Here are our favorite books published in 2018. Hover over the cover to see who recommends each book. Click on the cover to read our review.
Please keep in mind that we did not read every SFF book published this year, so we know we’ve missed some good ones! Please add your comments — we’d love to hear your opinions about our list and to know which were YOUR favorite books of 2018. What did we miss? One commenter chooses a book from our stacks.
ADULT SFF
MIDDLE GRADE / YOUNG ADULT SFF
NON-FICTION
I wasn’t that impressed with Voyage of the Dogs. I’d also add Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire to my best of list.
I loved Seanan McGuire’s Beneath The Sugar Sky! I’m also currently reading The Phoenix Empress and am loving it! Thanks for the giveaway!
What a great list. Here’s to hoping 2019 is even better.
I have a lot of these books on my “to read” list already! One book I really enjoyed this year (and the sequel is soon to be released for!) was Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre.
A nice list with several of the books on my read and to be read list. I would have added The Calculating Stars (and the sequel The Fated Sky) by Mary Robinette Kowal to it if I was generating the list.
Conal, I just remembered that Terry asked me to put The Calculating Stars on the list and I forgot. I’ll fix that soon.
I can’t believe *I* forgot to add THE CALCULATING STARS.
I haven’t read The Calculating Stars yet! I’d suggested adding The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi, which I greatly enjoyed. I’ll write a review tomorrow if my bad cold lets me stay awake long enough.
Oh, that was it! Sorry for the mistake. I’ve been hosting 25 family members and their significant others for the past week. I’m a bit out of touch.
Molly Tanzer’s “Creatures of Want and Ruin” is a fine book that came out this year and I managed to snag a free copy of!
That was a fun book.
I have yet to read the Sylvain Neuvel books, but they sound like a series that I someday must read!
I’ll say it again, “Vita Nostra” by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko is my favorite book of 2018! That being said, did you not get to read “Exit Strategy” by Martha Wells?
Other than that your list is very interesting. Like everyone else, you read some books that either I’ve read, or I’ve not yet read. Looks like we all have a lot of catching up to do in 2019!
We’re missing a ton of the novellas that were released in 2018! “The Tensorate” series, “Binti: The Night Masquerade,” “The Black God’s Drums,” “Beneath the Sugar Sky,” “The Armored Saint,” “Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach,” and “The Tea Master and the Detective.”
I saw “Trail of Lightning” in the comments. Has anyone read “Rosewater,” “The Poppy War,” and/or “Empire of Sand”?
Oh, from the Goodreads synopsis, “The Tea Master and the Detective” must be the story Aliette de Bodard was talking about at this year’s World Fantasy Convention!
Fire Dance by Ilana C. Myer, continuing her highly-rated series.
Nice to see Circe, Shadowhouse Fall, and Guardian on this list! They’re among my favorites of 2018, too. I also really enjoyed Starless by Jacqueline Carey, Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse, and Vengeful by V.E. Schwab.
I’ll agree with Foundryside and Bloody Rose, and I would go along with City of Miracles except I’m pretty sure that was 2017. And, yes, of course, Murderbot!
Would add Monstress (vol. 3), Melissa Caruso’s The Defiant Heir, Mark Lawrence’s Grey Sister, Half-Witch bu John Schoffstall, Kameron Hurley’s Apocalypse Nyx, and the one I just finished, The Monster Baru Cormorant (Seth Dickinson).
If Maika Half-wolf (from Monstress) and Baru Cormorant could have a child together, it would explode the mainspring of the Doomsday Clock! Do not plan your next vacation for anywhere either them is going to be visiting.
I am loving MONSTRESS.
“Monstress” is one of those graphic novels that captures your attention from just glancing at the cover! I feel like many still haven’t read the series.
You are right about CITY OF MIRACLES. Fixed now.
Surely “Fire & Blood” by George Martin deserves a mention.
As Lois pointed out, there was a startling number of excellent novellas this year.
Almost missed the non-fiction picks. I haven’t finished it yet, but I think Bullshit Jobs (David Graeber) might deserve a place on that list.
My favorite book this year was The Way Past Winter by Kiran Milwood Hargrave.
Why not ask me to pick a favorite child! I realy did enjoy the Themis files this year.
Finally reading Magic Triumphs right now, and it’s great! I made a list of my favorite reads of 2018, but they weren’t all 2018 releases. I really enjoyed The Hazel Wood, Wundersmith, and Wrath of the Dragon King were all excellent! Thanks for sharing :)
Unfortunately didn’t get a lot of time to read in 2018. Currently in the middle of Assassin’s Apprentice for the first time. Thankful for this list so I have a good place to start next year.
The Calculating Stars, The Fated Sky, and The Seclusion
I did a lot of re-listening to a few of my well loved series: Green Rider by Kristen Britain, The Gentleman Bastards, and all of Cassandra Clare’s works but The Calculating Stars was the best – moving and fascinating!
Just finished Kings of the Wyld and that was incredibly fun.
Almost all of these are on my tbr pile. Only read The Outsider. While good I’m a little torn on HOW good I’d rate it. There are some anachronistic flaws in it that kind of take you out of the story a bit. I think that the issue is King loves the 70s and 80s and so it seems like the people in this book grew up to be adults in that time period.
Sara Letourneau is our winner.
Adding a bunch to my To-Read list!