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Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ: What are some trends or themes you noticedÌýin sci-fi and fantasy this year?

Kerine Wint:ÌýAs expected, vampires came back in full swing this year, rounding out the supernatural/paranormal subgenres with witches in tow and all manner of the dead and undead abound. Even if implied, vamp stories like House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson, Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman, Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda, Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco, and Direwood by Catherine Yu have sunk their fangs into fans that have been waiting on their return.
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Speaking of all things dead, horror SFF was inescapable this year, often overshadowing the action/adventure-heavy titles that usually dominate. The Doloriad by Missouri Williams, Leech by Hiron Ennes, And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin, Sundial by Catriona Ward, What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher, and White Horse by Erika T. Wurth come to mind.
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Sci-fi took a break from time travel and instead had its fair share of dystopian worlds (Face by Joma West, Clean Air by Sarah Blake, The Sleepless by Victor Manibo, Poster Girl by Veronica Roth, The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan, and Walk the Vanished Earth by Erin Swan) and aliens among us (Light Years from Home by Mike Chen, Drunk on All Your Strange New Worlds by Eddie Robson, and A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys).


GR: Who are some new and exciting authors you discovered in 2022?

KW:ÌýThis was definitely the year of new-to-me authors or reading authors from my favorite short fiction publications. The pool of new and inventive speculative fiction this year was more enticing than ever. Hiron Ennes, , , , , , and —as you’ll see in my top 10—are all debut authors who blew me away. All of their worlds were refreshingly inventive that I made sure to check out as many debuts as possible (and guiltily ignore some of my most anticipated sequels).

I also want to mention When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo—a hauntingly beautiful story set in Trinidad and Tobago that brings together two souls, drawn by their service to the dead, to heal. The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi was a great setup to her African- and Arabian-inspired trilogy. Joma West created a compelling dystopian focused on where the power of social media could really take us in Face, and I have my eye out for her future releases. Lastly, I want to mention Little Foxes Took Up Matches by Katya Kazbek and how captivated I was by her juxtaposition of Russian folklore and the coming-of-age of a young boy born in 1986 USSR as he questions his own beliefs and his queer identity.

GR: Looking ahead, what predictions do you have for the genres in 2023? And are there any 2023Ìýtitles you can’t wait to read?

KW: With the sheer number of debuts and standalones that swept my personal TBR, it’s hard to predict what next year will bring. But if I had to make a few guesses, I can see the increase in literary, interpersonal stories taking over SFF. Intense worlds, battles, and destruction of empires aren’t going anywhere, but there’ll be more intimate explorations of identity, community, and love in familial and romantic relationships.

Mythologies and unique takes on folklore have also been steadily growing, and I expect to see them in trilogies throughout the 2023 roster. Fun and exciting in-space adventure narratives have been dwindling for a while now, and I see sci-fi leaning heavily into near-future dystopias surrounding climate, social media, and tackling more current global issues, forcing humanity to face itself head-on. If it’s in space, it’s for salvation.

My most anticipated 2023 books right now:
Wings Once Cursed and Bound by Piper J. Drake
±Ê¾±Ã±²¹³Ù²¹ by Leopoldo Gout
Earthflown by Frances Wren
The Thick and the Lean by Chana Porter
Unbreakable by Mira Grant
The Thief of Memory by Sunyi Dean


GR: What were some of your favorite 2022Ìýbooks?Ìý
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