The Based Book Sale has announced the top-based books of 2024. Heading the list are titles by Vox Day, John C. Wright, Devon Eriksen, and Michael F. Kane. “These were the most popular books readers selected out of a total of more than 5000 sold,” explained the sale organizer, scientist, inventor, and author Hans G. Schantz. “2024 Based Book Sale Top Twenty is a crowd-sourced list of some of the best-based books available, chosen from a list of over two hundred titles entered in the four Based Book Sales in 2024.”
The Top Ten Based Books of 2024
A Sea of Skulls by Vox Day took top honors. John C. Wright authored the next two most popular books. In second place was his first Starquest book, Space Pirates of Andromeda, followed by his 2016 Dragon Award-winning Best Novel, Somewither. Vox Day closely followed in fourth and fifth place with A Throne of Bones (Arts of Dark and Light Book 1) and Summa Elvetica: A Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy (Arts of Dark and Light). In sixth place was sale newcomer Devon Eriksen with Theft of Fire: Orbital Space #1. Michael F. Kane secured seventh-place honors with After Moses. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon came in eighth place. Based on Book Sale perennial offerings, The Hidden Truth was ninth. Henry Brown’s six-book Paradox series in a box set completed the top ten.
A complete listing of the top hundred-based books of 2024 is available from the Based Book Sale Substack.
The Based Book Sale
Four times a year, indie and small press authors come together to offer their books for sale at a discount price of $0.99 or free. The Based Book Sale Substack compiles and shares a listing of the titles with an emphasis on those titles that are new to the sale. Authors collaborate to share the sale with their social media followers and mailing lists, introducing each other’s works to a new audience of readers.
As author and literary critic, Jocelynn Cordes, observed in the Federalist, “Those in conservative circles constantly bemoan the near-complete takeover of culture by the left. One possible answer to this assault on civilization may very well come from grassroots movements such as these.”
What does Schantz mean by a “based book?” Schantz defines “based” as:
Well-grounded, resting upon a firm foundation.
Principled, devoted to fixed standards, especially in defiance of conventional wisdom.
Rejecting politically correct attitudes and celebrating nonconformity with woke opinion, and
Committed to upholding and advancing the good, the beautiful, and the true.
Antonyms are “debased” or “cringe.” As Schantz tells participating authors, “I can’t possibly read all the entries in detail, so I leave it to you to decide if yours is ‘based.’” The sale leans heavily toward recently released science fiction and fantasy, but also includes thrillers, romance, mystery, and even non-fiction. Schantz reserves the right to exclude books that don’t fit the based theme including titles he feels are too salacious, including erotica. “Some the most popular works are classics, like Edward Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and David Lindsay’s A Voyage to Arcturus. Based readers have demonstrated great taste in books, which makes the sale listings an excellent place to go to discover high-quality stories from both established and emerging talent.”
The next Based Book Sale is coming up next week, starting Valentines’ Day, February 14, and Schantz encourages interested authors to sign up in the comments of his Call for Authors.
The based book movement has been gathering steam in recent years. There’s a Based SF&F Book Club which helps readers find great, high quality physical books (hardcover and paperbacks) by based authors: “We specialize in science fiction and fantasy by independent authors who don't toe the progressive line.” And there’s BasedCon, a gathering for based authors and fans of science fiction and fantasy, aiming for a fifth year of steady growth at BasedCon V in Grand Rapids, MI September 5-7, 2025. “Whether you’ve never been to a con before or you’re a frequent con-goer who is tired of woke propaganda, BasedCon is the place for you!”
What do you think of the 2024 Based Book Top Twenty? Are there any authors you’d like to see participate in the upcoming sale next week? Let us know in comments.
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For more great based fiction, read Schantz’s novel, The Wise of Heart, an illustrated courtroom drama of biological science versus transgenderism that brings the Scopes Monkey Trial up to date for the twenty-first century.
Am curious what you'll make good sir of Crown of Blood should you ever read it? Based or no ;) anyways, good list.