The Most Iconic Speculative Fiction Books of the 21st Century
We’re spoiled for choice—with masterful writers reworking classic tropes, challenging cultural perspectives, and taking us beyond our wildest imaginations, the landscape of SFF has never looked more bountiful. And the best part about it is that nerds love hard, so there is no shortage of shouting from rooftops about the books that we love. Part of the joy of loving a story is sharing that love with others.
That’s why we reached out to some of our favorite authors (plus the Reactor staff) and asked them to share their choices for the most iconic books of the 21st century (so far), with the intention of assembling a collection of titles that could be seen as the most influential, most representative, and/or highest quality examples of this expansive genre that we adore. Our hope was to to highlight books that resonate with readers, that may have been overlooked, and that reflect the inclusivity and imagination that speculative fiction is known for.
The only rules were: titles should be Adult or YA, and published in English during the years 2000-2024. This includes anything from novels to novellas to comics, literary crossover or genre-bending work, nonfiction related to SFF, and more. All subgenres are welcome, and all series are represented by the first title published in that series.
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