The Best of 2007: Fiction

2007 was a pretty good year. I thought I'd have a Top 10, but I found a dozen books published in 2007 (although at least one of them was published in another country in 2006) that I really liked. Most of them I've written about in earlier posts, so I'll have just a word or two to say about them now. Here they are in alphabetical order by author:




The Imago Sequence and Other Stories – Laird Barron

One of my favorite new writers. Creepy and disturbing beyond belief. And his writing is so good I can't stand it.




One for Sorrow – Christopher Barzak

Another new writer to keep in your sights. A great coming-of-age story complete with ghosts.




Territory – Emma Bull

Wyatt Earp, the Clanton Gang and...magic? The sequel's out next year.




The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao – Junot Diaz

Not SF, but with some SF elements thrown in, Diaz's compelling tale of a Dominican geek is unforgettable.



Zeroville – Steve Erickson

Hands-down my favorite read of 2007. Erickson is an amazing writer.



A Good and Happy Child – Justin Evans

Creeped out by your childhood? You ain't seen nothin'. Check out Justin Evans.



Saffron and Brimstone: Strange Stories – Elizabeth Hand*

Looking for New Year's Resolutions? Read as much Elizabeth Hand as you can.




What the Dead Know – Laura Lippman

Lippman is consistently the best mystery writer out there.




Softspoken – Lucius Shepard

For about the first 50 pages I thought this was light-weight Lucius Shepard....then it suddenly kicked in. Wow.




The Terror – Dan Simmons

Simmons has still got it. This one leaves no doubt.



The Arrival (Graphic Novel) – Shaun Tan

Yeah, it's a graphic novel (and a wordless one at that), but one filled with beauty, power and awe. Don't miss it.



Best American Fantasy – Jeff VanderMeer, Ann VanderMeer, eds.

A welcome venture into avenues of fantasy you may not have been aware of. Didn't like all of 'em, but many really lit me up.



Other works not necessarily published in 2007 that I enjoyed and highly recommend:

The Cement Garden (1978) – Ian McEwan

The Gambler (1866) – Fyodor Dostoevsky (trans. Garrett)

The Complete Stories (1971) – Flannery O'Connor

Everyman (2006) – Philip Roth

The Keyhole Opera (collection 2005) – Bruce Holland Rogers

Fledgling (2005) – Octavia E. Butler

The Silent Speaker (1946) – Rex Stout

Lisey's Story (2006) – Stephen King

The Speed of Dark (2002) – Elizabeth Moon

The Black Echo (1992) – Michael Connelly

Reasons to Live (collection 1985) – Amy Hempel

A Passage to India (1924) – E.M. Forster

In the Palace of Repose (2005) – Holly Phillips

Lolita (1954) – Vladimir Nabokov

The Keeper (2006) – Sarah Langan

Fahrenheit 451 (1953) – Ray Bradbury

Three Days to Never (2006) – Tim Powers

The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Graphic Novel 2007) – Brian Selznick

The Privilege of the Sword (2006) – Ellen Kushner

The Sun Also Rises (1926) – Ernest Hemingway

Parable of the Sower (1993) – Octavia E. Butler

Aegypt (retitled The Solitudes) (1987) – John Crowley

The Resurrection Man's Legacy and Other Stories (2003) – Dale Bailey

I Am Legend (1954) – Richard Matheson



* I just discovered this one actually came out late in 2006. Oops.