Robert Jackson Bennett
TagBest Books of 2025: Science Fiction & Fantasy
The most striking aspect of my SFF reading in 2025 was that there was very little SF in the SFF. I only read a few science fiction books, which is very unusual for me. I mostly attribute this to the fact that there seemed to be less interesting science fiction published last year, not many big releases (with the possible exceptions of Tchaikovsky’s Shroud, a minor Scalzi and the final instalment in The Sun Eater series). There is so much more excitement around fantasy at the moment that SF seems to be somewhat crowded out of the market. I will make a more conscious effort this year to ensure I don’t neglect one of my favourite genres like this again.
Best of 2024: Books
I really can’t complain about the reading last year: 181 books, more than 44 000 pages, the lowest rating 2.5 stars (and that was, what, twice?). I don’t have the exact statistics, but I read around 30 books at least partially on audio, which is one of the main factors in me crossing the 150-book barrier for the second time. The other is that I also read quite a few shorter and lighter books, including poetry and alien romance (which are as different as genres can be, but can both be easily read in a day). Then again, These Truths was 960 pages, so it evens out…