Epic Fantasy New Blood Saga On Canadian BookTuber's Top 10 All-Time List
West Jordan, Uta. — Canadian BookTuber Usman, host of Bards and Books YouTube Channel, updated his all-time Top 10 Best Books and Series List on Jan. 22, 2025. New addition to his list, premiering at no. 7, was the epic/dark fantasy series the New Blood Saga, by Utah author W.D. Kilpack III.
Kilpack said, "I've been a fan of the Bards and Books for a while. He's my favorite BookTuber and he also posts about music that I like! So I regularly check in on his channel. It was such an amazing surprise to see his latest post about his 'Top 10 Books/Series So Far' and to have my series on the list! I got very excited and pulled it up on the TV to share it with my family. Just gave me chills to share it like that. It was surreal."
Usman updated his Top 10 Books and Series after reviewing 45 books and two DNFs (did not finish) over 2024. He said, "It has been a year of mostly self-pub and LitRPG reading and audio books."
When he listed the New Blood Saga as no. 7, Usman said, "It's got all the elements that I like in a story. It's got an epic scope of events and worldbuilding, and some very, very deep, intimate character work. I really like the magical realism in this world. It's just so interesting. Every single book has been just so gripping that, upon finishing one, I dive into the next one."
Usman has reviewed the first four books of the eight-book New Blood Saga (Crown Prince, Order of Light, Demon Seed, and Rilari) on his channel, and invited Kilpack to be his second guest for a live interview that aired on Oct. 3, 2024. Book five, Vengeance Borne is recently released, which Usman said he is "going to dive into next month, very excited!"
Kilpack said, "Since I was a fan of his channel, I thought I would see if he would be interested in reviewing one of my books and e-mailed him. I was surprised by how open and willing he was, and just blown away by his reviews! The live interview we did was also very fun. The ground rules were 'no spoilers,' so the discussions before and after the interview were just as cool as the interview itself."
The New Blood Saga centers around Natharr, the Guardian of Maarihk. He is one of a long line of protectors dating back to the Firstborn Age, before the Aa Conquest. Natharr's is an ancient role, rooted in his Firstblood, giving him Sight to see what will come to pass, deciding what is unavoidable and what is not. He spends decades planning how to save the life of the newborn Crown Prince Vikari so he may one day reclaim the throne of the land where Mankind was created, back in the time when the Olde Gods still walked. The series has won 23 of Kilpack's 26 book awards to date and another reviewer named Order of Light as her no. 1 favorite book she read during 2024.
Usman said, "If you haven't read the New Blood Saga, I would highly recommend it to everybody who likes epic dark fantasy and deep, intimate character work."
The complete updated Top 10 list includes
1) First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
2) The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
4) Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
5) Five Warrior Angels by Brian Lee Durfee
6) Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
7) New Blood Saga by W.D. Kilpack III
9) Gunmetal Gods by Zamil Akhtar
10) NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
Kilpack is an award-winning and critically acclaimed internationally published writer, with works appearing in print, online, radio and television, starting with his first publication credit at the age of nine, when he wrote an award-winning poem. As an adult, he has been editor and/or publisher of 23 news and literary publications, both online and in print, with circulations as high as 770,000. He received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Westminster University. As an undergrad, he double-majored in communication and philosophy, while completing the Honors Program. As a graduate student, he earned a master of professional communication with a writing emphasis. He was also a high-performing athlete, qualifying for international competition in Greco-Roman wrestling. For 25 years, he was a communication professor and a nationally recognized wrestling coach. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he continues to live, consult and educate. For more information go to www.Kilpack.net.
On Bards and Books, Usman posts fantasy/sci-fi book reviews and other bookish content. He has a taste for darker elements in his reads. He also discusses music! He enjoys metal and listens to many European bands with a preference for melodic death/black/folk and power metal. For more information go to www.youtube.com/@bardsandbooks
