There’s so much to look forward to in our speculative fiction future. Here are some of the fantasy books we’re most excited about and/or are currently consuming…
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Best New Fantasy Books in September 2019
The Mythic Dream
Type: AnthologyPublisher: Saga PressRelease date: 9/3/19
Read The Mythic Dream
The Nightjar by Deborah Hewitt
Type: NovelPublisher: Tor BooksRelease date: 9/3/19
Read The Nightjar by Deborah Hewitt
The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire
Type: Thirteenth novel in October Daye seriesPublisher: DAWRelease date: 9/3/19
Read The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Type: NovelPublisher: Tor.comRelease date: 9/10/19
Read Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
A Choir of Lies by Alexandra Rowland
Type: Sequel to A Conspiracy of TruthsPublisher: Saga PressRelease date: 9/10/19
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Read A Choir of Lies by Alexandra Rowland
Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
Type: Sequel to Carry OnPublisher: St. Martin’s PressRelease date: 9/24/19
Read Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
Best New Fantasy Books in August 2019
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
Type: First book in trilogyPublisher: Harper VoyagerRelease date: 8/6/19
Read The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
Blood of An Exile by Brian Naslund
Type: First in a seriesPublisher: Tor BooksRelease date: 8/6/19
Read our full review of Blood of an Exile
Read Blood of an Exile by Brian Naslund
Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan
Type: Set in Memoirs of Lady Trent seriesPublisher: Tor BooksRelease date: 8/20/19
Read Turning Lightness Into Dark by Marie Brennan
Best New Fantasy Books in July 2019
Dragonslayer by Duncan M. Hamilton
Type: First book in trilogyPublisher: Tor BooksRelease date: 7/2/19
Read our interview with Dragonslayer author Duncan M. Hamilton.
An Evolution of Dragon Stories: Checking in With Dragonslayer.
Dragonslayer is now available to purchase.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal el-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
Type: NovellaPublisher: SagaRelease date: 7/16/19
How This Is How You Lose the Time War Solves the Time Traveler’s Wife Problem
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Read This Is How You Lose the Time War
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Type: NovelPublisher: Del ReyRelease date: 7/23/19
Read Gods of Jade and Shadow
Best New Fantasy Books in June 2019
Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey
Type: NovelPublisher: Tor BooksRelease date: 6/4/19
Read Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey
Read more about Magic for Liars here.
Unraveling by Karen Lord
Type: Standalone NovelPublisher: DAWRelease date: 6/4/19
Read Unraveling by Karen Lord
The Fire Opal Mechanism by Fran Wilde
Type: Second novella in the Jewel SeriesPublisher: Tor.comRelease date: 6/4/19
Read The Fire Opal Mechanism by Fran Wilde
Spine of the Dragon by Kevin J. Anderson
Type: First book in the Wake the Dragon seriesPublisher: Tor BooksRelease date: 6/4/19
Read Spine of the Dragon by Kevin J. Anderson
The Grand Dark by Richard Kadrey
Type: Standalone novelPublisher: Harper VoyagerRelease date: 6/11/19
Read The Grand Dark by Richard Kadrey
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
Type: NovellaPublisher: Tor.comRelease date: 6/18/19
Read Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall
Type: NovelPublisher: AceRelease date: 6/18/19
Read The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall
Best New Fantasy Books in May 2019
Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
Type: Standalone novelPublisher: Tor.comRelease date: 5/7/19
Read Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
Empire of Grass by Tad Williams
Type: Second book in the Last King of Osten Ard series Publisher: DAWRelease date: 5/7/19
Read Empire of Grass by Tad Williams
The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams Review
Mythic Journeys: Retold Myths and Legends, Edited by Paula Guran
Type: Short story collectionPublisher: Night ShadeRelease date: 5/14/19
Read Mythic Journeys: Retold Myths and Legends
A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
Type: Standalone novelPublisher: BerkleyRelease date: 5/14/19
Read A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs
Type: Eleventh book in the Mercy Thompson seriesPublisher: AceRelease date: 5/14/19
Read Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs
Read more: Patricia Briggs Does Werewolf Romance Right
An Illusion of Thieves by Cate Glass
Type: Book one in the Chimera seriesPublisher: Tor BooksRelease date: 5/21/19
Read An Illusion of Thieves by Cate Glass
Lent by Jo Walton
Type: Standalone novelPublisher: Tor BooksRelease date: 5/28/19
Read Lent by Jo Walton
Best New Fantasy Books in April 2019
Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence
Type: Third and final book in the Book of the Ancestor seriesPublisher: AceRelease date: 4/9/19
Read Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence
Read our full review of Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence
Read our review of Red Queen by Mark Lawrence
Read our review of Grey Sister by Mark Lawrence
No Country for Old Gnomes: The Tales of Pell by Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne
Type: Seconds book in the Tales of PellPublisher: Del ReyRelease date: 4/16/19
Read No Country for Old Gnomes by Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne
All My Colors by David Quantick
Type: NovelPublisher: Titan BooksRelease date: 4/16/19
Read All My Colors by David Quantick
The Unicorn Anthology by Peter S. Beagle & Jacob Weisman
Type: AnthologyPublisher: Tachyon PublicationsRelease date: 4/19/19
Read The Unicorn Anthology by Peter S. Beagle & Jacob Weisman
Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse
Type: Second book in the Sixth World seriesPublisher: Gallery/Saga PressRelease date: 4/23/19
Read Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse
Read our inteview with author Rebecca Roanhorse.
Read our list of 2018’s Best Fiction Books.
Best New Fantasy Books in March 2019
The Municipalists by Seth Fried
Type: Standalone novelPublisher: Penguin BooksRelease date: 3/19/19
Read The Municipalists by Seth Fried
The Perfect Assassin by K.A. Doore
Type: First book in the Chronicles of Ghadid seriesPublisher: Tor BooksRelease date: 3/19/19
Read The Perfect Assassin by K.A. Doore
Miranda in Milan by Katharine Duckett
Type: NovelPublisher: Tor BooksRelease date: 3/26/19
Read Miranda in Milan by Katharine Duckett
Best New Fantasy Books in February 2019
The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
Type: First in A Chorus of Dragons seriesPublisher: Tor BooksRelease date: 2/5/19
Jenn Lyons channels The Kingkiller Chronicles in this epic fantasy debut that follows a boy thief called Kihrin as he goes from growing up in the slums of Quur to finding out he may be the long-lost son of a cruel prince to a slave to the potential key to a world-changing prophecy to a prisoner awaiting his death.
The Ruin of Kings is structured as a conversation between a prisoner, Kihrin, and his jailor, a shapeshifting demon named Talon. In their alternating chapters, they tell the story of how Kihrin came to be in prison, awaiting his potential death, and how the fictional world they are a part of includes gods, dragons, krakens, sorcerers, and more. Read our full review of this page-turning fantasy epic here.
Read The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Type: First in trilogyPublisher: Riverhead BooksRelease date: 2/5/19
It’s becoming more common to see fantasy worlds and stories that use something other than the western world as inspiration for a new fictional universe. Black Leopard, Red Wolf is one such book. Written by Marlon James, the author of A Brief History of Seven Killings, the novel follows Tracker, a man tasked with finding a missing boy. Though Tracker usually works alone, he teams up with some other hired help in his pursuit, becoming part of a team that has its fair share of secrets, leading to the biggest mystery of all: who is the boy and why have they been tasked with tracking him?
The screen adaptation rights for Black Leopard, Red Wolf have already been snatched up by Michael B. Jordan and Warner Bros., so get a head start on reading this book before the adaptation.
Read Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
read more: Binti & The Wonders of Nnedi Okorafor
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark
Type: NovellaPublisher: Tor BooksRelease date: 2/19/19
Set in an alternate Cairo in which humans live alongside otherworldly beings, The Haunting of Tram Car 015 follows Agent Hamed al-Nasr and his new partner Agent Onsi. They work for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, tasked with dealing with any problems that might arise between the magical and non-magical folks. When the two agents are tasked with subduing a possessed tram car, they find it a much more complicated task than it first appears. I mean…. you know how it is.
Read The Haunting of Tram Car 015
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
Type: Standalone novelPublisher: OrbitRelease date: 2/26/19
Ann Leckie’s debut, Ancillary Justice, remains one of the most talked about science fiction novels (not to mention science fiction author debuts!) of the last decade. Leckie is back, with The Raven Tower, a fantasy story set in a land known as Iraden. Iraden has been protected for centuries by the god Raven, who appoints a human ruler to carry out his command. When the land is overtaken by attack and the Raven’s rule challenged, a warrior named Eolo works to restore the power of the throne to its rightful ruler. We will follow Leckie to any genre.
Read The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Type: First in trilogyPublisher: BloomsburyRelease date: 2/26/19
With whispers of “the Nameless One”—aka the scariest dragon of them all (OK, I’m in!)—returning after 1,000 years, Queen Sabran of the House of Berethnet is in danger of losing power. Things are further complicated by Sabran’s current lack of an heir. Luckily, Sabran has lady-in-waiting Ead Duryan on her side. Ead Duryan uses her secret powers to protect the queen. This tale of female warriors working to save the world may be long, but, from all accounts, is more than worth the commitment.
Read The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samatha Shannon
Best New Fantasy Books in January 2019
In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
Type: Fourth in seriesPublisher: Tor BooksRelease date: 1/8/19
Read In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
read more: 9 Fantasy Books Set at Magical Boarding School
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
Type: Third in trilogyPublisher: Del ReyRelease date: 1/8/19
The Russian folklore-inspired Winternight trilogy comes to a close with The Winter of the Witch, which sees a medieval Russia in chaos, overrun by demons with Moscow working to recover from disaster. We continue to follow 17-year-old Vasya, a girl who can see and speak with spirits. As the country moves toward war under the rule of The Grand Prince, Vasya is guided into the midnight realm of Polunochnitsa, or Lady Midnight, where she meets her ancestors, the mythical firebird Pozhar, and a mushroom spirit called Ded Grib. While I have yet to read this trilogy, by all accounts this is a satisfying conclusion to a fantastic trilogy.
Read The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
The Iron Codex by David Mack
Type: Second in Dark Arts seriesPublisher: Tor BooksRelease date: 1/15/19
While Midnight Frontwas set in the lead-up to and during World War II, The Iron Codex picks back up in the midst of Cold War paranoia in 1954, with Cade Martin chasing ghosts in Southeast Asia, Briet Segfrunsdóttir heading the Pentagon’s top-secret magickal warfare program, and Anja Kernova (with the help of a magickal book known as The Iron Codex) hunting fugitive Nazi sorcerers in South America. It all leads to Bikini Atoll, where the Castle Bravo nuclear tests are scheduled to begin…
Read The Iron Codex by David Mack
Marked by S. Andrew Swann
Type: First in seriesPublisher: DAWRelease date: 1/15/19
I love a good supernatu
rally-charged backstory mystery! This one centers on Detective Dana Rohan, a cop with a near-perfect arrest rate who can’t remember how she got the mark on her back… the mark that allows her to travel through time and to alternate dimensions. The ability helps with her job investigating crimes, but when she is approached by a homeless man warning that the Shadows are coming, Dana is thrown into a much larger and even more dangerous multi-world adventure.
Read Marked by S. Andrew Swann
The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty
Type: Second in trilogyPublisher: Harper VoyagerRelease date: 1/22/19
We were very into The City of Brass, S.A. Chakraborty’s 2017 fantasy novel about Nahri, a young woman living in 18th-century Cairo, and Ali, a prince living in the djinn city of Daevabad. In the first book, the two both struggle to stay alive, keep the ones they love safe, and use their power in moral ways—they are only partially successful. The Kingdom of Copper picks up five years later, and sees Nahri in a loveless and childless marriage with Ali’s older brother, and Ali in exile and presumed dead in the desert. A return to a fantastical world that is just as satisfying and complex (if not moreso) as the trilogy’s first installment.
read more: A Conversation with S.A. Chakraborty
Read The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty
What new speculative fiction books are on your radar? Let us know in the comments below or over at the Den of Geek Book Club!
Kayti Burt is a staff editor covering books, TV, movies, and fan culture at Den of Geek. Read more of her work here or follow her on Twitter @kaytiburt.
