2004: A YEAR IN REVIEW
Continuing the tradition started last year, this is a year-end wrap up for my sf/fantasy/horror experiences for 2004. These are not necessarily things that first appeared this year; they are just the things that I read or watched this year.
THE BEST
- Twistor by John Cramer. An excellent story that kept me turning pages.
- Stiff by Mary Roach. Held my attention from beginning to end. (OK, not a fiction book, but still, this was a darn good read.)
- Nightwings by Robert Silverberg. A highly recommended must-read.
- Eragon by Christopher Paolini. A hugely enjoyable simple fantasy story.
- To Marry Medusa by Theodore Sturgeon. A quick but great read and a fantastic classic. Sturgeon is one of my favorites – he never fails to disappoint.
- Farmer in the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein. Another classic that is a fun read.
- The Genocides by Thomas M. Disch. Disch’s first novel, a post-apocalyptic story, is simply excellent.
- Diamond Dogs & Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds. These two novellas, set in the Revelation Space Universe, are both top-notch page-turners.
- The Iron Giant by Ted Hughes. The children’s book that spawned the equally great movie is thoroughly enjoyable for adults too.
- The Golden Transcendence by John C. Wright. A great ending to a consistently well-done trilogy.
- Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds. Highly recommended and, as a stand-alone novel, this is an excellent introduction into Reynolds’ Revelation Space universe.
- Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds. The middle, and strongest, of Reynold’s wonderful Revelation Space sequence of novels.
- Some of Your Blood by Theodore Sturgeon. An excellent horror/psychological thriller story.
- The Martian Child by David Gerrold. Light on the sf, but a touching and engrossing story.
- The Risen Empire and The Killing of Worlds by Scott Westerfeld. An excellent example of space opera done to perfection.
- Singularity by Bill DeSmedt. An immersive, taut, science fiction thrill ride.
- The Incredibles – Another winner from Pixar.
- The Day The Earth Stood Still – An excellent movie. One of my all-time favorite SF movies.
- My Short-Story-A-Day Experiment proved to be valuable in terms of discovering new authors and high-quality stories. Sure, there were some bad ones too, but overall, it was a fun and rewarding reading experience. Standout stories read this year are (Go, Go Gadget mail-Merge!)
- “The Reluctant Book” by Paul Di Fillippo (2000)
- “Behold The Man” by Michael Moorcock (1967)
- “Mother to the World” by Richard Wilson (1968)
- “Paycheck” by Philip K. Dick (1953)
- “Passengers” by Robert Silverberg (1969)
- “A Boy and His Dog” by Harlan Ellison (1969)
- “Pattern” by Fredric Brown (1954)
- “The Awakening” by Arthur C. Clarke (1952)
- “Mute Milton” by Harry Harrison (1966)
- “Close Behind Him” by John Wyndham (1953)
- “Thirty Days Had September” by Robert F. Young (1957)
- “To Cuddle Amy” by Nancy Kress (2000)
- “Regression” by Brian Stableford (2000)
- “Presence” by Maureen F. McHugh (2002)
- “When It Ends” by Robert Reed (2000)
- “The Ladykiller, as Observed from a Safe Distance” by Brian Stableford (2000)
- “In Paradise” by Bruce Sterling (2002)
- “Stories For Men” by John Kessel (2002)
- “Radiant Green Star” by Lucius Shepard (2000)
- “The Little Lamb” by Frederic Brown (1953)
- “Caught in the Organ Draft” by Robert Silverberg (1972)
- “Slow Life ” by Michael Swanwick (2002)
- “Turquoise Days” by Alastair Reynolds (2002)
- “Fermi and Frost” by Frederik Pohl (1985)
- “The Screwfly Solution” by Alice Sheldon writing as Raccoona Sheldon (a.k.a. James Tiptree, Jr.) (1977)
- “A Pail of Air” by Fritz Leiber (1951)
- “Black Destroyer” by A.E. van Vogt (1939)
- “Paying It Forward” by Michael A. Burstein (2003)
- “Diamond Dogs” by Alastair Reynolds (2002)
- “Robots Don’t Cry” by Mike Resnick (2003)
- “Moon Duel” by Fritz Leiber (1965)
- “On the Orion Line” by Stephen Baxter (2000)
- “Light of Other Days” by Bob Shaw (1966)
- “Think Like a Dinosaur” by James Patrick Kelly (1995)
- “The Empire of Ice Cream” by Jeffrey Ford (2003)
- “Downloading Midnight” by William Browning Spencer (1995)
- “Great Wall of Mars” by Alastair Reynolds (2000)
- “Amnesty” by Octavia Butler (2003)
- “The Waters of Meribah” by Tony Ballantyne (2003)
- “Hall of Mirrors” by Fredric Brown (1953)
- “Brooklyn Project” by William Tenn (1948)
- “Allamagoosa” by Eric Frank Russell (1955)
- “The Ice” by Steven Popkes (2003)
- “Calling Your Name” by Howard Waldrop (2003)
- “Anomalous Structures Of My Dreams” by M. Shayne Bell (2003)
- “All You Zombies…” by Robert A. Heinlein (1959)
THE BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
BOOKS I COULDN’T FINISH
The Merchants’ War by Frederik Pohl and Spin State by Chris Moriarty . The Merchants’ War bored me to tears but Spin State was more a victim of poor timing.
BOOKS I FINISHED BUT WISH I DIDN’T
Terraforming Earth by Jack Williamson and Ceres Storm by David Herter. I disliked both of these books to the point of annoyance.
I enjoyed your reviews – direct and honest! I like intelligent fast moving yarns in SF but have not run into many of thoselately . I enjoy SF books from the 60’s on up to today. I just finished a book called the Assignment by Marl Andrew Olsen. Great! Also, another book I just read called “Lives of the Mind” by Roger Kimball which is a collection of essays was exceptional. Now, I can’t see to get going. I have a copy of Darwin’s Radio amd might try that. Wondering if you can recommend a few. I am in the doghouse without a good book and need some real paper.
Thanks
Anthony, check out our book review index for recommendations.