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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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3. The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood

"What if you knew how and when you will die? Csorwe does—she will climb the mountain, enter the Shrine of the Unspoken, and gain the most honored title: sacrifice. But on the day of her foretold death, a powerful mage offers her a new fate. Leave with him, and live. Turn away from her destiny and her god to become a thief, a spy, an assassin—the wizard’s loyal sword. Topple an empire, and help him reclaim his seat of power. But Csorwe will soon learn—gods remember, and if you live long enough, all debts come due."

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood was one of the breakout fantasy releases of 2020. The story follows Csorwe, an orc priestess who was fated to be sacrificed to the gods…only to escape at the last minute with the help of a mysterious wizard.

Larkwood has talked about how Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Tombs of Atuan was a huge influence on this book. Like Tombs, The Unspoken Name sees the hero escaping from a dark cult with a wizard…except unlike Ged, this wizard is very morally dubious and has designs on his new charge that are not at first clear. Grappling with the new life she never expected to have, Csorwe has to make peace with herself and her place in the multiverse.

Yes, I said multiverse. This is a world-hopping story with tons of cool creatures and original fantasy races. Expect the unexpected.

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