Read and Appreciated in 2003
An Editorial Year’s Best List
For a second consecutive year, most of my fiction reading fell within the boundaries of “genre.” I don’t know if my reading tastes have changed or if the field has changed somewhat. It has led to a holiday resolution to read widely outside of genre in 2004, to see what I’ve missed in the last few years. In 2003, also, I glutted myself on graphic novels and comics to an extent I had not in the past. Being very interested in art as well as story, I’ve found the best graphic novels to be comparable to the best fiction. But I separate them here for two reasons: (1) I read a lot of graphic novels first published before 2003 and (2) I still do consider graphic novels a different medium than prose fiction.
In 2003, many of us were introduced to the terms “New Weird” and “Interstitial Arts” for the first time, provoking a wide range of reactions. After flirting with the interstitial and ignoring the New Weird for most of the year, I ultimately found New Weird innocuous and Interstitial less helpful than I’d first thought. My New Year’s resolution, frankly, is to focus on my fiction writing and leave the discussion on labeling to others with more time for it. What cannot be doubted, though, no matter what you call it, is the health and vibrance of surreal, magic realist, fantastical, whatever-you-call-it fiction.
What does the future hold? I believe 2004 and 2005 will see the further ascendancy of writers like Zoran Zivkovic, Jeffrey Ford, Kelly Link, M. John Harrison, Richard Morgan, Ian R. MacLeod, and China Miéville, while newcomers such as K.J. Bishop, Anna Tambour, Kim Westwood, Michael Cisco, Minsoo Kang, Ben Rosenbaum, and Brendan Connell, among many others, make a more permanent mark on the landscape.
Fiction Top 10
1. Lucius Shepard
As far as I’m concerned, 2003 was The Year of Lucius Shepard, with so many memorable novellas and stories published that I couldn’t choose just one. From Louisiana Breakdown (Golden Gryphon) to Floater (PS Publishing) to… well, just pick your favorite, Shepard proved that he is an absolute fiction master.
2. Altered Carbon, Richard Morgan
(Del Rey, 2003)
Although this book came out in the UK in 2002, the trade paper didn’t appear in the US until 2003, which is when I first read it. In thinking of all the fiction I read in 2003, Altered Carbon is the one book that blew the top of my skull off while reading it. From the stunning eye for detail to the brave approach to portraying violence to the amazing ideas to the wonderful mix of noir detective fiction with SF thriller, this book had it all.
3. The Light Ages, Ian R. MacLeod
(Ace, 2003)
Careful characterization, a marvelous evocation of a magic London, and a compelling story made MacLeod’s novel truly timeless.
4. Trampoline, Edited by Kelly Link
(Small Beer Press, 2003)
This gorgeous collection of stories and novellas featured exemplary work by, among others, Greer Gilman, Shelley Jackson, Alex Irvine, Ed Park, and Rosalind Palermo Stevenson.
5. Limekiller, Avram Davidson
(Old Earth Books, 2003)
The curmudgeon’s most eccentric and laid-back stories, collected in one volume for the first time. Limekiller is Davidson’s most interesting protagonist, and the less plot-oriented focus of these stories allows the author’s talents for the specific detail and characterization to come to the fore. Featuring a splendid introduction by the ubiquitous Lucius Shepard.
