[Cygnus]

I know, just another cheesy retrospective, but I am curious about the books/series you really enjoyed reading over the past year. This isn't limited to what was published in 2001, just to what you read in 2001.

I found this difficult because this was my first full year as a member of this forum, and I received so many great suggestions, that narrowing it down was a major challenge.

In no particular order:

1. A Song of Ice a Fire Seriesby GRRM
2. Mad Ship Series by Robin Hobb
3. Coldfire Trilogy by CS Friedman
4. The Wayfarer Series by Sara Douglass
5. The Wooden Sea by Jonathan Carroll

Honorable mention goes to In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson. A funny and informative book about Australia.. though I'm curious what a native would think of it.

[This message has been edited by Cygnus (edited December 20, 2001).]

[Shehzad]

I guess I'll take the plunge as I've read way too much good stuff this year.

1. Perdido Street Station by China Miéville (any surprises??)
2. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
3. Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover
4. Tyrants and Kings (books 1 and 2) by John Marco
5. Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle

Honourable mention: The Mirror of her Dreams by Stephen Donaldson

[This message has been edited by Shehzad (edited December 20, 2001).]

[Lamanai]

I'm always willing to go for these type of things... I enjoy seeing others' recommendations, and I'll gladly add my favorites to the list also.

1. Cryptonomicon by Neal Stevenson
2. Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
3. Taggerung by Brian Jacques
4. Curse of Challion by Lois McMasters Bujold
5. Last Man Standing by David Baldacci

I know that last one's not fantasy, but it is an excellent book, so I'm putting it down anyway. I did, at least, stay with fiction.

[Rob B]

G-damn this is going to be tough. I've so far read almost 80 books this year, a lot of good ones, too. I will have to post after I jog my memory, and list of books I read.

Though I will say that Matthew Stover's Overworld Books(Heroes Die/Blade of Tyshalle will unheasitatingly make the cut. Yeah its cheating combining two books, but it **is** a series. http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

[jbcohen]

I will probably be tarred and feathered for saying this but I am going to say it anyhow. My three favorite series are:

1) Wheel of Time
2) Dragon Lance
3) Sword of Truth

Tar and feather away.

[Shehzad]

TAR AND FEATHERS!!!!!!

Gather round boys and bring the rail.

Lamanai: hop over to the SF forum- there's an interesting discussion going on on Crytonomicon in the "Ten best books" thread.

FF: Lemme guess... Overworld, Otherland, Black House, Tyrants and Kings, maybe Perdido?

[This message has been edited by Shehzad (edited December 20, 2001).]

[Rob B]

The way I read the rules, T&K and Otherland would be discounted b/c I read parts of the series over the last couple of years.

[jbcohen]

Otherland? I have heard of the deries, by Tad Williams, I believe. Anywhere I can get to read an excerpt of some of the Otherland novels?

Try this JBC...

TadWilliams.com (http://www.tadwilliams.com)

[This message has been edited by dennizm (edited December 21, 2001).]

[Hobbit]

Good one, Cygnus - there's a few books around (Sf &Fantasy) that I've only just got to this year - my reading has been really slow this year (not through want of trying though!)

Erm... King's Dragon, by Kate Elliott. This has been in the pile for ages and I just haven't fancied it; once I started it though I thought it was pretty good and have bought the rest (so far!)to read at some point - you should see the weight on the shelves!

John Marco has been an interesting read this year - I've enjoyed how much change there is between the Jackal of Nar and The Grand Design, with high hopes for Saints of the Sword. He's a nice bloke too and has put up with lots of what must be annoying questions from me this year.

Next, The Collected Stories of Arthur C Clarke has been a regular 'dip-in' through the year. (Had to mention this in the year of 2001!)Though his style is a little 'old' I still have a soft spot for his understated 'British' way of things - we all speak and act like this, you know, old chap! http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

Some of the ideas are great though, and the some of the images in there created my interest in SF over 30 years ago! At over 1000 pages you can't read it all in one go though!

I have also reread some forgotten faves - I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Poul Anderson's stuff and Gordon Dickson's - now sadly gone, RIP. Thumbs up for the Dorsai and Tau Zero, not to mention The Boat of A Million Years.

Ash - A Secret History (as said elsewhere) is still one of my best reads ever - I won't repeat myself here (just for a change!)though I'm pleased to have read many of what seem to be the current favourites this year: Deadhouse, Perdido, Storm (or was that last year?).

Lastly for now (and I know this is going to get me some stick from FF, if noone else!) I have enjoyed as a fast, though rather gory read, the Anita Blake series of books (so far read the first 6). They are a little samey (please note: not Sammie!) but they made a quick refreshing break before diving into the heavier stuff. They are very different for me - I was quite surprised when I read the first.

.....And then there's the ever-expanding pile of books I'd really, really, really like to read when reality lets me - loads here to mention that look really good - Peter Hamilton, Steven Erikson's latest (just arrived), Kate Elliott, Stover's Heroes Die, Fool's Errand, Tad Williams' Otherland 3 & 4 the Moorcook/Constantine collaboration, James Barclay, Iain M Banks, Bujold's Curse of Challion, Connie Willis's Passage, Vernor Vinge's collection of short stories, Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials, Sean Russell's One Kingdom has now been here a year and no nearer the top of the pile, Alastair Reynolds's Chasm City, the last Anne McCaffrey...(look, it was a present, alright? http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif )

Hobbit - off topic, again!

[BehemothCat]

I’ve had a great year reading – there’s no way I could keep things down to just five. So here goes, in approximate order of enjoyment.

1) Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
2) Collected Fictions by Jorge Borges
3) Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link
4) Tales of Old Earth by Michael Swanwick
5) CivilWarLand in Bad Decline: Stories and a Novella by George Saunders
6) Book of the Short Sun (trilogy) by Gene Wolfe
7) The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien
8) The Troika by Stepan Chapman
9) Ash: A Secret History (4 books) by Mary Gentle
10) Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
11) The Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee
12) The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
13) Novelty by John Crowley
14) Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner
15) Waking the Moon by Elizabeth Hand
16) Humpty Dumpty: An Oval by Damon Knight