The books of 2016

1. The Kingless Land - Ed Greenwood

I kind of expected some light reading of the page turning kind, but got something more dense than that. Maybe it was all the factions, people and story lines that made it a bit more complicated. It's not great art, and the magic is over the top, so it should be just what I expected. Somehow it was just a tad bit less easy to read than I wanted. I might get to the second volume, but I'm not instantly devouring it. I wish I knew what's missing here...

2. Äventyrsspel - Bland mutanter, drakar och demoner - Orvar Säfström & Jimmy Wilhelmsson

This such a great summary of my adolescence, and what preoccupied our minds. It's mind boggling how Sweden's biggest publisher of roleplaying games was just a bunch of guys barely out of school! That and the amazing speed at which they basically shovelled any kind of stuff out the door is just unbeliveable. I kind of expected there to be some kind of conflict within the company, since they sometimes felt a bit split brained. Now I see how it all started to go downhill, according to my taste, when the "coolness" faction won. Really a part of modern history, and an oh so influential part of what we all became.

3. The Scarlet Gospels - Clive Barker

The latest Cliver Barker novel, it has to be good, right? Well, I'm not sure. It's about Harry D'Amour and Pinhead and their conflict. But the bigger thing is about who's to reign in hell and how Pinhead basically revolts against all. I think this book suffers from being a bit overblown. Hell is torn to pieces, Lucifer fights with Pinhead, demons are slaughtered by the thousand. It do have the colourful imagination, the fabulous names and exotic vistas. But, compared to Weaveworld it felt a bit too oriented around explosions, and not so very subtle. It's not bad, but I think I expected more from Barker.

4. Rimrunners - C.J. Cherryh

I started to read Merchanter's Luck and after a while it started to feel familiar. It turns out I had read it a few years ago! I turned to Rimrunners instead, as the second book Jo Walton suggested you start with reading C.J. Cherryh. It was better than the other one I had read, but had the same kind of problem. It seems like there's always a neurotic individual on all books I've read by Cherryh. It was so in these two, and in the Charnur books as well. There's also always someone who's the silent compenent type, gruff and grumpy. Always it seems people are under duress, and there are big things afoot in the universe, with power plays and big deals going down. The problem with all these books are I sometimes just don't sympathize with these neurotic grumpy people, and I either don't get the big plot or care much about all the faction wars. That being said, this was a decent book, with a somewhat engaging plot and a gritty space travel story that did come alive for me. It had a sense of place.

5. Platon - Holger Thesleff

This is a overview of not only all of the platonic texts, but also the life and times of the great philsopher. I found it quite engaging, and it made me waht to read more of the texts it discussed. Even if you do not intend to read them all, it gives you a good overview of the ideas in the texts, and the cultural climate wherein they appeared. I had actually forgotten many of the details it provided about the personality traits it attributed Plato, and I think some of them felt very genuine, and complimentory to his ideas, like his strong dislike of violence of any sort.

6. Parmenides - Plato

This was the first time I read one of Plato's late dialogs. It was indeed quite different than the others I've read. Very heavy on logic, analyzing concepts and defining principles. It actually made my head spin, and still I had this nagging suspicion there was a flaw in the stream of logic. I think I will need to get back to this text after reading some more easy going texts. It kind of felt like the philosopher started on the wrong foot, and thus could not logically escape the trap he had put himself in. Maybe some of the initial assumptions were flawed? It made me wonder why Plato wrote this? Is it a trap, or a test? Is it a real analysis of core concept indicating a deep seated problem or an attempt at a solution. I'm not sure of the latter, as I question the problem. Dense.

7. Gorgias - Plato

Now I got to another dialog, of the more well known format and style. It's Socrates going to town on the rhetors and their teachings. They claim they do the craft for the betterment of man, and Socrates take those ideas apart. It's funny, it's filled with pointed arguments and logical traps for Gorgias and Kallikes that makes them contradict themselves. You can probably discern some of Plato's political ideas in this stage of his career. He is not very fond of the masses of people who stomp over justice when the rhetors swing them around. Interestingly, he seem to blame them more than the public, though. I'm convinced of all his argumentation, except the one that claim it's better to be the victim of injustice than to commit injustice. It does follow from his position, but I understand why it didn't fly in ancient Athens, nor in modern times.

8. Spies of the Balkans - Alan Furst

I got a recommendation to read Alan Furst, and now I acted on it, many years later. I have totally forgotten why I was recommended this, but it was well written ww2 spy drama, and I can't say I regret reading it. But, I can not say I was spellbound either. It was a charming tale about a man who faced with barbarism realized what had to be done, and did it. He manages to find a woman he falls head over heels in love with and even though it had not a lot to do with the spy plot it made him feel real. I doubt I will read more Furst novels, though.

9. A Thousand Words For Stranger - Julie E. Czerneda

In a way this reminded me of the C.J. Cherryh book I read recently, but with a more likable protagonist. There are complex societies with conflicting cultures, there are weird and interesting aliens and there are mental powers galore. It was quite a page turner, as all along someone was chasing someone. Apparently there are more stories in this setting, and I feel tempted to check them out. It was a bit convoluted with lot of secrets and different individuals working for this or that schemer, but it was engaging.

10. Century Rain - Alastair Reynolds

Al as done it again. This is, just like Chasm City, a book with a very dense noir feel. He also managed to write far future high tech, and a time travel story all in one. As a composition feat, that is impressive. The sf parts are big and filled with sense of wonder. All moods from the different styles are there. It's also well executed, as the mystery is quite well developed, and I managed to follow along and even draw my own conclusions. Funnily enough they were right, and it did not spoil anything. Best of all, the end had closure, and it was a page turner. Everything I could have asked for in an Al Reynolds book.

11. Starfarers - Poul Anderson

This book was a bit like Tau Zero, with people who leave it all behind to go out and experience a First Contact with all the implications of time dilation. I thought it well done and there were interesting revelations and speculations about how civilizations endure over long, long times. The only thing that bugged me was the dynamics between the starfarers. It's natural to have some interesting conflicts between persons to make a story more interesting, but it did not feel believable at all that some of those persons would have been allowed to fly together considering how messy their relations were. Also, Anderson's usual cheery cultural stereotyping felt a bit jarring.

12. Elvis - The Biography - Jerry Hopkins

A full run down of Elvis career, with summaries of both his records, his films and his personal life. I liked how it was not shirking from the seedier parts, but still not wallowing in them. Elvis was a phenomenon and a very American one. Truly tragic, and thus still so relevant.

13. Why not you and I? - Karl Edward Wagner

After listening to the The Good Friends of Jackson Elias podcast where they talked about Wagner and his story Sticks I felt I needed to educate myself. I have read some things he had edited, and one Conan novel. Now I can say I have at least tasted his other output. It's quite varied, and uneven. But, I think he had a personal voice that was quite good. He deteriorated from alcohol abuse and this collection might not be all his best. I liked some of the stories, but not enough to track down some of the more expensive volumes of his work. If they come my way, I will read more, though.

14. 100 Bullets (Vol. 8) - Brian Azzarello/Eduardo Risso

This volume of the neo-noir comic series is brutal. There are a couple of real twist you did not see coming, and Shepherd and Graves are really coming to blows in this one, by proxy. Revenge and double crossings galore. There was also an innocent bystander which, naturally, came to a bad end. It almost makes me cry when I think of him. But, in a noir nobody is innocent. Not even the trumpet player.

15. Gåvan [tr: The Gift] - Shinichi Hoshi

Ultrashort short stories of the twist end kind. Often thoughtful, never really profound. It seems trite after a while. It's not because the ideas are lacking, but it's so undeveloped. Still, you did not waste more than a minute reading one, so even though I never felt they really shone, they were fun.

16. Rymdstigar [ Valérian et Laureline: Par les chemins de l'espace ]- Pierre Christin/Jean-Claude Mézières

Quirky and fun small "short stories" about Valérian and Laureline. Just as visually stunning as the long stories, and a fun collection I had not seen or read before.

17. The Three-Body Problem - Liu Cixin

This is one of the oddest novels I've read in a long time. Nothing happens! Maybe 80% of the novel is just people re-telling their history, and scenes from a computer game with no game element, only exposition. Still, they historic backdrop of the Cultural Revolution is fascinating, and the plot is weird and full of science fiction elements to boggle the mind. It is quite dark and grim a view on humanity, though. I'm not sure I want to read the next volume, as it was not a very good book. But I am curious about how it will all end.

18. Åskbollen [Thunderball] - Ian Flemming

It was ages since I read one of Flemming's books, and it was interesting to compare with the films. Very long descriptions of technical gear, and surprisingly detailed descriptions of the male villains appearance as well. Bond, and Leiter, come across as very grumpy and nervous alcoholics. Decent plot, and decently executed as well. It was very scenic, and really begging to be filmed.

19. 100 Bullets (Vol. 9) - Brian Azzarello/Eduardo Risso

This series is now expanding, so it's less of the classic tragedy and more of a dark conspiracy. It's still very dark and some scenes hurt to read. One thing that still makes me come back to this series is the way the visuals express internal states and emotions of main characters. It's very much post-Miller comics.

20. Finna Dolda Ting - Anna-Karin & Daniel Linder Krauklis

As this is the first, and only, history of the rpg hobby in Sweden it is an important document of contemporary Swedish history. Sadly, since it is the first of its kind, it's also lacking in some respects. The disposition of the material is sometimes a bit strange, with some games mentiones multiple times in multiple sections which results in a very fragmented picture of some themes. I also found some things repeated multiple times in different contexts, which gave the impression some tighter editing would have helped. The causality of events also felt a bit vague sometimes, especially how the national and international scenes interrelated, and the different "indie" scenes. A decent first attempt, but I think we need another one in a few years time.

21. 100 Bullets (Vol. 10) - Brian Azzarello/Eduardo Risso

This time the action is sequencially cut back and forth and it feels like the war within the Trust is really heating up. It's still the framing, the things that happen around, that's really making it tight. All the small time crooks and small time miseries that contrast so nicely with the noir at the core.

22. The Long Way to A Small Angry Planet - Becky Chambers

This book felt like the Mos Eisley cantina. It felt like Star Wars in more ways, with galaxy wide civilization and schmucks in dingy trader and miner ships. But, even with those garish colours, this was a book about people, not the big galaxy. It was a very human book, and even though I probably would not have picked it up if it had been advertised to me as about relationships, it was something I really enjoyed. In addition to that, it was a breaze to read. It was funny, heartwarming and it felt like "good old science fiction". At the same time, it was transgressive about social and sexual mores in a very 2000-ish way. Very good.

23. Ensam på Mars The Martian - Andy Weir

"Show, don't tell", they say. This book was all tell. But, since it was almost exclusively one asutronaut's journal entries, it could hardly be anything else. The movie was boring, and I did not finish it. The book was better, as the protagonist was way more personal. But, as literature it was a bit limited. Everything was him telling about a new scientific challenge, and how he was going to approach solving it. Sometimes there would be a short glimmer of humour and personality, but that was it. Still, it was a page turner and I really wanted to know how he was going to solve the next challange. It was a fun read, but I will never re-read it.

24. Decision At Thunder Rift - William H. Keith

I am playing Battletech again, so naturally I am reading some tie-in fiction to get a feel for the setting. It's not big literature, but it's decent fast flowing action and fun. I have even bought another book so there might be more tie-in reads in the future.

25. Trullion: Alastor 2262 - Jack Vance

Way back I used to think Vance's books were very good. The last few I read have felt a bit lacklustre. This was a decent one, with peculiar customs and weird manners, odd food and all that exotic weirdness that Vance does so well. Maybe because it was also a mystery did it hold up plotwise as well. Squabbling over money and trying solve a murder did give the book structure. Maybe I'm beginning to tire of Vance's habit of obnoxious characters? Anyway, it was good enough that I would not mind another Alastor book.

26. Chasm City - Alastair Reynolds

I decided I wanted to re-read this book, as people around me were reading it. It was a good read once again. Strangely I had forgotten the plot about the drug trade, but remembered the plot about shifting identities and the manhunt. It's a very dark and very gothic story, a space noir. I never liked the noir schtick with the woman as the pivot whereupon a man's fate turns. But in this book it kind of worked, with Gitta being the reason for both men to take a dive into revenge driven madness. But, it was not a scheming femme fatale that did it, but their own flawed personalities. I kind of wondered if it all hinged on the episode when the clown "died" and Sky got his phobia of the dark. Was that when he snapped? Was he a good man destroyed by his own inner demon? A very intriguing story about the question of redemption. I liked it just as much this time.

27. 100 Bullets (Vol. 13) - Brian Azzarello/Eduardo Risso

So this is the end. The Trust goes down in flames, as expected. I realized in the end that I had lost track of all the threads of conspiracy, and who worked what angle. Not to disappoint, this volume delivered some personal drama with the little kid who had to do a hit to prove his worth to the ganster. Nothing ends well in noir.

28. The Autumn Land and Other Stories - Clifford D. Simak

Simak usually always deliver human stories which open up into the galactic vistas. In this collection the stories were quite old, with the oldest from 1938. The over all quality was not bad, but it felt like he might not have developed fully in some stories. They did not make you smile and cry, they made you chuckle and nod sagely.

29. New Canadian Noir - ed. Claude Lalumiere & David Nickle

Everyone has their own definition of noir, and this book didn't try to narrow it down, instead showing the breadth of the tradition. At first I felt it was a bit meh, but later on the stories became more weird, more dark and I felt the spirit of noir stir. I think I can say it will have something for every connoisseur of the style. Considering I mostly read crime/noir comics these days I might get an overdose, but as it was a collection of stories read over a long time it worked fine. Will I look up any of these authors for more? Maybe.