Future Favorites: Our Most Anticipated Releases of 2017

New year. New favorites.

Every week here at Speculative Chic, we highlight a few of our personal favorites in speculative fiction. But with a new year on the horizon, we couldn’t help but think — what do we think will be our favorites near year? What are the releases of 2017 that we are anticipating the most?

To learn about the books, movies, and more that we are looking forward to the most, read on below. And don’t forget to share the geeky properties your looking forward to the most in 2017 in the comments.

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J.L. Gribble is looking forward to… Star Wars: Episode VIII!

While it’s easy to get distracted by new television shows that are returning within the month, like season two of both The Magicians and The Expanse, or movies that I’ve already seen trailers for, like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming, I have to go back to my roots for what I’m truly excited for in 2017. Even though I have to wait nearly an entire 12 months for it and it doesn’t even have a title yet, I can’t wait for Star Wars: Episode VIII. The Force Awakens quickly became my favorite Star Wars film ever, based on both the story and the joy of finally seeing the sort of female hero that I wish I’d had when I was a child. I might be an adult now, but I can’t wait to see where Rey’s story takes her on her path to becoming a Jedi, how Finn will navigate his transition from Stormtrooper to Rebel, and whether Poe ever does get his jacket back. We only have to wait until next December 15 to find out.

 

Nancy is looking forward to… Wonder Woman!

Seriously, who ISN’T looking forward to the Wonder Woman movie? Gal Gadot’s performance as the Amazonian Warrior was easily one of the highlights of the otherwise messy Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The trailers have been absolutely amazing. And with Geoff Johns now in charge of the DC cinematic universe, there’s hope that this mega franchise will finally start living up to its potential.

Of course, there’s the fact that the DC movies so far have been middling to disastrous. Not to mention that Hollywood has a pretty horrible track record when it comes to making movies based around female superheroes.

But dammit, I’m not going to be pessimistic here. If what we’ve seen so far is any indication, Wonder Woman has the potential for greatness, focused on a timeless story, filled with engaging characters, and incredible action scenes. As someone who fangirls over Wonder Woman comics, period pieces, and Chris Pine, it really feels as if this movie was made with me in mind. Seriously, like a board of directors over at DC sat down and asked, “What are things that Nancy loves? Well, let’s put all those in a movie!” Diana even wears a beautiful blue dress!

I think it’s safe to say that DC has me officially worked into a fannish frenzy. Just please, please don’t let me down.

 

Casey is looking forward to… American Gods!

2017 is going to see a lot of potentially excellent releases in all corners of speculative media.  The thing that I’m looking forward the most, however, is the American Gods miniseries.  I am beyond excited for this.  I’ve been devouring every single stray piece of news that I’ve come across.  The cast looks perfect.  All of the stills have looked amazing.  The trailer was one of my Favorite Things in 2016.  I cannot say how many times that I’ve watched it.  I am holding my breath and crossing my fingers that this adaptation is a successful one.  If it fails then you will probably see me back here in about a year, crying because it will be 2017’s biggest disappointment.

 

Janicu is looking forward to… Thick as Thieves

The book I am most anticipating in 2017 is Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner. This is the fifth book in The Queen’s Thief series, a young adult fantasy series which started with The Thief, first published in 1996. That’s right, twenty years ago. Fans of this series know to expect a wait of at least four years between books, but they are so good, time doesn’t lessen the anticipation. If you are thinking of diving in: do read the series in order. Even though each book has a fresh viewpoint (sometimes a book is in first person, sometimes not, and narrators switch from book to book), and has a plot that begins and ends within its pages, so each book could stand alone, there is an overarching story line that ties the series together. The real star for the fans is Gen, the sly thief who is not always who he seems, and I always look forward to finding out how he fits into each book. According to the details on Thick as Thieves, this book will center around a character named Kamet who is an ambitious secretary to a Mede, but “with a whispered warning the future he envisioned is wrenched away, and he is forced onto a very different path.” Can’t wait to find out what that means.

 

Lane is looking forward to… City of Miracles

I could mention the whole slew of potentially amazing movies coming next year — Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Despicable Me 3, Star Wars, The Dark Freaking Tower — but you know, in the end, I’m rarely invested in movies.  For me, it’s all about the books.  And the book I’m looking forward to, with high high high levels of anticipation is Robert Jackson Bennett’s City of Miracles. I read his books — The Troupe, Mr. Shivers, & The Company Man — with varying levels of appreciation.  Then I read American Elsewhere and sat up and said, hey, this guy is really good!  They’re all contemporary fantasy/dark fantasy, and he excels at setting.  So when he switched to second world fantasy, I was dubious.  Would his world-building hold up when he had to create it?  Then I read City of Stairs.  There could not be a series more tailored to my tastes unless I wrote it myself.  City of Stairs was amazing.  City of Blades, which I expected to be not as good as the first book, ended up equaling it.  So the final book in the trilogy?  Yeah, I’ve already pre-ordered it and it doesn’t come out until May.   The gorgeous cover art doesn’t hurt any, either.   

 

Tez is looking forward to… The Wanderers and Hold Back the Stars

When thinking about books I’m looking forward to in 2017, two immediately spring to mind. Both involve space and have been on my wishlist for at least six months.

Meg Howrey already has a few novels to her name, and her latest, The Wanderers, will be out 14th March 2017 in the US and 6th April 2017 in the UK. Three astronauts prepare for a mission to Mars by participating in a seventeen-month-long simulation…so realistic that they struggle differentiating real from unreal.

Katie Khan’s first novel, Hold Back the Stars, will be out 26th January 2017 in the UK and 23rd May in the US. Two people are stuck in space and, with only ninety minutes of oxygen left, they reflect upon their life back on Earth. But only one of them is offered the chance to live.

With concepts like these, perhaps you’ll also find these science fiction novels hard to resist.

 

Nicole is looking forward to… Alone and Ghost in the Shell

Since I couldn’t decide on just one Future Favorite since I’m excited for so many things, I figured there’s nothing wrong with looking forward to a book and a movie!

After the publishers cheated us out of the original October release date, it’s been a sad, painful wait for March and Scott Sigler’s Alone. As the final book in the Generations Trilogy, I’m very excited to see how the whole story wraps up. I still have so many questions about Em’s past, the planet everyone is currently on, and just who the hell is coming at them now. It will be impressive to see just how Sigler ties up all his loose ends, but I’m sure it will be just as heart-palpitating and page-turning as the first two.

On the film side of things, Ghost in the Shell is definitely one I’m looking forward to. We know what we’re getting with movies like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but Ghost in the Shell is a different beast altogether. Leaving aside the fact that Scarlett Johansson is the lead, it’s rare that an anime translates over to live action — much less translates over well and true to form. But the trailer for Ghost in the Shell is extremely promising, enhanced even more by the release of the opening shot. Though shorter than the anime version, it still echoes the anime wonderfully, complete with original composer Kenji Kawai’s opening music in a new composition, though still essentially the same. At best, it promises to be some amazing eye-candy and the sort of movie that, if you liked Blade Runner (and intend to see the newest one!), should be right up your alley. At the end of the day, I’m looking forward to a bad-ass, good time of a movie.

 

Sherry is looking forward to… well a lot of things actually!

I can’t decide what I’m most looking forward to in the new year. Is it Thor: Ragnarok? Is it the new Star Trek TV series? Is it Star Wars? First there’s Thor: Ragnarok. Alright. I should probably just admit I’m looking forward to this one mostly for the eye candy. It’s terrible of me, but I won’t take it back. That’s not the only reason I’m looking forward to it, though. I do enjoy the story of Thor, and the inter-connectivity of all the Avengers. The new Star Trek series had its release date pushed to 2017 due in part to a change in showrunner which may or may not bode well for the show. I don’t know a lot about it. What I’ve heard is that it is going to take place in the timeline between Enterprise and The Original Series, and is going to be an anthology show, where one season deals with one major story line. This could, of course, all change by the time it comes out. More than anything, I’m curious to see how this show is going to look and feel. I’ve been enjoying Star Trek: Enterprise, so I suspect I’m going to be predisposed to like this one. And Star Wars? Well, what can I say? I’m a Star Wars baby. I was 4 when the first movie came out in 1977 (yes I’m dating myself). We played Star Wars as kids. I had the trading cards ans stickers. As much as Leia was my introduction and role model of a strong, independent woman who didn’t wait to be rescued but rather fought alongside the boys; I think Rey is fantastic and carries on that mantle beautifully and even more so for the new generation of Star Wars babies.

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Any thoughts on the selections above? Let us know in the comments.