This will be the list of books I've read this year, in order of how much I enjoyed them.
Books I Finished Reading in 2018
Night- Elie Wiesel
The Wise Man's Fear- Patrick Rothfuss
The Fifth Season- N.K. Jemisin
The Lies of Locke Lamora- Scott Lynch
Ubik- Phillip K. Dick
The Midnight Assassin- Skip Hollandsworth
The Nightmare Stacks: Charlie Stross
Murder: Sarah Pinborough
The Apocalypse Codex: Charlie Stross
The Fireman- Joe Hill
The Faded Sun: Kesrith- C. J. Cheeryh
The Fuller Memorandum- Charlie Stross
The Atrocity Archives- Charlie Stross
Strange Weather- Joe Hill
The Rhesus Chart- Charlie Stross
The Slow Regard of Silent Things- Patrick Rothfuss
Crap Kingdom- DC Pierson
The Turn of the Screw- Henry James
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions- Edwin A Abbott
NOS4A2- Joe Hill
The Jennifer Morgue- Charlie Stross
Mayhem- Sarah Pinborough
The Annihilation Score- Charlie Stross
Sleeping Giants- Sylvain Neuvel
Adjustment Day- Chuck Palahniuk
Swamp Monster Massacre- Hunter Shea
Artemis- Andy Weir
New York 2140- Kim Stanley Robinson
Little Sister Death- William Gay
The Bottle Imp and Other Stories- Robert Lewis Stevenson
The Monster in the Mist- Andrew Mayne
The Square and the Tower- Niall Ferguson
The Orange Eats Creeps- Grace Krilanovich
Graphic Novels
Rat Queens Vol. 1-4
Pretty Deadly Vol. 1: The Shrike
Books I read in 2018
Re: Books I read this year.
Artemis: by Andy Weir.
After being disappointed by New York 2140, I decided to try out this book. I didn’t read the Martian, but one of the criticisms my wife had of it was that it spent a lot of time talking about Mars geography- which sounds like heaven to me. So I saw that this book was about a heist on a moon colony in the near future. Cool!
And it was, but I didn’t get as much moon geography porn as I wanted. The book was extremely fast paced and has a ton of action in it. And that’s kind of my criticism of it. I felt like I didn’t really know any of the characters, so all their motivations seemed too convenient. Also, it moves along at such an action-packed, breakneck speed, that I continually got the impression that he was trying really hard to write another piece to be adapted into a movie. Still, it was a fun, short read.
After being disappointed by New York 2140, I decided to try out this book. I didn’t read the Martian, but one of the criticisms my wife had of it was that it spent a lot of time talking about Mars geography- which sounds like heaven to me. So I saw that this book was about a heist on a moon colony in the near future. Cool!
And it was, but I didn’t get as much moon geography porn as I wanted. The book was extremely fast paced and has a ton of action in it. And that’s kind of my criticism of it. I felt like I didn’t really know any of the characters, so all their motivations seemed too convenient. Also, it moves along at such an action-packed, breakneck speed, that I continually got the impression that he was trying really hard to write another piece to be adapted into a movie. Still, it was a fun, short read.
Re: Books I read this year.
Ubik: by Phillip K. Dick
When I was a young teenager, I read a bunch of PKD short stories along with Bradbury and Heinlein and a bunch I can remember. I remember I liked PKD's stuff because it was more gonzo and crazy than the others, although that often led to stupid misfires-- which I suppose is the risk you run when you write like PKD.
Ubik is awesome. Basic premise: our hero is a tester for an anti-psy organization that gets lured to a mission on a moon city to "negate" a group of powerful psychics. When they get there, reality devolves. That's all I'll say.
Anyhow, it's freaking great. It starts at a breakneck pace and doesn't stop. When you want to stop and take a breath to try to contemplate the weirdness, it just gets even weirder. To the point where you start questioning if it makes sense, or if even CAN make sense. But when you get to the end, it's very satisfying. That's about all I can say without spoiling it.
High recommend. Go read.
When I was a young teenager, I read a bunch of PKD short stories along with Bradbury and Heinlein and a bunch I can remember. I remember I liked PKD's stuff because it was more gonzo and crazy than the others, although that often led to stupid misfires-- which I suppose is the risk you run when you write like PKD.
Ubik is awesome. Basic premise: our hero is a tester for an anti-psy organization that gets lured to a mission on a moon city to "negate" a group of powerful psychics. When they get there, reality devolves. That's all I'll say.
Anyhow, it's freaking great. It starts at a breakneck pace and doesn't stop. When you want to stop and take a breath to try to contemplate the weirdness, it just gets even weirder. To the point where you start questioning if it makes sense, or if even CAN make sense. But when you get to the end, it's very satisfying. That's about all I can say without spoiling it.
High recommend. Go read.
Re: Books I read this year.
My goal is to read 30 novels this year. I'm just listing graphic novels for fun.
Speaking of which- Rat Queens is awesome. If you like D&D or humor or great art- you'll like Rat Queens.
Speaking of which- Rat Queens is awesome. If you like D&D or humor or great art- you'll like Rat Queens.
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Walrus
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Re: Books I read this year.
Been reading Desden files - starting at 1 and am at I think 8 right now - fun.
I'm fluent in 4 languages, know a little in 2 others, but all I speak is sarcasm. 
Re: Books I read this year.
Sleeping Giants: Sylvain Neuvel
This is a short, fun genre novel. Premise: a girl riding her bike falls into a hole in the middle of the road and lands on a giant, metal disembodied robot hand thirty feet across. The story develops from there as an organization tries to find the other parts and assemble the titular giant.
This novel is written in transcript form: through interviews, diaries and news articles. While it’s interesting and unique, that aspect of it wears a bit thin by the end of the book. Also, as with a lot of genre novels, the story starts to fall apart towards the end and the author has to force a lot of things to bring it all together. But it’s still a fun ride, and a great set up for the sequel. Indeed, this book seems like an extended prologue to the real story the author wants to tell in the next book. But that’s fine because it’s a fun ride and a fun story.
This is a short, fun genre novel. Premise: a girl riding her bike falls into a hole in the middle of the road and lands on a giant, metal disembodied robot hand thirty feet across. The story develops from there as an organization tries to find the other parts and assemble the titular giant.
This novel is written in transcript form: through interviews, diaries and news articles. While it’s interesting and unique, that aspect of it wears a bit thin by the end of the book. Also, as with a lot of genre novels, the story starts to fall apart towards the end and the author has to force a lot of things to bring it all together. But it’s still a fun ride, and a great set up for the sequel. Indeed, this book seems like an extended prologue to the real story the author wants to tell in the next book. But that’s fine because it’s a fun ride and a fun story.
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mimekiller
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Re: Books I read this year.
The old broad that wrote them kicked the bucket recently so I started the EARTHSEA series, half way into the first book and I'm enjoying it quite a bit! A cursory reading into the series tells me that the books mature as they continue so I'm looking forward to finishing this iconic series this year.
Re: Books I read this year.
The Monster in the Mist: Andrew Mayne
Well, this was a problematic read. A novella to introduce a whole series the author wants to do about this character "The Chronological Man." Who is the Chronological Man? He's the Doctor. From Doctor Who. More to the point: He's an eccentric, kind of batty, incredibly clever, weirdo who appears to travel through time (although we'll find out in a later book I guess, that it's a different form of time travel-- he can only go forward?). He appears in early 20th century Boston and discovers his companion-- a woman who was employed by him without knowing who he was-- waiting for him to help solve a mystery. This mystery is the death of many people in the deep fogs. Some say it's a monster and some say it's magic. Who knows? The main character knows. I just had a hard time getting past how derivative this was of Doctor Who.
It also had weird perspective jumps in it that made it difficult to read. For instance, you'd be reading about the hero and the companion and then, in the next sentence of the next paragraph, it would be describing something going on across town with other characters that's totally unrelated. And without any transition or indication that we're changing scenes and perspectives. Very difficult to read when that happens.
Not for me.
Well, this was a problematic read. A novella to introduce a whole series the author wants to do about this character "The Chronological Man." Who is the Chronological Man? He's the Doctor. From Doctor Who. More to the point: He's an eccentric, kind of batty, incredibly clever, weirdo who appears to travel through time (although we'll find out in a later book I guess, that it's a different form of time travel-- he can only go forward?). He appears in early 20th century Boston and discovers his companion-- a woman who was employed by him without knowing who he was-- waiting for him to help solve a mystery. This mystery is the death of many people in the deep fogs. Some say it's a monster and some say it's magic. Who knows? The main character knows. I just had a hard time getting past how derivative this was of Doctor Who.
It also had weird perspective jumps in it that made it difficult to read. For instance, you'd be reading about the hero and the companion and then, in the next sentence of the next paragraph, it would be describing something going on across town with other characters that's totally unrelated. And without any transition or indication that we're changing scenes and perspectives. Very difficult to read when that happens.
Not for me.
Re: Books I read this year.
Rat Queens Update:
Read Rat Queens volume I through III. Do not read Volume IV. I can't explain why without spoiling it, but it betrays your commitment to the characters and storylines and kind of ruins the whole series. Volume IV is the Highlander 2 of the Rat Queens Universe.
Read Rat Queens volume I through III. Do not read Volume IV. I can't explain why without spoiling it, but it betrays your commitment to the characters and storylines and kind of ruins the whole series. Volume IV is the Highlander 2 of the Rat Queens Universe.
Re: Books I read this year.
The Square and the Tower: Niall Ferguson
This is a history book which tries to re-examine shifts in power and revolutions in history through the effects of the networks (actual, real life social networks) versus hierarchies. Thus, it examines how the pub and mason networks of the revolutionary war played into the effectiveness of rebels against the English. There's also talk about the advent of the printing press and how it created a disruptive network by encouraging literariness of the population, leading up to the reformation and the "networked" protestants against the "hierarchy" church.
But for the most part it was just boring. While sometimes these ideas of network/versus hierarchy seemed interesting, mostly it just seemed like a rehash of the same history you already know. As the author concedes, networks and hierarchies are not mutually exclusive concepts-- a Hierarchy is just a network where communication is just in a vertical structure. Thus, while he thinks he's shedding light on some of the histories of the enlightenment and the Russian revolution-- I didn't see it. When I've read about the Russian revolution before, the sources may not have used the term "networks," but certainly described the importance of those structures in different terms.
More problematic was when the book got to the more recent portions of history. While I could quibble with his overemphasis on the evils of the "administrative state" (it seemed to be preaching at these parts, instead of giving a history), there was a more difficult discussion of networks and Islam. When discussing Islamic terrorist networks, on several occasions I felt the author was conflating the Muslim immigrant community with Muslim terrorist organizations. It seemed inappropriate and weirdly opinionated for what I thought was going to be a cool historical examination of events.
Didn't really enjoy it.
This is a history book which tries to re-examine shifts in power and revolutions in history through the effects of the networks (actual, real life social networks) versus hierarchies. Thus, it examines how the pub and mason networks of the revolutionary war played into the effectiveness of rebels against the English. There's also talk about the advent of the printing press and how it created a disruptive network by encouraging literariness of the population, leading up to the reformation and the "networked" protestants against the "hierarchy" church.
But for the most part it was just boring. While sometimes these ideas of network/versus hierarchy seemed interesting, mostly it just seemed like a rehash of the same history you already know. As the author concedes, networks and hierarchies are not mutually exclusive concepts-- a Hierarchy is just a network where communication is just in a vertical structure. Thus, while he thinks he's shedding light on some of the histories of the enlightenment and the Russian revolution-- I didn't see it. When I've read about the Russian revolution before, the sources may not have used the term "networks," but certainly described the importance of those structures in different terms.
More problematic was when the book got to the more recent portions of history. While I could quibble with his overemphasis on the evils of the "administrative state" (it seemed to be preaching at these parts, instead of giving a history), there was a more difficult discussion of networks and Islam. When discussing Islamic terrorist networks, on several occasions I felt the author was conflating the Muslim immigrant community with Muslim terrorist organizations. It seemed inappropriate and weirdly opinionated for what I thought was going to be a cool historical examination of events.
Didn't really enjoy it.
Re: Books I read this year.
The Turn of the Screw: Henry James
Y'all. What a great ghost story. Written in 1898, I thought I'd break up what I've been reading (histories, fantasy and sci-fi) with some classic literature. As I started this, I was a little concerned that it would suffer from that "overwrought style" from the turn of the 20th century. You know what I mean-- that kind of Lovecraftian tendency to use seventy words in a sentence when you could ten. And don't get me wrong, this book had that type of writing. But it works really well for the purposes of the book.
Without giving anything away, this story is a slow burn and build up of tension, dread, and angst. It centers on a young governess sent to tend to two young children in an isolated manor. So while I normally dislike the wordy, over-descriptive style I was expecting, it really served the story so well. You're trapped in the mind of the main character and you-- like her-- are questioning everything that's going on. Such a good tale and nice surprise when I wasn't really expecting much.
Highly recommend.
Y'all. What a great ghost story. Written in 1898, I thought I'd break up what I've been reading (histories, fantasy and sci-fi) with some classic literature. As I started this, I was a little concerned that it would suffer from that "overwrought style" from the turn of the 20th century. You know what I mean-- that kind of Lovecraftian tendency to use seventy words in a sentence when you could ten. And don't get me wrong, this book had that type of writing. But it works really well for the purposes of the book.
Without giving anything away, this story is a slow burn and build up of tension, dread, and angst. It centers on a young governess sent to tend to two young children in an isolated manor. So while I normally dislike the wordy, over-descriptive style I was expecting, it really served the story so well. You're trapped in the mind of the main character and you-- like her-- are questioning everything that's going on. Such a good tale and nice surprise when I wasn't really expecting much.
Highly recommend.
Re: Books I read this year.
Swamp Monster Massacre: Hunter Shea
What a great read. I know you're saying, "You're recommending Swamp Monster Massacre?" You're damn right I am. Here's the deal: it's a swamp monster massacre, so you know what you're getting into. Is it going to take place in a swamp? Yup. Is it going to have swamp monsters in said swamp? You betcha. Will they massacre something or be massacred themselves? One or both of those will happen. And it's a hell of a romp.
I'm not here to tell you that Swamp Monster Massacre is changing literature. It knows exactly what it is: genre pulp. But it does it very well. People can criticize if for many things: (1) there are stereotypical characters- from the Jersey Shore knuckleheads to the nerdy computer guy to the hot ladies that kick ass; (2) it is told with a leering male gaze; and (3) it revels in unnecessary gore and violence. But of course it has those things! You chose to read a book called Swamp Monster Massacre? If it didn't do some or all of those things, I'd be pissed.
And here's the kicker: it's well-written. Hunter Shea actually writes this story with a tone and flair that's note-perfect for content. The only question I really have now is when it's going to be adapted to a DTV movie. Because, as a horror buff, I'd love to see a big screen treatment of this.
What a great read. I know you're saying, "You're recommending Swamp Monster Massacre?" You're damn right I am. Here's the deal: it's a swamp monster massacre, so you know what you're getting into. Is it going to take place in a swamp? Yup. Is it going to have swamp monsters in said swamp? You betcha. Will they massacre something or be massacred themselves? One or both of those will happen. And it's a hell of a romp.
I'm not here to tell you that Swamp Monster Massacre is changing literature. It knows exactly what it is: genre pulp. But it does it very well. People can criticize if for many things: (1) there are stereotypical characters- from the Jersey Shore knuckleheads to the nerdy computer guy to the hot ladies that kick ass; (2) it is told with a leering male gaze; and (3) it revels in unnecessary gore and violence. But of course it has those things! You chose to read a book called Swamp Monster Massacre? If it didn't do some or all of those things, I'd be pissed.
And here's the kicker: it's well-written. Hunter Shea actually writes this story with a tone and flair that's note-perfect for content. The only question I really have now is when it's going to be adapted to a DTV movie. Because, as a horror buff, I'd love to see a big screen treatment of this.
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mimekiller
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Re: Books I read this year.
The Descent by Jeff Long
Despite sharing a name with the horror movie involving some spelunkers and a ill fated trip underground, the novel by Jeff Long covers similar ground(oh and it came out in 1999) but is not connected to the movie at all.
Despite that tho its a useful comparison, imagine the film but happening on a global scale, Decent Meets Pacific Rim as a world is pushed to the brink by a uncovered series of global tunnels and the species that calls it home. A gripping read, I love the idea of taking genre staples(in this case the monsters that go bump in the night) and expanding it to a epic scale. Good stuff so far
Despite sharing a name with the horror movie involving some spelunkers and a ill fated trip underground, the novel by Jeff Long covers similar ground(oh and it came out in 1999) but is not connected to the movie at all.
Despite that tho its a useful comparison, imagine the film but happening on a global scale, Decent Meets Pacific Rim as a world is pushed to the brink by a uncovered series of global tunnels and the species that calls it home. A gripping read, I love the idea of taking genre staples(in this case the monsters that go bump in the night) and expanding it to a epic scale. Good stuff so far
Re: Books I read this year.
Crap Kingdom- DC Pierson
I heard about this book when the author, a comedian, was on Doug Loves Movies. The pitch drew me in right away: "Kid is the chosen one who discovers that the magical land he's supposed to save is complete garbage- literally and figuratively. So he rejects it." And the actual book delivers on that premise. It's a very smart deconstruction of the young adult tropes of "the chosen one" and "the savior child of unfathomable power." The characters are well-developed and relatable-- I suspect if I was a drama geek in school it would be even more so. And the story is crisp and simple, sticking true to it's core ideas. But interwoven through all of it is a clever undermining of the reader's expectations of young adult adventures, without sacrificing a good young adult adventure. My only criticism was that it was too short and fast moving. I suspect the author had much more material developing the world of "Crap Kingdom" but was forced to cut stuff to make it a standard "YA length" novel. However, that's a bit of a shame because I would have liked to learn more of it and let the characters breath. However, that's a slight complaint. Great book.
I heard about this book when the author, a comedian, was on Doug Loves Movies. The pitch drew me in right away: "Kid is the chosen one who discovers that the magical land he's supposed to save is complete garbage- literally and figuratively. So he rejects it." And the actual book delivers on that premise. It's a very smart deconstruction of the young adult tropes of "the chosen one" and "the savior child of unfathomable power." The characters are well-developed and relatable-- I suspect if I was a drama geek in school it would be even more so. And the story is crisp and simple, sticking true to it's core ideas. But interwoven through all of it is a clever undermining of the reader's expectations of young adult adventures, without sacrificing a good young adult adventure. My only criticism was that it was too short and fast moving. I suspect the author had much more material developing the world of "Crap Kingdom" but was forced to cut stuff to make it a standard "YA length" novel. However, that's a bit of a shame because I would have liked to learn more of it and let the characters breath. However, that's a slight complaint. Great book.
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Phoebe
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Re: Books I read this year.
I will not pre-judge because I love the idea of tearing down that savior child trope, but a savior child who rejects the thing to be saved is just a nihilist savior child (or a discerning one) and still a savior child. ? Anyway, my kids are looking for books and this might be fun given the setup you describe!
Re: Books I read this year.
The Fireman, by Joe Hill.
The Fireman is a apocalyptic story about the first days and year of a disease that causes people to spontaneously combust. If you liked mid-young Stephen King, when he was less concerned with existential questions of God and purpose, then you'll like Joe Hill. (And that's not to say that I don't like later Stephen King; Duma Key is one of his favorite novels of mine.) There's an energy and enthusiasm behind his storytelling that is infectious and makes the book very compelling to read. Although, as you'd expect, sometimes the enthusiasm seems "a bit much" or rings a bit hollow- but that's the nature of this kind of writing and isn't really off putting- it just sometimes misses the mark for me, which is inevitable with this style of writing.
But at its core, the Fireman is a story about the subjugation of women through various systemic means: political, religious and societal machinations that serve to keep women just below the threshold of equality, especially in times of crises and even at the end of the world. I think it's easy to read this novel as just another neo-real apocalyptic fantasy with a quirky main character who's obsessed with Mary Poppins. But a closer examination reveals how her struggles to survive are even more difficult and dangerous than her ally, the titular Fireman, simply because she's a woman. To be clear, Hill doesn't hit you over the head with his message, but he does a great job of weaving his feministic war cry through all the major beats of this adventure. While not flawless-- I thought there were a couple of points in the book that suffered from the male gaze-- I thought it was very subtle and very well done. A definite high recommend.
The Fireman is a apocalyptic story about the first days and year of a disease that causes people to spontaneously combust. If you liked mid-young Stephen King, when he was less concerned with existential questions of God and purpose, then you'll like Joe Hill. (And that's not to say that I don't like later Stephen King; Duma Key is one of his favorite novels of mine.) There's an energy and enthusiasm behind his storytelling that is infectious and makes the book very compelling to read. Although, as you'd expect, sometimes the enthusiasm seems "a bit much" or rings a bit hollow- but that's the nature of this kind of writing and isn't really off putting- it just sometimes misses the mark for me, which is inevitable with this style of writing.
But at its core, the Fireman is a story about the subjugation of women through various systemic means: political, religious and societal machinations that serve to keep women just below the threshold of equality, especially in times of crises and even at the end of the world. I think it's easy to read this novel as just another neo-real apocalyptic fantasy with a quirky main character who's obsessed with Mary Poppins. But a closer examination reveals how her struggles to survive are even more difficult and dangerous than her ally, the titular Fireman, simply because she's a woman. To be clear, Hill doesn't hit you over the head with his message, but he does a great job of weaving his feministic war cry through all the major beats of this adventure. While not flawless-- I thought there were a couple of points in the book that suffered from the male gaze-- I thought it was very subtle and very well done. A definite high recommend.
Re: Books I read this year.
The Fifth Season, by N.K. Jemisin
Read it. So good. So goddamn good. It's fantasy, sci-fi and post-apocalyptic, which might make you think you're tired of genre books. But it is so much more than a genre book. It's fucking brilliant. Brilliant. Read it.
Read it. So good. So goddamn good. It's fantasy, sci-fi and post-apocalyptic, which might make you think you're tired of genre books. But it is so much more than a genre book. It's fucking brilliant. Brilliant. Read it.
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mimekiller
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Re: Books I read this year.
The Outsider by Stephen King
a DECENT thriller in the Finders Keepers universe that sets up a brilliant mystery but is undercut because the entire solution is "oh a monster did it" which is fine I guess but not that satisfying.(and its far to long)
First 200 pages are FIVE STAR stuff that had me riveted, everything after is just ok.
a DECENT thriller in the Finders Keepers universe that sets up a brilliant mystery but is undercut because the entire solution is "oh a monster did it" which is fine I guess but not that satisfying.(and its far to long)
First 200 pages are FIVE STAR stuff that had me riveted, everything after is just ok.
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mimekiller
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Re: Books I read this year.
The Cabin at the End of the World
by Paul Tremblay
a RIP ROARING page turner that combines the home invasion genre with some other genres I wont even name because this is one of those 250 or so odd page books you need to go into blind. I can see how the nature of the ending might bother people but to me this is a 5 star book.
by Paul Tremblay
a RIP ROARING page turner that combines the home invasion genre with some other genres I wont even name because this is one of those 250 or so odd page books you need to go into blind. I can see how the nature of the ending might bother people but to me this is a 5 star book.
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