Top 10 Books at Amazon US/UK with Comments (by Liviu Suciu)

Recently Amazon UK's Top 10 SFF Books of 2010 came out

1. Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (FBC Rv DC)
   
2. Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks (FBC Rv LS)
3. Against All Things Ending by Stephen Donaldson
4. The Evolutionary Void by Peter F. Hamilton (Goodreads minireview LS)
5. The Ambassador's Mission by Trudi Canavan
6. Kraken by China Mieville
7. The Passage by Justin Cronin (FBC Rv LS)
8. The Technician by Neal Asher (FBC Rv LS)
9. The Black Lung Captain by Chris Wooding (FBC capsule Rv LS)
10. The Tree of Seasons by Stephen Gately

****************************************************The Amazon U.S. version is here, while the Amazon Top 100 Books has quite a different selection of sff with only few overlaps.

1. The Golden Age by Michal Ajvaz
   
2. How to Live Safely in A Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
3. Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord
   
4. The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman [FBC rv LS]
5. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin [FBC rv RT, FBC rv sequel The Broken Kingdoms LS]
6. The Orange Eats Creeps by Grace Krilanovich
   
7. The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer [FBC Rv RT]
8. Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
9. The Fixed Stars: Thirty-Seven Emblems for the Perilous Season by Brian Conn
   
10. Kill the Dead by Richard Kadrey (FBC Rv RT soon)

****************************************************
Looking at the two lists and their disjointness, one reason is of course that very few of the Amazon US list books have been published in the UK so far, while conversely I think that at least 7 novels from the UK list have been published in the US.

I actually like both lists a lot - the UK list is core-genre, while the US list is more of fringe genre though there are some core genre ones on it like the Gilman, Jemisin and Kadrey books - so in a way it is not surprising I read more from the UK list, but I think that offering exposure to less well known and more offbeat books in such a popular venue as Amazon is great too.

From the UK list I read #2,4,7,8,9 and Surface Detail is the uncontested top sff of 2010 for me, while The Technician and The Evolutionary Void are also in my (provisional) top 20 sff. I am still stuck around page 200 in Kraken, while of the rest I have no interest in 1,3,5 and have not heard of 10, though seeing that is portal fantasy, it has a very low priority for me since I dislike the sub-genre in its fantasy incarnation, though surprisingly I like it to a large extent in its sfnal incarnation as alt-history with time travelers from the present - whether both ways or stuck there...

From the US list and keeping in mind its more taste-specific flavor, I read #4, #5, #7, fast read #10, decided I have no interest in #2, #3, #8, while I would try #1, #6 or #9 if a copy comes into my hands but I am not sure if I would buy them based on the small samples I saw.

Overall, I think that both Amazon US and UK did a great job with these two lists - of course with the caveat of being limited to books published only till early November.

****************************************************



On the Literature and Fiction side, the UK top ten has also five books read by me, with three of them in my provisional Top 5 non-sff novels of 2010 (and provisional Top 25 overall which has 20 sff)


Sister by Rosamund Lupton
The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson (Goodreads minireview LS)
Fall of Giants (Century Trilogy 1) by Ken Follett (Goodreads minireview LS)
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Room by Emma Donoghue (FBC Rv LS)
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton (FBC Rv LS soon)
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
Sunset Park by Paul Auster
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell (FBC Rv LS)
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ (Myths) by Philip Pullman

While in the Amazon US Top Ten Fiction/Literature there is no book of clear interest to me and I browsed many of them, in the Amazon US 100 extended list there are 7 novels read by me and again three of my top 5 non-sff (Invisible Bridge - FBC Rv LS, De Zoet and Room), while The Distant Hours will be released in the US only on Nov 9, so it could not have been there.

Here the clear UK-list bias of mine is also not of a surprise since as exemplified in the list of 15 awesome literary fiction novels (series) I recommended for the sff reader where there is no US author, but 3 Japanese/UK (including an Anglo-Japanese one)/Russian, 2 German and 1 French, Romanian, Chilean and Canadian each, I tend to overwhelmingly prefer international literary fiction over US literary fiction as I do in music and movies for that matter, though of course I much prefer the US in politics, organization of society and not surprisingly the fiction that deals with that, namely sff.

"The Last Four Things" by Paul Hoffman - Publication Dates Set

(cover may change)

The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman

Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell
These are the Last Four Things
Now there are Five
Meet Thomas Cale

Returning to the Sanctuary of the Redeemers, Thomas Cale is told by the Lord Militant that the destruction of mankind is necessary; the only way to undo God's greatest mistake.

Cale seemingly accepts his role in the ending of the world: fate has painted him as the Left Hand of God, the Angel of Death. Absolute power is within his grasp, the terrifying zeal and military might of the Redeemers a weapon for him to handle as simply as he once used a knife.

But perhaps not even the grim power that the Redeemers hold over Cale is enough – the boy who turns from love to poisonous hatred in a heartbeat, the boy who switches between kindness and sheer violence in the blink of an eye. The annihilation that the Redeemers seek may well be in Cale's hands – but his soul is far stranger than they could ever know.

Set to be published in April 2011 (UK) and August 2011 (US) - though again things can change - the Cale phenomenon continues and this book already makes a claim as my top expected sff novel of the first part of 2011.

I have loved The Left of Hand of God and I am still astounded that our dual review here (RT + LS) has been the runaway most popular review here - at least before the blockbuster fantasy Towers of Midnight review - as page views go with a bunch of info requests about the sequel.

If "The Last Four Things" keeps the same inventiveness, expectation-confounding and mixture of everything but the kitchen-sink of the first volume - which highly annoyed the purists who want to fit books in metaphorically checked boxes - this one could go very high on my 2011 "best of" list. We'll see, but rejoice, Thomas Cale is back soon!

"The Opposing Shore" by Julien Gracq (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu)

Julien Gracq at Wikipedia
Order "The Opposing Shore" HERE
Read an Excerpt from The Opposing Shore at Google Books

INTRODUCTION: Several days ago, I discovered this novel utterly by chance. Published in France almost 60 years ago and an instant classic there honored with the Prix Goncourt - which the author refused after publicly railing against literary prizes - The Opposing Shore hooked me from the first page and I could not leave it before doing this review, though usually I leave some time between reading and reviewing for the book to "settle" in my mind. I also plan to get as many books of the author as possible, starting with the few English translations, so do not be surprised to see more reviews of his work here..

"Set in the mythical nation of Orsenna, The Opposing Shore concerns Aldo, a young aristocrat sent to observe the activities of a naval base separating his native land from Farghestan, the power with which Orsenna has been in a state of dormant war for three centuries. The battle has become a complex, tacit game in which no actions are taken and no peace declared. Aldo comes to understand that everything depends upon a boundary, certain but unseen, separating the two sides. He becomes obsessed with this demarcation and each chapter is a further initiation into the possibility of transgression, sym­bolized by Vanessa, a woman whose complex ties to both sides of the war pull Aldo deeper into the story's web."

FORMAT/CLASSIFICATION: "The Opposing Shore" stands at almost 300 pages divided into 12 named chapters. The narrator, Aldo recounts his days as an "Observer" at the seemingly dormant naval fortress in the sleepy Southern province of Syrtes on "the opposing shore" from the mysterious Farghestan, while both enchanting and misdirecting us at the same time.

Speculative fiction that is hard to classify, though in the same narrative space as the recently acclaimed The City and The City by China Mieville, "The Opposing Shore" is a book to be savored at length, read the first time for atmosphere and for having a rough idea of what happens, the second time for starting to get what was going on and then several times more for pure enjoyment.

Note: The Opposing Shore has been translated from French by Richard Howard.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: "There is great charm in leaving a familiar city at dawn for a novel destination. Nothing was stirring yet in Orsenna's sleepy streets, and the great palm fronds spread all the more broadly above blind walls, the chiming of the cathedral clock wakened a dim yet lingering vibration from the old facades. With all that seemed chosen for me so decisively, we glided along well-known streets already strange, chosen for me so decisively, by their orientation to a distance still indefinite."

The above excerpt sets the atmosphere. Just awesome prose to drown into and it goes that way to the end. The novel is full of subtle nuances and continuous hints of the possible momentous changes, but all as viewed through a veil. The action is very low key and sometimes it is seen only in allusions that raise in intensity as the book goes on, while of course on the second read you will really get their full meaning.

The three main characters are perfectly drawn. Aldo from a stodgy noble family that is a bit on the periphery of power in Orsenna, wants to do his duty, but also wants to expand his and by implication his society's boundaries.

Vanessa Aldobrandi from the most notorious noble family of Orsenna - family involved in all the momentous events in its history, from revolts to conspiracies to wars, both on the side of the government and opposing it as generations and personalities went - and the on and off lover/seducer of Aldo wants change; both for her personally and for her currently exiled father; she is quite an ambiguous character whose motivations and subtle manipulations are slowly revealed.

Captain Marino is the current Orsenna in essence; an older career soldier and not a noble, so viewed alternatively with mild suspicion or with "he is of no real importance" by the Senate and nobility, Marino is the commander of the Admiralty, the fortress that guards the Syrtes shore. Happier as a manager of his soldiers/sailors that are hired off to the local estates for labor - which Orsenna approved long ago so the Admiralty pays for itself and even makes a profit - than as a naval officer, Marino stodgily does his duty and keeps the status quo to the least rule. However Marino likes Aldo and takes him under his wing despite seeing Aldo's disruptive potential.

"Thus the uneasiness was gaining ground, and day after day you could see some new defense collapsing in an unexpected fashion. As if we were troops advancing into fog, a subtle disorientation of the adversary was preparing and precipitating our movements. When I thought of the instructions I had received from Orsenna, and of the complacent echoes I kept hearing from the city, the rumors filling the place with fever, it sometimes seemed to me that Orsenna was growing weary of its slumbrous health, and without daring to admit such a thing to itself, greedily hoped to feel alive, to wake up altogether in the numb anguish that now was reaching its very depths. As if the happy city, which for so long had swarmed over the seas in all directions, and whose inexhaustible heart had electrified so many vital bodies and venturesome minds, now sucked the bad news deep within its sullen dotage like a richer vibration of all its fibers."

The above excerpt shows why the novel works so well; Orsenna as a land forgotten by time and history is made possible only by the vagueness of the setting; we see guns, cars, engines as well as society balls, church services and feasts, but there is no grounding in the external world, no dynamism as our history showed once technology started developing. So here we have both the sfnal - alt-Earth - aspect of "The Opposing Shore" and the reason why it works and we are so ready to suspend disbelief and let the author's wonderful prose enchant us. Despite being written in 1951, "The Opposing Shore" has a timeless aspect to it and never feels dated.

"...and what can still delight an inert stone except to become, once more, the bed of a raging torrent?"

"The Opposing Shore" (A++) is indeed a masterpiece of 20th century literature, a beautifully written novel that immerses the reader and never lets go and proof that speculative fiction can achieve any heights...

"The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction" by Philip Athans (Reviewed by David Craddock)

- Buy The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction from Amazon
- Visit Philip Athans' Blog, The Fantasy Author's Handbook

--

It is my contention that no other genres inspire readers to write more than science fiction and fantasy. The sense of wonderment that accompanies sprawling fantasy worlds unfolding within our imaginations and sci-fi's bold exploration of scientific and evolutionary possibilities have acted as catalysts that spurred many a writer to pick up a pen or peck at their keyboards. But how does one do that? How does one create memorable, interesting characters, then build the world in which they exist, and then chart a course through that world that--if the author is lucky--captivates readers?

New York Times best-selling author Philip Athans knows how. As a fantasy author and the former senior managing editor for book publishing at Wizards of the Coast, Athans has spent years mentoring writers and penning his own adventures. The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction: 6 Steps to Writing and Publishing Your Bestseller (henceforth The Guide) is the manifestation of much of Athans' accumulated knowledge, as well as that of many other renowned authors known for charting fantasy and sci-fi epics.

The subtitle to The Guide is, of course, a bit of a misnomer. Before getting into the meat of worldbuilding, character development, and tightening the nuts and bolts of details that breathe life into stories, Athans is straightforward in clarifying that simply following his six steps is not a shortcut to fame, fortune, and midnight book launches. Rather, the steps can be thought of as lessons, critical components necessary to crafting a tale. Starting at the beginning, Athans defines each genre and its subsets (i.e., high fantasy, steampunk), before moving on to meatier subjects such as the nuances of storytelling; protagonists, antagonists, and their supporting cast; building a world from a blank slate to adding flora and fauna; paying attention to the details that will make worlds and their inhabitants stand out; keeping the narrative fresh by sprinkling in action, romance, drama, and humor at just the right places; and the ins and outs of publishing.

However, readers need not take Athans' word on any or all of these topics. Backing up Athans are authors such as R.A. Salvatore, Paul S. Kemp, Terry Brooks, Kevin J. Anderson, and others, as well as various editors and agents--all of whom Athans interviewed in order to pepper The Guide with their words of wisdom. Hearing from such notable names and industry veterans serves to reinforce Athans' many pointers and explanations, showing readers that the advice being dispensed is not just so many words; it has been put into practice, and successfully.

While The Guide is mostly comprehensive, it occasionally lacks the detailed explanations that many readers might hope for, especially regarding subjects as intricate as worldbuilding. There are times--not many, but some--where Athans and his band of writing colleagues will recommend that readers do something, but will not go into detail on how, exactly, that something is done. I didn't expect every subject to be dissected, of course, but there are areas that could have been given more attention.

Fortunately, Athans himself admits that no book is as thorough and authoritative as one might like. As an excellent (and free!) means of expanding The Guide, Athans maintains The Fantasy Author's Handbook, a blog on which he supplies visitors with writing exercises designed to apply principles discussed in The Guide, in-depth interviews with authors and publishing industry representatives, book recommendations, expansions on chapters in The Guide, and more.

Though it's not perfect, The Guide belongs on the desk of all fantasy and sci-fi writers. Whether read cover-to-cover or consulted only when advice on a specific area of writing is needed, The Guide is a great resource for those looking to break into the industry, as well as established authors looking to hone their skills.

"The Broken Kingdoms" by N.K. Jemisin (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu)

Official N.K. Jemisin Website
Order "The Broken Kingdoms" HERE
Read FBC Review of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
Read FBC Interview with N.K. Jemisin
Read Guest Author Kelly Link Interview with N.K. Jemisin on FBC

INTRODUCTION: At the end of February 2010, N.K. Jemisin's debut The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms made a well deserved splash and we got lucky to have its sequel in the same year with the third installment promised for 2011. A highly expected novel we all could preview in the extras of the earlier book, "The Broken Kingdoms" delivered with brio and with quite a few surprises.

"In the city of Shadow, beneath the World Tree, alleyways shimmer with magic and godlings live hidden among mortalkind. Oree Shoth, a blind artist, takes in a strange homeless man on an impulse. This act of kindness engulfs Oree in a nightmarish conspiracy. Someone, somehow, is murdering godlings, leaving their desecrated bodies all over the city. And Oree's guest is at the heart of it. . . "

FORMAT/CLASSIFICATION: 'The Broken Kingdoms" stands at about 400 pages divided into 21 named chapters, a prologue, a glossary and a "historical record", as well as an extract from the third series book "The Kingdom of Gods" which is narrated by Sieh - the well known child-god of the first two novels.

'The Broken Kingdoms" is narrated by the blind Maroneh artist Oree who has a touch of magic and came to the city of Shadow beneath the World Tree some 10 years ago just after the events recollected in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms had taken place. In a nice touch that adds depth to the novel, each chapter has a sub-heading describing it as what kind of painting its content would inspire Oree to create.

Connecting to the first novel but with a completely different focus and many new characters, 'The Broken Kingdoms" - secondary world fantasy with magic and gods - can be read on its own and it has a definite ending; having first read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms adds to the enjoyment, while I am quite eager for "The Kingdom of Gods" to see where the tale of the wonderful series created the author goes next.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: "The Broken Kingdoms" is an excellent sequel to The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms because it expands the universe of the series geographically, historically, magically and in the range of characters, while keeping the same superb prose and gripping narrative that made the first one such a memorable debut.

The author makes an interesting narrative choice when she has us - the readers of the first volume at least - know more than Oree for a good part of the novel and we watch Oree's groping towards the true nature of her "guest". In return we know considerably less about the nature of the world - gods and godlings and their interactions with humans as well as magic and its workings - and the novel slowly reveals quite a lot, including some twists that explain more about what has happened in the first volume too. It actually pays off rereading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms after reading its sequel to see both the little touches that we missed and how skilfully the author managed to weave a great story but reveal far less than the "full picture".

From the beginning we understand that Oree has an added dimension since while blind in normal conditions, she can see magic, emanating both from gods or humans. Her back story that interweaves the main narrative adds more depth and complements well the forward going action. The secondary characters are also very well drawn, from her godling lover Madding, to "Shiny", her unwitting lodger and later companion, not to speak of the main villains who are quite chilling as you will discover.

While the blurb quoted above summarizes well the main thrust of the book, "The Broken Kingdoms" has much more, including some great action scenes, delicious irony in the motivation of the villains versus their unwitting results and quite a few musings on the nature of godhood, power and magic.

The major niggle I had with the novel was the same I had with the first volume, namely the limiting nature of the "laws of the universe" of the series, where gods - and godlings - push humans around and ultimately decide their fate. That is something I tend to rebel against by instinct and while I recognize that the characters have no choice but to live in such a universe - the ultimate authoritarian dictatorship backed by infinite power however disguised or occasionally well intentioned - I still do not like it that much and the last part of "The Broken Kingdoms" illustrate my point clearly.

"The Broken Kingdoms" (A+) is an excellent fantasy with great narrative and emotional power that only its stifling universe - for humans at least, since after all it is the gods and godlings playground - slightly takes away from my appreciation.