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ELLE - The Best Fantasy and Science-Fiction Books of 2025

Enter magical worlds and imagined futures in these picks from authors including Alix E. Harrow, K.M. Fajardo, Tracy Deonn, and more. By Lauren Puckett-Pope Published: Dec 9, 2025
"Dystopia. Dark academia. Lady knights. Vampires. Cyberpunk cities. Drowned coasts. Magical romance. 2025 was another major year for micro-trends within the fantasy and science-fiction genres. It's always delightful to watch talented authors make old tropes fresh; perhaps that's what makes ELLE's picks from this year such standouts: Despite the well-worn territory many of them tread, these writers' worlds feel inventive, mysterious, astute—and their stories impossible to put down. In transporting readers far from what we know, these books paradoxically invite us to reflect upon the real world we inhabit. Below, discover 29 of ELLE's favorite speculative tales of 2025."
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Oathbound (Tracy Deonn)
Oathbound
1
Tracy Deonn
The Dream Hotel (Laila Lalami)
The Dream Hotel
2
Laila Lalami
Sunrise on the Reaping (Suzanne Collins)
Sunrise on the Reaping
3
Suzanne Collins
A Drop of Corruption (Robert Jackson Bennett)
A Drop of Corruption
4
Robert Jackson Bennett
Somadina (Akwaeke Emezi)
Somadina
5
Akwaeke Emezi
The Raven Scholar (Antonia Hodgson)
The Raven Scholar
6
Antonia Hodgson
The Incandescent (Emily Tesh)
The Incandescent
7
Emily Tesh
Immaculate Conception (Ling Ling Huang)
Immaculate Conception
8
Ling Ling Huang
The Knight and the Moth (Rachel Gillig)
The Knight and the Moth
9
Rachel Gillig
Of Monsters and Mainframes (Barbara Truelove)
Of Monsters and Mainframes
10
Barbara Truelove
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil (V.E. Schwab)
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
11
V.E. Schwab
A Forbidden Alchemy (Stacey McEwan)
A Forbidden Alchemy
12
Stacey McEwan
Lore of the Tides (Analeigh Sbrana)
Lore of the Tides
13
Analeigh Sbrana
A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping (Sangu Mandanna)
A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping
14
Sangu Mandanna
The Bewitching (Silvia Moreno-Garcia)
The Bewitching
15
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Automatic Noodle (Annalee Newitz)
Automatic Noodle
16
Annalee Newitz
Katabasis (R. F. Kuang)
Katabasis
17
R. F. Kuang
Audition for the Fox (Martin Cahill)
Audition for the Fox
18
Martin Cahill
What We Can Know (Ian McEwan)
What We Can Know
19
Ian McEwan
Saltcrop (Yume Kitasei)
Saltcrop
20
Yume Kitasei
Red City (Marie Lu)
Red City
21
Marie Lu
Local Heavens (K.M. Fajardo)
Local Heavens
22
K.M. Fajardo
The Everlasting (Alix E. Harrow)
The Everlasting
23
Alix E. Harrow
Cry, Voidbringer (Elaine Ho)
Cry, Voidbringer
24
Elaine Ho
Coldwire (Chloe Gong)
Coldwire
25
Chloe Gong
Eternal Ruin (Tigest Girma)
Eternal Ruin
26
Tigest Girma
The Strength of the Few (James Islington)
The Strength of the Few
27
James Islington
I, Medusa (Ayana Gray)
I, Medusa
28
Ayana Gray
An Arcane Inheritance (Kamilah Cole)
An Arcane Inheritance
29
Kamilah Cole
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