I tore through The Faith of Beasts by JSAC, really loving the new universe they’ve developed. Very much looking forward to rereading TMoG, Livesuit and TFoB very soon and the show being developed.
I’m reading book 4, Children of Strife by Tchaikovsky and enjoying it thoroughly. AT has been my favorite contemporary author for the last few years based on how wide-ranging and prolific he is. I discovered AT by reading The Final Architecture series, which is still my favorite series by him. Honorable mention is his Dogs of War series, also amazing.
Last year I discovered China Mieville by reading Embassytown, the mindfuck storytelling and intelligent prose blew me away. That book still haunts me and twists my brain almost a year after reading it. I’ve never had a book that still makes me think and feel strange months after finishing it. Perdido Street Station was also amazing, super fun and original steampunk world. Very much looking forward reading the next two in that series and digesting more of his catalogue, I think he’s my new favorite.
Also recently read The Prefect by Alaistar Reynolds, set in the Revelation Space universe and it’s also fantastic, really good stuff. Stoked to finish the series.
As far DNF I was surprised I couldn’t push through The Algerbraist by Iain Banks, I got bogged down in Jupiter just couldn’t keep at it.
I’m having a so-so year of sci-fi reading, nothing bad, but nothing set my brain on fire either. I read John Scalzi’s Interdependency trilogy, and thought it was fine. I finished, after a long gap, Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother series, and thought it was only okay. I started Red Rising and finished the first book but didn’t care for it enough to read any more of the series. I read Station Eleven, and thought it was just fine. So yeah, nothing enraptured me much this year.
Oh, I did finish Jo Walton’s Thessaly trilogy (The Just City, The Philosopher Kings, Necessity) and I was surprised how much more firmly the series ended in sci-fi after starting more in fantasy. I wouldn’t say that series rocked my socks either, but given the big narratives swings the books took, I was impressed by how well the series stuck the landing for a satisfying conclusion.
Station Eleven is wonderful, the show is definitely worth watching as well, it veers a bit but captures it really well.
On of my other favorite series I read last year is Margaret Atwood’s Maddaddam trilogy, I was blown away by it. Based on what you’ve shared I think you’d like it.