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
Showing posts with label dust cover dust-up 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dust cover dust-up 2013. Show all posts
Saturday, 18 January 2014
Friday, 17 January 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Semifinals!
And now there are four!
Hyperion vs. Deathless
Winner: Hyperion
Not an easy choice, but still, in the end, I didn't bend myself into knots over this one. I loved Deathless a lot, which I am sure is absolutely apparent by now. But Hyperion is the one that feels like it rewrote my brain. I don't want to belabour The Priest's Tale, but if you can read that and not be hooked and immensely creeped out, I don't know who you are. It's got just the right mixture of religion and science fiction for me. It's truly masterful. And I love what Valente does with Russian folklore, but in a year of some very good books, Hyperion blew my mind.
The Lies of Locke Lamora vs. Luka and the Fire of Life
Winner: Luka and the Fire of Life
Another choice that doesn't seem that difficult. Like Deathless, I thoroughly enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora, but Luka and the Fire of Life was the one that I felt hit me on a very personal level. As I've been very upfront about, that's probably largely because it's about the impending death of a parent, which is something that has particular resonance for me these days. I wonder sometimes if it will never not have that resonance, if once you've gone through that particular crucible, it will always colour your responses to fiction. I am quite sure Luka and the Fire of Life is probably not for everyone. It's messy and haphazard, but beautifully and skillfully so.
Only one more battle to go! Tune in tomorrow for the grand finale!
Hyperion vs. Deathless
Winner: Hyperion
Not an easy choice, but still, in the end, I didn't bend myself into knots over this one. I loved Deathless a lot, which I am sure is absolutely apparent by now. But Hyperion is the one that feels like it rewrote my brain. I don't want to belabour The Priest's Tale, but if you can read that and not be hooked and immensely creeped out, I don't know who you are. It's got just the right mixture of religion and science fiction for me. It's truly masterful. And I love what Valente does with Russian folklore, but in a year of some very good books, Hyperion blew my mind.
The Lies of Locke Lamora vs. Luka and the Fire of Life
Winner: Luka and the Fire of Life
Another choice that doesn't seem that difficult. Like Deathless, I thoroughly enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora, but Luka and the Fire of Life was the one that I felt hit me on a very personal level. As I've been very upfront about, that's probably largely because it's about the impending death of a parent, which is something that has particular resonance for me these days. I wonder sometimes if it will never not have that resonance, if once you've gone through that particular crucible, it will always colour your responses to fiction. I am quite sure Luka and the Fire of Life is probably not for everyone. It's messy and haphazard, but beautifully and skillfully so.
Only one more battle to go! Tune in tomorrow for the grand finale!
Thursday, 16 January 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Quarterfinals
Sort of. I have to do a little finagling and one three-way to get it down to eight competitions, but we're getting close to the end!
Invisible Man vs. Hyperion
Winner: I don't know!
I seriously don't know. I'm going to have to write myself into an answer. I'll write it above when I figure it out, but I'm starting to write this trying not to twist myself into physical knots as I try to puzzle it out. Invisible Man is a classic in the best sense of the term. It is difficult, it's beautifully written, there's this sense of dread that pervades the pages. It knocked me for a loop. The problem is, so did Hyperion. Hyperion is a science fiction classic. It's also beautifully written. The Canterbury Tales feel, the great variety in the short stories, the death of the universe as the backdrop - it's amazing. They're both the sort of books, to quote my favourite author, that ought to be served with a whisk brush, to dust yourself off after you pick yourself up off the floor. I can't choose! I must, by my own silly rules!
So, so, so. I'm going to fall back on my identity as a nerd. I truly think both these books will last, and Invisible Man is probably the more important of the two. But if I had to pick one of the two up this very second to read again, it would be Hyperion. Followed closely thereafter by Invisible Man. I guess this is how you can tell a good book battle - picking either one would leave me metaphorically feeling like I'd torn one of my limbs off.
Winner: Hyperion
The Beautiful Mystery vs. Deathless
Winner: Deathless
So, after an incredibly difficult battle, there's a relatively easy one. I've been clear about my love for Deathless from the beginning, and while The Beautiful Mystery is a really excellent mystery novel, there's no way it can come even close to the other. If you like mysteries, check The Beautiful Mystery out. Well, read the whole series. In order. There's this amazingly good throughline that is just paying off in the last couple of books. But winner? What Catherynne Valente does with Russian folklore. No question.
The Lies of Locke Lamora vs. Pandemonium
Winner: The Lies of Locke Lamora
If you read every book I knock off from here on in, it'd be hard to go wrong. This is truly down to choosing between excellent books. And of the two, The Lies of Locke Lamora is the one I've been raving about more this year. I've been telling people about the demon-infested world of Daryl Gregory as well, but my first taste of Scott Lynch's work has made me eager for more. (Yes, I know there are more books out, I just haven't gotten to them yet.) Why aren't there more con men fantasy worlds with swearing and serious fucking consequences? And could anyone else write them quite this well?
Joyland vs. Kushiel's Dart vs. Luka and the Fire of Life
Winner: Luka and the Fire of Life
In this three-way battle, it's relatively easy to lose the Stephen King. I liked Joyland quite a lot, but didn't love it. It's one of the only books I didn't love left in the competition. It's harder to knock out Kushiel's Dart. But Luka and the Fire of Life quite frankly, moved me to tears. It's not a neat, tidy book. I keep describing it as messy, and it is. But gloriously so. I get the feeling it might not be for everyone, but it was definitely for me. And the underlying theme of losing a parent made it particularly poignant.
Invisible Man vs. Hyperion
Winner: I don't know!
I seriously don't know. I'm going to have to write myself into an answer. I'll write it above when I figure it out, but I'm starting to write this trying not to twist myself into physical knots as I try to puzzle it out. Invisible Man is a classic in the best sense of the term. It is difficult, it's beautifully written, there's this sense of dread that pervades the pages. It knocked me for a loop. The problem is, so did Hyperion. Hyperion is a science fiction classic. It's also beautifully written. The Canterbury Tales feel, the great variety in the short stories, the death of the universe as the backdrop - it's amazing. They're both the sort of books, to quote my favourite author, that ought to be served with a whisk brush, to dust yourself off after you pick yourself up off the floor. I can't choose! I must, by my own silly rules!
So, so, so. I'm going to fall back on my identity as a nerd. I truly think both these books will last, and Invisible Man is probably the more important of the two. But if I had to pick one of the two up this very second to read again, it would be Hyperion. Followed closely thereafter by Invisible Man. I guess this is how you can tell a good book battle - picking either one would leave me metaphorically feeling like I'd torn one of my limbs off.
Winner: Hyperion
The Beautiful Mystery vs. Deathless
Winner: Deathless
So, after an incredibly difficult battle, there's a relatively easy one. I've been clear about my love for Deathless from the beginning, and while The Beautiful Mystery is a really excellent mystery novel, there's no way it can come even close to the other. If you like mysteries, check The Beautiful Mystery out. Well, read the whole series. In order. There's this amazingly good throughline that is just paying off in the last couple of books. But winner? What Catherynne Valente does with Russian folklore. No question.
The Lies of Locke Lamora vs. Pandemonium
Winner: The Lies of Locke Lamora
If you read every book I knock off from here on in, it'd be hard to go wrong. This is truly down to choosing between excellent books. And of the two, The Lies of Locke Lamora is the one I've been raving about more this year. I've been telling people about the demon-infested world of Daryl Gregory as well, but my first taste of Scott Lynch's work has made me eager for more. (Yes, I know there are more books out, I just haven't gotten to them yet.) Why aren't there more con men fantasy worlds with swearing and serious fucking consequences? And could anyone else write them quite this well?
Joyland vs. Kushiel's Dart vs. Luka and the Fire of Life
Winner: Luka and the Fire of Life
In this three-way battle, it's relatively easy to lose the Stephen King. I liked Joyland quite a lot, but didn't love it. It's one of the only books I didn't love left in the competition. It's harder to knock out Kushiel's Dart. But Luka and the Fire of Life quite frankly, moved me to tears. It's not a neat, tidy book. I keep describing it as messy, and it is. But gloriously so. I get the feeling it might not be for everyone, but it was definitely for me. And the underlying theme of losing a parent made it particularly poignant.
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Part Four!
Hey, this is small enough now to fit a round into one entry, with a little squeezing. You know what that means - we're very close to crowning a winner. Along the way, I expect to be thrown into fits of despondency as my favourite books of the year start to fall. I just have to remember, I did this to myself. Without further ado: Round Four!
Invisible Man vs. Altered Carbon
Winner: Invisible Man
It's an easy choice - I liked Altered Carbon well enough, but Invisible Man stands tall above it. It's one of those cases where the sheer weight and dread that various sections of Invisible Man sparked in me make it one of the most emotional reading experiences of last year. In comparison, Altered Carbon was a lot of fun.
Doomsday Book vs. Hyperion
Winner: Hyperion
This is a really tough one! I loved both these books, and I've written repeatedly about how emotional Doomsday Book made me. But Hyperion hit emotional buttons as well, and something else besides. It's rare to find short stories that good, and to have linked short stories this good, this creepy, this varied and yet thematic...yeah, it has to be Hyperion.
The Beautiful Mystery vs. Chess Story
Winner: The Beautiful Mystery
Strange. Last time, I picked Chess Story over the book I thoroughly enjoyed, because it was so powerful. And it might still be more powerful than The Beautiful Mystery, but still, I'm not picking it this time. The trauma might be different, and lesser, but in The Beautiful Mystery, it was happening to characters I'd known for years. And the mystery surrounding it was great.
Deathless vs. Bleak House
Winner: Deathless
Another relief - a relatively easy choice. Love Dickens, but Bleak House is far from my favourite. And for books that nestled close inside me, it's hard to top Deathless. It's like Catherynne Valente has a checklist of the elements I like best, and wrote a beautiful legend around them. And Stalinist house-elves.
Half-Blood Blues vs. The Lies of Locke Lamora
Winner: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Another case where there were two books I really enjoyed, but the nerd in me wanted to go with The Lies of Locke Lamora, and I'm in the habit of listening to my inner nerd. Half-Blood Blues is a really strong book, and I liked it a lot. But I loved The Lies of Locke Lamora. Only slightly fantasy (although it feels like it will get more fantasy as I get to later books?), it's rollicking, enjoyable, and later, devastating.
All Quiet on the Western Front vs. Pandemonium
Winner: Pandemonium
I have to keep reminding myself that this isn't a "best" book tournament, but rather, a contest to figure out my favourite book of the year. And hence, I feel okay knocking out what is objectively a better and more important book for one that I just enjoyed the hell out of. (I realize this is something I'm not consistent on - it changes from book to book.) So, sorry Great War soldier's tale. It's going to the demons this time.
Joyland vs. The Violent Bear It Away
Winner: Joyland
All right, The Violent Bear It Away is finally up against a book that is good enough to allow my discomfort with some of the subject material to knock it out of the competition. I stand by the other parts of the book as truly shaking and wonderful. But Joyland, while not a literary classic, hit just the right notes of elegiac romanticization of early adulthood combined with a mystery, a tiny bit of supernatural, and the joys and pleasures of working at a job to give people a fun time.
Foundation and Empire vs. Kushiel's Dart
Winner: Kushiel's Dart
Apparently I like the sex-ridden fantasies more than the science fiction classics. In this case, anyway. But more than that, I like the way sex is handled in this book. It's not my particular taste, but it's not exploitative, and weaves into the story in fascinating ways. Plus, the main character is thoroughly engaging, and the ways in which she is pressed into unexpected service were interesting. I do like Foundation and Empire, but today, I'm not feeling it quite as much.
Luka and the Fire of Life vs. Perdido Street Station
Winner: Luka and the Fire of Life
Oh, why did I ever start this crazy tournament? This is exactly the kind of match that tears my heart out! No matter which one I eliminate, it's going to leave me sore and emotionally bruised to let one of these go, as I loved both of them. Luka and the Fire of Life is gloriously, joyfully messy and painful. Perdido Street Station is vivid, grimy, and painful. So which do I pick? In the end, I'm going to go for the life-affirming craziness of Luka and the Fire of Life over the more bleak Perdido Street Station, but make no mistake. This is one of the closest match-ups so far, and Perdido Street Station holds a special place in my heart.
Invisible Man vs. Altered Carbon
Winner: Invisible Man
It's an easy choice - I liked Altered Carbon well enough, but Invisible Man stands tall above it. It's one of those cases where the sheer weight and dread that various sections of Invisible Man sparked in me make it one of the most emotional reading experiences of last year. In comparison, Altered Carbon was a lot of fun.
Doomsday Book vs. Hyperion
Winner: Hyperion
This is a really tough one! I loved both these books, and I've written repeatedly about how emotional Doomsday Book made me. But Hyperion hit emotional buttons as well, and something else besides. It's rare to find short stories that good, and to have linked short stories this good, this creepy, this varied and yet thematic...yeah, it has to be Hyperion.
The Beautiful Mystery vs. Chess Story
Winner: The Beautiful Mystery
Strange. Last time, I picked Chess Story over the book I thoroughly enjoyed, because it was so powerful. And it might still be more powerful than The Beautiful Mystery, but still, I'm not picking it this time. The trauma might be different, and lesser, but in The Beautiful Mystery, it was happening to characters I'd known for years. And the mystery surrounding it was great.
Deathless vs. Bleak House
Winner: Deathless
Another relief - a relatively easy choice. Love Dickens, but Bleak House is far from my favourite. And for books that nestled close inside me, it's hard to top Deathless. It's like Catherynne Valente has a checklist of the elements I like best, and wrote a beautiful legend around them. And Stalinist house-elves.
Half-Blood Blues vs. The Lies of Locke Lamora
Winner: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Another case where there were two books I really enjoyed, but the nerd in me wanted to go with The Lies of Locke Lamora, and I'm in the habit of listening to my inner nerd. Half-Blood Blues is a really strong book, and I liked it a lot. But I loved The Lies of Locke Lamora. Only slightly fantasy (although it feels like it will get more fantasy as I get to later books?), it's rollicking, enjoyable, and later, devastating.
All Quiet on the Western Front vs. Pandemonium
Winner: Pandemonium
I have to keep reminding myself that this isn't a "best" book tournament, but rather, a contest to figure out my favourite book of the year. And hence, I feel okay knocking out what is objectively a better and more important book for one that I just enjoyed the hell out of. (I realize this is something I'm not consistent on - it changes from book to book.) So, sorry Great War soldier's tale. It's going to the demons this time.
Joyland vs. The Violent Bear It Away
Winner: Joyland
All right, The Violent Bear It Away is finally up against a book that is good enough to allow my discomfort with some of the subject material to knock it out of the competition. I stand by the other parts of the book as truly shaking and wonderful. But Joyland, while not a literary classic, hit just the right notes of elegiac romanticization of early adulthood combined with a mystery, a tiny bit of supernatural, and the joys and pleasures of working at a job to give people a fun time.
Foundation and Empire vs. Kushiel's Dart
Winner: Kushiel's Dart
Apparently I like the sex-ridden fantasies more than the science fiction classics. In this case, anyway. But more than that, I like the way sex is handled in this book. It's not my particular taste, but it's not exploitative, and weaves into the story in fascinating ways. Plus, the main character is thoroughly engaging, and the ways in which she is pressed into unexpected service were interesting. I do like Foundation and Empire, but today, I'm not feeling it quite as much.
Luka and the Fire of Life vs. Perdido Street Station
Winner: Luka and the Fire of Life
Oh, why did I ever start this crazy tournament? This is exactly the kind of match that tears my heart out! No matter which one I eliminate, it's going to leave me sore and emotionally bruised to let one of these go, as I loved both of them. Luka and the Fire of Life is gloriously, joyfully messy and painful. Perdido Street Station is vivid, grimy, and painful. So which do I pick? In the end, I'm going to go for the life-affirming craziness of Luka and the Fire of Life over the more bleak Perdido Street Station, but make no mistake. This is one of the closest match-ups so far, and Perdido Street Station holds a special place in my heart.
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up - Round Three, Part Three
Another longer one, bringing Round Three to a close!
All Quiet on the Western Front vs. The Sword-Edged Blonde
Winner: All Quiet on the Western Front
I may be choosing based on a feeling of duty rather than sheer enjoyment, but as much as I enjoyed the fantasy noir of The Sword-Edged Blonde, it's merely fun. The same cannot be said for All Quiet on the Western Front, but in this battle, the experience of war and the common humanity of soldiers has to win out over a king named Phil.
Hounded vs. Pandemonium
Winner: Pandemonium
The snark goes down today. I liked Hounded, the millennium-old druid and his faithful dog. And fights with witches, werewolves, and the Tuatha de Danaan. But it was mostly an entertaining diversion. Pandemonium is one of the most assured debuts I've read in a long time, and this story of demon possession in a world very like our own, and the eventual answers, absolutely captivated me. Both these authors were pleasant discoveries, but Pandemonium was the book I became passionate about.
Joyland vs. Turn of the Screw
Winner: Joyland
Look, I feel like I've done my duty pick - and I stand by that choice. But it makes me feel better about picking Stephen King over Henry James. I liked Turn of the Screw, but between two tales of atmospheric, windswept, remote locales, Joyland was simply more fun. And finally gave me a Stephen King experience. So there's that.
Leviathan vs. The Violent Bear It Away
Winner: The Violent Bear It Away
And the pendulum swings back the other way. I feel weird keeping The Violent Bear It Away around so long, which is probably why I keep mentioning its upsettingly homophobic interlude which adds nothing to the story. But the rest of the book haunts me still, and its take on faith, rationality, and the way to live keeps me from turfing it from the competition. Flying living zeppelins can't quite take this one out, razor-pooping bats or not.
Foundation and Empire vs. I Capture The Castle
Winner: Foundation and Empire
I am, dear friends, a nerd at heart. When I enjoyed two books about the same amount, and one is science fiction and the other is straight fiction, my lodestone is always the science fiction. I Capture the Castle is charming, but Foundation and Empire is a classic. Not perfect, not exquisitely written, but a classic.
The Atrocity Archives vs. Kushiel's Dart
Winner: Kushiel's Dart
I liked the Lovecraftian bureaucracy of the laundry. A lot. But it doesn't really compare to Kushiel's Dart, which gave me a fantasy world unlike any I'd seen before. (And actually caused me to question whether or not it was actually fantasy.) I also really enjoyed the centre spot sexuality played in this one, with being exploitative or crass. It's not for the prudish, but it is for me.
The Fault In Our Stars vs. Luka and the Fire of Life
Winner: Luka and the Fire of Life
Two books about, loosely, death. One is perfectly fine young adult, the other a gloriously messy mishmash of mythology and video games, stories and legends, irreverence and pain. So, yeah, I'm picking the latter. Rushdie has created something quite unique here, and I loved it for so many reasons. The John Green I merely enjoyed. Also, of the two, the Rushdie book was the one that made me cry.
Babel-17 vs. Perdido Street Station vs. Moxyland
Winner: Perdido Street Station
An extremely tough three-way battle at the end of Round Three! These were all books that I thoroughly enjoyed at the end of the year, from the beauty of language in Babel-17 to the grimy streets of New Crobuzon in Perdido Street Station to the cyberpunk South African dystopia of Moxyland. Picking between them is terribly hard, but in the end, the swooning I did over China Mieville's descriptive passages carries the day.
All Quiet on the Western Front vs. The Sword-Edged Blonde
Winner: All Quiet on the Western Front
I may be choosing based on a feeling of duty rather than sheer enjoyment, but as much as I enjoyed the fantasy noir of The Sword-Edged Blonde, it's merely fun. The same cannot be said for All Quiet on the Western Front, but in this battle, the experience of war and the common humanity of soldiers has to win out over a king named Phil.
Hounded vs. Pandemonium
Winner: Pandemonium
The snark goes down today. I liked Hounded, the millennium-old druid and his faithful dog. And fights with witches, werewolves, and the Tuatha de Danaan. But it was mostly an entertaining diversion. Pandemonium is one of the most assured debuts I've read in a long time, and this story of demon possession in a world very like our own, and the eventual answers, absolutely captivated me. Both these authors were pleasant discoveries, but Pandemonium was the book I became passionate about.
Joyland vs. Turn of the Screw
Winner: Joyland
Look, I feel like I've done my duty pick - and I stand by that choice. But it makes me feel better about picking Stephen King over Henry James. I liked Turn of the Screw, but between two tales of atmospheric, windswept, remote locales, Joyland was simply more fun. And finally gave me a Stephen King experience. So there's that.
Leviathan vs. The Violent Bear It Away
Winner: The Violent Bear It Away
And the pendulum swings back the other way. I feel weird keeping The Violent Bear It Away around so long, which is probably why I keep mentioning its upsettingly homophobic interlude which adds nothing to the story. But the rest of the book haunts me still, and its take on faith, rationality, and the way to live keeps me from turfing it from the competition. Flying living zeppelins can't quite take this one out, razor-pooping bats or not.
Foundation and Empire vs. I Capture The Castle
Winner: Foundation and Empire
I am, dear friends, a nerd at heart. When I enjoyed two books about the same amount, and one is science fiction and the other is straight fiction, my lodestone is always the science fiction. I Capture the Castle is charming, but Foundation and Empire is a classic. Not perfect, not exquisitely written, but a classic.
The Atrocity Archives vs. Kushiel's Dart
Winner: Kushiel's Dart
I liked the Lovecraftian bureaucracy of the laundry. A lot. But it doesn't really compare to Kushiel's Dart, which gave me a fantasy world unlike any I'd seen before. (And actually caused me to question whether or not it was actually fantasy.) I also really enjoyed the centre spot sexuality played in this one, with being exploitative or crass. It's not for the prudish, but it is for me.
The Fault In Our Stars vs. Luka and the Fire of Life
Winner: Luka and the Fire of Life
Two books about, loosely, death. One is perfectly fine young adult, the other a gloriously messy mishmash of mythology and video games, stories and legends, irreverence and pain. So, yeah, I'm picking the latter. Rushdie has created something quite unique here, and I loved it for so many reasons. The John Green I merely enjoyed. Also, of the two, the Rushdie book was the one that made me cry.
Babel-17 vs. Perdido Street Station vs. Moxyland
Winner: Perdido Street Station
An extremely tough three-way battle at the end of Round Three! These were all books that I thoroughly enjoyed at the end of the year, from the beauty of language in Babel-17 to the grimy streets of New Crobuzon in Perdido Street Station to the cyberpunk South African dystopia of Moxyland. Picking between them is terribly hard, but in the end, the swooning I did over China Mieville's descriptive passages carries the day.
Sunday, 12 January 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Round Three, Part Two
Chess Story vs. Young Miles
Winner: Chess Story
Oh, are you kidding me? How do I choose here? They are unutterably different books, and I don't know how to compare them. If I was going purely on which I'd rather sit down and read again, it'd be Young Miles. If it's the book that had an emotional impact on me, it'd be Chess Story. I really don't know which to pick. Emotional devastation or madcap science fiction? Am I thinking about picking Chess Story because I'd feel guilty if I didn't? Perhaps. But it still feels like the more consequential of the two, and in this particular battle, that matters.
Deathless vs. Angelmaker
Winner: Deathless
Ooh, this is the match-up I was dreading. I loved both these books, for entirely different reasons. Crazy modern steampunk paired with octogenarian spies and their adventures sixty years earlier? Or Russian folklore and history in a beautiful meld? It's a killer to have to pick one. But it's going to come down to Deathless. The writing is beautiful, and it will always have particular resonance for me after our Cold City game.
A Good Man vs. Bleak House
Winner: Bleak House
Let's see, an epic tale of the Canadian West? Or a tale of law gone awry, fortunes squandered, meanness abounding. Sorry, Guy Vanderhaeghe. I liked your book, but it can't compare to my beloved Dickens. This might not have been my favourite of his novels, but it was still damned good. Even if the narrator was a little sickly sweet.
Half-Blood Blues vs. I Am Legend
Winner: Half-Blood Blues
Huh. Two stories about dehumanization, one science fiction, one historical. One vampires, the other, black jazz musicians in Nazi-occupied Paris. Strange the commonalities that emerge. I very much enjoyed I Am Legend, but I also really liked Half-Blood Blues, and the writing in that one lifts it above the competition.
The Ocean At The End of the Lane vs. The Lies of Locke Lamora
Winner: The Lies of Locke Lamora
We are definitely at the point where most of the books getting knocked out are ones I really enjoyed. I just enjoyed the other book a smidge more. And so it is in this case. I really enjoyed Neil Gaiman's most recent effort, but not as much as some of his other books (American Gods in particular). And Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora was one of my favourite discoveries of the year. This one was written just for me - swearing, con men, and devastating consequences? Sign me up!
Winner: Chess Story
Oh, are you kidding me? How do I choose here? They are unutterably different books, and I don't know how to compare them. If I was going purely on which I'd rather sit down and read again, it'd be Young Miles. If it's the book that had an emotional impact on me, it'd be Chess Story. I really don't know which to pick. Emotional devastation or madcap science fiction? Am I thinking about picking Chess Story because I'd feel guilty if I didn't? Perhaps. But it still feels like the more consequential of the two, and in this particular battle, that matters.
Deathless vs. Angelmaker
Winner: Deathless
Ooh, this is the match-up I was dreading. I loved both these books, for entirely different reasons. Crazy modern steampunk paired with octogenarian spies and their adventures sixty years earlier? Or Russian folklore and history in a beautiful meld? It's a killer to have to pick one. But it's going to come down to Deathless. The writing is beautiful, and it will always have particular resonance for me after our Cold City game.
A Good Man vs. Bleak House
Winner: Bleak House
Let's see, an epic tale of the Canadian West? Or a tale of law gone awry, fortunes squandered, meanness abounding. Sorry, Guy Vanderhaeghe. I liked your book, but it can't compare to my beloved Dickens. This might not have been my favourite of his novels, but it was still damned good. Even if the narrator was a little sickly sweet.
Half-Blood Blues vs. I Am Legend
Winner: Half-Blood Blues
Huh. Two stories about dehumanization, one science fiction, one historical. One vampires, the other, black jazz musicians in Nazi-occupied Paris. Strange the commonalities that emerge. I very much enjoyed I Am Legend, but I also really liked Half-Blood Blues, and the writing in that one lifts it above the competition.
The Ocean At The End of the Lane vs. The Lies of Locke Lamora
Winner: The Lies of Locke Lamora
We are definitely at the point where most of the books getting knocked out are ones I really enjoyed. I just enjoyed the other book a smidge more. And so it is in this case. I really enjoyed Neil Gaiman's most recent effort, but not as much as some of his other books (American Gods in particular). And Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora was one of my favourite discoveries of the year. This one was written just for me - swearing, con men, and devastating consequences? Sign me up!
Friday, 10 January 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013: Round Three, Part One
All right, it's getting serious. I'm going to have to make some hard choices. I think it's going to be uneven at the end again - dammit! But since I don't really have the ability to read 128 (too few!) or 256 (too many!) books a year, a tournament would always happen like this.
Infinite Jest vs. Invisible Man
Winner: Invisible Man
Well, a battle of two heavyweights! David Foster Wallace's magnum opus, a sprawling story of addiction, mind control, and tennis? Or Ralph Ellison's searing look at one black man's experience in the U.S.? Sorry, DFW. It's going to Ellison. As much as I enjoyed Infinite Jest, there were times when it dragged. And Invisible Man never did. It remains vivid in my memory a year later. Everyone should, well, everyone should read both. But if you have this decision to make, go with Invisible Man.
Altered Carbon vs. The Uplift War
Winner: Altered Carbon
Not a difficult choice here. I liked The Uplift War, but the noir stylings of Altered Carbon are far more to my personal taste. Planetary rebellion against invaders you'd think would be right in my wheelhouse, but it turns out the ethical implications of "resleeving" - storing bodies apart from minds and putting them in spare bodies - and a deliciously twisty mystery turns out to be even more my thing.
The Doomsday Book vs. A Passage to India
Winner: The Doomsday Book
It feels like the universe is giving me easy matchups today! Does that mean that there's an incredibly hard one coming right down the pipe? While I enjoyed A Passage to India, and found its musings on power and colonialism very interesting, it can't hold a candle to The Doomsday Book. I've talked a bunch of times about the impact The Doomsday Book had on me, so I won't revisit that. Let's instead try to entice you with the juxtaposition of the Black Death with an outbreak of mysterious disease in future Oxford, which strands a time traveller exactly where you'd least like to be.
The Idiot vs. Hyperion
Winner: Hyperion
I realize my nerd credentials are shining through right now - the science fiction is repeatedly winning out over the classics. Well, these are the books I enjoyed this year, and the best of the science fiction. The Idiot was very interesting, but Canterbury Tales/Decameron homage of Hyperion yielded some of the spookiest, gutwrenchingest fiction of the year. I loved every single story, but the first one, the Priest's Tale, is what really sold me on the whole thing. Religious horror - who knew that would be right up my alley?
The Beautiful Mystery vs. Moon Over Soho
Winner: The Beautiful Mystery
And there goes that theory, as a fantasy by one of my favourite authors falls to a mystery, which is a genre I tend to like but not love. Well, Moon Over Soho was a great deal of fun, but not quite the delight that Midnight Riot, the first book in the series, was. And Louise Penny is something special as a mystery author. Her writing is beautiful, and her insights into human nature are second to none. And this book brings to a head a issue that has been simmering throughout the series, with heartbreaking results.
Infinite Jest vs. Invisible Man
Winner: Invisible Man
Well, a battle of two heavyweights! David Foster Wallace's magnum opus, a sprawling story of addiction, mind control, and tennis? Or Ralph Ellison's searing look at one black man's experience in the U.S.? Sorry, DFW. It's going to Ellison. As much as I enjoyed Infinite Jest, there were times when it dragged. And Invisible Man never did. It remains vivid in my memory a year later. Everyone should, well, everyone should read both. But if you have this decision to make, go with Invisible Man.
Altered Carbon vs. The Uplift War
Winner: Altered Carbon
Not a difficult choice here. I liked The Uplift War, but the noir stylings of Altered Carbon are far more to my personal taste. Planetary rebellion against invaders you'd think would be right in my wheelhouse, but it turns out the ethical implications of "resleeving" - storing bodies apart from minds and putting them in spare bodies - and a deliciously twisty mystery turns out to be even more my thing.
The Doomsday Book vs. A Passage to India
Winner: The Doomsday Book
It feels like the universe is giving me easy matchups today! Does that mean that there's an incredibly hard one coming right down the pipe? While I enjoyed A Passage to India, and found its musings on power and colonialism very interesting, it can't hold a candle to The Doomsday Book. I've talked a bunch of times about the impact The Doomsday Book had on me, so I won't revisit that. Let's instead try to entice you with the juxtaposition of the Black Death with an outbreak of mysterious disease in future Oxford, which strands a time traveller exactly where you'd least like to be.
The Idiot vs. Hyperion
Winner: Hyperion
I realize my nerd credentials are shining through right now - the science fiction is repeatedly winning out over the classics. Well, these are the books I enjoyed this year, and the best of the science fiction. The Idiot was very interesting, but Canterbury Tales/Decameron homage of Hyperion yielded some of the spookiest, gutwrenchingest fiction of the year. I loved every single story, but the first one, the Priest's Tale, is what really sold me on the whole thing. Religious horror - who knew that would be right up my alley?
The Beautiful Mystery vs. Moon Over Soho
Winner: The Beautiful Mystery
And there goes that theory, as a fantasy by one of my favourite authors falls to a mystery, which is a genre I tend to like but not love. Well, Moon Over Soho was a great deal of fun, but not quite the delight that Midnight Riot, the first book in the series, was. And Louise Penny is something special as a mystery author. Her writing is beautiful, and her insights into human nature are second to none. And this book brings to a head a issue that has been simmering throughout the series, with heartbreaking results.
Wednesday, 8 January 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up - Round Two, Part Seven
This is going to be slightly longer, as I pack a few extra books in there. And have to deal with dreaded uneven numbers. By putting three books up against each other at the end.
Madame Claire vs. The Atrocity Archives
Winner: The Atrocity Archives
Madame Claire was charming, but I finally found a Charles Stross book I thoroughly enjoyed! It took this, bureaucracy plus spies plus Cthulhu (odd, given that I don't like horror - but this is definitely more humour than horror), to make me a convert. I can't wait to read other Laundry books. There just wasn't enough to Madame Claire, and it had an ending that irritated me. Atrocity Archives for the win!
The Name of the Wind vs. Kushiel's Dart
Winner: Kushiel's Dart
This is a hard one! Both are epic fantasies, both I really enjoyed! Both tell the childhood and early adult stories of fascinating characters! Sure, one's a travelling performer/magician, and the other's a courtesan/spy, but those differences make it harder to choose, not less! It really pains me to pick Kushiel's Dart over The Name of the Wind. I could have picked either and been unhappy with myself for not choosing the other. But I'd never run across anything like Kushiel's Dart before, and while The Name of the Wind is fantastic, it's mostly doing neat things with fantasy archetypes.
The Fault In Our Stars vs. Truth & Beauty
Winner: The Fault In Our Stars
There are times I'm distinctly tempted to mess with my own system and jigger the contests a little, to make it so I don't have to make a hard choice between two books I liked a lot, and then a hard choice between two books I was only "meh" about. That's what happened here. But when it comes down to it, although I may not be a John Green raving fangirl, I did like The Fault in Our Stars, and the characters in it, and the fact that it wasn't saccharine. In fact, I liked it more than I liked the true life tale of loving someone who has suffered from terrible cancers. Sorry, real life! Fiction wins.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms vs. Luka and the Fire of Life
Winner: Luka and the Fire of Life
Oh, great. Right back to a difficult choice! I know these get more frequent as we get closer to the end, but the spacing here is irritating. But I'm very sorry, N.K. Jemisin. I really loved The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. But Luka and the Fire of Life touched me deeply, and was gloriously messy and mythological, with themes that will always strike home with me these days. Losing out to Salman Rushdie is not a bad way to get knocked out, I guess.
The Man Who Folded Himself vs. Babel-17
Winner: Babel-17
Two classics of science fiction! Two mindbending looks at life and identity, and to some degree, sexuality! Both well worth a read, but if I have to choose, I'm going to go with Delany's fascinating look at language and thought in a time of war over Gerrold's solipsistic narrator with a time machine. Rydra Wong is much more striking of a main character, although Don's egoism is interesting to read.
Assassin's Apprentice vs. Perdido Street Station
Winner: Perdido Street Station
Man, I read a lot of good books in the last month of the year! This is another difficult choice! But in the end, although Assassin's Apprentice was really good, it didn't add much new to a fantasy genre. Perdido Street Station, on the other hand, drips originality like a fine ooze. I loved the city, the descriptions, the prose. The story was almost too creepy and upsetting for me at times, but I stuck it out, and loved it.
Leviathan Wakes vs. Zoo City vs. Moxyland
Winner: Moxyland
It seems fitting that the uneven end to this round pits two books by the same author against a different author. And while I enjoyed all three - Leviathan Wakes for its politics in space, Zoo City for an urban fantasy with animals that marked you out as a killer, and Moxyland for its dystopiana, Moxyland is an easy winner. This one blew my brain, and ended so incredibly bleakly I needed to step away from books for a few minutes.
Starting tomorrow: Round Three! We're getting there!
Madame Claire vs. The Atrocity Archives
Winner: The Atrocity Archives
Madame Claire was charming, but I finally found a Charles Stross book I thoroughly enjoyed! It took this, bureaucracy plus spies plus Cthulhu (odd, given that I don't like horror - but this is definitely more humour than horror), to make me a convert. I can't wait to read other Laundry books. There just wasn't enough to Madame Claire, and it had an ending that irritated me. Atrocity Archives for the win!
The Name of the Wind vs. Kushiel's Dart
Winner: Kushiel's Dart
This is a hard one! Both are epic fantasies, both I really enjoyed! Both tell the childhood and early adult stories of fascinating characters! Sure, one's a travelling performer/magician, and the other's a courtesan/spy, but those differences make it harder to choose, not less! It really pains me to pick Kushiel's Dart over The Name of the Wind. I could have picked either and been unhappy with myself for not choosing the other. But I'd never run across anything like Kushiel's Dart before, and while The Name of the Wind is fantastic, it's mostly doing neat things with fantasy archetypes.
The Fault In Our Stars vs. Truth & Beauty
Winner: The Fault In Our Stars
There are times I'm distinctly tempted to mess with my own system and jigger the contests a little, to make it so I don't have to make a hard choice between two books I liked a lot, and then a hard choice between two books I was only "meh" about. That's what happened here. But when it comes down to it, although I may not be a John Green raving fangirl, I did like The Fault in Our Stars, and the characters in it, and the fact that it wasn't saccharine. In fact, I liked it more than I liked the true life tale of loving someone who has suffered from terrible cancers. Sorry, real life! Fiction wins.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms vs. Luka and the Fire of Life
Winner: Luka and the Fire of Life
Oh, great. Right back to a difficult choice! I know these get more frequent as we get closer to the end, but the spacing here is irritating. But I'm very sorry, N.K. Jemisin. I really loved The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. But Luka and the Fire of Life touched me deeply, and was gloriously messy and mythological, with themes that will always strike home with me these days. Losing out to Salman Rushdie is not a bad way to get knocked out, I guess.
The Man Who Folded Himself vs. Babel-17
Winner: Babel-17
Two classics of science fiction! Two mindbending looks at life and identity, and to some degree, sexuality! Both well worth a read, but if I have to choose, I'm going to go with Delany's fascinating look at language and thought in a time of war over Gerrold's solipsistic narrator with a time machine. Rydra Wong is much more striking of a main character, although Don's egoism is interesting to read.
Assassin's Apprentice vs. Perdido Street Station
Winner: Perdido Street Station
Man, I read a lot of good books in the last month of the year! This is another difficult choice! But in the end, although Assassin's Apprentice was really good, it didn't add much new to a fantasy genre. Perdido Street Station, on the other hand, drips originality like a fine ooze. I loved the city, the descriptions, the prose. The story was almost too creepy and upsetting for me at times, but I stuck it out, and loved it.
Leviathan Wakes vs. Zoo City vs. Moxyland
Winner: Moxyland
It seems fitting that the uneven end to this round pits two books by the same author against a different author. And while I enjoyed all three - Leviathan Wakes for its politics in space, Zoo City for an urban fantasy with animals that marked you out as a killer, and Moxyland for its dystopiana, Moxyland is an easy winner. This one blew my brain, and ended so incredibly bleakly I needed to step away from books for a few minutes.
Starting tomorrow: Round Three! We're getting there!
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Round Two, Part Six
Almost to the end of Round Two! Then it should take me about a week to wrap up further rounds.
Turn of the Screw vs. Funny Boy
Winner: Turn of the Screw
Funny Boy was a good read, but it can't match the impact of Turn of the Screw. No matter what you think is going on, this is one creepy book. The supernatural possibilities are scary, the natural ones terrifying. And the narrator's reaction troubling. I can't say I liked the other Henry James I read this year, but I liked this one.
Leviathan vs. Trunk Music
Winner: Leviathan
I enjoyed my first delve into Michael Connelly territory quite a lot, and intend to return. But unless it's crappy, science fiction and fantasy always remain my first loves, and so, Leviathan takes out Trunk Music in the second round. How can you not love a giant living blimp? And bats that poop razors?
The Violent Bear It Away vs. The Magic Mountain
Winner: The Violent Bear It Away
The Violent Bear It Away has some major issues, but it also is this incredibly stark look at belief that, at times, took my breath away. That carries it over The Magic Mountain, which, frankly, bored me at times. Overall, it was a good book, but The Violent Bear It Away is sort of breathtaking. If only it didn't have that sudden dip into homophobia.
Foundation and Empire vs. A Hawk and His Boy
Winner: Foundation and Empire
A Hawk and His Boy was entertaining, but Foundation and Empire is a classic. Not for the writing style, which is serviceable science fiction at its best, but for the story Asimov weaves. The first book reads more like history, and in Foundation and Empire, he changes it up for some more rollicking adventure. Also, if they're done well, I almost always enjoy intrigue and subterfuge.
I Capture The Castle vs. The Sixth Column
Winner: I Capture The Castle
It's kind a relief to knock The Sixth Column out of the competition. I was feeling weird about keeping it in, given its rather troubling subject matter. And up against I Capture the Castle, which may not have been deep, but was very charming, it's an easy call. Diaries being written in castles about eccentric and bohemian families? Sign me up!
Turn of the Screw vs. Funny Boy
Winner: Turn of the Screw
Funny Boy was a good read, but it can't match the impact of Turn of the Screw. No matter what you think is going on, this is one creepy book. The supernatural possibilities are scary, the natural ones terrifying. And the narrator's reaction troubling. I can't say I liked the other Henry James I read this year, but I liked this one.
Leviathan vs. Trunk Music
Winner: Leviathan
I enjoyed my first delve into Michael Connelly territory quite a lot, and intend to return. But unless it's crappy, science fiction and fantasy always remain my first loves, and so, Leviathan takes out Trunk Music in the second round. How can you not love a giant living blimp? And bats that poop razors?
The Violent Bear It Away vs. The Magic Mountain
Winner: The Violent Bear It Away
The Violent Bear It Away has some major issues, but it also is this incredibly stark look at belief that, at times, took my breath away. That carries it over The Magic Mountain, which, frankly, bored me at times. Overall, it was a good book, but The Violent Bear It Away is sort of breathtaking. If only it didn't have that sudden dip into homophobia.
Foundation and Empire vs. A Hawk and His Boy
Winner: Foundation and Empire
A Hawk and His Boy was entertaining, but Foundation and Empire is a classic. Not for the writing style, which is serviceable science fiction at its best, but for the story Asimov weaves. The first book reads more like history, and in Foundation and Empire, he changes it up for some more rollicking adventure. Also, if they're done well, I almost always enjoy intrigue and subterfuge.
I Capture The Castle vs. The Sixth Column
Winner: I Capture The Castle
It's kind a relief to knock The Sixth Column out of the competition. I was feeling weird about keeping it in, given its rather troubling subject matter. And up against I Capture the Castle, which may not have been deep, but was very charming, it's an easy call. Diaries being written in castles about eccentric and bohemian families? Sign me up!
Monday, 6 January 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Round Two, Part Five
Boneshaker vs. All Quiet on the Western Front
Winner: All Quiet on the Western Front
We have here a classic case of whether I pick the one I thoroughly enjoyed, or the one I very much respect. If I'd loved Boneshaker just a little bit more, that would probably sway the case in that direction. But while I enjoyed it, I didn't love it. And so, for this round, a German look at war and the common humanity of soldiers survives.
Accelerando vs. The Sword-Edged Blonde
Winner: The Sword-Edged Blonde
This was another Charles Stross book that I struggled with wanting to like more than I actually liked it. And so, it's an easy win for The Sword-Edged Blonde. It might not be deep or profound, but noir stylings and prose in a fantasy setting? Dude, I am in. Yes, the king is called Phil by the main character. Use that as a gauge to whether or not you would like it. I did.
Hounded vs. Snowcrash
Winner: Hounded
Oof. This is a hard one. Neither one is one of my dearly beloved books of the year, but both I very much enjoyed. So, snark or cyberpunk? Druids or neurolinguistics? Does the fact that Hounded has an endearing dog help it win out? Or will one of the seminal works of hacker cool? Oh, I don't know. I really did like both.Snowcrash may be the logical choice. But I think that on pure enjoyment value, it's going to have to go to Hounded.
Gypsies vs. Pandemonium
Winner: Pandemonium
Finally, an easy one! Gypsies is a not-great book by an author I quite like. Pandemonium, on the other hand, was an utterly delightful discovery of a brand-new author I intend to follow. It was entirely unlike the other fantasies I'd been reading, and the demon-haunted world Gregory gives us fascinating.
Joyland vs. The Affinity Bridge
Winner: Joyland
The Affinity Bridge was fun, but didn't quite feel fully-realized. When I only get interested in a character in the last few pages, that's a problem. But one of my first forays into Stephen-King-land went very well indeed. I don't read horror, so this was only the second King I'd read, and I enjoyed both the mystery and the much more important meditation on growing up.
Winner: All Quiet on the Western Front
We have here a classic case of whether I pick the one I thoroughly enjoyed, or the one I very much respect. If I'd loved Boneshaker just a little bit more, that would probably sway the case in that direction. But while I enjoyed it, I didn't love it. And so, for this round, a German look at war and the common humanity of soldiers survives.
Accelerando vs. The Sword-Edged Blonde
Winner: The Sword-Edged Blonde
This was another Charles Stross book that I struggled with wanting to like more than I actually liked it. And so, it's an easy win for The Sword-Edged Blonde. It might not be deep or profound, but noir stylings and prose in a fantasy setting? Dude, I am in. Yes, the king is called Phil by the main character. Use that as a gauge to whether or not you would like it. I did.
Hounded vs. Snowcrash
Winner: Hounded
Oof. This is a hard one. Neither one is one of my dearly beloved books of the year, but both I very much enjoyed. So, snark or cyberpunk? Druids or neurolinguistics? Does the fact that Hounded has an endearing dog help it win out? Or will one of the seminal works of hacker cool? Oh, I don't know. I really did like both.Snowcrash may be the logical choice. But I think that on pure enjoyment value, it's going to have to go to Hounded.
Gypsies vs. Pandemonium
Winner: Pandemonium
Finally, an easy one! Gypsies is a not-great book by an author I quite like. Pandemonium, on the other hand, was an utterly delightful discovery of a brand-new author I intend to follow. It was entirely unlike the other fantasies I'd been reading, and the demon-haunted world Gregory gives us fascinating.
Joyland vs. The Affinity Bridge
Winner: Joyland
The Affinity Bridge was fun, but didn't quite feel fully-realized. When I only get interested in a character in the last few pages, that's a problem. But one of my first forays into Stephen-King-land went very well indeed. I don't read horror, so this was only the second King I'd read, and I enjoyed both the mystery and the much more important meditation on growing up.
Sunday, 5 January 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Round Two, Part Four
Among Others vs. Bleak House
Winner: Bleak House
Bleak House may be a hefty tome, but it's a very good story - once you get the characters sorted out, which did take me a while. And I really am a sucker for Dickens and his characters. On the other side of the scale, while Among Others made me smile with recognition for the books of my childhood, the ending felt rushed and a bit unsatisfying. In the end, the outlook for Bleak House is not at all as the title would suggest.
Ensign Flandry vs. Half-Blood Blues
Winner: Half-Blood Blues
Not really a surprise. Ensign Flandry really only survived the first round because it was up against another book that hadn't really struck me. But when it enters the ring against Half-Blood Blues, it simply can't hold a candle to this beautifully written novel on jazz in Nazi-occupied France. The emotional core is stronger, the prose is much more impressive. Half-Blood Blues wins on virtually every criteria I have.
I Am Legend vs. Bloom County Vol. 4
Winner: I Am Legend
A well deserved win for I Am Legend. My apologies to Berke Breathed, and my assurances that I do love the world he created very much. But I Am Legend is one of the most unsettling stories I've ever read, and knowing the twist at the end actually only made it creepier. Last man on earth stories have rarely been so thoughtful, and the change of perspective at the end takes it all to another level.
The Ocean At The End Of The Lane vs. Bob The Gambler
Winner: The Ocean At The End Of The Lane
Given that my winner line about Bob The Gambler included the words "do I have to?," it should come as no surprise to anyone that it gets handily knocked out in the second round. There are a lot of books that Ocean At Etc. would have won over, but this was a particularly lopsided match-up. That being said, Gaiman's ability to take childhood and its troubles and make those a strange and terrifying as anything I've seen is superlative.
The Lies of Locke Lamora vs. The Blade Itself
Winner: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Well, let's see. I barely remember The Blade Itself. It wasn't bad, it just didn't impress itself on my memory. On the other side of the ring is one of the most memorable characters of recent fiction, Locke Lamora himself, master thief, conman, Gentleman Bastard. He swore his way into my heart, and won my affections by conning the rich into giving him all their money. But he cemented his place by how he reacted when shit really got real.
Winner: Bleak House
Bleak House may be a hefty tome, but it's a very good story - once you get the characters sorted out, which did take me a while. And I really am a sucker for Dickens and his characters. On the other side of the scale, while Among Others made me smile with recognition for the books of my childhood, the ending felt rushed and a bit unsatisfying. In the end, the outlook for Bleak House is not at all as the title would suggest.
Ensign Flandry vs. Half-Blood Blues
Winner: Half-Blood Blues
Not really a surprise. Ensign Flandry really only survived the first round because it was up against another book that hadn't really struck me. But when it enters the ring against Half-Blood Blues, it simply can't hold a candle to this beautifully written novel on jazz in Nazi-occupied France. The emotional core is stronger, the prose is much more impressive. Half-Blood Blues wins on virtually every criteria I have.
I Am Legend vs. Bloom County Vol. 4
Winner: I Am Legend
A well deserved win for I Am Legend. My apologies to Berke Breathed, and my assurances that I do love the world he created very much. But I Am Legend is one of the most unsettling stories I've ever read, and knowing the twist at the end actually only made it creepier. Last man on earth stories have rarely been so thoughtful, and the change of perspective at the end takes it all to another level.
The Ocean At The End Of The Lane vs. Bob The Gambler
Winner: The Ocean At The End Of The Lane
Given that my winner line about Bob The Gambler included the words "do I have to?," it should come as no surprise to anyone that it gets handily knocked out in the second round. There are a lot of books that Ocean At Etc. would have won over, but this was a particularly lopsided match-up. That being said, Gaiman's ability to take childhood and its troubles and make those a strange and terrifying as anything I've seen is superlative.
The Lies of Locke Lamora vs. The Blade Itself
Winner: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Well, let's see. I barely remember The Blade Itself. It wasn't bad, it just didn't impress itself on my memory. On the other side of the ring is one of the most memorable characters of recent fiction, Locke Lamora himself, master thief, conman, Gentleman Bastard. He swore his way into my heart, and won my affections by conning the rich into giving him all their money. But he cemented his place by how he reacted when shit really got real.
Friday, 3 January 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Round Two, Part Three
The Complete Cosmicomics vs. Chess Story
Winner: Chess Story
As much as I loved Calvino's science fables, and that was really quite a lot, I don't think their whimsy can overpower how strongly I responded to Chess Story. There are no extra words in Zweig's little punch to the gut, and while I might not be eager to read it again, its mastery cannot be denied. Only read it if you want your heart broken. But it's worth it.
Young Miles vs. The Third Man
Winner: Young Miles
This round is going on sheer enjoyment. While The Third Man was pleasantly atmospheric, and fit right into the game we were playing at the time, it can't compare to the pleasure that Young Miles gave me It was my first foray into the Vorkosigan universe, and the two books in this omnibus were so much fun to read. The madcap energy, in particular, of The Warrior's Apprentice had me so eager to read more.
The Marriage Plot vs. Deathless
Winner: Deathless
While it didn't add up to as much as Middlesex, I liked The Marriage Plot quite a lot. But its angsty academics can't measure up to the pleasures of Russian history/fantasy that Catherynne Valente weaves in Deathless. I love fairytale elements in books. I don't know if I've ever loved them more than when I was reading this book. I know I've mentioned the Stalinist domovoi before, but they really are the perfect example of why this book is great. Not to mention the absolutely beautiful prose.
Angelmaker vs. The City and the City
Winner: Angelmaker
This is a really tough one. I loved both of these books - they were part of a whole streak of really excellent books I read while I was away at a conference in June. It hurts China Mieville that this wasn't the only book of his I read this year, while it was the only Nick Harkaway. But in the end, as much as I loved the divided city in The City and the City, and all the implications of that, the steampunk/spy/octogenarian rampage/stylish criminal/the world will end in truth of Angelmaker delighted me like almost nothing else.
Moving Pictures vs. A Good Man
Winner: A Good Man
Oh, right. We go from two books I'm passionate about and have to choose between two that I am significantly less attached to. But Moving Pictures was only okay, and Guy Vanderhaeghe's Canadian West book (end of a trilogy?) was excellent. It might not have moved me to raptures, but the story of Wesley Case, and his attempt to become his own person in the West, juxtaposed with the plight of the Natives in the area, and the one officer who wants to keep his promises to them but is undercut by his own government, is excellent.
Winner: Chess Story
As much as I loved Calvino's science fables, and that was really quite a lot, I don't think their whimsy can overpower how strongly I responded to Chess Story. There are no extra words in Zweig's little punch to the gut, and while I might not be eager to read it again, its mastery cannot be denied. Only read it if you want your heart broken. But it's worth it.
Young Miles vs. The Third Man
Winner: Young Miles
This round is going on sheer enjoyment. While The Third Man was pleasantly atmospheric, and fit right into the game we were playing at the time, it can't compare to the pleasure that Young Miles gave me It was my first foray into the Vorkosigan universe, and the two books in this omnibus were so much fun to read. The madcap energy, in particular, of The Warrior's Apprentice had me so eager to read more.
The Marriage Plot vs. Deathless
Winner: Deathless
While it didn't add up to as much as Middlesex, I liked The Marriage Plot quite a lot. But its angsty academics can't measure up to the pleasures of Russian history/fantasy that Catherynne Valente weaves in Deathless. I love fairytale elements in books. I don't know if I've ever loved them more than when I was reading this book. I know I've mentioned the Stalinist domovoi before, but they really are the perfect example of why this book is great. Not to mention the absolutely beautiful prose.
Angelmaker vs. The City and the City
Winner: Angelmaker
This is a really tough one. I loved both of these books - they were part of a whole streak of really excellent books I read while I was away at a conference in June. It hurts China Mieville that this wasn't the only book of his I read this year, while it was the only Nick Harkaway. But in the end, as much as I loved the divided city in The City and the City, and all the implications of that, the steampunk/spy/octogenarian rampage/stylish criminal/the world will end in truth of Angelmaker delighted me like almost nothing else.
Moving Pictures vs. A Good Man
Winner: A Good Man
Oh, right. We go from two books I'm passionate about and have to choose between two that I am significantly less attached to. But Moving Pictures was only okay, and Guy Vanderhaeghe's Canadian West book (end of a trilogy?) was excellent. It might not have moved me to raptures, but the story of Wesley Case, and his attempt to become his own person in the West, juxtaposed with the plight of the Natives in the area, and the one officer who wants to keep his promises to them but is undercut by his own government, is excellent.
Thursday, 2 January 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Round Two, Part Two
All right! Let's keep this rolling! (It's very early, the office is freezing - perfect time to make some snap decisions about books?)
Swann's Way vs. A Passage to India
Winner: A Passage to India
A stumper right off the bat, huh. Sometimes I know which I'm going to pick right away. Other times, I start writing this paragraph first and hope I come to an answer eventually. Swann's Way was beautifully descriptive, but so dense that sometimes it was a slog to read. But was it rewarding enough to get past that? I'm not sure it was. I think in the end, A Passage to India gave me more food for thought. Although there are a few passages in Swann's Way I'll cherish forever. Not an easy choice, but A Passage to India gets the nod.
Lord Jim vs. The Idiot
Winner: The Idiot
Another really tight one - because I enjoyed both books but loved neither of them. So I ask myself, what would I rather sit down and read again? And those slow sections of Lord Jim make it hard to pick that one. When it's firing on all cylinders, it's a rollicking read. Unfortunately, those are sandwiched between some very tedious prose. I found Dostoyevsky an easier read, and the travails of poor Prince Myshkin were amusingly unpleasant.
Roadside Picnic vs. Hyperion
Winner: Hyperion
Sorry, Roadside Picnic. I enjoyed your bleak Russian science fiction stylings quite a lot - particularly the view on ordinary people faced with extraordinary artifacts on a long-term basis. But, Hyperion! It's a masterpiece, I love it, I'm just about to start the second book in the series. I've said it before, but few things had as strong an impact on me last year as did this book.
The Beautiful Mystery vs. When Gravity Fails
Winner: The Beautiful Mystery
When Gravity Fails was amusing science fiction, but certainly nowhere near the strongest SF I read last year. I am delighted by the rise of science fiction not set in the U.S., Europe, or their space-analogues, but I've read better entries into that genre. And The Beautiful Mystery broke me heart, and I can tell you why without spoiling a plotline that's been brewing slowly for books. Penny writes beautifully, and her insights into human nature are second to none in the mystery genre.
Moon Over Soho vs. The Singapore Grip
Winner: Moon Over Soho
Oh, an easy one! Fantastic! The Singapore Grip wasn't as gripping as I might have liked, but it was interesting. Moon Over Soho, on the other hand, is a worthy entry into the Peter Grant series, which I love. (Having only read the first two - I'm trying to pace myself!) In this one, Peter has to enter into his father's world of jazz to find out who is draining magicians of their magic, leaving suspicious-looking heart attacks in its wake. Moon Over Soho prevailed in one of the most difficult decisions of the first round, but sails through the second.
Swann's Way vs. A Passage to India
Winner: A Passage to India
A stumper right off the bat, huh. Sometimes I know which I'm going to pick right away. Other times, I start writing this paragraph first and hope I come to an answer eventually. Swann's Way was beautifully descriptive, but so dense that sometimes it was a slog to read. But was it rewarding enough to get past that? I'm not sure it was. I think in the end, A Passage to India gave me more food for thought. Although there are a few passages in Swann's Way I'll cherish forever. Not an easy choice, but A Passage to India gets the nod.
Lord Jim vs. The Idiot
Winner: The Idiot
Another really tight one - because I enjoyed both books but loved neither of them. So I ask myself, what would I rather sit down and read again? And those slow sections of Lord Jim make it hard to pick that one. When it's firing on all cylinders, it's a rollicking read. Unfortunately, those are sandwiched between some very tedious prose. I found Dostoyevsky an easier read, and the travails of poor Prince Myshkin were amusingly unpleasant.
Roadside Picnic vs. Hyperion
Winner: Hyperion
Sorry, Roadside Picnic. I enjoyed your bleak Russian science fiction stylings quite a lot - particularly the view on ordinary people faced with extraordinary artifacts on a long-term basis. But, Hyperion! It's a masterpiece, I love it, I'm just about to start the second book in the series. I've said it before, but few things had as strong an impact on me last year as did this book.
The Beautiful Mystery vs. When Gravity Fails
Winner: The Beautiful Mystery
When Gravity Fails was amusing science fiction, but certainly nowhere near the strongest SF I read last year. I am delighted by the rise of science fiction not set in the U.S., Europe, or their space-analogues, but I've read better entries into that genre. And The Beautiful Mystery broke me heart, and I can tell you why without spoiling a plotline that's been brewing slowly for books. Penny writes beautifully, and her insights into human nature are second to none in the mystery genre.
Moon Over Soho vs. The Singapore Grip
Winner: Moon Over Soho
Oh, an easy one! Fantastic! The Singapore Grip wasn't as gripping as I might have liked, but it was interesting. Moon Over Soho, on the other hand, is a worthy entry into the Peter Grant series, which I love. (Having only read the first two - I'm trying to pace myself!) In this one, Peter has to enter into his father's world of jazz to find out who is draining magicians of their magic, leaving suspicious-looking heart attacks in its wake. Moon Over Soho prevailed in one of the most difficult decisions of the first round, but sails through the second.
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Round Two, Part One
All right! It's a new year! We've made it through Round One! Things are going to get messier (and in now way match up to a good tournament format - for that, I would have either had to read 128 or 256 books, and one is way to few, the other way too many). I'm going to get more anguished over choices I'm forcing myself to make!
It's time for shit to get real.
Round Two.
Infinite Jest vs. The Collected Poems of Philip Larkin
Winner: Infinite Jest
All right, a chance to get rid of a book that I didn't really want to get past the first round, anyway. As I said, I liked one age of Larkin's poetry, but not the rest. And although I'd be surprised to see Infinite Jest make it through to the end, it was truly a worthy entry into my reads last year. Occasionally infuriating, it was almost always something I enjoyed. Even the long descriptions of the game the tennis kids played.
The Casual Vacancy vs. Invisible Man
Winner: Invisible Man
I am a staunch defender of The Casual Vacancy. I was thrilled that this was J.K. Rowling's follow-up to Harry Potter, and that she chose to write a book that dealt with such difficult material. But it can't take down Invisible Man, which is also about difficult material, but deals with it with such elegance and artistry that I was on edge nearly every moment I was reading. They both have things to say about the state of society, but in a battle between the two, Invisible Man, although hard to see, spoke to me more.
Altered Carbon vs. Fuzzy Nation
Winner: Altered Carbon
Oooh, two science fiction books head-to-head! Both of which I enjoyed, but in the end, Fuzzy Nation was a slighter book than Altered Carbon, and while I loved Carl and was thoroughly pleased by the courtroom takedown, the noir universe of Morgan wins out. Particularly for its contemplation of resleeving - rehousing consciousness in a series of bodies, and what that might mean for convicts, for soldiers, and for the rich and the poor.
Atomic Robo Vol. 4 vs. The Uplift War
Winner: The Uplift War
As much as it pains me (and may cause my bloody and hilarious death at the hands of Dr. Dinosaur,) I'm going to have to let Atomic Robo go. Love this series to death, but I somehow feel that picking it over a full and well-developed book isn't quite right. Particularly when that book is so good. You want a universe where humanity isn't the dominant species? How about interplanetary politics, and an incipient rebellion? By chimps? Can I throw in a few dolphins? (Actually, very few dolphins in this one - but others?)
The Girl with Glass Feet vs. The Doomsday Book
Winner: The Doomsday Book
This is a more difficult choice than perhaps it first appears. I really loved The Girl With Glass Feet, the language, the story, the heartbreaking ending. But if it comes down to remembered impact on my life, I remember waking up at night worrying about the characters in The Doomsday Book. I cried at the end. Willis is a master of humanizing fictional history, and I love her for it. Watching the world end at the hands of the Black Death might not have been the most pleasant experience, but it was powerful.
It's time for shit to get real.
Round Two.
Infinite Jest vs. The Collected Poems of Philip Larkin
Winner: Infinite Jest
All right, a chance to get rid of a book that I didn't really want to get past the first round, anyway. As I said, I liked one age of Larkin's poetry, but not the rest. And although I'd be surprised to see Infinite Jest make it through to the end, it was truly a worthy entry into my reads last year. Occasionally infuriating, it was almost always something I enjoyed. Even the long descriptions of the game the tennis kids played.
The Casual Vacancy vs. Invisible Man
Winner: Invisible Man
I am a staunch defender of The Casual Vacancy. I was thrilled that this was J.K. Rowling's follow-up to Harry Potter, and that she chose to write a book that dealt with such difficult material. But it can't take down Invisible Man, which is also about difficult material, but deals with it with such elegance and artistry that I was on edge nearly every moment I was reading. They both have things to say about the state of society, but in a battle between the two, Invisible Man, although hard to see, spoke to me more.
Altered Carbon vs. Fuzzy Nation
Winner: Altered Carbon
Oooh, two science fiction books head-to-head! Both of which I enjoyed, but in the end, Fuzzy Nation was a slighter book than Altered Carbon, and while I loved Carl and was thoroughly pleased by the courtroom takedown, the noir universe of Morgan wins out. Particularly for its contemplation of resleeving - rehousing consciousness in a series of bodies, and what that might mean for convicts, for soldiers, and for the rich and the poor.
Atomic Robo Vol. 4 vs. The Uplift War
Winner: The Uplift War
As much as it pains me (and may cause my bloody and hilarious death at the hands of Dr. Dinosaur,) I'm going to have to let Atomic Robo go. Love this series to death, but I somehow feel that picking it over a full and well-developed book isn't quite right. Particularly when that book is so good. You want a universe where humanity isn't the dominant species? How about interplanetary politics, and an incipient rebellion? By chimps? Can I throw in a few dolphins? (Actually, very few dolphins in this one - but others?)
The Girl with Glass Feet vs. The Doomsday Book
Winner: The Doomsday Book
This is a more difficult choice than perhaps it first appears. I really loved The Girl With Glass Feet, the language, the story, the heartbreaking ending. But if it comes down to remembered impact on my life, I remember waking up at night worrying about the characters in The Doomsday Book. I cried at the end. Willis is a master of humanizing fictional history, and I love her for it. Watching the world end at the hands of the Black Death might not have been the most pleasant experience, but it was powerful.
Tuesday, 31 December 2013
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Round One, Part Fifteen
I don't want to scare you, but here's the final part of Round One! Tune in tomorrow, when the shit starts to get real as we start Round Two. Expect tears and gnashing of teeth as books I loved are more likely to come up against each other!
Assassin's Apprentice vs. Storm Front
Winner: Assassin's Apprentice
I'm on the record as finding Storm Front amusing but not that great, so it's not surprise to anyone, I suspect, that when these two books entered the ring that is my brain, Assassin's Apprentice won. And it's not just because one is an assassin - you'd think Harry Dresden would see that coming from a mile away. No, in addition to its skills at poisoning and stabbing, Assassin's Apprentice has a really good story going for it, and that's what allowed it to take Storm Front to the mat.'
419 vs. Perdido Street Station
Winner: Perdido Street Station
Do I have to even write this one down? Yeah, it's not 419. It's one of the creepiest, most ingenious books I've read this year. It's language that just washes over me (and I might need a bath after) and makes me so happy (if a little grimy.) It's truly terrifying at times, genre-bending, and an all-around awesome book. It's Perdido Street Station.
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer vs. Leviathan Wakes
Winner: Leviathan Wakes
I found Johannes Cabal the etc weirdly weightless, although not without occasionally charm. But that's not charm enough for me to sign off on selling my soul not to send it off to the abyss of Books Rejected In The First Round. While Leviathan Wakes seemed to me to be a bit Blood Music-lite, it was solid Space Opera, with interesting characters and a good story. That's enough, in this match-up.
Zoo City vs. Paper Towns
Winner: Zoo City
Sure, Paper Towns was fun, but it was only a town, after all. And did any of the inhabitants carry around animals that let everyone know they committed murder? No? I read two Lauren Beukes books right at the end of the year, and one blew my socks off, and one I "only" thoroughly enjoyed. This is the latter, but the tale of Johannesburg in a world where no one knows why sins have become visible, or animals is both flashy and depressing. Check it out.
Blackout vs. Moxyland
Winner: Moxyland
I really like Connie Willis. And I really liked Blackout. It's not as wrenching as The Doomsday Book but it is tense and interesting, and I look forward to the companion novel. But Moxyland blew my mind. It isn't fair that a debut book should be this good. And man, when this woman takes her novel in unsettling directions, she does it. The book is great, the ending stunningly dark. (Reviews for both these books will be forthcoming.)
Assassin's Apprentice vs. Storm Front
Winner: Assassin's Apprentice
I'm on the record as finding Storm Front amusing but not that great, so it's not surprise to anyone, I suspect, that when these two books entered the ring that is my brain, Assassin's Apprentice won. And it's not just because one is an assassin - you'd think Harry Dresden would see that coming from a mile away. No, in addition to its skills at poisoning and stabbing, Assassin's Apprentice has a really good story going for it, and that's what allowed it to take Storm Front to the mat.'
419 vs. Perdido Street Station
Winner: Perdido Street Station
Do I have to even write this one down? Yeah, it's not 419. It's one of the creepiest, most ingenious books I've read this year. It's language that just washes over me (and I might need a bath after) and makes me so happy (if a little grimy.) It's truly terrifying at times, genre-bending, and an all-around awesome book. It's Perdido Street Station.
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer vs. Leviathan Wakes
Winner: Leviathan Wakes
I found Johannes Cabal the etc weirdly weightless, although not without occasionally charm. But that's not charm enough for me to sign off on selling my soul not to send it off to the abyss of Books Rejected In The First Round. While Leviathan Wakes seemed to me to be a bit Blood Music-lite, it was solid Space Opera, with interesting characters and a good story. That's enough, in this match-up.
Zoo City vs. Paper Towns
Winner: Zoo City
Sure, Paper Towns was fun, but it was only a town, after all. And did any of the inhabitants carry around animals that let everyone know they committed murder? No? I read two Lauren Beukes books right at the end of the year, and one blew my socks off, and one I "only" thoroughly enjoyed. This is the latter, but the tale of Johannesburg in a world where no one knows why sins have become visible, or animals is both flashy and depressing. Check it out.
Blackout vs. Moxyland
Winner: Moxyland
I really like Connie Willis. And I really liked Blackout. It's not as wrenching as The Doomsday Book but it is tense and interesting, and I look forward to the companion novel. But Moxyland blew my mind. It isn't fair that a debut book should be this good. And man, when this woman takes her novel in unsettling directions, she does it. The book is great, the ending stunningly dark. (Reviews for both these books will be forthcoming.)
Monday, 30 December 2013
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Round One, Part Fourteen
The Shadow Woman vs. Truth and Beauty
Winner: Truth & Beauty
While Truth & Beauty didn't touch me the way it seems to have others, at least it wasn't irritating to read, and The Shadow Woman did that. Often. Second in a row where a Scandinavian book has felt false to me - or at least, badly translated. I've read good Scandinavian books, but this mystery fell flat, and so the biography of a difficult friendship wins in the dying days of the first round.
Falling Free vs. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
Winner: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
Oh, now this one isn't fair! These are two books I genuinely enjoyed a whole lot and how can I choose? Let's see, Jemisin's wonderful fantasy with a flavour a bit unlike anything I've read before and beautifully mythic ending or Bujold's gripping tale of othering in space. It's not a great reason, but this is the only Jemisin on this year's list, and the third Bujold. Plus, the initial sections of Falling Free made my stomach roiled, which is partly a testament to their strength, but makes it harder to pick up again.
Luka and the Fire of Life vs. The Painted Girls
Winner: Luka and the Fire of Life
Don't get me wrong, The Painted Girls is good historical fiction. But it can't possibly hold a candle to Salman Rushdie, or to this novel in particular, which blended together mythologies new and old in a gloriously and beautifully messy fashion, swept me along for the ride, and left me wrung out and crying at the end. Luka's quest to save his father's life may have had personal reasons for hitting home for me, but I stand by this as a marvellous book no matter your own experiences.
Of Blood and Honey vs. The Man Who Folded Himself
Winner: The Man Who Folded Himself
Oh, come on! Is this the day of difficult rounds? (I know it's only going to get harder from here, but this is the first round! How many days have I had easy choices - or had to pick between two mediocre books?) Let's see - fantasy set during the Troubles in Ireland, or mind- and gender-bending science fiction? It's a tough choice, and I encourage interested parties to check out both. But The Man Who Folded Himself is just too neat to pass up. However, if you like Irish folklore and fantasy at all, Of Blood and Honey is a worthy read too.
Babel-17 and The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut The Moon In Two
Winner: Babel-17
Seriously. What is with the matchups today? I guess I read a real spate of winners right at the end of the year! I haven't even written my Babel-17 review yet - watch for it later today. And as much as I love Valente's Girl-Who books, Babel-17 knocked my socks off. As a meditation on how language shapes perception alone, I'd have to award this round to Delany.
Winner: Truth & Beauty
While Truth & Beauty didn't touch me the way it seems to have others, at least it wasn't irritating to read, and The Shadow Woman did that. Often. Second in a row where a Scandinavian book has felt false to me - or at least, badly translated. I've read good Scandinavian books, but this mystery fell flat, and so the biography of a difficult friendship wins in the dying days of the first round.
Falling Free vs. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
Winner: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
Oh, now this one isn't fair! These are two books I genuinely enjoyed a whole lot and how can I choose? Let's see, Jemisin's wonderful fantasy with a flavour a bit unlike anything I've read before and beautifully mythic ending or Bujold's gripping tale of othering in space. It's not a great reason, but this is the only Jemisin on this year's list, and the third Bujold. Plus, the initial sections of Falling Free made my stomach roiled, which is partly a testament to their strength, but makes it harder to pick up again.
Luka and the Fire of Life vs. The Painted Girls
Winner: Luka and the Fire of Life
Don't get me wrong, The Painted Girls is good historical fiction. But it can't possibly hold a candle to Salman Rushdie, or to this novel in particular, which blended together mythologies new and old in a gloriously and beautifully messy fashion, swept me along for the ride, and left me wrung out and crying at the end. Luka's quest to save his father's life may have had personal reasons for hitting home for me, but I stand by this as a marvellous book no matter your own experiences.
Of Blood and Honey vs. The Man Who Folded Himself
Winner: The Man Who Folded Himself
Oh, come on! Is this the day of difficult rounds? (I know it's only going to get harder from here, but this is the first round! How many days have I had easy choices - or had to pick between two mediocre books?) Let's see - fantasy set during the Troubles in Ireland, or mind- and gender-bending science fiction? It's a tough choice, and I encourage interested parties to check out both. But The Man Who Folded Himself is just too neat to pass up. However, if you like Irish folklore and fantasy at all, Of Blood and Honey is a worthy read too.
Babel-17 and The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut The Moon In Two
Winner: Babel-17
Seriously. What is with the matchups today? I guess I read a real spate of winners right at the end of the year! I haven't even written my Babel-17 review yet - watch for it later today. And as much as I love Valente's Girl-Who books, Babel-17 knocked my socks off. As a meditation on how language shapes perception alone, I'd have to award this round to Delany.
Saturday, 28 December 2013
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Round One, Part Thirteen
Okay, yes, I read a lot of books this year. We're coming to the end of the first round in a couple of days, I promise. To be precise, right after the New Year, when I'm sure I've read all the books I'm going to in 2013.
Madame Claire vs. The Power of Habit
Winner: Madame Claire
While far from a classic, Madame Claire was charming. The eponymous character, her family, the story, were all enjoyable to read, but marred by a ending I didn't particularly like. That still lifts it about The Power of Habit, which had a few good ideas, but meandered far from their shores, and ended up feeling more like a rah-rah for corporate capitalism than I was truly comfortable with.
The Alchemy of Stone vs. The Atrocity Archives
Winner: The Atrocity Archives
I liked was Sedia was trying to do in The Alchemy of Stone, and her prose was truly lovely at times, but it never quite gelled quite as much as the other entry in this particular match. I've struggled with Charles Stross' work for a while, never liking it quite as much as I wanted to. With this book, however, I finally found one I could enjoy without reservation. Cross Cthulhu with governmental bureaucracy, and this is exactly the book you'd want to come crawling out of that unholy union.
The Name of the Wind vs. The Way of Shadows
Winner: The Name of the Wind
Fantasy books with similarly-cadenced titles? Well, yes, but when it comes down to a comparison, Brent Weeks just can't hold a candle to Patrick Rothfuss. The Way of Shadows was fine, but lacked the courage to keep up the darkness it tried to establish. On the other hand, Rothfuss' book was a meander through an early life in the best possible use of that term, with a framing device that gave Kvothe's youthful struggles poignancy. I can't wait to read more.
Wicked vs. Kushiel's Dart
Winner: Kushiel's Dart
Wicked was a reread, and I was surprised how disappointed in it I was. It felt lacking in every way. And I felt no such disappointment in Kushiel's Dart, which created a world rife with politics and sexuality, and explored one character's movements through it in ever-intriguing ways. Not for the prudish, Kushiel's Dart was some of the most finely realized fantasy I've read this year.
The Fault in Our Stars vs. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Winner: The Fault in Our Stars
The Fault in Our Stars may not have moved me to tears, but The 100-Year-Old Man moved me to active boredom, if such an animal exists. This Scandinavian import had more ambition than it had tight plotting or intriguing characters. And while teenagers struggling with cancer didn't hit my emotional buttons, it was nevertheless refreshingly free of saccharine.
Madame Claire vs. The Power of Habit
Winner: Madame Claire
While far from a classic, Madame Claire was charming. The eponymous character, her family, the story, were all enjoyable to read, but marred by a ending I didn't particularly like. That still lifts it about The Power of Habit, which had a few good ideas, but meandered far from their shores, and ended up feeling more like a rah-rah for corporate capitalism than I was truly comfortable with.
The Alchemy of Stone vs. The Atrocity Archives
Winner: The Atrocity Archives
I liked was Sedia was trying to do in The Alchemy of Stone, and her prose was truly lovely at times, but it never quite gelled quite as much as the other entry in this particular match. I've struggled with Charles Stross' work for a while, never liking it quite as much as I wanted to. With this book, however, I finally found one I could enjoy without reservation. Cross Cthulhu with governmental bureaucracy, and this is exactly the book you'd want to come crawling out of that unholy union.
The Name of the Wind vs. The Way of Shadows
Winner: The Name of the Wind
Fantasy books with similarly-cadenced titles? Well, yes, but when it comes down to a comparison, Brent Weeks just can't hold a candle to Patrick Rothfuss. The Way of Shadows was fine, but lacked the courage to keep up the darkness it tried to establish. On the other hand, Rothfuss' book was a meander through an early life in the best possible use of that term, with a framing device that gave Kvothe's youthful struggles poignancy. I can't wait to read more.
Wicked vs. Kushiel's Dart
Winner: Kushiel's Dart
Wicked was a reread, and I was surprised how disappointed in it I was. It felt lacking in every way. And I felt no such disappointment in Kushiel's Dart, which created a world rife with politics and sexuality, and explored one character's movements through it in ever-intriguing ways. Not for the prudish, Kushiel's Dart was some of the most finely realized fantasy I've read this year.
The Fault in Our Stars vs. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Winner: The Fault in Our Stars
The Fault in Our Stars may not have moved me to tears, but The 100-Year-Old Man moved me to active boredom, if such an animal exists. This Scandinavian import had more ambition than it had tight plotting or intriguing characters. And while teenagers struggling with cancer didn't hit my emotional buttons, it was nevertheless refreshingly free of saccharine.
Friday, 27 December 2013
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Round One, Part Twelve
The Autobiography of Mark Twain vs. The Magic Mountain
Winner: The Magic Mountain
Twain almost pulls it out, with his charming and sometimes brutally witty turns of phrase, but the autobiography, as befits a mass of papers left after his death is messy and meander-y. It's almost enough to lift it over The Magic Mountain, which at times I found very slow going, but in the end, there was enough underneath the pages of the seven years spent on top of the mountain to lift this one over the other.
Foundation and Empire vs. Cane River
Winner: Foundation and Empire
Cane River has some excellent moments, but it's a bit handicapped by its beholdenness to its subject matter. And Foundation and Empire may not be great literature, but it's a classic of the science fiction genre, in which Seldon's plans are thrown utterly awry by the inability of psychohistory to cope with strange individuals.
The Last River vs. The Hawk and His Boy
Winner: The Hawk and His Boy
This is not a battle of favourites, but among two enjoyable but not remarkable books, the fantasy tale of The Hawk and his Boy is slightly generic but enjoyable. On the other hand, The Last River also feels generic, and adventure stories of extreme sports are never going to be my favourite genre. So if it comes to white-water canoeing down a river in China and a thief finding out his opened more than he thinks in a certain box, we're going with the thief.
I Capture the Castle vs. The Scarlet Letter
Winner: I Capture The Castle
Interesting. A classic of repressed feeling and expiation vs. a very charming examination of the life of an eccentric and impoverished family in a castle in England. I really don't know which to choose. But I think I'd settle down more happily for a second time with I Capture the Castle, so it's going to win. And more than its charms, of which it has plenty, the examination of artistic block also grabbed me.
The Sixth Column vs. The Borgia Betrayal
Winner: The Sixth Column
Ugh. This is a match-up I'd rather not deal with, as I didn't like either of these. The Borgia Betrayal irritated me immensely, particularly with its constant apology for what it was, and while The Sixth Column is vastly more readable, it's heavily marred by racism. I don't want to pick either, but if I have to, despite how frustrated it made me with Heinlein in his early career, I will go with The Sixth Column, if only because it's interesting to see how some of the themes of invented religions had their seeds this early.
Winner: The Magic Mountain
Twain almost pulls it out, with his charming and sometimes brutally witty turns of phrase, but the autobiography, as befits a mass of papers left after his death is messy and meander-y. It's almost enough to lift it over The Magic Mountain, which at times I found very slow going, but in the end, there was enough underneath the pages of the seven years spent on top of the mountain to lift this one over the other.
Foundation and Empire vs. Cane River
Winner: Foundation and Empire
Cane River has some excellent moments, but it's a bit handicapped by its beholdenness to its subject matter. And Foundation and Empire may not be great literature, but it's a classic of the science fiction genre, in which Seldon's plans are thrown utterly awry by the inability of psychohistory to cope with strange individuals.
The Last River vs. The Hawk and His Boy
Winner: The Hawk and His Boy
This is not a battle of favourites, but among two enjoyable but not remarkable books, the fantasy tale of The Hawk and his Boy is slightly generic but enjoyable. On the other hand, The Last River also feels generic, and adventure stories of extreme sports are never going to be my favourite genre. So if it comes to white-water canoeing down a river in China and a thief finding out his opened more than he thinks in a certain box, we're going with the thief.
I Capture the Castle vs. The Scarlet Letter
Winner: I Capture The Castle
Interesting. A classic of repressed feeling and expiation vs. a very charming examination of the life of an eccentric and impoverished family in a castle in England. I really don't know which to choose. But I think I'd settle down more happily for a second time with I Capture the Castle, so it's going to win. And more than its charms, of which it has plenty, the examination of artistic block also grabbed me.
The Sixth Column vs. The Borgia Betrayal
Winner: The Sixth Column
Ugh. This is a match-up I'd rather not deal with, as I didn't like either of these. The Borgia Betrayal irritated me immensely, particularly with its constant apology for what it was, and while The Sixth Column is vastly more readable, it's heavily marred by racism. I don't want to pick either, but if I have to, despite how frustrated it made me with Heinlein in his early career, I will go with The Sixth Column, if only because it's interesting to see how some of the themes of invented religions had their seeds this early.
Tuesday, 24 December 2013
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Round One, Part Eleven
The Prisoner of Tehran vs. The Turn of the Screw
Winner: The Turn of the Screw
It's hard to beat the sheer creepiness of The Turn of the Screw, no matter what your interpretation, from repressed sexuality to ghost story. The Prisoner of Tehran was fine, but not great, and so the ghosts of fiction beat out the ghosts of the past in this particular battle.
Funny Boy vs. Bookman
Winner: Funny Boy
This is a hard one! I liked both of these books, without loving either of them. The inventiveness of Bookman almost gives it the edge here, but in the end, there were some flaws in the book (including making Irene Adler a force for law and justice, which I had difficulty buying) that gives the win instead to a set of linked stories about a boy growing up and discovering his sexuality in a Sri Lanka riven by ethnic clashes.
Leviathan vs. Sarah's Key
Winner: Leviathan
Sarah's Key was one of the books that really made me angry this year, so you can guess that this battle's not going to that one! While there were some powerful parts, the insistence that the pain of the American journalist when her marriage was breaking up in some way complemented the pain of the Holocaust was enough to make me ballistic. Leviathan is fun steampunk for kids, complete with living flying beasts captained by the Royal Navy. This version of a World War made me much less angry than the other.
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running vs. Trunk Music
Winner: Trunk Music
Oh goodness, I don't know. I really don't. Murakami's musings about running and life, or a solid Los Angeles mystery? Generally I think Murakami would win a matchup of this sort, no problem, but since I'm a walker myself, I think maybe I'll take the long way around and award it to the sprint of Trunk Music and let What I Talk About continue on its marathon.
The Violent Bear It Away vs. How To Be A Woman
Winner: The Violent Bear It Away
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed How To Be A Woman a lot, as light fun. And there were aspects of Flannery O'Connor's short novel that bothered me. But for lasting residence in my head, I have to give this one to The Violent Bear It Away. This examination of faith, fatherhood and fate is harrowing to read, and the words are almost as violent as the title.
Winner: The Turn of the Screw
It's hard to beat the sheer creepiness of The Turn of the Screw, no matter what your interpretation, from repressed sexuality to ghost story. The Prisoner of Tehran was fine, but not great, and so the ghosts of fiction beat out the ghosts of the past in this particular battle.
Funny Boy vs. Bookman
Winner: Funny Boy
This is a hard one! I liked both of these books, without loving either of them. The inventiveness of Bookman almost gives it the edge here, but in the end, there were some flaws in the book (including making Irene Adler a force for law and justice, which I had difficulty buying) that gives the win instead to a set of linked stories about a boy growing up and discovering his sexuality in a Sri Lanka riven by ethnic clashes.
Leviathan vs. Sarah's Key
Winner: Leviathan
Sarah's Key was one of the books that really made me angry this year, so you can guess that this battle's not going to that one! While there were some powerful parts, the insistence that the pain of the American journalist when her marriage was breaking up in some way complemented the pain of the Holocaust was enough to make me ballistic. Leviathan is fun steampunk for kids, complete with living flying beasts captained by the Royal Navy. This version of a World War made me much less angry than the other.
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running vs. Trunk Music
Winner: Trunk Music
Oh goodness, I don't know. I really don't. Murakami's musings about running and life, or a solid Los Angeles mystery? Generally I think Murakami would win a matchup of this sort, no problem, but since I'm a walker myself, I think maybe I'll take the long way around and award it to the sprint of Trunk Music and let What I Talk About continue on its marathon.
The Violent Bear It Away vs. How To Be A Woman
Winner: The Violent Bear It Away
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed How To Be A Woman a lot, as light fun. And there were aspects of Flannery O'Connor's short novel that bothered me. But for lasting residence in my head, I have to give this one to The Violent Bear It Away. This examination of faith, fatherhood and fate is harrowing to read, and the words are almost as violent as the title.
Sunday, 22 December 2013
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2013 - Round One, Part Ten
Snow Crash vs. Cetaganda
Winner: Snow Crash
So, my favourite Neal Stephenson so far (out of two, and I had major issues with Cryptonomicon) or my least favourite Lois McMaster Bujold? (Out of three or four.) Cetaganda was still a lot of fun, but lacked some of the fire of her Vorkosigan books I've liked more. And the ideas behind Snow Crash were a lot of fun. I can't say it was my favourite book of the year, but this take on neurolinguistics and pizza delivery wins out.
A Bigamist's Daughter vs. Gypsies
Winner: Gypsies
Another one of those where the science fiction mediocre book wins out over the mundane mediocrity. Gypsies is far from Robert C. Wilson's best, but this world-hopping fantasy at least held my attention more than single women 1980s angst in New York City.
Double Act vs. Pandemonium
Winner: Pandemonium
It's so rare that you read something that feels genuinely new and innovative, and so I am happy to award this match to Pandemonium. Double Act was young adult, and fine but unexciting. Pandemonium, on the other hand, gave me a world full of demonic possession, but recognizable demons with recognizable patterns of possession. What were they and why? Fascinating.
Joyland vs. The Native Star
Winner: Joyland
Perhaps only the second Stephen King novel I've ever read (no horror for me, thanks. Can't deal with it, enjoy sleeping too much.) And it was a good one. This is much less a mystery than it is a meditation on growing up. And that easily lifted it above the California vaguely steampunky fantasy that is The Native Star
The Affinity Bridge vs. Tau Zero
Winner: The Affinity Bridge
Usually, I'd expect Poul Anderson to win. But Tau Zero was curiously bloodless, and while provocative, also a little boring. The Affinity Bridge was far from a masterpiece, but its steampunk was at least more interesting, even though it took until the final pages of the book for one character to really make an impression.
Winner: Snow Crash
So, my favourite Neal Stephenson so far (out of two, and I had major issues with Cryptonomicon) or my least favourite Lois McMaster Bujold? (Out of three or four.) Cetaganda was still a lot of fun, but lacked some of the fire of her Vorkosigan books I've liked more. And the ideas behind Snow Crash were a lot of fun. I can't say it was my favourite book of the year, but this take on neurolinguistics and pizza delivery wins out.
A Bigamist's Daughter vs. Gypsies
Winner: Gypsies
Another one of those where the science fiction mediocre book wins out over the mundane mediocrity. Gypsies is far from Robert C. Wilson's best, but this world-hopping fantasy at least held my attention more than single women 1980s angst in New York City.
Double Act vs. Pandemonium
Winner: Pandemonium
It's so rare that you read something that feels genuinely new and innovative, and so I am happy to award this match to Pandemonium. Double Act was young adult, and fine but unexciting. Pandemonium, on the other hand, gave me a world full of demonic possession, but recognizable demons with recognizable patterns of possession. What were they and why? Fascinating.
Joyland vs. The Native Star
Winner: Joyland
Perhaps only the second Stephen King novel I've ever read (no horror for me, thanks. Can't deal with it, enjoy sleeping too much.) And it was a good one. This is much less a mystery than it is a meditation on growing up. And that easily lifted it above the California vaguely steampunky fantasy that is The Native Star
The Affinity Bridge vs. Tau Zero
Winner: The Affinity Bridge
Usually, I'd expect Poul Anderson to win. But Tau Zero was curiously bloodless, and while provocative, also a little boring. The Affinity Bridge was far from a masterpiece, but its steampunk was at least more interesting, even though it took until the final pages of the book for one character to really make an impression.
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