Only the Best of 2014 - My Best Reads This Year

I had a really slow year this year when it comes to reading. It doesn't help that I moved a couple states away, got a new job that keeps me busier than ever, and I'm trying to keep up with three kids any moment they're awake. My Goodreads goal of 50 books, a decrease from last year because I knew there was a possibility of some changes, was only met by 64% (that's only 31 books).

However, a number of those books were new releases and it was a great year for those. Below you'll find my top 7 new releases for 2014. I was going to narrow it down to five, but I found myself trying to cheat by posting "ties" and I honestly hate that so I gave the actual number even if not so round.

Following that list are some more year-end wrap up awards if you can even call it that. Mostly, I wanted to have a chance to talk about the books I loved this year one extra time.

Top 7 New Releases of 2014

7) Hollow World by Michael J. Sullivan

6) City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett (still need to review this)

5) Breach Zone (Shadow Ops #3) by Myke Cole

4) Prince of Fools (Red Queen's War #1) by Mark Lawrence

4) Half a King (Shattered Sea #1) by Joe Abercrombie

3) Veil of the Deserters (Bloodsounder's Arc #2) by Jeff Salyards

2) The Magician's Land (Magicians #3) by Lev Grossman

1) The Crimson Campaign (Powder Mage #2) by Brian McClellan

Biggest Surprise

Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliott - Seriously, you need to read this if you haven't already. At first glance, it doesn't sound like much, but it was absolutely one of my favorites of the last number of years.

Best Stand-Alones

Tie for Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway and Blackdog by K.V. Johanson. Remember, I said I hate ties in numbered lists. No numbers here, so I can have a tie. Both these were absolutely astounding reads. They are completely different, one a contemporary mystery with a wonderful sense of humor (Angelmaker) and one an epic fantasy set in a non-European medieval times (Blackdog).

Best Audiobooks

Ilium and Olympos by Dan Simmons. This is really just one extended book that blew me away from start to finish. Simmons is a mad genius to combine all the elements he combines here and pulls it off stupendously.

Biggest Disappointment 

Impulse (Jumper #3) by Steven Gould - I had high hopes after the first two excellent installments. Combining the elements that made the first two great with teen angst and holier-than-thou characters made it a bit tough to stomach.

Missing

Blood and Iron by Jon Sprunk (currently reading), Of Bone and Thunder by Chris Evans (currently reading), Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, The Emperor's Blades by Brian Stavely, Assail by Ian Cameron Esslemont (though I did make progress by reading Stonewielder), and tons more. There are plenty of authors I've just gotten behind in keeping up with their new series such as Brent Weeks and Daniel Abraham and tons more I'm dying to begin. I'll have to do better this year I guess.

Review - The Crimson Campaign (Powder Mage #2) by Brian McClellan

The Crimson Campaign picks up right where Promise of Blood left off in Adro. The Kez are at the Adran's doorstep and Tamas' plan to get behind them has back-fired, Taniel is drugged out and not looking to improve, and Adamat is still searching for his kidnapped family.

It used to be, a sequel was just a bridge to the exciting events of the final volume of the trilogy. Not so here and with a lot of trilogies I've been reading lately. Crimson Campaign belongs to a new breed of sequels. Where the sequel is better than the first.

Yes, I said it, The Crimson Campaign is better than Promise of Blood, a book I enjoyed the crap out of, in just about every way. The world has already been set up, the players are in place, and this book was filled with so much awesome right from the start.

I enjoyed every second of this book and with how busy I was this month moving my family three states away for a new job, I still sacrificed sleep on multiple occasions just to find myself in Brian McClellan's head. It's a great place to be.

At one front, we have a Chain of Dogs type situation (Deadhouse Gates) with Tamas and his 10,000 running away from the Kez at his heals and who outnumber him 10 to one. On the other hand, we have a superhero-type situation where Taniel is starting to realize something else may have happened when he shot and killed a God.

Then, flowing through this already sufficiently cram-packed-full-of-awesome is Adamat unraveling mystery after mystery and finding even more questions.

The Powder Mage trilogy is turning out to be one of my all-time favorites. I can't wait for The Autumn Republic and anything else McClellan decides to make words on.

4.5 out of 5 Stars

The Powder Mage Trilogy:
1) Promise of Blood (review)
2) The Crimson Campaign
3) The Autumn Republic

Only the Best (of the Year) - Top Ten New Releases of 2013

It seems like more and more of these end of the year posts are going up less and less close to the end of the year. I've always tried to get close and sometimes I realize I won't be able to finish anything new by the end of the year, so it's understandable. I've done so myself even. However, I think I'm done with that.

Maybe it's because I have a December birthday and I'm sick of this perfectly great month getting neglected when it comes to "best of" lists. Goodreads starts their process in November for crying out loud. I vow right now to do December justice ... erm ... to wait until the new year for any of my year-in-review type posts because come on. For December!

Disclaimer and all that: Please remember that this is from the books I read so if your favorite didn't make the list it's probably because it's a terrible book and you have just as abismal taste I didn't read it.

Top 10 New Releases of 2013

10) A Discourse in Steel (Egil & Nix #2) by Paul S. Kemp - Review - Even better than the first, Egil and Nix are becoming one of my favorite duos.

9) The Garden of Stones (Echoes of Empire #1) by Mark T. Barnes - Review - This was a surprising find for me. I was curious given the beautiful by the same artist as for Abraham's The Long Price Quartet, but blown away by the world Barnes has created here.

8) The Lives of Tao (Lives of Tao #1) - Review - and The Deaths of Tao (Lives of Tao #2) by Wesley Chu - Review Not Yet Posted - Interview - Wesley Chu

7) The Crown Tower (Riyria Chronicles #1) by Michael J. Sullivan - Review Not Yet Posted - I find I can't put Sullivan's books down and this is yet another.

6) Promise of Blood (Powder Mages #1) by Brian McClellan - Review - This series is only just started and I'm dying to read its sequel. For any release, this was excellent, for a debut, it's incredible.

5) Fortress Frontier (Shadow Ops #2) by Myke Cole - Review - Myke Cole keeps getting better and better and Breach Zone is already in my hands. Very much looking forward to this.

4) The Forever Knight (A Novel of the Bronze Knight) by John Marco - Review - The discerning reader will notice this is actually rated lower than the previous book on the list. I'm not saying there's a failing in a number rating system (okay, yes I am), but I rated this compared to the prior series probably a little more than compared to any book ever. Yeah, it makes ... sense?

3) The Daylight War (Demon Cycle #3) by Peter V. Brett - Review - I was dying to get my hands on this book. I know many were disappointed as this installment contains lots of backstory, but let's just say that Brett will have to really throw this series off for me not to love it.

2) Joyland by Stephen King - Review - A big surprise in a little package, especially for Stephen King. It's more coming of age than anything it proclaims to be (horror? no; hard case crime? no), but still a great tale.




And the best release for 2013 goes to ...

1) Emperor of Thorns (Broken Empire #3) by Mark Lawrence - Review - Lawrence does the impossible and writes an excellent conclusion to an already stellar trilogy. He's jumped quickly into my list of authors to slavishly follow.


Honorable Mentions:

Inheritance (Heir to the Blood Throne #1) by Tim Marquitz - Review - This just barely missed the list. I enjoyed it immensely and thought it an excellent spin on the typical vampire tale.

The Gate Thief (Mither Mages #2) by Orson Scott Card - Review Not Yet Posted - Yet another I still need to review. This one was slow to start but had a great ending. Lots needed to be explained for the ending to make sense, so it gets bogged down for a while because the world is so intricate yet fascinating.

Missing From the List:

American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett - I was waiting for the perfect time to read this book. I know I'll enjoy every bit of it and I wanted to savor it ... but somehow that perfect time never happened to reveal itself. Ever happen to you? It happens to me all the time.

The Rithmatist (Rithmatist #1) by Brandon Sanderson - Review - I enjoyed this enough to lend it to a friend to read, but it just didn't quite hit everything exactly as it could have. I do see the potential and I'll be lining up for the next installment.

There are actually quite a few missing. I haven't kept up with Daniel Abraham's The Dagger and the Coin series and The Tyrant's Law came out this year. Then there's Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane and of course the final installment of the Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light and a couple more that just didn't quite fit into my schedule. To this coming year!

Looking Forward to 2014 - Most Anticipated Books

Last year, I had high hopes, as I usually do, that I would read quite a few books in the year. I wasn't too far off, having read 57 or so, but lots of those were in the form of audiobooks, none of which were on my list last year. I'm getting a bit more conservative this year in terms of what I think I can actually read and leave a bit more open to what I randomly pick up throughout the year, which I know I will do regardless of any plans I make. It makes for happier reading that way anyway. In bold are those books I actually think I have a chance of reading this year.

Keep in mind, this is by no means an exhaustive list (or even remotely close), these are just the titles I'm especially interested in and I know I'm probably missing quite a few that I'll have to add later.


Jan:

Brian Stavely, The Emperor's Blades - January 14

Myke Cole, Breach Zone (Shadow Ops #3) - January 28

Paul Kearney, A Different Kingdom - January 28

Miles Cameron, The Fell Sword (Traitor Son #2) - January 30

Feb:

David Edison, The Waking Engine - February 11

March:

Scott Lynch, The Bastards and the Knives (Gentlemen Bastards Novellas) - March 3 (UK) Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive #2) - March 4

Jon Sprunk, Blood and Iron (The Book of the Black Earth #1) - March 11

April:

Michael J. Sullivan, The Hollow World - April 8 (Just finished)

Elizabeth Bear, Steles of the Sky (Eternal Sky #3) - April 8

Robin Hobb, The Fool's Assassin (The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy #1) - April 10

Sam Sykes, The City Stained Red - April 17 (UK Date)

May:

Brian McClellan, The Crimson Campaign (Powder Mages #2) - May 6 Jim Butcher, Skin Game (Dresden #15) - May 27 Douglas Hulick, Sworn in Steel (Tales of the Kin #2)

Jun:

Mark Lawrence, Prince of Fools (The Red Queen's War #1) - June 3

Jul:

Joe Abercrombie, Half a King

Aug:

Lev Grossman, The Magician's Land (Magician's #3) - August
Daniel Abraham, The Widow's House (The Dagger and the Coin #4) - August 5
Jim Butcher, The Aeronaut's Windlass (The Cinder Spires #1) - August 7

Brent Weeks, The Broken Eye (Lightbringer #3) - August 26

Ian Cameron Esslemont, Assail (Malazan Empire #6)

Sep:

Robert Jackson Bennett, City of Stairs - September 9

Oct:

Bradley P. Beaulieu, Twelve Kings in Sharakhai - October 1
Ernest Cline, Armada - October 7

Nov:

Dec:

Steven Erikson, Willfull Child - December 4 (says Goodreads)

TBD: (Mostly just hoping all these come out in 2014)
John Marco, The Bloody Chorus
Courtney Schafer, The Labyrinth of Flame (Shattered Sigil #3) 

Scott Lynch, The Thorn of Emberlain (Gentlemen Bastards #4)

Orson Scott Card,  (Mithermages #3)

Jeff Salyards, Veil of the Deserters (Bloodsounder's Arc #2) Steven Erikson, Fall of Light (Kharkanas Trilogy #2) - Have to read Forge of Darkness first. Janny Wurts, Destiny's Conflict (Wars of Light and Shadow #10)

Not Counting On:
Patrick Rothfuss, The Doors of Stone (Kingkiller Chronicle #3)
George R.R. Martin, The Winds of Winter (ASoIaF #6) 
Peter V. Brett, The Skull Throne (Demon Cycle #4) - Probably 2015

EDIT: Added a few I'd completely forgotten (like Cline's Armada for instance!), which makes no sense because I'm dying to read them. 

EDIT #2: Bennett's City of Stairs apparently has a release date in September.

eBook Deals - Weeks, Gaiman, Card, McClellan, Cornwell, Sanderson, Butcher, Martin, Jordan

I thought I was keeping my spending under control, until the last couple weeks. These deals are insane. I hate them. So much that I can't stop buying everything that ever went on sale. And of course I have to pass them on to you. Does that mean I hate you?

[$1.79] The Way of Shadows (Night Angel #1) by Brent Weeks - I still have fond memories of this series years later.

[$1.99] Stardust by Neil Gaiman - My review.
[$1.99] Ender's Game (Ender #1) by Orson Scott Card
[$1.99] Promise of Blood (Powder Mages #1) by Brian McClellan - My review.
[$1.99] Death of Kings (Saxon Stories #6) by Bernard Cornwell - Not fantasy, but it does have a GRRM quote on the cover.

[$2.49] Steelheart (Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanderson
[$2.49] The Blinding Knife (Lightbringer #2) by Brent Weeks
[$2.49] Cold Days (Dresden Files #14) by Jim Butcher

[$2.99] The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1) by Brandon Sanderson - My review.
[$2.99] A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5) by George R.R. Martin

[$4.29] A Memory of Light (Wheel of Time #14) by Robert Jordan

[$9.99 or $1.99 a piece] All 5 Books of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin (usually around $27)

eBook Deals - McClellan, Hough, Martin, Card, King

Two posts in a day? I'm just as surprised as you. I guess this is a good day for this particular book to go on sale in memory of John F. Kennedy's tragic death 50 years ago. Stephen King's 11/22/63 is the deal of the day today. Also, there's an unexpected discount on A Dance with Dragons, the fifth book in A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R. R. Martin. I guess the mass market paperback barely came out and they're pretty much giving copies away now.

[$1.99] Promise of Blood (Powder Mages #1) by Brian McClellan - A 2013 release and still on sale.
[$1.99] The Darwin Elevator (Dire Earth Cycle #1) by Jason M. Hough
[$2.99] A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5) by George R.R. Martin
[$3.99] Ender's Game (Ender #1) by Orson Scott Card

Today Only:
[$2.99] 11/22/63 by Stephen King

eBook Deals - Reid, McClellan, Hobb, Card, Martin

Sorry for the absolutely crap-tastic blogging lately. There's been a pretty constant state of influx in my life at the moment and I blog best under routine. Don't worry, I saved you from poor humor by holding back a terrible joke. And another one. You're welcome.

I have a handful of reviews I need to write up and I just keep digging myself a deeper hole. It does not help that I just got an iPhone 5 after my iPhone 3. Going from 10 minutes to start a game of Words with Friends to instant gratification has hampered many things to say the least. :)

[$0.99] Year Zero by Rob Reid
[$1.99] Promise of Blood (Powder Mage #1) by Brian McClellan - Still on sale, still worth every penny.
[$1.99] Dragon Keeper (Rain Wilds Chronicles #1) by Robin Hobb
[$3.98] Ender's Game (Ender #1) by Orson Scott Card
[$4.99] A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4) by George R.R. Martin

eBook Deals - Jernigan, Russell, Williams, Boyett, McClellan, Pratchett, Hobb, Barron, Hickman, Gladstone, Hill, Martin, Gibson, Aldiss, Cobley

SfSignal.com ran their usual huge post of ebook deals a few days ago and it really makes finding deals easy. I'd highly recommend you check it out. Here's my condensed list of those titles that interest me:

[$0.99] The Bottom of the Sea (short stories) by Zachary Jernigan
[$0.99] The One Kingdom (Swan's War #1) by Sean Russell
[$0.99] The Isle of Battle (Swan's War #2) by Sean Russell
[$0.99] The Shadow Roads (Swan's War #3) by Sean Russell 

[$1.38] The Emperor's Knife (Tower and Knife #1) by Mazarkis Williams
[$1.48] Elegy Beach by Stephen R. Boyett - The sequel to Ariel.

[$1.99] Promise of Blood (Powder Mage #1) by Brian McClellan - OTBSFF Review.
[$1.99] Snuff (Discworld #843 ... or 39) by Terry Pratchett
[$1.99] Dragon Keeper (Rain Wilds Chronicles #1) by Robin Hobb
[$1.99] The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All by Laird Barron

[$2.99] Wayne of Gotham by Tracy Hickman
[$2.99] Three Parts Dead (Craft #1) by Max Gladstone
[$2.99] Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
[$2.99] Wild Cards II: Aces High, edited by George R.R. Martin
[$2.99] Wild Cards: Inside Straight, edited by George R.R. Martin

[$2.24] Stealing Light (Shoal Sequence #1) by Gary Gibson
[$3.03] Nova War (Shoal Sequence #2) by Gary Gibson

[$3.82] Helliconia Summer by Brian W. Aldiss

Today Only:
[$1.99] Seads of Earth by Michael Cobley - OTBSFF review.

eBook Deal - Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan

This one's thanks to r/fantasy, which you should have seen this last weekend getting lit up with AMA's from authors at Worldcon. There were so many authors answering so many fan questions, it was great.

It's amazing that Promise of Blood is a debut because McClellan already seems like a seasoned author. There's no doubt in my mind he has a long career ahead of him with or without mention of his writing teacher. (From my review)

[$1.99] Promise of Blood (Powder Mage #1) by Brian McClellan

The Crimson Campaign, book two of the Powder Mage trilogy, is one of my top books I'm looking forward to next year. It looks like Orbit want more people in the same boat.

Review - Promise of Blood (Powder Mage #1) by Brian McClellan

Guns, Germs, and Steel... well, minus germs...and probably not so much economics... oh and plus magic. 

Okay that was not even remotely applicable. Why would anyone think that even made any sense? That doesn't make sense, they're not really even close, what is wrong with me?

Pretty early in my reading of Promise of Blood [US] [UK], I said, "An investigator looking into a mystery, an assassin-type chasing a mage, and then Tamas, just Tamas. I look forward to every POV, how is that even possible?"

I can't say this really changed throughout the entire book. There's one small POV that's in addition to the above that adds a little bit of suspense, but mostly seems like a set up for the next installments in the series, but it doesn't deviate from the above sentiment.

The cover of the book says, "The age of Kings is dead ... and I have killed it." Promise of Blood begins when the coup has already occurred. Field Marshall Tamas has displaced the king just in time to save the country from a ruinous contract with a neighboring state. The next step is the hard part, gathering up the nobles and establishing the new government. The cover quote comes quickly and doesn't even sound lame, which I was very impressed with. That was a very cool introduction to Tamas.

So already, we know there's political intrigue, but you can't get too far without noticing the magic systems involved in this series. There's a magic centered around gun powder, which is definitely one of the unique draws, but there are also other types of magics that are more traditional and I liked that it's not all explained right away. It's all very natural as it fits into the world.

There's an interesting relationship between the different magical cabals involved and of course they don't all get along very well. The powder mages really take center stage as they are some of the main point of views and they're just really cool. They can not only manipulate bullets so they can round corners (Wanted), but the powder itself has a magical effect on the user that is also much like a drug, enhancing senses and increasing abilities.

The magic fits seamlessly in a napoleonic fantasy world with the same types of technologies of the time such as the printing press and well...guns. In addition, through the limited point of view characters, we begin to see that there's much more than a coup and it's inherent difficulties (riots, hangings, etc.), the king's cabal of mages has hinted at a much greater problem and hence the investigator mentioned above.

McClellan can't seem to be mentioned without his former teacher, Brandon Sanderson, but it's hard not to. Brian McClellan is like a grittier Brandon Sanderson, great story with interesting characters and a unique magic system. It's not nearly to the level of Joe Abercrombie, but on its way there, hence why I think it's closer to Sanderson on the spectrum.

The writing is also on par with his mentor, it's perfect for the story told. I think there's something to be said about writing that's not flashy, almost as if it emphasizes the story much like why you should only use "said" for dialogue. (This gets my meaning too.)

It's amazing that Promise of Blood is a debut because McClellan already seems like a seasoned author. There's no doubt in my mind he has a long career ahead of him with or without mention of his writing teacher.

4 out of 5 Stars (highly recommended)

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

Brian McClellan AMA on r/Fantasy

I just wanted to let you know Brian McClellan is currently answering questions on reddit at r/fantasy. AMA stands for Ask Me Anything and literally anything goes. I'm about 70% through McClellan's debut, Promise of Blood, and I can already tell you it's excellent. Hope it doesn't tank it in the last hundred pages, but I doubt it will.

Quick Update and Duck and Cover

I'm sorry for the lack of posting lately. I took the bar last week (3 days x 6 hours per day) and then I've just been recovering and helping out with the twins this week, even looking for jobs because at some point I may or may not need to start using these degrees I've been racking up.

Anyway, as far as reading goes, I'm about halfway through a review for The Eyes of God by John Marco and currently reading the following:

- Shadow Ops #2: Fortress Frontier by Myke Cole - Should finish this up soon.
- The Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll - Going to finish this today.
- The Devil's Armor by John Marco - This is the sequel to The Eyes of God.
- Carrie by Stephen King - I've been spending lots of time patting babies to sleep so audiobooks are perfect although this book makes me wish they wouldn't grow up - it's such a cruel world.

I'll get back on track (somewhat) soon, I just need to figure out my new schedule.

Also, did you see this amazing cover:

Thanks Rob.

This is for book two in the Powder Mage Trilogy by Brian McClellan and book one hasn't even come out yet. I haven't even read a word and already I'm excited for the sequel. Weird, but great cover.

Looking Forward to 2013 - Most Anticipated Books

I've been working on this list for a couple months now and it's just about right to publish to the blog. I may have to update it a few more times, but the following are the books, released in 2013, I plan on reading this upcoming year or at least plan on making an attempt to get to. As you'll see, I still have a few books to read to get to all the new releases this year.

I've placed them by the month (and even the exact date when available), but this in no way means I'll be reviewing them in that same month. I figured it was as good a way as any to put things together, plus people may want to refer back to this (myself included) for those release dates (US only).

Jan:

Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, A Memory of Light (WoT #14) (Jan. 8) [US] [UK]

Myke Cole, Fortress Frontier (Shadow Ops #2) (Jan. 29) [US] [UK]

Feb:

Marie Brennan, A Natural History of Dragons (Feb. 5) [US] [UK]
Robert V. S. Redick, The Night of the Swarm (Chathrad Voyages #4) (Feb. 5) [US] [UK]
Robert Jackson Bennett, American Elsewhere (Feb. 12) [US] [UK]
Peter V. Brett, The Daylight War (Demon Cycle #3) (Feb. 12) [US] [UK]

March:
Orson Scott Card, The Gate Thief (Mithermages #2) (Mar. 19) [US] [UK]

April:

John Marco, The Forever Knight (Lukien #4) (Apr. 2) [US] [UK]
John Scalzi, The Human Division (Apr. 2) [US] [UK]
Brian McClellan, Promise of Blood (Apr. 16) [US] [UK]

May:

Westley Chu, The Lives of Tao (May 2) [US] [UK]
Brandon Sanderson, The Rithmatist (May 14) [US] [UK]
Ian C. Esslemont, Blood and Bone (Malazan Empire #5) (May 21) [US] [UK] - Available now in the UK.

Jun:
Ofir Touche Gafla, The World of the End (Jun. 25) [Goodreads]

Aug:

Mark Lawrence, Emperor of Thorns (Broken Empire #3) (Aug. 1) [US] [UK]
Michael J. Sullivan, The Crown Tower (Riyria Chronicles #1) (Aug. 3) [US] [UK]

Sep:
Michael J. Sullivan, The Rose and Thorn (Riyria Chronicles #2) [US] [UK]

TBD:
Courtney Schafer, The Labyrinth of Flame (Shattered Sigil #3) 
Scott Lynch, The Republic of Thieves (Gentlemen Bastards #3)

Not Counting On:
Patrick Rothfuss, The Doors of Stone (Kingkiller Chronicle #3)
George R.R. Martin, The Winds of Winter (ASoIaF #6) 
Brandon Sanderson, Highprince of War (Stormlight Archive #2) [Title not final]

Non-2013 Release Date Books: (i.e., Books I need to read to catch up)
The Lukien Trilogy by John Marco (The Eyes of God, The Devil's Armor, The Sword of Angels)
The Chathrad Voyages by Robert V.S. Redick (The Red Wolf Conspiracy, The Ruling Sea, The River of Shadows)
The Wheel of Time (A Crown of Swords, Path of Daggers, Winter's Heart, Crossroads of Twilight, Knife of Dreams, The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight)
Malazan Empire (Stonewielder and Orb, Sceptre, Throne)
Riyria Revelations (Heir of Novron)

35 in total. 19 new releases. I read about 50 to 60 a year, so this is going to take up the bulk of my reading and this is only through September.

EDIT: There are a few books being released that I probably should have put on this list (Daniel Abraham's Tyrant's Law, Neil Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane, S.A. Corey's Abbadon's Gate), but the ones listed are what I think I actually have a chance of reading this year.

EDIT Feb. 8: Updated some dates for The Daylight War and The Lives of Tao.