Fantasy & Epic SeriesScience FictionHorror & Dark FictionSpeculative Fiction
James Hartley
282 books reviewed12 articles written
Genre Fiction Editor, Editors Reads
James Hartley has been reading science fiction and fantasy since before he could read them properly, and has spent the past fifteen years reviewing genre fiction with the conviction that speculative storytelling is as serious an art form as any other. As Genre Fiction Editor at Editors Reads, he covers fantasy, science fiction, and horror — from sweeping epic series to slim, brutal novellas — with particular interest in world-building that earns its strangeness and horror that has something real to say about being alive.
The epic masterwork of fantasy literature. Frodo Baggins inherits the One Ring — the instrument of Sauron's power — and must carry it to the fires of Mount Doom to destroy it before the Dark Lord reclaims it and enslaves all of Middle-earth.
A convicted murderer has escaped Azkaban prison and is believed to be hunting Harry Potter, forcing Harry to confront the true story of his parents' betrayal and death. The mystery that unravels is more complicated, more painful, and more morally instructive than any straightforward threat.
Ryland Grace wakes up alone on a spacecraft millions of miles from Earth, with no memory of how he got there. As he pieces together the mission, he realises he may be humanity's last hope against a microscopic threat that is slowly extinguishing the Sun — and that he is not entirely alone.
Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, unadventurous hobbit, is swept away by the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves on a quest to reclaim a mountain kingdom from the dragon Smaug. The predecessor to The Lord of the Rings — shorter, lighter in tone, and the perfect entry point to Middle-earth.
In the kingdom of Westeros, the death of King Robert Baratheon sets off a brutal power struggle among the great houses. Ned Stark, appointed the King's Hand, finds himself in a web of treachery that threatens not only his family but the entire realm — while beyond the Wall, an ancient threat stirs.
The War of the Five Kings reaches its shattering climax as the Red Wedding, Joffrey's poisoning, and Jon Snow's transformation at the Wall change everything in Westeros.
On the desert planet Arrakis, young Paul Atreides must navigate political intrigue, ecological disaster, and prophetic destiny to avenge his family and fulfil a legend centuries in the making. The best-selling science fiction novel of all time.
Andrew 'Ender' Wiggin is humanity's most gifted military mind, trained from childhood in the zero-gravity Battle Room of a space station to fight the alien Formics. But the game and the war may not be as separate as Ender believes.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione abandon Hogwarts to hunt Voldemort's Horcruxes, confronting betrayal, sacrifice, and the revelation that Harry himself is the final Horcrux. The series concludes with the Battle of Hogwarts and a resurrection that draws on the oldest mythological traditions.
Harry is mysteriously entered into the dangerous Triwizard Tournament while Voldemort's followers grow bolder, culminating in the Dark Lord's terrifying return to full power. The death of a fellow student in the graveyard permanently changes what the Harry Potter series is.
As Voldemort's war spreads beyond Hogwarts, Dumbledore guides Harry through Tom Riddle's past to find the key to destroying him, while a mysterious annotated textbook raises questions about the identity of the Half-Blood Prince. The year ends with Dumbledore's death and the series' darkest turning point yet.
Seconds before Earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass, Arthur Dent is rescued by Ford Prefect — who turns out to be a researcher for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the standard repository for all knowledge and wisdom in the universe. Their adventures take them to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, a planet populated by telephone sanitisers, and a search for the Ultimate Question to Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Astronaut Mark Watney is stranded alone on Mars after his crew evacuates, and must use science, engineering, and dark humour to survive until a rescue mission can reach him.
The first book in Brandon Sanderson's epic Stormlight Archive series, set on the storm-ravaged world of Roshar and following three protagonists navigating war, politics, and the discovery of ancient magic.
The fifth and culminating volume of the first arc of the Stormlight Archive, bringing Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar to their final confrontation with Odium's champion in a battle for the fate of Roshar.
The second volume of The Stormlight Archive follows Shallan and Kaladin as ancient evils stir and the order of Knights Radiant must be reborn to face an apocalyptic threat.
The Shade of Essen Tasch has fallen, and a darkness worse than the black stone threatens all three Londons. Kell, Lila, Rhy, and Holland must confront an enemy powerful enough to consume worlds — and the cost of stopping it may be more than any of them can pay.
The endgame. Aelin Galathynius has been captured, and without her the armies of Terrasen face annihilation. Her allies must fight on without her — each carrying a piece of the plan only Aelin knew in full. The conclusion to one of the most beloved epic fantasy series of the decade.
The series finale: Tarmon Gai'don, the Last Battle, as Rand al'Thor faces the Dark One at the Bore while the armies of Light and Shadow fight across five simultaneous battlefields. The culmination of a 23-year, 14-book epic.
Kaz Brekker and the Dregs execute an increasingly complex series of heists and cons across Ketterdam to reclaim what was stolen from them and destroy those who betrayed them.
Charlie Gordon, a man with intellectual disabilities, undergoes experimental brain surgery that dramatically increases his intelligence — and must grapple with the emotional and social consequences.