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My Favourite Books :D
Hello!
I read books a lot. Admittedly, I'm not very adventurous, and read almost exclusively sci-fi and fantasy. My favourites are also very boring, and bear quite the resemblance to what would happen if you surveyed a large number of fantasy fans and aggregated the result. However, there are few things I like more than telling people about my favourite books, so I thought - hey! I could shout at an entire website! So here I am. Here we are. I put my favourites first, so if halfway through you're thinking 'wow, this is boring, why am I here.' know that you've got most of the important information already. If you like any of these books please let me know, and if you have any books you think I'd love (and ideally probably haven't read) absolutely give me a shout. No, I don't know how you're meant to guess if I've read something, that's a you problem. As is how this dispatch looks on dark mode.
"It's all stories, really. Everything's got a story in it. [...] Change the story, change the world."
- Terry Pratchett
The Stormlight Archive
The Stormlight Archive is my favourite series. It's a story that is unrepentingly epic. Sanderson's worldbuilding is unparalleled, with an ability to craft worlds like no one else. The magic system in typical Sanderson fashion is as developed as a science. The plot is everything you could hope for from an epic fantasy series, with an ambitious scope and intricate threads underpinning every development. Although the cast is as large as it is diverse, each book focuses on an individual, making them intense character studies so that it's impossible to avoid falling in love with each main character. His prose is far more accessible than you would typically find in this genre, with solid pacing and a rare lack of over description. These are only some of the things making this series one of the most popular modern fantasy series. Brandon Sanderson is this generation's Tolkein, Jordan or Martin, and this is his magnum opus.
"Honour is dead. But I'll see what I can do."
5/5
Teixcalaan
A beautiful exploration of an intoxicating foreign culture. Teixcalaan is a fabulously romantic sci-fi setting, with influences from Byzantium to Mesoamerica. Literature and politics are often one and the same, and the society is full of tantalising allusions and literary references. While the book is sci-fi, the emphasis is placed not on technology or spaceships. The focus is on language, translation, and cultural exchange. Martine carefully describes every social interaction, as the main character tries to work through their culture shock and struggles not to become enthralled in the enticing, consuming Empire. Set in this luscious landscape is a gripping political drama, with sharply intelligent characters to take you along for the ride. Martin Cahill of TOR.com is a writer and so expressed it better than I ever could: 'it left me breathless with awe, this book that so effortlessly balances being a high-octane, science fiction action thriller, while also simultaneously being a thoughtful, complicated examination of identity, language, personhood, and truth'
"Perhaps succor was enough to keep a whole population trapped, willingly."
5/5
Wayfarers
The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers is a story that is heart-warming but not lacking in complexity. Every character is indescribably human (even when they're an alien), and the societies and communities described are unique, deep, and usually incredibly wholesome. The socialist community spirit found in the Exodan Fleet especially won my heart. The stories are on the whole mild, thoughtful, but their social commentaries and explorations of the human (and alien) experience are no less powerful for it. The focus is heavily on the characters, driven by their cultures and personalities. There is very little action, preferring to look at interpersonal and everyday problems. The term 'comfort sci-fi' has never been quite so applicable. Also, the books all have super nice names and covers.
"I can wait for the galaxy outside to get a little kinder."
5/5
The Masquerade
The Masquerade by Seth Dickinson follows Baru Cormorant, who I would really prefer not to follow but also can't look away. It's a stunning criticism of... pretty much everything. Colonialism, homophobia, transphobia, capitalism, racism - you name it, it's covered. The society providing the backdrop for this plethora of thematic messaging is Imperial Falcrest, one of the most intriguing fantasy cultures I've read - subtle, inexorable, cunning. It uses indoctrination, assimilation and economics to achieve its objectives. The series revolves around Baru's quest to destroy it from the inside while trying not to become a monster herself. Following Baru's increasingly unstable mental state, we are taken on a journey through economic machinations, geopolitics and revolution. The book didn't receive nearly as much acclaim as I think it deserves, with a lot of criticism around pacing and writing style (which is apparently 'Wikipedia style'), so bear that in mind. The climax of the first book left me heartbroken, and subsequent books left me both hating the books and loving them, feeling distinctly uncomfortable but still enthralled.
"This is the truth. You will know because it hurts."
4/5
The First Law
Grimdark is becoming a more popular subgenre of fantasy, possibly because of all the G.R.R Martin fans starved for content. Joe Abercrombie is currently the strongest alternative, and in my opinion, does a far better job. If you're unfamiliar with the term 'grimdark', it's about what you'd expect - gritty, morally grey, characters keep dying on you. Abercrombie's masterful ability to develop interesting and consistent characters is his greatest skill and makes even the most distasteful characters engaging narrators. That's a good thing too, since even the 'good' characters are fundamentally flawed and I wouldn't like to meet any of them. All of the choices made are believable, giving the plot a character-driven feel despite how its mysteries and reveals are clearly well thought out. The books are also packed with grim humour, which I had great fun with. Abercrombie is so well placed to be a spiritual successor to GRRM that honestly just let him finish ASOIAF....
"We should forgive our enemies, but not before they are hanged."
4/5
Murderbot
Murderbot is the softest and most fluffy death robot you'll ever meet. Mentally, that is. Physically, they have guns in their arms. The series is not just character-driven, but is almost a character study of Murderbot's psychology, history, and relationships. Through the first four novellas and subsequent novels, I cannot imagine a reader not falling in love with them. It's pleasantly funny without being light-hearted, carefully handling Murderbot's mental health issues and especially social anxiety. That is correct, we are talking about a death robot with social anxiety. The setting is a dystopia of space capitalism, and the plot involves a lot of working out what the evil corporations are up to and stopping them (mainly to save friends rather than anti-capitalist sentiment, although that is also there). The action scenes are some of my favourites, with Murderbot's unique voice and Wells's practical prose making them feel both tense and mildly humourous.
"I was having an emotion, and I hate that"
4/5
The Kingkiller Chronicles
The Kingkiller Chronicles are popularly known for both their fantastic prose, and how it's been ten thousand years and we still don't have the third book. Your opinion on Rothfuss's writing speed notwithstanding, he has an undeniable talent for poetic writing and the ability to craft a world that feels both unknowable and fully realised. It follows the main character from their childhood onwards, from their desperate struggle against poverty to increasingly fantastical shenanigans. Rothfuss is a perfectionist, which is very apparent when reading - everything feels very intentional, the descriptions and foreshadowing are perfectly placed. It's entirely based around the character of Kvothe, so if you don't like his arrogant, flamboyant approach to life, the series may be hard for you. The second book is not nearly as good, with a lack of direction and... that scene. Yeah. No.
"Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts."
4/5
The Broken Earth
This series by N.K Jemisin is a wonderfully original approach to a large-scope fantasy series. Jemisin is a very strong literary author, and this book like her other works is very well-rounded, with very few inconsistencies or weaknesses. The worldbuilding is fascinating, with a focus on geology and the manipulation or repercussions of it. The books focus on an impending apocalypse bought about by, well, the earth being broken. As I expect from a Jemisin novel, heavy topics and social commentary are tackled head-on. The characters are very sympathetic, with effective emotional prose driving home all the pain they're put through. There are passages of second person, which has had a mixed reception - I found it weird at first but got used to it quickly. The twists completely recontextualise the whole series a few times, which was very impressive. The final book was not quite the climax I had hoped for, but it was still a fittingly traumatically emotional finale.
"For all those that have to fight for the respect that everyone else is given without question."
4/5
Thanks for reading!
"because we'll someday ache
for any regular Sunday in June
where the sun was a sure
thing and breath tasted like warm
grass and there was not a single
indication the cosmos would one
day shut like your eyes, tight
with pleasure."
- Savannah Brown
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