BOOKS READ 2019
Song of Solomon Toni Morrison
Some Kind of Fairy Tale Graham Joyce
Boy Swallows Universe Trent Dalton
We’ll Stand in That Place and Other Stories Ed. Michelle Cahill (anthology).
Path of the Dragon George RR Martin (novella)
Year’s Best Fantasy 2 (2002) Ed. David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer
Best Served Cold Joe Abercrombie
Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus Mary Shelley
The Finder Ursula K. Le Guin (novella)
Restoration Rose Tremain
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection (expository and graphic novel)
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection (expository and graphic novel)
Undermajordomo Minor Patrick deWitt
The Sky Falls Down: An Anthology of Loss Ed. Terry Whitebeach & Gina Mercer.
Year’s Best Fantasy (2001) Ed. David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer
Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine Issue 44 Ed. Felicity Dowker & Simon PetrieWord Play Gyles Brandweyth (expository)
Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury
The Orchardist’s Daughter Karen Viggers
Whiskey and Water Elizabeth Bear
Debt of Bones Terry Goodkind (novella)
Harmless Julienne Van Loon (novella)
The Battles of Tolkien David Day (expository)
The Maze Runner James Dashner (YA)
A Princess of Landover Terry Brooks
The Misadventures of John Nicholson (novella) Robert Louis Stevenson
Eternals Neil Gaiman (graphic novel)
Eternals Neil Gaiman (graphic novel)
The DC Universe by Neil Gaiman Neil Gaiman (graphic novel)
A Maggot John Fowles
The Alchemist Paulo Coelho
Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine Issue 41 ed. Ian Nichols
The Enchantress of Florence Salman Rushdie
Temeraire Naomi Novik
New Beginnings (anthology/Reader)
I've kept the brief commentary to three, but there was plenty to revel in this year. Abercrombie always delivers and Best Served Cold is no exception; I'm glad I finally read Frankenstein; and both Restoration by Tremain and Undermajordormo Minor by De Witt also impressed.
Easily the best of my 2019 reads.
"If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it.' Vale Toni Morrison. Your legacy soars.
To summarise the plot would be unfair as this unique reading experience is best left for you to dive into on your own. In terms of language and style, Morrison incorporates a blend of rhythmic poetic prose with black urban dialogue from two separate parts of the states, along with a cultural infusion of Black songs and folktales.
Toni Morrison weaves magical realism with fable and history in such a natural manner, that even the nature of the plot, which moves to absurdist, appears organic and authentic.
Morrison makes me want to never put pen on paper again. She's that good, and for me, Song of Solomon is Morrison at her finest.
Tara went missing the woods some 20 years ago, now at the supposed age of 36, Tara arrives at her parents door on Christmas Day. Problem is she hasn't changed at all.
Joyce touches our sentiment here in this exploration of time and life-changing events. It also bravely interrogates relationships with not only the family, but an old, and somewhat lost, past lover. The work shares similarities with other novels of his I've read. This is up there in terms of quality with his The Year of the Ladybird.
Joyce is unabashedly sentimental, and although at times this touches on the saccharine, Joyce manages it all successfully - when many other writers wouldn't. The plot is thought provoking, and the controlled prose is strong throughout. The ingredients are all there in the right doses in a compelling tale.
Eli Bell's seemingly stable childhood world in urban Brisbane is torn asunder as he realises that he and his non-verbal brother, Gus, are no longer safe. His mother, who he adores, is involved with a drug-trafficking stepfather (who he also idolises) and their troubles have entered the domestic front in a super hostile manner. Eli and Gus have to leave.
It's a gritty take on 80s Australia with Vietnamese gangs, abusive partners, a drunken father, reformed and unreformed crims, and violent dug cartels. It also incorporates magical realism with a unique red phone and Gus weaves a little magic too.
But Eli's hyperbole, humour and dramatic outlook make it all worth the while. For me this deserved the Miles Franklin; it's one of the best Aussie rides I've been on. And it is a wild adventurous ride. Dalton pulls out all the writerly tricks out of the hat: connection and disconnection, stark contrast and juxtaposition, and figurative lines abound on every page. It's hyperobolic and hyperactive, and doesn't hold back. So much of Australian literature is controlled and spare these days, making Dalton's unleashed voice a refreshing change.
The adventurous unashamedly bloated prose is reminiscent of the work of a journalist on steroids. And guess what? It works. This novel is fun, touching, brave and imaginative.
I personally felt the glass jars and much of the latter part related to the jars too far fetched, not in terms of gratuity, but in terms of incredulity and taking the melodrama to an unneeded extent. The scenes aren't really required. Although I did think the later magical realist elements worked a treat.
But it's all part of a wonderful ride. A future Australian classic, if it isn't one already.
The tale of how a school of magic is founded by a brave man. A lot of elements are at play in this novella, there's danger, including a tracker with bloodhound qualities, and also serious abuses of power. On occasion, I find Le Guin's Earthsea works more suited for younger ages, but The Finder holds adult audiences too. A fine novella and well-wrought story.
Cut and pasted via Goodreads: An impressive and consistently strong anthology. Out of the twenty two stories, there were only four that I didn't enjoy. Some personal favourites (and I could mention 18 stories here) include Ursula K. Le Guin's novella The Finder; 'What The Tyger Told Her' by Kage Baker; 'The Man Who Stole the Moon' by Tanith Lee; 'Nucleon' by David D. Levine; and 'Hell is the Absence of God' by Ted Chiang.
The absolute standout is 'Firebird' by R. Garcia y Robertson. Although a fantasy is a more traditional vein, the story delights and all the elements come together in a clever fashion. It had me glued throughout.
'The Do' in We’ll Stand in That Place and Other Stories Ed. Michelle Cahill.
Very proud to have a story here, the variety of genre and styles was a pleasure to see. Some stories are rich, others economical, some realist, some speculative, and all deserve a second reading. A fantastic display of the magic and breadth of the short form.
Very proud to have a story here, the variety of genre and styles was a pleasure to see. Some stories are rich, others economical, some realist, some speculative, and all deserve a second reading. A fantastic display of the magic and breadth of the short form.
'Submerging' The Sky Falls Down: An Anthology of Loss Ed. Terry Whitebeach & Gina Mercer (previously published in Overland 204 & The Best Australian Stories 2014.)
This explores an inescapable part of the human experience. It includes meaningful works in the form of essays, prose, memoir, and poetry.
This explores an inescapable part of the human experience. It includes meaningful works in the form of essays, prose, memoir, and poetry.
2020
'Submerging' will find its 4th home in 2020 in the anthology Changing Tides (more to come).
Hope 2020 is a happy, healthy and meaningful year for all!
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