8 Best Science Fantasy Books of the 21st Century
The article recommends eight 21st-century science fantasy books that combine elements of science fiction and fantasy, from cyborg Cinderella to spacefaring necromancers. It presents the genre as a way for readers to explore worlds where technology, magic and folklore overlap.
The examples include Marissa Meyer’s *The Lunar Chronicles*, N. K. Jemisin’s climate-focused *Broken Earth* series, and Charlie Jane Anders’ story of a young witch and a boy genius. Other books feature a galactic soldier linked to a disgraced tactician, a murder mystery among necromancers, and Matt Dinniman’s *Dungeon Crawler Carl*, which helped popularise LitRPG fiction and received a commercial printing in 2024.
- Science fantasy mixes magic, technology and space opera.
- The list spans fairy-tale retellings and bleak climate fiction.
- Several picks draw on folklore, necromancy and game-like worlds.
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Science fantasy brings together features of science fiction, such as advanced technology and space travel, with fantasy elements such as magic and folklore. The mix lets authors build worlds that do not follow the usual boundaries between the two genres.
The books mentioned span a range of approaches, from Marissa Meyer’s futuristic retelling of Cinderella in The Lunar Chronicles to N. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth series, which centres on a climate-altered world. Other stories pair a young witch with a boy genius, or set mysteries and military plots among necromancers and spacefaring characters.
One related form is LitRPG, which borrows structures and rules from role-playing games. Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl is among the examples associated with its wider popularity, showing how science fantasy can overlap with other kinds of speculative fiction.