10 Award-Winning Fantasy Books You Should Read Now
Let’s face it: The fact that we have access to more books than ever in the history of the printed word still doesn’t make it easier to pick what to read. Don’t get me wrong, I love that there are so many books in the world, because YAY, BOOKS! But with SO many options to choose from, how do you know if you’re going to get a book you’ll enjoy?
One of the best ways to select a great read is to pick from award-winning titles. Say you want to start reading fantasy novels, but there are so many of them that you aren’t sure how to begin. Why not start by selecting from award-winning fantasy books? That way, you know you’re going to read what is considered to be one of the best fantasy books out there. Picking a book that won the Nebula or a Hugo award is a good way to find a great read.
Here’s a list of 10 such wonderful fantasy books worth reading that have garnered heaps of accolades. Any one of these is a great place to start.
Winner of the Hugo Award
This is an epic novel about climate change and the destruction of the world. The planet has opened and spewed ash into the atmosphere, blotting out the sun and bringing darkness to the world. And while the world is ending, a woman with secret powers must find her missing daughter. (Not only did this novel win the Hugo, but so did the other two books in the trilogy, making this the only fantasy book series to win for every book in a trilogy, three years in a row!)
Discover the complete Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin.
The only novel to ever win the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke awards
An act of treachery steals everything from an esteemed, colossal starship, leaving her alone in the vulnerable human form of a soldier, seeking vengeance on an icy planet.
Winner of the World Fantasy Award
Jade is the lifeblood and powerful magic currency of the island of Kekonin, an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis. And four siblings will have to battle rival Kekonin clans to come out on top.
Winner of the World Fantasy Award
An unforgettable story of a forgettable girl: Hope Arden knows you've met her thousands of times. She also knows you won't remember her, which makes her the perfect person to commit crimes.
Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
Future Nigeria is inhabited by an alien race, one that has built a dome over part of the country. Rumor has it that the dome has magic healing powers, but the people living outside it don't know how to get in, and the people inside the dome know the truth.
Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
In the year 2312, scientific advances have made it so that cities now exist all across the galaxy. But an unexpected death is about to threaten to bring the world's advances crashing down.
Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
The last remnants of the human race must battle for survival on a terraformed planet that has been inhabited by a new civilization.
The Changeling: A Novel by Victor LaValle
Winner of the World Fantasy Award
When Apollo was young, he had strange dreams about his missing father. Now, as a father himself, he loses his wife and child to a horrible act, and Apollo must follow them on a quest of imagination and nightmare to get them back.
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
Winner of the World Fantasy Award
The genocide between tribes wages on in a post-apocalyptic Africa, where a baby born with hair and skin the color of sand will grow up in possession of a unique magic that will bring danger into her life.
Witchmark (The Kingston Cycle Book 1) by C. L. Polk
Winner of the World Fantasy Award
In an alternate Edwardian England, a witch hides from his heritage by working as a doctor in a veterans’ hospital, until the day his identity is revealed by a dying patient. Now he must discover who killed the man, and how he knew his secret.
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Liberty Hardy is a Book Riot senior contributing editor, co-host of All the Books, a Book of the Month judge, and above all else, a ravenous reader. She resides in Maine with her cats, Millay, Farrokh, and Zevon. You can see pictures of her cats and book hauls on Twitter @MissLiberty and Instagram @franzencomesalive.