[Aptorian]

The year is nearly over so now is the time to look back and reflect on what we've and maybe throw out some recommendations for the other users. What did you read? What can you recommend? And what books would advise not to buy or read?

This is a 2011 thread but feel free to add books that came out prior to this year, it's about what you've been reading.

I'd post a list of books released in 2011 but holy shit there's a lot of them. Like thousands upon thousands.

My favorite reads this year include:

First and foremost of course The Crippled God - This is not my favorite Malazan Book and I don't think it was the convergence the series deserved but an amazing read none the less.

Ghost Stories - A much better story than Changes, not as ambitious or plot moving as one could have hoped but still it restored my faith in Dresden.

Sidejobs - A collection of short stories from the Dresden Files universe. Perhaps my favorite Dresden Files book. So many great stories and character moments.

Kraken - I didn't like ending and I thought the book was to long and overly populated by half formed ideas, but a great read none the less. I think what really got me was Mievilles use of British slang and colloquialisms, it made for some thoroughly confusing and entertaining conversations. "NOOO They be stealing my Architeuthis!"

The collected works of HP Lovecraft - I got around to reading most of his stories this year, including some of the more obscure ones. The man had some amazing ideas. Now more than ever I would really like to watch a "At the Mountains of Madness" movie adaption.

The Cardinals Blades - A great fantasy adaption of "The Three Musketeers". It has all the trappings with some magic and dragons thrown in for good measure. It has an odd way of telling the story but all the secrecy, intrigue and swordplay makes for a great read.

Whitechapel Gods - Didn't like where the author took the story but the setting, steampunk victorian London, was extremely cool and I loved all the creatures and world building. Shame he didn't do more with the Material.

Legend - Ok this was an old fantasy classic but I'd never read any of Gemmels work before. Glad that I did. The writting is not great and the characters are really cliché but the man could write a good story and some great battles. Druss the Legend would fit in well with Eriksons grizzled marines.

[QuickTidal]

Apt, your list should be called "Books I only kinda sorta liked, and still have complaints about" instead of "Best Of"

You are teh fail.

[Baco Xtath]

I read 48 books this year, all were great, being as how I got the list from this site, it's no wonder, but my stand out favorites of the year (though only one or two were actually released this year) are:
The Crippled God - of course
Everything Abercrombie's written (I got The Blade Itself on my Kindle last Christmas and have since read and thoroughly enjoyed all his stuff)
House of Suns
Terminal World
The Etched City
Thunderer and Gears of the City - for those who haven't read Felix Gilman's works, the man is an incredible writer and his stuff his kickass.
Blindsight
Player of Games
the Midnight Mayor
Altered Carbon (I'm currently reading Broken Angels and thus far, it will make the list)
and Heroes fucking Die

Many more of the my reads were excellent but these were outside-the-box fan-fucking-tastically written phenomenal books.

Worst reads of the year were:
The Warded Man
Retribution Falls
the Yiddish Policeman's Union (not that the story or writing was bad but in no way, shape, or form should this book be considered science fiction or fantasy - it is fiction - that's it. I kept waiting and waiting for something fantastical to happen and then....nothing).

[polishgenius]

I'm just gonna stick to 2011 books, since a majority of what I've read has been that anyway...

Boy, it's been a good year. The Heroes, Magician Kings and White Luck Warrior were probably the standout reads for me (the best books so far from both Bakker and Abercrombie, and I really like Grossman's idea of magic and the way he describes it), but after that:
Ghost Story
Prince of Thorns
The Night Circus
Wise Man's Fear
The Crippled God
Stands a Shadow
The Steel Remains
The Dragon's Path
The Neon Court

Would be the rest of a top 11 (because I can't decide which I'd drop for a 10), in no particular order.
And honourable mentions to Snuff, Stonewielder and Embassytown.

Of the ones I did read that were released before, the most notable would be the starts I've made on Viriconium and furthering my read of the Solar Cycle past just the New Sun. Also Finch, by VanderMeer, was an interesting entry in the utterly barmy Ambergris sequence. Probably the least barmy but also the most-focused of the three books so far. Oh, and Banks' Surface Detail was a welcome return to form.

This post has been edited by polishgenius: 23 December 2011 - 07:39 PM

[Abyss]

If we're favourite talking books published in 2011 that i've read, then my list is simple...

TCG - SE, a'duh.
GHOST STORY - this year's dresdencrack fix was pure awesome.
THE COLD COMMANDS - Richard Morgan's latest story of Ringil and co was pure win.



If we expand the list to include books i read in 2011 that i LOVED then the list gets longer...

THE BREACH/GHOST COUNTRY - Patrick Lee's sf thrillers were a complete treat, like a 3 hr FRINGE movie in text form, on crack, with more machine guns.

BLOOD OATH - Chris Farnsworth's Presidential vampire secret agent book exceeded any expectations i may have had. In fact it slaughtered them.

THE CODEX ALERA - it's a treat to read an entire fantasy series beginning to end. It's an AWESOME treat when, despite a weak first novel, the series is a great great read. Butcher hits all the right notes with this series.


Also, mostest utterly dissappointing book i wish i didn't spend money on... ROBOPOCALYPSE.

[Defiance]

The Crippled God is about the only new book I read this year that's worth mentioning. I was originally a little disappointed by the ending convergence (thought more people could have died, for one), but after listening to a podcast with Steven Erikson, it sheds the book (and the series) in a whole new light. The hero's journey, after all, ends not with the abyss, but with atonement.

[End of Disc One]

RELEASED THIS YEAR:

The Crippled God - nuff said
Ghost Story - I'd rank it in the middle of the series (Changes being the best) which means its totally awesome
The Alloy of Law - not one of Sanderson's best since it's just a side story but it was fun
A Dance with Dragons - I actually enjoyed it all the way through despite some frustrations

READ BUT NOT RELEASED THIS YEAR:

Dresden Files 4-13 - still reeling
Night Angel Trilogy 2 and 3 - this series gets way too much hate on other boards. One of the biggest page turners I've ever read
Before They Are Hanged - MUCH Better than The Blade Itself. Can't wait to read The Last Argument of Kings
Stonewielder - not as great as RotCG but pretty good
Warbreaker - classic Sanderson
Furies of Calderon - much better than I expected at the end, looking forward to continuing
Empire in Black and Gold - pretty good stuff

[Aptorian]

QuickTidal, on 23 December 2011 - 01:44 PM, said:

Apt, your list should be called "Books I only kinda sorta liked, and still have complaints about" instead of "Best Of"

You are teh fail.

I'm getting old. Everything sucks a little more the older you get untill the only thing good is that bad euro-dance record you heard when you were 16.

The Venga bus is coming and everybody's jumping, New York to San Francisco, every body disco, na na nan naaa nah...

[QuickTidal]

Aptorius, on 23 December 2011 - 05:30 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 23 December 2011 - 01:44 PM, said:

Apt, your list should be called "Books I only kinda sorta liked, and still have complaints about" instead of "Best Of"

You are teh fail.

I'm getting old. Everything sucks a little more the older you get untill the only thing good is that bad euro-dance record you heard when you were 16.

The Venga bus is coming and everybody's jumping, New York to San Francisco, every body disco, na na nan naaa nah...

Okay that made me chuckle Apt, have rep.

[Captain Beardface]

My top reads of 2011

• The Crippled God - no complaints, can't wait for The Forge of Darkness
• Wise Man's Fear - again no complaints I love Patrick's writing style
• A Dance with Dragons - interesting, a little perturbed about some of the twists and some of the pacing. don't see how GRRM's going to finish this off in 2 books.
• Stoneweilder - more questions than answers, but I should be used to that by now.
• The Heroes - great take on the real world personal issues that end up affecting history.

I also read ASoIaF 1-4 again, the Dunk & Egg novellas, the Night Angel Trilogy, and I have started reading the Wheel of Time series only on book 3 at the moment but I'm enjoying it so far.

[Solidsnape]

The Crippled God
Surface Detail

Nuff said.

[rhulad]

I think the only book that I read which was published this year was The Crippled God and it was awesome.

Others worth mentioning that were not published this year:

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak not fantasy, but a great read.
The Gunslinger - Steven King
The Riftwar Saga - Raymond E. Feist
Dresden files - Jim Butcher read 2 and 3 this year, will finish the rest sometime early next year I imagine.
The Belgariad - David Eddings, I'm just finishing the Enchanters End Game right now actually.
Royal Assassin and Assassins Quest - Robin Hobb
A Game of Thrones - Martin


Anarchy Evolution - Greg Graffin and Steve Olson, probably only getting mention cause I'm such a huge Bad Religion fan.

[Salt-Man Z]

It's tough to narrow it down, like, at all. I read a lot of good stuff this year. I'll just go down the list here:

BEST OF THE BEST:

Embassytown by China Miéville
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges

REST OF THE BEST:

Peace by Gene Wolfe
Old Man's War by John Scalzi
The Crippled God by Steven Erikson
Stonewielder by Ian C. Esslemont
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Dissolution by C. J. Sansom
The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
The Breach by Patrick Lee
Reamde by Neal Stephenson

WORST BOOK OF THE YEAR:

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

[Azathmaster]

Black company books 1-3- I know i know very old but i just read them this year
Way of Kings- A gem of sandersons
TCG obviously
Wow looking back i havent read many good books lately

[worry]

These are not all books from 2011 but I read them this year:

Steven Erikson - The Crippled God
Ian Esslemont - Stonewielder
GRRM - A Dance With Dragons
Steinbeck - Travels With Charley
Niccolo Ammaniti - The Crossroads
Daniel Abraham - The Long Price Quartet
Jim Butcher - caught up on the last few Dresden Files books
George Pelecanos - The Cut
Justin Cronin - The Passage
Sarah Silverman - The Bedwetter

Most of the first half of the year was spent rereading Malazan and ASOIF for the new books, and I also bought a bunch of books I didn't read yet. My least favorite read was the first Redwall book, which just didn't hook me -- I ain't dissing it though. Biggest disappointment was Sarah Vowell's Unfamiliar Fishes. I still liked it but there was something missing, especially compared to her best books. I didn't read any true duds this year though, mostly cuz I played it safe. I also read The Magicians this year and wasn't super keen on it, but that's because I thought it was a stand-alone that wasted its potential. Learning that it was the first in a series raised my opinion of it considerably.

[HoosierDaddy]

End of Disc One, on 23 December 2011 - 04:41 PM, said:

Furies of Calderon - much better than I expected at the end, looking forward to continuing

Hop on the wagon, man. You're socks are going to be rocked.

1. TCG
2. The Passage
3. Wise Man's Fear
4. Ghost Story
5. Stonewielder
6. Antiphon (Ken Scholes Psalms of Issak)
7. Dance with Dragons
8. Way of Kings
9. Kraken
10. Alloy of Law

I have no idea when anything I don't purchase immediately in hardback comes out anymore. Best guesses here.

Revelation Space (old school Space Opera)

[Hound]

The best:

1. Dresden Files - so much fun reading that
2. The Crippled God

Also (very) good reads:

The Book Thief (M. Zusak)
A Dance with Dragons (GRRM)
The Way of Kings (Sanderson)
Wise Man's Fear (Rothfuss)
Towers of Midnight (Jordan/Sanderson)

[Alrin]

Leviathan Wakes - Jimmy Corey
The Cold Commands - Rich Morgan
The Crippled God - Steve Erikson

Leviathan Wakes was so much better than anything else released this year. In a year where all the genre giants were coming out to play it was Abraham and Franck, writing as Corey, who raised the bar. I fully expect them to do the same next year with Caliban's War. That said, only one book can top the list, and 2012 will be the year of Stover and Caine.

Biggest disappointment for 2011? Pretty much the big four: Martin, Rothfuss, Miéville and Bakker. But maybe Miéville more than the others. I expected better.

[Chance]

Looking back on the year I've read less fiction then usual but still quite a few books. There are however a ridiculously few which stand out.

Published 2011
Surface Detail - Banks : Easily one of the best Culture novels somewhere just below the big three.
Ghost Stories - Butcher : I wanted it to be a different book doesn't take away from GS being a good one.

The best stuff of 2011 is actually starting up some new series which while not top notch have proven great entertainment.
Presidents Vampire - Fairnsworth
Ketty Jay - Woodring
Iron Druid - Hearne
Pretty much the fantasy book equivalents of a hollywood action movie but certainly perfect stuff inbetween less joyous reading.

While not exactly disappointed with Rothfuss and SE neither novel stands out to the degree of a truly great book and Martins performance comes as close to a really poor book I've read this year and if I wheren't a completionist would probably have been the last installment I read of his.

/Chance

[stone monkey]

Off the top of my head, this year I've really liked:

Leviathan Wakes - old school space opera; not necessarily ground breaking by any stretch, but still a good, engaging read.

Kraken - Mieville back to his old form.

The Quantum Thief - one of the best debuts in a long time. I'll be keeping a weather eye out for anything Rajaniemi writes.