My Favorite Fiction Books of 2016 (So Far)

Back in December 2011, I started a blog column, Authors, Alcohol & Accolades, which asked some of my favorite authors about their preferred drinks, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic. There have been 11 editions of this column so far, with more coming in the near future. The inspiration for this series is that I am a voracious reader, of both fiction and nonfiction, and I wanted to combine that interest with my love of food & drink. The series has proven popular and it has been fascinating to explore what authors enjoy drinking.

For the last few years, as a special addendum to that series, I also posted some lists of my Favorite Fiction books. Following that tradition, I'm here to post a list of my Favorite Fiction of the first six months of 2016. During this time period, I've read over 100 books, both fiction and nonfiction. This list will provide you an overview of the best books I've been reading this year.

The following lists of favorites will include books of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and Mystery/Thrillers. Though many of these books were published in 2016, there might be a few from previous years, but I first read them this year so they will be included here. Please also note that these books are not in any specific order of preference.

My Top Ten Favorite Novels of the first six months of 2016:
--Barsk: The Elephant's Graveyard by Lawrence Schoen
--City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett
--Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich
--Beyond Redemption by Michael Fletcher
--The Last Mortal Bond by Brian Staveley
--Los Nefilim by Teresa Frohock
--Kill Switch by Jonathan Maberry
--Young Americans by Josh Stallings
--Saint's Blood by Sebastien De Castell
--The Vagrant by Peter Newman

It's always tough to choose my Top Ten Favorites, so I wanted to provide a Top Ten Honorable Mention list, to include those books which are also worthy of my recommendation:
--Morning Star by Pierce Brown
--War God Rising by Tim Marquitz
--United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas
--Silver On The Road by Laura Gilman
--The Shards of Heaven by Michael Livingston
--Pacific Burn by Barry Lancet
--Bad Action by James Swain
--Grudging: Birth of Saints by Michelle Hauck
--Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear
--Canary by Duane Swierczynski

My Top Five Favorite Anthologies of the first six months of 2016:
--American Nocturne by Hank Schwaeble
--Road Brothers: Tales From The Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence
--Can & Can'takerous by Harlan Ellison
--Peel Back the Skin edited by Anthony Rivera & Sharon Lawson
--SNAFU: Hunters edited by Amanda Spedding and Geoff Brown

My Top Three Favorite Novellas of the first six months of 2016:
--The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
--Ghosts of the Tristan Basin by Brian McClellan
--Hell's Bounty by Joe R. Lansdale & John L. Lansdale

I am very interested to see which of these books will still be in my Top Ten lists at the end of the year. I already know there are some potentially excellent books due out during the next six months so there will be serious challengers to those currently on these lists. All of these books would make great summer reading and a number of these authors have also written other worthy books. Please support an author, a small, independent business person, and buy more books.

What are some of your favorite books so far this year?