Assassin’s Fate (2017)

by Robin Hobb
Book #3 in The Fitz and the Fool trilogy
Book #16 in The Realm of the Elderlings series

Features tremendous buildup, non-stop action, and a conclusion that left me emotionally spent…This is a supremely satisfying finale to a series that will stick with me for my entire reading life.

FULL REVIEW

Same Bed, Different Dreams (2023)

by Ed Park

Ed Park spins historical fact into brilliant literary fiction with Same Bed Different Dreams. His gripping prose and flair for unconventional storytelling makes even the most opaque sections completely engrossing. This book will coast onto yearly Best-of lists (including my own) and it should be in contention for major literary awards. I was simply blown away.

…if you’re an enjoyer of secret societies, doomsday cults, alternate histories, coded messages, spies, double agents, artificial intelligence, and the history of Korea – give this book a go. If you bristle at the thought of an unconventional narrative structure without much hand-holding, perhaps skip it. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it was certainly mine.

FULL REVIEW

Jade Legacy (2021)

by Fonda Lee
Book #3 in The Green Bone Saga

Engrossing, unpredictable, and heart-wrenching through to the final page – Jade Legacy is a worthy capstone to an incredible trilogy. I can confidently say that Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga is a modern fantasy classic and I feel lucky to have come across such a special series.

FULL REVIEW

Beautyland (2024)

by Marie-Helene Bertino

Bertino skillfully dissects the alien nature of growing up and the complexities of human existence with dry wit, deadpan observational comedy, and incisive insights into life’s little absurdities.

This is a rare book where the concept and execution are both pitch perfect. Even if you dropped the fact that the main character is (oh by the way) an alien, this would still be a wonderful coming of age story. The alien angle is just gravy that Bertino plays with to great (tragi)comedic effect. Her writing is heartfelt, deeply funny, and without a whiff of cynicism about it. I loved this and can’t recommend it highly enough.

FULL REVIEW

The Saint of Bright Doors (2023)

by Vajra Chandrasekera

I’ve never read anything like The Saint of Bright Doors – wildly inventive, totally mesmerizing, and it upended my expectations at every turn. It reads like an established author’s career-defining masterpiece, rather than a debut novel…I was so impressed with Chandrasekera’s ability to craft a complex, political, and also surreal story in such an intelligible way. I was spellbound the entire time I spent with this book and I can’t wait to read it again, just to recapture some of the awe I felt the first time around.

FULL REVIEW

Black Sun (2020)

by Rebecca Roanhorse
Book #1 in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy

This is pitch perfect epic fantasy. Everything works so well together — propulsive pacing, exceptional characters, excellent world-building, and a fascinating mix of cultures, politics, religion, and lore…one of the best books of 2020.

FULL REVIEW

Senlin Ascends (2018*)

by Josiah Bancroft
Book #1 in the Books of Babel series

I was completely taken with Senlin Ascends right from the outset. Author Josiah Bancroft’s words paint a vivid picture of a peculiar world where nothing is as it seems. Bancroft’s prose is lyrical and conveys a sense of grand adventure that I rarely find in my reading life.

FULL REVIEW

*Originally published in 2013, republished for the masses in 2018

The Spear Cuts Through Water (2022)

by Simon Jimenez

What. A. Novel. Simon Jimenez is operating on another level with The Spear Cuts Through Water. This is an evocative tale that beautifully blends fantasy, reality, and fable into a perfect package. To summarize the plot here would deprive you of the wonderful journey that awaits you once you crack open the first page.

Jimenez simultaneously (and effectively) tells multiple nested stories, while exploring the nature of identity, love, and intergenerational trauma. The book is unwavering in its commitment to its characters, its story, and its structure. And it’s told with such fierce confidence and love that I was totally mesmerized from start to finish. This is a special book.

FULL REVIEW

Ours (2024)

by Phillip B. Williams

An absolute masterclass in storytelling. Ours is a tour de force and one of the best novels I’ve read in ages.

I cannot say enough good things about Ours, an epic historical fantasy set in an enchanted town named Ours that serves as a safe haven for freed slaves. Told over four decades, Phillip B. Williams charts the plight of Ours and its inhabitants as they experience the challenges and triumphs of being free and safe amidst a still-hostile world. It’s epic in scope, dense and demanding, but it’s extremely rewarding.

Williams is a poet and that becomes abundantly clear the more time you spend immersed in the book. Each sentence and paragraph is so beautifully crafted and it was a pleasure to luxuriate in his words. Please do not be scared away by the high page count as each and every page is infused with magic, wonder, and heart.

FULL REVIEW

The Vanished Birds (2020)

by Simon Jimenez

This is an exceptional debut novel. Simon Jimenez is clearly a skilled storyteller and is an exciting new voice in science fiction. His prose is beautiful and in The Vanished Birds he seamlessly weaves multiple threads into a tightly-plotted tour de force…[It’s] a profound and deeply human story told on an epic scale across millennia. I loved it.

FULL REVIEW