It is Thanksgiving 2009, the holiday where we Americans take a longer look at what we are grateful for in our lives. I am thankful for my two parents and my brother, who work hard and play hard. I am thankful for my best friends Dave, Kim, John, and Hayden, who are always there. I am thankful for Terry Brooks and his wife Judine, who have a way of bringing out the best in me. I am thankful for several dozen authors, editors, and publicists who call me friend for reasons I’m still not entirely sure of.
At least I think they call me friend… hmm…
Thanksgiving 2009 is here. It is time to eat, be merry, and tell those we care about that we do care for them.
Why am I writing a post about 2010 then?
With many industries, the book industry lags about a year between book completion to book publishing. Most of the books that will hit the shelves in 2010 were written in 2009, if not before. Therefore I decided I’d highlight books I already know I am thankful for in 2010:
10. The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett
2009 saw some great debut novels. The Warded Man was one of them. Peter V. Brett has created a dark high fantasy with a fantastic magic system and his characters were fun and interesting. The Desert Spear is the sequel and as with many writers, I believe it is the sequel that either makes or breaks them. Once The Desert Spear is published, I have a feeling Brett will be around for a long time thereafter.
9. The Ruling Sea by Robert V.S. Redick
Here is another author who debuted in 2009 to great acclaim. The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V.S. Redick was a fantastic read, wholly unique in its characters and setting. I am excited to return to the great ship Chathrand as it cuts through The Ruling Seas. I have no doubt this sequel will also cement Redick in the fantasy genre as a major writer.
8. The Crippled God by Steven Erikson
The holidays are sometimes for confession. I have one. I haven’t read the opus known as Malazan Book of the Fallen. Despite being friends with Steven Erikson and knowing how scarily intelligent he is, I have not started Gardens of the Moon. I have a general rule about not starting long series until they are finished and Malazan is definitely a long series—the series long in book count as well as page count. With the publication of The Crippled God, the last book in the first series, I can start reading Gardens of the Moon! I am excited to discover what everyone else loves and that discovery will take place in 2010!
7. Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey
I love Jacqueline. I really do. I've known her for eight or nine years, she always gives great writing advice to me, and I think she is one of the great writers of our genre. She writes well-rounded gray characters, great political intrigue, and puts enough magic and sex into her novels that it accentuates the read without bogging it down. I have not read Naamah's Kiss—remember the rule I try to adhere to above—but my mother has read it and absolutely loved it. She is pining for Naamah's Curse. Well, in 2010, she will get the book and I'll probably get sucked into reading the series earlier than planned!
6. Against All Things Ending by Stephen R. Donaldson
2010 also sees the release of the third book in the four-book series the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant–Unbeliever. As I've said before on Suvudu, I am an avid Thomas Covenant fan and I'm happy Stephen R. Donaldson is finishing this series. I read Runes of the Earth in a professional capacity years and years ago but have not read Fatal Revenant. I am waiting, you see, until Donaldson gets a bit closer to wrapping the series up. I think when Against All Things Ending is released in October I will begin a re-read of the entire series in preparation for the last book releasing in 2013. Here comes my return to the Land!
5. Kraken by China Mieville
Ahh, a stand alone! Finally. China Mieville is one of those writers I feel is extremely unappreciated. He is one of the finest writers in the genre today, an award-worthy winning author who also has commercial viability. The City & the City is one of the best books of 2009 and I am really looking forward to more "weird" from China with Kraken!
4. Shadowrise & Shadowheart by Tad Williams
Tad Williams is one of my favorite writers of all time. He is a wordsmith of the highest order, tells a great tale with memorable characters, and he has a wonderful personality that all immediately gravitate to. Tad also has an odd eccentricity; he can't wrap up a third book in a trilogy without it being utterly massive! 2010 will see the release of Shadowrise and Shadowheart within a few months of one another, a large final volume split asunder for physical binding needs. I cannot wait to revisit Shadowmarch, read Shadowplay, and jump into these last two novels in the series! Bring it, Tad! Can't wait!
3. The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
What can I say about this book? You all know about it. And if you don't, read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It was the epitome of huge debut release and its sequel will be an immediate bestseller upon release. Pat has devoted his time editing and editing and editing The Wise Man's Fear, just like he did for The Name of the Wind, wanting his next book to be as great as he can make it. When I last spoke to Pat he was nearing completion on the editing, more than 90% finished. I think he will finish that last 10% by Spring 2010 and we'll see publication of The Wise Man's Fear in summer/fall. Kvothe, your time is coming! It can't come soon enough!
2. Bearers of the Black Staff by Terry Brooks
This is the book I am truly excited about, but not because I will get to read it. As Terry's webmaster and friend, I already have. No, I am excited for the release of Bearers of the Black Staff because I can't wait to see how Terry's fans react to it. Set 500 years after the events of The Gypsy Morph, Black Staff is the first book of a two-book set that continues his bridging of the Word/Void series with that of the Shannara series. It has two of my favorite Terry Brooks characters ever and the literary significance of one of the story's subtexts is simply great writing—and is going to piss off a lot of people. I am thankful for that! Ha! And since I love discussion, this is the 2010 book for me!
1. Warriors & A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
I know, I know. How dare I include a George R. R. Martin book in the top 10 of next year when it "won't be published." Well, I happen to believe A Dance With Dragons will be published in 2010. George only has about 100 pages left to write and if he can't do that in the first two quarters of 2010, I'll start giving a bit more credit to those who are whining about him. So not only do I think we'll get Dragons, but we will definitely get a new Dunk & Egg short story in the Warriors anthology! Warriors also has a huge group of great writers taking part and it will be something unique and special unto itself. It will be a great year to be a George fan, and I am looking forward to taking part in it as a reader!
Okay, okay. I know. That is twelve books. The Tad Williams books were one book initially and Warriors is a short story anthology I attach to A Dance With Dragons due to the Dunk and Egg tale inside. There are some other books I will be reading on release day as well but these are the ones I am most excited about!
Let the 2010 reading begin!
What does your Top 10 of 2010 look like?
Happy Thanksgiving!
I would also add Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson & Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch.
I thought about Way of Kings. And Republic of Thieves. And Changes by Jim Butcher. I just realized that I'm not looking forward to them as much as those I posted.
I would think, though, that many people would include two or all three of those books in their Top 10. :)
There's also some interesting debuts for next year, such as Sam Sykes' TOME OF THE UNDERGATES, which I'm reading an ARC of at the moment and is quite decent. Justin Cronin's THE PASSAGE (a debut genre author, although he's dabbled in mainstream fiction) is also getting a major push, and Hannu Rajaniemi's THE QUANTUM THIEF is building up some advanced buzz.
In terms of other interesting books there's Chris Wooding's THE BLACK-LUNG CAPTAIN (Wooding is chronically underread, especially in the US, and definitely needs more exposure), R. Scott Bakker's DISCIPLE OF THE DOG, Ian Esslemont's new Malazan book STONEWIELDER, Peter F. Hamilton's THE EVOLUTIONARY VOID, Al Reynolds' TERMINAL WORLD, Richard Morgan's THE DARK COMMANDS, Mark Charan Newton's CITY OF RUINS and Iain Banks' new CULTURE novel. There's also the penultimate WHEEL OF TIME novel, TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT, by Sanderson and Jordan. Ian McDonald's THE DERVISH HOUSE and Adam Roberts' NEW MODEL ARMY should also be worth a look when they arrive as well.
There's also some interesting debuts for next year, such as Sam Sykes' TOME OF THE UNDERGATES, which I'm reading an ARC of at the moment and is quite decent. Justin Cronin's THE PASSAGE (a debut genre author, although he's dabbled in mainstream fiction) is also getting a major push, and Hannu Rajaniemi's THE QUANTUM THIEF is building up some advanced buzz.
In terms of other interesting books there's Chris Wooding's THE BLACK-LUNG CAPTAIN (Wooding is chronically underread, especially in the US, and definitely needs more exposure), R. Scott Bakker's DISCIPLE OF THE DOG, Ian Esslemont's new Malazan book STONEWIELDER, Peter F. Hamilton's THE EVOLUTIONARY VOID, Al Reynolds' TERMINAL WORLD, Richard Morgan's THE DARK COMMANDS, Mark Charan Newton's CITY OF RUINS and Iain Banks' new CULTURE novel. There's also the penultimate WHEEL OF TIME novel, TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT, by Sanderson and Jordan. Ian McDonald's THE DERVISH HOUSE and Adam Roberts' NEW MODEL ARMY should also be worth a look when they arrive as well.