SFFWorld's Favorite 2009 Book!-The Voting Thread

[Rob B]

Welcome again to SFFWorld.com’s annual member “Favorite Reads” voting thread!

With 2009 coming to a close, we can start compiling what members of these forums thought was the best Speculative Fiction book(s) published in 2009.

As in the past we should keep this simple so the minimal criteria is as follows:

1. You actually read the book between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009
2. It was published in 2009. This can be either the first Hardcover edition or the first paperback edition (for the paperback to qualify, it has to be the First paperback edition i.e. while Anathem by Neal Stephenson was first published in US Hardcover in 2008, the US paperback was published in August 2009 so it falls within the criteria for a 2009 release).
3. If the book was published by a small press publisher prior to 2008 and received a wider release through one of the Big publishers this year.
4. If the book, (like James Barclay’s Dawnthief), was published by a UK/Australian publisher earlier (2000 in this case) and received a US release in 2009.

This topic resides in the Fantasy/Horror forum, since it is the forum with the most traffic. However, all genre books under the above criteria will be eligible: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror and all combinations of the three. I will be posting an announcement/topic to the whole site to get people who normally don't visit the fantasy forums to come here and post their choices.

Pick five (5) books you enjoyed the most. Points will be doled out as follows – 8 points for the best book, 4 points for 2nd best book, and 3 point for 3rd best book, 2 points for the 4th book and 1 point for the 5th book, such that:

1. Book A by Rob 8 points
2. Book B by Kater 4 points
3. Book C by Hobbit 3 point
4. Book D by Dan 2 point
5. Book E by Dag 1 point

We can run this thing through the end of January, and I'll add up the votes/points and post the results in February.

Some other things to keep in mind:

• Keep it only to your top 5 books.
• If you feel only 3 or 4 books make your cut, that is fine.
• Don't start a discussion explaining why you disagree with a person's choice... there are other topics for that... just post your top 5 and leave it at that. (I will be printing this whole thing once voting closes and I don’t want to have to go through reams of paper containing explanations)
• Make sure you post in order of Preference... and if you post 7 favorites... only the top 5 will be used for voting tabulations. I know this is common sense... but trust me... it does and has happened.
• Moderators/Admins WILL be deleting any large explanations as to why people chose their top 5 books.
• Moderators/Admins will also delete any titles beyond 5
• You can list a TIE for one of the five places; however, the points will be divided between the books. i.e. if you place Drood by Dan Simmons and Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie as tied for 3rd place, each book will only get 1½ points

Publication dates:

• Amazon.com will tell you the publication date - people do ask.
• The book itself will have the publication date - again, people do ask
• Locus Online's Forthcoming books for 2009

If you have any other questions of a book's eligibility PM a mod/admin.

Have fun with this!

Rob

[suciul]

While my #1 choice is clear, 2-5 could be switched in any order but for now I will list them as follows:

1. Transition by I (M only US) Banks
2. The Rats and the Ruling Sea by Robert Redick
3. Wildfire by Sarah Micklem
4. Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey
5. Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

[Randy M.]

I don't tend to read a book in its year of publication. These are the only ones I got to this year. (And I still can't decide if the Mieville is fantasy or s.f.) I did enjoy all four of them.

China Mieville, The City and the City
Caitlin Kiernan, The Red Tree
Thomas Ligotti, My Work is Not Yet Done
Douglas Clegg, Isis


Randy M.

[DurzoBlint]

My top 5 -

Best Served Cold- Abercrombie
Warbreaker - Sanderson
The Adamantine Palace - Deas
Retribution Falls - Wooding
Patient Zero - Maberry

[AuntiePam]

I only read four fantasy/horror books published in 2009, but I gave them all five stars:

1. The Gone Away World - Nick Harkaway
2. The Warded Man - Peter Brett
3. The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters
4. Best Served Cold -- Joe Abercrombie

[Mithfânion]

These aren't really in order but since I know they will otherwise be counted as such anyway I might as well number them.

1. Judging Eye-Bakker
2. Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart-Bullington
3. Dragon Keeper-Hobb
4. Canticle-Scholes
5. Avilion-Holdstock

It'll be interesting to see who comes out on top!

[Raule]

1. Corambis, Sarah Monette (US, HC)
2. The Gargoyle, Andrew Davidson (US, TP -- not sure if this is considered Fantasy, but there's an element of the story that deals with reincarnation so I'll include it)
3. The Little Stranger, Sarah Waters (US, HC)
4. The Red Tree, Caitlin Kiernan (US, TP)
5. A Rift in the Sky, Julie Czerneda (US, HC)

[Winter]

The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Other City - Michal Ajzav (Published 1993 in Czech, 2009 English)
Finch - Jeff VanderMeer
The Child Thief - Brom
The Pilo Family Circus - Will Elliott

[Alumiere]

1. The Red Tree by Caitlin Kiernan
2. Absolute Death by Neil Gaiman
3. A is for Alien by Caitlin Kiernan
4. Metatropolis edited by John Scalzi

[Toma]

1. Peter S. Beagle - We Never Talk About My Brother
2. Joe Abercrombie - Best Served Cold
3. Stephen Baxter - Ark

[beniowa]

1. The Price of Spring, Daniel Abraham
2. The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi
3. Leviathan, Scott Westerfeld
4. The Angel’s Game, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
5. The City and the City, China Mieville

[cule]

1. The Price of Spring - D. Abraham
2. Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart - J. Bullington
3. Avilion - R. Holdstock
4. Dragonfly Falling - A. Tchaikovsky
5. Other Lands - D.A. Durham

[Antilles328]

1. The Windup Girl
2. The Devil's Alphabet
3. Moxyland
4. Best Served Cold
5. The City and The City

[Cochise]

1. Best Served Cold - Abercrombie
2. The Warded Man - Brett
3. The Price of Spring - Abraham
4. Judging Eye - Bakker

[Diablo Rojo]

1. Best Served Cold - Abercrombie