Each month I will be analyzing science fiction and fantasy best seller and “best books of the month” lists.
New York Times Best Seller List
In March three fantasy books made it to the New York Times best seller list (adult fiction, hardcover):
THE BURIED GIANT by Kazuo Ishiguro (Knopf). In a semi-historical ancient Britain, an elderly couple set out in search of their son. From the author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize-winning The Remains of the Day.
TRIGGER WARNING by Neil Gaiman (Morrow/HarperCollins). Stories and poems about the power of imagination.
DEAD HEAT by Patricia Briggs (Ace). Charles and Anna, married werewolves, must stop a dangerous Fae whom they encounter during what begins as a pleasure trip; Book 4 of the Alpha and Omega series.
Amazon.com, Best Books of the Month: Science Fiction & Fantasy
The Shadows: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward (NAL). Bloody war rages across the Forgotten Realms world in the third book of the Companions Codex, the latest series in R.A. Salvatore’s New York Times best-selling saga of dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden.
The Skull Throne (The Demon Cycle) by Peter V. Brett (Del Rey). The saga of humans winnowed to the brink of extinction by night-stalking demons.
A Blink of the Screen: Collected Shorter Fiction by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday). A collection of short fiction from Terry Pratchett, spanning the whole of his writing career from schooldays to Discworld and the present day.
Prudence (The Custard Protocol) by Gail Carriger (Orbit). Introducing the Custard Protocol series, in which Alexia Maccon’s daughter Prudence travels to India on behalf of Queen, country… and the perfect pot of tea.
Clash of Eagles (The Clash of Eagles Trilogy) by Alan Smale (Del Rey). This work of alternate history imagines a world in which the Roman Empire has not fallen and the North American continent has just been discovered.
Old Venus (Bantam). Sixteen all-new stories by science fiction’s top talents, collected by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.
Note: this is a selection, not the complete list.
B&N Best-Sellers in Science Fiction & Fantasy
Vision In Silver (Anne Bishop’s Others Series #3) by Anne Bishop (Penguin). The New York Times bestselling author of The Black Jewels Trilogy transports readers to a world of magic and political unrest – where the only chance at peace requires a deadly price.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab (Tom Doherty Associates). Kell is one of the last Travelers-magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes, connected by one magical city.
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss (DAW). In this book, Patrick Rothfuss brings us into the world of one of The Kingkiller Chronicle’s most enigmatic characters. Full of secrets and mysteries, this is the story of a broken girl trying to live in a broken world.
Golden Son (Red Rising Series #2) by Pierce Brown (Random House). By the New York Times bestselling author of Red Rising. Golden Son continues the saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom.
Madness in Solidar (Imager Portfolio Series #9) by L. E. Modesitt Jr. (Tom Doherty Associates). The ninth book in the Imager series.
Half the World by Joe Abercrombie (Random House). New York Times bestselling author of Half a King, Red Country and the First Law trilogy: The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and Last Argument of Kings.
Note: this is a selection, not the complete list.
Good idea for a blog feature, AJ.
Thank you, SC. I think it’s useful to do this analysis. I’m sure many writers and publishers do this but very few share their findings.