And as we get to the end of 2020, it’s that time again for us to select our favourites from a year that has been…. well, let’s call it unusual.
With everything going on, our usual list (usually split into three) is a little compressed this time around. But amongst all the chaos and the dross, there has been some nuggets that in our humble opinion may be worth digging out.
- Reading: Fantasy & Horror
Rob Bedford: I managed to read nearly 80 books over the course of 2020, with a majority of those falling into either Fantasy or Horror. Below are my top five for the year:
Ashes of the Sun (Book 1 of Burningblade and Silvereye) by Django Wexler
The world is immersive and wondrous and one book into the series, it ranks pretty high on my list of secondary worlds. I’ve always been fascinated with Post-Apocalyptic stories and this one is very much in that vein, but the apocalypse here was magical in nature rather than scientific (i.e. nuclear war or plague)….There are many other hints at the past of the world, both before the cataclysmic Plague War and the Plague War itself. I also get hints of Steampunk/Clockwork elements that only enhance the world. In short, Wexler imbues a deep history to this milieu and I am 100% on board for anything he does in this world.
Ashes of the Sun is an enormously fun, thought-provoking novel that is an outstanding launch novel for a series.
… Highly, highly recommended.
Black Sun (Book 1 of Between Earth and Sky) by Rebecca Roanhorse
When the opening line of a novel is “Today he would become a god,” you know you are in store for something epic. … Roanhorse’s plotting, deft hand at characterization, and pace at revealing details about the world and characters, makes Black Sun an un-put-downable novel.
Black Sun is an outstanding novelistic achievement – expertly drawn characters, fascinating and refreshing worldbuilding, and potent and magnetic narrative/plotting, make this a contender for best fantasy novel of the year. Roanhorse has outdone herself in this novel (and her two Sixth World novels are pretty damned good!).
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Vampire Slaying by Grady Hendrix
With his fourth novel (third that I’ve read), it has become a safe bet to slot Grady’s work on my favorite of the year list. Grady builds tension slowly, methodically, and brilliantly through the first third of the novel. He does a wonderful job of putting the reader in Patricia’s perspective, building up empathy for everything she experiences from the moment she is introduced in the opening pages. … Horror is a genre that can often be used to illuminate some of the less pleasant things in society, like racism and misogyny. Here, Hendrix shows the inequity of the male/female divide in society with women relegated to the homes as obedient mothers who should be seen and not heard.
Grady Hendrix is growing into a master of the horror genre with each book he publishes, he’s become a must read for me and The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is proof of that.
The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
The Hollow Places is told in the first-person voice of Kara, Carrot to her Uncle and her friend Simon who joins Kara on her otherworldly journey. One day, while her Uncle is recovering from a much-needed surgery, Kara discovers a hole in the wall of the museum….that leads to another place.
In the Hollows is the second novel I’ve read from T. Kingfisher and I’m continuing to be impressed, she’s on my must acquire list at this point.
The Sin in Steel by Ryan van Loen
This novel gets the last slot on my fantasy top five since it stands out as my top debut novel of the year. The Sin in the Steel, could be seen as simply a fantasy adventure yarn with two youthful protagonists. However, the story within the pages and the characters themselves, have far more depth than that simple deconstruction, especially when these two protagonists are a play on Holmes & Watson and they find themselves either allying or in conflict with, sorcerers, the undead, Old and New Gods, and pirates. The Sin in the Steel is a fun romp that plays with familiar genre elements while injections of originality spice up that familiar dish. Ryan Van Loan has crafted a very impressive debut novel and launched a fantasy series that has me eager to read the next installment.
Special mention must go to Sarah Kozloff who managed to publish a four book saga, The Nine Realms, over the course of the first half of 2020. I read all of the books and enjoyed them immensely, including reviewing the first.
Mark Chitty: To say 2020 has been an unusual year is a big understatement. Personally, I’ve been working from home since mid-March and had limited outings for social reasons. I’m a natural introvert so I haven’t found being house bound too much of an inconvenience. I thought this extended time at home would let me catch up on lots of TV shows and movies, power through my to-read stack, and generally have a fabulous time having more time to do what I enjoy.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t quite worked out like that, with a long list of jobs around the house that I had no excuse to get out of doing. I also discovered that my reading has switched almost exclusively to audiobooks over the past few years, and my daily commute was where I listened to them the most. It’s meant that my reading is down on previous years, and I’ve not got to many new releases at all. TV and movie watching also got pushed to the side, with the living room taken over by my wife for evening zoom sessions. I’ve spent the majority of this year on a PC, either at work 9-5, or gaming in the evenings.
So, here are my relatively short picks of what I’ve read, watched, and played this year. Let’s hope 2021 brings a better time for us all!
I really don’t read as much as I used to, and this is especially so with fantasy novels. In fact, I don’t think I read a traditional fantasy novel this year, and my contributions here are limited to Jim Butcher’s latest Dresden Files novels, Peace Talks and Battle Ground, and Stephen King’s If It Bleeds. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Dresden Files over the years and the stakes get higher and higher with each one. I’m particularly looking forward to see where he goes from here. King, for me, is always reliable, and his shorter fiction manages to condense what I love about him without taking away the quality. If It Bleeds is a great little collection.
Mark Yon: Mark C seems to have summed up the year quite nicely. Like for many, it’s not been easy. I’ve managed to read and review about 40 books this year, although I can also say that I’ve not finished at least 20 more – a new record. Whether that is because of the year, or whether it is for other reasons, I’m not sure. But I did find some I really liked.
The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell
A big fat debut Fantasy with all the things I expect – characters with a destiny, kings, queens and vagabonds. A great immersive book. The second book, The Two-Faced Queen, is due in early 2021.
The City of a Thousand Faces by Walker Dryden
Also a debut novel, but slightly different in that it is from a duo of writers with considerable scriptwriting experience, and it shows. Lots of characters, plot twists and a great setting, which has left me wanting the next book now.
A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill
Another writer new to me. This was one of Rob’s favourites when it was published in the US last year, and I can only echo what he said. I really liked the feeling that the writer taps into, to reflect the Turner family’s values. Anyone who loves the genre will recognise aspects of this novel before it all takes a dark and sinister turn. Memorable. An astonishing debut.
The Nobody People by Bob Proehl
Also memorable, this is a great take on the idea of “superheroes in our midst,” taking a well-worn theme but giving it a contemporary modern aspect. This one dragged me in, and ends on a cliff-hanger that I look forward to seeing resolved next year.
The Hollow Ones by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan
This was a pleasant surprise, a creepy story given an X-Files type setting. Both writers have significant credentials, and they use their talents here to great effect. This one draws you in and I look forward to reading more in what is clearly going to be an ongoing series.
- Reading: Science Fiction
Rob Bedford: As I suggested earlier, my reading of 2020 releases in Science Fiction did not compare – from a quantity standpoint – to Fantasy and Horror. Still a few managed to rise to the top
The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey
Post-Apocalyptic novels come in many forms, with many themes, and many reasons for the world being broken. Some of those novels don’t get too specific and rather focus on the characters. In M.R. Carey’s The Book of Koli, the character of Koli is front and center in a world that has hints of our own…. One of the more enjoyable elements of any post-apocalyptic novel for me is the puzzle aspect. Trying to make connections between the world of the broken future the characters inhabit and the real world in which we live. That element was quite strong in The Book of Koli which worked very well as told through Koli’s unique voice.
The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
In The Relentless Moon, the third novel in The Lady Astronaut series, Mary Robinette Kowal picks up the story of a world shattered by a meteor strike and an accelerated space race. After focusing on Elma York in the first two novels in the series, Kowal jumps a decade and switches first-person narrators from Elma York to Nicole Wargin… a fellow “Lady Astronaut” with Elma York but while Elma continued her life in space, Nicole’s husband Kenneth became Kansas Governor… It is a hopeful, beautiful, gripping, powerful continuation of The Lady Astronaut saga, which is emerging as a Modern Masterpiece of the Genre.
What is perhaps most powerful about Onyebuchi’s story is the authenticity. It felt intensely real, from the issues of racism Onyebuchi highlights in the story, to the way the characters speak, to the way they emote. Kev’s journey through the story feels all too real given the times in which we live, times where innocent young black men in America are harassed by police as a matter of course. What makes this story feel so real is also what makes it so harrowing.
Riot Baby is prophetic, harrowing, and at times uplifting story. At barely 170 pages, Riot Baby is potent and impressive
Mark Chitty: I’ve also read much less science fiction than normal, at least as far as current releases go. I’ve got through a fair amount of older novels during the year, but have just struggled to keep up-to-date.
Of those I have read, it’s easy to put Peter F Hamilton’s The Saints of Salvation at the top of the list. Here’s a trilogy that gives everything Hamilton is known for, but in a shorter page count and with a somewhat narrower focus in terms of the cast of characters.
Heaven’s River by Dennis E Taylor is also up there with favourites, but then the Bobiverse novels hit the sweet spot for me – big ideas, great characters, easy prose. Adrian Tchaikovsky’s The Doors of Eden is another solid novel this year that shows what is great about science fiction, and Tchaikovsky is becoming a firm favourite here with his novels becoming must-reads. Another couple of novels that have rounded off series are The Last Emperox by John Scalzi and The Human by Neal Asher, both great conclusions to their respective trilogies.
Mark Yon:
We, Robots, Edited by Simon Ings
I reviewed this recently and was wowed by the scale and ambition of this huge book, despite some unusual omissions. Lots and lots to recommend in here, some surprises and some intelligent choices. A book to dip into on a regular basis.
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
I’m very pleased to find Kim Stanley Robinson return to form for me by tackling a subject that is clearly close to his heart and one he has written on before. This is an intelligent and detailed take on the complicated subject of climate change, at times a little dry, but overall an effective message of positivity surrounded by apocalyptic images of doom.
The Vanishing Birds by Simon Jimenez
Another book that shows new writers taking on old tropes – in this case, Space Opera – and giving them a contemporary twist. A book that seems to sum up the current changes in SF admirably.
Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott
This may be a novel that shows that a good writer can turn their hand to anything, for this is an author who has recently built up a reputation for Epic Fantasy novels returning to write Science Fiction. Unconquerable Sun combines elements of Ancient History by taking elements of the life-story of Alexander the Great and placing them in a futuristic Space Opera setting. You don’t have to know the Alexander story to get this one, because strong characterisation with fast moving set pieces show an author with considerable skills, and Kate doesn’t rest on her laurels.
Bone Silence by Alastair Reynolds
Alastair’s previous two books in this Science Fiction trilogy of ‘Pirates in Space’ have been regular inclusions in my ‘Best of’ lists. This one steps up the ante to give both a bigger picture of this universe and a satisfactory conclusion to the series. The author has said that this is his last novel, at least for now, following the lives of the Ness twins. I would like to read more stories in this interesting setting.
- Watching: Films
Mark Yon: Well, movies have been difficult to see this year, haven’t they? I was so wanting to see Dune and the last Daniel Craig Bond in 2020, which I guess I will talk about next year. Having to resort to television screenings, admittedly on a big TV screen, have not quite been the same. But I did enjoy Tenet, though it wasn’t perfect – certainly better than Dunkirk. Similarly, I mainly enjoyed Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and The Invisible Man, which was better than I hoped. Scraping into the year (just), Wonder Woman 84 had its good points but was far far too long for the plot it was trying to convey. Not bad, but not a universal recommendation in my household, sadly.
Rob Bedford: The last movie I saw in theaters was Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) which was highly enjoyable and a sizeable improvement over Suicide Squad. The films I watched on streaming services were mostly recent/older films from the past couple of years, but one of the new direct-to-Netflix releases that was superb was The Old Guard starring Charlize Theron. Part Highlander, part superhero epic, it was a smart action thriller. Also highly enjoyable was The Last Kids on Earth, an animated adaptation of the popular young adult/teen novels.
Mark Chitty: Of the movies I’ve watched this year, they’ve mostly been on Netflix or Amazon Prime. The Old Guard was great, as was Extraction and Project Power, Ghost Stories was an interesting, if strange, anthology. Tremors: Shrieker Island was a bit of a let-down for me, but I still enjoyed it to get my Graboid fix. While not necessarily a new release, Hamilton was by far the best thing I watched this year – fantastic in every way. Some other I watched and enjoyed for their entertainment value were: Spenser Confidential, My Spy, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, and Hubie Halloween.
- Watching: TV
Mark Yon: Lots seen here this year. Really liked the gloriously over-the-top and ultra-violent The Boys Season 2, which has left me keen to see the third season due next year. Thought Picard was good, but slumped a little at the end. The Ronald D Moore alternate history series for Apple, For All Mankind, was also great, though I found it was a bit of a slog in the middle. Tales from the Loop was a real slow-burner, and glacially dark. I am currently watching Ridley Scott’s Raised by Wolves, which I am enjoying – so far.
Was sadly underwhelmed by Star Trek: Discovery, In non-genre stuff, I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy The Morning Show, with an excellent ensemble cast.
And although it was clearly playing for fanbase appeal, for me The Mandalorian continued to produce some of the best Star Wars related material since Rogue One, and as a result was perhaps my most favourite series of the year.
Rob Bedford: In the genre, the two standouts were The Mandalorian and The Expanse, the former having concluded the run of its supremely enjoyable second season just before the Holidays whilst the latter just began at the start of the Holidays. Thanks to HBO Max taking over the DC Universe streaming shows, I was able to watch the first season of Doom Patrol which is based on the characters who first appeared in 1963 (one month prior to X-Men). I gave up on Umbrella Academy about halfway through the first season because the characters were extremely annoying, Stargirl was off to a good first season, but most of the DC Comics shows have very strong first seasons. Locke & Key was a better-than-expected adaptation of the Joe Hill/Gabriel Rodriguez graphic novels. I’m also slowly making my way through The Haunting of Bly Manor, Mike Flanagan’s follow-up to The Haunting of Hill House. Perhaps the most enjoyable, smart, and hilarious television program in the genre was What We Do in the Shadows, about the inept vampires who live in Staten Island. The second season premiered in 2020 and may have been better than the first season.
Mark Chitty: There were definitely more TV shows on my radar this year, and while I didn’t get to everything I wanted, I’m pleased that I watched a lot of them. Star Trek Picard and The Outsider are amongst my favourites, while Upload, The Umbrella Academy, The Good Place and Tales from the Loop were all great genre shows. Alex Rider, Locke and Key, and Stargirl were enjoyable enough, but not great. Non-genre watching was the excellent Schitt’s Creek.
- Gaming
Mark Chitty: I’ve played a few games this year, though nothing really new or noteworthy. I’ll say that The Park and Gone Home were great, short but a few hours well spent. A Story About My Uncle was a little longer but fun for what it was. I burned out on Borderlands 3 early in the year and have yet to get to the two latest DLC, but I shall at some point soon. I dipped very briefly into Fortnite and honestly can’t see what the fuss is about. GTA Online took up a lot of the lockdown months, but drove me crazy towards the end. Recently I’ve been in The Outer Worlds (so immersive) and Forza 4 (love a good driving game).
And that’s it for this year, all. We hope that you’ve found some of our suggestions useful. We think that you should at least find something in there that is to your taste. We wish you all the best, with the fervent hope that 2021 is everything you want it to be (and 2020 should have been).
