Best Reads of 2022 - Fiction

This is part 2 of my annual review of the best books I read in 2022.  This is the collection of fiction books for the year.  As you will see, 2022 was a heavy science fiction year.  Not sure if I have any reason for that….but here goes.

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey.  This is the first in a series of books that provide the foundation of the Amazon Prime series The Expanse.  After watching The Expanse, I decided to read some of the series.  Leviathan Wakes is excellent and I almost wish I had read it before watching the TV show because there are departures from the show that I had to adjust to.  I am looking forward to reading a few more volumes of the series in 2023.

Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn.  I usually don’t read books that are spin offs from popular movies or shows like Star Trek or Star Wars.  But way back in college, I remember reading a set of books by Zahn set in the Star Wars universe featuring Admiral Thrawn, who is a mix between a brilliant detective and a masterful tactician and general. Imagine my surprise to find that there were other Thrawn books.  This is the first of a prequel series that was just excellent.

The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter by Michael J. Sullivan.  This is the fourth of a series entitled the Riyria Chronicles and features Sullivan’s wonderful characters, Royce and Hadrian.  The chemistry between the two characters is as delightful as always and the plot races right along, keeping the reader on their seat until it comes to a satisfying ending.

Into the Narrowdark by Tad Williams.  This is book 3 in one of the best continuing fantasy series today, The Last King of Osten Ard.  Set decades after his original trilogy (Memory, Sorrow and Thorn), the story builds from the first two books with more twists and turns leading to a cliff-hanger ending that leaves one waiting until book #4 is published.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.  Weir is best known as the author of The Martian, which was made into a movie staring Matt Damon.  In this book, Weir tells the story of an expedition sent deep in space to try to stop the deterioration of our sun and the ultimate destruction of life on earth.  The premise is intriguing, the storyline keeps you reading and the plot has more than a few surprises.

The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson.  It is always a good year when there is a new Brandon Sanderson book to read.  This novel concludes his second Mistborn series again featuring Wax, Wayne and their cohorts.  While this series is a mix of steampunk and fantasy, it is more light-hearted than some of his other series and once again leads the reader on a breath-taking ride to a powerful conclusion.

 

Other excellent fiction titles I read this year:

Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks

The Starless Crown by James Rollins

Greater Good by Timothy Zahn (Thrawn Ascendency, #2)

Crooked River by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Thrawn by Timothy Zahn (Thrawn, #1)

Thrawn:  Alliances by Timothy Zahn (Thrawn, #2)

Thrawn:  Treason by Timothy Zahn (Thrawn, #3)

Kesrith by C. J. Cherryh (Faded Sun, #1)

Shon’Jir by C. J. Cherryh (Faded Sun, #2)

Kutath by C. J. Cherryh (Faded Sun, #3)

Brothers of the Wind by Tad Williams