Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off #11: The Second Five Fall
Jennie Ivins
On this, the first day of May, we are saying goodbye to our second round of contestants in this year's Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO)! And just as a reminder, we…
2025
Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off #11: The First Five Fall
Our judges whittle down our group of 30 books by letting go of five at a time. We don’t read the books in any particular order, and so we don’t…
Fantasy-Faction’s Top 50 SFF Books of 2025
Hello Factioneers! Welcome to our best of list for 2025! These are the best fantasy and science fiction books that came out in 2025 as picked by our readers, group…
Vote Now for Fantasy-Faction’s Top 50 SFF Books of 2025!
You have until January 31, 2026 to cast your vote, either here in the comments or on our social media. (Please only vote in one place.) The top 50 books…
Julia’s 2025 Reading Wrap Up/Favourite Books of the Year
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
Expect dragons, witches, robots, rogues, and worlds so magical I wanted to move in permanently. There’s everything here from cosy and charming to grim and gory, from light-hearted popcorn reads…
SPFBO 10 Champions’ League: Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike – Review
Absurd quests, unexpected twists, and a steady undercurrent of satire kept the pacing brisk and the tone light, without slipping into pure farce.
SPFBO 10 Champions’ League: Reign & Ruin by J. D. Evans – Review
... blends romance, magic, and courtly intrigue into a story driven as much by emotion as by politics. Set in a richly imagined, Middle Eastern inspired world, it follows characters…
SPFBO 10 Champions’ League: The Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang – Review
"It’s one of those rare books that transforms as you read it, and then transforms you in turn."
SPFBO 10 Champions’ League: The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson – Review
A wonderful mix of mystery, adventure and heart. It captures the spirit of old-school fantasy while keeping a modern warmth that makes it easy to love.
SPFBO 10 Champions’ League: Where Loyalties Lie by Rob J. Hayes – Review
It is sharp without being flowery and keeps the focus where it belongs, on the characters and their choices.
SPFBO 10 Champions’ League: The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French
French deserves credit for doing something original with grimdark genre and creating a setting quite different to what you will usually have read.
SPFBO 10 Champions’ League: By Blood, by Salt by J. L. Odom – Review
A beautiful book, beautifully written.