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Fantasy and Science Fiction August 2023 |
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| The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-GiwaWhat it's about: Aspiring tea merchant Enitan Ijebu must put her plans on hold when her sibling is kidnapped, her lover is assassinated, and she's sent to the capital of the Vaalbaran Empire as a hostage and spy.
Why you might like it: This "breathtaking space opera debut" (Publishers Weekly) boasts a compelling lead, a diverse cast, and lots of political intrigue.
For fans of: Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire. |
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| Immortal Longings by Chloe GongWhat it's about: As they compete in a tournament based on body jumping, the destinies of princess-in-hiding Calla Tuoleimi, exiled nobleman Anton Makusa, and Crown Prince August Shenzhi intertwine.
Series alert: Inspired by Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, this bloodsoaked Battle Royale-themed fantasy by the author of the Secret Shanghai novels kicks off the Flesh and False Gods series.
For fans of: speculative Shakespeare retellings such as Emery Robin's The Stars Undying, or the high-stakes competitions of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games books. |
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| The Jasad Heir by Sara HashemWhat it's about: Having spent half of her young life in hiding, Sylvia (née Essiya), the exiled queen of Jasad, must now avenge her family and secure her freedom by competing to become the Nizahl Champion in the Alcahal, a series of three trials.
For fans of: the strong female characters and political intrigue of Saara El-Arifi's The Ending Fire trilogy, C.L. Clark's Magic of the Lost series, or Tasha Suri's The Burning Kingdom series. |
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| Emergent Properties by Aimee OgdenWhat happens: AI reporter Scorn awakens to discover that ze has a ten-day gap in zir memory, forcing zem to reconstruct the sequence of events ze was investigating.
Why you might like it: This noir-inflected novella by the author of Sun Daughters, Sea Daughters offers a sardonic lead and an intricately plotted mystery.
You might also like: Yume Kitasei's The Deep Sky, Mur Lafferty's Six Wakes, or Victor Manibo's The Sleepless. |
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| The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero LacruzWelcome to... Venazia, the ancestral home of the antlered valcos and tailed nozariels, who were once enslaved and remain oppressed by their human colonizers.
Where you'll meet: part-nozariel servant Reina Duvianos and half-valco geomancer Eva Kesaré, young women from different worlds whose paths cross as others seek to use them to harness the power of a god.
Why you might like it: This "spellbinding sapphic epic fantasy" (Publishers Weekly), the 1st book in the Warring Gods series, draws inspiration from Latin American history and folklore. |
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| Nophek Gloss by Essa HansenWhat happens: After his planet is destroyed, vengeance-obsessed teen Caiden finds sanctuary aboard a sentient spaceship and learns about the multiverse from its crew of human and xenid (alien) passengers.
What does the title mean? In the world of the Graven series, "nophek gloss" is a valuable animal-derived substance that powers spaceships.
For fans of: the sentient ships of Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy, the found families of Becky Chambers' Wayfarers series, the motley crew of TV's Firefly, and the expansive world-building of Mass Effect. |
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| The Library of the Dead by T.L. HuchuWelcome to: contemporary Edinburgh, where a sinister someone or something is sucking the souls out of the city’s children.
I see dead people: Ropa, a cynical high school dropout who works as a “ghostalker” conveying messages from the dead to the living, agrees to explore the city’s underground in search of the evil entity.
Reviewers say: “Expertly blending elements of Zimbabwean and Scottish culture, Huchu’s occult thriller is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking” (Publishers Weekly). |
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| She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-ChanMeet: Zhu Chongba, the family's 8th-born, destined for greatness in Mongol-ruled 14th-century China; and his nameless sister, fated to become nothing.
Twist! After her brother’s untimely death, the young woman boldly claims his identity and fate for herself, joining a monastery and subsequently the rebel army.
Series alert: She Who Became the Sun is the 1st book in the Radiant Emperor duology, which concludes with He Who Drowned the World. |
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| To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher PaoliniWhat it's about: During a survey mission to the moon Adrasteia, xenobiologist Kira Navárez uncovers an alien artifact with the power to alter the future of humanity.
Series alert: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars marks the opening installment of the Fractalverse series; while you wait for book 2, check out Fractal Noise, a prequel set in the same world.
For fans of: Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space novels, Adrian Tchaikovsky's The Final Architecture series. |
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| The Sin in the Steel by Ryan Van LoanWhat happens: To avoid execution, teenage street urchin Buc, a brilliant detective, and her partner Eld, an embittered veteran, must investigate the disappearance of ships belonging to the powerful Kanados Trading Company.
Why you might like it: A pair of antiheroes face off against pirates, zombies, and shapeshifting mages in this action-packed 1st book in the Fall of the Gods series, which continues with The Justice in Revenge and The Memory in the Blood. |
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