SFFWorld 2007 Best Reads Review (Part 1)

SFFWorld Review of the year 2007

It�s that time again! In a change to our usual routine (ie: RobB and I list our favourites) we thought it would be good if we asked some of our other staff members and Forum regulars to join in.

So, joining us this year around the SFFWorld Christmas tree are Adam (known as Werthead on site), Aidan (known as Al�Kael), Graeme (known as Deornoth) and Robert (known as Cervantor), as well as Rob Bedford and myself.

(Hobbit Editor Note: It may be worth noting that comments were made by participants without knowing the other�s responses. Some interesting similarities and differences! My responses are last in the list, simply because I felt you should read others before mine. To make a difference between the questions and my comments, I�ve used Hobbit and Mark where appropriate.)

1. Fantasy & Horror

Hobbit: Would anyone disagree that the year has been another strong one for Fantasy?

Robert: I think it depends on perspective. From a business aspect, I don�t have any hard numbers, but I think it was a strong year. I mean you had the last Harry Potter book come out; The Children of H�rin was highly anticipated; Patrick Rothfuss� debut is doing very well; you had new releases from a bunch of established authors like Terry Brooks, Stephen R. Donaldson, R.A. Salvatore and Terry Pratchett; both Kristen Britain and J.V. Jones finally came out with their new books after long delays; and regardless of what you may think of him, I�m sure Terry Goodkind�s Confessor will rack up some big numbers. Also, George R. R. Martin has his two Dreamsongs collections which I�m sure will be popular, and I�m not even going to touch �urban fantasy�, but that market seems to be going strong still. So, while I have no numbers to verify my statements, I�m thinking it was a good year. Of course, if anyone had the numbers it would make a pretty interesting article. (grins.)

From a reader�s point-of-view, I can�t complain. (grins.) Besides everything I�ve already mentioned, there�s also been a slew of strong releases from debut authors (Mark J. Ferrari, Wayne Barlowe, Joe Abercrombie*, Ian C. Esslemont**, Brian Ruckley*, Alex Bledsoe, etc.), up-and-coming writers (Scott Lynch, Brandon Sanderson, Daniel Abraham, David Anthony Durham, Catherynne M. Valente, Sarah Monette, Naomi Novik, Elizabeth Bear, etc.) and notable veterans (Guy Gavriel Kay, Lois McMaster Bujold, Steven Erikson, Jacqueline Carey, Glen Cook, Tad Williams, Lian Hearn, etc.), and that�s just touching the tip of the iceberg! In short, I thought there was a pretty nice blend of quality and quantity this year, so in answer to the question, �No, I wouldn�t disagree.�

*Released in 2006 (UK)

**Released in 2004 (Limited Edition), then 2006 (PS)

Adam: No. This year has been very good indeed for Fantasy, with strong efforts from both new authors - Rothfuss in particular, but also Daniel Abraham, a newcomer to the UK market - and established authors such as Steven Erikson.

Aidan: I don�t think anyone can argue that this has been a strong year for fantasy. Whether it�s novels from new names to Fantasy (The Name of the Wind, ACACIA: The War with the Mein, The Book of Joby) or solid efforts from veterans (Reaper�s Gale, The Elves of Cintra, Dreamsongs I&II, Red Seas Under Red Skies) it�s enough to keep every type of reader happy.

There�s been a pretty big boon in the number of Fantasy Bloggers / Web Sites this year and I don�t think that�s a coincidence. Fantasy and Science Fiction is getting more and more popular (Heck, George R.R. Martin was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly, of all publications!) and there�s never been a better time to get into the genre.

Rob Bedford: Fantasy continues to grow, in terms of the diversity of stories and books that fall under the �fantasy� umbrella and the amount of books being published.  Logic would dictate that quality and quantity have an unparallel relationship, but there were quite a few good books, and a handful to rise above good.  Of course, Robert Newcomb and Terry Goodkind also published novels this year, so it wasn�t all good.  However, on the whole, the good books were very good indeed.

Graeme: From what I�ve read, I think some of last years releases really set a standard that perhaps some of this year�s books didn�t quite reach. For example, Red Seas under Red Skies was good but didn�t quite match The Lies of Locke Lamora. Acacia was also a good read but wasn�t The Blade Itself. On the other hand though, you�ve got authors like Erikson, who turned out another Malazan instalment that people thought was an improvement on the previous one.

I�d say this year has been a strong one for fantasy but its hit a plateau rather than stepped up a gear, I�m still looking forward to next year though!

Mark: It�s definitely been a strong year for the genre this year, in my opinion. This time last year I was reading Before They are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie, and I wasn�t sure it could be bettered. However I�m pleased to say that the genre�s just gone from strength to strength since.

Hobbit: Have the expected best-sellers lived up to expectations?

Robert: Hmm, let�s see� I haven�t read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, or The Children of H�rin, or Fatal Revenant�in fact, the only book that I have read that I would constitute as an �expected best-seller� would be Terry Brooks� The Elves of Cintra, and in that case, I was a bit disappointed with the release, but then again, I wouldn�t say I was surprised. Other than that, I can�t really think of anything. Maybe Michael Chabon�s Gentlemen of the Road, but I�m not sure if that would be described as fantasy. Good read though. (grins.)

Adam: More or less. Rothfuss� success was deserved, although in retrospect I find many problems in Name of the Wind (although not enough to prevent me looking forward to the sequel!). It is rather depressing that biggest-selling epic fantasy of this year will probably be Goodkind again (as we had no Jordan or GRRM release this year). However, both Lynch and Abercrombie delivered worthwhile follow-ups to their debuts.

Aidan: The Name of the Wind was a terrific best-seller, but perhaps not an expected one (who actually believes those �Best Fantasy Novel of the Forever� blurbs on the front of novels, anyway?). Brooks� The Elves of Cintra was his best novel in years, which is a nice surprise considering his hit-or-miss nature in the last several years.

Other than that, I basically stayed away from the bestsellers.

Rob Bedford: For the most part, I think the genre bestsellers (or those that received a great deal of hype) they did.  Rothfuss? Yes, although I was lucky enough to take a look at The Name of the Wind before the book fell under the shadow of enormous buzz and expectations (as almost any book would) of the prepublication hype. Lynch? Yes, I had as much fun with Red Seas Under Red Skies as I did with The Lies of Locke Lamora, maybe more. Abercrombie? Another yes, The Blade Itself was loads of fun and even more impressive because it DID live up to the hype I heard, especially considering all the positive discussion about the book in our forums. The book that probably fell the shortest of the expectations for me was Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley. 

Books that hit the mainstream bestseller lists?  I just got the latest 2 Michael Chabon novels, as well as Tolkien�s posthumous novel.

Graeme: They�ve lived up to my expectations but unfortunately these haven�t been high sometimes. For example, I wasn�t expecting much from Terry Pratchett�s Making Money and I felt that I wasn�t proved wrong. Erikson turned out another great chapter in his series and Joe Abercrombie�s Before They are Hanged was also top notch. I thought it was kind of a mixed bag for bestsellers but it pretty much turned out how I thought.

Mark: Pretty much. Best sellers by Terry Brooks, JK Rowling, Steven Donaldson and Terry Goodkind are not too much of a surprise. Others, such as Karen Miller�s KingMaker, KingBreaker duology, have been.  I�ve been pleased with the Rothfuss and the Lynch myself, though there�s aren�t many books (or authors!) out there that could stand such a mass-hype, in my opinion.

Hobbit: What has surprised you this year in the genre?

Robert:  The biggest and most surprising thing that I�ve discovered this year, not just in fantasy, but in speculative fiction (science fiction, horror, urban fantasy, etc.) as a whole, is just how much of it is actually out there. I�ve only been running Fantasy Book Critic since March, and before that, I had only frequented a few blogs, forums & websites, and those for not very long. So, I�m pretty new to this whole scene. In fact, for many years, my main resources were the Science Fiction Book Club and Amazon, and for the most part I just tended to read books by authors that I was familiar with. This year alone, I�ve been introduced to so many amazing authors that I�m finding it hard to keep track of them all! Heck, it seems like I�m coming across someone new (to me) every week, and you know what, I absolutely love it. (grins.) My only complaint is what I�ve missed out on over the years, so I have a lot of catching up to do, but I�m going to relish the challenge!

Adam: A move away from �gritty� fantasy (epic and urban alike) in favour of more humour and slightly more bizarreness, which I expect to really start hitting next year based on some recent ARCs I�ve read.

Aidan: Newcomer authors. 2006, with debuts from authors like Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie and Hal Duncan, was a strong one and 2007 continued that trend with new authors like Patrick Rothfuss, Mark J. Ferrari and David Anthony Durham. I was constantly surprised by the fact that so many of my favourite novels this year kept coming from new authors.

I think some of the veterans better watch their back as these newcomers keep bursting onto the scene! 

Rob Bedford: The death of Robert Jordan was probably the biggest surprise for me.  We all knew he was dealing with an extremely debilitating disease and that it could take him at any time.  That said, his updates about his conditions were very upbeat, so his death was a surprise.

I was also surprised C.S. Friedman�s Feast of Souls flew under the radar as much as it did.  There seemed to be very little buzz about this otherwise solid novel from an author who has a solid reputation and fan base herself.

Aside from that, nothing comes to mind, but every year fantasy breaks new grounds of acceptance outside the genre.  In that respect, I�m not surprised.  Maybe the thing that surprised me the most was how well the quality was spread out.  As I said earlier, a lot was published this year.  I read a lot, though of course not all of it.  That being said, most of what I read was of very good quality.  The connection between the readers (consumers) and publishers seems to get better every year.

Graeme: What has surprised me is the great horror fiction that can be found in places where I wouldn�t normally look. Brian Keene is going from strength to strength and Gary Braunbeck is worth a look as well. There�s definitely more to horror fiction than what you find on high street book shelves! I was also pleasantly surprised at how what was essentially a �re-write� of a story from the Silmarillion (The Children of Hurin) actually made one of Tolkien�s more heavy going books a lot more accessible.

Mark: Actually, as said above, one of the most pleasant surprises have been how strong the genre books have generally been this year. I think the biggest surprises for me, fantasy-wise, have been Chris Wooding�s The Fade and Mike Carey�s The Devil You Know. In the case of Mike�s, the word out there was good, but this was better than I expected. So too Chris�s book, which was a complete unknown to me until I sat down to read it and was very pleasantly surprised.

Hobbit: What would you recommend as your �favourite five Fantasy� this year?

Robert:  This was a lot tougher than I thought it would be. I had a few that just missed the cut (Patrick Rothfuss� The Name of the Wind, Wayne Barlowe�s God�s Demon, Felix Gilman�s debut, Thunderer, (which I�m hyping for 2008 debut of the year), Jeffrey Overstreet�s Auralia�s Colors and Alex Bledsoe�s The Sword-Edged Blonde) and I kept going back and forth on some of them. In the end, in alphabetical order:

1) Acacia by David Anthony Durham

2) The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie*

3) The Book of Joby by Mark J. Ferrari

4) The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt (UK Only)

5) The Orphan�s Tales: In the Cities of Coin & Spice by Catherynne M. Valente

*Released in 2006 (UK)

Adam:

1)      The Long Price: Shadow & Betrayal � Daniel Abraham

2)      Un Lun Dun � China Mieville

3)      Red Seas Under Red Skies � Scott Lynch

4)      The Name of the Wind � Patrick Rothfuss

5)      Before They Are Hanged � Joe Abercrombie

Aidan: Alas, I�ve got a pretty predictable list. I�m a sucker for quality, though, and each of these novels delivered big time:

1) The Book of Joby by Mark J. Ferrari

I can�t say enough good things about this novel. A touching, epic journey through the tumultuous life of Joby Peterson, a man unknowingly at the crux of a wager between God and The Devil. The Stakes? All of existence.

Don�t worry about the heavy Christian overtones, though. Ferrari expertly handles the religious aspects in a way that never feels like he�s trying to sway the reader�s beliefs either in favour of or against religion. Can�t recommend it highly enough.

2) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

What more needs to be said? Easily the breakout story of the year and probably the most obvious successor to the Martin, Jordan, Williams era. A terrific story, an intriguing protagonist and great style. I want more.

3) The Blade Itself / Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

Abercrombie�s debut rocked my world. His ability to take standard Fantasy clich�s and turn them on their head (often to self-deprecatingly humourous results) really caught my attention. The biggest strength of the novels is definitely the three main protagonists. Each plays foil to the other and Abercrombie is at his best when he�s contrasting their characters. The story itself isn�t the most solid and innovative out there, but I just have such a great time reading about his characters that I just don�t care. Can�t wait to get my hands on the final novel of the trilogy, Last Argument of Kings.

4) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Screw the haters. Rowling did a great job of bringing her uber-popular series to a close. Sure it dragged in the middle, but the end was perfect. Well exceeded my expectations.

5) The Elves of Cintra by Terry Brooks

Brooks gets a lot of crap for recycling stories and even I would admit that his last Shannara trilogy (The High Druid of Shannara) was below par. His latest two novels, however, have shown just why he�s considered a father of modern fantasy. The Elves of Cintra is the best book he�s written in years and showcases Brooks� ability to innovate even after all these years.

The post-apocalyptic setting is suitably bleak and the characters that inhabit it are believable. If you�ve given up on Brooks and his Shannara novels, be sure to consider his latest trilogy. You might be surprised by what you find.

Rob Bedford: My answers vary from day to day and mood to mood, but right now I�ll go with:

1) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss 

2) Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch:

3) The Blade Itself  by Joe Abercrombie:

4) Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill:

5) The Empire of Ice Cream by Jeffrey Ford.  I know it was published in April 2006, but I just read it this year.  It was a fascinating collection by one of the genres most imaginative writers, and a writer who deserves a wider audience.

Graeme: Can�t I make it my �favourite ten fantasy�? No? Alright then�

In no particular order�

1) Before They are Hanged � Joe Abercrombie (more of the same, but twice as good: just what I wanted!)

2) Acacia � David Anthony Durham (not a perfect read but I reckon it did live up to the hype!)

3) Dark Hollow � Brian Keene (the best thing he�s written and a good place to get into his works)

4) Auralia�s Colours� Jeffrey Overstreet (just because it was so different to anything else that I�d read this year, a magical read)

5) Reaper�s Gale � Steven Erikson (because I�m a big Malazan fan and this book had almost the level of emotional resonance as Memories of Ice)

There was a lot of other good stuff this year but these books are the ones that stuck in my head.

Mark:

1)      The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. A surprisingly confident debut. If you can cope with the issue of how quickly things fall into place and the single point perspective, this is one that I suspect I will reread regularly. 

2)      Before They are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie. Mentioned this one a lot already.

3)      The Fade by Chris Wooding. Short & sharp: a refreshingly compact read, with deceptively hidden depths. (Rather appropriate for a book set mainly underground, eh?)

4)      Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch. Still entertaining.

5)      The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross. Finally out here in the UK. The book where I finally �get� Stross. Lovecraft and Len Deighton in one unusual mix. Halting State�s pretty good too, though not one that will win over his critics, I think.

There are some I�ve just not got to this year: Acacia, for one. And I�m still way behind with my Steven Erikson!

(Later Edit: Honorary mention for Connie Willis�s collection The Winds of Marble Arch, which I�ve only just received but so far (and knowing some of the material from previous collections) is really good. Had I received it earlier and therefore finished it before this review, I think it would�ve been in my top five. George RR Martin�s Dreamsongs would possibly be here too, though I read it in its Subterranean Press version a couple of years ago. For those not aware of George�s work-that-isn�t-ASOIAF, it�s a great read.) 

(End of Part 1.)

In Part 2 we look at SF, Film &TV, Computer games and our hopes and wishes for Christmas 2007 and 2008.

You can discuss our results further in the Forums HERE. 

Mark Yon / Hobbit, December 2007