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.

Sheep & Wolves by Jeremy C. Shipp is the product of a very strange individual who obviously sees the world in a very strange way. Symbolism is a part of the human experience, you see (as in Tarot cards, Rorschach tests and street signs), but Shipp’s mixture of talking trout, ravenous creatures trapped in busses and other oddities will definitely stretch the mind while providing an entertaining experience from cover to cover. Like any other collection I’ve read, some stories are better (and easier to understand) than others, but there’s nothing to skip over in this one. My absolute favorite from this book is “Camp,” which first appeared in Chizine, and my second is “Devoured,” which I’ll simply describe as “cannibalism as a metaphor for an abusive relationship,” and leave it at that. 5.5/5 (and that’s not a typo).

Any praise for Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book seems anticlimactic after its being awarded the prestigious Newberry Award, but I couldn’t read this book without saying a few words about it on the offhand chance that one or more of my readers may have been hiding under a rock for the past few months. I passed this book up actually, the first time I saw it. It seemed like a book for younger audiences, and it is, but when I picked it up a month or so later (peer pressure’s a serious bitch) I found it entertaining myself. It tells the story of Nobody Owens, a toddler who escapes to a graveyard when his family is murdered, and follows him up to his teenage years. He’s raised by the ghosts who live in the cemetery and has a variety of adventures involving ghouls, a werewolf, a dead witch, a dance between the living and the dead and more. Most of the chapters in the middle of the book could be stand-alone short (and bedtime) stories. The end of the book, Nobody’s confrontation with his family’s killer, is over about as quick as it begins, and that’s a bit jarring, but forgiveable because that’s not what the book is supposed to be about anyhow. I passed The Graveyard Book on to my teenage daughter when I finished it, and I think I’d enjoy seeing this one as a movie, in the same vein as Coraline. 4.7/5

ADMIN NOTE: I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner, but instead of linking to the Amazon Machine all the time for people wishing to purchase books reviewed on this site, I’ll be linking directly to the publisher whenever possible, especially if the book is a small press release.