Welcome to our now-traditional look over what we at SFFWorld have enjoyed this year. We have tried to limit our choices to five in each of four categories, although as you will see, this can vary. The four categories are:
Part 1: Fantasy Books
Part 2: Horror Books
Part 3: Science Fiction Books
Part 4: Film and TV.
The staff involved this year at various stages in the four parts are Rob Bedford, Randy Money and Mark Yon.
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Without further adieu, lets get started!
Part 1: Fantasy Books
Rob Bedford:
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson (Favorite Fantasy Novel; Top Debut)
When you pare it down to the core / high concept, The Raven Scholar could be seen as a Hunger Games meets murder mystery, plus courtly intrigue in a fantastical/magical setting. Antonia Hodgson makes her fantasy debut with The Raven Scholar, though she’s published a handful of novels in a well-received mystery series. Those skills honed at crafting mysteries come to bear here in The Raven Scholar. Part of what makes mystery stories work is maintaining a strong level of tension, The Raven Scholar is full of tension on many fronts. But I won’t say too much more than that, it is very much one of those novels that works best without knowing too much about the pathways of its plot, discovering some of those revelations were wonderful. However, I feel this is a novel that would benefit quite well from a second reading. … Hodgson maintained a wonderful pace throughout the novel, it was powerfully immersive and not something I was eager leave or put down. From the very start, I was drawn into everything about the story.
A Song of Lost Legends by M.H. Ayinde
Ayinde does a very nice job of making each character feel like a protagonist in their own right, that each point of view from these different characters felt unique while also connected to the larger story overall was a nice achievement. … Ayinde brings a lot of energy to her characters and the world of A Song of Lost Legends and it is infectious. An impressive debut novel, a novel that serves as a great series starter, A Song of Lost Legends has a lot of appeal to fantasy readers – empathetic characters, an incredibly fascinating world, and some very tight plotting.
Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop
Turns of Fate is a brisk, fast-paced novel with elements of a procedural novel and fantastical elements. The easy comparisons would be Seanan McGuire’s October Daye (who was herself turned into a fish early in that series) and Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. As a fan of both of those series, I was very happy with this book and my introduction to Anne Bishop’s writing. (25+ years and 25+ books into her writing career, no less!)
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
Carrying this compelling story is Harrow’s lovely prose, which acts as a comforting blanket that you know took skill and effort to craft. The story is more than just a gender-flipped King Arthur story. Of course those echoes are present, but heroism, love, avarice, addiction to power, and love are part of the story, too. Owen and Una are the hearts of this story and their hearts are connected. But there are two additional characters who form help to flesh out the story: Queen Yvanne from Una’s timeline and the ambitious Chancellor Vivian Rolfe from Owen’s time. Both powerful women push and drive our heroes (Yvanne pushing Una; Vivan pushing Owen) in order to ensure the sanctity of the land. Or so they say, because there’s one very important thing we should all remember about people in power – they are willing to go to great lengths to ensure they retain that power.
The Blackfire Blade by James Logan
These characters feel real, their interactions with each other feel genuine and while there is stubbornness and conflict, this triptych of characters values each other and takes to heart the advice they give each other. In other words, they grow and mature in smart ways. Their trust and relationship with each other deepens. Before they met each other in The Silverblood Promise they were loners with little familial attachments and they became allies. By the end of The Blackfire Blade they truly feel like they are a found family.
The plotting is so much fun, too.
Honorable Mentions: The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott; The Radiant King by David Dalglish, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler
Mark Yon:
Having reviewed nearly 60 books this year across the genres, I had a lot of Fantasy to choose from this year, so whittling the list down to five (or is that 7?) wasn’t easy. Nevertheless, here are my five:
Probably my favourite Fantasy book of the year and Joe’s best book to date, I think. A fantasy quest novel that echoes The Suicide Squad but with Joe’s trademark humour and snark. As is usual, great characters and style, as well as a few surprises along the way.
In my review I said that “In summary, The Devils is a journey-based quest novel, one of those ensemble pieces that are not too uncommon these days. What elevates this one above the majority is that it is imbued with Joe’s trademarks of gallows humour, spicy language and explicit violence. This gives The Devils a style that is unique to Joe; his writing is identifiable because of it.
It is not for everyone, and I do wonder what new readers will make of it at first; but if you like Joe’s unique style and tone, you will love this. I am really looking forward to seeing where these books go.”
Since writing that, I’ve been very pleased to see this one being taken up by readers new to Joe’s work – something we’ve known about here for decades, of course!
Brigands and Breadknives by Travis Baldree
I was pleased to find that this one managed to combine Travis’s characterisation and sense of humour with more of a plot. Though there are moments that require a leap of faith, I enjoyed this one a lot. A book that will keep you reading and care for its characters.
In my review I said that: “Brigands and Breadknives is on the whole another winner from Travis. I think that anyone who loved the first book will continue to love this world and these characters, and hopefully appreciate the broadening-out of the world Baldree has created. Brigands and Breadknives is, as hoped, a genuinely feel-good, exciting and eminently readable novel, even if you haven’t read the previous books.
Based on this, Travis is clearly the King of Cosy Fantasy, and whilst Brigands and Breadknives may perhaps be not quite as cosy as Legends & Lattes, there’s still plenty of coziness to go around, but with the added advantage of an adventure plot. I enjoyed this enormously.”
The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow
A surprisingly good novel that exceeded my initial expectations and combined elements of myth with quantum universes and romance.
The story of Sir Una Everlasting, Dominion’s greatest hero, and Owen Mallory―failed soldier, struggling scholar – are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs. There is everything that you might expect with such a tale – love, honour, sacrifice, duty, the need for providing a service, and even death, repeatedly. But Harrow also looks at the role of storytelling and how stories make myths, the value of myths, if you like, of using heroes from the past in the present to meet other ends, such as maintaining power.
It also shows us how that, in the wrong hands, hero-worship can be subverted and used as propaganda for ulterior motives – how such positive ideals can become something else. Imagine what could happen if a politician could use something like the legend of King Arthur to generate populist fervour and nationalistic pride, which could be used to their own purpose? Although this is Fantasy, it can speak truth to reality.
In my review I said that “The Everlasting is a Fantasy adventure story, yes, but also one that makes you think, with characters that resonate and a clever plot that never fails to engage.”
Crossroads of Ravens by Andrzej Sapkowski
Another surprise that was better than I had anticipated. Traditional Fantasy, but told with Saprowski’s no-nonsense approach and remarkable restraint, this old-school tale read like a breath of fresh air. To the point and all the better for it. In my review I said that: “Much of the story is pretty much what fans will expect. What I was most surprised by was that in these days of stories where fights can take place over pages, Sapkowski is surprisingly unembellished. Killings may take place with one or two well-crafted sentences. I found it rather refreshing to read such an unambiguous novel.
As I said at the beginning, I think Crossroads of Crows is a great book to start your Witcher journey. It is well written, fast-paced and accessible. Should Mr Sapkowski wish to add more to this early era of Geralt of Rivia, I for one would not object. Old-school fantasy done right.”
I am a huge fan of Richard’s previous trilogy, so this one, set in the same world but later, was a bit of a no-brainer to add to the list. A great start to a new trilogy – I look forward to the second book due next year. In my review I said that: “In summary, Grave Empire marks a step-up in this remarkable world. Whilst maintaining the strengths of the original trilogy, Richard has broadened the scope and the narrative to create a new story that is imaginative and gripping, violent and horrific. Whilst not a stand-alone novel, Grave Empire sets things up for what should be an impressive continuation in the next book.”
Honorary mentions to
The Second Death of Locke by V L Bovalino is a more romanticised novel that touches on similar themes to Alix E Harrow’s The Everlasting. The unrequited love element went on a little too long, but once it gets going this was a pleasingly memorable read and definitely worth a look. In my review I said that: “The Second Death of Locke is everything that THAT cover suggests it will be – a lushly romantic High Fantasy story with a logical setting, a sense of peril, pleasingly convoluted political intrigue, strong relationships, epic-ally brutal battles and more than a touch of romance. The Second Death of Locke is a triumph.”
The Incandescent by Emily Tesh is a more literate, more logical and more nuanced take on a Hogwarts-type dark academia novel that felt very possible. The ending doesn’t quite keep the earlier standard for me, but it is still a very, very good read. I said that it was easily one of the best urban fantasy novels I had read in recent years, and I still agree with that. In my review I said that: “The Incandescent is a book that for me was a major, major improvement on what Tesh has written before. Although there were elements that didn’t quite earn it the very top marks from me, as a sort of British version of Lev Grossman’s The Magicians it is one of the best books I’ve read this year and certainly one of the best urban fantasies I’ve read in years. For anyone wanting to try dark academia or simply enjoy a fresh and original take on it, The Incandescent is recommended from me as one of the best in a currently popular sub-genre.”
Randy Money:
2025 was yet another year where, in numbers of books finished, my reading fell short of what I’d have liked. Still, of the books I finished, I enjoyed all, and found the following the most memorable:
I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter Beagle – The King’s castle is infested and only Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax, who prefers being called Robert, can clear them out. “A mild romance, a cantankerous King and dragons by the battalion,” I described it in March, adding, “This is a fairy-tale of sorts, but one which pushes aside the glamour so you can see the humans underneath. The first half is mostly a comedy of manners, while the second half increases the stakes…”. I’ve seen this listed among cozy fantasies, and I think that’s accurate; it certainly helped me survive the rigors of a snowy March in good humor. It demonstrates Beagle’s unerring eye for detail, mischievous humor, and direct, engaging dialog. Not his best, but entertaining all the same.
