Top 5 Most Surprising Reads of 2017

It's the start of a new year, so I'm going to spend the next few posts reflecting on what stood out to me of last year. I intend to run down my most disappointing, worst and best reads from the last year, and I'll be starting off with most surprising. Note that this can be surprising in any sense, and doesn't necessarily mean good (although most of them are, indeed, very good).

Honourable mention to Uprooted by Naomi Novik, which I had no real expectations for but ended up having one hell of a good time with.

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5. The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill

Not only is concept and its execution a delightful surprise in and of itself, but throughout much of the book I was unsure how much I really liked the book. Then the ending happened - this a brilliant and beautiful story, told with grace and intelligence.













4. Polka Dots and Moonbeams by Jeffrey Ford

Among Stories (edited by Gaiman and Sarrantonio) this was one of the shorts that I wasn't particularly looking forward to it, having never heard of Ford before. My general antipathy towards period pieces, too, made me wary going in. It was truly excellent, then, to find such a great little story waiting for me.












3. Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand

This was another one I went into blind. One of the things that make this such a resonant and brilliant horror story is that it is told with a sense of awe, and is more taken with the beauty of the setting than it is with the horror, whilst continuing to be an effectively creepy story. Hand takes on a balancing act that is beyond delicate and accomplishes it with aplomb.

2. Ring, Spiral and Loop by Koji Suzuki

Whilst the other books mentioned so far surprised me in large part due to how good they were, this trilogy just plain baffled me. Whilst Ring follows the story familiar to those who've seen Ringu/The Ring with some differences, the sequels take the story in a flabbergasting direction. It's incredibly difficult to sum up really, but suffice to say I really wasn't prepared for the wacky journey Suzuki had in store for me.

1. The Iron Dragon's Daughter by Michael Swanwick

I first read about this book in a big fantasy annual I had back when I was 14/15. I remember seeing the cover, reading the description of a young changeling stealing an iron dragon and making a bid for freedom. There was nothing to say that it was no more than a quirky, fairy-tale influenced epic fantasy.

Then fourteen years later I pick up the book and halfway through the first chapter the twelve year old main character starts menstruating.

Turns out, what was in store for me was very different to your average epic fantasy.