Speculative Fiction in 2019

I keep a list of my books read per year on LibraryThing; last year they totalled 72. However, a few were rereads, many were non-fiction, and some were general rather than genre fiction. That left 23 new-to-me published speculative fiction books. Here they are, alphabetically by author, with some comments attached.

Twelve Kings in Sharakhai (Beaulieu)

This was a readable fantasy set in a somewhat dystopian state, beginning a clear series arc towards overthrow of the state. Good enough that I bought the next volume, but not so compelling as to have pushed me into devouring it; the sequel remains on my TBR pile.

Dark Forge (Cameron)

Bright Steel (Cameron)

I have reviews of both of these, here and here.

Disclaimer: I know the author in real life.

The Pastel City (Harrison)

How does one miss classics? This passed me by when it came out, entirely. Then, after having Viriconium on my wanted list for years, I finally ordered it from AbeBooks. I'm taking my time with it; the narrative style is Dunsanian (is that a word? Well, following Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany); this is the first book; more will follow. Lovely prose, excellent world-building.

Fallen (Jacka)

Jacka's Alex Verus books are considerably above the guilty pleasure level, although it would be hard to pitch them as great literature. This one raises the stakes over the previous installments considerably and looks like a turning point in the series as a whole.

A Brightness Long Ago (Kay)

As always with Kay, this is a well-written twist on our history - close to the Montefeltro / Malatesta rivalry but a step away in his now standard secondary world. It's also about memory, and change, and chance events that change the course of lives.

Oddly, its period and place is close to that of Walton's Lent, though the two authors go to the Italian Renaissance for entirely different things. (I also verified with the author that there is also no connection with Pound's Malatesta Csntos.)

The Calculating Stars (Kowal)

Review here.

The Poppy War (Kuang)

This is another book that I found readable and interesting thematically, but which left me feeling a little unenthusiastic about it as a whole, probably because the core of the ending was telegraphed fairly early on (and it's not an inexorable date type of plot, for which that's de rigueur).

Six Wakes (Lafferty)

Essentially a locked-room mystery in space. Not deep, but satisfying, and a cut above Lafferty's previous work.

A Memory Called Empire (Martine)

This is a promising first novel, billed as space opera but primarily about diplomacy and cultural adjustments rather than war (war is threatened but, immediately at least, averted). The author's background as a Byzantologist is a perceptible influence. I am looking forward to the next installment in the series.

A Conspiracy of Truths (Rowland)

This has a good reputation and I agree that it is competently written. (I also have to have a soft spot in my heart for somebody who coined the word "hopepunk".) And turning the tables by somebody unjustly accused is an old and effective plot device. But I have to confess a limited enthusiasm for the book which is probably more its just not being a good match for me personally than any critique of its overall quality.

Cast in Oblivion (Sagara)

Another episode in the Chronicles of Elantra, reliable as ever. Sagara extends her treatment of her elf-analogues, pushes Kaylin a little further along her learning path, and generally produced a fun read.

I Still Dream (Smythe)

An interesting near-future riff on AI and the systemic impact it might have, and I can recommend it with one caveat: as somebody who actually works with code, and given the very near-future timeframe of the novel, I have to qualify the underlying technology as hand-waving.

Fall (Stephenson)

Review here.

Empire Games (Stross)

Dark State (Stross)

I read these back-to-back off my TBR pile. I think they're better than Stross's original Family series, and do better at interrogating general modern concerns with the state and abuse of power. Highly recommended.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (Turton)

Although its final resolution marks this as speculative fiction - starting out looking like fantasy, ending up looking like science fiction - it's mainly a murder mystery with a couple of twists. At the baseline level of a novel it's effective (developing character study): as a murder mystery it fits into the category of those, like many police procedurals, that present no actual puzzle with clues for the reader to engage but rather a slow unwinding of the facts.

Well-enough done for me to consider reading future works by Turton, but not so much that I won't carefully evaluate before buying.

Behind the Throne (Wagers)

After the Crown (Wagers)

Beyond the Empire (Wagers)

These are essentially popcorn reading. The first book is promising; the latter two, though very readable, avoid deepening anything in favour of turning the narrative into a one-on-one confrontation which is productive of incident but otherwise somewhat disappointing.

Lent (Walton)

Review here.

Lifelode (Walton)

I managed to pick up a copy of the NESFA edition of this; like all of Walton it's readable and contains ideas that stay with one afterwards. The worldbuilding is effective and interesting, the characters engaging, and the transformation of the world sneaks up on the reader but in retrospect puts the preceding plot into a different perspective.

The Stars Now Unclaimed (Williams)

A readable set of narrow escapes connected into a space opera plot. This worked well for one volume, and Williams is an engaging writer, but I am hoping that the next volume moves on to other narrative tropes.