The Dragon’s Gold: 20 of the Best Award-Winning Fantasy Books

Winner of the Locus Award 1980

McKillip was the archetypal pistillate writer to triumph a Locus Award, which she did with Harpist successful the Wind! It’s the 3rd and last installment successful the Riddle-Master series. The communicative follows prince Morgon of Hed and his companion Raederle of An arsenic they acceptable retired to yet observe the identities of the signifier changers who travel them — which leads them successful 1 past thrilling escapade crossed the realm.

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Winner of the Hugo Award, Locus Award, Nebula Award, and Bram Stoker Award 2002–2003

Neil Gaiman has respective award-winning phantasy books nether his belt, but American Gods successful peculiar has won a batch of awards! The communicative follows a antheral named Shadow, who conscionable got retired of jailhouse erstwhile his woman is killed successful a car accident. Grieving, Shadow takes a occupation arsenic the bodyguard of the mysterious Mr. Wednesday. This antheral is really an incarnation of 1 of the Old Gods, and their ngo crossed the U.S. is to enlistee much deities successful a conflict against the New Gods.

Winner of the Hugo Award, Locus Award for Best First Novel, and World Fantasy Award 2005

This is an alternate past benignant of phantasy that introduces a magical England successful the aboriginal 19th century. The publication follows the mysterious Mr. Norrell, the past magician near successful the country. Or truthful helium thinks. For it turns retired that different man, Jonathan Strange, tin besides wield magic. Despite being implicit opposites, Jonathan becomes Mr. Norrell’s apprentice. This kickstarts a past of feuds and antics betwixt the 2 that volition alteration the people of past forever.

Winner of the Locus Award 2009

Lavinia is an unthinkable quality survey that reimagines a classical quality from Greek myth. Specifically, Ursula K. Le Guin uses this caller to research a pistillate who is underrated successful The Aeneid — the titular Lavinia! This pistillate was the girl of King Latinus, destined to wed nary different than the leader Aeneas and recovered an empire. In this publication she already knows this — and overmuch much astir her future. Lavinia volition instrumentality matters into her ain hands and yet archer her ain story.

Winner of the Hugo Award, British Fantasy Award, and Nebula Award 2011-2012 

Among Others is the lone epistolary publication connected this database — written arsenic the diary of the main character. The author describes it arsenic the communicative of “a subject fabrication scholar who has phantasy problems.” It each begins with twins Morwenna and Morgana, who grew up successful the hills of Wales with magic and the occasional fae. But their lives are turned upside down erstwhile their mother, a power-hungry witch, attempts to instrumentality implicit the world. The struggle with their parent goes sideways, and Mori runs distant successful an effort to commencement over.

Winner of the British Fantasy Award, Crawford Award, and World Fantasy Award 2014

A Stranger successful Olondria follows Jevick, the lad of a merchant who takes yearly selling trips to Olondria. This is simply a magical spot successful which books are everyplace — and Jevick loves proceeding stories astir it. So erstwhile his begetter dies, Jevick precise willingly takes his place. The occupation is, helium is present haunted by the shade of an illiterate girl. Jevick seeks the assistance of 2 Olondrian priests, who alternatively marque him a pawn successful their conflict. And to acceptable himself escaped of them, helium indispensable acceptable escaped his ain shade arsenic well.

Winner of the Nebula Award and the Locus Award and the British Fantasy Award 2015–2016

Uprooted is simply a much classical benignant of epic phantasy implicit with dragons and wizards! The communicative follows Agnieszka, who lives successful a colony adjacent the evil woods. Their lone shield against this acheronian spot is simply a wizard known arsenic Dragon, and helium comes astatine a unspeakable price. Every 10 years, a young pistillate indispensable articulation the wizard and service him for the pursuing decade. Agnieszka fears helium volition take her beloved person Kasia this clip — lone it’s not Kasia’s crook to articulation his ranks.

Winner of the Hugo Award 2016 

I chose to adhd The Fifth Season to this list, but the full Broken Earth trilogy really won the Hugo Award! Jemisin took the trophy location for 3 consecutive years. The communicative is acceptable successful a breached satellite that is astir to spot the worst Fifth Season successful its history. It is successful this discourse that we travel 3 women named Essun, Damaya, and Syenite. Essun is simply a villager whose hubby conscionable murdered their lad and kidnapped their daughter. Damaya is simply a almighty orogene, and her household has sent her to the Fulcrum — a spot wherever they’ll thatch her to power her powers and past usage her arsenic a weapon. Lastly there’s Syenite, who is already a trainee astatine the Fulcrum camp. The 3 of them person their ain journeys, and each 1 is arsenic spectacular arsenic rest.

Winner of the Nebula Award and the Locus Award 2017

This publication is simply a superb premix of sci-fi and phantasy that really pits magic against science! All the Birds successful the Sky follows 2 puerility friends named Patricia and Laurence. Patricia is simply a witch, and Laurence a huffy scientist. They parted ways aft a mysterious struggle successful mediate schoolhouse and hadn’t seen each different since. Now, arsenic adults, they conscionable erstwhile again successful San Francisco and their actions could assistance prevention the satellite — oregon extremity it.

Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Debut Author 2018 and the Lodestar Award 2019

Moving connected to an unthinkable YA phantasy inspired by African mythology! Children of Blood and Bone follows a miss named Zélie, whose parent was killed erstwhile each of Orïsha’s magic users were persecuted by the monarchy. Now, years later, Zélie comes look to look with Princess Amari. The princess has successful her possession a magical scroll that tin awaken immoderate maji’s powers. Determined to bring backmost magic to Orïsha and with newfound powers, Zélie teams up with Amari connected the quest of their lives.

Winner of the World Fantasy Award 2018

Jade City is what you get erstwhile you enactment The Godfather successful an municipality phantasy mounting — which is to say, a kick-ass communicative afloat of martial arts, magic, and plentifulness of action! The communicative follows the Kaul family, 1 of the main transgression syndicates that regularisation the land of Kekon. They are besides a Green Bone clan, which means they person the quality to usage jade to summation these unthinkable powers. The occupation is, tensions are brewing betwixt the Kauls and different clan — and some families are almighty capable to find the destiny of the full island.

Winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards and Book of the Month Book of the Year Award 2018

Madeline Miller’s Circe is easy 1 of the best-known Greek mythology retellings you tin read! This publication gives a caller dependable to the quality of Circe, who was often considered a villain successful the archetypal Greek stories. She was the girl of the Titan Helios and lived successful his realm until she committed an unspeakable enactment with her magic. From that constituent on, Circe had to carve her ain mode done the world, often enjoying the institution of mortals contempt her banishment. But contempt surviving unsocial connected her island, information lurks successful the shadows and Circe volition person to combat to support what she loves.

Winner of the Lodestar Award and Locus Award for Best Young Adult Novel 2018

The archetypal publication to gain the Lodestar Award for YA phantasy was Okorafor’s sequel to Akata Witch! The communicative continues the adventures of Sunny Nwazue, who joined the concealed Leopard Society and helped prevention the world. Now, she continues to survey her Nsibidi publication successful bid to unlock its secrets. Everything seems calmer now. But Sunny can’t flight her destiny everlastingly — and her roadworthy leads to different epic conflict that could alteration the destiny of the satellite erstwhile more.

Winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards 2019

Ninth House was precise fashionable erstwhile it came retired successful 2019, truthful it’s nary wonderment readers chose it arsenic the champion phantasy publication of the twelvemonth successful the Goodreads Choice Awards! This publication kicks disconnected the adventures of Alex Stern, a subordinate of Yale’s Ninth House. They’re successful complaint of keeping the different concealed societies and their occult activities successful enactment — and Alex was specifically chosen for this relation acknowledgment to her quality to spot ghosts. But her mentor Darlington conscionable disappeared, and it’s up to Alex to find him and unearth the acheronian secrets of her caller university.

Winner of the World Fantasy Award 2020

Queen of the Conquered is simply a Caribbean-inspired phantasy that explores the devastating effects of assemblage oppression. The communicative follows a young pistillate named Sigourney Rose. She has the powerfulness to power minds, and a program to enact her revenge connected the radical who killed her family. This program involves infiltrating the ranks of her island’s ruling colonizers. But idiosyncratic is sidesplitting them disconnected 1 by 1 to wide themselves a way for the throne — which means that Sigourney is connected their way of rampage.

Winner of the World Fantasy Award 2021

Trouble the Saints is simply a acheronian yet magical humanities phantasy acceptable 1940s New York, close astatine the opening of WWII. The communicative follows a pistillate named Phyllis. She’s hired arsenic a hitwoman by 1 of Manhattan’s cruelest brag mobs — each acknowledgment to her powers. Phyllis has “saints’ hands”, which allows her to swiftly termination her boss’s enemies. But she doesn’t similar being a cold-blooded killer, and a sojourn from her past whitethorn beryllium the cardinal to changing her full life.

Winner of the Lodestar Award and Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book 2021

The adjacent YA publication connected this database has a ace unsocial and amusive operation of baking + magic. A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking follows the communicative of 14-year-old Mona. She uses her magical powers to make the astir delicious concoctions for her family’s bakery. But 1 time she finds a corpse connected the bakery floor. It’s rapidly evident that idiosyncratic is targeting magical radical successful the metropolis — and Mona could beryllium the adjacent victim. To marque things worse, the metropolis is nether onslaught and Mona is charged with defending it. What could perchance spell wrong?

Winner of the Nebula Award 2022

Moving connected to this incredibly amusive phantasy that is acceptable successful an alternate 1912 Cairo and has the astir immaculate steampunk vibes! A Master of Djinn continues the adventures of Agent Fatma, which began with the abbreviated communicative “A Dead Djinn successful Cairo“. Fatma works for the Ministry of Alchemy, and this clip she’s tasked with investigating the execution of the mysterious Brotherhood of al-Jahiz, a.k.a. the antheral who brought magic into the world. The occupation is, the murderer claims to beryllium al-Jahiz himself. Is it truly him oregon is it an imposter? Fatma volition person to observe the information earlier the metropolis descends into implicit chaos.

Winner of the British Fantasy Award 2022

This is an unthinkable literate phantasy that reimagines the emergence of emperor Zhu Yuanzhuan, who founded the Ming dynasty successful 14th period China! She Who Became the Sun follows an unnamed miss of the Zhu family, who is fixed the destiny of nothingness portion her member is destined for greatness. But erstwhile their begetter dies, her member dies of grief. Zhu is present near alone, and successful bid to past she decides to instrumentality her brother’s sanction and his fate.

Winner of the World Fantasy Award 2022

Last but not least, this is an unthinkable phantasy inspired by the past and epics of India! The Jasmine Throne is afloat of governmental intrigue arsenic it follows a princess and a maidservant who indispensable enactment unneurotic to determine the destiny of an empire. The princess is named Malini, and she was imprisoned by her dictator brother. Priya is 1 of her maidservants, and she hides a unsafe concealed — she tin wield forbidden magic. When Malini discovers Priya’s secret, the 2 onslaught a woody truthful that Malini tin depose her treacherous member and Priya tin yet find her family.