NextRead

Today has been a day of lists. Like the list of books for June that I’m still sorting out. If the Fantasy Book Critic is anything to go by it could be quite mammoth so have I feeling that I might have to be quite brutal and cut out one or two um-and-ah books.

SF Signal has a list of Best American Fantasy 2008 and 2008 Locus Awards. From the Locus Awards I like the interesting selection of novels:

SF NOVEL: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins)
FANTASY NOVEL: Making Money by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday UK; HarperCollins)
YOUNG ADULT BOOK: Un Lun Dun by China Miéville (Ballantine Del Rey; Macmillan UK)
FIRST NOVEL: Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (Morrow; Gollancz)

I loved Un Lun Dun. I’m looking forward to finally reading Heart-Shaped Box after one if it’s characters made Neil Gaiman’s Top Ten Monsters. I’m not holding out much hope for The Yiddish Policemen’s Union and I will read Pratchett, sometime.

Entertainment Weekly has 100 New Classics: Books from 1983 to 2008, so the last 25 years.I’ve selected some for comment.

1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006) Must read this one or watch the film.
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000) Not actually the best Harry Potter…
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997) I want to read more Murakami… I’ve almost got the short story about a Giant Frog and Tokoyo in one of his short story collections.
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000) I can’t seem to find Dave Eggers that exciting…
16. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986) Loved this one. Everyone should read it.
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005) I bought it on a whim. In no rush.
20. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding (1998) I’ve forgotten how many times I’ve read this. A genuinely funny book is very rare!
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000) one of the best books on writing ever!
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004) interesting choice. I liked it a lot but not sure if should make the 100
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000) I hated the first book of this series! I really don’t get the appeal!!
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996) Not a novel but ok
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004) I found this one a real mess and didn’t do anything for me.
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003) A wonderful insight into the world.
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003) Pure escapism.

Aiden at A Dribble of Ink points me to SFX’s Top 100 Sci-Fi Authors…

Things like this are always a strange beast as they rarely line up with my idea of who to include and where to place them and how can you honestly place them if you haven’t read every thing author?

Right back to making a choice of books for June and maybe actually start Julys??

Tags: reading lists

I’m taking a leaf out of Tales of the Reading Room and having a look at a new list from The Times

Before I do that though here is a few words of introduction (please do read the rest):

Erica Wagner introduces The Times list of the Greatest British Writers Since 1945 - Times Online
Happy new year! What better way to start the year, we thought, than with an argument? Yes, I know that we here in Books aren’t usually thought of as pugnacious, but when we decided to present you — as our first offering for 2008 — with a ranking of whom we consider the best postwar British writers, we knew that at least some of you would surely be cross about something.

So really it’s more a jumping off point for discussion. It’s based on the biases of those compiling it just like competition prizes.

The 50 greatest British writers since 1945 - Times Online
1. Philip Larkin (not a good start)
2. George Orwell (I’ve half read 1984 does that count?)
3. William Golding (Never fancied children running around an island!)
4. Ted Hughes (his collection Crow is one of my all time faves)
5. Doris Lessing (I’m really should)
6. J. R. R. Tolkien (The Hobbit is much better than LOTR but there is no denying his influence)
7. V. S. Naipaul (Not For Me)
8. Muriel Spark (I Really Should)
9. Kingsley Amis (NTM)
10. Angela Carter (wonderful, absolutely amazing)
11. C. S. Lewis (loved the BBC adaptations but didn’t get into the novels)
12. Iris Murdoch (IRS)
13. Salman Rushdie (The Satanic Verses is ready and waiting)
14. Ian Fleming (what can you say he invented James Bond!)
15. Jan Morris (who?)
16. Roald Dahl (an amazing childrens writer)
17. Anthony Burgess (he’s ringing a bell)
18. Mervyn Peake (I need to start on page 1 and keep reading)
19. Martin Amis (meh)
20. Anthony Powell (who?)
21. Alan Sillitoe (who?)
22. John Le Carré (I should try him)
23. Penelope Fitzgerald (who?)
24. Philippa Pearce (who?)
25. Barbara Pym (who?)
26. Beryl Bainbridge (maybe)
27. J. G. Ballard (not sure what do read if I did?)
28. Alan Garner(I was forced to analyse The Owl Service and it killed any joy I had)
29. Alasdair Gray (who?)
30. John Fowles(who?)
31. Derek Walcott(one of my favourite poets but is someone born in St. Lucia British?)
32. Kazuo Ishiguro (NFM)
33. Anita Brookner (who?)
34. A. S. Byatt (NFM)
35. Ian McEwan (meh!)
36. Geoffrey Hill (IRS)
37. Hanif Kureishi (the screening of The Buddha of Suburbia caused a bit of stir but I’ve not read him)
38. Iain Banks (I didn’t really enjoy his first sci-fi novel but always willing to try again. Any suggestions?)
39. George Mackay Brown (again, who?)
40. A. J. P. Taylor (again, who?)
41. Isaiah Berlin (again, who?)
42. J. K. Rowling (hmmm alrite as she’s done more for the English language than anyone but Shakespeare)
43. Philip Pullman (tired him and didn’t like Northern Lights/Golden Compass)
44. Julian Barnes (NTM)
45. Colin Thubron (who?)
46. Bruce Chatwin (IRS)
47. Alice Oswald(IRS)
48. Benjamin Zephaniah (Not my kind of poet but he does a lot)
49. Rosemary Sutcliff (who?)
50. Michael Moorcock (I want to but where the heck to start?)

Well, I think this proves that this list isn’t my list but it does contain a few interesting names. I’d liked to have scene people like Arthur C Clarke, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Catherine Fisher or even Jaqualine Wilson mentioned. And I’m sure I could grab a few more poets off the shelves. But then this is a literary list, whatever literary means.

Anyone you think should have got a shout? What about an American list, who should be on that? Or writers in translation?

Tags: reading lists

Seeing as it is the New Year I’ve been thinking about resolutions. I have one: READ MORE! But as I’ve said several times before, there is always more to read. Being more sensible I’m going to try and get at least one review up a week and hopefully if I have some thinner books I’ll get a couple posted. The real question is what types of books? Last year it was debuts and this year? I might have to think about that more. I am going to introduce more crime novels into the mix. I also have some catching up to do. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Anyway, here are the books that I’ve selected for reading this month:

Starting with Vellum by Hal Duncan. This is one of my catch-up books. I’m 20% in terms of pages read but in terms of story I have no idea. The story leaps through different places, times, versions but the more I’m reading the more it’s making sense. Hal Duncan has a wonderfully poetic writing style that resonates as themes and ideas are explored and the main players in the story emerge and their motivations are revealed. I’ll let you know how it all comes together.

I did promise Dave that In The Woods by Tana French would be next but it’s almost next. I’ll probably read it in parallel. I have mentioned it a couple of times before so I won’t say much more. Though I’ve just found her website here and details of her next book The Likeness. It looks like a sequel which doesn’t sound like a bad thing.

Back to catching up we have The Hounds of Avalon by Mark Chadbourn. The third book in The Dark Age trilogy. This time Chadbourn presents two friends, as different as night and day, who are charged with task to find the dreaming hero, King Arthur, before time runs out. I’ve really kept this one back far too long. I’m looking forward to seeing what surprises he’s held back to the climax of this part of the story. Look for a further Chadbourn post next week.

This turning into a debut month as the final two books are again new voices.  Debatable Space by Philip Palmer and The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes have both been mentioned a couple of posts back so I won’t repeat myself though I will say that Fantasy Book Critic got to Palmer first!

Well this is plan and if I read faster or get caught up in something this might change but that is the top of the pile as it stands.

Tags: Hal Duncan, Jonathon Barnes, Mark Chadbourn, Philip Palmer, reading lists, Tana French, This Month's Reading List

It’s not over yet, but I can’t see any final revelations happening, unless you count Nintendo suddenly releasing a billion or so Wiis. So what I have got to say about the year? I haven’t got a clue but let us see what I can come up with.

Way back in January I wrote a post called ‘Support‘ where I said this year if I could I was going to buy more debuts. And as it turned turned out I was able to do a bit better by reviewing and promoting some great new voices. All starting with Anonymous Lawyer which strangely, or not, started off as a blog written by Jeremy Blachman. It’s a devilishly funny novel and well worth a read. From there I’ve been introduced to some excellent new writers like Chris Ewan, Brian Ruckley and Chelsea Cain who have started off a series of books that I want to read more of.

Mostly this year I’ve read writers who are new to me even if they’ve been around a little while like Charles Stross, Peter F. Hamilton, Charlie Hutson, Chuck Palahniuk, Paul Magrs and Jim Butcher. And I’m still finding new favourite writers. Each one has their own view on what the world is or what the world could be. I guess I’m more interested in writers with an imagination and skill for making alive their dreams.

I still have books that I’m yet to read from people new to me and old friends Here is a non-definitive or exhaustive list:

1. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (Gollancz)
2. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (Vintage Classics)
3. Cell by Stephen King (Hodder)
4. Lisey’s Story by Stephen King (Hodder)
5. Scar Night by Adam Campbell (Tor)
6. Gradisil by Adam Roberts (Gollancz)
7. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (Hodder)
8. Vellium by Hal Duncan (Pan)
9. Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (Orbit)
10. The Hounds of Avalon by Mark Chadbourn (Gollancz)
11. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (Harper Collins)
12. Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Jennifer Rardin (Orbit)
13. A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett (Corgi)
14. The Court of The Air by Stephen Hunt (Harper Voyager)
15. The Killing Kind by John Connolly (Coronet)
16. The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller (Orbit)
17. Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler (Doubleday)
18. In the Woods by Tana French (Hodder)
19. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (Phoenix)
20. Marco’s Pendulum by Thom Madley (Usbourne)

Wow, that’s probably next years reading right there if this years reading rate is anything to go by. All of them are in some way part of my taste in books - supernatural detection, detective stories, soft sci-fi, urban fantasy, and fable.

I do wish though that there were a bit thinner or by reading them I wasn’t committing myself to reading a long series. Actually that’s wrong I do love series as long as I don’t have to remember in detail what happened on page 321 of book two when I’m reading book nine page 840.

And if that back catalogue wasn’t enough there are yet more books that have just come out, about to come out, planned or books that I’ve not even heard of that are going be on a ‘want to read’ list by this time next year.

This all goes to prove that the book business as far as coming out with good and great books is a healthy one. New writers get a chance to shine but if you are looking to get published you have to be very very good. Literary fiction is best left to those who have a name or some background that supports the name they make for themselves. Genre is the way to go.

If I had to choose books of the year under gun point and on a lie detector I’d say that the ones to check out are (in no particular order):

The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton.

Heartsick by Chelsea Cain

Already Dead by Charlie Hutson

The Atrocity Archives/The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross

Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow

Never the Bride by Paul Magrs

I’ll probably change my mind tomorrow but those are the ones that are coming to the surface right now.

Right back to the surprisingly good-so-far The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson

Tags: reading lists

Let’s see. It’s coming up to Christmas so you might if you’re lucky have time to read or even luckier have someone that wants to buy you books or might want to treat yourself. Well there are a few that are gathering my interest.

Starting with a new favourite, Mr Charles Stross. Tor are issuing his The Merchant Princes series in the UK starting with The Family Trade. It’s fantasy this time with Knights on horseback wielding machine guns and world-skipping assassins. Though being prolific Mr Stross has another book out in January called Halting State from Orbit and it’s back to sci-fi but with the twist that it’s in the second person. And I’m hoping it”ll persuade me to like a second person narrator

This is a bit of a surprise release as when I last looked the Bram Stoker Award winning Dark Harvest by Norman Patridge wasn’t listed as a British release but it came out just in time for Halloween.

‘…he rises from the cornfields every Halloween, a butcher knife in his hand, and makes his way toward town, where gangs of teenage boys eagerly await their chance to confront the legendary nightmare. Both the hunter and the hunted, the October Boy is the prize in an annual rite of life and death.’

Sounds creepy to me.

Brian Aldiss has been asking, ‘Why are science fiction’s best writers so neglected?’ and he sounds a little bit bitter about the fact that only the time reviewed his latest novel, Harm. Strangely he fails to mention writers like Stephen Baxter, Iain M Banks and Peter F. Hamilton. But never mind he also has an anthology from Penguin called A Science Fiction Omnibus, it sounds like a good collection works from the last 65 years.

Speaking of science-fiction writers Light is now out in paperback. My only exposure so far to M. John Harrison is his collection of stories called, Things that Never Happened. As with most collections I’m only a few stories in but I’m intrigued enjoy to want to read something a little longer. Plus the synopsis sounds good:

‘On the barren surface of an asteroid, located deep in the galaxy beneath the unbearable light of the Kefahuchi Tract, lie three objects: an abandoned spacecraft, a pair of bone dice covered with strange symbols, and a human skeleton. What they are and what they mean are the mysteries explored and unwrapped in LIGHT, M. John Harrison’s triumphant return to science fiction.’

I’m a sucker for a good cover and here is a another great one from Gollancz. Black Man (Thirteen) by Richard Morgan is a wonderful graphic cover and by all accounts (see here, here and here) the contents isn’t bad either.

‘When a thirteen escapes from exile on Mars and apparently goes on an insane killing spree, Carl Marsalis, a soul-weary freelance thirteen hit man, is hired to help track him down. Morgan goes beyond the SF cliché of the genetically enhanced superman to examine how personality is shaped by nature and experience’

Garth Nix’s Abhorsen Trilogy is one of my all time faves and with Across the Wall he returns briefly to the Old Kingdom as well as tales based on the Arthurian legend, a war story, a western, a traditional tale with a twist and a hilarious choose- your- own- adventure spoof. I’m still waiting to dive into the Keys of the Kingdom:

‘Arthur Penhaligon is not supposed to be a hero. He is supposed to die. But then he finds a key, discovers a mysterious house and meets the sinister Mister Monday… Prepare for seven breathtaking adventures as Arthur fights to save his world.’

And finally, for now, what is turning into a British institution,  Schott’s Almanac. It’s a wonderfully eclectic mix of Britishness (or German or Americanness depending on the edition). Packed full of useless, and not so useful but no less interesting information. Great to dip into at anytime of the year.

Tags: reading lists

Title: Fool Moon
Author: Jim Butcher
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 01 September 2005
Price: £6.99
Own Copy

In Storm Front Harry Dresden had to battle with dark magic drawn from lust and desire. Now in Fool Moon he has to travel deeper into our animal natures and battle against werewolves. Being Chicago’s only wizard in the phonebook isn’t just about looking for lost items you know.

I have to admit having a soft spot for Dresden after watching the prematurely cancelled Dresden Files earlier this year and the main actors will now forever be etched as the characters they portrayed. Not sure a bad thing though I am missing the embodied version of Bob. Though being a novel these version are a bit more kick ass.

And kicking ass there is. Fool Moon is action from beginning to end along with the added complication of Murphy not quite yet recovered from the events of Storm Front and so has Dresden on a very short leash and a very short fuse.

Butcher knows how to keep things moving though does seem to get himself into one too many impossible corners that aren’t 100% satisfyingly got out of. Him and Dresden are still finding their feet and it’s not done badly just not as eloquently as it could have been. There are also hints of more dangers on the horizon.

This series are bags of potential and a good job too as I’m a bit behind. If you like your magic modern and fast moving and realistic then this is shaping up to be the series for you.

Tags: Bookshelf, reading lists, Urban Fantasy

I haven’t really. I’m out of the swing of posting but then I’ve had a couple of things on my mind that you don’t want boring with. Except to say that I’m older than I was last time I posted. I’m now 29! What does this mean? Well I’ve blown my chances at winning an Eric Gregory Award for poets under 30. It also means I had some wonderful gifts, namely a lovely new iPod nano, that I immediately bought For the Birds to try on it. And I’ve been playing the new The Simpons Game and that cheered me up no end.

Apart from that I have been ploughing through Fool Moon by Jim Butcher. I’ve been putting that one off for a while as after watching the TV series I thought it was going to be similar to one of the episodes. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s a complex and well thought out book. Who knew there was more than one type of werewolf?

I got to see 30 Days of Night as a birthday treat. It might have worked as a comic (though I’ve never read it so I couldn’t tell you) but it doesn’t work as a film. It mostly has to do with how time works and how they cope and partly to how the vampires go from superhuman to more human and back again for no other reason than to make the plot work. Shame.

More DRM stuff. Well not DRM as such but galleycat is reporting that Marvel and DC have teamed up against people who scan and share their comic books without permission. Fair enough. But what’s the alternative to fans who want to read all those hard to get issues of their favourite characters well Marvel has the answer. They’ve launched Marvel Digital and from that trial issues on-line it’s pretty damned impressive and not that expensive when I consider my old comic habit. Now when are DC going to do something similar?

Gods Behaving Badly might be making it’s way to the small screen via Ben Stiller’s production company. You can find a link here.

The highly energetic Book Swede has been showing off some of Orbit’s New Year Releases. I’m loving the cover for Halting State by Charles Stross, another good looking book on my TBR pile. And more Charles Stross news comes from The Genre Files reminding me that a fantasy story called The Family Trade is out now.

Speaking of fellow bloggers the Grumpy Old Bookman is taking a well deserved rest. Dovgreyreader isn’t that well read it seems having reading only 9 out of 100 books chosen as ‘hidden gems’ by the people behind World Book Day. She’s much more cultured and read then I with 0 of 100 read.

Fantasy Book Critic has reviewed The Solaris Book of New Fantasy which says, ‘I hope that Solaris will continue producing these anthologies for years to come…’. Can’t get a better recommendation than that.

Tia over at Fantasy Debut has announced a policy update. The reason I mention it is that she’s limited her time and energy to books from major publishers and prominent independents, which is, I’d suggest, a good place to go if you want to support new writers. Why? Well from my little experiment this year on focusing on debut writers there are some wonderful writers out there that we need to see more of and they need sales in order to have their second, third, fourth novels come to light. And the more sales they generate the more risks publishers will take with new authors. It’s a good circle.

I’m not knocking POD books as I’ve recently had a my hand in helping a wonderfully received book come into physical form but I might be suggesting that the risks of not getting 100% value for money might be a bit higher than a book from a more established source.

Book blogs are a wonderful source of finding books you’re never likely to hear about any other way and Mr John Self has made another appear on my ‘must by soon’ list by introducing me to, A Mysterious Affair of Style by Gilbert Adair and his earlier title The Act of Roger Murgatroyd.

And that’s it for this update. More soon.

Tags: reading lists

I’m feeling decidedly non-booky at the moment. No curling up on the sofa and letting the world fade away. Nothing read. Nothing bought. No obsessive surfing. But despite that let’s see what I can do as I’ve still been visiting my favourite blogs and keeping half an eye on the book-o-sphere.

Graphic Novels are the new novel. Or so it seems. With novels being converted panelled and inked for the non-novel generation and Graphic Novels coming from mainstream publishers. One example that landed through the door the other day. Jonathon Cape have just released Alias The Cat by Kim Deitch, which looks absolutely bonkers. And they’ve set up Pantheon Graphic Novels to release more. And if you’re in the US the fabulous Fantasy Book Critic shows off some new adaptations of Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein, and The Dresden Files to name two.

I was a winner a couple of weeks ago much to my surprise and excitement. I just happened to checking my mail when Vintage Classics’ Newsletter arrived offering a complete set of their October Halloween-themed releases to the first person to answer a question. It took all of three minutes from it arriving to my email. So I have a Wilkie Collins, Susan Hill, Henry James, Mervyn Peake, to read for the first time as well as Bram Stoker to reread. I’m not sure I’ll read Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr Jekylll and Mr Hyde. I’ve never liked any of the adaptations of it. I’m open to persuasion though.

Novelist Daniel Abraham has made his UK debut with The Long Price that brings together his the first two novels of his Long Price Quartet. And has some good reviews from the UK mags. It is getting a little crowded in the new fantasy series section but the more the merrier I say.

More later.

Tags: horror, reading lists

Title: The Pools
Author: Bethan Roberts
Publisher: Serpent’s Tail
Published: 29 August 2007
Price: £10.99
Review Copy

Bethan Roberts has started her literary career with a disturbing tale of Middle England, mid-1980s when the death of a teenager, Robert, is the inevitably conclusion to the paths of many lives.

This is a hard book to pin down. Beth rebuilds the events that lead up to Robert’s death but she goes further than that. She dismembers them. She gets under the skin of the narrators as she retraces the steps.

This is not a who dunnit. It’s not even a why dunnit. It’s story of life and how our characters might be natured as well as nurtured and how we can’t escape from what is in our hearts.

I wish that Roberts wasn’t so honest in her portrayal. I was she’d been more writery so that the story isn’t as brutal as it is. But she doesn’t flinch and she doesn’t pull her punches. She confronts the confusion we experience as we find out who we are and maybe face the realisation that we can’t escape what we done or perhaps the effect that our parents have on us.

Overall, Bethan has created a challenging novel that delves deep into the pools inside each one of us and it makes you question your own decisions. It also makes you thankful that you still have choices. An outstandingly insightful début.

Tags: reading lists

Title: Dead Men’s Boots
Author: Mike Carey
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 06 September 2007
Price: £7.99
Review Copy

Felix Castor, exorcist, doesn’t like funerals and at the start of Dead Men’s Boots that’s exactly where he is when a lawyer turns up to exhume the deceased (a former exorcist and someone Castor avoided before he died) so he can be cremated and it’s only the start of his problems. His new client is the wife of a man who is accused of murder only she’s convinced that he didn’t do it and it was done by a woman that’s been dead for forty years.

Told in the first person we follow Castor’s investigations as he figures out clues left by the deceased and wonders how a ghost can wield a hammer though the poor fella doesn’t know what he got himself into. Trouble finds Castor like a drunk finds a chippie. It’s part of the deal when you take that first drink.

As I said in my review of Vicious Circle, the second book of this series, Carey is a master plotter. His plots are focused and well planned though with enough clues that you mentally kick yourself when you start to see the connections.

Dead Men’s Boots is a stand alone title but it’s probably better to start at the beginning as you get to see more of Castor’s make-up as well as the history behind the some what’s going on and his history to some of the other characters. And there are some great fully formed secondary characters.

The subplot from the previous books is kept ticking over quite nicely with a few teasers that I hope are going to make an appearance soon.

It’s a great read. You can’t help yourself from wanting to know how deep in shit Castor can go before he drowns.

If I have one negative I’d say that some things are a little too neatly tied off at the end but I don’t really care as it’s a great read that keeps you thinking and guessing all the way to the end. And it’s left me wanting more.

Tags: 10/10, Fantasy, noir, reading lists