What’s Geeky in January 2022

Welcome to the new year, Geeks and Nerds!

We all survived the awkward family reunions that are the holidays, the workloads getting us to the point where we can actually take a break, and the worst excuse for learning the Greek alphabet.

Allow me to be the first one to say “Congratulations, you made it!”

Now, before you go canceling that gym membership, let’s take a look at all that fun stuff that we have to look forward to in the first month of the new year.

Movies and TV

January 1^st: Harry Potter 20^th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts

Ringing in the new year, we have a making-of story of one of our society’s most beloved series: Harry Potter. Featuring interviews with the cast and crew of the film franchise, delve back into the magic that started it all… no, literally, geek culture, in general, would not be what it is today without the widespread success of the Harry Potter books and movies!

This trip down memory lane featuring none other than Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint among others can only be found on HBO Max.

January 7^th: A Discovery of Witches, season 3:

Join the reluctant witch, Diana Bishop (played by Teresa Palmer), and the nerdiest vampire you’ll ever meet, Matthew Clairmont (played by another Matt, Matthew Goode), as they protect a book of dangerous magical spells from the likes of evil demons, actors, and tenured professors.

Featuring the hottest people in academia, this season will be the last in the adaptation of Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy. This smoldering series can be found on Sky One if you live in the UK. For those of us across the Pond, we can watch it on Sundance Now.

January 10^th: Attack on Titan: The Final Season (part 2):

The wait is finally over! Oh, no, it’s finally over!

That’s what’s going through all of our heads right now. The time has finally come to say goodbye to hunting man-eating flayed giants with the long-anticipated conclusion to the award-winning anime. So, it’s time to join Eren Jaeger and the rest of the Survey Corps for one last adventure!

Funimation and Crunchyroll are already streaming with English subtitles, but if you’re a dubs person, then January 10^th is the day for you!

January 13^th: Peacemaker:

If you loved The Suicide Squad (2021), then get ready for the return of the man that series’ showrunner James Gunn described as a “superhero/supervillain/world’s biggest douchebag.” Peacemaker, also known as Christopher Smith (played by John Cena), is a merciless killer who, unlike most mass murderers, is out to achieve peace… by killing everyone.

With The Suicide Squad suggesting that Peacemaker is still under the influence of Amanda Waller, we’ll just have to see how this unfolds on HBO Max.

January 14^th: Belle:

Belle follows Suzu, an awkward high schooler who enjoys jumping into the virtual world “U” where she turns into the beautiful and famous singer, Belle. Thrown into the mix is a mysterious “beast” who is being chased by online vigilantes and interrupted one of her concerts, sending Belle/Suzu on a quest to discover the monster’s identity and her own. Sound like any fairy tales you might know?

Belle is produced by Studio Chizu and originally premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival where it received a 14-minute standing ovation. You’ll be able to find Belle in a theater near you!

January 18^th: Dota: Dragon’s Blood Book 2:

Alright gamers, the return of Dota 2’s animated adaptation comes back to Netflix. Set in a fantasy world, we follow Davion the Dragon Knight who allies himself with a dragon to become a hybrid in order to fight demons. Pretty standard for Netflix animation.

Joining him/them (but now separated) is Princess Mirana and her mute bodyguard Marci—who not only stole every scene she is in but also stole our hearts right along with it. Seriously, #TeamMarci all the way.

January 21^st: The King’s Daughter, Cyrano, Munich—The Edge of War:

This could be a busy day. Especially for a history buff like me.

So, first, we have The King’s Daughter, released nation-wide in theaters, which tells the story of King Louis XIV’s illegitimate daughter, Marie-Josephe D’Aember (played by Kaya Scodelario), and her quest to free the mermaid (yes, you read that right) that was trapped by her father (Pierce Brosnan). Based on the book The Moon and the Sun by Vonda N. McIntyre, the movie features several scenes filmed inside the Palace of Versailles. This is also the third film (that I know of) that will feature actress Kaya Scodelario swimming a whole lot (after the last Pirates’ movie and Crawl).

Then, we have the limited theatrical release of Cyrano, starring Peter Dinklage, a musical retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. It tells the story of Cyrano, a French soldier in the 17^th century (and a contemporary of the Three Musketeers), and his love for the beautiful Roxane. While extremely gifted in both swordplay and poetry, he is also cursed with a deformed nose, which causes him to doubt himself and leads him to help his friend Christian woo Roxane.

Sounds like it’s just mushy stuff? The play also features a gigantic battle and some of the greatest verbal fencing in any language. It is also responsible for introducing the word “panache” into the English language. In fact, “mon panache” was basically 19^th century France’s version of “Bang” (for the fans of Cowboy Bebop).

Finally, we have Munich—The Edge of War, which will be released on Netflix. Based on the book by Robert Harris, Munich tells the story of the British and German diplomats as they try to stave off the beginning of a war as Hitler prepares to invade Czechoslovakia. For those of you who listened when your dad got excited about WWII, this is basically the story that led up to Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, who boasted of having achieved “peace for our time.”

Needless to say, it proved to be an ironic statement.

January 24^th: Snowpiercer:

Prepare to return to your love of trains and post-apocalyptic dystopia for the third season starring Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs. Based on the 2013 movie of the same name and the French Graphic Novel Le Transperceneige, Snowpiercer follows the passengers of the perpetually moving train as it circles a frozen earth and draws ever closer to a revolution by the lower classes. Snowpiercer can be viewed on Netflix.

January 26^th: Resident Alien:

Suit up for Syfy’s return to… well, science fiction with the Syfy original series Resident Alien about an alien who crash lands on earth and is forced to impersonate a local doctor. And try not to destroy the earth.

The series starring Alan Tudyk, created by Chris Sheridan, and based on the comics by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse returns to the Syfy channel for its second season.

January 28^th: Morbius and The Legend of Vox Machina:

What started with Vemon continues as Sony’s Spider-Man Universe expands with the story of Dr. Michael Morbius, the Living Vampire. Searching for a cure for his rare blood disease, the aforementioned doctor inadvertently turns himself into a vampire. In the comic books, Morbius started out as a villain for Spider-Man and Blade but eventually turned into a tragic antihero. Morbius will have viewing times at most theaters.

But before you rush off to the movie theaters, Amazon Prime will also release The Legend of Vox Machina, an adult animated fantasy series based on campaign one of Critical Role. And if that wasn’t enough, the gang’s all back too, with all of the voice actors reprising their roles. It is unclear if Matt Mercer will be doing all of the NPC voices or if we’re going to let him rest a little bit.

Video Games:

January could be a lot of fun for video games but, so far, it’s a bit of a light load. That said, we’ve still got a new Pokémon game coming in as well as a new Uncharted and a Rainbow Six. And on top of that, we have a couple of games that are finally being released onto the PC.

So, without further ado, I give you the games coming in January:

January 12^th:

Monster Hunter Rise—PC

Monster Hunter Rise needs no introduction. So, strap on a big sword and hunt down some truly colossal monsters. But this time, all you PC gamers can join in on the fun we’ve all been having!

January 13^th:

Astroneer—Switch

Have you ever played Minecraft and thought, “Gee, this is fun, but I’d like to do this in space!” Well, now you can! Previously released on various other platforms, now Astroneer comes to Switch.

January 14^th:

God of War—PC

Much like with Monster Hunter, God of War needs no introduction. Sort-of a Lone (Tattooed) Wolf and Cub, God of War has been a much sought-after game for PC and, two weeks into the new year, our dreams come true. So pick up your axe and get ready to enjoy one of the most epic father-son bonding experiences of all time!

January 20^th: 

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction—PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S and One, Stadia, and PC

Grab your gun, we got aliens to kill. Take on the mantle of a REACT Operator as you and up to three of your buddies (or you can fly solo if you’re feeling fresh) take on the victims of an alien parasite with a penchant for Greek mythology. Use tactics and firearms as you perform fast in-and-out missions against the victims of the Chimera parasite, the mysterious creatures now known as Archæans. Choose from over 30 different Operators as you adventure through 12 unpredictable containment zones across the country. Happy Hunting.

Windjammers 2—PS4/5, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia, and PC

It’s been 27 years since the first game, but that hasn’t stopped anybody. Windjammers 2 is basically the ultimate Tennis and Frisbee hybrid—if that hybrid then went through an ‘80s animation phase that they never grew out of. Not unlike Kevin Smith.

Expeditions: Rome—PC

I have to confess, I’m pretty excited by this game. Made by the same people who did Expeditions: Viking and Expeditions: Conquistador, Rome looks to be following in their footsteps of turn-based RPG games. I never played Conquistador but I did play Viking and I really enjoyed it. And since I am a sucker for ancient Rome (I may or may not have a plastic bust Cicero staring at me as I write this), I think I’ll likely enjoy this one too!

January 21^st:

Baby Storm—Switch

This is casual gaming at its most terrifying. You play a kindergarten teacher and your mission—should you choose to accept it—is to keep the tiny bas—I mean, humans alive. Keep the adorable monstrosities happy and well-fed or they will cry. And no, you can’t cry, too. Seriously, watching the trailer gave me flashbacks to my days as a camp counselor. And not the fun days where I taught kids how to sing Irish rebel songs. No, not those days.

January 27^th:

Circuit Superstars—PS4

Welcome to the chillest racing game you’ll ever play. This racing game was previously released on Xbox and PC and now finally comes to the wide world of Playstation. Seriously, the game looks like Mario Kart but without the weird obsession with fruit and funguses.

January 28^th: 

Pokémon Legends: Arceus—Switch 

Dust off the old Pokéball, cause we’re at it again—and this time in an open-world game. For Arceus, you’ll be traveling to the Sinnoh region of the Diamond and Pearl games, but in a time long before any of the other games. Back before Pokémon lived closely with humans, back when the only trainers were part of a Survey Corps trying to compile the first Pokédex, back when the region was still called Hisui. While battles are still a thing, it seems that you’ll be doing most of your capturing by sneaking up on Pokémon and throwing a ball. All the while trying to find out the mysteries of the Hisui region.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection—PS5 and PC

Our final game to come out this month is a remastering of the award-winning Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Dive back into that tomb and dodge the traps for a remastered look at Nathan Drake’s final search for treasure and the breakout story of a friend turned ally Chloe Frazer. Whether you’re excited or apprehensive about the new movie coming out, I think we can all agree that this is a great time for good ol’ Sully to get us into and out of trouble again.

Books:

Last, but certainly not least, we get to the books. If the video games seemed a bit underwhelming, don’t worry, because there’s more than enough new books being published in January to wet our appetites.

While large, this is by no means an exhaustive list, instead, it is just books that I find interesting and that I think you might too!

As a rule, I don’t include Manga because I have no idea what it is that I’m even looking at unless it was also an anime. And besides, if it’s not by Hiromu Arakawa (Full Metal Alchemist and The Heroic Legend of Arslan) then I’m not terribly interested.

I’m joking, obviously. Now, you may also notice that there are a few recommendations also geared toward children and a few of you might be wondering why that is. And the answer is: why not?

Seriously, some of my favorite authors write for younger audiences and I bet that some of your first forays into geekdom were with authors who wrote for kids, or if not, then you probably would have enjoyed reading some when you were a kid. Who knows, maybe you know someone now who could benefit from some sci-fi/fantasy books aimed at younger individuals?

Maybe you’ll like them yourself?

As a final note, there are too many books for me to write a mini-description about, so instead, I have included the genre that they would—typically—fall under. I hope that helps.

Anyway, here are some books published in January of 2022:

January 1^st:

• Shadow of the Empire by Qui Xiaolong—Book 1 of A Judge Dee Investigation set in China’s Tang Dynasty, Historical Detective Fiction

January 4^th:

• Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes—YA Fantasy
• Rebellion of the Lost by Amie Kaufman and Ryan Graudin—Kids Fantasy
• The Deep Man by Michael Mersault—Military Sci Fi and Space Opera
• The Burning Swift by Joseph Elliott—YA Fantasy
• The Unfamiliar Garden by Benjamin Percy—Book 2 of The Comet Cycle, Post-Apocalyptic Sci Fi
• Conan Chronicles Epic Collection: Shadows Over Kush by Fred Van Lente—Four stories of Conan the Barbarian, Fantasy Graphic Novel
• The Starless Crown by James Rollins—Fantasy Action & Adventure
• Threader War by Gerald Brandt—Book 2 of Quantum Empirica, Sci Fi Post-Apocalyptic
• Goblin Magic by Jordan Quinn—Book 17 of Kingdom of Wrenly, Kids Fantasy

January 11^th:

• The Monarchs by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige—Book 2 of the Ravens duology, YA Dark Fantasy
• The Silver Bullets of Annie Oakley by Mercedes Lackey—Book 18 of Elemental Masters, Historical Fantasy
• A Practical Guide to Conquering the World by K.J. Parker—Book 3 of The Siege, Comedic Historical Fantasy
• Quantum of Nightmares by Charles Stross—Book 11 of A Landry File, Dark Fantasy and Horror
• Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan—Book 1 of the Celestial Kingdom Duology, Epic Fantasy
• Nightrender by Jodi Meadows—YA Urban Fantasy
• Willow Moss and the Vanished Kingdom by Dominique Valente—Book 3 of Starfell, Kids Fantasy
• The Dream Spies by Nicole Lesperance—Book 2 of The Nightmare Thief, Kids Fantasy
• Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore—Comedic Alien Sci Fi
• Gods and Dragons by Kevin J. Anderson—Book 3 of Wake the Dragon, Epic Fantasy
• The Shattered Skies by John Birmingham—Sci Fi

January 18^th:

• Beyond the End of the World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner—Book 2 of North and Nimh, YA Dystopian Fantasy
• Outcasts of the Wildwood by Rachel Atwood—Historical Fantasy
• The Lock-Eater by Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos—Kids Fantasy
• The Witch’s Apprentice by Zetta Elliott—Book 3 of Dragons in a Bag, Kids Fantasy
• Engines of Empire by R.S. Ford—Epic Fantasy
• Bound by Firelight by Dana Swift—Book 2 of Wickery, YA Romantic Fantasy
• Servant Mage by Kate Elliott—Gaslamp Fantasy
• Gunfight on Europa Station edited by David Boop and with stories by Elizabeth Moon, Alan Dean Foster, and more—Space Western Anthology

January 25^th:

• Temple of No God by H.M. Long—sequel to Hall of Smoke, Epic Fantasy
• Seven Mercies by Laura Lam—Sci Fi Space Opera

Happy New Year

That’s it, nerds. Welcome to the new year. And just remember one thing… This is only the beginning.

Keep it nerdy!