I think it’s time I did one of these.
First off, how does the marking system work? For that, see this post here.
Next, I’d like to pick out some of the reviews in particular. We’ll start with the seven best books I’ve reviewed so far:
#7: Tender Morsels, by Margo Lanagan
#6: The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy
#5: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon
#4: A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
#3: The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester
#2: Black Juice, by Margo Lanagan (short story collection)
#1: The Prestige, by Christopher Priest
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Next, the top-ranked book(s) in each category:
Adrenaline: The Prestige, Only Forward
Emotion: The God of Small Things
Thought: A Canticle for Leibowitz, The Prestige
Beauty: The Stars My Destination, Tender Morsels, Black Juice
Craft: Black Juice, The Prestige
Endearingness: Black Juice
Originality: Black Juice, The Story of San Michele, The Master and Margarita, The Stars My Destination, The Prestige
Impact: Dhalgren
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Finally, the big list so far:
Richard Adams – Shardik (**-**-**)
Isaac Asimov – The Caves of Steel (**-**-*)
Alfred Bester – The Stars My Destination (**-**-**)
Jorge Luis Borges – Fictions (review pt 1, review pt 2) (**-**-*)
Mikhail Bulgakov – The Master and Margarita (**-**-*)
Michael Chabon – The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (**-**-**)
Robert N. Charrette – Never Deal With a Dragon (**)
Tina Daniell – Dark Heart (**-*)
Samuel Delany – Dhalgren (**-**-**) Originally marked 5/7, but upgraded because of the strength of the impact it had on me, not since replicated.
Daphne Du Maurier – Not After Midnight (**-**)
Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts – The Empire Trilogy (**-**; **-**; **-**-*)
David Gemmell – Legend (**-**)
Simon Green – Blue Moon Rising (**-**)
Robert Harris – Fatherland (**-**-*)
Margo Lanagan – Black Juice (**-**-**-*)
Margo Lanagan – Tender Morsels (**-**-**)
Anne McCaffrey – Dragonsong (**-*)
Walter M. Miller, Jr. – A Canticle for Leibowitz (**-**-**)
Alan Moore – Watchmen (**-**-**)
Axel Munthe – The Story of San Michele (**-**-**)
Terry Pratchett – The Carpet People (**-**)
Terry Pratchett – Johnny and the Dead (**-**)
Terry Pratchett – Only You Can Save Mankind (**-**-*)
Terry Pratchett – Unseen Academicals (**-**)
Christopher Priest – The Prestige (**-**-**-*)
Arundhati Roy – The God of Small Things (**-**-**)
Michael Marshall Smith – Only Forward (**-**-**)
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Finally, some things that aren’t reviews, quite:
These musings are a second part to my review of A Canticle for Leibowitz, and are I guess something approaching some sort of critical analysis of the themes of the book, though focusing more on my reaction than on scholarly exegesis. It’s me trying to understand the book, I suppose. LOTS OF SPOILERS!
These comments aren’t a proper essay, but express some thoughts regarding my interpretation of Tolkien’s work, against criticism that he is an inherently conservative author.
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Finally, those looking for a good book may want to check out the poll I ran in early 2010: here’s the index for that.
