30 second reviews / Watch me Descend Into Madness

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Had a weird timer glitch on the first book in this video, but you can bet your butt that I'm not going to spend another 2 hours waiting for the video to render in the editor, and another 2 after that uploading it to KZbin!

[@samm8190]

I’d rather not bet my butt, but thanks for the offer.

[@orepoutanes]

1 min review format should be a bit better imo. Gives u the chance too elaborate in the ones u liked and you can stop early on the ones you didnt But still fun

[@jwcarlson]

Next year you should do an approximately 100 hour video where you talk about each book for an hour. :D

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Don't you wish that evil on me!

[@nadiaflx]

😂

[@NICKREADSFANTASY]

Dude. I love this format. It’s like watching a car crash, but one that I want to be part of. I can’t look away, I don’t want to look away, I don’t know what is even going on anymore. 5/5 stars. Would recommend to a friend.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

LOL!

[@OhMyJoshy]

Definitely best out of context Matt quote from the video: “Now, I respect it, kinda. I’m not really a drug person.”

[@shawnthornton454]

I laughed out loud at that part.

[@JLchevz]

lmfao

[@josephfernandez8015]

Never thought I’d see someone put a book about dinosaur fucking over a book that’s on many booktubers best lists (Book That Wouldn’t Burn).

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Today is that day!

[@nightmarishcompositions4536]

Respect for doing these massive reviews and tier lists.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you! This one took FOREVER to edit.

[@larryhodge3107]

I wish I could read as many books in a year as some of you guys manage. I'm jealous, lol. I managed to get through 24 books this past year which is the most I've done since I started reading again in 2021. I keep steadily raising up my numbers and page counts so hopefully I will be back over 30 books for 2024. Back in the 90's I was reading around 50 books a year; not sure if I have the time to get back to that or not but I want to hit at least 30 to 40 anyway. Here are my book rankings for 2023: 1. The Heroes by Abercrombie (5 out of 5 stars) 2. Red Country by Abercrombie (5) 3. Bloody Rose by Eames (4.5) 4. Wrath of Empire by McClellen (4.5) 5. Wisdom of Crowds by Abercrombie (4.5) 6. Sharp Ends by Abercrombie (4.5) 7. Kings of the Wyld by Eames (4.5) 8. The Crippled God by Erikson (4.5) 9. Blood of Empire by McClellen (4.5) 10. Wrath by Gwynne (4.5) 11. Sins of Empire by McClellen (4.5) 12. The Autumn Republic by McClellen (4.5) 13. The Trouble With Peace by Abercrombie (4.5) 14. Dust of Dreams by Erikson (4) 15. The Crimson Campaign by McClellen (4) 16. Promise of Blood by McClellen (4) 17. Ruin by Gwynne (4) 18. Valour by Gwynne (4) 19. Best Served Cold by Abercrombie (4) 20. A Little Hatred by Abercrombie (4) 21. A Time of Dread by Gwynee (4) 22. Malice by Gwynne (3.5) 23. A Time of Courage by Gwynne (3.5) 24. A Time of Blood by Gwynne (3.5) It was a very good year for reading overall. Not a dud amongst the 24 I read. I wasn't as enamored by Gwynne as a lot of book tubers I've seen talk about him. I like his characters pretty well, at least in the first Faithful and the Fallen series anyway, but the story just felt very basic and predictable to me. Maybe it was because I was just coming off of the complexity that is Malazan though. Going from something super complex to something basic was a bit of a shock, lol. Abercrombie was obviously the best of the year and probably the best since I've started back reading. It's a close thing between First Law and Stormlight Archive for the best I've read since 2021. Depends on my mood on which I will say is ahead, lol.

[@trlspann]

Heroes was probably my book of the year too. The sequence before the battle begins is up with the best things I’ve ever read.

[@jessezigg]

Definitely add audiobooks, if you're not already! Saved my reading life as a new mom, and I still listen all. the. time. while I'm doing housework, etc. It's perfect! Great for driving too, of course!

[@larryhodge3107]

@@jessezigg I wish I could do that format; it would help greatly with my reading goals. But my mind wanders too much, I lose concentration with print format sometimes and have to read whole paragraphs over again. Audio just wouldn't work for me unfortunately.

[@jwcarlson]

Glad to see Triceratops and Bottoms crack the top 100!

[@faustianbargains]

I prefer T Rex’s and tops much better.

[@Ash_18037]

Why? There were only 10 books he liked less for the year, he rated this 2 stars. Did you think this was just another "my favorite books list"?

[@codedecode878]

SHE WAS A TIME TRAVELLING SEXAHOLIC IN SEARCH OF THE ULTIMATE DINOGASM!

[@saldiven2009]

My favorite part about The Dragonbone Chair series is how they dealt with the elf-equivalent. In most fantasy novels, the various races are just humans in a different costume as far as their behavior. Sure, they might have cultural differences, but the general way they interact with the world and other people/races is the way that real-world humans interact with each other. In this series, the Sithi are pretty alien. They look at humans in a similar fashion that a human might look at a cute puppy, if that puppy were intelligent enough to hold a conversation. Their behavior is often inscrutable to the humans around them. This makes more sense because these creatures are _not_ human. Their brains function differently. They perceive the world differently. Their incredibly long age gives them radically different priorities.

[@JaesongRs]

Love this concept for a recap. I’ve added a bunch to my TBR. Keep up the great work Matt.

[@dreamyphil]

One of the greatest book vids I’ve seen. The format really works not only because it’s fun to watch and well-paced but it leads to blunt honest statements that might otherwise be sugarcoated in a longer video. Btw, Dandelion Dynasty has been on my radar since reading and loving the Three Body trilogy, two of which he translated … so I think it will soon be time to take the plunge!

[@savannahpfeiffer5983]

Dang! This was a lot! Super fun video concept. Great list! Got some good adds to my already huge TBR. 😂

[@jgrosenblum]

The Dragonbone Chair being below Triceratops and Bottoms is certainly a hot take :P Too bad it didn't work for you. Overall, that series is one of my all time favorites.

[@caewing85]

Your descent into madness was brilliant. Good job!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you!

[@DiggerdanReads]

Great video Matt! You just helped my TBR list grow exponentially.

[@benjaminliar]

This is my favorite format for a review series I think I've ever seen. Let's get every Booktuber on earth to do the same. Is it terrible that I gleefully watched Matt's sanity break down? This was amazing

[@asmrglow]

Omg the Nevernight review is you looking so pained the entire time it’s hilarious

[@theblackberseker1978]

I didn't love Empire of Silence but im halfway through Howling Dark and wow this book is incredible and you're telling me it gets better?!!!! count me in

[@AvidMari23]

I love watching you race the timer. 😂😂😂

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

The struggle was real!

[@readbykyle3082]

I disagree with so many of these but this is comedy gold 😂😂😂 I love whenever you panicked and was just like "this is by somebody, I don't have time" 10/10 video

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks Kyle!

[@slidenaway]

Okay I watched this in chunks but just finished the whole thing!! Really great!! To be fair the madness let up pretty quick, like 20 minutes in? But until that point it was pretty funny. Then the rhythm came on nice and smooth So much stuff that piqued my interested… but my TBR is already too long… Abercrombie and Lynch are pretty high on it already so we are set there. Ken Liu has been creeping up the TBR, maybe it will just continue to creep… Sun Eater is really piquing my interest, between you and Daniel Greene loving it so much… gah, I can’t make myself add to my TBR. But I promise I’m thinking about it!! Oh I also love how much you continue to gush about Riftwar. I grew up on that stuff and I agree it’s underrated (not talked about enough). Can’t wait for you to continue on!!

[@civoreb]

Love how you switched the two Witcher books. 😂Too many books to remember

[@nordamoddev1038]

Thanks for the video! I felt very similar about snuff, but it actually sets up nicely for Rising Steam. Which (in my opinion) was a fantastic return to form for Pratchett before his unfortunate departure from both writing and our spherical earth.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

That's great to know!

[@trlspann]

I hope you know how entertaining this is for your viewers Matt. Please do this every year, it’s like watching someone experiencing a trauma and moving through all 5 stages of grief in the space of an hour staring with denial… “that’s not 30 seconds is it?!”

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks so much! :)

[@Big_Sixer]

Matt, you and I don’t always see eye-to-eye, but the way you describe Stephen King is SPOT ON with how I describe him. Glad to see I’m not the only one!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

lol, yeah it's the easiest way I can describe his writing style!

[@Paulreadsfantasy]

Love this format - it’s like speed dating for books but with a touch of insanity.

[@RLX5201]

City of Stairs by somebody, first book in something- clearly a memorable entry😂😂

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

LOL. Yeah I didn't have time to think!

[@calumcadwallader2127]

Great video and helped me discover a few more for my TBR, thanks Matt

[@joedoe7572]

I haven't read it, but from what I can tell, the Witcher Sword of Destiny is the second short story collection, and The Blood of Elves is the first full-length book. Is this correct?

[@subadaf5742]

Great format, and well done 👍 Does this mean The Dandelion Dynasty has knocked Malazan off that top spot ?

[@fantasyfanatic6038]

Man, this video never gets old! Really entertaining as always, Matt!

[@mariareadsssf]

"The Dandelion Dynasty" by Ken Liu was my favorite reading experience of 2023.

[@faustianbargains]

😂😂😂😂 The beeping and the reactions make this video!!

[@jessezigg]

I'm totally hooked on The Wandering Inn - and it's all YOUR fault!! 😅 I'm also gonna read Shadows of the Apt this year! (Also your fault! 😉 ) Thanks so much for ALL you do!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Muhahahaha. I got another one!

[@lizardman1303]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviewslol I feel u owe me one audiobook token lol . I ended up dropping the book because the main character is just incompetent. I think for the way she acts if they wrote her as a younger person like 13 it would fit better then a 20 year old women.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

@@lizardman1303 she changes a lot as the series moves on Also if you don't like a book for any reason audible will refund the token

[@lizardman1303]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews thanks I’ll try that 👍

[@Thxlbx]

I give this video 5 stars! Great wrap up! 2023 was such a great year for reading.

[@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS]

You should be placed in KZbin jail for at least 5 minutes for not liking Dragonbone Chair :)

[@CufflinksAndChuckles]

This is such a funny concept for a video. Please do it again next year!

[@indyman_123]

110 books read in a year is crazy in itself (by my standards), but what's even more crazier is watching this vid at 1.5x speed! 😂 "Descend into madness" *ACHIEVED* Love this concept (you can still do a bit better tho lol), and a top vid too. Keep it going!

[@MarcAmAlb]

Great job! Quite an acomplishment to review that many books in such a short time.

[@QuestBoundReader]

Sensational video as always Matt! My TBR is ever expanding and I have you to blame for that!!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thank you! :)

[@michaelholland6533]

This is outstanding. I’ll probably watch it multiple times.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks so much!

[@Oenloveslife]

My opinion of your opinion dropped a notch or two when you glossed over Gene Wolfe -- you couldn't even say his name. But then I realized I've only read 1/50th of the fantasy you've read this year and if I were trying to do what you're doing, and encountered the Book of the New Sun, I might also glaze over. I promise you though, there are depths in there which make it one of the most well imagined, well written, unique series ever

[@Ninaofthe90s]

8:39 hahahaha. Thank you for letting us know 🤣🤣

[@BooksWithBenghisKahn]

Loved this! So many of my favs in the top 50. I really need to try the Captain!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah definitely!

[@PrimaryLateralSclerosis]

This is the best 2023 recap in all of booktube! Deserves the Grammy for Spoken Word.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks so much :)

[@Brownie5540]

Some rating data. (Mine in parenthesis, I don't do half stars) 5: 41 books, 37.27% of all books (9, 20%) 4.5: 3, 2.73% 4: 23, 20.91% (10, 22.22%) 3.5: 4 3.64% 3: 10, 9.09% (15, 33.33%) 2.5: 7, 6.36% 2: 12, 10.91% (8, 17.78%) 1.5: 0, 0% 1: 9, 8.18% (3, 6.67%) .5: 0, 0% 0: 1, .91% Total: 110 Books, average rating of 3.68 (45 books, average rating of 3.31)

[@Pannenkoekenplantje]

I never had the "boats!" craze that many people have, but I started thinking, maybe that's because I live walking distance from the beach. I know harbors and they aren't exotic settings to me personally. But then I realised: I have a favourite setting too but it's deserts. I live in a colder climate, deserts seem mysterious and dangerous.

[@fjuran1]

Awesome video at a breakneck speed. Have read so many of these, and have to get to so many more that you have spurred me to. I have to finish the Dandelion Dynasty. Thank you.

[@84tand]

I think you got the Witcher stories mixed up. Sword of Destiny is the second short story collection. Blood of Elves is the first novel.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah I 100% did!

[@stephenlogsdon8266]

I also agree, Wise Man’s Fear was superior to the first, specifically because of the awkward ending with the dumb dragon thing. While the “dumb decisions of the main pov” trope drove me nuts at times, the story lingers, especially after my second read.

[@heidi6281]

I am reading Justice of Kings right now and just love the main character! I think Blacktongue Thief is one of my favorite fantasy books ever, Top 5 and after reading Between Two Fires & The Lesser Dead, Christopher Buehlman is now one of my favorite authors!!

[@lisarae62]

I’m so happy to hear that there will be a sequel to Battle Mage. I read it years ago and loved it, but couldn’t believe where it ended! It wasn’t a standalone at all to me, and I’m looking forward to finally finding out what happened to our heroes.

[@sunnythomas9738]

I loved this video so much. The looks of frustration were hilarious! So much fun.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks!

[@shaykininmybooks]

What a journey you just took! I enjoyed every second of it. We have some opinions that are the same and some that are different and a lot of books I haven’t read yet but NEED to!

[@yelisieimurai]

Great Job, Matt , extremely entertaining video.

[@MrRecklessish]

The fact that 3/4 of the dandelion fantasy books were in your top 10 makes me want to get on it asap. I’ve shelved these book… is it anywhere near Brandon Sanderson Stormlight caliber in terms of writing ?

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Monumentally better writing than Sanderson.

[@MrRecklessish]

Thank you ! This will definitely be my next series I’ll be reading.

[@blacknbluecollarreader]

This was an awesome video Matt. The Warrior Prophet is my favorite book in the Price of Nothing Series and can't wait to hear your thoughts.

[@jeremycamp0206]

These end of year videos have been highly entertaining. Thank you for doing them

[@bohannon2692]

I recommend farseer to you the other day get atleast 3 quarters through the second one before you judge. It's a slow burn at first but man such a good pay off I haven't finished myself I'm on the second one about 3 quarters through. So good.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah I've read all of Realm of the Elderlings. It's one of my favorite series!

[@andreabknight]

I'm a fantasy writer and it frightens me that when I release my book it could end up in the first 5 mins of one of these videos 😱

[@Murcatto-hu1ym]

There were several well-known authors in the first five minutes, even with books that have thousands of five stars reviews on Goodreads. Book reviews are just one person's opinion and I feel that Matt rates books as I do, solely on how much he enjoyed it and not so much on the quality of writing. So if you're having a rough week, books will most likely not get rated as high as in a more upbeat week. :)

[@andreabknight]

@@Murcatto-hu1ym Of course- it was just a joke really- I would love the success of those authors! 🙂

[@AndraeXP]

Very entertaining video. I might even rewatch it, I enjoyed is so much. Thank you, Matt!

[@tonyfabiano3053]

Great format for a top books video!

[@PaulRamen]

My brain would melt reading that much, congrats !

[@andybarker8787]

So I had the pleasure of recommending Blood Song to you back in August. At the time I mentioned I have books two and three but never read them. So shall I just call it and get rid of them?

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I would if I were you.

[@Ablofluido]

Great concept for a video, really enjoyed it Matt!

[@MissArkenstone]

I do like Matt reviewing books at 8x speed 🤣

[@zionthedon7745]

I'd just like to point out that The Cloud Roads isn't a standalone like you said over and over. Theres like 6 books in that series. Love your vids

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

LOL WHAT?!?

[@surpriseitsus9622]

This was a blast! Babel, this was the only 2nd book I've ever dnf'ed. Thankfully you didn't love it either. Great vid and I thank you for the smiles. Lynn

[@angiethebookaholic]

The tagline of First Binding was maybe author hinting at the plagiarism - : "Every great story begins with a lie!" haha. Great video, Matt!

[@Red21Viper]

Great to see Bakker up there. I really cant believe you postpone the Warrior Prophet. Its even better 😁 Interesting list in general. You intrigued me on many titles

[@tommylayne311]

This video is incredible liked and subscribed thank you!

[@jacoblawler3095]

You said dandelion was your second favorite series, just curious what your first is?

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Malazan!

[@nspence2854]

You've reviewed "Dungeon Crawler Carl" and "the Wandering Inn" series. Have you tried "he who fights with monsters" yet? It's in the same genre and very well reviewed.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yes, it's on my plan to read!

[@nspence2854]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews do you always read them or do you sometimes use audiobooks? I ask because the 3 books mentioned are the best audiobook series I've ever listened to. The reader for Wandering Inn is the most talented I've ever heard.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

​@@nspence2854 I do about 2/3 physical, and 1/3 audio. I'm doing audio for DCC.

[@adamnesico]

16:48 wrong. This one is the second of the short stories. 21:10 The blood of the elves, that was the first of the main story.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah I got mixed up on that!

[@adamnesico]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews By the way, one doubt. Im reading the forgetting moon, and is a difficult lecture, i must continuously teanslate words i ignore. English isn’t my mative tongue. But im readi g too birthrigth, and i have no problems with that. Why the language is so complex? Is some kind of Utah dialect, or the author purposefully used a quite sofisticated language?

[@johnnymcjohnson1373]

Blood Meridian's whole point is violence for violence's sake; it's a critique of how America's national identity was shaped through violence, shown by how every character's identity is based around violence. That being said, I completely understand not enjoying it, however I loved it haha

[@nadiaflx]

Such a great video. I had a blast watching and was laughing out loud several times at your frustration. 😂 Thanks for making my day!

[@MegaCynthia7]

We are on the same page here. Great job doing 30sec review😁

[@alexvaldiers9788]

I remember that video from last year. I loved it. You were really gassed out by the end.

[@Henka5s4]

“They should do something about that, they’re too similar” about people’s names is hilarious

[@kobbyquayson]

I have never disagreed so much with someone. Your channel is awesome 😂😂

[@Mizt9462]

For me: 1. Dark Forest 2. Deaths End 3. The Sword of Kaigen 4. The Wall of Storms 5. Speaking Bones 🎉🎉🎉

[@pelicanpineapple309]

Blood Meridian is the bestest ever, everything about it is just fabulous and horrific and funny and horrific and mesmerising and horrific but for a Red Dead ish vibe you might want 'Sisters Brothers' by Patrick deWitt.

[@TheWorldjoy]

I heard yumi and the nightmare painter is kinda sorta inspired by "your name"? and i love "your name"? thinking of getting it but idkkk.

[@chimpchomp4459]

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter is my favorite of the secret projects. Since you are on the fence about it, allow me to shove you onto the side of "Read it".

[@TheMrNukeman]

Every author whose book ranked lower than Triceratops and Bottoms should start to question whether they should still write going forward...

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Probably says more about me than them!

[@matthewdeancole]

Isn't The Blood of Elves a novel?

[@dshko28]

this was funny, thanks for doing this haha

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

No problem!!

[@ashleyholbird4287]

I comment this every time...but i WISH you could see how bad the ending to the dark tower is. I NEED that rant video from you. Book 4 is fire though. But its not worth reading all that lol

[@shawnthornton454]

Funny, I have said the same thing to Matt in the comments section multiple times. I want to see that review so bad. I'd be fine if he skipped every book in between, as that ending is so bad, that it simply doesn't need context

[@ashleyholbird4287]

@@shawnthornton454 your not wrong lol

[@adamborst]

I'm currently watching from the 70's into the 60's and I feel like by the end of this video Matt will go berserk and smash the timer with a hammer.

[@stephend7343]

Mage Errant gets waaay better as it goes. It's only sort of YA, and definitely isn't by the end of the series. That said, I also didn't think the writing was that bad, so I guess we just have different tastes.

[@lauds4]

This was a very funny and entertaining video, thanks for the great content!

[@brandonnielsen3610]

I don’t know what it is about Matt, but he always feels like he is giving 100% genuine reviews based on his own opinions. Sometimes I don’t agree (I like Stephen King), but I appreciate him more than some of the other channels that just spew popular opinions about things.

[@Henry-jp3mc]

Your best video yet well done!

[@heatherjordanna]

That was amazing. Subscribed now 😊

[@thecmancan]

This is the hardest I've laughed watching KZbin. RIP Matt's Verbosity.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

LOL

[@khomo12]

You made it! Congrats! Great list!👍👍👍📚🤖🚀

[@adham3210]

11:39 it's a shame that you didn't like waybound, I just got into unsouled

[@valliyarnl]

this is so iconic

[@BeardofDarkness]

Still making the kind of content that inspired me to make my own. Oh, and Christopher Ruocchio is a GOD

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks so much! :)

[@adyrandom]

Well this just sums up why your my fave book tuber…..sorry but your expressions between each review was funny as heck….look forward to future reviews.

[@AJBoneChain]

Guess it was not first binding