BEST 21st CENTURY ADVENTURES — NOTES

This page is very much a work in progress, really just notes.

JOSH GLENN’S *BEST ADVENTURES* LISTS: BEST 250 ADVENTURES OF THE 20TH CENTURY | 100 BEST OUGHTS ADVENTURES | 100 BEST RADIUM AGE (PROTO-)SCI-FI ADVENTURES | 100 BEST TEENS ADVENTURES | 100 BEST TWENTIES ADVENTURES | 100 BEST THIRTIES ADVENTURES | 75 BEST GOLDEN AGE SCI-FI ADVENTURES | 100 BEST FORTIES ADVENTURES | 100 BEST FIFTIES ADVENTURES | 100 BEST SIXTIES ADVENTURES | 75 BEST NEW WAVE SCI FI ADVENTURES | 100 BEST SEVENTIES ADVENTURES | 100 BEST EIGHTIES ADVENTURES | 75 BEST DIAMOND AGE SCI-FI ADVENTURES | 100 BEST NINETIES ADVENTURES | 75 BEST HADRON AGE SCI-FI ADVENTURES | NOTES ON 21st-CENTURY ADVENTURES.

THE TWENTY-OUGHTS (2004–2013)

[meta-remarks about The Twenty-Oughts in adventure fiction TK]

2004

In no particular order:

  1. DC: The New Frontier (2004) is a six-issue comic book limited series written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke.
  2. Iain M. Banks’s science-fiction adventure The Algebraist (2004)
  3. Charles Stross’s Eschaton science-fiction adventure Iron Sunrise (2004).

I need to read (or re-read) these:

  • The Game of Sunken Places is a children’s fantasy novel by M. T. Anderson. — ?
  • Jimbo in Purgatory by Gary Panter –?
  • Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is the debut novel by Susanna Clarke. Published in 2004, it is an alternative history set in 19th-century England around the time of the Napoleonic Wars. — ?
  • China Miéville’s Bas-Lag fantasy adventure Iron Council (2004).
  • Bryan Lee O’Malley’s SCOTT PILGRIM comics (2004–?)
  • Wolf Brother (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #1) by Michelle Pave –?
  • Cloud Atlas is a 2004 sci-fi adventure, the third book by David Mitchell. It consists of six nested stories that take the reader from the remote South Pacific in the nineteenth century to a distant, post-apocalyptic future.
  • Scarlett Thomas’s PopCo (2004) — ?
  • Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle science-fiction adventure The Confusion (2004).
  • Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle science-fiction adventure The System of the World (2004).
  • Charles Stross’s Laundry Files science-fiction/fantasy adventure The Atrocity Archives (2004).
  • Ken MacLeod’s 2004 science fiction novel Newton’s Wake is a treasure-hunt adventure.
  • Tanith Lee’s The Piratica Series (2004-on)– ?
  • Let the Right One In (Swedish: Låt den rätte komma in) is a 2004 fantasy novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist. — ?
  • The Ruins of Gorlan (2004, Ranger’s Apprentice #1) by John Flanagan — ?
  • How I Live Now (2004) by Meg Rosoff. Winner of Printz award and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.
  • Hari Kunzru’s Transmission (2004) — ?

2005

In no particular order:

  1. Charles Stross’s science-fiction adventure Accelerando (2005). This 2005 novel of connected short stories follows three generations of one family as they approach and then pass the technological singularity.
  2. John Scalzi’s sci-fi adventure Old Man’s War (2005)
  3. The White Darkness (2005) by Geraldine McCaughrean — winner of Printz Award.
  4. Theo Ellsworth’s Capacity (2005–2010?)

I need to read (or re-read) these:

  • Air, also known as Air: Or, Have Not Have, is a 2005 novel by Geoff Ryman. — ? recommended by Kim Stanley Robinson, and io9
  • Fledgling is a science fiction vampire novel by Octavia E. Butler, published in 2005. The author’s last book. –?
  • Elantris (Elantris #1) by Brandon Sanderson — ?
  • J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005).
  • Cormac McCarthy’s western adventure No Country for Old Men (2005) –?
  • Ian McEwan’s Saturday (2005) — is it an adventure?
  • Zahrah the Windseeker is young adult fantasy novel by Nnedi Okorafor, published in 2005. –?
  • The New Policeman (New Policeman #1) by Kate Thompson –? winner of Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.
  • George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy adventure A Feast for Crows (2005). –?
  • Arthur & George (2005) by Julian Barnes, which takes as its basis the true story of the “Great Wyrley Outrages”. — ?
  • Thirty-Three Teeth is a crime novel by Colin Cotterill — ?
  • Beasts of No Nation is a 2005 novel by Uzodinma Iweala –?
  • Elmore Leonard’s The Hot Kid — ?

2006

In no particular order:

  1. Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure The Road
  2. The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006, Gentleman Bastard #1) by Scott Lynch
  3. Charles Stross’s science-fiction adventure Glasshouse.
  4. Gordon Dahlquist’s The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters.
  5. Peter Watts’s science-fiction adventure Blindsight.

I need to read (or re-read) these:

  • Jimbo’s Inferno is a 2006 graphic novel by Gary Panter, though it is Jimbo #7 from 1997 reformatted to the format of its sequel story, Jimbo in Purgatory.
  • Pig Island is a novel by Mo Hayder, first published in 2006. –?
  • Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther historical crime adventure The One from the Other (2006) — ?
  • Testament comics book series by Douglas Rushkoff and Liam Sharp. — ?
  • Absurdistan is a 2006 novel by Gary Shteyngart — adventure?
  • A Darkling Plain (The Hungry City Chronicles #4) by Philip Reeve –? winner of Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.
  • Carnival is a 2006 science fiction novel by Elizabeth Bear. — ?
  • Ward Just’s Forgetfulness (2006) — adventure?
  • Kate Atkinson’s One Good Turn — ?
  • His Majesty’s Dragon (2006, Temeraire #1) by Naomi Novik
  • The Orphan’s Tales is a fantasy series by Catherynne M. Valente with illustrations by Michael Kaluta. The two novels of the series, In the Night Garden and In the Cities of Coin and Spice, are in turn split into four books. (2006–2007)
  • The Janissary Tree (2006) is a historical mystery novel set in Istanbul in 1836, written by Jason Goodwin. It is the first in the Yashim the Detective series. — ?
  • Mouse Guard is an American bi-monthly comic book series written and illustrated by David Petersen (2006 – on)
  • The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party (2006) by M.T. Anderson — is it an adventure, exactly?
  • World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War (2006) by Max Brooks
  • The Book of Lost Things (2006) by John Connolly

2007

In no particular order:

  1. Matthew Sharpe’s post-apocalyptic adventure Jamestown (2007). One of the best books I’ve read in years.
  2. Matthew De Abaitua’s brilliant 2007 sf paranoid thriller The Red Men (2007).
  3. Rick Spears and Chuck BB’s fantasy comic book adventure Black Metal Vol. 1: The Grim Return (2007).
  4. Charles Stross’s Halting State science-fiction adventure Halting State (2007).
  5. The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1) by Patrick Rothfuss — Josie Johnson made me read this one.
  6. Miranda Mellis’s The Revisionist.

I need to read (or re-read) these:

  • Acacia: The War with the Mein by David Anthony Durham — suggested by io9
  • A Mysterious Affair of Style is a whodunit by Gilbert Adair first published in 2007. — ?
  • The Execution Channel, by Ken MacLeod — suggested by io9
  • The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007) by Brian Selznick — adventure?
  • The Shadow Speaker (2007) is a young adult, first-person novel by Nnedi Okorafor, which takes place in the year 2070.
  • David Downing’s espionage thriller Zoo Station — ?
  • Tree of Smoke is a 2007 novel by Denis Johnson — ?
  • Jonathan Lethem and Farel Dalrymple’s OMEGA THE UNKNOWN
  • China Miéville’s ___ adventure Un Lun Dun (2007).
  • J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007).
  • Fieldwork is a 2007 novel by Mischa Berlinski. –?
  • Spook Country is a 2007 novel by William Gibson. A political thriller set in contemporary North America, it followed on from Pattern Recognition (2003).
  • Trenton Lee Stewart’s YA adventure The Mysterious Benedict Society (2007)

2008

In no particular order:

  1. Graceling (2008, Graceling Realm #1) by Kristin Cashore

I need to read (or re-read) these:

  • The Steel Remains (2008) is a fantasy novel by Richard K. Morgan. –? recommended by Charlie Jane Anders.
  • The Alchemy of Stone, by Ekaterina Sedi — suggested by io9
  • Iain M. Banks’s Culture science-fiction adventure Matter (2008) — good, but is it a top 10 for this year?
  • The Bell at Sealey Head is a 2008 fantasy novel by Patricia A. McKillip. — ?
  • Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther historical crime adventure A Quiet Flame (2008) — ?
  • The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves (2008) by M. T. Anderson — is it an adventure?
  • Child 44 (2008) by Tom Rob Smith –?
  • The Hunger Games is a 2008 dystopian novel by Suzanne Collins. I don’t remember liking these when everyone else in my family read them, but I should try the first one again–?
  • The Three-Body Problem (2008, Chinese: 三体) is a science fiction novel by Liu Cixin. It is the first novel of the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy, but Chinese readers generally refer to the whole series by the title of this first novel. The title itself refers to the three-body problem in orbital mechanics. — ?
  • A Case of Exploding Mangoes (2008) by Mohammed Hanif — ?
  • The Knife of Never Letting Go (2008, Chaos Walking #1) by Patrick Ness. Winner of Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.
  • John le Carré’s espionage adventure A Most Wanted Man (2008) –?
  • Neal Stephenson’s science-fiction adventure Anathem (2008). –?
  • The Graveyard Book is a children’s fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman, published in 2008. –?

2009

In no particular order:

  1. Lev Grossman’s fantasy adventure The Magicians (2009)
  2. China Miéville’s fantasy adventure The City & the City (2009).
  3. The Windup Girl (2009, The Windup Universe #1) by Paolo Bacigalupi — inner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Campbell awards.

I need to read (or re-read) these:

  • Iain M. Banks’s science-fiction adventure Transition (2009)
  • Margaret Atwood’s post-apocalyptic science fiction novel The Year of the Flood. –?
  • Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther historical crime adventure If the Dead Rise Not (2009) –?
  • Gordon Dahlquist’s The Dark Volume (2009)
  • Helen Oyeyemi’s White is for Witching (2009) –? recommended by China Miéville
  • Heroes of the Valley is a 2009 fantasy adventure novel written by Jonathan Stroud. — ?
  • Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice was published in 2009. –?
  • The Last Child is a suspense thriller by American novelist John Hart. It was first published in 2009 –?
  • A.S. King’s The Dust of 100 Dogs (2009) — ?
  • Leviathan (2009, Leviathan #1) by Scott Westerfeld –?
  • Ribblestrop (Ribblestrop #1) by Andy Mulligan –?
  • Palimpsest is a novel by Catherynne M. Valente, published in March 2009.
  • The Last Child (2009) is a suspense thriller by John Hart. — ?
  • Boneshaker is a science fiction adventure by Cherie Priest combining the steampunk genre with zombies in an alternate history version of Seattle, Washington. — ?

2010

In no particular order:

  1. James Parker’s swearing-animal adventure The Ballad of Cocky the Fox (serialized here at HILOBROW, 2010–2011).
  2. China Miéville’s ___ adventure Kraken (2010).
  3. Iain M. Banks’s Culture science-fiction adventure Surface Detail (2010)
  4. Mick Herron’s Slough House espionage adventure Slow Horses

I need to read (or re-read) these:

  • The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is a 2010 fantasy novel by N. K. Jemisin, the first book of The Inheritance Trilogy. Jemisin’s debut novel. — ?
  • Ship Breaker is a 2010 young adult novel by Paolo Bacigalupi set in a post-apocalyptic future. –?
  • Michael Cisco’s The Narrator (2010) — ? recommended by China Miéville
  • Spies of the Balkans (2010), by Alan Furst –?
  • The Passage (2010, The Passage #1) by Justin Cronin — ? Recommended by my cousin John Harper.
  • The Lock Artist (2010) is a crime novel by Steve Hamilton. –?
  • Who Fears Death is a science fantasy novel by Nnedi Okorafor, published in 2010 by DAW, an imprint of Penguin Books.
  • Trash by Andy Mulligan –?
  • John le Carré’s espionage adventure Our Kind of Traitor (2010) –?
  • Blackout and All Clear are the two volumes that comprise a 2010 science fiction adventure by Connie Willis. — ?

2011

In no particular order:

  1. Andy Weir’s sci-fi (Robinsonade) adventure The Martian (2011)

I need to read (or re-read) these:

  • Akata Witch (retitled What Sunny Saw in the Flames in Nigeria and the UK) is a 2011 fantasy novel written by Nnedi Okorafor)
  • Ready Player One (Ready Player One #1) by Ernest Cline — ? recommended by Andy Weir
  • Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick –? winner of Printz award.
  • Charles Stross’s Halting State science-fiction adventure Rule 34 (2011).
  • Glen Duncan’s The Last Werewolf (2011) — ?
  • Rick Spears and Chuck BB’s fantasy comic book adventure Black Metal Vol. 2: The False Brother (2011).
  • China Miéville’s ___ adventure Embassytown (2011).
  • Fairyland is a series of five fantasy novels by Catherynne M. Valente. It follows a 12-year-old girl named September as she is spirited away from her average life to Fairyland. (2011-on?)
  • Among Others is a 2011 fantasy adventure written by Jo Walton — ?
  • George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy adventure A Dance with Dragons (2011).
  • The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyc –? is it an adventure?
  • Neal Stephenson’s science-fiction adventure Reamde (2011).
  • Daniel Clowes’s graphic novel The Death-Ray (2011).
  • James S.A. Corey’s sci-fi adventure Leviathan Wakes (2011).

2012

In no particular order:

  1. Nimona (2012-on?) is a fantasy comic by writer and artist Noelle Stevenson.
  2. Iain M. Banks’s Culture science-fiction adventure The Hydrogen Sonata (2012). The final published Culture novel.

I need to read (or re-read) these:

  • China Miéville’s ___ adventure Railsea (2012). –?
  • The Vorrh (The Vorrh Trilogy #1) by Brian Catling –? recommended by Alan Moore
  • Gordon Dahlquist’s The Chemickal Marriage (2012) –?
  • Ian McEwan’s Sweet Tooth — ?
  • Code Name Verity is a young adult historical adventure by Elizabeth Wein that was published in 2012 — ?
  • Kevin Barry’s City of Bohane — ?
  • Redshirts (2012) is a science fiction novel by John Scalzi. –?
  • Who Could That Be at This Hour? (2012) is the first novel of the children’s novel series All the Wrong Questions by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Seth. — ?
  • The Killing Moon is a 2012 fantasy adventure by N. K. Jemisin and is the first novel in the Dreamblood series — ?
  • 2312 is a science fiction adventure by Kim Stanley Robinson, published in 2012.
  • Douglas Rushkoff’s, Goran Sudžuka’s, and José Marzán Jr.’s graphic novel A.D.D — Adolescent Demo Division
  • Saga is an epic space opera/fantasy comic book series written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples, published monthly by the American company Image Comics. — ?
  • Live by Night is a crime novel by Dennis Lehane that was published in 2012. — ?

2013

In no particular order:

  1. Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch sci-fi adventure Ancillary Justice (2013)
  2. Gordon Dahlquist’s The Different Girl (2013)
  3. Mick Herron’s Slough House espionage adventure Dead Lions
  4. Linda Nagata’s The Red sci-fi adventure First Light

I need to read (or re-read) these:

  • Margaret Atwood’s post-apocalyptic science fiction novel MaddAddam. –?
  • Amity Gaige’s Schroder –?
  • Michelle Tea’s Mermaid in Chelsea Creek (2013) — ?
  • Charles Stross’s fantasy adventure The Apocalypse Codex (2013)
  • Thomas Pynchon’s Bleeding Edge was published in 2013.
  • The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a 2013 fantasy adventure by Neil Gaiman.
  • Hild: A Novel (2013, The Light of the World Trilogy) by Nicola Griffith — adventure? Recommended by Neal Stephenson.

*

THE TWENTY-TEENS (2014–2023)

[meta-remarks about The Twenty-Teens in adventure fiction TK]

2014

    Lumberjanes is a comic book series created by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn A. Allen and Noelle Stevenson – began in 2014

    Grasshopper Jungle is a 2014 young adult novel by Andrew A. Smith — ?

    Rick Spears and Chuck BB’s fantasy comic book adventure Black Metal Vol. 3: Darkness Enthroned (2014).

    The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad #5) by Tana French –?

    The Dark Wild (The Last Wild #2) by Piers Torday –? Winner of Guardian prize.

    Annihilation is a 2014 novel by Jeff VanderMeer. It is the first in a series of three books called the Southern Reach Trilogy. The book describes a team of four women (a biologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, and a surveyor) who set out into an area known as Area X.

    Farel Dalrymple’s graphic novel The Wrenchies (2014)

    The Goblin Emperor is a 2014 fantasy adventure written by Sarah Monette under the pseudonym Katherine Addison. — ?

    Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch sci-fi adventure Ancillary Sword (2014)

    William Gibson’s science-fiction/crime adventure The Peripheral (2014)

    Becky Chambers’s sci-fi adventure The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (2014)

    We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves is a 2013 ___ adventure by Karen Joy Fowler. — ? Is it an adventure?

  • Linda Nagata’s The Red sci-fi adventure The Trials
  • Emily St. John Mandel’s sci-fi adventure Station Eleven
  • Nnedi Okorafor’s sci-fi adventure Lagoon

2015

    Neal Stephenson’s science-fiction adventure Seveneves (2015).

    Uprooted is a 2015 high fantasy adventure written by Naomi Novik — ?

    The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps (2015, The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps #1)
    by Kai Ashante Wilson — suggested by Charlie Jane

    V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic fantasy adventure A Darker Shade of Magic (2015)

    Binti is a science fiction novella written by Nnedi Okorafor. The novella was published in 2015

    Matthew De Abaitua’s sci-fi adventure IF THEN (2015)

    N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth sci-fi adventure Fifth Season (2015)

    Matthew De Abaitua’s sci-fi adventure The Destructives (2015)

  • Linda Nagata’s The Red sci-fi adventure Going Dark
  • Kim Stanley Robinson’s sci-fi adventure Aurora

2016

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/11/all-the-science-fiction-novels-you-need-to-make-it-through-winter/

    Madeline Ashby’s sci-fi adventure Company Town

    Becky Chambers’s sci-fi adventure A Closed and Common Orbit (2016)

    Charlie Jane Anders’s ____ adventure All the Birds in the Sky (2016)

    The Obelisk Gate is a 2016 science fantasy adventure by N. K. Jemisin and the second volume in the Broken Earth series—following The Fifth Season, and preceding The Stone Sky.

2017

  • Annalee Newitz’s sci-fi adventure Autonomous (2017).
  • Artemis by Andy Weir –?
  • Kameron Hurley’s sci-fi adventure The Stars Are Legion (2017)
  • Gary Panter’s Songy of Paradise (2017)

2018

  • Mary Robinette Kowal’s sci-fi adventure The Calculating Stars

2019

  • Cadwell Turnbull’s sci-fi adventure The Lesson