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.

Recommended Reading: Barnes and Noble's Best SFF of 2015

Barnes and Noble have come out with their list of the best SFF of 2015:

1. Radiance, by Catherynne M. Valente
2. The Traitor Baru Cormorant, by Seth Dickinson
3. Ancillary Mercy, by Ann Leckie
4. Aurora, by Kim Stanley Robinson
5. A Darker Shade of Magic, by V.E. Schwab
6. Sorcerer to the Crown, by Zen Cho
7. The Grace of Kings, by Ken Liu
8. Ink and Bone: The Great Library, by Rachel Caine
9. The Fifth Season, by N.K. Jemisin
10. Flex/The Flux, by Ferrett Steinmetz
11. Uprooted, by Naomi Novik
12. The Library at Mount Char, by Scott Hawkins
13. Half-Resurrection Blues, by Daniel José Older
14. Planetfall, by Emma Newman
15. Signal to Noise, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
16. Dark Orbit, by Carolyn Ives Gilman
17. The Drafter, by Kim Harrison
18. Wake of Vultures, by Lila Bowen
19. Vision in Silver, by Anne Bishop
20. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers
21. Sorcerer of the Wildeeps, by Kai Ashante Wilson
22. Revision, by Andrea Phillips
23. Karen Memory, by Elizabeth Bear
24. Twelve Kings in Sharakhai, by Bradley P. Beaulieu
25. The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut’s Windlass, by Jim Butcher

I have read only three of these so far, although I have plans to read another four. Lots more recommendations to think about.

But overall, a pretty strange list. Neal Stephenson's Seveneves did not make the cut? Terry Pratchett's The Shephered's Crown? Paolo Bacigalupi's The Water Knife? I thought Seveneves was one of the better novels I read this year, and so far (I am not finished yet) The Water Knife is excellent. Should I infer from this that the other books on the list are better than these? If so, I have some great reading ahead. Or should I infer that the list-maker's tastes are very different from mine?

The list also features a large selection of books by women writers, and by writers of color. Given that we continually hear about how the profession is dominated by white males, we might infer that this is a disproportionately large representation of women and people of color. That is a good thing; I think it is important to draw attention to new and different voices.