2016 was a pretty good year for fiction, at least from my point of view. Of course, I have a very selective list of fiction that I like to read, so normally it is a pretty safe bet that my favorite fiction work will be from Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Tom Clancy, or occasionally, JD Robb AKA Nora Roberts.
And, all of these folks had great books this year that I enjoyed immensely, especially the author chosen by the late Vince Flynn's estate to continue the adventures of his indomitable character, Mitch Rapp.
But for favorite fiction, this year I chose a new and previously unknown author, at least to me, named Linda Nagata.
Coming out of nowhere, she has written a wonderful trilogy, The Red, which in my mind, really is some of the best military SF I have ever read, evoking memories of Ian Douglass, one of my favorite military SF authors, and even the great Robert Heinlein.
These books follow the adventures of a squad of infantry using enhanced exoskeletons and AI implants, both things being researched by DARPA, in pursuing a rogue AI loose on the internet. A basic plot, it seems, but done very well, with a great deal of suspense, mystery, and plot twists to make me very happy that I was able to get all three books at once--I hate waiting for sequel books to come out.
More importantly, as with all good SF, the technology and science does not overwhelm the readers and provides a good compliment to the characters and their internal and external conflicts, the basis for all good fiction. Ms. Nagata develops sympathetic and flawed characters that draw you in and make you either cheer or jeer their fate.
Sadly, these have not done as well commercially as the author hoped. Which is too bad, because they would make outstanding ORIGINAL movies, something the dopes in Hollywood are certainly lacking.
Provocative, thoughtful, and certainly timely, these books are what everything good SF should be---stories that both entertain and make you ask, "Wow, could this really happen?"
And, all of these folks had great books this year that I enjoyed immensely, especially the author chosen by the late Vince Flynn's estate to continue the adventures of his indomitable character, Mitch Rapp.
But for favorite fiction, this year I chose a new and previously unknown author, at least to me, named Linda Nagata.
Coming out of nowhere, she has written a wonderful trilogy, The Red, which in my mind, really is some of the best military SF I have ever read, evoking memories of Ian Douglass, one of my favorite military SF authors, and even the great Robert Heinlein.
These books follow the adventures of a squad of infantry using enhanced exoskeletons and AI implants, both things being researched by DARPA, in pursuing a rogue AI loose on the internet. A basic plot, it seems, but done very well, with a great deal of suspense, mystery, and plot twists to make me very happy that I was able to get all three books at once--I hate waiting for sequel books to come out.
More importantly, as with all good SF, the technology and science does not overwhelm the readers and provides a good compliment to the characters and their internal and external conflicts, the basis for all good fiction. Ms. Nagata develops sympathetic and flawed characters that draw you in and make you either cheer or jeer their fate.
Sadly, these have not done as well commercially as the author hoped. Which is too bad, because they would make outstanding ORIGINAL movies, something the dopes in Hollywood are certainly lacking.
Provocative, thoughtful, and certainly timely, these books are what everything good SF should be---stories that both entertain and make you ask, "Wow, could this really happen?"
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