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     Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.29.252.215 |
And here it is... the other big round-up of the year. All the works of fiction I read in 2011. Being a strictly selective reader (the process taking up so much of my time) there wasn't a single one of them I didn't enjoy. In fact it was another downright embarrassment of riches and a particularly entertaining year for crime fiction - thanks to Mr D & Mr F: HORROR NOVELS: ‘The Last Voice They Hear’ (1998) ‘Silent Children’ (2000) ‘The Pact Of The Fathers’ (2001) by Ramsey Campbell ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ (1967) by Ira Levin ‘Rain Dogs’ (2008) by Gary McMahon ‘Strange Conflict’ (1941) by Dennis Wheatley [could equally belong under Comic Novels as it is truly hilarious!] ‘An Evil Guest’ (2008) by Gene Wolfe [could equally belong under Sci-Fi Novels] ‘A Manhattan Ghost Story’ (1984) by T.M. Wright SCI-FI NOVELS: ‘Hello America’ (1981) by J.G. Ballard ‘Planet Of The Apes’ (1963) by Pierre Boulle ‘The Death Of Grass’ (1956) by John Christopher ‘Orphans Of The Sky’ (1941) ‘Tunnel In The Sky’ (1955) ‘Stranger In A Strange Land’ (1961-91) by Robert A. Heinlein ‘Destination Void’ (1966) by Frank Herbert ‘The Jesus Incident’ (1979) ‘The Lazarus Effect’ (1983) ‘The Ascension Factor’ (1988) by Frank Herbert & Bill Ransom ‘That Hideous Strength’ (1945) by C.S. Lewis [could equally belong under Fantasy Novels] FANTASY NOVELS: ‘The Great And Secret Show : The First Book Of The Art’ (1989) ‘Everville : The Second Book Of The Art’ (1994) by Clive Barker [both could equally belong under Horror Novels] ‘The Swords Of Lankhmar’ (1968) by Fritz Leiber ‘The Crock Of Gold’ (1912) by James Stephens CRIME NOVELS: ‘A Study In Scarlet’ (1887) ‘The Sign Of Four’ (1890) ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’ (1902) ‘The Valley Of Fear’ (1915) by Arthur Conan Doyle ‘Full Dark House’ (2003) ‘The Water Room’ (2004) ‘Seventy-Seven Clocks’ (2005) ‘The Ten Second Staircase’ (2006) ‘White Corridor’ (2007) ‘The Victoria Vanishes’ (2008) ‘Bryant & May On The Loose’ (2009) ‘Bryant & May Off The Rails’ (2010) by Christopher Fowler [all could equally belong under Horror/Comic Novels] ‘The Dain Curse’ (1929) ‘The Glass Key’ (1931) by Dashiell Hammett ‘The Blunderer’ (1954) ‘The Glass Cell’ (1964) ‘A Dog’s Ransom’ (1972) by Patricia Highsmith ‘How The Dead Live’ (1986) ‘I Was Dora Suarez’ (1990) by Derek Raymond ‘The Hook’ (2000) by Donald E. Westlake OTHER THRILLERS: ‘The Ministry Of Fear’ (1943) by Graham Greene [World War II Spy/Chase Thriller] COMIC NOVELS: ‘Riotous Assembly’ (1971) by Tom Sharpe GENERAL NOVELS: ‘Heart Of Darkness’ (1899) by Joseph Conrad [Psychological/Character Drama/Wilderness Adventure] ‘The Devils’ (1872) by Fyodor Dostoevsky [Epic Political/Character Drama] ‘The Spire’ (1964) by William Golding [Psychological/Character Drama] ‘The Heart Of The Matter’ (1948) by Graham Greene [Psychological/Character Drama/Love Story] ‘Hunger’ (1890) by Knut Hamsun [Psychological/Character Drama] ‘Heed The Thunder’ (1946) by Jim Thompson [Family Saga/Character Drama] ‘Mother Night’ (1961) by Kurt Vonnegut [Satirical/Character Drama] COLLECTIONS: ‘The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes’ (1892) ‘The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes’ (1894) ‘The Return Of Sherlock Holmes’ (1905) by Arthur Conan Doyle [all Crime] ANTHOLOGIES: None!!!!  HORROR READ OF THE YEAR: ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ (1967) by Ira Levin SCI-FI READ OF THE YEAR: ‘The Death Of Grass’ (1956) by John Christopher FANTASY READ OF THE YEAR: ‘The Books Of The Art’ (1989-94) by Clive Barker – 2 volumes: ‘The Great And Secret Show’ (1989) & ‘Everville’ (1994) [my favourite is ‘Everville’] CRIME READ OF THE YEAR: ‘I Was Dora Suarez’ (1990) by Derek Raymond SHORT STORY COLLECTION OF THE YEAR: ‘The Return Of Sherlock Holmes’ (1905) by Arthur Conan Doyle SHORT STORY READ OF THE YEAR: 'The Murders In The Rue Morgue' (1841) by Edgar Allan Poe MOST ENTERTAINING READ OF THE YEAR: ‘Full Dark House’ (2003) by Christopher Fowler MOST DISTURBING READ OF THE YEAR: ‘I Was Dora Suarez’ (1990) by Derek Raymond MOST MOVING READ OF THE YEAR: ‘The Heart Of The Matter’ (1948) by Graham Greene MOST PROFOUND READ OF THE YEAR: ‘The Devils’ (1872) by Fyodor Dostoevsky READ OF THE YEAR: ‘The Devils’ (1872) by Fyodor Dostoevsky Started in 2011 and still reading: ‘Imajica’ (1991) by Clive Barker [Epic Fantasy/Horror] ‘The Complete Tales And Poems Of Edgar Allan Poe’ (1938) [Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Crime/etc.] ‘The Wizard Knight’ (2004) by Gene Wolfe [Epic Fantasy] After all that I have the feeling that Gene Wolfe will ultimately turn out to be my "Find of 2011". Thanks again, Craig. While my tip for immortality goes to Christopher Fowler's wonderful creations; Arthur Bryant, John May & all the boys and girls (and Crippen) at the Peculiar Crimes Unit (even those who didn't make it remain in my thoughts... blub). Comments welcome. Now I must start back into my horror anthologies! | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 99.126.164.88 |
My pleasure, Stevie - my thanks to you, for finally taking on the monumental Graham Greene, with three novels - and I hope soon to sample some more of your recommendations above.... I'll play along, though I don't know if I've read as much as you last year. For me, I read a total of 39 book-books (things from cover to cover), plus all sorts of other materials, a full 16 less than those you've listed above. Still, here's my few "best-of"s.... HORROR + SHORT-STORY/ANTHO OF THE YEAR: The Dark Descent, all three, edited by Hartwell (which technically I started the end of 2010, but I'll include them hear regardless). CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR: Red Harvest, by Dashiell Hammett (I read lots of crime novels last year, more than I realized! And this was the best of the lot.) MOST MOVING/PROFOUND READ OF THE YEAR: The Power and the Glory, by Graham Greene. (Probably Nietzsche's The Antichrist and Twilight of the Idols, or Shakespeare's Antony & Cleopatra, would edge it out; but then, I've read all those before, a few times, so I can't count them really.) HORROR SHORT STORIES OF THE YEAR: (And I read a whole lot of these! So the runners-up list is staggering, and even this one is a hard select, but...) "My Dear Emily," by Joanna Russ, for that which is on the end farthest towards fantasy; "Stab," by Chris Adrian, for that which is on the end farthest towards mainstream lit; and "Rawhead Rex" by Clive Barker for dead-center horror story of the year (technically a re-read for me, but that first time was many many years ago...). CRIME/MYSTERY SHORT STORIES OF THE YEAR: (again, disclaimer above) "The Weekender," by Jeffrey Deaver, for crime/noir (and even horror); no real classic mystery (clues + detective + etc.) reads of the year to make the list, but for pure fun enjoyment (and G-rated to boot!) crime read of the year?... "Carrying Concealed," by Lisa Scottoline. WORST F***ING WASTE-OF-TIME BULLSH*T READ OF THE YEAR: James Crumley's The Last Good Kiss. Overall, though, fun entertainment profound-to-boot (in its own way) cover-to-cover classification read of the year is...? Hammett's Red Harvest. But book of the year? The most essential book of the year, if I was forced to strip all the others away...? Any of the first three volumes of Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Oh, and poem of the year (and I read lots and lots of those!) came close to the end, on Dec. 25th - this one, by Mark Doty, "Messiah (Christmas Portions)": http://poetrying.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/messiah-christmas-portions-mark-doty/ | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 99.126.164.88 |
... geez, I'm already wanting to amend my list. I re-read Absalom & Achitophel by Dryden last year, which would probably replace Doty's poem, now that I think of it. I read Ramsey's The Influence, which should be on there for HORROR-horror genre work of the year, umbrella-ing the others. A Stranger in my Grave by Margaret Millar was the most surprising crime/mystery novel of the year - a book that started out so disappointingly I almost stopped reading multiple times all the way through, but then ended up being one of the most subtly effective crime novels I've ever read.... Lists, lists, lists, they're always so maddeningly incomplete.... | ||
| Des (Des) Username: Des Registered: 09-2010 Posted From: 86.159.145.243 |
My best four for fiction read by me and first published in 2011 (the DFL Awards!): http://nullimmortalis.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/dfls-best-four-for-fiction-publis hed-in-2011/ | ||
| Weber (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.148.240.248 |
My top books of the year in no particular order are Mr Vertigo by Paul Auster - a phenomenal book. Easily my favourite of his that I've read so far. The Blue Mask - Joel Lane - Unremittingly bleak but very very well written. There are very few horror novels that manage the level of tension Joel achieved in places in this book _ particularly the scene leading up to Neil's attack. The Wrong Boy - WillY Russell - This made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me do both at the same time for conflicting reasons. I loved it. I know I said no particular order, but this was the best thing I read last year. The Fionavar Tapestry - A bit of a cheat as this is an entire trilogy. I gave this a well deserved reread 20 years after first completing it and loved it more this time round. I also had a quick reread of TM Wright's Little boy lost which was excellent, and the grossest thing I read all year was by Mr Gary Zed MacMahon in Hungry Hearts. Best new writer I found last year was Adam Nevill - I started the Ritual just inside 2011 so it counts for that. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Thanks, Des. 'The Weird' sounds an incredible anthology! Perhaps the mightiest collection of wide-ranging weird fiction since Manguel's 'Black Water' would you say? I must, must, must get a copy. So many authors in there I've never heard of before alongside all the greats - obscure and well known. I see it can be got for a mere tenner on Amazon at the minute! Roll on pay day...  |