This list is HUGE. It’s a literary MONSTER. And it is filled with space adventures, supernatural encounters, fantasy quests, dystopian near-futures, folklore beasties, robots, dragons, aliens, time travellers, and so much more. Fair warning: After you look through this giant list, you’ll be wanting to do some serious book reading in the very near future.
Aftershocks by Marko Kloos
A new military sci-fi series from the author of the Frontlines series begins as an Earth-like planet begins to recover from an epic interplanetary war – though it won’t be easy for any of the characters we meet, including a leader who fought for the losing side and a young woman who faces unexpected danger when she takes over her family’s raw-materials business. (Available here.)
Alpha and Omega by Harry Turtledove
An American archaeologist working in Jerusalem finds himself caught up in sinister events—including a shocking discovery beneath the Temple Mount—that seem to announce the ancient prophecy of the End of Days is starting to come true. (Available here.)
The Big Book of Classic Fantasy edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer
A labour of love for authors Ann (Weird Tales) and Jeff (Annihilation) VanderMeer, this collection of classic fantasy tales showcases work by well-known authors (the Brothers Grimm, L. Frank Baum, J.R.R. Tolkien) as well as over a dozen stories never before available in English. Read an excerpt here. (Available here.)
Dragonslayer by Duncan M. Hamilton
This new series takes place in a kingdom where all the dragons have died out, creating a major career challenge for a certain subset of the workforce. When the beasts suddenly start to make a comeback, the realm’s one remaining dragonslayer must sober up and report for duty. (Available here.)
Growing Things and Other Stories by Paul Tremblay
The horror and suspense specialist – author of The Cabin at the End of the World and A Head Full of Ghosts – gathers 19 works of his short fiction, including tales tied to his previous novels, for this spooky collection. (Available here.)
The Heart of Hell by Wayne Barlowe
The sequel to the author’s dark fantasy God’s Demon returns to a liberated Hell, where the damned are free and rival demons find themselves engaged in a vicious power struggle. (Available here.)
Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke
This all-ages novelization of Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 dark fantasy film will use detailed illustrations and short stories to expand on the tale of young Ofelia’s journey into a magical yet ominous underworld filled with strange creatures and characters. (Available here.)
Protect the Prince by Jennifer Estep
The Crown of Shards saga continues as newly-crowned gladiator queen Evie clashes with hostile nobles at home and reluctant allies abroad, and realises the new dark magic that’s been swirling around might be something that even her own powers can’t overcome. (Available here.)
Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
A strange new affliction that resembles permanent sleepwalking has gripped the country, and the catatonic are striding with purpose toward a shared yet unknown endpoint. As society begins to crumble, a healthy young woman joins her entranced sister’s mysterious journey. Will their destination reveal the epidemic’s cause and cure, and what will happen to America if it doesn’t? You can check out an exclusive chapter excerpt here! (Available here.)
Beneath the Twisted Trees by Bradley P. Beaulieu
The Song of Shattered Sands series continues as swordswoman Çeda fights to free the king and the persecuted people of the Thirteenth Tribe while evading her many enemies, including some very angry gods. (Available July 4 here.)
Talking to Robots: Tales From Our Human-Robot Futures by David Ewing Duncan
The author presents “24 visions of possible human-robot futures”—from sentient toys to AI robots to literal sex machines—in this speculative book informed by real-life technologies and input from futurists, inventors, geneticists, filmmakers, and other experts. (Available July 4 here.)
Howling Dark by Christopher Ruocchio
The second book in the Sun Eater series follows the mercenary Hadrian Marlowe’s ongoing quest to track down an elusive race of aliens who might be able to bring much-needed peace to the galaxy. (Available July 4 here.)
The Wolf’s Call by Anthony Ryan
A famous swordsman slips out of the spotlight in favour of a low-key life in the country, but comes out of self-imposed retirement when he’s called to rescue his long-lost love from a terrifying new enemy. (Available July 4 here.)
Dark Age by Pierce Brown
The sequel to Iron Gold heads back to the Red Rising universe, where the epic story’s characters include a revolutionary-turned-outlaw who’s grappling with his unsteady place in the world, a new hero on the rise, an exiled royal fighting to protect her family, and a thief who becomes an unlikely protector. (Available July 4 here.)
Age of Legend by Michael J. Sullivan
The latest Legends of the First Empire book sees humankind about to triumph over its immortal Fhrey enemies, only to suffer a devastating setback at a critical moment. (Available July 9 here.)
Eye Spy by Mercedes Lackey
The sequel to The Hills Have Spies returns to the realm of Valdemar to follow Abi, who hopes to become a spy like her father—a dream that suddenly seems within reach once she discovers her unusual psychic power, the ability to see and feel physical strains in objects. (Available July 9 here.)
The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson
In this Stranger Things-ish tale, 12-year-old Jake, a kid growing up in 1980s Niagara Falls, becomes part of a circle of friends who spend their summer investigating spooky local legends with Jake’s charismatic, occult-obsessed uncle. (Available July 9 here.)
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
This YA fantasy is billed as “Project Runway meets Mulan,” which is a pretty good description of a tale about a girl who pretends to be a boy—and taps into some magical materials to create some enchanted bridal gowns—so she can compete for the coveted job of royal tailor. (Available July 9 here.)
The Survival of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson
The sequel to The Murders of Molly Southbourne finds the title character—last seen creating murderers from her own blood, very much against her will—on the run from her confusing and gruesome past, trying to find answers so she can count on any kind of future. (Available July 9 here.)
The Toll by Cherie Priest
In this gothic horror tale, a honeymooning couple hits a very strange stretch of road while driving into a swamp for their canoeing trip. A rickety bridge suddenly disappears…and before long, the bride is missing too. (Availabe July 9 here.)
Null Set by S.L. Huang
A powerful maths genius decides to use her unique talents to help fight the violent crime wave she accidentally helped spark—but her troubled past, not to mention her status on the underground’s most-wanted list, will make the task far more dangerous and complicated than she expected. (Available July 9 here.)
The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 4 edited by Neil Clarke
This year in review compiles 29 of the best recent short sci-fi stories, with contributions from both new and established authors, including Simone Heller, Yoon Ha Lee, Elizabeth Bear, Ken Liu, Rich Larson, and many more. (Available July 11 here.)
Mission Critical edited by Jonathan Strahan
This anthology gathers stories of people who overcome impossible odds in deep space and beyond, with contributions from Peter F. Hamilton, Yoon Ha Lee, Aliette de Bodard, Greg Egan, Linda Nagata, and many others. (Available July 11 here.)
Moctu and the Mammoth People by Neil Bockoven
In Paleolithic Italy 45,000 years in the past, a Cro-Magnon youth fights to survive saber-tooth tiger attacks, clashes with a fellow tribesman who frames him for murder, and runs afoul of a group of Neanderthals known as “the People Eaters.” (Available July 15 here.)
Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee
The longest-living Avatar finally gets an origin story delving into her humble past and rise to power, along with her founding of both the all-female Kyoshi Warriors and the Dai Li secret police force. Read an excerpt here. (Available July 16 here.)
The Border Keeper by Kerstin Hall
A man who needs to enter the world of the spirits must strike a bargain with the “end-of-the-line woman” who lives at its entrance, and finds the underworld to be an unsettling, chaotic place filled with secrets that threaten the land of the living. (Available July 16 here.)
The Eagle Has Landed: 50 Years of Lunar Science Fiction edited by Neil Clarke
Editor Clarke assembles stories written since the 1969 moon landing that explore themes of lunar visitation, colonization, exploration, and other mysteries surrounding its light and dark sides. Contributors include Nancy Kress, Indrapramit Das, Kim Stanley Robinson, Jack McDevitt, and many more. (Available July 16 here.)
Earth by Ben Bova
The latest novel from the six-time Hugo winner imagines that Earth is in danger of being wiped out by a “Death Wave” emanating from the center of the Milky Way—until an advanced alien species steps in to help. But new trouble begins once humans start using the alien technology to colonize other planets, and have trouble keeping the peace with the homeworld they left behind. (Available July 16 here.)
I Know What I Saw: Modern-Day Encounters With Monsters of New Urban Legend and Ancient Lore by Linda Godfrey
The journalist and modern-day monster expert offers up research and eyewitnesses interviews as she digs into tales of contemporary encounters (or “encounters,” as the case may be) with Bigfoot, werewolves, and other mysterious creatures. (Available July 16 here.)
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
In this African-inspired fantasy epic, a young man whose people have been fighting the same war for generations suffers a deeply personal tragedy, then dedicates himself to becoming a skilled swordsman as a way to get revenge on those who have wronged him. Read an excerpt here. (Available July 16 here.)
The Redemption of Time: A Three-Body Problem Novel by Baoshu, translated by Ken Liu
This Cixin Liu-approved continuation of the Three-Body Problem trilogy explores what happens after the war between humankind and the alien Trisolarans, focusing on a character long branded a traitor to Earth who gets a chance to redeem himself (and hopefully, save the universe in the process). (Available July 16 here.)
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
The acclaimed authors collaborate on this tale of correspondence—which turns into a highly unlikely romance—between two time-travelling agents from warring futures. (Available July 16 here.)
Unforeseen: Stories by Molly Gloss
The author’s Hugo and Nebula-nominated “Lambing Season” is included in this retrospective collection of 14 stories, which also includes two brand-new tales. (Available July 16 here.)
Becoming Superman: My Journey From Poverty to Hollywood by J. Michael Straczynski
A deeply personal memoir from the acclaimed movie, TV, and comics writer (Babylon 5, Sense8, Underworld Awakening, Thor), with an introduction by Neil Gaiman. (Available July 22 here.)
Desdemona and the Deep by C.S.E. Cooney
A sheltered heiress must journey between the polluted surface world, where the rich lord over poor factory workers, and a fantastical underworld full of goblins and other creatures. (Available July 23 here.)
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
In the 1920s, a young woman finds an unexpected way out of her dreary life in southern Mexico when she accidentally unleashes the Mayan god of death—who sets her on a quest that takes her across the country and into the underworld. (Available July 23 here.)
Jade War by Fonda Lee
The Green Bone Saga—an Asia-inspired fantasy about a powerful family’s determined quest to control their city’s supply of magical jade continues in this sequel to the World Fantasy Award-winning Jade City. (Available July 23 here.)
The Last Astronaut by David Wellington
After a disastrous mission to Mars, NASA’s sole remaining astronaut has retreated to an isolated, deliberately quiet life—until she’s pressed back into service when a mysterious and apparently hostile alien object suddenly starts hurtling toward Earth. (Available July 23 here.)
Marah Chase and the Conqueror’s Tomb by Jay Stringer
After an archaeologist turned treasure hunter is caught smuggling in Syria, she’s pressed into service by MI6 to find a mysterious weapon hidden in the lost tomb of Alexander the Great. The book is billed as “perfect for anyone who’s ever thought Indy really ought to be Jewish, female, and gay.” (Available July 23 here.)
Medusa in the Graveyard by Emily Devenport
The sequel to Medusa Uploaded finds Oichi Angelis and other insurgents bound for a planet ominously named Graveyard, where ancient yet still-sentient alien starships await their arrival. (Available July 23 here.)
The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep: A Novel by H.G. Parry
A young man with a strange secret – he can bring characters out of books into the real world – must become a reluctant hero when someone else with the same powers suddenly starts wreaking literary havoc all over town. (Available July 23 here.)
And Then There Were Dragons by Alcy Leyva
The Shades of Hell series continues as Amanda Grey grapples with the sucky aftermath of having stopped the Apocalypse, mostly due to the fact that she’s been banished to hell for all eternity. Is this her eternal fate, or will she be able to escape the wasteland and find redemption? (Available July 30 here.)
The Ascent to Godhood by JY Yang
The author’s acclaimed “silkpunk” Tensorate series continues in the wake of the Protector’s death. Her followers mourn—but none more than Lady Han, formerly her greatest enemy. (Available July 30 here.)
Death Goddess Dance by Levi Black
The Mythos War Trilogy concludes with main character Charlie’s most dangerous task yet: to stop the elder god known as the Man in Black from awakening his father and possibly ending humankind in the process. (Available July 30 here.)
The Hound of Justice by Claire O’Dell
Watson (Dr. Janet, who has a bionic arm) and Holmes (rebellious covert agent Sara) are still working together after the events of A Study in Hour, this time digging into an assassination attempt causes widespread devastation as part of the new American Civil War. Until Holmes disappears, that is. (Available July 30 here.)
Iron Gods by Andrew Bannister
Set 10,000 years after the author’s Creation Machine, this story set in the same universe imagines unrest in the Spin as slaves and rebels resist their oppressors—and an ancient technology that warns about the future has started to make its presence felt. (Available July 30 here.)
The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen
The future leader of the Crow caste of undertakers thinks she’s hit pay dirt when her people are summoned for a royal job—but the gig gets complicated when it’s revealed the crown prince is merely faking his death, and wants protection from the Crows even though he has a shape-shifting bodyguard of his own. (Available July 30 here.)