Easy! Listen to me. Of course, it’s not actually that simple. I’m immersed in the book world. I’ve read reviews and dug into ratings and analyzed who I think are award contenders. I’m just one person, but I guarantee this list is sound: the 15 books that follow are the best that 2022 has to offer. They feature book eaters and trans archivists, dig into near-future dystopias and vast, dark fantasy worlds. They include SFF from around the world. If you read these books, you’ll travel from under the sea among the octopi to the bright lights of a soul-stealing Hollywood to a cyberpunk far-future where even our memories are under constant surveillance. There’s a book on this list for every reader — and I hope you find yours! Did I miss a book that should be on this list? Let me know all about it on Twitter. Also worth a read for some superb international fiction: The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories: A Collection of Chinese Science Fiction and Fantasy in Translation from a Visionary Team of Female and Nonbinary Creators, edited by Yu Chen and Regina Kanyu Wang. Want more great SFF? Dig into our lists of great SFF in translation, or our list of 42 of the best fantasy novels from the last decade. And don’t forget to check out our picks for overall Best Books of 2022!
