So every year around this time I publish a list on my blog of the top new releases I read over the year. This year the list will live exclusively on the podcast for a week, and then I will do a print take on ye ol' Blog. This episode is moderated by my Dickheads podcast co-host, Langhorne J. Tweed.
I also added a few retro reads, favorite PKD reads and the Tweed-ster asks me about some of the 87 books I read this year. If you want to skip ahead to the Top Ten List it starts 44 minutes in.
Top Ten Reads podcast on Apple
Top reads in 2020
Number 10!
The only non-fiction book on my top ten list, and technically
it is not released yet as I got an early copy. I listen weekly to several
astronomy podcasts and constantly searching for videos on various topics
related to that passion. Over the last few years, one of the voices that cut
through for me was Avi Loeb.
I know it seems silly to say about an astronomer but bravery comes to mind when
I think of his sense of wonder. He is not afraid to speculate or think wild or
outside the box ideas. He is still a scientist so through a slew of papers over
the years he has backed up those ideas.
A few years ago he stepped out into the media spotlight with one of those
ideas. This was after Oumuamua the interstellar object was discovered racing
through our solar system. Loeb pointed out that it was most likely a piece of
technology. Loeb makes a really great case yes Oumuamua is one of the greatest
discoveries in human history, the funny part is most don’t see it that way.
Number 9:
When the man who basically invented the zombie genre died he was 1/3 of the way through finishing his saga with a novel. First things first you have to give George Romero’s estate absolute credit for finding the perfect human being out of 7 billion overpopulating this planet to finish this vision.
The thesis of this book and the message is subtle throughout the book but there were to moments and with perfect symmetry, the first was written by Kraus. We are no different. Romero tried to remind us over and over that we are them, that the line is paper-thin between the hungry consumers mindlessly ending the world slowly and the zombies.
Number 8:
Will we shrug another warning off? Ministry for The Future is not my favorite KSR novel, and it is not my favorite read of the year. That said it is probably the most important book I read all year. The synergy of message and style won't make for the most exciting read for most. In the narrative, there is not your typical action style plot or ticking clock. That said the ticking clock is more real in this book than a thousand thrillers, and in a meta sense you are the hero of this novel, the clock is ticking and you are the one who can save the characters in this novel. You can help your children or grandchildren avoid the lows of this novel, and to experience the highs. So I hope you readers and better yet take it to heart.
Number 7:
The first two acts are filled with atmosphere as you expect
from a gothic, the final act is pretty bonkers but I was surprised by the
balance of social justice message that is delivered with a subtle touch. It
might get overlooked by some readers who are having fun with the weird and
monster driven final act. Everything that happens in the closing moments of the
book is earned.
This novel wouldn't work with the characters and the setting wasn’t interesting.
SMG gives the setting a creeping beauty that evokes the classic gothic feel. It
sucks you in, it makes you feel comfortable, and then upsets those expectations
in the final pages. I really enjoyed this book.
Number 6:
The Isaiah Coleridge novels are excellent tough guy crime and the best part is that they are intelligent and thoughtful. I consider this series a must-read for me, I think it should be on your list if you like crime fiction if you are a hard-boiled fiction fan if you like Laird Barron's cosmic horror you might have to give these books a little more rope as you wade through the mist. There are monsters in there, they may not be rooted in mythos but no less nasty, no less entertaining.
Number 5:
This book was written a decade ago by a young Chinese author
who is an idealist. Vagabonds are not anti-Chinese in fact it seems very much to
be a novel about what it means to be a young person raised on those ideals.
Often confused by how those ideals are put into practice. One of the key
Relationships of the book are our main character Lua Ying whose spends much of
the book trying to figure out if her grandfather the Martian leader is or is
not a dictator?
This novel is not for everyone as it is long and slow, but I found it
incredible for a couple of reasons. The unique point of view that the author
brings to the table is clear on every page. I had expectations and the novel
dashed most of them.
Number four:
Stephen King said he had trouble putting down this book and
that is by design. The chapters are longer but that is because the narrative
doesn't give us or the characters much room to breathe. This was the goal of
one of my novels so enjoyed seeing how Tremblay keep the tension and pace up.
King also compared this novel to the work of Richard Matheson; I can see that
in the sense that every time I Am Legend feels like it is giving us a rest a
fresh narrative wave sweeps the reader away.
Survivor Song is a scary rollercoaster of emotions and if you allow yourself to
fall for the spell of it you will see it is also a tear-jerker. The wall
between the scares and the tears is so thin that is what makes this book
special.
Number 3:
I don't want to give away anything from the final act, and
the ending but the themes and debates at the core of this novel carry on to the
last moments. The debate between safety and paranoia. Can the thin piece of
fabric that Malorie has worn like armor protect her?
The final act leaves me wondering has Malerman set-up a perfect lead-in for a
third book? Could be the end but I will tell you the journey is filled with
emotionally intense moments of fear and suspense that will reward any reader
who connects with these characters.
That is the heart of every horror story ever told. Will you connect and put
yourself in the shoes laid out for you. Malerman could not do more to build
empathy here. Malorie, Tom, and Olympia are the perfect horror characters in
the sense that I was nervous for them through-out the reading experience. That
makes it an effective novel, an effective horror story, and in this case a
sequel equally as good as the masterpiece it followed up. No easy task but it
is another reason Malerman is one of the best we got.
Number 2
Waste Tide is right up my alley in many ways. Is it
perfect? No, but the faults are minor. To me, the characters and setting are
interesting enough to carry the book. The excellent cultural and political
commentary are like icing on the cake. This is an important read for Science
Fiction readers and academics. Its place in the cultural opening of Chinese
Science Fiction is important but outside of that, it is just perfect speculative
fiction. I am willing to go 5/5 on stars and I don't take that lightly.
What is happening to your waste? What is happening to your species? This
Sci-fi masterpiece asks and answers even questions to be worth your attention
buy it, read it.
Number 1!!!!!
The Only Good Indians is a pure horror novel, one of the best not just in this year, but in many years. 2020 has been shit for many things but horror novels have had a hell of a year. Plenty of horror movies and novels are about the actions of thought-less teens coming back to haunt them. Few of these horror writers understand the cycle of violence that is life in colonized America. It is a rare horror novel that takes an unblinking look at that ugly state of affairs. The Only Good Indians is a reversal of a trope.
In a year of masterpieces, The Only Good Indians is a horror novel that you just feel becoming a classic in front of your eyes. It is a book you understand will be studied and it will teach.
Favorite PKD: The Zap Gun
Top 5 Retro reads: The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells, Rocket to the Morgue (Sister Ursula #2) by Anthony Boucher, In Search of Wonder: Essays on Modern Science Fiction by Damon Knight, Osama by Lave Tidhar, The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
Best Lockdown reads: Naked Sun By Asimov tied w/ China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh
The Night Mannequinns by Stephen Graham Jones
To Hold Up the Sky by Cixin Liu
Stonefish by Scott R. Jones
Utopia and Reality: Documentary, Activism and Imagined Worlds Edited by Simon Spiegel,Andrea Reiter, Marcy Goldberg
Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
Lost Tribe by Gene O'Neil
Osama by Lavie Tidhar
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi
Stay Ugly by Daniel Vlasaty
Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth by Avi Loeb (due out in 2021)
Vagabonds by Hau Jingfang (Translated by Ken Liu)*
Exploring Dark Short Fiction #5: A Primer to Han Song Edited by Eric J. Guignard*
The Living Dead by George A. Romero, Daniel Kraus*
Blacktop Wasetland by S.A.Cosby*
American War by Omar El Akkad
The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson*
Germany: A Science Fiction by Laurence A. Rickels
Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Octavia E. Butler, Damian Duffy (Adapted by), John Jennings (Illustrations) *
Osama the Gun by Norman Spinrad
The Hollow Ones (Blackwood Tapes #1) by Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Hogan
Chasing the Light: Writing, Directing, and Surviving Platoon, Midnight Express, Scarface, Salvador, and the Movie Game by Oliver Stone *
The Only Good Indian by Stephen Graham Jones *
The City We Became (Great Cities #1) by N.K. Jemisin *
Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks *
Malorie (Bird Box #2) by Josh Malerman*
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia*
Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay*
The Deep by Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, Jonathan Snipes *
The Mirage by Matt Ruff
Providence by Max Barry *
Worse Angels (Isaiah Coleridge #3) by Laird Barron*
A Song For A New Day by Sarah Pinsker
Dead To Her by Sarah Pinborough *
Star Trek Federation by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Star Trek Picard The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack *
Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan, Ken Liu (Translator) *
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon *
Extrapolation 61.1-2 Edited by Isiah Lavender III and Lisa Yaszek *
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
Revelations by Barry Malzberg
Counter-Clock World by Philip K. Dick
The Boatman's Daughter by Andy Davidson*
Outré by D. Harlan Wilson *
The Iron Dream by Norman Spinrad
Rocket to the Morgue (Sister Ursula #2) by Anthony Boucher
Final Impact by Yvonne Navarro
The Last Transaction by Barry N. Malzberg
The Eureka Years: Boucher and McComas's Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction 1949-1954 Edited by Annette Peltz McComas
Star Trek World Without End by Joe Haldeman
In The Garden of Rusting Gods: A Collection by Patrick Freivald
The Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy by Stanisław Lem
China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh
Dead Sky By Weston Ochse
The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells
The Naked Sun by Issac Asimov
Deus X By Norman Spinrad
In Search of Wonder: Essays on Modern Science Fiction by Damon Knight
The World of Null-A by A.E. Van Vogt
Lies Inc. (Unteleported Man) by Philip K Dick (First lockdown read)
Weirdbook #42 (John Shirley issue)Doug Draa (Editor)
We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria by Wendy Pearlman
Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime by Sean Carroll
The Churchgoer by Patrick Coleman*
Dead Astronauts by Jeff Vandermeer *
Permafrost by Alastair Reynolds*
Now wait for Last Year By Philip K Dick
Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan (Writer), Fiona Staples (Artist) (1-7 over the year)
The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
The Secret Ascension; or, Philip K. Dick Is Dead, Alas by Michael Bishop
The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by Mallory O'Meara*
Stars in My Pocket like Grains of Sand by Samuel R. Delany
On the Night Border by James Chambers*
Divine Invasions (A Life of Philip K. Dick) by Lawrence Sutin
Tetra: A Graphic Novel by Malcolm Mc Neill
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