? of the Week: What was your favorite novel in 2012 and why?
No need for introductions. You’ve got the question and fingers for typing. So do some thinking and offer your responses in the comments below. To get things started, here are our answers: Shaun Who would have thought that I’d pick another “literary” SF novel, replete with intense character development, an extraordinarily rich near future world with a slice of the weird, and an unconventional narrative style? Oh, right. That’s normal for me. And that’s why I’ve picked Lost Everything. Brian Francis Slattery’s novel blew me away last year. You could call it a “river novel” set in a near-apocalyptic future and get away with loose comparisons to Mark Twain and Cormac McCarthy — comparisons even I’ve made. But I think there’s something more to Lost Everything. The characters are complex and beautiful, the world terrifying and yet strangely enticing, and the narrative just slightly off kilter enough to make this more than just another “dystopia.” The deeper I got into the book, the more intrigued I was by the characters and their way of viewing the world. From houseboat scenes, savage war with no apparent end goal, and a mysterious super storm set on destroying everything, Lost Everything never ceased to amaze me. It’s the kind of book only Slattery can write, but also the kind of book that SF desperately needs because it has a depth of “reality” that so many SF novels lack (perhaps because they are too focused on plot and action). We’ll see if it makes any awards lists this year…
