I Read 110 Standalone Books And These Are My Top 15! (As of 2022)
1,168Hi, everyone! It has been two years since I posted my top 10 favorite standalone books of all time video. As I promised, I'd love to update this list once every two years. So here it is, and I'll add more a few more favorites this time, the top 15 (out of 110) standalone books that I've read as of 2022. There will be honorable mentions and the main list in the video.
Honorable mentions: A favorite standalone book, mostly the first book, in a series of standalone novels with a standalone sequel published already.
The main top 15 list consists of my favorite one-off standalone novels OR a one-off standalone spin-off/prequel to the main series. At the time of posting this video, there are no direct sequels to these books either planned or published yet.
Why all these rules? Because if I start including every favorite fantasy book that WORKS as a standalone novel, well, this list will increase substantially. Because books like, for example, Mistborn, The Lies of Locke Lamora, and The Ember Blade are all the first volume (that worked as a standalone novel) in their respective main series.
Anyway, sorry for the long description. I hope the video is beneficial to you. Let me know your thoughts on these books, and let me know what's your favorite standalone books of all time!
0:00 Intro & Rules
1:25 Honorable Mentions
3:52 Top 15 Starts
4:42 15-11
9:35 10-6
13:27 5-1
20:05 Closing
I've done a full spoiler-free review for all the books mentioned:
-Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1978164883?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1
-Lancelot by Giles Kristian https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2412919739?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1
-The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3219069668?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1
-The Jade Setter of Janloon by Fonda Lee https://youtu.be/-fuhoSY9d4E
-Spirits of Vengeance by Rob J. Hayes https://youtu.be/gzxDUcobLaE
-The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu. You can read this short story here: https://io9.gizmodo.com/read-ken-lius-amazing-story-that-swept-the-hugo-nebula-5958919 (Don't blame me if you cry.)
-The Martian by Andy Weir https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3524766499?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
-The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3212975717?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
-Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3866890109?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
-Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1760183006?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
-Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2413654122?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
-Recursion by Blake Crouch https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2858744523?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
-Babel by R.F. Kuang https://youtu.be/eLFFCuwK1bM
-Dragon Mage by M.L. Spencer https://youtu.be/L8WvYoeGOmE
-The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1785626531?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
-Swan Song by Robert McCammon https://youtu.be/nyGagoo3Sng
-Boy's Life by Robert McCammon https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2532041634?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
-The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2574750045?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
-Skullsworn by Brian Staveley https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2551541189?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
-The Sword of Kaigen: A Theonite War Story by M.L. Wang https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2645666954?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Booktuber mentioned: @ebnovels
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