Best of 2019 - II (Lists!)











I decided to go one further this time and give you the best of various lists, among my fav reads of the year. Ha :) Bring it on, 2020. We got to raise the bar!

Best of 2019 Fantasy Books:
This one's tough as many series endings happened in 2019 and also new books by favourite authors from the past have surfaced. Anyways - the long list is here ( on my previous post) but if I had to slice out my heart and lay down in front of you, the best of the best among that, it would have to be:

A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie


This book is a return to fine fettle, by one of my go-to-authors when I feel down in the dumps. There are a few authors who make me want to drop everything and read non-stop, inspire me to write and really really play with my imagination. Joe Abercrombie tops that list and his new series is an absolute blast in that manner.

Best of 2019 Science Fiction books: 

 Admittedly, I need to read a lot more SF books. But among the few I did snag my hands on and finish, two really stood out. A space-opera that traced the hardships faced by a young ambassador to an alien planet, who has to simultaneously solve the curious murder of her predecessor while adjusting quickly to the quirky nuances of a culture, steeped in traditions, poetry and intrigue. A slow-burn political thriller but that unspools in the best way possible.  The second was one of my go-to-authors for science thrillers, Blake Crouch and his explosive new book, Recursion. An absolutely bonkers mile-a-minute ride that tinkers with your perception of mind, time-travel and memories. It's fucked up and it's a gooey mix of science-goodness, edgy and thrilling all at the same time. But if you had me pick one, then that would be:

A Memory called Empire by Arkady Martine 

37794149. sy475

Best Debut, 2019: 

This one's easy enough - Gareth Hanrahan's The Gutter Prayer was a darkly compelling read, drenched in his fearsome imagination giving us clever ideas, monsters and world building meshed together in a grim-dark dream debut. But I did pick up some other really good ones in 2019.  Namely, The Poppy War by RF Kuang, plucky powerful, epic coming-of-age story that follows the destiny of this young girl called Rin in a kingdom ravaged by war. (This came out a year earlier though) Another great debut that I had so much fun reading is Black Hawks by David Wragg. Another buzzy debut that I also enjoyed was the Rage of Dragons by Evans Winter. 

The Gutter Prayer


Best of 2019 Horror:
Another easy choice for me and this is me reminding myself that I need to start reading more in this genre! But The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell was a darkly delicious slice of gothic victorian horror that stayed with me, for a long while after I turned the last page. This year though, 2020 I will put some goals. Other notables this year : Ghoster by Jason Arnopp, Atrocities by Jeremy Shipp. 

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

34600633. sy475
Best Novella, 2019: 
Tor.com has been putting out some exceptionally good gems, novellas that pack a punch way above their weight. The Border Keeper by Kirsten Hall was a twisty mess, in a good way. Full of amazing ideas and lyrically haunting language. But The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Geistbrecht takes the cake. Sinister, wicked and devilishly plotted, tracing the lives of two men who are morbidly fascinating creatures of the dark with their appetite for 'monstrosity' vast and unplumbed.  An enticing tale of chilling horror, written in beautiful poetic prose that cuts and slashes deep into your psyche. Packing a powerful wallop in its slim 150-plus pages, this novella is a dark fantasy fan's dream.

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Geisbrecht

Best Graphic Novel, 2019: 
Having managed to sneak in quite a few good ones this year, among the graphic novel list Saga Volume 10 stands out, towering way above the others. An emotional crushing event that I fear, will shape the future of this world just raised this series above the others I tried out. Monsters, Vol 3 and 4 are on my TBR's. Also unfinished is the unapologetic and all-guns-booming snarky riff on the superhero saga, called Boys ( I watched the series on Prime and was impressed! But the book surprised me much more!) 

Saga Vol.10



So that kind of rounds up the year for me! All in all, a very satisfying year in terms of reading. Looking forward to 2020 now! Happy New Year full of awesome stories to all of you. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Avengers: Infinity War - Movie Review

Image
Well, the superbowl of super-hero movies is finally here - Avengers Infinity War !! And it is smashing all sorts of box-office records since its release weeks back. I jumped onto this a bit late as I was traveling the release weekend and so I sensibly avoided all social media till last Thursday when I finally managed to watch it on the big screen. And hells come alive, a good thing too! Because this was it - This behemoth record-smashing epic culmination of the last ten years of Marvel movies. This was where the last eighteen MCU movies were leading up to.  This giant throw-down where all our favourite heroes across space and time come together to pit their wills against one mean megalomaniacal purple war-monger tyrant named Thanos ( Who's been in the shadows for far too long without his due!) to save the universe. We know there's trouble brewing because Thanos has got his own brand of justice for this world, where resources are getting scarce and people are anyways dyi
Read more

Netflix Saturdays: Asuran (Movie Review Tamil)

Image
Asuran literally means the demon. A movie adapted from a popular Tamil novel called Vekkai by Poomani, the movie traces the past and present transformation of Sivasami , the character played by Dhanush (the actor and not the star!) as he cyclically transforms from the demon to a human and then back to being the demon - all to protect his family. It's an intense and gritty character drama about two warring families, treading through the perils of casteism and the gulf between the haves and the downtrodden have-nots.  Sivasami is a poor farmer, whose 3 acres of land is being coveted by the rich landlord Vadakooran, who intends to build a cement factory on this land. But this feud is ignited further when Murugan, Sivasami's eldest son is actually kidnapped and killed by Vadakooran's goons in a defiant act of petty vengeance taken too far. Sivasami is a drunkard, a mild-mannered quiet old man who only wants to live in peace and doesn't want to exacerbate matte
Read more

Movie Review: Vada Chennai

Image
Vada Chennai (meaning North Chennai - and not, 'come to Chennai' !) sees the stars of Aadukalam get together again - in what is termed as Vetri Maaran's dream project, slated to be released as a trilogy, this is part one of this highly ambitious outing. Coming fresh off the success of the viscerally engrossing and equally disturbing Visaranai (the interrogation) that plays off our deepest fears and misgivings about the System which screws us over pitilessly and brutally, the grander and more ambitious Vada Chennai perhaps pales in comparison. But just a wee bit.  But patience. Because this is Vetri Maaran's grandiose dream taking shape in celluloid and we cannot go wrong, in trusting this genius. As is proved in the final twenty minutes of the movie, where we see the metamorphosis of Anbu, the protagonist played by Dhanush (as usual in absolutely crackling form) The part two - titled Rise of Anbu has us waiting with bated breath. But the first half p
Read more