661 ratings | 623 reviews | avg rating:3.57

more photos (15)

Phillip’s Year In Books

Phillip’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Phillip’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Phillip’s 2025 Year in Books

Phillip Murrell’s Followers (68)

Phillip’s Bookshelves

to-read (33)
currently-reading (0)
read (672)
indie-author-greats (36)
my-books (10)
read-before-goodreads-membership (40)
read-in-2017 (15)
read-in-2018 (119)
read-in-2019 (46)
read-in-2020 (130)
See all bookshelves »

Phillip’s Friends (69)

Josh

396 books | 165 friends

Julia Ash

253 books | 1,086 friends

Jenny Tang

278 books | 84 friends

Trike

2,757 books | 286 friends

Allison Hurd

1,622 books | 741 friends

Mike Siedschlag

16,359 books | 93 friends

Mark Lawrence

1,045 books | 5,000 friends

Synek Neris

104 books | 147 friends

More friends…

2026 Reading Challenge

2026

READING

CHALLENGE

Phillip Murrell has read 18 of 25 books.

72%

Phillip Murrell

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

https://www.phillipmurrell.com

Genre

Science Fiction, Fantasy, Humor and Comedy

Member Since

September 2017

edit data

I'm a lifelong reader and fan of stories in every medium. I started writing for fun in the second grade (I think my mom may still have my school-assigned short story "The Frozen Eyes," which I shakily wrote on lined paper). I'm also an Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer in the United States Army. While on my second deployment to Iraq, I began to write again. First, I wrote screenplays, then moved on to writing novels, the first being "Bystanders."

I've been married for over sixteen years to my amazing wife. I also have three children. Thankfully, they also love sci-fi, fantasy, and roller coasters as much as I do.

During my free time I'll either be reading/watching TV/playing video games or I'll be spending my hard-earned money doing someth ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

Phillip Murrell is currently not accepting new questions.

Combine Editions
Phillip Murrell’s books

Average rating: 3.77 · 198 ratings · 125 reviews · 10 distinct works • Similar authors

	Bystanders (Bystanders #1) 3.52 avg rating — 48 ratings — published 2017 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Soldiers' Perspective 3.81 avg rating — 42 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Augury Answered 3.54 avg rating — 35 ratings — published 2019 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Zombie Walkabout 3.97 avg rating — 29 ratings — published 2019 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Trophy Hunters (Bystanders #2) 3.58 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 2017 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Just Joe 4.10 avg rating — 10 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Feeders 4.14 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2020	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Good Luck Booger 4.83 avg rating — 6 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Our Contest (Bystanders #4) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2018 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sleepers and Scouts (Bystanders #3) 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2018 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Phillip Murrell…

Series by Phillip Murrell

Bystanders (4 books)
by

Phillip Murrell (Goodreads Author)

3.61 avg rating — 69 ratings

rss
Phillip’s Recent Updates

Phillip Murrell rated a book liked it The Devils (The Devils, #1) by Joe Abercrombie	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I really love Joe Abercrombie books. He's probably my favorite author. He writes great characters with the best dialogue. Why does this book only get three stars? Because these characters were slathered in extra layers of plot armor with a little deu ...more
Mar 08, 2026 05:47AM · like · see review
Phillip Murrell wants to read Red Rising (Red Rising Saga, #1) by Pierce Brown (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 20, 2026 08:19AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Red Rising by Pierce Brown. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Red Rising by Pierce Brown <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Phillip Murrell started reading The Devils (The Devils, #1) by Joe Abercrombie Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Fantasy, Readers' Favorite Audiobook	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 12, 2026 05:14PM · like
Phillip Murrell rated a book it was ok A Study in Scarlet Swords: A Dark Epic Fantasy Adventure (Legendary) by Dylan Doose (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I thought I would like this. I didn't. It has a ton of action, but that was it's only redeeming quality. The prose veered too often into purple territory. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, even for a fantasy setting (e.g. "surely you jest."). T ...more
Feb 12, 2026 04:56PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Study in Scarlet Swords by Dylan Doose. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Study in Scarlet Swords by Dylan Doose <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Phillip Murrell rated a book liked it The Great Change (and Other Lies) by Joe Abercrombie	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I'm a fan of the First Law Universe. I just learned of this collection of short stories and immediately read it. The problem is, I read the other books years ago; I've forgotten some of the major plot points alluded here. I'll have to reread everythi ...more
Feb 01, 2026 04:49PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Great Change by Joe Abercrombie. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Great Change by Joe Abercrombie <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Phillip Murrell rated a book it was amazing G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium Vol. 2 by Larry Hama	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A fabulous compendium. I had issues 1-50 in the original 10-issue volumes. I thought they stopped making them, so I never got the rest. This compendium, and the next two, corrects this issue. Better yet, I got the first 15 Special Missions. They were ...more
Jan 28, 2026 11:39AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of G.I. Joe by Larry Hama. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — G.I. Joe by Larry Hama <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Phillip Murrell rated a book it was amazing Classic G.I. Joe, Volume 8 by Larry Hama	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Cobra Civil War is one of three top arcs in the original G. I. Joe comics (the others being the Battle of Springfield and the casualties of issue 109). This volume has that Gem. I also love that Tunnel Rat (I'm EOD) got a lot of time to shine wit ...more
Jan 28, 2026 11:39AM · like · see review
Phillip Murrell rated a book it was amazing Classic G.I. Joe, Volume 8 by Larry Hama	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Cobra Civil War is one of three top arcs in the original G. I. Joe comics (the others being the Battle of Springfield and the casualties of issue 109). This volume has that Gem. I also love that Tunnel Rat (I'm EOD) got a lot of time to shine wit ...more
Jan 28, 2026 11:37AM · like · see review
Phillip Murrell rated a book it was amazing G.I. Joe Special Missions, Volume 2: Issues 8-14 by Larry Hama	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I'm becoming a huge fan of Special Missions. I can't wait to read the rest and look forward to "that" issue with the Oktober Guard. ...more
Jan 28, 2026 08:20AM · 2 likes · like · see review
Phillip Murrell rated a book really liked it Classic G.I. Joe, Volume 7 by Larry Hama	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
More good stories, but I'm anxious to get to the Cobra Civil War in the next volume. Too bad we're starting to transition into the sillier gear and costumes. ...more
Jan 28, 2026 06:25AM · like · see review

More of Phillip's books…

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Review Group: * Group 249. Out of this World - Mod. Trish	200	95	Jul 12, 2020 11:47AM
Review Group: * Group 253. Out of this World - Mod E.M.	131	103	Aug 10, 2020 10:12AM
Review Group: * Group 254. General - Mod. Kat.	130	90	Sep 04, 2020 10:06AM
Review Group: * Group 255. Out of this World - Mod. Trish	159	72	Sep 10, 2020 10:12PM
Review Group: * Group 260. Out of this World - Mod. Chrys	140	86	Oct 21, 2020 06:12AM
Review Group: * Group 263. General - Mod. Kat	165	71	Nov 27, 2020 02:26PM
Review Group: * Group 267. General - Mod. Kat	150	81	Dec 23, 2020 06:57AM