Fandomania is celebrating the season by naming the best books of 2009 (15-11; 10-6; 5-1)...and among their list-toppers:
THE CHILD THIEF by acclaimed author/artist Brom
"Everyone remembers the tale of Peter Pan, a boy who takes children left behind by their parents to a land where they will never have to grow up, a land where they will get to fight pirates and Indians, but that’s not what The Child Thief is all about...its striking story is what earns it a well-deserved place among the Best Books of 2009. The novel is blunt and brutal...harkens back to the original fairy tales, which were dark and cautionary."
The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan:
"Vampires abound on this list, and on the bookshelves this year, but this has to be one of the most gut-wrenching depictions of vampires to grace literature this year. Even Dracula would shy away from Del Toro and Hogan’s “The Master.” For the first time in a while vampires are a real threat once more...This is the book to read if you’re sick and tired of your vampires being the love interest, the savior, or the conflicted hero. There’s nothing conflicted about The Master; he wants world domination, and he will stop at nothing to achieve this goal." (First installment in a three-part series)
The Natural History of Unicorns by Dr. Chris Lavers
"Despite the title’s suggestion that The Natural History of Unicorns is a whimsical fantasy novel, it is in fact non-fiction. Have you ever wondered about the etiology of the unicorn myth? Where it came from, or how did it spread throughout and existed in cultures all over the world? ...This isn’t a textbook on the development and history of the unicorn; rather, The Natural History of Unicorns is a journey through time that encompasses the history of an animal that never existed. An exploration on wishful thinking, but a book absolutely worth reading."
Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost
"Destined for an Early Grave provides readers with all the elements of a well-written urban fantasy...Frost’s novels feature strong protagonists, highly evolved plots, real world settings, and threatening villains, and Destined for an Early Grave is no exception. Cat Crawfield is an archetype of female empowerment, but she is also a flawed protagonist with whom readers can identify easily. The vampire that Cat is blood-bound to, her “husband” Bones, is constructed as the epitome of a reformed ladies man — beautiful, strong, potent, and utterly in love with Cat, despite his past womanizing ways."
Comments