Best Fantasy Books of 2020

Below you will find a list of the fantasy books published in 2020 that we enjoyed most. Click on a book title to read the full review.

The Unspoken Name by A K Larkwood (The Serpent Gates: Book 1)

A. K. Larkwood’s The Unspoken Name is among the most creative, exciting, and brilliantly-told epic fantasy novels I’ve read. It is an immersive experience that grabbed my attention earl...

Published: 2020

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow

This book is pure adventure, brilliantly told, with powerful messages cloaked in the charm and wisdom you’d come to expect from an Alix Harrow story. Like her previous novel, it is a love let...

Published: 2020

Age of Empyre by Michael J Sullivan (Legends of the First Empire: Book 6)

While Age of Empyre and the whole Legends series may struggle to top ‘The Riyria Revelations’ – for the simple sake that it does not have Royce and Hadrian – it is only by t...

Published: 2020

Battle Ground by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files: Book 17)

If there's one word to describe this book it's 'change'. Some things have been ticking over in the series for a long while now and at times it seemed like Jim Butcher wasn't sur...

Published: 2020

The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie (The Age of Madness: Book 2)

This one has it all. The Trouble with Peace is a quintessential Abercrombie story that draws pieces from all seven First Law novels before it. It features all your returning favorites: tr...

Published: 2020

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

This is a novel for those who appreciate high-quality prose and a philosophical engagement with fantasy tropes. It succeeds by refusing bombast, offering instead a profound, sophisticated journey into...

Published: 2020

The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence (The Book of the Ice: Book 1)

The Girl and the Stars is more than the start of a new series. It’s the culmination of some of the best ideas of Lawrence’s previous works while promising that amazing things are s...

Published: 2020

A Time of Courage by John Gwynne (Of Blood and Bone #3)

Now THIS is the way you end a series. Readers and writers beware, a new standard has been set. A Time of Courage closes the story arc first begun in Malice, a tale of good and evil recoun...

Published: 2020

Along the Razor's Edge by Rob J Hayes (The War Eternal: Book 1)

Along the Razor’s Edge will make you mad. It will make you hold your breath, pump your fist, pause and reflect, and swear at 2am. It will do all these things and more, because it is one ...

Published: 2020

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

This is a special book, a story that will break your heart on one page and flood it with hope on the next. In this dark and difficult time in which we are living, it is stories like these that help...

Published: 2020

We Ride the Storm by Devin Madson (The Reborn Empire: Book One)

You need to pick this book up. From the characters to the world building to the plotting and pacing it’s a masterclass in engaging fantasy. Among the finest debuts I have ever read, We Ride t...

Published: 2020

The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso (The Gate of Secrets: Book 1)

With this novel, Melissa Caruso solidifies herself as one of my favorite authors. The Obsidian Tower is a masterpiece of character driven fantasy. Set in the same world - but in a different time pe...

Published: 2020

Age of Death by Michael J Sullivan (Legends of the First Empire #5)

Age of Death, then, sees Sullivan continue to solidify himself as one of the greatest practitioners of fantasy literature currently writing, and further builds the foundation from which he will be ...

Published: 2020

Forged by Benedict Jacka (Alex Verus series: Book 11)

When you finish a book and wonder how the hell the next one will top it, then you know it’s a phenomenal read. That what follows is the finale in this 12 book series only makes the stakes eve...

Published: 2020

Temple of Sand by Barbara Kloss (The Gods of Men: Book 2)

I read this cover to cover in one go and I’m already so desperate for the next book that I’ve put my order in direct with the author. It’s an incredible series that deserves more ...

Published: 2020

Blight Marked by Josh Erikson (Ethereal Earth #3)

A seriously epic book that ends with a spectacular finale of world shattering proportions. But wait! Don’t be sad… there’s more. I’m so excited about the direction this ser...

Published: 2020

Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett (Founders #2)

Shorefall is a slice of genius slathered with unfiltered madness; it is an innovation on invention. I want to scrive in this world, to create and experiment with Berenice and Orso, to scale to...

Published: 2020

The Lessons Never Learned by Rob J Hayes (The War Eternal: Book 2)

Hayes has won several awards over the course of writing career, most recently the Booknest novel of the year, and is once again a finalist for this year’s SPFBO, which he won in a previous ye...

Published: 2020

Kings of Heaven by Richard Nell (Ash and Sand #3)

Kings of Heaven concludes one of my all-time favorite series in riveting fashion. My expectations were exceeded and my anxieties were dismantled. It surprises...

Published: 2020

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski

By far the most impressive part of The Midnight Lie is the writing, the author playing with lyrical or prosaic language in turn. Each sentence is cleverly crafted and beautifully evocative, emphasi...

Published: 2020

The Shadow King by Alec Hutson (The Raveling #3)

Hutson’s The Shadow King is a wonderful conclusion to his epic trilogy. It has a perfect classic fantasy feel. A wonderful epic fantasy to read curled in a blanket on a snowy morning sipping ...

Published: 2020

The Bard's Blade by Brian D Anderson (The Sorcerer's Song: Book 1)

The Bard's Blade delivers modern fantasy at its finest. While it has definite vibes of classical, chosen-one fantasy, (which, come on, though overused is popular for a reason) Brian D. Anderson...

Published: 2020

Peace Talks by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files: Book 16)

This new perspective provides the opportunity for a fascinating exploration of what Harry expects from himself, and what we expect from him as a result. Grown up Harry is much more dangerous, and t...

Published: 2020