There’s Something For Everyone On April’s Giant List Of New Sci-Fi And Fantasy Book Releases

There’s Something For Everyone On April’s Giant List Of New Sci-Fi And Fantasy Book Releases
At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Many of us suddenly have more time for reading these days, and lucky for sci-fi and fantasy fans, April is chock-full of new releases”with tales of witches, monsters, vengeful forces of nature, space colonists, AI gone wild, and so much more. Crack open a new book and escape into its pages!

Devil’s Blade by Mark Adler

This alt-history fantasy explores the historically colourful life of 17th-century opera singer Julie D’Aubigny”with the added intrigue of a deal with the devil, made as part of a mysterious revenge plot. (April 2)

The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan

Two hundred years after the Salem witch trials, a young witch in late-19th century New York City finds herself torn between her family’s desire to use their magic for their own gain, or taking the path of healing to help elevate the less fortunate. (April 7)

The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni

A woman is sceptical when she learns of her surprising inheritance: a noble title, riches beyond her wildest dreams, and a castle in the Italian Alps. But she’s also understandably curious enough to dig into her family’s aristocratic past”and finds some very dark and inescapable secrets hidden in her history. (April 7)

Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie

A young man is startled to learn that his military-academy BFF is secretly the heir to an oppressive galactic empire. Should he help his buddy dodge assassination plots and trust that he’ll be the kind of leader that can make things better? Or should he join the rebellion against his friend’s family instead? (April 7)

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

The author of the Divergent series presents her first book aimed at adults; it’s about a group of friends united by their childhood fame after defeating an evil entity. A decade later, they discover a secret about their supernatural victory”and learn their fight is actually far from over. (April 7)

The Empire of Dreams by Rae Carson

The author returns to the world of her Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy for this standalone fantasy adventure about a teenage orphan whose adoption into the royal family is blocked at the last minute”so she joins the Royal Guard to become a warrior instead. (April 7)

Fantastic Hope edited by Laurell K. Hamilton and William McCaskey

The timing couldn’t be better for this collection of 16 hopeful sci-fi and fantasy stories, with entries from Kevin J. Anderson, Patricia Briggs, Larry Correia, Jonathan Maberry, L. E. Modesitt, Jr., and others.

Nightshade by Anthony Horowitz

Teen spy Alex Rider returns for his 12th adventure, this time facing a world without his greatest enemy, the evil organisation known as Scorpia. But just when he’s getting used to embracing a normal life, a new foe begins to emerge in its place. (April 7)

Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan

The sequel to Wicked Saints finds Nadya (the magical girl), Serefin (the haunted prince), and Malachiasz (the monster) at odds, though their fates continue to draw them together. (April 7)

Starborn & Godsons by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes

The Heorot series concludes on the planet of Avalon, where human colonisation is going reasonably well”until a spaceship from Earth arrives. (April 7)

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward

The Legacy Trilogy begins with this fantasy tale set in a republic that’s been torn apart by fighting noble families, leaving everyone vulnerable to an invading army. Three enemies, including a brother and sister, must find enough common ground to work together if they want to salvage their homeland. (April 9)

The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey

The author of The Girl With All the Gifts kicks off a new post-apocalyptic trilogy with this tale of a young man struggling to survive in a world where nature has a commanding upper hand. Check out an excerpt below! (April 14)

Bubblegum by Adam Levin

Instead of the internet, the world runs with the help of interactive robots known as “Curios.” One of the first people to adopt this technology as a child has grown into a reclusive adult, though he’ll soon learn he can’t avoid the outside world forever. (April 14)

Creeping Jenny by Jeff Noon

The Nyquist Mysteries series continues in this tale set in 1959, as private investigator John Nyquist visits a small village trying to find more about his family’s past. Alas, he finds himself enmeshed in a folk-horror nightmare instead. (April 14)

Girls Save the World in This One by Ash Parsons

When a convention for fans of all things zombie-related is besieged by actual zombies, it’s up to a group of high-school horror-heads to tap into their extensive knowledge of the undead and save the world. (April 14)

The Last Emperor by John Scalzi

The celebrated author wraps up his Interdependency space opera series as Emperox Grayland II finally takes control of her throne”but will she be able to make everyone understand that the Flow, the pathway that ties all the planets together and sustains her people, is in danger of a catastrophic collapse? (April 14)

A Luminous Republic by Andrés Barba, translated by Lisa Dillman

A small city in Argentina is transformed when 32 apparently feral children suddenly emerge from the nearby jungle. The crime wave they spark soon turns violent”and then they begin luring the city’s own resident children to join in their chaos. (April 14)

The Mistress of Illusions by Mike Resnick

In this sequel to The Master of Dreams, Eddie Raven must use all his detective skills to figure out the true identity of the mysterious Lisa, who deftly switches her persona from moment to moment. Making matters worse, it seems he’s got a bit of a demon problem. (April 14)

Queen by Timothy Zahn

The Sybil’s War space adventure series concludes as rebel leader Nicole Hammond”gifted with the ability to communicate with an alien ship”must convince the ship’s AI to join her cause, and hopefully turn the tide of the war. (April 14)

Redemption Prep by Samuel Miller

This Twin Peaks and Riverdale-inspired tale takes place at a prep school so remote, one of the rules is “don’t go into the woods.” When a student goes missing, her friends begin to realise her disappearance might be tied to some very big, very dark secrets. (April 14)

The Reign of the Kingfisher by T.J. Martinson

A Chicago reporter who made his career covering a superhero who once tried to save the city becomes drawn into a hostage drama when a masked gunman demands the vigilante’s return after 30 years…or else. (April 14)

Sons of War by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

After an economic crisis pushes the U.S. to the brink of a civil war, an Italian crime boss heads to Los Angeles, intent on setting up a new empire amid the turmoil”but it turns out he’s not the only would-be kingpin fanning the dystopian flames. (April 14)

A Strange Country by Muriel Barbery, translated by Alison Anderson

Two Spanish soldiers serving in a seemingly endless war encounter a man who claims to have crossed a bridge from another world”so they follow him back, only to discover that his magical homeland is also far from peaceful. (April 14)

Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu

The debut novel from the first Chinese woman to win a Hugo (Best Novelette in 2016, for Folding Beijng) is set 100 years after Mars has become independent, and follows a group of Martian kids who visit Earth for the first time”then find themselves caught between the interests and cultures of both worlds. (April 14)

Plan for the Worst by Jodi Taylor

The 11th Chronicles of St. Mary’s series finds time-travelling historian Max capably dealing with her usual levels of chaos”until one fateful night makes her realise she has no idea what “chaos” really means. (April 16)

The Cerulean Queen by Sarah Kozloff

The Nine Realms fantasy series concludes with this entry, which at last finds the rightful queen on her throne”though she must immediately harness all her powers to face a castle full of traitors, fend off a looming war, and restore order to her kingdom. (April 21)

Creatures of Charm and Hunger by Molly Tanzer

At the end of World War II, two English witches in training learn of a Nazi plot to use black magic as a desperate grab for victory. But before they can take down that evil, they must each confront the dark secrets that are threatening to divide them forever. (April 21)

The Deck of Omens by Christine Lynn Herman

The sequel to The Devouring Grey finds the young heroes of Four Paths facing some personal dramas”family stuff, mostly”before they must come back together to defeat the Beast that lurks in the forest nearby. (April 21)

The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence

Outcast from her frozen homeland, a young girl decides to strike out on her own into a world that’s far more complex than she ever realised; along the way, she changes the destiny that’s always been expected of her. (April 21)

The Glass Magician by Caroline Stevermer

A struggling magician performing in Gilded Age New York suddenly discovers that her abilities extend way beyond stage tricks. Sudden fame and wealth are within her grasp, but her new powers come with a dark tradeoff. (April 21)

The Hairbrush and the Shoe: A True Ghost Story by Jeanne Stanton

This nonfiction tale follows the author”an academic and sceptic”as she investigates the compelling possibility that a ghost just might be lurking in her historic home. (April 21)

Looking Glass by Christina Henry

This collection of four new novellas, inspired by the author’s take on Alice in Wonderland, explores the worlds of magical children, houses that hold mysterious secrets, wannabe warriors, and hidden villages. (April 21)

Master Class by Christina Dalcher

The author of Vox returns with this near-future thriller that imagines all children are routinely tested and divided up according to their perceived academic potential. When her own daughter is whisked away to a school for underachievers, a teacher begins to realise just how cruel the system really is. (April 21)

The Moment of Tenderness by Madeleine L’Engle

From the late author of A Wrinkle in Time comes this short-story collection”discovered by one of her granddaughters”of sci-fi, fantasy, and other short works written in the 1940s and “˜50s. (April 21)

Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst

This standalone adventure”described as “National Velvet with monsters””follows the adventures of two women, a seasoned trainer, and a determined young rider as they work together to train a wild monster in order to win the fiercest race in their kingdom. (April 21)

The Ranger of Marzanna by Jon Skovron

A sister and brother”a warrior and a sorcerer, respectively”follow separate paths after their father is murdered. Despite their family ties, they become enemies: She stands against the Empire that rules their land, while he becomes its most powerful defender. (April 21)

Shorefall by Robert Jackson-Bennett

A city long ruled by robber barons is undergoing a magical transformation that may finally elevate the lives of its long-suffering citizens”until an evil that’s been dormant for thousands of years begins to stir again. (April 21)

Velocities by Kathe Koja

This collection of short fiction compiles 13 stories, including two brand-new tales, “all flying at the speed of strange.” (April 21)

Repo Virtual by Corey J. White

In a futuristic “smart city” where reality is controlled by corporate simulations, a thief takes on the tricky job of stealing an AI that’s become self-aware. (April 24)

Critical Point by S.L. Huang

The Cas Russell series continues as the mercenary and maths whiz finds her troubled past has caught up to her”and is now imperiling her friends in the present, while also threatening her future. (April 28)

Don’t Call the Wolf by Aleksandra Ross

This fantasy tale takes inspiration from a Polish fairy tale and follows the adventures of a shape-shifting queen, a wandering soldier, and a dragon who cross paths in an abandoned forest as a war brews between men and monsters. (April 28)

Hard Wired by Len Vlahos

A teenage boy’s seemingly average life suddenly turns inside out when he realises he’s not human after all, but a sophisticated, Westworld– and Picard-style AI built by his late father. His whole life has been a lie, and his next question is a big one: Is freedom even possible? (April 28)


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At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.