Gwenda

Disrupting the Season of Lists for a few moments, my most anticipated title of next year: The King’s Last Song by Geoff Ryman. Due in February 2006 (in the UK anyway, but then, that’s what Amazon.co.uk is for; plus, 30 percent off). Sez the description:

A great king brings peace to a warring nation. Centuries later his writings will bring hope to those facing the tragic legacy of modern Cambodia’s bloody history. When archaeologists discover a book written on gold leaves at Angkor Wat, everyone wants a piece of the action. But the King, the Army and the UN are all outflanked when the precious artefact is kidnapped, along with Professor Luc Andrade, who was accompanying it to the capital for restoration. Luckily for Luc his love and respect for Cambodia have won him many friends, including ex-Khmer Rouge cadre Map and the young moto-boy William. Both equally determined to rescue the man they consider their mentor and recover the golden book, they form an unlikely bond. But William is unaware of just how closely Map’s violent past affects him. The book contains the words and wisdom of King Jayavarman VII, the Buddhist ruler who united a war-torn Cambodia in the twelfth century and together with his enlightened wife created a kingdom that was a haven of peace and learning. His extraordinary story is skilfully interwoven with the tales of Luc, Map and William to create an unforgettable and dazzling evocation of the spirit of Cambodia.

Wow, that sounds amazing.

A close second (a nanosecond), by the by, is Alan DeNiro‘s Skinny Dipping in the Lake of the Dead — and it’s only second because I’ve already read some of the stories in it.

(Feel free to shout out any you’re waiting for in the comments.)

Rain Taxi’s having an auction to celebrate their ten year anniversary. Go buy some stuff.

(Via Alan and Kristin.)

Toni tagged me (after Pooks tagged her), in the writing fifteen things about books meme. The results (and who I tag) are behind the cut.

…

15 Things About BooksRead More »

Among a bevy of Book World lists, the WaPo names its top novels for children from 2005, including Carol Emshwiller’s Mister Boots (yay!) and Rafe Martin’s Birdwing.

Coincidentally, those are the next two books I plan to read. Along with the Geoff Ryman story in the previous issue of F&SF. Followed by The Cosmology of the Wider World by Jeff Ford, several LBC titles, Jeff VanderMeer’s ShriekVeniss Underground (my mind transposed the two), Walter Dean Myers’ Autobiography of My Dead Brother, Karen Fisher’s A Sudden Country and Robb Forman Dew’s Truth of the Matter — not necessarily in that order, and with a bunch of other things in the line-up too, but not currently in the stack right next to me where I can see them. I imagine I’ll continue reading 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel through all this. Oh, and I need to pick Lydia Millet’s Oh Pure and Radiant Heart back up and finish it too.

Basically, I plan a readery December, as I get back into the Roanoke research and start pecking out new words on that long-neglected book.

p.s. Apparently, only two writers got the memo that the WaPo would be looking favorably on novels with the word march in the title this year. Any guesses about the magic word for 2006?