Oops, I just lost the almost-done comment I had...
Anyway! I enjoyed The Martian, even though the book often felt like a thought exercise with a thin veneer of fiction. Granted, I saw the movie first; maybe I'd feel differently if I'd done it the other way round. At any rate, I'll probably rec it to my dad, who's a physicist.
New to me authors of 2015: Seanan McGuire, aka Mira Grant. McGuire/Grant has a clear writing style, interesting characters, and consistent world-building even with characters and events creating constant change. Under the name McGuire she has an interesting series that starts with Rosemary and Rue. I've seen people compare it to the Harry Dresden books, but honestly, McGuire's writing style is way easier for me to hack. I've already read the nine books published so far in the series; I think I made it through two Dresden books.
Her Mira Grant novels are more science-fi/science than fantasy. I just read Parasite and immediately downloaded Symbiont to find out where she's going with the story.
Ben Aaronovitch has the Rivers of London series (first book titled Midnight Riot in the US) with new London cop Peter Grant discovering that magic is real. Fun, dramatic, and a fantastic portrayal of modern London, with its waves of immigrants creating a new mix of cultures (and therefore different wild magics than the past, which creates friction).
Other author recs: Rosemary Clement-Moore has five YA novels: easy and fun to read. Robin LaFevers has three books in a (complete) medieval fantasy series about assassin nuns. (Yes, really.) Oh, and I finally read Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief, as well as the next two in the series.
no subject
Anyway! I enjoyed The Martian, even though the book often felt like a thought exercise with a thin veneer of fiction. Granted, I saw the movie first; maybe I'd feel differently if I'd done it the other way round. At any rate, I'll probably rec it to my dad, who's a physicist.
New to me authors of 2015: Seanan McGuire, aka Mira Grant. McGuire/Grant has a clear writing style, interesting characters, and consistent world-building even with characters and events creating constant change. Under the name McGuire she has an interesting series that starts with Rosemary and Rue. I've seen people compare it to the Harry Dresden books, but honestly, McGuire's writing style is way easier for me to hack. I've already read the nine books published so far in the series; I think I made it through two Dresden books.
Her Mira Grant novels are more science-fi/science than fantasy. I just read Parasite and immediately downloaded Symbiont to find out where she's going with the story.
Ben Aaronovitch has the Rivers of London series (first book titled Midnight Riot in the US) with new London cop Peter Grant discovering that magic is real. Fun, dramatic, and a fantastic portrayal of modern London, with its waves of immigrants creating a new mix of cultures (and therefore different wild magics than the past, which creates friction).
Other author recs: Rosemary Clement-Moore has five YA novels: easy and fun to read. Robin LaFevers has three books in a (complete) medieval fantasy series about assassin nuns. (Yes, really.) Oh, and I finally read Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief, as well as the next two in the series.