I didn’t do a separate ‘best of SFF’ post for 2020 and now I regret it, as I don’t have a good reference point for my favourites and I feel like I haven’t praised them enough. I also keep getting confused about when I read what and the pandemic obviously doesn’t help with trying to sort this out. In case you are interested, there is a list of some things in I read in 2020 the end of this post – it’s not ideal, but it’s something.

Anyway, the only way to avoid such a mess in the future is to dutifully take stock of last year’s reading  and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. While I did mention a couple of my SFF favourites on my very tightly edited overall faves list, I will cover them again here, as my SFF readers don’t necessarily follow everything else I write for the blog. So here goes.

A Desolation Called Peace, Arkady Martine. This list is in no particular order, but if I had to pick my absolute favourite SFF book from last year, this would be it. Martine writes science fiction that is almost perfectly tailored to my tastes: I like galactic empires, complex politics, historical references, constant strategizing, badass women and imaginative technology – but the latter doesn’t necessarily need to be described in great detail. A Desolation Called Peace offers all that, plus a title I adore (talking about historical references…) and a gripping story. If you are not familiar with Martine’s work, this is the second book in her Teixcalaan duology and you really need to read the first book before this one. I loved A Memory Called Empire, but I like ADCP even more, which is surprising, considering it’s technically a First Contact story (not usually my thing). Yes, things happen a bit too conveniently towards the end, but I don’t care.

Network Effect, Martha Wells. This is another mid-series book and I recommend that you read the Murderbot novellas first. If you don’t know Murderbot, where have you been? It is, as you may be able to tell, a robot designed to kill, but who would, frankly, prefer watching bad TV-dramas and never seeing a human ever again. Except that it never quite manages to be as misanthropic as it claims to be. I have read all the five novellas and like them (number 2 is my favourite), but Network Effect – the first full-length novel in the universe – is in my view the best in the series. The novel has more time to explore the relationships between Murderbot and humans and other AIs, which has always been my favourite part of these books. And it’s just so much fun.

Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir. I have a very dark secret: I have never read The Martian. I know, it’s shocking. Now I may have to, as everybody tells me that Project Hail Mary is very similar to The Martian and I really, really liked Project Hail Mary. It is especially remarkable because while I love science, I can get very bored very quickly when someone starts doing some actual, practical science or calculate his distance from a star or something. I understand it’s an embarrassing failing on my part, as I would rather read some insane higher mathematics-based shit that I absolutely don’t understand (hi, Yoon Ha Lee!) and swoon. Anyway, I enjoyed the book despite my shortcomings, mostly because it includes the best buddy dynamic since, I don’t know, Aziraphale and Crowley? Super heartwarming and a quick read, despite the size.

Persephone Station, Stina Leicht. This is another quick one despite the 500+ pages, but unlike Project Hail Mary, Persephone Station severely underrated. In many ways, this is a very old school ‘scrappy crew’ type of a romp, with an impossible mission, ship that is falling apart and slightly Firefly-ish vibes. Except that most characters are women or non-binary and there is almost zero romance/sexual tension, which I found very refreshing. So it’s safe to read for progressive types who cannot deal with the chauvinism, racism and homophobia of older SF, but I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in a good yarn – there is no preaching here.

The Last Emperox, John Scalzi. I had a long internal debate (OK, perhaps a 5-minute debate) on whether to include this one. Objectively speaking, it is not a great work of art and it does nothing new with the genre. But I am including this for a specific reason. If you are an SF reader and you find yourself in a reading slump or in dire need of escapism, you should pick this up. Scalzi is ridiculously readable, so I dare you to remain unengaged. It is also a perfect comfort read in my view: usually, I prefer books that I have already read for that purpose, but here everything feels familiar (as I said, it does nothing new) and you are pretty sure that things are going to work out, so there’s no serious anxiety. And it’s not long, also a plus when you don’t feel like committing to anything. As this is the last one of the trilogy, you should of course start with The Collapsing Empire, but my points remain valid.

The Past Is Red, Catherynne M. Valente. OK, enough of all this fluff. Valente is going to rip your heart out with this novella and you are going to thank her for doing it, as the book is exquisite. Especially the first part, which is possibly the most gorgeous gut-punch ever. This is a post-apocalyptic story that takes place in Garbagetown, which may remind you somewhat of Waterworld. But have no fear, it works. The worldbuilding is imaginative (if not fully plausible), although secondary to Tetley, our protagonist and one of the best voices in any genre I have read lately. Valente’s Comfort Me With Applies nearly made it to this list as well and is recommended to those who love an atmospheric and layered fantasy-cum-horror story.

Saga vol 9, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. Talking about ripped-out hearts, I finally read the ninth instalment of Saga, also known as the best comic of all time in my non-humble opinion. I was putting it off for a long time, as I feared it would be sad, and I was of course absolutely right about it. I had to read it, though, as Saga is returning from its 2-year hiatus and I needed to catch up. If you are not a fan yet, everything I said in this very early review still stands.

Of Ants and Dinosaurs, Cixin Liu. To end the science fiction part of my overview, I picked this highly original and profoundly bizarre allegory of our civilisation (or civilisations) and its self-destructive tendencies. When I read The Three Body Problem, I loved the ideas, but found the characters very cardboard and the dialogue irritatingly stilted. Here, the same issues don’t annoy me, as it reads as a fable and one doesn’t necessarily expect psychological realism from dinosaurs and ants. It is also not written (obviously) from the Western point of view, which is a healthy thing to be exposed to. 

The City of Brass, S. A. Chakraborty. Moving on to fantasy, I very much enjoyed the Daevabad trilogy last year (I have read the first two books and got stuck with the third, because of external factors). There are two main reasons I love this book/series. First and most importantly, the worldbuilding. It is based on early Muslim world and as I am obsessed with the beginning of Islam and the cities of the Silk Road, this is perfect for me. The world is absolutely stunning and if you like the history of the region, you are in for a treat. I also like that while the set-up is fairly standard (there is a hidden world of the djinn that is ruled by a cruel monarch and our human – or is she? – protagonist has to survive/thrive with the help of a handsome and mysterious djinn), the politics is never naïve. There is no clear line between good and evil here, all choices are complex and there are plots within plots within plots.

Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse. Another book where the main strength is in the worldbuilding. This time, we are talking pre-Columbus America and what a joy to read about places that are NOT medieval Europe – Tova and the surrounding lands and cities make for a rich, beautiful setting with fascinating cultures. I would perhaps call it mythical or religious fantasy, as it deals with gods and prophesies and priests. The winter solstice is nearing and it’s clear something is going to happen and it’s probably going to be bad. It’s not perfect – the tone of the story is uneven and one of the main characters will hopefully do a lot of growing up in the coming books. That said, the powerful first chapter alone was worth the price of admission in my case. 

Iron Widow, Xiran Jay Zhao. One can debate whether this book is in the right section, but as this debate would soon descend into spoiler territory, I’m just putting it here because I thought of it as fantasy most of the time. Inspired by mecha and Chinese history, this is technically YA. I would strongly suggest you don’t let yourself be put off by this, as it’s fascinating, gripping and very much on the darker side of the YA spectrum. Yes, there are tropes – it’s only the young people who can pilot the Chysalises and fight the alien mecha creatures, the male pilots need to have female concubines to pilot successfully and of course our protagonist turns out to be an exceptional concubine who survives her pilot (this almost never happens, it’s usually the girls that die). These tropes are, however, developed in interesting ways – I especially loved what Zhao did with the love triangle, a YA mainstay that I usually hate.

Raybearer, Jordan Ifueko. Another book, another non-European setting, this time inspired by Africa. Again, what can I say, I love this diversity and trying to decipher which real-life cultures have been used as a basis for the worldbuilding. This is more of a traditional YA, about a girl who is raised to win a place on the Crown Prince’s Council and then to kill him. As one can expect, there will be complications. It is really well done, though, and I wanted to include it also because it has a major character who is ace – something that is still rather rare.

Legendborn, Tracy Deonn. Finally, a book with a non-exotic location! This one takes place in America and follows Bree, who arrives on campus after her mother’s death and pretty much immediately witnesses a magical attack and gets involved in a secret society of the ‘Legendborn’ – as you do. There has been much hype around this book and deservedly so. It takes the Arthurian legends, deconstructs them and puts them back together in a fascinating way. It also tackles issues like grief, intergenerational trauma, racism, complex family relationships and much more in a non-forced way. Not right for those who don’t read YA at all, but a really good option for those who are open to the genre.

So this is my top 13. What about yours?