About Christa Comes Out of Her Shell: Just when she thought she’d gotten far enough away . . . a life-changing phone call throws an antisocial scientist back into her least favorite place—the spotlight. A hilarious and insightful new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.

There are many reasons to love a book. Maybe it has characters that make you laugh or think or want to run screaming into the understairs cupboard. Maybe it has a twisty plot or surprise ending that you can’t stop thinking about. For me, the biggest appeal of a book is the way it draws me into a world I want to escape to, a place where I can lose myself and emerge, blinking, hours later without any sensation of time passing. Like walking out of the movie theater in the afternoon, unsure if the world has kept spinning in your absence. I’ve picked six not-very-well-known books (and series) from different genres that excel at this, each of them also strong in character and plot, and with writing that catches your mind from the first chapter.

The Jeeves and Wooster books by P.G. Wodehouse

 Luckily, P.G. Wodehouse wrote many stories and novels about hapless aristocrat Bertie Wooster and his all-knowing butler, Jeeves. A good one to start with is Carry On, Jeeves, a collection of short stories including the one where Jeeves first enters Bertie’s employment. From the moment he arrives he is a balm, and if you want to escape into upper crust 1920’s England, where the biggest challenge of the day is what to eat for lunch, then this is your jam.

As Bertie says: … he floated noiselessly through the doorway like a healin zephyr. That impressed me from the start. Meadowes had had flat feet and used to clump. This fellow didn’t seem to have any feet at all. He just streamed in.

Bertie is a goofball and manages to repeatedly get himself into scrapes that Jeeves then has to free him from. These situations are pure escapism at its best. Another good choice is The Inimitable Jeeves, and either collection works. There are no plot spoilers or references to earlier stories, so you can just jump in.

The Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins

Author Suzanne Collins is much more famous for the Hunger Games series, but this set of five high fantasy novels is just as exciting and involving as its bigger cousins. Theoretically YA, the novels follow Gregor, a New York kid, as he is drawn into a secret subterranean world of giant rats, translucent people and ancient rivalries that spill over into war.

The first novel, Gregor the Overlander, sets the scene and the world building is so skillful and all- encompassing that I ended up reading the five novels one right after the other, and being desperately sad when they were over. Anyone who loves fantasy will fall into these, especially if you’re a fan of giant cockroaches and talking bats. And who isn’t?

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Not a series, but a book that is so fun, action-filled and light-hearted that it’s like watching the best kind of monster movie. John Scalzi writes very funny science fiction, and in this novel he imagines a version of our world where giant monsters (the Kaiju of the title) actually exist and need to be protected by (and from) humans.

A laconic food delivery guy gets drafted to help out and finds himself in the parallel world where the Kaiju have been hidden for their safety. Bad guys appear, shenanigans ensue, and you come out the book as exhilarated as the first time you watched a really good Godzilla flick. This is not classic literature, but it is a book I recommend over and over and have always gotten happy feedback on.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Sure, it’s a classic novel, but most people are more familiar with Pride and Prejudice (for good reason) and overlook this brilliant, romantic and compelling novel. The Dashwood sisters are left essentially penniless when their father dies and leaves his estate to a step-brother (for legal reasons that made sense in the 19^th century but which leave you scratching your head these days).

Elinor is practical and Marianne is not, but their romantic adventures drag you into their small world filled with frustrations and impossible dreams. I think Austen is at her best in this one (no shade to P&P) and the characters are wonderful. The ending is deeply, deeply satisfying. There’s a movie adaptation with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet that is also amazing, so that’s a bonus.

The Miss Silver novels by Patricia Wentworth

Something for mystery fans. Agatha Christie is still the queen, but the co-queen, if there can be such a thing, is Patricia Wentworth, who was writing at the same time. Her series of mysteries featuring the elderly but razor-sharp Miss Silver are amazing, with excellent plots and a mid-20^th century atmosphere that defines cozy.

Start with Grey Mask (the first one) or The Listening Ear (where a deaf character lip reads details of a crime and is murdered to keep her quiet) and take it from there, there are over thirty of them!

The Human Comedy by William Saroyan

Another straight piece of literature, but one with a compellingly romantic atmosphere and a wonderful small-town, second world war setting. Homer McCauley is a 14-year-old boy growing up in the California central valley. He takes a job as a telegraph boy, occasionally having to deliver very bad news to the families of soldiers away fighting.

The whole novel is infused with the tangled sensations of the mid-teens, when the world is just starting to make sense, while at the time being overwhelmingly confusing. (Homer says at one point, “I’m lonely for something, but I don’t know what I’m lonely for.” Relatable.) Less bitter and more hopeful than A Catcher in the Rye, this book won the Academy Award for best story and is a wonderful and emotional escape.

The post Six Slightly Overlooked Books To Escape Into appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab
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V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, opens another door to a new fantasy series set in the dazzling world of Shades of Magic.

Dreambound by Dan Frey
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In this thrilling contemporary fantasy novel, a father must uncover the secret magical underbelly of Los Angeles to find his daughter, who has seemingly disappeared into the fictional universe of her favorite fantasy series.

The Salvation Gambit by Emily Skrutskie
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A hotheaded hacker must outwit the AI at the heart of a rogue warship–turned–penal colony if she and her crew of con women want to escape with their lives in this electrifying sci-fi thriller from the acclaimed author of Bonds of Brass.

The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft
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The first book in a wildly inventive and mesmerizing new fantasy series from acclaimed author Josiah Bancroft where magical mysteries abound and only one team can solve them: The Hexologists. 

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner
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Enter a land of gods and monsters, soldiers and mercenaries, secrets and wishes—the explosive #1 internationally bestselling fantasy debut in a new trilogy for fans of The Witcher and Gideon the Ninth.

The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth
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Be gay, solve crime, take naps—A witty and quirky fantasy murder mystery in a folkloric world of witches, faeires, vampires, trolls and ghosts, for fans of Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey and T. J. Klune’s Under the Whispering Door.

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig
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A small town is transformed by dark magic when a strange tree begins bearing magical apples in this new masterpiece of horror from the bestselling author of Wanderers and The Book of Accidents.

Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson
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A queer revisionist retelling of the story of Hercules, for fans of The Song of Achilles, A Thousand Ships and Ariadne.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi
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Inheriting your uncle’s supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who’s running the place.

Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo
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The wandering Cleric Chih returns home to the Singing Hills Abbey for the first time in almost three years, to be met with both joy and sorrow. Their mentor, Cleric Thien, has died, and rests among the archivists and storytellers of the storied abbey. But not everyone is prepared to leave them to their rest.

A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip Galey
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Enter the bazaar of the bizarre—where fate and fortunes are for sale just beneath Covent Garden—in this high-stakes historical fantasy debut set in 19th-century London, perfect for fans of Neverwhere and The Night Circus.

The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan
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The first adventure in the Mirror Realm Cycle, a Spanish Inquisition-era fantasy trilogy inspired by Jewish folklore, with echoes of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden.

Hex Education by Maureen Kilmer
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A guilt-ridden former coven is forced to tap into the magic of their past . . . if they want to stop their lives from going up in flames again.

The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu
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A lyrical, queer sci-fi retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet as a locked-room thriller.

The Sky Vault by Benjamin Percy
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The third book in Percy’s innovative and acclaimed Comet Cycle, The Sky Vault, follows an investigation of a mysterious weather phenomena in Fairbanks, Alaska, and a government secret buried since WWII.

The Art of Destiny by Wesley Chu
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A hero once believed to be the chosen one must find a new path with the help of a band of unlikely allies in the sequel to The Art of Prophecy, an epic fantasy ode to martial arts and magic from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Wesley Chu.

The Circumference of the World by Lavie Tidhar
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In a story that is cosmic, inventive, and sly, multi-award-winning author Lavie Tidhar (Central Station) travels from the emergence of life to the very ends of the universe.

The Free People’s Village by Sim Kern
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From environmental journalist and founder of the #TransRightsReadathon Sim Kern, comes the eat-the-rich climate fiction you won’t want to put down.

The Never Wars by David Pedreira
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In The Never Wars–a mind-bending mix of Interstellar and The Expanse–a group of disgraced Special Forces are given one chance to redeem themselves. The question is whether they’ll survive long enough for it to matter.

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall
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For fans of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls, The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic is a debut novel that explores the shields we build around our hearts to retain our own magic.

What fantasy and sci-fi books will you be picking up this month? Tell us in the comments below!

The post September 2023 Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

After the last two years, readers are thoroughly enjoying jumping into a fantasy or sci-fi novel to escape the world, so 2022 holds many exciting books to look forward to! From new releases from the likes of Seanan McGuire, Tara Sim, John Scalzi, Jennifer Saint, Jonathan Maberry, and more, to those releasing their debut novel, there’s really something for everyone within this round up!

Read on to discover fantasy and sci-fi books releasing between the months of January and June and tell us in the comments below if you’re looking forward to any of them!

JANUARY

Engines of Empire by R. S. Ford
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This epic fantasy tells the tales of clashing Guilds, magic-fueled machines, intrigue and revolution—and the one family that stands between an empire’s salvation or destruction.

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
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For fans of Cloud Atlas and Station Eleven––Follow a cast of intricately linked characters over hundreds of years as humanity struggles to rebuild itself in the aftermath of a climate plague

Seven Mercies by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May
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The second book in a feminist space opera duology that follows the team of seven rebels who will free the galaxy from the ruthless Tholosian Empire–or die trying.

The Amber Crown by Jacey Bedford
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In this new epic fantasy, three societal outcasts must work together to fulfill the orders of a dead king’s ghost or risk their nation falling to a tyrant

Where The Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire
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Welcome to the Whitethorn Institute. The first step is always admitting you need help, and you’ve already taken that step by requesting a transfer into our company.

Servant Mage by Kate Elliott
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In Kate Elliott’s Servant Mage, a lowly fire mage finds herself entangled in an empire-spanning conspiracy on her way to discovering her true power.

Obsidian by Sarah J. Daley
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Defying those who think her an abomination, Shade wears her tattoos openly and carries obsidian blades at her hips. For years, she has protected the outcast clans who wander the blighted Wastes, but the land is growing more unstable and her blades are no longer enough.

The Starless Crown by James Rollins
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An alliance embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the secrets of the distant past and save their world in this captivating, deeply visionary adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling thriller-master James Rollins.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
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A captivating debut fantasy inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e , in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm and sets her on a dangerous path—where choices come with deadly consequences, and she risks losing more than her heart.

Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore
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In modern day Los Angeles, a shadowy faction led by the Governor of California develops the arcane art of combat linguistics, planting the seeds of a future totalitarian empire in Scotto Moore’s Battle of the Linguist Mages.

Light Years From Home by Mike Chen
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The perfect combination of action, imagination and heart, Light Years from Home is a touching drama about a challenge as difficult as saving the galaxy: making peace with your family…and yourself.

The Unfamiliar Garden by Benjamin Percy
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FEBRUARY

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
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House of Earth and Blood meets The Witch’s Heart in Rebecca Ross’s brilliant first adult fantasy, set on the magical isle of Cadence where two childhood enemies must team up to discover why girls are going missing from their clan.

Last Exit by Max Gladstone
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Fresh from winning the Hugo and Nebula Awards, Max Gladstone weaves elements of American myth—the muscle car, the open road, the white-hatted cowboy—into Last Exit, a deeply emotional tale where his characters must find their own truths if they are to survive.

Clean Air by Sarah Blake
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Suspenseful and startling, but also written with a wry, observant humor, Clean Air is the second novel from poet Sarah Blake, author of the award-winning literary debut Naamah. It will appeal to readers of The Need, The Leftovers, and Fever Dream as it probes motherhood, grief, control, and choice.

Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman
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A whirlwind romance between an eccentric archivist and a grieving widow explores what it means to be at home in your own body in this clever, humorous, and heartfelt novel.

Scorpica: The Five Queendoms by G.R. Macallister
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A centuries-long peace is shattered in a matriarchal society when a decade passes without a single girl being born in this sweeping epic fantasy that’s perfect for fans of Robin Hobb and Circe.

The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart
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At once a dazzlingly time-twisting murder mystery and a story about grief, memory, and what it means to—literally—come face-to-face with our ghosts, The Paradox Hotel is another unforgettable speculative thrill ride from acclaimed author Rob Hart.

The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan
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From a major new debut author in epic fantasy comes the first book in a trilogy where action, intrigue, and magic collide. The Justice of Kings introduces an unforgettable protagonist destined to become a fantasy icon: Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an Emperor’s Justice, who is a detective, judge, and executioner all in one. But these are dangerous times to be a Justice…. 

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes
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Titanic meets The Shining in S.A. Barnes’ Dead Silence, a SF horror novel in which a woman and her crew board a decades-lost luxury cruiser and find the wreckage of a nightmare that hasn’t yet ended.

Redwood and Wildfire by Andrea Hairston
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Andrea Hairston’s alternate history adventure, Redwood and Wildfire, is the winner of the Otherwise Award and the Carl Brandon Kindred Award.

Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space
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Reclaim the Stars is a collection of bestselling and acclaimed YA authors that take the Latin American diaspora to places fantastical and out of this world. Authors include Daniel José Older, Yamile Saied Méndez, Anna-Marie McLemore, Mark Oshiro, Romina Garber, David Bowles, Lilliam Rivera, Claribel Ortega, Isabel Ibañez, Sara Faring, Maya Motayne, Nina Moreno, Vita Ayala, J.C. Cervantes, Circe Moskowitz, Linda Nieves Pérez, and Zoraida Córdova. 

Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik
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The critically acclaimed author of Polaris Rising takes readers on an exciting journey with the start of her brand-new series about a female bounty hunter and the man who is her sworn enemy.

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
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The Martian meets Dark Matter in Edward Ashton’s high concept science fiction thriller, in which Mickey7, an “expendable,” refuses to let his replacement clone Mickey8 take his place.

MARCH

The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller
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Sara A. Mueller’s The Bone Orchard is a fascinating whodunit set in a lush, gothic world of secrets and magic–where a dying emperor charges his favorite concubine with solving his own murder, and preventing the culprit, which undoubtedly is one of his three terrible sons, from taking control of an empire.

The City of Dusk by Tara Sim
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Set in a gorgeous world of bone and shadow magic, of vengeful gods and defiant chosen ones, The City of Dusk is the first in a dark epic fantasy trilogy that follows the four heirs of four noble houses—each gifted with a divine power—as they form a tenuous alliance to keep their kingdom from descending into a realm-shattering war.

The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories: A Collection of Chinese Science Fiction and Fantasy in Translation
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From an award-winning team of authors, editors, and translators comes a groundbreaking short story collection that explores the expanse of Chinese science fiction and fantasy.

Comeuppance Served Cold by Marion Deeds
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A respected magus and city leader intent on criminalizing Seattle’s most vulnerable magickers hires a young woman as a lady’s companion to curb his rebellious daughter’s outrageous behavior.

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
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Judy I. Lin’s sweeping debut A Magic Steeped in Poison, first in a duology, is sure to enchant fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo.

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
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From the critically acclaimed author of The Book of M, a highly imaginative thriller about a young woman who discovers that a strange map in her deceased father’s belongings holds an incredible, deadly secret—one that will lead her on an extraordinary adventure and to the truth about her family’s dark history. 

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
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The Kaiju Preservation Society is John Scalzi’s first standalone adventure since the conclusion of his New York Times bestselling Interdependency trilogy.

Kundo Wakes Up by Saad Hossain
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In this standalone follow-up to the fan favorite The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday Saad Z. Hossain continues to mix futurism with fable, and shows how strange our lives might become.

Until the Last of Me by Sylvain Neuvel
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A darkly satirical thriller, as seen through the eyes of the women who sacrifice all to make progress possible and the men who are determined to stop them.

Edgewood by Kristen Ciccarelli
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Haunting and romantic, Kristen Ciccarelli’s Edgewood is an exciting novel from a bold, unforgettable voice in fantasy.

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May
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In the aftermath of World War I, a naive woman is swept into a glittering world filled with dark magic, romance, and murder in this lush and decadent debut.

The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes book four in her Blood and Ash series.

APRIL

God of Neverland by Gama Ray Martinez
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In this magical re-imagining of J. M. Barrie’s classic tale, Michael Darling—the youngest of the Darling siblings and former Lost Boy, now all grown up—must return to the life he left behind to save Neverland from the brink of collapse and keep humanity safe from magical and mythological threats, as well as answer the ultimate question: Where is Peter Pan?

In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power
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Twins imbued with incredible magic and near-immortality will do anything to keep their family safe—even if it tears the siblings apart—in the first book of a mythic epic fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls.

The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport
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Blending fantasy and science fiction, N. E. Davenport’s fast-paced, action-packed debut kicks off a duology of loyalty and rebellion, in which a young Black woman must survive deadly trials in a racist and misogynistic society to become an elite warrior.

Aspects by John M. Ford
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In the years before his unexpected death, John M. Ford wrote a novel of fantasy and magic unlike any other. Politics and abdicated kings, swords and sorcerous machine guns, divination and ancient empires―finally, Aspects is here.

Spear by Nicola Griffith
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The legendary author of Hild returns with an unforgettable hero and a queer Arthurian masterpiece for the modern era. Nicola Griffith’s Spear is a spellbinding vision of the Camelot we’ve longed for, a Camelot that belongs to us all.

Flint and Mirror by John Crowley
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From award-winning author John Crowley comes a novel that masterfully blends history and magic in Flint and Mirror.

Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
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Return to The Meridian with New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse’s sequel to the most critically hailed epic fantasy of 2020 Black Sun—finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Lambda, and Locus awards.

The Discord of Gods by Jenn Lyons
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The Discord of Gods marks the epic conclusion to Jenn Lyons’s Chorus of Dragons series, closing out the saga that began with The Ruin of Kings, for fans of Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss.

The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monáe
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In The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer, singer-songwriter, actor, fashion icon, activist, and worldwide superstar Janelle Monáe brings to the written page the Afrofuturistic world of one of her critically acclaimed albums, exploring how different threads of liberation—queerness, race, gender plurality, and love—become tangled with future possibilities of memory and time in such a totalitarian landscape…and what the costs might be when trying to unravel and weave them into freedoms.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
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With her signature mix of the grim and the delightful, award-winning author T. Kingfisher takes the old bones of fantasy and fairytale and makes them into something entirely new in this enchanting adventure.

Saint Death’s Daughter by C.S.E. Cooney
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Perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Saint Death’s Daughter is the first novel in a new trilogy about love, coming-of-age and strangeness.

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
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A stunning debut from a powerful new voice, Kaikeyi reimagines the life of the infamous queen from the Indian epic the Ramayana, weaving a tale of fate, family, courage, and heartbreak—of an extraordinary woman determined to leave her mark in a world where gods and men dictate the shape of things to come.

MAY

Elektra by Jennifer Saint
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A spellbinding reimagining of the story of Elektra, one of Greek mythology’s most infamous heroines, from Jennifer Saint, the author of the beloved international bestseller, Ariadne.

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
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Two warriors shepherd an ancient god across a broken land to end the tyrannical reign of a royal family in this new epic fantasy from the author of The Vanished Birds.

Kagen the Damned by Jonathan Maberry
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The Witcher meets Game of Thrones in New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry’s brilliant new fantasy series, Kagen the Damned.

Seasonal Fears by Seanan McGuire
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From New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire, Seasonal Fears is the extraordinary companion novel to Middlegame.

Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings
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Under Fortunate Stars is a modern, progressive homage to classic space opera stories, with flawed heroes and time travel.

All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay
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Returning triumphantly to the brilliantly evoked near-Renaissance world of A Brightness Long Ago and Children of Earth and Sky, international bestselling author Guy Gavriel Kay deploys his signature ‘quarter turn to the fantastic’ to tell a story of vengeance, power, and love.  

The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R.M. Romero
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With spellbinding verse prose, R.M. Romero channels the spirit of myth into a brilliantly original tale, inspired by her experiences restoring Jewish cemeteries in Eastern Europe.

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
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Heroic Hearts edited by Jim Butcher & Kerrie Hughes
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An all-star urban fantasy collection featuring short stories from #1 New York Times bestselling authors Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Charlaine Harris, Kelley Armstrong, and more . . .

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
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Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp.

Second Spear by Kerstin Hall
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Kerstin Hall’s Second Spear is the thrilling follow-up to the Nommo Award finalist, The Border Keeper.

A Game of Retribution by Scarlett St. Clair
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Become enchanted by the fantasy world of gods and mortals in bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair’s reimagined New Greece. Readers are “hopelessly addicted” to the story of Hades and Persephone told from Hades’s point of view.

JUNE

Rise of the Snake Goddess by Jenny Elder Moke
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Samantha Knox is back for another adventure in this 1920s female-driven mystery-adventure series!

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
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From highly acclaimed bestselling author Ava Reid comes a gothic horror retelling of The Juniper Tree, set in another time and place within the world of The Wolf and the Woodsman, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her wizard father, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Catherynne M. Valente.

For the Throne by Hannah F. Whitten
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Red’s sister Neve is trapped in a mysterious land of twisted roots, lost gods, and mountains made of bone, and the only clues to her rescue are a magic mirror and a dark prince who wants to bring the whole thing crumbling down. 

In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McClellan
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From Brian McClellan, author of The Powder Mage, comes In the Shadow of Lightning, a brand-new epic fantasy where magic is a finite resource—and it’s running out.

The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings
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In a fantastical version of New Orleans where music is magic, a battle for the city’s soul brews between two young mages, a vengeful wraith, and one powerful song in this vibrant and imaginative debut. 

A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow
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A Mirror Mended is the next installment in USA Today bestselling author Alix E. Harrow’s Fractured Fables series.

Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro
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A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
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The Goblin Emperor meets “Magnificent Century” in Alexandra Rowland’s A Taste of Gold and Iron, where a queer central romance unfolds in a fantasy world reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire.

Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane
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Drawing on ancient texts and modern archeology to reveal the trans woman’s story hidden underneath the well-known myths of The Iliad, Maya Deane’s Wrath Goddess Sing weaves a compelling, pitilessly beautiful vision of Achilles’ vanished world, perfect for fans of Song of Achilles and the Inheritance trilogy.

Soul Taken by Patricia Briggs
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Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, must face her greatest fears in this chilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

The City Inside by Samit Basu
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The City Inside, a near-future epic by the internationally celebrated Samit Basu, pulls no punches as it comes for your anxieties about society, government, the environment, and our world at large—yet never loses sight of the hopeful potential of the future.

Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennett
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A god wages war—using all of humanity as its pawns—in the unforgettable conclusion to the Founders trilogy.

What 2022 fantasy and sci-fi book releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Releases To Devour In 2022 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

“As Good As New” by Charlie Jane Anders (originally published in 2014) takes your basic genie in a bottle tale and adds a delicious twist. The world has come to an end but a lone female by the name of Marisol has survived, hidden in a panic room, subsisting on a diet of frozen dinners and old episodes of The Facts of Life. Years later, when she finally works up the courage to venture out of her safe haven, she stumbles upon a genie in a bottle … but this is not your average genie and Marisol is not your average wisher. Afraid to waste her three precious wishes (and perhaps just glad to have someone to talk to after years of silence!) Marisol begins to engage the genie in conversation, in hopes of learning more about what happened to the world around her. Anders presents an intriguing tale that engages the reader in asking: Will three wishes be enough to reverse the apocalypse and prevent it from happening again?

“A Dead Djinn in Cairo” by P. Djèlí Clark (originally published in 2016) tells the tale of paranormal investigator Fatma el-Sha’arawi, who joins forces with the police in Cairo to examine the death of a djinn. This death is puzzling, as djinns are nearly immortal; and when they do die, it is not by suicide. As the investigation unfolds, Clark builds a vast, stunning world where fantastical creatures such as ghouls live alongside real-life terrors. Fatma comes to learn, however, that more than just solving the death of this genie is at stake. The fate of the world lies in her ability to unravel this mystery.

“The President’s Brain is Missing” by John Scalzi may have originally been published back in 2010, but considering the current political climate in the United States it remains as relevant today as ever. As the title oh-so delicately suggests, the foundation of this story is that the president’s brain literally goes missing. One day it is there. (Well, if you can call what the man has in his head a “brain.”) And the next – poof! – just an empty space in his skull. As one may imagine, this news would be devastating if released into the wrong hands. Scalzi details the efforts of the president’s staff to solve this conundrum with dry humor and a satirical edge. However, these staffers uncover more than they bargained for along the way.

“This World is Full of Monsters” by Jeff VanderMeer (originally published in 2017) centers on an alien invasion, as a “story-creature” inhabits the narrator’s body, essentially killing him by placing him in a deep slumber for a century. He awakens to find the world as he knew it completely overtaken, transformed. He also soon finds himself being used as a terminal for memories and information, which others download from him in order to learn about the world as it once existed. As memories of the narrator’s previous life begin to flow into him, VanderMeer viscerally relays the pain of what he has lost and the shocking realization of how the world is forever changed.

The final piece in this collection is “Warm Up” by V.E. Schwab (originally published in 2013). In this prequel set in the same world as Vicious, a man named David dies. And subsequently comes back to life with unimaginable powers. Inexplicably his death resulted from an avalanche, however now everything he touches seems to burn. After hiding in his home for hundreds of days, David finally decides to go out into the world … but is he prepared for what he may face? Schwab packs a great deal of action and introspection into this short tale which explores what happens when one cheats death.

Tor.com is consistently known for their bold and innovative science-fiction/fantasy works, and you won’t find a better array of award-winning authors than those in this carefully curated collection. From the Hugo and Nebula Awards to the Locus and Shirley Jackson Awards, the authors included in this grouping of audio short stories represent the best in their genre. So what are you waiting for? Go take a listen!

My sincere thanks to Tor.com Publishing for the gifted audio of these short stories to review for The Nerd Daily. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

Will you be checking out any of these short stories? Tell us in the comments below!

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Whether you’re looking to read fantasy and science fiction with gender-neutral, gender-fluid or transgender characters, or that include societies with non-binary gender identities, then this is the list for you!

We’ve compiled 25 SFF books (in no particular order) with interesting takes on gender!

Science Fiction

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
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A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can choose and change their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter’s inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilisation. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
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On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest. Once, she was the Justice of Toren – a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy. Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.

Bone Dance by Emma Bull
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Sparrow’s my name. Trader. Deal-maker. Hustler, some call me. I work the Night Fair circuit, buying and selling pre-nuke videos from the world before. I know how to get a high price, especially on Big Bang collectibles. But the hottest ticket of all is information on the Horsemen—the mind-control weapons that tilted the balance in the war between the Americas. That’s the prize I’m after. But it seems I’m having trouble controlling my own mind. The Horsemen are coming.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
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Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space—and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe—in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.

Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle
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Orthe – half-civilised, half-barbaric, home to human-like beings who live and die by the code of the sword. Earth envoy Lynne Christie has been sent here to establish contact and to determine whether this is a world worth developing. But first Christie must come to understand that human-like is not and never can be human, and that not even Orthe’s leaders can stop the spread of rumours about her, dark whisperings that could cost Christie her life. And on a goodwill tour to the outlying provinces, these evil rumours turn to deadly accusations. Christie is no offworlder, Church officials charge: she is a treacherous and cunning descendant of Orthe’s legendary Golden Witchbreed – the cruel, ruthless race that once enslaved the whole planet. Suddenly, Christie finds herself a hunted fugitive on an alien world, where friend and foe alike may prove her executioners. And her only chance of survival lies in saving Orthe from a menace older than time…

Lock In by John Scalzi
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Not too long from today, a new, highly contagious virus makes its way across the globe. Most who get sick experience nothing worse than flu, fever and headaches. But for the unlucky one percent – and nearly five million souls in the United States alone – the disease causes “Lock In”: Victims fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. The disease affects young, old, rich, poor, people of every colour and creed. The world changes to meet the challenge. A quarter of a century later, in a world shaped by what’s now known as “Haden’s syndrome,” rookie FBI agent Chris Shane is paired with veteran agent Leslie Vann. The two of them are assigned what appears to be a Haden-related murder at the Watergate Hotel, with a suspect who is an “integrator” – someone who can let the locked in borrow their bodies for a time. If the Integrator was carrying a Haden client, then naming the suspect for the murder becomes that much more complicated.

Shadow Man by Melissa Scott
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Five human sexual identities are spread throughout the galaxy, and humanity has adjusted to this new culture. Except on Hara–there everyone must choose to be a man or a woman and that decision is final. Warreven, a Haran man, could have married the son of the ruler of the planet–if he had chosen to be a woman. The result of the conflict is one of the most bizarre identity crises in science fiction.

Lilith’s Brood by Octavia E. Butler
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Lilith Iyapo is in the Andes, mourning the death of her family, when war destroys Earth. Centuries later, she is resurrected — by miraculously powerful unearthly beings, the Oankali. Driven by an irresistible need to heal others, the Oankali are rescuing our dying planet by merging genetically with mankind. But Lilith and all humanity must now share the world with uncanny, unimaginably alien creatures: their own children. This is their story…

River of Gods by Ian McDonald
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River of Gods teems with the life of a country choked with peoples and cultures–one and a half billion people, twelve semi-independent nations, nine million gods. Ian McDonald has written the great Indian novel of the new millennium, in which a war is fought, a love betrayed, a message from a different world decoded, as the great river Ganges flows on.

Diaspora by Greg Egan
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Diaspora is the story of Yatima — a polis being created from random mutations of the Konishi polis base mind seed — and of humankind, Of an astrophysical accident that spurs the thousandfold cloning of the polises. Of the discovery of an alien race and of a kink in time that means humanity — whatever form it takes — will never again be threatened by acts of God.

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
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The first installment of the trilogy, Ninefox Gambit, centers on disgraced captain Kel Cheris, who must recapture the formidable Fortress of Scattered Needles in order to redeem herself in front of the Hexarchate. To win an impossible war Captain Kel Cheris must awaken an ancient weapon and a despised traitor general.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells
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In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern. On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is. But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

Ice Song by Kirsten Imani Kasai
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Sorykah Minuit is a scholar, an engineer, and the sole woman aboard an ice-drilling submarine in the frozen land of the Sigue. What no one knows is that she is also a Trader: one who can switch genders suddenly, a rare corporeal deviance universally met with fascination and superstition and all too often punished by harassment or death. The world through which the alternating lives of Sorykah and Soryk, her male alter-ego, travel is both familiar and surreal. Environmental degradation and genetic mutation run amok; humans have been distorted into animals and animal bodies cloak a wild humanity. But it is also a world of unexpected beauty and wonder, where kindness and love endure amid the ruins. Alluring, intense, and gorgeously rendered, Ice Song is a remarkable debut by a fiercely original new writer.

Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer
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Mycroft Canner is a convict. For his crimes he is required, as is the custom of the 25th century, to wander the world being as useful as he can to all he meets. Carlyle Foster is a sensayer – a spiritual counsellor in a world that has outlawed the public practice of religion, but which also knows that the inner lives of humans cannot be wished away. The world into which Mycroft and Carlyle have been born is as strange to our 21st-century eyes as ours would be to a native of the 1500s. It is a hard-won utopia built on technologically-generated abundance, and also on complex and mandatory systems of labelling all public writing and speech. What seem to us normal gender distinctions are now distinctly taboo in most social situations. And most of the world’s population is affiliated with globe-girdling clans of the like-minded, whose endless economic and cultural competition is carefully managed by central planners of inestimable subtlety. To us it seems like a mad combination of heaven and hell. To them, it seems like normal life.

Fantasy

The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley
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On the eve of a recurring catastrophic event known to extinguish nations and reshape continents, a troubled orphan evades death and slavery to uncover her own bloody past… while a world goes to war with itself. In the frozen kingdom of Saiduan, invaders from another realm are decimating whole cities, leaving behind nothing but ash and ruin. As the dark star of the cataclysm rises, an illegitimate ruler is tasked with holding together a country fractured by civil war, a precocious young fighter is asked to betray his family and a half-Dhai general must choose between the eradication of her father’s people or loyalty to her alien Empress.

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
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In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma. Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals – the old art known as the Wit – gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility. So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.

River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey
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In the early 20th Century, the United States government concocted a plan to import hippopotamuses into the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred and slaughtered as an alternative meat source. This is true. Other true things about hippos: they are savage, they are fast, and their jaws can snap a man in two. This was a terrible plan. Contained within this volume is an 1890s America that might have been: a bayou overrun by feral hippos and mercenary hippo wranglers from around the globe. It is the story of Winslow Houndstooth and his crew. It is the story of their fortunes. It is the story of his revenge.

The Black Tides of Heaven by J.Y. Yang
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Mokoya and Akeha, the twin children of the Protector, were sold to the Grand Monastery as children. While Mokoya developed her strange prophetic gift, Akeha was always the one who could see the strings that moved adults to action. While his sister received visions of what would be, Akeha realized what could be. What’s more, he saw the sickness at the heart of his mother’s Protectorate. A rebellion is growing. The Machinists discover new levers to move the world every day, while the Tensors fight to put them down and preserve the power of the state. Unwilling to continue to play a pawn in his mother’s twisted schemes, Akeha leaves the Tensorate behind and falls in with the rebels. But every step Akeha takes towards the Machinists is a step away from his sister Mokoya. Can Akeha find peace without shattering the bond he shares with his twin sister?

The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells
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Moon has spent his life hiding what he is — a shape-shifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself… someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community. What this stranger doesn’t tell Moon is that his presence will tip the balance of power… that his extraordinary lineage is crucial to the colony’s survival… and that his people face extinction at the hands of the dreaded Fell! Now Moon must overcome a lifetime of conditioning in order to save himself… and his newfound kin.

The Bone Palace by Amanda Downum
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Death is no stranger in the city of Erisín– but some deaths attract more attention than others. When a prostitute dies carrying a royal signet, Isyllt Iskaldur, necromancer and agent of the Crown, is called to investigate. Her search leads to desecrated tombs below the palace, and the lightless vaults of the vampiric vrykoloi deep beneath the city. But worse things than vampires are plotting in Erisín… As a sorcerous plague sweeps the city and demons stalk the streets, Isyllt must decide who she’s prepared to betray, before the city built on bones falls into blood and fire.

Wraeththu by Storm Constantine
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In this powerful and elegant story set in a future Earth very different from our own, a new kind of human has evolved to challenge the dominion of Homo sapiens. This new breed is stronger, smarter, and far more beautiful than their parent race, and are endowed with psychic as well as physical gifts. They are destined to supplant humanity as we know it, but humanity won’t die without a struggle.

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman
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Swordplay, dragon magic–and a hero with a desperate secret Twelve-year-old Eon has been in training for years. His intensive study of Dragon Magic, based on East Asian astrology, involves two kinds of skills: sword-work and magical aptitude. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as a Dragoneye–an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been masquerading as a boy for the chance to become a Dragoneye. Females are forbidden to use Dragon Magic; if anyone discovers she has been hiding in plain sight, her death is assured.

The Bone Doll’s Twin by Lynn Flewelling
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For three centuries a divine prophecy and a line of warrior queens protected Skala. But the people grew complacent and Erius, a usurper king, claimed his young half sister’s throne. Now plague and drought stalk the land, war with Skala’s ancient rival Plenimar drains the country’s lifeblood, and to be born female into the royal line has become a death sentence as the king fights to ensure the succession of his only heir, a son. For King Erius the greatest threat comes from his own line — and from Illior’s faithful, who spread the Oracle’s words to a doubting populace.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
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Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

Pantomime by Laura Lam
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Gene’s life resembles a debutante’s dream. Yet she hides a secret that would see her shunned by the nobility. Gene is both male and female. Then she displays unwanted magical abilities – last seen in mysterious beings from an almost-forgotten age. Matters escalate further when her parents plan a devastating betrayal, so she flees home, dressed as a boy. The city beyond contains glowing glass relics from a lost civilisation. They call to her, but she wants freedom not mysteries. So, reinvented as ‘Micah Grey’, Gene joins the circus. As an aerialist, she discovers the joy of flight – but the circus has a dark side. She’s also plagued by visions foretelling danger. A storm is howling in from the past, but will she heed its roar?

Do you know of any more science fiction or fantasy novels with interesting takes on gender? Or have you read any of the above? Tell us in the comments below!

(P.S – The Nerd Daily may receive commissions for the links included in this article. Any commissions received go straight back into hosting giveaways!)

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