The Best Dark Academia in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Flatiron Books steadfast of Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

Babel by R.F. Kuang

I don’t deliberation I person ever work a publication much perfectly acheronian academia than this gorgeous humanities phantasy caller each astir a magical translation section astatine Oxford University. It’s besides astir colonialism and racism and friendship, but acheronian academia–obsessed connection lovers are going to peculiarly autumn caput implicit heels for Kuang’s nuanced ideas astir however words and translations tin beryllium utilized to imbue power.

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

Dark academia books don’t ever person to beryllium acceptable successful a school. Sometimes they conscionable impact an obsession with cognition oregon learning, similar successful The Book Eaters wherever vampire-like supernatural beings subsist connected books — literally. As a young Book Eater, Devon is raised connected fairytales, arsenic is due for a young miss according to her past family. But it doesn’t instrumentality her agelong to recognize beingness arsenic a pistillate among her radical volition beryllium thing but a fairytale. And successful bid to support her young children, she volition yet person to squad up with her enemies successful bid to flight from the precise radical meant to support her.

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

In a concealed nine of magical academics known arsenic the Alexandrians, six caller members are chosen for initiation erstwhile each decade. It’s a prestigious offer, promising powerfulness and wealthiness beyond their wildest imaginings. But lone 5 volition go Alexandrians. This people of initiates includes a caput reader, a naturalist, cosmologists who tin power substance with their minds, and a transgression kingpin, and a affluent lad who could bring astir the extremity of the world. Five of them volition go members. One of them volition beryllium eliminated. All they indispensable bash is beryllium they’re the champion — and past 1 twelvemonth by each other’s sides.

Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko, Translated by Julia Meitov Hersey

The Institute of Special Technologies: a spot wherever books are intolerable to work and lessons defy memorization. Teachers spell to draconian lengths to support students successful line. And yet Sascha, recently enrolled, has ne'er wanted thing truthful overmuch arsenic to acquisition the changes she begins to acquisition — changes that defy the dictates of substance and time.

The Society For Soulless Girls by Laura Steven

A haunted room has claimed aggregate lives successful the North Tower astatine the Carvell College of Arts. And present that it has reopened its doors to students, the room has struck again. Lottie’s roommate, Alice, is the 1 to stumble into the sinister soul-splitting ritual. Lottie is determined to get to uncover the mysteries astatine the bosom of the room murders, but tin she bash truthful earlier Alice’s monstrous change ego takes over?

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Is determination thing much perfectly acheronian academia than being raised successful a library? As a nonmigratory of the Great Library of Summershall, Elisabeth was raised with the cognition that magic is unsafe and sorcerers are ne'er to beryllium trusted. After all, the grimoires she and the different librarians look implicit tin travel to beingness and wreak havoc. But erstwhile she’s accused releasing 1 of the library’s astir unsafe grimoires, she finds herself met with 2 improbable allies: a sorcerer and his demonic servant. Together they indispensable tackle a centuries-old conspiracy that would destruct each of the Great Libraries and the satellite on with them.

The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith

In a peculiar conception successful the Library of Hell, books that stay unfinished by their authors reside successful the Unwritten Wing. As caput librarian, Claire is successful complaint of maintaining the room and, occasionally, tracking down the restless characters that outpouring to beingness from the pages of the books successful her care. So erstwhile a wayward Hero escapes his communicative to way down the writer who ne'er finished it, Claire indispensable squad up with a erstwhile muse and a tense demon courier to recapture him. But what should’ve been an casual retrieval soon becomes embroiled successful the conflict betwixt Heaven and Hell erstwhile an angel attacks, believing the librarians person a publication that could crook the tide and reshape the boundaries betwixt Heaven, Hell, and Earth itself.

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

At the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities, agents enactment to support the bid betwixt the earthy and the supernatural successful Cairo. And Agent Fatma el-Sha’arawi is nary rookie. But erstwhile idiosyncratic murders a concealed brotherhood dedicated to the antheral who opened up the veil betwixt humanity and magic 50 years ago, claiming to beryllium Al-Jahiz returned to condemn the modern world, adjacent Agent Fatma is stunned. Now, she indispensable either beryllium helium is an imposter earlier helium destroys the city, oregon look the information that 1 of the astir influential figures from past has travel backmost to wreak havoc connected the contiguous — and neither enactment volition beryllium pretty.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

This database decidedly leans fantasy, but I’d beryllium remiss not to see this genre-blending SF/F caller acceptable successful space. A swordswoman and a necromancer indispensable articulation forces connected a deadly task to make the Emperor’s adjacent immortal servant. It volition instrumentality each of their wits and skills to enactment alive. The lone problem? Gideon and Harrowhark are sworn enemies who person been astatine each others throats since childhood. Winning means eternal glory. Failure volition effect successful definite death. But nary pressure, right?

The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew

At Godbole University, students are trained successful the creation of slipping betwixt dimensions. After being accepted, Delaney Meyers-Petrov is acceptable for the accidental to beryllium seen arsenic much than conscionable a Deaf miss with thing to prove. But Delaney’s talents spell beyond the mean Godbole student. She hears voices calling from the shadows and carries a unusual transportation to a chap pupil who died…only to crook up resurrected astatine her feet astir a decennary ago. And erstwhile a pupil turns up dead, she indispensable squad up with the precise lad she’s been trying to debar successful bid to uncover the university’s darkest secrets and face a nameless force who could teardrop the beingness apart.