I have several authors of comics, supernatural fantasy, and mystery on pre-order, but since supernatural fantasy tends to come out first in mass market paperback rather than hardback, those are the books I read immediately upon publication. Several of these were mentioned in my discussion of my favorite books published in 2011, so I’ll only list those books here.

Blackout (Cal Leandros) Rob Thurman

One Salt Sea, Late Eclipses (October Daye) Seanan McGuire

Eye of the Tempest, Tempest’s Legacy (Jane True) Nicole Peeler

Mercy Blade (Jane Yellowrock) Faith Hunter

Magic Slays (Kate Daniels), Fate’s Edge (The Edge) Ilona Andrews

Now onto the books that were not first published in 2011.

Richard Kadrey

Kill the Dead (2010) (Sandman Slim) Review

Stark got sent to Hell by some friends, but he escaped and needs revenge. That’s the synopsis of the first book. In the second book, Stark is at loose ends, and ends up having to deal with zombies. Lots of zombies.

I hate zombies. Yet I liked the book.

If you didn’t read Sandman Slim, Stark is an American cross between Simon R. Green’s John Taylor and Mike Carey’s Felix Castor. All three are powerful magicians and right bastards, but the usually end up doing the right thing, bitching about it the whole damned way.

Lish McBride

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (2010) Review ; Necromancer: A Novella (2011)

Sam is at loose ends. College didn’t work for him, so he’s doing the menial food service thing for awhile till he figures out what he wants to do with himself. Unfortunately, events lead to Sam discover that he is a necromancer–and a very powerful one at that, and that the current Power That Be do not want a loose necromancer in town.

Sam is very likable, his reactions to events are realistic, and his friends are awesome. The novella “Necromancer” is set in the same world, only Ash (the avatar of death) is the secondary character, and her friend Matt is the primary character, so you can read either with no knowledge of the other.

This is a young adult book, and although there is some boinking, it’s off screen.

Patricia Briggs

Silver Bourne (2010) (Mercy Thompson) Review

I love Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series. Mercy is a lone shape-shifter in a world where werewolves and vampires exist, and are all contemplating coming out of the closet. Because her mother didn’t know what to do with her, she was raised by the Marroc, the head of the American werewolf clans, so she learned to hunt and and become a predator, however, unlike the werewolves, she must rely upon cunning rather than brute strength and magical healing. Her advantage is that the process of changing is natural for her, albeit one that she cannot share with others.

Mercy is also an auto mechanic and fully capable of rescuing herself if the need arises. As the series has progressed she has gained a love interest, but the romance has not taken over the series.

Jeaniene Frost

First Drop of Crimson (2010) (Night Huntress World) Review

This book exists in the same world as the Night Huntress, and Cat and Bones make an appearance, but the main characters are Cat’s friend Denise, and Bones mate Spade.

First things first, all these books are FULL of boinking. Lots and lots of boinking. And yet, I really like this series, this world, and these characters. The female characters are strong and capable and not idiots. The world is fascinating, and I really like the way she deals with vampire abilities.

I also like how the characters deal with the romances like grown-ups. For the most part anyway. Things happen, and the deal with them and go on.

Full Moon City edited by Darrell Schweitzer & Martin H Greenberg (2010) Review

I love short stories, so of course I love anthologies. This is a collection of supernatural stories, primarily were-creatures. This collection has some stories by some of my favorite authors: Peter S. Beagle. Carrie Vaughan. Holly Black. Mike Resnick. Gregory Frost. Pretty much a full complement of great authors, and even the stories I didn’t like were good (just not to my taste). But if you’re unsure, Peter S. Beagle’s story, La Lune T’Attend is worth the price of the entire book.

Vampires: The Recent Undead edited by Paula Guran (2001) Review

• Another anthology with another complement of great authors: Holly Black. Charles de Lint. Kelly Armstrong. Tannith Lee. Emma Bull. Carrie Vaughan.

This collection is (obviously) about vampires. But each author’s take is slightly different from what the others have written or common folklore. And it is those differences can be fascinating. There are several excellent stories in this collection, and although a couple of the stories (Carrie Vaughan and Charles de Lint’s for two) are found in other collections, it’s still a very good collection.

The Year in Reading: Fantasy
The Year in Reading: Supernatural Fantasy
The Year in Reading: Comics, Mystery, and History
The Year in Reading: Books Published in 2011