Andrew Mayden

By Andrew Mayden

I decided to assemble a short list of noteworthy books I’ve read over the last two years. Out of the two dozen contenders this is what I came up with. These are not necessarily the best, rather I think of these as the most enjoyable. These are the books I want to comment on.

Friedman, C.S. Black Sun Rising – Rereading this book does nothing to dull the magic. It is an incredible fantasy adventure, taut and energized. The action sequences are top notch. And the system of magic she created is the best of any fantasy novel I have ever read. (I will talk about this point more in a future post, I promise.) Also the characters are interesting and multi dimensional and the setting is rich and alive.

Kay, Guy Gavriel Under Heaven – A fast read, this is a historical fantasy. This book received solid reviews and was well praise by the critics when it released. At first I didn’t understand why. It was a good book, decent, well written, but nothing amazing. Then I hit Part IV. The last hundred pages exploded off the page. I loved it. The story, which had been comparatively simple up to this point, shifted into overdrive.

King, Stephen From a Buick 8 – This was surprisingly good. There was a combination of elements that really came together to bring the book alive. I loved the tests the officers conducted in their own simple way to study the car. My only complaint was that the story was about a demonic car, and it never once left the damned garage!

Doctorow, E.L. The March – Taking a break from the science fiction and fantasy that constitutes my main diet, I tried a piece of historical fiction. This novel set during the Civil War was success was successful due to the rich ensemble cast. No single plot thread or character amazed me. Yet they all fed into a satisfying thread. This is a classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

King, Stephen The Stand – A post apocalyptic classic. The book was a pleasant enough read with some genuinely interesting characters. Larry Underwood made a compelling ironic hero, and Glen Bateman’s intellectual diatribes were actually quite enjoyable. I hadn’t read this book before now (believe it or not) and found the hype more than it deserved. But I can imagine that in the 80’s when it first release, it probably seemed the coolest thing ever!