It's been a long year.
There have been a lot of challenges over the last twelve months, and it's been a difficult time for a lot of people. As such, everyone seems to be looking forward to holiday cheer, and I've noticed that Christmas decorating has started much earlier than usual.
Although it feels like a better time to give than receive, I was asked to provide some guidance to people who wanted to do exactly that - give - so I sat down at the computer screen to see what I could do for prospective gift-givers.
It's a simpler list than usual - the results of my research weren't entirely helpful. For example, I was a bit outraged to see that a Doctor Who TARDIS umbrella was $78 on Amazon.ca - it's an umbrella, for heaven's sake, how could it be worth almost $80, I really don't care if it's licensed by the BBC or not. Similarly, how can three pairs of Doctor Who socks possibly cost $83 CAD? (Plus $22 in shipping from the US.) Fifth Doctor action figure and the TARDIS for $197?? Okay, that's it, time to move on.
Finally, I decided that when in doubt, you should go with your strengths - so here's a list of books that I'm interested in:
Network Effect. by Martha Wells - the fifth Murderbot novel. Sadly, only in hardcover, although the March 31st release of the paperback doesn't really bring the price down that much.
Nophek Gloss, by Essa Hansen. Just on spec - I read an excerpt chapter on the Orbit Books site, and it seemed interesting.
A Little Hatred: Book 1 of The Age of Madness, by Joe Abercrombie, or The Trouble With Peace: Book 2 of The Age of Madness, by (you guessed it ) Joe Abercrombie. The Age of Madness is the sequel to The First Law Trilogy* - there's undoubtedly a Book 3 on the way if anyone wants to wait a year or so and just spend the money on a boxed trade paperback set.
Left over from last year are Sharps, by K. J. Parker, along with the first volume of Parker's The Two of Swords. Let's add How to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It, which may or may not be a sequel to 16 Ways To Defend A Walled City, which I received last year.
And, just for some variety, a couple of graphic novels:
Joker, written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Lee Bermejo. As far as I know, Joker is one of the few comic book adaptations based on Heath Ledger's unforgettable interpretation of Batman's nemesis, telling a story that takes the reader deep into the twisted psyche of the Clown Prince of Crime.
Batman: Three Jokers, by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok - as with Nophek Gloss, just looks interesting.
And, last but certainly not least, Maus, the groundbreaking 1980 graphic novel by Art Speigelman which in many ways elevated the graphic novel as a storytelling medium - it's not just about superheroes in spandex.
Everything is available from Amazon, which, under the current pandemic conditions, seems like the route to take, although I dare say that most of the books listed would probably be available at chain bookstores if you were comfortable with that.
* And, sort of, Best Served Cold, The Heroes and Red Country - Abercrombie is now on the second generation of the characters featured in the first five six books of his epic grimdark fantasy series, which is as gritty as A Song of Fire and Ice (AKA the Game of Thrones books), but perhaps less likely to kill off the main characters. Perhaps.
