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Science Fiction and Fantasy
From witch stories to near-future noir, here are the year’s 10 best speculative books.
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By Amal El-Mohtar
Vajra Chandrasekera’s THE SAINT OF BRIGHT DOORS (Tordotcom, 356 pp., $27.99) is the best book I’ve read this year. Fetter, the protagonist, is one of several almost-chosen-ones who have shirked or sidestepped their spectacular destinies in favor of haunted and marginal lives in the city of Luriat. The city has many “bright doors” that seem to open onto nothing. Fetter’s fascination with them draws him into a web of Luriati intrigue involving his estranged and godlike father, the Perfect and Kind — whom Fetter has been trained since childhood to kill.
Protean, nimble, dazzlingly original, “The Saint of Bright Doors” offers a grammar for comprehending the knots of atrocity we’re living through, without resorting to the blunt simplicity of allegory.
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Family secrets abound in INK BLOOD SISTER SCRIBE (William Morrow, 407 pp., $30), Emma Törzs’s astonishing and pristine debut. Two sisters, Esther and Joanna, have been raised to be secret stewards of magical books — tomes written in and activated by human blood. Joanna can “hear” magic books; Esther can’t, and seems immune to their magical effects. But after the death of their father — exsanguinated by a book that wouldn’t let him read it — the sisters become estranged, with Joanna rooted at home while Esther roams the world.
Törzs’s careful attention to the mundane physicality of bookbinding makes a well-trodden magic system feel fascinating and fresh. From a quiet beginning, “Ink Blood Sister Scribe” accelerates like a fugue, ably conducted to a warm conclusion.
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INFINITY GATE (Orbit, 535 pp., paperback, $18.99), by M.R. Carey, is an immense achievement: an impeccably crafted book that makes several science-fictional concepts — the lone scientist trying to save the world, the multiverse, the war between organic life and machines — feel new and tender.
The unnamed narrator lays out the circ*mstances of its creation like a host setting a table. Three people were responsible for its sentience, it tells us: Hadiz Tambuwal, a scientist; Essien Nkanika, a rogue; and Topaz Tourmaline FiveHills, a … rabbit? The narrator details their lives, their interactions and the vast reach of the changes they catalyze. While the book technically begins and ends on a university campus in Lagos, Nigeria, its vaulting scope makes you feel as if you’ve taken a few steps up a mountain and ended up in outer space.
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Frances Hardinge’s haunting and lovely UNRAVELLER (Amulet, 423 pp., $19.99) is set in a world of magical marshlands full of dangerous gifts and beautiful threats. Among these are the Little Brothers, spiderlike creatures who, out of sympathy for the angry and suffering, grant some people the ability to curse others. A curse might make a wicked man’s hands weep blood or turn a woman into a harp or children into birds, all depending on the grief and fury of the curser.
Kellen is an unraveller — someone who can undo curses. Nettle is a girl who was cursed to be a heron until Kellen unraveled her back into her human form. Their two points of view make the book into a kind of loom worked between them, a warp and weft intersecting to bring a richer image into view.
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Heather Fawcett’s EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES (Del Rey, 317 pp., $28) is a stirring exploration of mythography and storytelling, with a dark and twisted heart. Emily is a Cambridge scholar singularly committed to “dryadology” in an early-1900s world where the study of fairies is an acknowledged branch of the sciences. Very close to completing a landmark work (the titular encyclopedia), she journeys to Ljosland, Norway, to “document an enigmatic species of faerie called ‘Hidden Ones.’”
Structured as entries in Emily’s field journal, the novel lays out her aims, her curmudgeonly nature and her pestiferous relationship with one Wendell Bambleby — a charismatic fellow researcher and sometime rival who Emily suspects is a fairy himself. Delicious and satisfying, Fawcett’s novel mixes winsome characters with real loss and deep feeling.
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Fonda Lee’s UNTETHERED SKY (Tordotcom, 152 pp., $22.99) combines falconry and Persian mythology into a short, stand-alone fantasy that punches well above its weight. In Dartha, man-eating monsters known as manticores stalk the countryside, insatiable and unstoppable — except by rocs, gigantic birds of prey. The people of Dartha have learned to defend themselves by capturing fledgling rocs and training them in the Royal Mews to hunt manticores. These trainers, or ruhkers, are devoted to rearing their rocs in a ferocious and mutually beneficial partnership. Ester is one such ruhker, recollecting her training of Zahra, her first roc.
At the heart of the story is Ester’s knowledge that she has dedicated her life to a creature whose mind she can’t know and whose love she can’t earn, but whose power she nevertheless depends on for survival every day. The result is devastating and marvelous.
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TITANIUM NOIR (Knopf, 236 pp. $28), by Nick Harkaway, is a funny, voice-y book full of fantastic sentences that remind us of how much detective fiction has in common with poetry. In a near-future world, a highly inaccessible drug, Titanium 7, allows patients to recover from life-threatening damage by turning their body clocks back to prepubescence and running them through adolescent development at speed, leaving them taller and stronger. Known as Titans, these people are secretive and ultrarich. When a man with all the physical traits of a Titan is found shot dead, the police turn to Cal Sounder, an investigator with personal ties to the wonder drug’s inventor.
Twisting and turning between excellent fun and melancholy, “Titanium Noir” is an exemplar of the genre.
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WHITE CAT, BLACK DOG (Random House, 260 pp., $27) is Kelly Link’s fifth collection of short stories, and her first since “Get in Trouble” in 2016. While each of the seven stories is subtitled with the name of a famous fairy tale or ballad, these are not straightforward retellings or reworkings; rather, Link treats them as ingredients from which to prepare a delicate, threatening feast.
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Martha Wells’s WITCH KING (Tordotcom, 414 pp., $28.99) is an immersive throwback to a beloved species of 1990s fantasy doorstop, full of cataclysmic intrigues between mostly immortal families, rounded out with a list of dramatis personae and a map. The titular Witch King, Kai, wakes from an enchanted sleep to find that he and his best friend, Ziede, have been betrayed and imprisoned, and that Ziede’s wife, Tahren, is missing. They escape and embark on a quest to find Tahren and root out the conspiracy that separated the couple.
Kai is a demon, able to wield magic and possess the bodies of the living; Ziede is a witch, able to converse with the elemental world. Wells is working at the height of her powers here, and it’s relaxing to be carried along for a ride in the company of such a phenomenal storyteller.
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Melinda Taub’s THE SCANDALOUS CONFESSIONS OF LYDIA BENNET, WITCH (Grand Central, 392 pp., $29) is a delightful excavation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” What if Lydia Bennet — younger sister to Elizabeth, dupe of Wickham, catalyst to her sisters’ marital good fortune through her own ruin — were a witch? It’s simply wonderful, a laugh-and-cry book. Taub’s remarkable close reading of and research into Austen’s work carefully threads a needle between invention and retelling, contemporary legibility and historical homage. The result is a terrifically well-balanced novel blending romance, fantasy and mystery.
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A version of this article appears in print on , Page
21
of the Sunday Book Review
with the headline:
The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
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As an avid reader and enthusiast of speculative fiction, I am thrilled to share my expertise and knowledge on the best books of 2023 in the genres of thrillers, sci-fi and fantasy, crime, romance, historical fiction, and poetry. Throughout the year, I have delved into numerous books that have captured my imagination, and I am excited to discuss some of the standout titles.
In the realm of science fiction and fantasy, Vajra Chandrasekera's "THE SAINT OF BRIGHT DOORS" is a remarkable tale that has left a lasting impression on me. Set in the city of Luriat, the story follows Fetter, a character who has chosen to live a haunted and marginal life instead of embracing his destined path. The city's "bright doors" that seemingly lead to nothing become a source of fascination for Fetter, drawing him into a web of intrigue involving his estranged and godlike father. Chandrasekera's prose is protean, nimble, and dazzlingly original, providing readers with a unique perspective on the atrocities of our world without resorting to simple allegory.
Another standout book in the speculative fiction genre is Emma Törzs's "INK BLOOD SISTER SCRIBE." This astonishing debut explores the lives of two sisters, Esther and Joanna, who are raised as secret stewards of magical books written in human blood. Törzs's attention to detail in bookbinding adds a fascinating and fresh dimension to the well-trodden magic system. As the sisters navigate the aftermath of their father's death, the story unfolds with increasing intensity, culminating in a satisfying conclusion.
M.R. Carey's "INFINITY GATE" is an immense achievement in crafting science fiction concepts that feel new and tender. The book introduces us to a lone scientist, a rogue, and a seemingly ordinary rabbit, whose interactions and actions have far-reaching consequences. Carey's skillful storytelling and exploration of multiverse and the war between organic life and machines make "INFINITY GATE" a captivating read.
Frances Hardinge's "UNRAVELLER" takes readers on a haunting journey through a world of magical marshlands filled with dangerous gifts and beautiful threats. The Little Brothers, spiderlike creatures with the power to curse others, add a sense of intrigue and danger to the story. The perspectives of Kellen, an unraveller, and Nettle, a girl cursed to be a heron, intertwine to create a rich and captivating narrative.
Heather Fawcett's "EMILY WILDE'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES" is a stirring exploration of mythography and storytelling. Set in an early-1900s world where the study of fairies is a recognized branch of science, the story follows Emily, a Cambridge scholar on a quest to document an enigmatic species of faerie. Fawcett's novel, structured as entries in Emily's field journal, skillfully weaves together winsome characters with real loss and deep emotion.
Fonda Lee's "UNTETHERED SKY" seamlessly combines falconry and Persian mythology in a short yet powerful standalone fantasy. In the world of Dartha, man-eating monsters known as manticores threaten the people, but they can be defended against by rocs, gigantic birds of prey. Ester, a ruhker tasked with training rocs, forms a bond with Zahra, her first roc, despite the uncertainty and dependence that comes with it. Lee expertly explores the complexities of their relationship, resulting in a devastating and marvelous tale.
Nick Harkaway's "TITANIUM NOIR" provides a unique blend of detective fiction and poetry in a near-future world. The story revolves around a highly inaccessible drug called Titanium 7, which allows patients to reset their body clocks and recover from life-threatening damage. Cal Sounder, an investigator with personal ties to the drug, is pulled into a complex web of secrets and intrigue. Harkaway's writing is both funny and melancholic, making "TITANIUM NOIR" an exemplary addition to the genre.
Kelly Link's "WHITE CAT, BLACK DOG" is a collection of short stories that showcases her mastery of blending fantasy and fairy tales. Each story, subtitled with the name of a famous fairy tale or ballad, offers a delicate yet threatening feast for readers. Link's ability to reimagine these tales while maintaining their essence is truly remarkable.
Martha Wells's "WITCH KING" takes readers on an immersive journey into a beloved fantasy world reminiscent of the 1990s. The story follows Kai, the Witch King, as he wakes from an enchanted sleep to find himself betrayed and imprisoned. Teaming up with his best friend, Ziede, Kai embarks on a quest to find Ziede's missing wife and uncover a conspiracy. Wells's world-building, coupled with intricate family dynamics and a compelling plot, makes "WITCH KING" a must-read for fantasy enthusiasts.
Finally, Melinda Taub's "THE SCANDALOUS CONFESSIONS OF LYDIA BENNET, WITCH" offers a delightful twist on Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." In this reimagining, Lydia Bennet, known for her ruinous actions, possesses magical abilities. Taub expertly combines romance, fantasy, and mystery to create a well-balanced novel that pays homage to Austen's work.
These are just a few highlights from the best books of 2023 in various genres. Each of these titles demonstrates the immense talent of the authors and their ability to transport readers to captivating worlds filled with unforgettable characters and compelling narratives. Whether you are a fan of thrillers, sci-fi and fantasy, crime, romance, historical fiction, or poetry, there is something for everyone in the literary landscape of 2023.
