I tore through The Faith of Beasts by JSAC, really loving the new universe they’ve developed. Very much looking forward to rereading TMoG, Livesuit and TFoB very soon and the show being developed.
I’m reading book 4, Children of Strife by Tchaikovsky and enjoying it thoroughly. AT has been my favorite contemporary author for the last few years based on how wide-ranging and prolific he is. I discovered AT by reading The Final Architecture series, which is still my favorite series by him. Honorable mention is his Dogs of War series, also amazing.
Last year I discovered China Mieville by reading Embassytown, the mindfuck storytelling and intelligent prose blew me away. That book still haunts me and twists my brain almost a year after reading it. I’ve never had a book that still makes me think and feel strange months after finishing it. Perdido Street Station was also amazing, super fun and original steampunk world. Very much looking forward reading the next two in that series and digesting more of his catalogue, I think he’s my new favorite.
Also recently read The Prefect by Alaistar Reynolds, set in the Revelation Space universe and it’s also fantastic, really good stuff. Stoked to finish the series.
As far DNF I was surprised I couldn’t push through The Algerbraist by Iain Banks, I got bogged down in Jupiter just couldn’t keep at it.
I read Eversion by Alastair Reynolds this year. That is almost entirely unlike his other stuff, and I don’t think it’s on par with his better (revelation space) books, but it’s an interesting premise, and I think a more human side of his work than I’ve typically seen from him.
I last read Blindsight by Peter Watts and it was great. His writing style is a bit obtuse at times but there’s a neat idea on practically every single page, and the core concepts he explores are truly fascinating.
OP, from China Mieville, let me suggest “the city and the city” a sort of detective story in a city that is split in 2 in a incredible and original way. I liked it more than embassytown
At the moment I’m reading Blindsight by Peter Watts, pretty mindblowing story about what life, what is conscience, what is real and what not. Still halfway
I remember Blindsight being really out there, but also kinda grounded in logic. (>!Except for the vampire part, there was a vampire in that book, right?!<)
Yes there are vampires, and at the moment (70% of the book) I still dont completely get why, honestly… But I’m sure I’ll understand 😁
The City & The City is really good, read that after Embassytown, planning to read Krakenn as next CM although may go straight to The Scar, book 2 of Perdido Street Station. PSS is quintessential steampunk on overdrive, so well written. I liked Embassytown for many reasons, the original concepts for certain but prose was poetic and specifically intelligent, I needed to refer to my dictionary app on almost every page. And it was clear he wasn’t just trying to use big original words, the verbiage was very specific and many of the words encompassed multiple concepts that could only be expressed through his chosen vocabulary.
Blindsight is great, really fun and weird. I definitely suggest Shroud by AT, it’s got commonalities to Blindsight and is one of favorite novels by him.
Right now I’m just finishing up the second book by Arkady Martine; A Desolation Called Peace. The first one, A Memory Called Empire, fucked up my sleeping schedule as much as the second one is. Both of them focus on cultural identity, isolationism, fear and individuality in rigid authority systems. And also
spoiler
hot, lesbian sex.
I’ve also recently read A Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler. This one is a gem, the overarching theme is how intelligence can be defined, what being a person means and how it might be expressed. This description isn’t doing it justice though, it’s great. If you like Murderbot Diaries you’d probably like this one too.
Although I did technically finish it by skipping most of the book, A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark was kind of meh. It reads as a well done fan fic from someones blog, albeit with the authors own world which is admittedly well written, but the story is extremely linear and unsurprising. I think I would have liked it if I was ten, so maybe I’m being to harsh on what might have been a pre-teen science fiction book. And the story was interesting enough to make me want to know how it ended even if I sort of already knew so…
I’m surprised to hear how you couldn’t finish The Algebraist. I still think of the Dwellers sometimes and their
spoiler
hidden, enormous power
and especially their merit (“kudos”) based economic system. It is, IIRC (it’s been a long time), a slow, plodding plot but there are some scenes I can still remember clearly all these years later that still fill me with awe and giddiness so the pay off is worth it imo.
Both those Arkady Martine books were great, I rather hope the author returns to that universe at some point!
There is no anti-memetics division
That’s my TBR list for sure. Is that current or favorite?
Favorite I’ve read this year :]
I’m in the middle of annihilation
All four books in the *southern reach series are really good as far as I could tell when I read them twice lol. Definitely not the easiest of reads but worthwhile
edit: idk some weird phone keyboard shenanigans
I’m having a so-so year of sci-fi reading, nothing bad, but nothing set my brain on fire either. I read John Scalzi’s Interdependency trilogy, and thought it was fine. I finished, after a long gap, Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother series, and thought it was only okay. I started Red Rising and finished the first book but didn’t care for it enough to read any more of the series. I read Station Eleven, and thought it was just fine. So yeah, nothing enraptured me much this year.
Oh, I did finish Jo Walton’s Thessaly trilogy (The Just City, The Philosopher Kings, Necessity) and I was surprised how much more firmly the series ended in sci-fi after starting more in fantasy. I wouldn’t say that series rocked my socks either, but given the big narratives swings the books took, I was impressed by how well the series stuck the landing for a satisfying conclusion.
Station Eleven is wonderful, the show is definitely worth watching as well, it veers a bit but captures it really well.
On of my other favorite series I read last year is Margaret Atwood’s Maddaddam trilogy, I was blown away by it. Based on what you’ve shared I think you’d like it.
FoB?
Livesuit was great, really looking forward to TFOB, probably gonna read it in a week or two.
Just started Platform Decay, found out it came out just recently when it showed up on libby and immediately downloaded it so probably that one. I really like the whole Murderbot Diaries series.
I enjoyed The Murderbot Diaries more than I anticipated, haven’t read Platform Decay yet but will soon.
Have you seen the show? I was a bit ;let down by it but still hopeful for what they could do.
I tried to watch the show but I kept seeing it as corporate rendition of the story, which is exactly what it is.
I also am enjoying the captive’s war series though I didnt think the plot moved forward all the much in the second book.
Currently reading Hiron Ennes’ The Works of Vermin—it’s very reminiscent of Miéville, especially Perdido Street Station.
Honorable mention is his Dogs of War series, also amazing
I just read that book, and I thought it was fine. I didn’t know there were other books, how do you think they compare?
