Favorite Fantasy & Sci-Fi in 2018 - My Year in Books

I've already addressed my favorite historical fiction reads in an earlier post. My other favorite fictional genre is fantasy, and I definitely had some good reads here in 2018 as well. You can see all of my 2018 reads here.

So what were my favorite fantasy reads of 2018?

Number one was a surprise to me - Kushiel's Dart, the first in a trilogy by Jacqueline Carey. It was a surprise to me because I honestly didn't expect to like it - reading the description, I was expecting something like a fantasy version of 50 Shades of Grey. (I am not knocking 50 Shades of Grey for those who like it, it's just not my thing.) Here's the description for Kushiel's Dart (borrowed from Goodreads):

The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good... and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt. 
Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with very a special mission... and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.
Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundations of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair... and beyond. Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she holds dear. 
Set in a world of cunning poets, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villainess, this is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. Not since Dune has there been an epic on the scale of Kushiel's Dart-a massive tale about the violent death of an old age, and the birth of a new.

Like I said - I wasn't sold. But I kept setting it on "must read" fantasy lists, so I finally picked it up. There definitely is violence and violent sex in the book, so if you don't think you can get past that, you probably won't like it. However, it is usually in furtherance of the plot, and it isn't the focus of the book - the focus is the world building and the political intrigues, and Carey excels at it. I've already read the second in the trilogy and plan to read the third, along with her other books set in this world.

 Another stunner for me was NK Jemisin's The Fifth Season, probably not a surprise to anyone who follows book buzz. Every book in the trilogy has won a Hugo Award, which is impressive in itself. Here the star isn't so much Jemisin's plot - although that is very enjoyable as well. For me, the real
stand out in this novel was her writing style and the way she handles the characters' points of view. Her approach to the novel is unlike anything else I've read, and I highly recommend it for that alone. It took a few chapters for me to really engage with it, but once I did I could easily see what the buzz was all about.

Another major favorite for me was a cross-over between historical fiction and fantasy, and for me it doesn't get much better than this! I actually read the first two books in this series by Bernard Cornwell, which starts with The Winter King, in 2017 but finished it in 2018. You might recognize Cornwell as the author of the book series behind the TV show The Last Kingdom. I have not read that particular series yet, but trust me - it's on the list. I hear great things.

The trilogy I want to discuss here is Cornwell's Arthur trilogy. Yes, that Arthur - legendary King Arthur. However, Cornwell takes a different spin at it - in this approach, Arthur isn't a king. His fantasy elements are used with a light touch, but definitely add to the story. It's a different take on Arthur, but is definitely still recognizable as the Arthur of legend, along with other familiar characters like Merlin. It also features some amazing battle scenes - I have often seen him praised as the best writer of battle scenes out there (including by none-other than George RR Martin), and I can see why. His battle scenes seem extremely realistic, and don't cover up the gritty realities of this type of hand-to-hand warfare.

Speaking of George RR Martin, I also read Fire & Blood. I rarely buy books as soon as they are released, but I did with this one, and it was well worth it. This is the first volume in a history of the Targaryens in Westeros prior to the events of A Game of Thrones, and it reads like a history of this fantasy world. I figured I would like it, as a blend of history and fantasy is the best of both worlds for me, and I loved it. It does not read like a traditional novel, but if you go into it expecting that it is very enjoyable. I felt the pacing was right, and the lore was well developed and
interesting. Yes, it would have been great to get Winds of Winter, but this was an enjoyable detour.

I also continued my reading of the Wheel of Time series. I am currently on book four, so I have quite a bit to go, but I continue to enjoy the series. This seems to be a polarizing series - whenever I see someone ask if they should read it, there are a lot of answers that list it as a must-read and one of the best fantasy series ever, but there often just as many answers saying it is long and boring and a "waste of time." I am going to paraphrase Jacqueline Carey here and argue that all reading is worth doing. For this series, I think everyone just needs to try it for themselves. I will say I think you are more likely to enjoy it if you enjoy epic world building and intricate plots.

I am also going to add The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller to this list, which can be seen as a blend of historical fiction and fantasy (I'm seeing a pattern here...) It just scraped in as a 2018 read, as I wrapped it up mid-day December 31. I immediately grabbed her more recent book, Circe, which has been getting a lot of buzz recently. I found Achilles very enjoyable, and it's a nice quick read. As the name suggests, it's a retelling of the story of Achilles, told from the perspective of his beloved companion Patroclus. I found it to be an interesting character study of Achilles, with a bit of a different take from some of the other portrayals I have seen. Some of the gods and goddess do make an appearance, particularly Achilles' mother, Thetis.