across the U.S. Throughout their
travels, he rallies fellow deities
from ancient mythologies—
including manifestations of
Anansi, Anubis and Loki—to his
cause: a battle for America’s
soul against the rising gods
of technology, media and the
stock market.
2003 THE WEE FREE MEN
BY TERRY PRATCHETT
Tiffany Aching fights to save her
little brother with ingenuity and
daring in Pratchett’s first book
about her, which exists in his
massively popular Discworld
series. The tale is well paced,
uproarious and filled with
memorable monsters. But what
pushes it into legendary territory
are the titular wee free men:
6-in.-tall pixies with Scottish
accents who, in Pratchett’s
words, “have seen Braveheart
altogether too many times.” They
swear, brawl, steal and unite to
aid Tiffany on her mission.
2005 HARRY POTTER AND
THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
BY J.K. ROWLING
With his sixth year at Hogwarts
in full swing, Harry Potter’s slow
march toward an inevitable final
confrontation with Lord Voldemort
grows ever grimmer. Marked
by magical journeys into the past,
long-awaited revelations and
a heartbreaking final twist, the
penultimate installment
in Rowling’s series expertly
sets the stage for the story’s
epic conclusion.2006 MISTBORN:
THE FINAL EMPIRE
BY BRANDON SANDERSON
With this book, Sanderson
popularized his approach to
crafting complex magic systems,
in which the rules that govern
the extraordinary have more in
common with a chemical equation
than with a wave of a wand. The
epic fantasy follows a pair of
allomancers—individuals who
ingest small amounts of metal
to fuel magical abilities—as they
rebel against an immortal ruler’s
thousand-year reign.2007 THE NAME
OF THE WIND
BY PATRICK ROTHFUSS
In detailed flashbacks, Rothfussthe valley of Fruitless Mountain,
young Minli loves to listen to
her father share folktales about
the Jade Dragon and the Old
Man of the Moon. Determined
to change her family’s fate,
Minli sets off on an adventure
to meet the Old Man of the
Moon, who she’s been told has
the answers she’s looking for.
Her journey is depicted with
joy and pockets of sadness,
impressively blending Chinese
folklore and fairy tales.2010 THE HUNDRED
THOUSAND KINGDOMS
BY N.K. JEMISIN
As with a number of her later
works, Jemisin’s debut depicts
a society that oppresses those
who might otherwise wield
power: in this case, captive gods
made to serve the ethereal city
of Sky. They become the unlikely
allies of Yeine Darr, an heir to
the very throne that subjugates
them. The novel, which blends
fantasy with romance and social
critique, introduced Jemisin’s
talent for building complex
worlds filled with dangerously
flawed people.2010 WHO FEARS DEATH
BY NNEDI OKORAFOR
Okorafor imagines a grim,
postapocalyptic Sudan where
rape is employed as a weapon
of war and violence can seem
omnipresent. But in learning to
wield magic, the protagonist,
Onyesonwu, gains the ability
to set her world on a new path.
Okorafor, a prolific novelist who
has written Wakanda-set comics
for Marvel, is known for African-
futurist stories that through
their speculative settings hold
a critical mirror to our world and
offer sparks of hope.2011 AKATA WITCH
BY NNEDI OKORAFOR
Born in New York to Nigerian
parents, 12-year-old Sunny follows
her family back to their home
country, where she finds it hard
to fit in. Not only is she treated
like a foreigner, but she is albino
and ostracized at school for her
differences—until she falls in with
a new group of friends who are
descended from Leopard People,
practitioners of old magic tied to
ancient African religions. Okorafor
creates a stunningly original world
of African magic that draws on
Nigerian folk beliefs and rituals.follows the harrowing early years
of the prodigy Kvothe, a musician,
magician and hardscrabble
orphan making his way from the
city streets to a university in a
vaguely medieval world. Looming
above his daily struggles,
however, is his quest to avenge
the death of his parents at the
hands of an ancient evil foe.
Rothfuss’s attention to poverty
and injustice grounds his story in
a world we know all too well.2009 CITY OF GLASS
BY CASSANDRA CLARE
The third entry in Clare’s Mortal
Instruments continues to build
the world of Shadowhunters, a
powerful line of human-angel
hybrids secretly living alongside
normal humans. The book
dramatically raises the stakes of
its teen protagonists’ struggle
to prevent the rise of a dark new
order of otherworldly warriors,
all while enduring the pain of
young love.2009 WHERE THE MOUNTAIN
MEETS THE MOON
BY GRACE LIN
Living with her poor parents in