Between the novel, the essay and the comic strip, the editorial team read a lot again this year. In this full-fledged guide, Numerama journalists offer you their personal favorites for 2023.
Looking for new reading? There is of course our science fiction Christmas guide, or even the one on fantasy. For even more choice, you will also find our 50 21st century SF books to read once in your life. But in this end-of-year selection, the entire editorial team participates, with the favorite works of Numerama journalists in 2023.
The Sea of Tranquility (novel), for Marcus
Emily St John Mandel had set the bar high with Station Eleven, his great masterpiece — where this sometimes overused term applies fully and surely. The novelist therefore hits hard with The Sea of Tranquility, his new novel which once again manages to deeply mark our souls. With a work that upsets and comforts.
The novelist deploys all the power possible in a story set in four different eras, but where each character experiences the same strange event. Whether in the 20th century or in the distant future, is empathy the force that connects us? Possibilities are also a power, concrete, almost material, in Emily St John Mandel.
Elles, the trilogy (BD), for Marcus
The year 2023 is that of the last volume — Plural(s) — from the trilogy They. Rarely has a series of comics been so perfect and wonderful from A to Z. The modern and refreshing drawings of Aveline Stokart have a lot to do with it: the artist’s talent is astounding. But there is also a beautiful coming-of-age storysigned by the equally talented Kid Toussaint. They will speak to teenagers or to the teenager who is still sleeping in you, as the comic strip so well transcribes the complexity of understanding one’s mind and body during these years.
So, everything falls: Second part, Blacksad volume 7 (BD), for Julien
We had to wait two years to finally know the epilogue of John Blacksad’s latest urban adventure, with the release of the second volume ofSo everything falls. The comic, still signed by the pair Juan Díaz Canales (screenplay) and Juanjo Guarnido (drawing and colors), concludes the intrigue built around the shenanigans of Solomon, a real estate developer with implacable ambition.
If you like the thriller atmosphere, noir films, detectives, brutal beatings and settling scores in sordid alleys, Blacksad is what you need. The line retains the great mastery that we know, with a few striking boxes. Blacksad’s final outburst, in the very last pages, in which he becomes a feline shadow, is a brilliant flash.
A world dirtier than me (novel), for Nino
“ And then came a night that I loved. A night because of which I will never be a good victim. ” In A world dirtier than me by Capucine Delattre, we follow the story of Elsa, a young woman of 17 years old. But it’s not just Elsa’s story. This is the story of all the young girls who, like me, were born in 2000, who experienced the popularization of the hashtag #MeToo in 2017, just before becoming adults, and who thought they were safe in a world that seemed more advanced to them on the feminist subject than that of their mother.
The author explores subjects such as violence in the couple, guilt, the discovery of one’s body and one’s sexuality, coming out of denial after a toxic relationship, “good” and “bad” victims… It’s a novel that hurts on the surface, but is good deep down, because we finally have a correct representation of what it is to be a 17 year old girl in 2017, to be confronted with a world in which we would like to be in security, or which some would have us believe that we have nothing to fear, but which is nevertheless so dangerous, all the time, everywhere, even where we do not expect it.
We never talk enough about consent. In 2023, there are still men who rape, women who dare to speak out to denounce their attacker but who are reduced to silence, or who do not dare to speak out for fear of being called “crazy”. » or that we don’t believe them. The originality is also that of a fiction: it depicts a harsh reality with as much relevance and precision as an essay but in a more accessible way for anyone who would be afraid of tackling a more theoretical or academic work. It is a frank novel, a novel which testifies, an important and even necessary novel, a novel which strikes you with truths which hurt, but which are there, and which must evolve.
The Master Illuminators (novel), for Aurore
For those who read a lot of fantasy, certain books seem to repeat themselves and be the same. The Master Illuminators, by Robert Jackson Bennet, thanks to a hyper original magic system, called Illuminations, is a “ major work of fantasy » as Numerama already said a few months ago. Above all, it’s a wonderful reading experience: you never get bored with it. The Master Illuminatorsand we are often even blown away by the originality and strength of Robert Jackson Bennet’s writing.
Sancia is the best thief in all of Tevane, thanks to a very special talent: she can hear objects, which allows her to undo safes and padlocks. But when a new, particularly dangerous mission asks her to steal a mysterious object that attracts the desire of all the most powerful houses in the city, Sancia’s destiny changes. A unique book, to offer to all fantasy fans.
The Throne of Jasmine (novel), for Aurore
Technically, I didn’t read this book in 2023, but in 2022, when it was released in its original version. However, given that it has just been published in France, I consider that it has its place in this list, particularly because it is one of the best books I have ever read (and my favorite book ). Beautifully well written, epic, original, and absolutely addictive, The Throne of Jasmine is a triumph, and the new standard with The Master Illuminators of what, in my opinion, the fantasy of tomorrow should be.
After trying to overthrow her brother, the tyrant Chandra, Princess Malini is locked up, on the other side of the country, in a ruined palace said to be cursed. As she gradually dies, she meets Priya, one of the palace servants. Except Priya isn’t exactly who she says she is, because she’s hiding her past and a dangerous power. The two women will have to team up to escape — and change the world forever.
Elon Musk (essay), for Nicolas
In 2023, twelve years after the release of his biography of Steve Jobs, author Walter Isaacson became interested in Elon Musk. If the biography of the boss of Tesla and SpaceX is sometimes long and boring, it helps to better understand the character, to understand his failings and his controversial personality. We discover that Elon Musk had a toxic and violent childhood, which taught him not to be afraid of anything. He himself is aware of what is wrong, but Elon Musk seems to be self-determined to reproduce the family’s mistakes. Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson is not the book of the year, but it is a book to read for technology enthusiasts.
Bonus: Ubik, for Audrey
Granted, it wasn’t released in 2023, but Ubik (1970 for the first French translation) remains an emblematic reference in science fiction. Effective and captivating from the first sentence, the plot is particularly well executed and the characters are as diverse as they are deep. The more pages you turn, the stronger the desire to read the next one. Philip K. Dick’s fluid writing takes us through layers of complexity that are as thrilling as they are fascinating. In this kind of time travel between different universes, the author explores different metaphysical and societal questions without weighing down the story. Everything is successful in this science fiction book that is devourable. We are almost disappointed to reach the last page as we would like to continue the journey.
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