KATE ELLIOTT is the author of many novels, including BLACK WOLVES, COURT OF FIVES, the Spiritwalker trilogy, the Novels of the Jaran, and the Crossroads trilogy. KING'S DRAGON, the first novel in the Crown of Stars series, was a Nebula Award finalist, and THE GOLDEN KEY (with Melanie Rawn and Jennifer Roberson) was a World Fantasy Award finalist. Kate was born in Iowa, raised in Oregon, and now lives in Hawaii.
The Angel at the Gates (2026) Karen Lord "Karen Lord's brilliant novel of how war, and the past, can overtake us before we know it is a masterpiece of concision: powerful, tragic, compassionate, and wise."
Coyote Run (2025) (Amazing Tales of Antifascist Action, book 1) Lilith Saintcrow "Gritty shapeshifters, bloody revenge, and antifascist solidarity, told with darkly wry humor, raw action sequences, and a soupcon of unexpected romance."
Blackheart Man (2024) Nalo Hopkinson "Blackheart Man is yet another brilliant novel from a master writer. The clarity and rhythms of Hopkinson's prose are pure pleasure to read, and her ability to examine the nuances of human nature, both good and ill, always dazzles."
The Sky on Fire (2024) Jenn Lyons "The Sky on Fire's wily worldbuilding is deeply enjoyable, and its plot races like wildfire atop wit and banter, twists and reverses, and an unflappable delight in the possibilities of fantasy."
Navigational Entanglements (2024) Aliette de Bodard "A deeply satisfying story of warring clans, ruthless politics, and the need to learn who and how to trust. All this and giant space jellyfish too!"
The Wings Upon Her Back (2024) Samantha Mills "An intense, astute, and moving tale of redemption, by turns relentlessly grim and courageously hopeful."
These Burning Stars (2023) (Kindom Trilogy, book 1) Bethany Jacobs "Like every good revenge story,These Burning Stars is baroque, intense, inventive, vivid, violent, and visceral. An impressive debut."
Generation Ship (2023) Michael Mammay "Mammay writes compellingly and convincingly about the complex, imperfect, and rocky nature of political and personal change set against the backdrop of a generation ship counting down to its hoped-for destination and what that will mean for everyone aboard."
The Water Outlaws (2023) (Water Outlaws, book 1) S L Huang "Paced at a flat out sprint, Zero Sum Game deploys an astonishing array of weapons together with the prickly charms of its math genius protagonist on her turbulent journey toward trust and connection."
The Archive Undying (2023) (Downworld Sequence, book 1) Emma Mieko Candon "Candon pours her/their elaborate setting of weird artifacts, monstrous fragtech, and corrupted AI through an intense and intimate emotional focus to create a vivid journey of recovery and reclamation."
Untethered Sky (2023) Fonda Lee "A beautifully told story of a young woman, her magnificent, monstrous raptor, and her journey through grief, obsession, courage, and love."
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi (2023) (Amina Al-Sirafi, book 1) Shannon Chakraborty "A marvellous and enthralling tale filled with wonders (and horrors), the best of which is Amina herself: witty, conflicted, loyal, ambitious, (mostly) honest, (occasionally) foul-mouthed, and so very relatable as she struggles to save herself, her crew, and the family she loves but so often left behind."
The Unbalancing (2022) (Birdverse) R B Lemberg "In a narrative by turns gentle and implacable, Lemberg writes movingly and magnificently about disaster, survival, and hope."
The Genesis of Misery (2022) (Nullvoid Chronicles, book 1) Neon Yang "Transmute the saintly Joan of Arc into a foul-mouthed and combative protagonist, decant them into a weird and wild far future, and strap in for a wrecking ball of a ride."
The Speaking Bones (2022) (Dandelion Dynasty, book 4) Ken Liu "Rich in detail, packed with action and inventive in its blending of epic traditions."
Black Water Sister (2021) Zen Cho "A compelling and deftly written ghost story of a young woman's passage through the grudges and tragedies of her family's past to find a path into a future she chooses for herself."
The Midnight Bargain (2020) C L Polk "A rich banquet of a novel with vivid details, smart dialogue, and a cleverly unfolding examination of what it means to be denied the destiny you know you are meant for—and how to fight for change."
Savage Legion (2020) (Savage Rebellion, book 1) Matt Wallace "Wallace deploys an epic tag-team of smack-you-in-the-face fight sequences alongside ingenious world building in this fast-paced first round of a fantasy trilogy taking on—and taking down—the allure of empire."
The Vanished Birds (2020) Simon Jimenez "The future world-building is rich and smart, the prose assured, and the story both intensely personal and a blistering commentary on capitalism and colonialism. . . . Highly recommended."
The Fruit (2020) (Wrath & Athenaeum, book 3) Na'amen Gobert Tilahun "n intense, emotional ride that combines libraries, monsters, fallen angels, magical powers, and secret societies fighting an ancient war. This is catnip for my reading soul."
Sword of Fire (2019) (Deverry) Katharine Kerr "Kerr's Deverry novels are my favorite of the post-Tolkien modern fantasy novels. The landscape is utterly real, and the story is gritty, emotional, complex, and original in execution and setting. This is one tale that truly needs to be told in multiple volumes."
Grace and Fury (2018) (Grace and Fury, book 1) Tracy Banghart "Two sisters fight for freedom in a fantasy novel with a blisteringly fast pace and a cathartic ending."
City of Lies (2018) (Poison Wars, book 1) Sam Hawke "Sibling protagonists anchor this twisty story of old grievances coming to a boil. Hawke writes with nuance about the loves, loyalties, ambitions, and resentments that bind her characters together and threaten to tear them apart."
Trail of Lightning (2018) (Sixth World, book 1) Rebecca Roanhorse "[C]rafts a powerful and fiercely personal journey through a compelling postapocalyptic landscape."
From Unseen Fire (2018) (Aven Cycle, book 1) Cass Morris "Rome with magic' turns out to be exactly the novel I wanted to read. The magic cleverly intertwines with religion, politics, and daily life. The characters appeal, especially the loving portrait of three loyal sisters. There are battles (of course), a budding love story of the illicit kind, some remarkably topical political maneuvering, an awareness of diverse layers of class and ethnicity, and a love of place that shines on the page."
Dread Nation (2018) (Dread Nation, book 1) Justina Ireland "This is the zombie novel I’ve been waiting for my whole life."
The Queens of Innis Lear (2018) (Queens of Innis Lear, book 1) Tessa Gratton "I adore this - rich, epic, blood-soaked - a glorious and grand sweeping fantasy."
Under the Pendulum Sun (2017) (Fae , book 1) Jeannette Ng "Under the Pendulum Sun is a weird, ingenious, and ravishing story of the Fae and the outsiders driven to discover their secrets, told with a heady melange of disturbing beauty and enticing dangers."
Playing to the Gods (2017) (Glass Thorns, book 5) Melanie Rawn "A masterful blend of plot, characters and setting makes reading seem effortless in this tale of four young men devoted to the magical theater of their world. Rawn's skill as a writer brings you right onto the stage with them."
River of Teeth (2017) (River of Teeth, book 1) Sarah Gailey "Blisteringly imaginative, and written with a sly, sharp wit."
Lightning in the Blood (2017) (Varekai, book 2) Marie Brennan "If you're looking for smart, exciting stories of fantastical adventure, look no further: Marie Brennan "will "deliver."
All Systems Red (2017) (Murderbot Diaries, book 1) Martha Wells "Clever, inventive, brutal when it needs to be, and compassionate without ever being sentimental."
The Star-Touched Queen (2016) (Star-Touched Queen, book 1) Roshani Chokshi "Gorgeously poetic writing gives vibrant, sensuous life to the worlds of THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN."
The Witch Hunter (2015) (Witch Hunter, book 1) Virginia Boecker "Crisp writing, a fast pace with bloody action, and the all-important monster rats make this story of a bold but more-vulnerable-than-she-realizes witch hunter a strong fantasy debut."
The Summoning (2012) (Moon Wolf, book 1) Carol Wolf "A tightly-written debut novel of a tough, uncompromising heroine whose wolf's view of the world depicts a Los Angeles filled with hidden magic, arcane supernatural threats, and the possibility of deliverance."
Stormlord Rising (2010) (Watergivers, book 2) Glenda Larke "Glenda Larke is one of my favourite fantasy writers. I love her novels."
Jade Man's Skin (2010) (Moshui, book 2) Daniel Fox (Chaz Brenchley) "High-stakes action, well-drawn characters, abd a gorgeously painted landscape. This is the kind of fantasy I love to read."
The Queen's Bastard (2008) (Inheritors' Cycle, book 1) C E Murphy "Wow. C. E. Murphy is good. Court intrigue in an alternate Elizabethan-era fantasy world: realpolitik with the sex included."
A Dark Sacrifice (2007) (Rune of Unmaking, book 2) Madeline Howard "A panoramic tale spun by a master storyteller... I'm ready for the next volume!"
Diplomacy of Wolves (1998) (Secret Texts, book 1) Holly Lisle "A tough, bold new epic fantasy that you'll never forget."
In Legend Born (1998) (Chronicles of Sirkara, book 1) Laura Resnick "It has a rich setting, sharply drawn characters, and a cleverly convoluted plot that doesn't let go. This is the kind of historical fantasy I wish there was more of."
