I love to read. My favorite genre is science fiction, followed closely by fantasy. These two genres are often intermingled, which makes the line between them unclear and their respective definitions difficult to distinguish. I like to read a variety of different genres, but as I've gotten older my reading time has unfortunately shrunk.
I also enjoy reading mysteries and detective fiction and find myself drawn to series characters like
Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee and Lawrence Sander's Archie McNally. I don't read much horror fiction, but Stephen King is one of my favorite authors, as well
Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick, Leigh Brackett and Jack Vance.
I did not reach my reading goal last year, alas, but these were my favorite reads from 2015:
The Prefect - Alastair Reynolds
This book takes place in the same science fiction setting of British author Reynolds'
Revelation Space series. Reynolds fiction is often categorized as the "New Weird SF," or just the "New Weird." This book is a murder mystery blending detective fiction with SF.
Hiero's Journey - Stanley E. Lanier
This story takes place thousands of years in the future after a post-apocalyptic destruction of modern society. Lanier's protagonist Hiero undergoes a mythical quest across a wild and overgrown landscape of ruined cities and degenerate cultures encountering giant animals, psychic bears, evil sorcerers, friendship and love.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. le Guin
Le Guin became known for writing science fiction with a more anthropological and sociological viewpoint than her peers and predecessors. This novel details the adventures of an off-world anthropologist on a planet where humanity has evolved into hermaphrodites. Winner of the 1970 Hugo and Nebula Awards.
