Thank you, George C. in Armonk, NY, for inviting me to say nice things:

What are your favorite recent SFF books?

So happy you asked. First, let’s define “recent” to narrow the list down a bit. I’m going to stick to books from the last twenty years, so anything published from 2005 on. 

I can’t speak highly enough about Christopher Ruocchio’s Sun Eater series, starting with Empire of Silence (2018). That book was Ruocchio’s first novel, and it does show its seams a bit, but that’s only by comparison to the rest of the series, which gets better with each installment. My subjective favorite is probably the third, Demon in White. The best science-fantasy space opera since Dune. Mean it. I could write an entire blog about all the ways Ruocchio’s writing impresses, and I probably will. Just as soon as I find time to finish the seventh and final book…

Sticking with space opera for a moment, James S.A. Corey’s Expanse series actually deserves its popularity. In a genre known for complexity and steep learning curves, Leviathan Wakes (2001) offers an approachable entry point that will suck you straight through to the last page of Leviathan Falls. It’s a shame that the Amazon series died a premature death. That was one high quality adaptation, and the last arc that we never got to see is one of my favorites.

I also recommend Seth Dickinson’s Masquerade series, beginning with The Traitor Baru Cormorant (2015). I have read a lot of epic fantasy. I’ll readily admit that the genre tropes have become so ubiquitous that some of the less impressive series really do start to blend together. There isn’t a derivative sentence in Dickinson’s work. He maintains his poetic prose style throughout without compromising the forward momentum of the plot. It’s one of those series that demonstrates the genre’s potential and raises the bar for the rest of us. No notes. Still waiting for that fourth book.

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