Lincoln Crisler

I’ve read quite a few of these lists in the last couple weeks from fellow writers and reviewers, so I figured I’d spread some love around, too. I read easily over a hundred books in 2009, and reviewed at least 25% of them here on this website. Outside of the first entry, none of these are ranked in any particular order. They all came out in 2009, except for the honorable mention.

SQUEE OF THE YEAR:  Cherie Priest’s BONESHAKER. Steampunk and zombies against a lavishly-described alternate-Seattle backdrop. Best of all, there’s more coming. If I could buy a copy of this for every genre fan in the world, I’m pretty sure I would. Don’t take my word for it, though: you can read an excerpt here.

THE REST OF THE BEST:

1. Neil Gaiman’s Graveyard Book. I haven’t read too many books that seem geared towards young adults that satisfy me (read: Twilight series), but this one makes the cut. It’s entertaining and will make a great movie adaptation, as well.
2. Jeremy Shipp’s Cursed. Usually, when I can’t make complete sense out of a book, it’s time to leave it laying around on a table for someone else to pick up and enjoy (he said, diplomatically). When Shipp does it, though, I just know it’s because he’s seeing something that’s there, but out of my grasp. Thoroughly entertaining, and one of the most unique voices you’ll find anywhere.
3. Jeff Strand’s Pressure. I was waiting for this book for months, and I was NOT disappointed. This was my first Strand book, so I had the pleasure of reading this without expecting it to be funny (something I’m not particularly into; I take my horror seriously). There’s a little humor, an intense storyline and a bit of heart-wrenching. I’m a Strand fan for life because of this book.
4. John Everson’s Sacrifice. Plain and simple; John Everson has never let me down. The sequel to Covenant has gore, sex and a hint of forbidden fruit. I’m warning you though; you’re going to want more after this, and it might not come as soon as you or I would like. Don’t let that keep you away.
5. Michele Lee’s Rot. Though some definitely do it better than others, I’m starting to think that any random writer can crank out a zombie book (to include myself!). Lee’s novella stands dismembered head and shoulders above the pack, however. She approaches the story from a human angle, with just a few characters that you can really feel for, and none of the ZOMG! IT’S THE APOCALYPSE! stuff we’re so familiar with.

HONORABLE MENTION: Wrath James White’s Succulent Prey didn’t make the cut because it came out in November ’08, but this is hands-down the most disturbing book I’ve read. Ever. It’s horrid, revolting and graphic as Hell; stay far away from it if you’re not into extreme horror. However, if you like your stories (and gore aside, it is a great story) to stick with you long after you close the book, this would be the one. I could write my Master’s thesis on how spectacular this book is.

UPDATE: If you’d like to view this or pass it around to your friends as an Amazon List, you can do so here. ROT will be missing though, since Amazon doesn’t carry it.

By way of introduction, I want to tell you about my relationship with the Bizarro genre. It never did seem like anything I could get into; anyone intimately familiar with both myself and the Bizarro genre (admittedly, there probably isn’t even one person alive who meets these criteria) could see why. My mind works in a logical, orderly fashion. Bizarro does not. It is, in fact:

1. Absurd
2. Surreal
3. An acquired taste.

Jeremy Shipp is solely responsible for my acquiring even a slight taste for bizarro fiction. I still haven’t read his debut novel, Vacation¸ but I’d stumbled across his fiction on Chizine and a couple of other websites and actively pursued a review copy of his short story collection, Sheep & Wolves. I doubt an introduction to bizarro better suited to my mindset could exist. Just when my brain was tied irreparably in a knot, the story was over and I could

1. Take a break
2. Sort things out in my mind
3. Figure out how to add some of Shipp’s style to my own repertoire
4. Fail miserably at all three.

The collection was highly addictive, so when Shipp indicated that he was looking for interviews and reviews to promote his new novel, Cursed, I jumped like a hyperactive kindergartener hooked up to a car battery. I wasn’t disappointed, but I don’t want to ruin the book for you. I’ll say only this: it’s as different from what I’ve read of Shipp’s other work as Bizarro is from everything else on the shelves, and if you like the weird shit, you’ll love Cursed. So, without further ado: (more…)