Another year closes and another year with a lot of interesting books. Overall it felt better than last year where I read some real big duds.
This time I also read some really interesting books from authors that I would normally never read. My first non western sci-fi novel with the “Three Body” Series from Liu Cixin. Amazing read. I also stumbled on one of my top books this year “The City & The City” by China Miléville. A really surprising book. Not to forget “Proxima” and “American Gods” as some top highlights this year.
But there were some lows too, for example “Killing Floor” by Lee Child and “Rogue Male” by Geoffrey Household.
And without any drumrolls, here is the list in chronological order
Lee Child: Killing Floor (Jack Reacher #1)
Like last year I started off with a dud. This is one of those authors that write with three word sentences and a lot of punctuation. It is hard. Every sentence is short. At some point you can’t anymore. Too hard to read because of this and the B-movie story line didn’t help either. Did not make me want to read more from this author or this series. There are better filler books out there.
From the bottom to the top level. A book about Lawrance of Arabia. From time to time while reading this book I had to remind myself that this is really happened and is not some hollywood spy story. Absolutely fascinating and therefore highly recommended to rad.
James S.A. Corey: Cibola Burn (Expanse #4)
I really like the Expanse series although the last book was not really thrilling. Sadly this one continued the trend and so it just ranked mid level. Still good enough Sci-Fi for me to continue. Also I still recommend the whole series.
Brandon Sanderson: Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1)
Brandon Sanderson: The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2)
Brandon Sanderson: The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3)
I lump those three books together because they have one big story arc. First off, I am not a huge Fantasy fan so I always approach those kind of books with a lot of hesitant feelings. Luckily those three books were quite good. Not only that, but after book one the whole thing turned into a very interesting and new perspective. I am not the biggest fan of the ending, but overall it was very well written with a good story. Recommended.
Mikhail Bulgakov: Der Meister und Margarita
I started off with the english version and was utterly lost and very confused. So I switched to the german translation and that worked for me. It made this quite complex story very interesting to read. My first russian author. Very interesting, and highly recommended, but keep in mind that this a very abstract story. Might not be for everyone.
David Morrell: Murder as a Fine Art (Thomas De Quincey #1)
De Quincey was a real person, but this book is story with him as a character. I was not really sure if that would work for me, especially when I read that he wrote the Rambo books, but I tried it and was very positively surprised. A very thrilling and interesting story that was really well written. Because of this book I got really intrigued about De Quincy and plan to read his book “Confessions of an English Opium-Eater”. I will read more from this author, especially out of this series. Recommended.
Raymond Carver: Where I’m Calling From
A collection of his best short stories and I was very impressed by them. Most of them might sound mundane, but this mundane everyday life stories makes them so impressive. Still need to watch the movie made from this book. Highly recommended.
William Gibson: The Peripheral
My first Gibson book and I am blown away. This book was very entertaining and thrilling from first to the last page, a wonderful joyride of good writing and a very good story. I really liked it. Recommended.
Ernst Jünger: In Stahlgewittern. Aus dem Tagebuch eines Stoßtruppführers
I doubt I can pass a year without reading a book about one of the world wars. This book intrigued me after I read “All Quiet on the Western Front” as it was written by an actual soldier (and then officer) of the first world war. While it has a much more positive look on the war, it also shows the utter uselessness of this whole enterprise. Highly recommended.
Ernest Hemingway: A Farewell to Arms
I always wanted to read a Hemingway book and this was the first one I had in my list. Wouldn’t have chosen it if I had know that is another book that plays in the first world war. Didn’t like it. Writing was OK, but the story was kind of uninteresting and the main character was just a cunt. Will try another one from Hemingway as I already got a better recommendation. Not really recommended unless you want to read all Hemingway books. Skip it.
Greg Bear: The Forge of God (Forge of God #1)
Greg Bear: Anvil of Stars (Forge of God #2)
Two books, one series, but then completely different. So much as that you could read them separate. While the first one read like your average sci-fi b-movie, the second one, although the writing itself was not much better, had a better story. Much more interesting and something where you can philosophy about the impact of the actions after finishing the book. First one, not so much recommended, second one, recommended.
Neil Gaiman: American Gods (American Gods #1)
Never heard from this author, saw something about this book on a blog and got it out of a whim. A very positive surprise. I really enjoyed the story, the writing and pretty much everything. It plays on the fantasy side, but on a very different level than your average Elves and magic books. Really highly recommended even if you don’t like fantasy style books. Wouldn’t even classify as fantasy. More fantastical.
William Gibson: Neuromancer (Sprawl #1)
One of those books I wanted to read since ever and never got around to it. Finally did and was very positively surprised. Although it was written quite some time ago, it aged really well for a sci-fi book that is based so much on internet and virtual reality. Looking forward to read more from Gibson and from the Sprawl series. Highly recommended.
Geoffrey Household: Rogue Male (Rogue Male #1)
I had to look up what happened in this book. This pretty much describes how little I liked it. Horrible writing, horrible story and a main character you just want to punch in the face all the time. Arrogant cunt. Not recommended. Shit book. Skip it.
Every year and every year a Neal Stephenson book. And every time it is the same problem. I like his stories a lot, the ideas are amazing and great, but then there is his writing style that really doesn’t work for me. Not only that, but this time it seems there was no editor there to tell him to cut down some parts. Too much useless writing over endless pages. Could have been cut by a third and still be good. Sort of recommended.
Neil Gaiman: Anansi Boys (American Gods #2)
Because I read the first book I thought I should read this one too. But this is completely different and just plays in the same universe. Good, but not as good as the first one. Has some new ideas and styles. Liked it, sort of recommended.
James S.A. Corey: Nemesis Games (Expanse #5)
Back with a bang. After the previous two novels this series went a bit into a boring drift, but this one puts it on full burn again with a punch of overdrive power. Really amazed by the story, fantastic nail-biting page-turning sci-fi book. Brings this series back to the top and I really can’t wait for the next one. Just read the whole Expanse series. This one is highly recommended.
Alastair Reynolds: On the Steel Breeze (Poseidon’s Children #2)
Read the first book quite some time ago and didn’t get the second one because the Kindle price was just too damn high. Finally I remembered it again and just bought it. Much better than the first book. Storylines finally appear and the characters in this book are just more interesting. Really looking forward to the next one.
Stephen Baxter: Proxima (Proxima #1)
Stephen Baxter: Ultima (Proxima #2)
The high and the low. Proxima might be one of the most immersed stories I have read since the first Hyperion book and like the second Hyperion book the second one, Ultima, was a big letdown. I just went off into a direction I really didn’t like at all. Just a level too much of strange timeline swapping sci-fi story. Book one is a must read, Book two can be skipped.
Liu Cixin: The Three-Body Problem (Three Body #1)
Liu Cixin: The Dark Forest (Three Body #2)
Big surprise for me this year is this chinese author. I haven’t ever read anything from a chinese author and never any sci-fi book from a non western author. This two books should be read back to back as the story ebbs and flows through them. There is a bit of slow down at the end of book one and the beginning of book two. But overall they are really amazing. Can’t wait until the third book gets translated. Hopes are high. Highly recommended.
China Miéville: The City & The City
The last book for this year was my big positive surprise. Amazing writing, amazing story, amazing everything. Slightly sci-fi, slightly fantasy and with a detective story entangled. Pretty much blown away and knocked out of my socks. Really looking forward to read more from this author. Super highly recommended.
Now off to 2016 with a lot more of amazing books!
