Recap - Books of 2025

 

The Morrigan: Celtic Goddess of Magick & Might by Courtney Weber 9/10 Epic

Over the past couple years, my wife and I have explored spirituality in different directions than the traditional sense. Weber was one of the hosts of my wife's favorite podcast, and her dive into the origins and stories behind several witchy icons caught my attention. The Morrigan, as an entity and not necessarily the book, specifically captured my eye. It was with this line of thinking that I decided to give the book a read, and I must say I was more than pleasantly surprised. Weber weaves an intricate take on the goddess, her influence thoughout Celtic myths, and even ventures into the claims of present day worshippers. For anyone who is looking for explanations as to why those crows and ravens seem to be seeking you out like they have something to say... The Morrigan is a great read.

The Silver Spike by Glen Cook 9/10 Epic

Glen Cook has quickly become one of my favorite authors of all time, surpassing my love for Joe Abercrombie and Bernard Cornwell with his gritty take on fantasy. The Silver Spike is one of the Books of the South from the Black Company collection. This one in particular chronicles another showdown between Croaker, the Lady, and the forces they've gathered against her ex-husband, the Dominator. If you think that sounds like an incredibly expensive divorce, then you'd be right. Plenty of blood is spilled in the quest for the world's full expulsion of this ancient evil, but does that mean everything will end just peachy?

Shadow Games by Glen Cook 6/10 Better than Some

While I just said that I absolutely love Cook, that doesn't mean the man is without his faults. Not everything he touches is going to turn to gold, and Shadow Games is one of those titles that's hardly silver or bronze. This one is the Black Company's first foray to the south where they are experiencing new cultures and new enemies after everything has been wrapped up in the north. At least for now. As it stands, however, Shadow Games was probably the most convoluted and confusing Black Company novel yet. I found myself struggling to pay attention as Croaker gets ready to hand the narrating responsibilities off to a younger, newer member of the Black Company.

Dreams of Steel by Glen Cook 8/10 Glorious

In a twist here, the narrating responsibilities of the Black Company does not fall on Murgen's shoulders but rather the Lady's. For the first time in the series, we get to be inside the head of the woman who's caused  much more strife than she has happiness. This return to form for Cook left me feeling like the series was still more than worth pursuing. Some of those puzzling moments from the previous novel are also cleared up, as they should be, in this conclusion of the Books of the South.

The Heirs of Babylon by Glen Cook 7/10 Good Enough

I've been on a Cook kick for a couple years, so of course this is going to seem like a plug for the man. I promise I'm not getting paid. The Heirs of Babylon was Cook's first novel, and it shows in all the good and bad ways you can interpret that statement. Every writer has to start somewhere, and Cook does a great job for his first foray into the field. The Heirs of Babylon is a science fiction piece about an apocalyptic future where war is constant. That's a trope we've seen a million times before between Fallout and Warhammer 40K to Mad Max and Starship Troopers. What makes this one interesting is the reasoning behind it is fairly sound. The society Cook has concocted in Heirs has an economic reliance on their war machine. And to quote the great Lincoln Osiris, "If the machine breaks down... we break down."

Circe by Madeline Miller 10/10 Legendary

Overall these scores are a little all over the board, with one down at a 5 and everything else peppered upwards from there. The main thing to notice for Circe is that it's the only book I gave a 10/10 this year. Madeline Miller captured my attention with The Song of Achilles when I read it last year. She has done it again with Circe. This take on the sorceress from Greek mythology gives us all a glimpse into the lives, politics, and incredibly human flaws of the Greek pantheon. Circe is not a perfect character, she has many flaws of her own, but that's the true beauty behind Miller's writing. It's hard to think of a novel where I have felt more connected to the characters than those she has developed. It's been a while since she's published anything. Let's hope something incredible is on the horizon again.

How to Think about War by Thucydides 6/10 Better than Some

There's not much to be said about this one. As you can see from the score, it wasn't great. This is by no means Thucydides's fault. His words were cherry picked by the publishing company in order to give credence to the title. They fail, in that regard. Thucydides has incredibly poignant quotes that could have been analyzed and expanded upon, but instead the publishers focused on moments throughout his historical records that do little to add to strategy or any kind of critical thinking.

Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo 6/10 Better than Some

This was a bit of a tough read, as well. A lot of that could be due to the fact that Tsunetomo's thoughts and vision of the perfect man and warrior do not match up with my western thinking. Anyone wanting to learn more about the samurai would do well reading Hagakure, but be warned that there is a heavy emphasis on the relationship between master and servant. He considers Ronin to be something of a lost cause, floating on the winds of time when they should have done the "honorable" thing and committed seppuku with the death of their masters. This insight into samurai thinking was interesting, to say the least, but I have also read other takes that do not put as much emphasis on the warriors' complete and utter subservience... even at the cost of their lives.

Leatherneck by Michael Pritsos

Can't say too much on this one. My opinion my be skewed! Check it out here.

The Red Queen's Ward by Mark Lawrence 8/10 Glorious

A short read, this kindle by Lawrence gives us a couple brisk stories about Prince Jalan and Snorri that we haven't heard before. A couple of them are from the pair's past before they knew one another, but the real reason for the purchase would have to be seeing them explore the new world. Did it give me exactly what I wanted in a story? No, it wasn't nearly long enough to do that. It did, however, put me back in the world of the Broken Empire for a few more pages. And for me... that was worth it.

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey 8/10 Glorious

For those who have not watched The Expanse on Prime, you're missing out on incredible science fiction. The world-building, the character development, and the lore. My God, the lore! On a serious note, The Expanse is an incredible piece of story-telling that should be experienced by any fan of the genre. Leviathan Wakes is the first novel exploring those worlds and their possibilities through the eyes of former naval officer James Holden and disgraced detective Josephus Miller. These two come together along with a team of others to pursue a lead that has disastrous implications for the entire solar system. The question is, was it humans who engineered this catastrophe or are they just taking the reins from a more sinister entity lightyears away?

The Afghan Campaign by Steven Pressfield 5/10 Middling at Best

Ah, the 5 of the bunch. I was looking forward to this review. Not as much as I was looking forward to reading something taking place in the ancient Middle East, but I guess we don't all get what we want. I have tried to enjoy Pressfield's style of writing, but it's just not one that I can get into. There is a lot of skipping ahead with time in order to get to some action, but then when we get to that action it tends to fall flat. Give me Cornwell for historical fiction any day of the week. Pressfield can stick to doling out advice books.

Skin & Earth by Lights 7/10 Good Enough

I'm usually not into graphic novels, but this year I've been into virtually everything that Lights does so it was a given that I would have to grab a used copy of her comic compendium. The fact that she not only developed the story but also tied its concept into the album she released that year is a feat in and of itself. Now throw in there that she learned how to draw comic art and did every single piece of that in the book... Incredible. This woman is talented in so many ways, and just seeing that on paper was well worth the short amount of time it takes to fly through a book like this. Skin & Earth's story is nothing groundbreaking. It's akin to a Hunger Games type. That said, it establishes the main character (clearly Lights, herself) as an emotional force to be reckoned with as she accepts who she is and where she needs to go in her journey of self-discovery.

Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead by Jim Mattis & Bing West 9/10 Epic

One of my absolute favorites of this year has to Mattis's memoirs about his time in the military. The Marine served for nearly half a century in every capacity from platoon leader to Secretary of Defense, and he compounds all of that information into roughly 250 pages of engaging text. From the aftermath of Vietnam to the dismantling of ISIS, Mattis has a storied career that transcends political leanings. He does a great job in keeping to his apolitical stance. The fact that he never really reveals where he stands in that arena gives credit where credit is deserved, and the Warrior Monk more than earns his title.

Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey 7/10 Good EnougH

The second in a series of nine, Caliban's War continues the story of The Expanse by delving into more perspectives than the pair we were given in book one. Introducing Mars's perspective on the growing animosity between them and Earth is a great take, but something falls flat in this novel that's difficult to put a finger on. It is still good, and keeps the tale moving forth, but Caliban's War did not bring that same protomolecule magic that the original book did. We'll have to see how that goes in Abaddon's Gate. 

Aesop's Fables by Aesop 9/10 Epic

Certainly the most ancient of the books that I've read this year, this compilation serves as the 203 best fables that Aesop developed to examine human behavior as well as teach moral lessons through its animal cast. While some of them are certainly going to be duds, many more are not. With wisdom as integral as can be expected from a prolific ancient, the themes of these fables will stand the test of time while the rest of us are nothing but shadows and dust.

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