Science Fiction Fantasy Books: Best Reads

Fantasy books that blend speculative science with magic, from futuristic worlds to cosmic settings. Ideal for readers who enjoy genre-crossing adventures.

Curated by Fabled Tome

139 Books in subgenre
Apr 13, 2026 Last updated
Content filters Expand or collapse to refine what appears in this ranking. NSFW hidden Illustrated hidden LGBTQ+ hidden Male & female leads

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Light Novels, Comics & Manga

Show illustrated and light novel entries alongside standard fantasy books.

LGBTQ+ themes

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97 Mystic and Rider

Mystic and Rider

By

Rated 4.14 out of 5 stars, based on 10,940 reviews.

Mystic and Rider by Sharon Shinn opens in Gillengaria, a kingdom strained by rising violence against magic users despite the king’s decree of tolerance. Mystic Senneth is sent to travel the realm and gauge the threat of rebellion among the powerful T…

Book 1 of Twelve Houses series


98 Armageddon's Children

Armageddon's Children

By

Rated 4.14 out of 5 stars, based on 17,635 reviews.

Armageddon's Children by Terry Brooks opens a new epic fantasy sequence set in a ruined, near-future America where magic and demonic forces have risen from the wreckage of civilization. Logan Tom, a haunted Knight of the Word, crosses toxic wasteland…

Book 1 of Genesis of Shannara series


99 Arrows of the Queen

Arrows of the Queen

By

Rated 4.14 out of 5 stars, based on 40,036 reviews.

Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey introduces Talia, a young runaway whose life changes when she is chosen by Rolan, a mysterious Companion with extraordinary powers. Taken to the kingdom of Valdemar to train as a Herald, she must learn to contro…

Book 1 of Valdemar: Heralds of Valdemar series


100 On a Pale Horse

On a Pale Horse

By

Rated 4.14 out of 5 stars, based on 41,649 reviews.

On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony follows Zane, a desperate man who kills the incarnation of Death and is forced to assume his supernatural office. Now riding the shape-shifting pale horse Mortis, he navigates a modern world threaded with magic, demon…

Book 1 of Incarnations of Immortality series


101 The Crystal Cave

The Crystal Cave

By

Rated 4.14 out of 5 stars, based on 48,727 reviews.

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart presents a psychologically rich portrait of Merlin’s early life in a Britain fractured by the collapse of Roman rule. Born the illegitimate son of a Welsh princess and kept ignorant of his father’s identity, Merlin gr…

Book 1 of Arthurian Saga series


102 Magic Casement

Magic Casement

By

Rated 4.14 out of 5 stars, based on 3,322 reviews.

Magic Casement by Dave Duncan opens the “A Man of His Word” series in the remote island kingdom of Krasnegar, where Princess Inosolan grows up sheltered from the wider politics and dangers of Pandemia. Her closest companion is Rap, a stableboy whose…

Book 1 of A Man of His Word series


103 Promise of Blood

Promise of Blood

By

Rated 4.14 out of 5 stars, based on 64,808 reviews.

Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan opens with a successful military coup that topples a monarchy and replaces it with a fragile new regime. Field Marshal Tamas must hold a war-torn nation together as foreign powers threaten invasion, royalist loyali…

Book 1 of Powder Mage series


104 The Search for WondLa

The Search for WondLa

By

Rated 4.14 out of 5 stars, based on 14,135 reviews.

The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi follows twelve-year-old Eva Nine, a sheltered girl raised in an underground Sanctuary by her caretaker robot, Muthr. When circumstances force her to the surface of a strange, post-apocalyptic world, Eva discov…

Book 1 of The Search for WondLa series


105 Nice Dragons Finish Last

Nice Dragons Finish Last

By

Rated 4.13 out of 5 stars, based on 14,468 reviews.

Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron introduces Julius, an unusually polite and conflict-averse young dragon born into the ruthless Heartstriker clan. When his domineering mother traps him in human form and exiles him to the DFZ, a towering urban…

Book 1 of Heartstrikers series


106 Furies of Calderon

Furies of Calderon

By

Rated 4.13 out of 5 stars, based on 114,289 reviews.

Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera, #1) by Jim Butcher is set in a world where the people of Alera harness elemental spirits called furies to defend against hostile races. The story follows Tavi, a young boy without the ability to control furies, as pol…

Book 1 of Codex Alera series


107 The Mists of Avalon

The Mists of Avalon

By

Rated 4.13 out of 5 stars, based on 213,783 reviews.

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley revisits the Arthurian legends from the perspectives of Morgaine, Gwenhwyfar, and other women whose choices shape Camelot’s rise and fall. Set in a Britain caught between ancient pagan traditions and the s…

Book 1 of Avalon (Publication Order) series


108 The Ruins of Ambrai

The Ruins of Ambrai

By

Rated 4.12 out of 5 stars, based on 9,232 reviews.

The Ruins of Ambrai by Melanie Rawn opens the Exiles trilogy on Lenfell, a once-devastated world still shaped by an ancient magical cataclysm. Generations after rival Mageborn factions poisoned the land with Wild Magic and created the monstrous Wrait…

Book 1 of Exiles series


109 Wizard's First Rule

Wizard's First Rule

By

Rated 4.12 out of 5 stars, based on 254,368 reviews.

Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind opens with woods guide Richard Cypher reeling from his father’s violent death when he encounters Kahlan Amnell, a fugitive whose presence pulls him into a hidden war. As Richard learns the truth about magic, powe…

Book 1 of Sword of Truth series


110 Heroes Die

Heroes Die

By

Rated 4.12 out of 5 stars, based on 12,995 reviews.

Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover blends dark fantasy with dystopian science fiction, following a professional killer whose violent work is broadcast as mass entertainment. On the brutal fantasy world of Ankhana, he is Caine, the feared Blade of…

Book 1 of The Acts of Caine series


111 Guardians of the West

Guardians of the West

By

Rated 4.12 out of 5 stars, based on 55,932 reviews.

Guardians of the West by David Eddings opens a new phase in Garion’s life, after he has defeated the god Torak and taken his place as King of Riva. As he adjusts to ruling and to his marriage with Queen Ce’Nedra, the mysterious child Errand grows up…

Book 1 of The Malloreon series


112 Last Call

Last Call

By

Rated 4.11 out of 5 stars, based on 6,673 reviews.

Last Call by Tim Powers is a dark urban fantasy set in the casinos and back rooms of Las Vegas, where magic and chance intersect. The novel follows a one-eyed professional gambler who learns that a pivotal poker game from his past did not end as he b…

Book 1 of Fault Lines series


113 Beyond Redemption

Beyond Redemption

By

Rated 4.11 out of 5 stars, based on 4,046 reviews.

In Beyond Redemption, Michael R. Fletcher imagines a grim fantasy world where belief literally alters reality and madness shapes the laws of nature. High Priest Konig aims to impose order by guiding the faith of his followers toward one purpose: elev…

Book 1 of Manifest Delusions series


114 City of Stairs

City of Stairs

By

Rated 4.11 out of 5 stars, based on 41,540 reviews.

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett blends epic and urban fantasy with a tightly constructed mystery set in the conquered city of Bulikov, once empowered by living gods and now stripped of its divine rulers. Shara Thivani, posing as a junior dip…

Book 1 of The Divine Cities series


115 Winds of Fate

Winds of Fate

By

Rated 4.10 out of 5 stars, based on 17,726 reviews.

Winds of Fate by Mercedes Lackey opens a new chapter in Valdemar, a kingdom still recovering from the loss of high magic after Vanyel’s sacrifice. Elspeth, both Herald and heir to the throne, realizes that her emerging mage talent may be the key to d…

Book 1 of Valdemar: Mage Winds series


116 Blood of Elves

Blood of Elves

By ,

Rated 4.10 out of 5 stars, based on 251,447 reviews.

Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski, translated by Danusia Stok, opens the main Witcher saga in a world where humans, dwarves, gnomes, and elves slide from fragile coexistence into open conflict. As kingdoms prepare for large-scale war, rumors spread…

Book 1 of The Witcher series


117 Green Rider

Green Rider

By

Rated 4.10 out of 5 stars, based on 41,198 reviews.

In Green Rider, Kristen Britain introduces Karigan G'ladheon, a young woman expelled from school for dueling who is abruptly drawn into the dangerous world of the king’s magical messenger corps. After a mortally wounded Green Rider forces a final mis…

Book 1 of Green Rider series


118 Born

Born

By

Rated 4.10 out of 5 stars, based on 8,553 reviews.

Born by Tara Brown follows Emma, a young woman who has survived a decade of a post-apocalyptic world by obeying her father’s harsh rules: stay hidden, trust no one, and never hesitate to kill. Isolated in a remote cabin while the remnants of humanity…

Book 1 of Born series


119 The Warlock in Spite of Himself

The Warlock in Spite of Himself

By

Rated 4.10 out of 5 stars, based on 6,312 reviews.

The Warlock in Spite of Himself by Christopher Stasheff blends classic space opera with light-hearted fantasy as secret agent Rod Gallowglass undertakes a covert mission to the medieval-style planet Gramarye. Tasked with steering the world’s politica…

Book 1 of Warlock series


120 The Judging Eye

The Judging Eye

By

Rated 4.09 out of 5 stars, based on 7,230 reviews.

The Judging Eye by R. Scott Bakker returns to the world of the Prince of Nothing twenty years after the events of The Thousandfold Thought, shifting its focus to a new generation shaped by old wars and lingering prophecy. In this dark epic fantasy, s…

Book 1 of The Aspect-Emperor series


121 Imager

Imager

By

Rated 4.09 out of 5 stars, based on 9,599 reviews.

Imager by L.E. Modesitt Jr. introduces Rhennthyl, a young journeyman artist in the capital city of L’Excelsis whose plans for a quiet artisan’s life end when a fatal accident reveals his rare talent as an imager, able to make what he pictures become…

Book 1 of Imager Portfolio series


122 Slave to Sensation

Slave to Sensation

By

Rated 4.09 out of 5 stars, based on 79,127 reviews.

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh introduces a near-future world where the emotionless Psy rule through psychic power while shapeshifting Changelings live by instinct and sensation. Sascha Duncan, a Psy who secretly feels deeply, risks exposure and…

Book 1 of Psy-Changeling series


123 Dragonflight

Dragonflight

By

Rated 4.08 out of 5 stars, based on 144,576 reviews.

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey introduces Lessa, a young woman hiding as a servant in Benden Weyr after usurpers destroyed her family and seized her ancestral Hold. When she is chosen by a rare golden Queen dragon, Lessa is drawn into the dwindling r…

Book 1 of Pern series


124 The Emperor's Edge

The Emperor's Edge

By

Rated 4.08 out of 5 stars, based on 16,094 reviews.

The Emperor's Edge by Lindsay Buroker introduces Amaranthe Lokdon, an imperial law enforcer whose practical skills and stubborn sense of duty are tested when mutilated corpses appear along the waterfront and a suspicious fire masks evidence of ritual…

Book 1 of The Emperor's Edge series


125 The Bone Ships

The Bone Ships

By

Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 12,203 reviews.

The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker introduces an adult epic fantasy world where rival maritime nations wage unending war in fleets built from the bones of long-dead dragons. In the Hundred Isles, political power and military strength depend on these rare…

Book 1 of The Tide Child series


126 Gateway

Gateway

By

Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 47,825 reviews.

Gateway by Frederik Pohl centers on a hazardous alien spaceport packed with abandoned Heechee ships that anyone can launch but no one can truly steer. Set in a harsh, resource-depleted future, the novel follows would-be prospectors who risk death or…

Book 1 of Heechee Saga series


127 Another Fine Myth

Another Fine Myth

By

Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 24,845 reviews.

Another Fine Myth by Robert Lynn Asprin introduces Skeeve, a novice magician whose training ends abruptly when an assassin kills his mentor. Left with only half-learned magic and the unexpected guidance of Aahz, a sarcastic demon stripped of his powe…

Book 1 of Myth Adventures series


128 Dragon's Blood

Dragon's Blood

By

Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 12,596 reviews.

In Dragon's Blood, Jane Yolen sets a young adult fantasy against a harsh world where dragons are bred and trained for brutal arena combat. Fifteen-year-old Jakkin, a bond servant on a dragon farm, believes that secretly raising his own dragon to vict…

Book 1 of Pit Dragon Chronicles series


129 Traitor's Blade

Traitor's Blade

By

Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 26,347 reviews.

Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell follows Falcio val Mond, once the first Cantor of the Greatcoats, an elite order of travelling magistrates trained in both swordplay and the intricate laws of Tristia. After the Dukes overthrow the king and sei…

Book 1 of Greatcoats series


130 The Naming

The Naming

By

Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 27,709 reviews.

In The Naming, Alison Croggon introduces Maerad, a young woman enslaved in a harsh settlement after war destroys her family. When Cadvan, a powerful Bard of Lirigon, recognizes her latent magical gift and connection to the School of Pellinor, she is…

Book 1 of The Books of Pellinor series


131 Enchantress

Enchantress

By

Rated 4.06 out of 5 stars, based on 18,020 reviews.

Enchantress by James Maxwell follows Ella, a determined young woman who dreams of mastering magic after seeing an enchanter save her brother’s life. Shut out of the elite Academy of Enchanters by cost and class, she studies obsessively while her brot…

Book 1 of Evermen Saga series


132 Prince of the Blood

Prince of the Blood

By

Rated 4.05 out of 5 stars, based on 27,542 reviews.

Prince of the Blood by Raymond E. Feist follows twin princes Borric and Erland of the Kingdom of the Isles as their carefree lives end with a sudden elevation to political importance. Named heir to a throne endangered by the lack of a royal son, Borr…

Book 1 of Krondor's Sons series


133 Nine Princes in Amber

Nine Princes in Amber

By

Rated 4.05 out of 5 stars, based on 61,253 reviews.

Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny opens with Corwin, a powerful but amnesiac man who wakes in a modern Earth hospital with only fragments of his identity. As he uncovers his connection to Amber, the one true world from which all others are shado…

Book 1 of The Chronicles of Amber series


134 Altered Carbon

Altered Carbon

By

Rated 4.03 out of 5 stars, based on 116,125 reviews.

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan is a cyberpunk noir set in the twenty-fifth century, where human consciousness can be stored and transferred between bodies for those who can pay. Former U.N. envoy Takeshi Kovacs is violently killed and then re-sl…

Book 1 of Takeshi Kovacs series


135 Pathfinder

Pathfinder

By

Rated 4.03 out of 5 stars, based on 25,201 reviews.

Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card follows Rigg, a young man in a rigid, politically fraught world who can see the lingering traces of where people have been. After his father’s death, Rigg discovers that this ability is tied to hidden truths about his o…

Book 1 of Pathfinder series


136 The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass

By

Rated 4.03 out of 5 stars, based on 1,628,061 reviews.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman follows Lyra Belacqua, a sharp and headstrong girl growing up in an alternate Oxford where science, theology, and magic intersect. When children begin disappearing, including her friend Roger, Lyra travels to the…

Book 1 of His Dark Materials series


137 A Wizard of Earthsea

A Wizard of Earthsea

By

Rated 4.01 out of 5 stars, based on 366,610 reviews.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin follows Ged, a gifted boy from a remote island whose early arrogance in learning magic unleashes a destructive shadow he does not understand. As he trains at a wizard school and travels across the archipelago…

Book 1 of Earthsea Cycle series


138 Dragon Rider

Dragon Rider

By

Rated 4.01 out of 5 stars, based on 85,881 reviews.

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke follows Firedrake, a young dragon who sets out to locate a hidden refuge where silver dragons might finally be safe. Joined by Sorrel, a wary brownie, and Ben, a human boy without a family, he crosses oceans and remote…

Book 1 of Dragon Rider series


139 Dies the Fire

Dies the Fire

By

Rated 3.97 out of 5 stars, based on 17,943 reviews.

Dies the Fire (Emberverse, #1) by S.M. Stirling explores a world transformed after a mysterious electrical storm over Nantucket disables all electronic devices and fuels. This event triggers a widespread collapse of modern technology, leading to a gl…

Book 1 of Emberverse series