Well, since I didn't have much time to read fiction books, I stuck with fantasy books. There were in particular two books I can recommend.
The first is by Steven Erikson and is actually a bundle of three short-stories centering around the not so friendly Korbal Broach and the enigmatic Bauchelain. Both are practicioners of the darker Arts and in need of a new manservant, who needs several special abilities for the job, one being a strong stomach and a mangled conscience. The first story starts with the recruiting of a man-servant, the second story continues the first and takes place on a not so fit ship towards Laughter's End (and no laughter isn't entirely going to die). The last story takes place some time later on the mainland of Koreli and takes up the issue of a pure life-style. The stories all contain a huge amount of shady and morally questionable decisions mixed with irony and a shaker full of humour. The overall style is a bit in the tradition of Jack Vance's Cugels Adventures. It definitely is a read and covers a bit of the traditional Malazan style. So, I can only recommend "Korbal Broach and Bauchelain" as a short story collection.
The second one is a bit older, but only now had I been able to read it. It is "Banewreaker" by Jacqueline Carey and the sequel "Sundering". They spin the story of the "Silmarilion" by Tolkien from the viewpoint of Morgoth. And it is fantastic, I think this sentence captures the theme best "If all that are good believe that you are evil, are you?". It is this because even though the Morgoth of this story does horrible things, he only does it to be left alone. And is this really such a bad thing?
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