Steve's Bookshelf 2010

[Karsa Orlong]

01. Gardens of The Moon by Erikson, Steven 9/10 re-read

02. Consider Phlebas by Banks, Iain M. 7/10

03. Assassin's Apprentice Hobb, Robin 7/10

04. Deadhouse Gates by Erikson, Steven 9/10 re-read

05. Royal Assassin Hobb, Robin 8/10

06. Assassin's Quest by Hobb, Robin 6/10

07. The Skinner by Asher, Neal 7/10

08. A Game of Thrones by Martin, George RR 9/10

09. Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye by Goodman, Alison 4/10

10. Dune by Herbert, Frank 9/10 re-read

11. Memories of Ice by Erikson, Steven 9/10 re-read

12. A Clash of Kings by Martin, George RR 9/10

13. The Anubis Gates by Powers, Tim 9/10

14. A Storm of Swords 1: Steel and Snow by Martin, George RR 9/10

15. A Storm of Swords 2: Blood and Gold by Martin, George RR 9/10

16. The Black Company by Cook, Glenn 8/10

17. Wolf Hall by Mantel, Hilary 9/10

18. The Forever War by Haldeman, Joe 9/10

19. A Feast For Crows by Martin, George RR 8/10

20. The Stars My Destination by Bester, Alfred 9/10

21. Black Sun Rising by Friedman, Celia 5/10 (sorry Nollaig!)

22. The Player of Games by Banks, Iain M. 7/10

23. Legend by Gemmell, David 8/10

24. House of Chains by Erikson, Steven 10/10 re-read

25. I Am Legend by Matheson, Richard 9/10

26. Ship of Magic by Hobb, Robin 6/10

27. The Road by McCarthy, Cormac 8/10

28. Rendezvous With Rama by Clarke, Arthur C. 6/10

29. Gone Tomorrow by Child, Lee 7/10

30. Empire In Black And Gold by Tchaikovsky, Adrian 6/10

31. The Windup Girl by Bacigalupi, Paolo 9/10

32. Tau Zero by Anderson, Poul 5/10

33. Against A Dark Background by Banks, Iain M. 8/10

34. Blood Follows by Erikson, Steven 7/10 novella

35. The Lees Of Laughter's End by Erikson, Steven 7/10 novella

36. The Healthy Dead by Erikson, Steven 7/10 novella

37. Cryptonomicon by Stephenson, Neal 6/10

38. Dragonfly Falling by Tchaikovsky, Adrian 7/10

39. Cross Country by Patterson, James 3/10

40. Shadows Linger by Cook, Glenn 8/10

41. Neverwhere by Gaiman, Neil 8/10

42. The Pillars of The Earth by Follett, Ken 6/10

43. Behold The Man by Moorcock, Michael 4/10

44. Flowers For Algernon by Keyes, Daniel 7/10

45. Gateway by Pohl, Frederick 7/10

46. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Larsson, Stieg 8/10

47. Midnight Tides by Erikson, Steven 10/10 re-read

48. Inverted World by Priest, Christopher 5/10

49. Dissolution by Sansom, C.J. 9/10

50. A Maiden's Grave by Deaver, Jeffrey 7/10

51. Lustrum by Harris, Robert 10/10

52. The Demolished Man by Bester, Alfred 7/10

53. The Redbreast by Nesbo, Jo 9/10

54. The Fuller Memorandum by Stross, Charles 5/10

55. Killing Floor by Child, Lee 7/10

56. Nemesis by Nesbo, Jo 9/10

57. Dark Fire by Sansom, C.J. 9/10

58. The Gargoyle by Davidson, Andrew 7/10

59. Earth Abides by Stewart, George R. 4/10

60. The Devil's Star by Nesbo, Jo 9/10

61. Retribution Falls by Wooding, Chris 7/10

62. Alone In Berlin by Fallada, Hans 9/10

63. Tigana by Kay, Guy Gavriel 10/10

64. Company of Liars by Maitland, Karen 8/10

65. The Shadow of The Wind by Zafon, Carlos Ruiz 10/10

66. The Bonehunters by Erikson, Steven 9/10

67. Winter's Bone by Woodrell, Daniel 8/10

68. Sovereign by Sansom, C.J. 9/10

69. The King Beyond The Gate by Gemmell, David in progress

70. Pandora's Star by Hamilton, Peter F. 8/10

71. Judas Unchained by Hamilton, Peter F. 4/10

72. Roman Blood by Saylor, Steven 9/10

73. Fevre Dream by Martin, George RR 7/10

74. Solomon Kane by Howard, Robert E 7/10

75. The Last Ten Seconds by Kernick, Simon 7/10

76. Treasure Island by Stephenson, Robert Louis 8/10

Edited January 10, 2011 by Karsa Orlong

[Karsa Orlong]

I've never kept a list of books I have read before but, for some reason, this year seemed a bit different right from the start. I went for several years where I didn't read much at all (I blame my iPod – I used to read every day on the tube but music-on-the-go seemed to change all that). Then, about 18 months ago, I changed jobs and found myself with a lot more free time on my hands. I decided that I wanted to do something more constructive with that time than sit in front of the tv, so I decided to try writing again – something which I had not done in many a long year – and that, in turn, made me want to start reading again.

 

Anyway, this year I set out thinking I was going to try and read 50 books. I'm not the fastest reader, but I'm already past that milestone and I am happy to say that I have not given up on one single book out of the list above. I've finished them all, even if I haven't particularly enjoyed some of them. And I've read more books in this one year than I had done in, probably, the previous ten put together.

 

The other aspect of my reading that has interested me this year is how my tastes have, to a small extent, diversified. The novel I am attempting to write is set in the fantasy genre, so for the best part of a year all I read was fantasy and sf. But I found myself growing a little bored with it. So, towards the bottom of the list, things are beginning to change. It's not a huge change, and not a huge number of genres, but – if you had told me at the beginning of the year that I would be reading something like Fallada's Alone In Berlin – I wouldn't have believed you.

 

Ignoring the re-reads, my favourite 'new' books that I've read this year so far have been Mantel's Wolf Hall, Martin's A Song of Ice & Fire series, Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl, Nesbo's first three Harry Hole novels, and Sansom's first two Shardlake novels. And possibly just beating them all are Guy Gavriel Kay's Tigana (hands down, the most lyrical and emotional fantasy novel I've ever read) and Robert Harris's Lustrum, which is my favourite read so far this year.

 

I might come back and list my TBR pile – if I can work up the energy!

 

Cheers

 

Steve

[alison10]

Some great titles in your list, I have quite a few of those on my TBR pile.

[shirleyz]

Well done Steve on reaching (and surpassing) your target!!! some good reads on your list too - my tbr pile has just grown

[Karsa Orlong]

Thanks!

 

my tbr pile has just grown

I knew I should've got myself a royalties deal

[Weave]

Great titles Steve, happy reading

[frankie]

This thread made me smile. It's always great to hear someone starting up reading again, after a few years break. And to hear that you set a target for yourself at the beginning of the year, and have stuck to it and surpassed it. And you've now started listing your reads, and are expanding your literary horizons. All good news in my book There are also some great titles on your list of read books 2010. I really hope you like Shadow of the Wind, it's one of my most favorite novels ever. Happy reading!

[Karsa Orlong]

I really hope you like Shadow of the Wind, it's one of my most favorite novels ever.

I'm really enjoying it so far - I'm about half way through.

[Karsa Orlong]

Maybe a bit late in the year to start adding reviews/comments but anyway ... I'll get it right from the start next year

 

 

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

 

Get ready for some gushing

 

This was one of those books that I didn't want to end. It wraps you up in its spell and carries you along for the ride as you gaze open-mouthed at everything that's happening in its world. It's also one of those books that makes me feel woefully inadequate as a would-be-writer. I wish I could write like this (I can't, but I'll keep trying!). I've read a number of books which have been translated recently and I'm finding that a lot of my enjoyment hinges on the quality of said translation. Larsson was let down by it, Nesbo wasn't. Zafon most definitely isn't: Lucia Graves did a wonderful job. It flows beautifully and has a dream-like, lyrical quality to it at times that I found totally absorbing.

 

It also has one of those characters, you know: the type that leaps off the page and comes alive in your head - Fermin Romero de Torres, full of humour and melancholy. Some of his lectures and witticisms had me laughing out loud.

 

So in short, I loved it; it's made a huge impression on me, as you can tell. It's brilliantly plotted, beautifully written, populated by complex, believable characters, and seems to embrace so many genres it's hard to pigeonhole. More than anything else it seemed, to me, to be a love letter to books, and to reading itself - a pasttime being overtaken by cinema and the onset of television.

 

It's one of those books that makes me feel like I should revise all my scores, above. It ranks alongside Tigana and Lustrum as my favourite I've read this year, and - like you Frankie - will probably end up among my favourites of all time. The final page left me with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye. If I could give it more than a 10, I would. But I can't, so I'll just have to do a Nigel 'Spinal Tap' Tuffnell and say ...

 

This one goes to 11.

 

 

And now, with the impending release of the final book in the series, I'm heading back to my re-read of Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, with The Bonehunters. It's only 1,200 pages long. I may be gone for a while

Edited October 24, 2010 by Karsa Orlong

[Karsa Orlong]

The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson

 

With the release of the final novel in Erikson's 'Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen' just over three months away I decided it was time to get back to my re-read of the series so that I'm up to speed when that hefty tome lands on my doormat

 

On my first read through this was my favourite book in the series. This time through I'm not so sure. There's no doubting that it's a fantastic book but, this time, I found that the first half fell victim to the number of characters and the multiple changes in viewpoint that Erikson has to use as a result. He skips between them like lightning and, on occasion, without much of relevance to say. A bit of judicious editing to tighten up the first 500 pages would have turned this into a masterpiece. Unfortunately, this is a flaw that he carries over into the next book, Reaper's Gale, which is easily my least favourite of the series. Shame. Still, he pulled things back on track after that, so he obviously learned his lesson.

 

That said, the second half of The Bonehunters is magnificent. Whereas, in each of the first five books, he had dealt with a specific plot on a specific continent, in The Bonehunters Erikson finally begins to bring his grand scheme together, and all the plots (and characters) start to converge. It is a massive juggling act, and the fact that he gets so close to pulling it off to perfection is testament to his grasp of his tale. Once the aftermath of the siege of Y'Ghatan has been dealt with the story truly kicks into top gear, and the resulting climax is both breathless and breathtaking - page-turning stuff of the highest order. Gods meddle, forces clash, set-ups from earlier books finally pay-off, Paran and Apsalar begin to show their true power, and Kalam's relentless running battle with The Claw had my eyes flying across the page. And we finally find out just why people are so terrified of Icarium.

 

Amidst all the action he still does not forget the characters. It's great to find out more about Shadowthrone and Cotillion; the relationships between Karsa Orlong and Samar Dev, Paran and Apsalar, Mappo and Icarium etc are fleshed out wonderfully. Mappo's grief at his failure, in particular, is heartbreaking. There are also plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Erikson has a wonderfully dry sense of humour that works really well.

 

When all's said and done, this book is a little like The Empire Strikes Back. It takes great delight in putting the characters in the worst situations possible, and leaves you wondering how the hell some of them are going to get out alive. And, above all else, it leaves you craving more.

 

9/10

[Karsa Orlong]

Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell

 

I only found out about this book and its author when I saw the posters for the film adaptation. It aroused my curiosity. It's a short novel (193 pages) about a young woman, living in the Ozark mountains in rural America, whose father has disappeared and left her looking after her two younger brothers and her mother, who's lost her mind. When a policeman turns up and tells her that, unless her father shows for his court appearance in a few days, their house is forfeit, Ree sets off in search of him in an effort to keep a roof over her family's heads.

 

Woodrell's writing is, I'd say, special. It has quite a languid style and pace about it which works really well in evoking the setting and the characters that inhabit it. When his character's spoke I could hear their voices quite clearly in my head. His sentences are pared back marvels, full of detail and yet not wasting a word. Ree Dolly, the central character, is a little wonder.

 

Snow clouds had replaced the horizon, capped the valley darkly, and chafing wind blew so the hung meat twirled from jigging branches. Ree, brunette and sixteen, with milk skin and abrupt green eyes, stood bare-armed in a fluttering yellowed dress, face to the wind, her cheeks reddening as if smacked and smacked again. She stood tall in combat boots, scarce at the waist but plenty through the arms and shoulders, a body made for loping after needs. She smelled the frosty wet in the looming clouds, thought of her shadowed kitchen and lean cupboard, looked to the scant woodpile, shuddered. The coming weather meant wash hung outside would freeze into planks, so she’d have to stretch clothesline across the kitchen above the woodstove, and the puny stack of wood split for the potbelly would not last long enough to dry much except Mom’s underthings and maybe a few T-shirts for the boys. Ree knew there was no gas for the chain saw, so she’d be swinging the ax out back while winter blew into the valley and fell around her.

 

If I had one comment to make it's that the plot is a little thin, but it's something of a moot point, as it's a story about character, and Ree's character in particular. There's a sense of foreboding that builds up as the story progresses. Surprisingly, when the violence comes it happens 'off-screen' which, if anything, makes it more intense.

 

I still haven't seen the film, but I'm really looking forward to doing so.

 

8/10

Edited November 3, 2010 by Karsa Orlong

[Karsa Orlong]

Sovereign by C.J. Sansom

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this - it's probably my favourite of the series so far. Setting the bulk of the story in York works a treat (although I missed the frequent references to the areas of London in which I work that were a major part of the previous book, Dark Fire). Set in and around the events of Henry VIII's 'Progress' to the north in the wake of the conspiracy against the crown in early 1541, we're once again in the company of lawyer Matthew Shardlake and his assistant Jack Barak. Around them, Sansom introduces a set of characters who are particularly devious. When Shardlake is tasked with protecting a prisoner who is destined for the Tower of London, he finds himself sucked into a mire of plots and sub-plots, all of which I thought Sansom juggled brilliantly. I found the story very well paced, with the solutions to various mysteries revealed in an unhurried style which gave the resolution time to breathe. Sometimes I find that the endings of these sorts of books feel a little rushed, but this one gets the balance just about spot on, I think.

 

What I really like about these books is that the characters all have flaws. Shardlake grows immeasurably during the course of this story, I think, and a certain twist towards the end reveals a side of him that is wholly believable and yet shocking at the same time. The sense of time and place is second-to-none, and the interweaving of real and fictional people and events with the main plot is seamless.

 

Great stuff!

 

9/10

[Karsa Orlong]

Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

 

"It is AD 2380, and humanity has colonised over six hundred planets, all interlinked by wormholes. With Earth at its centre, the Intersolar Commonwealth has grown into a quiet, wealthy society, where rejuvenation allows its citizens to live for centuries.

 

When astronomer Dudley Bose observes a star over a thousand light years away vanish, imprisoned inside a force field of immense size, the Commonwealth is anxious to discover what actually happened. As conventional wormholes can't reach that far, they must build the first faster-than-light starship. Captained by Wilson Kime, an ex-NASA astronaut a little too eager to relive his old glory days, the Second Chance sets off on its historic voyage of discovery.

 

But someone or something out there must have had a very good reason for sealing off an entire star system. And if the Second Chance finds a way in, what might be let out?"

 

 

As usual with Peter F. Hamilton, this book is HUGE, both in epic scale and physical size. It's the kind of doorstopper of a book that makes me long for a Kindle Also as usual, it's epic in its scope and meticulous in its detail. One thing that Hamilton is brilliant at is imagining new technologies. Apart from the wormhole network mentioned above (which admittedly sounds very Stargate but is actually, here, a human invention) we have OCtattoos (Organic Circuitry which allows the owner access to all sorts of high tech systems and powers), and rejuvenation, which would - in theory - allow us to live for centuries by doing what it says on the tin. Then there's re-life - a facility that allows people to transfer their memories into storage at any interval, memories that can then be fed into a new body should the old one die.

 

All of these technologies play a vital part in the story, when mankind is on the verge of expanding into so-called 'phase three' space. Hamilton sets up the story with the disappearance of two stars. We then learn about the effort to build a faster-than-light starship to go and investigate. As a backdrop to all of this, a terrorist organisation is at large, believing that the-powers-that-be are already under alien influence, and Hamilton shows their story from both their side and that of the investigating authorities. It is from this that some of the most interesting sub-plots arise, particularly that of Chief Investigator Paula Myo, who is probably the most interesting character in the book.

 

This all works really well, and is very enjoyable. If I had a criticism it would be that this book serves largely as set-up for the sequel and, at 1,150 pages or so, could perhaps have done with a bit of judicious editing. And it ends, quite literally, on a cliffhanger. There is a lot of political and personal intrigue and the action, when it comes, is fast-paced and exciting - and at times quite horrifying. I don't think it's Hamilton's best, but I think I can only really judge it when I've read Judas Unchained. So, for now ...

 

8/10

[frankie]

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

 

Get ready for some gushing

 

This was one of those books that I didn't want to end. It wraps you up in its spell and carries you along for the ride as you gaze open-mouthed at everything that's happening in its world. It's also one of those books that makes me feel woefully inadequate as a would-be-writer. I wish I could write like this (I can't, but I'll keep trying!). I've read a number of books which have been translated recently and I'm finding that a lot of my enjoyment hinges on the quality of said translation. Larsson was let down by it, Nesbo wasn't. Zafon most definitely isn't: Lucia Graves did a wonderful job. It flows beautifully and has a dream-like, lyrical quality to it at times that I found totally absorbing.

 

It also has one of those characters, you know: the type that leaps off the page and comes alive in your head - Fermin Romero de Torres, full of humour and melancholy. Some of his lectures and witticisms had me laughing out loud.

 

So in short, I loved it; it's made a huge impression on me, as you can tell. It's brilliantly plotted, beautifully written, populated by complex, believable characters, and seems to embrace so many genres it's hard to pigeonhole. More than anything else it seemed, to me, to be a love letter to books, and to reading itself - a pasttime being overtaken by cinema and the onset of television.

 

It's one of those books that makes me feel like I should revise all my scores, above. It ranks alongside Tigana and Lustrum as my favourite I've read this year, and - like you Frankie - will probably end up among my favourites of all time. The final page left me with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye. If I could give it more than a 10, I would. But I can't, so I'll just have to do a Nigel 'Spinal Tap' Tuffnell and say ...

 

This one goes to 11.

 

Excellent review, Steve, I'm sorry I've missed it before! I'm really happy that you enjoyed one of my all time favorites so much I agree with you, this is the kind of book that if I were a writer, I'd be really jealous that I didn't write it myself. It's just so beautiful in every way. I'm almost scared of re-reading it again, because I'm terrified it's not as good as I remember it to be. And I agree, there's nothing lost in the translation, sometimes I can't even remember that it wasn't originally written in English.

 

Do you know about Angel's Game, the prequel to The Shadow of the Wind that was published in 2009? I haven't read it yet but I'm expecting it to be awesome as well

Edited December 10, 2010 by frankie

[Karsa Orlong]

Hi Frankie, sorry for the delay in replying - I haven't been around for a few weeks

 

Yes, I did know about Angel's Game. I haven't got it yet - like you, I've been kind of worried by the reviews I've read which have said it's a let down in comparison ... I'm sure I will read it, though. Let me know if you get to it before I do!

[frankie]

Will do! Although I think I might re-read The Shadow of the Wind first, it's been almost 3 years since I read it and I'd like to re-acquainte myself with all the characters and the surroundings. Good times ahead

 

Happy reading for 2011, don't be a stranger and visit us more often, aye?

Edited January 8, 2011 by frankie

[Karsa Orlong]

Thanks Frankie, and same to you. I'm sure I'll be around more, now that I'm back at work ...

[frankie]

Thanks Frankie, and same to you. I'm sure I'll be around more, now that I'm back at work ...

 

No time on BCF like the work time I see you've put up a new reading blog for the year, so that's promising

[Karsa Orlong]

No time on BCF like the work time I see you've put up a new reading blog for the year, so that's promising

Yes, I shall endeavour to keep it up to date, promise!

[frankie]

Yes, I shall endeavour to keep it up to date, promise!

 

I shall copypaste this quote of yours on your new blog whenever there's a week without a new book report, you hear??

[Karsa Orlong]

I shall copypaste this quote of yours on your new blog whenever there's a week without a new book report, you hear??

 

Blimey, I can feel the pressure already