Kirkus Best Books of the Year - Science Fiction and Fantasy (Awarded by Kirkus)

Awards List

2024

The Familiar
(*)
Leigh Bardugo

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying
(*)
Django Wexler

The Ministry of Time
(*)
Kaliane Bradley

Alien Clay
(*)
Adrian Tchaikovsky

The Stardust Grail
(*)
Yume Kitasei

The Bright Sword
(*)
Lev Grossman

The Sky on Fire
(*)
Jenn Lyons

The West Passage
(*)
Jared Pechacek

The Mercy of Gods
(*)
James S.A. Corey

Long Live Evil
(*)
Sarah Rees Brennan

2023

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
(*)
S.A. Chakraborty

A Day of Fallen Night
(*)
Samantha Shannon

Infinity Gate
(*)
M.R. Carey

Translation State
(*)
Ann Leckie

Blade of Dream
(*)
Daniel Abraham

The Deep Sky
(*)
Yume Kitasei

Immortal Longings
(*)
Chloe Gong

These Burning Stars
(*)
Bethany Jacobs

We Are the Crisis
(*)
Cadwell Turnbull

2022

The Paradox Hotel
(*)
Rob Hart

Moon Witch, Spider King
(*)
Marlon James

Saint Death's Daughter
(*)
C.S.E. Cooney

When Women Were Dragons
(*)
Kelly Barnhill

The Art of Prophecy
(*)
Wesley Chu

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence
(*)
R.F. Kuang

Nona the Ninth
(*)
Tamsyn Muir

The Spear Cuts Through Water
(*)
Simon Jimenez

A Taste of Gold and Iron
(*)
Alexandra Rowland

The World We Make
(*)
N.K. Jemisin

2021

Klara and the Sun
(*)
Kazuo Ishiguro

Machinehood
(*)
S.B. Divya

Project Hail Mary
(*)
Andy Weir

A Radical Act of Free Magic
(*)
H.G. Parry

No Gods, No Monsters
(*)
Cadwell Turnbull

Destroyer of Light
(*)
Jennifer Marie Brissett

The Free Bastards
(*)
Jonathan French

Light From Uncommon Stars
(*)
Ryka Aoki

2020

The Vanished Birds
(*)
Simon Jimenez

The City We Became
(*)
N.K. Jemisin

The Poet King
(*)
Ilana C. Myer

Goldilocks
(*)
Laura Lam

Trouble the Saints
(*)
Alaya Dawn Johnson

Driftwood
(*)
Marie Brennan

Master of Poisons
(*)
Andrea Hairston

Piranesi
(*)
Susanna Clarke

The Seventh Perfection
(*)
Daniel Polansky

Black Sun
(*)
Rebecca Roanhorse

Award Categories

Affirming Picture Books

Bedtime Books

Beginning Readers

Board Books

Book Club Fiction

Books for Beginning Readers

Debut Fiction

Empowering Picture Books

Environmental Fiction

Fiction

Fiction in Translation

Fictional Families

Fictional Voices

Funniest Picture Books

Historical Fiction

Informational Picture Books

Joyous Picture Books

Middle-Grade About Speaking Up

Middle-Grade Activist

Middle-Grade Adventures

Middle-Grade Family Stories

Middle-Grade Fantasy and SF

Middle-Grade Fiction

Middle-Grade Friendship Stories

Middle-Grade Graphic Fiction

Award Years

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019