So, we're down to this. It's taken me weeks and a few heartbreaking choices, but we're down to the final two. So here we go, the last book battle in determining my favourite book of last year:
Hyperion vs. Luka and the Fire of Life
Winner: Hyperion
And in the end, it's not as hard a choice as I feared. I really did love Luka and the Fire of Life, but Hyperion was definitely the book that set me back on my heels as I was reading it. Every year or two, there are those books that hit me like a ton of bricks, that I then want to tell everyone in the world about. A few years ago, it was My Name is Asher Lev. The year after that, it was Cloud Atlas. Then a year or two passed without a book that made such an impression, but this year, Hyperion took up the tradition.
I also feel strangely less evangelical about Luka and the Fire of Life. Hyperion I feel very confident about recommending, but Luka and the Fire of Life feels more personal, more intimate, and I'm less sure other people will like it. Seriously, though, if you like messy tales of mythologies ancient and modern (and by modern, I mean video games), it's a wonderful book.
But it isn't Hyperion. Hyperion is a masterpiece of science fiction. It's verging closer to horror at times than I like to get, but only at times. It is creepy. I love the riff on The Canterbury Tales, and I love the stories that come out of that.
I am just about to delve into The Fall of Hyperion - I might start it this weekend. Look for a review to see if the second has the same impact.
Thanks for joining me on this crazy ride. So here are my favourite books this year (including one I dropped in the Round of 16 and brought back to make an even 10), and links to my reviews of them:
1. Hyperion
2. Luka and The Fire of Life
3. Deathless
4. The Lies of Locke Lamora
5. Invisible Man
6. The Beautiful Mystery
7. Pandemonium
8. Joyland
9. Kushiel's Dart
10. Perdido Street Station
Thank you! :-)
ReplyDelete