Best Reads of 2024 – Fiction

Here are the best fiction books I read this year.  Nothing disappointing on this list, but there are definitely some series that I started and were good, but in the long run not worth my time to continue.  As should be obvious from my list, this is the year I discovered C. J.  Box’s Joe Pickett series.  I have not read as many books from a single series in one year for a long time.

I am currently reading the latest Brandon Sanderson Stormlight book, and it will be followed by the last book in Tad Williams’ current fantasy series (Last King of Osten Ard) -  I am pretty sure both of these books will show up on next year’s best list.

Open Season by C. J. Box.  This is the first of Box’s Joe Pickett series.  Just about any of the books listed below could be here in the best list – Open Season is probably not his best.  But none of the 9 I read were anything but excellent.  Joe Pickett is a game warden in Wyoming who regularly finds himself in the midst of a murder or other kind of mystery.  The TV series streaming on Paramount got me interested and while I enjoyed the TV show, the books are just wonderful.  Nothing too deep – just a fun, fast-paced adventure/mystery/thriller.  A perfect “comfort food” read.

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson.  This one surprised me.  Brandon Sanderson broke Kickstarter a year or two ago with his secret project books.  Crowd-funded $41 million for them!  I did not join, but picked up the books after release.  I really enjoyed Tress (on last year’s best list) but I thought my favorite would be The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook (see below).  That was actually me least favorite of the 4.  Yumi was the book I was not sure I would even buy, but I am so glad I did, because it was another favorite.

The Bookseller of Inverness by S. G. MacLean.  Another surprise.  This was a $0.99 deal on Kindle at Amazon.  I like good historical fiction, so I thought I would give it a try.  Set in Scotland in the 18^th century, this book is mystery set in the years after Bonnie Prince Charlie’s rebellion that ended at the battle of Culloden.  Slow-moving, but very absorbing and atmospheric, this is historical mystery writing at its best; it gives C. J. Sansom, one of my favorite authors, a run for his money.  Looking forward to more of her books this year.

The Bone Ships by R. J. Barker.  A third surprise and another super cheap Kindle purchase.  This is the first book of the Tide Child Trilogy.  Barker does some wonderful world-building, creating a fantasy world ruled by sea power and ships that are crafted from the bones of sea monsters.  But, what happens when the sea monsters die off?  Or when one last sea monster appears again?  This is swashbuckling naval adventure at its finest.  And the best part – no foul language and no sexual content!  Just a great story.

Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert Harris.  A fourth surprise.  I read and enjoyed Conclave by Harris and found one of his historical fiction novels set in ancient Rome for a few dollars on Amazon.  This is really excellent – the first book of a series on the life of lawyer Marcus Cicero.  It is full of Roman political machinations and legal drama – almost like an ancient, early day John Grisham novel (think The Pelican Brief or The Firm, just set in ancient Rome).  I look forward to the rest of the series.

Other good reads, just not on the “best” list:

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Artemis by Andy Weir

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi (Interdependency, #1)

The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi (Interdependency, #2)

The Last Emperox by John Scalzi (Interdependency, #3)

Savage Run by C. J. Box (Joe Pickett #2)

Winterkill by C. J. Box (Joe Picket #3)

The Frugal Wizards’ Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson

The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson

The Tower of Fools by Andrzej Sapkowski (Hussite Trilogy, #1)

Trophy Hunt by C. J. Box (Joe Pickett #4)

Out of Range by C. J. Box (Joe Pickett #5)

In Plain Sight by C. J. Box (Joe Pickett #6)

Free Fire by C. J. Box (Joe Pickett #7)

Blood Trail by C. J. Box (Joe Pickett #8)

Below Zero by C. J. Box (Joe Pickett #9)

Dragons of Deceit by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance Destinies, #1)

Conclave by Robert Harris