Like most people, I’ve got a pretty extensive list of books that I need to get around to reading. Below are the fantasy and science-fiction books that are currently at the top of that list:
1. Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
As I am a huge Gaiman fan and am naturally drawn to anything based on Scandinavian myths and legends, this short kid’s book instantly grabbed my attention when Gaiman mentioned he was working on it on his blog. Unfortunately, it was only released in the UK so I have to wait until September to grab it.
2. The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson
I never heard of Poul Anderson before reading Michael Moorcock’s Wizardry and Wild Romance, but the more I look around for this book, the more I had to have it. It’s another story set in the Viking Age, a tale of a human child raised by elves and the changeling that had replaced him. It is often compared to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings as both were published around 1954 and drew heavily from Norse mythology.
3. Dune by Frank Herbert
I’m actually quite ashamed that I’ve never got around to reading this one, but there are so many more classic science-fiction novels that I have not gotten to than fantasy novels.
4. The Best of Gene Wolfe by… well, Gene Wolfe
I stumbled upon this collection of Gene Wolfe’s short fiction while looking for a magazine to read while on the airplane back from Alaska. I couldn’t help but to read the first two stories, but then I’ve promised to hold off on the rest until I finish rereading Wolfe’s Latro in the Mist.
5. Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock
This book has caught my interest. It is about the last remnant of Britain’s primeval forests shortly after the War and a family who has taken an interest in it.
6. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
I read The Last Light of the Sun, and found it to be a pretty decent read. Tigana is set in a fantasy world evocative of medieval Italy. I’m figuring, “Why not?”
7. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
While I have not really been intrigued enough to pick up any of Le Guin’s work (except for her non-fiction books Steering the Craft and The Language of the Night), I feel like I should. The Dispossessed sounds the most interesting of her novels, at least right now.
8. Wonder Tales by Lord Dunsany
I picked up this collection of stories that inspired the likes of Tolkien, Lewis and Lovecraft a couple of years back. It’s currently nestled in a box covered in a fine layer of dust. One of these days I will dig it out and peruse these stories.