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This year’s investigation into the realms and labs of fantasy and science fiction reveals a genre with pure magnetic attraction, while genre blends—from romantasy to SF mystery to SFF horror—redefine what’s possible and rocket toward their day in the sun.
This momentous tour de force overtops existing works on robots by leaps and bounds, approaching the subject with a subtlety that allows readers to focus on the effects robots are sure to have in the future.
By day, Michael Nayak is Doctor/Major Nayak at DARPA (the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). He talks with LJ about his debut novel, Symbiote, his tenure at the South Pole, his writing inspiration, and the work of DARPA imagining the future.
PREMIUM
Lightfall
A promising layered series starter that offers plenty for fantasy fans and mystery lovers alike.
PREMIUM
An Honored Vow
The climactic final volume of the “Halfling Saga,” after A Vicious Game, is filled with high-stakes action, choices, and consequences. Romantasy fans should add this series to their reading list.
Originally self-published and now being released by a traditional publisher, this gripping sequel to Spark of the Everflame finds Diem trying to defeat the Descended out to see her fail. Readers will be clamoring for the next in the series after the cliffhanger ending.
PREMIUM
The Martian Contingency
This well-paced novel and satisfying fourth title in Kowal’s series, after The Relentless Moon, brings back familiar characters and continues to balance scientific details with character relationships.
PREMIUM
Galaxy Raiders: Abyss
Douglas writes a thrilling military space adventure that pits a powerful woman captain against evil galactic overlords.
PREMIUM
Hammajang Luck
Fans of Ocean’s Eight and Leverage will find this a delightful ode to team heists. The enemies-to-lovers trope, queer characters, and Hawaiian culture and language create a unique backdrop for a familiar plot line.
PREMIUM
Gate to Kagoshima
Fans of Outlander will appreciate Kuroki’s (“Black Diamond” series) treatment of a familiar story, while the Japanese setting, language, and culture sprinkled throughout are a fresh addition to the genre.
This momentous tour de force overtops existing works on robots by leaps and bounds, approaching the subject with a subtlety that allows readers to focus on the effects robots are sure to have in the future; a meditation on and an illustration of human and robot relationships in which it is difficult to distinguish between them.
PREMIUM
Splinter Effect
Ludington’s thrilling debut is a time-travel caper wrapped around a slice of historical fiction, but the heart of this story is Rabbit’s desperation to fix the things and people that he broke even if he has to outrun shadowy criminal time-looters and shady government agencies looking for scapegoats, in the past and in the present.
PREMIUM
A Harvest of Hearts
Eames (The Secret Circus) offers a delightful modern fairy tale in which the heroine is determined to save herself. The atmospheric setting and layered plot will please fantasy readers.
PREMIUM
The Third Rule of Time Travel
Fracassi (Boys in the Valley) turns from horror to sci-fi in his latest. Recommended for fans of technothrillers and those looking for a different take on time travel.
PREMIUM
The Rainfall Market
A delightful story of friendship, found family, and the knowledge that happiness may merely require a change in perspective. Fans of cozy magical realism, such as The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee and Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, will love this.
PREMIUM
The Shutouts
Readers seeking cli-fi that celebrates queer characters and survival will find this a hopeful look at the future even after disaster.
PREMIUM
Tea You at the Altar
These charming novels model an emotionally resonant, deeply fun, and intelligent relationship.
PREMIUM
Motheater
Readers may get caught in the quirks of character identity and somewhat superficial romance in Codega’s debut, but the detailed worldbuilding and prose will inspire comparisons to Alix E. Harrow.
PREMIUM
The Black Orb
This English-language debut by an award-winning Korean novelist is great for speculative-fiction lovers fascinated by humanity’s depravity, but perhaps a pass for readers desiring a triumphant apocalyptic thrill ride.
PREMIUM
But Not Too Bold
Pueyo’s (A Study in Ugliness & outras histórias) novella is recommended for fans of dark fantasy and readers who wants to give monster romantasy a try.
Highly recommended for readers of sci-fi thrillers, cli-fi, and bioterrorism thrillers, and Tom Clancy fans who enjoy a bit of SF in their political thrillers.
LJ Andrews starts a new series set in a fantasy Viking world, Danielle Jensen returns with the second in a series, and debuts include the first in a Celtic-inspired duology and a cursed, shapeshifting prince.
Emily Tesh writes a sapphic dark academia fantasy while Tochi Onyebuchi and Adam Oyebanji offer mystery-infused SFF.
Leong’s debut is a delightful cozy fantasy that will appeal to fans of Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree and A Pirate’s Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne.
Juliette Cross launches a series featuring a dragon shapeshifter, Venessa Vida Kelley debuts with a historical romantasy about a Coney Island merman, and RuNyx offers a twist on the Hades and Persephone myth, set in a dark academia world.
Olivie Blake returns with the story of three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted siblings, and Nghi Vo continues the story of Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby from her acclaimed novel The Chosen and the Beautiful.
Readers who have been swept up in the cozy charm of Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee will fall hard for the mix of magical realism, fantasy mystery, and star-crossed romance in this novel.
PREMIUM
The Serpent and the Wolf
With intricate worldbuilding and a unique magic system, Robinson draws readers in and delivers a compelling debut that will captivate fans of Nicola Tyche’s North Queen.
Readers who have been swept up in the cozy charm of Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee will fall hard for the mix of magical realism, fantasy mystery, and star-crossed romance in this novel from Sotto Yambao (The Beginning of Always). Highly recommended.
Vaughn’s (Questland) historical fantasy captures both the science and the magic of the natural world, as well as 19th-century sexism. With a unique magic system and engrossing character arcs, this novel will speak to fantasy and lit fic readers alike.
Readers who found the struggle to communicate in Ray Nayler’s The Mountain in the Sea will enjoy the equally fraught miscommunications between the minarchs, the “stickmen,” and the humans, while fans of the classic Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Darmok” will find this to be a familiar and similarly complex and heartbreaking tale.
PREMIUM
Twisted Shadows
Will satisfy those looking for more momentum in the series’ central romance as well as fans compelled by the investigation. Second-act revelations will have readers clamoring for the next installment; those new to the series should begin with book one, Liar City.
Lakshminarayan (The Ten Percent Thief) offers an engaging story that dives into themes about the appreciation of food, colonization, and xenophobia and features two morally gray queer women attempting to find their footing with each other.
PREMIUM
At the Fount of Creation
Readers still reeling from the plummet off the edge of the cliff-hanger ending of the first book will be desperate to get their hands on this epic conclusion to the “Guardians of the Gods” duology, while those who have loved the African-inspired epic stories of lies, secrets, and powerful tricksters found in the works of Moses Ose Utomi and Nnedi Okorafor will be thrilled to add Ogundiran to their lists of must-reads.
Even as the character arcs pack emotional punches and the plot builds with intensity, the story is balanced with the humor and wry character introspection Klune (In the Lives of Puppets) is known for. Previously self-published, this reissued stand-alone only solidifies Klune’s reputation for skillful prose and worldbuilding.
Leong’s debut is a delightful cozy fantasy that will appeal to fans of Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree and A Pirate’s Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne.
PREMIUM
How To Steal a Galaxy
Readers who love an old-fashioned heist story, anyone who loves witty, banter-driven romps, and those who have gotten caught up in SF/mystery stories, such as The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal or Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis, will love the fluffy but ultimately dangerous misdirection of this one.
PREMIUM
The Shiver Tree
Searcy’s debut novel is a fun romp that will feel nostalgic to players of Dungeons & Dragons, as it seems to be the first adventure in a larger campaign. This will appeal to readers (teens and up) who love a good fantasy with a mix of humor and interesting worldbuilding.
PREMIUM
All This and More
Despite the thought-provoking premise and outstanding narration, Shepherd’s choose-your-own-adventure novel is somewhat confusing in audio and may be better experienced in print.
PREMIUM
The Wren in the Holly Library
Fans of fairy tales and romantasy will be delighted. Perfect for those who enjoyed the sexy intrigue of Kerri Maniscalco’s Throne of the Fallen.
Highly recommended for readers who love mythological retellings like Madeline Miller’s Circe or those who enjoy tales of fierce women seizing control of their own destiny.
PREMIUM
A Sky of Emerald Stars
This sequel to A River of Golden Bones carries forward its intriguing relationships and high-stakes adventures, along with exploring gender and race in a high-fantasy setting.
PREMIUM
Boudicca
The real history of the red-haired warrior queen is given new life in Cast’s (Out of the Dawn) well-told reimagining and worldbuilding, with prose that allows readers to see both a battle-hardened leader and a mother fighting for those she loves.
Bittersweet, tender, and ruthless, Bradley’s captivating debut examines the personal frictions between people, between global and personal understanding, and within one’s self.
An incandescent, nail-biting adventure set at a flooded American Museum of Natural History and an epic journey through a near-future, ravaged landscape that blends extreme suspense with serene meditation.
Originally self-published and now receiving a special edition with additional content from a big publisher, this debut novel and Book Tok sensation is highly recommended for romantasy lovers, especially fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas and The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.
Crisp scholarly dryness pairs perfectly with barely contained drama and a potent smidge of urban legend horror.
PREMIUM
The Ragpicker
Dane’s expressive latest should strike an emotional chord for fans of stories about survival and humanity after the end.
PREMIUM
A Flame in the North
Saintcrow opens her new “Black Land’s Bane” series with the greatest hits of high fantasy in a narrative paralleling the works of Tolkien to a degree that’s impossible to ignore. Nevertheless, Solveig and Arneoir’s introduction to the battle against the Enemy, not so defeated as they once supposed, will have listeners anxious for the next series installment.
A haunting story, interlacing exciting tales of adventure with philosophical musings on the human condition.
PREMIUM
Road to Ruin
Lee creates a literary cocktail that will dance upon the tastebuds of fans of Mad Max, the popular video game Borderlands, and Dungeons & Dragons.
PREMIUM
When Among Crows
A great recommendation for listeners seeking an action-packed fantasy without the romance. Recommend to fans of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods or Cassandra Clare’s “The Shadowhunter Chronicles” series.
With detailed worldbuilding, a brooding and troubled anti-hero, and a heroine with a strong backbone struggling between duty to family, love, and all mortalkind, this epic, slow-burn romantasy is a page-turner for romance and fantasy fans alike. Highly recommended, with excellent crossover appeal for young adults.
PREMIUM
Loka
This sequel deepens Meru’s extensive worldbuilding and continues to draw on its core themes of what humanity means in a post-human future. However, this is, at heart, a coming-of-age story that will appeal to young adult readers as much as to older fans of Divya’s work.
This new adult romantasy from Peñaranda (A Sword from the Embers) will hold appeal for fans of Kerri Maniscalco’s “Kingdom of the Wicked” series.
PREMIUM
Chaotic Apéritifs
Listeners will gobble up this engaging cozy fantasy and eagerly anticipate the next delicious installment in the series. Perfect for foodies and fantasy lovers.
PREMIUM
Dragon Rider
Slow pacing and low character agency contrast against excellent narration and rich prose. A secondary purchase for collections where fantasy audiobooks circulate well.
PREMIUM
Weird Black Girls: Stories
An excellent addition to any collection featuring literary short stories with a twist. Share with patrons seeking socially conscious fiction laced with horror and magical realism in the vein of Courtney Sender’s In Other Lifetimes All I’ve Lost Comes Back to Me.
This will have listeners believing in a new, inclusive resurgence of the urban fantasy subgenre. Recommended for fans of Laurell K. Hamilton’s “Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter” series.
PREMIUM
The Familiar
Bardugo’s venture into the Spanish Golden Age translates well into audio, emphasizing a deeply seductive and lushly detailed atmosphere that intrigues and delights. Suggest to listeners of romantasy and those who enjoy fantastical elements in historical settings.
PREMIUM
The Lost Story
Shaffer’s (The Wishing Game) second novel presents a marvelous fairy-tale world, channeling the nostalgic wonder of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia. Despite some similarities in the characters’ voices, this enchanting portal story is highly recommended.
Huston’s (Skinner) newest is an excellent listen for those seeking a reality-bending fantasy with a quirky protagonist. Libraries hoping to offer tales that are off the beaten path will want to check this out.
PREMIUM
The Shabti
Supernatural danger and an affirming queer romance set this Depression-era thriller apart. Recommended.
This literary prequel warns against current tall tales masquerading as truth and will appeal to fans of Gregory Maguire’s and Ann Claycomb’s repurposed classics.
This Ghibli-esque slow-burn fantasy delivers on every promise it offers when it drops Diana Wynne Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle inside Patricia A. McKillip’s The Forgotten Beasts of Eld.
Fans of Patricia A. McKillip’s The Forgotten Beasts of Eld or Marie Brennan’s Driftwood will be in awe of Berry’s (The Manual of Detection) wonderfully odd ode to language, story, and family.
The moon has turned into cheese in John Scalzi's latest, while Amal El-Mohtar offers a highly anticipated solo novella about two sisters living on the edge of Faerie.
Fantasy fans and steampunk enthusiasts will enjoy Glover’s astounding, creatively envisioned Prohibition-era United States, where magical and historical events intertwine in a thrilling plot full of adventurous characters.
PREMIUM
An Instruction in Shadow
The new magic system introduced in this series, which began with An Inheritance of Magic, continues to fascinate, and the stories will remind readers of classic urban fantasies (such as the “Dresden Files” series from Jim Butcher), as Stephen’s world gets more dangerous and he powers through each setback by learning bigger and better magic and paying a higher price each and every time.
PREMIUM
Exiled by Iron
A great edge-of-the-seat read for fans of complex and highly emotional fantasy romances. Recommend to readers of Naomi Novik and Tomi Adeyemi.
Groner (Exiles) offers a contemplative take on the postapocalyptic genre that leaves room for hope but doesn’t stint on realism. This novel reads like Cormac McCarthy’s The Road meets Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; highly recommended.
Wagers’s (The Ghosts of Trappist) stellar fourth outing for their futuristic Near-Earth Orbital Guard is filled with snappy dialogue and vivid worldbuilding. With the found family of Zuma’s Ghost as the foundation of the series, the internal conflicts are just as compelling as the external high-stakes action.
PREMIUM
Bindle Punk Jefe
Readers who were enthralled by Rose Lane’s infiltration of the mob in Prohibition-era Kansas City in the previous book, those who are fascinated by the boundary-blurring Jazz Age (as explored in historical mysteries such as Last Call at the Nightingale by Katharine Schellman), and anyone thrilled by the combination of history, tradition, and magic in Leslye Penelope’s The Monsters We Defy and Nekesa Afia’s Dead Dead Girls won’t be able to turn these pages fast enough.
PREMIUM
The Bloodless Princes
This gender-bent tale of knights and dragons takes the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, turns it into a sapphic romance, and adds a layer of unpacking what has been learned to find the shining truth within, with the bittersweet assistance of one very lonely dragon.
PREMIUM
Breath of Oblivion
Broaddus’s second “Astra Black” book is another sweeping space saga, with a complex story that explores deep themes.
PREMIUM
Under the Oak Tree
This English-language novelization of the popular South Korean webnovel and comic is less successful in this format.
Guanzon’s highly anticipated sequel to The Hurricane Wars is a captivating read from start to finish. The tension between the characters with the mix of political intrigue and magic will be sure to enchant readers.
The setting, the detailed emotive descriptions, and nail-biting adventure are incandescent. This debut novel from Caffall (The Mourner’s Bestiary) is like Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars met Barry Unsworth’s Sacred Hunger, with a focus on the essential nature of community.
Suri’s final volume in her fantastic trilogy, after The Oleander Sword, delivers all of the hope and heartache promised in the series. Exquisite worldbuilding, high-stakes action, emotional arcs, and a love that will stand the test of time create a climactic conclusion to this epic fantasy.
Iversen’s (The Witches at the End of the World) novel will appeal to fans of character-driven historical fantasy with feminist themes and just a touch of magic.
PREMIUM
Toto
Readers will be delighted to discover this unique take on The Wizard of Oz. With modern references, unusual twists, snarky commentary, and some delightful side plots, recommend Hackwith’s (The God of Lost Words) new novel to readers looking for a fun retelling or twisted tale.
PREMIUM
The Nightward
An intriguing magi-tech high-fantasy series opener that paves the way for chaos in the follow-up.
Fantasy fans and steampunk enthusiasts will enjoy Glover’s astounding, creatively envisioned Prohibition-era United States, where magical and historical events intertwine in a thrilling plot full of adventurous characters.
Hopkinson’s stories hold deep messages at their core, yet flow with a dreamlike etherealness, even when they’re nightmares.
PREMIUM
The Last Dangerous Visions
SF readers will be captivated by this collection of works that are either new for this anthology or have been held in unpublished limbo for decades.
PREMIUM
Servant of Earth
While the plot may be a bit predictable for avid readers of new adult fantasy, the stage has been sufficiently set for a series that may have more surprises to offer as it continues.
PREMIUM
The Mars House
Together, Pulley and de Bourg create a delightful listening experience, balancing a slow-burn romance with clever worldbuilding.
A rollicking novel that doesn’t take itself too seriously, recommended for anyone needing to get lost in a good world, explore their inner demons, and enjoy some serious bloodshed. A needed addition to lighten the mood of any audio fantasy section.
PREMIUM
A Letter to the Luminous Deep
This first installment in Cathrall’s “Sunken Archive” series will leave listeners anxiously awaiting the second book. Share with those who enjoyed Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries.
Equal parts meditation on belonging, slowest-burn romance, and cli-fi spy drama make an unstoppable combination.
While this short audiobook grounds magical girls in reality, it is no less magical than the material that inspired it.
PREMIUM
Mal Goes to War
This audiobook transports listeners to a world where learning about war means recognizing its costs. Fans of stories featuring machines becoming more will gladly follow Mal and friends on their journey.
PREMIUM
Grand Tour
Chatsworth’s sequel to The Brass Queen is a rollicking, impeccably described adventure, with alien subplots bringing elements of hard science fiction to the steampunk genre. Series fans and those new to it will be enthralled.
Utterly disorienting yet still emotionally and thematically resonant, Chandrasekera delivers a narrative that will satisfy every fan of the weird.
Parry’s (The Magician’s Daughter) latest will enthrall those who loved the post-WWI high-magic high society of Freya Marske’s “Last Binding” series. Highly recommended for readers looking for an immersive world of power politics, magical societies, and world-shattering consequences.
This Ghibli-esque slow-burn fantasy delivers on every promise it offers when it drops Diana Wynne Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle inside Patricia A. McKillip’s The Forgotten Beasts of Eld.
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