Tower of the Hand

With the calendar turning once again, I thought it a good time to reflect on the best fantasy books of the past ten years. I enlisted the help of my favorite book bloggers; a few of them answered the call: Adam of The Wertzone, Aidan of A Dribble of Ink, Eva of evagation, and James of Speculative Horizons. Below is a cumulative list of our favorite reads from the 2000s, alphabetized by author.

Daniel Abraham's A SHADOW IN SUMMER (2006) is one of the most impressive debut novels I've ever read. Abraham has crafted a completely original world, with its own rich language, history, and mythology. The characters are deeply flawed, constantly seeking a happiness that is seemingly out of reach, but you can't help but root for them (even the book's sadistic god). It's no wonder that Abraham is a frequent collaborator of George R. R. Martin's. A SHADOW IN SUMMER is the first of four books from The Long Price Quartet series. --Johnny, Tower of the Hand

Scott Bakker's PRINCE OF NOTHING TRILOGY (2003-06) is an important work for taking many lessons learned from Frank Herbert, J. R. R. Tolkien, George R. R. Martin and Steven Erikson and turning them into a dark, brooding and intellectually pitiless work of epic fantasy. It's a cold and remote work at times, but it's endlessly creative and constantly thought-provoking. It looks like he's taking the sequels in a very interesting direction indeed. --Adam, The Wertzone

Jacqueline Carey's KUSHIEL'S LEGACY (2001-present). So you like your fantasy worlds well thought out and coherent? But you don't want a rehash of the dwarves-elves-humans-halflings-and-orcs melange that Tolkien established for the genre? Check out Carey's world building skills, wherein she plays out an alternate reality of Earth, an Earth where angels were made flesh and left their progeny to do as they please-- in the catchphrase of the novel, "to love as thou wilt." The geography is similar, the cultures are familiar, but everything is pushed so-slightly askew, so that for example an encounter with her world's version of Vlad the Impaler seems utterly rancid and completely original. Start with Kushiel's Dart, which introduces courtesan Phadre. The cleverest piece of the work is how little is owed to the supernatural-- similar to masterworks like George R. R. Martin's, there is magic and mysticism but it is rare and otherworldly, more dreamt than lived, and the characters have to get through mainly on their wits and skills. And her sex scenes are possibly the best written of anything outside of specifically erotic literature, and tend towards the more exotic and unusual encounters. Also of interest is the thriving fan community, including readers who get body art in imitation of the characters. Final kudos: Carey's put out two finished trilogies in this world encompassing two separate story arcs, and shows every indication of completing a third trilogy by next year. She doesn't leave her fans hanging out forever waiting to find out what happens next in the series (but, sadly, there are no collectible miniatures either). --Eva, evagation

Steven Erickson's GARDENS OF THE MOON (MMPB published 2000). First installment in the popular Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Strong characterization, a sprawling narrative that includes some unbelievable, epic sequences, and a first glimpse of a war-torn world with a wealth of intrigue and history. Simply excellent. --James, Speculative Horizons

Neil Gaiman's AMERICAN GODS (2001). Any list of the best books of the decade would be remiss without including Gaiman. But which of his many works to choose? For my money, I recommend AMERICAN GODS. For me, that was the book that brought Gaiman to my attention and sent me back onwards to find The Sandman, and made me eager for anything else Gaiman ever writes. Gaiman starts with a character with a mystery heritage a'la Corwyn of Zelazny's masterwork Amber series, adds in all the fables and legends of the 'old world'-- particularly the Norse legends for which I am fond, and gently drops in elegant and mind bending atrocities and humble victories. And he ends it all with a war to end all wars, and a love story ending in a second death. Brilliant. But don't just believe me-- the book garnered a Hugo and a Nebula award as well. --Eva, evagation

Neil Gaiman's THE GRAVEYARD BOOK (2009) is inspired by Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, except this time the orphaned boy is raised by ghosts. Most authors wouldn't dare pen a coming of age novel set in a cemetery, but Gaiman's tale is both mesmerizing and hopeful. Even more remarkable, THE GRAVEYARD BOOK is actually a series of anecdotes, each of which reveals something insightful about our hero's life (and life in general) and still maintains the momentum of the larger story and the consistency of the overarching themes. A brilliant book by all measures. --Johnny, Tower of the Hand

David Gemmell's MIDNIGHT FALCON (2000). Second book in Gemmell's Rigante series, and one of his very best novels. A pacy, gripping plot with an enthralling climax, wonderfully-drawn characters, and a pleasing exploration of various themes. A stunning novel that echoes with the hallmarks of real myths and legends. Truly inspiring. --James, Speculative Horizons

Lev Grossman's THE MAGICIANS (2009) is a cynical, perhaps somewhat perverted, mix of Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia. The book aims to paint a more realistic portrait of what happens when people first discover magic. Even amongst our heroes, there are plenty of selfish characters, abusive moments, and magic gone wrong. But at its heart, THE MAGICIANS is a metaphor for our struggle to achieve and maintain happiness. Not the easiest book to enjoy, but it's one on which I'm often reflecting. (Grossman, by the way, is the same columnist that calls GRRM "the American Tolkien.") --Johnny, Tower of the Hand

Scott Lynch's THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA (2006). A novel that came with an unprecedented amount of online hype and, amazingly, actually managed to live up to it. Fresh and exciting, Lynch tells a rollicking tale full of sharp wit, clever heists and brutal action, set against the vibrant background of Camorr. Fantasy has never been this much fun. --James, Speculative Horizons

If you're a regular reader of Tower of the Hand, it shouldn't surprise you that I consider George R. R. Martin's A STORM OF SWORDS (2000) one of the most exciting and devastating fantasy books ever, so I won't waste any more words praising it. Fortunately, the book is on others' lists, too... --Johnny, Tower of the Hand

George R. R. Martin's A STORM OF SWORDS. Probably the best epic fantasy I've ever read. A veritable masterclass of plotting and characterization, resulting in a novel that shocks, delights and enthralls in equal measure. One word - superb. --James, Speculative Horizons

After much debate I did have to plump, somewhat predictably, for A STORM OF SWORDS. Martin had already taken his fantasy series into some very dark and unexpected territory in the first two volumes, but the third pushes everything up to 11. The defeats are greater, the lighter moments fewer (but more important for that) and the humor much blacker. For those 'moments' that stick in the memory, ASOS may have more than any other work of fantasy in modern times: the duel between Gregor and Oberyn, Jaime jumping into the bear pit, the assault on the Wall, "You know nothing, Jon Snow," Tyrion's final talk with his father and of course the bile-inducing Red Wedding. Topping this book may be beyond any author's capabilities (including Martin's), though I can only hope they try. --Adam, The Wertzone

China Mieville's PERDIDO STREET STATION (2000) has to be on such a list. Whilst Mieville did not create the 'New Weird', he did codify and define it, and many other authors such as Steph Swainston and Mark Newton have followed in his lead. This was fantasy with the fantastical put back into it, a mixture of steampunk, horror and enough traditional secondary-worldbuilding to make Tolkien proud (if probably a bit weirded out by it all). A landmark work. --Adam, The Wertzone

China Mieville's THE SCAR (2002). Mieville's second Bas Lag novel, and a real imaginative tour-de-force. The prose is sublime, the characterization deep and varied, and everywhere are signs of Mieville's innovative imagination and unique style. A classic example of the limitless possibilities of the fantasy genre, demonstrated by one of the genre's finest writers. You'll never look at fantasy quite the same way again. Plus Uther Doul is badass, and has the COOLEST weapon ever. --James, Speculative Horizons

Neal Stephenson's ANATHEM (2008). For my last pick of the group, I'll take a risk and choose ANATHEM, although I have yet to meet someone I've recommended it to who thanked me (although it did win a Locus Award). Have you ever read a book that, for weeks afterwards, you were reminded of in many ways? Or that inspired you to make a movie? This book is like that-- I'd read something in a science journal or in the news a month later about hieroglyphs or the North Pole and instantly be put in mind of a scene in the book. Stephenson builds an intricate and complicated world, barely believable in its restrictions and interactions, and then interweaves explanations to make it all plausible. The characters start mildly enough but then become more and more interesting until finally one is reading at a fast pace to find out what happens next to them. Imagine Name of the Rose meets Minority Report (minus Tom Cruise), and you'll have an approximation of the story than what Stephenson provides, but much stupider (and neither Eco nor Dick was writing for idiots). Oh-- and although I feel this book fits solidly in the fantasy genre, there's a bit of space travel and science chatter to make the science fiction reader at home. --Eva, evagation

Carlos Ruiz Zafón's THE SHADOW OF THE WIND (2001). Not Fantasy to the same degree as many of the other books on this list, Zafón's wonderful THE SHADOW OF THE WIND nevertheless weaves the magical with the realistic as it tells the tale of young Daniel and his search through Barcelona for the shadowy author of a mysterious tomb. Zafón fills his novel with wonderful characters (helped no doubt by a sublime translation from Lucia Graves) who've never left my mind, a labyrinthine plot that weaves past and present together in magical ways and some of the most hauntingly beautiful set-pieces I've ever encountered in literature. At once charming and melancholy, joyous and heart-breaking, THE SHADOW OF THE WIND is easily one of the best novels of the decade, and possibly my favorite novel of all time. --Aidan, A Dribble of Ink

Honorable Mentions in Fantasy
James, Speculative Horizons: The Grand Design by John Marco, A Fortress of Grey Ice by J. V. Jones, Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie, Monument by Ian Graham.

Adam, The Wertzone: Terry Pratchett's Night Watch & Nation, Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora, Joe Abercrombie's Best Served Cold, Paul Kearney's The Ten Thousand, David Gemmell's The Troy Trilogy, Suzanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Neil Gaiman's American Gods, Steven Erickons's Deadhouse Gates & Memories of Ice.

SCIENCE FICTION
Adam also submitted a list for the best science fiction authors of the decade.

Christopher Priest's THE SEPARATION (2002) was nearly killed at birth, released with a minimum of fuss by the publishers. Luckily it was saved by Gollancz and re-issued to greater praise. This is a startlingly imaginative book, in which the nature of reality, history, parallel universes, twins and the morality of war is debated on. Priest has done mind and reality-bending fiction before with the likes of The Affirmation and The Prestige, but this book ramps it all up to a dizzying new height. The enigmatic final few lines will have the reader immediately starting again the beginning, trying to see if they can puzzle out what is really going on in this fascinating book. --Adam, The Wertzone

For sheer productivity and quality, Alastair Reynolds is a hard act to beat in the 2000s. His first novel, Revelation Space, was published in 2000 and since then he has released another seven novels, two short story collections and a pair of novellas, both in and out of his Revelation Space setting. His best work is probably CHASM CITY (2001), a multi-layered detective story about a soldier following his enemy across interstellar space to the titular city, where different factions scheme against one another. It's an impressively imaginative work with a complex resolution and some nice story elements that feed through into the other Revelation Space books (although CHASM CITY itself is a stand-alone). --Adam, The Wertzone

Choosing a third book is hard-- it's been a bonanza decade for SF-- but in the end I plumped for a third British author (American SF needs to pull its finger out, I'm afraid) with Richard Morgan and BLACK MAN (2007, retitled THIRTEEN in the USA). An incendiary, highly divisive work that some loathe and others praise as a Stranger in a Strange Land for the modern age, BLACK MAN paints a bleak, ugly portrait of a 22nd Century United States torn apart by religious, political and ideological differences. A genetically-altered black man investigates a mystery and in the process exposes the seething hypocrisy of his society. An angry, intelligent and argument-provoking book. --Adam, The Wertzone

Honorable Mentions in Science Fiction
Ian McDonald's Brasyl & River of Gods, Peter F. Hamilton's Pandora's Star, Alastair Reynolds's Pushing Ice, Iain M. Banks's Look to Windward, Brian Aldiss's H.A.R.M.

YOUNG ADULT FANTASY
I have additionally selected some choices for the young adult audience.

Cornelia Funke's INKHEART (2003) imaginatively explores a question that many readers, young and old, have wondered: what would happen if the characters from our favorite books came to life? Originally told in German, the book and its two sequels (Inkspell and Inkdeath) have been translated into English by Anthea Bell. A theatrical version of Inkheart was released in 2009 and, while a competent adaptation, the movie wasn't quite as inspired as its source. Inkheart also earned automatic recognition for repeatedly quoting William Goldman's The Princess Bride, one of my all-time favorite books. --Johnny, Tower of the Hand

Shannon Hale's PRINCESS ACADEMY (2005) breaks from Hale's traditional retelling of Grimm fairy tales to provide a completely original story in an original world. An earnest quarry girl leaves her home to vie for the hand of a prince, but has to compete against other friends and rivals. Despite its simple premise, PRINCESS ACADEMY is surprisingly expressive. (It's also a perfect fit for a musical.) --Johnny, Tower of the Hand

Rick Riordan's PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS (2005-2009) is a series that will both appeal to and annoy fans of Harry Potter because of their obvious similarities: a young boy from a troubled home discovers he can perform magic; he attends a special school where he befriends a brainy girl and an awkward boy and suffers a bully; he eventually finds himself at the focus of an ominous prophecy. The first book, The Lightning Thief, even implicitly references J. K. Rowling's more popular series. But the truth is, PERCY JACKSON simply follows the classic hero's quest with its own unique twists, especially in its clever use of and bountiful references to Greek mythology. Five books comprise the series, with the third and fourth books (The Titan's Curse and The Battle of the Labyrinth, respectively) being perhaps my favorite reads of the decade. Note that the first book has also been filmed and hits theaters in February... the usual adaptation caveats apply. --Johnny, Tower of the Hand

Lev Grossman also posted his Best of the Decade, which includes several authors and books on our list. We hope you find some good reads among these lists. If there's a book we missed, let us know in the comments!

Many thanks to everyone who participated in this list. Be sure to check out their respective sites, too:

• Adam, The Wertzone
• Aidan, A Dribble of Ink
• Eva, evagation
• James, Speculative Horizons