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The Most Popular Fantasy Novels of the Past Three Years
Our Sci-Fi and Fantasy Week celebrations continue anon with this collection of the most popular fantasy books of the past three years. As always, the included books are determined by average star ratings (everything here is 3.5 stars or better) and which titles wind up on Goodreads members’ Read and Want to Read shelves.
A three-year chunk is a pretty good time frame to get a sense of what’s trending in the genre—which books are finding readers in the ebb and flow of fantasy writing. One interesting little wave: We’re definitely seeing more of a quieter and gentler style of speculative fiction, sometimes called cozy fantasy. Readers are responding to the slice-of-(fantasy)-life style in books like The House in the Cerulean Sea, Legends & Lattes, and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.
Dark academia and school-of-magic stories remain popular as well. R.F. Kuang’s excellent Babel led the charge last year, and that’s a seriously cool book. In recent months we’ve seen an unprecedented surge of affection for Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing, the first installation in her new series, The Empyrean, concerning the trials and tribulations of dragon rider flight school.
Big epic fantasy will always have a healthy audience of devoted readers, and you’ll see plenty of that style represented here. On top of all that, you’ll find the usual assortment of moon goddesses, minotaurs, warrior queens, shadow thieves, book eaters, and sentient cities.
Scroll over the book cover images below for more details, and add anything interesting to your Want to Read list.
Readers' Best Recent Fantasy Novels
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Got a new fantasy book you love? Share it with your fellow readers in the comments below!
Check out more recent fantasy and science fiction articles:
Comments Showing 1-50 of 58 (58 new)
message 1:
by
Dee
(new)
Jul 17, 2023 12:54AM
Would love to explore these
flag
Nice list. There’s a few I’d add to it though.
Many good books, but the list is not overly comprehensive.
High recommendation for A Deadly Education. I also like seeing lists like these. They help me explore and find new titles i want to read.
The biggest must read book missing from this list is The Will of The Many by James Islington — absolutely the best new book from this genre I’ve read this year and I’ve read over 50% of the books above.
It's a good list if you haven't read too much fantasy. Is there a list that focuses more on dark fantasy, grimdark, military fantasy and epic fantasy? Things like what Garreth Hanrahan, Seth Dickison, Max Gladstone, K.J. Parker, Michael R. Fletcher write? I would love a fantasy list like that.
I absolutely love Fantasy (romance)And The biggest surprise I read recently were:
Fantasy of frost - by Kelly st Clair
These hollow wows - by Lexi Ryan
Shardless, Tempris swries- by Stephanie Fisher
The kingdome of the wicked - by Kerri Maniscalco
Dark maji - by Kel Carpenter
Don't know why I felt the need to count, but turns out I have shelved 38 of these and read 21. I've definitely been getting back into the fantasy mood lately so maybe this will prompt me to pick up and finish the other 17 :D
Silently screenshoting the recommendation comments.🤫I think that 'Carve the mark' by Veronica roth has rightfully won a place in this category...
When I read "grimdark" in your comment, I expected to see Joe Abercrombie's name there.If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend The First Law series. The latest trillogy is one of the best SFF books I ever read, but then so was the 1st trillogy.
Into the Narrowdark by Tad Williams?A fantasy tour de force as his Last King of Osten Ard series nears its finale.
L.A. wrote: "What about indie publishers or not-so-big names?"I was wondering the same thing.
John wrote: "Many good books, but the list is not overly comprehensive."How many more books do you need in a list? It’s not meant to be all fantasy books released in the last 3 years you know.
I loved “Hell Bent” by Leigh Bardugo and I have already added “Babel” and “Ink Blood Sister Scribe” to my TBR list. I’m surprised “Ink Blood Sister Scribe” isn’t on this list.
Pulse wrote: "The Locked Tomb series not on there? Hmm."Harrow the Ninth is on the "Top New Sci-Fi Books of the Past 3 Years" list, linked at the end of the article. :)
Will wrote: "I loved “Hell Bent” by Leigh Bardugo and I have already added “Babel” and “Ink Blood Sister Scribe” to my TBR list. I’m surprised “Ink Blood Sister Scribe” isn’t on this list."Will wrote: "I loved “Hell Bent” by Leigh Bardugo and I have already added “Babel” and “Ink Blood Sister Scribe” to my TBR list. I’m surprised “Ink Blood Sister Scribe” isn’t on this list."
Will wrote: "I loved “Hell Bent” by Leigh Bardugo and I have already added “Babel” and “Ink Blood Sister Scribe” to my TBR list. I’m surprised “Ink Blood Sister Scribe” isn’t on this list."
I also loved Hell Bent. I don't often read this genre, but really enjoyed The Book Eaters as a perfect little anti-fairy tale.
This seems more like a marketing list for low rate books to get them more readers. There's no way these were the most read in the last 3 years, most of the big ones are missing and with the few exceptions the Hobbit and some others this is more like a what not to read list - for me at least.
I'm not normally a fantasy reader so I was very pleasantly surprised by Maggie Kirton's three-book classic epic, Sagaman Kessler. I anxiously await the final book 4. I'm surprised to not see the series here as it was #1 in the genre on Amazon a couple years ago.
Kuang's Babel was the most interesting fantasy work I've read for a while: while dense and erudite, with a clearly explored theme of language as another tool of colonial exploitation, and an absolute joy for anyone who loves etymology and scholarship, it may not be to everyone's taste. I'm also stunned that the wonderful Pat Barker has been classed as Fantasy for her Women of Troy series as she's normally to be found in Historical or Literary Fiction, whether she's writing about WW1 (Regeneration trilogy), WW2 (Toby's Room etc) or Troy, her works are achingly real.
I have twelve hits on this list and it reminds me that I definitely need to get back to Fonda Lee and probably resume with Jim Butcher, and I wasn't aware that there was a follow-up to "The Golem and the Jinni."
This is a limited list of the most popular fantasy novels from the last three years. That's why you're not seeing classics, indies, or hidden gems here.
Beware of Chicken should be on the list. It's a fantastic story that pulls you in, heartwarming, exciting and downright funny at the same time.
The Will of the Many by James Islington is my favorite fantasy novel so far this year. The narration by Euan Morton was phenomenal.
Need to add to this listThe Trials of Ildarwood by SC Selvyn Both books received top awards this year!
Now if a person could filter out the ones that have romance in them then I might be interested.
The Nature of Witches is so good, i need everyone to read it! read it a couple years ago and is still to this day one of my favourite book. (and rachel griffin one of my fav authors <3)
John wrote: "Many good books, but the list is not overly comprehensive."That's because it's based on GR ratings and books that are most shelved. So of course it's going to be a popularity contest.
Am I the only one who didn’t like the invisible life of Addie LaRue
How is it that no indie authors made this list? Like Carissa Broadbent’s Serpent and the Wings of Night? Made the WSJ bestsellers, but goodreads doesn’t include it here. Why?
There are several independent and small market authors whose books are vastly better than what the big publishing houses push. The T.B. Phillips' Andalon Series is just one of them. These books do not have as many reviews because they do not have the enormous marketing budgets that publishing houses provide to put those books on the forefront of any type of literary discussion. These books should be considered.
I never any fairytale by Stephen King yet I would love to read it I have to book. I have not picked it up to read it yet.
Kayleigh wrote: "Am I the only one who didn’t like the invisible life of Addie LaRue"You are not alone. I didn't like it either.
Does anyone have the list of the books on this article?I would like to explore some of the shortest ones.
There are a lot of independent published books that are just as good, if not better, than some of these on this list. I found Sage, Smoke & Fire by Ryan Kurr by browsing a local indie bookstore, and the whole Esoteric Alchemy series was really good (the third and final was my favorite). I wish marketing and publication was different so that we don't keep getting fed a lot of the same big publishing house books over and over. There are so many more books than a select few that get the spotlight over and over.
Discovery of Witches should be on this list!
Jade wrote: "The biggest must read book missing from this list is The Will of The Many by James Islington — absolutely the best new book from this genre I’ve read this year and I’ve read over 50% of the books a..."Thank you! Just added to my TBR list…
so many of my favourites are on here! love the variety :D
For people looking for awesome indies books, I would recommend : Bloody Spade by Brittany M. Willows (it reads like an anime, the universe is awesome and I love the characters so MUCH)
The Sword of Kaigen: A Theonite War Story by M.L. Wang (she just published a new one, haven't read it yet but it sounds really good as well : Blood Over Bright Haven) (Sword of Kaigen reminded me of Avatar the Last Airbender and Brandon Sanderson and really it's one of my favorite book ever)
The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids by Michael McClung (a bit more classical than and so so so good)
Prince of the Sorrows by Kellen Graves (dark academia setting, feys and magic and intrigue)
Witch Hunt by Annie Bellet (the dnd feel is strong in this series)
