Winter is upon us, at least where I live in Vermont. With snow on the ground, it’s time to curl up with a blanket, a warm drink, and my stack to read. The list of books I wanted to read this year has become quite long, but I can recommend two.
The first is Tamsyn Muir’s debut “Gideon the Ninth,” a science-fantasy story with swords, lesbian necromancers, and palace intrigues. The Emperor has invited all the noble houses to compete for a deadly trial, and Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House, has selected Gideon as her Swordwoman. The two hate each other violently, but they have to rely on each other to survive.
The second is Cixin Lius Supernova Ea. Liu is best known for the epic novels “The Three-Body Problem”, “The Dark Forest” and “The End of Death”, in which Chinese science-fiction is on the map for US readers. In this novel, in which the adult population of Earth is wiped out after the radiation of a supernova has passed, it is about the young survivors working to rebuild human civilization. Like Lius’ other novels, it’s an ambitious, entertaining read that reminds me a lot of the classic eras of science fiction.
Here are 10 new sci-fi and fantasy books to be published in the bookstores this December. And if you’ve missed it, here’s a list of the November titles that you absolutely must read.
3rd of December
HarperCollins
Someone by Charles Soule
Charles Soule is best known for comic works like Star Wars, Daredevil, She-Hulk, but also for prose. His second novel, Anyone, is about to develop a new technology in the near future that will allow people to transfer their consciousness to other bodies. The technology is revolutionary and has a significant impact on society. Publishers Weekly says “current concerns about technology, privacy and anonymity are being projected into a dystopian but plausible future” and that “Soule’s unpleasant vision of the future will appeal to readers of the latest speculative fiction.”
Read an excerpt.
Orbit Books
In Blood of Empire, Brian McClellan ends his Trilogy of the Gods of Blood and Powder (Sins of Empire, Wrath of Empire). In another world, the border nation of Fatrasta faced an uprising attempted by Michel Bravis and war hero Ben Styke. Ultimately, the capital landfall was occupied by the dynasty. Now, Bravis must try to defeat her enemies’ plans by sowing dissatisfaction among the dynasty, and while Styke’s own plans for a military strike go astray, Lady Vlora Flint marches on landfall with her own strength and hopes to catch up to avenge those who have removed power.
Read an excerpt.
Del Rey
The latest novel by Space Opera author Catherynne Valente plays in the world of Minecraft. Endermen Fin and Mo have lived in the Land of the End, as long as they can remember, and their lives are upset when strangers arrive: humans. As they start plundering their land for treasure, the two must work to protect their homes to find that they are not as well prepared for the task as they need to be.
FSG
With books like Annihilation and Borne, Jeff VanderMeer has written some of the most fascinating novels in speculative fiction. His latest film Dead Astronauts plays in the same world as Borne, which was destroyed by a mysterious biotech company. The story is about three astronauts, Chen, Moss and Grayson navigating this strange world, one filled with weird biotechnology, talking ducks and foxes reading minds.
Kirkus Reviews rated the book with a star and said that Dead Astronauts could be “his best book yet”.
Read an excerpt.
Orbit Books
The second installment in KB In Wager’s The Farian War trilogy (which plays in the same world as the Indranan War trilogy), Empress Hail Bristol explores the consequences of an attack that killed many of her friends and subjects. She herself was captured by an alien civilization known as Shen, and as she tries to escape, she realizes the war is worsening between Shen and Farians, and she needs to figure out which side she needs to support in order to save all humanity.
Gate books
Richard Baker continues his military sci-fi series Breakers of Empire with Scornful Stars. In Valiant Dust, Baker introduced readers to Sikander Singh North, a crew member aboard the CSS Hector ship of the Commonwealth of Aquilan, which had to prove its value when it came to a planetary uprising in Restless Lightning, a remote outpost to which he referred had to smuggle an alien ambassador. In this latest adventure, North was promoted to captain commanding destroyer Decisive. He and his ship have to eliminate pirates as two galactic empires try to lure an influential ruler into an alliance. This task is becoming more complicated by the day.
Read an excerpt
DAW Books
Nicholas Withybeck spent his entire childhood at Locksley Abbey in Nottingham, England after he was orphaned. He now devotes himself to beautifying the abbey’s manuscripts and adds drawings of the strange creatures he sees in the woods and fields nearby. As he explores a crypt beneath the abbey, he finds the remains of a Roman altar and a cup of pictures of Elena, a Celtic goddess. The cup illuminates the hidden world around him and releases the magic in his blood. When the Fairy Queen Mab hijacks a friend’s lover, it’s up to Nicholas to travel to the fairy world to get it back. Publishers Weekly says the book is “a story that will appeal to lovers of mythology and folklore”.
Read an excerpt.
December 17th
Gallery books
Dave Galanter opens a new adventure for the USS Discovery in this latest addition to the CBS All Access series. In Dead Endless, the ship and crew use their spore-based engine to respond to an emergency call from the mycelium network. They discover a human male, but once they arrive, they are trapped, unless they can replenish their fuel. They need to find out if the man they’ve discovered is really human or if he’s a cheat trapperging the ship.
30th of December
Underground press
Best of Uncanny edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas
Lynne M. and the Uncanny Magazine by Michael Damian Thomas were launched in 2014 with a Kickstarter and have become one of the most respected short-form publications in the genre. For their stories, they have been awarded numerous prizes and nominations. The couple is expected to release an anthology that collects the magazine’s best stories. It contains a powerhouse of fantastic authors, including Hao Jingfang, Naomi Novik, Charlie Jane Anders and E. Lily Yu, N.K. Jemisin, Elizabeth Bear, Arkady Martine, JY Yang, Fran Wild and many others.
Gate books
Splintegrate by Deborah Terami’s Christian
In 1996, Deborah Terami’s Christian published her debut novel Mainline, a sci-fi adventure in which an assassin sees various alternative visions of the future. More than two decades later, Christian has returned for an independent sequel: Splintergate. In this story, Kes is a professional dominatrix who has become a major attraction on the planet Lyndir. It is pressured by the imperial authorities to eliminate a prominent cartel boss, and is imprisoned and changed against their will. She is forced to fight back to regain her freedom and independence.
Read an excerpt.
