We're down to three books now, one contest, winner takes all. Then I'll put together a list of my top 10 books, from the last couple of rounds.
Railsea vs. Red Seas Under Red Skies vs. Memory
Winner: Railsea
The first book I read last year was also the best. There were other books I loved, but nothing that quite ever lived up to the wonderfulness that is China Mieville at his best. I truly don't know if this is a book for everyone. I feel like maybe it isn't. But is definitely a book for me, and I love it beyond all reason.
So, in summary, my Top Ten Favourite Books of the Year:
1. Railsea by China Mieville
A land-bound Moby Dick, with captains hunting their philosophies, giant moles, on a world that seems fantastic, but is rooted in subtly fascinating ways firmly in science fiction.
2. Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
The second Locke Lamora book, taking place mostly on a pirate ship, with wonderful new characters, fantastic new scams, and an ending that ripped my heart out.
3. Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold
I loved all the Miles Vorkosigan books I read this year, and this was one of my very favourites. Miles has to deal with an entirely new disability, one that threatens all he's accomplished.
4. How The Light Gets In by Louise Penny
The storyline that has been boiling beneath the surface through all the Gamache books finally comes to the forefront, and it is intense and indelible. Oh, the duck! Even if you're not a mystery reader, you should be reading this series.
5. Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton
Victorian dragons. With class and gender and inheritances and the eating of the poor. Trust me. Try it.
6. Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
I have very much enjoyed every David Mitchell book I've read so far, and this is less strange than the others, but no less enjoyable. Turns out, when he's writing about boyhood in 1980s England, it's almost as interesting as his more experimental works.
7. A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold
Of course there's going to be more than one Miles book on this list. This was perhaps even more my favourite than Memory, although the tournament format worked against it. It's Miles at his most manic, up against an entirely new enemy - figuring out courtship.
8. The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
I have very much enjoyed both of Jemisin's books I've read so far, and this one, about power and its effects, about retribution, justice, and sometimes how mercy is impossible, really grabbed me.
9. The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler
Quiet gets me sometimes, and this book, with its examination of pain was so quiet, so complex, so compassionate, that it really captured my imagination. It's about a woman who immigrates to Canada in the wake of the Holocaust, and is not who her papers say she is.
10. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
I came to it late, but I thought Thomas Cromwell was as great a character as everyone else did. It's fascinating, and takes historical fiction up a level.
Showing posts with label dust cover dust-up 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dust cover dust-up 2014. Show all posts
Tuesday, 10 February 2015
Thursday, 5 February 2015
Dust Cover Dust-Up: Round Five
So close! The penultimate round!
Railsea vs. Tooth and Claw
Winner: Railsea
It's funny. I was at the pub this last week, and we were talking about books. (That's not the funny part. I hope.) And a friend and I were raving about Tooth and Claw, and I swear, as soon as we said Victorian literature with dragons, every ear perked up. Everyone wrote it down. It's a great book. You should read it if you haven't.
It's strange. I am not nearly so evangelical about Railsea. I think it'd be a harder sell. I think it's probably not for everyone. But although Tooth and Claw utterly delighted me, when I saw this contest, there was not a single moment of doubt. It's hard to explain why I love Railsea so much, how it enraptured me on every single level. Telling someone to read Moby Dick, but about trains and giant moles? Probably not the crowd-pleaser that Victorian dragons are. But it's certainly a me-pleaser.
Red Seas Under Red Skies vs. How The Light Gets In
Winner: Red Seas Under Red Skies
This is a tough one. Both of these books destroyed me emotionally. I remember where I was sitting and crying as I came to the end of each one. I was in a cafeteria on campus with Scott Lynch's book, at home at the kitchen table with Louise Penny's. Do I put rousing fantasy with a heartbreaking finish over the culmination of a long-term mystery that has made me ache every step of the way and resolves so perfectly and painfully? It's hard. It really is. It's the new characters that Lynch introduces in the second Locke Lamora book that put this over the top. However, the old characters of Penny's carry my affection with them always.
Black Swan Green vs. Memory
Winner: Memory
Another hard one. Every book at this point is one I liked a lot. However, Memory carries the weight of whole Vorkosigan series with it, most of which I read last year. It was one of the pure delights of my year. Every time I picked one up, I knew I was in for a treat. It is rare to run into that kind of storyteller, who can tell thrilling adventure tales with surprising depth. Lois McMaster Bujold is that kind of storyteller. Actually, David Mitchell is too, and even standing on its own, Black Swan Green was a delight to read. However, Miles takes it. How could he not?
Railsea vs. Tooth and Claw
Winner: Railsea
It's funny. I was at the pub this last week, and we were talking about books. (That's not the funny part. I hope.) And a friend and I were raving about Tooth and Claw, and I swear, as soon as we said Victorian literature with dragons, every ear perked up. Everyone wrote it down. It's a great book. You should read it if you haven't.
It's strange. I am not nearly so evangelical about Railsea. I think it'd be a harder sell. I think it's probably not for everyone. But although Tooth and Claw utterly delighted me, when I saw this contest, there was not a single moment of doubt. It's hard to explain why I love Railsea so much, how it enraptured me on every single level. Telling someone to read Moby Dick, but about trains and giant moles? Probably not the crowd-pleaser that Victorian dragons are. But it's certainly a me-pleaser.
Red Seas Under Red Skies vs. How The Light Gets In
Winner: Red Seas Under Red Skies
This is a tough one. Both of these books destroyed me emotionally. I remember where I was sitting and crying as I came to the end of each one. I was in a cafeteria on campus with Scott Lynch's book, at home at the kitchen table with Louise Penny's. Do I put rousing fantasy with a heartbreaking finish over the culmination of a long-term mystery that has made me ache every step of the way and resolves so perfectly and painfully? It's hard. It really is. It's the new characters that Lynch introduces in the second Locke Lamora book that put this over the top. However, the old characters of Penny's carry my affection with them always.
Black Swan Green vs. Memory
Winner: Memory
Another hard one. Every book at this point is one I liked a lot. However, Memory carries the weight of whole Vorkosigan series with it, most of which I read last year. It was one of the pure delights of my year. Every time I picked one up, I knew I was in for a treat. It is rare to run into that kind of storyteller, who can tell thrilling adventure tales with surprising depth. Lois McMaster Bujold is that kind of storyteller. Actually, David Mitchell is too, and even standing on its own, Black Swan Green was a delight to read. However, Miles takes it. How could he not?
Tuesday, 3 February 2015
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round Four
Down to single-post rounds! And it's going to be awkward numbers from here on out, with a bunch of those dreaded three-book contests at the end of each bit. I did not read a number of books this year that lends itself easily to this type of tournament.
Railsea vs. In The Night Garden
Winner: Railsea
This is painful. With this pairing, I think I knock out the last book by one of my favourite authors in this tournament. There were three I read, this year, and now they're all gone. (Multiple books might actually make it harder, as I'm sometimes inclined to let one go, knowing the other ones are still around.) However, if you asked me to choose between my inner China Mieville and Catherynne Valente fangirls, in this case, it has to go to Railsea. I am a sucker for books that show me that I secretly wanted something I never even imagined, and a land-bound Moby Dick science fiction on trains is apparently something I craved without ever having an inkling. It's an amazing ride, full of Mieville ingenuity and prose. It hurts to let Valente's storytelling, and stories within stories go, but I will, in search of my own Philosophy. (That only makes sense if you read Railsea. Go ahead, I'll wait.)
Wolf Hall vs. Tooth and Claw
Winner: Tooth and Claw
Tudor England vs. Victorian England! Dragons vs. Thomas Cromwell! Machinations of power vs. eating the children of the poor! I feel strange picking the dragons, but this was yet another book that filled a deep-seated desire I didn't know I had. I wasn't crazy about Among Others, but with Tooth and Claw, Jo Walton has cemented herself as someone whose works I must devour. Like a dragon. A very Victorian dragon. Mantel's Wolf Hall is arguably a great book, but this is a competition for my favourite books of the year, and Tooth and Claw wins there.
Red Seas Under Red Skies vs. A Civil Campaign
Winner: Red Seas Under Red Skies
When I realized that these two books were coming up against each other, my reaction was both audible and pained. Oh, gods. How can I choose? What was probably my favourite Miles Vorkosigan book up against Locke Lamora. Seriously. Miles vs. Locke. Other than the fan fiction that that immediately spurs, it also causes me deep pain to knock Miles out of the competition. Right when he's in the middle of courting, no less. I loved A Civil Campaign. But I loved Red Seas Under Red Skies too, and that one has the added bonus of emotional evisceration at the end. Okay, Locke. You can steal this one.
How The Light Gets In vs. Republic of Thieves
Winner: How The Light Gets In
Ha! Easy! Locke Lamora took the last battle, so he doesn't get this one! Plus, while Red Seas Under Red Skies wrecked me emotionally, Republic of Thieves didn't quite have the same finishing blow. The culmination of books of build-up for mystery writer Louise Penny, on the other hand, reduced me to a weepy mess. Rosa! Rosa the duck forever! And everything else that finally pays off in the most beautiful and heart-wrenching of ways.
The Imposter Bride vs. Black Swan Green
Winner: Black Swan Green
This is an oddly difficult contest. These are both mainstream fiction, a little melancholy, although about vastly different subjects. We have the aftermath of a family being ripped apart that was never really whole, vs....Wait. Actually, that could describe both books. Huh. Okay, well, one is about the aftermath of the Holocaust, and the inability to stay, while the other is about boyhood in England. I liked them both a lot, and found their quiet restraint a lot more effective than something more emotional might have been. It comes down to this. Which would I sit down to read again right now? It's actually close, but that gives it to Black Swan Green.
Memory vs. Komarr vs. The Broken Kingdoms
Winner: Memory
Are you kidding me? We come up to the last battle of the round, and have two Lois McMaster Bujold and one N.K. Jemisin? I liked all of these books so much! So, so much! But the Vorkosigan books were one of the highlights of my reading year, and so that entirely unfairly knocks Jemisin out of the competition. Of the two Miles books, the self-inflicted pain of Memory, and its meditations on disability, success, and expectations have stayed with me the more. Although the mere introduction of Ekaterina almost tips the scales in Komarr's favour.
Railsea vs. In The Night Garden
Winner: Railsea
This is painful. With this pairing, I think I knock out the last book by one of my favourite authors in this tournament. There were three I read, this year, and now they're all gone. (Multiple books might actually make it harder, as I'm sometimes inclined to let one go, knowing the other ones are still around.) However, if you asked me to choose between my inner China Mieville and Catherynne Valente fangirls, in this case, it has to go to Railsea. I am a sucker for books that show me that I secretly wanted something I never even imagined, and a land-bound Moby Dick science fiction on trains is apparently something I craved without ever having an inkling. It's an amazing ride, full of Mieville ingenuity and prose. It hurts to let Valente's storytelling, and stories within stories go, but I will, in search of my own Philosophy. (That only makes sense if you read Railsea. Go ahead, I'll wait.)
Wolf Hall vs. Tooth and Claw
Winner: Tooth and Claw
Tudor England vs. Victorian England! Dragons vs. Thomas Cromwell! Machinations of power vs. eating the children of the poor! I feel strange picking the dragons, but this was yet another book that filled a deep-seated desire I didn't know I had. I wasn't crazy about Among Others, but with Tooth and Claw, Jo Walton has cemented herself as someone whose works I must devour. Like a dragon. A very Victorian dragon. Mantel's Wolf Hall is arguably a great book, but this is a competition for my favourite books of the year, and Tooth and Claw wins there.
Red Seas Under Red Skies vs. A Civil Campaign
Winner: Red Seas Under Red Skies
When I realized that these two books were coming up against each other, my reaction was both audible and pained. Oh, gods. How can I choose? What was probably my favourite Miles Vorkosigan book up against Locke Lamora. Seriously. Miles vs. Locke. Other than the fan fiction that that immediately spurs, it also causes me deep pain to knock Miles out of the competition. Right when he's in the middle of courting, no less. I loved A Civil Campaign. But I loved Red Seas Under Red Skies too, and that one has the added bonus of emotional evisceration at the end. Okay, Locke. You can steal this one.
How The Light Gets In vs. Republic of Thieves
Winner: How The Light Gets In
Ha! Easy! Locke Lamora took the last battle, so he doesn't get this one! Plus, while Red Seas Under Red Skies wrecked me emotionally, Republic of Thieves didn't quite have the same finishing blow. The culmination of books of build-up for mystery writer Louise Penny, on the other hand, reduced me to a weepy mess. Rosa! Rosa the duck forever! And everything else that finally pays off in the most beautiful and heart-wrenching of ways.
The Imposter Bride vs. Black Swan Green
Winner: Black Swan Green
This is an oddly difficult contest. These are both mainstream fiction, a little melancholy, although about vastly different subjects. We have the aftermath of a family being ripped apart that was never really whole, vs....Wait. Actually, that could describe both books. Huh. Okay, well, one is about the aftermath of the Holocaust, and the inability to stay, while the other is about boyhood in England. I liked them both a lot, and found their quiet restraint a lot more effective than something more emotional might have been. It comes down to this. Which would I sit down to read again right now? It's actually close, but that gives it to Black Swan Green.
Memory vs. Komarr vs. The Broken Kingdoms
Winner: Memory
Are you kidding me? We come up to the last battle of the round, and have two Lois McMaster Bujold and one N.K. Jemisin? I liked all of these books so much! So, so much! But the Vorkosigan books were one of the highlights of my reading year, and so that entirely unfairly knocks Jemisin out of the competition. Of the two Miles books, the self-inflicted pain of Memory, and its meditations on disability, success, and expectations have stayed with me the more. Although the mere introduction of Ekaterina almost tips the scales in Komarr's favour.
Thursday, 29 January 2015
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round Three, Part Three
Daughter of Smoke and Bone vs. Memory
Winner: Memory
This is a tough one. I liked both of these books a lot - the former was definitely the best YA I read this year (not that there were many), and the latter was one of my favourite of the Vorkosigan books. I like it in particular because it has Miles at his most vulnerable, having shot himself in the foot, metaphorically. Learning how to live with disability, and not being what you thought you would be. It's timely, it's interesting, and it's difficult. So it wins, even though Laini Taylor's world and the characters in it left me hungry for more. It's a tough choice. Bujold for the win.
Komarr vs. An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
Winner: Komarr
It feels a little weird to put two Lois McMaster Bujold books through in a row, but Chris Hadfield's book, while I liked it, has mostly been getting through because it's been up against weaker books. I like space, and his book is interesting, but it didn't grab me as hard as the first introduction of Ekaterina did on Komarr. And she is one of my literary loves of the year. What a great character, what a great match for Miles. I may have read these books out of order, but still, she was amazingly fun to read.
Broken Homes vs. Habitation of the Blessed vs. The Broken Kingdoms
Winner: The Broken Kingdoms
Ooof. A dreaded moment where I have to pick between three books I really, really liked. Two of which have "broken" in the title for some reason. It's a hard choice. I love Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant books. I loved Catherynne Valente's prose. But I think of the three, I love even more the tenuous knit-togetherness of the main character in The Broken Kingdoms and all the thought about what the fracturing of power can do.
Winner: Memory
This is a tough one. I liked both of these books a lot - the former was definitely the best YA I read this year (not that there were many), and the latter was one of my favourite of the Vorkosigan books. I like it in particular because it has Miles at his most vulnerable, having shot himself in the foot, metaphorically. Learning how to live with disability, and not being what you thought you would be. It's timely, it's interesting, and it's difficult. So it wins, even though Laini Taylor's world and the characters in it left me hungry for more. It's a tough choice. Bujold for the win.
Komarr vs. An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
Winner: Komarr
It feels a little weird to put two Lois McMaster Bujold books through in a row, but Chris Hadfield's book, while I liked it, has mostly been getting through because it's been up against weaker books. I like space, and his book is interesting, but it didn't grab me as hard as the first introduction of Ekaterina did on Komarr. And she is one of my literary loves of the year. What a great character, what a great match for Miles. I may have read these books out of order, but still, she was amazingly fun to read.
Broken Homes vs. Habitation of the Blessed vs. The Broken Kingdoms
Winner: The Broken Kingdoms
Ooof. A dreaded moment where I have to pick between three books I really, really liked. Two of which have "broken" in the title for some reason. It's a hard choice. I love Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant books. I loved Catherynne Valente's prose. But I think of the three, I love even more the tenuous knit-togetherness of the main character in The Broken Kingdoms and all the thought about what the fracturing of power can do.
Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round Three, Part Two
A Civil Campaign vs. Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
Winner: A Civil Campaign
This isn't that difficult. Samuel Delany's Stars in My Pocket etc. had mostly stayed in the competition because it was so interesting, even if I was never quite convinced it succeeded as a science fiction novel. But I respected the experiments and was sucked in by the language play. Bujold's books may be much more straightforward, and they're certainly more rousing yarns, but that shouldn't be mistaken for shallowness. There's always more going on underneath the ripping good story. Of all the Vorkosigan books I read last year, I think this is my favourite.
Long Walk To Freedom vs. How The Light Gets In
Winner: How The Light Gets In
I feel bad about this choice, picking a mystery over Nelson Mandela's autobiography. However, it comes down to this. I liked Long Walk to Freedom quite a bit, but I was struck with how impersonal it seemed at times. That's fair - Mandela's under no obligation to tell us all the personal details of his life. But Louise Penny's mysteries are all about the personal in ways that get to me strongly. And this was the most personal and difficult of the series, and I can't cut it from the competition quite yet.
Republic of Thieves vs. Camera Obscura
Winner: Republic of Thieves
I'm a little surprised that Republic of Thieves has gotten this far in, as it wasn`t my favourite of the Gentlemen Bastards books. But on the other hand, Scott Lynch can tell a hell of a story, and maybe not the best is still a hell of a lot better than a lot of the other books I've read. As for Camera Obscura, it was fun, and I liked it more than the first book in the series, but it can't measure up to Locke Lamora.
The Imposter Bride vs. The Robber Bride
Winner: The Imposter Bride
It's the battle of the delinquent brides! And not incidentally, of Canadian literature written by women - one from a giant in the field, the other from a relative newcomer. And you know what? The newcomer takes it. I liked Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride a lot, and the writing was exquisite, but there was just something about the quiet pain and consideration of Nancy Richler's The Imposter Bride that got to me more deeply.
Mirror Dance vs. Black Swan Green
Winner: Black Swan Green
I have put through a lot of Lois McMaster Bujold books till now, and some will keep on making it through. But as much as I liked Mirror Dance and its musings on family and brotherhood and command, Black Swan Green was just so poignant and unsentimental. British youth in a wheel of the year filled with both good and bad and inconsequential all at the same time. David Mitchell, you do write good books.
Winner: A Civil Campaign
This isn't that difficult. Samuel Delany's Stars in My Pocket etc. had mostly stayed in the competition because it was so interesting, even if I was never quite convinced it succeeded as a science fiction novel. But I respected the experiments and was sucked in by the language play. Bujold's books may be much more straightforward, and they're certainly more rousing yarns, but that shouldn't be mistaken for shallowness. There's always more going on underneath the ripping good story. Of all the Vorkosigan books I read last year, I think this is my favourite.
Long Walk To Freedom vs. How The Light Gets In
Winner: How The Light Gets In
I feel bad about this choice, picking a mystery over Nelson Mandela's autobiography. However, it comes down to this. I liked Long Walk to Freedom quite a bit, but I was struck with how impersonal it seemed at times. That's fair - Mandela's under no obligation to tell us all the personal details of his life. But Louise Penny's mysteries are all about the personal in ways that get to me strongly. And this was the most personal and difficult of the series, and I can't cut it from the competition quite yet.
Republic of Thieves vs. Camera Obscura
Winner: Republic of Thieves
I'm a little surprised that Republic of Thieves has gotten this far in, as it wasn`t my favourite of the Gentlemen Bastards books. But on the other hand, Scott Lynch can tell a hell of a story, and maybe not the best is still a hell of a lot better than a lot of the other books I've read. As for Camera Obscura, it was fun, and I liked it more than the first book in the series, but it can't measure up to Locke Lamora.
The Imposter Bride vs. The Robber Bride
Winner: The Imposter Bride
It's the battle of the delinquent brides! And not incidentally, of Canadian literature written by women - one from a giant in the field, the other from a relative newcomer. And you know what? The newcomer takes it. I liked Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride a lot, and the writing was exquisite, but there was just something about the quiet pain and consideration of Nancy Richler's The Imposter Bride that got to me more deeply.
Mirror Dance vs. Black Swan Green
Winner: Black Swan Green
I have put through a lot of Lois McMaster Bujold books till now, and some will keep on making it through. But as much as I liked Mirror Dance and its musings on family and brotherhood and command, Black Swan Green was just so poignant and unsentimental. British youth in a wheel of the year filled with both good and bad and inconsequential all at the same time. David Mitchell, you do write good books.
Thursday, 22 January 2015
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round Three, Part One
We're getting near the end! Round Three. Now we're getting to the tough decisions, although there have been some doozies so far.
Railsea vs. Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do
Winner: Railsea
Of course, I say that, and then the first match-up is one of the easiest imaginable. Ain't Nobody's Business has mostly survived this far by being slightly my favourite of two books I don't care a lot about. Railsea made me swoon. I keep saying that. It's not really a metaphor. There aren't many books that make me weak in the knees, but this was one. China Miéville, there is no question that this round is yours.
In The Night Garden vs. The Fall of Hyperion
Winner: In The Night Garden
This, on the other hand, was a very difficult choice. Two books I liked a whole hell of a lot. In the Night Garden might not have been my favourite Catherynne Valente book of the year, but through a quirk, that one has already been eliminated. And Dan Simmons' follow-up to last year's Dust Cover Dust-Up Winner, Fall of Hyperion, was less experimental, but so satisfying. And horrifying. Either choice is going to break my heart. But the sheer fairytale delight of storytelling is going to give it to In The Night Garden.
Wolf Hall vs. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
Winner: Wolf Hall
Not an easy choice, but not a heartbreaker. Jeanette Winterson's memoir, in the second half, turns into something really great, but the first half is mostly set-up for that. Everyone should read it, no question. But if I'm stuck in an airport with a book, give me Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell as a companion. The writing style takes a bit of getting used to, but it was a thoroughly satisfying read.
Redshirts vs. Tooth and Claw
Winner: Tooth and Claw
I liked John Scalzi's Redshirts. It was fun, it was meta, and if it had too many codas, it also had a fun and entertaining story. But it can't match the sheer delight of realizing that, why, yes, I did want to read about Victorian dragons preying on poorer dragons, and the sexual politics of the colour of female dragons. This book is so strange, and it's exactly my kind of strange, and I loved it and you should probably read it.
Hexed vs. Red Seas Under Red Skies
Winner: Red Seas Under Red Skies
Not really a hard one. I liked Kevin Hearne's second outing of Atticus, ancient druid, but it was mostly just entertaining. On the other hand, Scott Lynch pulled me along on a thoroughly entertaining sea adventure, and then ripped my heart out and left it beating on the deck. Sorry if that's graphic. But it's pretty descriptive of how I felt as I read the end of the book, tears streaming down my face.
Railsea vs. Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do
Winner: Railsea
Of course, I say that, and then the first match-up is one of the easiest imaginable. Ain't Nobody's Business has mostly survived this far by being slightly my favourite of two books I don't care a lot about. Railsea made me swoon. I keep saying that. It's not really a metaphor. There aren't many books that make me weak in the knees, but this was one. China Miéville, there is no question that this round is yours.
In The Night Garden vs. The Fall of Hyperion
Winner: In The Night Garden
This, on the other hand, was a very difficult choice. Two books I liked a whole hell of a lot. In the Night Garden might not have been my favourite Catherynne Valente book of the year, but through a quirk, that one has already been eliminated. And Dan Simmons' follow-up to last year's Dust Cover Dust-Up Winner, Fall of Hyperion, was less experimental, but so satisfying. And horrifying. Either choice is going to break my heart. But the sheer fairytale delight of storytelling is going to give it to In The Night Garden.
Wolf Hall vs. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
Winner: Wolf Hall
Not an easy choice, but not a heartbreaker. Jeanette Winterson's memoir, in the second half, turns into something really great, but the first half is mostly set-up for that. Everyone should read it, no question. But if I'm stuck in an airport with a book, give me Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell as a companion. The writing style takes a bit of getting used to, but it was a thoroughly satisfying read.
Redshirts vs. Tooth and Claw
Winner: Tooth and Claw
I liked John Scalzi's Redshirts. It was fun, it was meta, and if it had too many codas, it also had a fun and entertaining story. But it can't match the sheer delight of realizing that, why, yes, I did want to read about Victorian dragons preying on poorer dragons, and the sexual politics of the colour of female dragons. This book is so strange, and it's exactly my kind of strange, and I loved it and you should probably read it.
Hexed vs. Red Seas Under Red Skies
Winner: Red Seas Under Red Skies
Not really a hard one. I liked Kevin Hearne's second outing of Atticus, ancient druid, but it was mostly just entertaining. On the other hand, Scott Lynch pulled me along on a thoroughly entertaining sea adventure, and then ripped my heart out and left it beating on the deck. Sorry if that's graphic. But it's pretty descriptive of how I felt as I read the end of the book, tears streaming down my face.
Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round Two, Part Six
Only two battles in this last part of Round Two, but one of them involves three books, because I find it impossible to read enough books to exactly make this match even tournament numbers.
So, to end off Round Two, we have:
The Habitation of the Blessed vs. Diplomatic Immunity
Winner: Habitation of the Blessed
Catherynne Valente vs. Lois McMaster Bujold. Two of the writers I have most enjoyed reading the last little while. Both of whom have won previous battle in this round. So how do they fare up against each other? While I liked Diplomatic Immunity quite a lot, it wasn't my favourite of the Miles books I read this year. And The Habitation of the Blessed was a strange book, but it was just my kind of strange. Plus, I found a quote in it that perfectly sums up the fraught relationship between my character and another PC in our pulp Seven Stars of Atlantis game. So, Valente wins this one.
Malice of Fortune vs. The Broken Kingdoms vs. Dawn
Winner: The Broken Kingdoms
Michael Ennis is out of the running right away, as I liked Malice of Fortune, but didn't love it. Then we come down to two books I really did like quite a lot, both genre books, both written by Black women. And it's hard to choose! Butler knocks me on my ass quite a bit, although I didn't find Dawn as affecting as The Parable of the Sower. And I loved the work N.K. Jemisin is creating, and the characters she's populating it with. I think Broken Kingdoms gets it here, but it's a close one.
So, to end off Round Two, we have:
The Habitation of the Blessed vs. Diplomatic Immunity
Winner: Habitation of the Blessed
Catherynne Valente vs. Lois McMaster Bujold. Two of the writers I have most enjoyed reading the last little while. Both of whom have won previous battle in this round. So how do they fare up against each other? While I liked Diplomatic Immunity quite a lot, it wasn't my favourite of the Miles books I read this year. And The Habitation of the Blessed was a strange book, but it was just my kind of strange. Plus, I found a quote in it that perfectly sums up the fraught relationship between my character and another PC in our pulp Seven Stars of Atlantis game. So, Valente wins this one.
Malice of Fortune vs. The Broken Kingdoms vs. Dawn
Winner: The Broken Kingdoms
Michael Ennis is out of the running right away, as I liked Malice of Fortune, but didn't love it. Then we come down to two books I really did like quite a lot, both genre books, both written by Black women. And it's hard to choose! Butler knocks me on my ass quite a bit, although I didn't find Dawn as affecting as The Parable of the Sower. And I loved the work N.K. Jemisin is creating, and the characters she's populating it with. I think Broken Kingdoms gets it here, but it's a close one.
Thursday, 15 January 2015
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round Two, Part Five
Daughter of Smoke and Bone vs. Grass
Winner: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
These were both good books, and reads I quite enjoyed. However, the world that Laini Taylor creates, and the characters and mythology she populates it with, help Daughter of Smoke and Bone win out. This is Young Adult material that's worthy of the readers, and poses tough questions for the protagonists instead of false conflict. I am looking forward to the second. Grass was good, but Tepper has never been one of my favourite authors. It just doesn't get past the second round.
Memory vs. Supernatural Noir
Winner: Memory
Supernatural Noir only made it past the first round because it was up against a disappointing book. There are some great stories in here, but also a lot that are only so-so - the nature of anthologies. It's up against one of my favourite Vorkosigan books, where Miles runs straight into his worst enemy - his belief that if he talks fast enough, he can escape consequences. Consequences find him.
The Orenda vs. Komarr
Winner: Komarr
Lois McMaster Bujold's getting a lot of love in this round. I can't help it though - I found The Orenda a worthy and well-researched book, but with characters who were a little thin. In Komarr, I got to see Ekaterina as she was first introduced, and there is a female character to be entranced by. Stubborn, strong, and emotionally abused, watching her negotiate first contact with Miles was something to see.
Reamde vs. An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
Winner: An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
Neither of these books were the sort that you want to take home and keep forever. Both, however, were well worth spending a night or two with, then setting free. So how to pick? In the end, it's my major pet peeve with Reamde, the over-reliance on details at the cost of pacing, that makes me give this battle to Chris Hadfield. Plus, it's Chris Hadfield.
Broken Homes vs. The Inconvenient Indian
Winner: Broken Homes
Oh, dear. We're pitting my inner Peter Grant fangirl against my admiration for The Inconvenient Indian. It's the difference right there that's making me give this round to Ben Aaronovitch. The Inconvenient Indian is great, and should be required reading for everyone. But I love Peter Grant, and this is my tournament for books I enjoyed most in 2014. I feel tremendously guilty about it, but the ending of Broken Homes made me gasp, and that makes me pick Peter Grant.
Winner: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
These were both good books, and reads I quite enjoyed. However, the world that Laini Taylor creates, and the characters and mythology she populates it with, help Daughter of Smoke and Bone win out. This is Young Adult material that's worthy of the readers, and poses tough questions for the protagonists instead of false conflict. I am looking forward to the second. Grass was good, but Tepper has never been one of my favourite authors. It just doesn't get past the second round.
Memory vs. Supernatural Noir
Winner: Memory
Supernatural Noir only made it past the first round because it was up against a disappointing book. There are some great stories in here, but also a lot that are only so-so - the nature of anthologies. It's up against one of my favourite Vorkosigan books, where Miles runs straight into his worst enemy - his belief that if he talks fast enough, he can escape consequences. Consequences find him.
The Orenda vs. Komarr
Winner: Komarr
Lois McMaster Bujold's getting a lot of love in this round. I can't help it though - I found The Orenda a worthy and well-researched book, but with characters who were a little thin. In Komarr, I got to see Ekaterina as she was first introduced, and there is a female character to be entranced by. Stubborn, strong, and emotionally abused, watching her negotiate first contact with Miles was something to see.
Reamde vs. An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
Winner: An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
Neither of these books were the sort that you want to take home and keep forever. Both, however, were well worth spending a night or two with, then setting free. So how to pick? In the end, it's my major pet peeve with Reamde, the over-reliance on details at the cost of pacing, that makes me give this battle to Chris Hadfield. Plus, it's Chris Hadfield.
Broken Homes vs. The Inconvenient Indian
Winner: Broken Homes
Oh, dear. We're pitting my inner Peter Grant fangirl against my admiration for The Inconvenient Indian. It's the difference right there that's making me give this round to Ben Aaronovitch. The Inconvenient Indian is great, and should be required reading for everyone. But I love Peter Grant, and this is my tournament for books I enjoyed most in 2014. I feel tremendously guilty about it, but the ending of Broken Homes made me gasp, and that makes me pick Peter Grant.
Tuesday, 13 January 2015
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round Two, Part Four
Fall of Giants vs. Camera Obscura
Winner: Camera Obscura
This was an easy one. Camera Obscura wasn't my favourite book of the year, but it was fun, and solid, and I liked it a lot more than Fall of Giants, which wasn't terrible, but annoyed me in some very important ways.So we'll go with this very literary Victorian world, complete with lizard rulers of England, over a First World War where the most unbelievable thing is that all those particular things could have happened to just five young men.
Cyteen vs. The Imposter Bride
Winner: The Imposter Bride
Two books. One felt a bit distant from its characters, but I often feel that way about Cherryh's writing. The other was quiet, but not distant. The emotion was just contained, by people who thought about their world and things that had happened and didn't leap to easy or histrionic conclusions. In this case, the book that isn't science fiction wins. That's not a frequent occurrence in my life, but I was very struck by The Imposter Bride and it continues to resonate.
The Robber Bride vs. Myths of Origin
Winner: The Robber Bride
I enjoyed Myths of Origin, but as much for the seeds I saw there of Catherynne Valente's later writing as for the works themselves. They were enchanting, but perhaps not always compelling. Whereas The Robber Bride wasn't always enchanting - the male characters were particularly weak - but it was always compelling. The prose, the female characters, the richness of this book - it swept me away and reminded me why I like Margaret Atwood.
Mirror Dance vs. Maus
Winner: Mirror Dance
This is a battle where its between picking the worthy book versus the enjoyable one. It's a close battle - Maus is a classic for a reason, and it's a very impressive work. Impressive, but not the kind that makes you fond. Bujold makes me fond, and I really enjoyed Mark trying to figure out how he fits in a family he never expected to be welcomed in to. I'm picking the fun this time.
The Cuckoo's Calling vs. Black Swan Green
Winner: Black Swan Green
I really enjoyed The Cuckoo's Calling. It's a solid mystery, and was entertaining. However, in this battle, it can't stand up to Black Swan Green. I'd be hard put to put it into words, but David Mitchell captures something ephemeral about growing up and elegantly puts it into this book. The year, the incidents on the wheel of the year, big and small, the refusal of simple answers in favour of messy growing up. I liked it a lot.
Winner: Camera Obscura
This was an easy one. Camera Obscura wasn't my favourite book of the year, but it was fun, and solid, and I liked it a lot more than Fall of Giants, which wasn't terrible, but annoyed me in some very important ways.So we'll go with this very literary Victorian world, complete with lizard rulers of England, over a First World War where the most unbelievable thing is that all those particular things could have happened to just five young men.
Cyteen vs. The Imposter Bride
Winner: The Imposter Bride
Two books. One felt a bit distant from its characters, but I often feel that way about Cherryh's writing. The other was quiet, but not distant. The emotion was just contained, by people who thought about their world and things that had happened and didn't leap to easy or histrionic conclusions. In this case, the book that isn't science fiction wins. That's not a frequent occurrence in my life, but I was very struck by The Imposter Bride and it continues to resonate.
The Robber Bride vs. Myths of Origin
Winner: The Robber Bride
I enjoyed Myths of Origin, but as much for the seeds I saw there of Catherynne Valente's later writing as for the works themselves. They were enchanting, but perhaps not always compelling. Whereas The Robber Bride wasn't always enchanting - the male characters were particularly weak - but it was always compelling. The prose, the female characters, the richness of this book - it swept me away and reminded me why I like Margaret Atwood.
Mirror Dance vs. Maus
Winner: Mirror Dance
This is a battle where its between picking the worthy book versus the enjoyable one. It's a close battle - Maus is a classic for a reason, and it's a very impressive work. Impressive, but not the kind that makes you fond. Bujold makes me fond, and I really enjoyed Mark trying to figure out how he fits in a family he never expected to be welcomed in to. I'm picking the fun this time.
The Cuckoo's Calling vs. Black Swan Green
Winner: Black Swan Green
I really enjoyed The Cuckoo's Calling. It's a solid mystery, and was entertaining. However, in this battle, it can't stand up to Black Swan Green. I'd be hard put to put it into words, but David Mitchell captures something ephemeral about growing up and elegantly puts it into this book. The year, the incidents on the wheel of the year, big and small, the refusal of simple answers in favour of messy growing up. I liked it a lot.
Thursday, 8 January 2015
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round Two, Part Three
Raising Stony Mayhall vs. A Civil Campaign
Winner: A Civil Campaign
Oh, dear. This does not seem like a fair choice. An incredibly thoughtful look at the zombies and their implications, told over the "life"span of a zombie found as a baby and raised by a living family, somehow managing to grow up. Against my favourite Miles Vorkosigan book of a year that had a lot of thoroughly enjoyable Bujold books. Oh no. I do not want to make this choice. I really don't.
Aargh! It's breaking my heart! I pick...A Civil Campaign. But just by a hair. I liked Raising Stony Mayhall a lot, and expected it to make it into the top 10 just like Daryl Gregory's other book Pandemonium did last year. I can't pass up Miles in love, though. It's just too delicious.
The Clearing vs. Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
Winner: Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
I did not expect Stars in My Pocket to get this far into the competition. Despite its flaws, it has stuck around in my memory, and Delany's experiments with gender and foreignness linger. In contrast, The Clearing was good, and I remember enjoying it, but it hasn't loomed large in my memory. They were both books without a ton of action, but I found the ideas in the science fiction so much more challenging.
Long Walk To Freedom vs. Whispers Underground
Winner: Long Walk To Freedom
Not a very hard choice. On the one hand, we have a Peter Grant book that was probably my least favourite so far. On the other, Nelson Mandela's fascinating look at his own life and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. Mandela's book is powerful, and it definitely delivers a knockout punch to Ben Aaronovitch here.
Range of Ghosts vs. How The Light Gets In
Winner: How The Light Gets In
Ow. It hurts to knock this Elizabeth Bear book out of the competition, because I really loved Range of Ghosts. However, it'd be a rare book that could knock the culmination of books and books worth of slow build-up in one completely satisfying outing, heartwarming and heartwrenching both. Books that make me cry have an easy advantage, and I was bawling by the end of this book. Everything paid off beautifully, and it all came from places of vulnerability and pain and love. You got me, Louise Penny. You always do.
Packing for Mars vs. Republic of Thieves
Winner: Republic of Thieves
A fairly easy choice to end the round. I like Mary Roach's books, but they don't stay with me. They're enjoyable to read, great to grab a few tidbits from to amuse and horrify your friends. But that's really it. On the other hand, Republic of Thieves might be my least favourite Scott Lynch so far, but that's not actually saying very much. I have loved all three Locke Lamora books. Locke steals this round, so smoothly I didn't even notice.
Winner: A Civil Campaign
Oh, dear. This does not seem like a fair choice. An incredibly thoughtful look at the zombies and their implications, told over the "life"span of a zombie found as a baby and raised by a living family, somehow managing to grow up. Against my favourite Miles Vorkosigan book of a year that had a lot of thoroughly enjoyable Bujold books. Oh no. I do not want to make this choice. I really don't.
Aargh! It's breaking my heart! I pick...A Civil Campaign. But just by a hair. I liked Raising Stony Mayhall a lot, and expected it to make it into the top 10 just like Daryl Gregory's other book Pandemonium did last year. I can't pass up Miles in love, though. It's just too delicious.
The Clearing vs. Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
Winner: Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
I did not expect Stars in My Pocket to get this far into the competition. Despite its flaws, it has stuck around in my memory, and Delany's experiments with gender and foreignness linger. In contrast, The Clearing was good, and I remember enjoying it, but it hasn't loomed large in my memory. They were both books without a ton of action, but I found the ideas in the science fiction so much more challenging.
Long Walk To Freedom vs. Whispers Underground
Winner: Long Walk To Freedom
Not a very hard choice. On the one hand, we have a Peter Grant book that was probably my least favourite so far. On the other, Nelson Mandela's fascinating look at his own life and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. Mandela's book is powerful, and it definitely delivers a knockout punch to Ben Aaronovitch here.
Range of Ghosts vs. How The Light Gets In
Winner: How The Light Gets In
Ow. It hurts to knock this Elizabeth Bear book out of the competition, because I really loved Range of Ghosts. However, it'd be a rare book that could knock the culmination of books and books worth of slow build-up in one completely satisfying outing, heartwarming and heartwrenching both. Books that make me cry have an easy advantage, and I was bawling by the end of this book. Everything paid off beautifully, and it all came from places of vulnerability and pain and love. You got me, Louise Penny. You always do.
Packing for Mars vs. Republic of Thieves
Winner: Republic of Thieves
A fairly easy choice to end the round. I like Mary Roach's books, but they don't stay with me. They're enjoyable to read, great to grab a few tidbits from to amuse and horrify your friends. But that's really it. On the other hand, Republic of Thieves might be my least favourite Scott Lynch so far, but that's not actually saying very much. I have loved all three Locke Lamora books. Locke steals this round, so smoothly I didn't even notice.
Tuesday, 6 January 2015
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round Two, Part Two
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? vs. First Among Sequels
Winner: Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
I like Jasper Fforde, but First Among Sequels was not as strong as some of his other outings. It was fun, but not spectacular. Whereas fun is definitely not the way to describe Jeanette Winterson's memoir, but it was powerful. In the second half, this little book shifts gears to become something quite extraordinary.
Redshirts vs. The Computer Connection
Winner: Redshirts
These are both books by science fiction writers I like quite a lot, without themselves being books that set my world on fire. When Bester is good, he's spectacular. The Computer Connection, on the other hand, is a weird little book that is interesting, but doesn't have the impact of his best stuff. On the other hand, Scalzi is always entertaining, and this is no exception, although all the codas feels a little hand-holdy. Still, for pure enjoyment, it wins this particular battle.
Tooth and Claw vs. Let's Pretend This Never Happened
Winner: Tooth and Claw
This is an almost impossible choice! I liked both of these books so much, for vastly different reasons. Tooth and Claw is a remarkably good Victorian novel, whose protagonists happen to be dragons. This allows strange and delightful commentary on Victorian society. And then there's Jenny Lawson's book, which made me laugh out loud more than any other this past year. Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear oh dear. I think the dragons take this one, but it's close.
Changeless vs. Hexed
Winner: Hexed
Easy. Changeless was a Victorian-set supernatural romance that tickled me not nearly as much as the dragons of the previous match-up did. While Hexed didn't really do much more than the first in that particular series, I still like Atticus, his snark, and particularly, his dog. Druids over the soulless, no contest.
Red Seas Under Red Skies vs. Doctor Faustus
Winner: Red Seas Under Red Skies
Sorry, Thomas Mann. You're all literary and worthy and a very good book, but you didn't make me weep. Scott Lynch did, with this follow up to Locke Lamora's adventures that perhaps even surpassed the first book, and I loved that book a lot. Classic literature doesn't stand a chance against conmen, a ship, pirates, and tragedy.
Winner: Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
I like Jasper Fforde, but First Among Sequels was not as strong as some of his other outings. It was fun, but not spectacular. Whereas fun is definitely not the way to describe Jeanette Winterson's memoir, but it was powerful. In the second half, this little book shifts gears to become something quite extraordinary.
Redshirts vs. The Computer Connection
Winner: Redshirts
These are both books by science fiction writers I like quite a lot, without themselves being books that set my world on fire. When Bester is good, he's spectacular. The Computer Connection, on the other hand, is a weird little book that is interesting, but doesn't have the impact of his best stuff. On the other hand, Scalzi is always entertaining, and this is no exception, although all the codas feels a little hand-holdy. Still, for pure enjoyment, it wins this particular battle.
Tooth and Claw vs. Let's Pretend This Never Happened
Winner: Tooth and Claw
This is an almost impossible choice! I liked both of these books so much, for vastly different reasons. Tooth and Claw is a remarkably good Victorian novel, whose protagonists happen to be dragons. This allows strange and delightful commentary on Victorian society. And then there's Jenny Lawson's book, which made me laugh out loud more than any other this past year. Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear oh dear. I think the dragons take this one, but it's close.
Changeless vs. Hexed
Winner: Hexed
Easy. Changeless was a Victorian-set supernatural romance that tickled me not nearly as much as the dragons of the previous match-up did. While Hexed didn't really do much more than the first in that particular series, I still like Atticus, his snark, and particularly, his dog. Druids over the soulless, no contest.
Red Seas Under Red Skies vs. Doctor Faustus
Winner: Red Seas Under Red Skies
Sorry, Thomas Mann. You're all literary and worthy and a very good book, but you didn't make me weep. Scott Lynch did, with this follow up to Locke Lamora's adventures that perhaps even surpassed the first book, and I loved that book a lot. Classic literature doesn't stand a chance against conmen, a ship, pirates, and tragedy.
Thursday, 1 January 2015
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round Two, Part One
Happy New Year, everybody! This year I resolve to keep reading, without stressing out about how much I'm not reading.
I took the week after Christmas off, a chance to rest and recharge and just read. Well, I wrote a few reviews, but put them on hold for posting until the New Year. And now we start to get into the harder battles of the Dust Cover Dust-Up. Let's see what Round Two holds!
Railsea vs. Ship-Breaker
Winner: Railsea
Ship-Breaker was fine, and certainly good solid YA science fiction, set in the post-climate change worlds that Bacigalupi excels at. I'd recommend it, although it is a little harsh. Railsea, though. Railsea. I can't even express my deep love for this book. It may be my favourite Mieville so far, and that's saying quite a lot. It's the layers in this one, backwards into literature and an homage to Moby Dick, in a world that is all Mieville's own, and roots that are exposed every once in a while to reveal depths unheard of. There isn't a step wrong in this one. Loved it. Loved it so much.
A Wanted Man vs. Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do
Winner: Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do
This is a tough one. Not because I loved the books - indeed, the exact opposite. Neither of these were books that really stuck with me, so choosing one to move on to the third round? Difficult. Lee Child's Jack Reacher book was much like all the others in the series have been. A pleasant, violent confection, and not a lot more. Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do was similarly not a book that stayed with me. But I think it has a bit more to it than A Wanted Man. Okay, this round goes to Ain't Nobody's Business.
In The Night Garden vs. Titus Alone
Winner: In The Night Garden
Easy-peasy. One of those contests where I get to weed out a book that I didn't really want to go further in the competition anyway. Titus Alone is a perplexing book, and I'm glad to leave it behind in favour of the nested storytelling of Catherynne Valente, who combines a beautiful writing style, with a dozen or more amazing stories. I may have felt like I almost lost the thread at one point, but the tapestry they weave was well worth the weft.
The Fall of Hyperion vs. Feed
Winner: The Fall of Hyperion
The first truly hard choice of the round! I loved both these books. Feed kept me up at night, reading a genre I normally steer far clear of. Zombies, not generally my thing. Mira Grant made it my thing, at least as far as her writing goes. But I loved The Fall of Hyperion. Almost as much as I loved Hyperion, and that book won last year's Dust Cover Dust-Up. It answers all the questions the first book left hanging, and while it does it in a more traditional science fiction novel, I was engrossed from first page to last.
Wolf Hall vs. Palimpsest
Winner: Wolf Hall
Oh, ugh. Another hard one. I liked both of these books a whole lot. Mantel made historical fiction truly something unique, and Valente looked at all the ways people have to having sex and wrapped them into an amazing adult fantasy novel. It may only be the fact that one Valente book has already made it through in this very post that means I'm bumping Wolf Hall ahead by a smidge. Although of the two Valente books, I liked Palimpsest more. Still, Cromwell gets it. By a wolf's hair.
I took the week after Christmas off, a chance to rest and recharge and just read. Well, I wrote a few reviews, but put them on hold for posting until the New Year. And now we start to get into the harder battles of the Dust Cover Dust-Up. Let's see what Round Two holds!
Railsea vs. Ship-Breaker
Winner: Railsea
Ship-Breaker was fine, and certainly good solid YA science fiction, set in the post-climate change worlds that Bacigalupi excels at. I'd recommend it, although it is a little harsh. Railsea, though. Railsea. I can't even express my deep love for this book. It may be my favourite Mieville so far, and that's saying quite a lot. It's the layers in this one, backwards into literature and an homage to Moby Dick, in a world that is all Mieville's own, and roots that are exposed every once in a while to reveal depths unheard of. There isn't a step wrong in this one. Loved it. Loved it so much.
A Wanted Man vs. Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do
Winner: Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do
This is a tough one. Not because I loved the books - indeed, the exact opposite. Neither of these were books that really stuck with me, so choosing one to move on to the third round? Difficult. Lee Child's Jack Reacher book was much like all the others in the series have been. A pleasant, violent confection, and not a lot more. Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do was similarly not a book that stayed with me. But I think it has a bit more to it than A Wanted Man. Okay, this round goes to Ain't Nobody's Business.
In The Night Garden vs. Titus Alone
Winner: In The Night Garden
Easy-peasy. One of those contests where I get to weed out a book that I didn't really want to go further in the competition anyway. Titus Alone is a perplexing book, and I'm glad to leave it behind in favour of the nested storytelling of Catherynne Valente, who combines a beautiful writing style, with a dozen or more amazing stories. I may have felt like I almost lost the thread at one point, but the tapestry they weave was well worth the weft.
The Fall of Hyperion vs. Feed
Winner: The Fall of Hyperion
The first truly hard choice of the round! I loved both these books. Feed kept me up at night, reading a genre I normally steer far clear of. Zombies, not generally my thing. Mira Grant made it my thing, at least as far as her writing goes. But I loved The Fall of Hyperion. Almost as much as I loved Hyperion, and that book won last year's Dust Cover Dust-Up. It answers all the questions the first book left hanging, and while it does it in a more traditional science fiction novel, I was engrossed from first page to last.
Wolf Hall vs. Palimpsest
Winner: Wolf Hall
Oh, ugh. Another hard one. I liked both of these books a whole lot. Mantel made historical fiction truly something unique, and Valente looked at all the ways people have to having sex and wrapped them into an amazing adult fantasy novel. It may only be the fact that one Valente book has already made it through in this very post that means I'm bumping Wolf Hall ahead by a smidge. Although of the two Valente books, I liked Palimpsest more. Still, Cromwell gets it. By a wolf's hair.
Tuesday, 23 December 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round One, Part Eleven
The Habitation of the Blessed vs. The King's Speech
Winner: The Habitation of the Blessed
Not a difficult choice. The King's Speech was bland, while The Habitation of the Blessed was perhaps not my very favourite Catherynne Valente book, but it was still a marvellous medieval folktale. She took the myths of Prester John and made something all her own, with things to say about conviction and the desire for universality. So good.
Kushiel's Chosen vs. Diplomatic Immunity
Winner: Diplomatic Immunity
I liked Kushiel's Chosen, but it meandered, compared to the first book. So many Bujold books are getting through, however, that I feel a little bad advancing Diplomatic Immunity to the next round as well. But for sheer enjoyment, there's no question that it was Miles over Phedre. Both were good, but Diplomatic Immunity was better.
The Malice of Fortune vs. The Forever War
Winner: The Forever War
The Malice of Fortune was an entertaining historical mystery, but it can't really even aspire to knock off Haldeman's seminal science fiction anti-war book, in which the battles go on for centuries, and the soldiers are more and more isolated from the societies that sent them there. Not to mention the sketchy rationales for war in the first place. There's a reason it's a sci-fi classic.
The Broken Kingdoms vs. Hammered
Winner: The Broken Kingdoms
This is a very tough choice! One fantasy, one science fiction, both books and authors I like a lot. Both books have amazingly good main characters. Jenny Casey and Oree are both, interesting, main characters with significant physical disabilities, and yet, that's not what most of the story is about. It's difficult to choose, but the pacing of Hammered was just a bit slow enough that this time, I'm going to go with N.K. Jemisin.
Dawn vs. Alif the Unseen
Winner: Dawn
I'm having some good match-ups, and read some very good books, in the last month of the year. Still, this isn't that difficult. I liked Alif the Unseen, but I perhaps didn't love it. And Octavia Butler's writing takes my breath away. She's tackling difficult issues here, and doing it with grace and a mean punch to the gut when needed. It's quite spectacular.
Winner: The Habitation of the Blessed
Not a difficult choice. The King's Speech was bland, while The Habitation of the Blessed was perhaps not my very favourite Catherynne Valente book, but it was still a marvellous medieval folktale. She took the myths of Prester John and made something all her own, with things to say about conviction and the desire for universality. So good.
Kushiel's Chosen vs. Diplomatic Immunity
Winner: Diplomatic Immunity
I liked Kushiel's Chosen, but it meandered, compared to the first book. So many Bujold books are getting through, however, that I feel a little bad advancing Diplomatic Immunity to the next round as well. But for sheer enjoyment, there's no question that it was Miles over Phedre. Both were good, but Diplomatic Immunity was better.
The Malice of Fortune vs. The Forever War
Winner: The Forever War
The Malice of Fortune was an entertaining historical mystery, but it can't really even aspire to knock off Haldeman's seminal science fiction anti-war book, in which the battles go on for centuries, and the soldiers are more and more isolated from the societies that sent them there. Not to mention the sketchy rationales for war in the first place. There's a reason it's a sci-fi classic.
The Broken Kingdoms vs. Hammered
Winner: The Broken Kingdoms
This is a very tough choice! One fantasy, one science fiction, both books and authors I like a lot. Both books have amazingly good main characters. Jenny Casey and Oree are both, interesting, main characters with significant physical disabilities, and yet, that's not what most of the story is about. It's difficult to choose, but the pacing of Hammered was just a bit slow enough that this time, I'm going to go with N.K. Jemisin.
Dawn vs. Alif the Unseen
Winner: Dawn
I'm having some good match-ups, and read some very good books, in the last month of the year. Still, this isn't that difficult. I liked Alif the Unseen, but I perhaps didn't love it. And Octavia Butler's writing takes my breath away. She's tackling difficult issues here, and doing it with grace and a mean punch to the gut when needed. It's quite spectacular.
Thursday, 18 December 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round One, Part Ten
The Star Beast vs. Komarr
Winner: Komarr
Wow, The Star Beast is not one of Heinlein's best. It's not terrible, but not as compulsively readable as some of his other books. I read Komarr all out of order with the rest of the series, and that put an unusual spin on the story I quite enjoyed. Having already met Ekaterina myself, it was interesting to see Miles meet her. Bujold is taking a lot of these book contests. I am not surprised.
The Company of the Dead vs. Reamde
Winner: Reamde
Not an easy decision here. An ambitious first novel that sort of fails vs. a very good established author with a serious case of excessive details. The Company of the Dead is strangely paced, but has a good premise. Reamde is interesting, but about 300 pages too long. I don't really care about each muscle movement each character makes at each moment. But in the long run, I think Reamde as a whole was more entertaining.
An Astronaut's Guide To Life on Earth vs. The Sirens of Titan
Winner: Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
That's a weird match-up. A memoir/self-help book by an astronaut vs. science fiction by Kurt Vonnegut. Straightforward vs. surreal. Oh goodness. It's only because I don't think The Sirens of Titan is one of Vonnegut's best that Hadfield takes this one. Also, I am fascinated by space, so I'm sure this decision surprises no one.
In The Garden of Beasts vs. Broken Homes
Winner: Broken Homes
An easy decision. I liked but wasn't enthralled by either of the Eric Larson books I read this year. And this one is up against one of my favourite urban fantasy series, and better yet, a great return to form in the fourth book, after a third book that didn't quite live up to my expectations. Plus, it has a wrenching ending that makes me want to hyperventilate until I get my hands on the fifth book. That came out sounding weirder than I wanted. Still, Peter Grant, Peter Grant, Peter Grant.
The Inconvenient Indian vs. Downbelow Station
Winner: The Inconvenient Indian
I liked Downbelow Station, don't get me wrong. It's just that it felt a little distant from its material for my personal tastes. Even though sections of it, and the ideas permeating it, were both excellent. It's stacked up against a somewhat weary but very eloquent outlining of the history of the way Europeans have viewed Indians in North America, with an amazingly good digression into the divisions between Live Indians, Dead Indians, and Legal Indians.
Winner: Komarr
Wow, The Star Beast is not one of Heinlein's best. It's not terrible, but not as compulsively readable as some of his other books. I read Komarr all out of order with the rest of the series, and that put an unusual spin on the story I quite enjoyed. Having already met Ekaterina myself, it was interesting to see Miles meet her. Bujold is taking a lot of these book contests. I am not surprised.
The Company of the Dead vs. Reamde
Winner: Reamde
Not an easy decision here. An ambitious first novel that sort of fails vs. a very good established author with a serious case of excessive details. The Company of the Dead is strangely paced, but has a good premise. Reamde is interesting, but about 300 pages too long. I don't really care about each muscle movement each character makes at each moment. But in the long run, I think Reamde as a whole was more entertaining.
An Astronaut's Guide To Life on Earth vs. The Sirens of Titan
Winner: Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
That's a weird match-up. A memoir/self-help book by an astronaut vs. science fiction by Kurt Vonnegut. Straightforward vs. surreal. Oh goodness. It's only because I don't think The Sirens of Titan is one of Vonnegut's best that Hadfield takes this one. Also, I am fascinated by space, so I'm sure this decision surprises no one.
In The Garden of Beasts vs. Broken Homes
Winner: Broken Homes
An easy decision. I liked but wasn't enthralled by either of the Eric Larson books I read this year. And this one is up against one of my favourite urban fantasy series, and better yet, a great return to form in the fourth book, after a third book that didn't quite live up to my expectations. Plus, it has a wrenching ending that makes me want to hyperventilate until I get my hands on the fifth book. That came out sounding weirder than I wanted. Still, Peter Grant, Peter Grant, Peter Grant.
The Inconvenient Indian vs. Downbelow Station
Winner: The Inconvenient Indian
I liked Downbelow Station, don't get me wrong. It's just that it felt a little distant from its material for my personal tastes. Even though sections of it, and the ideas permeating it, were both excellent. It's stacked up against a somewhat weary but very eloquent outlining of the history of the way Europeans have viewed Indians in North America, with an amazingly good digression into the divisions between Live Indians, Dead Indians, and Legal Indians.
Tuesday, 16 December 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round One, Part Nine
Daughter of Smoke and Bone vs. The Maze Runner
Winner: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
No contest, oh, dear lord, no contest. Two young adult books. One I really enjoyed. I thought it was complex, interesting, and the central tension exquisitely heartbreaking. The other was a steaming pile of ridiculousness. Ridiculous traps of mazes and scientific experiments vs. a moody Budapest with angels and demons and a main character who is difficult and wonderful, and a love relationship that is truly painful. Young adults deserve works like Daughter of Smoke and Bone. They do not deserve The Maze Runner.
Grass vs. Magician: Apprentice
Winner: Grass
I liked Grass more than I have some of the other Sheri Tepper books I've read in the past. In this case, the disease-ravaged universe run by the Mormon church hits first contact head-on, and it's an intriguing read. On the other hand, everyone tells me Magician: Apprentice was revolutionary when it came out, but the fact is that by the time I read it, it was all old hat to me. Sorry, Raymond Feist. It's all when you encounter it, I guess.
Memory vs. The Wise Man's Fear
Winner: Memory
This is a difficult choice. I liked both books quite a lot. I have read a lot of Bujold this year, and Wise Man's Fear was, at the time I read it, one of only two Rothfuss books in captivity. It meandered, though. The writing and characters are still marvelous, but it meandered. On the other hand, Memory was an amazingly good entry into the Miles canon, with meditations on responsibility, honour, and disability. That puts it over the top in this match-up.
Supernatural Noir vs. Vitals
Winner: Supernatural Noir
I am starting to write this paragraph without knowing which book won this battle, because honestly, I have no idea. There were some really great stories in Supernatural Noir. There were so not-so-great ones. It was an anthology. It's what I expect. On the other hand, Vitals was a thoroughly unthrilling thriller. The writing was fine, but the ideas were lacking. I don't know. Weirdly, I think it's going to go to Supernatural Noir because of those really excellent stories scattered in there.
The Devil in the White City vs. The Orenda
Winner: The Orenda
This is another difficult one, of the "two books I didn't love" variety. I liked both. I thought both had problems. Which had fewer problems? Or which, despite the problems, did I enjoy more? The Devil in the White City has two stories that never really intertwine, but one of the two is fascinating. The other is about a serial killer. The Orenda has characters that are a little thin, but great research and pretty good writing on clashes between natives and Europeans, and different Native groups in New France. I'm giving it to The Orenda. Just because.
Winner: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
No contest, oh, dear lord, no contest. Two young adult books. One I really enjoyed. I thought it was complex, interesting, and the central tension exquisitely heartbreaking. The other was a steaming pile of ridiculousness. Ridiculous traps of mazes and scientific experiments vs. a moody Budapest with angels and demons and a main character who is difficult and wonderful, and a love relationship that is truly painful. Young adults deserve works like Daughter of Smoke and Bone. They do not deserve The Maze Runner.
Grass vs. Magician: Apprentice
Winner: Grass
I liked Grass more than I have some of the other Sheri Tepper books I've read in the past. In this case, the disease-ravaged universe run by the Mormon church hits first contact head-on, and it's an intriguing read. On the other hand, everyone tells me Magician: Apprentice was revolutionary when it came out, but the fact is that by the time I read it, it was all old hat to me. Sorry, Raymond Feist. It's all when you encounter it, I guess.
Memory vs. The Wise Man's Fear
Winner: Memory
This is a difficult choice. I liked both books quite a lot. I have read a lot of Bujold this year, and Wise Man's Fear was, at the time I read it, one of only two Rothfuss books in captivity. It meandered, though. The writing and characters are still marvelous, but it meandered. On the other hand, Memory was an amazingly good entry into the Miles canon, with meditations on responsibility, honour, and disability. That puts it over the top in this match-up.
Supernatural Noir vs. Vitals
Winner: Supernatural Noir
I am starting to write this paragraph without knowing which book won this battle, because honestly, I have no idea. There were some really great stories in Supernatural Noir. There were so not-so-great ones. It was an anthology. It's what I expect. On the other hand, Vitals was a thoroughly unthrilling thriller. The writing was fine, but the ideas were lacking. I don't know. Weirdly, I think it's going to go to Supernatural Noir because of those really excellent stories scattered in there.
The Devil in the White City vs. The Orenda
Winner: The Orenda
This is another difficult one, of the "two books I didn't love" variety. I liked both. I thought both had problems. Which had fewer problems? Or which, despite the problems, did I enjoy more? The Devil in the White City has two stories that never really intertwine, but one of the two is fascinating. The other is about a serial killer. The Orenda has characters that are a little thin, but great research and pretty good writing on clashes between natives and Europeans, and different Native groups in New France. I'm giving it to The Orenda. Just because.
Thursday, 11 December 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round One, Part Eight
Embassytown vs. Myths of Origin
Winner: Myths of Origin
This is a weirdly difficult one. Two books by authors of whom I am a huge fangirl. Neither was my favourite among their works, although I enjoyed both. Embassytown just didn't have that sweep of giddy-but-grim imagination that I've come to expect from Mieville, although the meditations on language, signifiers and signified, was fascinating. Myths of Origin is obviously an early work, and while the seeds of the style I love are there, they're as not fully developed as they will come to be. Maybe it's the mythology that is swaying this one in Catherynne Valente's favour. I am a sucker for a good myth.
Mirror Dance vs. Reckless Eyeballing
Winner: Mirror Dance
Easy. Science fiction that I thoroughly enjoyed vs. literary fiction that I barely understood. Not a difficult choice. I was baffled by the point of Reckless Eyeballing, while Mirror Dance was a much more accessible book about family, duty, and screwing up. Also, it had one of the best eavesdropping scenes of all time. Not the most dramatic, but I would argue, demonstrably the best.
The Shadow at the Gate vs. Maus
Winner: Maus
Another easy one. The Shadow at the Gate was merely passable young adult fantasy, hampered by the fact that its adult characters are far more interesting than the two children characters. People keep arguing with me about this one, saying it's "just" young adult, don't be so critical, but I'd argue that there's nothing "just" about young adult. Kids and teenagers deserve the best written books they can get, and so it does not get a pass. At any rate. While Bunn's book wasn't terrible, Maus is a classic of graphic noveldom, and has the heft of the holocaust behind it. This isn't a difficult choice. That may come in future rounds.
The Cuckoo's Calling vs. Nausea
Winner: The Cuckoo's Calling
Screw you, Sartre. I'm going J.K. Rowling.
Moscow But Dreaming vs. Black Swan Green
Winner: Black Swan Green
Not a difficult choice, although saying that may make Moscow But Dreaming sound less worthwhile that it was. It's a very good collection of stories, with some that truly blew my mind. That they were accompanied by a few that were not great is neither here nor there. The decision, however, is not difficult, because I deeply enjoyed Black Swan Green. In this one, Mitchell has a way of writing about young adulthood that is not trite or forced, and the stories that make up this wheel of the year are difficult and mundane, in the very best ways.
Winner: Myths of Origin
This is a weirdly difficult one. Two books by authors of whom I am a huge fangirl. Neither was my favourite among their works, although I enjoyed both. Embassytown just didn't have that sweep of giddy-but-grim imagination that I've come to expect from Mieville, although the meditations on language, signifiers and signified, was fascinating. Myths of Origin is obviously an early work, and while the seeds of the style I love are there, they're as not fully developed as they will come to be. Maybe it's the mythology that is swaying this one in Catherynne Valente's favour. I am a sucker for a good myth.
Mirror Dance vs. Reckless Eyeballing
Winner: Mirror Dance
Easy. Science fiction that I thoroughly enjoyed vs. literary fiction that I barely understood. Not a difficult choice. I was baffled by the point of Reckless Eyeballing, while Mirror Dance was a much more accessible book about family, duty, and screwing up. Also, it had one of the best eavesdropping scenes of all time. Not the most dramatic, but I would argue, demonstrably the best.
The Shadow at the Gate vs. Maus
Winner: Maus
Another easy one. The Shadow at the Gate was merely passable young adult fantasy, hampered by the fact that its adult characters are far more interesting than the two children characters. People keep arguing with me about this one, saying it's "just" young adult, don't be so critical, but I'd argue that there's nothing "just" about young adult. Kids and teenagers deserve the best written books they can get, and so it does not get a pass. At any rate. While Bunn's book wasn't terrible, Maus is a classic of graphic noveldom, and has the heft of the holocaust behind it. This isn't a difficult choice. That may come in future rounds.
The Cuckoo's Calling vs. Nausea
Winner: The Cuckoo's Calling
Screw you, Sartre. I'm going J.K. Rowling.
Moscow But Dreaming vs. Black Swan Green
Winner: Black Swan Green
Not a difficult choice, although saying that may make Moscow But Dreaming sound less worthwhile that it was. It's a very good collection of stories, with some that truly blew my mind. That they were accompanied by a few that were not great is neither here nor there. The decision, however, is not difficult, because I deeply enjoyed Black Swan Green. In this one, Mitchell has a way of writing about young adulthood that is not trite or forced, and the stories that make up this wheel of the year are difficult and mundane, in the very best ways.
Tuesday, 9 December 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014: Round One, Part Seven
Before They Are Hanged vs. Fall of Giants
Winner: Fall of Giants
This was a hard one, because neither of these books that I really loved. I would normally lean towards the fantasy of the two, but Before They Are Hanged was just such a slog to read. While I had issues with the brick that is Fall of Giants, at least it was more fun at times. So Ken Follett gets it, in a close match-up.
Sabriel vs. Camera Obscura
Winner: Camera Obscura
These were both interesting and entertaining fantasies set in worlds that are a little different from the traditional high fantasy world - one is on the other side of a Wall in England, threatened by necromancers. The other is set in a Victorian England where the Queen is a lizard, and characters from Victorian novels stalk the streets. It's the second in the series, and while I didn't love the first one, the second one felt much more assured, and in this case, it gets the win over Sabriel.
The Circle vs. Cyteen
Winner: Cyteen
Disappointing pre-dystopia vs. opaque science fiction? It's not an easy choice. In the end, although Eggers has some good points, it's a bit too histrionic about social media for me. While Cherryh is often distant from her material, and doesn't let the reader too close to her creation, there's also so much good stuff here, in this world where artificially-raised people are only separated from human-raised people by programming, and a young woman lives twice.
The Imposter Bride vs. Behemoth
Winner: The Imposter Bride
Easy match-up here. Behemoth continues Scott Westerfeld's fun young adult steampunk romp through war...maybe that sentence explains why something about the books rubs me a bit the wrong way. Nancy Richler's The Imposter Bride is a much quieter look at the long-term effects of war, and does so slowly and beautifully. It was a book that took me entirely by surprise, in a good way.
Cold Comfort Farm vs. The Robber Bride
Winner: The Robber Bride
I really enjoyed Cold Comfort Farm's snark about gothic doings on the moors. It's entertaining, and I can see why it's a classic. However, The Robber Bride blew me away. The prose, the female characters, it was just beautiful to read, if difficult. The male characters are a little slim, and pretty much all idiots, but the sheer pleasure of reading this book made it worth it.
Winner: Fall of Giants
This was a hard one, because neither of these books that I really loved. I would normally lean towards the fantasy of the two, but Before They Are Hanged was just such a slog to read. While I had issues with the brick that is Fall of Giants, at least it was more fun at times. So Ken Follett gets it, in a close match-up.
Sabriel vs. Camera Obscura
Winner: Camera Obscura
These were both interesting and entertaining fantasies set in worlds that are a little different from the traditional high fantasy world - one is on the other side of a Wall in England, threatened by necromancers. The other is set in a Victorian England where the Queen is a lizard, and characters from Victorian novels stalk the streets. It's the second in the series, and while I didn't love the first one, the second one felt much more assured, and in this case, it gets the win over Sabriel.
The Circle vs. Cyteen
Winner: Cyteen
Disappointing pre-dystopia vs. opaque science fiction? It's not an easy choice. In the end, although Eggers has some good points, it's a bit too histrionic about social media for me. While Cherryh is often distant from her material, and doesn't let the reader too close to her creation, there's also so much good stuff here, in this world where artificially-raised people are only separated from human-raised people by programming, and a young woman lives twice.
The Imposter Bride vs. Behemoth
Winner: The Imposter Bride
Easy match-up here. Behemoth continues Scott Westerfeld's fun young adult steampunk romp through war...maybe that sentence explains why something about the books rubs me a bit the wrong way. Nancy Richler's The Imposter Bride is a much quieter look at the long-term effects of war, and does so slowly and beautifully. It was a book that took me entirely by surprise, in a good way.
Cold Comfort Farm vs. The Robber Bride
Winner: The Robber Bride
I really enjoyed Cold Comfort Farm's snark about gothic doings on the moors. It's entertaining, and I can see why it's a classic. However, The Robber Bride blew me away. The prose, the female characters, it was just beautiful to read, if difficult. The male characters are a little slim, and pretty much all idiots, but the sheer pleasure of reading this book made it worth it.
Thursday, 4 December 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014 - Round One, Part Six
Whispers Underground vs. Steve Jobs
Winner: Whispers Underground
Whispers Underground is probably my least favourite Peter Grant book so far, but it was still a lot of fun. Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs was interesting, and I'm glad I read it, but it isn't a book that I would ever retain affection for after reading. Peter, ah, Peter, even when you're not at your best and the back cover mentions a subplot that never materializes, you're still too much fun to pass up in these early rounds.
Range of Ghosts vs. The Osiris Ritual
Winner: Range of Ghosts
As I said in the review, about the only thing I didn't like about Range of Ghosts was the title, which I have forgotten more times this year than I can possibly count. But while the title is forgettable, the great characters, the setting, the writing, everything else made this a greatly enjoyable book to read. Set in a version of the Steppes, this is fantasy as I've never quite seen it. And there are more wonderful and interesting female characters than you can shake a stick at. If you'd want to. In comparison, while I liked The Osiris Ritual more than the first in the series, the steampunk London just can't stack up to Bear's world.
How The Light Gets In vs. Dandelion Wine
Winner: How The Light Gets In
This choice is ripping my heart out. They shouldn't be this difficult this early on, and against other books, I'd expect to see both far into this arbitrary competition I set up my own self, and am now being punished by. Bradbury's book made me taste summer, but Louise Penny broke my heart and then put it back together again. I sobbed for a good portion of the end of this book. And it all centers around a duck. Because it is the superlatively good culmination of a mystery that has been building for books and books, and does it while staying true to the material while giving some truly shocking surprises. And because it hurt so much. Louise Penny. Sorry, Ray Bradbury.
Worth Dying For vs. Packing For Mars
Winner: Packing for Mars
Really? Dandelion Wine would have won in a heartbeat against either of these, but I will stay true to my own rules. At any rate, of the two, while I like Lee Child's Jack Reacher books, they tend to be solid instead of stunning. And Mary Roach's shtick is always amusing. It wins because this one's about space, and that definitely gives it the edge. Also, where else are you going to find a book that ferrets out whether or not the first chimpanzees in space masturbated up there?
Republic of Thieves vs. Brothers in Arms
Winner: Republic of Thieves
This may not be fair, but I've just read so many Bujold books this year that the individual ones are probably at a disadvantage. They're all great books, and Brothers in Arms is no exception. But it wasn't one of the real standouts among the Miles books I plowed through at high speed. On the other hand, Republic of Thieves was probably my least favourite of the Locke Lamora books so far. That's not really saying much, as I have loved all three. But of the two in this battle, it has to go to Locke and the appearance, at long last, of Sabetha.
Winner: Whispers Underground
Whispers Underground is probably my least favourite Peter Grant book so far, but it was still a lot of fun. Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs was interesting, and I'm glad I read it, but it isn't a book that I would ever retain affection for after reading. Peter, ah, Peter, even when you're not at your best and the back cover mentions a subplot that never materializes, you're still too much fun to pass up in these early rounds.
Range of Ghosts vs. The Osiris Ritual
Winner: Range of Ghosts
As I said in the review, about the only thing I didn't like about Range of Ghosts was the title, which I have forgotten more times this year than I can possibly count. But while the title is forgettable, the great characters, the setting, the writing, everything else made this a greatly enjoyable book to read. Set in a version of the Steppes, this is fantasy as I've never quite seen it. And there are more wonderful and interesting female characters than you can shake a stick at. If you'd want to. In comparison, while I liked The Osiris Ritual more than the first in the series, the steampunk London just can't stack up to Bear's world.
How The Light Gets In vs. Dandelion Wine
Winner: How The Light Gets In
This choice is ripping my heart out. They shouldn't be this difficult this early on, and against other books, I'd expect to see both far into this arbitrary competition I set up my own self, and am now being punished by. Bradbury's book made me taste summer, but Louise Penny broke my heart and then put it back together again. I sobbed for a good portion of the end of this book. And it all centers around a duck. Because it is the superlatively good culmination of a mystery that has been building for books and books, and does it while staying true to the material while giving some truly shocking surprises. And because it hurt so much. Louise Penny. Sorry, Ray Bradbury.
Worth Dying For vs. Packing For Mars
Winner: Packing for Mars
Really? Dandelion Wine would have won in a heartbeat against either of these, but I will stay true to my own rules. At any rate, of the two, while I like Lee Child's Jack Reacher books, they tend to be solid instead of stunning. And Mary Roach's shtick is always amusing. It wins because this one's about space, and that definitely gives it the edge. Also, where else are you going to find a book that ferrets out whether or not the first chimpanzees in space masturbated up there?
Republic of Thieves vs. Brothers in Arms
Winner: Republic of Thieves
This may not be fair, but I've just read so many Bujold books this year that the individual ones are probably at a disadvantage. They're all great books, and Brothers in Arms is no exception. But it wasn't one of the real standouts among the Miles books I plowed through at high speed. On the other hand, Republic of Thieves was probably my least favourite of the Locke Lamora books so far. That's not really saying much, as I have loved all three. But of the two in this battle, it has to go to Locke and the appearance, at long last, of Sabetha.
Tuesday, 2 December 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up 2014 - Round One, Part Five
He, She, and It vs. Raising Stony Mayhall
Winner: Raising Stony Mayhall
I liked He, She, and It quite a bit, when the protagonist wasn't being frustratingly obtuse. There are interesting things here about community, capitalism, and parenthood. But they don't come close to the ideas that fly through every page of Raising Stony Mayhall. I don't want to like zombie books! But I do like this one. Daryl Gregory is quickly rising to the top of my list for the way he takes an idea and then keeps pushing it one step further, without ever losing sight of his plot or characters. So the metaphysical implications of zombies melds perfectly with a son trying to save his family while not getting himself killed. Again.
A Civil Campaign vs. Dark Places
Winner: A Civil Campaign
I think Dark Places is a better book than the one Gillian Flynn got all the attention for, Gone Girl. It's creepy, the characters are unlikeable, and it's largely about how those facts shouldn't mean that people who make us uncomfortable shouldn't get justice. However. However. It is set beside Miles Vorkosigan at his most manic. I am a sucker for Miles all the time, and discovering this series has been one of the great joys of the last couple of years. But when he's manic and panicking? Sign me up a million times. Miles falls in love and it is delightful.
The Clearing vs. Throne of Jade
Winner: The Clearing
These two books were both a little slow-paced, one because of a long sea voyage with dragons, the other because it's a quiet examination of trauma and justice in a logging town deep in the swamps. This time, the dragons don't win out. I liked Throne of Jade, but The Clearing was a deeper, more interesting book. The effects of war, of killing, and the slow erosion of the soul for the win this time.
The Night Circus vs. Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
Winner: Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
The outcome of this one surprises even me. I enjoyed The Night Circus like a fine confection while I was reading it, but have spared barely a thought for it since. In opposition, Stars in my Pocket was a frustrating book, and in many ways, not even a very good one, but it has stuck with me, and from the remove of six months, I am more and more struck by what Delany was trying to do here, even if it didn't entirely succeed as an engrossing piece of fiction. It made me think, and so few books even try. It captured something about foreignness, and gender, and sexuality, and therefore, it wins.
The Hidden Goddess vs. Long Walk to Freedom
Winner: Long Walk To Freedom
This is one of those battles where the importance and necessity of a book faces off against how much I sheerly enjoyed it. In the end, this tournament tends to be about the latter, so I'm not sure how far Long Walk to Freedom will make it in the competition, but in this particular match-up, it wasn't a difficult choice. The Hidden Goddess is passable frontier fantasy, but not a lot more. Nelson Mandela's autobiography? A lot more.
Winner: Raising Stony Mayhall
I liked He, She, and It quite a bit, when the protagonist wasn't being frustratingly obtuse. There are interesting things here about community, capitalism, and parenthood. But they don't come close to the ideas that fly through every page of Raising Stony Mayhall. I don't want to like zombie books! But I do like this one. Daryl Gregory is quickly rising to the top of my list for the way he takes an idea and then keeps pushing it one step further, without ever losing sight of his plot or characters. So the metaphysical implications of zombies melds perfectly with a son trying to save his family while not getting himself killed. Again.
A Civil Campaign vs. Dark Places
Winner: A Civil Campaign
I think Dark Places is a better book than the one Gillian Flynn got all the attention for, Gone Girl. It's creepy, the characters are unlikeable, and it's largely about how those facts shouldn't mean that people who make us uncomfortable shouldn't get justice. However. However. It is set beside Miles Vorkosigan at his most manic. I am a sucker for Miles all the time, and discovering this series has been one of the great joys of the last couple of years. But when he's manic and panicking? Sign me up a million times. Miles falls in love and it is delightful.
The Clearing vs. Throne of Jade
Winner: The Clearing
These two books were both a little slow-paced, one because of a long sea voyage with dragons, the other because it's a quiet examination of trauma and justice in a logging town deep in the swamps. This time, the dragons don't win out. I liked Throne of Jade, but The Clearing was a deeper, more interesting book. The effects of war, of killing, and the slow erosion of the soul for the win this time.
The Night Circus vs. Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
Winner: Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
The outcome of this one surprises even me. I enjoyed The Night Circus like a fine confection while I was reading it, but have spared barely a thought for it since. In opposition, Stars in my Pocket was a frustrating book, and in many ways, not even a very good one, but it has stuck with me, and from the remove of six months, I am more and more struck by what Delany was trying to do here, even if it didn't entirely succeed as an engrossing piece of fiction. It made me think, and so few books even try. It captured something about foreignness, and gender, and sexuality, and therefore, it wins.
The Hidden Goddess vs. Long Walk to Freedom
Winner: Long Walk To Freedom
This is one of those battles where the importance and necessity of a book faces off against how much I sheerly enjoyed it. In the end, this tournament tends to be about the latter, so I'm not sure how far Long Walk to Freedom will make it in the competition, but in this particular match-up, it wasn't a difficult choice. The Hidden Goddess is passable frontier fantasy, but not a lot more. Nelson Mandela's autobiography? A lot more.
Thursday, 27 November 2014
Dust Cover Dust-Up - Round One, Part Four
Sense and Sensibility vs. Let's Pretend This Never Happened
Winner: Let's Pretend This Never Happened
Sorry, Jane Austen. I like Sense and Sensibility, but I have rarely laughed as hard as when I read The Bloggess' memoir. It may not be a classic, but it deals with her life and the whole topic of mental illness with both sensitivity and side-splitting humour. And it made me want to start collecting weird taxidermy. My husband says no. There was nothing about Sense and Sensibility that made me crave a strange new hobby, and so, Lawson gets it.
Vicky Angel vs. Changeless
Winner: Changeless
Neither of these I really loved. Vicky Angel wasn't one of those children's books that really spoke to me. Changeless wasn't one of those fantasy books that really grabbed me. So I have to pick between two books that were only so-so. Of the two, I'll go for the one for adults. I guess. I'm not confident on this one.
Breakfast With Scot vs. Hexed
Winner: Hexed
Not a hard one. I really disliked Breakfast with Scot, both in content and style, particularly its decision to skip over the most important moments in favour of...ellipses...? And I did like Hexed, although it was much like the first in the series of this 1000-year-old druid in Arizona. But I like the snark. And the dog.
Mort vs. Red Seas Under Red Skies
Winner: Red Seas Under Red Skies
As much as I like Terry Pratchett, as soon as I remembered back to sitting in a cafeteria, eating lunch, tears streaming down my face as I read the last few pages of this book, the decision was obviously made. This is as good or better than the first Locke Lamora book, and that's saying a lot. I love the new characters, I love the old characters, I love everything. Sorry, Mort.
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore vs. Doctor Faustus
Winner: Doctor Faustus
Classics don't tend to do that well in this tournament, and I find Thomas Mann a bit of a slog, sometimes. But not as much of a slog as Mr. Penumbra's was a disappointment. There was little actual love for books here, and the deep message at the end was about a half-inch deep. So, Doctor Faustus gets it.
Winner: Let's Pretend This Never Happened
Sorry, Jane Austen. I like Sense and Sensibility, but I have rarely laughed as hard as when I read The Bloggess' memoir. It may not be a classic, but it deals with her life and the whole topic of mental illness with both sensitivity and side-splitting humour. And it made me want to start collecting weird taxidermy. My husband says no. There was nothing about Sense and Sensibility that made me crave a strange new hobby, and so, Lawson gets it.
Vicky Angel vs. Changeless
Winner: Changeless
Neither of these I really loved. Vicky Angel wasn't one of those children's books that really spoke to me. Changeless wasn't one of those fantasy books that really grabbed me. So I have to pick between two books that were only so-so. Of the two, I'll go for the one for adults. I guess. I'm not confident on this one.
Breakfast With Scot vs. Hexed
Winner: Hexed
Not a hard one. I really disliked Breakfast with Scot, both in content and style, particularly its decision to skip over the most important moments in favour of...ellipses...? And I did like Hexed, although it was much like the first in the series of this 1000-year-old druid in Arizona. But I like the snark. And the dog.
Mort vs. Red Seas Under Red Skies
Winner: Red Seas Under Red Skies
As much as I like Terry Pratchett, as soon as I remembered back to sitting in a cafeteria, eating lunch, tears streaming down my face as I read the last few pages of this book, the decision was obviously made. This is as good or better than the first Locke Lamora book, and that's saying a lot. I love the new characters, I love the old characters, I love everything. Sorry, Mort.
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore vs. Doctor Faustus
Winner: Doctor Faustus
Classics don't tend to do that well in this tournament, and I find Thomas Mann a bit of a slog, sometimes. But not as much of a slog as Mr. Penumbra's was a disappointment. There was little actual love for books here, and the deep message at the end was about a half-inch deep. So, Doctor Faustus gets it.
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