12. The Man In the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
Very cerebral and kind of a downer, but since I've read Philip K. Dick before I kind of knew what to expect. This book showcases pretty excellently how Dick excels at world-building; not only is his alternate reality where the U.S. lost World War II fully realized, but so is the alternate-alternate reality of the book-within-a-book, where the U.S. won the war (but not with the fallout we're familiar with). And if that made sense to you, you should probably read this book.
13. White Cat, Holly Black
Holly Black is super fun - way darker and grittier than Melissa Marr, while still maintaining that thread of wish fulfillment that's kind of the hallmark of supernatural YA. I found this one a little predictable, but still quite exciting; in this particular fantasy world, certain people have natural abilities to work magic on others (called "curse workers," or just "workers") and they come in different flavors - some can work luck, some emotion, some death, and so on. Cassel, the main character, comes from an entirely worker family - except for him. There's mobsters, con artists, and assassins, and the whole thing is pretty delightful. (Except it's written in present tense, RAWR. At least this one is first person.)
14. The Reapers, John Connolly
I like John Connolly a whole lot. He writes mostly crime noir, about a private detective named Charlie Parker (the first Parker book is Dark Hollow - I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who likes crime fiction or gritty supernatural stuff); his stories are typically gripping and suspenseful, he has a nice subtle supernatural element, and his side characters are entertaining and rich. But I had trouble with this one. It focuses on Parker's two most notorious cohorts, Angel and Louis, who typically provide a nice dose of banter while being ruthless killers. Having a whole book focused on them (mostly on Louis, the professional assassin) might be too much of a good thing.
Very cerebral and kind of a downer, but since I've read Philip K. Dick before I kind of knew what to expect. This book showcases pretty excellently how Dick excels at world-building; not only is his alternate reality where the U.S. lost World War II fully realized, but so is the alternate-alternate reality of the book-within-a-book, where the U.S. won the war (but not with the fallout we're familiar with). And if that made sense to you, you should probably read this book.
13. White Cat, Holly Black
Holly Black is super fun - way darker and grittier than Melissa Marr, while still maintaining that thread of wish fulfillment that's kind of the hallmark of supernatural YA. I found this one a little predictable, but still quite exciting; in this particular fantasy world, certain people have natural abilities to work magic on others (called "curse workers," or just "workers") and they come in different flavors - some can work luck, some emotion, some death, and so on. Cassel, the main character, comes from an entirely worker family - except for him. There's mobsters, con artists, and assassins, and the whole thing is pretty delightful. (Except it's written in present tense, RAWR. At least this one is first person.)
14. The Reapers, John Connolly
I like John Connolly a whole lot. He writes mostly crime noir, about a private detective named Charlie Parker (the first Parker book is Dark Hollow - I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who likes crime fiction or gritty supernatural stuff); his stories are typically gripping and suspenseful, he has a nice subtle supernatural element, and his side characters are entertaining and rich. But I had trouble with this one. It focuses on Parker's two most notorious cohorts, Angel and Louis, who typically provide a nice dose of banter while being ruthless killers. Having a whole book focused on them (mostly on Louis, the professional assassin) might be too much of a good thing.
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