Thoughts, ramblings and other stuff

I flew back on Friday and spent a weekend trying to sleep off the jetlag while fighting the remains of the cold. My voice still breaks a little but it's almost gone. Of course the dry cough will stay for few more weeks. That's just how it works when I'm sick. No fever - excess of phlegm and coughing. So that's how my year started.

I had a pretty good flight this time. I almost slept. I met a friend I studied biology with on the plane. I walked around. I spent 4 hours on JFK. Next day I skyped with my mum and had the weirdest feeling when I saw her sitting in that room I was just in when I realised I'm now an ocean away. Plane travel boring and tedious, yet still amazing.

Meanwhile the first week of 2013 is behind us and everyone did their reviews of last year and lists of best. Locus posted the results of its polls for the best SSF in two centuries (full version here). io9 did a whole cycle of post reviewing 2012 and a post about genre shows coming in 2013.

Adam of the Wertzone and Patrick of the Pat's Fantasy Hotlist did their annual list of best. Larry on OF blog not only shared his best novels, collections and non-English language fiction of 2012 but also collected lists of other people.

I haven't really thought about mine. I was to busy enjoying having a cat and a family.

So I should do some kind of summing up post before everyone forgets 2011.

Books:
My favourite is, quite predictably, Steven Erikson's The Crippled God (don't act surprised). It was heartbreaking and heroic and I had to stop myself from crying in public places. It delivered what I didn't even dare to hope for but secretly wanted. And he finished the series and already has finished his new book.

My other favourite books were Terry Pratchett's I Shell Wear Midnight and Hannu Rajaniemi's The Quantum Thief. Two completely different books but both great in their own way.

I also read 3 new series this year and I liked them all. I think both N.K Jemisin's The Inheritance Trilogy and Mira Grant's Newsflesh trilogies are fun and have a lot cool concepts. However, the series I liked most was The Laundry by Charles Stross. All three are full of action and world changing adventure. All are a little bit of fluff - no where near the epicness and emotional ride of MBotF - but very enjoyable nonetheless. However I just love the world and concept of the Laundry the most. The government agency that takes care of the unauthorised magic use and stops world from ending - what's not to like. Maybe it's because magic based on maths always will be closer to my mind then the one granted by gods and zombies are just not my thing so they were already a little behind on the start. Maybe because Laundry is such a nice mix of mundane and otherwordly, full of weird characters both alien and human (like Pinky and Brains - main hero roommates who are tech wizards who spend their lives in basement trying to get their work as Q done while realizing their true intrests like building perfect speakers). I love saving the world on government budget with paperwork that's more insane then the eldricht horror (like Pinky and Brains being forced to attend the Gay Pride to maintain their security clearance because only openness can guarantee you won't get blackmailed). And Angelton. And CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN.

I keep trying urban fantasy and invariably get bored - at least all I tried this year was on sale: Amber Benson's Cat's Claw, Stacia Kane's Unholy Ghosts, even Gail Carriger's The Parasol Protectorate is only fun in small doses.

I liked the premise of the book one of The Entire and The Rose - Bright of the Sky by Kay Kenyon - it was a lot of fun at the beginning. I enjoyed it, loved the world and go through it fast but then the heroes being better then anyone in two universes, including the one he is alien in got on my nerves and I quit 2/3rd through (yes, I was so annoyed I quit just before ending - it became too predictable).

I got stuck in the middle of The City & The City and can't finish. Instead I'm finishing Surface Detail and I'm enjoying it much more (AI warships and artefacts, war and revenge and War to destroy Hell - all of Hells :)

Movies:
The only one that I fell in love with was The Muppets. It's just amazing.

I liked other films that premièred at the same time - Arthur Christmas and Hugo. They were all perfect holiday treats. I also liked Hanna. And Super 8 was a very nostalgic treat.

All the others I saw were OK but nothing special. I didn't hate Battle of Los Angeles, Cowboys and Aliens and In Time as many did. I had fun watching them but they were neither special nor memorable.

TV:
Many of my favourites have ended (SGU) or are burning through their last episodes (Eureka, Chuck) or are in constant danger of being canceled (Fringe, Nikita). After Alphas joined other Syfy shows that I watch but don't really care about (all except Eureka) I didn't have much hope for TV. However this autumn was actually better then expected. I suspected I'm going to like Once Upon a Time but I didn't expct to love it as much as I do (Emma, Snow, Regina). Revenge became my favourite guilty pleasure (Victoria and Emily) - ok one none genre thing. And then there was American Horror Story with all it's demented storylines and crazy characters (Constance and Addy and Sarah Paulson playing psychic when she played a ghost on American Gothic).

I'm starting to warm up to Grimm and Person of Interest, although the couple of guys saving the people is not my kind of story. But they have kind of nice dynamic and the stories get more interesting.

The Games of Thrones is beautiful and I like it better as a TV series. Homeland was fascinating. The only good thing about Dexter left are the season theme characters (I liked Colin Hanks as Travis) but the ending made me facepalm so hard.

About the really depressing I already ranted.

The SF Site: Best Read of the Year in Science Fiction and Fantasy Editor's Choice and Reader's Choice for 2008.

I kept waiting for these and then forgotten all about them. These are my favourite Bests as I tend to like the books they choose. I have similar taste as people voting for these as proven by the Erikson's presence on the lists.

Anathem ranking 1 on both was no surprise. I'd be surprised if it doesn't get all possible awards.

What makes me sad is that I've read only couple of the chose books. 2008 was slow year for me as my mind was filled with science instead of science fiction. I need to remedy that.

I think I'd like to read (almost) all the books on Reader's Choice Top Ten - that doesn't happen often.

Seems like everyone’s making a best of 2007 lists, so I decided to write about the books I liked most this year. Here it is in no particular order (with links to what I wrote about them earlier - be careful they may contain spoilers):

Milena Wójtowicz’s Wrota (Gates) – a tale about a princess (or evil witch – depending on point of view), who is freed/kidnapped from her stronghold/tower by brave and handsome/stupid and pompous prince and all that happens after.
I love Milena Wójtowicz sense of humour and I loved this book. The princess is spoiled, willful and certainly it’s not what she imagined being rescued by a prince would be. And soon it turns out it is her who has to help the prince. Not that he is very grateful. After all he is as spoiled as she is and, just like her, he thinks that his problems are the most important.
There are also demons and Gates to Hell, who unfortunately not only have their own personality but also share the headspace with the princess. There is drunken good sorceress. There are evil robbers and even more evil inquisitors.
And it’s never going to be available in English :P

Ian Cameron Esselsmont’s Night of Knives – tale of how the Emperor and Dancer were assassinated (or not).

Steven Erikson’s Reaper’s Gale – The seventh book of tMBotF I like more then the sixth. There were still parts I feel dragged – the Schilas Ruin and co trip and others that seemed disconnected (and presented serious timeline problems) – like the Awl parts. Still the Bonehunters and Tehol and Bugg made up for that. I loved the ending. And I finally warmed up to Karsa Orlong – he’s cool now.

Siergiej Łukjanienko’s Dusk (Twilight) Watch – explained more about the nature of Others and what their power is really all about. And I was almost as heart broken about the ending as Anton was.

Peter F. Hamilton’s The Dreaming Void – I loved the Commonwealth since I read Pandora’s Star, so I waited for sequel eagerly. I liked it a lot despite the very first book/setup feeling.

Ken MacLeod’s Newton’s Wake – my favourite post-human book this year.

Greag Egan's Quarantine – very clever idea and good example of evolution – survives not the best but fittest.

Justina Robson’s Living Next Door to the God of Love – I’ve just finished this and haven’t wrote my reactions, yet, but I liked the ideas – the Unity and how its agents work were very much like I imagined such beings. I liked Greg and Rita and the rest too.

Jasper Fforde’s The Eyre Affair – was funny, fast paced alternate reality that made books superstars.

Terry Pratchett’s books – I read The Truth, Thief of Time and Wintersmith and had fun as always.

I noticed I didn’t write about all the books I read or even all that I liked. I probably because I’m lazy – I only write my thoughts down if something really excites or annoys me.