The Bloodies: The Best of 2008

As 2008 comes to a close, it’s time to look back on the year and reflect, to acknowledge the great, and not so great, moments here at Blood of the Muse, to award the best and tsk-tsk the worst. (And the whole production helps with pumping up my ego.) While I read a variety of excellent books this year, only novels that were released in 2008 are eligible for awards. So let’s get started, because it’s time to hand out some Bloodies!

Best Speculative Fiction Blog:
Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist
Filled with the best giveaways and interviews, Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist is a SFF geek’s dream.

Best Speculative Fiction Book Reviews:
Fantasy Book Critic
Every time I read one of the great reviews by the team at Fantasy Book Critic, I feel embarrassed by the crap I put out.

Best Comic Artist:
Pasqual Ferry (Ender’s Game Battle School, Marvel)
Ferry’s visuals (with a huge assist from colorist Frank D’Armata) in Marvel’s new series Ender’s Game Battle School have been stunning. Highly stylized and unique, Ferry’s artwork is a joy to behold.
Honorable Mention: Ben Templesmith (Welcome to Hoxford, IDW Publishing), Francis Tsai (Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson Homecoming, Dabel Brothers), Jonathan Wayshak (Ferryman, DC/Wildstorm)

Best Comic Writer:
Jason Aaron (Scalped, Vertigo)
The depth of characterization and story in Aaron’s scripts is unbelievable. Scalped is the closest you get to a comic series reading like a novel.
Honorable Mention: Joe Hill (Locke & Key, IDW Publishing), Marc Andreyko (Ferryman, DC/Wildstorm), Joshua Dysart (Unknown Soldier, Vertigo)

Best Comic Series (Adaptation):
The Stand Captain Trips (Marvel)
In what may be the most competitive category, Marvel’s brilliant adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand squeaks out the win. What elevates the series above its competitors is the epic scope of the source material, successfully plotted by writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. It takes chances and, in the end, succeeds wonderfully.
Honorable Mention: Ender’s Game Battle School (Marvel), Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files Storm Front (Dabel Brothers)

Best Comic Series (Original):
Scalped (Vertigo)
Simply amazing. An intense crime drama set on a Native American reservation that’s detailed, nuanced and deeper than a fifteen foot pool.
Honorable Mention: Unknown Soldier (Vertigo), Locke & Key (IDW Publishing), Ferryman (DC/Wildstorm)

Best New Character in a Novel:
Kylar Stern (The Way of Shadows, Brent Weeks)
Still a bad-ass even though his job description reads wetboy.
Honorable Mention: Durzo Blint (The Way of Shadows, Brent Weeks), the Fudir (The January Dancer, Michael Flynn), Rictus (The Ten Thousand, Paul Kearney)

Best Returning Character in a Novel:
Inquisitor Glokta (Last Argument of Kings, Joe Abercrombie)
The tortured torturer is not only the best character of the year, but also one of the greatest fantasy characters of all time.
Honorable Mention: Logen Ninefingers (Last Argument of Kings, Joe Abercrombie), Bayaz (Last Argument of Kings, Joe Abercrombie), Joe Pitt (Every Last Drop, Charlie Huston), Pepper (Sly Mongoose, Tobias Buckell)

Most Underappreciated Author:
Charlie Huston (Every Last Drop, Del Rey)
Charlie is not underappreciated by those in the know, but to the mainstream reading populace he gets no love. If ever there was an author who deserved a bestselling novel, it’s Charlie Huston.
Honorable Mention: Melinda M. Snodgrass (Busted Flush, Tor)

Most Improved Author:
Tobias Buckell (Sly Mongoose, Tor)
While his previous novel Ragamuffin was excellent, Buckell really brought his game up to another level with one of the year’s best, Sly Mongoose.
Honorable Mention: Joe Abercrombie (Last Argument of Kings, Gollancz), Naomi Novik (Victory of Eagles, Del Rey)

Best New Author:
Brent Weeks (The Way of Shadows, Shadow’s Edge, Beyond the Shadows, Orbit)
Wow, what a difference three months makes. Weeks goes from an unknown fantasy writer to the most promising young writer of 2008.

Best Writer:
Scott Bakker (Neuropath, Orion)
What’s surprising is not how good Bakker is, but how he keeps redefining every genre he writes in. Every book he’s written has been truly staggering.
Honorable Mention: Joe Abercrombie (Last Argument of Kings, Gollancz), Charlie Huston (Every Last Drop, Del Rey), Dennis Lehane (The Given Day, William Morrow)

Most Disappointing Novel:
The Steel Remains (Richard Morgan, Gollancz)
This is a bit deceptive as the novel is excellent and barely missed my top ten this year. It’s just that I, rather unfairly, expected more from Morgan given his track record. I expected to be blown away, and because of that anticipation the novel suffered. Instead of enjoying the experience, I found myself disappointed.
Honorable Mention: Nation (Terry Pratchett, HarperCollins), Zoe’s Tale (John Scalzi, Tor)

Most Surprising Novel:
The Ten Thousand (Paul Kearney, Solaris)
While I expected to enjoy the novel, I didn’t expect to be absolutely blown away. Gritty and brutal, The Ten Thousand is what dark fantasy should be.
Honorable Mention: Sly Mongoose (Tobias Buckell, Tor), The Way of Shadows (Brent Weeks, Orbit), The Court of the Air (Stephen Hunt, Tor)

Best Debut Novel:
The Way of Shadows (Brent Weeks, Orbit)
Weeks’ debut was most noteworthy for its terrific plotting and pace. Filled with unforgettable characters, The Way of Shadows breathes new life into the tired assassin fantasy genre.

Best Urban Fantasy Novel:
Every Last Drop (Charlie Huston, Del Rey)
If urban fantasy is supposed to be “chicks kicking ass” someone forgot to tell Charlie Huston that. Charlie’s gritty, urban fantasy pulp-noir is the standard which all others in the genre fall quite short of.
Honorable Mention: Vicious Circle (Mike Carey, Grand Central), Backup (Subterranean Press)

Best Science Fiction Novel:
Sly Mongoose (Tobias Buckell, Tor)
Could anything be more fun than zombies in space? Sure, throw in ass-kicker extraordinaire Pepper to battle the undead buggers and you have yourself the best science fiction novel of 2008.
Honorable Mention: The January Dancer (Michael Flynn, Tor), Saturn’s Children (Charles Stross, Ace)

Best Fantasy Novel:
Last Argument of Kings (Joe Abercrombie, Gollancz)
Possibly one of the greatest conclusions to a trilogy ever written. Incredible battle scenes and classic characters will brook no argument, Abercrombie’s Last Argument of Kings is the king of fantasy in 2008.
Honorable Mention: The Ten Thousand (Paul Kearney, Solaris), The Night Angel Trilogy (Brent Weeks, Orbit), Busted Flush (George R.R. Martin—editor, Tor), The Company (K.J. Parker, Orbit)

Best Novel of 2008:
Neuropath (Scott Bakker, Orion)
A lot of books are called mind-blowing but Neuropath truly is. Deeply disturbing and filled with absolutely intriguing epistemological questions.
Honorable Mention: The Given Day (Dennis Lehane, William Morrow), Last Argument of Kings (Joe Abercrombie, Gollancz), Every Last Drop (Charlie Huston, Del Rey)

Authors I first read in 2008 that I’ll read more of:
1) Michael Flynn
2) Paul Kearney
3) Mike Carey
4) Stephen Hunt

Authors I’d love to interview on Blood of the Muse:
1) Scott Bakker
2) Joe Abercrombie
3) Brent Weeks
4) Tobias Buckell
5) Paul Kearney

Blood of the Muse’s Top Reads of 2008
1) Neuropath (Scott Bakker, Orion)
2) Last Argument of Kings (Joe Abercrombie, Gollancz)
3) The Given Day (Dennis Lehane, William Morrow)
4) Every Last Drop (Charlie Huston, Del Rey)
5) The Ten Thousand (Paul Kearney, Solaris)
6) Sly Mongoose (Tobias Buckell, Tor)
7a) The Way of Shadows (Brent Weeks, Orbit)
7b) Shadow’s Edge (Brent Weeks, Orbit)
7c) Beyond the Shadows (Brent Weeks, Orbit)
8) Busted Flush (George R.R. Martin—editor, Tor)
9) The January Dancer (Michael Flynn, Tor)
10) The Company (K.J. Parker, Orbit)

Honorable mention: Saturn’s Children (Charles Stross, Ace), The Steel Remains (Richard Morgan, Gollancz), The Court of the Air (Stephen Hunt, Tor)

Well that’s another year in the history books. Congratulations to all the winners. May your Bloodies sit proudly on your shelf.

And thanks to all my Blood of the Muse readers, may you have a wonderful 2009!