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Npr: top 100 science-fiction, fantasy books.

"More than 5,000 of you nominated. More than 60,000 of you voted. And now the results are in. The winners of NPR's Top 100 Science-Fiction and Fantasy survey are an intriguing mix of classic and contemporary titles. Over on NPR's pop culture blog, Monkey See , you can find one fan's thoughts on how the list shaped up, get our experts' take, and have the chance to share your own."

Where a series is involved, we show the first book in the series. Refer to the original list to see which were nominated as series rather than single volumes.

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Your picks: top 100 science-fiction, fantasy books.

More than 5,000 of you nominated. More than 60,000 of you voted. And now the results are in. The winners are an intriguing mix of classic and...

More than 5,000 of you nominated . More than 60,000 of you voted . And now the results are in. The winners of NPR's Top 100 Science-Fiction and Fantasy survey are an intriguing mix of classic and contemporary titles. Over on NPR's pop culture blog, Monkey See, you can find one fan's thoughts on how the list shaped up, get our experts' take, and have the chance to share your own.

A quick word about what's here, and what's not: Our panel of experts reviewed hundreds of the most popular nominations and tossed out those that didn't fit the survey's criteria (after — we assure you — much passionate, thoughtful, gleefully nerdy discussion). You'll notice there are no young adult or horror books on this list, but sit tight, dear reader, we're saving those genres for summers yet to come.

The Lord Of The Rings

by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

by Douglas Adams

Ender's Game

by Orson Scott Card

Young Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, bred to be a genius, is drafted to Battle School where he trains to lead the century-long fight against the alien Buggers.

The Dune Chronicles

by Frank Herbert

Follows the adventures of Paul Atreides, the son of a betrayed duke given up for dead on a treacherous desert planet and adopted by its fierce, nomadic people, who help him unravel his most unexpected destiny.

A Song Of Ice And Fire Series

by George R.R. Martin

by George Orwell

Fahrenheit 451

by Ray Bradbury

The Foundation Trilogy

by Isaac Asimov

A band of psychologists, under the leadership of psychohistorian Hari Seldon, plant a colony to encourage art, science, and technology in the declining Galactic Empire and to preserve the accumulated knowledge of humankind.

Brave New World

by Aldous Huxley

American Gods

by Neil Gaiman

On the plane home to attend the funerals of his wife and best friend, Shadow, an ex-con, encounters an enigmatic stranger who seems to know a lot about him. When Shadow accepts the stranger's job offer, he finds himself plunged into a perilous game with the highest of stakes: the soul of America itself.

The Princess Bride

by William Goldman

The Wheel Of Time Series

by Robert Jordan

At 13 volumes and counting, this sweeping — some would say sprawling – richly imagined epic chronicles the struggle between servants of the Dark One and those of the champion of light known as the Dragon Reborn.

Animal Farm

Neuromancer.

by William Gibson

Gibson's groundbreaking debut novel follows Case, a burned-out computer whiz, who is asked to steal a security code that is locked in the most heavily guarded databank in the solar system. A seminal work in the genre that would come to be known as cyberpunk.

by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Stranger In A Strange Land

by Robert A. Heinlein

The Kingkiller Chronicles

by Patrick Rothfuss

This suspenseful coming-of-age story folllows Kvothe as he recounts his transformation from a magically gifted young man into the most notorious wizard, musician, thief and assassin in his world.

Slaughterhouse-Five

by Kurt Vonnegut

Frankenstein

by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?

by Philip K. Dick

The Handmaid's Tale

by Margaret Atwood

The Dark Tower Series

by Stephen King

Roland, the world's last gunslinger, tracks an enigmatic Man in Black toward a forbidding dark tower, fighting forces both mortal and other worldly on his quest.

2001: A Space Odyssey

by Arthur C. Clarke

by Neal Stephenson

The Martian Chronicles

Cat's cradle, the sandman series.

Gaiman originally told his tale of Morpheus, the Dream King, whose interactions with mortals rarely end well, and whose fractious extended family includes the personifications of Death, Despair, Desire and Destiny, in a 75-issue comic book series over several years; the hugely influential series is now collected in ten trade volumes.

A Clockwork Orange

by Anthony Burgess

Starship Troopers

Watership down.

by Richard Adams

Dragonflight

by Anne McCaffrey

At a time when the number of Dragonriders has fallen too low for safety and only one Weyr trains the creatures and their riders, the Red Star approaches Pern, threatening the planet with disaster.

The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress

A canticle for leibowitz.

by Walter M. Miller Jr.

The Time Machine

by H.G. Wells

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

by Jules Verne

Flowers For Algernon

by Daniel Keyes

The War Of The Worlds

The amber chronicles.

by Roger Zelazny

Zelazny's tales of Corwin, prince of the "true world" of Amber (of which our Earth is merely a shadow) and his son Merlin, a magic-user/computer hacker, have spanned several decades. Amid the eternal struggle between Order and Chaos, Zelazny delights in tossing in allusions to Shakespeare, the Tarot and quantum mechanics.

The Belgariad

by David Eddings

Edding's five-volume epic fantasy follows young farmboy Garion as he is drawn into a quest for a stolen mystical orb, and the rich world of prophecy and power that surrounds it.

The Mists Of Avalon

by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Mistborn Trilogy

by Brandon Sanderson

In a world where special magic users called Allomancers can employ metals to enhance their physical and mental abilities, a young thief discovers her destiny and sets out to overthrow the Lord Ruler.

by Larry Niven

The Left Hand Of Darkness

by Ursula K. Le Guin

While on a mission to the planet Gethen — a world whose inhabitants can change their gender — earthling Genly Ai is sent by leaders of the nation of Orgoreyn to a concentration camp. The exiled prime minister of the nation of Karhide tries to rescue him.

The Silmarillion

The once and future king.

by T.H. White

Childhood's End

by Carl Sagan

The Hyperion Cantos

by Dan Simmons

Seven pilgrims undertake a voyage to the world of Hyperion — dominated by a fearsome and mysterious creature called the Shrike — where they hope to learn the secret that will save humanity.

Cryptonomicon

World war z.

by Max Brooks

The Last Unicorn

by Peter S. Beagle

The Forever War

by Joe Haldeman

Drafted into the ranks of Earth's interstellar warriors, private William Mandella finds his fight against the Taurans secondary to the side-effects of faster-than-light space travel, which affects the rate at which he ages.

by Terry Pratchett

The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever

by Stephen R. Donaldson

In this first trilogy, reclusive, guilt-ridden writer Thomas Covenant finds himself transported to a magical realm where he is hailed as a hero who wields powerful magic — and where he finds his leprosy miraculously cured. Ultimately, he must defeat the malevolent Lord Foul to save the Land — and his own sanity.

The Vorkosigan Saga

by Lois McMaster Bujold

In a human colony on one of a series of planets connected by wormholes, a young man who suffers from a series of physical disabilities (the result of an assassination attempt on his royal parents) grows up to become a powerful military leader.

Going Postal

The mote in god's eye.

by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

The Sword Of Truth Series

by Terry Goodkind

Young Richard Cypher gradually embraces his destiny as the Seeker of Truth, and sets out to stop the evil that others would unleash.

by Cormac McCarthy

In a novel set in an indefinite, futuristic, post-apocalyptic world, a father and his young son make their way through the ruins of a devastated American landscape, struggling to survive and preserve the last remnants of their own humanity.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

by Susanna Clarke

I Am Legend

by Richard Matheson

The Riftwar Saga

by Raymond E. Feist

Evil entities have opened a rift in the fabric of space-time, plunging the world of Medkemia into peril. As the battle between Order and Chaos threatens to engulf everything, reluctant wizard Pug is the only hope of a thousand worlds.

The Sword of Shannara Trilogy

by Terry Brooks

Over the course of three novels, several generations of the Ohmsford family find themselves retrieving magical artifacts in the desperate hope to fight evil.

The Conan The Barbarian Series

by Robert E. Howard and Mark Schultz

Howard's original set of interlinked stories featuring his muscle-bound warrior represents a classic kind of sword-and-sorcery fantasy adventure in all its pulpy, richly imaginative glory.

The Farseer Trilogy

by Robin Hobb

An wily assassin plies his trade while his uncle the Prince confronts attackers who are turning people into emotionless, zombie-like "Forged ones."

The Time Traveler's Wife

by Audrey Niffenegger

The Way Of Kings

Journey to the center of the earth, the legend of drizzt series.

by R. A. Salvatore

Drizzt Do'Urden, a Dark Elf, finds adventure, peril and awesome magical power as he confronts the underground civilization of the evil and treacherous matriarchal race of Drow elves.

Old Man's War

by John Scalzi

The Diamond Age

Rendezvous with rama, the kushiel's legacy series.

by Jacqueline Carey

Sold into indentured servitude at the exotic Night Court as a child, Phedre faces a difficult choice between honor and duty as she deals with a world of glittering luxury, conspiracy, sacrifice, and betrayal. Two subsequent trilogies chronicle the adventures of her adopted son and her distant descendant.

The Dispossessed

Something wicked this way comes.

When the carnival comes to town, two boys unearth the terrifying and horrible secrets that lurk within Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show and learn the consequences of wishes, as a sinister and evil force is at work in Green Town, Ill.

by Gregory Maguire

The Malazan Book Of The Fallen series

by Steven Erikson

Erickson's densely plotted series jumps around in time to chronicle the vicissitudes of the sprawling Malazan Empire, a place of shifting alliances, mysterious mage guilds, assassin gods and military uprisings.

The Eyre Affair

by Jasper Fforde

The Culture Series

by Iain Banks

A science-fiction series by the author of the Wasp Factory features a symbiotic human and machine society that is engaged in a galaxy-wide battle to the death between the Idrians, who fight for their faith, and the Culture, which defends its right to exist.

The Crystal Cave

by Mary Stewart

The Codex Alera Series

by Jim Butcher

In the land of Alera, where people bond with the furies — elementals of earth, air, fire, water, and metal — young Tavi struggles to cope with his lack of magical talent, until his homeland erupts into conflict between rebels and loyalists and Tavi discovers that he holds the key to his realm's survival.

The Book Of The New Sun

by Gene Wolfe

In the distant future, after the sun has cooled and dimmed, the disgraced torturer Sevarian recounts his hard-fought rise to absolute power.

The Thrawn Trilogy

by Timothy Zahn

The Outlander Series

by Diana Gabaldon

Hurtled back through time more than 200 hundred years to Scotland in 1743, Claire Randall finds herself in the midst of a world torn apart by violence, pestilence and revolution, and haunted by her feelings for a young soldier.

The Elric Saga

by Michael Moorcock

Elric of Melnibone, an albino prince, travels in the Ship Which Sails Over Land and Sea to the city of Dhoz-Kam, through the Shade Gate to the Pulsing Cavern where the magic swords Stormbringer and Mournblade await him.

The Illustrated Man

by Robin McKinley

A Fire Upon The Deep

by Vernor Vinge

The Caves Of Steel

The mars trilogy.

by Kim Stanley Robinson

On a mission to provide Mars with an Earth-like atmosphere, John Boone, Maya Toitovna, Frank Chalmers and Arkady Bogdanov meet stiff resistance from those who will fight to the death to prevent Mars from being changed.

Lucifer's Hammer

Doomsday book.

by Connie Willis

Perdido Street Station

by China Miéville

The Xanth Series

by Piers Anthony

In Anthony's pun-besotted magical realm (which is shaped a lot like Florida), every human is born with a unique magical ability, which they use navigate a landscape full of dragons, goblins, harpies, centaurs and all manner of eldritch creatures.

The Space Trilogy

by C.S. Lewis

Philologist Edwin Ransom travels to Mars and Venus, and makes a series of dramatic discoveries about Earth's place in the solar system – and the nature of a threat it unwittingly faces.

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August 18, 2021 • Earlier in the summer, we asked you to vote for your favorite science fiction and fantasy reads of the past decade — so here are 50 fabulous reads, curated by our expert judges and you, the readers.

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Your Picks: Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books

August 11, 2011 • More than 5,000 of you nominated. More than 60,000 of you voted. And now the results are in. The winners are an intriguing mix of classic and contemporary titles.

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Audience picks: 100 best beach books ever.

July 29, 2009 • Almost 16,000 of you voted in our Best Beach Books poll. Whether such a vote can determine literary quality, who can say? But if there's one thing a multitude of book-loving NPR types can definitely do, it's pick books that appeal ... to book-loving NPR types.

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Finally Revealed: The 100 Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, According to NPR's Readers

When NPR revealed its list of finalists for its "Top 100 Science-Fiction and Fantasy Books" survey, we were struck by how diverse and wide-ranging that list was. Now the actual list of the 100 greatest books has been revealed ... and it's quite a bit more conservative.

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As NPR points out , the final selections for the top 100 SF/fantasy books tend to be heavily slanted towards books that were written a long time ago and have had time to build a fanbase. They're also tilted heavily towards books that have gotten movie or television adaptations. And they're overwhelmingly by dudes. (A lot of whom are British, curiously.) The fantasy winners tend to be the ones which feature a straight-up battle of good versus evil, and the science fiction winners tend to be the ones which reflected the zeitgeist when they were written.

One thing's for sure — these selections reflect the voice of quite a large number of people. As NPR notes:

Given the overwhelming response - over 60,000 votes - the truly popular titles would have been very difficult to unseat: For your favorite book to qualify for #1 , it would have to have garnered more than the 29,701(!) votes received by The Lord of the Rings . Yeah, good luck with that. Take, for example, the book comin' in at #2 , The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , which clocked an astonishing 20,069 votes. That's a big step down, but still places it head and shoulders above #3 , Ender's Game , at 16,141 votes.

John Scalzi, whose Old Man's War made the list, is nevertheless perturbed by some of the blatant omissions:

By and large it's a pretty good list of books, with some very conspicuous omissions that tell us more about the voters of the poll than the books under consideration. A list of the top 100 science fiction/fantasy novels without entries by Brin, Brunner, Butler, Cherryh, Delany or Silverberg (to name some obvious names; there are of course others) is going to have fans of various stripes shaking their heads.

Scalzi shares his own list of ten books that really should have been in the top 100, including Delany's Dhalgren and Octavia Butler's Kindred . What are your ten books that should have made the cut?

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

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NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels

We recently mentioned that NPR was running an online vote to select their readers' top 100 science fiction and fantasy novels. Well, 60,000+ votes later, the final list has now been determined:

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien 2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams 3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card 4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert 5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin 6. 1984, by George Orwell 7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury 8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov 9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley 10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman 11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman 12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan 13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell 14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson 15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore 16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov 17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein 18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss 19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut 20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley 21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick 22. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood 23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King 24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke 25. The Stand, by Stephen King 26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson 27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury 28. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut 29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman 30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess 31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein 32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams 33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey 34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein 35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller 36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells 37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne 38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys 39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells 40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny 41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings 42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley 43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson 44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven 45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin 46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien 47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White 48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman 49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke 50. Contact, by Carl Sagan

The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons Stardust, by Neil Gaiman Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson World War Z, by Max Brooks The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind The Road, by Cormac McCarthy Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore Old Man's War, by John Scalzi The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury Wicked, by Gregory Maguire The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart Anathem, by Neal Stephenson The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury Sunshine, by Robin McKinley A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis

For the full story, check out the results over at NPR . In addition to the basic list, they have also published a fantastic extended version of the list which includes descriptions and sample chapters of the books. As well, they have made available the full list of 237 finalists , if you've already worked your way through the top 100. (Ha!)

And as mentioned before, this list is a terrific reference for GeekDads, GeekMoms or Geeklings looking for summer reading suggestions...

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NPR's Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books

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NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books

What are the top 100 science-fiction and fantasy books ever written? This is an argument that will go on until the end of time with buffs of both these genres. NPR came up with their list of the  Best 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books . So, do you agree with the choices? Was there a book left off? Vote for the scifi and fantasy books that you believe are the absolute best. Add any shows that you believe deserve votes, and of course, feel free to re-rank this list of books in the order you think is correct.

Many of the books listed here are classics. Most people can agree that The Lord of the Rings , The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe, 1984, Fahrenheit 451 and A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire are amazing works of literature and considered not only some of  the best science fiction books, but maybe the best books ever.

The Kushiel's Legacy Series

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The Best Fantasy and Sci-Fi Books of 2024, So Far

Yearning for a new world? New stories from Heather Fawcett, Nisi Shawl, Danielle L. Jensen, Sofia Samatar, and more can get you there.

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The books that got me into books were fantasies. There was never a time in my life—post-infantile amnesia, I suppose—when I wasn’t reading a fantasy, being read a fantasy, or trying to write one myself. (Usually all three.) The same goes for science fiction: These were the types of stories that made reading feel limitless, thrilling, like peeking through a keyhole to a vaster (if not necessarily kinder) universe. As I’ve grown older, my reading habits have expanded, my understanding of genre widened, but well-executed fantasy and sci-fi remains my deepest source of literary joy. So it’s a pleasure to present ELLE’s picks for the best of those genres in 2024—through May, for now.

For the purposes of this list, speculative stories will be considered science fiction, while fairy tales, folktales, and mythological retellings will fall under the vast and complicated banner of “fantasy.” Romantasys will fall into this category as well. (You can find our other romance recommendations here .) There’s plenty of genre overlap ahead, but that’s the joy of these books—there’s always something (seemingly) contradictory to explore within them.

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

Within moments of cracking open the cover to Marie-Helene Bertino’s Beautyland , I was sold. She has followed up her 2020 novel Parakeet with a landmark work of literary science-fiction, set in the crosshairs of “two celestially significant events occurring simultaneously: The departure of Voyager 1 and the arrival of Adina Giorno, early and yellowed like old newspaper,” the author writes. As the Voyager 1 space probe sets its sights on the final frontier, so does the child Adina make a home for herself on Earth. But she is, in many ways, no less foreign to the planet than Voyager 1 is to the outer galaxy: Adina discovers that she’s been sent by her extraterrestrial relatives to report back her earthly findings, all via fax machine. (“Upon encountering real problems, human beings compare their lives to riding a roller coaster, even though they invented roller coasters to be fun things to do on their days off,” Adina notes in one such missive.) This is a wonder of science fiction: as tender and intimate as it is conceptually courageous.

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

The eagerly awaited follow-up to Heather Fawcett’s first title in the popular Emily Wilde series, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands is a winsome tale of fairies and academia, an ideal pick for fans of cozy fantasy. Set in 1910, the story follows the titular Emily, a faerie scholar who’s completed an encyclopedia of Fair Folk and is working next on a map of the creatures’ realms. But her relationship with the exiled faerie king Wendell Bambleby promises to complicate much more than her research, particularly as she and Bambleby hunt for the door back to his kingdom—and attempt to dodge his family’s assassination attempts. Clever, immersive, yet approachable for more casual readers, Map of the Otherlands is a genre-blending joy.

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

An inventive, vivid take on the Chosen One narrative, Kamilah Cole’s So Let Them Burn is the sort of young-adult fantasy novel both teenage and maturer readers will enjoy—particularly given Cole’s knack for juggling action-heavy dual perspectives. The premise involves 17-year-old Falon, whose ability to wield the power of the gods provides the strength she’ll need to liberate the island of San Irie from the colonizing forces of the Langlish. But her sister has unexpectedly bonded with a dragon from the Langley Empire, and when those dragons turn feral, the gods inform Falon she must eradicate them—and those bonded to them. Desperate to save each other, Falon and Elara flesh out this tale from alternating third-person perspectives in Cole’s exhilarating first entry in a promised series.

Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase

In Tlotlo Tsamaase’s future Botswana, consciousness can be delivered from body to body, making the life of protagonist Nelah possible. Her body used to belong to a criminal, which means the government has her microchipped: Her husband can control her, and the government can watch and assess her every move. Nelah is waiting for her child—gestating in an artificial womb—to arrive, but before that can happen, she and the man she’s in love with (a man who’s very much not her husband) commit a dangerous crime. The resulting fallout haunts Nelah (sometimes literally) in this sci-fi horror novel’s resolute skewering of misogyny.

Kinning by Nisi Shawl

The next entry in Nisi Shawl’s anti-colonial alternative history series, the second after Everfair , Kinning is a profoundly well-realized feat of world-building. Sprawling in its characters and themes, vaguely reminiscent of Game of Thrones’ political dramas, Shawl’s afrofuturist sequel explores the aftermath of Everfair’s Great War, the country having successfully pushed Europe out of the territory. Citizens plan to spread further peace via a fungus that generates empathy in those who interact with its spores, even as Everfair itself remains threatened from outside and within its borders. This is a complex, challenging story, but without question an impressive one.

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi

Faebound —with its simply stunning cover—takes place in a world where elves, humans, and fae once co-existed, but now only elves remain, and they’re eternally at war. Sisters Yeeran and Lettle soon find their lives bifurcated by the fighting: Yeeran is exiled outside the Elven Lands, and Lettle must pair up with one of Yeeran’s soldiers, Rayan, to find her lost sibling. Only then do they each discover that the fae are alive and well, and that the magic in store for them is well beyond what they’d once expected. This is a passionate and intriguing—but accessible—beginning to a planned Sapphic romantasy trilogy.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

The Tainted Cup is the beginning chapter of Robert Jackson Bennett’s Shadow of the Leviathan series, and it imbues elements from myriad genres—primarily fantasy, sci-fi, and mysteries—to create a delicious detective story set in an equally unforgettable magical world. In Bennett’s Khanum, where massive leviathans threaten the world outside the empire’s walls, an imperial officer is murdered in an aristocrat’s summer home. Two detectives, Ana and Din, must tackle this mystery. Together, they make something of an odd couple: Ana’s brilliance rivals that of Sherlock Holmes himself, while Din is a magically enhanced “engraver,” one with a perfect memory. These lead protagonists’ platonic partnership, and Bennett’s remarkable imagination, make this book a strange and singular thrill.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

There’s an intentional silliness to Ali Hazelwood’s paranormal romance Bride , in which the vampires are “Vampyres,” the werewolves are “Weres,” the protagonist is named Misery, and her marriage of convenience to a “very powerful and dangerous Were” might actually be...something more? But this on-the-nose humor, a signature in Hazelwood’s work, only serves to underscore the shameless indulgence of Misery’s story. Bride will certainly not enrapture all fantasy readers (particularly those wishing to avoid sex scenes), but for Hazelwood’s many existing fans, this surprise genre twist from the contemporary romance author has plenty of winks to impart.

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

Heartless Hunter , an instant New York Times bestseller, has already amassed a sizable (and passionate) audience, but it’s certainly not too late to pick up this addictive romantasy, which tracks the love affair between a persecuted witch and a witch hunter. Protagonist Rune comes from privilege, but after a revolution seizes power from the once-ruling witches, she’s now hiding in plain sight: socialite by day, witch vigilante by night. (Alias: The Crimson Moth.) Working to protect her people from witch hunters, she decides to court one of them; he, in return, agrees to the relationship to gain intel about her operations. But just as their fake relationship blooms into something deeper, their political ties could easily break them apart. Relentlessly trope-y? Sure. But this is a satisfying binge-read nonetheless.

Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner

Hannah Kaner follows up the first book in her Fallen Gods series, Godkiller , with Sunbringer , set immediately after the events of its predecessor. Brilliant mythology-inspired world-building paves the foundation for Kaner’s fantasy adventure, but it’s the fully realized ensemble cast that, ultimately, makes the series so memorable. In Sunbringer , Kissen, Inara, Skediceth, Elogast, and King Arren trade third-person perspectives as a war between gods and humans bubbles into the foreground in Middren, seeding fertile ground for an epic showdown to come.

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

“Foxes, people say, are wicked women,” Yangsze Choo writes in her historical fantasy The Fox Wife , set in early-1900s Manchuria as the Qing dynasty wanes. Choo (author of The Ghost Bride and The Night Tiger ) introduces readers to Snow, a fox spirit who can shapeshift into a woman, and Detective Bao, who believes Snow is connected to a murder. But Snow, living as a human and working as a maidservant, has her own mission in mind: She wants revenge against the photographer who paid a hunter to murder her daughter. Folklore and mystery converge in Choo’s alluring, atmospheric tale.

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

I know better than to buy a book based solely on its character art, but there’s no denying the cover of Danielle L. Jensen’s A Fate Inked In Blood (illustrated by Eleonor Piteira) merits the attention. Blessedly, the book’s inside contents are just as richly rendered. The latest story from fantasy stalwart Jensen ( The Bridge Kingdom series, The Dark Shores series), Fate centers on Freya, a young woman trapped in a loveless marriage—loveless enough that her husband betrays her, setting off a series of events that culminates in a shocking reveal: The blood of a goddess runs in Freya’s veins. That blood makes her powerful, but it also makes her a target for Skaland’s jarl, who believes his fate is tied to Freya’s. Still, it’s this jarl’s son, Bjorn, who will prove the most complicating factor in Freya’s fight for survival. This is an absorbing viking romantasy steeped in Norse mythology, and the start to a series with real momentum.

The Siege of Burning Grass by Premee Mohamed

“They locked him up while his leg grew back.” So begins The Siege of Burning Grass , Premee Mohamed’s ferocious story of violence and resistance in a world of wound-healing wasps and floating cities. Protagonist Alefret is a peacemaker—or, anyway, he’s trying to be—but he’s since been targeted and imprisoned by his own government, then ordered to go undercover in the rival empire of Med’ariz. There, he’s tasked with seeding an anti-war effort amongst the people, an effort which Alefret’s government aims to capitalize on—and claim victory at last. But revolutions are costly in more ways than one, and Mohamed navigates these nuances with empathy and righteous verve.

The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black

As a childhood enthusiast of The Spiderwick Chronicles , I’ve loved watching Holly Black’s fantasy career evolve, and her conclusion to the Stolen Heir duology, The Prisoner’s Throne , is a treat for old fans and newcomers alike. In the fairy world of Elfhame, Black has created a entertaining tableau of political intrigue and romance—most notably between High King Cardan and High Queen Jude (iykyk). And as war beckons in The Prisoner’s Throne , the imprisoned Prince Oak finds his loyalties (and his love) stretched to the brink.

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

One of my most anticipated reads of the spring, Sierra Greer’s feminist sci-fi Annie Bot is much as I’d hoped it would be: frightening but measured, referential but fresh. The titular Annie is indeed a robot—a Stella model coded as a Cuddle Bunny, to be exact—designed for use by Doug, who’s customized her into a near-mirror image of his ex. She does housework; she does...other things. She can set her internal body temperature and read Doug’s annoyance rankings. He can set her libido levels. (“A four’s good,” he says. “She’s, like, ready at a four, but not actively assertive.”) As Annie notes early in the novel, “I only exist because I’m wanted.” These themes are certainly not new, but it’s how Greer writes this mash-up of Ex Machina , Her , Westworld , and The Stepford Wives that makes its tension resonate so loudly, even if it’s meant more as an allegory of women’s liberation than a treatise on the threats of AI. A quick read, but one you won’t soon wipe from memory.

Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson

Although set in the same universe as her debut, The Space Between Worlds , Micaiah Johnson’s Those Beyond the Wall is set 10 years after the events of the former, and can be read as a standalone. (But you should definitely read The Space Between Worlds .) This clear-eyed, undaunted sci-fi saga introduces readers to a woman who goes by the name of Mr. Scales, a street-savvy “runner” living outside the walls of the gleaming Wiley City, in a far poorer desert community known as Ashtown. After she witnesses a friend’s gruesome death, she follows the breadcrumb trail to the multiverse-hopping technology residing inside Wiley City. But to stop this tech (and its users) from destroying the people of Ashtown, she’ll need to rely on more than her own wits. Gritty and raw, this is a fine work of dystopian fiction, one sure to chafe and unsettle as much as it thrills.

I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger

To start, what an absolutely fabulous title. Peace Like A River author Leif Enger’s latest is so much more than its cheeky cover; in fact, it might be one of the most optimistic post-apocalyptic novels you’ll ever read, if also one of the more unusual. In Enger’s imagined near-future America, the president is proudly illiterate, pandemics and wildfires are growing by the hour, and an entirely new class of billionaires known as “astronauts” are happy to watch from above as the plebs flee their now-closed schools for solace in drugs and government labor. But protagonist Rainey does not see the end of the world as a black hole, especially when he looks to his wife, Lark, who runs a bookstore in spite of the enormous risk inherent in doing so. It is his unflappable faith in goodness that leads him, much like Orpheus, to sail Lake Superior in search of Lark when a visitor unexpectedly tears them apart. This is a triumphant, generous work of art—neither cloying nor nihilist.

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

Ninth House, Hell Bent, and Six of Crows author Leigh Bardugo steps into the Spanish Golden Age for a fantasy remarkably unlike her previous works. The Familiar is a stunning accomplishment, set in 16th-century Madrid, where the Inquisition haunts Luzia Cotado, an orphaned “not quite Spanish” scullion with a hidden talent for magic—and Jewish blood that puts her at imminent risk. When her mistress discovers Luzia’s unique skillset, she puts them to use, attracting the attention of the king’s secretary and his familiar, the immortal Guillén Santángel. With Santángel’s help, Luzia might just be able to survive—or even thrive—but, as any fantasy reader can tell you, power always has its consequences.

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland

A Sweet Sting of Salt is an altogether entrancing retelling of the traditional folktale “The Selkie Wife,” in which a man steals a selkie’s skin and forces her to become his wife. (Selkies, as a refresher, are mythological creatures who take the form of seals in the ocean and humans on land.) In Sting , the selkie in question is discovered by midwife Jean Langille on the coast of 19th century Nova Scotia, where she’s wracked with birthing pains. Jean helps deliver the woman’s child, and soon surmises this mysterious stranger is Muirin, the wife of her fisherman neighbor, Tobias. But Tobias and Muirin are clearly hiding some sort of secret, and as Jean slowly realizes she’s falling in love with Muirin, so too must she face the danger that threatens them both should their relationship continue. A beautifully written Sapphic fantasy, Sutherland’s debut announces her as a writer to watch.

The Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna

Rania Hanna’s debut novel The Jinn Daughter is a lush and mesmerizing story of motherhood and magic, its influences pulled from Middle Eastern mythology. Protagonist Nadine has a daughter, Layala, whom she’ll do anything to protect. But Nadine is also a jinn, one who tells the stories of the dead through the pomegranate seeds she collects each morning. Soon, Death herself arrives on Nadine’s doorstep—she has come for Nadine’s half-jinn daughter Layala, whom Death wants to replace her as the underworld’s ruler. This is not a fate Nadine can accept for Layala, and so a fight for her daughter’s life commences. This is a short but sweeping story of a mother’s unrelenting devotion.

What to Read in 2024

Shelf Life: Miranda July

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Shelf Life: Claire Messud

Honor Levy Says ‘Goodnight Meme’

Lilly Dancyger on 'First Love'

Shelf Life: Jen Psaki

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Kelsey McKinney Has a Juicy New Book on the Way

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Inside the Ritual of Painting Ballet Slippers

15 fantasy and science fiction books to read in May 2024

A new month has dawned, and as the prophecy foretold, a glut of new fantasy and science fiction books are about to arrive. As we do every month here at Winter Is Coming , we're rounding up all the hottest book releases of the month in one place, all in the name of feeding your habit so you can spend less time wrangling with Amazon or Goodreads and more time reading!

From dark epic fantasies to tongue-in-cheek romances to stories featuring criminals and assassins, sci-fi thrillers filled with alien conspiracies and interstellar mysteries, there are plenty of books hitting the shelves in May. No matter your interests, there's probably something in this list that'll hit the spot. Come along on a journey of literary discovery!

THE SWORD UNBOUND by Gareth Hanrahan ( Lands of the Firstborn #2) — May 7

We start out the month with a dash of dark epic fantasy. The Sword Unbound is the second book in Gareth Hanrahan's Lands of the Firstborn series, and the sequel to The Sword Defiant . The story is epic fantasy to the core, but with a dark twist: A band of grizzled veteran warriors who once saved the world find themselves once more drawn into a conflict for the soul of it, except this time they're not lauded as heroes; they're hunted as rebels. Throw in a cursed sword, wrathful gods and a duplicitous immortal elven king, and you have the makings for a gritty fantasy adventure.

Description:

He thought he was saving the world. That was his first mistake.

Twenty years ago, Alf and his companions defeated the Dark Lord and claimed his city. Now, those few of the Nine that remain find themselves unwilling rebels, defying the authority of both the mortal Lords they once served and the immortal king of the elves - the secret architect of everything they've ever known.

Once lauded as a mighty hero, Alf is now labelled a traitor and hunted by the very gods he seeks to bring down. As desperate rebellion blazes across the land, Alf seeks the right path through a maze of conspiracy, wielding a weapon of evil. The black sword Spellbreaker has found its purpose in these dark days. But can Aelfric remain a hero, or is his legend tarnished forever?

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

FIVE BROKEN BLADES by Mai Corland — May 7

Five Broken Blades is being pitched as a mix between Game of Thrones and Kill Bill set in a Korean-inspired fantasy world. It features a found family of assassins and killers who have to team up to kill a king who's dipping his hand into divinity, which sounds like a fun set up — especially when those assassins are each so untrustworthy that it's hard to know what's truth and what's a lie meant to further their own individual ends. Can they trust each other long enough to throw down the king's corrupt regime? And if they succeed, can they trust each other enough to build something better from its ashes?

It’s the season

for treason…

The king of Yusan must die.

The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the God King Joon.

He has it coming. Under his merciless immortal hand, the nobles flourish, while the poor and innocent are imprisoned, ruined…or sold.

And now each of the five blades will come for him. Each has tasted bitterness—from the hired hitman seeking atonement, a lovely assassin who seeks freedom, or even the prince banished for his cruel crimes. None can resist the sweet, icy lure of vengeance.

They can agree on murder.

They can agree on treachery.

But for these five killers—each versed in deception, lies, and betrayal—it’s not enough to forge an alliance. To survive, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other…but only one can take the crown.

Let the best liar win.

THE SILVERBLOOD PROMISE by James Logan ( The Last Legacy #1) — May 7

Our next book is probably going to be a great fit for any Joe Abercrombie, Nicholas Eames or Scott Lynch fans in the house. The Silverblood Promise follows the disgraced noble Lukan Gardova, who delves into the criminal underworld of the fantastical metropolis of Saphrona after his father is suspiciously murdered.

The Silverblood Promise is the debut novel from James Logan, a veteran fantasy and science fiction editor who has made the leap over to authorhood. Logan knows his way around a well-constructed fantasy book, and from the exceptionally positive early buzz that The Silverblood Promise is generating, it sounds like those skills have paid off in this dark fantasy debut.

Lukan Gardova is a cardsharp, academy dropout, and—thanks to a duel that ended badly—the disgraced heir to an ancient noble house. His days consist of cheap wine, rigged card games, and wondering how he might win back the life he threw away.

When Lukan discovers that his estranged father has been murdered in strange circumstances, he finds fresh purpose. Deprived of his chance to make amends for his mistakes, he vows to unravel the mystery behind his father's death.

His search for answers leads him to Saphrona, fabled city of merchant princes, where anything can be bought if one has the coin. Lukan only seeks the truth, but instead he finds danger and secrets in every shadow.

For in Saphrona, everything has a price—and the price of truth is the deadliest of all.

THE BRIDES OF HIGH HILL by Nghi Vho ( The Singing Hills Cycle #5) — May 7

The Brides of High Hill is the fifth installment in author Nghi Vho's Singing Hills Cycle . This novella series follows Cleric Chih, a record keeper who travels from place to place recording what bits of history they can. Each Singing Hills Cycle is a standalone story, so you can pick them up in any order. In The Birdes of High Hill , Cleric Chih is heading to a wedding where dark secrets from the kingly husband-to-be's past loom large.

The Cleric Chih accompanies a beautiful young bride to her wedding to the aging ruler of a crumbling estate situated at the crossroads of dead empires. The bride's party is welcomed with elaborate courtesies and extravagant banquets, but between the frightened servants and the cryptic warnings of the lord's mad son, they quickly realize that something is haunting the shadowed halls.

As Chih and the bride-to-be explore empty rooms and desolate courtyards, they are drawn into the mystery of what became of Lord Guo's previous wives and the dark history of Do Cao itself. But as the wedding night draws to its close, Chih will learn at their peril that not all monsters are to be found in the shadows; some monsters hide in plain sight.

ROAD TO RUIN by Hana Lee ( Magebike Courier #1) — May 14

Are you excited for the Mad Max movie Furiosa that's releasing this month? Of course you are, you self-respecting sci-fi nerd! Well, do I have good news for you: Road To Ruin is the first installment in Hana Lee's Magebiker Courier series, and it has a vibe that would make any road warrior grin with manic approval. The book follows Jin-Lu, one of the titular magebike couriers who traverses an unforgiving hellscape on a motorcycle powered by magic, and gets swept up in a polyamorous love triangle along the way. If you can't get enough of motor chases across unforgiving wastelands, you definitely want Road To Ruin on your radar.

Jin-Lu has the most dangerous job in the wasteland. She’s a magebike courier, one of the few who venture outside the domed cities on motorcycles powered by magic. Every day, she braves the wasteland’s dangers—deadly storms, roving marauders, and territorial beasts—to deliver her wares.

Her most valuable cargo? A prince’s love letters addressed to Yi-Nereen, a princess desperate to escape the clutches of her abusive family and soon-to-be husband. Jin, desperately in love with both her and the prince, can’t refuse Yi-Nereen’s plea for help. The two of them flee across the wastes, pursued by Yi-Nereen’s furious father, her scheming betrothed, and a bounty hunter with mysterious powers.

A storm to end all storms is brewing and dark secrets about the heritability of magic are coming to light. Jin’s heart has led her into peril before, but this time she may not find her way back.

WHEN AMONG CROWS by Veronica Roth — May 14

It's an exciting time for fans of Veronica Roth, the author of the bestselling Divergent YA sci-fi series. This month, Roth is releasing When Among Crows , an adult fantasy novella drawing on Slavic folklore. When Among Crows is the story of a monster slayer who has to join forces with a zmora — a nightmare being from Polish myth — in order to slay an even bigger monster. And maybe, in the process, find a way to ease their own painful burdens that their lives have chained to them.

We bear the sword, and we bear the pain of the sword.

Pain is Dymitr’s calling. His family is one in a long line of hunters who sacrifice their souls to slay monsters. Now he’s tasked with a deadly mission: find the legendary witch Baba Jaga. To reach her, Dymitr must ally with the ones he’s sworn to kill.

Pain is Ala’s inheritance. A fear-eating zmora with little left to lose, Ala awaits death from the curse she carries. When Dymitr offers her a cure in exchange for her help, she has no choice but to agree.

Together they must fight against time and the wrath of the Chicago underworld. But Dymitr’s secrets—and his true motives—may be the thing that actually destroys them.

THE HONEY WITCH by Sydney J. Shields — May 14

If you'd like some romance in your fantasy this spring, The Honey Witch may be more your style. The debut novel from Sydney J. Shields, it's a romantic historical fantasy story about a witch and a magical skeptic whose lives become intertwined. It's got cozy, cottagecore vibes and a sapphic romance, and has been drawing comparisons to both Bridgerton and Practical Magic .

The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to bear. But when a young woman who doesn’t believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all.

Twenty-one-year-old Marigold Claude has always preferred the company of the spirits of the meadow to any of the suitors who’ve tried to woo her. So when her grandmother whisks her away to the family cottage on the tiny Isle of Innisfree with an offer to train her as the next Honey Witch, she accepts immediately. But her newfound magic and independence come with a price: No one can fall in love with the Honey Witch.

When Lottie Burke, a notoriously grumpy skeptic who doesn’t believe in magic, shows up on her doorstep, Marigold can’t resist the challenge to prove to her that magic is real. But soon, Marigold begins to care for Lottie in ways she never expected. And when darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her new home—at the risk of losing her magic and her heart.

GODDESS OF THE RIVER by Vaishnavi Patel — May 21

May will also see the release of Goddess of the River , the hotly anticipated second novel from Kaikeyi author Vaishnavi Patel. Like Kaikeyi , Goddess of the River is a reimagining of a piece of Indian mythology; in this case, the story of the river goddess Ganga from the Mahabarata and her son, Devavrata. Patel's first book was extremely well received, and if she's managed to pull off a similar sort of magic with Goddess of the River , it's going to be a spellbinding read.

A mother and a son. A goddess and a prince. A curse and an oath. A river whose course will change the fate of the world.

Ganga, joyful goddess of the river, serves as caretaker to the mischievous godlings who roam her banks. But when their antics incur the wrath of a powerful sage, Ganga is cursed to become mortal, bound to her human form until she fulfills the obligations of the curse.

Though she knows nothing of mortal life, Ganga weds King Shantanu and becomes a queen, determined to regain her freedom no matter the cost. But in a cruel turn of fate, just as she is freed of her binding, she is forced to leave her infant son behind.

Her son, prince Devavrata, unwittingly carries the legacy of Ganga’s curse. And when he makes an oath that he will never claim his father’s throne, he sets in motion a chain of events that will end in a terrible and tragic war.

As the years unfold, Ganga and Devavrata are drawn together again and again, each confluence another step on a path that has been written in the stars, in this deeply moving and masterful tale of duty, destiny, and the unwavering bond between mother and son.

FREESET by Sarina Dahlan ( The Four Cities #2) — May 21

Freeset is the latest novel in author Sarina Dahlan's Four Cities series, which takes place in a sci-fi future where the last remnants of humanity have their memories wiped every four years, the better to promote the stability of their post-apocalyptic "utopian" society. But what happens when some of them start to remember? What if there were loved ones they didn't want to leave behind after the mandatory memory wipes?

These questions were posed in the first book in the series, Reset . Freeset is a direct sequel to Reset , picking up with some of the characters after they sat out the second book, last year's prequel novel Preset .

Can true love break you free?

When calamity destroyed most of humanity, the Four Cities survived by carefully predicting and meticulously controlling everything in the survivors’ lives—even love. As part of this new normal, every four years the citizens face down Tabula Rasa, a process that wipes away their memories of each other.

But nothing can be controlled completely, and love will always strive to be free.

A brave handful of Dreamers, aided by Eleanor the Crone, have repeatedly managed to find each other again after Tabula Rasa, proving that the desire to connect is eternal. Scientist Aris and musician Metis, star-crossed lovers, have found each other again … along with a clue to a hidden library that could contain the memories erased by Tabula Rasa.

At long last, there is a chance for a brave, free, new world—if they can escape before the next reset.

LOST ARK DREAMING by Suyi Davies Okungbowa — May 21

Lost Ark Dreaming is a new novella from Suyi Davies Okungbowa, the Nigerian author behind The Nameless Republic fantasy series. While Okungbowa's novel series, which began with 2021's Son of the Storm , takes place in a fictional African-inspired fantasy world, Lost Ark Dreaming is set in an alternate version of our own future. It's a story of privilege and social disparity set in a partially submerged tower system, where the wealthy live in opulence while everyone else is forced to subsist in the towers' depths below sea level.

Off the coast of West Africa, decades after the dangerous rise of the Atlantic Ocean, the region’s survivors live inside five partially submerged, kilometers-high towers originally created as a playground for the wealthy. Now the towers’ most affluent rule from their lofty perch at the top while the rest are crammed into the dark, fetid floors below sea level.

There are also those who were left for dead in the Atlantic, only to be reawakened by an ancient power, and who seek vengeance on those who offered them up to the waves.

Three lives within the towers are pulled to the fore of this conflict: Yekini, an earnest, mid-level rookie analyst; Tuoyo, an undersea mechanic mourning a tremendous loss; and Ngozi, an egotistical bureaucrat from the highest levels of governance. They will need to work together if there is to be any hope of a future that is worth living—for everyone.

IN OUR STARS by Jack Campbell ( Doomed Earth #1) — May 21

In Our Stars is the latest novel from veteran science fiction author Jack Campbell. Campbell has been churning out novels for more than 20 years now, and has published well over 40 books. He's best known for his Lost Fleet military sci-fi series. With his track record, it's a safe bet that his next work is going to be a good one. In Our Stars is a sci-fi thriller where the destruction of Earth in the year 2180 hurls a genetically engineered super soldier back in time — where she's given the chance to avert the planet's explosive fate.

Earth, 2180

Genetically engineered with partly alien DNA, Lieutenant Selene Genji is different from ordinary humans. And they hate her for it. Still, she’s spent her life trying to overcome society’s prejudice by serving in the Unified Fleet while Earth’s international order collapses into war.

Genji is stationed on a ship in orbit when humanity’s factional extremism on the planet reaches a boiling point, and she witnesses the utter annihilation of Earth. When the massive forces unleashed by Earth’s death warp space and time to hurl her forty years into the past, Genji is given a chance to try to change the future and save Earth—starting with the alien first contact only she knows will soon occur.

Earth, 2140

Lieutenant Kayl Owen’s ship is on a routine patrol when a piece of spacecraft wreckage appears out of nowhere. To his shock, there is a survivor on board: Selene Genji. Once her strange heritage is discovered, though, it becomes clear that Genji is a problem Earth Guard command wants to dispose of—quietly. After learning the horrifying truth, Owen helps her escape and joins her mission.

Together, they have a chance to change the fate of an Earth doomed to die in 2180. But altering history could put Genji’s very existence in danger, and Owen wonders if a world without her is one worth saving. . . .

HOW TO BECOME THE DARK LORD AND DIE TRYING by Django Wexler ( Dark Lord Davi #1) — May 21

Django Wexler is another author who's been publishing books for quite a while, including the acclaimed flintlock fantasy series The Shadow Campaigns . His latest is a bit different; it's being pitched as a laugh-out-loud story that takes the raucous tone of Deadpool with a set up similar to Groundhog Day . How often does a book get pitched with those kind of comp titles?

How To Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying is the story of Davi, a hero stuck in a time loop where she's killed over and over trying to defeat a dark lord. But you know what they say: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. This time Davi is going to become the dark lord herself! It sounds like a total blast.

Davi has done this all before. She’s tried to be the hero and take down the all-powerful Dark Lord. A hundred times she’s rallied humanity and made the final charge. But the time loop always gets her in the end. Sometimes she’s killed quickly. Sometimes it takes a while. But she’s been defeated every time.

This time? She’s done being the hero and done being stuck in this endless time loop. If the Dark Lord always wins, then maybe that’s who she needs to be. It’s Davi’s turn to play on the winning side.

HEAVENBREAKER by Sara Wolf — May 21

Heavenbreaker is a sci-fi revenge story by Lovely Vicious author Sara Wolf, which is drawing some comparisons to both The Hunger Games and Iron Widow . After her duke father tries to murder her and her mother to cover up their existence, Synali goes on a fiery path of retribution against his noble house — even as she starts to develop feelings for one of her targets. In order to succeed in her bloody goals, she becomes the pilot of the giant machine Heavenbreaker, which has some eerie secrets of its own. I didn't know that I needed gundams jousting in space in my life, but once you know that gundam space jousts exist it's hard not to be intrigued.

Bravery isn't what you do. It's what you endure.

The duke of the powerful House Hauteclare is the first to die.

With my dagger in his back.

He didn’t see it coming. Didn’t anticipate the bastard daughter who was supposed to die with her mother—on his order. He should have left us with the rest of the Station’s starving, commoner rubbish.

Now there’s nothing left. Just icy-white rage and a need to make House Hauteclare pay. Every damn one of them.

Even if it means riding Heavenbreaker—one of the few enormous machines left over from the War—and jousting against the fiercest nobles in the system.

Each win means another one of my enemies dies. And here, in the cold terror of space, the machine and I move as one, intent on destroying each adversary—even if it’s someone I care about.

Even if it’s someone I’m falling for.

Only I’m not alone. Not anymore.

Because there’s something in the machine with me. Something horrifying. Something…more.

And it won’t be stopped.

EVOCATION by S.T. Gibson ( The Summoner's Circle #1) — May 28

Dowry of Blood author S.T. Gibson has a new book hitting shelves this month: Evocation , the first installment in The Summoner's Circle series. Evocation is a contemporary fantasy about a man named David, a Boston attorney by day and practicing medium by night. When the (literal) demons of his past catch up with him, David has to turn to an ex-boyfriend and his wife in order to keep both feet out of the grave.

The Devil knows your name, David Aristarkhov.

As a teen, David Aristarkhov was a psychic prodigy, operating under the shadow of his oppressive occultist father. Now, years after his father’s death and rapidly approaching his thirtieth birthday, he is content with the high-powered life he’s curated as a Boston attorney, moonlighting as a powerful medium for his secret society.

But with power comes a price, and the Devil has come to collect on an ancestral deal. David’s days are numbered, and death looms at his door.

Reluctantly, he reaches out to the only person he’s ever trusted, his ex-boyfriend and secret Society rival Rhys, for help. However, the only way to get to Rhys is through his wife, Moira. Thrust into each other’s care, emotions once buried deep resurface, and the trio race to figure out their feelings for one another before the Devil steals David away for good…

THE FIREBORNE BLADE by Charlotte Bond — May 28

We end the month of May with a dragon-slayer fantasy novella, which is almost the fantasy equivalent of comfort food. Except this comfort food is more likely to eat you than you it! Charlotte Bond's The Fireborne Blade is the story of Maddileh, a female knight who is forced to reclaim her honor by retrieving the titular Fireborne Blade from the dragon said to defend it. But the quest is going to be anything but simple, and Maddileh's chances of surviving it sound uncertain at best.

Kill the dragon. Find the blade. Reclaim her honor.

It’s that, or end up like countless knights before her, as a puddle of gore and molten armor.

Maddileh is a knight. There aren’t many women in her line of work, and it often feels like the sneering and contempt from her peers is harder to stomach than the actual dragon slaying. But she’s a knight, and made of sterner stuff.

A minor infraction forces her to redeem her honor in the most dramatic way possible, she must retrieve the fabled Fireborne Blade from its keeper, legendary dragon the White Lady, or die trying. If history tells us anything, it's that “die trying” is where to wager your coin.

Maddileh’s tale contains a rich history of dragons, ill-fated knights, scheming squires, and sapphic love, with deceptions and double-crosses that will keep you guessing right up to its dramatic conclusion. Ultimately, The Fireborne Blade is about the roles we refuse to accept, and of the place we make for ourselves in the world.

And so ends another month's book roundup! What will you be adding to your TBR pile?

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This article was originally published on winteriscoming.com as 15 fantasy and science fiction books to read in May 2024 .