2023 Recommended SFF List

And it's time for a new page for the new year! 

 

Novel

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, Shannon Chakraborty (5 of 5 stars, full review here). (This is a marvelous tale of pirating, motherhood, estranged demon husbands, and the price of dreams, with top-notch worldbuilding and characterization.)

Some Desperate Glory, Emily Tesh (5 of 5 stars, full review here). (This is my first 5-star read this year. This is a character-driven space opera that tackles some pretty heavy themes--fascism and genocide, among others--with excellent characterization.)

Lords of Uncreation, Adrian Tchaikovsky (5 of 5 stars, full review here). (The last book in the Final Architecture space opera series expertly wraps up the story. All these books are doorstopper-sized, but don't let that put you off. This is some serious space opera with universe-level stakes, engaging characters and some seriously creepy aliens.)

He Who Drowned the World, Shelley Parker-Chan (5 of 5 stars, full review here). (This sequel to She Who Became the Sun, the gender-flipped fantasy retelling of the founder of China's Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, is a fascinating exploration of ambition, rage, and revenge.)

Translation State, Ann Leckie (4 of 5 stars, full review here). (This story taking place in the Imperial Radch universe concentrates on different characters. We find out a lot more about the somewhat horrific Presger Translators. It is a quieter, more personal story than the Imperial Radch trilogy, but the characters grew on me.)

The Infinite, Ada Hoffman (4 of 5 stars, full review here). (This complex book wraps up the many plot and character threads in the Outside trilogy, bringing one of the most innovative science fiction series of recent years to a satisfying conclusion.)

Children of Memory, Adrian Tchaikovsky (4 of 5 stars, full review here). (This is the last book in the Children of Time trilogy, and a bit old fashioned as it focuses on SFF ideas and concepts, as opposed to the ongoing The Final Architecture series, which is much more character focused. For me, the latter has the edge in quality, but don't skip over this one. There are discussions of personhood and sentience, and a pivotal plot point involves the notion of the universe being a virtual reality computer simulation. It's the kind of dense, chewy SF that demands and rewards patience.)

The Strange, Nathan Ballingrud (4 of 5 stars, full review here). (This is billed as The Martian Chronicles meets True Grit, and that’s exactly right. It has an old-fashioned pulp feel to it, a Martian adventure story invoking memories of Arthur C. Clarke and Edgar Rice Burroughs [although thankfully lacking the racism and Confederate-veteran-protagonist of the latter]. It’s a fast-paced page-turner that I didn’t expect to like, but ended up enjoying quite a bit.)

Meru, S.B. Divya (4 of 5 stars; full review here). (This is a deep and thoughtful story about the future of mankind and the clash between humans and the genetically engineered post human Alloys. There is also an engaging love story between the human protagonist and her Alloy. There are quite a few ethical and philosophical conundrums explored in this book, and it's worth reading slowly to absorb it all.)

Rubicon, J.S. Dewes (4 of 5 stars, full review here). (This story owes a lot to the reboot of Battlestar Galactica, with the twist that the human combatants are the ones dying and being resurrected into new bodies instead of the Cylons. Or maybe they are the Cylons, since "all of this has happened before and will happen again." Regardless, this is well-paced military science fiction with a sad, infuriating ending that will definitely whet your appetite for the second book.)

Short Stories

From the February issue of Clarkesworld:

"Somewhere, It's About To Be Spring" by Samantha Murray and "Silo, Sweet Silo" by James Castles

These stories have a bit of a similar premise--an artificial intelligence awakening to sentience--but diffferent executions. The former is a lovely story about a ship's "multicore computer" losing her crew but gaining a new family, and the latter is the story of a war machine who learns it doesn't have to fight and die. This last is the author's first published story, and holy crap if he turns out work like that, he's going to have a bright future. 

The below are from the May issue of Clarkesworld Magazine, a stellar issue. 

Short Stories: 

"Better Living Through Algorithms," Naomi Kritzer

Kritzer tends to use AI as a character in her stories; two of her books, Catfishing on CatNet and Chaos on CatNet, feature an artificial intelligence front and center. This story delves into an app, Abelique, that purports to be "for better living." And it seems to do just that--for a while, until its users start to get suspicious of it. It puts a bit of a twist on the author's standard formula, emphasizing the power of human connection.

"Through the Roof of the World," Harry Turtledove

This story is one of two hard-SF stories in the issue (depending on your definition of hard SF, I suppose) about a race of intelligent blind nautilus-like creatures in the oceans of Europa, and what they do when an Earth probe drills through the nine-mile-thick layer of ice to discover a thriving ecosystem. I thought it had a rather abrupt ending, but it just shows the skill of the author in that you want the story to continue.

"Action At a Distance," An Hao, translated by Andy Dudak

This story, originally published in the Chinese magazine Science Fiction World last year, is the second hard-SF story in the issue. It's dense and complex, and will probably take more than one reading (at least it did me) to understand the concepts about consciousness and matter discussed. Some Chinese SF I've read suffers from having thin cardboardy characters, but this story has much better characterization.

"The Fall," Jordan Chase-Young

This is an SF horror story, featuring a genetically engineered forest and creatures on the moon and what happens when a photographer discovers a discarded doll from the Prefall inhabitants.

From the June issue of Clarkesworld (if I'm hitting Clarkesworld Magazine pretty heavy, it's because I've subscribed to it for years--and you should too! especially with Amazon's fuckery over ending their Kindle subscription program--and editor Neil Clarke generally picks outstanding stories): 

"Day Ten Thousand," Isabel J. Kim (This is a twisty, intricate and meta tale bouncing back and forth between different time periods and the same [cloned] characters. This author has made her name with her short fiction, and this is a sterling example.)

"The Moon Rabbi," David Edenbach (This is an absorbing little story examining the nexus of science and religion, with the titular rabbi traveling to the Moon to set up Seder.)

"...Your Little Light," Jana Bianchi (This is a sad, somber, but ultimately uplifting tale about a human and alien mother. You might steer clear of it if you're sensitive to child death.)

"Vast and Trunkless Legs of Stone," Carrie Vaughn (This is a thought-provoking first contact story with a twist.)

"Death and Redemption, Somewhere Near Tuba City," Lou J. Berger, Clarkesworld Magazine July 2023. (This is a future of sentient self-driving cars that are now outlawed, and the dying tow truck operator/bounty hunter going after the last free group of vehicles. [These smart cars must be solar or nuclear powered, because they sure aren't going to get any gas in the middle of the Arizona desert.]  Our crusty, cranky protagonist comes to the realization that the vehicles she's been hunting are people after all, and she ends up catching and then freeing Big Bertha, the sentient tow truck and leader of the group. All this may sound like a familiar plot, and it is, but the characters are well-drawn and the worldbuilding inventive.) 

"What Remains, The Echoes of a Flute Song," Alexandra Seidel, Clarkesworld Magazine July 2023. (This is a bittersweet tale of a post-apocalyptic city and an alien flutist who stumbles across what may be the last remaining human.)

From Interzone Magazine Issue 294 January 2023:

Novelette (there are no word counts in the magazine, or on the website that I can find, but I think that's what this is):

"Murder by Proxy" by Philip Fracassi. This is a long story with a noir/horror edge. The tone is set immediately, with the protagonist's cynical, world-weary voice. Granted, this is bordering on cliche and nothing we haven't heard countless times before. Still, as the story goes along it gets more interesting and gradually sets itself apart, especially with the introduction of the AI antagonist and the touch of the supernatural in the protagonist's phobia of puppets. The author does a very good job of describing how creepy toys can be. 

"The Coming of the Extroverts" by Daniel Bennett. This is a shorter, cyberpunkish story with a protagonist (amusingly) named Moog. (Somebody remembers the Moog synthesizer, eh?) It has a nice twist to it, and it's all there in the opening sentences. The ending is also a clever little tip to UFO buffs and X-Files fans. 

"The Building Across the Street" by R.T. Ester. This is an absorbing little onion of a story. It gradually peels the layers back on an interstellar mystery, with the setting serving up a side of dystopia.

"Last Act of the Revolution" by Louise Hughes. This is a quiet character study asking an interesting question: what happens to the fiery revolutionary when she can't let go of all the years of fighting, now that she has attained her goal? I think this is my favorite story in the issue. 

Novella

The Keeper's Six, Kate Elliott (4 of 5 stars, full review here). (Combine excellent worldbuilding with a sixty-year-old female protagonist who goes on a quest to protect her son and grandchildren, squaring off against a dragon in the process, and you have a winner.)

The Salt Grows Heavy, Cassandra Khaw (5 of 5 stars, full review here). (This is a beautifully written if extremely gory fairy tale retelling/sequel to The Little Mermaid. This fierce, beautiful story has blood, guts, fury and teeth.)

"To Sail Beyond the Botnet," Suzanne Palmer (This is the latest in a delightful series of stories featuring Bot 9, a small repair bot who has a habit of improvising its way out of all sorts of problems and saving its ship and crew along the way. This novella introduces a fascinating alien race and shakes up Bot 9's world, laying the foundation for more interesting adventures going forward. Also note the title, a takeoff of a Robert A. Heinlein novel.)

Lodestar (Young Adult/Middle Grade)

To Shape a Dragon's Breath, Moniquill Blackgoose (5 of 5 stars, full review here). (This is a fascinating alternate history with dragons that examines colonization, discrimination, and the erasure of Native culture.)

Series

The Outside trilogy, Ada Hoffman (see review of the final book above). 

The Final Architecture trilogy, Adrian Tchaikovsky (see review of final book above).

Graphic Novel

Why Don't You Love Me? Paul B. Rainey (4 of 5 stars; full review here). (This is the first really good graphic novel of the year. It has a classic SFnal twist halfway through, but before and after it tackles issues of identity, free will, family ties, and roads not taken. I'm being vague because you don't want to be spoiled for this one; going into it cold has the greatest impact. Trust me, it's worth it.)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Marvel Studios, written/directed by James Gunn. (Yeah, Marvel's phase 4 [I think that's the number they're in; there's too many to keep track] has taken a definite slide in quality, but this one harks back to the better movies of phases past. It does this by concentrating on the characters, specifically Rocket, and giving them all closures to their stories.)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Columbia-Sony, written by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dave Callaham; directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson. (Some of the action in this seemed a little frantic to me at times, but there's no denying the sheer beautiful breathtaking look of the film. The character development is also outstanding.)

Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig (I went into this expected it to be a light and fluffy story about a doll....and it wasn't. It had some interesting things to say about men, women, female empowerment, and the patriarchy, and was a bit more sympathetic to Ken than he deserved, since he essentially tried to tear Barbie's world apart. Ryan Gosling, however, was terrific in the role, and Kate McKinnon, as Weird Barbie, almost stole the show out from under everybody. The sets and look of the movie was fantastic.)

Silo, Apple TV, ep 3, "Machines,". (I have the books this show is based on. I haven't read them yet, but the series is drawing me in. Ep 3 apparently had some engineering and technical errors, but as an episode it was tight and tense. The central mysteries--who built the silo and why, and why are all these people confined in what is essentially an underground skyscraper--remain to be answered, but the setting and characters are making it worth the wait. The subsequent outstanding episodes "The Flamekeepers" and "Hanna" are building the mystery and deepening the characters, and the season as a whole got better as it goes along. The final episode, "Outside," was the best, answering some questions while opening up the world and asking even bigger ones. Can't wait for season 2.)

The Last of Us, HBO, ep 3, "Long Long Time." and ep 5, "Endure and Survive."  (If you aren't crying your eyes out at the end of ep 3, I don't know what to tell you. This beautiful, heartbreaking love story in the midst of a fungal zombie apocalypse sets the bar for good TV for the rest of the year.) (Ep 5 is another stunner, possibly more heartwrenching than ep 3, with an amazing action set piece that shows how horrifying and unstoppable the fungal zombies in this world are.)

Star Trek: Picard, Paramount Plus, Season 3 Ep 4, "No Win Scenario."  and Ep 5, "Imposters." (I wasn't sure if I would watch this season of Picard at all, but it's so far proven to be stronger than the misbegotten Season 2, in spite of the showrunner's wallowing in nostalgia by bringing back nearly everyone from The Next Generation. This episode, directed by Jonathan Frakes, is a taut action story that also makes time for several important character moments.) (The season appears to be getting better as it goes along. Episode 5 features the return of a character from the final season of The Next Generation, and two incredible performances from Patrick Stewart and the actor in question [to avoid spoilers]. The two storylines of the season are also merged at the end of the episode. It's a better story and scripting, and it's surprising the heck out of me.)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Paramount Plus, Season 2 Episode 2, "Ad Astra Per Aspera." (The Season 2 opener was just okay, but this episode sings. It's a courtroom drama following up on Commander Una Chin-Riley's arrest at the end of last season for being an illegal genetic augment. I don't know if it's quite as stellar as "The Measure of a Man" or "The Drumhead," but it's damn good. Episode 3, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow," is an alternate timeline time travel story that focuses on Paul Wesley's James T. Kirk--which is not up to William Shatner's portrayal yet, but which is beginning to grow on me--and Christina Chong's La'an Noonien Singh. Chong, in particular, does excellent work here. Ep 6, "Lost in Translation," has a pretty standard ST plot, but the episode's excellent character moments make up for it. Ep 7, "Those Old Scientists," is a delightful crossover between the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds, with the actors portraying Boimler and Mariner bringing their characters to live-action in a time-travel story. I guffawed throughout--the jokes are perfectly on target for the most part--but there were also some good character moments, and an acknowledgement that often one's heroes are nothing at all like what you have imagined them to be. Ep 9, "Subspace Rhapsody," is, of all things, a musical, but there are some good songs--particularly Uhura's "Keep Us Connected," sung magnificently by Celia Rose Gooding, and great character work.)

Star Wars: Ahsoka, Disney Plus, Season 1 Episode 5, "Shadow Warrior," and Episode 6, "Far Far Away." (As the season progresses, this show is hitting its stride after a bit of a long setup. Episode 5 features Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, revisiting his early training and battles with his Padawan Ahsoka, and Ahsoka's choice to move past their history and live; and Episode 6 finally meets up with Grand Admiral Thrawn and Ezra Bridger.)