My Top 5 Novels of 2020

Most of us can agree that 2020 has been an…interesting year. But if the pandemic and the quarantines have done anything, they have given us more time to read.

At the beginning of the year,  I gave myself the challenge of reading thirty-six books by the end of 2020 (three books a month). For some of you bibliophiles out there, this isn’t an impressive number. But for me, it’s the most I’ve read in a year, and I’ve had to find creative ways to sneak in books while parenting three kids.

Even though I’m a fantasy and sci-fi author, I made sure to include books outside my preferred genre–both in fiction and non-fiction. I’ve encountered some great reads (and listens) this year. But some books, of course, stand out above the rest.

The following are my top five novels of 2020…

 

The Rage of Dragons 

by Evan Winter

The Rage of Dragons tells the story of Tau, a young man who lives in an African-esque world of magic and dragons. Because he was born low in his society’s caste system, he is doomed to serve as fodder in the never-ending war against the savages. He devises a plan to get injured so he can be freed from that fate and settle down to a life of peace. But when the cruelty of the-powers-that-be falls upon him, killing those he loves, he pours every ounce of his being into vengeance.

To kill his enemies, he must become the greatest swordsman his nation has ever seen. And he’ll even fall into the shadows of the underworld to do so.

Normally, I’m not a fan of vengeance stories. But dang! Evan Winter knocks it out of the park.

Most modern fantasy stories like to plunge their characters deep into the morally gray, trying to get as far away from the noble hero trope as possible. It’s true the white knight has been overdone in the past, and that kind of hero doesn’t reflect the grittiness of reality. But many authors delving into the gray take it too far and present a bleak and ruthless world where good and hope are practically nonexistent.

Winter doesn’t do that. Despite his story being about vengeance, it’s about battling one’s own demons and has a redemptive arch to it. Even though the story enters dark places, there is still light; there is still a sense of right and wrong.

There are a ton of fight scenes, but these are not merely for the sake of action. Each fight matters and carries emotional weight. Tau claws his way up from underdog to accomplished soldier to legendary champion. And although he remains broken within, I found myself rooting for him the whole way.

In my opinion, The Rage of Dragons deserves its place on Time’s list of the 100 best fantasy books of all time. (The list itself is imperfect…but that’s another topic of discussion.)

 

The Hobbit

by J.R.R. Tolkien (audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis)

There’s something about autumn that draws me to Tolkien’s work. When the air grows crisp, the seasonal mood seems to call for cozy hobbit holes and elven hospitality. So this last fall, I decided to introduce my oldest son to The Hobbit.

As I drove him to school each day, we listened to the latest audiobook version as read by Andy Serkis. It turns out that Serkis can do more than hop around in a motion-capture suit. He has the best reading voice–or should I say voices. He held nothing back when he stepped up to the mic, and he brought each character to life, giving them their own accent and personality. (And of course, my son got to hear Serkis’s iconic Gollum.) So from now on, I will always associate The Hobbit with Serkis’s voice.

As my son and I listened to Bilbo’s story on our daily drive through a countryside aflame with autumn, the passing forests and hills fit in just right with Tolkien’s descriptions of the Shire and Rivendell. These audiobook sessions turned into something more than simply taking in a good story. They became a long memorable drive with my son.

And how can something like that not make it into my top 5?

 

Enemy of God and Excalibur 

by Bernard Cornwell

(I know I might be cheating here a little by having two books count as one. But since they’re a part of the same trilogy–The Warlord Chronicles–I think I can get away with sticking them together.)

I stumbled upon the trilogy’s first book–The Winter King–last year at a library book sale. Everything the library didn’t want had been laid out on tables. For a dollar, I was allowed to take as many books as I could stuff inside a bag. As you can imagine, most of the selection wasn’t great–the kind of cheap material you’d find at garage sales.

For some reason, the cover of The Winter King drew my attention, and I decided to put it in my bag. I’m glad I did since it turned out to be a diamond in the rough.

The trilogy is a retelling of the King Arthur legend, not as fantasy but as historical fiction. The events are narrated by Derfel, a soldier who had once fought under Arthur’s banner but who is now an old priest recounting his glory days. His story takes place in Britain during the Dark Ages, long after the Roman Empire has pulled back from the island. Feudalism now controls the land, and might makes right.

Riding into this landscape of ruthlessness and violence comes Arthur. Of all the warlords, he is the noblest. And though he is not without his flaws, he seeks the good of the people, fighting to unite the clans against a foreign enemy. Meanwhile, Merlin, an eccentric druid, seeks to restore Britain’s soul and bring back the Old Ways.

Bernard Cornwell’s knowledge of history shines as he paints the Dark Ages in vivid detail. During the battles, for example, I felt I was right there in the thick of the clashing shields and bloodletting. And while the author makes the world so real, he also flirts with the possibility of magic. Not so much as to make this a fantasy but in a way that had me asking, “Is something mystical at work here, or is this just a coincidence?” Cornwell wisely leaves the question unanswered.

The Warlord Chronicles masterfully blurs the line between legend and history, making Arthur’s charges across Britain both plausible and epic.

 

Educated 

by Tara Westover

One of these things is not like the others…

So far my list has been all swords and medieval peril. So why include a modern woman’s memoir?

Because it’s good.

Educated is the true story of Tara Westover, a young woman who grew up in the mountains of rural Idaho to a family of Mormon survivalists. Tara’s father taught her to distrust the government and to prepare for the end of days. So she and her brothers and sisters canned peaches and stockpiled weapons. Living off the grid meant little exposure to the outside world, no hospital visits for injuries, and no formal education.

Given these conditions, Tara was bound to become an ignorant woman, subservient to her father and abusive brother. But she flees from that fate and seeks an education outside her survivalist world. Going to college, she starts at the very bottom–as in learning about the Holocaust for the first time and learning the importance of washing your hands after using the bathroom. Despite her backward upbringing she goes on to do the unbelievable: excel in her schooling and earn her Ph.D.

While this is an incredible accomplishment, the complex layers to Tara’s story make it a bittersweet victory. By seeking an education, she went after the very thing her father stood against. And so she is forever torn between two powerful forces: maintaining loyalty to her family or striving for her full potential. Neither side will give way to the other.

Although my reason for picking up this audiobook was shallow–I thought the cover art looked clever–my experience with it turned out to be very deep. The story brought out all my emotions. Sometimes the injustices Tara suffered made me so mad, I’d go to my wife, saying, “You won’t believe what I just read…!”

So if you’re looking for a memoir that will wrench your guts, then I highly recommend Educated.

 

The Warden and the Wolf King

by Andrew Peterson

This last year, I read the four books of The Wingfeather Saga to my eldest son before bedtime. Yes, these are kid’s books. Yes, they’re on an adult’s (my) top five.

Let me explain…

The series tells the story of Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli Igiby who have an almost pleasant life with their mother and ex-pirate grandfather in their cottage by the sea. What makes life unpleasant is the tyrannical rule of Gnag the Nameless and his legions of lizard men, the Fangs of Dang. The three siblings grow up learning to keep their heads down so as not to invoke the venomous wrath of the Fangs. When the three children learn of the secrets of their past and how Gnag is hunting for them, they flee from their home and journey through perilous lands crawling with terrible creatures such as bomnubbles and the toothy cows of Skree.

The first two books are not the strongest of the series. Andrew Peterson’s wit and humorous footnotes had me chuckling. But the flow of action in these books started to grow repetitive.

Life is cozy. But here comes overwhelming danger. But here’s a narrow escape. Now let’s all take a nap. Rinse and repeat.

The last two books, however, break from the cycle and move with a greater sense of purpose. Peterson cuts back on his humor (yet maintains the series’ whimsy) and focuses on poignant themes, such as where (or in who) we find our identity and how we treat those on the margins. There are moments that illustrate these life lessons so profoundly, they got me choked up. (I can only hope my son picked up on the deep truths shared.)

One of the main reason’s why I like the final book–The Warden and the Wolf King–so much is that Peterson has crafted one of the best final showdowns between good and evil I have come across. It’s tragic and yet cathartic. And when I turned the last page and closed the book, I let out a deep sigh of arrival.

 

What did you read this year? What are your top five novels of 2020?

Share in the comments below.