Ranking of 2014’s Best Fantasy and Science Fiction Books
This is our second year reviewing and writing about everything that’s related to fantasy and science fiction. Admittedly we tend to focus heavily on reviewing movies and books, so we will be providing best of lists for each of those for 2014.
As the primary book reader at ATG Reviews, I wish I could have read everything I wanted to, but alas time isn’t unlimited. Nevertheless I took up as many reading projects as I could manage – both classics and newer books. Our Top 10 List was made using the following guidelines:
- Books must be related in some way to the genres of fantasy and science fiction.
- Books must have a word count longer than 40,000 (So no novellas, short stories or anthologies).
- Books must have been published for the first time in 2014 (Sorry classic SFF books and translations … looking at you Three Body Problem).
Don’t agree with our list, feel free to list your favorite fantasy and science fiction books of 2014 in the comments below.
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10. The Goblin Emperor – By Katherine Addison
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Original Review
A beautiful character driven story about a goblin named Maia that inherits the rule of an elf kingdom. Isolated and friendless, he is facing the world alone and with little help. Tender flashbacks to fond memories with his mother juxtapose against his past as an invisible “mistake” from his father’s youth. The Goblin Emperor moves at a meditative pace, but tells a genuinely emotional story that’s atypical to most found in the fantasy genre. If you’re looking for a contemplative book with a hopeful message, look no further.
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9. Willful Child – By Steven Erikson
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Original Review
Steven Erikson, best known for writing the Malazan Books of the Fallen, takes on writing a Star Trek parody. It’s quite a brave jump for an author who’s primarily known for writing military fantasies. With slapstick humor and a main character who’s a blatant misogynist, Willful Child probably won’t be for everyone. There are a lot of bits I appreciate, and I found myself laughing out loud at the utter absurdity.
I forgot to mention in my original review about the bit that parodies the psychotic chicken incident from Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series.
Author Slammed!
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8. City of Stairs – By Robert Jackson Bennett
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Original Review
One of the most talked about fantasy books in the back half of 2014, City of Stairs introduced readers to the visually striking city of Bulikov. Shades of Mieville’s New Crobuzon can be found here, but it’s really something all on its own. Worldbuilding is this book’s strongest point, but it also features some memorable characters – especially Shara’s violent but tragic protector Sigrud. With a murder mystery driving the plot, a reunion between ex-lovers, and a hostile environment that wants to see the main-character murdered, this book easily keeps readers on the edge of their toes.
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7. Prince of Fools – By Mark Lawrence
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Original Review
Where do you go after creating one of the most violent sociopaths in fantasy?
You create one of the greatest cowards in fantasy.
Prince of Fools is a new fantasy trilogy set in the Broken Empire world, and Jalen Kendeth is everything Jorg Ancrath wasn’t. This book feels like a buddy comedy with the obligatory road-trip replaced by an epic fantasy journey. You’d be mistaken to think this is light-hearted story, because as people who’ve read Mark Lawrence know: there are real harsh realities inflicted upon his characters. This is a dark, but oftentimes comedic journey that’s well written and a promising start to another great trilogy.
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6. The Widow’s House – By Daniel Abraham
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Original Review
The final book I read in 2014, and The Widow’s House is the penultimate book in The Dagger and the Coin series. The Tyrant’s Law (Dagger and Coin Book Three) had some “middle of the series” types of issues. This installment is a return to form for Abraham: character plots advancing, a new major character with a deep history, and many unpredictable twists in the plot. When this is finished it promises to be one of the best new series’ in fantasy.
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5. Words of Radiance – By Brandon Sanderson
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Original Review
The biggest book of the year, both in shear size and the hype surrounding its release is Words of Radiance. The second book in Brandon Sanderson’s planned 10-book magnum opus The Stormlight Archive is easily one of the best books of the year. The worldbuilding continues to impress, especially the chasm centered battles and the development of the Parshendi culture. The magic system continues to expand and elements of the mythological are great enhancements. Shallan’s flashbacks make for some very emotionally poignant scenes. As far as high (and epic) fantasy is concerned, Words of Radiance has it all.
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4. Half A King – By Joe Abercrombie
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Original Review
Joe Abercrombie best known for writing the nihilistic First Law Trilogy has decided to write a new series for young adults. Half A King is the first book in that series and it’s an impressive change of pace for an author who has a reputation as being one of fantasy’s most depressing writers. The plot shifts quickly and it veers off in unpredictable directions. For fans of Abercrombie’s previous books who may be afraid the author is cashing in on the young adult craze … Fear Not! There is still plenty of horrible moral compromises, well-rounded characters, and cynical developments in the plot. You can bet we will be checking out the sequel Half A World, which will be released in February this year.
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3. Ancillary Sword – By Ann Leckie
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Original Review
Ancillary Justice was the most decorated book of 2013, while launching new author Ann Leckie into the limelight. Ancillary Sword continues right where Ancillary Justice left off. Without Breq’s flashbacks, this sequel turns out to be a lot more intimate. The exploration of gender via our first person narrator whom can’t distinguish between males and females, pays homage to LeGuin’s Left Hand of Darkness while opening up discussion on the role gender plays in society. An excellent ending that sets the wheels in motion for an excellent closing installment, Ancillary Sword proved to be better than its predecessor.
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2. The Magician’s Land – By Lev Grossman
The final book in Lev Grossman’s Magician’s Trilogy is absolutely amazing. It brings what I’d easily consider one of the ten best recent fantasy series’ to a beautiful conclusion. The addition of Eliot and Janet as narrators proves to be brilliant and the prose is the strongest of the series. The coming of age story of Quentin and all his friends accurately portrays real life, despite its fantastical setting. It’s been said this is Harry Potter meets The Chronicles of Narnia, and setting wise this would be correct. But really, this is A Catcher in the Rye/Perks of Being A Wallflower type of story that just so happens to feature a fantasy world within our real world.
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1. The Shadow Throne – By Django Wexler
The Shadow Throne is the second book in Django Wexler’s Shadow Campaigns and admittedly I didn’t have the highest of expectations after reading The Thousand Names. While I liked the first book, I didn’t think the sequel was going to be the best new book I read in 2014, but as Kurt Vonnegut is won’t to say: “so it goes.” Fantasy in the new millennium has seen some great new series’ make excellent use of anti-trope plots: Joe Abercrombie reversed Tolkienesque fantasy tropes in his First Law Trilogy and Mark Lawrence reversed anti-hero tropes in his Broken Empire Trilogy.
In this sequel Wexler begins to reverse common gender role tropes in fantasy … or common gender tropes in everything, generally speaking.
It’s more than the social relevance of this accomplishment that makes this such a great book. Raesinia Orboan is a great new character addition, as the heir apparent to the Vordan crown, she’s a lot more than she initially seems. Winter Ihernglass is one the most empathetic female (and gay) characters I’ve ever encountered in a fantasy story. The historical detail is immersive, the action scenes gripping, the magic system mysterious, and the host of socially relevant issues that are explored challenge the readers’ personal views of our own world. I don’t think enough has been made of this book this year, but if you enjoyed this book as much as I did please sound off on it, Wexler deserves all the credit in the world.
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