(no subject)
Wow, I'm really lagging here. I'm going to do a chunk at a time until I catch up.
2006
100: Definitely Maybe - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
The Strugatskys are perhaps the most famous Russian SF authors, and deservedly so. A short read, somewhat dry, but it really does a good job of building tension, and has a really thought-provoking concept. A
101: Archform: Beauty - L.E. Modesitt, Jr
Damn, I've read a lot of Modesitt. This is above average for him - it's only a little preachy and the plot is somewhat involving. He actually juggles the five separate storylines pretty deftly. B
2007
1: The Graveyard Game - Kage Baker
2: Children of the Company - Kage Baker
Fourth and fifth books in the Company series, respectively. Though if you were expecting a slow tragedy like "In the Garden of Iden" or a character-driven meander through history like "Mendoza in Hollywood", you'll be surprised here. For me, at least, the surprise was pleasant. There's a lot more going on in Baker's world than she'd let on before, and it's great fun to read about it. A for both.
3: The Tyranny of the Night - Glen Cook
Not what I was expecting at all. Good characters, vivid descriptions, but slow going at times. Cook really downplays the supernatural elements of the tale and adds a bunch of dressed up Crusade history. I'm curious where the next book will take this; there were some characters in here that really didn't seem to do anything, who I'm sure are just here for their place in the bigger scheme of things. B+
4: Hidden Variables - Charles Sheffield
This is old-school short SF (stories from 78 to 81) and still bears up pretty well; I'd read one before and one in novel form, so they weren't all new, but they were pretty entertaining anyway. B-
5: Elantris - Brandon Sanderson
A first novel, this is a fair fantasy tale with some likable characters and some fairly original concepts. Nothing groundbreaking, but I think he's worth watching. B
6: Touched by the Gods - Lawrence Watt-Evans
This is more of a standard fantasy tale, but it feels fresher because the characters seem like ordinary people in a bad situation. Even the supernaturally gifted protagonist feels like a normal guy. Certainly better than the Dragon books. B+
7: Coyote - Allen Steele
Aah, a space colonization book. We need more like this - might encourage us to get off our butts and off of this rock. Coyote is a bunch of tales of varying length about the founding and early development of an extrasolar colony; sadly, some of the tales are better than others. The overall arc is pretty compelling. The book does end on an annoying cliffhanger, but that's not such a big deal because the sequel is already in paperback. (Besides, one of my favorite books of all time, Nine Princes in Amber, does the same thing...) B+