set in one of the most immersive literary worlds I’ve ever experienced. Otera’s voice rings loud in every word of Forna’s prose, and the story she weaves touches on re??levant themes, including the innate human desire for acceptance, the dangers of putting blind faith in tradition, and the value of self-determination.

7. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

I’ve been a fan of Holly Black since I read The Spiderwick Chronicles in first grade, and the universal appeal of her work is on full display in The Cruel Prince. Jude Duarte, a human adopted by a decorated Fey general, has spent her life dodging the spiteful hexes of her huma??n-hating peers. When a brother of her most hated rival gives her a chance to become one of the Royal Court’s spies, she accepts, ready to face any danger to prove she belongs among the Fey.

Black is an author who understands the Fey of European folklore are terrifying creatures: masters of magic who delight in inflicting harmful mischief on mortals. The Cruel Prince plays up this underrepresented as??pect of the Fey, making it even more satisfying whenever Jude, one of my all-time favorite protagonists, outsmarts them.

6. Carry on by Rainbow Rowell

Harry Potter may have popularized the concept of a school for wizards, but Carry On by Rainbow Rowell gives this well-worn idea a coat of fresh paint. Simon Snow is the “Chosen One�of the magical world, desti?ned to slay a magic-devo??uring beast known only as the Insidious Humdrum. However, after he agrees to help his long-time rival Basilton "Baz" Grimm-Pitch’s investigation of his mother’s death, Simon slowly starts questioning his destiny–and his sexuality.

Based on the Harry Potter spoof featured in Rowell’s Fangirl, Carry On weaves a captivating tale of queer discovery that isn’t afraid to challenge its source material. J.K. Ro??wling’s abhorrent stance on the transgender community has opened a serious discussion on the more problematic elements of Harry Potter’s writing and world-building, and Carry On deliberately deconstructs them to tell a story that celebrates and empowers the LGBTQ+ commun??ity.

5. Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

Asian history and mythology have inspired many of my favorite movies, television shows, and books. Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim gave me another reason to appreciate it. Shiori'anma, crown princess of the kingdom ??of Kaita, loses her title and voice when her sorceress stepmother transforms her siblings into cranes and forces her into exile. Allying herself with a sentient origami crane, a dragon of questionable loyalty, and her sword-wielding husband-to-be, Shiori'anma sets out to reclaim her kingdom and save her family.

Six Paper Cranes takes bits and pieces from classic fairy tales, Chinese mythology, and Japanese folklore and molds them together into an epic ballad of betrayal, justice, and magic that had me hooked from start to finish. If you’re a fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender or Studio Ghibli, you owe it to yourself to read?? this.

4. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Assassins make great fantasy protagonists, and few literary life-bleeders are cooler than Celaena Sardothien from Sarah J. Maas�Throne of Glass. After being locked away in a brutal prison camp for a year, Celaena's sentence ends abruptly?? when Prince Dorian of Adarlan recruits her to serve as his champion in a tournament hosted by his tyrannical father. When Celaena’s rival assassins die off one by one, she and Dorian investigate, uncovering a terrible conspiracy tied to their kingdom’s bloody history.

Throne of Glass is a brutal book, but the savagery of its world isn’t without purpose. Maas' lead, a wry but insightful teenage sell-sword with a unique code of ethics that regularly lea?ves you wondering what s??he’ll do next, is the perfect hero for a dark fantasy world, and the author’s sardonic, contemplative prose gives us a clear window into her mind.

3. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabba Tahir isn’t about the Roman Empire, but the Martial Empire at the heart of its story isn’t too far off from the real thing. Laia and her family live at the bottom of the empire’s social hierarchy, and it only gets worse after her brother is accused of treason. When rebels offer to free her brother if she goes undercover in the empire’s most prestigious military academy, she agrees. That decision leads to her fateful meeting with Elia, a charming ??and disillusioned soldier who hates the empire almost as much as she does.

An Ember in the Ashes hits many of the same chords as Red Rising, which isn’t bad. Laia’s journey from terrified pseudo-slave to determined warrior is a sight to behold, and the political intrigue she partakes in to maintain her cover is almost as thrilling as the fights she gets into. There’s even some fun teen romance thrown into the mix for good measure.

2. The Firth Season by N. K. Jemisin

If you’re looking for a new fantasy epic on par with J. R. R. Tolkien or Robert Jordan, I implore you to check out The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin. Ossun, Damaya, and Syenite are Orogenes, a mage capable of manipulating the earthquakes that ravage her world. Hated and feared by those around them, all three women embark on parallel-running journeys that end with them coming together to unearth their world’s oldest?? secrets.

I can’t say much about The Fifth Season without spoiling what I consider one of the best stories ever written. Jemisin's world is as rich and alluring as a fantasy world can get, jamme??d full of creatures, locals, and characters unlike anything I’ve read before. Get ready to be rocked to your core with this one.

1. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Have you ever wanted to read a magical heist book? If so, read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Kaz Brekker is out to pull a heist that will set him up for?? life and make him the most infamous criminal in Ketterdam. Pulling together a crew of six ?colorful outcasts, Kex sets out to make his dream a reality—only to uncover a secret that could destroy the world.

Six of Crows is peak teen fantasy. The lead cast is a delightful band of misfits that remind me of my first Dungeons and Dragons party, and their chaotic antics are the third rail driving the story forward. Bardugo’s gift for world-building–and the impressive magic system she created for her Shadow and Bone trilogy�are on full display throughout. Seriously, this book has everything an underage fantasy f??an could ask for??.

The post 10 Best Fantasy Books For Teens (2024) appeared first on Destructoid.

Audiobooks are fantastic because they allow you to read on the go. Whether it's chores around the house, light work, staying fi?t with a run, or weight training, you can boost it all w?ith an audiobook, and I find that mysteries are the best way to stay hooked.

There are thousands of mystery books in 2024 and just as many audiobooks. That makes it incredibly difficult to pick ones that you know you will be interested in and will appeal to that sense of intrigue that's so unique to all of us. I know not all mystery books hit that same sense of suspense for me as they do for my wife, which is why it's important to always be on the loo??kout for great entries. That's why I've put together this list: to help you avoid the duds and get right to the meaty and gripping mystery audiobooks that are filled with suspense.

Amazing mystery audiobooks to satisfy your craving for suspense

We Solve Murders: Richard Osman

We Solve Murders is a fantastic mystery aud??iobook that'll keep you guessing until the very end. Protagonist Amy works in personal security and ends up on a private island looking after a famous author. However, when a body and bag of money turn up, Amy has to turn to her father-in-law, Stev??e, to help her track down the killer and stay one step ahead of them so she doesn't become a victim herself. You feel like the protagonists are always on the back foot in the best way possible, making you want to listen to just one more chapter before you turn it off.

Precipice: Robert Harris

Precipice is an intriguing audiobook about a love affair in 1914. Venetia Stanley is an aristocrat and bohemian, a member of a socialite group called The Coterie. She's sleeping with the then-Prime Minister, who writes to her with explicit details of his desires and state secrets. After the war breaks out, an in??telligence officer is assigned to uncover the source of the leaked top-secret information, and Valentia is in the firing line.

The Thursday Murder Club: Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club tells the story of a small retirement village where a group of four unlikely friends gather every week to investigate unsolved mu??rders. However, when a murder occurs within their retirement community, the group jumps on the chance to use their skills and knowledge. After all, nobody takes old people seriously. But maybe they should because who knows what they get up to while we're not looking?

None of This is True: Lisa Jewell

In None of This is True, popular podcaster Alix meets Josie one night while celebrating her forty-fifth bi??rthday. It turns out that the pair share the same birthday, and after another chance encounter, Josie convinces Alix to work with her on a new story for her podcast. Josie is unsettling, but Alix can't resist the chance to keep chasing the scoo?p. That is, until Josie disappears, leaving Alix a terrifying legacy that puts her and her family in danger.

Verity: Coleen Hoover

Verity follows Lowen Ashleigh, a writer struggling to make ends meet when she's hired by a prestigious author's husband to finish his wife's work following a family loss. Lowen uncovers an unfinished memoir amid a chaotic office and reads every page, knowing the revelations within would ruin the family and devastate her employer. Complications arise when Lowen de??velops feelings for her, making the choice between letting him read the undiscovered memoirs or keeping them a secret even more important. It's a decision that won't have the outcome anyone is expe??cting or hoping for.

How to Kill Your Family: Bella Mackie

How to Kill Your Family is the brutal story of how protagonist Grace Bernard discovers that her absentee millionaire father rejects every plea for help her mother sends his way. She's dying, and he won't lift a finger for her. That's why Grace meticulously plans out the murder of six members of her family before going about the rest of her life without a single regret. It's cold-blooded murder at its purest and in a form you can act?ually get on board?? with for once.

Prima Facie: Suzie Miller

Prima Facie has a great story, and the audiobook is read by none other than Jodie Comer, which I think is a great reason to listen to anything. It revolves around top criminal barrister Tessa Ensler. She's fantastic at her job, getting anyone off the hook as long as they've to plead not guilty. She never really considers the impact of what she's doing until a coworker assaults her. All she wants to do is make the thoughts go away an?d forget it ever happened. But she knows she needs to fight. As she lives through what so many victims do, having evidence turned against her, she pushes and fights for wh??at is right in a system that's very obviously broken.

While Comer gives an outstanding performance in this audiobook, it's the intrigue and th??e flow of events that'll grip you. The law is something that seems so intangible and hard to grasp unless you have a deep knowledge of it, and that's exactly how the story ensnares you and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

You Like it Darker: Stephen King

You Like it Darker is a collection of some of Stephen King's best short stories. Each one looks at a darker part of the world, the universe, and fiction in general. There's a tale ??about inheritance with major strings attached, a mystery about how two gentlemen acquired a specific set of skills and a psychic burst that upends the lives of a group of people out of nowhere.

I think King does a great job of looking at the world and asking questions we simply don't want the answers to. It's not that the stories aren't intriguing, but the possibilities that lie between facts he explores are parts of the mind that you feel are best left untouched. Don't listen to the??se ri?ght before you go to bed.

Slow Horses: Mick Herron

Slow Horses is the first book in an engrossing series. It follows a group of MI5 agents who have all ended up at Slough House. It's where agents who have screwed up, gotten in the way of others, or become too reliant on a bottle are sent to while away the tatters they have left of their careers. However, each agent in this particular group wants to get back to their real jobs, hunting down enemies of th?e state and doing something for their country. They're willing to do anything to make that happen, even work together, which is no easy feat when you're a bunch of what are effectively failed spies.

The Family Upstairs: Lisa Jewell

The Family Upstairs begins as an upbeat tale about Libby Jones. She receives a letter that changes her entire life. She discovers who her birth parents were and that she's the sole inheritor of a luxurious house in a decadent part of London. The story soon takes a turn, though, becau??se Libby's not the only one who has been waiting all these years for her to find out the truth. Her history is soaked in blood and shrouded in mystery, and a group of people she doesn't know are about to remind her of it.

The Night Manager: John le Carré

The Night Manager is a real treat of an audiobook I discovered a couple of years ago. It follows Jonathan Pine, the night manager for a very posh hotel in Zurich. He's learned to fear and hate one of the most powerful drug and arms dealers in th?e world in the power gap created by the end of the Cold War, Richard Onslow Roper. He wants?? nothing more than to have him taken down and for life to feel safe again, which is why he's willing to work with secret government agents to provide intelligence and immerse himself deep into Roper's life.

Cavendish & Walker Volume 1: Sally Rigby

Cavendish & Walker is an incredibly succe??ssful crime thril??ler series. This audiobook encompasses the first three entries—Deadly Games, Fatal Justice, and Death Track—and is a great way to get yourself some suspense-filled mystery audiobooks with a common thread woven through them. All three books follow the journey of a detective and forensic psychologist as they work together and grow to be a team who use their specific skills to hunt down criminals and bring them to justice in unorthodox ways.

The Household: Stacey Halls

The Household is a gripping tale about a house in the countryside that acts as a refuge for fallen women. Those who come to live there have lost their way in life and have been rescued from destitution and death. The trouble is, not every woman who arrives necessarily wants to be there. To ??make matters even more complicated, the benefactor behind the house and its legacy has just discovered that her old stalker is out of prison and back on the streets, meaning she's now more unsafe than those her household helps.

The Silent Patient: Alex Michaelides

The Silent Patient is one of the best mystery thrillers out there, and while other books can get you close ?to the level of suspense it brings to the table, very few are better. The story follows Alicia Berenson, a famous painter married to a just ?as famous photographer, Gabriel. That is until he returns late one night and gets shot five times by his wife. This would be an open-and-shut case if she'd talk, but she never does. Not until criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber manages to sit down with her to ascertain the truth. Even then, it??'s him and his motivations that are on trial instead of hers.

The Teacher: Freida McFadden

The Teacher is a thrill ride from start to finish that'll keep you guessing even once it's ended. It sees protagonist Eve go about her busine??ss as a math teacher at a local high school before things take a turn for the worse. The school was rocked by a student-teacher affair the year before, one that centered around Addie. Eve k??nows there's much more to the story all too well, and Addie will do anything to keep the truth, the real truth, from getting out.

Caledonian Road: Andrew O'Hagan

Caledonian Road follows the fall of Campbell Flynn. Through five interconnected families and their rise and fall through fame and power, the secrets of Caledonian Road will be exposed as every world comes crashing together. It's a tale woven through the movements of every family and its place in the pecking order, one that you?'ll find yourself suddenly gripped by when you think it's time to turn it off, even if you weren't from the first chapter.

The Coroner: M.R. Hall

The Coroner is the first entry in an incredibly engrossing series. It follows protagonist Jenny Cooper as she flees her broken life, a husband who has? left her, a son she can't co?nnect with, and far too much wine, as she becomes a coroner and massively oversteps in a case she can't let go of. She dives into the politics, motivations, and every little piece of information surrounding a death that doesn't sit right with her and uncovers much more than she bargained for.

Good Rich People: Eliza Jane Brazier

Good Rich People is about a wealthy couple who likes to ruin self-starters who manage to claw their way close to ??the top and make a bit of cash—enough to be comfortable, at least. However, the couple picks a fight with one woman who has been fighting and scrapping all her life, and she's not about to break just because these people want to play games with her.

Murder on the Orient Express: Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express needs no introduction. The titular train is packed with guests, including renowned private investigator Hercule Poirot. After getting stuck in a snowdrift, someone is murdered in their cabin, and Poirot sets about questioning everybody in an attempt to uncover the culprit. It's a classic whodunit with a cast of memorable characters I love returning to because it's just such a joy to be ?enveloped by. A really great starting point for anyone dipping their toe into the genre.

Waiting for the Night Song: Julie Carrick Dalton

Waiting for the Night Song is a tale of two friends who?? have their close relationship ruptured by something they were both a part of one summer. Years later, they must return to the forest where their innocence was lost. Tensions are rising with local workers, and the environment is threatening. All of this will reveal a terrible secret, one that could cause serious damage to the locals and the surrounding area.

Never Saw Me Coming: Vera Kurian

Never Saw Me Coming is a book about Chloe. She's a typical college student who loves frat parties but who also lacks empathy, doesn't feel guilt or fear, and ne?ver stops planning to murder the childhood friend who wronged her. She's part of an experiment monitoring seven young people like her until one of them is murdered. From there, it's a game of cat and mouse as Chloe fights for her life and to b??ring her own plans to fruition now that the study has been tampered with.

The Terminal List: Jack Carr

The Terminal List is a story of revenge from the perspective of a wronged soldier. James Reece's entire squad was murdered as part of a government conspiracy, one that he intends to uncover and bring into the light after it's made out to be a terrorist attack. He's on the hunt for blood with nothing to live for, n??o one he cares for to be threatened, and everything to gain by taking down some of the most powerful people on the planet.

White Out: Danielle Girard

In White Out, we follow Lily, a woman who awakens from a car accident with no memory of anything except a few Bible verses and the image? of a man with a bloodied head, a poor murdered woman left in a dumpster, and Kylie, the local town's only detective. The three are all tied together by events that the dead woman and Lily share, but Lily's memory is going to need to return if they're ever going to solve the mystery behind what happened to them.

Revenge: James Patterson

When David Shelley, a retired bodyguard, is called back in by the family that employed him to investigate the death of their daughter in Revenge, it's revealed that she fell? into a seedy underworld. Her father demands retribution, but even Shelly wouldn't tangle with some of the characters he wants to take down, but he has to if justice is ever going to be served.

Twenty Years Later: Charlie Donlea

In Twenty Years Later, you'll find an intriguing tale of Avery Mason. She's a TV host who knows when a story will be a hit with her audience, and she's found a fantastic one. A woman named Victoria died while accused of the murder of her married lover. Before her death, she called her sister, Emma, and asked her to prove her innocence. Now Avery is working with Emma to uncover the ??truth behind this murder 20 years later and figure out what really happened to the married lover, a successful author found hanging from a balcony all those years?? ago.

The post 25 Amazing mystery audiobooks to satisfy?? your craving for suspens??e appeared first on Destructoid.

I’ve been reading since I was very young, and I’ve spent many hours in both public and school libraries with my nose buried in a book. As a teenager, and admittedly? ever since, I’ve found myself drawn to stories of first love an??d discovery. 

There are countless books about first love out there, and they all come with their own heartwarming moments, as well as a whole heap of relatable moments. Over my many years,? I’ve come acros?s some books which stand out for their storytelling, or how long their lessons remain with you. I’ve scoured my physical and online libraries to list 10 of the best.

It probably won’t escape your attention that a lot of the books on this list? have been turned into movies. All of them are very good adaptations, and if you’re not will?ing to give up your time to read the books, then I can highly recommend each of their silver screen counterparts before diving into the source material. 

The Fault in our Stars

John Green (2012)

Just going to start this list with possibly the most heartbreaking story on it, The Fault in Our Stars, which ??has been adapted into a blockbuster movie.

Imagine meeting someone, falling irrevocably in love with them, and ??then losing them to the scourge that is Cancer. Then, as if that isn’t bad enough, imagine doing this while battling your own fight against the disease during your teenage years. It’s a heartbreaking and terrifying prospect, you will sob while being unable to put this book down, and the story told by John Green will stay with you forever in some capacity. 

It Only Happens in the Movies

Holly Bourne (2017)

Recently dumped by her boyfriend, with her parents going through a divorce, Audrey has given up on the idea of love and romance. At least until she gets a job and her coworker begins a relentless endeavour to ??win her over. 

I think we’ve all been in this situation at least once, where love feels like too much hassle and having our heart broken all over again isn’t worth the risk of falling for someone new. Whether it’s happened recently, or we remember that feeling from our younger years, It Only Happens in the Movies is relatable at any age and enlightening ??for a younger audience?. 

Five Feet Apart

Rachael Lippincott (2018)

There’s a whole subsection of teenage romance books which revolve around young people with medical issues. I’ve noted one in The Fault in our Stars, but there are two more on this list, and Five Feet Apart is the second?? of them. It’s also bee?n adapted into a movie.

Two teenagers with Cystic Fibrosis meet and fall in love, but cannot get within five feet of each other due to the risk of infections because of their compromised immune systems. They can’t touch, not to hold hands or god forbid they kiss, but the events which take place bring them much closer together than it’s safe for them to be. I honestly never thought I'd find a book to rival The Fault in Our Stars in terms of "this is going to break your heart", but this one is definitely up t?here. Bring some tissues.

Everything Everything

Nicola Yoon (2015)

The last of our medically induced hardship romances is Everything Everything, which again, has been ??turned?? into a movie that I can highly recommend. 

Imagine spending your whole life in a self-contained bubble ?because you’re so sick that even stepping foot outside of the ?bubble could cause you serious harm or worse. Then, a cute boy moves in next door and suddenly, you find yourself wanting to venture outside of the safety of home. That’s where this story starts, but it certainly isn’t where it ends. 

There’s an absolutely heartbreaking twist in Everything Everything which will have you ??questioning everything, but the true joy in this book comes from the growth of its characters, as well as their love for each other and the determination to be more than you think you can be. 

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Tom Bromley (2002)

Moving on to something slightly less gut-wrenching and more light-hearted, Crazy Little Thing Called Love focuses on Will and his adventures upon joining a band. The singer of the band is rich, has the most amazing girlfriend who he insists on ta??king for granted, and Will wants better for her. Ideally, he would be the better person she would fall in love with. 

There’s a lot of sexual moments in this book, so I can’t say I recommend it to a particularly young reader, but I first read Crazy Little Thing Called Love when I was 14 and it didn’t do me any harm. The book still?? holds a space on both my shelf and in my memory, and I highly recommend giving it ?a try.

The Statist??ical Probability of Love at First Sight

Jennifer E. Smith (2011)

Let me set the scene: You’re stuck in JFK Airport after missing your flight, you’re having a horrible day, and you want to get to where you were meant to be. Su??ddenly, a cute boy catches your eye and you find out he’s British, and not only is he supposed to be on the same flight as you, but he’s sitting in your row. You spend th??e whole flight talking, only to lose track of each other upon landing without having exchanged contact details. 

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight plays out over a 24 hour period, tracking the story of two youngsters in their desperate efforts to somehow, miraculously find their way back to each other. Technically not teenagers, because she's 20 and he's 22, but they are each other's first love so... I'm counting it. I’ve never forgotten this story, and it might r??es??tore your belief in love at first sight. 

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging

Louise Rennison (1999)

Of all the books on this list, this one is definitely aimed towards a younger audience who have yet to experience their ??first ‘true�love. However, at the age of 33, I sti??ll love this book and the movie adaptation of it.

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging is actually the first book in a 10 book series which follows the coming-of-age story of Georgia Nicholson. There’s a lot of things that might make less sense to American readers than British, but if you can get past that, you’re in for a lot of laughs and lots of moments that anyone can relate to. Imagine Bridget Jones, but with far less life experience.

Opposite of Always

Justin A. Reynolds (2019)

Opposite of Always is one of those books which doesn’t wait until the end to break your?? heart and leave you emotionally scarred. Two teenagers, Jack and Kate, meet at a party. She wins his heart and his friends' affection, and then she dies. But that’s not where the story ends, because if it was, this book wouldn’t have made my list. 

After her death, Jack is sent back in time to the moment when they first met, and he has the chance to prevent her from ever dying. But if he chooses to keep her alive, that choice has hefty consequences?? for someone else in his life, and he has to make the choice between changing history or simply reliving the sad tale all over again. 

It’s Kind of a Funny Story

Ned Vizzini (2006)

The movie adaptation of It’s Kind of a Funny Story is one of my?? favorite movies of all time, and the book holds a special place in my heart. It’s not just a story of teenage love, but one of finding yourself and your confidence, overcoming mental illness, deciding what you want to be, and discovering hope for the f??uture. 

The pressure of getting into the perfect highschool and making his parents happy sends Craig Gilner on a self destructive path o?f starvation, insomnia an?d, eventually, a suicide attempt. He checks into a mental hospital where he meets friends, and a beautiful girl, who help him find the joy in life and confront his anxieties.

Better Than the Movies

Lynn Painter (2021)

Better Than the Movies migh??t be the only book on this list to be ??entirely centered around a teenage love triangle, and it’s a story that’s been told time and again throughout literary history. A girl has a crush on a boy, and her annoying (but attractive) neighbor is friends with her crush, and agrees to help her in her efforts to get her crush's attention. 

However, it’s never that straightforward, and soon she ends up discovering that what she needs might have been under her nose the entire time. Better Than the Movies is about discovering that perfection doesn’t exist, and maybe you ??n?eed to dig a little deeper to figure out what will really bring you happiness. It’s a cliché, but that doesn’t make it any less heartwarming to read. 

The post 10 Great Teenage Romance Books Full of First Love appeared first on Destructoid.

Like everyone else who read Romeo and Juliet in middle school, I know love sto??ries can get gritty. I have a medic?ally concerning soft spot for wholesome romance novels, but I can't turn down a dreadful ballad of passions gone wrong (or right, depending on who you ask) either.

Dark romance stories take our emotions and play with them like putty, bending and beating them until all we can do is beg their star-crossed leads to make out, draw blood, or someho?w do both at the same time. So let's break the sentimental Play-Doh and sink our teeth into the top ten darkest?? romance books ever penned.

Different strokes for different folks

My time on Archive of Our Own has taught me that people ??have very different definitions of "dark and twisted romance." Typical common denominators include morally grey protagonists with dubious but consistent codes of ethics and a willingness to explore exceptionally?? taboo subjects, such as the subversion of consent, one-sided obsession, and the potential for abuse lurking within all relationships.

Every book on this list features these elements to some capacity, and I’ve ordered them based on how well each uses these tropes to weave the tale of lust at th??eir shadowed, sweaty centers??.

10. Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton

Dark romance books are, well, dark, but Haunting Adeline is easil??????????????????????????y the darkest I've read.? Best-selling author Adeline Riley thinks she’s in for a relaxing sabbatical when she inherits her late grandmother’s mansion. Instead, she ends up becoming the newest obsession of Zane, a murderous vigilante who preys on human traffickers, pedophiles, and other criminals who target women and children.

I feel obligated to warn you that Haunting Adeline is about as dark as a book can get. It’s almost laughable how grim this book sometimes gets, and its ??sheer gratuitousness could be a major turnoff for many readers. I stress again: read with caution.

9. Fifty Shades of Gray by E. L. James

I’m probably not winning many originality points with this pock, but it’d be blasphemous not to put this legendary piece of obscene literature on this list somewhere. Anastasia? “Ana�Steele, freshly graduated from Washington State University, chances upon an opportunity to interview Christian Grey, an aloof business magnate. Falling for his charm, Ana soon finds herself locked in a surreal relationship with Christian, one defined by emotional distance, paperwork, and t??he entrepreneur’s obsession with BDSM.

Fifty Shades of Grey is more sexually charged than ??an elephant swimming in musth, and there’s something commendable about the boldness with which E. L. James explores BDSM culture. That said, James�prose is about as papery as papyrus, and BDSM supporters and detractors have both made compelling arguments against the book’s representation of the practice.

8. The Risk by S.T. Abby

I’m not much of a “true crime guy,�but The Risk helped me understand (somewhat) why some people find serial killers so fascinating. Lana’s out for revenge against the people who ruined her life, and she’s not ??afraid to paint the walls red to get it. When Logan Bennet, an F.B.I. profiler, starts closing in on her, Lana decides the only way to deter him is to give him something else to focus on: a relationship with her.

The Risk doesn’t pull its punches, although I will admit it doesn’t go as far as Chasing Madeline. S.T. Abby knows how to get inside the mind of a screwed-up ??soul, and she’s not afraid to show how far Lana’s willing to go to achieve her vision of justice against those who’ve wronged her. If you’re looking for a twisted romance that wades into the dark but doesn't wallow in it, this book’s for you.

7. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

While it's not nearly as ubiquitous as over a decade ago, Twilight left a bite mark on the public imagination that no metric of contemporary critique can hope to bury. During her first biology class in her new school, Bella Swan sits beside Edward Cullen, a mysterious outcast. After her investigation into the Cullen fam??il??y reveals Edward’s true, vampiric nature, Bella finds herself sucked into a hidden world of ancient secrets, mortal danger, and untamable passion.

Unlike its movie adaption, Twilight is a surprisingly slow burn. Stephenie Meyer takes her time pulling bac??k the veil over vampire society's complex inner workings and gives Bella and Edward’s relationship time to develop into s?omething interesting. While a drought of character depth mars it, the book has an undeniable magnetism that later books in the series failed to replicate.

6. The Sweetest Oblivion by Danielle Lori

The seedy world of organized crime lends itself well to stories about dangerous, all-or-nothing romance, and The Sweetest Oblivion understands that fact well. Elena, the “princess�of a well-connected mafia family, is far from the happiest person in the room when she learns of her li??ttle sister’s engagement to Nicolas Russo, the up-and-com?ing head of a rival outfit. A secret admirer of the innate brutality of her family's business, Elena finds herself drawn to Nicolas, or rather, the power a relationship with him could give her.

High-stakes poker games, shady back-alley dealings, and explosive gunfights abound in this high-voltage tale of inter-criminal romance. Elena’s smooth tongue and decisive ruthlessness make her a satisfyingly active protagonist, but?? Danielle Lori never allows her to slip into a thick plate of plot armor. An omnipresent sense of dread permeates every scene, with threats on both sides of the law waiting in the wings?? to snap up Elena if she loses the game of wits she’s gotten herself into.

5. God of Malice by Rina Kent

Most people see dating as a keystone of the college experience, but God of Malice shows how dangerous a secondary school relationship can get. Killian Carson ?is a manipulative, remorseless psychopath who’s fooled everyone into thinking he’s the softest guy on campus. Well, everyone except Glyndon King, the quick-witted and outspoken black sheep of an artistic family who, in her own way, is just as broken as Killian is.

God of Malice's charm (for severe want o?f a better word) lies in the mutual instability of its leads. Killian and ??Glyndon are not the most well-adjusted individuals, and their competitive and volatile relationship propels the novel’s story forward in exciting and unpredictable ways. There’s also something bizarrely wholesome about their connection, as the two quickly realize that, for all their quarreling, they've both finally found someone who understands and accepts them.

4. Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux

What if a demon fell for a sacrificial virgin? That question summarizes the inciting incident of Her Soul to Take well. Leon, an infernal conjured from the depths of the Underworld, finds himself at a loss when he feels compelled to spare Rae, the captive sacrifice offered to him by a cult. R??ae’s just as confused by this development, and the two soon find themselves locked in a battle to save Rae’s soul from the persistent cult.

Her Soul to Take is an occult rom-com filled with supernatural hijinks. Leon and Rae's dynamic is unique and entertaining. Throughout, the two swap between being the master and the student as each learns more about the other’s?? world. Harley Laouroux’s prose occasionally comes off a shade too serious, but the author knows how to have fun with their demonically creative premise.

3. Hooked by Emily McIntire

Hooked is a book that shows how much fun an author can have with a classic story that’s crossed into the realm of the public domain. In this re-telling of Peter Pan, “Captain�James Hook is the dashing young leader of a rebellious band of ruffians locked in a war with Peter, reimagined here as an aging, child-exploiting crime boss. The perfect opportunity for revenge comes to James when Peter’s daughter Wendy crosses his path, but things, naturall?y, get complicated as his feelings for his enemy’s offspring deepen.

My favorite part of any genre-bending fairy tale reimagining is seeing what th??e writer does with elements from the original. Peter Pan is already one of the most imaginative stories ever told. Emily McIntire?? constantly finds clever ways to adapt the Lost Boys, Smee, and other iconic characters, locales, and themes from J.M. Barrie’s childhood-defining classic, and these new interpretations help bolster the surprisingly endearing romance that blossoms between James and Wendy.

2. We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Young adult dystopia novels love to lock their adolescent protagonists in a cramped room with their hormones, but We Set the Dark on Fire pushes this element onto center stage. The authoritarian nation of M??edio trains aristocratic young women to become the wives of the country's ruling elite, and they’ve paired Daniela Vargas with the son of a prominent military family. What Medio’s rulers don’t know is that Daniela’s a member of the revolution, and she’s planning to tear her nation’s oppress??ive government down from the inside.

We Set the Dark on Fire combines the ominous social commentary of A Handmaid’s Tale with the cathartic “eat-the-rich�vibes of Red Rising. Daniela is an insightful and inspiring protagonist, and Tehlor Kay Mejia’s thoughtful prose allows her to speak artfully about some very relevant issues, like female autonomy and class division. Daniela's relationship with her young, idealistic husband-to-be provides plenty of steam?y material for romance fans to work with and adds much-needed levity to an otherwise heavy story.

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

If you didn't see this one coming, you either haven't been to a coffee shop in a while or weren’t paying attention while you were there last. Feyre, the daughter of a fallen noble family, isn’t thinking about much other than survival when she puts an arrow through a wol?f that tries to steal a deer she was hunting. So when a High Fey lord bursts into her family’s cabin, reveals the wolf she killed was his servant, and explains that she must accompany the lord to the realm of Prythian to repay her debt, s??he willingly goes to spare her loved ones.

A Court of Thorns and Roses has everything a fan of twisted romance books could ask for: a pair of deep and nuanced leads with unique moral codes, a world of strange creatures and stranger magics, and a plot that touches on themes of guilt, redemption, and the restorative power of love. Gr??ab a copy and hop on the “ACOTAR�bus. I’ll save you a seat.

The post Best ??Dark Romance Books For ??Fans of Twisted Love Stories appeared first on Destructoid.

Sometimes, picking up a standalone novel, doesn't quite hit the spot. Maybe all you want is to lose yourself in an intricate fictional world and pursue t??he same high you once experienced after reading a book series you stumbled upon years ago.

Well, the good news is you can experience that high again. The sheer number of brilliant multi-book narratives out there, especially ??in genre fiction, can provide you with a steady supply for your next fix. Still, knowing what to pick up next based on your preferences is just as important as the ?willingness to commit to these large literary tomes.

In this article, we've decided to put together a list of some of the best book series to read for adults, whether they belong to speculative offshoots like epic fantasy and sci-fi or even great works of drama from the classic back catalog and? anything in?? between.

The Expanse by James S. A. Corey

There have only been a handful of great sci-fi stories following the genre’s golden age in the 20th century, and The Expanse by James S. A. Corey is definitely among them. The story takes place in a not-so-near future, where humanity has colonized the Solar System. The book is about the political and inter?planetary conflict that arises between these different factions leading humankind while opening the avenue for my??sterious alien artifacts heralding long-lost technology.

The Expanse is what you’d call “hard science-fiction,�paying attention to intricate scientific details and trying to adhere to them as much as possible. There is also great characterization, and the worldbuilding is some of the best we’ve seen in genre fiction over the past two decades. And unlike many other contemporary book series, The Expanse is actually finished, and you can binge-read it? in its entirety right now.

The Witcher Saga by Andrzej Sapkowski

Centering around the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski has left a lasting impact on fantasy literature. Grimdark, brutal, and pessimistic, the books may at first come off as a far cry from the best-selling and acclaimed video game, but the spirit of the tale and its world are the same. Sapkowski has some of the best character monologues in all of fantasy and perhaps even literature as a whole. If you’re a fan of character-centric fantasy books and have played The Witcher games, then do your?self a favor and pick up the book series ?that spawned them in the first place.

The Human Comedy by Honoré de Balzac

Now let's take a step away from the speculative landscape for a little bit. Often touted as one of the most ambitious sociolinguistic works in history, La Comédie Humaine paints the most extensive and detailed image of French society in the 19th century. To say that Balzac was prolific is a criminal understatement, and the 90 finished works comprising The Human Comedy are but a small testament to that.

It might take you a while to get through it all, and not everything in the collection is an inspired piece of writing, but overall, for many history and drama enthusiasts, it is as raw and as detailed as it gets. There are dozens of novels in The Human Comedy, which you can read through ?in the order of their release??.

Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Recommending Sherlock Holmes feels like telling people to watch a classic movie that they’ve already heard about many times before, and perhaps even seen the remakes. Such is the importance of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work that reading through it almost feels like a rite of passage for people who love literature, specifically detective stories. Sure, I could’ve also included Agatha Christie and her Poirot books on this list, but there’s something about how Conan Doyle so deftly weaves a narrative together and writes about the human condition that even Christie �one of his innumerable admirers herself �fails to capture. The Sherlock Holmes canon consists of four novels and dozens of short stories, starting with 1887’s A Study in Scarlet and ending with 1927’s short story The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place.

Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson

Boasting one of the most ambitious narratives in all genre fiction, Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson is a 10-book epic fantasy series that deals with a host of compelling characters and their respective tales in the world of Malazan. It’s difficult to put the story in a simple premise, but we can say with a measure of certainty that Malazan Book of the Fallen will be s??tudied many years from now a??s a pinnacle of literary achievement.

The books are difficult and confusing to get into, and many genre enthusiasts have come to jokingly refer to them as the �em>Dark Souls of literature,�a quip that’s certainly not lost on members of our community, but if you bear with them, they will turn into some of the ??best ??books you’ve ever read.

The First Law by Joe Abercrombie

These days, most people’s go-to author for dark fantasy is George R.R. Martin, mainly known for his subversion of expectations in the face of J.R.R. Tolkien’s traditionalist approach. What many of them fail to realize is that someone is doing it better than Martin, and had his work garnered the attention of Hollywood moguls and got a television adaptation like Game of Thrones, it would already be more popular and beloved than the entirety of A Song of Ice and Fire.

Joe Abercrombie’s First Law is cynical, brutal, witty, and character-driven. But perhaps his greatest strength, which has immortalized these books in my mind, is ??his mastery of scene-building and dialogue, unparalleled by any contemporar??y writer.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy is the cornerstone of science-fiction literature. Douglas Adams�The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy took major influence from Asimov, while Frank Herbert basically wrote Dune as a commentary on Foundation. The story ??follows the twilight of a Galactic Empire, where a scientist invents a branch of mathematics that can help him predict the ??future.

The tale is epic, the concepts are innovative (on account of Asimov himself being a scientist as well as one of the pioneers of hard science-fiction), and the nonlinear story keeps you on your toes all the way through to the end. Foundation is an essen?t?ial read, even for people who don’t care much at all about science fiction.

Discworld by Terry Pratchett

No fantasy book series is as pleasurable and fulfilling to read through as Terry Pratchett’s timeless Discworld. If you’re out in the book market lo??oking for a work that doesn’t take itself too seriously yet is still packed with layered storytelling and satire that still manages to pack an emotional punch, then Pratchett’s unique prose and style of comedy is just right to scratch that particular itch.

There are 41 novels in the Discworld universe, but don't let that number intimidate you because most of them are barely novel-length (barely pushing past 200 pages), unlike many other thick doorstop fantasy book series out ??there.

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Speaking of amazing science fiction books that you shouldn’t miss out on, The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells definitely deserves a shout-out here. The story follows a half-human, half-robot cyborg who manages to override his programming and gain independ??ence, but it primarily uses that independence to consume media. In time, the cyborg comes to develop feelings and emotional connections, which it finds rather inconvenient.

The books are short, witty, and unbelievably compelling. Martha Wells has garnered a lot of acclaim and won many trophies for The Murderbot Diaries, turning her work into one of the most important sci-fi book series of the past few decades, especially when it comes to AI and human interaction with artificial intell?igence. Reading and thinking about this concept in 2024 (what, with the advent of creations like ChatGPT) is more important than ever.

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

I already warned you that this list was going to incorporate every possible combination of genres, so I figured, why not have a detective story set in modern-day Chicago but featuring magic and supernatural elements? The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher is a series of highly-acclaimed mystery urban fanta??sy centering around Harry Dresden, a wizard who works as a private investigator.

At first, you might think, “How on earth would any of these tropes work together?�But then, you’ve not read Jim Butcher. Trust me when I say The Dresd??en Files features some of the best detective storytelling we’ve seen recently, and despite all the incongruities of its numerous components, it all works in the context of Butcher’s narrative. There have been 17 entries in the series so far, most of them novel-length, but the story of Harry Dresden is still unfolding, getting more and more epic wi?th each installment.

The Leatherstocking Tales by James Fenimore Cooper

Now, this next pick might not exactly be recognizable as a series, but its second novel, The Last of the Mohicans, is among the most popular books in American literature. The Leatherstocking Tales by James Fenimore Cooper are set in the eighteenth century and deal with the upheavals of that period in the New World. The depiction of Native American culture and history, not to mention Uncas as t?he “last of the Mohicans,�the sole survivor of an honorable ethnicity, is among the ??unmitigated strengths of Fenimore Cooper’s narrative.

There are many great historical fiction book series (like the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian or Outlander by Diana Gabaldon) but The Leatherstocking Tales rarely gets the attention it deserves. If you liked Michael Mann’s 1992 classic movie The Last of the Mohicans, then you should give the book series a read.

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

This critically acclaimed fantasy trilogy by Philip Pullman came out in the form of 1995’s Northern Lights (known in the United States as The Golden Compass), 1997’s The Subtle Knife, and 2000’s The Amber Spyglass. In a lot of ways, His Dark Materials is a coming-of-age story of its main heroine, Lyra Belacqua, who lives in ?a world where everyone has a talking animal companion?? who represents their inner selves.

Pullman’s worldbuilding is exquisite and believable, and his story explores complex themes like religion, individualism, freedom, and morality. If you love Harry Potter, then His Dark Materials is the substitute you’ve been looking for, though ma??ny of its most ardent fans would? argue that Pullman writes the better story by far.

The Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown

While many would categorize Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Saga as science fiction, I’d describe it as a space opera more in the vein of Star Wars. The story takes place in a world where humanity has colonized its star system, and socie??ty has been segregated into different colors. The Golds, for instance, are at the top and rule with an iron fist, while the Reds are little more than slaves.

We follow Darrow, who is a Red working in the dark caverns of Mars. Darrow believes in the idea that things will eventually get better for his class, but things go awry when Darrow’s wife, Eo, is executed for singing a rebellious song. Darrow is then recruited into the Sons of Ares, who want to topple the government. Red Rising is one of the most compelling and acclaimed book series of the past two decades, so don’t let that seem??ingly tired p??remise throw you off.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Scott Lynch's spiraling fantasy series, beginning with The Lies of Locke Lamora, takes place in a fantasy world but the story puts a unique spin on the genre. We follow Locke Lamora, a con artist planning a grand heist in the city of Camo?rr, inspired by real-life Venice. The series is known for its intricate ?narrative, flowery prose, and extremely charismatic protagonist.

Many fantasy enthusiasts compare Scott Lynch to Patrick Rothfuss and his Kingkiller Chronicle. It's easy to see why, but just like his fellow author, Scott Lynch seems to be taking his sweet time writing the next installment in the series. So dive into it with the knowledge that you might be left hanging for quite a while. Still, the series, consisting of The Lies of Locke Lamora, Red Seas Under Red Skies, and The Republic of Thieves, is so brilliant that we can’t help but recommend it, even if ??the? next book never gets released.

The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons

Lastly, we have to find a spot for The Hyperion Cantos due to its far-reaching influence on fiction. The sci-fi quartet is celebrated for several reasons, but none more than its deep philosophical themes that even go into poetry and mythology. The story takes place in the distant future, where humanity has spread across the galaxy and established an empire called the Hegemony of Man. The first novel, Hyperion, is similar to the famous Canterbury Tales, with sev?en pilgrims vi?siting the titular planet and journeying to the Time Tombs, a mystifying structure that moves backward in time.

This list has a bit of everyth??ing for everyone. But barring some obvious and popular choices that were purposefully excluded, there are no doubt many other great book series out there that we might have overlooked, so don't hesitate to share them with us and the rest of the readers in the comments.

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World War I history enthusiasts, young adult literature readers, and anime fans have something to look forward to next year. Scott Westerfield's alternate-historical war novel Leviathan is getting an anime ada??ptation, and it debuts on Netflix in 2025.

Leviathan puts a bio-punk and diesel-punk spin on World War I

If you haven't read Leviathan and its two sequels, let ??me give you a quick sum-up. It's 1914, and the flames of World War I have just started burning across Europe. This isn't our great-great grandparents' World War I, though; in Westerfield's reimagined 20th-century Earth, the forces of the Allied and Central powers wage war agai??nst each other with bio-engineered beasts and diesel-fueled automatons.

The story of Leviathan follows two protagonists: Aleksander of Hohenburg, an Austro-Hungarian prince forced to flee his homeland after a failed attempt on his life, and Deryn Sharp, a London girl who disguises herself as a boy so she can enlist in the Royal? Air Force. Fate brings the two together on the back of the Leviathan, a living cetacean battleship, and they embark on a journey that changes the course of the war and history.

Studio Orange brings the world of Leviathan to beautiful, Frankensteinian life

I have many thoughts about the anime industry's recent shift toward 3-D animation, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like what I saw in Leviathan's first trailer. Orange Co., Ltd work on Beastars and Trigun Stampede demonstrated the studio knows how to capture the primal ferocity of nature and the complex allure of technology. Leviathan's pages a??re chocked full of high-flying bouts between monsters and machines, and I'm curious to see what Orange does with s??ome of the series' most iconic battles.

Whatever lingering fears I had about the effort being up into Leviathan vanished like diesel smoke when I ran down the list of names attached. Christophe Ferreira, who worked as an animator on Persepolis and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, sits in the director's chair. Justin Leach (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Star Wars Visions) and Taiki Sakurai (Eden, Cyberpunk Edgerunners) serve as producers. Joe Hisaishi, the composer behind the soundtracks of almost every Studio? Gh?ibli movie, will provide th??e music, and that's about whe??re I fainted.

Leviathan's offers a fresh path forward for YA adaptions

I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that a Leviathan adaption of any kind is happening, let alone one its creators seem to be invested in. Unless their name happens to be Harry Potter, YA speculative fiction series tend to get the short end of the adaptation stick. My therapist and I are still grappling with my memories of watching Fox's Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in thea??ters, and that's just one of many medioc??re YA film adaptions I've sat through over the years.

By embracing the animated medium, Westerfield has proven that YA book-to-film adaptations don't have to limit themselves by following in the Harry Potter movies' footsteps. I can't wait to see what the people over at Qubic and Orange do with the Leviathan trilogy, and I'm even more excited to see if other YA authors decide to dabble in animation. Maybe I'll get that Fablehaven animated series twelve-year-old me dreamed about, ?after all.

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As the evenings start to draw in, the leaves begin to change, and?? Halloween approaches, it’s natural to start to think about all things spooky. Witches are an icon of the spooky season, but they don’t just appear in works of fiction??. 

As someone who has, over the years, developed something of an obsession with both fictional and more real-life depictions of witches, it’s s?afe to say that I’ve read a lot of books on the subject. Whether you’re looking for something to escape reality, or something a little more factual, here’s 10 of the best books about witches.

The Witches by Roald Dahl (1983)

I’m going to ease us in gently and start this list with the book that started it all for me, and likely a lot of others �The Witches. As a child, this book is akin to light horror, but it’s a staple read for any youngster in my eyes. Even now as an adult, I still love going back and reading this Roald ??Dah??l classic, soaking up the imagery and imagination within the story.

The book was adapted into a mo??vie in 1990 (and again, later in 2020, but we don’t talk about that version), which still gives me the heebie-jeebies to this day thanks to the ever present creep-factor both on screen and within the pages of the source material.

The O??nce and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (2020)

Imagine the suffragette movement, but instead of fighting for the right to vote, women are fighting for the right to once again practice magic. That’s the tale embedded in the pages of Harrow’s Once and Future Witches. 

This one is full of anger, and almost works as a sort of alternate reality to real-life history, with its characters facing an uphill battle against abuse, trauma, and absolute injustice. It’s definitely not a tale I would recommend as a light read, but if you’re looking for something a little darker to sink your teeth into, give The Once and Future Witches a try.

The Witches of Vardo by Anya Bergman (2023)

The first book of many on this list to bridge the gap between fiction and reality, The Witches of Vardo follows the story of a distraught widow as she enters in?to an adulterous relationship with a merchant, only to be discovered by the merchant’s wife. The spurned wife then goes on to accuse her of being a witch. Seeking to rescue her from captivity is her daughter, Ingeborg. 

Although this?? story is not a tru?e one, at least as far as I have ever discovered during my in-depth research of witch trials around the world, it is set at the time of the Vardo Witch Trials in Northern Norway, which took place between 1662 and 1663. 

The Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterson (2012)

Alice Nutter was one of the women accused of witchcraft in England during the Pendle witch trials of 1612. The main character of The Daylight Gate is based on, and shares her name with the historically very re?al Alice Nutter, although the story contained within the pages of this book is not supposed to be an accurate retelling of historical events or th??e life of the woman. 

However, having the very real basis of Alice Nutter as a character does add some weight to the heavy contents of The Daylight Gate. Winterson gives an all-too-real glimpse into British life during the frankly ter?rifying 17th century, when witch trials were sweeping the globe.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller (1953)

The Crucible is an absolute must read for anyone who is either interested in the history of witches or witch trials. It’s not quite fact, not quite fiction, but a little of both. The Crucible is a play, which does mean that the book is set out in script format for the most part, but that doesn’t defer from the story wit??hin the pages.

The characters of The Crucible all share names and roles with real people who were alive, and many of whom died, during the Salem witch trials in 1692. Their stories are based in reality although, at tim?es, dramatized for effect. If you’re wanting to learn more about Salem, this is an amazing starting point. 

Witch Child by Celia Rees (2000)

When her grandmother is tried and convicted of witchcraft, Mary is shipped off to the Colonies in New England and finds herself caught between two communities - the Puritans, where witchcraft will get her kil??led, and as des?cribed by Rees, the “shamanisticâ€?Native Americans. 

While definitely aimed towards a young adult audience, the suspense and imagery in Witch Child is enough to ke?ep the attention of readers of every age, and Rees does an amazing job of capturing the essence of Puritan paranoia which was around when the first Colonies were formed in New England. 

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent (2008)

In another choice which bridges the gap between fiction and fact, The Heritic’s Daughter focuses on the life of Martha and Sarah Carrier. Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused and convicted of being a ?witch in Salem, and this book takes her life and dramatizes it to glorious effect. 

Kathleen Kent is actually a direct descendant of the Carriers, and this was her first novel, telling the fictionalized tale of her kin and everything they went through during the hysteria of the late 17th century. D?efinitely a hard read, but if you’re interested in witches, one that?? I would highly recommend.

Six Women of Salem by Marilynne K. Roach (2013)

From healthy blends of fact and fiction, to something which is proven fact, Six Women of Salem does exact?ly what it says on the tin, or should I say cover? 

Follow??ing the lives of six of the accused ‘witchesâ€?i??n Salem both before and during the Salem witch trials, this book is insightful, at times difficult to read, and at other times heartwarming. It truly takes these historical people and makes them very real, leaving you wondering whether, in a different lifetime, you could have been friends. 

The Witchfinder’s Sister by Beth Underdown (2017)

If you’ve had your fill of books which focus on the accused womens perspective, you should give The Witchfinder’s Sister a try. Inspired by the real-life, notorious Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins, this book takes ??his life and his fight against witchcraft, fictionalizes it, and turns it into an incredibly heavy read. 

After moving back home to her brother’s house and discovering that he is hell-bent on sending innocent women to the gallows, Alice struggles to decide where her loyalties should be, and discovers?? some terrifying secrets from her own families past. 

The H??ammer of Witches by Christopher S. Mackay (2009)

I cannot write this list without mentioning the book which started the hysteria of witch trials, was used by King James I in his mission to seek out and eradicate witchcraft, and essentially gave birth to all of the lore we know today about witches and their craft - Malleus Maleficarum, published in 1486. 
Having said that, I wouldn’t recommend seeking out the original text �I have it, it’s written in Latin, and trying to translate it is a pain. However, there is a modern translation available in the shape of The Hammer of Witches, which is ?the only modernized version of this mac??abre textbook I’ve ever been able to find.

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Christmas is one of my f??avorite times of the year. There are great movies on T?V to watch that you never normally see, and even streaming services shift things up a gear to cater to those of us who want trashy shows or films, provided they're related to Christmas in some way. But books are the best way to immerse yourself.

With al??l the thousands of books on the market vying for your attention, it feels impossi?ble to carve out the time you need to go back and enjoy ones you know you loved, pick up another entry in a great series, or sit down and engross yourself in a holiday tale. There are so many different Christmas books you could be reading, ones written for adults with a little drama and festive fun. But you need to plan what you're going to read so you don't get lost amid all the new releases hitting at once.

Great Christmas books for adults to spark holiday joy

Below, I've listed some great Christmas books for adults that I think will spark holiday joy. They're not ranked because all of them will get yo?u into the holiday spirit in different ways. The beauty of books is that there are so many different genres to explore, so I've tried to include as many different styles of Christmas books as I can so there's something for everyone.

Gone With the Wind: Margaret Mitchell

Gone With the Wind is a classic. There's no other way to describe it. The movie is always on at Christmas, and it's become ingrained in me to either sit down and watch it or have it on at some point in the Christmas holidays, or nothing feels right. It's a tale of love and loss set against the background of the American Civil War. No, that doesn't sound like it'll spark Christmas joy. But if you're anything like me, and I suspect you are, then you can't think of this mo??vie or book without getting all cozy about the holiday season and feeling at least a tiny bit joyful.

A Christmas Carol: Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol is a true Christmas classic that you almost certainly know, even if you don't think you do. If you've ever watched The Muppets Christmas Carol, that counts. The book tells the tale of a wealthy man who never gives an inch, forcing his staff to work well into Christmas Eve and never handing out bonuses, giving to charity, or doing anything for anyone. He's visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Future, and ??Present and is shown that he needs to learn the error of his ways before it's too late.

In a Holidaze: Christina Lauren

In a Holidaze is an intriguing tale about learning to live in the moment and appreciate what you have. Protagonist Maelyn Jones is distraught because her life is going nowhere. She hates her job, and she's just learned that she'll never again holiday in the place she loves best in the world: a small cabin in Utah with family and friends. However, after pleading with the universe to see where her life is going, she's taken back to the beginning of her holida??y to learn to appreciate it in a new light.

Window Shopping: Tessa Bailey

Window Shopping is an extremely different sort of Christmas book, but still one that'll spark some joy for you. It's a little sensational and fun, but I think it's pretty perfect for the holiday season if you're trying to get in the mood. The protagonist is just minding? her own business one day, checking out Manhattan's Christmas decorations in every shop window. When asked what she thinks of one in particular, she's disparaging and somehow lands a job working for a man she finds incredibly attractive. The battle against temptation is going to be lost, but it's all just ?window shopping. Or is it?

The Twelve Dates of Christmas: Jenny Bayliss

I guarantee you that this one will spark Christmas Joy. The Twelve Dates of Christmas sees protagonist Kate stuck in a rut at 34 with no relationship to speak of, and she's sick of it. Living in a tiny town in England doesn't help. That is until her friend signs her up for a dating agency. Suddenly, she's got twel??ve different dates with twelve ?different men around Christmas, and she's out to find something substantial. This goes exactly how you'd expect it to, and the entire town is watching and gossiping about each date. But love can crop up in unexpected places at unexpected times.

Tis the Season for Revenge: Morgan Elizabeth

This book will spark Christmas joy in a different way from the usual tales of someone saving the holiday or life being turned upside-down, but it all ends well just in time for Christmas Day. Tis the Season for Revenge is the tale of Abbie ??being dumped by her pretentious boyfriend because he wants to focus on his career as a lawyer. What starts off as a plan to sho??w him up by dating his boss and turning up at the firm's annual Christmas do accidentally turns into a serious relationship, and she's not so sure what she should do about it.

Return of the Living Elves: Brian Asman, ?Shelly Lyons

I've got another really different one for sparking Christmas joy here. Return of the Living Elves is a comedic story about a last-minute Christmas gift going horribly wrong and awakening an army of not-so-cute helpers f?rom the North Pole. It's also an homage to one of the greatest zombie movies ever made. Go into this one knowing it's about having a bit of fun because it's definitely not a serious read, but I feel like it's perfect for Christmas alongside those tales of almost trials that end up with a love story at the end.

Hercule Poirot's Chrismas: Agatha Christie

It might be the 19th book in the Hercule Poirot series, but you should be able to enjoy it as a self-contained entry, given how prevalent the character is. Hercule Poirot's Christmas is the fantastic story of how this legendary detective attempted to enjoy Christmas and ended up in the middle of a family murder. A father dies just after telling his sons they shan't inherit anything from him, and it's up to Poiro??t to uncover the truth of the situation, as he always does so well and with such precision.

The Holiday Switch: Tif Marcelo

While the title of The Holiday Switch might make it sound similar to the Christmas movie, The Holiday, it's not. In this book, you follow Teddy and Lila, two people who just can't help but butt heads and simply not g??et along in every situation. That is until they accidentally swap phones, and then each realizes the other has been keeping secrets. Those secrets reveal that they might not be so at odds after all. In fact, they could be perfect for each other.

The Christmas Wish: Lindsey Kelk

The Christmas Wish is a great story that takes the concept of Groundhog Day? and gives you the perfect Christmas twist. Gwen is newly single after her divorce and feels like her career is about to fall apart. Her whole family, even the boy next door from her childhood, has it together. After the usual Christmas highs and lows, she awakens to find it starting all over again. Her only way out seems to be to find happiness, and that boy next door might just be her key to escaping and a happy ending.

Bridget Jones's Diary: Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones's Diary begins and ends at Christmas/New Year, is always on TV and streaming services at Christmas, and is just the best book for sparking Christmas joy for me. The book is hilarious and follows the titular Bridget as she attempts to hit all of her goals for the year, all of which, she believes, will help her land a man. Of course, the book is based on Pride and Prejudice, but that giv?es it a suitable modern twist that is somehow now even more appealing because it's tinged with r?etro 90s nostalgia.

A Very Merry Bromance: Lyssa Kay Adams

A Very Merry Bromance is going to push you out of your comfort zone, but we all need that. In it, a country music star is roped into becoming the face of a whisky brand in exchange for three dates with Gretch??en, whose family happens to own that brand. Over the course of the story, the Bromance Book Club helps this country star prove his worth, but both he and Gretchen need to overcome their past if they're going to let their walls come down and see each other for who they really are.

Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas ??Demon: J??ames Lovegrove

Sherlock Holmes and the Chrismas Demon is a bit of a c?reepy book about the famous detective that's themed around Christmas without leaning too hard into the usual tropes of either detective stories or easy Christmas titles. Sherlock Holmes has to uncover the truth behind one woman's potential madness, which threatens her inheritance but also seems to have some credence behind it, with family ghost stories of Christmas demon??s haunting them for generations. It's a classic Sherlock setup and a banger for anyone who wants more of the detective and a reminder that the holiday season is coming.

The Christmas Bookshop: Jenny Colgan

The Christmas Bookshop is a book that has it all. When the department store she works in is closed, Carmen has almost no money and must choose between destitution and living with her sister. Said sister, Sofia, doesn't want Carmen to move in either, but it might have its advantages. Sofia ??and Carmen's mother wants them to get along, and Sofia has a client who owns a bookshop and is in need of an assist??ant. As Carmen enters the new role, she's also faced with two potential love interests that she finds herself needing to pick between. If you don't get some sort of Christmas joy from this one, I don't know where you're going to find it because every trope is combined into one story right here.

A Virgin River Christmas: Robyn Carr

If you love Virgin River, I really don't need to sell A Virgin River Christmas to you. The series follows a young woman who moves to a town in the middle of absolutely no??where and manages to find a satisfying life out there am??ong the woods, cabins, and those who haven't left the town for their entire lives. This entry brings more of the admittedly tame drama from Virgin River's past to life, centering around a Christmas tale that wraps everything up in a nice little bow by the end. It's a guaranteed cozy story that will get you in the mood for festivities.

Last Night: Luanne Rice

If you don't want to veer too far from the thriller genre you love so much, then Last Night is the perfect book to spark some Christmas joy. An artist i?s found murdered in the snow, and her daughter has disappeared without a trace. It's a race against time to locate the young girl, and Detective Conor Reid and his brother must work together to ascertain who would want this woman dead and why they'd want to take her daughter at such a time of year.

Girls in the Snow: Stacy Green

Girls in the Snow is another thriller that takes place in the dead of winter. Two girls are found frozen in the snow, and Special Agent Nikki Hunt knows that the killer must be local, given their location. The only trouble is that Nikki needs to return to her hometown to tackle the case. She hasn't been? home in over two decades, but these girls need justice, and the local law enforcement has already done a terrible job of linking the girl??s to a serial killer, so someone needs to step in and do this right. If you absolutely cannot stand the traditional Christmas book genre that practically oozes joy, this is the book you need for that cozy comfort in the festive season.

The Second Chance Year: Melissa Wiesner

We all wish we had a second chance sometimes, and that's exactly what The Second Chance Year is all about. Protagonist Sadie's life has fallen apart a bit, and it's basically all her fault. After making a wish and kissing someone she really shouldn't have on New Year's Eve, she wakes up to find that she's restarted the entire year. This is her chance to catch every red flag she missed and take her chances where she played it safe before. While it might not be a story about everything going right, it's a story about li??ving without regret, and I think that's the biggest spark for Christmas joy you can get.

Christmas With Holly: Lisa Kleypas

Christmas With Holly is a book about the most magical time of year that will spark Christmas joy each time you pick it up. It follows three lonely people who are all at a crossroads in life. One is a young girl who lost her mother and hasn't spoken since, one is her father who wants to bring stability back to their lives, and the last is a wido?wed woman who doesn't believe she can ever love again. But Christmas is magical and brings them all together.

One Day in December: Josie Silver

One Day in December is a bittersweet Christmas story that will deliver Ch??ristmas joy with a little tinge of sadness. Laurie doesn't believe in love at first sight until she spots a man through the fogged-up glass of a bus window. Their eyes meet, she feels that spark, and then he disappears. After spending a year c??hecking bus windows, she finally meets the mystery man. He's called Jack and is going out with her best friend Sarah. The tale follows the trio through heartbreak and more, but it's a story you'll resonate with and want to see through to the end.

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Summer's finally winding down, and most of us are about?? to have much less time to read. Luckily, bibliophiles still have time to pick up and read through all the outstanding novels, anthologies, and collections that landed on bookstore shelves this season.

More than a few cozy, thrilling, and thought-provoking books have come out recently, and most of them are well worth the price tagged onto them. So before Autumn truly settles in, here are the ten best books of September 2?024.

10. Cryptomania: Hype, Hope, and the Fall of FTX's Billion-Dollar Fintech Empire - Andrew R. Chow

If Andrew R. Chow's Cryptomania can't convince you that cryptocurrency was one of the worst things ever created by human hands, I'm not sure anything will. Even if you're one of the many who've already recognized and reconciled with this truth, I'd still recommend picking this up if you're in the mood for a delightful shot of schadenfreu??de.

Following the meteoric rise and biblical fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, one of crypto's most prominent pioneers, Cryptomania is a captivating exploration of its controversial sub??ject. Thorough in its research and wry in its prose, this tell-all nonfiction inquisition leaves nothing unsaid about the financial fad that tried (and spectacularly failed) to change? the world.

9. Hera - Jennifer Saint

From The Penelopiad to Lore Olympus, role-bending retellings of Greek mythology’s greatest sagas and tragedies have become a stable of the contemporary fiction scene. Jennifer Saint’s fledgling portfolio consists only of subversive reimagining of classic Greek heroines, and her latest book, Hera, shifts focus to on?e of Greece’s most iconic and controversial goddesses.

Told from the titular character’s perspective, Hera kicks off in the immediate aftermath of the gods�apocalyptic war with the Titans. Forced into a less-than-storybook marriage with the power-hungry Zeus, Hera resolves to use the power her new role gives her to subvert her husband’s rule. Packed with acts of divine wrath and Game of Thrones-style power plays, Hera is an empowering epic guaranteed to appeal to Gre?ek mythology f?ans.

8. There Are Rivers in the Sky - Elif Shafak

Writers have been playing with time and space for centuries. While sci-fi authors analyze our relationship with these omnipresent forces by unraveling and reshaping them, contemporary fiction writers like Elif Shafak dial the scale back a few notches and explore the subtle ways they influence our lives. There Are Rivers in the Sky does this by telling the tales of four peo??ple wi?th one thing in common: they live along a river.

Told over millennia, There Are Rivers in the Sky follows a quartet of characters from r??adically different time periods and backgrounds whose lives revolve around the River Tigris. Woven together by Shafak’s poetic prose, this tale of f?our souls celebrates the incalculable ways water ties our history and lives together.

7. Hum - Helen Phillips

Many dystopian novels revolve around the chaos sown by unmoored artificial intelligence. Helen Phillips�Hum isn’t as unapologetically bleak as I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream or as grandiose as 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it’s still a terrifying and unfli?nching tale about technology’s ability to transform society and our personal lives for better and worse.

After losing her job to one of the artificially intelligent robots, or “Hums,�that inhabit her climate-change-wracked city, May Webb agrees to become the test ??subject for a radical experiment. Now invisible to the surveillance systems that watch over her world, May moves her family to the Botanical Garden, one of the few green spaces left. However, when a deadly threat targets her children, fate forces May to ally with a mysterious Hum with even more enigmatic motives.

6. The Seventh Veil of Salome - Silvia Mor?eno-Garcia

Hollywood is a fantastic setting for any story, but the City of Angels lends itself particularly well to suspense. Silvia Moreno Garcia’s The Seventh Veil of Salome spins a saga of intrigue, romance, and betrayal that will put a live wi?re in? thriller fans�spines.

Set in the 1950s, The Seventh Veil of Salome follows Vera Larios, a beautiful receptionist from M?exico City who miraculously lands the starring role in a sword-and-sandals epic recounting the biblical tale of Salome. Unfortunately, Vera’s sudden success puts her in the crosshairs of Nancy Hartley??, a bitter ensemble player who makes it her mission to steal Vera’s role, fame, and newly kindled relationship with a dashing cameraman.

5. Group Living and Other Recipes - Lola Milholland

The word “home�often channels images of a close-knit (or dysfunctional) blood family living behind the same walls. But what if the place you called home was open to anyone and everyone? Lola Milholland lived in a home like this, and hers is the story behind Group Living and Other Recipes.

One part cookbook, one part memoir, Group Living and Other Recipes sheds light on the under-explored world of communal living. Through her recollections of the many colorful characters who lived i?n her childhood home (and the many incredible recipes those eccentric travelers taught her), Milholland opens your mind to a new, surreal, and delicious way of living.

4. This Is Why We Lied - Karen Slaughter

The intrigue at the heart of any good whodunit story lives and dies off the strength of its prime suspects. Murder on the Orient Express and Knives Out prove this. This Is Why We Lied by Karen Slaughter honors this tradition, bringing together a colorful cast of potential murder??ers under one roof and leaving it to the reader ??to deduce which did the deed.

Eager to escape their stressful careers for one weekend, GBI investigator Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton spirit themselves away to McAlpine Lodge, a scenic tourist trap in the heart of the mountains. Unfortunately, their dream vacation turns ?into a nightmare after someone murders the lodge's owner, and they quickly realize that no one on the summit is being honest about where they were the night he died.

3. By Any Other Name - Jodi Picoult

The great William Shakespeare once said "all the world’s a stage," and that we all have a part to play in the grand performance we call life. The truth beneath those words lays itself bare on every page of Jodi Picoult’s By Any Other Name, a rousing story about the risks two women born centuries away f??rom each other take to ensure the world hears their voices.

Melina Green, a struggling playwright, has just finished her latest script, inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor, Emilia Bassano. Emilia, a talented writer smothered by the restrictions Elizabethan society forced upon women, conspires with a then-little-known actor named William Shakespeare to bring one of her plays onto the stage. As charming as it is insightful, By Any Other Name is a? clever spin on the “Shakespeare didn’t write his own plays�story that’ll leave you in the mood to stand up and applaud.

2. The Pairing - Casey McQuiston

Summer is a time to relax and put your worries away, if only for a while. Cozy books are a fantastic way to spend a lazy summer day, and few things are more comfortable than a playful rom-com. Casey McQuiston’s The Pairing is yet another top-shelf romantic outing from one of the best contemporary romanc?e writers out ?there.

Theo and Kit wer??e inseparable during their younger days, childhood friends who transitioned into star-crossed lovers. But time pulled them apart, and both have barely thought about each other in the decades they’ve been apart. That is until they run into each other by chance after spontaneously and simultaneously deciding to embark on a food-and-wine tour passing through most of Europe’s most famous cities. Forced to spend a weekend together in some of the most romantic locales in the world, Theo and Kit's long-dormant relationship begins? to spark back to life.

1. A Sorceress Comes to All - T. Kingfisher

The Brothers Grimm's fairy tales are some of the darkest stories you’ll ever read. From old witches being baked alive inside of ovens to wicked step-sisters getting their eyes plucked out by birds, these “children's stories�give horror movies a run for their money. T. Kingfisher’s A Sorceress Comes to All retells one of Grimm’s lesser-known and uniquely terrifying fairy tales, “The Goose Girl.�/p>

Cordelia lives alone with her mother, a wicked sorceress who keeps her daughter under heel with a healthy mix of emotional abuse and paralyzing magic. When her mother concocts a scheme to murder the kindly brother-sister duo that took them in off the streets, Cordelias’s forced to make an impossible choice: stand wi??th the woman who raised her or risk it all to save the only people who have ever treated her like family.

The post 10 New Books To Read September 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

If you’re looki??ng for a book to read, it can be easy to opt for a work of fiction, seeking a world to get lost in to escape reality. However, reality is not something I feel should be escaped, and my go-to picks are always non-fiction.

Non-fiction books offer an insight into the past, things we’ve not encountered ourselves, or perhaps a way in which to improve ourselves. Factual b?ooks are for learning about the world around us, ourselves, and figuring out how not to repeat the mistakes of the past. 

The Courage to be Disliked

Ichiro Kishimi (2013)

Ichiro Kishimi is a Japanese philosopher and psychologist focusing on Adlerian Psychology, which itself focuses on trying to overcome feelings of inferiority. As someone who has struggled with my own self-worth in the past, I believe that The Courage to be Disliked is an incredib??ly helpful to??ol on the road to becoming a better version of yourself.

Hiroshima

John Hersey (1946)

There are a lot of stories that have come out of the aftermath of the events of Hiroshima during World War 2, but none are more harrowing than the first-hand accounts that feature in John Hersey’s Hiroshima. 

This boo?k is undoubtedly hard to read, and you may have to put it down a few times before you can finish it, but it’s worth learning about the people who saw the bomb drop with their own eyes ??and lived to tell the tale. 

Salem Possessed

Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum (1974)

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn’t know of the horrific events that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, and I’ve read a lot of books about them. Out of my entire s?helf of Salem and other witch trials, this is the book I will always recommend to anyone trying to learn more about the events. 

Salem Possessed takes a deep dive into the societal make-up?? of Salem at the time, what led the residents of the New England town to make such baseless accusatio??ns towards people they once called friends, and even how some of the accusers became entangled in their own web of lies.

The Radium Girls

Kate Moore (2016)

The Radium Girls were a group of women from three factories across the United States who, during the events of World War 1, worked with Radium paint to cre??ate glow-in-the-dark watches for the military. During this work, they were encouraged to lick the tips of their brushes in order to keep them sharp. 

Unfortunately, Radium paint is known to be radioactive but as this information was withheld from the women doing the job, a huge number of them ended up with radiation poisoning, severe medical issues and even necrosis of the jaw. The Radium Girls is the story of what happened, and the ??histo??rical importance of the events within should never be ignored.

The Five

Hallie Rubenhold (2019)

Jack the Ripper was a murderer who, in 1888, killed five women who were labeled as prostitutes and mostly forgotten to history while their killer went on to live in infamy. But these women were more than they were made out to be. They had lives, histories, and experiences that deserve to be remembered, and that’s the point of The Five. 

Rubenhold won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-fiction with The Five, and it should be read by anyone who has ever expressed an interest in the case. Perhaps the victims should be more remembered than the unknown person w?ho took their lives. 

Band of Brothers

Stephen E. Ambrose (1992)

You’ve likely seen, or at the very least heard of the docu-drama series with Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks at the helm. If you’ve watched it, and even if you haven’t, I strongly urge you to read the original book, sharing the title of Band of Brothers, on which the se??ries was based. Ambrose even featured in the series, during the first moments of ??each episode, when the real men of Easy Company told snippets of their story.

Nothing to Envy

Barbara Demick (2009)

It’s no secret that North Korea is an incredibly secluded part of the world. Everything that goes in is controlled, and very little ever comes out. However, Barbara Demick’s Nothing to Envy is filled with the first-hand stories of five people who escaped North Korea ?and told their stories. Rather than dramatizing events from their lives, their accounts are told factually and this is an incredibly eye-opening read that I would recommend to anybody. 

Voices from Chernobyl

Svetlana Alexievich (1997)

I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that I love books that deal with historical events and their aftermaths, and Voices from Chernobyl is definitely on that list. Chernobyl is a singularly terrifying event, and it’s ??one which has a direct effect on the world today, with Pripyat still being largely inaccessible to the public due to high levels of radiation. If you want to know how the disaster unfolded, or how the families in the surrounding area dealt with the fallout, I cannot suggest this book enough.

Sh*t for Brains

Harebrained Inc (2022)

I’m the first to admit t?hat most of the books on this list have been incredibly heavy, but?? non-fiction doesn’t need to be hard to read. 

If you’re looking for something a little more light-hearted, then books of facts can be incredibly illuminating. Sh*t for Brains is filled with facts about the world, and I guarantee that there will be something on every page that will have you saying “no way�or “I can’t believe th??at happened� Some of t??he facts are funny, while others are admittedly kind of gross, but all of them will make you wonder what else you don’t know about the world.

Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook

David Borgenicht and Joshua Piven (2019)

Have you ever wondered what you’d do in an emergency situation, say you’re faced with a rampaging alligator, or how to handle your scuba tank running out of air? Admittedly these are pretty specific scenarios, but this book can talk you through them and many more. Whether you’re a full-on prepper, or you just want to feel a little more prepared, the Worst-Case Scenario Handbook should definitely be in your arsenal.

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Good ficti?on often stands ??out thanks to the humanity it captures within the pages of a book, and nothing will drive that so powerfully home as a deep sense of camaraderie between characters. 

It's time to dig into a few examples of great works of fiction with a focu?s on friendship ??and the bonds that drive people to loyalty and sacrifice.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

The characters in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowli??ng are always going on and on about friendship and how important it proves in the face of adversity, but it’s not as if they don’t put their money where their mouth is. The relationship between the main trio �and that would be Harry, Hermione, and Ron �is essentially what makes this tale work. Our protagonists care about each other as if they were related by blood, and it’s pretty normal in the course of this narrative to see them go out of their way to help each other and even make the ultimate sacrifice. Harry would’ve been dead or worse a dozen times over if not for Hermione and Ron always having his back.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

Such is the narrative power of a great duo that some books are essentially centered on it. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett is one such tale. Revolving around two heavenly beings, Aziraphale, an angel with a heart of gold, and Crowley, a demon with a nihilistic outlook, Good Omens is about how the unlikely camaraderie between these two? beings is capable of stopping an actual end-times event that is supposed to destroy the world an??d settle the score between the host of angels and the legions of hell once and for all. 

Some might interpret Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship as a romantic entanglement, and there are certainly enough hints to warrant that in the books as well as the popular Prime Video television adaptation, but even if they are amorously interested in one another as some people propose, there’s still no denying that the foundation of that bond is a??n acquaintance and a history as old as the universe itself??.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

If you’ve watched the modern live-action take on Sherlock Holmes, you need no convincing that the titular protagonist and his sidekick Dr. John Watson don’t need to be told twice to shout each other’s names from the rooftops. But that dynamic is not wholly an invention of the BBC showrunners. Indeed, more than being just a trusty sidekick and a chronicler of Holmes�adventures in the books, Dr. Watson is a friend who understands Sherlock better than anyone else, even his close kin. And it is because of this friendship developing over the span of these short stories that we keep coming back to?? Conan Doyle and his timel?ess detective tale.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

If this were a ranking of the best friendships in books, then The Lord of the Rings would be at the very top. Tolkien’s tale might ultimately be about the eternal struggle of good vs. evil, the heart of courage under dire circumstances, the spring of hope in the pitch-black of twilight, and what it means to live through a time of peril, but what makes all of this ?work at the end of the day is the spirit of communion and love. Of fellowship.

The dynamic between Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee as they take on this troublesome burden and go to the ends of the world is nothing short of spectacular character work. There is no sidekick, nor friend, nor partner or companion, in all of fiction as loyal and trustworthy, not to mention courageous and unrelenting in his sacrifice, as Sam. Frodo says in the books that he would not have gotten far were it not for his brave gardener of many years, and that sentence rings truer than all the words of wisdom you could read in the entire Lord of the Rings.

Aubrey–Maturin by Patrick O’Brian

A nautical fiction series taking place in the early 19th century, Aubrey–Maturin only pays off through the sheer brilliance of the friendship between its two titular characters, Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy and his ship’s surgeon, Stephen Maturin. When you read Patrick O’Brian, you walk down the lanes of history at the height of the Napoleonic Wars and bear witness to how Aubrey and Maturin’s connection ever so slowly blooms into one ?of the greatest and most profound friendships in all of fictio??n.

Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb

At times, the Realm of the Elderlings series by Robin Hobb might appear to be nothing more than a senseless and brutal tragedy revolving around a royal bastard who changed the world in his wake, but the writer herself has deliberately avoided the high and epic swashbuckling action of the fantasy genre in favor of deep characters and more so the ever esoteric dynamics between those characters. Now whether it be the bond between Fitz and his wolf Nighteyes, or Fitz’s ambiguous but intimate connection with the Fool �harboring very nearly homoerotic undertones �there’s no denying that Realm of the Elderlings ??is all about those thou?ght-provoking, poignant friendships.

Mistborn: Wax and Wayne by Brandon Sanderson

The second Mistborn era is a detective story centering around two characters, Waxillium “Wax�Ladrian and Wane, as they try to uncover the mysteries of the Scadrial world during its industrial phase. Wax is a lawman with a strong moral obligation, while Wayne is his comedic, lighthearted sidekick and best friend. In other words, the two complement each other perfectly, making all the shenanigans they get swept up in all the more compelling. Every Brandon Sanderson narrative has a hook. As far as Wax and Wayne is concerned, that hook is the relat??ionship between Waxillium and ?his deputy Wayne.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Jesse Aarons is a fifth grader with artistic inclinations, but the circumstances of his family have turned him into a bitter and depressed young boy. That all changes when he meets his new neighbor Leslie Burke. Leslie is also very imaginative and, befriending Jesse, tries to bring him out of his mood of doom and gloom. The two end up creating the imaginary world of Terabithia, where they spend many an afternoon playing and creating fairy tales out of thin air, little caring that the real world and its dilemmas always have a way of catching up to people. Bridge to Terabithia is one of the most heart-r??ending stories about friendship.

The Fault in Our Stars John Green

This is yet another story of romance, but what romance worth its salt isn’t fundamentally a tale about friendship? The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is one of the most recognizable books of the 21st century, chronicling the tale of 16-year-old Hazel Grace and her fight with cancer. Hazel’s life is changed when she meets Augustus, a 17-year-old whose own disease is currently in remission. Hazel Grace and Augustus develop a deep bond and understanding that eventually grows into a full-blown romance. While Fault in Our Stars may at first glance be a rural story, the s??takes of the story are always high, and that in turn makes everyth?ing all the more real.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

A coming-of-age young adult novel by Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower follows the story of an introverted teenager named Charlie. The character must go through adolescence and juggle friendships and acquaintances of all kinds as Chbosky delves into themes like sexuality, friendship, drug abuse, and mental health. The Perks of Being a Wallflower deftly discusses the chal?lenges of interacting and socializing with other people, be they friends or strangers or anything in between, as Charlie wrestles with the idea of adulthood.

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