It’s the start of a new month, which means it’s time for another list of new sci-fi and fantasy books. For June, we’ve got works by Neal Stephenson, Terry Brooks, Blake Crouch, and Yoon Ha Lee, plus tales of reluctant royalty, steampunk dragon riders, near-future dystopias, subterranean monsters, and so much more.
Fall; or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson
The latest from the author of Snow Crash is described as “Paradise Lost by way of Philip K. Dick.”
It’s about a tech billionaire who’s left brain-dead after a medical procedure—a brain that’s then scanned and uploaded for safekeeping until an afterlife known as “the Bitworld” is created, and he’s revived as part of a plan to achieve eternal digital life. What could possibly go wrong? (June 4)
The Haunted by Danielle Vega
A young woman with a troubled past moves to a new town with her family, only to learn that their fixer-upper is the area’s most notorious haunted house. Can she defeat the resident ghosts before they take her down first? (June 4)
Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey
In this debut fantasy novel, a detective reluctantly takes on a mysterious case involving a murder at the magic school where her gifted (and long-estranged) twin sister is a teacher. (June 4)
The Soul of Power by Callie Bates
The Waking Land trilogy wraps up with this instalment, which sees royal outcast Sophy Dunbarron unexpectedly ascending to the throne—and finding the gig far more perilous than she’d expected, thanks to hostile nobles questioning her every move and all the strange magic swirling around her. (June 4)
Spine of the Dragon by Kevin J. Anderson
A new epic fantasy series begins with this tale of two lands that must put aside decades of violent conflict and work together when an ancient race arises and threatens them both. (June 4)
The Stiehl Assassin by Terry Brooks
The latest in the author’s Fall of Shannara series sees the Skaar invasion bulldozing its way to a full-on conquest, unless a few stragglers from the Druid order can pool their powers to stop it—but they’ll need to defeat the vengeance-minded title assassin first. (June 11)
You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened by Amy Weinland Daughters
A housewife in 2014—who happens to be named Amy Daughters, just like the author—returns to her hometown for Thanksgiving and inexplicably travels back in time to 1978, where she spends a life-altering day and a half with her family as they were back then (including her own tween self). (June 4)
The Grand Dark by Richard Kadrey
A standalone fantasy story about a bike messenger in a near-future, post-war city—a place full of genetically-altered beasts, intelligent robots, endless parties, and brutal murders—who dreams of escaping the streets but finds he’ll need something more sinister than talent and ambition to elevate his situation. (June 27)
Green Valley by Louis Greenberg
In a city where invasive digital technology has been almost completely banned, a woman must enter the one place where it isn’t—a virtual reality community called Green Valley—to search for her missing niece. (June 11)
The History of Soul 2065 by Barbara Krasnoff
Twenty intertwined stories trace the supernatural adventures of two Jewish girls and their families, one Russian and one German, who meet just before World War I and manage to remain connected throughout their lives and beyond. (June 11)
The Hungry Ghost by Dalena Storm
A comatose woman suddenly awakens, but it’s no medical miracle—instead, she’s been possessed by a ghost that wants to return to the land of the living. Will her friends and family be able to figure out what’s going on before it’s too late? (June 11)
The Last Supper Before Ragnarok by Cassandra Khaw
The Gods and Monsters urban fantasy trilogy concludes as the world’s, well, gods and monsters jockey to fill the spiritual void left after the apocalypse. It’s up to an assassin, a god-killer, a prophet, and…a sorcerer-turned-chef who’d really rather be left alone to figure out how to get the world back on track. (June 11)
Moonflowers by David A. Grey
In post-Armageddon New York City, new kinds of humans with special powers are being born—some good, some mischievous, some destructive—and at least one who’s tentatively holding back yet another celestial catastrophe. (June 11)
Pass of Fire by Taylor Anderson
The Destroyermen military sci-fi series continues as the crew of the USS Walker assemble an army of humans and alien allies on an alternate version of Earth. They all must defeat a dangerous alien foe or all will be lost. (June 11)
Recursion by Blake Crouch
The latest from the author of Dark Matter and Wayward Pines follows an NYPD cop and a neuroscientist investigating “False Memory Syndrome,” a devastating, increasingly common affliction that drives its victims insane. That would be bad enough—but then they stumble upon a mysterious force that seems capable of altering the very fabric of reality. (June 11)
The Sol Majestic by Ferrett Steinmetz
A pretty unbeatable cast of characters—“an aspirational teen guru” and his pals (“a teleporting celebrity chef, a trust-fund adrenaline junkie, an inept apprentice, and a brilliant mistress of disguise”)—populate this adventure about saving the best restaurant in the galaxy from going out of business. (June 11)
A Sword Named Truth by Sherwood Smith
In this first instalment of a new epic fantasy trilogy set in the world of the author’s Inda series, a newly-awakened dark power sets out to conquer a world ruled by inexperienced young kings and queens, who soon realise working together is their only hope. (June 11)
The Brink: An Awakened Novel by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth
When highly intelligent monsters target the NYC subway, the city’s former mayor, an ex-NYPD officer, and a tech expert join forces to uncover the global conspiracy behind the tragedy—and figure out how to circumvent another deadly attack. (June 18)
Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone
When a maverick 21st-century tech leader accidentally launches herself into the far future, she’ll have to contend with a terrifying, capricious Empress who rules everything, as well as sentient machines and religious fanatics—all while helping to spark a rebellion and trying to figure out a way to get back home. (June 18)
Eve of Man by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher
In 50 years, every baby born has across the globe has been a boy—until the arrival of Eve, who’s raised under intense scrutiny and protection until she comes of age. But what will happen when the girl who’s seen as the saviour of humanity longs to know what freedom feels like?
FKA USA: A Novel by Reed King
In the near-future Midwest, a factory worker sets out on a road trip across a near-lawless, culturally bankrupt America—all thanks to the design and neglect of an inept POTUS—to deliver a talking goat, with the help of a wannabe-human android and a lobotomized convict. (June 18)
Kingdoms of the Cursed by Greg Keyes
A psychiatric patient who’s recovered from a suicide attempt with some enchanted help is suddenly forced on a dangerous mission to undo a terrible curse—and his magical friends won’t be able to come to his rescue this time. (June 4)
The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull
Aliens have set up shop in the U.S. Virgin Islands, conducting mysterious research that’s brought certain benefits but also led to strained relations with the locals. The situation takes a turn for the exponentially worse when a young boy is killed. (June 18)
The Record Keeper by Agnes Gomillion
An unsteady peace enforced by strict laws is the only solution after World War III almost wipes out Earth’s entire population. Or, it seems to be the only solution, until a young scholar’s eyes are opened to new ways of thinking, and she begins to question the idea of “peace” that’s enforced by nightmarish fear. (June 18)
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
When a new owner moves into a house deep in a mysterious forest, his curiosity about the countryside worries his hermit neighbour—and awakens some ancient green magic. (June 18)
Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa
When a demon manages to break free from his enchanted prison and possess a human, world domination becomes his ultimate goal. But to get there, he’ll need to get past a shapeshifter whose sole task in life is to protect a scroll with the power to grant any wish imaginable. (June 17)
Stealing Worlds by Karl Schroeder
A woman whose debts and troubled past have made her a surveillance-state target escapes into the world of virtual reality, where she hopes to use high-tech gaming as a way to better her real-world situation. (June 18)
Hexarchate Stories by Yoon Ha Lee
This collection of stories is set within the same universe as the author’s Hugo-nominated Machineries of Empire series that includes Ninefox Gambit. (June 25)
The Iron Dragon’s Mother by Michael Swanwick
In a post-industrial world populated by faeries, a half-human who pilots a sentient mechanical dragon fights to clear her name after she’s accused of murdering her own brother. (June 25)
The Virtue of Sin by Shannon Schuren
In this Handmaid’s Tale-influenced story, a young woman doesn’t question the strict rules of isolated New Jerusalem until she’s forced to marry a stranger. After that, she’s moved to rebel against the life she’s always known, despite the extreme risks involved. (June 25)
In the Shadow of Spindrift House by Mira Grant
The author’s latest (“Mira Grant” is a pseudonym for prolific fantasy author Seanan McGuire) centres on a menacing house with a long, strange history, and the recently-orphaned teenage girl who launches an investigation into its mysteries. (June 30)