In the aftermath of my criticism of self-publishing I thought it would be a good idea to point out some of those self-published books that I have enjoyed. Since no further introductions are needed, I’ll just dig right in:
The Dark Dreamweaver by Nick Ruth
By far one of my favorite self-published fantasy novels. With a cast of bizarre and fascinating characters, this one gripped me when I first read it years ago and it’s been in my library every since. It’s the kind of book I can see reading to my future children (when or wherever they happen to spring up).
You can find my review of it here (warning: this is an exceptionally old review)
The Tales of Tanglewood: The Lon Dubh Whistle by Scott Kessman
I guess it’s somewhat strange that two of the best self-published books I have read also happen to be novels meant for younger audiences. Still, Kessman’s work is fun, a bit quirky, and magical; it’s another one of those books that I’d love to read to my kids one day. We’ll see!
You can find a link to my review here.
Honeycomb by Israel Del Rio
The one adult novel that I found to be quite remarkable. While it’s not a perfect book, it’s premise is fascinating and the writing is generally pretty strong. Contains some interesting examinations of the afterlife and the complicated relationships between a series of connected individuals. Certainly worthy of a good read, in my opinion.
You can find a link to my review here.
There you have it! Evidence that I don’t hate all self-published novels. Have any of you read any particularly good SF/F novels that were self-published? Let me know in the comments!
