Fantasy Book Critic: Fantasy Book Critic’s 2008 Review/2009 Preview

2008 FAVORITES:

I've got so many books to read that I rarely read anything even close to its original publication date, so forgive me if these span the decades:

“Jamestown” by Matthew Sharpe. A post-apocalyptic comedic retelling of the original Jamestown settlement. Genius.
“The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil” by George Saunders. Another collection by the prince of weird modernity. “My Flamboyant Grandson” is to be cherished.
“Nights at the Circus” by Angela Carter. There was no one like her, and her books still dazzle.
“Pricksongs & Descants” by Robert Coover. Master of meta-fiction, but there's heart here, too.
“My Tango with Barbara Strozzi” by Russell Hoban. The latest delight from his fantastic literary Indian Summer (he's 83 and still publishing).

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2009:

The one book I'm looking forward to most of all is a new Margaret Atwood, out in September. It was originally reported as being called “God's Gardeners”, but that seems not to be the case. No idea what it's about, but I don't care. It's the new book I want to read most next year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Patrick Ness, award-winning novelist of “The Crash of Hennington” and the short story collection “Topics About Which I Know Nothing”, has written for England's Radio 4 and Sunday Telegraph and is a literary critic for the Guardian. “The Knife of Never Letting Go” (Reviewed HERE) is his first book for young adults and won the 2008 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. The sequel, "The Ask and the Answer", will be published in 2009. For more information, please visit the author’s Official Website.

NOTE: For more author responses, please visit Fantasy Book Critic's 2008 Review/2009 Preview index HERE.