Favorite Fiction Reads of 2008
Discover the top fiction books of 2008 with our curated list of favorite reads. Explore must-read novels and acclaimed titles that captivated readers this year.
Book
The House of the Scorpion
by Nancy Farmer
This modern classic takes on an iron-fisted drug lord, clones bred for their organs, and what it means to be human. Winner of the National Book Award as well as Newbery and Printz Honors. Matteo Alacr谩n was not born; he was harvested. His DNA came from El Patr贸n, lord of a country called Opium鈥攁 strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt鈥檚 first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster鈥攅xcept for El Patr贸n. El Patr贸n loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself. As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patr贸n鈥檚 power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacr谩n Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn鈥檛 even suspect.
Book
A Dirty Job
by Christopher Moore
Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy with a normal life, married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normalcy. They're even about to have their first child. Yes, Charlie's doing okay鈥攗ntil people start dropping dead around him, and everywhere he goes a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Charlie Asher, it seems, has been recruited for a new position: as Death. It's a dirty job. But, hey! Somebody's gotta do it.
Book
Sundiver
by David Brin
Mankind encounters conflicts among the inhabitants of the universe, as brave individuals prepare to journey into the boiling inferno of the sun.
Book
The Long Walk
by Richard Bachman
The dystopian classic written by Stephen King under his penname Richard Bachman
Book
Tales from Outer Suburbia
by Shaun Tan
Fifteen illustrated short stories, some humorous and some haunting, set in the Australian suburbs.