2018 Science Fiction And Fantasy Books List
Best 2018, Best Books, Best Year-End, Fantasy, Science Fiction

The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 2018 (A Year-End List Aggregation)

“What are the Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 2018?” We aggregated 21 year-end lists and ranked the 191 unique titles by how many times they appeared in an attempt to answer that very question!

 

There are thousands of year-end lists released every year and like we do in our weekly Best Book articles, we wanted to see which books appear the most. The top 28 books, all of which appeared on 3 or more “Best Science Fiction and Fantasy” Book lists, are ranked below with images, summaries, and links for more information or to purchase. The remaining 150+ books, as well as the top book lists are at the bottom of the page.

 

Make sure to take a look at our other Best of 2018 book lists:

You can also take a look at our Best Science Fiction / Fantasy books from last year as well as all the other Best 2017 articles!

 

Happy Scrolling!



Top 28 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books Of 2018



28 .) Ball Lightning written by Cixin Liu

Ball Lightning

Lists It Appears On:

  • Booklist 1
  • Goodreads 2
  • NPR

When Chen’s parents are incinerated before his eyes by a blast of ball lightning, he devotes his life to cracking the secret of this mysterious natural phenomenon. His search takes him to stormy mountaintops, an experimental military weapons lab, and an old Soviet science station.



27 .) Bloody Rose (The Band, #2) written by Nicholas Eames

Bloody Rose (The Band, #2)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • Goodreads 1
  • NPR

When the biggest mercenary band of all rolls into town, led by the infamous Bloody Rose, Tam jumps at the chance to sign on as their bard. It’s adventure she wants – and adventure she gets as the crew embark on a quest that will end in one of two ways: glory or death.



26 .) Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha) written by Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Chicago Review Of Books 1
  • NPR

They killed my mother. They took our magic. They tried to bury us. Now we rise. Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.



25 .) Gnomon written by Nick Harkaway

Gnomon

Lists It Appears On:

  • BookMarks
  • NPR
  • Open Letters Review

In the world of Gnomon, citizens are constantly observed and democracy has reached a pinnacle of ‘transparency.’ Every action is seen, every word is recorded, and the System has access to its citizens’ thoughts and memories–all in the name of providing the safest society in history. When suspected dissident Diana Hunter dies in government custody, it marks the first time a citizen has been killed during an interrogation. The System doesn’t make mistakes, but something isn’t right about the circumstances surrounding Hunter’s death. Mielikki Neith, a trusted state inspector and a true believer in the System, is assigned to find out what went wrong. Immersing herself in neural recordings of the interrogation, what she finds isn’t Hunter but rather a panorama of characters within Hunter’s psyche: a lovelorn financier in Athens who has a mystical experience with a shark; a brilliant alchemist in ancient Carthage confronting the unexpected outcome of her invention; an expat Ethiopian painter in London designing a controversial new video game, and a sociopathic disembodied intelligence from the distant future. Embedded in the memories of these impossible lives lies a code which Neith must decipher to find out what Hunter is hiding. In the static between these stories, Neith begins to catch glimpses of the real Diana Hunter–and, alarmingly, of herself. The staggering consequences of what she finds will reverberate throughout the world.



24 .) Head On (Lock In, #2) written by John Scalzi

Head On (Lock In, #2)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads 2
  • Pan Macmillan
  • Verified Tasks

Hilketa is a frenetic and violent pastime where players attack each other with swords and hammers. The main goal of the game: obtain your opponent’s head and carry it through the goalposts. With flesh and bone bodies, a sport like this would be impossible. But all the players are “threeps,” robot-like bodies controlled by people with Haden’s Syndrome, so anything goes. No one gets hurt, but the brutality is real and the crowds love it.



23 .) State Tectonics written by Malka Older

State Tectonics

Lists It Appears On:

  • Chicago Review Of Books 2
  • Kirkus
  • Verified Tasks

The future of democracy must evolve or die. The last time Information held an election, a global network outage, two counts of sabotage by major world governments, and a devastating earthquake almost shook micro-democracy apart. Five years later it’s time to vote again, and the system that has ensured global peace for 25 years is more vulnerable than ever. Unknown enemies are attacking Information’s network infrastructure. Spies, former superpowers, and revolutionaries sharpen their knives in the shadows. And Information’s best agents question whether the data monopoly they’ve served all their lives is worth saving, or whether it’s time to burn the world down and start anew.



22 .) The Gone World written by Tom Sweterlitsch

The Gone World

Lists It Appears On:

  • Book Page
  • Goodreads 2
  • Verified Tasks

Inception meets True Detective in this science-fiction thriller of spellbinding tension and staggering scope. The Gone World follows a special agent into a savage murder case with grave implications for the fate of mankind. Shannon Moss is part of a clandestine division within the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. In Western Pennsylvania, 1997, she is assigned to solve the murder of a Navy SEAL’s family–and to locate his teenage daughter, who has disappeared. Though she can’t share the information with conventional law enforcement, Moss discovers that the missing SEAL was an astronaut aboard the spaceship U.S.S. Libra–a ship assumed lost to the darkest currents of Deep Time. Moss knows first-hand the mental trauma of time-travel and believes the SEAL’s experience with the future has triggered this violence. Determined to find the missing girl and driven by a troubling connection from her own past, Moss travels ahead in time to explore possible versions of the future, seeking evidence or insight that will crack the present-day case. To her horror, the future reveals that it’s not only the fate of a family that hinges on her work, for what she witnesses rising over time’s horizon and hurtling toward the present is the Terminus: the terrifying and cataclysmic end of humanity itself. Luminous and unsettling, The Gone World bristles with world-shattering ideas yet remains at its heart an intensely human story.



21 .) The Sky Is Yours: A Novel written by Chandler Klang Smith

The Sky Is Yours: A Novel

Lists It Appears On:

  • NPR
  • Open Letters Review
  • Verified Tasks

A sprawling, genre-defying epic set in a dystopian metropolis plagued by dragons, this debut about what it’s like to be young in a very old world is pure storytelling pleasure In the burned-out, futuristic city of Empire Island, three young people navigate a crumbling metropolis constantly under threat from a pair of dragons that circle the skies. When violence strikes, reality star Duncan Humphrey Ripple V, the spoiled scion of the metropolis’ last dynasty; Baroness Swan Lenore Dahlberg, his tempestuous, death-obsessed betrothed; and Abby, a feral beauty he discovered tossed out with the trash; are forced to flee everything they’ve ever known. As they wander toward the scalded heart of the city, they face fire, conspiracy, mayhem, unholy drugs, dragon-worshippers, and the monsters lurking inside themselves. In this bombshell of a novel, Chandler Klang Smith has imagined an unimaginable world: scathingly clever and gorgeously strange, The Sky Is Yours is at once faraway and disturbingly familiar, its singular chaos grounded in the universal realities of love, family, and the deeply human desire to survive at all costs. The Sky Is Yours is incredibly cinematic, bawdy, rollicking, hilarious, and utterly unforgettable, a debut that readers who loved Cloud Atlas, Super Sad True Love Story, and Blade Runner will adore.



20 .) Unholy Land written by Lavie Tidhar

Unholy Land

Lists It Appears On:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • NPR
  • Publishers Weekly

The author of the critically acclaimed, Campbell and World Fantasy Award-winning Central Station returns with a subversive new novel evoking Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union and China Miéville’s The City and the City. When pulp-fiction writer Lior Tirosh returns to his homeland in East Africa, much has changed. Palestina—a Jewish state established in the early 20th century—is constructing a massive border wall to keep out African refugees. Unrest in the capital is at a fever pitch. While searching for his missing niece, Tirosh begins to believe he is a detective from one of his own novels. He is pursued by ruthless members of the state’s security apparatus while unearthing deadly conspiracies and impossible realities. For if it is possible for more than one Palestina to exist, the barriers between the worlds are beginning to break.



19 .) How Long ‛til Black Future Month? written by N.K. Jemisin

How Long ‛til Black Future Month?

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Kirkus
  • NPR

In these stories, Jemisin sharply examines modern society, infusing magic into the mundane, and drawing deft parallels in the fantasy realms of her imagination. Dragons and hateful spirits haunt the flooded city of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In a parallel universe, a utopian society watches our world, trying to learn from our mistakes. A black mother in the Jim Crow south must figure out how to save her daughter from a fey offering impossible promises. And in the Hugo award-winning novella “The City Born Great,” a young street kid fights to give birth to an old metropolis’s soul.



18 .) Record of a Spaceborn Few (Wayfarers, #3) written by Becky Chambers

Record of a Spaceborn Few (Wayfarers, #3)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • Goodreads 2
  • NPR
  • Way Too Fantasy

Return to the sprawling universe of the Galactic Commons, as humans, artificial intelligence, aliens, and some beings yet undiscovered explore what it means to be a community in this exciting third adventure in the acclaimed and multi-award-nominated science fiction Wayfarers series, brimming with heartwarming characters and dazzling space adventure.



17 .) Tess Of The Road written by Rachel Hartman

Tess Of The Road

Lists It Appears On:

  • Booklist 2
  • Brightly
  • NPR
  • Tor

Meet Tess, a brave new heroine from beloved epic fantasy author Rachel Hartman. In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons get to be whomever they want. Tess, stubbornly, is a troublemaker. You can’t make a scene at your sister’s wedding and break a relative’s nose with one punch (no matter how pompous he is) and not suffer the consequences. As her family plans to send her to a nunnery, Tess yanks on her boots and sets out on a journey across the Southlands, alone and pretending to be a boy. Where Tess is headed is a mystery, even to her. So when she runs into an old friend, it’s a stroke of luck. This friend is a quigutl—a subspecies of dragon—who gives her both a purpose and protection on the road. But Tess is guarding a troubling secret. Her tumultuous past is a heavy burden to carry, and the memories she’s tried to forget threaten to expose her to the world in more ways than one. Returning to the fascinating world she created in the award-winning and New York Times bestselling Seraphina, Rachel Hartman introduces readers to a new character and a new quest, pushing the boundaries of genre once again in this wholly original fantasy.



16 .) The Night Masquerade (Binti, #3) written by Nnedi Okorafor

The Night Masquerade (Binti, #3)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Booklist 1
  • Goodreads 2
  • Pan Macmillan
  • Verified Tasks

Binti has returned to her home planet, believing that the violence of the Meduse has been left behind. Unfortunately, although her people are peaceful on the whole, the same cannot be said for the Khoush, who fan the flames of their ancient rivalry with the Meduse.



15 .) The Only Harmless Great Thing written by Brooke Bolander

The Only Harmless Great Thing

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Tor
  • Verified Tasks

In the early years of the 20th century, a group of female factory workers in Newark, New Jersey slowly died of radiation poisoning. Around the same time, an Indian elephant was deliberately put to death by electricity in Coney Island. These are the facts. Now these two tragedies are intertwined in a dark alternate history of rage, radioactivity, and injustice crying out to be righted. Prepare yourself for a wrenching journey that crosses eras, chronicling histories of cruelty both grand and petty in search of meaning and justice.



14 .) Vita Nostra written by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko

Vita Nostra

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Book Page
  • Kirkus

The definitive English language translation of the internationally acclaimed Russian novel—a brilliant dark fantasy combining psychological suspense, enchantment, and terror that makes us consider human existence in a fresh and provocative way.



13 .) Circe written by Madeline Miller

Circe

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads 1
  • NPR
  • Pan Macmillan
  • Tor
  • Way Too Fantasy

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselv In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.



12 .) Foundryside (Founders, #1) written by Robert Jackson Bennett

Foundryside (Founders, #1)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Chicago Review Of Books 1
  • Goodreads 1
  • Open Letters Review

“The exciting beginning of a promising new epic fantasy series. Prepare for ancient mysteries, innovative magic, and heart-pounding heists.”—Brandon Sanderson “Complex characters, magic that is tech and vice versa, a world bound by warring trade dynasties: Bennett will leave you in awe once you remember to breathe!”—Tamora Pierce “An absolutely riveting secondary world fanta “The exciting beginning of a promising new epic fantasy series. Prepare for ancient mysteries, innovative magic, and heart-pounding heists.”—Brandon Sanderson “Complex characters, magic that is tech and vice versa, a world bound by warring trade dynasties: Bennett will leave you in awe once you remember to breathe!”—Tamora Pierce “An absolutely riveting secondary world fantasy…I felt fully, utterly engaged by the ideas, actually in love with the core characters for their differences and the immensely generative friction between them, and in awe of Bennett’s craft. I went to bed late reading it and woke up early to finish it. A magnificent, mind-blowing start to a series I’m hungry for.”— Amal El-Mohtar, New York Times Book Review – In a city that runs on industrialized magic, a secret war will be fought to overwrite reality itself–the first in a dazzling new series from City of Stairs author Robert Jackson Bennett. Sancia Grado is a thief, and a damn good one. And her latest target, a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevanne’s docks, is nothing her unique abilities can’t handle. But unbeknownst to her, Sancia’s been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic–the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience–have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine. But if they can unlock the artifact’s secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims. Now someone in those Houses wants Sancia dead, and the artifact for themselves. And in the city of Tevanne, there’s nobody with the power to stop them. To have a chance at surviving—and at stopping the deadly transformation that’s under way—Sancia will have to marshal unlikely allies, learn to harness the artifact’s power for herself, and undergo her own transformation, one that will turn her into something she could never have imagined.



11 .) Severance written by Ling Ma

Severance

Lists It Appears On:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • BookMarks
  • Chicago Review Of Books 2
  • Goodreads 2
  • NPR

An offbeat office novel turns apocalyptic satire as a young woman transforms from orphan to worker bee to survivor Candace Chen, a millennial drone self-sequestered in a Manhattan office tower, is devoted to routine. With the recent passing of her Chinese immigrant parents, she’s had her fill of uncertainty. She’s content just to carry on: She goes to work, troubleshoots th An offbeat office novel turns apocalyptic satire as a young woman transforms from orphan to worker bee to survivor Candace Chen, a millennial drone self-sequestered in a Manhattan office tower, is devoted to routine. With the recent passing of her Chinese immigrant parents, she’s had her fill of uncertainty. She’s content just to carry on: She goes to work, troubleshoots the teen-targeted Gemstone Bible, watches movies in a Greenpoint basement with her boyfriend. So Candace barely notices when a plague of biblical proportions sweeps New York. Then Shen Fever spreads. Families flee. Companies halt operations. The subways squeak to a halt. Her bosses enlist her as part of a dwindling skeleton crew with a big end-date payoff. Soon entirely alone, still unfevered, she photographs the eerie, abandoned city as the anonymous blogger NY Ghost. Candace won’t be able to make it on her own forever, though. Enter a group of survivors, led by the power-hungry IT tech Bob. They’re traveling to a place called the Facility, where, Bob promises, they will have everything they need to start society anew. But Candace is carrying a secret she knows Bob will exploit. Should she escape from her rescuers? A send-up and takedown of the rituals, routines, and missed opportunities of contemporary life, Ling Ma’s Severance is a moving family story, a quirky coming-of-adulthood tale, and a hilarious, deadpan satire. Most important, it’s a heartfelt tribute to the connections that drive us to do more than survive.



10 .) The Book of M written by Peng Shepherd

The Book of M

Lists It Appears On:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • Chicago Review Of Books 2
  • Goodreads 1
  • Open Letters Review
  • Verified Tasks

Set in a dangerous near future world, The Book of M tells the captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything to save the ones they love. It is a sweeping debut that illuminates the power that memories have not only on the heart, but on the world itself. One afternoon at an outdoor market in India, a man’s shadow di Set in a dangerous near future world, The Book of M tells the captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything to save the ones they love. It is a sweeping debut that illuminates the power that memories have not only on the heart, but on the world itself. One afternoon at an outdoor market in India, a man’s shadow disappears—an occurrence science cannot explain. He is only the first. The phenomenon spreads like a plague, and while those afflicted gain a strange new power, it comes at a horrible price: the loss of all their memories. Ory and his wife Max have escaped the Forgetting so far by hiding in an abandoned hotel deep in the woods. Their new life feels almost normal, until one day Max’s shadow disappears too. Knowing that the more she forgets, the more dangerous she will become to Ory, Max runs away. But Ory refuses to give up the time they have left together. Desperate to find Max before her memory disappears completely, he follows her trail across a perilous, unrecognizable world, braving the threat of roaming bandits, the call to a new war being waged on the ruins of the capital, and the rise of a sinister cult that worships the shadowless. As they journey, each searches for answers: for Ory, about love, about survival, about hope; and for Max, about a new force growing in the south that may hold the cure.



9 .) Trail of Lightning written by Rebecca Roanhorse

Trail of Lightning

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Book Page
  • NPR
  • Way Too Fantasy

While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters. Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last—and best— While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters. Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last—and best—hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much larger and more terrifying than anything she could imagine. Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel to the rez to unravel clues from ancient legends, trade favors with tricksters, and battle dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology. As Maggie discovers the truth behind the disappearances, she will have to confront her past—if she wants to survive. Welcome to the Sixth World.



8 .) Blackfish City written by Sam J. Miller

Blackfish City

Lists It Appears On:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • Chicago Review Of Books 2
  • Kirkus
  • Open Letters Review
  • Publishers Weekly
  • Verified Tasks

After the climate wars, a floating city is constructed in the Arctic Circle, a remarkable feat of mechanical and social engineering, complete with geothermal heating and sustainable energy. The city’s denizens have become accustomed to a roughshod new way of living, however, the city is starting to fray along the edges—crime and corruption have set in, the contradictions o After the climate wars, a floating city is constructed in the Arctic Circle, a remarkable feat of mechanical and social engineering, complete with geothermal heating and sustainable energy. The city’s denizens have become accustomed to a roughshod new way of living, however, the city is starting to fray along the edges—crime and corruption have set in, the contradictions of incredible wealth alongside direst poverty are spawning unrest, and a new disease called “the breaks” is ravaging the population. When a strange new visitor arrives—a woman riding an orca, with a polar bear at her side—the city is entranced. The “orcamancer,” as she’s known, very subtly brings together four people—each living on the periphery—to stage unprecedented acts of resistance. By banding together to save their city before it crumbles under the weight of its own decay, they will learn shocking truths about themselves. Blackfish City is a remarkably urgent—and ultimately very hopeful—novel about political corruption, organized crime, technology run amok, the consequences of climate change, gender identity, and the unifying power of human connection.



7 .) Iron Gold: Book 4 of the Red Rising Saga (Red Rising Series) written by Pierce Brown

Iron Gold: Book 4 of the Red Rising Saga (Red Rising Series)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Goodreads 2
  • NPR
  • Verified Tasks
  • Way Too Fantasy

They call him father, liberator, warlord, Reaper. But he feels a boy as he falls toward the pale blue planet, his armor red, his army vast, his heart heavy. It is the tenth year of war and the thirty-second of his life. A decade ago, Darrow was the hero of the revolution he believed would break the chains of the Society. But the Rising has shattered everything: Instead of p They call him father, liberator, warlord, Reaper. But he feels a boy as he falls toward the pale blue planet, his armor red, his army vast, his heart heavy. It is the tenth year of war and the thirty-second of his life. A decade ago, Darrow was the hero of the revolution he believed would break the chains of the Society. But the Rising has shattered everything: Instead of peace and freedom, it has brought endless war. Now he must risk everything he has fought for on one last desperate mission. Darrow still believes he can save everyone, but can he save himself? And throughout the worlds, other destinies entwine with Darrow’s to change his fate forever: A young Red girl flees tragedy in her refugee camp and achieves for herself a new life she could never have imagined. An ex-soldier broken by grief is forced to steal the most valuable thing in the galaxy—or pay with his life. And Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile to the sovereign, wanders the stars with his mentor, Cassius, haunted by the loss of the world that Darrow transformed, and dreaming of what will rise from its ashes. Red Rising was the story of the end of one universe, and Iron Gold is the story of the creation of a new one. Witness the beginning of a stunning new saga of tragedy and triumph from masterly New York Times bestselling author Pierce Brown.



6 .) The Calculating Stars (Lady Astronaut, #1) written by Mary Robinette Kowal

Lists It Appears On:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • Chicago Review Of Books 2
  • Goodreads 2
  • Publishers Weekly
  • Verified Tasks
  • Way Too Fantasy

Tade Thompson’s Rosewater is the start of an award-winning, cutting edge trilogy set in Nigeria, by one of science fiction’s most engaging new voices. Rosewater is a town on the edge. A community formed around the edges of a mysterious alien biodome, its residents comprise the hopeful, the hungry and the helpless—people eager for a glimpse inside the dome or a taste of its Tade Thompson’s Rosewater is the start of an award-winning, cutting edge trilogy set in Nigeria, by one of science fiction’s most engaging new voices. Rosewater is a town on the edge. A community formed around the edges of a mysterious alien biodome, its residents comprise the hopeful, the hungry and the helpless—people eager for a glimpse inside the dome or a taste of its rumored healing powers. Kaaro is a government agent with a criminal past. He has seen inside the biodome, and doesn’t care to again—but when something begins killing off others like himself, Kaaro must defy his masters to search for an answer, facing his dark history and coming to a realization about a horrifying future.



5 .) Rosewater written by Tade Thompson

Rosewater

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Book Page
  • BookMarks
  • Chicago Review Of Books 2
  • Financial Times
  • Goodreads 2

Tade Thompson’s Rosewater is the start of an award-winning, cutting edge trilogy set in Nigeria, by one of science fiction’s most engaging new voices. Rosewater is a town on the edge. A community formed around the edges of a mysterious alien biodome, its residents comprise the hopeful, the hungry and the helpless—people eager for a glimpse inside the dome or a taste of its Tade Thompson’s Rosewater is the start of an award-winning, cutting edge trilogy set in Nigeria, by one of science fiction’s most engaging new voices. Rosewater is a town on the edge. A community formed around the edges of a mysterious alien biodome, its residents comprise the hopeful, the hungry and the helpless—people eager for a glimpse inside the dome or a taste of its rumored healing powers. Kaaro is a government agent with a criminal past. He has seen inside the biodome, and doesn’t care to again—but when something begins killing off others like himself, Kaaro must defy his masters to search for an answer, facing his dark history and coming to a realization about a horrifying future.



4 .) Spinning Silver written by Naomi Novak

Spinning Silver

Lists It Appears On:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • BookMarks
  • Chicago Review Of Books 1
  • Goodreads 1
  • NPR
  • Pan Macmillan
  • Tor

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders… but her father isn’t a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife’s dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers’ pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed–and finds herself more than up to Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders… but her father isn’t a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife’s dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers’ pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed–and finds herself more than up to the task. When her grandfather loans her a pouch of silver pennies, she brings it back full of gold. But having the reputation of being able to change silver to gold can be more trouble than it’s worth–especially when her fate becomes tangled with the cold creatures that haunt the wood, and whose king has learned of her reputation and wants to exploit it for reasons Miryem cannot understand.



3 .) The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1) written by R. F. Kuang

The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Book Page
  • Goodreads 1
  • Pan Macmillan
  • Tor
  • Way Too Fantasy

When Rin aced the Keju, the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies, it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard, the most elite military school in Nikan, was even more surprising.



2 .) Space Opera written by Catherynne M. Valente

Space Opera

Lists It Appears On:

  • Book Page
  • Booklist 1
  • BookMarks
  • Goodreads 2
  • NPR
  • Pan Macmillan
  • Tor
  • Verified Tasks

IN SPACE EVERYONE CAN HEAR YOU SING A century ago, the Sentience Wars tore the galaxy apart and nearly ended the entire concept of intelligent space-faring life. In the aftermath, a curious tradition was invented-something to cheer up everyone who was left and bring the shattered worlds together in the spirit of peace, unity, and understanding. Once every cycle, the civiliza IN SPACE EVERYONE CAN HEAR YOU SING A century ago, the Sentience Wars tore the galaxy apart and nearly ended the entire concept of intelligent space-faring life. In the aftermath, a curious tradition was invented-something to cheer up everyone who was left and bring the shattered worlds together in the spirit of peace, unity, and understanding. Once every cycle, the civilizations gather for the Metagalactic Grand Prix – part gladiatorial contest, part beauty pageant, part concert extravaganza, and part continuation of the wars of the past. Instead of competing in orbital combat, the powerful species that survived face off in a competition of song, dance, or whatever can be physically performed in an intergalactic talent show. The stakes are high for this new game, and everyone is forced to compete. This year, though, humankind has discovered the enormous universe. And while they expected to discover a grand drama of diplomacy, gunships, wormholes, and stoic councils of aliens, they have instead found glitter, lipstick and electric guitars. Mankind will not get to fight for its destiny – they must sing. A one-hit-wonder band of human musicians, dancers and roadies from London – Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes – have been chosen to represent Earth on the greatest stage in the galaxy. And the fate of their species lies in their ability to rock.



1 .) Witchmark written by C.L. Polk

Witchmark

Lists It Appears On:

  • Barnes & Noble
  • Book Page
  • Booklist 2
  • Chicago Review Of Books 1
  • NPR
  • Publishers Weekly
  • Tor
  • Way Too Fantasy

C. L. Polk arrives on the scene with Witchmark, a stunning, addictive fantasy that combines intrigue, magic, betrayal, and romance. In an original world reminiscent of Edwardian England in the shadow of a World War, cabals of noble families use their unique magical gifts to control the fates of nations, while one young man seeks only to live a life of his own. Magic marked M C. L. Polk arrives on the scene with Witchmark, a stunning, addictive fantasy that combines intrigue, magic, betrayal, and romance. In an original world reminiscent of Edwardian England in the shadow of a World War, cabals of noble families use their unique magical gifts to control the fates of nations, while one young man seeks only to live a life of his own. Magic marked Miles Singer for suffering the day he was born, doomed either to be enslaved to his family’s interest or to be committed to a witches’ asylum. He went to war to escape his destiny and came home a different man, but he couldn’t leave his past behind. The war between Aeland and Laneer leaves men changed, strangers to their friends and family, but even after faking his own death and reinventing himself as a doctor at a cash-strapped veterans’ hospital, Miles can’t hide what he truly is. When a fatally poisoned patient exposes Miles’ healing gift and his witchmark, he must put his anonymity and freedom at risk to investigate his patient’s murder. To find the truth he’ll need to rely on the family he despises, and on the kindness of the most gorgeous man he’s ever seen.




The150+ Additional Best Science Fiction Books From 2018



#BooksAuthorsLists
2984KClaire NorthBooklist 1
NPR
30
A Winter’s Promise: Book One of The Mirror Visitor Quartet
 Amazon
Chicago Review Of Books 1
31Dread Nation Booklist 1
Brightly
32Embers of WarGareth L. Powell
Barnes & Noble
Verified Tasks
33Empire of SilenceChristopher Ruocchio
Barnes & Noble
Verified Tasks
34Grey Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #2)Mark Lawrence
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads 1
35
Iron and Magic (The Iron Covenant, #1)
 Amazon
Goodreads 1
36Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels, #10)Ilona Andrews
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads 1
37Medusa Uploaded Book Page
Verified Tasks
38Melmoth: A NovelSarah Perry
Chicago Review Of Books 1
NPR
39Once And Forever: The Tales Of Kenji MiyazawaKenji Miyazawa
Chicago Review Of Books 1
NPR
40Only Human (Themis Files, #3)Sylvain Neuvel
Goodreads 2
Open Letters Review
41Red ClocksLeni ZumasBookMarks
Goodreads 2
42
Revenant Gun (The Machineries of Empire, #3)
 
Goodreads 2
Verified Tasks
43SalvationPeter F. Hamilton
Barnes & Noble
Pan Macmillan
44ScribeAlyson HagyBookMarks
NPR
45SeafireNatalie C. ParkerBrightly
NPR
46SemiosisSue Burke
Chicago Review Of Books 2
Verified Tasks
47Senlin Ascends (The Books of Babel, #1)Josiah Bancroft
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads 1
48StarlessJacqueline Carey
Barnes & Noble
Booklist 1
49Tell The Machine Goodnight: A NovelKatie WilliamsNPR
Verified Tasks
50TemperNicky Drayden
Barnes & Noble
Publishers Weekly
51The Assassination Of Brangwain SpurgeM.T. Anderson and Eugene YelchinBooklist 2
NPR
52The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated EditionUrsula K. Le Guin and Charles Vess
Barnes & Noble
Tor
53The Dark Descent Of Elizabeth FrankensteinKiersten WhiteBrightly
NPR
54The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday HorrorDaniel Mallory OrtbergNPR
Publishers Weekly
55The Monster Baru CormorantSeth Dickinson
Open Letters Review
Tor
56The Oracle Year 
Goodreads 2
Verified Tasks
57Thunderhead Booklist 2
Brightly
58Vengeful (Villains, #2)V. E. Schwab
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads 2
59Zero Sum Game Amazon
Verified Tasks
60
A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe
 
Verified Tasks
61A Conspiracy of Truths Book Page
62A Reaper at the Gates Brightly
63A Room Away From The WolvesNova Ren SumaNPR
64A Study in HonorClaire O’Dell
Barnes & Noble
65A Thousand Beginnings And EndingsEllen Oh and Elsie Chapman (editors)NPR
66
Age of War (The Legends of the First Empire #3)
 
Goodreads 1
67Ahab’s Return 
Chicago Review Of Books 1
68All The Names They Used For GodAnjali SachdevaNPR
69
Alliances (Star Wars: Thrawn, #2)
 
Goodreads 2
70Alternate RoutesTim Powers
Barnes & Noble
71Ambiguity Machines and Other StoriesVandana Singh
Barnes & Noble
72An Agent of UtopiaAndy Duncan
Barnes & Noble
73An Easy DeathCharlaine Harris
Barnes & Noble
74Apocalypse NyxKameron Hurley
Barnes & Noble
75
Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)
 
Goodreads 2
76Barrier Tor
77Battlestar Suburbia 
Financial Times
78Before MarsEmma Newman
Barnes & Noble
79
Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children, #3)
 
Goodreads 1
80Black Star Renegades 
Chicago Review Of Books 2
81Blanca & Roja Tor
82BreadcrumbsAnne Ursu
Sci-Fi Fantasy Lit Chick
83Bright Ruin 
Pan Macmillan
84Bright We Burn Brightly
85
Burn Bright (Alpha & Omega, #5; Mercy Thompson World – Complete, #15)
 
Goodreads 1
86Carve the MarkVeronica Roth
Sci-Fi Fantasy Lit Chick
87CensusJesse BallNPR
88City Of Ash And Red: A NovelHye-young Pyun, translatedNPR
89Crown of Thunder Brightly
90Dactyl Hill SquadDaniel José OlderNPR
91DARK STATE Kirkus
92Deep Roots Tor
93Destroy All MonstersJeff JacksonBookMarks
94Dragons In A BagZetta Elliott, illustratedNPR
95Dreaming Dangerous Booklist 1
96Elysium Fire 
Verified Tasks
97Empire of SandTasha Suri
Barnes & Noble
98Eternity GirlMagdalene Visaggio, illustratedNPR
99
Exit Strategy: The Murderbot Diaries
 Amazon
100Fire & BloodGeorge R.R. Martin
Barnes & Noble
101
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
 Booklist 1
102Friday BlackNana Kwame Adjei-BrenyahBookMarks
103Girls of Paper and Fire Brightly
104Give Me Your Hand Tor
105
Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach
 
Verified Tasks
106Gunpowder Moon Amazon
107Half-WitchJohn SchoffstallNPR
108
Heads of the Colored People
 Tor
109Hero at the Fall Brightly
110High Voltage (Fever, #10) 
Goodreads 1
111
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
 Tor
112Hullmetal Girls Brightly
113Immortal Reign Brightly
114In the Night Wood Tor
115In the Vanishers’ Palace Tor
116InfidelPornsak Pichetshote and Aaron CampbellNPR
117Isle of Blood and Stone Tor
118
Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix
 Brightly
119
Late Night with Seth Meyers
 Tor
120Mecha Samurai Empire 
Financial Times
121Meddling Kids 
Financial Times
122Mirage Booklist 1
123Monster PortraitsSofia Samatar, illustratedNPR
124NIGHT FALL Kirkus
125
Persepolis Rising (The Expanse, #7)
 
Goodreads 2
126Phoresis Booklist 1
127Port of ShadowsGlen Cook
Open Letters Review
128QuietusTristan Palmgren (March 6, Angry Robot—Paperback)
Barnes & Noble
129Red MoonKim Stanley Robinson
Open Letters Review
130
Rejoice, A Knife to the Heart
 Tor
131Robots Vs. FairiesNavah Wolfe and Dominic Parisian
Barnes & Noble
132Shade, The Changing Girl Vol. 2: Little RunawayCecil Castellucci and Marley ZarconeNPR
133Sisters of the Winter Wood Book Page
134SisypheanDempow Torishima, translated by Daniel Huddleston
Barnes & Noble
135Smoke in the Sun Brightly
136Spaceship Next Door Amazon
137Starlight Nights: The Adventures of a Star GazerLeslie L. Peltier Premise:
Sci-Fi Fantasy Lit Chick
138StarlingsJo Walton
Barnes & Noble
139SummerlandHannu Rajaniemi
Barnes & Noble
140Tempests and Slaughter Brightly
141Terra Nullius: A NovelClaire G. ColemanNPR
142
The Best of the Best Horror of the Year, edited by Ellen Datlow
 
Barnes & Noble
143The Book of MagicGardner Dozois and George R.R. Martin
Barnes & Noble
144The Book of Swords Booklist 2
145The Break Line 
Financial Times
146The City of BrassS.A. Chakraborty
Way Too Fantasy
147The ClovenB Catling
Open Letters Review
148
The Consuming Fire (The Interdependency #2)
 
Goodreads 2
149The Devil’s West trilogy (Silver On the Road, The Cold Eye, Red Waters Rising)Laura Anne Gilman
Sci-Fi Fantasy Lit Chick
150The Dragon Slayer: Folktales From Latin AmericaJaime HernandezNPR
151The Electric StateSimon StalenhagNPR
152The EmissaryYoko TawadaBookMarks
153
The Freeze-Frame Revolution
 
Verified Tasks
154The Girl from the SavoyHazel Gaynor
Sci-Fi Fantasy Lit Chick
155The Girl In The Green Silk GownSeanan McGuireNPR
156
The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy, #2)
 
Goodreads 1
157THE GREY BASTARDS Kirkus
158The Hazel Wood: A Novel Amazon
159The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and PiracyMackenzi Lee
Way Too Fantasy
160The Land of Little RainMary Austin
Sci-Fi Fantasy Lit Chick
161
The Land: Predators (Chaos Seed, #7)
 
Goodreads 1
162The Language of Spells Booklist 2
163The Marrow Thieves Booklist 2
164The Mere Wife Tor
165The Music ShopRachel Joyce
Sci-Fi Fantasy Lit Chick
166The Oddling PrinceNancy Springer
Way Too Fantasy
167The People’s Republic of EverythingNick Mamatas
Barnes & Noble
168The Quantum MagicianDerek Künsken
Barnes & Noble
169The Reincarnated Giant 
Verified Tasks
170The Rig 
Verified Tasks
171The Serpent’s Secret Booklist 2
172The Shape of Water 
Goodreads 1
173The Sisters of the Winter WoodRena Rossner
Publishers Weekly
174The Soldier 
Pan Macmillan
175The Stars Now Unclaimed Tor
176The Strange Bird 
Chicago Review Of Books 2
177
The Tea Master and the detective
 
Verified Tasks
178The Tree Booklist 2
179
The World Only Spins Forward
 Tor
180The Writer’s Map: An Atlas Of Imaginary LandsHuw Lewis-JonesNPR
181The Wrong HeavenAmy BonnaffonsNPR
182
There’s a Witch in the Word Machine
 Tor
183Thrawn: AlliancesTimothy Zahn
Sci-Fi Fantasy Lit Chick
184Time’s Convert 
Goodreads 1
185Tomorrow FactoryRich Larson
Barnes & Noble
186Treason of HawksLila Bowen
Barnes & Noble
187Two Moons Booklist 2
188Vox 
Goodreads 2
189
What Should Be Wild Julia Fine Harper
 
Chicago Review Of Books 1
190
Wrath of Empire (Gods of Blood and Powder, #2)
 
Goodreads 1
191
Year One (Chronicles of The One, #1)
 
Goodreads 1


21 Best Fantasy Books From 2018 Sources/Lists



SourceArticle
Amazon Best science fiction and fantasy of 2018
Barnes & Noble Our Favorite Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 2018
Book Page The 10 Best Fantasy Books of 2018
Booklist 1 Booklist Online: More than 180,000 book reviews for librarians, book groups, and book lovers—from the trusted experts at the American Library Association
Booklist 2 The Best Reviewed Books of 2018: Sci-Fi and Fantasy
BookMarks Best Books 2018 Science Fiction & fantasy
Brightly The Best YA Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2018
Chicago Review Of Books 1 The 10 Best Fantasy Books of 2018
Chicago Review Of Books 2 The 10 Best Science Fiction Books of 2018
Financial Times Best books of 2018: Science fiction
Goodreads 1 Best Fantasy
Goodreads 2 Best Science Fiction
Kirkus Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2018
NPR Our Guide To 2018’s Great Reads
Open Letters Review The Best Books of 2018: Science Fiction & Fantasy!
Pan Macmillan Best books of 2018: science fiction and fantasy
Publishers Weekly Best Books 2018
Sci-Fi Fantasy Lit Chick Favorite Books of 2018
Tor Tor.com Reviewers’ Choice: The Best Books of 2018
Verified Tasks 25 Best Science Fiction Books of 2018
Way Too Fantasy Favorite Reads of 2018