Thomas is a demon for sci-fi and fantasy. So much so, in fact, that he has infected other BRTD booksellers with his mania and led them down the Primrose Path towards vampires, zombies, cutpurses, wizards, Gods and mercenaries. His reading habits are voracious, and his recommendations are always spot on.
Many a customer has been seen ransacking the sci-fi/fantasy section for new Staff Picks by our own man in black.
The Stranger
Max Frei
2009
PB $35.00
Finding everyday life boring, Max's dreams are far more real to him than reality. When he gets offered a dream job (literally), he is thrown into the bizarre world of Echo, where he becomes second in command of a Magic Crimes division. The Stranger is written in such a happy style that it takes a chapter or two to realise just how black the subject matter is. Rather than being off-putting, you'll find yourself smiling slyly while reading about entrail-eating designer dolls and murderous mirrors, and loving every minute of it.
The Repossession Mambo
by Eric Garcia
2009
PB $24.95
In a not-so-distant future where artificial organs make the failures of the human body trivial, our narrator Remy is holed up in an abandoned hotel, tapping away on a relic in an age of artiforg technology - a typewriter. Before the hiding and wanted status, Remy was an organ repossessing machine, a repo man both feared and respected.
Mambo is broken up into small snippets of Remy's life, as they come to his mind. It's an interesting style which I found engrossing rather than off-balancing. The writing is dry and deliciously dark, bouncing constantly between his current timeline, life in the army, and life in several marriages. If the first line doesn't hook you (Seriously, read the first line) I'll be surprised.
The Dresden Files Series
By Jim Butcher
2006
PB $19.99
The Dresden Files chronicle the constant misadventures of Harry Dresden. Wizard, detective, and under 'W' in the phone book (for wizard). Harry gets everything thrown at him - warlocks, werewolves, faeries, vampires, the kitchen sink, everything.
Thankfully, Butcher has a knack for keeping the twists coming right til the end, and for what is essentially the non-romance version of guilty pleasure reading there is a surprising level of depth to his characters that I simply can't get enough of. This series pays off in full if you've got the patience, and it's not even finished yet. Jubilation!
Altered Carbon
By Richard Morgan
2001
PB $19.99
Set in a future where planets and satellites are colonised, and the conscious mind is simply data to be transferred from body to body - or 'sleeve' as they're called - Takeshi Kovacs is essentially a gun for hire. Bought by a wealthy client on Earth to find out who killed him days earlier (confusing, no?), Kovacs must use all his military skills to find the murderer in a time where no-one is who they seem to be, literally.
There's a reason this book is considered a modern classic of the science fiction genre. The writing style is raw, Morgan clearly not a fan of pulling any punches when it comes to any aspect of the novel. The theories touched upon in Altered Carbon are intriguing, though if you don't want to think too hard there's a pleasant amount of graphic violent and sex to focus on instead, something for everyone really. Well worth it.
My favourite book
The Lies of Locke Lamora
by Scott Lynch
2004
PB $22.99
The Thorn of Camorr is a legend, a fairytale. Master swordsman, thief extraordinaire, he takes from the wealthy nobles to give to the less fortunate. Locke Lamora is the fabled Thorn, much to his dismay. Absolutely useless with a sword but quick with his tongue, Locke steals from the rich for himself and his Gentlemen Bastards, because frankly no-one else is worth stealing from. When a new criminal element in Camorr starts making waves, Locke gets caught in the middle of a conspiracy which threatens everything he cares about - particularly his life.
This has got to be my favourite fantasy read of recent years. Beautifully dark with dialogue that had me laughing into my pillow well into the early hours, Lynch has created a world that I look forward to reading a lot more about.
My favourite author
Robin Hobb
Over the years Robin Hobb has written 4 fantasy trilogies, with another thankfully in the works. I can't get enough of Hobb's writing, the characters are so incredibly honest, the worlds so believable I find myself looking out to sea for Liveships occassionally. It seems that keeping books consistently good in the fantasy genre is difficult for many authors, but Hobb has kept it fresh and absorbing throughout all of hers, which gets her a big gold star sticker from me.
What's beside the bed
The Dresden Files 10 - Small Favour by Jim Butcher
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie (So very desperate to devour this one)