…or books from the Noughties, at any rate.
Over at Tor.com, they’ve been running a thread for the best SF/F books of the past decade. I’ve submitted my favourites, and thought they were such good reads I’d devote a blog post to them too.
Before I dive in, I should explain I’ve been pretty ruthless with this list. There’s probably 10-20 more books that I thought were very, very good – but I’ve chosen to take the list literally and only go for what I consider the best. Thus there’s no Iain M Banks – although Matter & Surface Detail are both good, they’re not IMO up to the standards of earlier Culture novels – and so inevitably just a very slight let down.
Anyway, enough blathering – onwards!
The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss
I’ve now re-read this – at least once and maybe twice – since my first take, and I’ve only grown to like it more – always a good sign. I think I like this book so much because it takes all the conventions of heroic & epic fantasy, subverts some gently, plays some straight, but always with respect and without resorting to cliches. Just as Lord of the Rings is the archetype for “classic” fantasy, this novel seems to be the perfect template for all that’s great in modern fantasy writing.
It’s also an astonishingly well-crafted book. With the potential exception of Nick Harkaway and Susanna Clarke’s debuts – also on my list! – I can’t remember any first novels which are so tight, so well structured, and such a compelling read. Resorting to cliche a little myself here, but it genuinely does grab the reader by the throat and doesn’t let go.
My favourite book of the decade? Probably.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell – Susanna Clarke
Another début novel, equally excellent but very different to Rothfuss’ work. This is the story of two very different magicians, set in a Britain during the Napoleonic wars, where magic exists and so do fairys – but as Pratchett would say, not nice ones.
This is an intricate, many layered book, not least in the copious footnotes which sometimes verge on short stories themselves! This may not be to everyone’s taste. I absolutely adore this kind of pseudo-historical writing, when carried out by an author of talent – and Clarke certainly succeeds in keeping it together. None the less, if you prefer your plots and action linear and straightforward, this might be one to approach with caution.
The upside to all the intricacy is that every single page is a delight, and there’s so much reward for reading. An absolute pleasure of a book.
Deadhouse Gates – Steven Erikson
Not a debut, this one, but the second of Erikson’s epic Malazan series, of which I’m a huge fan. I decided to only nominate one novel for any given series for this list, and Deadhouse Gates still stands out for me as the single best novel of the Malazan series.
Erikson took the brave decision to place the second book of his series on a different continent, which a mostly different cast of characters, in a seemingly disconnected storyline. At first glance this seems a crazy choice and I’m slightly surprised the publishers went along with it! Good job they did though – it was an inspired decision and really gives an idea for the scale and scope of Erikson’s world.
While Gardens of the Moon was a good start, Deadhouse Gates for me is where I realised the Malazan series was going to be something special. This is an epic, harrowing, brutal tale of warfare and struggle in the face of impossible odds. Not a nice book, not at all – but very, very good.
Night Watch – Terry Pratchett
This is my selection from the post-2000 Discworld books. Of course, the entire series is a joy, and I very nearly chose one of the Tiffany Aching books for their sheer delightfulness. Night Watch couldn’t be denied though as I think it’s the absolute high point of Prachett’s writing – full stop.
There’s rarely a Pratchett book you could call bad, nor stupid – he often uses Discworld as an intriguing mirror to our world – but Night Watch reaches true greatness and had far more emotional impact on me than any of his other works. Of course, all the humour is still there, but allied to a fascinating, driven narrative exploring the origins of Sam Vimes’ character. Discworld books have often made me cry with laughter before – this is the first and only episode which had me shedding the odd tear otherwise.
Of course if you’re new to Discworld don’t start here – get at least the other books in the “City Watch” storyline under your belt first. I don’t half envy you if that’s the case though – you’ve a lot to look forward to!
The Gone-away World – Nick Harkaway
Back to another debut here for an absolutely mad romping adventure of a book. Bringing together ninjas, mercenaries, war, love, coming-of-age, politics, paperwork, and a whole lot of other stuff too – if this novel’s anything, it’s certainly not dull!
I can see this could be a bit of a Marmite book – it does dive all over the place, and alternating a past/present viewpoint could be confusing. It’s worth putting the time in to really get the most out though as this is a book with a lot of reward. It works on so many different levels – how many other books can claim to be a comedy, a romance, a tragedy – and do all of them well?
I don’t know how Harkaway got himself into the right frame of mind for writing this story – it must have been quite an experience! – but I hope he can equal this in subsequent works. Very much looking forward to whatever he comes up with next…
Quicksilver – Neal Stephenson
Really difficult decision this one – whether to pick one of Stephenson’s sort-of historical fiction with a slight SF twist Baroque Cycle, or whether to go for the standalone & more overtly SF Anathem? Very close indeed. In the end, though, I thought Anathem was just a tiny bit too experimental and as a story, Quicksilver works best for me.
This is the opening book of the Baroque Cycle and if you like this, you’ll want to follow this up with The Confusion and The System of the World. Really all three should be taken as a narrative whole, not separate books. You’ll get more out of it overall if you’ve already read Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon – which would have been my choice, except it was published in 1999!
Quicksilver is another deeply intricate, intertwined labyrinth of a book, set in a period of history I’m fascinated with anyway, and I love Stephenson’s style – so I was bound to like this really. But it’s not often a story can deliver such rich characters, such an extraordinary plot, together with an absorbing history lesson – excellent stuff. In fact I think it’s the effortless balance between the characters, the plot, and the background that really makes this book, and indeed the series. In the hands of a lesser author one element would inevitably have suffered, but here everything works just right.
The Stranger (Labyrinths of Echo) – Max Frei
The most recent of the lot, for me, a random choice from the library. But it’s really rather brilliant, whimsical, and a lot of fun.
Our protagonist – also a Max – is whisked away from his mundane existence in our world to fight crime in the magical city of Echo. Unlike many “other world” books, though, Max isn’t left puzzling things out on his own; he’s given employment, and instruction, by the splendid Sir Juffin Hully as part of the Minor Secret Investigative Force.
Unlike many of my other choices, it’s not the plot or the depth that really makes this so enjoyable, but rather the sheer joie-de-vivre and effervescence of the writing, most particularly in Max’s inner monologue as he faces various challenges, and also in the banter and interplay between his new colleagues. Appreciation of good food and drink in a novel always goes down well! The city of Echo is also intriguingly described, and the kind of place I want to read more about…
Confession – I do feel a little guilty submitting this as I’ve not completed reading The Stranger yet – the latter parts of the book may be apallingly bad. If so, I’ll update this entry, but so far, it’s so good I had to put it in.
Sixty-one Nails – Mike Shevdon
Another simpler but none the less rewarding novel. Shevdon draws on a lot of material from both folklore and history to create this intriguing story of two worlds overlaid, one we know and one we don’t. I particularly liked how British this novel is – the descriptions of London, and indeed the majority of the folklore references, all seem unique to these isles, which as a resident I couldn’t help but appreciate.
It was also rather marvellous that Shevdon managed to find the most obscure ancient practice that’s still honoured to this day in real life – the Quit Rents ceremony – and make this an integral, seamless part of the narrative. I love it when authors successfully blend the real with the fictional in stories like this, and it’s done very well here.
Not the most complicated story but sympathetic characters, an interesting premise, and a gripping adventure – all in all, a delightful read!
So those are my favourites. Goes without saying, I’d recommend any of these! If you’ve got your own SF & Fantasy favourites of the past decade, why not also contribute to the Tor.com thread? I only hope this new decade is equally fruitful for new writing as the past one – if so, we’ve got lots to look forward to…
