Best SFF Novels of the Decade Readers Poll

Earlier this year, Tor.com hosted a poll for the best novels of the decade. These are the results:

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi - 295 votes

American Gods by Neil Gaiman - 270 votes

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - 231 votes

Blindsight by Peter Watts - 221 votes

Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey - 194 votes

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin - 179 votes

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - 167 votes

Anathem by Neal Stephenson - 141 votes

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson - 125 votes

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville - 124 votes

Yet besides feeling proud of some of my favorites (especially The Name of the Wind), and nodding to myself about authors I was familiar with, I didn't take this poll very seriously. I should have had the mindset, “These are some books that I absolutely must read.”

My dedicated shelf for the Best SFF Novels of the Decade

Anyways, I entered a giveaway to win a set of the books, and oddly enough, I actually won! Fancy that a blogger should win. Now I have the chance to read all these books, thanks to Tor.com Fantasy.

I've read The Name of the Wind, A Storm of Swords, and American Gods.

Which are your favorites?

The Silent Land by Graham Joyce

The Silent Land won The Wertzone Award for Best Novel in 2010, so when I saw the book on the shelves at the library, I knew I had to pick it up right away.

A couple goes on a skiing vacation, but it is not quite the trip they had planned....

It struck me while I was reading that it was a good book, a piece of literature.

Indeed, I've seen The Silent Land classified as literary fiction -- yet also genre fiction and speculative fiction, so it might appeal to a wide variety of readers. If I were to classify it as a fantasy, I would say it is closest to contemporary fantasy.

I would also say the writing style is impressionistic. The story is told through the characters and what they experience, rather than the interpretation of the experience afterwards. There is a sense of immediacy and minimalism there. I really like these qualities in a novel.

Here's what Adam Whitehead wrote about this gem:

The Silent Land by Graham Joyce
This is a short, quiet novel that focuses on two characters who find themselves alone in a strange environment. Haunting and unsettling, those with a passing familiarity with genre fiction should work out what's going on pretty quickly, but watching the characters do the same is fascinating, culminating in an emotionally powerful conclusion.

In conclusion, The Silent Land is a modern classic.

Storm Front, Vol. 1 and 2

Jim Butcher's Storm Front as adapted to graphic novel. The book is broken up into two volumes, "The Gathering Storm" and "Maelstrom."

Harry Dresden is a compelling wizard who works privately in Chicago. He is faced with the task of trying to solve the murder of people whose chests were blasted out by magic from far away. There's also a missing person case. There's a ton of magic, and Harry has more than a few tricks up his sleeve.

It's a cool urban fantasy. I definitely recommend this if you like graphic novels. The art and storytelling are top notch and exciting.

This was my introduction to the Dresden Files. It lived up to the hype, and to be able to do so even as a graphic novel adaptation says something. What a great story! I am now interested in reading the original novel by Jim Butcher.

Rose City Steampunk Film Festival

My first steampunk festival was very entertaining. It was a spectacular way to spend a Sunday. There were a lot of interesting goings-on:

• A ton of short films
• Two feature films
• A Q&A with film people
• A panel of steampunk authors

I loved it. The first Rose City Steampunk Film Festival was great. What a success.

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I noticed people were in costumes and both Q&A sessions talked about the steampunk aesthetic.

I've never personally done steampunk fashion or Neo-Victorian, as you might call it.

The "steampunk" aesthetic is one I feel a bit ambivalent about. On the one hand, it looks suave and elegant. On the other hand, when you see it all the time, it becomes a cliché.

In my opinion, the steampunk look is best when it appears uncontrived, functional, and reserved. The goggles are a bit much. Although I suppose part of its appeal is its extravagance.

Ultimately, the concept of Neo-Victorianism is very interesting. Furthermore, steampunk style is an ultra-retro, hip way to dress.

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Despite not dressing up in the steampunk style,

And hence feeling like I didn't go the whole mile.

Still I enjoyed for quite a while,

A lot of works of film in Neo-Victorian style.

Including McDonough by a man named Kyle.

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Due to some technical difficulties (burning to DVD), some short films were not shown.

At least two of the ones not shown, however, are available to watch online (The Forgotten Invention of Love is great).

Luckily there will be another screening for the ones that weren't shown on the day of the festival.

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Now, here's what I saw and my reactions. They are all recommended.

Child Invisible

One of the best of show. In fact it swept the award ceremony, including best of show. It was emotionally impacting and very well done.

The Danger Element: Episode 1

This is action packed dieselpunk. Cassie Meder, who is in this series, was at the fest for Q&A. She wasn't in the first episode, but she still contributed a lot to the discussion! And about this series, when I say "action packed," I'm serious.

The Fabulous World of Jules Verne

I thought some of the cinematics were interesting, but I got bored during this one. Old black & white movies are always paced kind of lackadaisically. Perhaps an acquired taste; if you have a taste for it, you might enjoy this classic film showcasing steampunk before it was steampunk.

The Forgotten Invention of Love

It's unfortunate this wasn't able to be shown at the festival. You can see it on the filmmaker's website. It is very, very good. This was probably my favorite so it was a bummer they couldn't show it at the festival. However, now I recommend you go watch this! It's art.

The Halsteadarian

This was a trip. I enjoyed it and thought it was one of the most creative of the bunch. Abstract and varied in its narrative medium.

“Heart of Stone” music video by The Raveonettes

It was quick but pleasant and steampunk enough for me. Not very memorable.

The League of S.T.E.A.M. omnibus of shorts by

This was fun core genre steampunk at its best. It shows off the aesthetic and it's well produced. We were left with a cliff-hanger. It's an ongoing web series like The Danger Element.

McDonough

Two minutes of musical and visual steampunk enjoyment. This is well done. Hearing the artist talk during the Q&A, I was amazed to learn how much work went into it.

Nickel Children

A steampunk story about kids who are kept caged to fight each other. One kid gets saved. There was a warning to the audience about its explicit material. It was kind of horrifying. It says it might become a web series, and it looks to have won a few awards.

Succumb

The volume level of the dialogue was a bit low, so that made it a bit hard to hear. I'm a sub-titles guy too so...yeah. Still, this one was fun. Light saber fight for the win!

The Tesla Experiment

About 6 minute long animated short. This is very entertaining, historical, and fantastically steampunky in the way that I like. Time-traveling Victorian shenanigans featuring Thomas Edison as an unlikely villain with a mech.

Vidocq

The finale of the night absolutely blew me away. It wasn't written in on the schedule, it was supposed to be a surprise. And it was indeed a surprise! Such a stunning, magnificent film. Glad I saw it.

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The author discussion was really very interesting.  Steampunk authors talking about steampunk. As you might expect.

Featuring

Meljean Brook

M. K. Hobson 

Jay Lake 

Andrew Mayer 

Devon Monk

They all seem like excellent, intriguing authors.

The authors appear to like the steampunk genre for plenty of different reasons. Nostalgia. The aesthetic. An interesting time in history. However, their works also have elements of historical fiction, science fiction, and fantasy. They don't want to see steampunk "sell out", but they acknowledge that it's a cool aesthetic.

I kind of wanted to buy some books (or ask for review copies) after the Q&A, but the festival moved quickly onto the next block of short films. And after that, it was dinner time. Afterwards, the authors were off in a puff of steam. A puff of steam.

Seriously though, it was fun to see the faces of some authors I had heard of, and some I hadn't, and generated a lot of interest in reading their books to me.

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Overall, the festival was simply stupendous. I had a great time. Unfortunately it's kind of one of those "you had to be there" things. Notwithstanding, I recommend you look for some of these films (McDonough, Danger Element, and Forgotten Invention of Love are all available to watch online) or check out the authors if you are interested. Lots of great work.

Dungeon: Parade

Dungeon Parade 1: A Dungeon Too Many is a comic fantasy graphic novel. Written by Joann Sfar and Lewis Trondheim originally in French, this volume actually takes place in between the main storyline of the Dungeon series.  But even as a side story, it's fine as a standalone.

It's a fun story of a Dungeon run for adventurers by anthropomorphic characters. The main characters are a Duck and a Dragon for example. The Dungeon Keeper is a Chicken.

A Dragon arrives at the Dungeon looking to the work in management there. The Dungeon Keeper misunderstands and asks for a massage, but after an awkward moment he dispenses some advice. That's the kind of humor you can expect.

Ultimately unsuccessful at getting a job in the Dungeon, the Dragon starts his own dungeon nearby, but it's more of a carnival. Which is why I think it's called Parade. From there, the plot goes haywire.

Dungeon: Parade was enjoyable. There are some funny moments and the art is really good. It's got a lot of personality and I want to read more of the series.

Zenith

In the year 2044, people are genetically engineered to be happy all the time. However, this only brings them paradoxical numbness.

The main character Jack deals pain pills to give people feelings of pain. He uncovers his father's video tapes about the Zenith conspiracy. He has a fling with a whorish yet sympathetic woman. He explores the film's theme as narrator.

This indie film was really weird. Zenith says it's Anonymous but it's apparently by Vladan Nikolic.

I read the plot wiki beforehand and actually watching Zenith was still a bit of a puzzle. It might be one of those movies you'd have to see more than once to fully get it.

There is an interesting premise to the plot where language is being forgotten, and it's rare to know certain words.

Zenith is interesting for its "transmedia" experimentalism. It has a weird promotional website, Stop Zenith. The main character has a fictional blog.

The official website is at ZENITH.

Zenith was billed as: "A retro-futuristic steam-punk thriller." It's ironic because steampunk is becoming such a stamp on anything science fiction these days. But this might be more like dystopian biopunk.

Zenith is a weird film, but it is suspenseful because of the thriller tone. It creates a mystery. It only falls short on fulfilling my hopes that it would come together sensibly in the end. In conclusion, the film's abstraction overshadows its plot, and the extra media is exceedingly bizarre.

RIP Brian Jacques

I met him once... He signed my copy of The Legend of Luke. 

Redwall was a big part of my childhood. It was one of my favorites, if not my favorite series, and I used to roleplay on the Redwall MUCK online. As you can see I still have a shelf of the first 12 of the series. I hope to revisit Mossflower eventually. 

He will be missed.

Gattaca

Gattaca is a science fiction thriller starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Jude Law. It's about a future world where genes can be manipulated to create a God-child. But the protagonist Vincent is an In-Valid. This means he has some serious, life-threatening genetic defects. He is overshadowed by his younger brother, who has perfect genes. However Vincent sets himself up to use a paralyzed but Valid man named Jerome Morrow's DNA to make himself pass for a Valid and follow his dream of going up into space.

This is an enjoyable, fascinating movie with an interesting premise and vivid characters. It also seems philosophical. The movie explores various relationships, ambitions, and limitations. It's both dark and hopeful.

It got me thinking and I thought it was really well told and directed, and that includes the cinematography. I don't always notice it but I did notice the way the camera was used.

Gattaca is certainly an unrecognized film for being such a great, intellectual biopunk story.

Blade of the Immortal, Vol 1

A wandering samurai named Manji has been cursed with immortality. The only way to get rid of this curse is to kill one thousand evil men. A girl named Rin, whose family has been killed, seeks Manji to help her avenge her family. This gives Manji some targets to fulfill his curse and begins the quest.

Blade of the Immortal (wiki) is a long running manga series by Hiroaki Samura. The first volume, Blood of a Thousand, introduces the plot and characters.

The premise is interesting, but it still needs to be expanded upon, as I know it will in the following 20+ volumes with its various story arcs. Only a samurai would consider immortality a curse. It seems as if they're always seeking after an honorable demise.

The art, in shaded pencil and heavily stylized, is good. The action scenes are good too. And I like it when characters have special attacks.

Blade of the Immortal: Blood of a Thousand is a neat introduction to what appears to be fairly traditional but good Japanese manga. I can't say it's a must-read, but at the very least, it was entertaining.

Hawkwood and the Kings by Paul Kearney

Hawkwood and the Kings, the omnibus of Paul Kearney's The Monarchies of God, Volume 1, contains the first two books of the series, Hawkwood's Voyage and The Heretic Kings. It's a heroic fantasy war epic with the feel of a genuine history. There are kings, mages, werewolves, boats, and guns. It is visceral, clever, and believable.

An explorer called Hawkwood sets off from Abrusio in Normannia towards a new world, the unexplored Western Continent. This voyage is sanctioned by King Abeleyn of Abrusio, so a Lord is aboard ship. There are also mages called Dweomer folk aboard, who are fleeing from the persecution of the Inceptine Church. Ironically, though, there is an Inceptine priest aboard, too. From the beginning, the voyage is fraught with tension and potential for disaster.

In the east, Merduk invaders attack, destroy, and threaten Torunna, one of the main territories of Normannia. The stronghold of Aekir has fallen and the next in the line of defense is Ormann Dyke. Corfe, the last survivor of the fall of Aekir, returns to Torunn with the surviving High Pontiff, Macrobius. At the conclave of kings in Charibon, a civil war between the five kingdoms begins because the Inceptine Church doesn't believe that Macrobius could have survived the fall of Aekir. 

There are a ton of compelling, interesting characters and even a few more plot threads. Kearney weaves them all together seamlessly, while the plot is still complex and varied. The transition between the two books was smooth, although each novel has a shape to its plot.

There are completely excellent battle sequences. The era is based roughly between the Age of Discovery and the Age of Sail. Ships have cannons and soldiers have arquebuses. Yet aside from a few elements of historical realism, it is staunchly a fantasy. In fact, the magic system deserves to be mentioned because it is interesting and even now remains mysterious. 

Overall, Hawkwood and the Kings is somehow both complex and extremely readable, which is not always an easy balance to strike. It's an awesome, enjoyable adventure. The omnibus is published by Solaris Books.