Ready for some new books to love? August sees some great fantasy and science fiction releases with titles by popular authors such as Victoria Schwab and Sara Raasch. If you’re after a wildly imaginative novel that combines elements of The Handmaid’s Tale, Stranger Things, and Twin Peaks, Claudia Dey delivers just that in Heartbreaker. While The Stars Now Unclaimed is perfect for fans of Firefly and James S. A. Corey’s Expanse series.
Need some sci-fi? There’s Vox where women are only allowed 100 words a day, Alan Dean Foster’s Relic follows the last surviving man, and Stars Uncharted follows a ragtag band of explorers are looking to make the biggest score in the galaxy.
If fantasy is more your speed, Annie Sullivan’s debut novel A Touch of Gold focuses on King Midas’ daughter, The Tower of Living and Dying is the sequel to The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark, or Rob J. Hayes City of Kings.
Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below which ones you are most excited for!
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
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Cassidy Blake’s parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one. When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil.
Heartbreaker by Claudia Dey
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Seventeen years after falling from a stolen car into a remote northern town, Billie Jean Fontaine is still an outsider. When Billie Jean vanishes one cold October night in her bare feet and track suit with only her truck keys, those closest to her begin a frantic search. Her daughter, Pony, a girl struggling against being a teen in the middle of nowhere; her killer dog to whom she cannot tell a lie; her husband, The Heavy, a man haunted by his past; and the charismatic Supernatural, a teenage boy longing only to be average. Each holding a different piece of the puzzle, they must come together to understand the darkest secrets of their beloved, and lay bare the mysteries of the human heart.
The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew Williams
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Jane Kamali is an agent for the Justified. Her mission: to recruit children with miraculous gifts in the hope that they might prevent the Pulse from once again sending countless worlds back to the dark ages. Hot on her trail is the Pax–a collection of fascist zealots who believe they are the rightful rulers of the galaxy and who remain untouched by the Pulse. Now Jane, a handful of comrades from her past, and a telekinetic girl called Esa must fight their way through a galaxy full of dangerous conflicts, remnants of ancient technology, and other hidden dangers. And that’s just the beginning . . .
Vox by Christina Dalcher
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On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than 100 words daily, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial–this can’t happen here. Not in America. Not to her. Soon women can no longer hold jobs. Girls are no longer taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person spoke sixteen thousand words a day, but now women only have one hundred to make themselves heard. For herself, her daughter, and every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice.
A Touch of Gold by Annie Sullivan
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King Midas once had the ability to turn all he touched into gold, but after it almost killed his daughter, Midas relinquished The Touch forever. Ten years later, Princess Kora’s skin shines golden, rumours follow her everywhere she goes, and she harbours secret powers that are getting harder to hide. It isn’t until a charming young duke arrives that Kora realises there may be someone out there who doesn’t fear her or her curse. But their courtship is disrupted when a thief steals precious items from the kingdom, leaving the treasury depleted and King Midas vulnerable. Thanks to her unique ability to sense gold, Kora is the only one who can track the thief down.
City of Kings by Rob J. Hayes
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War makes monsters and corpses of us all. For generations the blooded have ruled the Wilds, cultivating a lawless frontier and bleeding the good folk dry. The Black Thorn, once the most wanted outlaw the world has ever seen, is set on stopping them, and bringing an end to the great game that oppresses them all. Crucible is the only blooded fortress left, but not for nothing is it called the City of Kings. Its defenses are unbreakable, its walls unassailable, all built so one hundred can hold back a thousand. Worse yet, the Black Thorn is running out of time and there are darker things hiding underground, looking to turn the city into a tomb.
The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
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Continuing the grand sweep of alternate history laid out in The Calculating Stars, we head to 1961 where mankind is well-established on the moon and looking forward to its next step: journeying to, and eventually colonising, Mars. Of course the noted Lady Astronaut Elma York would like to go, but could the International Aerospace Coalition ever stand the thought of putting a woman on such a potentially dangerous mission? Could Elma knowingly take the place of other astronauts who have been overlooked because of their race? And could she really leave behind her husband and the chance to start a family?
Relic by Alan Dean Foster
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Once Homo sapiens reigned supreme, spreading from star system to star system in an empire that encountered no alien life and thus knew no enemy . . . save itself. When a genetically engineered smart virus wipes out humanity, the last known survivor is Ruslan. He spends his days as something of a cross between a research subject and a zoo attraction. The Myssari, an intelligent alien race, are determined to resurrect the human race, using Ruslan’s genetic material, all he wants for himself and his species is oblivion. But then the Myssari make Ruslan an extraordinary offer: In exchange for his cooperation, they will do everything in their considerable power to find the lost home world of his species–an all-but-mythical place called Earth–and, perhaps, another living human.
The Tower of Living and Dying by Anna Smith Spark
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In the sequel to The Court of Broken Knives, Marith has been a sellsword, a prince, a murderer, a demon, and dead. But something keeps bringing him back to life, and now there is nothing stopping him from taking back the throne that is rightfully his. Thalia, the former high priestess, remains Marith’s only tenuous grasp to whatever goodness he has left. His left hand and his last source of light, Thalia still believes that the power that lies within him can be used for better ends. But as more forces gather beneath Marith’s banner, she can feel her influence slipping.
Stars Uncharted by S.K. Dunstall
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Three people who are not who they claim to be: Nika Rik Terri, body modder extraordinaire, has devoted her life to redesigning people’s bodies right down to the molecular level. Josune Arriola is crew on the famous explorer ship the Hassim, whose memory banks contain records of unexplored worlds worth a fortune. Hammond Roystan, the captain of the rival explorer ship, The Road, has many secrets. Some believe one of them is the key to finding the lost world. Josune’s captain sends her to infiltrate Roystan’s ship, promising to follow. But when the Hassim exits nullspace close to Roystan’s ship, it’s out of control, the crew are dead, and unknown Company operatives are trying to take over. Narrowly escaping and wounded, Roystan and Josune come to Nika for treatment–and with problems of her own, she flees with them after the next Company attack.
The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien
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In the Tale of The Fall of Gondolin are two of the greatest powers in the world. There is Morgoth of the uttermost evil, unseen in this story but ruling over a vast military power from his fortress of Angband. Deeply opposed to Morgoth is Ulmo, second in might only to Manwë, chief of the Valar: he is called the Lord of Waters, of all seas, lakes, and rivers under the sky. But he works in secret in Middle-earth to support the Noldor, the kindred of the Elves among whom were numbered Húrin and Túrin Turambar. Following his presentation of Beren and Lúthien Christopher Tolkien has used the same ‘history in sequence’ mode in the writing of this edition of The Fall of Gondolin.
These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch
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Lu is a soldier. Five years ago, she helped the magic-rich island of Grace Loray overthrow its oppressor, Argrid, a country ruled by religion. When an Argridian delegate vanishes during peace talks with Grace Loray’s new Council, Argrid demands brutal justice—but Lu suspects something more dangerous is at work. Devereux is a pirate. After Argrid accuses raiders of the diplomat’s abduction, he becomes a target. An expert navigator, he agrees to help Lu find the Argridian—but the truth they uncover could be deadlier than any war. Benat is a heretic. The crown prince of Argrid, he harbours a secret obsession with Grace Loray’s forbidden magic. When Ben’s father, the king, gives him the shocking task of reversing Argrid’s fear of magic, Ben has to decide if one prince can change a devout country—or if he’s building his own pyre.
Check out our other August book picks on our Goodreads list!
