Top 10 Most Anticipated...Books

Before the hiatus, I thought I'd do a quick round-up of the TV shows, films, books and video games that I'm most excited about for the remainder of this year, especially seeing as many of them are coming not too long after the blog returns. Next up are the novels and non-fiction pieces that look set to shake things up in the remaining months of 2011- no, they probably won't garner much attention from the press, but for a teen such as myself and many of you readers at the same age these are top class reads...
#10: ASSASSIN'S CREED: REVELATIONS- Let's be honest, the Assassin's Creed book tie-ins never completely amaze, and they'll never win the Booker award for Best Read of 2011. However, it's fun to see how the events of a video game are interpreted, and with three timelines (Altair, Ezio and Desmond's) interspersed in the source content, with one even taking place inside the depths of the Animus, there's a chance this one could be really special. (November 15th)
#9: STAR WARS: HEIR TO THE EMPIRE: 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION- From what I've heard, Heir To The Empire was a very impressive Star Wars novel at the time of release (1991), taking place five years after the events of Return of the Jedi and continuing the stories of Luke, Han and Leia. I'm interested to see what all the fuss from Wars fans is about, so can't wait to pick this one up. (September 6th)
#8: THE POWER OF SIX- Although the film version of I Am Number Four was pretty rubbish, the original book was a great read, and I look forward to seeing how the narrative dynamic changes when more Lorien heroes are added to the mix, plus new locations to top it off! (August 23rd)
#7: THE BRILLIANT BOOK OF DOCTOR WHO 2012- Last year's The Brilliant Book of Doctor Who 2011 was an aptly brilliant hardback, covering the whole of Series 5 in pleasingly immense detail, so I expect no less detail on Series Six in this sequel. (October 13th)
#6: CHERUB: PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC- The first in a new trilogy of CHERUB novels, People's Republic focuses on a new teenage agent, Ryan Sharma, who works with previous regular Lauren Adams to investigate a crisis in California. (August 4th, out now, my review coming later this month!)
#5: TORCHWOOD: THE MEN WHO SOLD THE WORLD- I've got Miracle Day prequels First Born and Long Time Dead to read during the hiatus, and when the blog returns I'll be rating them and taking a look at the final prequel, The Men Who Sold The World, which shows us what CIA agent Rex Matheson was up to along the road to his gruesome 'death' in Episode One. (August 18th)
#4: HARRY POTTER: FILM TO SCREEN- A massive hardback, Film To Screen promises a deep inside look at adapting each Potter novel into a blockbuster summer/winter movie. To be honest, any chance to reenter the universe of the Boy Who Lived is one I take with open arms, so another in-depth book investigating the series on-screen is a great prospect.
#3: HALO: GLASSLANDS- This one's a sequel to the excellent Ghosts of Onyx and will begin to bridge the gap between 2007's Halo 3 and next year's epic fourth instalment. For these reasons and so many others, I cannot wait for Glasslands! (October 25th)
#2: DOCTOR WHO: THE SILENT STARS GO BY- I wasn't too keen on Michael Moorcock's first attempt at a Who novel, The Coming of the Terraphiles, last year- it just seemed like too generic a sci-fi romp and Moorcock didn't seem to get a good handle on the TARDIS crew. Dan Abnett, however, has much more experience with the series, so I look forward to seeing his festive romp, The Silent Stars Go By, that sees the return of the Ice Warriors. (Out September 29th)
#1: SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT: DEATH-BRINGER- An easy choice for first place, Derek Landy's wit, charm and sense of humour run freely through his superb Skulduggery Pleasant fantasy series, and although the writing is hardly revolutionary it's the incredibly detailed plot arcs that have kept myself and millions of other readers captivated for five books now. As we reach the end of the second trilogy, given the cliffhanger that ended the first, I'm excited to see what happens when a new Death-Bringer is found to bring about the apocalypse! (September 1st)