Hello everyone, welcome back to the second installment of my very long Books of the Year series. Today I’m sharing all the fantasy/sci-fi books that I read in 2023. Back in 2020, this was my most read genre. Then I read Lord of the Rings and all other fantasy faded and died in its glorious light. I no longer enjoy reading it.
Stats
Read: 7 books
Average Year Written: 1980
Average Rating: 2.4 Stars
Average Page Count Per Book: 351
Best: Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
Worst: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Books in italics are re-reads, and books with asterisks are audiobooks. 🙂
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins* – 1 Star
You can read my full rant on why I hate The Hunger Games here. To summarize, I thought the book was shallow, the characters silly, and the whole story cheap, and cliché.
Wishtress by Nadine Brandes* – 2 Stars
Again, you can read my full thoughts on why I didn’t enjoy this book here. I loved Nadine Brandes previous stories, and was sad by how different Wishtress was from them. It felt very rushed and like she had been challenged to use every single cliché element in storytelling in one novel.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling* – 3 Stars
I started out with the idea that I would hate Harry Potter. Shockingly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Harry was annoyingly perfect, of course. I don’t appreciate the praise of black magic or the emphasis on it. Otherwise, it was a fine story that I would have enjoyed back in my fantasy phase.
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson* – 3 Stars
I read this one for the first time a few years ago (in the fantasy era of my young life) and fell in love with it. I read it again this year and was disappointed to find the novel weaker and far less interesting than I remembered. It’s still a cute story, though, and I’ll always have nostalgic memories of it.
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis – 5 Stars
I loved seeing C.S. Lewis’s ideas of what space travel might have looked like. He was amazing at coming up with new creatures and beings to inhabit all the planets.
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis – 5 Stars
C.S. Lewis had an amazing ability to entertain and teach at the same time. Once I stopped thinking of this as an adventure novel, and more as a set of loosely disguised set of essays on God, man and evil, I enjoyed it.
I will say, I wasn’t expecting the graphic violence. There were a few chapters where Dr. Ransom was battling his enemy…both trying to kill each other without weapons. Lots of bone cracking, blood, biting, and flesh-tearing. *gags*
That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis – 3 Stars
I love the teaching behind this book, but oh goodness, it was so long and so boring – and that’s from someone who loves classics! Jane’s perspective was interesting, but as soon as it switched to her husband, Mark, I fell asleep.
Also…what is it with C.S. Lewis’s obsession with naked people?🫢🤣 In each book of the trilogy, he spends considerable time focused on his nude characters. Not in a sexualized way, but just having them without clothing. 😕
The violence and bloody scenes were like Perelandra, though more grotesque in some ways (a dead, not-dead, speaking, decapitated head, among other things).
I’m reminded of all the Greek myths that I read for school years back. Maybe that’s where he got his inspiration for The Space Trilogy.
All in all, fantasy wasn’t a good genre this year. I learned a lot from The Space Trilogy, but I could have lived without the others.
~Hattush
Do you enjoy the fantasy/sci-fi genre? Have you read any of the books I mentioned? What are your thoughts? Do you agree with my opinions? Let’s chat!
Daughter of the Light 