By JJ: This thread is for posts about 2022-published works, which people have read and recommend to other Filers.
There will be no tallying of recommendations done in this thread; its purpose is to provide a source of recommendations for people who want to find something to read which will be eligible for the Hugos or other awards (Nebula, Locus, Asimov’s, etc.) next year.
If you’re recommending for an award other than / in addition to the Hugo Awards which has different categories than the Hugos (such as Locus Awards’ First Novel), then be sure to specify the award and category.
You don’t have to stop recommending works in Pixel Scrolls, please don’t! But it would be nice if you also post here, to capture the information for other readers.
The Suggested Format for posts is:
- Title, Author, Published by / Published in (Anthology, Collection, Website, or Magazine + Issue)
- Hugo or other Award Category: (Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story, Related Work, Graphic Novel, Lodestar, Astounding, etc)
- link (if available to read/view online)
- optional “Brief, spoiler-free description of story premise:”
- “What I liked / didn’t like about it:”
- (Please rot-13 any spoilers.)
There is a permalink to this thread in the blog header.
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Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, by Juno Dawson
Novel
At the dawn of their adolescence, on the eve of the summer solstice, four young girls — Helena, Leonie, Niamh and Elle — took the oath to join Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. Now, decades later, the witch community is still reeling from a civil war and Helena is the reigning High Priestess of the organization. And a young warlock of extraordinary capabilities has been captured by authorities and seems to threaten the very existence of HMRC.
I almost wish this book didn’t have to exist. But as things currently are, with trans people and trans rights under attack, it’s a necessary book. And it’s also a well-written one, with compelling characters.
Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchiakovsky, Orbit
Novel
The world annihilating, moon sized Architects that were driven off eighty years before have now returned. Idris, the damaged intermediary that enabled the earlier Architect defeat, reunites with the mixed alien crew of The Vulture God and allies with old foes against the existential threat.
The story returns to the lives of great characters from the first book and examines how societies and political bodies can have such self-interest that they fail to get their act together even in the face of certain death.
Wild and Wicked Things, by Francesca May
Novel (debut SFF novel, although she has written other works outside the genre)
On Crow Island, people whisper, real magic lurks just below the surface. But magic doesn’t interest Annie Mason. Not after it stole her future. She’s only on the island to settle her late father’s estate and, hopefully, reconnect with her long-absent best friend, Beatrice, who fled their dreary lives for a more glamorous one. Yet Crow Island is brimming with temptation, and the biggest one may be her enigmatic new neighbor.
This book covers a lot of ground, both by using magic as metaphor and simply by showing the reality of what happens to those on the fringes of society who are both desired and despised. The characters are often prickly, make stupid mistakes, and act in self-destructive ways — and most of them are also doing their best to protect each other. All of it is totally believable and earned. I’m impressed by the writing, and will be looking for more books by the author.
A Shitload of Crazy Powers, by Jackson Ford
Novel (4th in a series)
Teagan might have survived the flash flood of the century, but now she’s trapped in a hotel by a bunch of gun-toting maniacs. And to make matters worse, her powers have mysteriously disappeared. Faced with certain death at every turn, Teagan will need to use every resource she has.
The long-teased arrival of Teagan’s siblings kicks this book up a notch over the previous couple of entries in the series, as does the in-universe acknowledgement that everyone involved with the China Shop — from the Special Ops agents to their government superiors to the supposed criminal masterminds working against them — are basically incompetent idiots flailing around with no idea what they’re doing. Once that was established, it was a lot easier for me to lie back and enjoy the ride.
Best Dramatic Presentation: The Legend of Vox Machina Season 1 (Amazon Prime)
I’m hard-pressed to pick a single episode to nominate, so I think I’ll be nominating the season as a whole as long-form. (Always assuming that the nominations ever open… )
It’s an animated version of an actual dungeons-and-dragons campaign, with the serial numbers filed off (although it’s kind of fun to guess what spells or effects are being referenced) and it’s a lot of fun. Heroic fantasy but with very flawed heroes; dragon slaying and dick jokes…
Dog of the Dead, by Delia Marshall Turner
Novel
Martha Whitaker has finally made it to winter break, and she is not going to let anything keep her from completing her vacation chores. Not even the appearance of an immense egg on her kitchen table. And she will certainly not allow the armies of the recently dead to deter her from painting her living room and the upstairs bedroom.
Much of the pleasure in reading this book comes from the fact that the main character, a middle school English teacher, is perfectly willing to accept the bizarre supernatural events that invade her life, but is NOT ABOUT TO PUT UP WITH ANY NONSENSE FROM THEM. It is eternally delightful.