Hi all. Welcome to another month and almost one year of me doing these reading lists. First and foremost, I want to thank EVERYONE who tunes into these each month. I enjoy reading, and I am honored that I can share my thoughts on the literary journeys that I take. Finally, thank you to those who reach out—especially on Bluesky. (You can follow me using this link.)
Wizard and Glass by Stephen King
I am FLYING through the Dark Tower series! I had a love/hate relationship with this one—but I promise that story turns out to be great in the end.
We learn a lot about Roland’s past in this installment of the Dark Tower. In fact, 96% of the story takes place before the events of the first 3 books of the series. King has a fondness for time travel, and this book is no exception.
I enjoyed learning about Roland’s younger years and more about characters like Cuthbert. I said I had a love/hate relationship with this one, and that’s because I was EAGER to learn more about what took place right after the third book. Likewise, I have to admit, I was a tad impatient but quickly got the groove for Wizard and Glass. The first few chapters do give us some insight but quickly take us into that background of Roland that I talked about earlier.
I guess this was a long way to say if you liked the third book and want IMMEDIATE continuation of that plotline, you might become impatient at first, like I did. But, I promise, diving back into Roland’s past IS the way to go! I am on book 5 right now and can tell you that it picks up the story from the end of the third book. I can’t go into much more detail as I want to keep these spoiler-free (as always!)
This one is easily 4/5 stars for me! It’s not my favorite book of the series so far, but I liked it nonetheless. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
This is the very first book by Adrian Tchaikovsky that I’ve read. He has a prestigious reputation as a sci-fi writer (just look at any internet forum, and—more times than not—his name comes up.) All that being said, this book is the first of a trilogy, and I think it’s a great introduction into just how powerful a writer Tchaikovsky is.
Children of Time goes into immense detail about zoology, generational space travel, and evolution. The story starts out by putting the reader into full immersion, and I felt that the author didn’t weigh me down with too much world-building all at once. I think this is important for any writer: to trust the reader to weave events together. In other words, don’t treat your reader like they are dumb—let their mind and imagination do some of the work.
The book follows both the humans as well as the sentient spiders on Kern’s world. So every other chapter gives us the perspective of either the spiders or the humans. The chapters are also relatively short insofar as they can be picked up and read between appointments and whatnot.
I have heard some mixed things about the next book in the series, Children of Ruin, so I hope it’s just as good as Children of Time. From what I understand, each book does not really “follow” the last and can be read alone (this is just what I’ve heard, so don’t take my word for it.) The concepts of the trilogy as a whole remain the same (again, from what I have heard.)
Is this book for every fan of sci-fi? No. And here’s why. Tchaikovsky introduces advanced and complex ideas that, in my opinion, take me back to the old days of science fiction. (This is a compliment, by the way.) The story isn’t super fast-paced but certainly not boring.
I’ll give this one 4/5 stars as well, and I look forward to reading more from Tchaikovsky. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Ill-Made Knight by Christian Cameron
The story is told in the past tense, as the main character, William Gold, recounts his tale from boyhood to knighthood to a table of travelers. We know he is a knight within the first sentences, so don’t worry—I’m not spoiling anything the book doesn’t reveal early on.
The Ill-Made Knight is full of gory battles, immense detail about medieval combat, weapons, tactics, and more. I think this book will mostly attract those interested in the period. What I mean is that a special audience is needed to connect with the story.
The book is heavily technical, and as part of a multi-part series, it’s a long read. Of course, that’s subjective. I’ve never been that into knights in medieval times, so I found certain sections a bit vernacular to the subject.
Full disclosure, I DNF’d the second book in this series. It’s just too much detail for me, and my reading list has already imploded. This might be an outstanding aspect for some readers and fans of this period. The series as a whole has many raving reviews, and I think this first installment is a good book on its own. I’ve always tried to be humble in that I am just some dude who reads books and shares my thoughts on them. My reviews are, as always, subjective. The ending is satisfactory in that the reader won’t feel pressured to continue if this one does not captivate them. Cameron has a unique writing style, and I commend him for the detail and tropes in his first book of the series. Perhaps I’ll come back to the Chivalry series someday. For now, I rate this title 3 out of 5 stars. Those who are fond of historical fiction, medieval combat, chivalry, and knights will enjoy this title, I have no doubt. ⭐⭐⭐
Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King
Well, friends, I have made it! I am almost to The Dark Tower. I shouldn’t get too far ahead of myself because I’m only on book five out of seven in Stephen King’s fantastic series that I took far too long to start. Book five, in my opinion, is one of the most interesting tales in the Stephen King universe. Even though the whole book takes place in a small town, there are many sections of flashbacks, time travel, and, honestly, moments I found hard to keep up with—but that was just my squirrel brain at work.
Stephen King has proclaimed The Dark Tower series as the Lord of the Rings set in the Wild West, and I think that theme really plays out with Wolves of the Calla. A large portion of the novel follows a character that those who have read Salem’s Lot will know very well: Father Callahan. His story is so intertwined within Book V, and his character arc in this installment of the Tower SHINES! Well done, Stephen King. This series contains numerous characters from the SK universe; however, I am particularly fond of Callahan’s adventures in this one. I am lucky to have read Salem’s Lot before diving into this one. Picking up all the little clues and references was a bonus.
It’s hard to say if book V of the series is my favorite one, but it’s close to the top, if anything. Multiple times I found reverie in this book, my mind spinning with fervent images of the town, the characters, and the action. As far as Stephen King goes, this is just fantastic fiction. I encourage all of my readers to embark on The Dark Tower series: you will not regret it.
One last thing: the main “action” in this book takes place in the last few sections. But you wouldn’t even notice, because SK is brilliant and the entire book is JUST THAT GOOD. 5/5 stars for me! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks for reading! I am approaching a 365-day reading streak, which means I have been doing these reading lists for almost a year! I appreciate everyone who reaches out. Happy reading!
