Books: August 2010

[ninebelow]

#29 Swords & Dark Magic, edited by Jonathan Strahan and Lou Anders

Read for review for SF Site.

#30 By George by Wesley Stace

Recommended by ajr as his book of 2009. My wife got about half way through before putting it down as boring but I'm not sure what her problem was. It is a family mystery told by characters from two different generations, one

Comments

[immortalradical]

I think this is probably a better novel than The City & The City but I would have still given the Arthur C Clarke Award to China Mieville.

You're going to have to unpack that one...

[ninebelow]

Mieville gets extra points for concept.

[immortalradical]

But by your own admission this doesn't make his novel better. So in your view the ACCA is something other than an award for the best eligible novel?

[ninebelow]

Well, it comes down to the leeway judges have over what best means. I think they are both executed well, although ("probably") Thoreaux is better. But Mieville's concept is better and more demanding so he gets higher marks overall. It is like figure skating.

Then again, I've only read each book once so who knows where a re-read and a close debate would have lead me.