The rules of the game are simple. The best books read in a month will be nominated for the "Book of the Month" award. The minimum requirement for nomination is a 5 star rating on my GR. One book will win the BOTM award each month. The 12 BOTM award winners proceed to the final competition, where after much deliberation one book will be crowned the BOTY. Additionally, every month one or 2 other books can receive an honourable mention with reason. Do note that this slot is for non 5 star books, books that do not qualify for the main contest. Reviews for all the books below can be found on my Goodreads.
Why go through all this? Primarily to encourage picking up of new authors. And it seems that already this is paying off.
If you know a book that satisfies the above criterion, do get in touch. On the other hand, if you want recommendations, feel free to reach out in that case too.
I cannot believe that 3 seasons of BOTY are now over. The program has been great fun so far, and now we announce the 4th Season of BOTY. I anticipate that the competition will certainly be less crowded compared to some of the previous iterations as I get more serious about my own writing, but let us see what this year brings.
This year's winner is Moby Dick. Viewers may find it concerning that the years showdown is very sparse, especially compared to our previous years. There is a reason - a damn good one. I have written my first novel in 2022! More details on this elsewhere.
| Month | Nominations | Judge's Comments | Honourable Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb |
|
That was a disappointing end to the Imperial Radch series. Cetaganda wins easily - more Miles Vorkosigan shenanigans are always welcome! | |
| Mar |
|
This was a chance find that I am very glad for. Amazingly prescient dystopia written in 1952 which is not too far from our reality. | |
| Apr |
|
One of the most acclaimed hard Sci-Fis of all times, the TBP offers a very unique and interesting mind-bending look into physics and computation. The story itself may be a bit patchy, but the setup, the implementation and the details all make this book a must read. On the other hand we have the outstanding conclusion to one of the best modern fantasy series out there - the Licanius trilogy. This is a terrible call I have to make here.
BOTM: Light of all that Falls |
|
| Jul |
|
This one was more confusing than most McKillip's work - though it was as beautiful as ever.
BOTM: Winter Rose |
|
| Nov |
|
Just typical - months without a solid read - and I end up with two chart toppers in one month. Moby Dick is beyond describeable - take a look at my goodreads review of it. Hyperion was a solid Sci-Fi, belongs in the top echelons, but as it turned out the sequel was pretty bad.
BOTM: Moby Dick |
Another season of BOTY comes to an end. The first half of the year saw a lot of strong contestants. You may notice that the second half has a lot of empty slots - I did not get too much reading time between my own writings and playing time-consuming Open World RPGs (to be honest, more of the latter than the former. :-) )
This years author finds have to be Clark Ashton Smith and JV Jones. Smith's fantasy are a real treat.
This years award has to go to the Silmarilion. I mean, I knew it was going to be great, but it certainly is on another level.
| Month | Nominations | Judge's Comments | Honourable Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec |
|
- | Hunter's Oath by Michelle West was a pretty decent book in this category - hiting the right emotions at places, but not a complete package. |
| Nov |
|
Very fast paced alternate history fantasy. Pretty decent. While other Tim Powers books may be thrillers in their own rights, I think this is one of the few ones of his which may classify as fantasy - with a very macabre 19th century London underground scene.
BOTM: The Anubis Gates |
- |
| Oct |
|
- | - |
| Sep |
|
- | - |
| Aug |
|
- | - |
| Jul |
|
Ooh. This one was good. Very good. This is high fantasy that belongs on the top 10 lists, folks.
BOTM: A Cavern of Black Ice |
- |
| Jun |
|
- | - |
| May |
|
Oooh, this one is difficult. 3 great books. Clark Ashton Smith is a master of the fantasy cosmic horror genre. Don't miss the sheer atmospheric build up and vivid writing. The Scarlet Pimpernel was a wonderful romance, both in the swashbuckling sense and in the literal sense. Solomon Kane absolutely takes the cake for being an unbelievably great character, an archetype that is not explored enough. I like all three equally enough and Solomon Kane does deserve some recognition, but in case of ties, I will have to lean towards the fantasy entries....
BOTM: Dark Eidolon |
- |
| Apr |
|
Can I just say that while LotR might win for being famous, Silm is the real masterpiece, the real deal. Absolutely astounding. On this front, Dunsany's entry is a short similar entry focused on creation mythos - without any history like the Silm.
BOTM: The Silmarillion |
- |
| Mar |
|
Elst is a brilliant writer - there is a lot of subtle points to cover on a topic like this and he does it very well. Obviously, no words or explanation required for the other entry. Just this - I still maintain that S&S is better than P&P. Also, would like to reserve the awards here for fiction/fantasy rather than non-fiction.
BOTM: P&P |
- |
| Feb |
|
No 5 star books this month. But, I will use this space to discuss the best book of this month. "Shivaji and His Times", by Jadunath Sarkar. This books falls in partly under Research and partly under History. But, what a tale!!! Shivaji's personal story is absolutely legendary, something no fantasy can hope to match. Must read for any Hindu. But, be warned. This is a white man writing the tale, no matter how the name sounds.
BOTM: - |
- |
| Jan |
|
January opens with a single decent book. This is, strictly speaking, quite a different start from our previous years. For the book in running is a meta piece, Research, if you will, for my own writing. That said, it has been an excellent work to say the least - some straight practical advice that has been immediately applicable.
BOTM: The Fantasy Fiction Formula |
- |
The third edition of BOTY begins, with us very far from the original stated goals. Still, the aim has always been the same - to find and read more, better books. Since my own fledgling attempts at Writing are beginning, the limited time I have has to be fed into reading for purposes of Research. So, I fully anticipate this year's selection to look very different from the last 2 seasons. Let's see how it goes!!!
Another year has passed and the second season of BOTY concludes a resounding success. Someting unanticipated has occured this year, inroads into multiple new genres - early British fiction, classical romance, fairytale realism and history - and what great books at that!
In the field of Fantasy, our home ground, the biggest find of this year is Islington. Looking forward to the third part of Licanius and anything else he writes in the future.
This is also the year that I have been introduced to the brilliance of Jane Austen. Sense and Sensibility becomes one of my all time favorites absolutely and almost wins Book of the Year.
But, the real prize needs to go to Clarke's "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell". The book that made all these possible. This single book opened doors to both Austen and the realism side of things. A bit ironic, since the ending hit me hard. But, it's contributions have to be recognized.
| Month | Nominations | Judge's Comments | Honourable Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec |
|
Coming back to Indian history, we have this personal account of the travails of the opposition leaders during the Emergency. Everyone here is a well known politicial/journalist/actor or related to one. Featuring: disguises including fake moustaches and beards, Swamy bursting into the parliment and delivering punch lines and a lot of close up shots inside jails.
BOTM: The Emergency |
What got me to the Emergency was Mark Tully's book on Operation Bluestar titled Amritsar: Mrs Gandhi's Last Battle. While the book was very informative and I will recommend it, it was still a bit off - Hindu's are not given a voice and actually anything about Hindu's are from non-Hindu sources that seem slightly biased. If not for this, this book would have possibly gotten a 5 star from me and also won this month's slot. |
| Nov |
|
A pickup of whim, really. But, this month's sole entry is a look at history of free trade. This Korean economist, DESTROYS (pardon the click-baitness of the word) the claims of the "developed" nations that what got them there was faith on free-trade rather than selective protectionism. Overall, an excellent book, recommended to everyone.
BOTM: Bad Samaritans |
... |
| Oct |
|
Segueing from last month's entry into recent Indian history and based on the recent clash on the Chinese border, we have a delve into history, specifically, the 1962 clash on the border. Very illuminating read on the challenges of the terrain, weather, difficulties of getting supplies not to mention the complete disarry of the Indian High Command that refused to work with the Army.
BOTM: 1962 |
... |
| Sep |
|
We go deeper into un-explored territory with Biographies this month. My first attempt was a biography of Cecil Rhoades, quite an unsavoury character, to say the least, up there with Thomas Midgley Jr on the list of people who single handedly messed up things for everyone. I needed something polar opposite, to get the bad taste off my mind and I don't think I could have done better than this book on the life of LBS, a remarkable man, almost the very manifestation of the lessons of Sanatana Dharma. Additionally, this was also a window into the post independence era of 60's and one cannot help but think that some things have not changed at all in the last 60 years.
BOTM: LBS |
... |
| Aug |
|
If you have been following this contest, you know that fantasy is basically the beginning and end of our scope. This month marks the first major foray into non-fiction with Dikotter's collection of short biographies of some scary, ruthless, scheming villains of the 20th century. Arguably, I would mark non-fiction such as this as "research" for my own fledgling writing; this book was specifically picked up to design villains for my own fantasy story attempts.
BOTM: How to be a Dictator |
... |
| Jul |
|
The second installment of KDT delivers much like the first, with the unique mix of action and comedy. A Mark of Kings was a surprising find of straight-forward simple minded Classical Fantasy made more worthy by being published in 2019. The real surprise this month, however, is the 1922 tale of swashbuckling, buncaneering yet gentlemanly Peter Blood, known as Capitan Sangre to the Spanish. The book is from a different era, combining Victorian writing style with the Dumas's spirit of adventure and presents a kind of heart very difficult to find in books these days. Looking forward to seeing Sabatini again in future editions of this forum.
BOTM: Captain Blood |
Continuing The Lost Fleet series, one book a month as a background reading. |
| Jun |
|
Ann Leckie's space opera continuation went in a different direction from the first part, nevertheless enjoyable for the most part. Eager to see how the story continues. The Snow Child is a masterpiece from newcomer Ivey, an emotional ride filled with sadness but nevertheless never dark or shocking. This is an excellent entry into the now slowly growing shelf of "fairytale-realism". This book is one to savour, goes straight into the long term favourites shelf.
BOTM: The Snow Child |
Several let downs this month including one of Patricia McKillip's very recent novel. |
| May |
|
Free the Darkness was a surprising find, an entrant in the small niche of action-comedy books. Without spoiling too much, there is a thread of misunderstandings, in the vein of Crazy Mohan plotlines, albeit with a single thread that makes the book funny and light-hearted in a sense, even though it's fast paced action for the most part. Jerome K Jerome's travel book about nothing is something I have read excerpts of in school times. The book is funny and as the blurb promises, possibly one of the funniest books ever written. Must read if you like Victorian wit at all. The Wakening is an indie medium-high fantasy that had a surprisingly well written first quarter that hit all the right points in terms of pacing and tension build up. The middle is a bit weak, the story picks up towards the end, definitely a decent job and am looking forward to the next part.
BOTM: Three Men in a Boat |
Continuing the space opera The Lost Fleet, month by month. Shout out to Into the Labyrinth (Mage Errant #1) for a short simple YA that does not have much, but somehow makes it work. |
| Apr |
|
Setterfield's magical realism was an excellent find. Two things went very well. The first is the amount of magic was high enough to make the book worth it to my tastes, very fairy tale in nature. I tried 2 other historical mystery books this month and liked neither of them even with the pretty writing and I suspect that this is in part due to them not having enough fantastical elements. The second aspect was the overall positive nature of the book, almost all characters achieve some form of catharsis or another, making the journey very worth it. Barrayar ties up Cordelia/Aral's journey before the birth of Miles. Very fun read. The second part of the Licanius Trilogy was amazing, in the category of high fantasy where a million things are happening in parallel and things come together slowly in mind-blowing twists. Really torn between 1 and 3.
BOTM: An Echo of Things to Come |
Lot of duds and disapointments. |
| March |
|
If last month's competition was fierce, March has managed to somehow take it to the next level. Starting this months game is Austen's S&S, a brilliant work, beyond measure. This one hit close to my heart and propels Jane Austen to my favorite authors list. Islington's surprise hitter was an amazing Fantasy written with the twists and turns that Sanderson would be proud of. Looking forward to the rest of the trilogy. McKillip needs to explanation, though Alphabet of Thorn was the most thrilling PM work I have read so far, with the tension rising chapter by chapter. Finishing up this month is the first novel I have read by Trollope, whose witty observations and tendency to talk to the reader formed a most charming of novels. Austen and Trollope form the frontlines of my entry into the Regency Romances and surrounding genres. Looking forward to explore this space more.
BOTM: Sense and Sensibility. (No explanations needed, just fell in love with this book and Austen. This book also holds the claim to be the first modern english novel, published in 1811 as it were.) |
Lot of duds and upsets. But none in this category. |
| February |
|
For the first time since the beginning of the BOTY, we have a serious competition on our hands. Most months have seen less than 2 books, with usually clear favorites, but for the first time we have a standoff between 3 strong books. Duncan's sword fantasy invoked nostalgia very well in over the span of 300 pages, overall a good experience. Diana's companion novel to Howl's Moving Castle blows the first out of the water; an exceedingly charming book with an unique style to it. Overall, a very positive experience. And opposed to these 2 short books is Clarke's 1000 page slow burning, gripping piece on return of British magic filled with some unforgettable characters penned in a brilliant writing style apparently derived from classic masters like Dickens and Austen. The book is something real and altogether special, even with the forboding atmosphere and a bittersweet ending that packs an emotional punch.
BOTM: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell |
Shout out to Will Wight's Unsouled (Cradle #1), another fast paced YA that delivers. Will Wight has quickly risen to become a go to guy for decent YA. |
| January |
|
Nice follow up to the first book in The Lost Fleet series. Great book for a fix of heroic fiction.
BOTM: Fearless |
Shout out to Farland's Brotherhood of the Wolf, the second book in the Runelords series. This book has the same elements as the first, though it's considerably darker and grimer, thus relegated to 4 stars now. There is a chance I may not continue the series at this point. |
After the resounding success of the inaugral edition of BOTY, we are pleased to bring the second season of BOTY. The rules are the same. May the best books win!!!
| Month | Nominations | Judge's Comments | Honourable Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|
| January |
|
The first story of Miles Naismith was an amazing outing, very unique story, lot of fun. However, the competition is too strong in this case and the absolutely amazing second volume of the Stormlight Archive had too many cool actions scenes on top of Sanderson's usual quota of twists.
BOTM: Words of Radiance |
- |
| February |
|
Whirlwind surprise out of nowhere. Excellent characters, intelligent writing, some fantastic suspenseful scenes, mixes hope of the traditional fantasy with some darkness. The book never becomes disturbing however and works very well. Hoping to see more by this author in the future.
BOTM: Runelords |
Gardens of the Moon (Malazan book of the Fallen) - Steven Erikson
For truly epic scale in terms of setting, characters, world and everything in it. |
| March |
|
Some strong contestants this month. Patricia delivers as usual. Fantastic performance by Gemmell. I have tried 2 of Gemmell's books in the past and DNF both of them, but this one works well despite some flaws and a weak beginning. Legend had a real philosophical bent without being prescriptive. Going to hand this to the newcomer Gemmell.
BOTM: Legend |
- |
| April |
|
Fantastic follow up to Miles story. Witty, fast paced, fun. Let's see what other contestants come up this month.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have in our hands, possibly the winner of this YEARS BOTY award. Magical writing that stuns, every line an experience, the intelligent, the amazing, the masterful, the unbelievable Mervyn Peake.
BOTM: Titus Groan |
Shout out to 2 books. Red Moon and Black Mountain - Joy Chant, for innocence and simplicity that we could all do in our lives and Magic of Recluse - Modesitt Jr, not for the magic system of Order and Chaos that stands on its own, but for the "a woodworker in town" portion of the book, lovely portrayal of an honest man trying to do good |
| May |
|
2 days into May and we already have a contestant. Existing viewers might be aware, Brandon Sanderson is a regular here. Warbreaker, while darker than any of his other work, stands true to quality story telling.
BOTM: Warbreaker |
Have read the second book of a currently undisclosed series that I will reveal in this column once I complete the last part of the trilogy. |
| Jun | - | Complete stop to the contest in the presence of other $dayjob/personal work. | - |
| Jul | - | One more dry spell month, given personal workload, got no chance to actually read, forget finding good books. Contest will resume in Aug. | - |
| Aug |
|
Excellent candidates this month. Dealing with Dragons was a delightful charming parody of the travails of
fairy tale princess. Recommended to everyone. Ancillary Justice was a fantastic read, part medium Sci-Fi,
part Person of Interest style AI + action, part social class issues. Getting a bit more into Sci-Fi these
days. This one is a difficult decision to make. Both the candidates are equally placed. Both of these have
follow-ups that are guaranteed future candidates in this competition. Ancillary Justice wins this by a
narrow margin.
BOTM: Ancillary Justice |
Shout out to the Traveller's Gate trilogy by Will Wight, which I finished this month. Its a YA medium fantasy with an interesting magic system. Lots of action, fast paced and pretty much no romance which makes it an anomaly in the YA genre. Perhaps a good candidate for younger readers looking to break into medium plus fantasy. |
| Sep |
|
Nice finds this month. Dauntless is a heroic military space opera. Worked very well, the protagonist is exactly the kind of hero I want to read about. Magic Casement was sloppy at places esp, the last 25% and has a slow start. But above all the problems with this is book, it's a nice classical fantasy at heart, and we pride in collecting these kinds of works. By that metric, Magic Casement deserves a slot here. But, between these 2 there is no question.
BOTM: Dauntless |
- |
| Oct |
|
Really pleasing find. Am extremely happy that I found this book, this is going into the category of
"read once every year". In fact, this is a strong contender for this year's BOTY award too. Without
going into details, am really charmed by how a book that has minimal action, story, suspense or prose
flourishes manages to work this well. I believe this is one of the few books in the fantasy
"fantasy-of-manners" genre. Simple, straight-forward, very well done.
BOTM: The Goblin Emperor |
- |
| Nov |
|
Nice find in the space of simple fantasy. Did also attempt the movie, but cannot really recommend it. I don't think it in the same genre, in fact not sure what the movie was attempting, but it's not in the same ballpark as the novel at all.
BOTM: Howl's Moving Castle |
- |
| Dec |
|
Started couple of books, but personal engagements meant that did not find and complete at least 1 decent book. | - |
It's been a year and BOTY 2019 has been an amazing success. The original reason of this competition was to enable reading of new authors and try out books out of my comfort zone in a bid to find other authors and books that I would love, ideally multi part series and authors/styles that would pay off over multiple books.
The titular winner of BOTY 2019 has got to be Mervyn's Peak Gormenghast #1. This was an easy decision for the most part. The sheer richness and depth of this work blows everything else out of the water, by a large margin.
That said, all the entries were highly enjoyable. As I never had an habit of tracking books by year in the years before, I cannot really say if this year has been outstanding, but it has certainly been productive.
Brandon Sanderson and Patricia Mckillip are returning authors, so no surprises that they are on this list. Lois McMaster Bujold is one too, but she had outdone herself this year with the Miles series. Everyone else on this list is a newcomer, something I am very happy of as all the candidates are first parts of series. Looking forward to see their other works on the competition next year.