In July, there are multiple new sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books about estranged friends reuniting to confront something dark in their past—call it the It effect—as well as an array of sci-fi adventures, mythology revisions, tales of terror, supernatural mysteries, fantastical romances, and more. Read on!
In this collection of stories, “connected and disparate beings—ranging from ordinary folk to grand, known figures—experience the varying fate of the soul as each encounters the darkness of transcendence in this era of extinction.” (July 2)
“Major Bhaajan and her gang of Dust Knights act as guides and bodyguards to a member of the Imperial family on a mission of good will in the Undercity. But what awaits them in the Down Deep may ruin the chance at peace forever.” (July 2)
This blend of apocalyptic sci-fi and epic fantasy, the first of a trilogy, follows “a scattered group of unlikely heroes traveling across their broken mechanical planet to stave off eternal darkness.” (July 2)
A woman who can resurrect dead souls—serving a mysterious representative of the afterlife—is tasked with bringing back the assassinated heir to the throne, then sticking around to make sure the recently revived princess stays alive. Things get complicated when love enters the picture. (July 2)
“Gregory Roarke—agent for the ultra-secret Icarus Group—has received a new assignment: locate a teleportation portal on a backwater colony world. But what should be an easy assignment leads to a string of murders, and a race against an alien enemy.” (July 2)
A synthetic woman enters a Bachelor-like contest and wins—but the promise of domestic bliss that follows becomes twisted when her new husband goes missing, and she’s accused of being involved. (July 2)
Set in an alt version of 15th century West Africa and inspired by the myth of Persephone, this fantasy tale explores “the true cost of one woman’s fight for freedom and self-discovery, and the lengths she’ll go to secure her future.” (July 2)
This London-set romance follows a photographer who falls for a mysterious woman, then discovers an alternate world of “strange and colorful beings” caught in a war raging just beyond the notice of regular humans. (July 2)
“Infused with magic and romance, this sweeping fantasy adventure inspired by the legend of Mulan follows a young woman determined to choose her own destiny—even if that means going against everyone she loves.” (July 2)
The Rhymer Trilogy continues as Thomas Rimor, now living as a hermit in the Sherwood Forest, takes on the identity of Robin Hood to face both his elven and human foes. (July 2)
A newcomer at a court-mandated wilderness camp for troubled teens starts to suspect something very sinister is going on with the counselors, so he teams up with his fellow inmates to dig into a dangerous mystery. (July 2)
An unhappy middle-aged woman is chosen to star on a popular TV show that uses quantum technology that allows her to go back in time and fix mistakes in her past life. She’s thrilled at first, but soon realizes getting everything she ever dreamed of isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. (July 9)
The Winter Seas series—following the adventures of privateers—“continues as a prisonbreak to save Benedict leaves him, Sam, and Mary trapped in a desperate race for survival in enemy territory.” (July 9)
The Nightingale and the Falcon series continues, following Genghis Khan’s grandson on his quest to take over the world—a goal complicated when the Golden Horde faces a burgeoning civil war. (July 9)
A long-struggling actor finally gets his big break—then learns studio execs are planning to kill off his character in his show’s season finale. Then he realizes monsters from horror movies he’s made in the past have seemingly come to life and are seeking revenge. (July 9)
This cozy fantasy tale asks: “What if there was a store that sold dreams? Which would you buy? And who might you become when you wake up?” (July 9)
A retelling of the myth of mother-daughter duo Demeter and Persephone. (July 9)
This speculative thriller imagines that in a dangerously overpopulated world, some couples opt to have a “virtual child”—and then allow a reality show to follow along as they “raise” it, hoping to win the prize of the right to have a real baby. (July 9)
When a family moves to a remote cabin once owned by the father’s grandparents, the teen daughters begin to feel reverberations of sinister spirits lurking from a century before. (July 9)
In a setting that evokes a fantasy version of Renaissance Italy, influential families battle for power—including one rising scion who must unravel the mystery of an ancient artifact that seems to be influencing his path. (July 9)
“A debut swashbuckling fantasy following a powerful sorceress, the Marquese Enid d’Tancreville, as she is forced on the run where she meets a vast cast of characters including a young sea captain who has need of a sea mage.” (July 9)
In this sequel to Threadneedle, Anna is back to concealing her magic to keep her coven safe—until a rapidly spreading hunt for witches means she must team up with Effie to try and protect them. (July 9)
This standalone fantasy tale is described as combining “conniving dragons, lightning banter, high-stakes intrigue, and a little bit of heat.” (July 9)
A librarian who tends a collection of spellbooks goes on the run with her assistant (a sentient spider plant) when the city falls into a fiery revolt—ending up in her island hometown, where she makes magical jam and opens a magical store. (July 9)
“A richly reimagined tale of Captain Hook’s origin, a story of cruelty, magic, lost innocence, and the indelible power of stories.” (July 9)
“A speculative novel about a young woman—invisible by birth and relegated to second-class citizenship—who sets off on a mission to find her older brother, whom she had presumed dead but who is now the primary suspect in a high-profile political murder.” (July 9)
This speculative novel set in a near-future world where immortality is nearly attainable explores one central question: “What does it mean to be human in a world where technology is quickly catching up to biology?” (July 9)
This standalone fantasy novel explores “the dark truth behind a string of unusual murders leads to an otherworldly exploration of spirits, myth, and memory, steeped in Caribbean storytelling.” (July 9)
A woman returns to her childhood home after 20 years, where the nostalgia she feels for her teen years takes a strange twist when her old CD player reveals it has the power to turn back time. (July 16)
The All Souls series that began with A Discovery of Witches continues the story of witch Diana Bishop and vampire Matthew de Clermont. In this adventure, Diana decides the way to ensure safety for their young children is to dig into her family’s mysterious past. (July 16)
The Phoenix Hoarde series continues as Emiko Soong, guardian of the sentient city of San Francisco, embarks on a murder investigation that points toward a long-hidden secret in her magical family’s past. (July 16)
“A young widow grapples with the arrival of a once-in-a-lifetime comet and its tumultuous consequences, in a debut novel that blends mystery, astronomy, and romance.” (July 16)
The latest from the author of The Magicians trilogy is described as “a triumphant reimagining of the King Arthur legend for the new millennium.” (July 16)
The military sci-fi Palladium Wars series continues as a POW is given a chance at freedom and a fresh start, but it comes with a dangerous risk: he’ll need to go undercover and sabotage an interstellar rebellion. (July 16)
The author of My Heart Is a Chainsaw explores another slasher tale, this one set in late-’80s small-town Texas, and told from the POV of its teenage killer. (July 16)
“Aboard a colossal generation ship, Earth’s brightest minds have forged a strict regime to ensure survival of the human race. The unintentionally oppressive rules form uniquely distinct societies as the years pass, until differences in ideology, class, and cultural identity stirs up rebellion among the beleaguered crew, igniting the first whispers of revolution.” (July 16)
This Chronicles of Narnia-inspired story follows two childhood friends who go missing together in a state forest, and return six months later with only murky memories of what happened to them. Fifteen years on, they reluctantly reunite to track down a girl who’s vanished from the same woods. (July 16)
“The lush, magical story behind Shakespeare’s sonnets, as told by one of his most famous subjects—the incendiary and mysterious Dark Lady.” (July 16)
“An epic clash of deities explores the two facets of pain—rage versus sadness—in this rousing followup to The Third Daughter, a dark crown fantasy duology with a sweeping sapphic romance.” (July 16)
“Delve into this debut fantasy and journey through the Spice Gates as Amir, a young man born with the ability to travel between the eight kingdoms, unravels the power that keeps the world in balance.” (July 16)
“Ten years ago, the theft of his codex destroyed Talio Rossa’s career as a magistrate in the four cities. But when his ex-wife—finally willing to forgive finding him in bed with a man—presents him with a long-shot legal case, he has the chance to get his career back on track.” (July 16)
“When the Guardian of the West Passage died in her bed, the women of Grey Tower fed her to the crows and went back to their chores. No successor was named as Guardian, no one took up the fallen blade; the West Passage went unguarded. Now, snow blankets Grey in the height of summer, foretelling the coming of the Beast. The too-young Mother of Grey House and the Guardian’s unnamed squire set out to save their people.” (July 16)
This collection gathers 13 scary stories from Adiba Jaigirdar, Alexis Henderson, Chloe Gong, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, H. E. Edgmon, Kalynn Bayron, Karen Strong, Kendare Blake, Lamar Giles, Mark Oshiro, Naseem Jamnia, Tiffany D. Jackson, and Terry J. Benton-Walker. (July 16)
“An apprentice assassin and an inquisitive linguist trade interwoven tales in order to enact revenge.” (July 16)
“J.G. Ballard’s Crash meets Albert Camus’s The Plague in a transgressive horror novel for the TikTok generation.” (July 23)
The famous actor and the acclaimed author team up for this novel inspired by Reeves’ BRZRKR comics; it’s about an immortal warrior who teams up with a black-ops group in order to fulfill his death wish, then gets pulled into a mystery even greater than his own existence. (July 23)
A trio of former friends must reunite 20 years later to revive the magical powers they cultivated as high-schoolers to save a kidnapped teen and prevent an apocalypse they may have unintentionally set in motion. (July 23)
When a house washes ashore on a Pacific Northwest island after a vicious storm—and a man goes missing—his estranged friends must uncover the dwelling’s evil history if they want any hope of finding him. (July 23)
When an elusive outlaw is finally captured at the edge of the galaxy, a bounty hunter must agree to hear stories about all of her lives in order to collect his reward. (July 23)
In 2051 San Francisco, a seasoned thief and an underworld fixer team up for the ultimate high-tech heist (July 23).
In this sequel to Cascade Failure, “everyone’s favorite fierce, messy, chaotic space fam is back with more vibrant worlds, and the wildest crew since Guardians of the Galaxy.” (July 23)
Zeus’ wife gets the feminist-retelling treatment in this tale inspired by Greek mythology. (July 23)
“A cosmic war reignites and the fate of the orisha lie in the hands of an untried acolyte in this first entry of a new epic fantasy novella duology.” (July 23)
“Rival ornithologists hunt through England for a rare magical bird in this historical-fantasy rom-com reminiscent of Indiana Jones but with manners, tea, and helicopter parasols.” (July 23)
The third entry in the author’s Her Majesty’s Royal Coven series “takes us back to the reign of Henry VIII and the origins of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven under the beautiful, the bewitching, Anne Boleyn.” (July 23)
The fourth and final book in the author’s Green Creek fantasy romance series about shape-shifting wolves follows Carter as he hits the road in search of Gavin. (July 30)
The film critic and culture writer looks back at the action-packed summer of 1982—which saw the release of E.T., Tron, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, Conan the Barbarian, Blade Runner, Poltergeist, The Thing, and Mad Max: The Road Warrior—and explores how those films came to be, as well as their lasting impact on Hollywood. (July 30)
This adult epic fantasy follows a dying woman who slips into the world of her favorite fantasy novels, where she’ll need to navigate an array of monstrous fictional characters—including herself, newly cast as a villain in the story. (July 30)
“A compelling tale of love, duty, and found family in an exciting new space opera that brings xianxia-style martial arts to the stars.” (July 30)
After her boyfriend slips into a coma, a woman realizes she’s able to communicate with his soul—which has become divided from his body and has no memory of her. In order to heal him, she’ll need to put aside her own doubts about their relationship and convince his soul to fall in love with her again. (July 30)
A scientist must enter “the Zone,” a stretch of equatorial rainforest where the climate has become so extreme that warm-blooded creatures cannot survive without protection, on a dangerous rescue mission—and uncovers a corporate conspiracy in the process. (July 30)
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Source: Gizmodo