SF and Fantasy to Keep an Eye out for in 2018
These are some of the science fiction and fantasy books coming out between now and the end of 2018 that have caught my eye. There's a lot of great stuff here! I'm so excited to read these! Hope they catch your eye too!
TRICKS FOR FREE BY SEANAN MCGUIRE (March 6, 2018)
IMPOSTOR SYNDROME BY MISHELL BAKER (March 13, 2018)
The Arcadia Project series is one of the best and most unique fantasy series to come around in a long time. Every time I pick up a new book in the series I try to convince myself that it can't be as good as I remembered and every time Mishell Baker proves me wrong. She's a very talented writer and has created some of the most memorable and most damaged characters in fantasy. She's created a world where fairy magic bleeds through unbeknownst to most of the population and it's up to these awesome characters to save the world. Two worlds in fact. I can't wait to see where she goes next.
THE FEED BY NICK WINDO (March 13, 2018)
The Feed is a debut novel that is generating great buzz and comparisons to great books like Station Eleven and The Girl With All The Gifts. The Feed is everywhere linking people and information around the globe. Tom is the son of its inventor but has resisted depending on it. That turns out to be handy when the Feed disappears, plunging the world into chaos. When he and his wife's daughter disappears, however, they must try to find her in a world with no more technology, and no way of knowing who to trust.
DAYFALL BY MICHAEL DAVID ARES (March 13, 2018)
A near future thriller where parts of the northern hemisphere have been shrouded in darkness for years. Against this backdrop, a serial killer is working his way across Manhattan. The Mayor recruits Pennsylvania cop Jon Phillips to track him down. Uncovering ulterior motives, Phillips finds himself on the run and trying to avert disaster before the mysterious event known as Dayfall.
THE QUEENS OF INNIS LEAR (March 27, 2018)
A twist on King Lear in a fantasy setting. Three queens, one crown and all out war. Gaela, Regan and Elia in an all out battle to rule. Sounds awesome!
THE WOLF BY LEO CAREW (April 3, 2018)
A debut historic fantasy with deep political maneuverings and great battle scenes. This is an author and a series to watch!
GREY SISTER BY MARK LAWRENCE (April 3, 2018)
This is the followup to simply the best fantasy novel of 2017. Mark Lawrence gets better with every book and I can't wait for this one. Book one had one of my favorite opening lines of all time. So excited to see where this series goes next!
SPACE OPERA BY CAT VALENTE (April 3, 2018)
Catherynne Valente is always entertaining and this one looks like a blast. The fate of Earth comes down to a bunch of musicians, dancers and roadies and how well they do in an intergalactic music contest.
HEAD ON BY JOHN SCALZI (April 17, 2018)
This is a stand alone novel set in the same universe as Scalzi's earlier book, Lock In. That one managed to be both entertaining and thought-provoking. SF police procedurals can be difficult to pull off but Scalzi's done it before and this one will move to the top of my reading list.
THE LONG SUNSET BY JACK MCDEVITT (April 17, 2018)
Science fiction with the pace and action of a thriller is my favorite combination and Jack McDevitt has been about the best there is at it for a long, long time. The latest in the long-running The Academy series promises more of the same. Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins receives an alien message from deep in unexplored interstellar space. What her and her crew find there is completely unexpected.
AN ARGUMENTATION OF HISTORIANS BY JODI TAYLOR (May 1, 2018)
If the title doesn't already have you chuckling, you will be after reading the first few sentences. Jodi Taylor's latest adventure in The Chronicles of St. Mary's takes you from Tudor England to the burning city of Persepolis with the well-meaning but often bungling historians of St. Mary's.
THE POPPY WAR BY R. F. KUANG (May 1, 2018)
Another fantasy debut already getting great buzz. This one is epic historical military fantasy inspired by twentieth century China. When a war orphan passes a test for admittance to the Academies, she discovers that she has a very lethal power and that the gods are not quite as dead as were thoughts. Now more than just surviving school is at stake.
ONLY HUMAN BY SYLVAIN NEUVEL (May 1, 2018)
The third volume in The Themis Files continues a very effective blend of science fiction and apocalyptic thriller. Plus, giant robots!
ARTIFICIAL CONDITION BY MARTHA WELLS (May 8, 2018)
Murderbot is back! The first of THREE sequels to last year's great debut, All Systems Red, the next installment in the Murderbot Diaries comes out in May. A self-described "Murderbot" just wants to go its own way and enjoy the soap operas it has downloaded. Nagging curiosity leads it to return to the mining colony where it first went rogue. What will it discover there?
ROBOTS OF GOTHAM BY TODD MCAULTY (June 19, 2018)
A fragile peace between the remnants of humanity and a coalition of nations ruled by fascist machines may be about to end. A stumbled upon conspiracy may spell doom for humankind unless American resistance is not quite extinct. This one looks fascinating and I can't wait to read it!
TRAIL OF LIGHTNING BY REBECCA ROANHORSE (June 26, 2018)
Climate apocalypse has drowned most of the world and Navajo gods return to walk the land, along with monsters. Monster hunter Maggie Hoskie is enlisted to help find a missing girl, but the search leads her to confront some uncomfortable truths. She enlists an unconventional medicine man to help unravel ancient clues and confront dark witchcraft. This is another debut I'm really looking forward to!
THE CALCULATING STARS BY MARY ROBINETTE KOWAL (July 3,2018)
A meteor hits the eastern seaboard in 1952, decimating the U.S. government and launching a climate cataclysm that will render earth uninhabitable. Now the race is on colonize space and save humanity. This is book one in The Lady Astronaut Series. Mary Robinette Kowal is one of the most talented writers working today and I can't wait to see what she does with this premise!
AGE OF WAR BY MICHAEL SULLIVAN (July 3, 2018)
Age of War is the third volume in The Legends of the First Empire series by Michael J. Sullivan. The Fhrey were seen as gods, until a human killed one. Now the Fhrey are intent on wiping humans out. Heroes must arise to convince the humans that they can succeed and lead them in doing so. Plots among both the humans and the Fhrey put plans in jeopardy, but the inevitable war is coming. This is a fun fantasy series. I prefer listening to it on audio as the words of Michael Sullivan and the voice narration of Tim Gerrard Reynolds is an unbeatable combination.
EMPIRE OF SILENCE BY CHRISTOPHER RUOCCHIO (July 3, 2018)
Hadrian Marlowe is both a hero and a murderer. But is he both? Or Neither? Forced to fight as a gladiator and fighting in a war he did not start. Is his fate inevitable? Book one of the Sun Eater looks like a good one!
CITY OF LIES BY SAM HAWKE (July 3, 2018)
This book is at the top of my most anticipated fantasy debuts this summer! Poison, treachery, ancient spirits and a city under siege. Book one of The Poison Wars looks awesome!
THE GIRL IN THE GREEN SILK GOWN BY SEANAN MCGUIRE (July 17, 2018)
We first met Rose Marshall, the tragic ghost who has been a 16 year old girl for more than 60 years in Sparrow Hill Road. The immortal who killed her, Bobby Cross, is still out there and now he's coming back. Has Rose's luck run out again?
I love everything Seanan McGuire writes and the world she has created here is one of my favorites.
REDEMPTION'S BLADE BY ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY (July 26, 2018)
Ten years after the brutal demigod Kinslayer was brought down, some of the heroes who defeated him are still struggling to pick up the pieces. Celestaine has appointed herself to repair some of the worst excesses. But can the shadow of the Kinslayer ever really be escaped? Another book from the talented Tchaikovsky that looks amazing!
FIFTH WARD: FRIENDLY FIRE BY DALE LUCAS (August 7, 2018)
The second book in the Fifth Ward series following last year's highly successful debut Fifth Ward: First Watch. Think buddy cop story set in a fantasy world. Our partners Rem and Torval (human and dwarf) are busy keeping the streets safe from miscreant orcs, elves, mages and humans when a juicy arson case falls in their laps. This leads to some gruesome murders and it's up to our two heroes to keep the Ward from falling apart. This is a fun series that works on more than one level. Can't wait for this one!
ROGUE PROTOCOL BY MARTHA WELLS (August 7, 2018)
Everyone's favorite Murderbot is back in Rogue Protocol. This time, authorities are asking questions about where a certain SecUnit is. Murderbot would rather those questions went away. Looks like another good one!
KING OF ASSASSINS BY R. J. BARKER (August 7, 2018)
The concluding volume in The Wounded Kingdom trilogy means more trouble for the assassin Girton Club-Foot. When events move to the capital with an eye on the vacant High-King's throne, twenty years of murder and politics comes to a head.
ALTERNATE ROUTES BY TIM POWERS (August 7, 2018)
Tim Powers turns his sights on the modern ghost story. Sebastian Vickery is a driver for a covert supernatural-evasion car service. Joined by coworker Ingrid Castine, a homeless Mexican boy and a costumed Supergirl, Vickery goes from the freeways of Los Angeles to a ghost world out of Greek Mythology. This one sounds like it could be a lot of fun!
RAVENCRY BY ED MCDONALD (August 21, 2018)
Book Two of the Raven's Mark sees our hero once again fighting the forces rising out of The Misery to face the republic.
THE FATED SKY BY MARY ROBINETTE KOWAL (August 21, 2018)
Book Two of The Lady Astronaut series concludes the story begun in The Calculating Stars as humankind looks to colonize the moon and Mars as Earth faces cataclysm. Alternative history science fiction looks like it could be outstanding!
BLOODY ROSE BY NICHOLAS EAMES (August 28, 2018)
A standalone adventure in the world first seen in Kings of the Wyld. A brilliant fantasy debut novel where mercenaries are treated like rock bands. This time, it's the girls turn. Love the concept, love the writing, can't wait for this one!
IRONTOWN BLUES BY JOHN VARLEY (August 28, 2018)
Christopher Bach is a policeman turned private detective assisted by his genetically altered dog Sherlock. He emulates tough guy PI's from his favorite noir books and movies. Now he has to track down biohackers in the infamous Irontown district. Tell me that description doesn't have you running to preorder it right now!
SALVATION BY PETER HAMILTON (September 4, 2018)
Peter F. Hamilton returns with the first in a new series. Humanity of the future is linked to distant planets through a gate technology that allows you to step through from a location on Earth and set foot on a distant planet. When a crashed alien spaceship is located on a distant planet, a team is sent to investigate.
EXIT STRATEGY BY MARTHA WELLS (October 2, 2018)
The fourth and final Murderbot story. We're not even to the end of the story yet and I'm already sorry to see it go. What a great creation Martha Wells has come up with!
THE PHOENIX EMPRESS BY K. ARSENAULT RIVERA (October 9, 2018)
Book two in Their Bright Ascendency, The Phoenix Empress is the followup to the widely praised The Tiger's Daughter. Expect great things from this epic historical fantasy.
THIN AIR BY RICHARD MORGAN (October 9, 2018)
The latest from the author of Altered Carbon delivers another SF Noir. This one sees corporate interests on Mars confronting a homegrown independence movement. Hakan Veil signs on as protection for an Earth investigator as the price for a ticket back to Earth. As the investigator he's charged to protect stirs up trouble while investigating the disappearance of a lottery winner, the easy gig Veil thought he'd signed on for gets a little more complicated.
THERE BEFORE THE CHAOS BY K. B. WAGERS (10/9/2018)
When a new K. B. Wagers book shows up I just block off the weekend because I'm not stopping til I'm finished. The Indranan War series is one of the best SF series to come out in the last 10 years. This book starts a new chapter and kicks off The Farian War series. Gunrunner turned Empress Hail Bristol is summoned to the seat of the Farian Empire. Where Hail goes, I'll follow. Can't wait for this one!
THE CONSUMING FIRE BY JOHN SCALZI (October 16, 2018)
The Collapsing Empire kicked off The Interdependency series with a bang. An interstellar empire on the verge of collapse because The Flow, the conduit that allows travel between distant planets, is shifting. The connected worlds are not self-sustaining so without The Flow, humanity could end. Fascinating politics, clever ideas, and Scalzi's trademark snark make this a great series. I'll read whatever he writes.
THE MONSTER BARU CORMORANT BY SETH DICKINSON (October 30, 2018)
Seth Dickinson introduced us to The Masquerade in The Traitor Baru Cormorant. Baru has become that which she sought to destroy, Can she save what remains of her soul?
THEY PROMISED ME THE GUN WASN'T LOADED BY JAMES ALAN GARDNER (November 6, 2018)
Four college students get superpowers in a freak accident. Now they are on the hunt for a Mad Genius's super weapon, one they are not even sure what it does. More madcap fun from the author of All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault.
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