Here’s our now traditional Review of the Year, pointing out what we liked most. To begin with:
Part 1: Fantasy & Horror Books
(Part 2 will look at SF Books, Part 3 will look at Film and TV.)
———————————————
Mark Yon: I’m pleased to say that there’s been a lot I’ve enjoyed this year – this hasn’t always been the case!
So the choices have been thoroughly mulled over and difficult choices made.
My 5 (in alphabetical order) are:
Joe Abercrombie – The Wisdom of Crowds
The last and final book in Joe’s latest trilogy had a lot to live up to. There had been lots of setting up in The Trouble With Peace and A Little Hatred and I was interested to read how it would all end. In some ways this was the usual Abercrombie work – dark violent, with quips and gallows humour, written in Joe’s style that others emulate but rarely manage. I am reminded writing this that it is difficult to write in such a unique style and still come up with something different from what you’ve written before, but here Joe managed to maintain his traditional manner, make pertinent comments about society and also tie the trilogy off nicely. Very pleased that this one was as good as I hoped it would be.
P Djeli Clark – A Master of Djinn
A debut of a sorts, in that this is Clark’s debut novel, having introduced us to this world in his novellas A Dead Djinn in Cairo and The Haunting of Tram Car 015. A tale that mixes occult magic with ancient history and a good deal of Egyptology thrown in. I particularly liked the alternate-world-building, although many will appreciate the quirky characterisation. It’s not perfect, but there’s enough that I really liked for me to both remember it and recommend it. I am sure we will hear more from Clark in the future, too.
A cleverly written set of short stories, written in the fairy-story style and tradition, that link together to form a mosaic novel. Literate, imaginative, intelligent – clearly a work written with love and respect for the old material yet resolutely modern. And dark enough to be definitely for adults.
Grady Hendrix – The Final Girl Support Group
Talking of dark, Grady’s latest takes 1980’s horror tropes and a knowledge of Stranger Things-era movies to produce a modern novel that impresses and with enough twists to make this feel like an early Stephen King style novel but written for a modern readership. Intelligently sassy and impressively contemporary.
T. L. Huchu – The Library of the Dead
Another debut this year that impresses. Terrific world building set in an unusual place – some sort of post-apocalyptic Edinburgh – with a great lead character in a plot that speeds along from the start. Made me think that it was like a newer, more modern take of the Dresden Files. And again, one that has remained memorable since its reading.
Honorary mention goes to J. T. Greathouse’s The Hand of the Sun King, which impressed with its detailed background setting and deeply embedded philosophies, The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa, which was a hug in a book reminiscent of a Studio Ghibli movie and Stephen King’s LATER which, surprised me because even though it was relatively short, harkened back to the no-nonsense era of early King horror novels.
Rob Bedford: I’m breaking out 5 favorite fantasy novels and 5 favorite horror novels from 2021. I read more horror in 2021 than I have in past years, and a lot of it was really good. Narrowing down a list of 5 combined for both genres is impossible, so that’s why I’m doing 5 for each sub-genre. There’s just a lot of good stuff out there worth highlighting.
Top 5 Fantasy books of 2021, alphabetical (although I note my favorite)
The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman https://www.sffworld.com/2021/05/the-blacktongue-thief-by-christopher-buehlman/
Buehlman has a great knack for evoking a sense of place and a giving off an immersive feel to the world. There’s a lot of hinted-at history to the world, especially the oft-mentioned Goblin Wars which seemed to have a profound affect on the milieu. There’s a gritty, dirtiness to the world that feels lived-in, which comes across through the characters themselves. They don’t recite the world’s history, but the manner in which they refer to events or historical figures gives the characters and the world a great sense of being. In other words, the “world-building” element of the novel works so well because the reader learns about the world from the characters who live in it, rather than big info dumps.
Some of Buehlman’s skills in the horror genre come through, like that evocative prose. He’s got a strong voice and I felt a sense of resonance one of his novels in particular, The Lesser Dead. That novel is a first-person vampire tale narrated by Buehlman himself. The protagonist of that novel is a sarcastic wise-ass who manages to dispense some actual wisdom. As a result of how much I enjoyed listening to that novel, I found it difficult NOT to hear Buehlman’s voice in my head as Kinch and helped me to enjoy the novel to a greater degree.
The Unbroken by C.L. Clark https://www.sffworld.com/2021/04/the-unbroken-by-c-l-clark-magic-of-the-lost-1/
One thing that has been said of this book is the range of characters and how the majority of them are women. Military Fantasy is typically a very male driven genre, both the writers and the characters. I was even hesitant to mention that the characters are primarily women because it really only clicked with me when I was more than halfway through the novel. I thought, “Hmm…there’s barely any men in this story.” I essentially acknowledged it with an “oh, cool,” and moved on because it is just one fascinating point about this enthralling novel.
The Unbroken is a remarkably impressive novel, especially for a debut. Clark has written and published short stories, but this novel is my first exposure to her writing. I suspect this novel will remain at/near the top of my favorite reads for the year and I would not be surprised to see The Unbroken land on multiple best of the year and award shortlists. It is that damned good, that damned impressive, and is only the first of a series. I know I’m hooked.
The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst https://www.sffworld.com/2021/03/the-bone-maker-by-sarah-beth-durst/
This was my favorite fantasy novel of the year, hands down.
Getting the gang back together is a popular motif in many stories, fantasy stories included. One of the most popular (and one of the foundational fantasy sagas in this vein for me) is the DragonLance Chronicles, so I suppose I’m pre-disposed to liking stories that begin in this fashion. In The Bone Maker, the evil sorcerer was defeated 25 years ago, but at no small cost to the heroes who took him down.
Durst examines some deep things here, grief, forgiveness moving on (or not) from a powerful traumatic experience, faith/belief in ideals, and life being more than just one event. She does so this all while weaving a wonderful story and a fascinating, potent magic system in the back drop. The characters a mature, fully rounded, breathing, emotive people whose experiences so completely inform every action they take. Small things in the background of Durst’s writing, storytelling, and world-building make the story and characters on the page come across very elegantly.
In a shelf-filled with multi-volume fantasies it is not only refreshing to see and enjoy a single-volume Epic Fantasy novel, but truly something special for the book to be this amazing.
The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid https://www.sffworld.com/2021/06/the-wolf-and-the-woodsman-by-ava-reid/
Told through Évike’s voice in first person narrative, Reid put a lot of proverbial pressure on Évike. I found her to be bold, honest, and uncompromising. The story diverts from the mainline narrative to recount stories that have informed the characters and world, the folk tales that provide a moral compass and a hint of the history of the people who inhabit the landscape depicted in the Wolf and the Woodsman. What this does for me is impart just how powerful and important story is, not just to Reid and her characters, but to people and human understanding as a whole.
Ava Reid has boldly announced herself as a literary force with The Wolf and the Woodsman. The novel is impressive in its beauty, characters, and uncompromising nature and is all the more impressive for being Reid’s debut novel. I would not be in the least bit surprised if The Wolf and the Woodsman lands on multiple “Best of the Year” lists for 2021.
Blood of the Chosen by Django Wexler https://www.sffworld.com/2021/11/blood-of-the-chosen-by-django-wexler/
In everything I’ve read from Django Wexler, especially Blood of the Chosen, the action and combat scenes are essential, and extremely fun to experience. I didn’t feel like I was just reading the words on the page, I felt like I was a proverbial fly on the wall in the action. This is especially true of the final conflict of the novel, so much of the narrative was slow burn build that the explosive ending was extremely compelling. The slow burn of the novel’s beginning made the build-up and the action of the finale that more enjoyable. That ending also sows seeds in some verdant land for a potent continuation in the third novel.
Rob’s 5 favorite horror novels
Slewfoot by BROM https://www.sffworld.com/2021/10/sffworld-countdown-to-halloween-2021-slewfoot-by-brom/
Much of the story feels like a historical fantasy / fairy tale, but then Brom shifts the tone into something darker and a story firmly entrenched in horror. That build of tension and build of Abitha’s character is like a powder keg that explodes in what at one time could be considered dark magic. Here also is what Brom does so well…he upturns the historical perspective and turns the “good” on its head into something not quite so pleasant. He does this via the simmering of tension I mentioned earlier as well as the path Abitha’s nemesis Wallace takes. Brom gives readers a character to root for in Abitha and an antagonist that is unlikeable in Wallace. Brom doesn’t just make Wallace a cardboard cut-out of a villain, he balances the character by showing some insight into the Wallace’s motivation. We see why he feels the way he does, even if his reaction to those feelings are villainous.
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix https://www.sffworld.com/2021/07/the-final-girl-support-group-by-grady-hendrix-2/
I’m a big horror fan, but the slasher sub-genre was never my go-to subset of the genre. It isn’t that I dislike it, I just prefer some of the other flavors of horror. Of course, I’m familiar with a couple of the big ones like Halloween, Friday the 13th, and one of my overall favorite horror movies, A Nightmare on Elm Street, so some of the character stand-ins/homages didn’t land with me 100% since I’m not super well-versed in Slasher films. Again, that isn’t necessarily the point nor are those connections required to be made to completely enjoy the novel, more like a dash of whipped cream on a delicious scoop of ice cream. In fact, Dr. Carol Elliott is likely an homage to Professor Carol J. Clover, who coined the term “Final Girl” and theory in her 1992 book, Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. All of that said, The Final Girl Support Group was an enormously fun, extremely smart, thrill ride of a novel. It is a novel that both entertains and Makes a Statement, which in my mind, is what great literature should do. I continue to say this when I write about Grady Hendrix’s work, but with each novel or thing (non-fiction like Paperbacks from Hell or films he’s written) he produces in the genre, he’s cementing himself as a foundational voice in early 21st Century Horror. His novels have become appointment reading for me at this point.
Near the Bone by Christina Henry
This is the second book I read by Henry, but it will be far from my last. Set in a remote, secluded mountain cabin, Mattie is in what can be considered an unhealthy relationship with her husband William. She is confined to the cabin, except when William needs her help and William wants nobody to know of their presence on the mountain. When she discovers a mutilated fox, William decides to hunt down the thing that left the corpse near their house. Strange, inhuman voices begin to cry out in the night and visitors stumble upon Mattie and William. Part psychological thriller, part monster story, Henry tells a taut, gripping horror story here.
The House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward https://www.sffworld.com/2021/09/the-last-house-on-needless-street-by-catriona-ward/
In so many ways, The Last House on Needless Street is a puzzle of a book. As the novel draws to its potent conclusion, the whole of the story comes together in a fashion that sheds light on hints that were placed in the earliest portions of the novel. There are some eerie elements to the novel, some reality-questioning elements, and of course the dark elements that land this one in the horror genre. That said, it will appeal to readers who don’t necessarily gravitate to the horror genre.
In some ways, I was very much reminded of Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts. There’s a lot going on in the narrative under the surface that bubbles up on the conclusion. Both novels lingered in my head long after I finished reading them.
The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig https://www.sffworld.com/2021/07/the-book-of-accidents-by-chuck-wendig/
Alphabetically, this is the last of the five horror novels, but The Book of Accidents happens to be my favorite overall book of the year.
What can I say about this novel without giving away too much of what makes it tick, from the dark and supernatural point of view? Nothing really, because this book turned into something quite unexpected. What I will say is that Oliver is a wonderful creation, despite the pain he feels from others, he does not crumble or wither. He finds strength in how this ability makes him want to help others. Like Oliver, what Chuck has done in The Book of Accidents is powerfully build up empathy in the characters he’s created in this novel. On the whole, their motivations seem genuine, their actions understandable if not approved, and the characters simply come to life.
In my review of Wanderers, I mentioned Chuck Wendig’s affinity for the fiction of Stephen King and parts of this novel (in addition to the elderly, friendly neighbor) definitely evoke the best of King’s work. The genius here; however, is that Chuck Wendig completely owns everything in The Book of Accidents. The result, a modern masterpiece of Dark/Horror Fiction.
Mark C: I read very little fantasy and horror novels this past year, but of those I did read there are two I’d wholly recommend without reservation: Stephen Aryan’s The Coward, and Stephen King’s Later. Aryan’s The Coward is a fun and intriguing take on the hero’s quest trope, and is fresh with some great characters and an ending that makes the concluding volume – The Warrior – a must-read in 2022. Like MarkY said above, King’s Later is a short and quick read that is reminiscent of his earlier books, and it was one I just couldn’t put down – the better of his two 2021 releases (though Billy Summers is well worth a read too).
Great list! The Unbroken was the only 1 to make my top 5, but I enjoyed The Final Girl Support Group, The Blacktongue Thief, and The Bone Maker immensely.
I’ve avoided King’s Hard Case Crime series, but you guys are making a strong case for checking out LATER.
Thanks Bob!
If it helps, I was (pleasantly) surprised by LATER too. It’s shorter & more focused than much of his recent material. Read it in 1 – 2 sittings, if I remember right!