Fantasy and Science Fiction
November 2025

Recent Releases
Lessons in Magic and Disaster
by Charlie Jane Anders

Jamie is a young witch worried about her mother Serena: after the passing of her wife, Serena has holed herself up in a one-room schoolhouse. Jamie decides to teach her mother magic as a way to help move past her grief, but the unexpected results of Serena's magic will force them both to confront uncomfortable truths. For fans of: queer witchy fantasy with thoughtful and character-driven stories such as The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields. 
The Society of Unknowable Objects
by Gareth Brown

Within the hidden corners of London lies a secret society tasked with finding and protecting hidden magical objects. When the first new object in decades emerges in Hong Kong, the newest member, Magda Sparks, must not only go and recover it, but investigate the possibility that a member has leaked the society's existence to an outsider. Gareth Brown's latest standalone contemporary fantasy will delight fans of fast-paced action, rich atmospheric detail, and plucky heroines.
Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovitch
Stone and Sky
by Ben Aaronovitch

The tenth novel of the bestselling Rivers of London urban fantasy series returns to the adventures of Peter Grant, detective and apprentice wizard, as he solves magical crimes -- this time, while on a holiday in Scotland
What We Can Know
by Ian McEwan

In 2119, the world is in ruins from nuclear war and climate change. Scholar Thomas Metcalfe searches for a lost love poem from 2014, written for the poet's beloved wife. The search sends Thomas on a journey of love and artistic legacy. Ian McEwan's latest after Lessons "offers up a heady, intellectual tale that takes a searing look at how history is created -- and distorted" (Booklist). 
The Lady, the Tiger and the Girl Who Loved Death by Helen Marshall
The Lady, the Tiger and the Girl Who Loved Death
by Helen Marshall

Irenda grows up in a war-torn land where survival demands obedience. When a brutal attack claims her parents, she flees to Hrana City, where her grandmother offers to teach her a forbidden secret: how to tame death itself. In a traveling circus -- among magicians, strongmen, and contortionists -- Irenda begins a dangerous path toward a decades-old revenge, determined to bring justice to her family and to the world.
A Mother's Guide to the Apocalypse
by Hollie Overton

English mother of three Olivia becomes obsessed with doomsday prepping until one day, she disappears. Twenty years later, Olivia's grown daughters uncover a guide their mother left behind and travel to the United States (now ravaged by climate disasters and militia takeovers) to get answers. For fans of: intricately plotted apocalyptic science fiction with unique perspectives on motherhood such as Without Saying Goodbye by Laura Jarratt. 
Katabasis 
by R. F. Kuang

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality: her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world. That is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault. Grimes is now in Hell, and she s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams
The Shattering Peace
by John Scalzi

John Scalzi returns to the Old Man's War series with this latest installation. After a decade of peace reigning throughout space, a new force of intelligent creatures enters the fray, threatening civil war. Now, mid-level diplomat Gretchen Trujillo is caught in the middle during a secret summit representing every known faction. Fans will devour this "[c]lassic Scalzi space opera at its wisecracking, politically pointed, and, somehow, fiercely optimistic finest" (Kirkus).
Harmattan Season by Tochi Onyebuchi
Harmattan Season
by Tochi Onyebuchi

Veteran and private eye Boubacar doesn’t need much -- least of all trouble -- but trouble always seems to find him. Work has dried up, and he’d rather be left alone to deal with his bills as the Harmattan rolls in to coat the city in dust, but Bouba is a down on his luck deux fois, suspended between two cultures and two worlds. When a bleeding woman stumbles onto his doorway, only to vanish just as quickly, Bouba reluctantly finds himself enmeshed in the secrets of a city boiling on the brink of violence. As each hardwon clue reveals horrifying new truths, Bouba may have to carve out parts of himself he’s long kept hidden, and decide what he’s willing to offer next.
House of Frost and Feathers: A Folkloric Fantasy by Lauren Wiesebron
House of Frost and Feathers
by Lauren Wiesebron

Marisha's time is running out. She's already lost her family to the sleeping plague, and she fears she'll be next. Penniless and desperate for protection, Marisha is forced to accept a job as apprentice to the notorious koldunya, the sorceress Baba Zima. But Baba Zima is renowned for being both clever and cruel. And most difficult of all is her current apprentice Olena, who wants nothing to do with Marisha. Despite her fears and Olena's cold demeanor, Marisha finds herself drawn into the magical world of koldunry and delves further into Olena's research--a cure for the sleeping plague.
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