Best fantasy novels by year
Here are what I think are the best fantasy novels of the year, going back to 1966. Prior to that notable books include Dracula by Bram Stoker, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, and The Dying Earth by Jack Vance.
The Hugo awards for best novel started in 1953. I’ll put a capital H beside titles that won the Hugo and a small h beside titles that were nominated. The Nebula awards for best novel started in 1965, marked with N and n. The World Fantasy awards for best novel started in 1975, marked with W and w.
The Hugo and Nebula awards favoured science fiction over fantasy until more recently, so there’s not as many markings on this list as the previous one. Also, I haven’t read as much fantasy as science fiction so this list is shorter and there are some blank years. The best year for fantasy novels was 1990.
Here are the big winners:
- Ursula K. Le Guin is a winner 4 times
- Orson Scott Card, Barbara Hambly, Guy Gavriel Kay, Stephen R. Donaldson, and Sarah Zettel are winners 3 times
| Winner | Runner Ups | |||||
| Year | Author | Title | Author | Title | ||
| 2012 | Will McIntosh | Hitchers | Joanne Bertin | Bard’s Oath | ||
| 2011 | ||||||
| 2010 | ||||||
| 2009 | ||||||
| 2008 | ||||||
| 2007 | Sarah Zettel | Sword of the Deceiver | ||||
| 2006 | ||||||
| 2005 | Elizabeth Kostova | The Historian | Orson Scott Card | Magic Street | ||
| Michelle Sagara | Cast in Shadow | |||||
| 2004 | Sarah Zettel | The Firebird’s Vengeance | ||||
| 2003 | Audrey Niffenegger | The Time Traveler’s Wife | Orson Scott Card | The Crystal City | ||
| Jo Walton | Tooth and Claw | W | Sarah Zettel | The Usurper’s Crown | ||
| 2002 | Sarah Zettel | A Sorcerer’s Treason | ||||
| 2001 | Ursula K. Le Guin | The Other Wind | nW | Eoin Colfer | Artemis Fowl | |
| Jasper Fforde | The Eyre Affair | |||||
| 2000 | Nalo Hopkinson | Midnight Robber | hn | Mercedes Lackey | Brightly Burning | |
| 1999 | Joanne Bertin | Dragon and Phoenix | Orson Scott Card | Enchantment | ||
| Barbara Gowdy | The White Bone | |||||
| Gregory Maguire | Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister | |||||
| 1998 | Yves Meynard | The Book of Knights | Joanne Bertin | The Last Dragonlord | ||
| Charles de Lint | Someplace to Be Flying | w | Orson Scott Card | Heartfire | ||
| Tanya Huff | Summon the Keeper | |||||
| Jim Munroe | Flyboy Action Figure Comes With Gasmask | |||||
| 1997 | Neil Gaiman | Neverwhere | ||||
| 1996 | George R. R. Martin | A Game of Thrones | n | Megan Whalen Turner | The Thief | |
| 1995 | Robin Hobb | Assassin’s Apprentice | Orson Scott Card | Alvin Journeyman | ||
| Guy Gavriel Kay | The Lions of Al-Rassan | |||||
| Gregory Maguire | Wicked | |||||
| Garth Nix | Sabriel | |||||
| Philip Pullman | The Golden Compass | |||||
| 1994 | Sean Stewart | Nobody’s Son | Charles de Lint | Memory and Dream | ||
| James Morrow | Towing Jehovah | hnW | ||||
| Anne Rice | Taltos | |||||
| 1993 | Anne Rice | Lasher | Barbara Hambly | Dog Wizard | ||
| Laurell K. Hamilton | Guilty Pleasures | |||||
| 1992 | Guy Gavriel Kay | A Song For Arbonne | Sean Russell | Gatherer of Clouds | ||
| 1991 | Sean Russell | The Initiate Brother | ||||
| 1990 | Guy Gavriel Kay | Tigana | w | Barbara Hambly | The Dark Hand of Magic | |
| Pratchett & Gaiman | Good Omens | w | Robert Jordan | The Eye of the World | ||
| Ursula K. Le Guin | Tehanu | N | ||||
| James Morrow | Only Begotten Daughter | nW | ||||
| Anne Rice | The Witching Hour | |||||
| R.A. Salvatore | Homeland | |||||
| 1989 | Orson Scott Card | Prentice Alvin | hn | |||
| 1988 | Orson Scott Card | Red Prophet | hn | Terry Brooks | Wizard at Large | |
| Barbara Hambly | The Silicon Mage | |||||
| Fred Saberhagen | Stonecutter’s Story | |||||
| Tad Williams | The Dragonbone Chair | |||||
| 1987 | Orson Scott Card | Seventh Son | hw | Terry Brooks | The Black Unicorn | |
| Ken Grimwood | Replay | Stephen R. Donaldson | A Man Rides Through | |||
| Barbara Hambly | The Witches of Wenshar | |||||
| Moore & Gibbons | Watchmen | |||||
| Terry Pratchett | Mort | |||||
| Fred Saberhagen | Sightblinder’s Story | |||||
| 1986 | Frank Miller | Batman – The Dark Knight Returns | Terry Brooks | Magic Kingdom For Sale – Sold! | ||
| Stephen R. Donaldson | The Mirror of Her Dreams | |||||
| Barbara Hambly | The Silent Tower | |||||
| Guy Gavriel Kay | The Darkest Road | |||||
| Guy Gavriel Kay | The Wandering Fire | |||||
| Fred Saberhagen | Woundhealer’s Story | |||||
| 1985 | Barbara Hambly | Dragonsbane | Terry Brooks | The Wishsong of Shannara | ||
| 1984 | Guy Gavriel Kay | The Summer Tree | Fred Saberhagen | The Third Book of Swords | ||
| 1984 | Barbara Hambly | The Ladies of Mandrigyn | ||||
| 1983 | Tim Powers | The Anubis Gates | Piers Anthony | On a Pale Horse | ||
| Fred Saberhagen | The First Book of Swords | Marion Zimmer Bradley | The Mists of Avalon | |||
| Stephen R. Donaldson | White Gold Wielder | |||||
| Barbara Hambly | The Armies of Daylight | |||||
| Barbara Hambly | The Walls of Air | |||||
| Fred Saberhagen | The Second Book of Swords | |||||
| 1982 | Barbara Hambly | The Time of the Dark | Terry Brooks | The Elfstones of Shannara | ||
| Stephen R. Donaldson | The One Tree | |||||
| David Eddings | Pawn of Prophecy | |||||
| Raymond E. Feist | Magician: Apprentice | |||||
| 1980 | Stephen R. Donaldson | The Wounded Land | ||||
| 1979 | Stephen R. Donaldson | The Power That Preserves | w | Michael Ende | The Neverending Story | |
| 1978 | Stephen R. Donaldson | The Illearth War | w | |||
| 1977 | Terry Brooks | The Sword of Shannara | ||||
| Stephen R. Donaldson | Lord Foul’s Bane | w | ||||
| 1976 | Anne Rice | Interview with the Vampire | ||||
| 1975 | ||||||
| 1974 | ||||||
| 1973 | Ursula K. Le Guin | The Farthest Shore | ||||
| 1972 | Richard Adams | Watership Down | ||||
| 1971 | Ursula K. Le Guin | The Tombs of Atuan | ||||
| 1970 | ||||||
| 1969 | ||||||
| 1968 | Peter S. Beagle | The Last Unicorn | ||||
| Ursula K. Le Guin | A Wizard of Earthsea | |||||
| 1967 | ||||||
| 1966 | Jack Vance | The Eyes of the Overworld | ||||