Top 10 Speculative Fiction Novels of 2009 + Runner-up Titles


I wasn't supposed to reveal the runner-up titles until my year-end awards, but it seems that quite a lot of folks around here want to know now!

So here it goes!

TOP 10 SPECULATIVE FICTION TITLES OF 2009

1- Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson (Canada, USA, Europe)
2- The Judging Eye by R. Scott Bakker (Canada, USA, Europe)
3- The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Canada, USA, Europe)
4- Wings of Wrath by C. S. Friedman (Canada, USA, Europe)
5- Fall of Thanes by Brian Ruckley (Canada, USA, Europe)
6- Twelve by Jasper Kent (Canada, USA, Europe)
7- Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie (Canada, USA, Europe)
8- Cyberabad Days by Ian McDonald (Canada, USA, Europe)
9- A Magic of Nightfall by S. L. Farrell (Canada, USA, Europe)
10- The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (Canada, USA, Europe)
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11- Thousandth Night & Minla's Flowers by Alastair Reynolds (Canada, USA, Europe)
12- The City & the City by China Miéville (Canada, USA, Europe)
13- City Without End by Kay Kenyon (Canada, USA, Europe)
14- The Burning Skies by David J. Williams (Canada, USA, Europe)
15- The Eternal Prison by Jeff Somers (Canada, USA, Europe)
16- The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (Canada, USA, Europe)
17- Imager by L. E. Modesitt, jr. (Canada, USA, Europe)
18- Suicide Kings edited by George R. R. Martin (Canada, USA, Europe)
19- Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry (Canada, USA, Europe)
20- Muse of Fire by Dan Simmons (Canada, USA, Europe)

As always, feel free to disagree!=) But these are my selections. . .

8 commentaires:

Robin M said...

Interesting List. I recently joined a speculative fiction challenge and have enjoyed reading through your blog. I really want to read The City and The City. Sounds really interesting. Will definitely be buying in 2010.

Isis said...

Patient Zero? For real? Sheesh, there was some terrible writing in there. And don't even get me started on the science! Well, maybe a little bit... This book handled infectious diseases poorly. Even very basic concepts were fucked up.

M. Scott Schroeder said...

Good list. But why not just call it the "Top 20 Speculative Fiction Novels"?

Melissa (My World...in words and pages) said...

Great list, thanks for sharing. I have a few of these on my list to read, as I have not been able to get to them yet. Glad to see they are awesome books and wont let me down.

Ed S. said...

Good books, but little more, with so few really great. 2009 was not one of the better years, especially with so many major authors sitting the year out.

Cecrow said...

Muse of Fire is only a short, is it not? I didn't think it was a novel.

Marc said...

Agree with Ed. This year wasn't really a great year for sff. No new stand authors like Rothfuss, Abercrombie, no Brett and Weeks even.

Pat have you read Kate Griffin's A Madness of Angels? I think it deserves to be a runner up at least.

CJohnson said...
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