The Best Science Fiction And Fantasy Books of 2021 (A Year-End List Aggregation)
“What are the best Science Fiction & Fantasy books released in 2021?” We looked at 238 of the top Science Fiction & Fantasy books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!
The top 39 books, all appearing on 3 or more “Best Science Fiction & Fantasy” book lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 175+ titles, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page.
Our other Best Of 2021 Articles:
- The Best Art, Photography, And Coffee Table Books
- The Best AudioBooks
- The Best Biography And Memoir Books
- The Best Graphic Novels And Comics
- The Best Cookbooks
- The Best Fiction Books
- The Best Books (All Catergories)
- The Best History Books
- The Best Kids, Children, and Youth Books
- The Best Mystery, Horror, and Thriller Books
- The Best Nonfiction Books
- The Best Poetry Books
- The Best Science And Nature Books
- The Best Science Fiction And Fantasy Books
- The Best Young Adult Books
Previous Years: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015
Happy Scrolling!
Top 39 Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books From 2021
39.) A Court of Silver Flames written bySarah J. Maas
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Goodreads
- Waterstones
Sarah J. Maas’s sexy, richly imagined series continues with the journey of Feyre’s fiery sister, Nesta. Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, …
38.) A Marvellous Light written byFreya Marske
Lists It Appears On:
- Barnes & Noble
- NPR
- Waterstones
An Indie Next Pick! A LibraryReads Pick! With Four Starred Reviews Red, White & Royal Blue meets Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in debut author Freya M…
37.) Empire of the Vampire written byJay Kristoff
Lists It Appears On:
- Barnes & Noble
- P.S. Hoffman 2
- Waterstones
THE NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER From New York Times bestselling author Jay Kristoff comes Empire of the Vampire, the…
36.) Far From the Light of Heaven written byTade Thompson
Lists It Appears On:
- Books, Bones & Buffy
- Polygon
- The Guardian
“Simultaneously brutally grounded and wildly imaginative.” –Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke Award winner A tense and thrilling vision of humanit…
35.) Firebreak written byNicole Kornher-Stace
Lists It Appears On:
- Goodreads 2
- NPR
- P.S. Hoffman
One young woman faces down an all-powerful corporation in this all-too-near future science fiction debut that reads like a refreshing take on Ready Pl…
34.) Hummingbird Salamander written byJeff Vandermeer
Lists It Appears On:
- Lit Hub
- NPR
- Waterstones
From the author of Annihilation, a brilliant speculative thriller of dark conspiracy, endangered species, and the possible end of all things. Security…
33.) Iron Widow written byXiran Jay Zhao
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- P.S. Hoffman
- Polygon
! Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction for YA readers. The boys of Huaxia dream of pairin…
32.) Jade Legacy written byFonda Lee
Lists It Appears On:
- NPR
- Portalist
- Tor
“Lee’s series will stand as a pillar of epic fantasy and family drama.” –Library Journal (starred review) The Kaul siblings battle rival clans for ho…
31.) Leviathan Falls (The Expanse, 9) written byJames S. A. Corey
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Waterstones
The biggest science fiction series of the decade comes to an incredible conclusion in the ninth and final novel in James S.A. Corey’s Hugo-award winni…
30.) On Fragile Waves written byE. Lily Yu
Lists It Appears On:
- NPR
- NY Times
- Publishers Weekly
The haunting story of a family of dreamers and tale-tellers looking for home in an unwelcoming world. This exquisite and unusual magic realist debut, …
29.) Six Crimson Cranes written byElizabeth Lim
Lists It Appears On:
- NPR
- P.S. Hoffman 2
- Waterstones
A princess in exile, a shapeshifting dragon, six enchanted cranes, and an unspeakable curse… Drawing from fairy tales and East Asian folklore, this …
28.) The Blacktongue Thief written byChristopher Buehlman
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- P.S. Hoffman 2
- The Wall Street Journal
Set in a world of goblin wars, stag-sized battle ravens, and assassins who kill with deadly tattoos, Christopher Buehlman’s The Blacktongue Thief begi…
27.) The Body Scout written byLincoln Michel
Lists It Appears On:
- Books, Bones & Buffy
- NY Times
- Tor
“Timeless and original…illuminating vast tracts of story with casual wrist-flicks of worldbuilding. The Body Scout is a wild ride, sad and funny, su…
26.) The Echo Wife written bySarah Gailey
Lists It Appears On:
- Books, Bones & Buffy
- Goodreads 2
- Tor
Sarah Gailey’s The Echo Wife is “a trippy domestic thriller which takes the extramarital affair trope in some intriguingly weird new directions.”–Ent…
25.) The Final Girl Support Group written byGrady Hendrix
Lists It Appears On:
- Lit Hub
- Powell’s
- Waterstones
THE A Good Morning America Buzz Pick “The horror master…puts his unique spin on slasher movie tropes.”-USA Today A can’t-miss summer read, selected…
24.) The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina written byZoraida Córdova
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookpage
- Goodreads
- Tor
NATIONAL BESTSELLER Perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman, Isabel Allende, and Sarah Addison Allen, a family searches for the truth hidden in their past i…
23.) The Unbroken written byC.L. Clark
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Goodreads
- NY Public Library
On the far outreaches of a crumbling desert empire, two women–a princess and a soldier–will haggle over the price of a nation in this richly imagine…
22.) Appleseed written byMatt Bell
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Goodreads 2
- Lit Hub
- NPR
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER BY THE NEW YORK TIMES * USA TODAY * ESQUIRE * PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER * LITERARY HUB * GOODREADS * BUSTLE * BOOK RIOT *Woven…
21.) Black Water Sister written byZen Cho
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookpage
- Portalist
- Tor
- Waterstones
“Ghosts. Gods. Gangsters. Black Water Sister has it all…a wildly entertaining coming-of-age story for the twentysomething set, with a protagonist wh…
20.) Noor written byNnedi Okorafor
Lists It Appears On:
- NPR
- Polygon
- Powell’s
- Publishers Weekly
From Africanfuturist luminary Okorafor comes a new science fiction novel of intense action and thoughtful rumination on biotechnology, destiny, and hu…
19.) The Chosen and the Beautiful written byNghi Vo
Lists It Appears On:
- Goodreads
- NY Public Library
- Polygon
- Tor
An National Bestseller! An Indie Next Pick! A Most Anticipated in 2021 Pick for Oprah Magazine USA Today Buzzfeed Greatist BookPage PopSugar Bustle Th…
18.) The Shadow of the Gods (Bloodsworn #1) written byJohn Gwynne
Lists It Appears On:
- Goodreads
- P.S. Hoffman 2
- Polygon
- Powell’s
…
17.) The Witch’s Heart written byGenevieve Gornichec
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookpage
- Goodreads
- P.S. Hoffman 2
- Polygon
When a banished witch falls in love with the legendary trickster Loki, she risks the wrath of the gods in this moving, subversive national bestselling…
16.) Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries #6) written byMartha Wells
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Goodreads 2
- P.S. Hoffman
- Polygon
- Powell’s
The New York Times bestselling security droid with a heart (though it wouldn’t admit it!) is back in Fugitive Telemetry! Having captured the hearts of…
15.) Remote Control written byNnedi Okorafor
Lists It Appears On:
- Bookpage
- Goodreads 2
- NY Public Library
- P.S. Hoffman
- Polygon
An alien artifact turns a young girl into Death’s adopted daughter in Remote Control, a thrilling sci-fi tale of community and female empowerment from…
14.) Shards of Earth (The Final Architects Trilogy, #1) written byAdrian Tchaikovsky
Lists It Appears On:
- Goodreads 2
- P.S. Hoffman
- Polygon
- The Guardian
- Tor
The Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author of Children of Time brings us an extraordinary space opera about humanity on the brink of extinction, and ho…
13.) The Last Watch written byJ.S. Dewes
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Books, Bones & Buffy
- Goodreads 2
- NY Public Library
- P.S. Hoffman
The Expanse meets Game of Thrones in J. S. Dewes’s fast-paced, sci-fi adventure The Last Watch, the first book in the Divide series, where a handful o…
12.) Under the Whispering Door written byT.J Klune
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Goodreads
- P.S. Hoffman 2
- Waterstones
A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND INDIE BESTSELLER An Indie Next Pick! A Man Called Ove meets The Good Place in Under the Whispering Door, a delightful…
11.) No Gods, No Monsters written byCadwell Turnbull
Lists It Appears On:
- Kirkus
- NPR
- NY Public Library
- NY Times
- Polygon
- Tor
The captivating first novel in The Convergence Saga by Cadwell Turnbull, the award-winning author of The LessonAn Indie Next PickA LibraryReads PickNa…
10.) Sorrowland written byRivers Solomon
Lists It Appears On:
- Booklist
- Goodreads
- NPR
- NY Times
- Polygon
- Publishers Weekly
A triumphant, genre-bending breakout novel from one of the boldest new voices in contemporary fiction Vern–seven months pregnant and desperate to esc…
9.) The Jasmine Throne written byTasha Suri
Lists It Appears On:
- Booklist
- Goodreads
- NY Public Library
- P.S. Hoffman 2
- Polygon
- Publishers Weekly
A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK OF 2021 “RAISES THE BAR FOR WHAT EPIC FANTASY SHOULD BE.” –Chloe Gong, author of These Violent Delights A ruthless prin…
8.) The Last Graduate (The Scholomance, #2) written byNaomi Novik
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Goodreads
- P.S. Hoffman 2
- Polygon
- Waterstones
The specter of graduation looms large as Naomi Novik’s groundbreaking, New York Times bestselling trilogy continues in the stunning sequel to A Deadly…
7.) A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan #2) written byArkady Martine
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Bookpage
- Goodreads 2
- P.S. Hoffman
- Polygon
- Powell’s
- Publishers Weekly
Now a USA Today bestseller! One of Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2021! [An] all around brilliant space opera, I absolutely love it.–Ann Leckie, on …
6.) A Master of Djinn written byP. Djèlí Clark
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Book Riot
- Booklist
- Goodreads
- NY Public Library
- Polygon
- Powell’s
A 2021 NEIBA Book Award Finalist! Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark goes full-length for the first time in his dazzling debut novel …
5.) A Psalm for the Wild Built (Monk and Robot #1) written byBecky Chambers
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Bookpage
- Goodreads 2
- NPR
- P.S. Hoffman
- Powell’s
- Tor
In A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Hugo Award-winner Becky Chambers’s delightful new Monk and Robot series gives us hope for the future. It’s been centuri…
4.) Klara and the Sun written byKazuo Ishiguro
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Goodreads 2
- Kirkus
- Lit Hub
- NPR
- Polygon
- Tor
Once in a great while, a book comes along that changes our view of the world. This magnificent novel from the Nobel laureate and author of Never Let M…
3.) Light From Uncommon Stars written byRyka Aoki
Lists It Appears On:
- Barnes & Noble
- Bookpage
- Goodreads 2
- Kirkus
- NY Public Library
- Polygon
- Portalist
- Tor
- Tor
Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in Ryka Aoki’s Light From Uncommon Stars, a defiantly joyful adventure set in California’s San …
2.) Project Hail Mary written byAndy Weir
Lists It Appears On:
- Amazon
- Booklist
- Books, Bones & Buffy
- Goodreads 2
- Kirkus
- NY Public Library
- P.S. Hoffman
- Polygon
- Waterstones
From the author of The Martian, a lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this “propulsive” (Entertainment Weekly), cinematic thriller ful…
1.) She Who Became the Sun written byShelley Parker-Chan
Lists It Appears On:
- Book Riot
- Bookpage
- Goodreads
- NY Public Library
- P.S. Hoffman 2
- Polygon
- Portalist
- Tor
- Waterstones
“Magnificent in every way.–Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of the Orange Tree A dazzling new world of fate, war, love and betrayal.–Zen Cho, …
The 175+ Additional Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books Released In 2021
40) A Spindle Splintered – Alix E. Harrow List: Goodreads
NPR
41) Ariadne – Jennifer Saint List: Goodreads
Polygon
42) Burntcoat – Sarah Hall List: Lit Hub
Tor
43) Cloud Cuckoo Land – Anthony Doerr List: NPR
Tor
44) Constance (Constance #1) – List: Amazon
Goodreads 2
45) Destroyer of Light – Jennifer Marie Brissett List: Kirkus
Tor
46) Elder Race – Adrian Tchaikovsky List: Books, Bones & Buffy
NY Times
47) Five Minds – Guy Morpuss List: Financial Times
Waterstones
48) For the Wolf (Wilderwood #1) – Hannah Whitten List: Goodreads
Powell’s
49) Lore Olympus: Volume 1 – Rachel Smythe List: Barnes & Noble
NPR
50) Machinehood – S.B. Divya List: Goodreads 2
Kirkus
51) Never Have I Ever – Isabel Yap List: Portalist
Tor
52) One Last Stop – Casey McQuiston List: NY Times
Polygon
53) Rabbits – Terry Miles List: Goodreads 2
The Wall Street Journal
54) Redemptor – Jordan Ifueko List: NPR
Portalist
55) Summer Sons – Lee Mandelo List: NPR
Tor
56) Sword Stone Table: Old Legends, New Voices – Swapna Krishna and Jenn Northington List: NPR
Tor
57) The Absolute Book – List: NY Times
Tor
58) The Actual Star – List: The Guardian
Tor
59) The Crown of Gilded Bones – Jennifer L. Armentrout List: Amazon
Goodreads
60) The End Of Men – Christina Sweeney-Baird List: Goodreads 2
The Wall Street Journal
61) The Fall of Koli – M.R. Carey List: Books, Bones & Buffy
Polygon
62) The Galaxy, and the Ground Within – Becky Chambers List: Polygon
Waterstones
63) The Gilded Ones – Namina Forna List: NPR
Polygon
64) The Hidden Palace (The Golem and the Jinni, #2) – Helene Wecker List: Goodreads
Polygon
65) The Memory Theater – List: NY Times
Tor
66) The Ones We’re Meant to Find – Joan He List: Portalist
Tor
67) The Past is Red – Catherynne M. Valente List: Books, Bones & Buffy
P.S. Hoffman
68) The Tangleroot Palace: Stories – Marjorie Liu List: Bookpage
NY Public Library
69) The Wolf And The Woodsman – Ava Reid List: Goodreads
NPR
70) You Sexy Thing – Cat Rambo List: Amazon
Books, Bones & Buffy
71) 100 Boyfriends – List: Tor
72) A Memory Called Empire – List: Tor
73) A RADICAL ACT OF FREE MAGIC – H.G. Parry List: Kirkus
74) A Snake Falls to Earth – Darcie Little Badger List: Tor
75) Adrift – W. Michael Gear List: Books, Bones & Buffy
76) AI 2041 – Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan List: The Wall Street Journal
77) All the Light We Cannot See – List: Lit Hub
78) Alone in Space: A Collection – Tillie Walden List: NPR
79) Amari and the Night Brothers – B. B. Alston List: NPR
80) Analog / Virtual – List: Tor
81) Antisocieties – List: Tor
82) Artemisia – Nathalie Ferlut and Tamia Baudouin (Trans. Maelle Doliveux) List: Powell’s
83) Beer! Beer! Beer! – List: Tor
84) Bewilderment – Richard Powers List: NPR
85) Boneland – List: Tor
86) Breeder – Honni van Rijswijk List: Polygon
87) Build Your House Around My Body – Violet Kupersmith List: NPR
88) Celestia – Manuele Fior, translated by Jamie Richards List: NPR
89) Certain Dark Things – Silvia Moreno-Garcia List: Waterstones
90) Chaos on CatNet – Naomi Kritzer List: NPR
91) Child of Light – Terry Brooks List: Barnes & Noble
92) Children of the Fox: A Thieves of Shadow Novel – Kevin Sands List: NPR
93) Children of Time – List: Tor
94) Chilling Effect – Valerie Valdes List: Five Books
95) Chinatown – List: Lit Hub
96) City of the Uncommon Thief – List: Tor
97) Composite Creatures – Caroline Hardaker List: Books, Bones & Buffy
98) Creatures of Passage – Morowa Yejidé List: NPR
99) Cwen – List: The Guardian
100) Cyclopedia Exotica – Aminder Dhaliwal List: NPR
101) Cytonic – Brandon Sanderson List: Waterstones
102) Damnable Tales – Richard Wells List: Waterstones
103) Dark Rise – C.S. Pacat List: Polygon
104) Day Zero – C. Robert Cargill List: Books, Bones & Buffy
105) Dead Space – Kali Wallace List: Books, Bones & Buffy
106) Doors of Sleep – Tim Pratt List: Books, Bones & Buffy
107) Dowry of Blood – S. T. Gibson List: P.S. Hoffman 2
108) Dune: the Graphic Novel, Book 1 – Frank Herbert List: Waterstones
109) E.X.O.: The Legend of Wale Williams, Volume One – Roye Okupe, illustrated by Sunkanmi Akinboye List: NPR
110) Edge of Heaven – R B Kelly List: Five Books
111) Elysium – List: Tor
112) ExtraOrdinary (Villains #1.5) – V. E. Schwab List: Barnes & Noble
113) Eye of the Sh*t Storm – Jackson Ford List: Books, Bones & Buffy
114) Femlandia – Christina Dalcher List: Waterstones
115) Fireheart Tiger – List: Tor
116) Fireside – List: Tor
117) Flowers for the Sea – Zin E. Rocklyn List: Tor
118) Folklorn – Angela Mi Young Hur List: NY Times
119) Future Feeling – Joss Lake List: Polygon
120) Garlic and the Vampire – Bree Paulsen List: NPR
121) Girl One – List: Goodreads 2
122) Goblin – Josh Malerman List: The Wall Street Journal
123) Hard Reboot – Django Wexler List: Polygon
124) Harrow – List: Lit Hub
125) Healer of the Water Monster – Brian Young List: Portalist
126) His Name Was Death – Rafael Bernal List: Powell’s
127) Honeycomb – Joanne M. Harris, illus. by Charles Vess List: Publishers Weekly
128) How to Get to Apocalypse and Other Disasters – List: Tor
129) How to Talk to a Goddess – Emily Croy Barker List: Polygon
130) Hunting by Stars – Cherie Dimaline List: NPR
131) I’m Waiting for You and Other Stories – Kim Bo-young, translated by Sophie Bowman and Sung Ryu List: NPR
132) In the Watchful City – S. Qiouyi Lu List: Publishers Weekly
133) Infinitum: An Afrofuturist Tale – Tim Fielder List: NPR
134) Kingdom of the Cursed – Kerri Maniscalco List: Waterstones
135) Kink: Stories – R.O. Kwon, Garth Greenwell List: Tor
136) Land of Big Numbers – Te-Ping Chen List: NPR
137) Last Gamer Standing – Katie Zhao List: Portalist
138) Last One at the Party – Bethany Clift List: Waterstones
139) Lesser Evil (B&N Exclusive… – Timothy Zahn List: Barnes & Noble
140) Light Chaser – Peter F. Hamilton & Gareth L. Powell List: Books, Bones & Buffy
141) Light of the Jedi – List: Goodreads 2
142) Lore – Alexandra Bracken List: Amazon
143) Love after the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction – List: Booklist
144) Malice (Malice Duology #1) – List: Goodreads
145) Meet Me in Another Life – Catriona Silvey List: Waterstones
146) Memory – List: Tor
147) Midnight in Everwood – M.A. Kuzniar List: Waterstones
148) Monsters – Barry Windsor-Smith List: NPR
149) My Heart Is a Chainsaw – Stephen Graham Jones List: Booklist
150) Near the Bone – Christina Henry List: Waterstones
151) Night Bus – Zuo Ma, translated by Orion Martin List: NPR
152) Nightwatch on the Hinterlands – K. Eason List: Books, Bones & Buffy
153) Notes From the Burning Age – Claire North List: NPR
154) Once Upon a Broken Heart – Stephanie Garber List: Waterstones
155) Our Violent Ends – Chloe Gong List: Portalist
156) Paladin’s Strength – T. Kingfisher List: Polygon
157) Palmares – Gayl Jones List: NPR
158) Peaces – Helen Oyeyemi List: Tor
159) Pearl – Josh Malerman List: The Wall Street Journal
160) People From My Neighborhood – Hiromi Kawakami translated by Ted Goossen List: NPR
161) Perhaps the Stars – List: Tor
162) Red Cliff – List: Tor
163) Reprieve – James Han Mattson List: Waterstones
164) Reset – List: Tor
165) Rule of Wolves – Leigh Bardugo List: P.S. Hoffman 2
166) Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness – Kristen Radtke List: Powell’s
167) Seven Days in June – Tia Williams List: Powell’s
168) Several People Are Typing – Calvin Kasulke List: Financial Times
169) Sistersong – Lucy Holland List: Waterstones
170) Skin of the Sea – Natasha Bowen List: NPR
171) Skyward Inn – List: Financial Times
172) Some Faraway Place – Lauren Shippen List: Book Riot
173) Summer in the City of Roses – List: Tor
174) Ten Low – Stark Holborn List: Books, Bones & Buffy
175) Termination Shock – List: Goodreads 2
176) The Album of Dr. Moreau – Daryl Gregory List: Books, Bones & Buffy
177) The Animals in That Country – Laura Jean McKay List: Five Books
178) The Best of World SF, v.1 – List: Booklist
179) The Bone Shard Emperor – Andrea Stewart List: Waterstones
180) The Book of Accidents – Chuck Wendig List: Tor
181) The Book of Magic (Practical Magic, #2) – List: Goodreads
182) The Burning God – List: Booklist
183) The City of Dr Moreau – List: Financial Times
184) The Dangers of Smoking in Bed – List: Lit Hub
185) The Death of Jane Lawrence: A Novel – Caitlin Starling List: NPR
186) The Desert Prince – Peter V. Brett List: Waterstones
187) The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng – K.S. Villoso List: Portalist
188) The Employees – List: The Guardian
189) The Every – Dave Eggers List: Waterstones
190) The Exiled Fleet – J.S. Dewes List: Books, Bones & Buffy
191) The Extinction Trials – List: Amazon
192) THE FREE BASTARDS – Jonathan French List: Kirkus
193) The Giant Dark – List: Tor
194) The God is Not Willing – Steven Erikson List: P.S. Hoffman 2
195) The Haunting Season – Bridget Collins List: Waterstones
196) The Heart Principle – Helen Hoang List: Powell’s
197) The Heartbreak Bakery – List: Tor
198) The Helm of Midnight – List: Bookpage
199) The Infinite – Patience Agbabi List: Five Books
200) The Infinity Courts – Akemi Dawn Bowman List: Portalist
201) The Last Wish – Andrzej Sapkowski, Danusia Stok List: Waterstones
202) The Letters of Shirley Jackson – Laurence Jackson Hyman List: Powell’s
203) The Library of the Dead – T.L. Huchu List: The Wall Street Journal
204) The Lord of the Rings – J. R. R. Tolkien List: Waterstones
205) The Mask Falling – Samantha Shannon List: Waterstones
206) The Membranes – List: Tor
207) The Minders – John Marrs List: The Wall Street Journal
208) The Morning Star – Karl Ove Knausgaard List: NPR
209) The Offset – List: Financial Times
210) The Queen of the Cicadas – List: Booklist
211) The Rock Eaters: Stories – Brenda Peynado List: NPR
212) The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry – List: Tor
213) The Sentence – Louise Erdrich List: NPR
214) The Stranding – Kate Sawyer List: Waterstones
215) The Trees – List: Lit Hub
216) The Turnout – Megan Abbott List: Tor
217) The Ultimate Discworld Companion – Terry Pratchett, Stephen Briggs List: Waterstones
218) The Vanished Birds – Simon Jimenez List: Five Books
219) The Veiled Throne – Ken Liu List: Polygon
220) The Wandering Earth – Cixin Liu List: Polygon
221) The Water Margin – List: Tor
222) The Winter Garden – Alexandra Bell List: Waterstones
223) The Wisdom of Crowds – Joe Abercrombie List: Waterstones
224) The World Gives Way – List: NY Times
225) This Thing Between Us: A Novel – Gus Moreno List: NPR
226) Threadneedle – Cari Thomas List: Waterstones
227) Too Bright to See – Kyle Lukoff List: NPR
228) Trans Care – List: Tor
229) Treacle Walker – List: Tor
230) Truth of the Divine – Lindsay Ellis List: Waterstones
231) Twenty-Five to Life – R.W.W. Greene List: Books, Bones & Buffy
232) Vagabonds – Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu List: Five Books
233) Vespertine – Margaret Rogerson List: Polygon
234) Victories Greater Than Death – Charlie Jane Anders List: NPR
235) We Are Satellites – List: Booklist
236) Winter’s Orbit – Everina Maxwell List: Goodreads 2
237) Winterkeep – Kristin Cashore List: Polygon
238) Witness for the Dead – Katherine Addison List: P.S. Hoffman 2
25 Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Sources/Lists
| Source | Article |
| Amazon | Best science fiction and fantasy of 2021 |
| Barnes & Noble | Barnes & Noble’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2021 |
| Book Riot | Best Books of 2021 |
| Booklist | Top 10 SF/Fantasy & Horror: 2021 |
| Bookpage | Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2021 |
| Books, Bones & Buffy | 21 Best Science Fiction Books Of 2021 |
| Financial Times | Best books of 2021: Science fiction |
| Five Books | The Best Science Fiction of 2021: The Arthur C Clarke Award Shortlist |
| Goodreads | Best Fantasy |
| Goodreads 2 | Best Science Fiction |
| Kirkus | Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2021 |
| Lit Hub | The Best Reviewed Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books of 2021 |
| NPR | Books We Love |
| NY Public Library | Best Books for Adults 2021 |
| NY Times | The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2021 |
| P.S. Hoffman | Best New Science Fiction Books | 2021 |
| P.S. Hoffman 2 | The 13 Best Fantasy Books of 2021 |
| Polygon | The best science fiction and fantasy books of 2021 |
| Portalist | The Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2021 |
| Powell’s | Best Books of 2021: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Romance & Graphic Novels |
| Publishers Weekly | Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror |
| The Guardian | Five of the best science fiction and fantasy books of 2021 |
| The Wall Street Journal | The Best Books of 2021: Science Fiction |
| Tor | Tor.com Reviewers’ Choice: The Best Books of 2021 |
| Waterstones | The Best Books of 2021: Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror |
