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The year 2021 was supposed to be different, but alas, it felt more like groundhog day. Regardless, books were still here to save the day and give moments of reprieve from the doom scrolling and my staring contests with a few walls (which I won many of). With an overwhelmingly exciting year of fiction coming to a close, here’s a roundup of everything speculative.

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

Kerine Wint:ÌýFirstly, I’m glad to say that this year was truly one for the women and nonbinary folk! Not only was there noticeable attention on authors of color but queer authors caught a wave with their releases, bringing an uptick of diverse characters to the page. Even more exciting is the amount of releases with sapphic representation at the forefront: Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard, Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta, A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark, The Unbroken by C.L. Clark, and She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan.
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Although there were a lot of predictions on the impact of COVID-19 and it possibly producing more sociopolitical upheavals and disease-centric narratives, that largely isn’t the case. Instead, more historical, alternate-reality, retellings, and isolated stories (like in specific towns or space) have come out: The World Gives Way by Marissa Levien, A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske, Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood, A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson, to name a few. There’s also more focus on character-building as much as worldbuilding to emphasize humanity and build empathy with readers: Black Water Sister by Zen Cho, Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon, Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders, A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel.


GR: Who are some new and exciting authors you discovered in 2021?

KW:ÌýSurprisingly, out of my top ten picks, only two are from my go-to/auto-buy authors. This year spoiled readers with a plethora of new authors and some of the freshest ideas. Amber McBride’s free-verse debut, Me, was a profound coming-of-age that was haunting and even more beautiful upon my second read.
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As I delved into more horror this year, I read Cassandra Khaw’s Nothing but Blackened Teeth and was impressed by the horror elements in its haunted house setting and the complicated, ambiguous pasts of this friend group. Plus, a wedding in a haunted house should have you sold on this already.
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Lastly, this author isn’t new to me but her prowess in YA fantasy is undeniable, so when I read Zoraida Córdova’s The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, her marvelous prose blew me away all over again in this adult novel.

GR: Looking ahead, what predictions do you have for the genres in 2022? And are there any 2022 titles you can’t wait to read?

KW: I have seen the hype for retellings taper a bit as general fiction consumers want wholly new narratives. I’m looking forward to authors who have not only set up their own universes but are leaning into companion stories rather than direct sequels. I also think the rise in supernatural/paranormal releases will come around the second half as witches and ghosts have been “testing the waters� in the past five years, and I think readers are ready for the undead to rejoin.

As for my 2022 picks as of right now:
Redwood and Wildfire by Andrea Hairston
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
The Blue, Beautiful World by Karen Lord
The Red Palace byÌýJune Hur


GR: What were some of your favorite 2021 books?Ìý

KW:ÌýThe 2021 releases made it extremely hard to pick my top ten, but I think this list has a bit of everything we all need.
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