The announcement that Phillip Pullman is writing a new His Dark Materials trilogy was a very exciting development in an otherwise dire landscape for new books this year. Put me on the “very excited” column for The Book of Dust.

But beyond that, not much to get excited of… got tired of waiting for The Winds of Winter (and in fact, it’s been so long that I rather watch the show instead). Another long-awaited sequel, Patrick Rothfuss’s Door of Stone has not made any type of appearance. Scott Lynch’s Thorn of Emberlain is also MIA…

Oh, and one I was looking forward to, Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology was such an utter let-down.

In other words… pffff.

Nonetheless, despite my usual grumpiness, there are some books I’ve noted coming out this year which I’m sure to give a go. Maybe not on the “will my wife let me go and queue all night outside the local Waterstones to be the first to buy it” category, but more on the “will give it a go” front:

The Book of Dust – Phillip Pullman

Actually, I might queue all night for this one. Such a fan of His Dark Materials (ignore the movie and read the books). My one “can’t wait” of the year.

The End of the Day – Claire North

“The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August” was an amazing book.  Claire North’s follow ups “Touch” and “The Sudden Appearance of Hope” were good but not great. Still, North’s concepts are always worth a look, and this one looks very interesting.

Age of Swords – Michael J Sullivan

Really enjoyed Age of Myth, and keen to see what happens next. Will be looking out for this one come summertime.

Sea of Rust – C. Robert Cargill

I’ve enjoyed Cargill’s previous fantasy novels, and keen to see how he does come Sci Fi. An intriguing concept of a robot alone at the end of humanity… sounds compelling.