We are very excited to announce that this weeks Top Ten Tuesday has been provided by Author,
Mark Gelineau!
Mark Gelineau is one half of the amazing writing duo Mark Gelineau and Joe King. Regular followers of our blog will know how obsessed we have become with their high fantasy novella series, Echoes of the Ascended.
We’ve loved seeing what Mark likes to read when he’s not concentrating on the next instalment of our favourite series. We hope you do too!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that other bloggers are welcome to join in, to create Top Ten lists on varying topics. This week it’s Top Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven’t Talked About Enough/In A While
MARK GELINEAU
I’m Mark, one of the authors for the Echoes of the Ascended novellas. The wonderful ladies here at Paein and Ms4Tune have been kind enough to offer me a spot to talk to you lovely people. They presented me with a topic that I absolutely jumped at. So here then, in particular order, is a list of ten books I REALLY LOVE BUT FEEL LIKE I HAVEN’T TALKED ABOUT ENOUGH. Well, plus a few honorable mentions as well. Check them out and comment with your own books you love but don’t talk about enough.
1 Planetary Omnibus
by Warren Ellis & John Cassaday
Links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk
2 Dead Sea
by Tim Curran
3 The Colony
by F G Cottam
I’m a horror guy. I love horror movies. I love horror books. But I have a strong preference for horror that is more supernatural than splatter. FG Cottam’s The Colony just hits all the right buttons for me. A lost colony on a mysterious island. Creepy ghostly footage. A scientific expedition setting out to investigate. I’m so there. The book drips with mood and atmosphere, and the genuine sense of unease it generates is awesome.
Links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk
4 Retribution Falls
by Chris Wooding
Hey kids, you like steampunk? You like Firefly? Yeah, me too. So it should come as no surprise that I think Retribution Falls is awesome. It feels like the lovechild of these two things. However, simply referring to it as a mix of those two influences is actually a disservice to the great story, world, and especially characters that Chris Wooding has crafted here. There are few things better than finding a book that is just plain fun. That you can lose yourself in. I am genuinely shocked by how often, when I bring up this book and the rest of the Ketty jay series, that people haven’t heard of it. Absolutely a blast.
Links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk
5 Dragonflight
by Anne McCaffrey
Dragonflight has been getting a lot of talk recently, appearing on a number of lists as one of the top fantasy properties that would be awesome as a tv show or movie in this post Game of Thrones world we now live in. I am bringing it up here because I still think that there is not enough talk about this. Anne McCaffrey’s first book in her Dragonriders of Pern series was another early fantasy book for me. I still remember reading this and the other books in the trilogy (Dragonquest and The White Dragon) after seeing the beautiful cover art. I do think this would be an amazing show or movie, but if you have never read them, don’t bother waiting. Get in on the next big thing before it actually is even a thing.
Links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk
6 Harry Potter (all of them)
by J K Rowling
7 Good Omens
by Neil Gaiman & Sir Terry Pratchett
Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I’ll let that sink in for a moment. Yes, both of them. Writing together. About the Apocalypse. And it is hands down one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. Smart and fun, and a joy to read. This book does not get nearly the love it deserves, even with those names attached. If you like either Gaiman or Pratchett and you haven’t read this book yet, you are missing out.
Links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk
8 The Dark is Rising
by Susan Cooper
As a teacher, when students are looking for a book to read and I know they might be at all interested in mythology or fantasy, this is my go to recommendation. Susan Cooper weaves the mythology of Britain and Wales into her work with a deft hand, and creates an amazing YA book that is smart and compelling. There was a movie made. It had Ian McShane in it, who is awesome, but other than that, read the book instead.
Links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk
9 The List of 7
by Mark Frost
Written by Mark Frost of Twin Peaks fame, The List of 7 is just awesome. It features Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as the main character, a hearty helping of the occult, and a ton of pure pulp adventure. One of my favorite categories of books is what I call “Airplane books,” basically books that you would love to have with you on a long flight. This is one of my top airplane books.
Links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk
10 The Belgariad and The Malloreon
by David Eddings
More than any other books, these were the ones that not only cemented my love of fantasy, but taught me about the power of characters that you absolutely love. The family dynamic between Belgarath, Polgara, and Garion still warms my heart, and Kheldar of Drasnia, or “Silk” is still one of my all-time favorite characters ever. I loved this series so much when I was younger that to this day, I have never read the last book, because I cannot stand the idea that it would end things.
Links: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk
Lol I was searching for Dragonflight on Book Outlet last night. I’d really like to read McCaffrey’s Pern books.
Me too! I’d not actually heard of it before but I am definitely going to go hunting for a copy!
Thanks for stopping by!
Rachel x
oh how fun! My TTT