Goodreads has announced the winners of its annual Goodreads Choice Awards! Since 2009, “the only major book award decided by readers” has called out the year’s best books in categories including Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Graphic Novels & Comics.
This year 3,317,504 votes were cast, as compared to last year’s 1.9 million votes. Some categories have changed, as well: While this year doesn’t include Paranormal Fantasy, there is a section for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Andy Weir’s The Martian was voted the top sci-fi book of the year; The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness was awarded Best Fantasy; and Anne Rice’s return to the Vampire Chronicles, Prince Lestat, took Best Horror. Congratulations also to Brandon Sanderson, John Scalzi, Gene Luen Yang, Marissa Meyer, Patrick Rothfuss, and Lev Grossman, whose books were all runners-up. Read on for the top five in each category, with the winners bolded.
Science Fiction:
- The Martian by Andy Weir
- Lock In by John Scalzi
- Sand by Hugh Howey
- The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
- The Long Mars by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
Fantasy:
- The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness
- Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
- Skin Game by Jim Butcher
- The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
- The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman
Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction:
- City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
- Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
- Cress by Marissa Meyer
- The One by Kiera Cass
- Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Graphic Novels & Comics:
- Serenity: Leaves on the Wind by Zack Whedon, Georges Jeanty, and Fábio Moon
- Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Rift, Part 1 by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru
- Batman, Vol. 4: Zero Year – Secret City by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
- Attack on Titan: No Regrets, Vol. 1 by Gun Snark, Hajime Isayama, and Hikaru Suruga
Horror:
- Prince Lestat by Anne Rice
- The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
- The City by Dean Koontz
- Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
- Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Congratulations to all of the winners!
thanks for the list–“Skin Game” is the only one here I’ve read.
Just read intro. bits to Scalzi over the weekend–anybody else think the card ref. was about Picard not getting a clue to play poker with his crew till the last minute ’cause he’s busy writing archeology articles? Well done.
One other category relevant to SFF is ‘Middle Grade and Childrens’, which was won by The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan. (Not every book nominated in that field is fantastic, but it seems to dominate the field; this is the fourth year that Riordan has won.).
Regarding ‘the only major book award decided by readers’, one might ask how it is decided what awards are major.
Also, checking the site, it seems that YA Fantasy and Science Fiction is not new (though it’s a bit deceptive that the front page says just ‘YA Fantasy’, and you have to click through to find that SF is included as well).