What I Read in 2022
Another year, another book roundup.
2022 was pretty busy for me, so I didn’t have as much time to read as I would have liked. Regardless, I got through a big chunk of my to-be-read pile and picked up some extras along the way.
In no particular order, here are five books I really loved.
Iain M Banks – Against a Dark Background
Early in the year I revisited one of my favourite non-Culture novels by Banks, and I was not disappointed.
Against a Dark Background is masquerading as a light action-filled romp through an imaginative science fiction world, complete with cool weapons and a badass heroine.
Scratch beneath the surface, and it turns into a scathing criticism of a capitalist system taken to the furthest extent. Banks’ political views shine through the prose, and it’s no exaggeration to say that this book takes a turn for the brutal in the third act.
This is as close as Banks came to writing cyberpunk, and so I was always going to enjoy this, but on the re-read I picked up a lot of small worldbuilding bits and pieces that really built out a believable, lived-in universe, even if it was only used for one novel.
I wouldn’t recommend this as a starting point for Banks, but it’s a great book nonetheless.
Russel Kirkpatrick – Path of Revenge
This has been sitting on my to-read pile for years. I finally got around to tackling it, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Path of Revenge is the first novel in a trilogy by Kirkpatrick. I went into it expecting high fantasy, sword and sorcery in the vein of David Eddings, but instead I got a grimdark and gritty world of apathetic gods, powerful desert empires and colonisation, and horrific villains, all woven together with some excellent turns of phrase.
Kirkpatrick’s attention to detail in creating this world, replete with intricately detailed maps and appendices, reminds me of Ian Irvine’s View from the Mirror quartet - and indeed the rest of his Three Worlds cycle.
I finished the series straight after reading this book, and I can recommend it to anyone who wanted Game of Thrones with a more interesting flavour.
Gareth Powell – Stars and Bones
Off the back of reading Powell’s brilliant trilogy featuring Trouble Dog - and one of the best two-word chapters in all British literature - I was very excited to read his latest offering, Stars and Bones.
I was not disappointed.
As in his previous books, the characters are engaging, vibrant, believable. They’re also all flawed in their own way, and he writes them with a particular dry wit that I’ve come to associate with other British SF greats. I don’t want to spoil anything about this book. Go read it.
I have no complaints. I want more.
James S. A. Corey – Persepolis Rising
Finishing The Expanse last year left me with a hole in my heart that could only really be fixed by returning to the books and pressing on from where the show left off.
The found family of the Rocinante crew are entertaining to read, and the dialogue is some of the best in any contemporary writing. I loved the hard reality of the setting. The authors are never afraid to ask the difficult questions when it comes to science, physics, and the reality of life in our solar system - and indeed, beyond it.
This book raised more questions, answered a few old ones, and slid perfectly into the sequel. I loved it, and have since finished the series.
William Gibson – Neuromancer
There’s a lot to say about arguably the most famous entrant into the cyberpunk genre. For me, revisiting Neuromancer is something I do every couple of years, as I find I always get something more out of it.
The sardonic writing, hi-tech low-life setting, and general dystopian state of the world in Neuromancer holds a dark mirror up to the society that we are building around ourselves. In a year dominated by war, inflation, and AI breakthroughs, Neuromancer seems almost prophetic.
That’s not a good thing.
If you haven’t read this yet, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy. It’s entertaining and engaging, and there’s enough depth in there to make you stick around and ask a few questions about what it means to be human.
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