Here’s a question no one asked but that I’m going to answer anyway: Sarah, how would you rank the many Fantasy & Sci-Fi book series that you’ve read? And can you put that into a popular tier formant?

Why yes, yes I can. I am an avid reader, and while I do read different genres, I prefer fantasy (and a little sci-fi) because, let’s face it, reality sucks sometimes and we could all use a little escapism. I figured I’d put this handy tier list together for those who may be looking for recommendations, especially if you’ve read and enjoyed my books–which means you have great taste!

Before we dive into the first tier, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. Pun totally intended.

What do you mean by “fantasy & sci-fi?”

I’m really no expert on genre definitions, but to try to put it simply, “fantasy” stories may take place in new worlds of the author’s imagining or in an approximation of our own world, but either way, they will involve some fantastical element that wouldn’t be possible in our reality. Common topics include magic, super powers, or supernatural creatures. Sci-fi similarly tends to contain elements that may not presently be possible in our reality, but usually have some basis or grounding in science, even if only theoretically. Common topics include space travel, time travel, and other types of experimental devices or abilities.

What do you mean by “series?”

I’m using the term semi-loosely here to mean any story told across more than one book, including duologies, trilogies, and more. I don’t tend to read series that run more than four or five books, so you’ll mostly find trilogies or tetralogies (also sometimes known as quartets) here.

Damn Sarah, why is your opinion so wrong?

These rankings are based on my personal opinions and tastes, which may not always align with popular opinion (especially as we get into the lower tiers). The intent is not to insult anyone’s taste in books or the books themselves and certainly not the authors, all of whom are significantly more successful than me and amazingly talented in their own ways. I’m not calling any of these books objectively good or bad, only explaining my thoughts and feelings on them. You can absolutely disagree! Just be cool about it.

Alright, now that all that’s out of the way, let’s see what we’re working with.

The Rankings

As you can see above, we have five categories in ascending order. I think they’re pretty self explanatory, so I’m not going to spend a lot of time defining them. I’ll be looking at 37 different book series, some of which have not yet been completed.

I’ll do one blog post for each tier, starting at the top, with explanations for each book’s ranking.

Tier 1: I Will Fight You Over These Books

I’m really picky about what gets into that top tier!

The Locked Tomb Series (First book: Gideon the Ninth) by Tamsyn Muir

Lovable jock swordswoman Gideon Nav wants nothing more than to pack up her dirty magazines and head to the frontlines of the empire’s war, but instead, she gets roped into being body guard for her arch-nemesis, ultra-goth necromancer Harrowhark Nonegesimus, who drags her to a haunted house in space for a competition against other necromancers to see who will be god’s new right-hand death-magician. God’s name is John, by the way, and he’s kind of the worst.

That sounds like A LOT, and it is a lot, and that’s without even getting into the murder mystery, the politics, and all the meme references. I’ll admit the plot can be a little hard to follow, especially because Muir doesn’t hold the reader’s hand with excessive exposition, but the unique world building, the nuanced characters, and the deep exploration of trauma, grief, and guilt make it well worth the ride. The prose is beautifully delivered and the narrative weaves snarky quips and silly humor with heartfelt character development and heart-wrenching drama.

So far, three books have been published in this series: Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth, and Nona the Ninth, with the final installment, Alecto the Ninth expected later this year.

This is my favorite series running right now by a long shot (and maybe my favorite series ever). If you pick up any book at all on this list, pick this one. Come on, just look at that cover art!

Things to note: LGBTQ (but not romance heavy), body horror, unorthodox narration styles, violence, profanity, meme references

The Alex Stern Series (First book: Ninth House) by Leigh Bardugo

I like to think of this one as “Jessica Jones meets Harry Potter, but in college.” Alex Stern can see and communicate with the dead. As awesome as that sounds on the surface, it’s been a source of constant trauma that’s thrown Alex’s life off the rails as she attempts to bury her abilities in alcohol, drugs, and a hideously toxic relationship. After the worst night of her life, she’s offered a chance to change her life completely by enrolling in Yale University. The only catch is that she has to use her abilities to work with the many secret occult societies on campus under the supervision of another student, Daniel Arlington. Too bad he just got sucked through a portal to Hell.

Alex is a snarky, rebellious, and often self-destructive badass working her way through a metric fuck-ton of trauma while also trying to figure out how she can possibly fit into this new world. Bardugo never pulls punches when it comes to tackling Alex’s gritty past OR imaging what the obscenely rich and privileged would do when given access to magic. Exploring the dark underbelly of Yale and unraveling supernatural mysteries certainly make these books interesting, but what really sets them above the bar for me is the character development as Alex tries to heal, learns to trust, and struggles to see the good in herself.

Two novels (Ninth House and Hell Bent) have been released in the series so far with a third on the way. I do think the second novel falls a little short of the first, but it’s still a very solid continuation of the story and well worth the read.

Things to note: Dark academia for adults, black magic fuckery, drug abuse, non-graphic sexual assault, violence, profanity, super light hints of romance

The Hell’s Library Trilogy (Book 1: The Library of the Unwritten) by AJ Hackwith

In the world of the Hell’s Library series, every story and book I never finished would live on in the Library of the Unwritten, a vast archive of forgotten ideas and half-finished stories. Which is simultaneously one of the coolest and most devastating ideas to contemplate as a writer, especially since the characters in these unfinished stories sometimes get restless and try to manifest and escape Hell to meet their writers. Luckily, it’s librarian Claire’s responsibility to keep this from happening, with a little help from assistant librarian and actual muse Brevity. When one such character successfully escapes his book and makes it to Earth, Claire and Brevity go after him, only for all three to end up inadvertently entangled in the hunt for a book that could tip the balance between Heaven, Hell, and Earth. Unfortunately, this also makes them targets for an angel eager to protect Heaven’s interests.

The premise is incredibly cool for anyone who writes books or just loves them, and Hackwith creates a fully realized world that weaves together multiple mythologies. At one point, for instance, the group travels to Valhalla, which is responsible for a library of its own. If you haven’t gathered by now, though, plot and world building are usually secondary to me after character development, and in these books, the characters are what shine the most. All of them are flawed but loveable, and through the relationships they develop with each other, they slowly work toward becoming the best versions of themselves.

This series is a trilogy and includes: The Library of the Unwritten, The Archive of the Forgotten, and The God of Lost Words. All three books have been released.

Things to note: LGBTQ & poly relationships (but not romance-heavy), found family, all mythologies are valid, the afterlife is a bureaucracy

Between Earth and Sky Trilogy (First Book: Black Sun) by Rebecca Roanhorse

Xiala appears to be your typical ship captain: she drinks, she fights, she womanizes. But she also carries a secret. She has power over the ocean and a siren-like ability to drive men mad. Little does Xiala know when her ship is commissioned to carry a mysterious blind man to the holy city of Tova, she’s about to be swept up in a violent prophecy that foretells the return of a vengeful god. Meanwhile, in Tova, the prophesized return of said wrathful god is just one of the problems facing the Sun Priest, who’s caught in a deadly web of political upheaval.

This trilogy is set in a world of dark and dangerous magic and even darker and more dangerous gods based on the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas. The world and culture are fascinating, the world-building is on-point, and the characters are complex and flawed, but likeable and compelling. These books offer sweeping adventure, political intrigue, harrowing drama, and a good heaping of violence.

This trilogy is two-thirds of the way complete, with Black Sun and Fevered Star available to read now. The third and final novel, Mirrored Heavens, is expected to release in 2024.

Things to note: LGBTQ representation (bisexuality, gender queerness), violence, historical fantasy, if you’re aren’t scared of crows yet you probably will be after this

And there you have it! If the first tier of my book series rankings doesn’t have you internally snarling about my terrible taste, stay tuned for Tier II: Permanent Place on the Bookshelf for more recommendations.