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Get ready to escape 2020 with its upcoming fantasy and sci-fi book releases! While there’s many, many exciting new books being released this year, we’ve picked a few titles that are releasing between January and June this year!
There’s plenty of favourites authors releasing new books, including Sarah J. Maas, Mark Lawrence, Veronica Roth, Max Brooks, Sarah Gailey, Yoon Ha Lee, and Tamsyn Muir, along with debut authors releasing their first novels!
Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you are looking forward to any of them!
JANUARY
A Queen in Hiding by Sarah Kozloff
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Debut author Sarah Kozloff offers a breathtaking and cinematic epic fantasy of a ruler coming of age in A Queen in Hiding, and all four books will be published within a month of each other, so you can binge your favourite new fantasy series.
Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani
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This thrilling YA retelling of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai features a girl tasked with saving the world from eternal darkness. Perfect for fans of Six of Crows and Marie Lu.
Agency by William Gibson
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The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg
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A spellbinding story of truce and trickery from the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician series.
Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim
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Packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, and duelling identities, this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo.
The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez
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A mysterious child lands in the care of a solitary woman, changing both of their lives forever in this captivating debut of connection across space and time.
Zed by Joanna Kavenna
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From the winner of the Orange Award for New Writing comes a blistering, satirical novel about life under a global media and tech corporation that knows exactly what we think, what we want, and what we do–before we do.
The Heap by Sean Adams
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Blending the dark humour of Patrick deWitt and the jagged social and techno-satire of Black Mirror, an audacious, eerily prescient debut novel that chronicles the rise and fall of a massive high-rise housing complex, and the lives it affected before—and after—its demise.
FEBRUARY
The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood
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A. K. Larkwood’s The Unspoken Name is a stunning debut fantasy about an orc priestess turned wizard’s assassin.
The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold
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A former soldier turned PI tries to help the fantasy creatures whose lives he ruined in a world that’s lost its magic in a compelling debut fantasy by Black Sails actor Luke Arnold.
The Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes
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Rich in imagination and romance, and based on the legends and history of the Aztec and Maya people, The Seventh Sun brings to vivid life a world on the edge of apocalyptic disaster.
Finna by Nino Cipri
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Nino Cipri’s Finna is a rambunctious, touching story that blends all the horrors the multiverse has to offer with the everyday awfulness of low-wage work. It explores queer relationships and queer feelings, capitalism and accountability, labour and love, all with a bouncing sense of humour and a commitment to the strange.
Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
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In Upright Women Wanted, award-winning author Sarah Gailey reinvents the pulp Western with an explicitly antifascist, near-future story of queer identity.
Mazes of Power by Juliette Wade
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This debut work of sociological science fiction follows a deadly battle for succession, where brother is pitted against brother in a singular chance to win power and influence for their family.
A Witch in Time by Constance Sayers
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The Unwilling by Kelly Braffet
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An epic tale of greed and ambition, cruelty and love, this deeply immersive novel is about bowing to traditions and burning them down.
MARCH
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas launches her brand-new CRESCENT CITY series with House of Earth and Blood: the story of half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan as she seeks revenge in a contemporary fantasy world of magic, danger, and searing romance.
Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco
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An unforgettable alternative history fairytale series from the author of The Bone Witch trilogy about found family, modern day magic, and finding the place you belong.
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
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Five New Yorkers must come together in order to defend their city in the first book of a stunning new series by Hugo award-winning and NYT bestselling author N. K. Jemisin.
The Electric Heir by Victoria Lee
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In the sequel to The Fever King, Noam Álvaro seeks to end tyranny before he becomes a tyrant himself.
The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag
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The critically acclaimed author of The House at the End of Hope Street combines love, mystery, and magic with her first foray into bewitching fantasy with a dark edge evocative of V.E. Schwab and Neil Gaiman.
Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer
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Modern witchcraft blends with ancient Celtic mythology in an epic clash of witches and gods, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic trilogy and A Discovery of Witches.
Cries from the Lost Island by Kathleen O’Neal Gear
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This standalone fantasy brings an ancient Egyptian mystery to life against a modern background, in a tale expertly crafted by a seasoned anthropologist
The Raven and the Dove by Kaitlyn Davis
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Four fates collide in this avian-inspired, epic fantasy retelling of Tristan and Isolde perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo!
APRIL
Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth
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The first novel written for an adult audience by the mega-selling author of the Divergent franchise: five twenty-something heroes famous for saving the world when they were teenagers must face even greater demons—and reconsider what it means to be a hero…by destiny or by choice.
Don’t Call the Wolf by Aleksandra Ross
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A forest, besieged. A queen, unyielding. Fans of Leigh Bardugo and Holly Black will devour this deliciously dark Eastern European–inspired YA fantasy debut.
Looking Glass by Christina Henry
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In four new novellas, Christina Henry returns to the world of Alice and Red Queen, where magic runs as freely as secrets and blood.
The Glass Magician by Caroline Stevermer
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A gilded menagerie rules a Gilded Age: Bears and Bulls are not only real, but dominate humanity in The Glass Magician, an amazing historical fantasy by Caroline Stevermer.
Repo Virtual by Corey J. White
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Corey J. White’s debut novel Repo Virtual blurs the lines between the real and virtual in an action-packed cyberpunk heist story.
Goldilocks by Laura Lam
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Ravaged by environmental disaster, greed and oppression, our planet is in crisis. The future of humanity hangs in the balance – and one woman can tip it over.
The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey
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The first in a gripping new trilogy, The Book of Koli charts the journey of one unforgettable young boy struggling to find his place in a chilling post-apocalyptic world. Perfect for readers of Station Eleven and Annihilation.
The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence
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A stunning new epic fantasy series following a young outcast who must fight with everything she has to survive, set in the same world as Red Sister.
MAY
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
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A captivating and utterly original fairy tale about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch, and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse…
Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
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Our heroes are back . . . kind of. From the bestselling co-authors of the Illuminae Files comes the second book in the epic Aurora Cycle series about a squad of misfits, losers, and discipline cases who just might be the galaxy’s best hope for survival.
Feathertide by Beth Cartwright
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Feathertide is an enchanting, magical novel perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus and Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale.
Lobizona by Romina Garber
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In Lobizona, the first in the Wolves of No World series, bestselling author Romina Garber weaves together Argentine folklore and what it means to be illegal in a timely, intimate, and emotionally powerful narrative.
Devolution by Max Brooks
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The #1 bestselling author of World War Z takes on the Bigfoot legend with a tale that blurs the lines between human and beast—and asks what we are capable of in the face of the unimaginable.
The Eleventh Gate by Nancy Kress
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Despite economic and territorial tensions, no one wants the city-states of the Eight Worlds to repeat the Terran Collapse by going to war. But when war accidentally happens, everyone seeks ways to exploit it for gain.
Empress of Flames by Mimi Yu
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In this dark, sweeping fantasy perfect for fans of Girls of Paper and Fire and Wicked Saints, two princesses must save their home, no matter the cost.
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
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In a world divided by colonialism and threaded with magic, a desperate orphan turned pirate and a rebellious imperial lady find a connection on the high seas.
JUNE
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
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Harrow the Ninth, the sequel to the sensational Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor’s haunted space station.
The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant
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Les Misérables meets Six of Crows in this page-turning adventure as a young thief finds herself going head to head with leaders of Paris’s criminal underground in the wake of the French Revolution.
The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso
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The Obsidian Tower begins a bold new epic fantasy trilogy in which the broken magic of one woman will either save an entire continent-or completely destroy it.
Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee
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For generations the empire has spread across the world, nigh-unstoppable in their advance. Its power depends on its automata, magically animated and programmed with sigils and patterns painted in mystical pigments. A symbol-painter – themselves a colonial subject – is frustrated in their work when their supply of Phoenix Extravagant dries up, and sets out to find the source. What they’ll discover is darker than anything they could have imagined…
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
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From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes a reimagining of the classic gothic suspense novel, a story about an isolated mansion in 1950s Mexico—and the brave socialite drawn to its treacherous secrets.
The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska
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A fast-paced, well-plotted fantasy retelling of an ancient Scottish fairy tale ballad, this exciting debut will appeal to fans of Stephanie Garber’s Caraval, Shea Ernshaw’s The Wicked Deep, and Kendare Blake’s Three Dark Crowns.
Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson
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The dangerous magic of The Night Circus meets the powerful historical exploration of The Underground Railroad in this timely and unsettling novel, set against the darkly glamorous backdrop of New York City at the dawn of WWII.
The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho
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Zen Cho returns with a found family wuxia fantasy that combines the vibrancy of old school martial arts movies with characters drawn from the margins of history.
Such a comprehensive list, its a wonder how I managed to miss out on so many new ones.
The list misses out on The Black Shade of White: Justice by Renata ‘Cattleya’ Levy. A good read!
I’m looking forward to reading (if I manage to find them), these: A Queen in Hiding by Sara Kozloff, the Unspoken Name by A K Larkwood, House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas, The City we Became by N k Jemisin, The Raven and the Dove by Kaitlyn Davis, Witches of Ashes and Ruin by E Latimer, Chosen One’s by Veronica Roth, Don’t call the Wolf by Alessandra Ross, The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence, Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust, Feathertide by Beth Cartwright, Empress of Flames by Mimi Yu, The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant, The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso, Pheonix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee and The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho.
Looking forward to a bunch of these and will be keeping tabs on many others for sure. Thanks for sharing.
Looking forward to the next Harry Dresden book by Jim Butcher- have been waiting some considerable time for it. harry is every woman’s white knight and surely every man wants to be him. Harry is far from a straightforward magician/PI and has a constant struggle to resist the allure of great magical power. And to know Mouse is to love Mouse
Just added a handful more to my wishlist, thankyou 🙂