May is traditionally a pretty robust month for book releases, but as you can probably guess, 2020’s selection is a little slimmer than usual. Several titles that were due this month have shifted to later dates, for obvious reasons—but despite everything, we still have tons of new sci-fi and fantasy to share. Dig in!
Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
The misfits of Squad 312 are back to save the galaxy from an ancient evil—if only they can handle a growing pile of interference (old enemies, sinister intergalactic agents, long-lost relatives being pursued by hostile armies, etc.) first. (May 5)
The Down Days by Ilze Hugo
In this apocalyptic novel inspired by the Tanganyika laughter epidemic—a real-life instance of mass hysteria in 1962 Tanzania—a city in Africa is put under quarantine after its residents seemingly start losing touch with reality. (May 5)
Driving the Deep by Suzanne Palmer
The Hugo winner’s “interstellar repo man” Fergus Ferguson returns to his home planet of Earth to handle some unfinished family business—but instead of redemption, he finds a new caper that sends him off to one of Saturn’s moons to foil a kidnapping. (May 5)
The Eleventh Gate by Nancy Kress
The Nebula- and Hugo-winner author presents a new space opera, set amid an interstellar war that only two people in the universe have any chance at stopping—one of whom is a young woman who’s just discovered a stargate leading to an intriguing new planet. (May 5)
Forged in Fire and Stars by Andrea Robertson
In a land in turmoil, a young woman has all but accepted the fact that she’ll never be able to achieve her destined role as Loresmith, forging weapons for the kingdom’s warriors. That is, until she’s pulled into a plot by two upstart royals who need her help to retake the throne. (May 5)
Fractured Tide by Leslie Lutz
Stranded after their scuba boat is attacked by a sea creature, a teenage girl and a handful of others must fight to survive on a Lost-like island of mystery. (May 5)
Goldilocks by Laura Lam
Though their freedoms have been curtailed back on Earth, a team of five female explorers head to “the Goldilocks Zone” to investigate a habitable planet that might ensure the future of the human race. (May 5)
The Human by Neal Asher
The epic Rise of the Jain trilogy concludes as an ancient warship emerges from deep space, intent on hunting the alien Client and willing to wipe out anything and everyone that gets in its way. (May 5)
Network Effect by Martha Wells
Murderbot returns! The Hugo and Nebula award-winning novella series about the grumpy AI gets its first standalone novel; check out the opening below. (May 5)
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Penric’s Travels by Lois McMaster Bujold
This follow-up to Penric’s Progress gathers four more of the author’s tales about the sorcerer, his allies, and his foes: Penric’s Mission, Mira’s Last Dance, and The Prisoner of Limnos. (May 5)
Westside Saints by W.M. Akers
In Jazz Age Manhattan, private detective Gilda Carr chases down another one of her signature “tiny mysteries,” this time taking a case involving a saint’s missing finger that tempts her to believe the dead can return to life. (May 5)
Dark Angels Rising by Ian Whates
The Dark Angels trilogy concludes with this final adventure, as the reluctant heroes board their ship one more time to save humanity from an ancient alien who’s hellbent on total domination. (May 6)
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
Attending the elite Catherine House guarantees prestige and success, but there’s a grim trade-off: students must completely isolate themselves from the outside world while they’re enrolled. Soon after she arrives, Ines starts to suspect there’s something sinister lurking behind all those rules. (May 12)
A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millett
The latest from the Pulitzer finalist finds a group of kids taking matters into their own hands while on a lakeside vacation with their boozy parents. But what will happen when one child’s picture Bible starts to inform what feels a lot like the apocalypse? (May 12)
Deal With the Devil by Kit Rocha
“Orphan Black meets the post-apocalyptic Avengers” in this tale of a mercenary librarian and a weary soldier who reluctantly decide to team up in the fight to save America from ruin. (July 28)
Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The Arthur C. Clarke award winner’s latest takes on class and climate change, imagining a time when the rich are all plotting to flee Earth, and kids who’ve been told they have no future are tasked with keeping the planet’s solar panels intact. (May 12)
Shakespeare for Squirrels by Christopher Moore
A Midsummer Night’s Dream becomes a noirish murder mystery in this humorous take on one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. (May 12)
Stealing Thunder by Alina Boyden
Born a prince, but knowing she has a woman’s soul, Razia flees her powerful family when they won’t accept her true identity. Though she finds a new life as a dancer and thief, she will eventually have to face her father when she’s drawn into a high-stakes political battle. (May 12)
Unreconciled by W. Michael Gear
The Donovan series continues with a sticky new conflict: A ship containing a cannibal cult has appeared in the sky, desperately needing a place to land. Even worse, they’ve brought a strange new disease with them, and their presence has stirred something fearful in the planet’s native forest. (May 12)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games author returns with a prequel to that series focusing on a young version of future villain Coriolanus Snow. And yes, there’s already a movie in the works. (May 19)
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Maker’s Curse by Trudi Canavan
The Millennium’s Rule series concludes as Rielle, a restorer of dead worlds, and Tyen, who trains sorcerers to influence wars, must reunite and combine their talents to combat a dangerous new threat. (May 19)
Sea Change by Nancy Kress
In this novella about climate change, a woman goes undercover to investigate an ecological disaster that’s threatening the food industry—and could eventually lead to the end of the human race. (May 5)
The Archer at Dawn by Swati Teerdhala
The sequel to The Tiger at Midnight finds rebels Kunal and Esha risking their lives by going undercover in King Vardaan’s court, with an eye toward lifting a new ruler into power. (May 26)
Eagle Station by Dale Brown
Global political conflicts now unfold among the stars as America, Russia, and China fight to control the moon’s resources and establish dominance in outer space. Can the Space Force—led by newlyweds Brad McLanahan and Nadia Rozek—keep the peace and prevent all-out destruction? (May 26)
The Fiery Crown by Jeffe Kennedy
The Forgotten Empires series continues as Queen Euthalia wonders why the prophecy she’s been promised has yet to come true—and her new husband must decide whether to remain loyal or strike out against the empire that threatens them both. (May 26)
Nowhere on Earth by Nick Lake
A teen runaway meets a little boy who’s even more lost than she is—which is to say, he’s not even from this planet. Together, they’ll both need to figure out how to return to their respective homes. (May 26)
Out of Body by Jeffrey Ford
After he witnesses a murder, a librarian realises the awful nightmares he’s been having link him to a serial killer that’s been preying on his small town for generations. (May 26)
Sunshield by Emily B. Martin
In this futuristic Western set on a world sharply divided between the rich and the poor, the destinies of a diplomat, a prisoner, and an outlaw who prowls the harsh desert freeing slaves start to align. (May 26)