Popular novels reviewed here in 2018

The 50 popular novels reviewed on this site so far in 2018 include science fiction, historical fiction, comic novels, and others. They do NOT include mysteries and thrillers, which I’ll cover in another post. Within each category, these titles are arranged in alphabetical order by the authors’ last names. Each is linked to my review.

31 science fiction novels reviewed here in 2018

The following books include only science fiction. I don’t read fantasy.

Company Town by Madeline Ashby—An imaginative look at a corporate future in a strange sci-fi novel

On a Red Station, Drifting (Xuya Universe #2) by Aliette de Bodard—In this remarkable sci-fi novella, we enter a disorienting future reality

Ethan of Athos (Vorkosigan Saga #7) by Lois McMaster Bujold—Crisis on a planet inhabited only by men

Brothers in Arms (Vorkosigan Saga #8) by Lois McMaster Bujold—An interstellar adventure story in the award-winning Vorkosigan Saga

Mirror Dance (Vorkosigan Saga #9) by Lois McMaster Bujold—Character development shines in this superb Vorkosigan Saga novel

Memory (Vorkosigan Saga #10) by Lois McMaster Bujold—A science fiction saga that’s endlessly entertaining

Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill—A science fiction novel set after the war between robots and humans

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers—A delightful modern space opera that’s all about character development

A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers #2) by Becky Chambers—Lovable characters in this off-beat space opera

Record of a Spaceborn Few (Wayfarers #3) by Becky Chambers—A brilliant invented universe in an unusually good new science fiction novel

The Forever War (Forever War Trilogy #1) by Joe Haldeman—This classic science fiction war novel won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards

Project HALFSHEEP: Or How the CIA’s Alien Got High by Susan Hasler—The CIA, LSD, and a drug-addled alien from the planet Utorb

An Excess Male by Maggie Shen King—A great science fiction novel set in a future totalitarian China

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty—A locked-room sci-fi mystery on an interstellar spaceship

The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States: A Novel by Jeffrey Lewis Ph.D.— When North Korean nukes fell on the United States

Noumenon by Marina J. Lostetter—A visionary science fiction novel with hard science at its core

Legend (Legend Trilogy #1) by Marie Lu—Far-future teens battling for survival in dystopia

Nexus (Nexus Trilogy #1) by Ramez Naam—The post-human future explored in an outstanding SF novel

Crux (Nexus Trilogy #2) by Ramez Naam—Not a single dull page in this science-based sci-fi thriller

Apex (Nexus Trilogy #3) by Ramez Naam—In a brilliant sci-fi trilogy, a new post-human species emerges

Before Mars (Planetfall #3) by Emma Newman—A psychological thriller in a science fiction setting

Infomocracy (Centenal Cycle #1) by Malka Older—Does the future of democracy look like this?

Nigerians in Space by Deji Bryce Olukotun—Nigerians in space? Fiction is stranger than reality

Wired (Wired #1 of 2) by Douglas E. Richards—A bestselling science fiction novel that doesn’t measure up

Dead on Arrival by Matt Richtel—Neurology meets high-tech in this gripping science fiction novel

New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson—A grim but hopeful view of New York underwater in 2140

Lock In: A Novel of the Near Future by John Scalzi—John Scalzi’s near future sci-fi novel set after a strange pandemic

Across a Billion Years by Robert Silverberg—A science fiction master imagines a uniquely advanced alien civilization

Bannerless (Bannerless Saga #1) by Carrie Vaughn—In an SF novel of life after the Fall, population control is the key to survival

All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells—A reminder that technology doesn’t always work well in the future, either

Axis (Spin Trilogy #2) by Robert Charles Wilson—In this sci-fi novel, God is a networked intelligence scattered through the galaxy

10 historical novels reviewed here in 2018

The Judge Hunter by Christopher Buckley—A picaresque adventure in Colonial New England and New Amsterdam

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan—Jennifer Egan’s bestselling historical novel is a winner

The Gods of Gotham (Timothy Wilde #1) by Lyndsay Faye—The first cops in old New York star in a thrilling historical novel

Munich by Robert Harris—Robert Harris explains why Neville Chamberlain went to Munich

Affections by Rodrigo Hasbún—A vivid family drama set against the backdrop of Che Guevara’s revolution

A Conspiracy of Paper (Benjamin Weaver #1) by David Liss—Financial skullduggery in 18th century England in this historical thriller

The Last Watchman of Old Cairo by Michael David Lukas—In Cairo, a perfect Torah scroll, without flaw or innovation

A Kind of Freedom by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton—A powerful family drama about living with Jim Crow and the War on Drugs

Golden Hill: A Novel of Old New York by Francis Spufford—7,000 people lived in Old New York in this charming historical novel

The Wages of Sin by Kaite Walsh—A Victorian-era murder mystery set in Edinburgh

5 comic novels reviewed here in 2018

Wet Work by Christopher Buckley—A curious novel from Christopher Buckley about the cocaine trade

Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick DeWitt—The strangest tale I’ve read in years

Groucho Marx Master Detective (Groucho Marx Mysteries #1) by Ron Goulart—Sherlock Holmes, meet Groucho Marx, Master Detective

Squirm by Carl Hiaasen—A new young adult novel from Carl Hiaasen that celebrates nature

My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella—“Chick lit?” Wickipedia thinks so. But oh, so funny!

4 other trade novels reviewed here in 2018

Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy #1) by Kevin Kwan—Ever wonder how much damage a lot of money can do?

There There by Tommy Orange—A bestselling new novel casts a bright light on urban Indian life

Lake Success by Gary Shteyngart—Spoiler alert: Gary Shteyngart’s latest novel isn’t hilarious

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan—Sufferin’ succotash! It’s the ghost of Tom Pynchon come back to haunt us

To access reviews of my favorite authors, check this out.

You might also care to take a look at Top 7 great popular novels reviewed on this site.