Best Reads of 2016

As 2016 finally draws to a close it's time to reflect on the best books I read during the year.  Quantity wise this year has been slightly better than last year. I set a goal of reading 25 books and I managed to exceed that by 5 for a total of 30 books read. Interestingly enough according to Goodreads I read a total of 15,711 pages with an average length of 534 pages per book, so I'm pretty happy with that.

There were so many great books I wanted to read, but didn't get round to. Mount TBR keeps on getting larger and larger (I swear I'm starting to see snow on the highest peaks!). Thankfully books are patient companions and there is a kind of bliss in knowing the next great book is just an arm's reach away.

In no particular order, here are my best reads of 2016.

PUSHING ICE by Alastair Reynolds

Pushing Ice has one of the best uses of time dilation I've come across in a SF novel which sets the stage for a human colony stranded far away from the home they knew having to face the challenge of establishing a functioning society and surviving with limited resources. A great character-driven story with strong female protagonists. Truly epic in scope.

WAR FACTORY by Neal Asher

War Factory sees Neal Asher in top form. An intricate plot, fascinating characters and all the epic action you've come to expect. More, I want more!

FORSAKEN SKIES by D. Nolan Clark

Part Firefly, part Top Gun, Forsaken Skies is a story about first contact and stepping up when nobody else will. Plus it has some awesome space dogfighting!

POISON CITY by Paul Crilley

Paul Crilley’s Poison City is the fantastical love child of Supernatural and a Lauren Beukes novel. Part urban fantasy, part crime novel this is a pure twisted reading delight. And who wouldn't want to read about a magical talking dog with a penchant for booze? Read the full review.

UPDRAFT by Fran Wilde

An unusual coming-of-age story set in an utterly fascinating and imaginative world where crimes have physical weight and people take to the skies. Read the full review.

NEMESIS GAMES by James S.A. Corey

It's the Expanse, no further explanation needed. The series keeps getting better and I loved this far more intimate look at the other characters in the series.

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I wish you all a Happy New Year. Here's hoping that 2017 will be a less tragic year filled with awesome books and zero nuclear explosions. (2017 is going to be 1 second shorter than 2016 so it's already off to a great start!)