I read a lot of books last year — the most I’ve ever read in a year, actually. (More than sixty!) Out of the many titles and numerous genres I devoured, there were ten works of science fiction and fantasy that really stood out to me.

Some were new releases. Others were classics or old gems. Not all of them were perfect or free from problematic elements. But all of them inspired me, challenged me, or broadened my way of thinking about the genre of speculative fiction.

Today, I’ll share them all with you, including what I liked and where I believe they fell short.

Recent releases (2015-2017)

1. The Abyss Surrounds Us

• Published: 2016
• Genre: YA science fiction
• What’s awesome: The main character is a queer WoC. The lesbian leads get the kind of rounded, center-stage romantic plot that usually goes only to male/female couples. It’s a fun, fast-paced adventure with futuristic pirates and genetically engineered sea monsters that 10000% needs to be a movie. Honestly, nothing about this went wrong for me.

2. Nimona

• Published: 2015
• Genre: … uh, fantasy + comedy? This subversive graphic novel is difficult to categorize.
• What’s awesome: This unique, quirky, inventive story follows an empathetic “villain” and his shapeshifting, wild sidekick, an orphan girl named Nimona. The characters capture your heart, the world building hovers somewhere between brilliant and ridiculous, and the pacing makes it irresistible to turn the next page, and the next, until the tale is finished. Also, there is a subtle (and sweet) queer subplot. For me, there was nothing not to love.

3. The Raven Cycle

(Technically, this series contains four books, but I’m counting them as one item on this list… since I read them all pretty quickly back-to-back.)

• Published: 2012–2016
• Genre: YA urban fantasy
• What’s awesome: These are, hands down, the best characters I read in 2017. Fully fleshed, imperfect, empathetic, lovable, and unforgettable, they jump off the page almost immediately and only become more real as the story progresses. As for the story itself, it is absolutely spellbinding.
• What’s problematic: It’s truly sad that such a brilliantly, skillfully crafted series should have problems with how it handles race, class, and feminism, but it does. I almost hesitate to recommend this to anyone outside of an affluent white identity because of the potentially damaging messages it deals. It’s upsetting, honestly. The author has some clear biases and she really needs to deal with them. From what I understand, though, her latest book isn’t much better in this regard. 🙁

4. A Darker Shade of Magic

• Published: 2015
• Genre: Historical/urban fantasy
• What’s awesome: This has an original setup that vaguely reminded me of the multiverse concept, except wrapped in a Victorian-age London (or technically, multiple Londons) with lots of magic, fight scenes, and fast-paced adventure. I’m definitely planning to continue this series in 2018.
• What’s iffy: The characters are solid, though I felt like I didn’t get to know them as intimately as, say, those in the Raven Cycle. Maybe that will change in the books moving forward.

Old gems (2000-2014)

5. Saga, Vol. 1-2

(I’m counting two volumes as one here just for simplicity’s sake.)

• Published: 2012-2013
• Genre: Fantasy + space opera blend
• What’s awesome: Um, EVERYTHING? This comic just fabulously fits my personal tastes. The first two volumes feature an interracial couple of military deserters running away from assassins while toting a newborn daughter. The sci-fi/fantasy world is filled with people who have horns, wings, and other things, which is My Aesthetic. I’m definitely planning to continue this series in 2018.
• What’s iffy: I thoroughly enjoyed the grossness, grittiness, and graphicness of this comic, but it’s definitely not for everyone. So, be aware it’s pretty mature and sometimes over-the-top with imagery.

6. Fire Logic

• Published: 2004
• Genre: Epic fantasy
• What’s awesome: This relatively obscure book is set in an egalitarian world where women are seen in military roles and leadership positions just as often as men, and same-sex relationships are common to the point of normalcy. The wlw romantic plot gave me SO MANY FEELS and was quite precious. Also, the main character was a lesbian WoC and a warrior.
• What’s iffy: While the characters are fun, the plot… meanders. I read the second book, too, and while I didn’t love it as much as the first, (it had the same wandering, unclear plot, but without the emotional punch), I am hooked enough that I know I’ll continue the series.

Classics (pre-2000)

7. Out of the Silent Planet

• Published: 1938
• Genre: Science fiction
• What’s awesome: C.S. Lewis is most well-known for The Chronicles of Narnia and his many theology books, but this book – which was essentially a Christian response to H.G. Wells’s famous science fiction – deserves more attention than it gets. Lewis’s imagination really shines here, and his description of Malacandra is just delectably vivid. I also thought his creature creation and language construction was a lot of fun.
• What’s iffy: I liked this book a lot. That being said, I did try to read the second book, Perelandra, but couldn’t enjoy it nearly as much as the first. It fell away from the relatively convincing science fiction of the first book and into deep waters of bland mythology and arbitrarily crammed-in theology. In fact, I ended up DNFing the sequel out of boredom.

8. Ender’s Game

• Published: 1994
• Genre: Science fiction
• What’s awesome: The book is way better than the recent movie adaptation, and rather different in many ways. Ender is a fascinating, empathetic character, and the underlying messages of the book are surprisingly profound and unnervingly relevant.
• What’s problematic: Sadly, this book is also muddied with racism and sexism. It also has a strange, unrelated subplot that could have been removed without losing anything. The only two ways the movie adaptation did, in fact, improve off of the book was deleting the unnecessary subplot and removing the racism and sexism. I will probably at least read the second one eventually, which I hear is good (although apparently the series peters off in quality after that), but I’m not in a rush to do so.

9. The Left Hand of Darkness

• Published: 1969
• Genre: Science fiction
• What’s awesome: Wow… I’m feeling a tinge of sadness as I write this, because the legendary author, Ursula K. Le Guin, just passed away not long ago. This book has incredible world building, and it challenges conceptions of gender by describing a fascinating planet where everyone is genderless, except during their reproductive cycles when they may become either male or female.
• What’s iffy: The book is a little slow at times, but that’s the only complaint I can really make.

What were your favorite SFF reads in 2017?