2020 has been a year in which I read many trilogies: Shades of Magic by Schwab, Lady Astronaut series by Kowal, Star Trek: The Janus Gate by Graf, The Broken Earth by Jemisin, and The Dam Keeper by Kondo and Tsutsumi
My top 10 list (in chronological order that I read them)
The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson
(A sequel to Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain, which takes the thrills to the next exciting step.)
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
(What makes us the wise man of the ape species?)
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
(Each of the three books in the ongoing series so far are 5 stars in my opinion. I love the alternative history space race that is firmly rooted in real science and math.)
Blacksad written by Juan Diaz Canales with art by Juanjo Guarnido
(This is a film noir detective story with animal characters. It is a bit like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?)
A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
(The middle volume with a sort of Olympics for Magicians is the peak)
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark
(This is a slim steampunk adventure set in Cairo by a hot speculative fiction writer.)
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
(A classic text of the ’60s Civil Rights era that is still useful for understanding current racial tensions in America.)
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
(A great start to her Hugo Award winning trilogy with a couple nice twists near the end.)
The Dam Keeper: Return from the Shadows by Robert Kondo and ‘Dice’ Tsutsumi
(Perhaps this ending of the trilogy with its community joining together is the best part.)
Citizen Illegal by Jose Olivarez
(This is a poetry book recommended by the virtual book club on this blog as a book to start the conversation about immigration.)
-Byron
Read it or Weep 