We survived another one! Another year done, with highs and lows for everyone.
Our curators look back at their 2023 in speculative fiction, by evaluating their resolutions for the year and highlighting their favourite media/reviews of the past twelve months.
How successful were you in fulfilling your 2023 resolutions? And, when it comes to speculative fiction, what were your favourites, disappointments and surprises this year?
2023 resolutions
I’ve been on a slow upward trajectory this year, and I’ve read more than I have in a while. And I actually managed to hold up my resolutions!
I read three novels in The Wheel of Time – and to be honest, that might have been three too many. It is not that bad, but it is just so… middle of the road. There is so much out there that I’d rather read! I guess you could say one of my resolutions for 2024 is that I will not be persuaded to spend more time on The Wheel of Time.
And I did actually paint a few miniatures this year! Not nearly as many as I used to, but I’m really glad that I climbed over the painting barrier in my head and I managed to work painting back into my routine. I’ve mostly been adding to my Rohan army, but I really need to start painting heroes for that Quest of the Ringbearer-campaign that is really going to start some time soon, I promise! I suppose the next challenge would be to actually paint more miniatures than I buy (or print….) next year.
I didn’t actually play as much tabletop roleplaying games as I intended, but we did finally finish Seed of Mars after 7 years and that is probably the most satisfying TTRPG-experience I have ever had, with all the storylines coming together and the excitement running really high! I’ve actually already been asked to re-start the whole campaign with a new group, so of course I agreed. I’ve actually really enjoyed upping my game with the visuals – redesigning the character sheets, drawing the objects and vehicles… though now I need to make sure that I don’t put the bar too high.
favourite
I’ve read a couple of books I really liked this year – such as the gripping dark He Who Drowned the World and the unexpected Odyssey of Metro 2033, but for my favourite book we’re going to have to go all the way back to Joe Abercrombie’s The Heroes. I really love his style, I really love his interesting narrative choices, I really love that it’s both a great standalone and a great tie in, and I really couldn’t find anything to criticise. I think it is a must read if you are even casually interested in the dark underbelly of traditional fantasy.
Biggest Surprise
I’ve come across a couple of surprises, too, this year: I didn’t expect to enjoy the Dungeons & Dragons movie nearly as much as I did, for example. But the one that stands out for me is Legends & Lattes, which I finished recently – reviews are coming shortly, but I’m hoping the other curators will hop on the bandwagon before I publish mine. I’ve been outspoken about disliking the fantasy-as-a-setting trend before, and the whole thing screamed ‘not for me’. But I saw it was on the Hugo shortlist, which surprised me a little, and once I realised it was only 8 hours long, I gave it a whirl. And it was actually really good! Unapologetic, fun, light, and short enough never to lose momentum. A real pity it didn’t actually take home the Hugo – I liked it a lot better than Nettle & Bone (review also upcoming), which won the award this year.
Biggest Disappointment
I’m probably not allowed to cite the Dutch general elections this November as my biggest disappointment this year (though some party platforms did read like a fantasy book…). I actually considered going for The Priory of the Orange Tree for my disappointment of the years, not because it was bad – it was actually still pretty good – but because for some reason I expected it to be exalted and, well, it wasn’t. That didn’t feel fair though, so I’m going to go with The Wheel of Time instead. That, too, wasn’t that bad, but it was just… uninteresting? So many people swear by it, but I really couldn’t get into it. Life is too short to read the Wheel of Time.
2023 resolutions
This year flew by for me. I don’t feel like I got a lot done, but that’s probably because I’ve started figure skating in winter. A lot. And then when the season ended and my rink closed, summer just felt like a big vacation, so I didn’t get around to doing all of the stuff I vowed to do. But I still managed to do okay at my resolutions!
I don’t remember exactly when I started the initial Farseer–trilogy, but I know it was a LONG time ago. I’ve been avoiding finishing the series because I really love it. For those who don’t know: this series consists of 16 (!) books. This year, I finally managed to read the first two books of the Fitz and the Fool–trilogy, the final trilogy of the series. Despite owning gorgeous hard cover versions of the last two books, I ended up listening to the audiobook for the final novel. I’m currently still listening to it!
My second resolution is a bit of a rough one. I barely drew anything this year, let alone fanart. I just haven’t felt very motivated to draw, I suppose. I intend to pick it back up next year, though!
On a more positive note, I’m happy to report that I’ve finally finished Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey! Or at least, I’ve finished the main quest. The spoiler I saw that made me vow to actually finish the game this year wasn’t actually part of the main quest, apparently? So I suppose there’s still a bunch of content still to see. However, I’m happy with the time I put into the game and I don’t intend to pick it up again anytime soon.
favourite
I would say my favourite thing I picked up this year is the latest season of Dropout’s Dimension 20: Burrow’s End. It was the perfect mix of funny, spooky and heartfelt. The campaign was mostly roleplay with little combat, which was perfect for me as I’m not a huge fan of combat in D&D live play shows. Also the show focuses on a family of stoats, which was cute as heck.
Biggest Surprise
I suppose my biggest surprise of this year was getting an advanced reader copy of a pretty serious sci-fi book; Han Song’s Hospital. I haven’t done much research yet into the world of ARC’s, and I’m quite content just uploading reviews of things way after their popularity has died down. Still, it was fun to be offered the opportunity to read a book before it comes out, especially because it’s the type of book I likely wouldn’t have picked up myself.
Biggest Disappointment
I’m not sure exactly why I had high hopes for A Discovery of Witches, but it was an absolute slog to get through and I’m glad it’s over. Genuinely I cannot believe how many people love this book.
2023 resolutions
My year turned out to be quite hectic so I definitely did not do as much reading as I’d hoped. However, looking at my resolutions from last year it doesn’t look too bad: I did manage to read Babel, and Jop and I also finished the final season of The Walking Dead. I’m still only halfway on the first of the miniatures that I wanted to paint though, so unless I have a very productive Christmas break, that will have to wait until next year!
favourite
I really enjoyed Babel, which I read at the beginning of the year, but if I’m honest with myself there was another book that I enjoyed even more. Although it isn’t speculative fiction I will still mention it here, because it is also by R. F. Kuang. I found myself jumping on the bandwagon of this year’s big literary sensation: Yellowface. If you’re looking for something that’s a little different and that has a fast-paced, darkly funny discussion of racism and the book industry, give it a go!
Biggest Surprise
Here, I have to say Willow. While I still would not describe this show as ‘good’, I look back on it with more fondness than I ever thought possible. I undeniably had a good time with it and if it hadn’t been cancelled, I would even be looking forward to the next season.
Biggest Disappointment
Looking back, I have to conclude that my year was pretty average. There weren’t any major disappointments, but also not that many things have really stayed with me. So I guess in a way that in itself is my biggest disappointment. I’m hoping that next year will feature some more highlights!
2023 resolutions
Oh yeah, those resolutions I made up last year. I certainly remember those…
But honestly, I didn’t do as bad as I thought. I did read I, Robot and I would have certainly played Dragon Age: Dreadwolf if the universe had blessed my existence with its release this year. For the success rate of my new resolutions it would probably be safe to not include a game that hasn’t got a confirmed release date? Still, I’ll put Dragon Age: Dreadwolf in my “to consume” resolutions till it’s released, cancelled or until any unhoped-for accident happens that will prevent me from putting together a list of resolutions.
My third resolution was to read Harrow the Ninth. This was an error (in my defence, the titles of these books are very much alike). I actually meant to read Gideon the Ninth. I am in possession of the book, but I have yet to read it. Most of my reading time this year went into rereading the Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb, a decision I don’t regret.
So, one out of three… Better luck next year?
favourite
My favourite of this year was in some sense also a big surprise (though perhaps not the biggest): Baldur’s Gate 3. Ironically, before its release I didn’t really expect to play it. I’ve tried to pick up Baldur’s Gate 2 multiple times in the past, but I never really liked it. As such, its successor wasn’t on my radar. Instead, I kept dreaming of the next Dragon Age.
However, I let myself be influenced by social media and requested Baldur’s Gate 3 for my birthday in early October. It was a month of self-rediscovery for me, with a decent amount of free time, and in retrospect the perfect moment to sink all my time into a new game. It was perfect! It’s been a while since I have played a good fantasy TTRPG and Baldur’s Gate 3 scratched an itch that desperately needed scratching. Also, I’ve always found that a process of self-reflection really benefits from intense escapism. My tiefling cleric of Mielikki and her ragtag band of adventurers were really great in that regard.
Biggest Surprise
I’d nominate I, Robot for the biggest surprise category this year. This is not a sign of distrust of Peter as my science fiction mentor, but rather a personal bias when it comes to science fiction media. on the whole. In general, I just don’t expect to like it as much as I love fantasy. I very much enjoyed I, Robot though!
Biggest Disappointment
There weren’t really any disappointments for me this year, I believe. At least not when it comes to speculative fiction. Except for the aforementioned complete lack of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, of course… Somehow, I keep setting myself up for disappointment with that one. Year after year. Oh well…
That’s us for today, folks! Happy holidays!
