Books read in 2017
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2017 7:58 am
Feel free to share and comment on books you are reading this year...
Here's my list as of April 28:
1. Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake - a reread. Amazing characters, amazing setting. At times spellbinding, at times rather slow. It still feels like Steerpike is the closest thing we have to a protagonist in this one, although I felt less sympathetic this time around (knowing what the future would hold).
2. Half the Day Is Night by Maureen McHugh - a bit of a disappointment.
3. The Alloy of Law by Brian Sanderson - another re-read. Looking forward to picking up the second book of this Mistborn sequel series.
4. Shadows of Self by Brian Sanderson - This one had moments of humor, and a couple of big surprises at the end, but I missed the playfulness and repartee of The Alloy of Law.
5. The Anything Box by Zenna Henderson - I enjoyed this collection, if not as much as some of her The People stories. Henderson has a distinctive voice.
6. The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson - I have some quibbles about this book, but the ending is fantastic in a way that is distinctly Sanderson.
7. Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake - a re-read.
8. Passage at Arms by Glen Cook - a pretty decent little novel about a carnage strewn mission in space.
9. A Shadow of All Night Falling by Glen Cook - this first Dread Empire book shows potential, but doesn't particularly hit the mark.
10. Invaders of Earth edited by Groff Conklin - an anthology of early stories that feature aliens of varying dispositions visiting our planet, most of the stories being fairly forgettable.
11. The Avengers of Carrig by John Brunner - a satisfying if unambitious lost colony story.
12. River of Dust by Alexander Jablokov - A dark and interesting future Mars. Unfortunately people whom I didn't particularly care about.
13. After the Fall edited by Robert Sheckley - sorry to say it, but this proved one of the most forgettable anthologies ever.
14. Sky Coyote by Kage Baker - entertaining and less complicated than the first book of the series.
15. The Judging Eye by R. Scott Bakker - One of the three plot lines was compelling, if ultimately blatantly Tolkienesque. Bakker clearly has talent, but doesn't seem to particularly care whether we like his characters or not.
16. Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson - finally got back to by Malazan re-read and polished off book 9. Which, second time around, was even more disappointing than it had been the first time around. The first seven books of this series are off the charts, but the end is a bit of a let-down.
17. Dune by Frank Herbert - continuing my recent trend of re-reading old favorites.
18. Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon - I seem to have liked this more than most. Not nearly as ambitious as many of this author's novels.
19. Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold - entertaining, but not really up there with the better Miles novels.
20. Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert - I hadn't read this one for decades. It is very different from the first book, but really quite compelling.
21. Children of Dune by Frank Herbert - by far the weakest of the original trilogy, or so it felt this time around.
22. Hyperion by Dan Simmons - still a stunningly good book.
23. The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons - ditto.
24. Endymion by Dan Simmons - I thought this was pretty spectacular... an entertaining story with a ridiculously complex yet riveting backstory that somehow finds astonishing potential in the riverworld concept of "To Your Scattered Bodies Go".
25. All Flesh Is Grass by Clifford Simak - a decent enough read, if not as thought provoking as Simak at his best.
26. The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons - amazing conclusion to this four volume series.
27. Willful Child by Steven Erickson - I thought the first third of this was just about perfect, but alas it grew increasingly juvenile and ridiculous from there.
28. The Five Gold Bands by Jack Vance - proof that even the great masters can write a clunker every now and then.
29. The Course of the Heart by M. John Harrison - this one was quite different from previous Harrison novels. Ambitious, but didn't really work for me.
30. Beyond Rejection by Justin Leiber - somewhat interesting concept, but the book felt more ineptly prurient than thought provoking.
31. Pirates of the Universe by Terry Bisson - I haven't read much by Bisson but I've liked what I've read. This one felt like Philip K Dick meets Clifford Simak. There are some odd gender issues in this one, but not in an exploitative way.
32. Riders at the Gate by C.J Cherryh - vintage Cherryh, with complex characters and an unusual setting
33. Armored edited by John Joseph Adams - some quite good stories, mixed in with some fairly pedestrian stories. From glancing at the editors prefatory comments, I had expected a bit more inspiration from, building on, or following in the footsteps of John Steakley's classic novel Armor.
34. Fury by Henry Kuttner - this one felt like a precursor to The Stars My Destination...
35. Dread Brass Shadows by Glen Cook - not one of the better Garrett novels.
36. Whispering Nickel Idols by Glen Cook - an improvement over the one I had read just prior.
37. The Deadly Streets by Harlan Ellison - a mixed bag of stories of young men on the wrong side of the law, mainly in New York.
38. Scop by Barry Malzberg - ambitious and rather surreal. I seem to have liked this one more than most.
39. No Doors, No Windows by Harlan Ellison - a few good stories, a few stories I really didn't like, and a bunch of so-so stories.
40. Elantris by Brian Sanderson - an ambitious if somewhat uneven debut novel.
41. Thrawn by Timothy Zahn - facing slim pickings in the Barnes and Noble Audiobook bins ahead of a 14 hour drive, and remembering having enjoyed Zahn's original Thrawn trilogy long ago, I picked this. It proved quite the pedestrian yawner.
42. Inside Conducting by Christopher Seaman - thoughts on the conductor's craft interspersed with anecdotes.
43. Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner - I enjoyed this more than most faery books.
44. The Men Inside by Barry Malzberg - a surreal, new weird exercise in metafiction inspired by Fantastic Voyage. Not for the squeamish.
45. Thieve's World edited by Robert Asprin - a so-so collection, apparently inspired by Leiber, but not really in the same league.
46. The Dark Planet by Henry Kuttner - a fast-paced, inventive, science fantasy, with a few horror tropes thrown in as an added bonus.
47. Some Will Not Die by Algis Budrys - I generally enjoy Budrys, but this one didn't do much for me.
48. Gunner Cade by C.M. Kornbluth and Judith Merril (writing as Cyril Judd) - fun. First two-thirds were pretty good, last third was a bit of a let down.
49 Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman - a reread. Fun.
50. Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold - A solid book from one of the best storytellers out there.
51. Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 22nd Series edited by Edward Ferman - a few good stories, but overall a bit of a dud.
52. In the Enclosure by Barry Malzberg - Kafka meets Zamyatin.
53. The Ghost Light by Fritz Leiber - a later collection, with one newly written novella, several classic Leiber tales, and a somewhat interesting autobiographical essay (in which I learned that Leiber had lived in the same U Chicago dorm as me).
54. The Essential Ellison: A 35 Year Retrospective - a substantial collection, with quite a few stories that were new to me (including Jeffty is Five, which I seem to have liked less than most). At his best, HE was certainly one of the best.
55. The Way of Kings by Brian Sanderson - a reread....packs the typical Sanderson wallop, but could have been a bit more concise.
56. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson - another re-read in preparation for the recently released 3rd book of the series. Even better than the first book of the series.
Here's my list as of April 28:
1. Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake - a reread. Amazing characters, amazing setting. At times spellbinding, at times rather slow. It still feels like Steerpike is the closest thing we have to a protagonist in this one, although I felt less sympathetic this time around (knowing what the future would hold).
2. Half the Day Is Night by Maureen McHugh - a bit of a disappointment.
3. The Alloy of Law by Brian Sanderson - another re-read. Looking forward to picking up the second book of this Mistborn sequel series.
4. Shadows of Self by Brian Sanderson - This one had moments of humor, and a couple of big surprises at the end, but I missed the playfulness and repartee of The Alloy of Law.
5. The Anything Box by Zenna Henderson - I enjoyed this collection, if not as much as some of her The People stories. Henderson has a distinctive voice.
6. The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson - I have some quibbles about this book, but the ending is fantastic in a way that is distinctly Sanderson.
7. Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake - a re-read.
8. Passage at Arms by Glen Cook - a pretty decent little novel about a carnage strewn mission in space.
9. A Shadow of All Night Falling by Glen Cook - this first Dread Empire book shows potential, but doesn't particularly hit the mark.
10. Invaders of Earth edited by Groff Conklin - an anthology of early stories that feature aliens of varying dispositions visiting our planet, most of the stories being fairly forgettable.
11. The Avengers of Carrig by John Brunner - a satisfying if unambitious lost colony story.
12. River of Dust by Alexander Jablokov - A dark and interesting future Mars. Unfortunately people whom I didn't particularly care about.
13. After the Fall edited by Robert Sheckley - sorry to say it, but this proved one of the most forgettable anthologies ever.
14. Sky Coyote by Kage Baker - entertaining and less complicated than the first book of the series.
15. The Judging Eye by R. Scott Bakker - One of the three plot lines was compelling, if ultimately blatantly Tolkienesque. Bakker clearly has talent, but doesn't seem to particularly care whether we like his characters or not.
16. Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson - finally got back to by Malazan re-read and polished off book 9. Which, second time around, was even more disappointing than it had been the first time around. The first seven books of this series are off the charts, but the end is a bit of a let-down.
17. Dune by Frank Herbert - continuing my recent trend of re-reading old favorites.
18. Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon - I seem to have liked this more than most. Not nearly as ambitious as many of this author's novels.
19. Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold - entertaining, but not really up there with the better Miles novels.
20. Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert - I hadn't read this one for decades. It is very different from the first book, but really quite compelling.
21. Children of Dune by Frank Herbert - by far the weakest of the original trilogy, or so it felt this time around.
22. Hyperion by Dan Simmons - still a stunningly good book.
23. The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons - ditto.
24. Endymion by Dan Simmons - I thought this was pretty spectacular... an entertaining story with a ridiculously complex yet riveting backstory that somehow finds astonishing potential in the riverworld concept of "To Your Scattered Bodies Go".
25. All Flesh Is Grass by Clifford Simak - a decent enough read, if not as thought provoking as Simak at his best.
26. The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons - amazing conclusion to this four volume series.
27. Willful Child by Steven Erickson - I thought the first third of this was just about perfect, but alas it grew increasingly juvenile and ridiculous from there.
28. The Five Gold Bands by Jack Vance - proof that even the great masters can write a clunker every now and then.
29. The Course of the Heart by M. John Harrison - this one was quite different from previous Harrison novels. Ambitious, but didn't really work for me.
30. Beyond Rejection by Justin Leiber - somewhat interesting concept, but the book felt more ineptly prurient than thought provoking.
31. Pirates of the Universe by Terry Bisson - I haven't read much by Bisson but I've liked what I've read. This one felt like Philip K Dick meets Clifford Simak. There are some odd gender issues in this one, but not in an exploitative way.
32. Riders at the Gate by C.J Cherryh - vintage Cherryh, with complex characters and an unusual setting
33. Armored edited by John Joseph Adams - some quite good stories, mixed in with some fairly pedestrian stories. From glancing at the editors prefatory comments, I had expected a bit more inspiration from, building on, or following in the footsteps of John Steakley's classic novel Armor.
34. Fury by Henry Kuttner - this one felt like a precursor to The Stars My Destination...
35. Dread Brass Shadows by Glen Cook - not one of the better Garrett novels.
36. Whispering Nickel Idols by Glen Cook - an improvement over the one I had read just prior.
37. The Deadly Streets by Harlan Ellison - a mixed bag of stories of young men on the wrong side of the law, mainly in New York.
38. Scop by Barry Malzberg - ambitious and rather surreal. I seem to have liked this one more than most.
39. No Doors, No Windows by Harlan Ellison - a few good stories, a few stories I really didn't like, and a bunch of so-so stories.
40. Elantris by Brian Sanderson - an ambitious if somewhat uneven debut novel.
41. Thrawn by Timothy Zahn - facing slim pickings in the Barnes and Noble Audiobook bins ahead of a 14 hour drive, and remembering having enjoyed Zahn's original Thrawn trilogy long ago, I picked this. It proved quite the pedestrian yawner.
42. Inside Conducting by Christopher Seaman - thoughts on the conductor's craft interspersed with anecdotes.
43. Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner - I enjoyed this more than most faery books.
44. The Men Inside by Barry Malzberg - a surreal, new weird exercise in metafiction inspired by Fantastic Voyage. Not for the squeamish.
45. Thieve's World edited by Robert Asprin - a so-so collection, apparently inspired by Leiber, but not really in the same league.
46. The Dark Planet by Henry Kuttner - a fast-paced, inventive, science fantasy, with a few horror tropes thrown in as an added bonus.
47. Some Will Not Die by Algis Budrys - I generally enjoy Budrys, but this one didn't do much for me.
48. Gunner Cade by C.M. Kornbluth and Judith Merril (writing as Cyril Judd) - fun. First two-thirds were pretty good, last third was a bit of a let down.
49 Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman - a reread. Fun.
50. Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold - A solid book from one of the best storytellers out there.
51. Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 22nd Series edited by Edward Ferman - a few good stories, but overall a bit of a dud.
52. In the Enclosure by Barry Malzberg - Kafka meets Zamyatin.
53. The Ghost Light by Fritz Leiber - a later collection, with one newly written novella, several classic Leiber tales, and a somewhat interesting autobiographical essay (in which I learned that Leiber had lived in the same U Chicago dorm as me).
54. The Essential Ellison: A 35 Year Retrospective - a substantial collection, with quite a few stories that were new to me (including Jeffty is Five, which I seem to have liked less than most). At his best, HE was certainly one of the best.
55. The Way of Kings by Brian Sanderson - a reread....packs the typical Sanderson wallop, but could have been a bit more concise.
56. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson - another re-read in preparation for the recently released 3rd book of the series. Even better than the first book of the series.