Best Fantasy Books of 2020

The Fantasy Novels of 2020 That Won Awards and Readers' Votes

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Which fantasy novels defined 2020? This list ranks the year's books by how many independent signals back them: the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy and Locus awards, and the Goodreads Choice Awards, where readers vote.

Books that won or were shortlisted for several awards come first, followed by the books readers voted for most.

The ranking

1

Piranesi

by Clarke, Susanna

From the New York Times bestselling author of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, an intoxicating, hypnotic new novel set in a dreamlike alternative reality.Piranesi's house is no ordinary building; its rooms are infinite, i...

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2

The City We Became

by Jemisin, N. K.

In Manhattan, a young grad student gets off the train and realizes he doesn't remember who he is, where he's from, or even his own name. But he can sense the beating heart of the city, see its history, and feel its power...

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3

Black Sun

by Roanhorse, Rebecca

"A god will return when the earth and sky converge under the black sun in the holy city of Tova... The winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rar...

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4

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

by Schwab, V. E.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adven...

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5

House of Earth and Blood

by Maas, Sarah J.

Bound by blood. Tempted by desire. Unleashed by destiny.Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. W...

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6

Mexican Gothic

by Moreno-garcia, Silvia

An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . . From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horr...

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7

Trouble the Saints

by Johnson, Alaya Dawn

In 1940s New York, Phyllis LeBlanc is a mixed-race woman who can pass for white, and she works as an assassin for a Harlem gangster whose targets, she is told, deserve to die. Her gift for throwing knives is almost super...

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8

The Midnight Bargain

2021 World Fantasy Award Finalist for Best Novel | 2021 Nebula Award Finalist for Best Novel | 2021 FIYAHCON Ignyte Award Finalist for Best Novel | 2021 Canada Reads Finalist | NPR Best Books of 2020 | November 2020 Indi...

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9

Harrow the Ninth

by Muir, Tamsyn

"She answered the Emperor's call.She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.In victory, her world has turned to ash.After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the pe...

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10

The House in the Cerulean Sea

by Klune, T. J.

Linus is an uptight caseworker with a heart of gold working for the department in charge of magical youth. When he goes to investigate an orphanage on an island with supposedly dangerous children and an enigmatic leader...

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11

Rhythm of War

by Sanderson, Brandon

The eagerly awaited sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling Oathbringer, from epic fantasy author Brandon SandersonAfter forming a coalition of human resistance against the enemy invasion, Dalinar Kholin and his Knig...

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12

The Once and Future Witches

by Harrow, Alix E.

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of powe...

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13

A Deadly Education

by Novik, Naomi

The Scholomance is a school of magic with no teachers, no holidays and no safe place: its halls are filled with monsters that feed on students, and most of them do not survive to graduation. Galadriel "El" Higgins, a sul...

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14

The Empire of Gold

by Chakraborty, S. A.

Daevabad has fallen, and Manizheh and the warrior Dara rule over a divided city. Nahri and Ali, who escaped to Cairo, have to decide whether to return, as the people they love face the new rulers.Nahri is drawn to the hu...

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15

The Burning God

The exciting end to The Poppy War trilogy, R. F. Kuang's acclaimed, award-winning epic fantasy that combines the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating, enthralling...

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16

Peace Talks

Peace Talks

by Butcher, Jim

A war is raging between the vampire forces of the Red Court and the White Council - a war that the wizards are losing. So desperate are the Council that they've dragooned the experienced and the outcast to reinforce thei...

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17

The Empress of Salt and Fortune

With the heart of an Atwood tale and the visuals of a classic Asian period drama, Nghi Vo's The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a tightly and lushly written narrative about empire, storytelling, and the anger of women.A y...

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18

The Bone Shard Daughter

by Stewart, Andrea

The Bone Shard Daughter is an unmissable fantasy debut from a major new voice in epic fantasy — a stunning tale of magic, mystery, and revolution in which the former heir to the emperor will fight to reclaim her power an...

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19

The Girl and the Stars

by Lawrence, Mark

In the Ice, children who are born weak are thrown into a pit called the Pit of the Missing, and nobody has ever come back. When her younger brother is chosen, Yaz jumps in after him.She doesn't die. She is rescued by a b...

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20

Smoke Bitten

by Briggs, Patricia

A door from Underhill, the realm of the fae, has opened in Mercy Thompson's backyard, and something has come through it. A creature that can take over anyone it bites, driving them to kill the people they love, is loose...

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Trending Books in Best Fantasy Books of 2020

Smoke Bitten

Briggs, Patricia

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The Burning God

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A Deadly Education

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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

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House of Earth and Blood

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Mexican Gothic

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Trouble the Saints

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The Midnight Bargain

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Peace Talks

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The Empire of Gold

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