I have nothing but praise for Jim Butcher's unique and inspired fantasy epic. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, it's the single greatest story of the genre and one of the best book series of all time.

The writing style of this series is smooth, descriptive and doesn't waste a word, the level of worldbuilding is absolutely incredible, and the plots are exciting on a level that I really can't convey. As enthused as I get about many good books, I think this is the first time I've ever actually cheered out loud, jumped out of my chair and smacked said book(s) on the couch yelling "HOLY SHIT" because it's just that exciting. The story builds up and up and up to the point where you finish each book saying "well, there's no way he can top that..." and then he does.

Furies of Calderon starts out a bit slow because there's simply so much to introduce, but it picks up about halfway through and plows ahead like a runaway steamroller, getting better and better with every book, each one bigger and more mind-blowing than the last.

First Lord's Fury, the grand finale, may be the single most epic thing I've ever read. I don't think I've ever rooted for characters as hard as I did for Tavi and Kitai. Their development from the first book to the last is really something else...they're almost completely different people by the end but it feels entirely natural as you watch them grow into these amazing, powerful roles. The supporting cast is strong as well, from Tavi's best friend, Max, to the fierce and unpredictable canim.

The Aleran universe itself is gorgeous, a perfect mish-mash of pure fantasy with the influence of ancient Rome. I've read each book 2 or 3 times now and they haven't ceased to impress me. Hands down one of my top recommendations for anyone who hasn't yet had the pleasure.

As I barrel towards the closing page of the first manuscript in a space opera tetralogy that I started writing several years ago, I'd like to make note of some of my personal favorites of the genre. While I was outlining my own series, a childhood friend (and fellow sci-fi geek) was kind enough to give me his entire collection. Reading those many, many classics gave me a whole new understanding of science fiction literature and helped me to develop both my ideas and style in far greater detail. So in recognition of that, here's a list of "the best sci-fi books ever according to me."

Hyperion by Dan Simmons
A riveting journey across space and time as an unlikely group of pilgrims sets out on a dangerous and likely fatal mission in search of a creature that will either grant their most desperate wishes or tear them apart. Beautifully written, deeply disturbing and wildly creative. The second half, The Fall of Hyperion is intriguing as well but not quite on the same level.

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
A future war story that spans the cosmos, told from the perspective of a single soldier during his thousand-plus years of service as he experiences massive jumps in humanity's social and physical evolution due to relativistic effects caused by near light-speed travel back and forth from the front lines.

Old Man's War by John Scalzi
As much as I enjoyed The Forever War, this one is even better due, in large part, to the humor that it's written with. The main characters are a bunch of sarcastic, bitchy, washed up old fogeys who volunteer for military service and are subsequently transplanted into brand new super soldier bodies. Said bodies are green with silver blood and come with a neural interface called "BrainPal" (or nicknamed "asshole" by an impressive number of those serving). Although it's got it's dramatic moments, this book is primarily funny, exciting and whimsical, and I actually laughed myself to tears while reading certain parts of it on the train (drawing several "she's batshit crazy" stares). The ending leaves me wanting much more than the single short novel we got.

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein

Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

Blindsight by Peter Watts

Robot series by Isaac Asimov

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

The Terminal Man by Michael Crichton

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It's hard to review these books as the trilogy they were marketed as because the difference in substance, quality and story from one to the next is confusingly drastic.

Ancillary Justice was a winner through and through. Ann Leckie burst onto the sci-fi scene with an intensely engaging, powerful and refreshingly creative space opera that follows the remaining fragment of a warship called Justice of Toren, embodied by its one surviving "ancillary," who is on the run and going by the name of Breq.

In Leckie's bleak vision of the future, the Radch empire considers itself the pinnacle of civilization and makes a habit of spreading its so-called sophistication far and wide by "annexing" (a.k.a. invading, slaughtering, enslaving and assimilating) lesser cultures. A shocking number of their unfortunate victims are converted to ancillaries, which means they're physically killed and implanted with Radchaai technology that links their bodies and minds to the will of warships' artificial intelligence. In essence, they're brutally converted into zombie super soldiers that act as humanoid extensions of the spaceship, and Leckie's description of it all is both intriguing as hell and immensely disturbing.

The first half of this dark urban fantasy series by Rob Thurman is fantastic. It's extremely creative and just gets better and better over the course of five books. I enjoyed them so much that I created a plethora of artwork for the series, and plan to do more in the future.

True, the rest of the books were a bitter disappointment, but that certainly shouldn't stop you from tearing through (and re-reading often) five highly addictive novels before you go.

My mother sent me Nightlife, the first book, as a birthday present several years ago, knowing how much I love dark dramas, snarky humor and the supernatural...all of which are in abundance when it comes to the Leandros brothers. I was hooked from the first page.

These characters are NOT heroes, and that's part of their charm. To have leads who are such an absolute mess, but presented with a sense of humor that mixes perfectly with the dark, intense drama behind it, is refreshing. Be aware, though, you have to love Cal. If you can't embrace his bitchy and often punch-worthy personality early on, this series definitely isn't for you.

I could rave about this author for days. I could write a lengthy, in-depth review of each and every individual book, but that would be a waste of time. Just go read them. Go read them all.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is one of the best book series out there. Sure, my being a lifelong ancient mythology buff enhances the experience, but even if you know nothing about the source material, his modernization of classic tales and figures is thoroughly engaging.

I stumbled across this little gem in the Wolfsbane and Mistletoe collection (Christmas and werewolves; how can you possibly go wrong?) and it is easily the funniest story I've ever read. I was literally doubled over, in tears, laughing so hard that it hurt, from start to finish. The outrageous narrative really shouldn't work but it does. This author has completely won me over with comic creativity. No matter how many times I read this one, I find it just as hilarious and ingenious. It's weird, completely ridiculous and totally over the top...so if you're looking for something more traditional and broody, this certainly isn't for you. But if you can let go and enjoy something for the preposterous, insane ride that it is, Shapeshifters Anonymous is an absolute must-read! For that matter, I recommend the whole Wolfsbane and Mistletoe anthology, although this was certainly the winner of the bunch.

I absolutely love books of this genre, particularly those that get inside the killer's head, so I was really looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately, I wrote a better thriller when I was twelve. The style of writing in this book is unbelievably childlike. I've never seen such an abuse of italics and exclamation points, and the stupidity of the characters is so extreme that suspension of disbelief becomes impossible.

The hero and heroine of the story, as well as their supporting cast, are blundering buffoons who display nothing but incompetence every step of the way. The main madman is a one-dimensional stereotype with absolutely nothing to make him interesting. Patterson writes him to be "super clever," giving him a style of speech and narration that's not at all realistic. It's like the character was yanked out of an old 1800s novel; the way he speaks comes off as a failed attempt to make him sound highly intelligent and ends up sounding fake and silly. The story itself drags on with too many side plots and more holes than the Titanic, to the point where you end up wanting to smack everyone involved.

Additionally, I have no problem with scenes of sexual violence. Lisa Gardner's Say Goodbye is a beautiful example of how to write graphic, disturbing scenes that don't feel gratuitous and are actually true to life as well as integral to the plot. In contrast, the violence in Kiss the Girls is purely gratuitous, written in a way that makes me wonder if Patterson was simply drawing from online fantasy forums.

Do yourself a favor...if you want exciting, captivating, disturbing books about serial killers, stick with authors like Lisa Gardner, Brian Freeman and Tess Gerritsen, who have large collections of well-written genre novels, and skip this ludicrous attempt at a thriller. Hell, go watch the movie. It's not great but it's leaps and bounds more enjoyable than this literary disaster and at least it has Morgan Freeman.

Any negative reviews that I've seen of this book seem to have little to do with the writing or storyline, but rather people having trouble with the content itself. The plot and characters are extremely disturbing, yes, primarily because they are so realistic. Are the nay-sayers afraid to acknowledge that such horrible things DO in fact happen in this world? I understand that Gardner did not base this story on one true event, but much of the plot is highly reminiscent of the famous abduction cases of Steven Stayner and later Shawn Hornbeck. It's a horrifying psychological study of the effects of long term child abduction and abuse, and it does its job.

I have immense respect for Gardner for not only tackling a highly controversial subject matter, but for doing it in such raw, brutal and devastating fashion that rips your heart out at every turn. If you can handle the harrowing events enough to keep reading, it is one mind-blowing novel. The unapologetic nature of the writing is what makes it so powerful, but admittedly hard for some people to stomach.

The story is told on multiple timelines from multiple points of view, which is not unusual for thrillers but is done in an especially intriguing way here. For much of the book, you aren't sure who is narrating certain chapters (which is the point, because the experiences of the young boys are so interchangeable as the cycle continues), and when things are finally made clear at the end, it's that much sadder. You despise and yet feel so much pity for the characters all at once.

Say Goodbye is far from an easy read and many people will struggle with it or flat out hate its ruthless depiction of real-life horror. But for those of us who appreciate the relentless approach, disturbing and depressing though it may be, this is one hell of a masterpiece and a truly riveting read that is not to be missed.