Best Books of 2020 - Fiction

This is the last of my 3 annual posts about the best books I read in the past year.  This last post focuses on the fiction books I read.  Here are the best and the rest.  Please forgive the formatting issues - Blogger has recently decided to make it near impossible to make text wrap around pictures.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.  Although it is a bit difficult to get into because of the writer’s style and perspective, Mantel’s amazing trilogy about the life of Thomas Cromwell is a classic.  She follows Cromwell’s early life and rise to become one of the most trusted servants of the volatile King Henry VIII of England.

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel.  This is part 2 of Mantel’s trilogy, another amazing book.  In this volume, Cromwell, now flush with power, has to manage the rise and subsequent removal of Queen Anne Boleyn.

The Burning White by Brent Weeks.  This book brings Weeks’ 5-part Lightbringer series to an end.  The conclusion is exciting, absorbing and satisfying.  If you like epic fantasy and interesting world-building, this may be a series for you to check out.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini.  Paolini, a fellow Montanan, burst on the scene as a teen with his Inheritance Cycle, featuring Eragon and his dragon Saphira.  He became the Guinness record holder for the youngest author of a best-selling series.  This book is different; it is Paolini’s first science fiction novel.  While the book moves slowly at times, it is a wonderful read set in a fascinating future universe.

Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson.  Sanderson has become one of my favorite authors and is in the middle of a huge series of books, the Stormlight Archive.  Dawnshard is book 3.5 in the series, an e-book that bridges the gap between books 3 and 4.  It introduces new characters, fleshes out existing characters and adds layers to an already intricate but immensely interesting plot.  Look for Rhythm of War, book 4, to top my best fiction books list next year.

2^nd Tier Reads, but still very good books:

In the Region of the Summer Stars by Stephen R. Lawhead

Sandstorm by James Rollins

Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan

The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan

The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan

Map of Bones by James Rollins

The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin

The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin

The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin