Q&Q contacted independent booksellers across Canada to get their picks for the top science fiction and fantasy titles of 2012.
Chris Szego, manager of Toronto’s BakkaPhoenix Books, says sci-fi and fantasy are becoming mainstream genres. She speculates the appeal is a byproduct of big-budget film franchises such as Harry Potter, Batman, and Lord of the Rings.
Over the past year, Walter Bruce Sinclair, co-owner of Vancouver’s White Dwarf Books, has observed the waning of Twilight-style fiction. There has been a glut of paranormal romance and zombie novels, which have crowded out other genres,” he says. “This seems to be running its course, and we’re starting to see a resurgence of hard science fiction.”
Click on the thumbnails below to read more about the year’s biggest books.
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- <i>A Rising Thunder</i> is the 13th book in David Weber's Honorverse series. His military sci-fi stories follow heroine Honor Harrington, an officer in the space army.<br /> <br /> Published in March 2012, the novel debuted at number three on <i> The New York Times</i>' bestsellers' list, and is selling well at White Dwarf Books in Vancouver.
- A Rising Thunder by David Weber (Baen/Simon & Schuster)
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- <i>A Dance with Dragons</i> is the fifth book in Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. Fans have been promised two more instalments, but until then this paperback version continues to be a bestseller at Words Worth Books in Waterloo, Ontario.
- A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin (HarperCollins)
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- "Canadians are great at writing science fiction," says Chris Szego, in praise of Toronto author Robert J. Sawyer.<br /> <br /> Originally serialized in the American science-fiction magazine <i>Analog</i>, <i>Triggers</i> is the story of a medical experiment gone awry, as the U.S. battles terrorism threats.
- Triggers by Robert J. Sawyer (Viking Canada)
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- <i>Hydrogen Sonata</i> is the latest book set in Bank's utopian Culture universe, which he created nearly 25 years ago.<br /> <br /> Published in October 2012, <i>Hydrogen Sonata</i> is a bestseller at Munro Books in Victoria.
- Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M. Banks (Orbit/Hachette)
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- <i>A Blink of the Screen</i> is a career-spanning collection of stories by Terry Pratchett, one of the world's most widely read fantasy writers.<br /> <br /> Mike Hamm, manager of Bookmark in Halifax, says, "Terry's fans are a legion, incredibly devoted as collectors. Even though it is not a full novel, the book gathers his short stories and other pieces for the first time, which makes it a must-have."
- A Blink of the Screen by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday)
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