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 8th 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.
