My Top Ten Books of 2021

 

This is the list of the best books I have read in 2021. Not all of these books came out in 2021, but I read them this year. This is a completely subjective list that I myself might take issue with were I in a different mood. Take it with a grain of salt. Given my tendencies, you might assume these would all be science fiction. There are a number of science fiction or fantasy outings on the list but not all. I present them in no particular order because, trying to order them is just wrong.

 

The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie King

I have very much enjoyed the Mary Russell books by Laurie King. Mary Russel is the young wife of the retired Sherlock Holmes, and is very much his intellectual equal. Watching the two of them putting themselves in peril and figuring out how to get out again is a delight. But this particular book focuses on the backstory of Mrs. Hudson. I am kind of a sucker for taking a minor character and making them major.

 

The Network Effect by Martha Wells

I could have chosen any of the Murderbot Diaries here. I read six of them this year. The murderbot is such a fun and irreverent character that I had to read them all. But having to pick one, I might as well go with the Hugo award winner. The main character and narator is the murderbot. It is a construct: part machine and part organic and is usually its like are treated like slave labor. This particular unit is so much smarter than the humans that surround it yet it constantly finds itself being either ignored or feared by the ignorant humans.

 

A Night Without Stars by Peter F Hamilton

A Night without stars is the second book in a duology (the first being The Abyss Beyond Dreams) and is in itself part of the larger Commonwealth series. Worldbuilding is what Hamilton does better than most. The characters are complex. Who are the good guys, and who are the bad? They are all a bit gray (like real people)

 

The Autobiography of Malcom X by Malcom X and Alex Haley

Of course, we are getting this mostly all from Malcom X’s mouth, so one would expect it to be biased. Yet he does not seem afraid to show us all his flaws. I found that while I did not always agree with his opinions or beliefs, I could understand why he felt that way and why he was led that way. That is the most important takeaway from any biography (auto- or otherwise).

 

Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut’s Journey by Michael Collins

Michael Collins was the Apollo 11 astronaut who did not get to walk on the moon. As the Command Module pilot, he circled the moon while Aldrin and Armstrong were down on the surface. He puts us in the shoes of someone who went through the astronaut program and flew on Gemini and Apollo missions. So much was unknown about spaceflight that they had to figure it out as they went along, sometimes with disastrous consequences.

 

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This is a lovely little creepy Mexican horror story. You might not want to read this late at night when you are home alone. A young woman finds herself in a creepy house with a creepy family. Have I used the word “creepy” enough? But this is not a traditional haunted house story. It starts off slow and atmospheric, but add in colonialism, eugenics and some very twisted people, and you are in for a ride.

 

The Poppy War by R F Kuang

This is the first in a trilogy. It is a fantasy set in a country very much like China. There are events in the story that parallel events in Chinese history (minus the magic). The story begins like a dark Harry Potter story, but then it turns very dark indeed as we follow the horrors of war. Definitely not a children’s book.

 

The Last Emperox by John Scalzi

This is the third and final book in Scalzi’s Interdependency series. From ruling families that control power, industry and resources, to a major catastrophic change to their way of life that is coming, whether they choose to believe in it or not. We follow a young inexperienced empress who has to quickly learn the ropes and the political machinations before they crush her. Plus, a side character who is a sex-addict with the foulest mouth imaginable who is perhaps my most favorite character of the past year.

 

Old Bones by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

I have been a fan of Preston and Child for a long time. What’s not to like about an archeologist getting to do a dig at the Donner Party’s camp. Throw in a mystery and a stockpile of gold that may or may not exist and of course, someone trying to kill them. A fun mystery action romp.

 

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

This is a fantasy that seems to have more in common with pre-Columbian Central America than Middle Earth. And that is great. There is nothing wrong with Middle Earth, but after countless imitations of it, it is nice to see fantasy head off in a different direction thanks to writers like Roanhorse and Kuang. Destiny and politics clash in the fascinating world that Roanhorse has built.

 

Many of these books I reviewed in earlier blogs. Check them out if this piques your interest, or just go out and get the books.

Star Liner