11 July 2026

7 fiction books I've loved since 2020

I recently took up one of those internet share things over on Facebook, encouraged by my friend Paul. This was to post seven covers of books without comment that have really enjoyed. I've done this before, so I decided to focus this down onto fiction books since 2020, mainly as I decided to discount life pre-COVID. However, I did want to say something about each of them, so here's all seven with a quick comment of why I loved them.


A picture of desert with a radio mast and the remains of a city in the distance. Two riders are crossing it. The text says: "DEREK B. MILLER - AUTHOR OF NORWEGIAN BY NIGHT - RADIO LIFE".

I loved the way that Radio Life was full of hope, despite being set in a post-apocalyptic world. The culture and world building was evocative, and had moments of tension and discovery.

A book covers showing forested islands from the air. The title says "THE GLASS HOTEL - EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL". There is a badge showing a deer saying "From the bestselling author of STATION ELEVEN". At the top of the cover, there is a quote from The Times that says "Elegant, haunting ... a unique rumination on guilt grief and regret". There are further quotes from Daisy Johnson, the author of Everything Under saying ""Beautiful, enmeshed, startingly clever" and another one from RED saying "Beautifully written and compelling. It will find its way straight to your heart".

I've read several of Emily St. John Mandel's books now and I think that this is the one that has stuck with me most. She writes delightfully and draws you in deeply.

A cover with black houses with orange lit windows and what looks like a sun setting in the background. There are a family of three, a parent and two children in what looks like a maze of directions that they could go. The title is "Prophet Song" by "Paul Lynch". There is a red "The Booker Prize 2023 winner" badge. There are a further two pull quotes but they are not legible.

Prophet Song tells a story of Ireland falling into fascism and answers the question you often see about "Why didn't they leave?" and "Why didn't they do anything". Chilling and well written, but challenging to read at first as the author avoids the use of speech marks. Very much a compelling warning.


A green book cover with a picture of a silver blank faced person with a black fedora. The face is dripping away. "TITANIUM NOIR - NICK HARKAWAY". It also says "AUTHOR OF GNOMON" and has a pull quote from William Gibson "Cross genre brilliance from the superbly talented Nick Harkaway".

Titanium Noir mixes detective noir with science-fiction, and sets the protagonist in a world of 'Titans', oligarchs and their families who are effectively immortal. There's a case to be solved and complicated relationships to explore. Lovely.

The book has a red cover, with the title "SILVER NITRATE" on an oblique rising line split by a pair of wide staring eyes. The author's name "SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA" is below in black text, with the subtitle "NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MEXICAN GOTHIC".

I was introduced the author with her book Mexican Gothic but I much prefer this tale of occult horror meshed with film production and history. Delightful and evocative.


The cover is dark and shows a city with is lit up at night. The text is all obliquely rising and says "FRANCIS SPUFFORD - CAHOKIA JAZZ - Author of GOLDEN HILL" is a yellow/white font.

A very enjoyable alternative history where one of the Native American nations has survived the arrival of the settlers from the west thanks to having been converted to a form of Catholicism by a Spanish Priest, and is now a state in the USA. It deals with a plot to strip away the rights from native government. Very enjoyable.


A complicated image of a city in beige and red, with modern looking soldiers lined up against what appears to be masked religious people. The background shows an industrial site with a demon and steel being poured. The text says "CITY OF LAST CHANCES - ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY".

This wasn't the Tchaikovsky that came to mind immediately (that was Cage of Souls) but it turns out I read that in 2019. So looking over the other novels from the same author, I picked this one. It's a tale of a city taken over by a scientific-magic led state that literal use the gods and artefacts of other cultures to fuel their conquests. Not quite grim dark, there is something both magical and gripping about the story told here.

Looking back, what would you choose in the same period?

11 July 2026

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