Listmania!
The best of what I read in 2006, Part I
Woken Furies (Gollancz S.F.)Woken Furies (Gollancz S.F.) by Richard Morgan
Buy new: £5.49 / Used from: £1.49
The third and probably the weakest of the series so far. But its still pretty darn good!
Memories of Ice (Malazan Book of the Fallen)Memories of Ice (Malazan Book of the Fallen) by Steven Erikson
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £2.76
What can one say? This has to be one of the best fantasy series going.
The AlgebraistThe Algebraist by Iain Banks
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £0.01
I'm a big Iain Banks fan. And this one did not disappoint at all. Tense, awe-inspiring and at times laugh-out-loud funny.
CryptonomiconCryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £2.24
Its difficult to describe the wonder that is Cryptonomicon. Its one of the most enjoyable books I've read. Ever.
Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen)Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen) by Steven Erikson
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £2.97
I'm beginning to run out of adjectives to describe Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen... but for me this was the best one yet.
Revelation Space (Gollancz S.F.)Revelation Space (Gollancz S.F.) by Alastair Reynolds
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £0.01
A highly enjoyable space opera romp!
The Golden Age (Narratives of empire)The Golden Age (Narratives of empire) by Gore Vidal
Buy new: £9.09 / Used from: £0.01
A masterful conclusion to a masterful series. No one writes dry, witty dialogue like Vidal.
Redemption Ark (Gollancz S.F.)Redemption Ark (Gollancz S.F.) by Alastair Reynolds
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £0.01
More fun courtesy of Alastair Reynolds, and the best of the trilogy that concludes with Absolution Gap
Eaters of the DeadEaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton
Buy new: £2.47 / Used from: £0.84
A sly retelling of the Beowolf tale! I couldn't put this down. Where has the old Michael Crichton gone?
Thebes of the Hundred GatesThebes of the Hundred Gates by Robert Silverberg
Buy used from: £0.50
Like alot of Silverberg's stuff, this has a dense brooding atmosphere. It also has intricate characterisation and a tight plot, which makes it the best by him I've read yet.
SongmasterSongmaster by Orson Scott Card
Buy new: £4.33 / Used from: £2.73
This was a pleasant surprise. Card's prose is fluid and alive with vitality and the plot zips along in the most unexected directions. Most enjoyable!
Absolute FriendsAbsolute Friends by John Le Carre
Buy new: £2.32 / Used from: £0.01
A masterpeice of characterization. I was completely sucked in by this one.
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1)A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) by George R.R. Martin
Buy new: £4.39 / Used from: £2.00
Can't praise this enough. I had heard it was good. I didn't know it was this good!
A Clash of Kings (Song of Ice and Fire)A Clash of Kings (Song of Ice and Fire) by George R.R. Martin
Buy new: £4.99 / Used from: £2.03
Once I started this series, there was no stopping until I had read everything I could get my hands on. Believe the hype!
A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3 Part 1)A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3 Part 1) by George R.R. Martin
Buy new: £4.94 / Used from: £2.95
Theres something wonderfully Shakespearen about GRR Martin's prose (and plot) that makes it a pleasure to read
A Storm of Swords: 2 Blood and Gold (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3, Part 2): Blood and GoldA Storm of Swords: 2 Blood and Gold (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3, Part 2): Blood and Gold by George R.R. Martin
Buy new: £4.99 / Used from: £2.15
And no decline in quality at all as the series goes on. This is right up there with the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Maybe just a rung below....
TiganaTigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Buy used from: £3.75
Compelling! And no one writes fantastical tragedy like Kay.
The Farseer II: Royal Assassin (The Farseer Trilogy)The Farseer II: Royal Assassin (The Farseer Trilogy) by Robin Hobb
Buy new: £4.39 / Used from: £2.15
All in all, the Farseer Trilogy was a fairly decent series in which this book stood out due to the rather shocking (and compelling) turn things took towards the end. The 3rd book was disappointing.
The Iron Dragon's Daughter (Fantasy Masterworks)The Iron Dragon's Daughter (Fantasy Masterworks) by Michael Swanwick
Buy used from: £5.49
I read this and Tad Williams' War of the Flowers (which had a similar theme) close to each other and this was just so much better. A real literary fantasy classic!
The Bonehunters (Malazan Book of the Fallen)The Bonehunters (Malazan Book of the Fallen) by Steven Erikson
Buy used from: £2.80
A year in which I get to read lots of GRR Martin AND Steven Erikson is a GOOD year!
A Feast for Crows (Song of Ice and Fire)A Feast for Crows (Song of Ice and Fire) by George R.R. Martin
Buy new: £4.94 / Used from: £4.29
ditto!
Eon (S.F. Masterworks)Eon (S.F. Masterworks) by Greg Bear
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £1.21
Greg Bear was one of the best SF authors writing in the 80s and its with books like this that he established his name in the genre. SF on a very broad canvas!
Master GeorgieMaster Georgie by Beryl Bainbridge
Buy new: £0.01 / Used from: £0.01
This book introduced me to Bainbridge's historical novels and its certainly a compelling work. The descriptions of both the streets of 1850s London and the confusion and mess in the Crimea are superb.
Sailing to Sarantium (The Sarantium Mosaic)Sailing to Sarantium (The Sarantium Mosaic) by Guy Gavriel Kay
Buy used from: £5.25
Wonderful 'historical' fantasy.
Lord of Emperors (The Sarantine mosaic)Lord of Emperors (The Sarantine mosaic) by Guy Gavriel Kay
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £0.30
An excellent sequel. Once again Kay proves he's a fantasy master.