BookRank

Best of the year

Best books of 2002

62 highest-rated books first published in 2002.

← 20012003 →

Why Night Watch is #1

Night Watch (Terry Pratchett) scores 8.8/10 from 634 ratings — 0.4 points ahead of House of Chains in second place.

The score is a weighted average across 3 independent rating sources. A title with few ratings is pulled toward the category average, so a handful of enthusiastic reviews cannot outrank a book that thousands of readers have judged. Method →

  1. Night Watch
    Night WatchTerry Pratchett · 2002 Fantasy634 ratings
    8.88.8 / 10
  2. House of Chains
    House of ChainsSteven Erikson · 2002 Fantasy475 ratings
    8.48.4 / 10
  3. Stories of Your Life and Others
    Stories of Your Life and OthersTed Chiang · 2002 Science fiction1.2K ratings
    8.48.4 / 10
  4. Coraline
    CoralineNeil Gaiman · 2002Filmed 2009 Fantasy1.8K ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  5. Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science
    Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect ScienceAtul Gawande · 2002 Biography & memoir72 ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  6. Lady Knight
    Lady KnightTamora Pierce · 2002 Fantasy119 ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  7. Summer Knight
    Summer KnightJim Butcher · 2002 Fantasy1.1K ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  8. Middlesex
    MiddlesexJeffrey Eugenides · 2002 Contemporary fiction628 ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  9. The Blank Slate
    The Blank SlateSteven Pinker · 2002 Psychology82 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  10. Redemption Ark
    Redemption ArkAlastair Reynolds · 2002 Science fiction267 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  11. Lost in a Good Book
    Lost in a Good BookJasper Fforde · 2002 Fantasy211 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  12. The Scar
    The ScarChina Miéville · 2002 Fantasy257 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  13. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
    Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are HighKerry Patterson · 2002 Business209 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  14. The Novice
    The NoviceTrudi Canavan · 2002 Fantasy308 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  15. Talon of the Silver Hawk
    Talon of the Silver HawkRaymond E. Feist · 2002 Fantasy117 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  16. Altered Carbon
    Altered CarbonRichard K. Morgan · 2002 Science fiction1K ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  17. Diplomatic Immunity
    Diplomatic ImmunityLois McMaster Bujold · 2002 Science fiction133 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  18. Cold Fire
    Cold FireTamora Pierce · 2002 Fantasy68 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  19. I Am the Messenger
    I Am the MessengerMarkus Zusak · 2002 Young adult310 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  20. Abarat
    AbaratClive Barker · 2002 Fantasy84 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  21. The Ultimates
    The UltimatesMark Millar · 2002 Fantasy55 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  22. The Frog Princess
    The Frog PrincessE. D. Baker · 2002 Children’s books71 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  23. Blood Follows
    Blood FollowsSteven Erikson · 2002 Fantasy56 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  24. City of Bones
    City of BonesMichael Connelly · 2002 Crime & mystery134 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  25. The Thousand Orcs
    The Thousand OrcsR. A. Salvatore · 2002 Fantasy90 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  26. Morgawr
    MorgawrTerry Brooks · 2002 Fantasy65 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  27. The Apprentice
    The ApprenticeTess Gerritsen · 2002 Crime & mystery115 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  28. Without Fail
    Without FailLee Child · 2002 Thriller313 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  29. The Salmon of Doubt
    The Salmon of DoubtDouglas Adams · 2002 Science fiction202 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  30. A Caress of Twilight
    A Caress of TwilightLaurell K. Hamilton · 2002 Fantasy74 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  31. The Merchant of Death
    The Merchant of DeathD. J. MacHale · 2002 Science fiction182 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  32. Schild's Ladder
    Schild's LadderGreg Egan · 2002 Science fiction53 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  33. The Secret Life of Bees
    The Secret Life of BeesSue Monk Kidd · 2002 Contemporary fiction610 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  34. Everything Is Illuminated
    Everything Is IlluminatedJonathan Safran Foer · 2002 Contemporary fiction303 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  35. Gone for Good
    Gone for GoodHarlan Coben · 2002Filmed 2021 Crime & mystery88 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  36. 2nd Chance
    2nd ChanceJames Patterson · 2002 Crime & mystery117 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  37. The Shelters of Stone
    The Shelters of StoneJean M. Auel · 2002 Historical fiction76 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  38. Nemesis
    NemesisJo Nesbø · 2002 Crime & mystery139 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  39. Skeleton Key
    Skeleton KeyAnthony Horowitz · 2002 Thriller204 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  40. Kisscut
    KisscutKarin Slaughter · 2002 Thriller100 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  41. Hard Eight
    Hard EightJanet Evanovich · 2002 Crime & mystery110 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  42. Hominids
    HominidsRobert J. Sawyer · 2002 Science fiction102 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  43. All American Girl
    All American GirlMeg Cabot · 2002 Humour91 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  44. Four Blind Mice
    Four Blind MiceJames Patterson · 2002 Crime & mystery59 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  45. The Stone Monkey
    The Stone MonkeyJeffery Deaver · 2002 Crime & mystery51 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  46. The Years of Rice and Salt
    The Years of Rice and SaltKim Stanley Robinson · 2002 Science fiction108 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  47. Hornet Flight
    Hornet FlightKen Follett · 2002 Thriller51 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  48. Shadow Puppets
    Shadow PuppetsOrson Scott Card · 2002 Science fiction331 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  49. Hoot
    HootCarl Hiaasen · 2002 Crime & mystery106 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  50. Dune: The Butlerian Jihad
    Dune: The Butlerian JihadKevin J. Anderson · 2002 Science fiction155 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  51. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror
    The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of TerrorRobert Louis Stevenson · 2002 Science fiction1.4K ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  52. Feed
    FeedM. T. Anderson · 2002 Science fiction189 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  53. Living Dead in Dallas
    Living Dead in DallasCharlaine Harris · 2002 Fantasy414 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  54. Prey
    PreyMichael Crichton · 2002NYT bestseller Science fiction547 ratings
    7.47.4 / 10
  55. Nights in Rodanthe
    Nights in RodantheNicholas Sparks · 2002 Romance60 ratings
    7.47.4 / 10
  56. Blackwood Farm
    Blackwood FarmAnne Rice · 2002 Horror74 ratings
    7.37.3 / 10
  57. Tithe
    TitheHolly Black · 2002 Fantasy224 ratings
    7.37.3 / 10
  58. Lullaby
    LullabyChuck Palahniuk · 2002 Horror285 ratings
    7.37.3 / 10
  59. Red Rabbit
    Red RabbitTom Clancy · 2002 Thriller116 ratings
    7.27.2 / 10
  60. The Summons
    The SummonsJohn Grisham · 2002 Thriller104 ratings
    7.27.2 / 10
  61. Misspent Youth
    Misspent YouthPeter F. Hamilton · 2002 Science fiction64 ratings
    7.27.2 / 10
  62. From a Buick 8
    From a Buick 8Stephen King · 2002 Horror216 ratings
    7.17.1 / 10

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