http://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2496-36-cozy-and-feel-good-fantasy-and-sci-fi-books

36 Cozy and Feel-Good Fantasy and Sci-Fi Books

Posted by Sharon on November 28, 2022

Here at Goodreads World Headquarters, we’re always on alert for any shifts in readerly attention that we can spot. Recently we’ve noticed a distinct gravitation toward cozy and feel-good science fiction and fantasy stories.

Similar to the popular cozy mystery genre, cozy SFF is a kind of unofficial designation for speculative fiction books that skip the heavy themes and the grimdark stuff—gore, violence, despair, Red Weddings, that sort of thing. The boundary lines of cozy SFF can get pretty squishy, but we’ve collected here a list of likely suspects that can point curious readers in the proper direction.

Thematic elements might include found family stories in a magical setting, or the gang-of-lovable-misfits template crossed with space opera, or even actual cozy mysteries of the set-in-space variety. Slice-of-life tales where the stakes are less “the universe’s fate is in your hands” and more “whoops, you’ve inherited a dragon,” and kindhearted protagonists confused by their sudden immersion in treacherous situations or forbidden magic also abound. As a general rule, looking for keywords like “enchanting,” heartwarming,” or “lovely” in reader reviews will not lead you astray in your quest for a cozy SFF title.

Most of the books listed here are relatively recent, published in the past five years or so, but we’ve also stitched in some old favorites and genre classics. Scroll over the book cover images below for more details, and add anything interesting to your Want to Read shelf.