While you are in your Thanksgiving food coma, I thought I would get y’all reading my favorite books from 2025*.
This will also include a brief review of a fantasy-horror genre bender that I have yet to write on.
First, I want to wish you, dear readers, a Happy and Healthy Festivus.
And now a foreboding disclaimer:
*At TFF we review newly released books and also classic fiction books that have been released in prior years, so our ‘best of list’ contains what we found and loved this year, not necessarily what was published in 2025.
We have a new award this year!
But first…
The Inklings Award For Best Fantasy In Fiction Of The Year Award goes to John Wiswell for his debut novel Someone You Can Build a Nest In.
The dark humor, the fascinatingly perilous world, and the endearing prose and characters create a thrilling fantasy-horror-monster-queer romance of a tale that stays with you.
Coincidentally, Wiswell’s Nebula and Locus Award-winning, genre-bending smash hit book featured one of the most engaging, innovative, and moving openings of a book I have ever read, which has forced me to make up a new award on the spot.
Andddd…the ‘It was a pleasure to burn’ Best Start of Story Award goes to John Wiswell for Someone You Can Build a Nest In.
I cannot get over how crazy, how intense, how furious, and self-reflective the opening paragraphs are for Wiswell’s work, and the shapeshifting character of Shesheshen could not have been better delivered to the world than with this:
Read the opening pages here.
With parallels to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the monster here also refers far more to the humans than to the creature (or wyrm).
John Wiswell’s newest novel Wearing the Lion is out now and you can preorder next year’s release of The Dragon Has Some Complaints here.
The Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot’s Mustache Equals Best Mystery Award goes to the inimitable Agatha Christie, herself, for The ABC Murders.
I read this later Poirot adventure recently and was quite taken with just how much it varied from Christie’s other works.
The famous Belgian detective is every bit as good and in many ways references Sherlock Holmes throughout this story.
The mystery of the ABC Murderer not only baffles the reader but also the investigators, and it is only in Hercule Poirot’s tenacity for truth that the crimes are solved.
The Ray Bradbury Award Winner For Best Speculative Fiction Likely To Blow The Doors Off Your Mind Palace goes to Artificial Condition – Murderbot Diaries Book 2 by Martha Wells.
The entire Murderbot series is grand, but I have a soft spot for Murderbot’s new best friend, and fellow autonomous being, albeit in the body of a ship, ART.
The next Murderbot Diaries book Platform Decay is available for preorder here.
We reviewed Artificial Condition here.
The 1984: You Made Me Cry…Twice Award goes to Ady and Me by Richard and Rox Pink.
Check out our review here.
The Red Death Award For A Work Most Likely To Keep You Too Terrified To Sleep Award goes to Ai Jiang for Linghun.
This horror novella hits on ghosts and hauntings in a totally new light and is such a vivid and dark atmosphere; Linghun is compelling.
Her new novel A Palace Near the Wind is out now.
Check out our review here.
The Michael Crichton You Better Check Your Technology At The Door Sci-fi Award goes to Moebius’ & Jodorowsky for The Incal.
This graphic novel is mind-blowing, edgy, and awe-inspiring as one of the biggest influences in science-fiction for the past four decades!
Check out our review here.
The Da Vinci Ornithopter Award For Best Small Press Publication goes to none other than Century Press for their fine press edition of The Crocodile by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
This letterpress printed beauty is incredible! Save 30% on their books this week with Code: FALL30!
Check out our review here.
Best Books of 2025
- The Inklings Award For Best Fantasy In Fiction Of The Year Award
- WINNER: John Wiswell for his debut novel Someone You Can Build a Nest In
- The ‘It was a pleasure to burn’ Best Start of Story Award
- WINNER: John Wiswell for his debut novel Someone You Can Build a Nest In
- The Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot’s Mustache Equals Best Mystery Award
- WINNER: Agatha Christie, herself, for The ABC Murders
- The Ray Bradbury Award Winner For Best Speculative Fiction Likely To Blow The Doors Off Your Mind Palace
- WINNER: Artificial Condition – Murderbot Diaries Book 2 by Martha Wells
- The 1984: You Made Me Cry…Twice Award
- WINNERS: Ady and Me by Richard and Rox Pink
- The Red Death Award For A Work Most Likely To Keep You Too Terrified To Sleep Award
- WINNER: Ai Jiang for Linghun
- The Michael Crichton You Better Check Your Technology At The Door Sci-fi Award
- WINNERS: Moebius’ & Jodorowsky for The Incal
- The Da Vinci Ornithopter Award For Best Small Press Publication
- WINNER: The Crocodile by Fyodor Dostoevsky via Century Press
Okay, rise up turkey-basted friends, buy books for gifts, and then read some of your own new books!
Happy Holidays!
~RJ
