It’s April, and that means another crop of new sci-fi and fantasy books are upon us! This month we’ve got brand-new releases from Gizmodo co-founder Charlie Jane Anders as well as Station Eleven author Emily St. John Mandel, plus tales of magical hospitals and hotels, space voyages gone sideways, witches and plagues, and so much more.
Aurora Borealis Bridge by Jane Lindskold
After rediscovering the Library of the Sapphire Wind, Peg, Meg, and Tea are back for another adventure; this time, the trio and their otherworldly friends set out to discover the magical land of Over Where’s startling hidden secrets. (April 5)
Aspects by John M. Ford
The final novel written by acclaimed author Ford, who died in 2006, is released at last; it features an introduction by Neil Gaiman and tells a tale of fantasy and magic. (April 5)
The Bladed Faith by David Dalglish
A usurped prince who witnessed the murder of his parents as a child escapes from prison and joins with a band of revolutionaries, intent on reclaiming is throne. But doing so will require his becoming the “Vagrant,” a legendary hero, as a way to unite his people — and the gig isn’t exactly what it seems at first. (April 5)
The Blood Trials by N. E. Davenport
In a racist, misogynistic society, a young Black woman with secret powers undergoes a brutal ritual to become a warrior, aiming to find out who murdered her grandfather. (April 5)
Boss Witch by Ann Aguirre
The latest entry in the author’s “witchy rom-com” series follows a witch who falls for a witch hunter who’s under great pressure to succeed in the family business. (April 5)
Braking Day by Adam Oyebanji
After a 100-year voyage, a trio of generation ships fleeing Earth have almost arrived at their destination. As the anticipated day approaches, however, a young engineer who’s having strange visions of a woman floating in space realises the mystery of her identity runs deeper than he ever imagined. Read an excerpt here. (April 5)
The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
The latest from the Pulitzer-winning author is a “sibling” novel to her A Visit From the Goon Squad. It’s set in a near-future world in which a tech genius has figured out how people can share memories — not anticipating all the consequences that ability brings. (April 5)
The Date from Hell by Gwenda Bond
In Not Your Average Hot Guy, they saved the world by preventing the apocalypse — but that doesn’t mean Callie and her boyfriend (who happens to be the Prince of Hell) can look forward to some peaceful downtime, as this sequel’s title suggests. (April 5)
Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak by Charlie Jane Anders
The latest from the co-founder of Gizmodo is the sequel to Victories Greater Than Death, following space-travelling artist Rachael, aspiring princess Elza, and Royal Space Academy student Tina as they face dire choices and conflicts that mean life will never be the same. (April 5)
Harbinger by Wen Spencer
Tinker returns for a new wartime adventure, this time facing powerful elves whose intentions are unclear while also taking care of her young wood-sprite siblings. (April 5)
Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor
A teen who longs for adventure gets a job at a magical hotel, where she soon realises there are some seriously dangerous forces lurking beneath its luxurious surface. (April 5)
In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power
Twins born into a magical family help maintain order in the natural world. But when their royal father grows mad with power, the siblings take different sides as the conflict escalates into war. Read an excerpt here. (April 5)
Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments by T.L. Huchu
The Edinburgh Nights series continues as Ropa takes on a new sleuthing gig: working at a magical hospital where patients are suffering from an apparently untreatable new disease. Can she solve the mystery behind it before it’s too late? (April 5)
This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke
An orphaned young woman growing up amid the 1956 Hungarian revolution must decide whether or not to harness the power of a magic river to help her country. (April 5)
Skyward Flight: The Collection by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson
This three-novella collection of the Skyward Series (Skyward, Starsight, Cytonic) features new character art as well as “deleted scenes” with commentary from Sanderson. (April 5)
An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan
Billed as “Romeo and Juliet meets Chinese mythology,” this novel follows a star-crossed pair in a town where supernatural elements have begun to further complicate their forbidden high-school romance. (April 12)
And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Delvin
A man who’s been “cured” of a monstrous plague that affects perceptions of reality reluctantly leaves his rehab facility in search of redemption. (April 12)
The Book of Sand by Mo Hayder
This tale set is in two different worlds: a sand-filled alien planet where a family struggles to survive, and suburban Virginia, where a teen girl starts to realise her apparently ordinary life is not what it seems. (April 12)
God of Neverland by Gama Ray Martinez
When Peter Pan disappears, Michael Darling — now an adult who’s tried to put magic behind him — must return to Neverland on a do-or-die rescue mission. (April 12)
Shadow Fallen by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Dream-Hunter series continues as seasoned evil-fighter Ariel is memory-wiped, transformed into a human, and dropped into 11th century England. There, she meets a knight of William the Conqueror who’s also more than he seems, and may be her only hope at getting back where she belongs. (April 12)
Stringers by Chris Panatier
When a guy with a lot of random knowledge (mostly stuff that he’s not sure how he came to know) is kidnapped by an alien bounty hunter who seems to know an awful lot about him, he must rely on his best friend and his wits to survive. (April 12)
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
This sequel to Black Sun returns to the ruined city of Tova — located in a land inspired by the pre-Columbian Americas, where magic is regulated and worshipping gods is not allowed — where the people deal with chaotic change, try to forge new alliances, and face an uncertain future. (April 19)
Flint and Mirror by John Crowley
In this historical fantasy, the lord of the North receives orders from the queen through a magic mirror while also helping Irish clans plot rebellion against her. (April 19)
Go Hex Yourself by Jessica Clare
When a woman gets a job working as a witch’s familiar, she clashes with her employer’s warlock nephew — at least until they’re forced to work together to combat a powerful curse. (April 19)
Hope, A History of the Future by G.G. Kellner
In the year 2037, a woman discovers a book published in the year 2200 has randomly appeared in her home. As she and her family read it, they realise it contains a tale from the future with lessons that prove very useful in the present. (April 19)
I Am the Ghost in Your House by Maria Romasco-Moore
An invisible girl — alive, but invisible — lives a rootless existence with her mother, until she turns 17 and heads to Pittsburgh, determined to track down a girl she fell in love with. (April 19)
Kingdom of Bones by James Rollins
The Sigma Force series continues with this Congo-set thriller. It begins with the discovery that something in the environment has made the human population sluggish and listless — while making the local plants and animals smarter and more powerful. Is some kind of malevolent science at work, or is nature simply getting its revenge? (April 19)
The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe
This sci-fi anthology expands the Afrofuturistic world established in the actor-musician’s 2018 album Dirty Computer and its accompanying short film. Collaborators on this literary project include Alaya Dawn Johnson, Yohanca Delgado, Eve L. Ewing, Dany Lore, and Sheree Renée Thomas. (April 19)
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
The latest from the acclaimed author of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel follows three characters: an 18-year-old who’s exiled to Canada in 1912 and makes a shocking discovery in the forest; a famous writer who tours Earth with each new release but makes her home on the moon; and the detective tasked with finding the connection between them that could threaten the stability of the universe. (April 19)
Spear by Nicola Griffith
This twist on the Camelot legend — described as “a queer Arthurian masterpiece for the modern era” — follows a budding knight who’s determined to use her magical talents to serve the king of a faraway land. (April 19)
The Discord of Gods by Jenn Lyons
The Chorus of Dragons series concludes as Kihrin pretends to be the ruthless destroyer prophecies said he would be — while actually scheming to defeat both Relos Var, who’s determined to overtake the universe, and the demonic Xaltorath. (April 26)
The Girl and the Moon by Mark Lawrence
The Book of the Ice series continues as ice triber Yaz arrives at her world’s only green space as part of her quest to save her planet — and also save the moon, which is tied to a hidden artefact she’s hoping to unlock. (April 26)
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
A young princess sets out to rescue her older sister from an abusive royal marriage — using magic and the help of a ragtag group of fellow outcasts. (April 26)
One Foot in the Fade by Luke Arnold
Private eye Fetch Phillips returns for a new case involving a fallen angel who may be responsible for an entire city losing its magic. (April 26)
Prison of Sleep: The Journals of Zaxony Delatree, Book II by Tim Pratt
In this sequel to Doors of Sleep, Zax — who wakes up on a different world every time he goes to sleep — realises the cause of his strange disorder is a parasitic alien, and also that every time he travels, the alien grows larger and threatens the entire universe. (April 26)
Rosebud by Paul Cornell
In this “locked-room” novella, five sentient digital creatures are forced aboard a survey ship in order to search for a mysterious object those in charge of their fates — the Company — dearly wants in its clutches. But when the ship malfunctions, the crew must decide on their own what to do with the object when they find it. (April 26)
The Void Ascendant by Premee Mohamed
The trilogy that began with Beneath the Rising concludes as Nick Prasad, inter-dimensional traveller and the last survivor of planet Earth, must decide whether to betray the servants of the Ancient Ones… in order to get the Ancient Ones out of the multiverse once and for all. (April 26)
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.