The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2024

Anyone familiar with the mind-bending mysteries of Stuart Turton’s novels will love the sci-fi twist in his latest novel. 

At the end of the world lies an island. It’s surrounded by a fog. If the fog touches you, you die. That’s how the world ended. On the island, 122 villagers live with 2 scientists. They aren’t merely surviving, they’re thriving … as long as the villagers follow the rules. But when one of the scientists is brutally murdered, their peaceful life is shattered. Somehow their security system broke, letting the fog creep towards them. Even worse, their memories were wiped. They have 107 hours to solve the murder and stop the fog, or humanity dies forever.

A lost heiress, an arcane society, and vampires. Once this spell-binding dark academia fantasy sinks its teeth in, you won’t be able to pull away.

Kidan Adane is an orphan who grew up far from her birthplace. In this world, bloodlines gain power by bonding with a vampire and her family is no exception. That’s why, when her sister disappears, Kidan suspects the vampire Susenyos. To find the truth, she has to infiltrate the elite university her sister was attending. Though Susenyos does everything he can to drive her away, Kidan pushes for information, discovering a centuries old plot with her sister in the middle of it. But to save her sister, she has to bring the society to its knees before the dark lure of love and blood pull her into a life of darkness forever.

Fans of the first book, Empire of the Vampire, celebrated—and then cursed—this captivating sequel from author Jay Kristoff.

Gabriel de León saved the Holy Grail, and with it, the chance to end the endless night. But not all hope is lost. The mysterious vampire Liathe promises that the ancients of the Blood Esani know how to end Daysdeath. Pursued by the relentless Blood Voss, Gabriel must navigate icy terrain while the Blood Dyvok edges towards war with the duskdancers of the frozen Highlands. 

He needs to hurry. His own bloodlust grows stronger with each day. If he can’t find the truth, he may doom humanity forever.

A charming romantasy debut from a beloved fantasy author, The Spellshop is the sweet story you didn’t know you needed.

Being the librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium was all Keila and her cat, Caz, needed. A lot of books and not a lot of people. But when it’s burned at the beginning of a revolution, she takes all the spellbooks she can carry and flees to her childhood home. There, she discovers a neighbor as nosy as he is handsome. After using illegal magic to grow berries to make jam for the town bakery, she decides to push it just a little farther. After all, everyone needs a little magic—even if they don’t realize it.

The first in a series, Faebound has it all: magic, romance, and an epic adventure that will leave you wanting more.

As a warrior in the elven army, Yeeran has known violence her entire life. In contrast, her sister, Lettle, works as a diviner, trying to find a prophecy that will lead to a better future for their people. But when Yeeran makes a fatal mistake, they are both exiled from the Elven lands and forced into the wilderness beyond. 

No one has seen the fae in over a millennium, and now the sisters are thrown into a world of seduction, where their loyalty is tested in every way possible, risking their lives, their futures, and their hearts.

If you’ve been craving more from the Imperial Radch universe, look no further than this compelling standalone.

Qven’s path as a Presger translater was always clear: learn the ways of humans, make a match, and serve as an intermediary between their two worlds. Only, Qven wants to do something else, which is exactly the type of thing that leads to elimination. But instead of giving in, Qven rebels, putting them in the path of two others. A reluctant diplomat with an impossible task and an adopted mechanic desperate to know his genetic roots. As the Conclave of species approaches, and the treaty between humans and Presger hangs in the balance, the decisions of three strangers will have effects that ripple throughout the stars.

Hugo Award-winning author Nghi Vo imagines an intoxicating world filled with angels and demons in a city that endlessly burns.

The demon Vitrine loves the city of Azril. She has mothered and murdered, married and maddened the people within its borders for centuries. Then the angels came, and Azril burned. In her grief she cursed one of them, dooming him to haunt the city he destroyed. 

The pair should have been locked in an eternal battle, destined to be the devastation of the other. Instead, they find obsession and perhaps a touch of fascination. As they unearth the past, they realize they can also shape the future. But when war threatens the city once more, the two have to decide if they will protect what they’ve built or let the city fall once again.

The long wait to the climax in the first arc of the Stormlight Archive was as explosive and satisfying as millions hoped it would be.

When Dalinar Kholin challenged the evil god Odium for the future of Roshar, the Knight Radiants only have ten days to prepare. But the sudden ascension of Taravangian to Odium’s power threw everything into chaos, and that isn’t the only battle being fought. 

Adolin goes to Azimir, Sigzil and Venli to the Shattered Plains. Jasnah at Thaylen City, and Szeth and Kaladin in Shinovar. Others work to unravel the mystery of the Unmade, Ba-Ado-Mishram, and find an edge to defeat Odium’s champion. The world struggles, and the fate of the entire Cosmere is at stake.