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15 great fantasy and science fiction books from 2020 you may have missed

By Daniel Roman

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 20: Joe Abercrombie attends the 2012 Orion Authors' Party at the Natural History Museum at the Natural History Museum on February 20, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Orion Books)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 20: Joe Abercrombie attends the 2012 Orion Authors' Party at the Natural History Museum at the Natural History Museum on February 20, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Orion Books) /
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11. The Chimera Code by Wayne Santos

Switching things up a bit, let’s step into the realm of cyberpunk. The Chimera Code by Wayne Santos is a thriller set in the 22nd century, when global power has shifted away from the U.S. after World War III altered the geopolitical landscape. Brazil is the new center of a much more inter-connected world — one with cybernetic enhancements, fascinating technology, and magic.

Yup, magic. The Chimera Code combines both the tech side of cyberpunk stories with magical elements that you might not normally see in a story in this genre. Into this excellently set-up world comes a group of mercenaries tasked with a dangerous mission, a Chimera Team led by a mercenary named Cloke.

"Everything’s for hire – even magic. If you need something done, Cloke’s one of the best; a mercenary with some unusual talents and an attitude to match. But when she’s hired by a virtual construct to destroy the other copies of himself, and the down payment is a new magical skill, she knows this job is going to be a league harder than anything she’s ever done."

The found family is strong in this one, as Cloke takes her team on one daring outing after another. The Chimera Code also gets points for its portrayal of Zee, a non-binary hacker. This is a fun, snappy book, and the first in Santos’ Witchware series.

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