World Fantasy Award Winners

The Prestigious World Fantasy Awards for Best Novel

See the ranking

A list of all the books that have won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, from the first (1975) to the newest 2014.The award is given out for the year of publishing but presented the following year.The World Fantasy Award (WFA) along with the Hugo and the Nebula award is one of the three most prestigious awards given out to Fantasy and Science Fiction books every year.The World Fantasy Award nominees and winners are always choosen by both judges and attendees at the World Fantasy Convention held annually. The attendees select two nominees while a panel (usually consisting of fantasy authors) select 3 or more nominees. The panel of judges then votes on the final winner.

The ranking

1

2014: A Stranger In Olondria

2014: A Stranger In Olondria

by Samatar, Sofia

A stranger in Olondria follows Jevick the 2nd son of an influential trader from the city of Tyom. Even though he was born and grew up in the Tea Islands, Jevick is captivated by the tales of faraway Olondria, the remote...

Buy on Amazon About this book

2

2013: Alif The Unseen

2013: Alif The Unseen

by Wilson, G. Willow

Alif is the screen name of a hacker in an unnamed totalitarian Middle Eastern state. Alif's clients are a diverse group of rebels -- pornographers, bloggers, Islamists, activists -- who challenge authority by using the a...

Buy on Amazon About this book

3

2012: Osama

2012: Osama

by Tidhar, Lavie

Joe is a typically average private investigator who lives in Southeast Asia. The only real difference is that Joe's world, terrorist attacks like 9-11 never actually happened. Instead, they're simply key pieces in a popu...

Buy on Amazon About this book

4

2011: Who Fears Death

2011: Who Fears Death

by Okorafor, Nnedi

In a post-apocalyptic Sudan, technology has fallen and sorcery flourishes. But the hatred between peoples and cultures still exists. Onyesonwu was a child conceived from a brutal rape. Her mother is a member of the dark-...

Buy on Amazon About this book

5

2010: The City & The City

2010: The City & The City

by Miéville, China

Imagine two cities that share the exact same geographic space, but do not interact with one another under any circumstances. Unless the government authorities grant permission, that is. If citizens of one city interact w...

Buy on Amazon About this book

6

Tender Morsels (2009)

by Lanagan, Margo

Liga has suffered terribly at the hands of the men in her life when a magic that she doesn't understand carries her and her two daughters to a refuge of their own, where she can protect them from every kind of harm. For...

Buy on Amazon About this book

7

The Shadow Year (2009)

by Ford, Jeffrey

In 1960s Long Island, a boy and his older brother Jim build Botch Town, a detailed model of their neighbourhood with clay figures for the people who live there. Their younger sister Mary seems to be able to move the figu...

Buy on Amazon About this book

8

2008: Ysabel

2008: Ysabel

by Kay, Guy Gavriel

Ned is Fifteen, and spending the year with his father in France. He just met a cute girl named Kate. He really should be having a real good time. Unfortunately, he isn't. Kate and him have just seen a scary, mysterious m...

Buy on Amazon About this book

9

2007: Soldier Of Sidon

2007: Soldier Of Sidon

This is the third book of Gene Wolfe's Soldier series. The story continues the story of the life of Latro, a soldier who forgets every day, and is forced to write his memories down onto a scroll. We re-join Latro and dis...

Buy on Amazon About this book

10

2006: Kafka On The Shore

2006: Kafka On The Shore

by Murakami, Haruki

This remarkable book tells the story of Kafka Tamura and Nakata. Kafka is a tough fifteen-year-old who, after running away from his father in Tokyo, begins a journey to a new life. He yearns to find his mother and sister...

Buy on Amazon About this book

11

2005: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

2005: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

by Clarke, Susanna

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is an epic tale of the rebirth of magic in nineteenth-century England. Taking place among the regular historical occurrences of the time, the main difference between this world and ours is...

Buy on Amazon About this book

12

Tooth And Claw (2004)

In a world of dragons, a dying patriarch's will starts a dispute among his children. His son the parson wants the family to eat the body of the dead, as tradition says, to gain his strength, but his greedy son-in-law tak...

Buy on Amazon About this book

13

2003: Ombria In Shadow

2003: Ombria In Shadow

by Mckillip, Patricia A.

Ombria is an ancient city. Its history lies buried underground among layers of buildings and previous manifestations of a town cloaked in darkness. Aboveground, the city is in trouble. The prince is dead, which means tha...

Buy on Amazon About this book

14

The Facts Of Life (2003)

by Joyce, Graham

The Facts Of Life by Graham Joyce won the 2003 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel

Buy on Amazon About this book

15

2002: The Other Wind

2002: The Other Wind

by Guin, Ursula K. Le

Like the previous Earthsea stories, this book seems to be centred around Ged, the sorcerer who is most often recognised by his common name, Sparrowhawk. But, like all except the first bool, this one is in fact focused...

Buy on Amazon About this book

16

2001: Galveston

2001: Galveston

by Stewart, Sean

In a dystopian future, the last vestiges of civilization is holding out the the tiny island of Galveston. While the rich, high-class citizens enjoy the last remains of what life was before the Flood, all others are left...

Buy on Amazon About this book

17

Declare (2000)

In 1963, an Oxford lecturer, Andrew Hale, receives a coded phone call that draws him back to the secret service he served during the war. The call concerns Operation Declare, an old and unfinished operation against super...

Buy on Amazon About this book

18

Thraxas (1999)

by Scott, Martin

Thraxas is a heavy-drinking, perpetually broke private investigator in the city of Turai, a former sorcerer, soldier and palace investigator who lost his job because of the drinking. He lives above the tavern of an old f...

Buy on Amazon About this book

19

The Antelope Wife (1998)

by Erdrich, Louise

The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdrich won the 1998 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel

Buy on Amazon About this book

20

1998: The Physiognomy

1998: The Physiognomy

by Ford, Jeffrey

Welcome to the Well-Built City where Cley is the perfect judge and jury. He is a reliable mediator between life and death because he has been extensively trained in physiognomy – a science (or art?) where every facial fe...

Buy on Amazon About this book

21

Godmother Night (1996)

Godmother Night (1996)

by Pollack, Rachel

The Godmother Night by Rachel Pollack won the 1996 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel

Buy on Amazon About this book

Load more books

Trending Books in World Fantasy Award Winners

Testament Of Youth

Testament Of Youth

Buy on Amazon

The Stormlight Archive

The Stormlight Archive

Sanderson, Brandon

Buy on Amazon

Bridge Of Birds

Bridge Of Birds

Buy on Amazon

1998: The Physiognomy

1998: The Physiognomy

Buy on Amazon

Koko (1989)

Buy on Amazon

2003: Ombria In Shadow

2003: Ombria In Shadow

Mckillip, Patricia A.

Buy on Amazon

2011: Who Fears Death

2011: Who Fears Death

Okorafor, Nnedi

Buy on Amazon

2010: The City & The City

2010: The City & The City

Miéville, China

Buy on Amazon

Asylum

Asylum

Roux, Madeleine

Buy on Amazon

1982: Little, Big

1982: Little, Big

Buy on Amazon

Trending Fantasy Booklists

Top 25 Best Fantasy Books

Love fantasy novels? Hate wasting time reading trash? Then read this definitive guide to the top 25 Fantasy books in the genre.

Top 50 Best Epic Fantasy

The Absolute Best Epic Fantasy Series

Top 100 Fantasy Books

The Top 100 Best Fantasy Books Ever Written

Top 25 Best Fantasy Books of the 90's

The Best Fantasy Books Published in the 1990's

Best Sword and Sorcery Books

Action, Darkness, Antiheroes, and lots of sword fighting and magic

Best Fantasy Books of 2026 So Far

The Standout Fantasy Releases of 2026 So Far