Top Twenty Favourite Series (2023)

It’s that time of year again, where I rank my top favourite series, trilogies and duologies by the nebulous qualities of ‘what I like’.

These series will be exclusively speculative fiction in nature, and I must have read at least two books in the series before it can make the list.

Like last time, this list is in order of least to most favourite, but really I love all these series, and any could move above the others if my feelings change. And there are so many other series and books that I really enjoy too! These are, for me, the best and most enjoyable.

Not too many changes this year as I haven’t progressed many series, but hindsight is shifting some entries in the list around, especially lower down the list, and one new entry has beaten the odds to get a top ten spot.

You can find last year’s list here: Top Twenty Favourite Series

20. Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Previous position: 17

Not the last Tchaikovsky series that you’ll find on this list, Shadows of the Apt features a world full of insect-featured kinden and a tension between the technology of the Apt and the magics of the Inapt, on a backdrop of a world spanning war. Ten books long and yet each one finds a way to bring something new to the table.

19. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Previous position: 16

There’s a reason the originally trilogy captured so many people’s imaginations. Bringing a unique magic system (before people started commonly using the term magic system!) that has protagonists zipping through the air like super heroes, and a layered setting mystery that builds to a world ending crescendo.

18. War For the Rose Throne by Peter McClean

Previous position: 13

A gangster story on the streets of a grimdark city after a harrowing conflict, these books excel at bringing a strong voice to the narrative. It’s punchy, brutal and unflinching at showing the horrors faced by those that fight for their country

17. Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence

Previous position: 15

Young warrior assassin nuns with magic powers face down all sorts of enemies on a dying planet. Fast paced, lots of fun and big action sequences. Maybe a little shallow, but it has plenty of style to compensate.

16. Radiant Emperor Duology by Shelley Parker-Chan

Previous position: N/A

Such an excellently consistent emotionally charged duology. This duology manages to tell an epic story while keeping everything laser focused on the themes of gender-identity and how far people will go to achieve their aims. I’ve just finished it, so it may drift up or down by the time I’ve had more of a chance to digest the ending, but it certainly deserves its spot on this list.

15. The Siege Trilogy by K.J. Parker

Previous position: 14

Parker at his wittiest and most approachable, with Orhan and Ntoker being two of my favourite of his misfit genuis protagonists. Drops off a little by the third book, but it still has some of the best lines in fantasy

14. The Final Architecture by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Previous position: N/A

This trilogy was everything I want from space opera. Weird aliens, big mysteries, action, adventure and that Adrian Tchaikovksy balance of humour and cleverness that always sets me up for a good time. Perfectly nailed the landing too

13. Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Previous position: 12

This urban fantasy series quickly shows off its epic aspirations, and has been steadily building to bigger and more dangerous threats. Starting as a wizard PI, Dresden soon becomes embroiled in all manner of deadly plots as myriad factions are introduced. It’s both fun and dark, and Butcher has a great sense of pace.

12. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

Previous position: 10

Finally losing its top ten spot, it’s hard to preserve a series that may never be completed. Nevertheless I found these books incredibly rewarding, and if the series is ever finished, will certainly try and do a full reread all the way to the end.

11. Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb

Previous position: 11

With each book I read of this series, the more I realise how consistently great Hobb’s writing is. Especially when character decisions made several books past become relevant anew and mysteries unfold masterfully. Fitz is potentially one of the best (most heartbreaking) characters in fantasy fiction, and I’m almost too scared to finish his story.

10. Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin

Previous position: 9

N.K. Jemisin’s books are always bold, beautiful and emotionally destructive, and this series is to me the pinnacle of her writing. This series showed me how much I could love a narrative that went against the usual grain, and the successful use of second person elevates it. Due a reread, which I have a feeling will propel it back up again

9. The Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft

Previous position: 7

Bancroft is a lyrical genius with a Swiftian wit. Senlin goes through such character growth that when other points of view are introduced I balked, only to be instantly won over by his motley crew. The setting is as imaginative as it is slightly absurd, and there’s nothing quite like this series in modern fantasy.

8. The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold

Previous position: N/A

From kickass scientist turned soldier turned nobility Cordelia to crafty and driven Miles, Bujold loves to give us well-rounded protagonists we can root for whole-heartedly. Each novel I’ve read has so far been worth shouting about, along with a novella that is one of the best things I’ve ever read. Sci-fi adventures, political intrigue and some of the biggest bluff’s you’ll ever see. This series is now the one I come to every time I want a sure fire hit of a read.

7. A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons

Previous position: 8

This series has everything I could want from an epic fantasy series and more. Bombastic action, magical artefacts that frequently change the course of the story, a diverse set of characters and immortals that feel immortal. Lyons also refused to take the easy road and wraps each book up in framing narratives that kept me on my toes and provided some hilarious footnotes.

6. The Stormlight Archives series by Brandon Sanderson

Previous position: 6

Few authors build so well to an epic avalanche of action, triumph and tragedy as Brandon Sanderson. The Stormlight Archives is his biggest series yet, with ridiculously long tomes that feature novella length interludes, multitudes of flashbacks, unfolding mysteries and a world that keeps on getting turned on its head, both for the readers and characters.

5. The Tide Child trilogy by R.J. Barker

Previous position: 5

Three excellent books about broken people in a broken world, that starts strong and ends even stronger. I challenge anyone not to shed a tear at the finale. Barker brings hope to even the darkest of settings and manages to imbue a certain two words with so much power and emotion every time they are said.

4. The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett

Previous position: 4

Mandatory repetition of my first notes on this series three years ago. That this series I adore is at position 4 just goes to show how special the next few series are!

Discworld holds a very special place in my heart. I started on the books when I was only eight or nine years old. I remember my mum borrowing the tape cassette of the abridged version of Feet of Clay from the library. I must have rewound the first paragraph several times trying to get used to the style, to understand enough to picture the scene. Once I did, I was hooked.

Discworld novels can be silly, funny, farcical, satirical. But they can also be deep, thoughtful and contain wisdom that will last you a lifetime (I believe heavily in Vimes’s ‘boots’ theory of economics). Pratchett made the grim reaper himself a beloved character and an mouthpiece for all of us trying to find our reason in the universe. He made fall in love with a cowardly wizard who can’t cast spells. He gave us a wizened and rude crone and a bawdy and jolly grandmatron as protagonists.

If you think of any philosophy, career, science, political ideology, etc, there will probably be a relevant and poignant Pratchett quote. The man was a genius, and someday I’ll read the last few novels of his. No other author on this list has been read/listened to anywhere near as much as Pratchett, and while not all of his stuff was perfect, enough of it was.

3. The Children of Time series by Adrian Tchaicovsky

Previous position: 3

Super imaginative sci-fi series with a focus on divergent technology and communication between vastly different species. The first book will make you love spiders more than people. The next will force you to empathise with something horrific. And the third (and last?) will make you question what sentience even is. This is big ideas sci-fi that centres both empathy and technological progress. And it’s absolutely brilliant.

2. The Teixcalaan Duology by Arkady Martine

Previous position: 2

A near perfect duology whose spot will likely only be threatened if I somehow change my mind on a reread. Mahit’s struggle for belonging is one that all outcasts have felt before, and the way she is confronted with a culture she admires but can never truly be a part of is kind of heartbreaking. Another sci-fi that digs deep into the emotional and human consequences of technology.

1. The Masquerade Series by Seth Dickinson

Previous position: 1

It’s now been three years since I last read one of these books, and I still think about this series. Powerful, clever, with the best setting I have ever read and believably complex characters that still push the themes of the series to the forefront. Spectacular series.

And that’s it! I’m skipping honourable mentions, because I’m at twenty series already! As always feel free to share your own top ten and/or berate me for not having The Lord of the Rings on there!