I and other contributors talked about our notable books of 2023 for the Ancillary Review of Books. My entry was S.A. Chakraborty’s The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, and there are several other books I’ve already added to my TBR on the list. Happy 2024!
A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather
Happy Halloween! I’m thrilled to be making my debut in the Ancillary Review of Books with a review of Lina Rather’s new novella, A Season of Monstrous Conceptions. It’s a historical fantasy, and very different from her previous nuns-in-space series in some ways, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and it’s certainly a seasonally appropriate read.
Translation State by Ann Leckie
My review of Translation State (2023) by Ann Leckie went up at Strange Horizons last month. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and I’m eagerly awaiting Leckie’s next book as usual, particularly if it’s another tale from the world of the Imperial Radch.
Arch-Conspirator
My review of Veronica Roth’s Arch-Conspirator went live at Strange Horizons in May. This slim novella, a more faithful retelling of Antigone than I was expecting, packs a real punch. Definitely recommended.
Where Black Stars Rise
My review of the graphic novel Where Black Stars Rise, with words by Nadia Shammas and art by Marie Enger, was published at Strange Horizons in March. You don’t have to be a huge fan of The King in Yellow to get a lot out of this slim graphic novel, and I definitely recommend it to those who are fans of all things Lovecraftian. I’ve been a fan of Marie Enger’s art for years, and it perfectly matches the narrative. Definitely recommended.
Remembering Maureen Kincaid Speller
I and some of the other Strange Horizons wrote up our recollections and gratitudes about working with the late Maureen Kincaid Speller, who passed away last year. (Fuck cancer, anyway.) You can also read the tribute that Dan and Aisha wrote not long after the news broke. I’ll miss Maureen’s sharp eye and deeply intelligent edits and interesting commentary on Twitter. Vale.
2022 in Review at Strange Horizons
2022 is well and truly in the rearview mirror, to which I say, good riddance. But if you’re interested in some of what was good about last year, my tranche of the annual year in review is up at Strange Horizons as of…two months ago.
Five Speculative Books Featuring Tarot
I’m quite proud of this list, as I think it’s got a nice mix of selections, and I’m pleased to see that it got a large response from the commentariat as well. (To whom it may concern: I didn’t mention Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber because the only Zelazny I’ve read is A Night in the Lonesome October.) And while I didn’t have the space to say this in the article itself, let me take the time here to advocate that everyone read the first ten Lord Peter Wimsey books in order, not just skipping straight to the Vane novels. You’re missing an absorbing arc of character development, some enjoyable mysteries and at least two stone cold classic novels if you don’t read all ten books.
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
I reviewed The Book Eaters, the debut novel by Sunyi Dean, for Strange Horizons earlier this month. There’s a lot going on in this book, and it’s definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year. Highly recommended, and I’ll be looking forward to Dean’s next book for sure.
The Bone Shard Daughter and The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart
My review of the first two books in this trilogy by Andrea Stewart went up at Strange Horizons yesterday. All in all they were a lot of fun, and I’ll be interested to see how Stewart ties everything together in the forthcoming The Bone Shard War.
Electra Pritchett 