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Lists

Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books of 2015

by Mary Jo Schimelpfenig, December 21, 2015 10:04 AM
It was an exceptionally good year for new sci-fi and fantasy releases. It was also a great year for film and television, with adaptions of Phillip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle, James S. A. Corey's Expanse series, Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End, and, of course, The Martian. Early next year, Terry Brooks's Shannara and Lev Grossman's The Magicians will be airing. And on top of all that, we got a new Star Wars movie!

There were so many wonderful books in 2015 that my nightstand teetered under the weight of all that excellence. What follows are some of the highlights of my reading year in science fiction and fantasy.
Empire Ascendant (Worldbreaker Saga #2) by Kameron Hurley
One of my very favorite authors, Hurley continues to hone her craft. Her world building has always been first-class, but more recently she has put in a great deal of work to improve her plotting, and it really shows. The Worldbreaker Saga is a complex fantasy with intriguing characters and a well-built plot. From blood magic and carnivorous plants to parallel universes and an intriguing magical system, there's a lot of juicy stuff here! Mirror Empire, the first book in the series, introduced the characters and the world. In Empire Ascendant, everything explodes and things go badly wrong for many of the characters, to the point where I really wonder how the third book will resolve things.
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
This is a first novel with phenomenal writing, tons of political intrigue, and an elegance and melancholy that remind me of earlier Le Guin. Baru is captivating. Her mission is to destroy the empire that devastated the world she grew up in, but her methodology is fascinating. She sacrifices a great deal to achieve her goals, which makes her both admirable and more than a bit scary.
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
This year, Tor began releasing a series of very interesting novellas, including this one. I loved the story and definitely wanted to learn more about Binti. She's the first of her people to attend university, and since they tend not to travel, their ways seem strange to outsiders. There's a lot of good reflection here on otherness, and how that informs the choices one makes.
Planetfall by Emma Newman
Planetfall is an excellent piece of sociological science fiction. The main character has a great deal of anxiety, and as I read this novel, I felt more and more anxious. She's also a hoarder, and I felt this issue was sensitively portrayed. Although the book utilizes a familiar theme — in an off-world colony, an outsider appears, throwing the social equilibrium out of balance — Newman has a fresh and striking perspective.
Thicker Than Blood (The Twenty-Sided Sorceress #6) by Annie Bellet
After hearing about this series for years, I finally dove in and gobbled Bellet's books up. This falls firmly into the urban fantasy whodunit category. Jade is a sorceress who runs a comic book and game shop. She lives in Idaho in a town of shifters, where mysterious situations seem to crop up often. Thicker Than Blood is delightfully geeky, with lots of nerd culture references.
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More Best Books of the Year from Powell's:
  • Best Fiction Books of 2015
  • Best Nonfiction Books of 2015
  • Best YA Books of 2015
  • Best Kids' Books of 2015
  • Best Cookbooks of 2015



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4 Responses to "Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books of 2015"

Rahul January 12, 2016 at 08:37 AM
The books which are written by Steve Cole and Linda Chapman are big time hits and this one is one of it which is Genie and The Phoenix. The things I liked about this book is about the mysteries things of this book in every chapter. When they receive an old treasure map, peaked my curiosity.

Julia Snyder January 7, 2016 at 01:01 PM
Take a look at Robert Gryn's series called Suns of the End. He's got 2 books so far and they are both pretty good. The tech aspect is fun to think about, and he really creates a believable story that really plays off well. Best Sci-Fi I've read in a while, I can't wait to get to the second book in this series. robertgrynbooks.com is the author's site, worth a look!

Dennis Harlowe December 22, 2015 at 10:43 AM
Joe Weideman is absolutely correct. Fantasy has nothing remotely to do with science fiction.

Joe Weideman December 22, 2015 at 12:29 AM
I guess Powell's lacks anyone who actually reads real sci-fi, only the mislabeled "fantasy" which is ONLY placed under the sci-fi label by the intellectual snobs of the Library of Congress. "Fantasy has neither science or potential science in it. The old saw of a technology that is far enough advanced would appear to be magic doesn't apply to superstitious clap trap. Magic, witches, dragons, etc. are in the realm of the IMPOSSIBLE. Nothing even speculative about it. I have nothing against fantasy per se ('Lord of the Rings' is the ultimate and once read no other is necessary), but I wish my time wasn't wasted by those who make believe the two are equals. Please, try to find SOMEONE who actually reads real sci-fi?

Result(s) 4

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