Here’s my list. The SF/F/H books I enjoyed the most out of the–um, hundreds?–of books I read this year! Not all published in 2014.
We Are All Completely Fine. Daryl Gregory. Delicious horror, carried off with such a deft touch, all you can say is, “Well, damn. I’m yours.” A completely spooky and believable story, both deeply human and gorgeously entertaining.. Gregory defies description. Just read it.
Leviathan. Scott Westerfeld. Highly entertaining and satisfyingly intricate, even though for a YA audience. Highly imaginative, gorgeous steam-punky milieu, World War I historical setting, and fun characters set this one very much apart from the pack.
The Summer Isles. Ian McLeod. Gorgeously written World War I alternate history novel. Dark and elegiac in tone, it sweeps you into the claustrophobic reality of a gay protagonist in a dystopian world. Must read more by this author!
Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron. Kim Newman. Smart, original, and fast paced story that positions vampires in a unique manner: neither an alienated creature nor monster, but a vampire as an alternative, ambiguous human. And in World War 1, no less. Intriguing read.
I admit I was on a World War I tour of the literature this year. For a great read on the World War I you never understood, read:
To End All Wars. Adam Hochschild. Brilliantly delivered summation of what led up to the Great War, and the story of the war told in larger context and that of fascinating individuals. If you aren’t an historian, and wonder about World War I and what it was about, this is the only book you need to read.
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