The Best Fantasy Books

Every year, members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association nominate and vote for the best works of speculative fiction published over the previous year. Here, Sylvia Bishop introduces us to the books shortlisted for the 2024 Nebula Award for the best new novel – and the "astonishing" debut that ultimately triumphed. See all our science fiction, fantasy and best novels of 2024 recommendations

Historical fantasy books intermingle real history with counterfactual and speculative elements. P. Djèlí Clark, historian and Nebula Award-winning novelist, talks us through his top five magical re-imaginings of past eras, taking us from fourteenth century Russia into the Washington D.C. of the Roaring Twenties.

The Hugo Awards, first presented in 1953, were originally known as the 'Science Fiction Achievement Awards.' But, in practice, their shortlists encompass speculative fiction as a whole, including fantasy—and is considered one of that genre's most prestigious prizes. Here, Sylvia Bishop offers an overview of this year's nominees in the 'Best Novel' category, which represent the most popular sci-fi and fantasy books of 2023.

We use 'science fantasy' when a book seems to be both science fiction and fantasy. What distinguishes the two, and what does it mean to combine them? These books are an opportunity to explore our ways of knowing, reflect changing cultures, and find humour in the unexpected, says award-winning fantasy and sci fi author Vajra Chandrasekera.

We're living through a golden age for fantasy, says fantasy novelist and book critic Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians and The Bright Sword. He tells us what makes for a good fantasy novel, and who's staking out the future not just of fantasy but of fiction as a whole.

The books that, loosely speaking, make up the story of JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings are well worth reading, better—or at least very different—from the films. These are stories of adventure that have the epic feel that the movies capture, but against a backdrop of conviviality and the pleasures of eating, drinking and telling stories by the fireside as you gather with your companions. Notably, the books are filled with poems that are composed and told by the main characters and pay homage to an oral storytelling tradition that has largely disappeared from our culture but Tolkien clearly admired.

The beloved British author Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) sold millions of copies of his 41-book Discworld series. But he also wrote standalone novels, children's stories, and shorter fantasy series—all works of comic genius that drew from his polymathic knowledge and omnivorous reading habits. Here, Pratchett biographer Marc Burrows highlights five of Terry Pratchett's best books. Read more fantasy book recommendations on Five Books

Why do tales of the paranormal endure? The allure is paradoxical, says Nicole Peeler: it is the realm of ultimate horror and ultimate fantasy. And it requires mystery; some supernatural figures retain more intrigue than others in the age of science. We asked the author and academic to recommend five paranormal fantasy books that speak to the mysteries of today.

Britain offers rich pickings to writers: wild and windswept locations, peculiar folklore, a treasure trove of odd histories and even odder place names. Taking Britain as a starting point, many fantasy authors have produced stories that are at once wonderfully strange and hauntingly plausible. Our fantasy interviewer Sylvia Bishop picks out her top five fantasy books set in Britain for teen readers.

Fantasy romances top bestseller charts, and also dominate an enormous fandom and fan fic culture. Where did this turn towards intimacy in the fantasy epic begin, and what does it offer readers? Bestselling author A.K. Mulford guides us through the delights of romantasy novels: comforting reads, immersive worlds, and a central concern with emotional intimacy – in all its varieties.