I didn’t read a lot of new fantasy this year–most of the new books I read were automatic pre-order authors, and even then in some cases it took me months to actually read the books I pre-ordered.

Spells for the Dead (2020) Faith Hunter (Soulwood) – Ace
Supernatural, Mystery

Cover art by Cliff Nielson
Cover design by Katie Anderson

Every single cover in this series has made by best-of-the-year list.

They’re gorgeous and they are very clearly part of the same series, although I’ll note Nell has broken out of the circles of of the previous books–which pretty much describes Nell in this book, that she has pretty firmly broken with her past.

I adore the swirly colors in these covers.

Shattered Bonds (2019) Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock) – Ace
Supernatural

Cover art by Cliff Nielsen
Cover design by Katie Anderson

Even in the first books, when they clearly didn’t have a cover budget, Ace managed to portray Jane pretty perfectly. I love that they now consistently have a Native American model for Jane, and I adore how from the start it is clear that Jane is the hero of her own story.

These covers have become more monochromatic as the series has progressed, and the colors have shifted to icy whites and blues.

The Affair of the Mysterious Letter (2019) Alexis Hall – Ace
Steampunk, LGBT

Cover design by Adam Auerbach

This is a simple but effective cover. The silhouettes which are currently so popular in mysteries are giving you a clue (ha) that in addition to fantasy (see the tentacles) this is also a mystery. And her dress gives you the idea that it’s going to be some Victorian flavor.

It’s simple and good.

A Study in Honor (2018) Claire O’Dell (The Janet Watson Chronicles) – Harper Voyager
SF, LGBT, Mystery

Cover design by Richard L. Aquan
Cover illustration by Chris McGrath

I love this cover, and it does a good job of representing the content of the book. The story has so many elements hidden in the shadows it feels precisely like this cover looks.

A Wizard’s Guide To Defensive Baking (2020) T. Kingfisher – Red Wombat Studio
YA

This is another cover that accurately represents the content: pissed off gingerbread men.

It’s a fun story and this simple cover perfectly illustrates that.

Passing Strange (2017) Ellen Klages – Tor
Historical, LGBT

Cover art by Gregory Manchess
Cover design by Christine Foltzer

This cover is so very pretty.

It actually depicts a scene from the story, and also (with the shadows in the corners) hits at the mysterious elements of the tale.

Turning Darkness Into Light (2019) Marie Brennan – Tor
Historical, YA

Cover art by Todd Lockwood

Although this cover isn’t as gorgeous as the covers for the Lady Trent books (which are some of the most beautiful covers I saw in probably the past decade) it does have a similar feel to the other related books, while also telling you this story is about different characters.

It also feels like it could well be an illustration of the book the two main characters are translating.

The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) TJ Klune – Tor
LGBT, Alternate Timeline

Cover art by Red Nose Studio

This cover is very different from any of the other fantasy covers I particularly liked this year, which is perfect, because it’s very much not like the rest of the fantasy books I read this year.

The colors are bold and eye catching, and the house teetering on the edge of the cliff is a perfect representation of all the main characters in the story.

It’s lovely.

Ace – 3
Tor – 3

It looks like this year is a tie between Ace and Tor, which is a good showing for Tor, because Ace usually, well, aces the best covers in any given year.

The Books of 2020