Skip to main content

The Best SF/F Books I Read Last Year


I've been plannig to write this for quite some time, but have always forgot it somehow. (It will have to be followed by this year's best reads soon…)

So here is my best of list:

 - Audrey Niffenegger: The Time Traveller’s Wife

A tale of time travel which is also a romance novel, a sort of Wuthering Heights for today's reader.

- Philip K. Dick: Blade Runner
One of the best sci-fi novels I have ever read. It's a shame that so many SF fans who love the movie are too lazy to read the book. I'm trying to advertise it to my friends.

- Susanna Clarke: The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories
A collection of fantasy short stories about fairies in Jane Austen's England, with some strong female characters.

- Elizabeth Moon: The Speed of Dark
This is a very intriguing sci-fi novel which is asking questions about the human mind and our concept of intelligence, about tolerance, illness and the meaning of the self.
(It is definitely not for those of you who would like to read about spaceships, guns and things that are blown up.)

- Frederick Pohl: Gateway  

I like science fiction with some psychology in it, and I perfectly understand why this became such a classic. A very imaginative piece, great writing.

- The Machineries of Joy by Ray Bradbury
There is no need to explain this.

- Clifford D. Simak: City
A good old-fashioned sci-fi with interesting ideas, well-drawn characters and with some humor.

- Sergey Lukyanenko: Night Watch

A fascinating urban fantasy for you with all sorts of dangerous creatures. Read it if you have the possibility.

- Wolfgang Jeschke: The Last Day of Creation (Der letzte Tag der Schöpfung)
Another classic about war, soldiers, time-travel and this is also an alternative history piece. It is not very fast paced at the beginning, but later you just cannot put it down.


There were two more novels that I wanted to add to this best of list, but those are by Hungarian writers and surely will not be available in English. (I might write about them later, though.)
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

A poem of mine appeared in Illumen magazine

The Best Planet in the World appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of the magazine. Illumen is a print magazine of speculative poetry, published biannually by Sam's Dot Publishing . It contains poetry, illustrations, articles and reviews. The featured poet for this issue is Marge Simon and the cover art is by Joshua Gage. You can order a copy via the publisher's bookstore .
Read more

A Funny Children's Book About Cats - The Wild Cats of Piran: Chronicle One by Scott Alexander Young

The Wild Cats of Piran: Chronicle One is the first part of a series of children's books by Scott Alexander Young , who is also known as the creator of the TV series Max's Midnight Movies . The book includes charming illustrations by Moreno Christe and it is about the adventures of a group of wild cats and their clever, beautiful, and somewhat mysterious leader, Queen Felicia . Her best friends, Dragan and Magyar, all have very different personalities and these cats are able to use magic on certain occasions. They live in a nice seaside town in Slovenia, which is a great place for them, except for when they meet some of their enemies, including local rats and certain local humans. The book is also enjoyable for adults because of the story, the humour and because it is also beautifully written . Unfortunately, the story ends too early and the other parts in the series have not been published yet. The Wild Cats of Piran is highly recommended for cat lovers everywhere.
Read more