sawyl | Random cultural thoughts

What with Christmas coming up and all, I notice that various people have been jotting down their thoughts on best this and that of the year. Not to be left behind by this weeks' memetic gravy train, I've scribbled down a few thoughts too.

Year of Our War by Steph Swainston. Probably my favourite book of the year, this tells the story of a group of fifty immortals who take the lead in the war against a species of giant insect that are trying to take over the world. It probably contains some of the best characterisations of any novel I've read recently — the erratic, occasionally remorseful, often drug addled Jant Shira in particular is very well written, as are his two great friends the proud, lineage obsessed, aristocratic Lightening and the crude wife beating sailor Shearwater Mist. Actually, all the characters are very well balanced, with a mixture of hidden virtues and vices, so although it's possible to like them, it's hard to agree with everything they do. I guess the fact that it's technically a fantasy novel counts against it, but unlike most of the sword and sandal genre, it's actually pretty subtle and educational: I had no idea what a fyrd was until I read this.

Firefly by Joss Whedon. Definitely one of the best TV series of the last couple of years: God only knows why the network decided to can it. They must have been insane. Anyway, it follows the adventures of the crew of the Firefly class transport ship Serenity through a strange future world that mixes sci-fi elements with old fashioned westerns. It's got a really great cast, some really snappy dialog thanks to Whedon's team of Buffy and Angel honed writers and some totally fabulous sets that create a more realistic looking future than anything Lucasian and on a fraction of the budget. If you've seen the film Serenity and haven't bought the TV series, then you've only seen half the picture. If you haven't seen either, you might like to check your pulse to ensure that you really are still alive...

1602 by Neil Gaiman. A strange fusion of history and classic Marvel characters that really seems to work. In the year 1602, the world is being troubled by supernatural storms, Queen Elizabeth is dying and the Spanish Inquisition is actively trying to burn every member of the heretical Witchbreed left in Europe. Virginia Dare, the first child born to the Roanoke colony has sailed to England with her protector Rohjaz to seek aid from the Queen, Royal Magician Stephen Strange has foreseen that a Templar artifact of great power is being sent to England from Jerusalem and Sir Nicolas Fury is concerned by the plotting of Otto von Doom and James IV of Scotland.