Let me preface this by saying these books didn’t necessarily come out in 2021. I read widely and enjoyed dozens of stories this year, but I have very particular tastes when it comes to books which delve into dark and dangerous worlds. They give me a readergasm.
So this list is going to focus solely on the fan-gasm-tastic books that have kept me up late, curled under the covers, begging for more in 2021.
Donovan Series by W. Michael Gear
Oh hell in a holywater handbasket, this is one of the best things I’ve read in years!
In my never-ending pursuit of the perfect story that’s a blend of The Eyes of Light and Darkness & Event Horizon, I stumbled across the first book in this series: Outpost.
While the jacket copy for the story intrigued me, it was the ghost ship Freelander that sold me on purchasing this book.
Come for the ghost ship, stay for the quetzels.
There’s a saying on Donovan: “People come to leave, to find themselves, or to die.” This story gripped me from the first page and even now I’m whining in my head that book six isn’t out yet. I found myself on Donovan, from the ghost ship that crossed the void between universes, to the gripping, complex characters who lived and died on this mineral-rich world.
And just when you think you have Donovan figured out, this planet of death turns another degree for a new horror, a new creature who will eat you, or a new asshole who hasn’t realized that “stupidity will get you killed.”
If there was ever a 10-Star series that has me stalking an author for all the books they’ve ever written (or will write), this is it.
Other books in the Donovan series:
Beneath the Shadow Dark
by Melissa Polk
This beauty was yet another masterpiece I almost missed!
I had just released my debut into the world, and in a random act of chance discovered Polk had released her book two days before mine. So I skipped over to Amazon, and was barely a few lines into the jacket copy when my brain screamed I NEED THIS! This story grabbed me by the throat and refused to let me sleep.
Do not trust the light.
From the very first chapter, I was both gripped and distraught by Jos’s despair. They were in love with their best friend, to the point of committing a questionable act to work through their own conflict. I was already rooting for these two to find a way to comfort, when the friend in question enacted the ultimate betrayal.
The adventure that follows pulls Jos into the underground, absolutely gorgeous world of a dark god with his own questionable mission.
This was another 10-Star story, and every week I now torture this author about turning it into a series (we’re friends – it’s cool ^_^). At least I insist that we are… I digress.
But seriously, go pick up this book! It’s dark, gorgeous and has a swoon-worthy romance that is delicious.
The Great Ship series by Robert Reed
When someone says they found a book about a planet inside a starship, you do not question anything. You pass go, collect that two hundred dollars, and buy the damn book.
That’s all it took for me to pick up Marrow, and again this is one of those stories with a universe so vast that one story will never be enough. Thankfully Reed has novels, short stories and novellas all circling the wonderful Great Ship.
Who really built the Great Ship?
When I first started this story, I loved the world but wasn’t yet fully engaged. Reed’s writing style is a little outside the conventional, and it’s really what gives his voice a little more flavor.
But once I was hooked, I was HOOKED. It didn’t take long before this story absorbed me into its great hydrogen tanks, its derelict halls, and the questionable ethics of the ship’s captains. Every character is the hero of their own stories in Marrow, and no one is blameless. But as you take a dive into ceramic brains, lives that span millennia, and somewhat non-human creatures who live inside their space suits, everything unravels into a gorgeous narrative with empty spaces, shadowed corners, and more places to explore with each new story.
Other books in The Great Ship series:
Zach Langstrom series by D. J. Bodden
By the time I found this book, it had already been reviewed on Bookish Valhalla by Valkyrie Alexi.
Her review was full of such high praise, and some of the things I love most about science fiction novels, so of course about three minutes later I had this sucker loaded on my kindle.
Star spiders make the best pets.
Okay, not really, but I’ll get to that. Before you scream to burn the book down and find one without arachneids, this story was such a lovely surprise.
As with Marrow above, this one took me a chapter or two to get into the writing style. It’s a little rough around the edges (smoothing out a lot in book 2), but well worth the read. The characters and world are all complex, and I love how Zach’s character has everything he could want in life—except the spark that makes each day worth living.
At least until he gives his coddled life the middle finger and forges a new path. This book had some really wonderful surprises, and when the spiders come onto the scene, it quickly goes from reader claustraphobia to a queen spider you (almost) want to cuddle. Mostly…
Other books in the Zach Lancestrom series:
Fallen Empire series by Lindsay Buroker
I’m a huge fan of Lindsay Buroker’s work, and she has a lot of it out there.
My introduction to this author was her Dragon Blood series, and now she’s become a household favorite. I’ve read her fantasy stuff for a few years, but 2021 has been the year of science fiction for me, so of course I had to go digging into her library to find a new series. I’m so glad I did!
Cyborgs make the worst boyfriends.
Especially when they’re awesome and broody, and completely clueless when it comes to the opposite sex. I’m a sucker for a strong romance in any of my SFF reads, and this one definitely has a satan’s ass crack of slow burns.
However, it was the heroine that captured me in this adventure. She’s a smart, sassy pilot who always throws sarcasm around at the most inappropriate moments. Sometimes I was laughing out loud, while others I was groaning and thinking about kicking her. Overall though, I absolutely loved the first few books of this series and someday plan to read more. Once Cyborgie gets a clue, of course.
Other books in the Fallen Empire series:
The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir
When I first heard of this book, I fell in love with the cover and really, really wanted to read it.
But I’m always nervous with big books that have a lot of rave reviews, because they never live up to the hype.
Never… until this book.
One flesh, one end.
This story blew me away! It was dark, gritty, and absolutely stunning and weird AF—everything I love in a great story.
The heroines have the absolute best “I hate you” relationship that kept me laughing out loud. And the world… bone necromancers in space! It was so unique and gorgeous that I’ve already got the next book in the series ready for a 2022 read.
Other books in The Locked Tomb series:
That’s it for 2021! I will note that I’m currently reading The Locked Tomb series and love it so far.
If you love dark fantasy and science fiction books far from Earth that skirt the lines of horror (or climb into the horror box) please feel free to leave those recommendations in the comments. I plan for 2022 to be the year of dark and claustraphobic reads.
If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out other reviews from the Valkyries at Bookish Valhalla
Reviewer Bio
K. J. Harrowick is a freelance developer, graphic designer, technical coach, and author of the science fantasy novel, Bloodflower. You can find her reviews on Goodreads, Hàlon Chronicles, Bookish Valhalla, and occasionally Amazon and Book Sirens.