This Census-Taker

A short review of This Census-Taker by China Miéville

An immersive story of a boy's isolation, loneliness and terror. He's sure that his father had something to do with the disappearance of his mother, yet he is unable to convince the ineffectual authorities from the nearby town, which lies mostly in ruins. He is befriended by a small band of homeless children who live in the abandoned buildings of the town. Slowly we, the readers, gather clues about the world and the boy's father. A haunting story that retains a grip on the imagination long after the story is done.

I was provided with an advance reading copy.

All the Birds in the Sky

A short review of All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

Patricia finds that she can talk to animals, and learns that they have unsettling things to say. Laurence invents high-tech gadgets, and is unprepared for the side effects. They meet as school children, become friends, and help each other survive their horrible childhoods. They meet again as twenty-something adults in San Francisco. Patricia belongs to a society of witches. Laurence works for a high-tech innovation company. In a lovingly detailed San Francisco, Patricia and Laurence navigate the dating scene, while disasters scar the world around them and they participate in high-risk, misguided solutions to the world's problems. They must find a way to make their incompatible worldviews mesh or all of humanity will pay the price. This is a wild, off-kilter, funny book about our society careening toward catastrophe. There are high-flying wondrous adventures and down-to-earth human relationships. Oh, and did I mention it was funny?

I was provided with an advance reading copy.

The Best of the Year: 2015

It's that end-of-the-year list-making time.

Over at the Coode Street Podcast there was an interesting discussion of the best science fiction and fantasy books of 2015. Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe were joined by noted critics Paul Kincaid and Adam Roberts. Prompted to give their individual choices for their top five picks:

Adam Roberts:
Top book: Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson. In dialog with the backlist of science fiction. Might be Robinson's best novel. Resonant and deep, clever, sophisticated.
Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (the conclusion of a trilogy)
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (which appeared in 2015 in Britain)
Clade by James Bradley
Luna by Ian McDonald
Touch by Claire North
Europe at Midnight by Dave Hutchinson, sequel to Europe in Autumn, one of the best books of 2014

Paul Kincaid:
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson, sequel to Life After Life (which was even better)
Europe at Midnight by Dave Hutchinson
Where by Kit Reed
Luna by Ian McDonald
Slade House by David Mitchell

Gary K. Wolfe:
Wolfe said he didn't want to overlap too much with Roberts and Kincaid
Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
Clade by James Bradley
The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
Three Moments of an Explosion by China Mieville (Roberts seconds this choice)

Jonathan Strahan:
Top book: Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson, most engaged, most timely
Europe at Midnight by Dave Hutchinson
Clade by James Bradley
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (Roberts seconds this choice)
The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashanti Wilson
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
Galapagos Regained by James Morrow

I've left out all the discussion around these lists, which was thought provoking and which I recommend listening to. I could quibble with some of the choices, having read several of these titles, yet on the whole these are strong lists. I agree that Aurora is the standout science fiction novel of 2015. (Listen to the Coode Street podcast here or on iTunes.)

Adam Roberts' sharp best of the year essay, with some additional titles, is on the Guardian website.

For a wider net that encompasses sf and fantasy, weird fiction and mainstream, especially international titles, I recommend Jeff VanderMeer's best books of 2015. His choice for best novel of the year is Animal Money by Michael Cisco. I've read an earlier novel by Cisco and I'm not sure I've recovered yet. I am definitely on board for this one.

For an example of poorly informed (or lazy?) list, there's BuzzFeed's 24 best sf books of 2015. About half of them are relevant and interesting. The other half look like someone randomly grabbed some books off a shelf.

More photos from Sasquan

More photos from Sasquan, the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention, held at Spokane, Washington.

 

Molly Gloss, author of The Dazzle of Day, Wild Life, 

"Lambing Season," and "The Grinnell Method," at her reading.

David Hartwell, long-time editor, currently at Tor, at Literary Beer.

More from the 2015 Hugo Awards

Here are a couple more photos from the 2015 Hugo Awards ceremony, held August 22, at Sasquan, the World Science Fiction Convention, in Spokane, Washington.

Elizabeth Leggett,  Best Fan Artist.

Ben Yalow, the Forrest J Ackerman Big Heart Award.

2015 Hugo Award Winners

Here are some photos from the 2015 Hugo Awards ceremony held just a few hours ago, on August 22, at Sasquan, the World Science Fiction Convention in Spokane, Washington.

Ken Liu, the translator of the Best Novel winner, 

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu.

Pat Cadigan, left, accepted for the Best Novelette winner "The Day the World Turned Upside Down" by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. At right is Laura J. Mixon, who won Best Fan Writer.

The editors of Lightspeed Magazine, winner of Best Semiprozine.

The editors of Journey Planet, the Best Fanzine.

 Wesley Chu, winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

Julie Dillon won Best Professional Artist.

All the winners, and people who accepted for absentee winners.

Related links:
2014 Hugo Award Winners
2013 Hugo Award Winners
2011 Hugo Award Winners

David Gerrold, George RR Martin, and more at Sasquan

Here are some photos from a couple of the events I went to today, Thursday, August 20, 2015 at Sasquan, the World Science Fiction Convention in Spokane, Washington.

David Gerrold at the Guest of Honor interview.

Vincent Docherty conducting the David Gerrold interview.

George R.R. Martin reading from his forthcoming book "Winds of Winter."

Sasquan souvenir book

Picked up the Sasquan souvenir book today, along with other materials for the 2015 World Science Fiction Convention in Spokane, Washington. The wrap-around cover is by Brad Foster (only half is visible in this photo).