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james_davis_nicollCut for length and because I am embarrassed at how few of these I have read.
Best First Novel
1 Desolation Road Ian McDonald
I have read most of McDonald's books but not as it happens
this one. I do own a copy and will get around to it some day.
I don't think it is unreasonable to describe him as both
successful and moderately prolific. I do wish he was less fond of
Quantum as a plot device.
2 Walkabout Woman Michaela Roessner
I did not read this. I think I read VANISHING POINT and I
must have liked it enough to buy THE STARS DISPOSE, which I can see
from my chair.
I believe that she had four novels published over the next
decade but I am unaware of any novels after 1999. She is still getting
published at shorter lengths.
3 Metrophage Richard Kadrey
All I remember about this is an introductory discussion of surreali
that left me with an image of artists fighting fascism with bathtubs filled
with brightly colored machine parts.
Kadrey is not prolific but he does produce novels at a reasonably
steady pace, about one per decade (with one pair coming back to back in
the '00s).
This was an Ace Special.
4 Sheepfarmer's Daughter Elizabeth Moon
If I remember this correctly, this was Moon's attempt to show
how a D&D-inspired Paladin would really act. Moon is not herself a
roleplayer as far as I know.
Moon is successful and reasonably prolific. She made the shift
from Baen Books to Del Rey some years ago.
5 The Armageddon Blues Daniel Keys Moran
I no longer recall this well enough to comment.
Moran was moderately prolific up until the 1990s, when a
falling out with his publisher led to a decade long hiatus. He has
recently returned to SF. His blog is a reasonable source of information
on his current activities
http://danielkeysmoran.blogspot.com/
And those of his books that he has had put up on line can be
found here:
http://immunitysec.com/resources-dkm.shtml
6 Dragon Prince Melanie Rawn
I did not read this.
Rawn is somewhat prolific but I can't tell if she really had
a mid-career hiatus running from about 1997 to 2006 or if that is an
artifact of incomplete databases.
7 Moon of Ice Brad Linaweaver
I seem to recall that this is an alternate history where the
Nazis conquered Europe while the libertarians conquered America.
Linaweaver appears to have be somewhat prolific in the field
of media tie-ins.
8 Neverness David Zindell
I don't remember a word of this.
Zindell has moved to fantasy and has increased his rate of
publication. His delight in discovering the new to him "collect the
plot token" idea was rather amusing but the books that resulted less
so.
9 Four Hundred Billion Stars Paul J. McAuley
Despite the title, this novel is limited to the nearer stars.
An unfortunate woman is drafted to help in the effort to understand
a race of uncommunicative and highly advanced aliens living in two
systems on our doorstep, aliens with whom humanity has blundered in
war despite there being no particularly compelling reason for us to
seek them out (Leaving aside the alien habit of genociding noisy
neighbors, something not known at this time). Equally unfortunate
people sometimes go on field missions with the protagonist. Do not
get attached to these characters.
I loved this book but I would have sworn it was his *second*
novel after OF THE FALL. I seem to be confusing internal chronology
with publication order.
McAuley is reasonably prolific. I am in particular looking
forward to his upcoming THE QUIET WAR.
10 Journey to Fusang William Sanders
A young Irishman in a world where the Mongols trashed Europe
as thoroughly as they did Bahgdad in our universe journey to a New
World settled by Arabs and the Chinese.
I remember this as amusing.
Sanders has published at least six novels as well as many shorter
works. He is the Senior Editor at Helix.
11 Resurrection, Inc. Kevin J. Anderson
I have not read this and am no doubt being a terrible person
when I question the sanity of a universe in which Anderson appears on
any best of list save for one involving printed toilet paper.
Unfortunately, Anderson is both successful and prolific.
12 Fool on the Hill Matt Ruff
Good and evil battle on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca?
I need to reread this.
Ruff's most recent novel of four came out in 2007.
13 Demon of Undoing Andrea I. Alton
I have heard of neither the book or the author. It
seems to have been Cherryh-influenced SF according to this review:
http://www.sfreviews.net/demonundo.html
As far as I can tell, this was Alton's only novel.
14 The Blind Knight Gail van Asten
I missed this.
As far as I can tell, van Asten had three novels and has
had nothing published since 1990.
15 The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West Mary Stanton
I missed this.
Stanton is reasonably prolific. I don't know anything about
her fiction.
16 Molly Dear: The Autobiography of an Android Stephen Fine
I missed this.
I can't seem to find anything else by Fine.
17 Dreams of Flesh and Sand W. T. Quick
I missed this.
Quick was reasonably prolific under various pennames but
I don't see anything more recent than the 2001 novelization of the
PLANET OF THE APES remake.
18 Maiden Flight Eric Vinicoff
I missed this.
As far as I can tell, Vinicoff had two novels published and
nothing since 1992.
19 The Fairy of Ku-She M. Lucie Chin
I missed this.
As far as I can tell, this was Chin's only novel.
20 Inner Eclipse Richard Paul Russo
I missed this.
Russo is not particularly prolific (About half a dozen novels
over two decades) but he is still getting published.
21 The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit Storm Constantine
I missed this.
Constantine is fairly prolific with about two dozen novels
over two decades.
22 Tower to the Sky Phillip C. Jennings
I know I read this but I don't remember much about it.
I think it involved Man's Destiny in the Stars (or in this case,
at the top end of an orbital tower) back when Baen had a sideline
in books like that.
I don't think Jennings published very many books.
23 Through a Brazen Mirror Delia Sherman
And to close off a year in which I seemed to have missed books
other people liked, I missed this. Wikipedia says that it is fantasy
of manners while Fantastic Fiction bitches about how it was marketed
without saying much useful about the book itself. It appears to have
either featured or was aimed at LBG people.
I don't think Sherman is particularly prolific but she is still
getting published.
Best First Novel
1 Desolation Road Ian McDonald
I have read most of McDonald's books but not as it happens
this one. I do own a copy and will get around to it some day.
I don't think it is unreasonable to describe him as both
successful and moderately prolific. I do wish he was less fond of
Quantum as a plot device.
2 Walkabout Woman Michaela Roessner
I did not read this. I think I read VANISHING POINT and I
must have liked it enough to buy THE STARS DISPOSE, which I can see
from my chair.
I believe that she had four novels published over the next
decade but I am unaware of any novels after 1999. She is still getting
published at shorter lengths.
3 Metrophage Richard Kadrey
All I remember about this is an introductory discussion of surreali
that left me with an image of artists fighting fascism with bathtubs filled
with brightly colored machine parts.
Kadrey is not prolific but he does produce novels at a reasonably
steady pace, about one per decade (with one pair coming back to back in
the '00s).
This was an Ace Special.
4 Sheepfarmer's Daughter Elizabeth Moon
If I remember this correctly, this was Moon's attempt to show
how a D&D-inspired Paladin would really act. Moon is not herself a
roleplayer as far as I know.
Moon is successful and reasonably prolific. She made the shift
from Baen Books to Del Rey some years ago.
5 The Armageddon Blues Daniel Keys Moran
I no longer recall this well enough to comment.
Moran was moderately prolific up until the 1990s, when a
falling out with his publisher led to a decade long hiatus. He has
recently returned to SF. His blog is a reasonable source of information
on his current activities
http://danielkeysmoran.blogspot.com/
And those of his books that he has had put up on line can be
found here:
http://immunitysec.com/resources-dkm.shtml
6 Dragon Prince Melanie Rawn
I did not read this.
Rawn is somewhat prolific but I can't tell if she really had
a mid-career hiatus running from about 1997 to 2006 or if that is an
artifact of incomplete databases.
7 Moon of Ice Brad Linaweaver
I seem to recall that this is an alternate history where the
Nazis conquered Europe while the libertarians conquered America.
Linaweaver appears to have be somewhat prolific in the field
of media tie-ins.
8 Neverness David Zindell
I don't remember a word of this.
Zindell has moved to fantasy and has increased his rate of
publication. His delight in discovering the new to him "collect the
plot token" idea was rather amusing but the books that resulted less
so.
9 Four Hundred Billion Stars Paul J. McAuley
Despite the title, this novel is limited to the nearer stars.
An unfortunate woman is drafted to help in the effort to understand
a race of uncommunicative and highly advanced aliens living in two
systems on our doorstep, aliens with whom humanity has blundered in
war despite there being no particularly compelling reason for us to
seek them out (Leaving aside the alien habit of genociding noisy
neighbors, something not known at this time). Equally unfortunate
people sometimes go on field missions with the protagonist. Do not
get attached to these characters.
I loved this book but I would have sworn it was his *second*
novel after OF THE FALL. I seem to be confusing internal chronology
with publication order.
McAuley is reasonably prolific. I am in particular looking
forward to his upcoming THE QUIET WAR.
10 Journey to Fusang William Sanders
A young Irishman in a world where the Mongols trashed Europe
as thoroughly as they did Bahgdad in our universe journey to a New
World settled by Arabs and the Chinese.
I remember this as amusing.
Sanders has published at least six novels as well as many shorter
works. He is the Senior Editor at Helix.
11 Resurrection, Inc. Kevin J. Anderson
I have not read this and am no doubt being a terrible person
when I question the sanity of a universe in which Anderson appears on
any best of list save for one involving printed toilet paper.
Unfortunately, Anderson is both successful and prolific.
12 Fool on the Hill Matt Ruff
Good and evil battle on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca?
I need to reread this.
Ruff's most recent novel of four came out in 2007.
13 Demon of Undoing Andrea I. Alton
I have heard of neither the book or the author. It
seems to have been Cherryh-influenced SF according to this review:
http://www.sfreviews.net/demonundo.html
As far as I can tell, this was Alton's only novel.
14 The Blind Knight Gail van Asten
I missed this.
As far as I can tell, van Asten had three novels and has
had nothing published since 1990.
15 The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West Mary Stanton
I missed this.
Stanton is reasonably prolific. I don't know anything about
her fiction.
16 Molly Dear: The Autobiography of an Android Stephen Fine
I missed this.
I can't seem to find anything else by Fine.
17 Dreams of Flesh and Sand W. T. Quick
I missed this.
Quick was reasonably prolific under various pennames but
I don't see anything more recent than the 2001 novelization of the
PLANET OF THE APES remake.
18 Maiden Flight Eric Vinicoff
I missed this.
As far as I can tell, Vinicoff had two novels published and
nothing since 1992.
19 The Fairy of Ku-She M. Lucie Chin
I missed this.
As far as I can tell, this was Chin's only novel.
20 Inner Eclipse Richard Paul Russo
I missed this.
Russo is not particularly prolific (About half a dozen novels
over two decades) but he is still getting published.
21 The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit Storm Constantine
I missed this.
Constantine is fairly prolific with about two dozen novels
over two decades.
22 Tower to the Sky Phillip C. Jennings
I know I read this but I don't remember much about it.
I think it involved Man's Destiny in the Stars (or in this case,
at the top end of an orbital tower) back when Baen had a sideline
in books like that.
I don't think Jennings published very many books.
23 Through a Brazen Mirror Delia Sherman
And to close off a year in which I seemed to have missed books
other people liked, I missed this. Wikipedia says that it is fantasy
of manners while Fantastic Fiction bitches about how it was marketed
without saying much useful about the book itself. It appears to have
either featured or was aimed at LBG people.
I don't think Sherman is particularly prolific but she is still
getting published.
