Moms in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Moms in Science Fiction and Fantasy

I took a random and perfunctory look at lists of mothers in SFF, what with today being Ma Day and all. (My grandma’s term for the holiday.) Below are the three that I found. I even dove into the comments sections, hoping to avoid the usual twits and get some more ideas, but there were more of the former than the latter. Unfortunately, most of the lists start with Star Trek and end with Harry Potter, usually with a stop in between at Sarah Connor and/or Eleanor Ripley. Not a lot beyond a very superficial and commercial collection. I will give credit for those that suggest Lady Atreides (Dune) and the Wired list that includes Cordelia Naismith (The Vorkosigan series).

This got me to thinking, “What other moms are there worth mentioning?” I couldn’t think of very many. This may be a reflection of my reading habits, or it may be that SFF is low on moms. I have a lurking suspicion that fantasy might have more than science fiction, especially the Hard SF and space opera that I favor. It may just be that the sorts of epic adventures SFF tends to focus on are generally undertaken by those without a reason to stay at home. Perhaps I can revisit this question on Ma Day 2014 and see if my list has expanded. For now:

1) Hiroko in Robinson’s Mars Trilogy – While there were plenty of moms in that one, Hiroko and her brood may have had the greatest influence.

2) Eunice Akinya in Reynolds’ Blue Remembered Earth – Technically a grandma by the time of the book, Eunice overhauled science, built a commercial empire, and made at least two or three of the biggest discoveries of that book’s era.

3) Chrisjen Avasarala in Corey’s Caliban’s War – Another grandma here, but grandmas were moms once too! Avasarala is a foul-mouthed, high-ranking UN officer from South Asia who holds the fate of billions in her hand, but is also a very nice grandma.

4) Several characters in Aliette de Bodard’s short stories – a number of these count, so I recommend picking up pretty much anything out there. Any Nebula nominee list from the last couple years will have a few.

So there’s an assortment of mothers that stood out in my recent reading. I’ll have to think more deeply about this next year, as I’m sure there’s an actual worthwhile post buried in here somewhere. Finally, the other lists I found:

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/05/top-10-mothers-in-science-fiction-and-fantasy-wayback/

http://buzzymag.com/top-10-sci-fi-moms/

http://www.lbgale.com/2012/01/20/best-science-fiction-fantasy-mothers-not-defined-by-motherhood/

 

2013 Reading List

2013 Reading List

So this is a little late, and probably of less interest to the readership than my usual book reviews, but I want to get a list of titles down to reduce aimless confusion time at the library. As a bonus, I can check this later and shake my head sadly at all the failures. Good times. So in no particular order, with occasional commentary, this is my list of Stuff I Oughta Get Through This Year. (Note: I will add links as these get written up.) I may add or subtract to this list as the year marches on.

Tad Williams – Memory, Sorrow and Thorn
This is an easy one, since I’m already almost done with Book Two.

Peter F. Hamilton – Night’s Dawn Trilogy (Or at least some of it)
This just seems like something any self-respecting space opera buff would have read.

Iain M. Banks – At least one novel, probably Excession. Possibly more.
I am making my way through the Culture, roughly one book per year.

Steven Erikson – Whatever is next in the Malazan books. I think number five.

Eric Brown – The first of whatever series I can get my hands on. My library branch only has sequels. Boo.

Bradley Beaulieu – The Winds of Khalakovo

CJ Cherryh – Finish Cyteen. Probably read something else Alliance-Union as well, though her books are so heavy. It takes a certain fortitude to dive in.

Something in Japanese. I will likely start with The Girl Who Leaped Through Time, but I’ve got some more ambitious stuff on the shelf.

Haruki Murakami – IQ84
This has been sitting on the shelf far too long. It may jump off and attack me soon if I don’t read it.

Some classics: Heinlein, Anderson, Aldiss, Silverberg, etc. I’ve got a bunch of college syllabus type stuff waiting for me.

Something by Walter Jon Williams.

More LE Modesitt Jr., Stephen Baxter

Charlie Stross – Iron Sunrise, Rapture of the Nerds

China Mieville – The next Bas Lag books.

Mike Resnick – I should really finish the Starship series, and maybe something else. I’ve only been picking at the first for about four years now.

Best I Read in 2012

Best I Read in 2012

If my records are accurate, I read just over 80 books during 2012. Only a few of these were published this year, so rather than make a Best of 2012 post, I just listed all of them here. Of the remaining 70 or so I wrote down the titles that jumped out the most when I looked over them, compiling these into my Best of 2012 Not Published in 2012 list. I didn’t really plan on a certain number, but ended up with twelve. Titles are listed in reverse chronological reading order.

Spook Country – William Gibson
Gibson delivers, reminding me once again that he has to be one of the most important writers we have.

The Magic of Recluce – L.E. Modesitt Jr.
This book is still demanding a lengthy post, but it got bumped by urgent, end of the year type articles. Easily one of my favorite fantasy novels in quite some time.

Spin – Robert Charles Wilson
This was not at all what I expected, and probably better for it. As it is one of the major books of the 2000s, I should really get a post up about it soon.

The Ware Tetralogy – Rudy Rucker
Weird, weird cyberpunk. Probably not for everyone, but a must read for anyone trying to fully grasp cyberpunk as a movement.

House of Chains – Steven Erikson
I don’t even know where to start on a Malazan post. I’m still not half way through the series yet, let alone anywhere close to figuring out what’s going on and what Erikson will eventually accomplish. Still, if I’m going to read fantasy, I might as well go all the way, since Erikson seems intent on turning it up to eleven.

Warchild – Karin Lowachee
Seething, intense debut novel that is not for the faint of heart. I remain surprised that Lowachee went straight into something this harrowing for her first book.

Terminal World – Alastair Reynolds
I mentioned Mr. Reynolds in the same sentence as Steely Dan in this review, which garnered a happy tweet from him, which in turn led to the Two Dudes single day hits record. I would recommend this book anyway though.

City of Pearl – Karen Traviss
I was surprised to find a novel of this complexity from someone who primarily writes Star Wars and Halo tie-ins, though apparently those are fairly dark and complicated as well. I’ll have to try the Halo books once I get further into the games.

Ten Billion Days and One Hundred Billion Nights – Mitsuse Ryu
I can’t say that this is my favorite book, but I’m glad that I read it. Often listed as one of the top two or three SF novels of all time in Japan, I’m ecstatic that Haikasoru got it into English.

The Quantum Thief – Hannu Rajaniemi
There is a widening divide between SF focused primarily on engineering and physics, and SF focusing on information and computing. Rajaniemi is writing what cyberpunk might have been if the 1980s had our current information technology.

Embassytown – China Mieville
I’m genuinely surprised that this got shut out of the major awards for 2011. This probably has something to do with him winning a bunch in the past, though I don’t begrudge the year’s winners. Mieville’s foray into straight up SF was my pick of 2011, though I am woefully under-read for the year.

Lord of Light – Roger Zelazny
A classic from days of yore, still pioneering and relevant.

Books of 2012

Books of 2012

I think 2012 will go down as a major year in science fiction. Unlike 2011, when only a few books stood out to me, the last twelve months have been a gold rush. Past masters like David Brin and M. John Harrison released new books, high profile writers of the current generation like Alastair Reynolds and John Scalzi published eagerly awaited novels, big time collaborations like Stephenson – Bear, Stross – Doctorow, Baxter – Pratchett, and Benford – Niven caused heart palpitations throughout nerd-dom, and follow ups to some of 2011′s best kept interest at a fever pitch. I’m sure my greater engagement and awareness this year added to the euphoria, but I still think that the 2012 haul of SF is one of the best in recent memory.

The following list is everything I read in the last year, with links where applicable, so it leaves out several prominent books that I just haven’t gotten to yet. I will probably add some later edits as I finally read things, but for now I can only guarantee completeness on my own terms. Also, this is almost entirely SF; I know there have been lots of heavyweight fantasy books published this year, but I’m either too far behind in the series (Erikson), ignorant of, or apathetic about (Wheel of Time) to read. Apologies for my limitations, but I hope this is still somewhat entertaining or informative. Titles are listed in the order I read them, not by an arbitrary ranking.

The Navidad Incident – Ikezawa Natsuki
This was published in the early 1990s in Japan, but finally saw an English translation this year. One of the best books of the year, though more fantastic realism than speculative fiction. Difficult to condense into a four sentence blurb, but this is a unique portrait of the world, and especially Japan, at the end of the Cold War.

Death Sentences – Kawamata Chiaki
Another older Japanese book, Kawamata wrote this in the mid 1980s, with the University of Minnesota Press finishing the translation this year. Kind of a Phil Dick meets The Ring, Death Sentences is another essential Japanese SF novel.

Redshirts – John Scalzi
Scalzi is a science fiction rock star, so there isn’t much about Redshirts that hasn’t been hashed out already. Anytime someone as popular as Scalzi takes on Star Trek, The World will take notice. I will hopefully get a review of this up soon, since it’s definitely a book worth talking about, a must read for anyone trying to stay current in SF.

Armored – ed. John Joseph Adams
I don’t read a lot of short fiction, but as a long time Battletech fan and recent convert to Japanese giant fighting robot anime, I couldn’t miss this collection. Lots of interesting and varied takes on power armor from a mix a rising stars and old timers.

2312 – Kim Stanley Robinson
My vote for the best novel of the year goes to 2312.

Caliban’s War – James S.A. Corey
This is Corey’s follow up to 2011′s Leviathan Wakes, a well regarded, throwback space extravaganza. Caliban’s War largely escapes middle book syndrome, despite the fact that most of what happens is just laying the ground work for the next book. Very enjoyable, if less ambitious than Robinson and Brin.

The Mongoliad Book One and Two – Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, et al
The Subutai collective published the first two volumes of their alternate history retelling of the Mongol invasions this year. There is much background on both the story and the mechanics of writing it that are almost as interesting as the tale itself. I am interested to see how everything wraps up in Book Three, as well as what else they have in mind for this alternate Earth.

Existence – David Brin
In the absence of 2312, this would get the nod for the best of the year. Between the two of them, Robinson and Brin accounted for an estimated 78% of the amazing ideas, 56% of net coolness, and 83% of the thinking immediately applicable to our time. I may or may not have just made all that up, but if someone were to read just two SF novels this year, they should be Existence and 2312.

Bowl of Heaven – Gregory Benford and Larry Niven
Benford and Niven was the most anticipated collaboration of the year for me. Bowl lacks some of the Right Now relevance of other novels published this year, but did more to revive Big Mysterious Object stories circa 1972 than any other book. Unrelenting fun for Hard SF fans.

Ashes of Candesce – Karl Schroeder
And if someone were to read just three novels this year, Ashes of Candesce should be the third. This is the final volume of Schroeder’s Virga series, which I wish more people were talking about. I am encouraging all and sundry to check this out so I have someone to natter with.

The Fractal Prince – Hannu Rajaniemi
Pretty much what I expected: mind-altering, half incomprehensible Hard SF. Not necessarily for the casual fan, but a grognard like myself will savor this like a plate of Godiva chocolate. (Preferably paid for by others.)

Blue Remembered Earth – Alastair Reynolds
The quality one expects from Reynolds with a more down to earth setting. 2012 was truly the Year of the Solar System. Blue Remembered Earth joins the top four or five list for the year. Review coming soon.

Topic: Asteroid Mining

Topic: Asteroid Mining

In honor of the new Planetary Resources venture, Two Dudes is happy to present a reading list of asteroid mining related science fiction, all vetted by our demanding Standards Committee after careful examination of the manuscripts in our undisclosed, hermetically sealed, rare book viewing facility.

Greg Benford – Dark Sanctuary
I found this story on Lightspeed‘s webpage, though it appears to have been published originally in Omni. Asteroid mining isn’t the point of the story, but it takes place in the Belt and is infused with the Belter mentality. I read this right before Leviathan Wakes arrived, so they are a bit tangled up in my head.

 C.J. Cherryh – Heavy Time
Also published as part of Devil to the Belt, Heavy Time is typical Cherryh: tense and claustrophobic, with complicated and not always likable characters. It concerns a murder mystery in the asteroids with far reaching political ramifications. This is the first book (chronologically) in the Alliance Union universe.

James S.A. Corey – Leviathan Wakes
Hollywood-esque Solar System based space opera that blew onto the scene in 2011. A sequel is slated for this summer. All of the main characters are denizens of the asteroids in one form or another; the Belt is the backdrop for the action, if not the focus of it.

Larry Niven – Chronologically early Known Space
That’s kind of a broad category, but the pre-Man-Kzin Wars era, seen though books like Protector and a whole pile of short stories, forms a semi-stable basis for most contemporary portrayals of life in the asteroids. Niven coined the term “Belter,” and his conception of the Belt as a vaguely anarchic, high tech frontier is widely appropriated. Per the Incomplete Known Space Concordance, Niven borrowed some of his ideas from even earlier SF, but his has become the de facto standard.

Bruce Sterling – Schismatrix Plus
I had to include this, even though the asteroid civilization is a wee bit different from the others. To be honest, the whole book is a wee bit different from pretty much anything else in existence, but that’s kind of what one has to expect with Sterling involved. Never a dull moment.

Ben Bova – The Precipice
I put this last because I haven’t read it yet, just have a copy at home. It’s Ben Bova though, so I feel fairly confident in assuming that it is a competent, well-crafted novel that fills out his Grand Tour universe well, but is unlikely to rise above “pretty good” in anyone’s estimation. For whatever reason, Bova is the Volvo of science fiction: reliable, sturdy, guaranteed to last, but somehow lacking whatever sparkle it is that makes things really stand out.

Best of 2011

Best of 2011

Much like my family Christmas letter, I prefer to keep end of the year wraps a day late and a dollar short. Add to this the fact that my Published/Released in 2011 reading list is pretty scant, and we have the makings of a pathetic ranking. (Two or three titles I think?) Instead, I’m just going to go with the 10 best SFF I consumed in 2011, regardless of copyright date.

And so, in no particular order:

The Devil’s Eye – Jack McDevitt
I like all of the Alex Benedict novels, but this is my favorite of the three I read last year. It’s also one of the best because of the way it ties together multiple threads from earlier novels into one grand arc about Humans coming to terms with their unpleasant fellow spacefarers.

Harmony – Project Itoh
Despite a disjointed ending that gave me narrative whiplash, this is one of the best SF novels to ever come out of Japan. Those who look will find a window opening far into the depths of the Japanese soul, revealing a lot more than sushi and Hello Kitty. Itoh died shortly after publishing this, which is a terrible loss for the SF community.

Mardock Scramble – Ubukata Tow
Another Japanese juggernaut, I called this a “convoluted anime love letter to classic cyberpunk.” The first 200 pages made my head explode. They also made up for the next 300, which were compelling, but odd. If anyone ever wondered how goth-loli and cyberpunk go together, this is the answer.

Chasm City – Alistair Reynolds
This isn’t the first novel in Reynolds’ Inhibitor series, but it is a standalone and probably a less daunting place to start than Revelation Space. This universe is an unforgettable combination of space opera, Bruce Sterling weirdness circa Schismatrix, rigorous Hard SF, and Warhammer 40k Gothic. I confess to not reviewing this yet on Two Dudes, a fault I must rectify soon.

Ghost in the Shell – Shiro Masamune
More Japanese cyberpunk. This award goes to both the manga and the anime, as both have strengths. Required reading/viewing for anyone who likes Japan, cyberpunk, The Matrix, philosophically inclined robots and androids, and all around good storytelling. Shiro consistently produces groundbreaking stuff.

The Last Colony – John Scalzi
Scalzi is the winner of the Two Dudes Inaugural Post Award. The whole series is good, but The Last Colony is what got read in calendar 2011. Some people like it for the action, others for the characters, still others for the laughs. I like it because Scalzi (unwittingly?) writes a three volume Military SF treatise about International Relations theory. I may be a bit odd.

Blue Mars – Kim Stanley Robinson
Robinson’s Mars Trilogy is a magnificent accomplishment. His vision of our colonization and transformation of Mars is so complete and overwhelming that I have been unable to touch any others. (Bova, Bear, there’s probably another couple.) These three books should be required SF reading for pretty much everyone.

The Sunless Countries – Karl Schroeder
Another series, of which I read at least book four and possibly book three in 2011. Schroeder’s Virga is brilliant world building paired with fun storytelling. The fifth and final volume is slated for release in a few months; expect a big review when I finish it, because the Virga series is some of my favorite stuff from the last decade.

Redliners – David Drake
This isn’t my favorite Drake, that would be Northworld, but it’s one of the most important books in his canon. Understanding Redliners is understanding the author, who is as fascinating as any other author out there. I have as much fun reading about him as I do his books.

Inception
I’ll toss one film on here, even though it’s from 2010 and I missed all the 2011 fare. I’m mildly surprised that Inception earned the cash and devotion that it did, considering its complexity. Just goes to show that, once in awhile, Hollywood does alright by not underestimating our brain power. Some people left confused I guess, but I saw it as transplanting cyberpunk cliches into Nolan’s conception of dreams. (inception = hacking, noir period fashions, etc.) This is a rare Hollywood movie that demands multiple viewings.

Top 10 Japanese SFF

Top 10 Japanese SFF
SF Magazine

A new-ish post on SFWA has Nick Mamatas, Haikasoru’s editor-in-chief, talking about Japan’s best SFF. He admits that it’s a wee bit out of date, but presents a 2006 list voted on by readers of SF Magazine in Japan. Five years is long enough that one or maybe two books could sneak on to the list, but not really long enough for substantial turn over. Mamatas and Masumi Washington give a brief description and some commentary in their article, which I highly recommend. I read the list hoping to nod my head and say, “Yes, I agree.” Instead, my response was more like, “uh-oh, I’ve got a lot of reading to do.” First, the list. After that, some comments and recommendations.

1. Hyakuoku no hiru to senoku no yoru (Ten Billion Days and One Hundred Billion Nights) by Ryu Mitsuse (1967)
2. Hateshinaki nagare no hate ni (At the End of the Endless Stream) by Sakyo Komatsu (1966)
3. Yoseiden (Legend of an Enchanted Planet) by Ryo Hanmura (1975)
4. Minus Zero by Tadashi Hirose (1970)
5. Houseki dorobou (Jewelry Thief) by Masaki Yamada (1980)
6. Kami gari (God Hunting) by Masaki Yamada (1975)
7. Fukkatsu no hi (The Day of Resurrection) by Sakyo Komatsu (1964)
8. Musubi no yama hiroku (A Private Record of Mt. Musubi) by Ryo Hanmura (1973)
9. Yukikaze by Chohei Kambayashi (1984)
10. Nippon chinbotsu (Japan Sinks) by Sakyo Komatsu (1973)

First, the bad news. I have only read one book on this list, Japan Sinks. As far as I can tell, only Japan Sinks and Yukikaze are available in English. Haikasoru will release Ten Billion Days in November, so I’d better line up for a copy. (Maybe I should accept donations so I can afford the hardback?) Lest our readers think that he only writes insanity, Komatsu takes the prize with three books. I have Day of Resurrection here in the house, but I’m doubtful I can finish it before it needs to go back to the library. Yamada and Hanmura have two each, which means just three authors wrote seven of the Top 10.
The genres involved surprised me a bit. The list calls itself SF, but judging from the descriptions provided, only numbers 1, 2 and 9 are SF in the traditional sense. The Hanmura books are much more fantasy, as is Jewelry Thief. Komatsu’s other two are disaster novels, while numbers 4 and 6 are perhaps contemporary fantasy. Again, please read the source article for better descriptions than I can give. Reading recommendations are limited by language, of course, but even if everything was in English I would still recommend Yukikaze as a good place to start. (This despite not reading it myself. I may break down and buy a copy online.) It has the most typical SF plotline, with spaceships, aliens, galactic war, etc.
I was surprised not to see The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, by Tsutsui Yasutaka, on the list, or anything by Hoshi Shinichi. These two and Komatsu comprise Japan’s Big Three of SF and Tsutsui’s book has gained popularity far beyond the SF community. However, since I haven’t read any of these, I am in no way qualified to make judgments. Look for reviews and summaries in the coming months, as I dig further into Japanese classics.

NPR Top 100 Flowchart

Alert readers may remember that NPR released the results of their Top 100 all-time best ever SFF books a couple months ago. Opinions vary on how awesome or moronic the list is (ours is here), but people can probably all agree that the unannotated list is difficult to glean recommendations from. SFSignal to the rescue! Somebody with more time and graphic editing skills than anyone here at Two Dudes collated the entire list into one gigantic flowchart that will decide Your Next Book.

http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/09/flowchart-for-navigating-nprs-top-100-sff-books/

They have even included a printable version, for those needing an excessively nerdy wall hanging or checklist. While the chart doesn’t change my feelings about the list, it certainly makes it easier to figure out. Highly recommended.

Late Edit: “Prodigious Breeders” killed me.

NPR Top 100 SFF

NPR’s Top 100 SFF

First of all, click here to check out the Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, according to a poll conducted by NPR. I looked at it today and had some strong reactions. First of all, the big caveat is that NPR didn’t make the selections, they merely accepted nominations and conducted the voting. Nobody claims that these are the “best,” “most influential,” or have “literary merit.” These are just whatever people tossed out there, which for many no doubt means, “whatever NYT best-selling fantasy doorstop was last in my bathroom.” All I can say is, at least Twilight was excluded.

NPR’s blog does their own analysis of the list, so I won’t belabor the points made there. After all, those people are much more well-read than I am, and probably real live literary scholars or something. Instead, I’ll just give my reactions to the list: things I liked, things that caused me to spray my Talking Rain fizzy water on my screen, and things I think were unfairly left out. As an overall reflection, I get the feeling that SF voters tended towards lifetime achievement medals and an appreciation for their forbears, while Fantasy voters went with The Tome of the Month and gave little thought to what came before and what may follow. More on these as my rant goes on.

Let’s being with the Yes, Yes, a Thousand Times Yes Division. That has to start with #1, a very deserving J.R.R. Tolkien. According to NPR, LOTR didn’t just take first place, it crushed all comers. I think any way we look at it, nobody can deny Frodo & Co. their place at the head of the line. Dune is also well deserving of its place, though I would have it even higher. I think it is admirable that Orwell, Bradbury, Verne, Shelley, Wells and Huxley are all present, though I wonder if these authors are mentioned because the books are genuine favorites, or because well-informed SF readers know what a debt we owe to the writers. Likewise with the Big Three (Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein) and other prominent writers (Niven, etc.). Some of the selections may have got in based on name recognition rather than quality. For example, Ringworld is Niven’s best known work, but possibly not his best. I need to reread Foundation (among others) to see if it is really the 8^th best series ever. Stranger in a Strange Land gets the nod of course, even though I prefer others from Heinlein. I’m glad that people remembered A Canticle for Leibowitz, The Forever War, and Hyperion, though again, Dan Simmons should be in at least the top 20. Finally, Robinson’s Mars Trilogy is a worthy addition. Readers of Two Dudes will know how I feel about those books.

Now for the AAAUGH Fer Ignert! Division, which is more fun. My first thought when reading this list was, “When did Neil Gaiman take over the world?” I’ve read one of his books, and it was alright, but the man is holding even with legends like Asimov, Niven, and Vonnegut. I guess I should pick up American Gods so I too can fall in line. My next thought was, “Fantasy types, I know you are weird, but this is too much, even for you.” I will say nothing of George R.R. Martin, since I didn’t finish Game of Thrones and probably never will. But Patrick Rothfuss in the Top 20? Ahead of Malazan, Phillip K. Dick, Zelazny, and LeGuin? Good heck, people. And who is this Brandon Sanderson, and why is he out-polling The Book of the New Sun? There is no accounting for taste.  (To be fair, I haven’t read Sanderson, and he may be amazing. But I doubt he’s Gene Wolfe amazing.) Oh, and did I mention Robert Jordan? At #12? Aaaaarrrrghghghgh. I’m not going to comment on Xanth or Shannara, but I will mention in passing that any list where Drizzt books top Rendevous with Rama and Iain M. Banks is not one to take to the bank.

In a category all itself, what to do with #2? I love Douglas Adams books. Zaphod and Marvin have been heroes to me for decades. But I suspect that Adams himself would be puzzled to find himself the second best SFF (and first best SF) writer of all time.

And now for those left home, alone, on Prom Night. I’m not going to create my own Top 100, because it would take a long time and accomplish nothing, but there are several authors that I think should be on there. They should be far ahead of anything mentioned in the last paragraph, though I suppose I risk the wrath of Wheel of Time disciples everywhere. (We live on the edge here at Two Dudes in an Attic!) In (mostly) alphabetical order, here are some Better Than Terry Goodkind Winners. How about Poul Anderson? I’m less a fan than in the past, but surely he’s worth a mention? Or Greg Bear! Blood Music and The Forge of God are pretty good. Alfred Bester anyone? He won the first Hugo. I seriously can’t believe that Brin’s Uplift isn’t on there. Chalker’s Midnight at the Well of Souls and Cook’s Black Company are better than most of the fantasy on the list. CJ Cherryh? David Drake might deserve a spot, though he may be more divisive. I wonder if Andre Norton was relegated to the YA list. Speaking of fantasy, Patricia McKillup (especially The Riddle Master books) and Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast are better than The Sword of Truth. Frederick Pohl! They passed up Pohl for Terry Pratchett? Alastair Reynolds may only be my favorite, but surely Tad Williams deserves to have a doorstop on the list? I’m starting to froth.

To sum up, this is a puzzling list. I alternately nod my head in wise agreement, then frantically try to prevent that same head from exploding. The contrast between SF, where Jules Verne and H.G. Wells hold prominent positions at the expense of younger writers, and Fantasy, where pioneers like Fritz Leiber and Fred Saberhagen are tossed off a cliff in favor of (teeth gnashing) Robert Jordan, is telling. Are fantasy readers that ignorant or apathetic about their heritage? Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser will abide long after The (Weapon) of (Noble Quality) has passed into obscurity. Oh well. I will now invoke several spells of protection around the house, lest it be burned to the ground by furious Wheel of Time acolytes.

Rating: Wayne Rooney. There’s some great stuff going on, but R.A. Salvatore’s books and a string of World Cup red card inducing frothy outbursts go hand in hand.