Favorite books of 2005

This year was a year of discovery. In past years, I read sporadically at best, as I mostly concentrated on the work of just one or two authors or a centralized subject matter (i.e. Philip K. Dick or Clive Barker; essays on film; etc.). So nearly every book I read this year introduced me to a new author, some of which, naturally, I responded to more strongly than others -- especially authors in the sci-fi and fantasy genres, which made up 99% of my reading in 2005.

The works of newfound-favorites like Andy Duncan, Jeffrey Ford, Kelly Link, Lucius Shepard, and Jeff Vandermeer, rightly or wrongly, informed my opinions when criticizing all other contemporary works of genre fiction. Some books, though highly praised elsewhere, failed to meet my expectations. Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow, MirrorMask: Film Script by Neil Gaiman, The Narrows by Alexander Irvine, The Limits of Enchantment by Graham Joyce, Strange Itineraries by Tim Powers, and The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl by Tim Pratt. I wanted to love these books – maybe you will.

Other books that I didn’t muster up the energy to read are Bear Daughter by Judith Berman, Lord Byron’s Novel by John Crowley, and Hidden Camera by Zoran Zivkovic. Of course, with my eye turned primarily on the genre, I also missed books like Aimee Bender’s Willful Creatures and Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go. In the future, I hope to read more fantasy texts published outside of genre borders.

In compiling my list of favorites, I did not include Margo Lanagan’s Black Juice, which was published in Australia last year and received its first US publication this year. If eligible, Lanagan’s collection, while uneven, would have made my “recommended” list (though every other genre reader seems to love it without reservation).

Also, since Lucius Shepard’s Trujillo and Other Stories was published by PS Publishing in the UK last year, I disqualified the newly published US collection Eternity and Other Stories, which contains many stories from last year’s collection, and the standalone short novel Trujillo. If you did not read the mammoth Trujillo and Other Stories, my favorite book from last year, I highly recommend you seek out these two newly published books.

Here are 11 must-read books from 2005; my favorite books of 2005.

11) In the Palace of Repose by Holly Phillips

I read Phillips' first collection early in 2005; therefore, many of the plot details of these stories are fleeting. What remains are vivid memories of rich language blended with delicate, fantastic imagery. The strange, gritty, fairy-tale horror of “One of the Hungry Ones” is a stand-out. This collection, which I will definitely return to in the future, has me anticipating Phillips first novel, The Burning Girl, in early 2006.

10) From the Files of the Time Rangers by Richard Bowes

Some books blindside you. This timely, politically infused mosaic novel about time travelers and gods traipsing through 20th-century America is one of those books for me. I never read the work of Richard Bowes before and, due to the novel’s anachronistic cover and title, expected little more than a quick, lighthearted romp for these 263 pages. Instead, Bowes blew me away with his precise prose, dense storytelling, and vivid descriptions of an ever-changing post-WWII America. I will definitely be re-reading this book and, when I do, it may well be one of my three or four favorite books of the year. Until then, here it stands.

9) Glass Soup by Jonathan Carroll

Though I disliked Carroll’s didactic metaphysics and cold characters in White Apples, this follow-up manages to be both dark and playful. Carroll’s brand of humanistic metaphysics is on full display – the land of the dead receives a deeply personal touch – and Carroll expertly juggles a handful of idiosyncratic characters while propelling a well-plotted story to a satisfying climax. Expect more books about the Vienna-based couple Vincent and Isabelle and their child Anjo, who serves merely as the McGuffin of Glass Soup. If you’ve written off Carroll of late, give this one a chance.

8) To Charles Fort, With Love by Caitlin R. Kiernan

Kiernan’s third collection of dark fantasy stories drapes over the reader like a heavy shawl. These brooding works, inspired in equal parts by H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King, highlight damaged souls, and wallow in the filth and detritus of the world. Her best stories find transcendence out of this debris, producing sublime results, as seen in pieces like “Spindleshanks” and “Onion.”

7) Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

It begins as a modest screwball comedy, replete with droll humor and folly, and slowly builds to a mythic conclusion. Gaiman’s modern rendition of the African trickster god myth, which at times feels too contrived and safe, finds its resonance in the everyday, as it emphasizes the importance of family. Though it lacks the sprawling scope of American Gods and the creepy-weirdness of Coraline, it may be Gaiman’s most focused novel yet, one told with great wit and verve.

6) The Cosmology of the Wider World by Jeffrey Ford

Although I have zero interest in talking animal stories, I love Jeffrey Ford’s story of Belius the Minotaur, half man and half bull. Infused with frequent moments of profound sadness and humor, oftentimes in the same sentence, Belius’ tale is deeply human, consisting of intolerance, first love, heartache, and loneliness. It is also overflowing with images of the fantastic: animal-soul transmigration, prophecies from a god-like whale, the ghost of a destroyed book, and a Bride of Frankenstein-type monster made by forest creatures. It's the kind of strange book only Jeffrey Ford could have written.

5) Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Here is the one book on my list published outside of the genre (Knopf). But don’t mistake Japanese author Murakami’s coming-of-age tale of talking cats, WWII ghosts, UFOs, strange murders, and rainstorms of fish as anything but a deeply accomplished fantasy novel. Not only does Murakami create an irrational, dreamlike landscape out of everyday reality, but he also illustrates an emotionally affecting relationship between a teenage runaway and an aging simpleton. Kafka on the Shore represents my first encounter with Murakami and, while the novel doesn’t tie up every loose end, I found it to be a masterpiece of contemporary fantasy.

4) Tumbling After by Paul Witcover

Witcover’s brilliant second novel tells two parallel coming-of-age stories. One follows the poignant sexual awakening of the twelve-year-old twins Jack and Jilly during one Delaware summer in 1977, the other of a 17-year-old alternate-earth, bird-like creature named Kestrel, who undertakes a ritualistic quest. Witcover’s lean, effectively told tale packs an emotional punch, especially as the disparate narrative threads overlap on the final page. It’s a haunting book that exudes genuine sadness.

3) Vellum by Hal Duncan

Scot Hal Duncan’s first novel is the most audacious, arrogant, and angry book of the year. How could it not be? Vellum – Book 1 in the Book of all Hours duology – only tackles all of eternity, history, and time, as Duncan tells a multi-layered, multi-charactered story of dueling angels. He only highlights the perpetual hatred and intolerance that motivates all of history. And he only upends almost every-known narrative genre convention, while paying homage to the likes of Alan Moore, H.P. Lovecraft, Michael Moorcock, Philip K. Dick, and many more. Sure, Duncan may have bit off more than he can chew in this 500-plus page story that consists of interconnecting vignettes, leaving the reader without a satisfying conclusion and craving the concluding volume Ink. The Book of All Hours could be one of the greatest genre achievements or grandiose flops of this millennium. Only Ink will tell.

2) Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link

In Magic for Beginners, familiar genre staples – zombies, ghosts, time travel, the devil, fairy tales, and more – find new, fresh life through Link’s lyrical voice and spare language. Her stories are always underpinned by grave reality – be it loss of innocence, coming to grief, or family strife – but not at the expense of a story’s humor or levity. Somehow, her stories always manage to capture the familiar and the unknown, the horror and the beauty in life. I'm not quite sure how she does it, but in stories like “Magic for Beginners,” “The Hortlak,” “Stone Animals,” “Some Zombie Contingency Plans,” and “Lull” she creates unforgettable alchemies of fiction.

1) A Princess of Roumania by Paul Park

Transformation and coming of age are two tangible themes in Paul Park’s masterwork of narrative control and pacing, A Princess of Roumania, the first book in a four-part series. Traveling from modern-day Massachusetts to alternate-world, 18th-century Roumania, where industrialized America does not exist, Park’s awe-inspiring novel captivates with its complex plot and complicated characters. It’s the story of Miranda Popescu, who must fulfill her destiny as Princess of Roumania; but her story is more about growing up than fulfilling some cliched destiny. It’s a consistently enchanting tale, with no lapse in ingenuity, filled with genuine magic – mysterious wizards, odd religions, and dream-like visions and spiritual battles – and an unforgettable, morally ambiguous villain. It’s my favorite book of 2005, and one I look forward to re-reading before its sequel Tourmaline is published next summer.

Other recommended reads are:

Greetings and Other Stories by Terry Bisson
The Girl in the Glass by Jeffrey Ford
20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
The Colorado Kid by Stephen King
Looking for Jake by China Mieville.
Starwater Strains by Gene Wolfe