A Reading List of Dystopian Fiction and Relevant Texts (Apropos of Nothing in Particular)
Why would someone make a list of important and interesting works of dystopian fiction? Or a suggested reading list of works that are relevant to those dystopian works? There is absolutely no reason other than raw interest. There’s nothing going on to compel this. There is nothing in particular one making such a list would hope you’d learn. The lists below are not an exhaustive list. There are bound to be texts I have forgotten or texts you think folks should read that are not listed. Feel free to make your own list and tell me about it OR leave a comment. I’ll add things I’ve missed! Anywhoodles. Here goes:
10 Caribbean Books You Should Read At Least Once
As a fan of Caribbean literature who has spent quite a lot of his life reading and thinking about it, it seemed appropriate to finally do one of those “hey, these are the books you should read” lists. And so, I sat down to think about the works I think everyone should read (at least once) from the Caribbean, both in fiction and non-fiction. The list below reflects a combination of my personal interests in Caribbean literature and my academic research in postcolonialism, the Caribbean, and transnational American literature (though not my other academic interests beyond science fiction). This list will, by the limitations of numbers, be incomplete. It will reflect the reading experience of one person. There are hundreds and hundreds of other works of Caribbean literature and criticism and numerous islands not represented here (a list of 10 cannot possibly get them all). Heck, that’s why I included “alternatives” here because there were people left off a list of 10 and it made me sad. Treat this list as a fun starting point of important works. If you’re not familiar with the literature of the reason, this list might help get you started. If you are, maybe it will fill some gaps! And for those who have read all of these, consider leaving a comment letting me know about other works you think folks should read at least once! Here goes:
The A-Z Book Survey: Or, Now You’ll Know My Secrets
The blog adventure continues. Today, I’m taking on the A-Z Book Survey, which I found on The Perpetual Page-Turner blog (run by Jamie!). It’s an oldie, but since it appears on the Blog Challenge Project masterlist, I figured fun should override currency. Below, you shall find some vaguely amusing insights into my reading interests and habits. You may use this information for nefarious purposes if you so choose. Here goes:
Five Faves: Space Opera Books — #MonthofJoy
It’s Five Faves time! Throughout the month of June, I’ll be diverting attention away from the things I’m supposed to be doing in order to spend a little time babbling about the things that I love. This feature will do exactly what it says: list five of my favorite things in a category. Most of the lists will be “on topic,” which is to say “related to SF/F in some way,” but some lists will be on my other ancillary interests, such as reptiles, books of theory, pies, and…wait…pie? Oh my god, I love pie! Anywho…today’s post, as the title suggests, will list 5 of my favorite space operas. I will use the following criteria for this list: Books will be taken to mean “narrative fiction at novel length” rather than the broader definition we use today. Comics and graphic novels deserve their own list anyway. That means no movies either. I’m using my personal definition of space opera. I’m happy to talk about that definition at another time, but for now, I just want to share some things I love! Here we go:
5 Lesser Known SF/F Cold War Films
It seems Ian Sales and I are playing a list challenge game, and this list is sure to disappoint him this round. Why? Because I’m pretty sure two of the options on my list don’t actually qualify except in my head. But we do what we can, no? This time around, I was challenged to come up with a list of 5 lesser known Cold War films that fit roughly in the sf/f genre. The rules were as follows: The film must be sf/f-ish (duh) The film must be set in the historical period called the Cold War OR The film must directly engage with the Cold War via alternate or future history (metaphors and obscure allegories do not count) The film must be “lesser known” based on my interpretation of that phrase Now for the list:
My Top 12 Books Read in 2014
I said on Twitter that I would make this list because I had such a hard time picking a winner for the 2013/2014 WISB Awards. Basically, this list is my guilt getting the better of me, because I love so many things and hate having to pick. So, in no particular order (because I cannot rank these books without feeling as though I have committed a great atrocity against these authors), here are my top 12 books read in 2014: Breach Zone by Myke Cole (Ace Books) The Violent Century by Lavie Tidhar (Hodder and Stoughton) Hurricane Fever by Tobias Buckell (Tor Books) Memory of Water by Emmi Itäranta (Harper Voyager) City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett (Broadway Books) Zero Sum Game by SL Huang (Self-Published) The Three by Sarah Lotz (Little, Brown, and Company) Gemsigns by Stephanie Saulter (Jo Fletcher Books) Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie (Orbit Books) A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar (Small Beer Press) Into the Grey by Celine Kiernan (Candlewick Press) The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley (Angry Robot Books) Now this is the part where everyone piles on in the comments and tells me how wrong I am. How could I have missed X book? How could I have loved Y so much? Bring on your questions and accusations. I dare you! —————————————— Honorable Mention: I Am Spock by Leonard Nemoy (Hyperion)