The year went wild with fiction. Books were the main source of entertainment, as holding a sleeping baby for hours excludes other activities. Feels good, nevertheless.

I never maintained a reading journal before; this year I did, the list is below. Let it be 2026 resolution No.1: write down impressions continuously, the last week of December is not the best time.

(of note, I am a seasoned filofax hipster)

To sum up, Ursula Le Guin (yes, in 2025) and Kim Stanley Robinson were the authors discovered, I don’t really like Neal Stephenson, and The Scar is so much better than Perdido Street Station.

The Sword in The Stone by Terence White.

I’m quite unfamiliar with fantasy in general, this one dates back to 1938. Frankly, from that period I know no one but Robert Howard. The One and Future King is an Arthurian story, light and playful. When I picked it at the store, a random lady approached, said that it’s a really good one, then vanished. Small talk happens in Sweden once per decade, I took it as a sign to get the book.

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

Again, a fantasy shot. It was finished in an evening or two, meh. There was an “aha” moment somewhere in the middle, but I didn’t like it overall, poor experience.

Harry Potter och de vises sten by J.K. Rowling

Jaha, jag läser också massor av Pettson och Findus nu. Men jag läste den första Harry Potters boken också. När var jag 11, hade filmen redan kommit, så den läste jag inte då.

The Turner Diaries by William Luther Pierce

I read it before, in high school, in Russian, published by the legendary “Ультра.Культура”. An explicit neo-nazi literature, race holy war etc. Devoid it of the racist narrative, even then there is nothing interesting. I don’t get the cult status. Literary value is non-existent, simplistic and dry. An example of the paranoid far-right conspiracy thinking.

The Scar by China Mieville

A masterpiece, almost my book of the year. I liked Perdido Street Station for its language and characters, not so much for the story itself — and was dissatisfied with the ending. The Scar corroborates the author’s progression, a great story, self-contained too. As usual with Mieville, the beauty is in the writing, but here everything is top.

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

This one was my first Stephenson book, I even did a review. Good science fiction by a really good storyteller, yet nothing exceptional. The premise is engaging, Stephenson knows how to do openings.

The second part, if standalone and expanded, could have been an intriguing story.

Bill, the Galactic Hero by Harry Harrison

I picked an old, beat-up paperback while raiding the second-hand book store, an old, really yellow edition.

Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson

Aurora is a masterpiece too, I reviewed it. I find the generation ship premises very interesting, Joachim Boaz (Science Fiction Ruminations) catalogs them here. I also discovered KSR as an author to follow — composition-wise, it is the strongest hard sci-fi I’ve read.

Leviathan Wakes by James Corey

People are apeshit crazy about The Expanse, to my taste it is bad. Plain characters, mediocre story, puke zombies. There is one cool idea, Mormons and their generation ship. I tried the second book then, stopped after a chapter or two — nope, not my tea.

The City & the City by China Mieville

Noirish detective story in semi-fantastic decorations. Progression from the climax to its resolution was a bit vague, deflated the intrigue. Still, a great book that is written eloquently, I really like Mieville’s style.

“Метель” Владимира Сорокина

Сорокин — лучший русскоязычный писатель современности. Не уверен, стоит ли читать Сорокина ради идей, ради языка — однозначно.

“Каменный век” Александра Тюрина

Фантасмагорично, написано тоже красочно, но слишком сумбурно. А вообще, я любитель гротеска и хорошего треша, надо будет еще что-то почитать. Тюрин — киберпанк, киберпанк — это не фэнтези “Нейроманта”, а постмодернизм “Графа Ноль”.

Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson

A global warming setting. The earthsuit concept is nice, but the geopolitical power struggle felt cartoonish, and, similarly to Seveneves, the characters fit a Hollywood movie better. I’m probably not that big of a Stephenson reader. Snowcrash gets another chance later.

“Обитель” Захара Прилепина

Любовь на Соловецких островах. Мне не интересно думать о жизни Прилепина, но писатель он талантливый. Гастро-эротические фантазии, правда, надоедают, голодные люди мыслят иначе (см. “Голод” Гамсуна). Пронзительный, прекрасно написанный роман.

To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Farmer

Re-read in English. The Riverworld saga has a notable premise, this idea of mixing humanity across cultures and ages is so interesting. The novel is a light adventurous sci-fi set in a compelling world, of course I enjoyed it. Though Farmer, being a pretty progressive writer, collapses whenever female characters appear.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Good read, although not heavy. What I liked were the speculations on net etiquette, internet age verification and identity confirmation. A great forecast, see also Chat Control (svenska). Even better, since these are incidental to the plot.

“Туманность Андромеды” Ивана Ефремова

Я рос в начале нулевых, читал фантастику тогда же, Ефремов (да и Стругацкие) на фоне изобилия уже были не интересны. Написано кучеряво, сама история — так себе, но не сюжет делает эту книгу знаковой. Плотность научно-фантастических спекуляций запредельная, работа скорее футурологическая, чем художественная.

The Star Kings by Edmond Hamilton

I picked it following Yefremov’s Andromeda Nebula, the latter meant as some kind of socialistic response. I think, said Yefremov-Hamilton dichotomy is a fanzine myth. An OK space adventure, perhaps great at twelve.

The Fabulous Riverboat by Philip Farmer

Another re-read in English, the second Riverworld book. When I was a kid, the first novel was the cool one, but now I like this one more. Richard Burton is cool, Mark Twain is cooler.

Orphans of the Sky by Robert Heinlein

Actually, I bought KSR’s Aurora while hunting for this short novel. It’s an early 40s work, impressive. Bobo is very memorable. To iterate, a list of generation ship-themed books is here. I’m not lettered with Heinlein, read only the troopers before, will try to get Double Star soon.

Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny

Another fantasy trial, third time’s a charm. I liked it, very unorthodox, or, to phrase better, different from what a contemporary reader expects of a fantasy novel. Protagonist smokes and drinks a lot, hardboiled elements are funny.

The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester

This is the very first novel to win the Hugo award. Clearly a cyberpunk forerunner, decades early. The book scores high, a very sharp read.

“Трудно Быть Богом” Стругацких

Читал школьником, перечитал. Не заходят мне Стругацкие, кроме романа “За миллиард лет до конца света” и перевода “Последнего дня Триффидов”. А ведь я провел немало времени в Пущино.

The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin

I knew that Ursula Le Guin is a literary colossus, but ignored her to date. A grave mistake it was, The Dispossessed is my second favorite sci-fi novel now. The novel perfects what I value in the genre — not science, but social forecasts and people. A very political piece, must-read, no doubts. Coincidentally, Michal Sapka was reading the novel at the same time I did.

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

Picked up after finishing Aurora, the Mars trilogy is the author’s main work. The fans consensus is correct, the novel is brilliant. Unlike certain claims, I don’t find KSR writing any dry or pretentious. It is refined, poetic whenever appropriate, and a proper way to write hard science fiction.

Most hard sci-fi authors weave hard elements through pages of explanations and endless monologues; KSR does it right. They develop alongside the story, in reasonable quantities and through characters interactions: no exposition dumps, narration remains fluid. Also, as with Aurora — Robinson seems to be one of the very few (ok, Peter Watts included) who understands biology and speculates on life science well.