Fantasy bestsellers

“I love N.K. Jemisin’s books, I love New York City, and I love this book about the soul and personification of New York. The City We Became might just be my favorite book to be published in 2020. This story is filled with tension, humor, and great characters, with a guest appearance near and dear to me. While this book is the beginning of a trilogy, it is completely satisfying as a stand-alone novel. Read it and be happy.”

“The House in the Cerulean Sea is a heart-swelling wave of sweetness and hope. Mild-mannered government caseworker Linus Baker is sent on a secret assignment to an island orphanage he’s never even heard of. The astonishing inhabitants he gets to know there will change his life and make him reassess everything he thought he knew. This book will leave you believing in the good in everyone — even those society has given up on — and contemplating how huge changes have to start somewhere.”

“The Fifth Season is an amazing, dark, and gripping work that will hook you from the first sentence. I cannot express to you how much this book stunned me. Robin's narration is well paced and engaging. While I wish this was a book for everyone to listen to, it isn't; destruction, trauma, and rage follow the women and girls who tell their stories. This book is about the end of the world, that you actually don't want to stop reading.”

“This book is so much fun. When April May stumbles across the first ‘Carl,’ she initially thinks it’s an art installation. It turns out these giant statues turned up overnight in major cities around the globe. Due to the viral video she made with her friend Andy, April May finds herself in the middle of a worldwide conversation and trying to manage her newfound celebrity status. Green is an excellent storyteller and has delivered a great coming-of-age/sci-fi debut novel.”

“Marlon James’ Black Leopard, Red Wolf is a shot across the bow of fantasy literature: bold, fresh, and filled with brutal wonder and endless imagination. James’tale set in a fantastical ancient Africa follows a hunter known only as Tracker as he trails the scent of a lost boy, meeting a shape-shifting leopard along the way. At turns hallucinatory, dreamlike, and nightmarish, Black Leopard, Red Wolf’s world envelops the reader in its stink, grime, sweat, and blood. Never has a magical world felt quite so otherworldly and yet frighteningly tactile at the same time. This is literary fantasy as you’ve never encountered it before and a truly original tale of love, loss, power, and identity.”

“Children of Blood & Bone, is a story told in a world where magic no longer exists. Years ago, this was not the case. Once, magic and the Gods were celebrated. Now, Diviners (those with Maji blood, but no magic) are treated poorly, and all the Maji have been killed. One of those including our main protagonist, Zélie’s, mother. Determined to find a way to bring back magic, Zélie, along with her brother Tzain, and Orïsha’s only princess, Amari (gone rogue), set out on a quest against all odds. Told from Zélie, Amari and Amari’s brother and crown prince, Inan’s viewpoints, Tomi Adeyemi weaves together a tale so beautifully and tragically relevant, it will leave you craving for answers and more.”

“This is sisterhood. This is Black mermaid magic. This is powerful and beautiful and relevant. Fantasy at its finest because it fights for something bigger. A Song Below Water had me mesmerized from the off, unable to unplug from the tapestry of mythos and social justice and current events that Morrow has so tantalizingly woven. There is nothing small about Tavia or Effie, though the world would like them to be. And there is nothing simple about their story, which courses with intrigue a wide array of equally individualistic characters (Love me some Gargy). Read this gem. Then go out and speak siren.”

“Escape into a time of heroes with Achilles' heels, women in armor, villains who might not be, murderous gardens, feisty gods, and little girls with terrible power. Enter, and gasp in awe at the rich, ancient culture, like no other in fiction, at the ricochet speed of shattering trust, the twisting of allegiances and the fracturing facets of an origin myth about to explode through the crowded streets during a raucous national festival. Two teens have explicit reasons to find and kill each other, one hobbled by ignorance, the other by illness, both with motives of love and desperation, each on opposite sides of a fracturing empire. Who is the griot putting each on such an unlikely path to meet? Or is there a more disturbing reason these two are drawn to each other? Highly recommended for teens and adults!”

“S.A. Chakraborty introduces a fantasy set in the Middle East that thrusts us into the magical world of Daevabad. The City of Brass follows, in parallel, Nahri, a con artist and naturally gifted healer, and Ali, prince of Daevabad and fiercely trained soldier. Nahri and Ali find themselves learning new lessons on how to survive changing environments and difficult challenges, while trying to figure out the complexities of their lives. I found myself turning page after page, following Nahri's and Ali's story while deciphering the fantastic terminology and the world that is Daevabad. The City of Brass is a wonderfully written, mystical adventure that keeps you guessing about what will happen next.”

“The Name of the Wind is a very straightforward book which you absolutely should not take at face value just because of its upfront nature. Rothfuss builds a slow burn fantasy narrative meant to keep you warm throughout dark nights of literary pursuits, rather than a showy bonfire that burns through all its material in order to hook you. Kvothe, the focal point of the story, is a character study in noticing subtle contrasts. However, the story Kvothe tells is always cordial, and Poedhl's mellow reading only lends itself to enhancing the obliging chronicle. A beneficial factor given the hefty size of Rothfuss' debut novel, a factor which can scare away the faint of heart or the light on time. It is well worth the effort, and ultimately a rewarding reading and listening experience.”

“The charter of the Leahy house is to manage and police the secret houses of the veil on the campus of Yale University. When a murder is connected to the magical activities of the houses, Galaxy Stern, Alex, the newest member of the Ninth House must find out what happened even if it means losing her place at Yale or her life. Ninth House grips you from the beginning and Alex is a wonderfully crafted edgy protagonist with deep scars. In the pretentious ivy league world Alex tenaciously pursues evil through unexpected twists and turns. If you like mystery and magic this is for you!”

“This is a crazy funny new take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream that will have you laughing out loud and getting goofy looks from the other people in the coffee shop. Christopher Moore is always entertaining, and this book is no exception — you will enjoy it from the first sentence to the very last. And, yes, there are squirrels in the story!”

“Foundryside is the first book in Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Foundry trilogy. Not only did this book get me out of my reading slump, it was a book that I just couldn’t stop listening to. The cover grabbed my attention and the story surpassed every expectation that I had. Foundryside is about a well-trained thief, Sancia. She’s good at what she does, and her latest job has landed her in a whole world of trouble. She’s gone from off the radar, to Tevanne’s most wanted. Sancia has to band together with some unlikely allies to make it out alive. We learn about the world Bennett created through Clef, a character who is unique and loveable from the start, who in turn learns from Sancia. Bennett created complex characters, a world that is half tech, half magic, and a story full of heart. It was a story that I couldn’t get enough of and was sad to see end. I can’t wait for the next part!”

“Intriguing. Eerie. Tightly written with sentences so perfect I had to pause. A plot with twists I could not see coming, yet each, after, felt exactly right. Once I started listening I wanted to do nothing but sit with my ear glued to my phone. Also eerie - worth saying twice. A great recommendation for fans of the "The Night Circus" who have been waiting and waiting for another book to feel like that.”

“If you’ve ever driven Highway 5 late at night, you know there is something ethereal about the long stretch of road when it is blanketed with stars. Joseph Fink evokes the same feeling in his newest novel, Alice Isn’t Dead. After the supposed death of her wife, Keisha—certain Alice is still alive—abandons her life to become a trucker and search for the missing Alice, and runs afoul of a sinister and horrifying organization. Strange and glorious, this book will leave you changed.”

“For someone who approaches such serious scientific and technological subjects, Neal Stephenson can be outrageously funny. Combine that with Nicole Galland's storytelling ability and you have a rollicking roller coaster of a novel. The authors mix together magic, witchcraft, time travel, science, and historical figures, both real and imagined, while delightfully skewering bumbling bureaucrats, pretentious academics, a rigid military, and other bastions of the establishment to produce a work that is both thought-provoking and totally entertaining.”

“Such an interesting futuristic story! The battle of Red versus Blue - tech vs. garden - through time was a fun trip to read. I especially enjoyed how the main characters by fighting each other grew to love each other. It was also super nice to read a sci-fi book that isn't 1,000 pages long and still have enough detail that you aren't lost in the physics.I listened to this story on libro.fm. It was especially easy and enjoyable to follow as there were different voice actors for the different characters.”

“Wildly unpredictable, tremendously goofy, and brilliantly inventive, Kill the Farm Boy is a laugh-out-loud fantasy trope extravaganza. A talking goat, a fierce warrior, a bumbling rogue, a wannabe dark wizard, and an enchanted bard set out on a quest full of adventure, mishaps, and lots of cheese. I can’t count the number of times I giggled, snorted, and chuckled at a clever quip or ludicrous joke. Fans of Monty Python and Robin Hood: Men in Tights will definitely find Kill the Farm Boy to their liking.”

“Uprooted by Naomi Novik is like every fairy tale you've ever heard turned on their head. You have the girl trapped in a tower, a dragon, and a prince. You've heard this story before, but this one isn't so simple. I mean, if it was, what fun would that be? Novik draws heavily on her Polish roots and it creates a story that feels like home. Warm, inviting, and full of secrets that don't leave the walls. The antagonist is written in such a way that you can almost feel the Wood staring at you while you read, but the fact that it doesn't outright speak makes it more menacing. With a rich cast of characters that follow their own moral compasses, a beautifully built world, and a magic system that feels authentic, this book will leave you wanting more.”

“This book is the perfect summer reading escape for a literature lover! The book takes place in a modern New Zealand where a Summoner, someone able to pull characters out of books and into real life, has appeared and is threatening to tear down the very fabric of existence to bring a world of literature to life. Throughout all the adventure and excitement we follow the sweet story of 2 brothers, pulled apart and eventually put back together again. The narrator has a soft NZ accent, bringing a richness to the text without making it hard to understand for non-natives.”

“I remembered reading The Thief as a kid and being blown away by the story. With my Libro.fm membership I decided to experience the story again by listening to it and I will say it is now one of my go to audiobook recommendations. A rich mix of fantasy, intrigue, character, and unforgettable moments all expertly narrated by Steve West. This whole series is perfect for readers who want a more sophisticated fantasy.”

“Paying cheeky homage to Jane Austen’s beloved books, the pride and prejudice in this novel come in all flavors for both main characters, as an Indian-American neurosurgeon and a Rwandan-Anglo-Indian chef meet their match together in life and love. While Dr. Trisha Raje and DJ Caine are thrown together by family responsibilities and reluctantly drawn to each other for reasons neither want to identify, the rest of the family members are just as intriguingly introduced, making the happily ever after ending of this book only the beginning of this wonderful new series. The seamless merging of cultures and traditions suffuse the funny dialogue, empathy of the characters, and well-built plot with an evocative richness the reflects the realities of a 21st century life. Incredibly timely and representative of women as both mothers and working at the top of their field professionally, and of physical illness and (dis)ability struggles and triumphs, this book should not be relegated to only the category of women’s fiction, but should be celebrated as an example of where all types of literature should be heading – increasing representation of the myriad ways races, cultures, ethnicities, nationalities, and abilities influence, inform, and clash with family responsibilities, individual identities, and personal choices. ”

“For my first sci-fi book, this was recommended for me. I was NOT disappointed!”

“Before I listened to Dirk Gently, I was convinced that I despised audiobooks. What Adams reading this book did for me was make me realize that it's not that I dislike audiobooks, I just tend to dislike audiobooks where readers attempt voices, especially the grating Female as Male Falsetto. Not only is the book one of my all time favorites, Adams' reading of it is soothing, straight forward, and makes me feel as though I'm getting a glimpse into his mind and chatting with him at a table.”

“This is not your conventional fantasy novel with high-flying adventure, magic, and epic battles. Marie Brennan has done a wonderful job writing a fictionalized memoir set in a Victorian-like period, by a young woman who has a love for dragons (which are real), and goes against convention to study them. The narrator is an old woman recalling her earlier adventures that led up to her as a respected natural historian. I found the novel refreshing. Brennan is not trying to make a completely likable heroine. The writing is convincing, sharp, whimsical, and beautiful. I would recommend this book for fantasy lovers, admirers of the Regency/Victorian era, or anyone who loves dragons, wants to believe they are real, or are interested in their study! The narrator is Kate Reading & I could listen to her all day!”