2024 has been another outstanding year for fantasy. With the end of the year nearly upon us, I’d like to share my list of top five fantasy books released during 2024. I hope you’ll find something here to love as much as I did!
1. The Book That Broke The World by Mark Lawrence
The Book That Broke the World? More like the book that broke my brain and shattered my soul. Mark Lawrence strikes the perfect balance between intellect and heart in this second volume of his Library Trilogy, which began with last year’s highly acclaimed The Book That Wouldn’t Burn.
The Library Trilogy revolves around the Athenaeum, the legendary library instituted by Irad, the grandson of Cain and the great-grandson of Adam and Eve. While Adam and Eve committed the first sin by disobeying God and eating fruit from the forbidden tree of knowledge, Cain took sin to the next level by murdering his brother in a fit of jealous rage. Following the family tradition, Irad argued bitterly with his own brother, Jaspeth, who believed Irad’s library to be a temple glorifying the original sin of knowledge and was determined to tear it down.
Subsequent generations have inherited this struggle between Irad and Jaspeth as an epic battle between knowledge and ignorance, a war that is happening all around us today, tearing families and societies apart. The Library has become a literal and figurative battleground over who controls access to knowledge or whether information should be passed down at all.
Enter Livira, an irrepressible young woman who, like the resilient weed for which she is named, simply cannot be kept down. Despite coming from an impoverished background and suffering unspeakable tragedy as a young girl, Livira overcomes the odds to become a librarian in the bustling Crath City.
The second lead protagonist is Evar, a young man who grew up trapped in the Library, surrounded by impossibly tall towers of books, with only his four adopted siblings as companions. The Library children were raised by two android-like figures known as the Assistant and the Soldier.
The Book That Broke the World is a triumph of imagination and a deeply thought-provoking meditation on the nature of memory, the value of knowledge, and the degree of self-determination we may or may not have in our lives. Do we write our own stories or are they written for us? I, for one, couldn’t be happier that Mark Lawrence has written this masterpiece for us all.
Read my complete review here.
2. The Land of the Living and the Dead by Shauna Lawless
Shauna Lawless reveals the full extent of powers in The Land of the Living and the Dead, the heart-wrenching conclusion to her Gael Song trilogy, which combines fantasy, mythology, and real Irish history to both dazzling and devastating effect.
The Land of the Living and the Dead follows the remaining members of two magical races who live among the mortal beings of Ireland circa 1000 AD. Gormflaith is a Fomorian, imbued with fire-magic and scheming to seize power while taking revenge on her ancient enemies, the Descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who believe all Fomorians to be dead. Fódla is a Descendant and a healer, grieving personal loss and struggling to find the right path forward for herself and her loved ones.
The Land of the Living and the Dead interweaves the longstanding conflict between the Fomorians and the Descendants with individual tales of love, loss, and betrayal. Meanwhile, changing alliances shape the already tenuous relationship between these two immortal races and the various human factions, also vying for power in Emerald Isle.
Somehow, the Gael Song trilogy just gets better with each new volume. Shauna Lawless’s prose is compulsively readable, propelling the plot forward among multiple perspectives while deepening readers’ emotional connection to each of the main characters. For all of the action, there is also a quiet restraint to Lawless’s writing, revealing layer upon layer of nuance. All of this builds up to a devastating tear-jerker of an ending that will haunt your dreams long after closing the back cover of the book.
Altogether, The Land of the Living and the Dead is an emotional stunner of a novel, reaffirming Shauna Lawless as the Emerald Empress of Grimdark. The Gael Song trilogy is highly recommended for fans of nuanced historical fantasy.
Read my complete review here.
3. Gates of Sorrow by J.E. Hannaford
Gates of Sorrow, the second volume in J.E. Hannaford’s epic fantasy series, Aulirean Gates, picks up immediately following the dramatic conclusion of the SPFBOX finalist Gates of Hope.
Gates of Sorrow is set on the planet Lieus and its two moons, Mythos and Tebein. The three bodies, collectively known as the Aulirean System, were connected by magical portals allowing for easy transportation. However, in the opening prologue of Gates of Hope, the gates are destroyed by a giant space dragon known as the Watcher, presumably to end a brutal war.
J.E. Hannaford achieves a Brandon Sanderson level worldbuilding in the Aulirean Gates series. Like its predecessor, Gates of Sorrow imbues a continual sense of wonder as we learn more about the story’s universe and magic system. All of this is revealed in a natural fashion, without any awkward info dumps.
Gates of Sorrow is has three point-of-view characters. First, Darin is a young man from Caldera who bonds with a moonhound named Star. Moonhounds are large shaggy dogs who use doggie dream magic to select a human for bonding. Darin and Star have a telepathic bond enabling them to share images with each other. Darin’s story finds him going deeper into a secretive society while learning to control his own magical powers to help Suriin, a teenaged girl whose lilac-colored hair provides a visible indication of her magical powers. In Gates of Sorrow, Suriin must deal with the aftermath of misplaced trust, which has implications for both Suriin’s life and the fate of everyone on Caldera.
My favorite point-of-view character in Gates of Sorrow is Elissa, a young woman living on the outer moon of Tebein who is labeled as “Untouched” and targeted by the awldrin for her lilac-colored hair. When the shard of a magical crystal becomes embedded in her foot, Elissa may provide the only path toward salvation for the stranded population of Tebein. While all three main characters experience satisfying growth in Gates of Sorrow, Elissa really goes to the next level through her interactions with dragons. (That’s her riding a dragon on the cover!)
J.E. Hannaford’s writing is refined and accessible, a delight in every way. Grimdark readers will appreciate Hannaford’s nuanced characterization and complex worldbuilding in Gates of Sorrow, which offers great re-readability for readers like me who simply cannot get enough. Altogether, the Aulirean Gates proves to be one of the most compelling new epic fantasy series in recent memory.
Read my complete review here.
4. Quaint Creatures: Magical & Mundane by Andrew D. Meredith
There is absolutely nothing mundane about Quaint Creatures: Magical & Mundane, author Andrew D. Meredith’s first official foray into cozy fantasy. There has always been a cozy side to Meredith’s writing, from the bread-baking in his epic fantasy, Deathless Beast, to the gentle found family dynamics of his SPFBO8 semi-finalist, Thrice. Meredith fully embraces his cozy side on Quaint Creatures, proving himself to be a perfect match for the genre.
Quaint Creatures is told from the first-person perspective of Norrik Softstep, an erstwhile dungeon inspector who had an unexpected career change after calling out corruption at his former job. Norrik, or just Rik for short, is now the proprietor of a veterinary clinic and pet store called Quaint Creatures. Oh, and he’s also an eight-foot-tall giant.
Quaint Creatures has a delightful supporting cast, including Rik’s trusty beardless dwarven assistant, Hamitch Hofhofdersen, and his gnomish housekeeper, Miss Lilly, a cunning thief looking to start afresh through honest employment. There is also satisfying undead representation with the lich dungeon owner, Sennacheron.
But my favorite side character is Rik’s magical elven wife, Eavalyn. It’s wonderful to see such a mature, loving relationship like this in a fantasy novel. The relationship between Rik and Eavalyn is truly touching, especially as they overcome both external threats and Rik’s own insecurities.
The action in Quaint Creatures is higher stakes than I would normally associate with cozy fantasy, revolving around a mysterious smuggling operation and the associated political corruption. The novel’s creature action and mystery-solving protagonists give Quaint Creatures a campy feel with groovy Scooby-Doo vibes.
Overall, I found Quaint Creatures to strike an excellent balance of action, mystery, humor, political intrigue, and of course lots of delicious food. Andrew D. Meredith’s writing is warm and polished.
Quaint Creatures is brimming with fun and imagination. With its charming cast of characters, warm humor, and nuanced story, readers are well-advised to give Quaint Creatures a home on their bookshelves today.
Read my complete review here.
5. In the Shadow of Their Dying by Michael R. Fletcher and Anna Smith Spark
Two of the most prominent voices in grimdark fantasy, Michael R. Fletcher and Anna Smith Spark, join forces on In the Shadow of their Dying. Tash is the third-best assassin in a city under siege, within a week of being conquered by an invading army. Although there is not much demand for assassins in the midst of all-out war, Tash is hired by a mercenary leader, Pitt, to end the siege by killing their own king and fleeing the city toward the safety of the south.
But Tash encounters an unexpected problem when he crosses paths with a demon, Iananr the Bound One, occupying a woman’s body. Iananr thrives on blood and destruction and has sworn to defend the king in order to maximize bloodshed. But what Iananr really desires is freedom from her bondage.
Michael R. Fletcher and Anna Smith Spark’s unique voices both shine in alternating point-of-view chapters. Fletcher holds nothing back with his fierce prose and incisive humor. Anna Smith Spark shines with the voice she has given to Iananr. Her writing is so darkly poetic, with a rhythmic cadence that I couldn’t help but read aloud.
Fletcher and Smith Spark have crafted a menacing, mystical, and labyrinthine feel in In the Shadow of their Dying that evokes the best of Gustav Meyrink, specifically his masterwork, The Golem. I especially enjoyed reading overlapping scenes from both human and demon perspectives.
In the Shadow of their Dying is full of unexpected twists and turns as Tash, Pitt, and Iananr grapple to gain the upper hand. All of this is set against the backdrop of a war with mass, indiscriminate casualties, where true victory may be unattainable. The story also features plenty of necromancy, blurring the line between the living and the dead.
The Dripping Bucket, Michael R. Fletcher’s interdimensional grimdark tavern, features prominently throughout In the Shadow of their Dying. The sights, sounds, and smells of the Dripping Bucket are exactly what you would expect from Fletcher’s infamous pub. Let’s just say that it’s a health inspector’s worst nightmare. There are also several more subtle allusions to previous works by both Fletcher and Smith Spark, which longtime readers will enjoy.
In the Shadow of their Dying is a masterclass in grimdark fantasy from two of the most distinguished authors in the genre. This is an expertly crafted book, featuring some of the most vibrant writing and character work from both Michael R. Fletcher and Anna Smith Spark.
Read my complete review here.
