There’s a playful use of camera and color here that reminds me alternately of Amelie and of SyFy’s Alice miniseries. There are also a few tantalizing glimpses of greatness, particularly in the magical final scene, but this is a very flimsy film that refuses, for the most part, to delve into the themes or questions it raises . It lies in an uncomfortable space somewhere between the bubblegum, feel-good romance of your average rom-com and the darkness and complexity of a monster tale, and is satisfying on neither level. James McAvoy absolutely knocks it out of the park acting-wise, and a great kiss at the end, but I don’t recommend this film.

Robin McKinley is one of the more successful fantasy authors alive today, but she’s sometimes dismissed as a children’s writer. To me, the point is rather moot since her books are deliciously complex and satisfying, less in language than in emotional richness and world-building. If I were to describe her, I’d say she has the dense mythology of Patricia A. McKillip’s books and the intense, riveting romance of Cecilia Dart Thornton. Unlike both of these writers however, her plots don’t meander and her characters leap off the page. Don’t get me wrong, I love both McKillip and Thornton and would recommend them to fantasy readers – but Robin McKinley, at her best, is in a league of her own.

Some of her books are geared more for younger readers – The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, to some extent Rose Daughter, Spindle’s End and Beauty - but she’s also written a couple adult novels. Sunshine is one of these. I finally got a chance to read this earlier today and it stopped me in my tracks. Full disclosure: Beauty is one of my favorite novels of all time, but I have mixed feelings about some of her other novels, and I haven’t read McKinley in a long time, mostly because I was under the impression that I’d read all her good books.

Sunshine is wonderful. The best book I’ve read all year, bar none. It reminded me why I read, not just fantasy, but books in general. Rae is a funny, immensely sympathetic heroine, the world-building is stellar, and all the minor characters shine. It’s the plot, however, which caught me – this is that rarest of books which combines a fantastic protagonist with a writing skill and plot that grab you in the first five pages and push you forward with a driving force like a hammer through the rest of the book. I marathoned Sunshine in one glorious, too-short sitting, looking up only once to refuse a lake trip, and stopping only to grab ice cream. Vampires are much-maligned these days, but this novel made me realize they shouldn’t be entirely dismissed as subject material just because one mediocre writer turned them into a mediocre, and world-wide bestselling, series. Also, for the record, this was published in 2003, before the Twilight series, and it wouldn’t surprise me a bit to discover that Stephanie Meyer got some of her inspiration for the Edward-Bella relationship from it.

Regardless, McKinley charts her own powerful, winsome way through magic, baking, a loyal but misguided family, and most of all the steady coming-into-power of an extraordinary young woman. It’s funny, riveting, absurdly well-written for the topic material, and at least a little romantic. Read it. As soon as possible.

China Miéville won a record-breaking three times, most recently last year. Check out his acceptance speech below (er – am I the only one who’s thinking he’s not at all bad-looking?)

Trusted Authors:

Fantasy: Ursula K. LeGuin, Patrick Rothfuss, Garth Nix, Peter Dickinson

Romantic fantasy: Robin McKinley, Juliet Marillier, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Jules Watson

Fallback (flawed or not quite to my taste but enjoyable): Stephen Donaldson, C.J. Cherryh, Robert Jordan, Diana Wynne Jones, Lois McMaster Bujold, Patricia A. McKillip, Melanie Rawn, Marion Zimmer Bradley,  Tad Williams, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (YA)

To try: David Eddings, Caroline Stevermer & Patricia Wrede (Regency romance with magic), Simon R. Green (sci fi & fantasy), Piers Anthony (sci fi), David Mitchell (sf, ), Nalini Singh

Outgrew: Anne McCaffrey, Eoin Colfer, Susan Cooper, Lloyd Alexander

Dislike: Alice Borchardt, Jasper Fforde, Diana Gabaldon, Philip Pullman, George R.R. Martin

Thrillers: Kay Hooper, Iris Johansen, J.D. Robb

Adventure: Alistair MacLean, Jeffrey Archer

Brit humour: P.G. Wodehouse, John Mortimer (Rumpole of the Bailey series)

Mystery: Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey, Anne Perry(Victorian mystery), Iain Pears(art mystery), Jacqueline Winspear, P.D. James, occasionally G.K. Chesterton

Psychological thrillers: Jeffrey Deaver, Stephen White

Fantasy: Ursula K. LeGuin, Garth Nix, Peter Dickinson, Patricia A. McKillip, Diana Wynne Jones

Romantic fantasy: Robin McKinley, Juliet Marillier, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Jules Watson

Romance/Chic lit: Lisa Kleypas, Barbara Cartland, Clare Darcy, Eloisa James, Meg Cabot(teen)

Christian romance: Lori Wick, Robin Lee Hatcher

Christian romantic thrillers: Dee Henderson

Gothic romance: Daphne du Maurier, Madeleine Brent, Victoria Holt,Mary Stewart, Michael Cox occasionally

Westerns: Louis L’Amour, Cormac McCarthy, Jack Schaefer

Avoid:

Diana Gabaldon-her pages stretch on and nothing happens

Alice Borchardt – ugh, her The Silver Wolf was overdone and dripping in blood and sex

Jasper Fforde – The Eyre Affair was stupid and barely tolerable, and suffered from a misapprehension that it was charming

Elsa Watson, Mary Balogh-too flowery/flawed

Philippa Gregory, Sandra Brown, James Patterson

Lit & Other

Literary (modern): A.S. Byatt, Edith Wharton, Jhumpa Lahiri, Margaret Atwood

Thrillers: Kay Hooper, Iris Johansen, J.D. Robb

To try: Vince Flynn, Ian Rankin

Adventure: Alistair MacLean, Jeffrey Archer

Brit humour: P.G. Wodehouse, John Mortimer (Rumpole of the Bailey series)

Mystery: Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey, Anne Perry(Victorian mystery), Iain Pears(art mystery), Jacqueline Winspear, P.D. James, occasionally G.K. Chesterton

Psychological thrillers: Jeffrey Deaver, Stephen White

Fantasy: Ursula K. LeGuin, Garth Nix, Peter Dickinson (Tears of the Salamander), Juliet Marillier (Wildwood Dancing), Jules Watson (Dawn Stag & The Boar Stone, Dalriada Trilogy books 2 &3),

Also Diana Wynne Jones, Patricia A. McKillip, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Robin McKinley

To try: David Eddings, Caroline Stevermer & Patricia Wrede (Regency romance with magic), Simon R. Green (sci fi & fantasy), Piers Anthony (sci fi), David Mitchell (sf, ), Nalini Singh

Son of Avanor (Bridge of D’Arnath Book 1) Carol Berg, The Mortal Instruments trilogy Cassandra Claire, The Alchemist Paulo Coelho, King’s Dragon Kate Elliott, Medalon, Treason Keep, and Harshini trilogy Jennifer Fallon, The Farseer Trilogy, Robin Hobb, Bridge of Birds: A Knowledge of Ancient China that Never Was, Barry Hughart-world fantasy award, Exile’s Return, Kate Jacoby, Damphir, Barb and J. C Hende, The Historian – Elizabeth Kostova, Voyage of the Shadowmoon-Sean McMullen, Three Against the Witch World, Andre Norton

Romance/Chic lit: Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, Barbara Cartland, Clare Darcy, Eloisa James, Meg Cabot(teen)

To try: Jo Beverley, Marsha Canham, Marjorie M. Liu, Jacquie D’Alessansdro, Connie Brockway, Loretta Chase, Laura Matthews, Barbara Hazard, Shana Abe, Patricia Veryan – meganbmoore

Jude Deveraux novels I liked A Knight In Shining Armor and Remembrance – beautyisme

Christian romance: Lori Wick, Robin Lee Hatcher

Christian romantic thrillers: Dee Henderson

Gothic romance: Daphne du Maurier, Madeleine Brent, Victoria Holt,Mary Stewart, Michael Cox occasionally

Westerns: Louis L’Amour, Cormac McCarthy, Jack Schaefer

To try: Zane Grey, Larry McMurtry, The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout- This is the all-time classic novel chosen by the Western Writers of America as one of the best western novels ever wrttten. It is also the inspiration for John Wayne’s last great starring role–the acclaimed 1976 film, The Shootist.

Historical fiction:

To try:

Goddess of Yesterday, Caroline B. Cooney-set during Trojan War

Green Darkness, Katherine by Anya Setton

Shadow of the Moon, The Far Pavilions, Death in Kashmir, Death in Cyprus, M.M. Kaye

The Bronze Horseman by Paulinna Simons(war love story, rec)

Wilkie Collins – The Woman in White, The Moonstone

The Invisible Circus, Jennifer Egan