Speculative Fiction - Best Reads and Counting, by Anne Keck

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25 books

Science Fiction and Fantasy novels are plentiful these days - but I'm an author of the genres and a hard-to-please reader. I go through a lot of books and keep track of them all! While I have many DNFs, there are books where the authors smash it - and those are the ones that make my list. I also couldn't resist including some of my long-time favorites. Kick back and enjoy!

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A Deadly Education

Naomi Novik, 2020

All 3 books of Naomi Novik's Scholomance Series (this one plus The Last Graduate and The Golden Enclaves) are worth the price of admission!

When Women Were Dragons

Kelly Barnhill, 2022

Feminism + Fantasy = Femfantasy? I think I just coined a new genre, and this angry-women-to-dragons book fits right in.

Shards of Honor

Lois McMaster Bujold, 2015

This is part of The Vorkosigan Saga, which is not written in order and there's no rhyme or reason to it, so I'll just recommend this one. Author nails the characters and situation.

This Is How You Lose the Time War

Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone, 2019

Innovative time travel book - there are so many of them, but this one stands out for lots of reasons.

The Library of the Unwritten

A. J. Hackwith, 2019

The idea that unwritten books reside in Hell, overseen by Hell's librarians - what's not to like? But the other 2 books in the trilogy were not for me.

The Midnight Library

Matt Haig, 2020

This book falls under my "Cozy Fantasy" category and answers the question: What if I made different choices in my life? Don't we all feel that way sometimes?

A Spindle Splintered

Alix E. Harrow, 2021

Wishing this novela presenting a new take on Sleeping Beauty was a full-blown novel.

Klara and the Sun

Kazuo Ishiguro, 2021

A very thought provoking AI read with solid characterizations and voice.

Ocean's Echo Sneak Peek

Everina Maxwell, 2022

Nice characterizations and worldbuilding. I also liked Winter's Orbit, but this one is the better book.

Cinder

Book One of the Lunar Chronicles

Marissa Meyer, 2013

Cinderella is a cyborg in this YA retelling. While the story seemed too simplistic, it's stuck with me.

Binti: The Complete Trilogy

Nnedi Okorafor, 2020

Nice trilogy with straight forward but interesting characters and concepts.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

V. E. Schwab, 2020

Making a deal with the devil never turns out well.

The Path of Thorns

A.G. Slatter, 2022

What would happen if Jane Eyre met Dr. Frankenstein? Find out in this story written in first person, present tense, with interesting word choices.

An Ember in the Ashes

Sabaa Tahir, 2020

Another good YA Fantasy, though the others in the series didn't speak to me as much.

Fourth Wing

Rebecca Yarros, 2023

There's a reason this book stayed on the bestseller's list and took the Goodreads prize for Romantasy the first year the category was created. Second book is not as good - waiting for the 3rd.

Godkiller (The Fallen Gods Trilogy, Book 1)

Hannah Kaner, 2023

Nice debut Fantasy novel - the second one, Sunbringer, is out but I haven't read it yet. I've always like the idea that we create gods by our love and faith, rather than the other way around. This is a quest story which has nice worldbuilding and good characterizations.

Starling House

Alix E. Harrow, 2023

Love the flawed heroine in this gothic tale featuring a sentient house.

The Space Between Worlds

Micaiah Johnson, 2020

Multiverse travel must have doppelgangers!

The Murderbot Diaries

All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, Network Effect, Fugitive Telemetry

Martha Wells, 2023

My all-time favorite - Murderbot! The most recent book in the series, System Collapse, released in 2023, is a winner!

The Imperial Radch Boxed Trilogy

Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword, and Ancillary Mercy

Ann Leckie, 2017

Ann Leckie kicked it out of the park with this series. Nothing else she's written can compare. Just FYI, it's for true SF fans.

The City of Brass

S. A. Chakraborty, 2017

The City of Brass and its two successive novels are delightful.

The Shadow of the Wind

Carlos Ruiz Zafon, 2005

This is the first book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. It's beautifully written and set in 1945 Barcelona with plenty of mystery and intrigue - what's not to love?

The Name of the Wind

Patrick Rothfuss, 2009

Love the first two books in this three-book series. Classic epic Fantasy. Now, if Patrick could only finish the 3rd...

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

Christopher Paolini, 2020

Beware of alien relics! Love this story and the characterizations.

Project Hail Mary

Andy Weir, 2022

Very inventive and thought-provoking First Contact novel. Love the "voice" of the narrator, which is one of Weir's strengths. I haven't found a single person who didn't like this book!