What have we read in 2011?

[Albertosaurus Rex]

@ Valarya: I have heard good things about C. S. Friedman. Her works are on a very long list of books that I want to check out. However, the female authors I am currently most interested in are N. K. Jemisin (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms), Catherynne M. Valente (The Orphan's Tales) and Elizabeth Moon (The Deed of Paksenarrion). Has anyone read these books?

As for Karen Miller: her Godspeaker trilogy was a massive disappointment. The first book, Empress, was by far the most interesting. It takes place in Mijak, a very harsh desert culture that according to Miller was inspired by the Sumerians and the Hittites. Even that book was a slog at times because the protagonist was so unlikeable. However, the second and third books take place mostly in Ethrea, a bog-standard medieval fantasyland. It is here that a very annoying trait of Miller rears its head: there are dozens of conversations that do not further the plot or develop the characters, but just regurgitate information we already know and pad out the story. Given that we're dealing with books of 700 pages here, this is just crazy. It could have been good with better editing. If she had written it more leanly. Alas, it was not to be.