Posted By Jason Sizemore on December 15, 2009
I’m not going to call my list the ‘best of the naughties’ because, really, unless you read hundreds of books a year, it’s just hubris to do so. I do feel confident calling these books outstanding and worthy of your attention.
Naturally, this list is exclusive of Apex titles in the interest of being fair and balanced.
So here it goes, my personal top ten novels of the 2000s. These are in no particular order.
The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia — This is science fiction showcasing its best features: a basis for social statements, a commentary on technology, and a fascinating character study of a unique protagonist.
Terminal by Brian Keene — One of Keene’s first novels after his outstanding zombie-apocalypse works The Rising and City of the Dead, he shook off the label as ‘that zombie guy’ with Terminal. Terminal is an emotional and heart-wrenching book about a man dying of cancer looking to do one last criminal score in order to make sure his family will be okay after his death. If you’re familiar with the A&E drama Breaking Bad, then imagine the intensity and emotions of that show compressed into a 320 page paperback.
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy — While many cite The Road as the better book, I felt that No Country for Old Men presented a more varied and nuanced look at absolute evil and the loss of innocence. Bad guy Anton Chigurh might be the scariest madman committed to paper. The book’s opening exposition by the sheriff is a perfect introduction to McCarthy’s dusty tale.
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon — I’ve yet to read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. It could very well be better than The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, but this book was my introduction to Chabon and it blew me away. Also worth reading is Chabon’s The Gentlemen of the Road.
November Mourns by Tom Piccirilli — I was already a huge fan of Piccirilli’s work before reading November Mourns. I’d stormed through at least a half dozen of his novels, but this one cemented Piccirilli’s spot as master in my eyes. The author is also a renowned poet and it shows in all his books, especially this one. The amazing thing is that Pic followed this one with the equally as impressive (yet 180 degrees different) Headstone City.
Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link — As a writer, this is the type of book you read with both disgust and awe. Link does things with plot, narration, and language that produces masterpieces of short fiction. This is the collection that gave us the titular novella, “Some Zombie Contingency Plans,” “Stone Animals,” and “The Faery Handbag.” Enough said.
20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill — If Link is the master of fantasy and SF short fiction, a case can be made that Joe Hill is Link’s horror counterpart. 20th Century Ghosts contains some of the best horror short fiction I’ve read. There’s the downright creepy and surreal: “Voluntary Committal,” “Best New Horror,” “The Black Box”. And then there’s the downright bizarre: “Pop Art,” “My Father’s Mask,” and “You Will Hear the Locust Sing.”
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan — You want a book that reflects many of the social issues bandied about in the naughties: entitlement of the rich, an examination of what makes us human (chemistry vs. souls vs. body), politics? Want to mix it with cyberpunk, pulp noir, and lots and lots of violence and sex? Then you can get no better than this.
River of Gods by Ian McDonald — This was one of those books that didn’t knock me off my feet upon completion. Yet, it stuck with me, and with the passage of time I’ve come to realize that what I’d just read was a masterpiece of plot, characterization, and setting. Perhaps one of the few books I’ll reread.
And now for my left field pick…
Dreadful Skin by Cherie Priest — The author is receiving a lot of well-earned press for her latest (Boneshaker) but this gem from Subterranean Press made this anti-werewolf reader begrudgingly accept that they can be fantastic antagonists. Priest uses everything that makes her a memorable author: unique protagonist, fun and vivid setting, and an ease of narration that makes the pages turn. After you’re done reading Boneshaker get yourself this book.
There you have my top ten picks. I realize I have many gaps in my list, I just haven’t had time to read Blindsight, The Windup Girl, Lamentations, Brasyl, Old Man’s War, Pattern Recognition, etc. However, they are on my TBR pile! So maybe one day…
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