It’s December 2023, which means it’s time for me to take a look back at all the SFF books I’ve read this year and pick out a few of my favourites. I’m sticking with the same format as I went with for last year’s Best SFF post, so I’ve chosen ten fantastic SFF books that I’ve loved this year and listed them in the order I read them (so don’t think of this as a ‘top 10’). As always with these articles I’ve selected only books that were published this year, so some of my absolute favourites didn’t make the list – but even so, it was tough narrowing things down to just 10 books! What’s interesting this year is that quite a lot of these books are relatively low-key and not-very-fantastical – which I love, as it just goes to show the breadth of SFF as a whole!
The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi
I love a good novella and this is a great example of the form, a beguiling blend of parable and deceptively dark fantasy set in a vividly-drawn Africa-inspired setting that’s full of magic and mythology. For all its fantasy elements though, at its core this is a very human, character-driven story following 12 year-old Tutu as he leaves the City of Lies to journey through the desert in search of water, to save his dying mother. It’s a book about lies and manipulation, and a young man’s journey to understanding exactly how he’s been used, and what he needs to do about it. It packs a punch far in excess of what you might expect for its short word count, and manages to achieve a perfect blend of heartwarming and heartbreaking.
Check out my review of The Lies of the Ajungo
Ascension by Nicholas Binge
Combine big ideas with very personal stakes and a willingness to take risks, and you get a book like Ascension. You’ve got a renowned scientist, a shadowy organisation, a team of experts and intellectuals, and an impossible mountain that’s appeared literally out of nowhere, and together they tell the story – told largely in epistolary format through the protagonist’s letters – of a man apparently losing his sanity, but whose character becomes increasingly clear over the duration of the book. It might not be for everyone (things start off like a real-world thriller before getting very strange and very sci-fi as the story progresses), but I absolutely loved the bravery of this story, and Binge’s willingness to throw everything at it, tackling both a complex character study and a wild, complex plot.
Check out my review of Ascension
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Over the last few years I’ve become a huge Moreno-Garcia fan, and I’m endlessly amazed by her ability to tackle a different genre with each book and make each story work so well. This time she turns her attention back to horror by way of vintage Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism, with her usual real-world, historical backdrop. It’s about a pair of friends who, after meeting a once-famous film director, find themselves caught up in a dark world of ritual magic when they agree to help him complete an old, unfinished film. Compared to Mexican Gothic, for example, it’s a bit more of a supernatural sort of horror, albeit not in the sense of vampires (look to Certain Dark Things instead of that) or werewolves, but as with all Moreno-Garcia novels it’s both richly detailed and full of complex characters. It’s relatively low key despite the darkness, but it’s utterly fascinating.
Check out my review of Silver Nitrate
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub
One of several surprise favourites in 2023, this came out of left field and won me over with its smart, funny take on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, focusing on younger sister Lydia Bennet and offering an alternative explanation for her ‘high spirits’. This particular iteration of Lydia is, as the title suggests, a witch – and her troubles stem as much from magical complexities (including Wickham being an actual demon) as anything else. It’s tremendously entertaining to read about Lydia’s magical exploits, and rest assured this goes way beyond the events of P & P, starting in Lydia’s early years and moving in and out of the original story in clever, effective ways. I’m relatively familiar with the source material, although I wouldn’t say I was a super fan, but this is such a cleverly plotted and brilliantly written story that it doesn’t really matter how familiar you are. If you like the idea of a fun, characterful fantasy story mixing Regency England with magic and witchcraft, definitely give this a look!
Check out my review of The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch
System Collapse by Martha Wells
Have I told you that I love Murderbot? Because I very much do! A new instalment in the Murderbot Diaries is always something to celebrate, and this volume – book number seven, technically the second ‘full novel’ but really somewhere between a novel and a novella – offers another hugely entertaining dose of everything that makes the series so much fun. It picks up pretty much directly after the events of Network Effect (I recommend a re-read of at least the last few chapters) and sees Murderbot struggling to process recent trauma, which makes dealing with corporate stooges trying to trick innocent settlers into terrible ‘contracts’. I still think the novella format works best for Murderbot, but this middle ground (it’s a ‘short novel’, I suppose) is very effective too, and this particular story seems to be suggesting Wells will soon be taking everyone’s favourite rogue SecUnit in an intriguing new direction.
Check out my review of System Collapse
Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
Another book I might never have picked up had the publisher not sent it my way, this is the story of newlyweds Lewis and Wren making their way in the world, their happiness impacted by one crucial fact…that Lewis is gradually mutating into a great white shark! It’s one of those stories that revolves around a single speculative element but otherwise reads totally straight; in this case the fact of Lewis’ mutation is unusual but not exceptional, so Habeck can concentrate on the impact it has on the characters rather than worrying about trying to explain the science or anything like that. The other notable aspects of this book are its very (and I mean very) short chapters, and Habeck’s willingness to structure Lewis and Wren’s experiences as poetry or snippets of plays alongside regular prose. The whole book is experimental and unconventional, but somehow all manages to gel beautifully, with the end result being an incredible study of two people dealing with everything that life throws at them.
Check out my review of Shark Heart
The Words of Kings and Prophets by Shauna Lawless
I read both The Children of Gods and Fighting Men (published in 2022, so technically out of scope of this article) and The Words of Kings and Prophets this year, and I knew as I read each one that they were going to be among my favourites of 2023. I’m going to slightly bend my own rules and talk about them here as a pair (and once the next book comes out in 2024 I’ll probably review the trilogy as a whole), as I read them quite close together. I don’t generally read a lot of historical fiction or historical fantasy, but these books just hit the spot for me – it’s so refreshing to read such beautifully written, character-driven fantasy novels, packed full of brilliant characters and determined to focus on the realities of life for the central pairing (Fódla and Gormflaith) rather than concentrating on their magic, or big battles and the like. Add in the brilliantly-researched historical backdrop, and you’ve got a seriously good series that feels magical enough to be great fantasy, and real enough to be great historical fiction! I simply can’t wait for book three!
Check out Shauna’s guest post from 2022’s Track of Words Advent Calendar, and keep an eye out for a new guest post coming very soon!
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
The third of the books I’ve chosen which are a bit less SFF than usual, this is…arguably…not really fantasy at all. But it is, however, utterly magical, and it’s from a publisher (Jo Fletcher Books) who have released a lot of my favourite books of the last few years! Think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where Willy Wonka is a beloved children’s author and the contestants are adults who (for various reasons) have a connection with the author, and the remote island where he lives. Despite the lack of actual magic in this book, it definitely has the feel of a classic children’s book – just written for adults, and in particular those of us who remember what it was like to be children, and the magical experience of reading a truly wonderful story. And that makes it pretty fantastic(al) in my mind!
Check out my review of The Wishing Game
Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
A closed-room murder mystery…taking place on a ship during a 12-day voyage…featuring the 12 heirs to the provinces of Concordia, each of whom (except for one) has a unique magical ability? Plus little dragon butlers with bow ties, who appear in sprays of glitter? With a queer, plus-size protagonist with tremendous style but absolutely no filter? I mean…what more could I possibly want from a fantasy novel? In case you hadn’t guessed by now, I absolutely loved Voyage of the Damned – it was a total joy to read, full of great characters (although protagonist Ganymedes – otherwise known as Dee – and the bundle of energy that is Grasshopper do kind of steal the show), with a central mystery that just works brilliantly, all set to the backdrop of a brilliant fantasy world. I’ll be reviewing this anon, but let’s just say I strongly recommend it.
Check out AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Frances White Talks Voyage of the Damned
Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being a Witch by Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent
I’ve been a Terry Pratchett fan for pretty much as long as I can remember, and the thought that there will never be a new Discworld novel again is still…painful. All is not lost, however, as this new companion book – written by Rhianna Pratchett (the great man’s daughter) and Gabrielle Kent – now exists, and it is an utter delight. Written from Tiffany’s perspective, the idea is that she’s been gradually writing this guide over the course of years, helped by comments from various familiar names, so the book feels like a distillation of wisdom and knowledge that spans not just Tiffany’s stories but the whole Witches arc of the Discworld. With beautiful illustrations from the one and only Paul Kidby, and a spot-on tone of voice, it’s the sort of ‘companion’ book that adds genuine value to the main series, and a book that I know I’ll be going back to time and time again. If you love the Discworld, make sure you get a copy of this (and join me in hoping that it’s only the first of many such books).
Check out my review of Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being a Witch
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So there you have it – the 10 SFF books I’ve enjoyed reading the most in 2023. If you’ve enjoyed this, and you’re a fan of Warhammer and Black Library, keep an eye out for a similar post dedicated to my favourite BL books of 2023 coming soon. If you hadn’t already read my reviews/interviews, or seen me raving about these books online, I hope this has inspired you to go out and pick up some or all of them!
What were your favourite SFF books of 2023 though? I’d love to get your recommendations, so please do let me know either in the comments below or on social media.
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This is a great and varied list, I love it! I was eyeing SHARK HEART at the book store the other day, but passed because I have SO MANY unread books in my house. THE WISHING GAME is on my TBR and so is THE WORDS OF KINGS AND PROPHETS, which I have an ARC for that I’m behind on (oops!). I saw VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED will possibly be in one of my January book subs, but I’m sadly leaning toward skipping it because I just don’t do mysteries…if anything, maybe I’ll check it out later as a library read.