In no particular order, the following books stand a chance of being remembered, and possible even re-read, years from now:
Fairyland by Paul McAuley – A criminally overlooked work of cyberpunk, Fairyland may also be Paul McAuley's best novel. Descriptions, plotting, and setup are all strong in telling of the next generation of humanity we ourselves may spawn. While there are elements of body horror due to the subject matter, McAuley maintains focus on the larger meaning, almost one of neanderthals looking at the emergence of homo sapiens type of scenario. Where most books approach this from a mental/intelligence perspective, McAuley maintains a wholly biological/zoological perspective, which makes things interesting.
Grendel by John Gardner – I cast a wary eye to retellings; they can be cash grabs or cheap political criticism as much as legitimate commentary on the source material. Grendel is wholly the latter. It holds a mirror to Beowulf and in the process excellently captures the human condition. Told through the eyes of the monster rather than the hero, readers get a psychological snapshot of the avarice and pain the monster possesses, in the process gettign a different view to heroism and humanity.
Madness Is Better than Defeat by Ned Beauman – Not to be everyone's cup of tea, Madness Is Better than Defeat is an ambitious novel set in the heyday of the silent film era. The story's hornet's nest is kicked when archeologists discover an unknown temple in the jungles of Honduras. Governments, Hollywood, Nazis—everyone seems to descnend on the stone structure with their own agendas. Chaos ensues—the hornet's buzzes loudly in this subtly satirical take on the absurdities and sufferings of all of us.
Initiate Brother bySean Russell – Initiate Brother is classic, epic fantasy set in an Asian setting (its culture Japanese-esque and geography Chinese-esque). A duology (Initiate Brother and Gatherer of Clouds), Russell follows the lives of a strong but limited set of central characters as internal and external strife threaten to topple the kingdom. A civil war, stoked by the reigning emperor, is brewing while invaders gather in the north. Written in classic style with strong dialogue and scene setting, this is an overlooked little gem worth looking into if this short summary intrigues.
Ice by Jacek Dukaj – Part Leo Tolstoy, part Stanislaw Lem, and all icy cold, this alternate 20th century history is a massive glacier of story. What if WWI never happened, Ice puts a student sent to the colds of Siberia to find his father front and center, uncovering all manner of political intrigue and uncanny natural phenomenon along the way. Dukaj weaves in philosophy and (real-world) history to create a dense, winding tale that leaves a freezing mark.
Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon – Pynchon, oh Pynchon, how your reputation precedes you, but oh how you deliver upon it. Even at eighty-eight years old, Pynchon puts the whippersnappers to shame in this tale of a 1930s depression era Milwaukee gone commie. Diction, dialogue, plotting, substance—Pynchon checks all the boxes with the thickest marker you can find.
Norstrilia by Cordwainer Smith – The Instrumentality of Mankind is a limited 'universe' of fiction. (How I loathe the use of that term sometimes; so empty...). Smith is more well known for the short stories in the Instrumentality, but the one novel, Norstrilia, is just as good. In the novel, a scion farmer of mega-sheep in Australia's far future looks for meaning in a life. If that sounds absurdist, the novel/universe is precisely that. But Smith's talent lies in making the absurdity relevant (a science fiction Camus???). Imagination flies fast and furious, prose is jaggedly effective, and through it all a window to the human condition is left open—the breeze energizing, pleasant.
Red Snow by Ian Macleod – Ian Macleod is the best writer of fantastika you've likely never read (unless, of course, you are part of that thimbleful of readers who frequent this blog). Red Snow is three novellas bound by character inter-relations across a late-19th/early 20th century rise of vampires. Yes, vampires. Enter Macleod's magic. Elevating the well-known archetype beyond cheesey horror, he weaves not only characters' lives, but likewise their personal struggles, to create 3D people that transcend the genre publishers would want to pigeonhole such a story.
Metallic Realms by Lincoln Michel – Metallic Realms is the story of a lonely nerd who becomes infatuated by a group of writers who write pulp science fiction. Idolzing them, he does his best to ingratiate himself with the group, to help them be successful, and to live his own life in the process, resulting in a slow train wreck. In colorful, highly entertinaing fashion which rewards both pop culture and literary interests, Michel captures the humanity of his nerd in a way we can all relate to—a great hybrid novel.
When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory - First is Daryl Gregory's When We Were Real. Technically post-apocalyptic though anything but, the book tells the stories of a bus full of people on a cross-country journey to visit anomalies in reality. The book is post-apocalyptic as it's been revealed to humanity that we are indeed living in a digital simulation—without a red-pill option—and the glitches one would expect in a computer program or video game environment make for sightseeing pleasure in the characters' world.
Limbo by Bernard Wolfe – Cyberpunk satire before cyberpunk was a thing, Wolfe posits an absurdist post-nuclear war scene in which humanity is divided along several lines, two of which are pacifists and ultra-pacifists. The ultra-pacifists go so far as to amputate limbs to show how much they are against war and violence, in turn creating a bizarre world that still marches its way toward conflict. Overall, a poignant novel that is unfairly threatening to slip through the cracks of history.
A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett – Though a sequel to The Tainted Cup, A Drop of Corruption is a stand-alone story set in the same leviathan world and features the same main characters, the engraver Dinos Kol and his preternaturally intelligent boss, Ana Dolabra. The Tainted Cup was a wonderfully entertaining read, and A Drop of Corruption somehow tops it. The color, the smell, the darting movements of the plot, the whodunnit—Bennett writes immininently readable fiction.
Disco Elysium – Yes, a video game. Don't think it belongs here? Go. Play. Come back. It's possible you will agree. The story is good, but the dialogue is phenomenal. 95% of books never achieve the quality of writing of Disco Elysium. A murder mystery set in a dreary post-communist scene, the game contains the darkest of satire and touches something disturbing in the human soul. It's not for everybody, but it's difficult for everybody to argue against the quality of dialogue.
The End & the Death by Dan Abnett – This novel, broken into three volumes, is the culmination of the 60+ book Horus Heresy series. It is the showdown reaader's have been waaaaaaiting for. I understand most readers of this post will not have the dozens of novels in the series under their belt, hence more a personal inclusion. If you happen to be somewhere on that journey, be aware the end is worth it.
The Adjacent by Christopher Priest – In many ways, The Adjacent is the crossroads of nearly every significant Priest motif the writer produced in the decades he was active. Twins, the illusion of perception, stage magic, near-future dystopias, world wars, gadgets—it has a wealth of imagination common to Priest's ouevre. Beyond this, The Adjacent is a master specimen of writing. Priest weaves characters' stories in and out of one another in a manner that shifts the book's reality continually underfoot. Master storyteller at work, here.
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