Best Books of 2014

The books I rated highest from my 2014 reading.

1

The Emperor's Blades

by Brian Staveley

Brian Staveley's debut is one of the best fantasy firsts in years. Three siblings, three storylines, all compelling.

A
2

The Cowboy and the Cossack

by Clair Huffaker

A genuinely underrated adventure novel. The central friendship is the best I have read in any genre.

A-
3

The Martian

by Andy Weir

Weir's science-forward survival story is compulsively readable. The best hard sci-fi in years.

A-
4

Half a King

by Joe Abercrombie

Abercrombie writing YA is still better than most adult fantasy. The twist at the end earns it.

A-
5

Words of Radiance

by Brandon Sanderson

Sanderson delivers on the promise of The Way of Kings. The climax is spectacular.

B+
6

Red Rising

by Pierce Brown

Starts as Hunger Games and becomes something grander. Brown is a genuine talent.

B+
7

The Great Bazaar and Brayon's Gold

The Great Bazaar and Brayon's Gold

by Peter V. Brett

Peter Brett's Warded Man short fiction is a delight for fans of the series.

B+
8

Call for the Dead

by John le Carré

Le Carre's first Smiley novel shows the template already fully formed. A quiet, smart thriller.

B+
9

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer

by Jonathan L. Howard

One of the funniest fantasy novels I have ever read. Howard's prose is exceptional.

B+
10

Divided Allegiance

by Elizabeth Moon

The second Paksenarrion novel deepens the world and the character considerably.

B+