All the cool kids over at the
Westeros forum
have been discussing their top reads so far this year, and some
bloggers such as
Pat and
Darkwolf have also chimed in with their favourites. So I thought I might as well give mine. I'll be interested to see how much this provisional list changes by the end of year. I'm hoping to read a few real heavyweight novels (in terms of critical acclaim!) such as
The Name of the Wind,
Best Served Cold and
Lamentation, so I expect this list will bear only a partial resemblance to the final one.
Anyway, here's my top five reads so far this year (in no particular order):
Dragonfly Falling, Adrian Tchaikovsky
Ravenheart, David Gemmell
Twelve, Jasper Kent
Nights of Villjamur, Mark Charan Newton
Retribution Falls, Chris Wooding
Feel free to list your own!
8 comments:
I'd have to say so far:
1. John Lindqvist - Let The Right One In
2. Joe Abercrombie - Best Served Cold
3. Richard Morgan - Black Man
4. Greg Keyes - The Charnel Prince (best of the quartet)
5. David Gunn - Death's Head: Maximum Offence
Obviously, like your list, all not released this year.
Interesting choices. I'm looking forward to BSC, and will get around to reading Black Man at some point. Like a bit of Morgan, I do. His writing, I mean, not so much him...
I've got the last book in the Greg Keyes series, but not the first three, so I ought to try and sort that out. Heard good things about it.
I'm really having a hard time understanding this whole Twelve mania. I was expecting an amazing book and was disappointed. It's good, but not in my opinion the breakthrough novel people are talking about. The take on Russia is not nearly as good as viewed by Russian authors, and the vampire story has nothing exceptional to. The only amazing twist (which I will not give away for those willing to read it) is Iuda...
PS: I did not read Let the right one in, but the movie is among my all time vampire favorites.
I'm ordering Twelve by Jasper Kent, and I'll review it when I'm done. Thanks, Michael, for not giving away the one twist that you found luda . . . I'll let you know if I find the same. Although I am a little disappointed in find it's another vampire take. I'm getting weary of that already.
I was intrigued by the time period and the writing I saw on Amazon so I'll reserve judgment until I have read it myself.
I've been lurking here sometime, and I must say I really love this blog.
Teresa
Re: Let The Right One In - I read the book after loving the film and the book is even better. There is an American remake int he works supposedly set in 1980's Colorado and will apparently keep quite true to the book or film (not sure which) or both.
I still don't really understand why Hollywood needs to remake such brilliant films but if it is done well then I will see it.
As to the list, no doubt Dust of Dreams will jump instantly to the top when I get my paws on it.
James - the Keyes quartet was difficult for me to get into initially but after about a third of the first book it really picked up and I quite enjoyed it. The end of the final book is a bit rushed but it still comes to a relatively satisfying conclusion.
@ Mad Hatter - The City and the City didn't work for me; lovely prose and concept, let down by disappointing characterisation.
Got BSC lined up, and have heard mixed things about Midwinter so not sure whether to pick it up.
Fall of Thanes has got good reviews so far. I've only read the first novel, Winterbirth, and it didn't quite convince me to continue with the series.
@ Michael - I agree that Twelve was flawed in some respects, but for some reason it just worked for me and I really enjoyed it. I doubt it'll make it on to my best-of-the-year list, but it's a solid read.
@ Teresa - Glad you like the blog!
@ Jebus - Thanks for the warning, I'll bear it mind if/when I start reading the series.
On top Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson.
Following books without any order
-Terror by Dan Simmons
-Nights of Villjamur by Mark Charan Newton
-The Painted Man by Peter V. Brett
-Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky
-The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
-Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
-The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
James,
Thought I'd pop back in and let you know that I'm about half-way through Twelve and I'm loving it. Kent's going to have to blow it bad for me to give up on this one. He's got nice clean writing, good story, and I love the characters.
Thanks for recommending it!
Teresa
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