The Best Fiction Books

Often, great fantasy writers will be best known for one work or world in particular. There’s a delight to discovering what else these great dreamers imagined, says our fantasy editor Sylvia Bishop. She picks out five works by household names that you might not already have read – ranging from sprawling multiverses, to miniscule worlds in carpets.

2025 was another bumper year for spy novels, says Shane Whaley, host of Spybrary—the go-to podcast for lovers of spy books and movies. He talks us through his five favourite standalone books published this year, from a realistic novel about a duel between Mossad and Iran's security apparatus, to a nonfiction book about a Cold War defector that reads like a thriller.

The Hugo Awards are an annual celebration of fantasy and sci fi work, chosen by fans. Our fantasy editor Sylvia Bishop introduces this year’s winners, with something for everyone to escape into – from the short story winner for a busy day, to the epic series for long winter evenings.

We spoke to Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, the novelist and judge on this year’s Booker Prize panel, about their 2025 shortlist: a varied line-up of six novels, from a work of historical fiction set in a frozen rural England to an experimental ‘Rorschach blot’ of a novel told in two conflicting parts.

Picking out quality audiobooks is important. With an accomplished narrator, a good novel can be transformed into an even more moving or enjoyable experience—while a lackluster performance can ruin it. Fortunately, there's AudioFile magazine, whose editors pick out standout audiobooks throughout the year. These are their picks for the best novels of 2025.

The award-winning fantasy novels of 2025 are notable for spanning the breadth of the genre: murder mysteries and legal thrillers have been honoured alongside monsters, mythologies and folk tales. Our fantasy editor Sylvia Bishop introduces the five books that took the top spots, and the immersive worlds they offer readers.

This year, to mark its 25th anniversary, the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction set out to find the funniest book of the last twenty-five years. We asked comedian Tatty Macleod, one of the judges, about the process of sifting through 25 previous winners to find the funniest book of the 21st century.

With their built-in suspense, mystery and crime novels are ideal for audiobooks. To help identify standout listens this year, we turned to the audiobook experts at AudioFile magazine for their recommendations. Here are their top mystery and suspense audiobooks of 2025.

Cosmic horror explores the sublime, and so has the power to terrify and exhilarate us, says horror writer John Langan. He takes us through forests, cities, sewers and even beach holidays, introducing five books that will confront you with the unknown – and the unknowable.

Every year, the judges of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction draw up a shortlist of books that made them laugh out loud. We asked the novelist Stephanie Merritt, one of the 2025 judges, to talk us through the eight books in the running for the title of the funniest book of the year.