We’re nearly halfway through 2024, and it’s time to talk about the best sci-fi and fantasy books published this year. Topping our category for the best book of 2024 so far is The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, a thrilling time-travel novel set in a near-future London.
Discover the Amazon Editors’ picks for the best sci-fi and fantasy books of 2024 so far, as well as the top picks in every category.
The Ministry of Time
How do I even describe this awe-inducing debut? It’s a time travel-spy thriller-government conspiracy-love story, and it’s also so much more. I’ve never read anything like it, and I loved every second. It’s a near-future London, and a time travel device has been discovered by a top-secret government agency. They bring back “expats” from different times in history and pair them with “bridges”— people to help them acclimate to current times. The story follows Arctic explorer Graham Gore and his bridge over the course of a year as he does, and doesn’t, adjust to modern life (“I suggested the Brontës and I might as well have told him to pick up and read a pigeon.”). This genre-bending novel explores humanity in all its frailty and potential, the ripple effects of imperialism and displacement, and how love can alter the course of history in ways we never expect. It’s a fantastical novel that’s funny, riveting, heartbreaking, and unputdownable. I want everyone to read this book. — Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
Like a gorgeous, glittering jewel, The Familiar catches your eye and holds you in its thrall. With this captivating new novel, Leigh Bardugo gives us a taste of something slightly different—and it’s a journey well worth taking. Rich with the atmosphere and intrigue of Renaissance Spain, this is the story of a lowly scullion, Luzia, who has kept her magical skills secret, and herself largely invisible, in order to avoid the ever-watchful gaze of the Inquisition. But Luzia wants more than this life, and while she doesn’t seek the spotlight, it finds her in an unintended way, and what follows is a story of power, politics, love, science, and magic. I loved the evolution of the women in this novel, but you also can’t beat the royal intrigue, an immortal tether, or the magnetic pull of two people meant for one another. The ending is perfection and Bardugo is, indeed, an author with many tricks up her sleeve—I can’t wait to see what’s next. — Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
This is your next romantasy obsession! In a world of Vikings with godly powers, Freya is trapped in a loveless marriage to a cruel “child of the gods.” But in a twist of rage and fate, Freya reveals a secret that is at the heart of a prophecy—she is also a child of the gods, the shield maiden, gifted with the power to unite Skaland under a single ruler. She immediately becomes the pawn of Jarl Snorri, who believes it is his destiny to rule, as long as he controls Freya. As he begins his bid to conquer, he demands that his son, Bjorn, protect Freya at all costs. Freya grapples with the depths of her powers and her forbidden feelings for Bjorn that grow harder to resist each day. I loved being immersed in this new world and following Freya as she battles to take control of her destiny. This book ended with so many threads unravelled, I will be excitedly and impatiently waiting for the next book in the series! — Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
What would you do if you had a book that could take you anywhere in the world? If you think about it, that’s the whole point of books, after all—words on a page that have the power to pull you into the story they tell. The best books pull you in and never let you go, and in the case of The Book of Doors, you will be enthralled. In a novel where the very source of magic is books themselves, Brown tells the riveting story of Cassie, a simple bookseller in New York City, who comes into the possession of a book that can take her anywhere in the world. Not only will it take her to places she never imagined she’d go, but it also forces her on an adventure that will span spacetime and confront the age-old ideas of good and evil. — Ben Grange, Amazon Editor
A fast-paced and unrestrained story where the plot is thick and the stakes are clear: five of the most dangerous killers—all of them known for secrecy and lies—must band together and align on a single goal: to kill the God King. The killing is the easy part; the rest is where it gets interesting. Mai Corland manages to not only bring the reader on an exciting assassination attempt where the characters are all untrustworthy, unstable, and highly likeable, but also flawlessly executes the story from each character’s first-person point of view, which is a feat all on its own. — Ben Grange, Amazon Editor
I absolutely love this book. From the very first chapter, we’re introduced to a future where Earth is becoming less and less habitable, and Mars is burgeoning with terraformed life. Pulley writes with a with wry and witty humor that eases the reader into the book, and delivers a story where two unlikely characters—a former London Ballet principal and a xenophobic politician—must enter into a marriage of convenience in the political scene on Mars. And unfortunately, it’s not as easy to hate the xenophobe as one would expect. And what’s worse, someone has it out for them, which makes you want to root for them all the more. —Ben Grange, Amazon Editor
From the whimsical air, to the classic feel, all the way to the castle-smashing dragons, this book will keep you enthralled from start to finish. Peter S. Beagle delivers another masterwork in fantasy that borders on satirical, filled with lovable characters who each have to find their place in a kingdom where dragons rule—whether they’re as small as mice or as large as mountains. You will love this book from start to finish, and I can’t recommend it enough. Who knows? You might find yourself checking under your bed at the little noises you hear—not for monsters or mice, but dragons. — Ben Grange, Amazon Editor
An absolute treasure for fans of Tan’s Celestial Kingdom duology, Tales of the Celestial Kingdom brings us a collection of nine mythological stories set in the world of the Immortal Realm. Each tale is beautifully told and has an accompanying illustration that is as strikingly elegant as it is simple. Fans of Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior will thoroughly enjoy returning to a familiar world with new stories to be found. —Ben Grange, Amazon Editor
Original post by Ben Grange | June 20, 2024