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Trying to figure out what to read next can be overwhelming, especially with the number of excellent science fiction and fantasy books that come out every year. But dozens of BookTokers \u2014 TikTokers who focus on books, from sharing favorites to critiquing classics \u2014 are here to help. <\/p>\n
We\u2019ve made a list of some of our favorite BookTokers who either focus on SFF, or have broad taste that includes a lot of speculative books. Fear not; this list expands beyond the much hyped books like Olivie Blake\u2019s The Atlas Six<\/em> or Sarah J. Maas\u2019s numerous fantasy titles. This isn\u2019t an exhaustive list either \u2014 the wide world of BookTok is full of creators who do excellent work. We\u2019ll add to this list as we find new favorites.<\/p>\n To kick things off, Faye has SFF recommendations galore \u2014 especially books with queer representation \u2014 along with lots of lighthearted comedy about genre tropes and the inevitable haze of coming out from reading a long fic. Come for the books, and stay for the incredibly rad rotation of hair colors and styles (but also for the books, obviously).<\/p>\n Camille Kelly\u2019s TikToks range from recommendations \u2014 like this list of books with a \u201cfanfiction-y feel\u201d \u2014 to jokes about their own bookish habits or bits about classic literature and fantasy. Science fiction and fantasy books are peppered throughout these videos. They\u2019re great to follow not just to broaden reading recommendations, but to add more humor to your feed.<\/p>\n Evan\u2019s focus is on SFF, though his taste leans fantasy. His TikToks range from thoughtful analysis of individual titles, like V.E. Schwab\u2019s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue<\/em> and Adrian Tchaikovsky\u2019s Elder Race<\/em>, to best books of the year, all-time favorites, and book hauls. His videos can tend toward the longer side, since they\u2019re analysis-heavy \u2014 but they\u2019re very accessible, and a great choice for those just starting to get into SFF or seasoned readers who are looking to dig deeper.<\/p>\n Ares recommends tons of SFF like hefty fantasy series, graphic novels and comics (like Saga<\/em> and Monstress<\/em>), as well as manga. Ares also shares resources to help readers diversify the authors featured on their shelves. (And when I see someone who loves Ken Liu\u2019s Dandelion Dynasty, I have<\/em> to feature them.)<\/p>\n If you love SFF tropes and are looking to add to that to-read stack, you\u2019ve come to right place. Sam makes lots of specific recommendations based on tropes and themes like female rage, hero to villain, or dark academia \u2014 along with sharing queer readings of SFF.<\/p>\n Adannia\u2019s taste is broad and fairly omnivorous, including literary fiction like Yaa Gyasi\u2019s Transcendent Kingdom<\/em> <\/em>as well as romance and YA. Of course, she also features tons of science fiction and fantasy, with a focus on an inclusive range of reads \u2014 featuring lots of SFF heavy hitters like Octavia E. Butler and Nnedi Okorafor. Adannia\u2019s TikToks also touch on subjects like anti-Blackness in BookTok (and in publishing and criticism more broadly).<\/p>\n Lee\u2019s taste is also very broad, but with a focus on international authors \u2014 especially with her current 2022 focus, the \u201cReading Across Africa\u201d challenge. (In her Storygraph, you can find books she\u2019s read, organized by the country the book is set in or the country the author is writing from.) Throughout the year, she\u2019s also shared her favorite speculative books written by African authors, along with books published in America that were inspired by African mythology. She also originated a trend where BookTokers share images of their favorite books in the thumbnail \u2014 browsing these is a great way to quickly find other creators to follow.<\/p>\n Melissa Blair, who is also the author of A Broken Blade<\/em>, recommends a broad range of books, including science fiction and fantasy, often highlighting indigenous authors (like Karen McBride, who wrote Crow Winter<\/em>, <\/em>a speculative literary fiction work). I\u2019d recommend watching her tour of her local bookstore, where she points out great books from indigenous authors in Canada and the United States.<\/p>\n If you were looking for queer recommendations, you\u2019ve come to the right place. Claire champions books from across genres \u2014 with a frequent focus on science fiction \u2014 but they do an excellent job of highlighting queer SFF as well as sapphic books of all types. (Hello, Gideon the Ninth<\/em>.) They also have an excellent list of books to read if you like D&D.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking to add more Latinx authors to your shelf, you can\u2019t go wrong with Johanna\u2019s recommendations. This book haul alone has a ton of excellent books to dig into (Fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia\u2019s Gods of Jade and Shadow<\/em> rise up!!!). <\/p>\n Madi Lim recommends books across a variety of genres, but science fiction and fantasy are in regular rotation. She also makes \u201cBookTok News\u201d TikToks dedicated to news \u2014 and BookTok tea \u2014 from movie adaptation announcements to conventions gone wrong. Some of her recommendations include Sue Lynn Tan\u2019s Daughter of the Moon Goddess<\/em> and Aiden Thomas\u2019 Cemetery Boys<\/em>.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re in the mood for lots of SFF lists to dig through, especially centered on granular themes \u2014 like urban fantasy or fallen heroes \u2014 or simply books with a certain level of \u201cspice\u201d (BookTok speak for how explicit or hot a book is), Erin Fehres\u2019 account is for you. Peppered with lists and individual recommendations, there\u2019s lots to choose from.<\/p>\n Amivi runs a bookclub called \u201cSapphic and Proud\u201d with queer favorites across genres, including science fiction and fantasy. They share tons of sapphic must-reads and fantasy recommendations from Black writers, with favorites that include Ayana Gray\u2019s Beasts of Prey<\/em> and N.E. Davenport\u2019s The Blood Trials<\/em>.<\/p>\n Ayushi champions a number of books that haven\u2019t taken off on BookTok, but still deserve the love and attention of readers. She also highlights YA fantasies written by women of color, and reps lots of Desi authors \u2014 both SFF and outside the genre. (If you\u2019re also a romance reader, Ayushi has got you covered.)<\/p>\n@fayestephensonn<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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