Thanks to the Impromptu Sci-Fi Book Club (ISBC), the genre gets its own separate entry this (and maybe every) year. Which is to say that Sci-Fi is alive and well and well worth seeking out and reading. 17 (good golly) titles this year! Here are some notes:
The Good
David Mitchell ranks as the author I find most consistently great, book in and book out, and TBC did not disappoint. Hard sci-fi it isn’t, but I am convinced that he is telling a meta-story through all of his novels that mirrors what he did in Cloud Atlas, so i look forward to his works like few other authors.
Q: (4)
E: (4)
I: 3
(19)
Ernest Cline writes a mean John Hughes movie, chock full of easter eggs of its own. Popcorn fun and worthy of the hype.
Q: (3)
E: (4)
I: 4
(16)
Without a doubt the most breathless read of the year. Is un-put-downable a word yet?
Q: (3)
E: (5)
I: 3
(18)
Several books crossed nicely between sci-fi/fantasy and diversity, and they are worth mentioning. Kindred (14), The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (7), Nexus (6), Ascension (5) and The Three-Body Problem (5).
This is the place where I remind myself that I was among the few who really really didn’t like Station Eleven (1).
A few of the books I read this year were parts to series. Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was the only one that convinced me to read another, and that one didn’t convince me to read the third.
I did quite enjoy a quirky little thing called The Alex Crow (12), thank you Shannon.
Next: Looking forward
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