Thursday, December 27, 2018

2018 reads

As 2018 comes to a close, I'm needing to write again.  So, since I have permanent writer's block, I figured I'd recap the books of this year.  I had to go into my goodreads account just to remind myself but for posterity, here it is:

1) Infomocracy.  To be fair, I barely remember this book.  The author tries way too hard to make some fairly obvious points which is buoyed a bit by a decent pace.  Overall, forgettable.

2 and 3) Truthwitch and Windwitch.  I'm not sure if these are classified as YA, but pretty sure they should be.  Interesting world building, some great, some not so great characters.  The writing itself is accessible without patronizing.  Overall, really fun stories that will keep me reading future installments.

4) Shaft's Revenge.  Not a great novel by any stretch, but much better than I expected.  I got this at a comic fair from the author himself, buying it as I always feel a bit obligated when I meet the author.  I expected a messy return for no other reason than I got it at a comic fair but I really enjoyed it.  Some of the sex stuff wasn't necessary but I suppose given the pedigree, it had to be there.  Good story, tight pacing, hardboiled writing.  Overall, fun.

5) The Punch Escrow.  The first of many books I've read this year that I had mixed feelings about.  The concept is interesting and the set-up is top notch.  There's a really strong thriller in the bones of this book.  But it gets really messy.  I think that's the point, but the many threads are hard to keep up with and it's just a bit too haywire to fully get behind.

6) Space Tripping.  Hitchhiker's Guide for Drunkards.  It's a mess.  I finished it, which means it wasn't totally terrible, but not something I'd recommend.

7) I, Villain.  Weird little story about a world where super powers are only held by villains.  Not terrible (I read 20 pages in its sequel which is about the worst 20 pages I've ever read) as the concept keeps in going for awhile, but after a bit, it just makes no sense.  I'm cool with the implausibility of super powers, but not with the implausible implications if that makes sense.  This one definitely rates high on the WTF meter though I kinda liked it anyway.

8) The Strange Bird: A Borne Story  This was one of my favorites of the year.  Vandermeer is one of the best authors working today.  A heartbreaking but ultimately beautiful tale.  Read Borne first, but this is a knockout novella.

9) Dark Matter.  Very similar in story to Punch Escrow, but the pacing is lights out.  Still, gets off the rails a bit in the back third which makes it tough to really endorse.  But, the pacing kept it strong enough that I picked up more from the author.

10) Black Swan Green.  The most perfect coming of age story I have ever read.  Brilliant.  Amazing.

11-13) The Binti Trilory.  The first book is just an amazing work.  Unusual in it's setting and characters, unsettling but ultimately an amazing look into how science fiction can bridge much more than just the future.  The last book gets a bit troublesome as it's hard to follow and understand the motivations, but otherwise, fantastic.

14)  The Boy on the Bridge.  I absolutely loved The Girl with All the Gifts and hoped this would be similar in quality.  For the most part, it succeeds, but finds that second layer of implausibility that seems to have found it's way into many of 2018 books the I've read.  There are parts of this book that just don't work at all.

15-18) The Wayward Pines trilogy.  Loved almost all of it.  Ridiculous set-up aside, Crouch has a way with pacing that keeps me glued to his work.  The second book gets overviolent but otherwise, a page turning trilogy that takes a lot of turns without getting off the rails too much (other than the set-up that you just gotta go with.)

19)  Revenant Gun.  The last of one of my all time favorite trilogies.  It's a wonderful end to a mind bending science fiction trilogy.  It gets a bit caught up in trying to cleanly finish the many issues around identity, but it's still a good ride.

20) Lost Gods.  Probably the most ambitious books of my year and that's saying a lot given the subject matter.  But like other books, the implausibility within the implausibility gets the best of it at times.  Being said, I love ambitious efforts and there are some really chilling moments.  I would have preferred this as two separate stories though and I clearly prefer the one not in hell.

21) Death Troopers.  I'm a sucker for Star Wars and zombies.  This doesn't disappoint on either side.  The story stays mostly tight but again, it gets a bit much at times.  But, I'm more forgiving of this in a Star Wars story because that is pretty much Star Wars is pretty much Russian nesting dolls of implausible anyway.

22) Bloody Rose.  I had high hopes for this after the great Kings of the Wyld.  Alas, it was boring.  The second half is ok, but the characters are not nearly as interesting, the sexuality is a bit out of place, and it wasn't a sequel as much as a reboot of the same story.  I'll dive into the next one as well, but I'm not quite as excited.

23) The Power.  I expected it to be entirely political, but the author does a pretty good job of setting up the plitical side only to tear it down.  As a story, it suffers from going in odd directions when the story gets out if its comfort zone, but overall, it was better than I expected.  It just needed a bit more focus.

24 and 25) Darkest Minds and Never Fade.  I enjoy almost every first book in a series.  I don't notice writing or character issues as much if the premise is new and intriguing.  The first book plays a bit like a cliche and trope machine of YA fiction, but the premise keeps in interesting.  But the second books suffers from familiarity that needs stronger writing.  I won't be going in for thirds.

26) Medusa Uploads.  One of my favorite reads of the year.  Unlike nearly every other sci-fi or fantasy book I read, this manages to stay tight and focused without trying to be too much.  It's more layered than I expected and I am dying to read the next one.

27 and 28) Murderbot Diaries books 1 and 2.  Loved them.   Like Medusa Uploaded, these stay tight without trying for the big finale that seems to inevitably go off the rails.  Plus, the murderbot is probably my favorite character since Tool.