Recommended holiday reads

The summer holidays are fast approaching (or already upon us, depending on either where you live, how optimistic you are, or a combination of both) and there’s nothing better than basking in the resplendent glory of Mother Nature’s baskiest offerings…all with a good book to lose yourself in.

With that in mind, I thought I’d share a small selection of some of my favourite holiday reads.

Echoes of the Great Song – David Gemmell

I talk-up David Gemmell’s books at every available opportunity, and this post is no different. However, for a holiday read I’m suggesting one of his standalone novels, Echoes of the Great Song. This book is a proper popcorn, epic fantasy book — and by that I mean you can easily (and enjoyably) work your way through it while sunning yourself on a beach, or swinging from a hammock in the forest, or lounging on your city-break balcony.

Echoes is a standalone novel that follows the plight of the Avatar race, a humanoid species whose entire civilisation was nearly destroyed by a cataclysmic natural disaster. When we join the story, the surviving Avatars are struggling to maintain control over the much more numerous population of Vagars (humans) in this post-event world — and then, just as things are bleak enough, a new and even more dangerous threat emerges.

The cast of characters is not nearly as endearing as some of Gemmell’s other books, but its got plenty of fun action, some high-stakes set-pieces and a plot that doesn’t meander too much. It’s a great book to spend some of your holiday with.

Mr Mercedes – Stephen King

As with Gemmell, so with King – I am a big fan of both these authors, but in picking one of SK’s back catalogue for a holiday recommendation I ended up going a bit left-field. When it comes to Stephen King books, my heart lies firmly with IT and The Stand (which I believe are his masterpieces) but neither of those really fit the bill for this post, so I wracked my brains a bit more and realised there is a perfect candidate, sitting on the periphery of King’s usual work.

Mr Mercedes is actually the start of a mini-series, and it’s King’s first (I think) foray into writing more of a thriller than a horror (or dark fantasy) novel. It follows the quest of a retired detective who is taunted by the one mass-murderer he didn’t catch, the eponymous Mr Mercedes.

You couldn’t get much more “thriller trope” than that premise, right? And that’s perfect for a holiday read! King has the writing chops to try his hand at pretty much any genre he wants, and—in my opinion—he does really well with this one. It’s not as mind-bending and not as fantastical as his usual books, but it’s still packed full of tension and well-written characters!

The Lies of Locke Lamora – Scott Lynch

One of the longer reads on this list, but if you’re going away for more than a week then this is where I recommend you start.

I fucking love this book. The character-work is so sharp you could cut yourself on it, and the world-building is so brilliantly woven into the story that, before you know it, you find yourself exploring the Venetian-styled Camorr, rather than reading about it. The book is dark, witty and full of big twists. I once described it as a grittier Ocean’s Eleven—but with knives, magic, gangsters and sharks—and I stand by that today.

Not only that, but it’s the beginning of an (as yet unfinished) series. The book’s sequels don’t quite hit the same highs as this first entry, but Red Seas over Red Skies is still an absolute riot, and Republic of Thieves has layers upon layers of game-playing intrigue (and the introduction of a much-talked about character from the previous instalments). Take The Lies of Locke Lamora on your holiday and buy the others when you get back.

Kings of the Wyld – Nicholas Eames

Holiday reading, for me at least, is all about having a good time. I want stories that entertain me. I want books I can have some fun with. If that sounds like you, then look no further than Kings of the Wyld.

This book reads a bit like a D&D game (full disclosure, I don’t have much experience in playing D&D, but I’m versed enough to know this comparison holds up) and, so long as you go in with those kind of expectations, you won’t be disappointed.

The book follows a disbanded group of mercenaries/hunters as they seek to reunite in order to save one member’s imperilled daughter from certain death at the hands/claws/teeth of a horde of monsters besieging the fortress that she’s hiding in. It’s got a proper “get the band back together” vibe and it fucking rocks. I’ve always loved main characters who are less coming of age and more my knees are fucked and this book delivers them in spades.

Word of warning, the book lurches quite quickly through lots of different scenes, so the pacing can feel a bit too jumpy at times, but all in all it’s a cracking read for your holiday.

The Twelve Caesars – Suetonius

Ok so this one might give you whiplash to finish the list, owing to just how radically different it is to the others, but here we are.

The Twelve Caesars, originally written by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, is a biographical account of—you guessed it—twelve successive Roman rulers. It is an absolute chonker of a book, but if you like your historical non-fiction then I think it’s a must-read. You get insights into the minds and madnesses of the likes of Julius Caesar, Caligula and Nero, but you also get some fascinating detail on some (arguably) lesser-known Roman leaders (the likes of Claudius, Vespasian and Titus).

This is a book that you can absolutely lose yourself in, which is what makes it perfect for a holiday read – but maybe go for the ebook version to save on lugging it around with you.

📚✌🏻SP

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