The Road by Cormac McCarthy

A Pulitzer prize winning post apocalyptic story about a man's struggle to keep his son alive. They trek Southwards towards the ocean in a world devastated (presumably) by nuclear winter. Plant and animal life appears to have been virtually wiped out and most of the remaining humans survive through cannibalism. The man and his son see themselves as the good guys and they struggle to scavenge what they need from the decaying remains of human civilisation. Strong stuff and a great read. Might annoy hard line sci fi purists I guess because the scenario in which humans survive while all else is destroyed is not particularly credible but that is not the point of this book.

The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman

Fantasy tale with a religious twist. A boy brought up in a brutal raining regime for priest soldiers in a never-ending religious war but one of the training order has different plans for this recruit. I enjoyed this a lot even though it has been generally panned by critics. It was heavily publicised as the next teen fiction blockbuster and is perhaps a victim of its own hype.

The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds

Another Revelation Space novel this one is set in the fabulous Glitter band of Yellowstone when it is at the height of its power and influence. It is half detective novel and half space opera. Tom Dreyfus is a cop. One of the prefects tasked with keeping the peace in this collection of independent asteroid habitats and in particular with protecting the integrity of the democratic voting system which governs the band. What starts out as a straight forward vote tampering case legend out to have much more serious consequences as a malign super-intelligence makes a bid to takeover the entire Glitter band. Great Sci Fi Entertainment as can be expected from Reynolds.

Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

Set shortly after the end of the First Law Trilogy this is another delicious tale of treachery and revenge from Abercrombie. The main protagonist is a mercenary general who's reward for vanquishing all rivals to the Duke of Talins bid for a Kingdom is for her brother to be murdered and herself mutilated and left for dead. She vows revenge on the duke and his cronies who perpetrated the evil deed. This is a stand alone novel but there are plenty of tie ins with the previous First law books. Good Stuff.

Black Man by Richard Morgan

Sci Fi novel from the writer of Altered Carbon that shares the same gritty feel even though it is not set in the same story world. The main protagonist is a genetically modified "He-Man" who was bred and trained to be a super soldier before public unease about genetic variants led to him and his like being ostracised and exiled to Mars.
Contains lots of pithy stuff about the nature of humanity and about the changing needs of society as we moved from hunter gatherer society into more organised groups.

Pretty good with a solid sci fi detective story underpinning Morgans musings.

"Before they are hanged" and "The Last Argument of Kings" by Joe Abercrombie

I read Book 2 and Book 3 of the First Law Trilogy sequentially so I am including both of them in one post. At first glance the story and setting of Abercrombies books seem to be pretty standard Fantasy fare. Embattled Kingdom , Heroic warriors, Ancient Wizards, Unspeakable Evil, Invaders from across the seas and all that. Abercrombies beautifully twisted and warped characters are what raises this more than a cut above however. You start out thinking you are reading Terry Brooks but pretty soon you realise this is closer to George Martin r indeed even China Mieville. Deliciously nasty stuff. Highly recommended.

Replay by Ken Grimwood

Every time Jeff Winston dies he is transported back to a young version of himself and gets to do it all again but with memory of his previous existences intact.

This 1998 winner of the world fantasy award preceded Groundhog day and takes a more serious look at the theme of time looping. A dominant subtheme is overwhelming sense of loss felt by loopers. It is however very well written and an enjoyable read.