Time to make that WINTER reading list.
I just read the one above. And now I need to get busy on many of these others.
Though the list from Powell's is a bit puzzling for books NOT on it.
Thanks for tuning in.
https://www.powells.com/post/best-books/best-books-of-2023-science-fiction-fantasyBEST BOOKSby Sarah Reif, November 6, 2023 9:15 AMWelcome readers, to the second of our Best Books of 2023 lists: Science Fiction & Fantasy! Absolutely an excuse for me to run up to booksellers — street-interview style — and demand to know their favorite world-building, magic-systems, and political messes (in SPACE!).
And readers, they delivered.
We’ve got Romantasy (petitioning Merriam-Webster to make this the word of the year); we’ve got veteran romantasy authors returning to beloved series to say “we’ve been doing this!“; we’ve got dragons and more dragons; love letters to books in cozy fantasy settings; unionized dolphins; cyberpunk thrillers about orbital elevators; series conclusions that stick the landing; we’ve got everyone’s favorite ornery SecUnit; we’ve got pirates, supervillains, fairytales, and more.
Don’t just take my word for it. Read on for Powell’s bookseller picks for the best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2023.
by Samantha Shannon
A Day of Fallen Night is an absolutely stunning work of fantasy that takes place five hundred years before Samantha Shannon's The Priory of the Orange Tree. This book has it all — a vividly realized world, political intrigue, romance, and an array of incredibly strong female characters, each with their own unique voice and narrative that are seamlessly woven together. This book may be a beast, but it just sucks you in and doesn’t let you go until the last word. — Jessica M.
by Travis Baldree
We all need more cozy fantasy in our lives and Travis Baldree’s Bookshops & Bonedust hits like a warm cup of cocoa on a stormy day. From fixing up and uplifting a struggling bookstore to fighting a necromancer, you’ll want to spend some time cuddled up with this low-stakes, high-comfort book. Also: Potroast! (you'll get it...) — Vicky K.
Bookshops and Bonedust is a love letter to the book all wrapped up in a cozy fantasy setting. I fell in love with the dreamy coastal town of Murk, the hodgepodge of memorable characters, and with the joy of finding the right title at the right time. This book left me longing for books I've never read (and for all of Travis Baldree's future books)! — Lindsay P.
by Martha Wells
I devoured this over a long weekend at the very beginning of the year and honestly may have spoiled myself for other fantasy this year (in a good way!). I adore every little thing I learned about the cultures, peoples, and histories in this world and would happily visit again and again (please! more!). Also, maybe I only want to read epic fantasies with hyper-competent protagonists tasked with solving their own murders served with a side of massive geopolitical complications now? Thanks Martha Wells! — Sarah R.
by Moniquill Blackgoose
This is hands down my favorite book of 2023... thank goodness that stunning cover caught my eye! Anequs is a fantastic lead, and the supporting characters are wonderfully diverse. It is a fun and smart alt-history that leans into a very cool science system that relates to dragons and the riders that study at the academy Anequs is forced to attend. But Anequs is an indigenous native of these colonized lands, and she begins to learn that there are much older native ways and traditions that bond rider and dragon. A wonderful and compelling read! — Lesley A.
I can't stop talking/YELLING about this book! Set in the 1800s in an alternate North America colonized by Vikings, a world where dragons can be beasts of war or lifelong companions sacred to communities, it follows a young Indigenous woman as she and her dragon try to navigate a colonizer-run school for dragoneering. Alternate history, a magic system deeply informed by science and spirituality, a coming-of-age story that is also a coming to power, queer love, incredibly rich worldbuilding, and so much else. I'm so very glad this is the first book in a series. — Claire A.
by Martha Wells
Am I blurbing TWO Martha Wells books for this list? Maybe! But this list certainly cannot exist without our dear rogue existential-dread-filled, SecUnit. System Collapse is the eighth installment, and second full-length novel in the Murderbot series. It picks up right where the previous novel (Network Effect) left off, so make sure you refresh your memory on that one first. There's a reason so many booksellers, librarians, and readers are cheering for Murderbot — Wells has crafted a witty, relatable, action-packed, mystery-filled scifi universe and packed it with lovable characters and deep questions about what it means to be a "person." Sci-fi magic in every installment. — Sarah R.
by Leigh Bardugo
On one of the late nights I spent obsessively reading this follow-up to the incredible and incredibly fun Ninth House, I remember frantically googling “how many books in Alex Stern series” and feeling heartbroken that there are only going to be three, but at one point Leigh Bardugo had intended to write ten?! But writing the books became so involved at every level, including but not limited to the research required, that she had to amend that plan. Understandable! But still very sad for those of us, like me, who are obsessed with the world of Alex Stern — dark academia filled with betrayal and intrigue, love and loss and confusion, anger and arcane texts. Hell Bent is a perfect second book in the series. Bardugo, as ever, is so, so good at what she does. — Kelsey F.
by Shannon Chakraborty
When her family is threatened, infamous pirate Amina Al-Sirafi (now a middle-aged mother) comes out of retirement to complete one last quest. But there's more involved than a simple rescue mission — strange magic, monstrous beasts, and a conniving ex-husband await her and her crew. Get ready for a fun ride with a capable, sharp-tongued woman who also happens to be a devoted mother (because you can be both!). — Carly J.
by Rebecca Yarros
The phenomenon. The sensation. The sprayed edges. Fourth Wing and Iron Flame — two in a series, both out this year! — were arguably the biggest fantasy releases of 2023. Dark academia but make it a militant dragon-riding academy, add in some spicy enemies-to-lovers romance, set it against the backdrop of a deadly war... did I already say DRAGONS? It's been impossible to keep on the shelves and it's brought a ton of people into the sci-fi/fantasy section. Awesome. — Olive C.
by Jacqueline Carey
Come back to the world of Terre d’Ange, a land full of secrets. Relive the action of the epic fantasy, Kushiel's Dart, now told from the eyes of Joscelin. Kushiel’s Dart followed bond servant Phedre as she rose through the court as a courtesan/spy, and the betrayals that landed her and her guard, Joscelin, in the hand of the enemy as they fought to save their country. Cassiel’s Servant is Joscelin’s experiences from their adventure and the emotional struggles he goes through as a servant to the God Cassiel and his growing affections for Phedre. The Gods brought them together, but will they survive the journey? — Mecca A.
I've been waiting twenty years for this book, so to say I'm excited is an enormous understatement. Kushiel's Dart impacted me profoundly when I read it as a teenager. I adored protagonist Phedre no Delauney, both her strength and vulnerability, her cleverness and passion, and the world of Terre d'Ange, where everyone is free to "love as thou wilt." I also fell hard for Phedre's stoic protector Joscelin Verreuil and now (finally!) we get to experience the story from his point of view! I'm thrilled for us, the original fans, but I'm also so stoked for new readers to find this series. — Carly J.
by Kell Woods
What happens after the fairytale ends? When the children are all grown up? After the Forest answers those questions in a magical, heart-wrenching, and hopeful tale of overcoming trauma, finding inner strength, and determining your future on your terms. A classic in its own right. Just like Greta's enchanted gingerbread, I couldn't get enough of this book! — Carly J.
by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Don't you just love it when good scifi sticks the landing? Tchaikovsky's epic Final Architecture series did just that this year with the third and final novel, Lords of Uncreation. It's classic space opera at its finest: space travel, aliens, dramatic set pieces, a dash of cosmic horror, and, most importantly, a ragtag band of characters who all somehow manage to get their moment in this final volume. — Sarah R.
by John Scalzi
Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is not all it's cracked up to be. Trust John Scalzi to bring you a chaotic, sardonic, delightful science fiction caper featuring volcano lairs, secret societies, shady corperate interests, and notably: competent cats in management positions. Please support your local dolphin union. — Olive C.
by Emily Tesh
A coming-of-age space opera wherein children indoctrinated from childhood with a thirst for vengence against an alien race are thrust into situations where they must question and unpack that learned ideology and radicalization? AND its a stand-alone. AND its a debut from a powerful new voice. AND its got that good good sci-fi worldbuilding. AND it's queer. Can I get a "HELL YEAH!"? If you let this one slip you by (me, it came out in April but I didn't read it until just this fall!), don't let the year end before putting it on your TBR. — Sarah R.
by Ann Leckie
Ann Leckie’s latest is a standalone novel, set in the world of her Ancillary series. Like in her previous books, Translation State is deeply concerned with ideas of identity and language, power and bureaucracy, gender and personhood; here, we see three lives collide as they search for an alien who’s been lost for centuries. Ann Leckie is always reliably great, and Translation State doesn’t disappoint. It’s a space opera that is filled with heart and whimsy and strongly written characters that will stay with you long after you’ve finished. — Kelsey F.
by Brandon Sanderson
If I Kickstarted a novel, it wouldn't be nearly this much fun (or successful), but also I'm not THE Brandon Sanderson. Our protagonist, a soft-spoken girl who delights in collecting cups on her small island, must take to the seas (filled not with water, but dangeous SPORES) to rescue her friend. It's an adventurous, whimsical, witty, and clever standalone tale with a heroine you can't help but love. A Brandon Sanderson novel marketed with Princess Bride comparisons? Sign me up! — Olive C.
by Djuna (tr. Anton Hur)
The Korean conglomerate LK is creating an elevator into Earth’s orbit on the fictional island of Patusan, much to the displeasure of the Patusan people. This new hub of travel to and from our planet has turned their once quiet one-time stop tropical resort into a bustling gateway to the beyond. Originally planned to be a low-budget sci-fi movie, this antic novel features a maze of fake identities, neuro-implants, and political grievances from the Patusan Liberation Front. A dizzying but wonderful cyberpunk detective thriller which stories South Korea’s neocolonial ambitions and its effects not only on the colonized, but also the people working for Korea, and the world as a whole. — Aster H.
by T. Kingfisher
This short but sweet novella puts a twist on the "princess trapped in a tower" fairy tale. Instead, the princess in the tower must be contained — and definitely not rescued. Toadling, the fae who must maintain the enchantment on the princess, will hop her little toad self right into your heart. This is a tale where not all is as it seems, and heroes come in unlikely shapes. — Eloise B.
by Nghi Vo
The fourth installment in the standalone Singing Hills series brings Cleric Chih back to their home, the Singing Hills Abbey, to find their mentor has passed away. This moving novella handles different methods of grieving with care and love. Not everyone is remembered the same by the living, and it is a beautiful reminder of how loved ones live on through memory and story. — Eloise B.
by Freya Marske
Well, that was a spectacular and satisfying series conclusion. I've been on a mission to get everyone I know to read The Last Binding Series for three years. Now that I've read all three and I know for sure that Marske has delivered an amazing, satisfying final book in this triology, there's no excuse for you to not give it a shot. If you love historical fantasy, complex magic systems (maybe based on ancient contract law?), begrudging groups of friends (dare I say... families of choice), or enemies learning they have more in common than they thought (and falling in love about it!), then this is the series for you! — Sarah R.
The Hugo Awards: the best science fiction & fantasy books since 1953
First awarded to Alfred Bester in 1953, the Hugo Award is considered the most prestigious literary award in science fiction. Voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention, or Worldcon, the Hugo Award is given annually to the best science fiction or fantasy book from the previous year.
The Hugo Award has recognized sci-fi masters like Robert A. Heinlein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Isaac Asimov just to name a few. Some authors have multiple Hugo wins to their name - N. K. Jemisin won the Hugo Award in 2016, 2017, and 2018 for each book in her Broken Earth trilogy, while Connie Willis tied with herself in 2011 for her two-volume release of Blackout and All Clear.
Despite creating an epic universe spanning six novels, Frank Herbert appears on the list just once in 1966 for his original Dune novel. Named for Hugo Gernsback who launched the pioneering sci-fi magazine Amazing Stories in 1926, the Hugo Award continues to celebrate the best in science fiction and fantasy.
The 2023 winner for best novel is Ursula Vernon, (known as T. Kingfisher) for Nettle and Bone, a haunting fantasy novel. This dark fairy tale received nominations for the 2023 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and the Nebula Award for Best Novel of 2022, cementing its place as a standout in the world of fiction.
Explore our list of every Hugo winner for best science fiction and fantasy novel since 1953.
BONUS NEW PUPPY PIC OF THE DAY!
