Welcome to A Month of Rain and Reads, a celebration of self-published and indie SFF throughout the entire month of November. To find out how you can take part and view the whole list of content, visit our introduction post.
Today we’re hosting a list of top ten indie books by Phil Parker.
Here are my favourite books written by indie authors:
A bounty hunter with a death wish. A girl with fearsome powers. A kingdom on the brink of destruction.
Serena dreams of leaving her harsh desert home behind in her very own airship. But when an assassin’s knife meant for Serena kills her friend instead, the rebellious orphan ventures into the corrupt heart of Dalthea to discover who put a price on her head. With each new turn, she edges closer to uncovering the awful truth… And the mystical powers brewing deep within her.
After his fiancée’s death, soldier-turned-bounty hunter Tyson Gallows is eager to sacrifice his life in the line of duty. When a foreign enemy assassinates a high-ranking official, he vows to bring them to justice. On the hunt for a killer, Gallows exposes a sinister plot that proves his fiancée’s death was no accident.
Driven by revenge, Serena and Gallows must join forces to take down the conspiracy before the kingdom falls to ruin.
Symphony of the Wind is the first book in a gritty epic fantasy trilogy. If you like hardened heroes, steampunk airships, and dark magic and monsters, then you’ll love Steven McKinnon’s visceral adventure.
Symphony of the Wind by Steven McKinnon is the first story in his Raincatcher’s Ballad series. It was a finalist in the 2018 SPFBO competition, a well-deserved place too. Its world building is original, graphic and broad, its characters engaging, vivid and real, its fight scenes visceral. I love all of Steve’s books but this one remains a favourite because of its three main characters who represent almost every part of the human condition – when viewed through a dark glass.
You can find the book here.
Welcome to Ordshaw. Don’t look down.
Pax is one rent cheque away from the unforgiving streets of Ordshaw. After her stash is stolen, her hunt for the thief unearths a book of nightmares and a string of killers, and she stands to lose much more than her home.
There’s something lurking under her city.
Knowing it’s there could get you killed.
Under Ordshaw by Phil Williams is another first novel in a lengthy series. This urban fantasy takes place in a British city with more than its share of monsters, magic and supernatural mayhem. Its protagonist is Pax, who inadvertently gets involved in events involving mercenary fairies, underground monsters, gangsters and a dubious government agency. It’s lots of fun to read, plenty of snarky humour especially. Gun-toting fairies will have you laughing too. Yet the excitement is full-on, the pace is relentless. Plus, there are plenty of books to read in this series.
You can find the book here.
Described as American Gods meets The Avengers and Supernatural meets The Lord of the Rings, Paternus combines myths from around the world in a modern story of action and intrigue that is “urban fantasy on the surface, but so much more at its core!”
Even myths have legends. And not all legends are myth.
When a local hospital is attacked by strange and frightening men, Fiona Patterson and Zeke Prisco save a catatonic old man named Peter—and find themselves running for their lives with creatures beyond imagination hounding their every step.
With nowhere else to turn, they seek out Fi’s enigmatic Uncle Edgar. But the more their questions are answered, the more they discover that nothing is what it seems–not Peter, not Edgar, perhaps not even themselves.
The gods and monsters, heroes and villains of lore—they’re real. And now they’ve come out of hiding to hunt their own. In order to survive, Fi and Zeke must join up with powerful allies against an ancient evil that’s been known by many names and feared by all. The final battle of the world’s oldest war has begun.
Paternus: Rise of Gods, is Dyrk Ashton’s critically acclaimed debut novel and the first book in The Paternus Trilogy. It has been compared to works by Neil Gaiman, Scott Hawkins, Roger Zelazny, China Miéville, Joss Whedon, and Kevin Hearne.
Paternus by Dyrk Ashton is an epic story which includes every pantheon of deities you care to mention and brings them together into an epic battle of Good Versus Evil. I remember chatting with Dyrk at the time, about how we both found it easy to lose ourselves in research; you’ll see what I mean in this story. It is rich in its cultural and historical references, enough to make you wonder if it’s all real. The cast of characters exceeds War and Peace I imagine but they’re all vivid and engaging. There’s a cinematic quality to the story as, like a god, the reader flies across the action to zoom in on key moments, to then fly on to the next adventure. It is brilliant.
You can find the book here.
If Mennik Thorn had known the morning would end with him being framed for murder, he would have stayed trapped in the cupboard.
It was only supposed to be one little job – a simple curse-breaking for Mennik to pay back a favor to his oldest friend. But then it all blew up in his face. Now he is wanted for murder by the mage-killing Ash Guard, his best friend is about to be executed, and something monstrous is killing all the witnesses.
So how is a down-on-his-luck mage, broke, traumatized, and with a habit of annoying the wrong people, supposed to prove his innocence when everyone believes he’s guilty?
If he wants to get out of this, he is going to have to throw himself back into the corrupt world of the city’s high mages, a world he fled years ago.
Even that may not be enough, because a new, dark power is rising in Agatos, and all that stands in its way is one second-rate mage…
Shadow of a Dead God by Patrick Samphire is classic noir fantasy. Poor Mennick Thorn is a freelance mage whose good intentions always turn out badly for him. He’s one of a very few people with any ethical code and consequently he finds himself caught between various malign forces. It’s exciting with a relentless pace but also full of original, eccentric and fascinating characters. It’s part of a brilliant series which I highly recommend.
You can find the book here.
The Hallow serum was once sacred to the Auld Bloods. Used to gain access to their lost ancestral powers, now it is regulated and administered by the powerful Providence Company. Evolved from the echelons of the Auld Church, the company exists to maintain the balance between faith, science and politics.
But keeping the peace between humans and Auld Bloods isn’t easy. Taking Hallow comes at a price. Providence Company Assessor Cam must deal with backstreet bootleggers, burnt-out addicts and floating nuns that won’t stay on the ground.
When a string of Auld Blood deaths appear to have been caused by a corrupted batch of Hallow, Cam begins to suspect all may not be as it seems. Bodies are piling up. Someone is hiding something, and the consequences are becoming monstrous.
The Hallows by H.L. Tinsley is another classic noir fantasy. It also has characters who try to do their best against all the odds and pursue clues that take them into dark mysteries that put them in grave danger. There are people with all kinds of magical abilities but originality is a key feature of the story – for instance, floating nuns toting guns! Need I say anymore? This is one not to miss.
You can find the book here.
Amra Thetys lives by two simple rules: take care of business, and never let it get personal.
Thieves don’t last long in Lucernis. When a fellow rogue is butchered on the streets in a deal gone bad, Amra turns her back on burglary and goes after something more precious than treasure: revenge. Revenge, however, might be hard to come by.
A nightmare assortment of enemies-including an immortal assassin and a mad sorcerer-believe Amra is in possession of The Blade That Whispers Hate, the legendary, powerful artifact her friend was murdered for. And Amra’s enemies will do anything to take it.
Trouble is, Amra hasn’t a clue where the Blade actually is. She needs to find it, and soon, or she’ll be joining her colleague in a cold grave, rather than avenging his death.
The Thief Who Pulled On Trouble’s Braid by Michael McClung was the first ever winner of SPFBO and in the current “Winners” competition, this book is a strong contender to be overall champion. Yes, it is THAT good! World building is fantastic, high fantasy at its best with no detail overlooked. Its characters are highly immoral (as you might guess from the title) but ethical issues are grey areas in this story. It’s fun, its action packed, it is a story that stays with you.
You can find the book here.
Drowning is only the beginning…
Edda Gretasdottir is a raider, a fell-handed shield-maiden, feared along every coast. Hers is a life woven in battle scars.
But she never wanted to walk the warrior’s path. All she wanted was freedom, to earn enough gold to buy her family their own remote farm, and to escape their oppressive chieftain. Now, she has enough plunder so that she can finally hang up her shield and live in peace.
That peace is stolen from Edda, however, when raiders burn her home, destroy all that she loves, and toss her, wounded and bleeding, into the ravenous ocean.
But the fates are cruel and this is not the end for Edda: she rises from the bloody surf as a Windborn, a cursed warrior whose supernatural gifts are a poor exchange for everything she has lost.
Fuelled by rage and armed with strange new powers Edda will hunt for whoever sent the raiders, for whoever is responsible for taking everything from her. She will show them the sharp edge of her axe… or die trying.
Windborn is a dark, character-driven Norse fantasy packed with emotion, deadly foes, and vicious battles.
Windborn by Alex S. Bradshaw has a Norse setting which is so real you are soon left believing you’re there. The cultural references, the history, the society, is all so credible. Yet it includes characters with powers over Nature’s elements. Its protagonist, Edda Gretasdottir, is a shield maiden with the ability to manipulate air. There are others who control fire, water and earth. A premise that leads to battles and political intrigue. I love this story, and its follow-up, Trollgrave.
You can find the book here.
Two friends.
Two forbidden powers.
One chance to change everything.When Mishi is taken from her orphanage home, she fears she’ll never see her best friend Taka again. And when Taka is taken to the infamous Josankō that same day, it seems as if more than distance will keep them apart.
Suddenly alone in their fight to survive, each girl must come to terms with her true nature—Mishi as warrior, Taka as healer. Years after their separation, the girls’ journeys lead them each to uncover the horrifying secret that the Rōjū council has spent centuries killing to keep.
Now the Rōjū council wants Taka and Mishi dead and they’ll have only one chance to save their people.
How much will Mishi and Taka sacrifice in order to protect all they hold dear?
Blade’s Edge by Virginia McClain was a finalist in SPFBO. I was a judge at the time and this book was in my team’s collection, I argued vociferously for it to become our finalist. Set in an east Asian location, it captured the cultural tropes perfectly. Virginia had spent time living in Japan and its influence showed. Its two protagonists are strong, independently-minded women who must not only battle for what is right but also fight against the social traditions of women being made to obey. This story also has characters with magical abilities to manipulate the elements – both stories find ways for these talents to empower women, without making them the “kick-ass” type that I find so predictable. I admit that I read parts of this story with a lump in my throat.
You can find the book here.
In the beginning there was confusion.
Then Gods created people.
Confusion was better.Well, have YOU ever woken up not knowing how to God properly? Poor Odin must restrain his brothers, who create offensive weapons such as mosquitoes and celery; placate his future-telling wife, Frigg, who demands sweatpants with pockets; listen to Loki’s Helpful Questions; hang himself from Yggdrasil for nine days with a spear through his side (as you do); teach everyone about nutritional values of kale (but NOT celery); meet a Wise Dom, Sir Daddy Mímir, in order to outwit those who outwit him; and, most importantly, prove he is The All-Father, while his brothers are, at best, Those-Uncles-We-Don’t-Talk-About.
This nearly (except in Vanaheim) universally acclaimed retelling of the Gods’ first millennium answers way too many questions, including ones on Freyr’s entendre, horse designing… and why Odin drinks.
Why Odin Drinks, a Norse Mythology retelling for fans of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Jenny Lawson, and Calvin & Hobbes is suitable for readers aged 14+. The book features no graphic descriptions, although some characters wish it would.
Why Odin Drinks by Bjørn Larssen makes me smile at the memory of reading it. If I tell you that its tag line is “Norse mythology won’t know what hit it”, you’ll get an idea. The story describes how the world was created, according to Norse myth – but from an irreverent angle, with snarky humour and utterly ridiculous references – such as Odin’s hatred for kale. If you’re feeling a little down, this is the book to lift your spirits! It’s the first in the series, so plenty to keep you amused.
You can find the book here.
When the saints fail, the sinners step up.
Cruel gods rule the steam-powered city of Chime, demanding worship and tribute from their mortal subjects. Kayl lost her faith in them long ago, and now seeks to protect vulnerable and downtrodden mortals from their gods’ whims. But when Kayl discovers powers that she didn’t know she had—and destroys a mortal’s soul by accident—she becomes Chime’s most wanted.
Quen’s job was to pursue sinners, until the visions started. Haunted by foreboding images of his beloved city’s destruction, Quen hunts soul-sucking creatures made of aether who prey on its citizens—and Kayl is his number one target.
To ensure Chime’s future, Kayl and Quen must discover the truth of Kayl’s divine abilities before the gods take matters into their own hands.
For a city that bows to cruel gods, it’ll take godless heathens to save it.
The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies – and yes, I’m aware the author is part of the Read Indie Fantasy team! But this book, indeed the whole series, remains a firm favourite of mine. I’ve preceded it with Bjorn’s book because they both make me laugh and I feel better for reading them. I love this book for its originality too. Whatever ‘gaslamp fantasy’ might be, this is a portal fantasy with a dozen worlds that are so different, you get your money’s worth for world building. The characters are eccentric and quirky, to put it mildly. The sexual innuendo is hilarious and honest. Yet, this is also a story full of heart. Its characters have you cheering them on as they battle against repression in all its forms. It also has an audio version read by the brilliant RJ Bayley and so provides yet another reason for getting it!
You can find the book here.
About Phil Parker
Phil Parker herds words around the page. Sometimes they cooperate. Usually they don’t.
He loves reading speculative fiction of all kinds, blogs and reviews at https://www.philparker-fantasywriter.com
Author of:
* The Chronicles of the Bastard, Robin Goodfellow (a prequel anthology leading into the Knight’s Protocol trilogy)
* The Bastard from Fairyland
* The Bastard in the Dark
* Revenge for the Bastard
which form the Knights’ Protocol trilogy – re-issued 2021
* The Valkyrie of Vanaheim (2022)
* City of Onyx (2023)
* The Inside Story of the British Bureau for the Arcane – The Dark Elf Dynasty File (2024)
