The books of 2021

1. Knight of Shadows - Roger Zelazny

Even though these are all part of the same novel, in five parts, this one did not agree with me. Way to much time spent wandering around the worlds between shadows, and that part about Pattern and Logrus being sentient and them slugging it out? Meh, not fond of gods battling. Almost all the action is Merlin looking for the girl from the last book, who disappeared walking the Pattern. It turns out she is trapped in a broken Pattern that Merlin must fix, using the Jewel of Judgement he stole earlier. Then they must end it all by fucking in the midst of Pattern!? WTF? This part of the series feels less coherent. Finally we see Luke become king, as his mother fix him up with the help of Dalt, and it turns out Coral is his wife? Dizzying.

2. Prince of Chaos - Roger Zelazny

So in the end Merlin becomes the new king of Chaos, but not while being enslaved by the ring, following the lead of his brother Mandor and his mother, Dara. What happened? Did Luke die, hurting the Primal Pattern? What happened to Coral? What happened to the demon that had fallen in love with Luke? In some respects it felt a bit like Zelazny abandoned all the women in this story. I also think he did commit a mistake in throwing in the Pattern ghosts in the story. With them you know it does not matter what happens, as they are not real. So, you start to care less about the characters in the story! I did like how the author managed to tie together in the end, with finding and releasing Corwin. That being said, it almost felt like an afterthought. Absent fathers are suddenly absent again. I'm happy to have finished all the Amber books, but I am not sure I think they were all that great. Sure, there were some good fun conspiracies, and some nice fantasy action with spell duels and other shenanigans. But, I think it dragged. For being fast paced action fantasy, the latter volumes did have way too much wandering around in shadow, being whisked away into nether realms by Pattern and Logrus. In a way it was as if the story went on above your head. It is a pop-cultural touch stone, though, and I'm glad to have read it.

3. Kung Fu - Giddens Ko

This was a different wuxia novel, as it's set in contemporary Taiwan. The fact that it is kind of imaginary is confused by the fact that the villain does indeed commit heinous acts, and even if the Master is hypnotised to believe he is a great Master, he did manage to teach the two students high level of kung fu! Weird that. It was really, really funny at times. I loved the interplay of students learning to circulate their qi and jump from lamp posts while at the same time trying to do school work! I did fast read some of the sections of the villain's torture, as I find that bit repulsive. In the end I enjoyed this book a lot, and am a bit sad that I will probably never get to read the rest of the series, which I'd love to do!

4. Att läsa Proust - Olof Lagercrantz

A big name Swedish cultural personality writes essays on one of the iconic books, Remembrance of Things Past, taking on each of the big themes in that great work. It sounds dense. In fact it was an easy enough read, but the subject is ellusive and ever changing. It's hard to say much definitive about Proust's great novel. But, it's one of those books that you can dive into and find layers upon layers, and I appreciated a guide. Even though I ever managed to finished the first volume, I did like it a lot. The style and the grasp is awesome, in the most original sense of the word. I learned a lot in this small volume about how Prost hid his experience as a homosexual jew, and how he exposed his ideas on art and aesthetics. So many have been influenced by that great work, and it continues to fascinate me through them.

5. Tehanu - Ursula K. Le Guin

The author wrote in her notes that she had gotten stuck on this story, and had to go away and live some more before she could write it. It really made a difference, as the book feels "lived". It also feels very primal. Earthsea has a profound weight to it. Everything feels solid, and in this book extra much so. The discussions about power, and what it is was real. Even though there is no such thing as magic, it stirred the anger in me, as it was about power, but a different sort. What are those grand words, while they woman toils and work her power, but not of the grand words. It is a very feministic novel, but not one of big words. It was a story of human values, and power has made those values a woman's matter, diminishing them. That made me angry, just as the situation with the bad men threatening the women made me scared. The author subtly and deftly worked me into the novel. Impressive. Even though I know there are readers who did not feel it was fantastic enough, I felt it had fantasy enough in it. In Earthsea everything is magic, and I felt it now, more clearly than ever before. Also, there were mysteries in this book, many mysteries. There's change coming, and I think it will be quite a story.

6. The Chinese Knight Errant - James JY Liu

In the field of wuxia and wuxia stories in written form, Liu's book always crop up. I decided I needed to read that "standard text" and shelled out for a used copy. It wasn't cheap. Also, it was not a fun and easy read. Not only is he very academic, but also very old fashioned. It is written in the early sixties, before the New Wave exploded, but add to that the fact that academics usually stop their "present" a couple of decades before their own time and his time perspective becomes quaint. He is also not shy about dismissing some texts as of less value as they are not of high enough literary sophistication! The section on the historical knight errant is interesting, and it's clear that there is a historical basis to the legends of wandering swordsmen, and it began quite a long time ago. The following sections on that theme in poetry, drama and fiction is based on the historical section. I really just skimmed the section poetry and the best value of the book is the many summaries of how legends based on historical persons and events have been re-worked in different formats. What I do find strange is that he suggest the popular fiction about xia is really based in the later Qing, which I think modern research have suggested isn't really the case. He also thinks the more fantastical stories of flying swordsmen to be silly and not really part of the theme he is writing about. I tend to disagree, especially as religious and fantastical themes seems to have been part of so many stories from the beginning. It was an interesting book, but also slightly boring. I hope the newer "standard text" of Chen Pingyuan is slightly less dense.

7. Tales from Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin

As a collection of stories you would think this one would sprawl a bit, and it does, chronologically. But, thematically it is coherent, as a good solid look at Earthsea with new eyes. It's a world in need of change, and the seeds are planted deep. If Tehanu was a book based in anger from injustices, this is a book about what those injustices mean, and how they affect the world. I feel we got to see Earthsea from more viewpoints, and it came out richer. There's still a solemn feeling to this world. Everything is a bit grimy, but also real and hard. I like that this is not chrome plated fantasy, but I can not really say what makes it work as not too grim and real. I am looking forward to the last volume.

8. To Open The Sky - Robert Silverberg

This book, from 1967, was not one of those moments of brilliance from that era that produced some truly existential work from the typewriter of Robert Silverberg. That being said, it was a clever and entertaining romp that reminded me mostly of Philip K. Dick and his precog driven history and social manipulation. Creating a science based religion to affect social change is an intriguing idea, even though the plausability of it can be discussed. Fun, but not that memorable. They did go to the stars powered by ESP and genetics in the end.

9. To Be Taught If Fortunate - Becky Chambers

I had reminiscences of "Interstellar" when I read this book. It was that same experience of a small group of astronauts being so far off on another world that they also were cast of from their home planet in time as well in space. This is a very lonely book. Thanks to Chambers writing being so strongly grounded in her characters, I felt very connected to them, even though the feeling of distance and, dare I say, desperation was there. When things go bad, there is no help. As in her other books, the plot is not the big thing. Actually, this is her most classic and robust sf story with a strong science feel, but it's still very much about the people, and in this story also all people. It's a story about the wonder of life, and knowledge and curiosity. It's one of those stories that makes you cry, without any tragedy and drama. I liked it, a lot.

10. Nymphomation - Jeff Noon

Just like Vurt, this book is an experience. It's more about mood, language and being transported into a weird space than it's a traditional narrative. This time it's a mathematical puzzle based game show with domionos, and a bunch of rebels and hackers trying to hack and break the game, and to figure out who's behind it. As in the authors other books, it's a reality blurring secret history, about some kids who learned mathematics and probabilities and managed to simulate this in a computer until it became real. As before it's driven by drugs, sex and the secret sauce of imaginative spaces. I thought it was very cool until the end, which felt so whoozy and spaced out that I didn't really grasp what happened! What did happen for sure was that the last scene was when the first Vurt feather was used. I am not sure how, but in some weird way the biomechanical flies innards is the protoplasm that makes as a philosopher's stone that makes anything happen. Is that the source of vurtspace? I am not sure it's meant to be understandable. When listening to an interview with Noon he mentioned he likes to write to find out, and to play it like a jazz improvization. That explains a lot. I do need to read Automated Alice now, as it is apparently also related to Vurt.

11. Sword of the Third Young Master - Gu Long

This was a fascination read. I've seen two movies based on this novel, and both differ radically from this text! I like both movies, and they would not become better from adding anything from this book, but it was really different. In this book, Yan Shisan disappears after one chapter and comes back three chapters from the end! It's framed by that conflict between Yan Shisan and Xie Xiaofeng, but the meat of the story is about his conflict with "Big Boss" and a bunch of people from an escord agency, and the fight about who is to be the head of the Seven Sword Alliance (Hint, Murong Qiudi is pulling the strings in that conflict). Add to that the fact that he and Murong Qiudi has a son, who like her can't decide if he loves him or wants him dead! The theme is about life in the Jianghu, but for once it's about finding peace. Fittingly Yan Shisan finds peace as he realize he is the greatest of them, and then kills himself. This will probably not be one of my favourites, but it was a good read. I really would like to do some line editing on it if I ever get around to revising it, though.

12. The Other Wind - Ursula K. Le Guin

So this is the end of Earthsea. Finally we get to see change come to all the lands, and a mending of something that had been broken in the setting since the start. I guess it was very fitting, as balance and everything fulfilling its telos has been a theme of the series from the very start. In a way very daoist. After the anger I felt the book Tehanu contained in the unjustice at the heart of Earthsea and of the power of the world, I am almost a bit sad I never will see how that big change will remake the world. But, in a way I guess it could be preachy, and also quite dull to hear about the peacful and wise reign of the king. Turning the page, knowing that from now on, things will never be the same is very much the sentiment of finishing a book. I think this author really knew her craft, and shows it well in this book. This will linger and stay with me.

13. The Development of Chinese Martial Arts Fiction: A History of Wuxia Literature - Chen Pingyuan

If Professor Liu was condescending, Professor Chen is rambling. These academics really have a special language! It was a useful update on the former work, but at the same time so different in style as to almost be of a different subject at all. I liked the thematic chapters about xiake deeds, travelling, the jianghu and revenge. I also think the historical chapters where interesting, but they worked best in conjunction with the other book. I became more interested in how the different themes have been used, and felt tempted to use them in some writing of my own! This book was not what I had hoped, a continuation and modern follow up on Professor Liu, but it was interesting to have read it, even though it was something of a slog.

14. Mister B. Gone - Clive Barker

Is this the first time I feel Clive Barker should have written a longer book? This book felt short, and it was a fast read. Most reviews seems to think it was either too funny or inconsequential. I don't agree with the former, but I kind of think that maybe the realtionship between Mister B. and Mister Q. could have been a bit more developed? I am not sure, because if that would have meant more waffling on about "evil" deeds and the blood of infants, it would have devolved into the kind of nonsense of The Scarlet Gospels which really just treaded water. So, maybe this book was just a sardonic tale of a demon telling his story, and Barker continuing the exploration he has previously done about the magic of words, and of books. It did remind me of some of the more lyrical parts of Weaveworld, where he writes about how words can make dreams take physical form. Regardless, this is not a major work. I can not really say it was great, but I don't see why some people think it was such a disappointment. Some seems to have expected another Book of Blood, but I was never a big fan of them anyway.

15. Wolves on the Border - Robert N. Charrette

As I'm on a Battletech kick right now, I felt intrigued by this game novel. They are usually terrible as literature, but I felt the spin on Japanese culture in the Draconis Combine was interesting enough to read one of them. An interview with Charrette showed him to have been quite instrumental in changing the protrayal of the kuritans as something other than the "yellow peril" they had been pictured as before. That made me interested in reading his take on them. I'm stil not very fond of the clans, and the way the mercenaries always seems to be scrappy underdogs who win against the Successor States. It feels too much like wish fulfillment and that very American kind of free enterprise militarism. So, those qualities are there, but I got a new appreciation of how to think of the setting as medieval, with knights. It's not just the Kuritans that are "out of time" as samurai in space. The rest of the setting is actually as medieval as them, and also even more science fiction, as this book took place on multiple planets, with travel time and strange local weather patterns. This will definitely inform my gaming after this. Entertaining.

16. Över näktergalens golv [Across the Nightingale Floor] - Lian Hearn

So, instead of space samurai, we end up with fantasy ninjas. I heard so much about this book when it was new, but never got around to read it. Finally I did it, and I'm quite split on this one. On the one hand I liked the setting, and I liked the characters. On the other hand I strongly dislike the total disregard for human life and the casual cruelty exhibited by the people of this world. Sadly it does remind me of the culture it's based on, which also exhibits those traits and have stood in the way for me becoming so enchanted by that world as some have. So, I liked Takeo and Kaede, but I wonder if I can stomach the rest of the series. The split loyalties and honour leading you down paths you'd rather not go is good for drama, but god is it painful to read about those conflicts within a character you empathize with!

17. Mapping the Interior - Stephen Graham Jones

A young native American boy living with his mother and his intellectually disabled brother, is seeing his dead father manifest himself in the night, and later on the hauntings become more physical. I liked how he clearly longed for a father figure, but at the same time felt he had betrayed them buy dying. In the end he has to become his brother's protector and face his own betrayals. While it was a story about a haunting, it felt as much like a story about native Americans growing up under bad conditions facing a their heritage and a society with violence, drugs and limited possibilities. Maybe it is the setting and the themes as much as the plot details that makes it horror. It was more interesting than good, even though the end was dark enough to fit the genre. Maybe I need to read something more by SGJ.

18. Wylding Hall - Elizabeth Hand

Folk horror, eh? Acid folk band in a haunted house in the early 1970-ies and lots of drugs. What could possibly go wrong? I liked the feeling of the setting, and I liked the disjointed narrative with the documentary interviews, as it broke it up into a bunch of unreliable narrators. Some sections where quite moody and there was a strange sense of how creepy that old house was, and how clealy Julian was poking things left still. But, I maybe wondered a bit if you as a reader was supposed to figure out how the dfferent scenes fit together, and to understand the haunting in a way that the individuals in the book never did, as they strangely enough never talked to each other about their individual experiences. It was a good read, but I'm not as lyrical in my praise and adoration for the work as some seem to be. Good, but maybe I expected a bit more?

19. Zima Blue - Alastair Reynolds

Since I've got Belladonna Nights incoming, I thought I might as well finish the short story collection I had not yet finsihed. It was an interesting mix of shorter and longer works, and I felt you could see how some themes that Al dive into in his novels are being explored from different angles in the shorter works. Some stories also took a very different route than the novels and it was fun to see something new and fun. I have grown to really enjoy all the small "easter eggs" of references to music inserted into so many of Al's stories, and I chuckled a bit when I realized he had inserted Elton John as a hologram into one of the stories. Now I'm ready to read more of these when Belladonna Nights arrives.

20. The Sinful Stars - Tales of the Fading Suns - ed. Bill Bridges

Game fiction more often than not suck. Sometimes you read it anyway, as it can be a very effective way to immerse yourself in a new world, and get the holistic feel for things. In this case I found that many of the short stories in this collection was actually half decent as fiction goes as well. There was only one that I felt was directly bad, and the drama in the end was not all that interesting. But still, better than I thought. As I read it in parallel with Zima Blue I noticed there were more points where they intersected in feel than I would have expected. The noir starkness of Al Reynold's space opera apparently can touch on the feel of byzantine medievalism in space. I guess that was not all too surprising. There where stories of weird aliens, of war and mysticism and also pure heist foolery. I enjoyed it a lot.

21. Seven to Eternity - Rick Remender/Jerome Opena

I picked up this graphic novel because the visuals where so stunning. Openas drawings and the colours by Matt Hollingsworth where just amazing. They had a pastel style, with bold vistas and great work with angles and how to protray both figures and vast strange landscapes on the page. The way persons where portrayed felt a bit like super heroes, but a very fantasy setting. Really, I was hooked before I really read much of the story. The story then. So, it's a story about a principled man who never budges from his ideals, and as thanks for that he gets to see his child suffer and die. Then his son follows in his footsteps, until he confronted with what he most of all wants, to see his family happy, strays from the idealistic path. Guess what happens? His family dies. It was like the movie Se7ven which in a way was brilliant, and in another was too painful to watch. I hated the end of this graphic novel.

22. Within Wthout - Jeff Noon

I've really liked the books I've read so far by Jeff Noon. They have been quite trippy, and quite gonzo to say the least. But, this Nyquist mystery is just a bit too far. So, it's set in a city which is riddled with borders, surreal and bizarre contraptions like people holding hands in a line to stop people from crossing a square, to cold war era Berlin style checkpoints with requests for papers. Then it goes into a city where there are borders within the minds of people and they all have a literary figure within their minds trying to reak out. Layer on top of this a protagonist who stumbles around looking for his friend who is repeatedly yanked from him the last moments and it becomes tiring. This is not the end. There's also insubstantial alien life forms, like intelligent colours, which translate words and feelings into physical impressions and lights, and they inhabit some of the people, with borders in their heads, crossing over borders in the city filled with borders. It's just too much. It felt so insubstantial in the end that I just flipped the pages and skimmed some words on each to see if it would somehow make sense when Nyquist found out it was all because the intelligent colours had a love affair and an enchanter wanted to flee with them to their world to make it her own. No, it just fell apart. Nonsensical. Now I'd like to read something I like for a change.

23. Worlds Without End - Clifford D. Simak

This collection of three stories, Worlds Without End, The Spaceman's Van Gogh and Full Circle was not as great as some other Simak collections I have, but worthwhile reading still. Sure, it is a style of sf that feel a bit dated, with a very 1950-ies quality to it. That suburban idyll, the gender roles and the rest. But, in all these stories there's the theme of positive change, or working together. While I had a hard to believing in the guild and trade union futures in the first and last of these stories, the pointof them transcend the dated worldbuilding. Simak had a trust in the decency of human beings, and his portrayal of them pulling together does feel right. I wonder a bit to what extent older sf writers actually believed in psychic phenomena, or if it was just a story trope? I liked these stories, but they wont become long remembered favourites.

24. Xingyiquan Martial Theory:Simplicity in Complexity - Daniel Schultz

Reading about martial arts does not makes you a better practicioner, only training does. That's what they say, don't they? I do feel I practice better when I knew what I'm doing, though. This book by one of Laoshi Ripski's students is a great summary of the basic foundations of skill in xingyiquan. I learned new ways to see things I already know, and suggestions for my further practice. This is a book I can heartfel recommend to anyone who has started their journey on xingyiquan mastery. It's extremly ugly, and probably designed in Microsoft Word, as it has a sans serif font throughout. It looks terrible, but the content is good enough to stomach it. Recommended.

25. Factfulness - Rosling

The last book of 2021 was given to me by my wife, as she felt I had a too dark view on the world. Having read this I feel more enlightened. It was very interesting to be reminded about some fallacies we all suffer from, and which makes us see the world in a worse light than we should. Like how CO2 emmissions from India might look really bad, until you count per capita and realize we're far worse in Europe. Yeah, it's bad, but most effective change would be with Europeans, not Indians. Another key takeaway was that that the countries of the world are not spread in 'rich' and 'poor', but most are in the middle. A new view of the world, based on fact, based on not comparing apples to oranges, based on less gut reaction and less blaming bad guys when there are structures that cause problems and not individuals. Let's hope I keep remembering some of those lessons.