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Illumicrate's 100 Best Sci-Fi, Fantasy, & Horror Books of the 21st Century
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34 participants, 100 books
You can start and finish this challenge whenever you like!
Per Illumicrate:
To mark the first 25 years of the 21st Century, earlier this year the New York Times published its ‘100 Best Books of the 21st Century’, as voted on by industry professionals, “determining the most important, influential books of the era”. While both a huge undertaking and an incredible list, as genre fiction readers and lovers here at Illumicrate, we found the list didn’t quite… float our boat.
In the time since its publication, we (The Illumiteam) have taken it upon ourselves to nominate, vote and rank what we believe to be the best and most impactful Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror (SFFH) books published in the 21st Century.
We hope this list resonates with our customer base and you can be reminded of some nostalgic favourites worth re-reading and more recent releases we think are worth picking up!
Article here: https://www.illumicrate.com/news/100-best-sci-fi-fantasy-horror-books
* many of these are series, so only the first book has been added to the challenge
* many of these are series, so only the first book has been added to the challenge
Challenge Books
37
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns & Roses series by Sarah J. Maas (2015)
Feyre is a mortal huntress who, while trying to protect her family, is taken to a magical faerie realm and becomes entangled in romance, danger, and political intrigue while discovering her own powers.
“To the stars who listen—and the dreams that are answered.”
Sarah J. Maas has always been popular in YA and crossover fantasy circles, but with the rise of BookTok, A Court of Thorns & Roses has truly been catapulted to a new plane of existence in literature.
Genn says: I am a late convert to this series. I wound up reading it because it was the book that made my sister-in-law fall in love with reading again. And we started an aggressive text chain about theories and plot points. Filled with found family, romance, forgiveness, and growing into yourself and through your past and fears, these books struck a chord with me. It doesn’t hurt that there are so many mythology and fairy tale easter eggs which makes my nerdy heart sing.
Katie says: I know so many people who fell in love with reading or fell back in love with reading again after picking up this series.
38
Red Rising
Pierce Brown
Red Rising series by Pierce Brown (2014)
In a colour-coded caste society, one member of the lowest caste endures a painful physical transformation process to turn, Captain America-style, into a member of the ruling class with the goal of taking them down from the inside.
“I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war.”
39
Divergent
Veronica Roth
Divergent series by Veronica Roth (2011)
In a society split into factions based on virtues, Tris learns that she does not fit into just one. After uncovering the truth behind the faction system, she faces rebellion and fights for a future where people can be more than their assigned roles.
“Becoming fearless isn’t the point. That’s impossible. It’s learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it.”
40
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
Becky Chambers
Monk & Robot series by Becky Chambers (2021)
Sibling Dex embarks on a quest to find meaning in a world where humans coexist peacefully with nature and meets Mosscap, a robot who asks, “What do humans need?” Together, they explore purpose, fulfilment, and the human-technology connection.
“You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don’t know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live.”
Debbie says: Hope-punk at its finest, this book is a warm hug of friendship. It also explores the purpose of life, and seeking fulfilment out of it.
41
Hell Followed with Us
Andrew Joseph White
Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White (2022)
Trans teen Benji has been raised to be the ultimate bioweapon for the fundamentalist cult that raised him and brought about Armageddon. However, Benji has other ideas for his future – running away and discovering a group of teens in the local LGBTQ+ centre, who are determined to fight back.
“Hell has followed us onto Earth, and I am the monster that has brought it forth.
Imi says: I went into this as someone who rarely picks up horror but quickly found myself riveted to the page. Benji’s struggle with identity both in terms of gender and beliefs, alongside his physical deterioration was fascinating and beautiful and exposed me to some of the most beautifully written YA prose I’ve read in a long time. AJ is an absolute must-read author for me now.
42
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
V.E. Schwab
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (2020)
A young woman makes a deal with the devil to live forever in 18th-century France. In turn, she is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Until, after nearly 300 years, she comes across a man who remembers her.
“Three words, large enough to tip the world. I remember you.”
Jane says: I loved the premise of this book and found myself thinking about it long after I’d reached the end. In an eternal battle of wills between Addie and the Dark, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how Addie adapted and made her mark in a world determined to forget her. It gives me hope that even the quietest and unnoticed people can still leave their mark on the world.
43
Leviathan Wakes
James S.A. Corey
The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey (2011)
A sweeping space opera series set in a fully colonised and class-based solar system, an ice miner and his crew discover a derelict ship, and a detective searches for a missing girl, and together they stumble upon secrets and conspiracies and plans beyond what either of them could imagine.
“Stars are better off without us.”
44
The Jasmine Throne
Tasha Suri
The Burning Kingdoms series by Tasha Suri (2021)
Malini, a vengeful princess imprisoned by her brother, and Priya, a maidservant hiding her true identity as a priestess of an outlawed magic, must band together to overthrow the Emperor and the end sickness spreading through the land.
“Malini wanted to explain that being monstrous wasn’t inherent, as Priya seemed to believe it to be. It was something placed upon you: a chain or a poison, bled into you by unkind hands.”
Nel says: Tasha Suri has a gift for vivid, richly vibrant story telling, that had me immersed from the beginning. It played like an epic, technicolour film in my head and I loved every minute of it.
45
The Bear and the Nightingale
Katherine Arden
The Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden (2017)
Inspired by tales from Russian folklore, specifically Morozko the Frost King, Vasya fights for the magical world only few can see, as Orthodox Christianity rises in Moscow and threatens the folk spirits she’s grown up with.
“I would walk into the jaws of hell itself, if it were a path of my own choosing. I would rather die tomorrow in the forest than live a hundred years of the life appointed me.”
Ellie says: Nothing captivates me quite as much as lyrical, immersive prose and this series has it in heaps. Also, a magical horse and a mysterious (but alluring) frost demon. So pretty much the best things.
46
Ninth House
Leigh Bardugo
Alex Stern series by Leigh Bardugo (2019)
Galaxy (Alex) Stern has been sent to Yale to keep an eye on its secret societies, due to her ability to see spirits. When a murder on campus appears to be linked to the societies’ occult activities, Alex must use all of her survivor’s instincts to get to the bottom of it, find her mentor, and avoid getting caught.
“I want to survive this world that keeps trying to destroy me.”
Bec says: Ninth House is Leigh Bardugo as you’ve never seen her before. It’s not a book I’d recommend lightly, but it is one I’ll always hold in my heart – a cathartic, dark story following a young woman who will continue to fight to survive despite being, in her own words, in a world that keeps trying to destroy her.
47
The Way of Kings
Brandon Sanderson
The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson (2010)
It has been centuries since the fall of the Knights Radiant in Roshar, leaving behind their mystical Shardblades, for men to battle over. But as the winds change, a soldier turned slave threatens to upset the balance of power forever.
“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.“
48
The Atlas Six
Olivie Blake
The Atlas series by Olivie Blake (2020)
Every decade, six unique magicians are chosen to be considered for initiation into The Alexandrian Society, watching over lost knowledge. After a year of qualifying, five candidates will be initiated, and one eliminated.
“They were binary stars, trapped in each other’s gravitational field and easily diminished without the other’s opposing force”