Recommended Reading: Another Year End Best SFF List

Elizabeth Bernstein at NerdMuch? has released her list of the top 23 best fantasy books of 2015. Why 23? I have no idea; perhaps she likes prime numbers? Since I like centered square numbers, I would have chosen 25.

Someone should really put together a meta list of the best SFF of 2015, tallying up the opinions of multiple reviewers and commentators. In the unlikely event that I find the time, I will try to do so. For now, however, I will content myself with simply reproducing Bernstein's list. More information can be found at the above link.

1. The Philosopher Kings by Jo Walton
2. Firefight by Brandon Sanderson
3. Fool’s Quest by Robin Hobb
4. The Providence of Fire by Brian Staveley
5. Uprooted by Naomi Novik. See my review.
6. Half The World by Joe Abercrombie
7. The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan
8. The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett
9. The Liar’s Key by Mark Lawrence
10. The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher
11. Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
12. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
13. The Mechanical by Ian Tregillis
14. The Price of Valor by Django Wexler
15. The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
16. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
17. Twelve Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley Beaulieu. Bernstein writes

    There are so many epic fantasy novels on the market that often, they can begin to feel a bit formulaic; sometimes you come across one that really stands out, though, like Bradley Beaulieu’s Twelve Kings in Sharakhai. His worldbuilding skill shines in this diverse setting with multiple distinct cultures, and he employs multiple character point-of-views and flashbacks to build a captivating mystery as the protagonist, Çeda, searches for clues regarding her own heritage. While it seems Beaulieu got off to a shaky start with his Lays of Anuskaya series (although some readers greatly enjoyed it), it seems he has vastly improved with the onset of this new trilogy, the second installment of which is planned for next year.

18. The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen.
19. Knight’s Shadow by Sebastien de Castell
20. Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman
21. Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop
22. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemesin
23. Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews

Not a bad list, although it contains a lot of books that continue a series and so they might not make the best holiday presents. I have read two, and posted a review of one of them (the other will follow soon).

I was especially interested to see Brad Beaulieu make the list. I saw a reading of his a few months back and was impressed by what I heard. I plan to start with the Lays of Anuskaya, despite the underwhelming support offered in the above quote.