The Best Of 2024

Welcome back to another Quill to Live year-end book roundup. Nine years we have been doing this, so please get excited for our ten-year anniversary this coming March! 2024 has been an interesting year for science fiction, fantasy, and horror. This year, the QTL team decided to slow down a bit. We diversified our reads, checked out numerous books that were older than usual, and were more selective in what we read from 2024. All of us are getting older and have kids and intense jobs, so we just couldn’t cover as many books as we usually do. That being said, the reviewers managed to find time to discuss all our top picks from the year, and we have some real gems for you to enjoy. After much debate, we made a list of the stand-out picks that each of us thinks deserves year-end recognition. We managed to whittle the list down to 15 picks this year. Tchaikovsky, much like in 2023, managed to do incredibly well this year. We will have to see if 2025 is the year someone dethrones him. The reviewers of The Quill To Live read about 100 newly published books this year. As always, in order to get this list out promptly before the end of the year, we have rolled December 2023 into this list, and December 2024 (namely Wind and Truth) will roll into 2025’s list. Without further ado, let’s dive into the best stories of 2024. Thank you all for joining us once again in this annual QTL tradition.

15) The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston – As a fantasy and science fiction book reviewer who takes himself entirely too seriously, I am constantly looking for the latest cerebral and poetic hit to recommend and impress people I know. But there is a time and a place for almost everything in fiction, and sometimes you just want pulpy fun that has a ridiculous premise and delivers fabulous spectacle. Often, these books fall short, but The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston is a rare occurrence of delivering on all its ridiculous promises. The Last Shield is billed as a standalone fantasy gender-swapped reimagining of the movie Die Hard, and despite a skyscraper’s worth of initial reservations, I can safely say that this book absolutely delivers on this in the best way possible. I read this entire book in one sitting on a plane and don’t have a single regret. The Last Shield is a clever combination of spectacle and fun draped over a lovable protagonist. It is, simply put, a good time, and if you are looking for a short distraction, look no further.

You can find our full review here

14) Somewhere Beyond The Sea by TJ Klune – TJ Klune’s Somewhere Beyond The Sea delivers a heartfelt sequel to his breakout hit, The House In The Cerulean Sea. In the follow-up, we spend more time with the wacky and whimsical found family of Arthur Parnassus and dig deeper into the father figure’s past. We learn of his struggle for acceptance of all magical beings and discover what made him such a loving person. More of this delightful family is always a good thing. Plus, Klune brings us a brand-new character. David the Yeti loves to act. He’s got icy powers and a frigid (at first) personality, but he soon warms to the idea of staying with Parnassus and co. He’s worth the outing alone, and he’s just one of many lovely children featured in Klune’s sequel. My personal favorite this go-round was Chauncey, the slime creature who secretly enjoys eating pine cones and dreams of being a bellhop. He even achieves his dream part-time, helping out the local hotel with his sticky-handed services. The family is full of quirks and lovable idiosyncrasies that sing off the page.  While Somewhere Beyond The Sea isn’t quite the perfect masterpiece its predecessor was, there’s still a whole lot to love.

You can find our full review here

13) Siege of Burning Grass by Premee Mohamed – Premee Mohamed’s standalone fantasy treatise on the nature of pacifism in a time of war was an utter delight. I know, but I have no other way to truly describe it. The narrative is a fascinating slow burn that forces an odd couple out of a disabled pacifist and the over-competent supersoldier. They have to rely on each other, each striving to end the war in different ways. They verbally fight over their side’s justifications, not because they think they can sway the other, but because they know no other way of life. Their time is one of war, death, destruction, and individual impotence in the face of all that. Mohamed is still climbing to the top of her game as far as prose is concerned, and it sells the whole story. There is a malevolent sense of doom that haunts each page, and as the characters close in on their goal, it threatens to end it all. It’s worth it if you want a contemplative slow burn that examines the power of the individual in a time of great calamity.

You can find our full review here

12) The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey – They’re back! James S.A. Corey, that delectable writing duo, have come back together for a new space opera after finishing their quintessential Expanse series. After digging in and taking a good hard look at The Mercy of Gods, I have come away with mostly positive feelings. Those who were hoping The Mercy of Gods would be an instant leviathan of science fiction the same way Leviathan was will likely be a little disappointed. Yet, I think that within Mercy lies the foundation of a story that could far outstrip the numerous accomplishments of The Expanse. The Mercy of Gods has strange alien minds locked inside its pages while still providing much-needed cutting commentary on the human condition. I suspect it is going to shape up to be one of the best series of the near future. At the most basic level, it was a very entertaining read and an easy recommendation.

You can find our full review here

11) Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky – Yeah, I know, he’s on here. Twice. Again. And he was so close to dropping Days of Shattered Faith on time for a chance at a third slot. But Adrian Tchaikovsky, you’ll have to settle for two great books for 2024. Alien Clay is the science fiction book I’ve been waiting for, and of course, it’s delivered by none other than Tchaikovsky. He’s never been afraid to mix politics, revolution, and ecology before (I mean, just look at his body of work), but it feels so succinct and energetic here. Daghdev is a great character, showcasing his intelligence and paranoia as he deals not only with the totalitarian regime that sent him to the prison planet Kiln, or the possibility that his former comrades might snitch on him for a small reward, but also with the life of Kiln as it tries to infiltrate his body. Tchaikovsky also blends all three of these elements together in a messy package about what it means to accept your humanity in an inhuman environment. The book is fast-paced for a Tchaikovsky novel, but it fits here. It feels like the perfect entry point for anyone who hasn’t picked up his work yet.

You can find our full review here

10) The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman – The Daughters’ War is just a huge list of positives under a trenchcoat. Galva is a pleasure and a delightful leading character; she is mature, level-headed, humble, focused, and capable. The supporting cast all sticks in your mind, giving you a very coherent sense of the army and pulling at your heartstrings as they die one after another. The war birds the characters take into battle are strange and mysterious in nature, while also adding a Chekov’s gun you want to keep your eyes on at all times. As was true in The Blacktongue Thief, the goblins remain fucking horrifying, primarily thanks to Buehlman’s extremely eloquent and immersive prose. The world feels well-realized and cleverly built, investing you in the future of the characters and the land itself. This is a solid prequel, which is a category of books I normally find unnecessary, and I really enjoyed my time with it. Buehlman is a thoughtful and provocative author and is making impressive waves in the grimdark space. As much as I loved this entry into the world of The Blacktongue Thief, I am still even more excited for a sequel.

You can find our full review here

9) Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin – I absolutely loved this book. It’s a breathtaking story that wrapped me around its pretty little finger. Calamity is overwhelming, in a good way, because it’s so outrageously and beautifully descriptive. It’s a cacophony of senses that puts the readers in a Shangai dreamscape where the overflowing details warp reality. Lin’s writing is addictive and poetic, and she strung me along without so much as a glance back to see if I could keep up. The setting is dark and alluring, warping Shanghai’s old and new worlds into hypnotic patterns. And in the constant clash, the fearless protagonist moves us through the changing world without batting an eye at the chaos unfolding around her. Daughter of Calamity continues to reveal new wonders the longer I sit with it. It’s a glamorous and deadly fever dream whose haze I can’t quite shake, and it left me with one of the best book hangovers of 2024.

You can find our full review here

8) Shadow of the Smoking Mountain by Howard Andrew Jones – For the second year in a row, Howard Andrew Jones has snuck onto the best-of list with one of his sword and sorcery doorstoppers. The Chronicles of Hanuvar is still going strong, with the third installment (Shadow of the Smoking Mountain) impressing me with its continued evolution in 2024. The collection of short story vignettes continues to work wonders and evoke classic greats of fantasy fame like Gemmel and Sapkowski while giving them a modern twist. Reflecting on the end of book three, I feel I have undergone a true journey. It’s incredible how much progress Hanuvar has made and how well it works as a metaphor for crawling back from despair. Sometimes, the only answer is to keep going, one story at a time, until you find your way back home. Please pick up this story; it is not being talked about nearly enough to do justice. A quick look at all the other series reviews will show that I am not the only one who feels this way. Shadow of the Smoking Mountain continues to be a huge success in my book despite badly needing new readers. Jones has modernized the best parts of old sword and sorcery classics with a powerful narrative structure and punch.

You can find our full review here

7) Crucible of Chaos + Play of Shadows by Sebastian de Castell – de Castell was busy this year, putting out three outstanding books that were all considered for this list. In the end we decided to group his two new Greatcoats novels at slot number seven to save space. Crucible is a powerful standalone mystery, and Play is the first installment in the next generation of de Castell’s larger story. This seventh-place spot is less a commentary on any of the individualized books and more a reflection of the general body of work that de Castell put forth this year. I feel like after years of setbacks de Castell is making moves and building something big. These two novels feel like big setup pieces, and given his track record as an author, we have seen how good his follow-through can be. Even if we just look at these books on their own merit, both were extremely entertaining stories that had great self-contained themes but also nailed the expansion of the scope of the series at large. Mark my works, big things are coming from de Castell, and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us over the next few years.

You can find our full review here and here

6) The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett – Bennett always does well at The Quill to Live. At a minimum, his stories are heartfelt, terrifying, and original–all qualities we deeply value. The first installment of his new series, The Tainted Cup, is no exception to this esteemed track record. This is a story overflowing with dark, damp, leafy mysteries. These shadowy secrets contrast perfectly with the vibrant, warm cast, all of which have rich personalities that shine like beacons in this terrifying and stressful world. To top it all off, the beating heart of this story is a murder mystery in the style of Holmes and Watson. All of Bennett’s stories have featured delightful mysteries, but The Tainted Cup finally takes them and puts them on center stage. The result of all of this is another banger of a first book in a series that will likely rate among my favorites. I have only known Din and Ana for a moment, and if anything bad happens to them, I will send a very strongly worded letter to Bennett. Unsurprisingly, RJB has made another QTL top-recommended book, and as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, expect the sequels to grace the top lists for the next two years as well.

You can find our full review here

5) Those Beyond The Wall by Micaiah Johnson – Micaiah Johnson’s follow-up is a roaring success. I liked The Space Between Worlds, but I loved Those Beyond The Wall. The anger within it is palpable but directed. It’s not swinging for fences in a blind rage. It knows its enemies and knows where to hit them where it hurts. Johnson’s characters sing off the pages as they fight their way to survival. Her writing contains an energy that fuels your need to keep reading while delivering some emotional and thematic punches worthy of any street brawler. Johnson’s sophomore effort is grounded and sharp. It gives Mr. Scales a tangible identity while detailing the world around her with her voice. Johnson makes Ashtown come alive with passion and creates a fantastic story about how it maintains its sovereignty as the richer Wiley city looks down upon it. It’s a triumphant return, and you should pick it up.

You can find our full review here

4) The West Passage by Jared Pechaček – The West Passage is definitely the most original and unique piece of fantasy I have read in 2024. It is a standalone surreal fable told in an almost hallucinogenic style, filled with giant ladies who bend reality, seasons controlled by a giant wheel, and an infinite palace in deep disrepair. It beautifully blends dark fantasy elements with sweet and heartwarming characters to create a very odd tone that surprisingly works for the story. The prose is incredibly poetic, and the entire thing feels reminiscent of a legendary epic in all its best ways. This is a novel that focuses on the nature of stories and provides a powerful metacommentary on how they can shape reality. It was an absolute breath of fresh air in every possible way. In a year that felt bogged down by stuffy, safe stories, this is a novel that isn’t scared to stand out from the pack and simultaneously isn’t different for the sake of being different. Pechaček has instantly become one of my new authors to watch, and I greatly look forward to what he dreams up next.

You can find our full review here

3) Wicked Problems by Max Gladstone – 2024 will always be the year I remember getting my dream Craft novel. The Craft series has always been a site favorite with its peaks into all sorts of modern fantasy stories with corporate twists. Yet I have always pined for it all to come together as much as I love all of its disparate tales. Wicked Problems is that book. Everything is exploding, and the end is coming. But, this world-ending catastrophe means one thing for our protagonists across the several previous novels. That’s right baby, this is the team-up Avengers-style novel. Finally, every beloved cool character from all the previous Craft novels is crammed into one novel and interacts, and it slaps just as hard as I always wanted it to. We get character drama, heartfelt reunions, powerful team-ups, character growth/progress, updates on everyone I cared about, and some of the best group chemistry I have read in a book in ages. In a year full of disappointing sequels, this was a shining star that over-delivered beyond my expectations. If you haven’t started the Craft Sequence yet, what are you even doing?

You can find our full review here

2) Metal From Heaven by August Clarke – August Clarke’s adult fantasy debut hit me where it counted this year. It’s a bombastic, sexy, troubled, and fight-ready novel about revolution. It has excellent characters that truly live in the world Clarke created. There is complexity within its myriad cultures that inform so many of the interactions. Clarke’s writing is as lush as it is brutal, detailing the lives of outlaws as capital and the old aristocracy duke it out over the future. The intrigue was also daring, avoiding some of the easier tropes that would litter a fantasy romance like so many reading bingo cards. It helps that the story is propelled forward by the selfless, gritty, almost mythically heroic nature of Marney Honeycutt, who has stolen my heart for good. The Whip Spider gives it everything she has, leaving nothing on the table with no regard for her own safety to help her comrades usher in the hereafter. That’s not to mention Clarke’s clever use of the second person to really dig into how and why this story is being told. To top it all off, Metal From Heaven digs deeper than many books when it comes to portraying an industrial revolution and the people who choose to fight against its encroachment on their lives. It’s dark, but so is our world, and it’s good to see a book spoiling for a fight.

You can find our full review here

1) House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky – Two back-to-back best of the years from the same Tchaikovsky series, has The Quill to Live lost its touch? We jest, The Tyrant Philosophers is incredible. When we gave the best book of the year to City of Last Chances, it was a fiercely contested debate, as there were several worthy books in 2023 deserving of the best of the year crown. For 2024, there was unanimous consent. House of Open Wounds is simply wonderful. Taking everything that was good about book one and improving on it, this book was the uncontested best book we read in 2024. Here are some of the amazing things House of Open Wounds improves on from book one: It has a tighter focus with better character arcs that get you more heavily invested in its characters. The plot is more intertwined with the various narratives, which tells a more cohesive story. The thematic examination of the nature of faith and healing in a world fueled by violence is exceptional and very refreshing. And all of this is just icing on top of the already incredible solid cake. A cake we already liked so much it was the best cake we ate in 2023. Why aren’t you eating this cake? Look, we know times are tough right now, and you are likely feeling like you want to turn your mind off and doom-scroll on your phone. But what if, instead of that, you had a philosophical breakdown that had you cursing our names until the end of time? Isn’t that way better and cooler? At the time of writing this, we haven’t actually reviewed House of Open Wounds yet because we got to it so late in the year. We are so late that book three in the series actually came out this week, and now we are behind again for an entirely different year. We will update the link at the bottom of this blurb with our review as soon as we have it. In the meantime, why don’t you take a swim and enjoy the waters of this doorstopper yourself?

You can find our full review here

-A note from the QTL team. Happy 2024, and we wish you the best of all holidays, from our families to yours! We typically do not ask our readers for assistance in promoting our work, but as we spend an enormous amount of time working on our end-of-year wrap-up: shares and posts of this list are greatly appreciated. We hope you had a wonderful 2024, and we look forward to showing you our new list next year! One last note: we are departing Twitter at the end of this year and heading over to BlueSky. If you want to follow us on the new platform, we can be found here at: @thequilltolive.bsky.social