Every month new novels hit the shelves here at ABC Central and today I’m going to talk about the science-fiction and fantasy novels I’m looking forward to receiving in the next three months. From clones in space, necromancer/concubine turned detective, endangered Kaijus and Afrofuturism, stories of hope set in a dystopian landscape, here are 8 titles to watch for in the next 60 days.
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton (fourth week of February)
Although I like all sorts of science-fiction, I have a soft spot for the kind that puts our fragile human bodies in the harsh and deadly atmosphere of outer space. The human body is not made to exist (alive) outside the warm sweet embrace of mother earth and stories that delve into the question of how we keep human meat sacks functioning on other inhospitable planets almost always go onto my TBR pile.
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton fits nicely into the survival in space category with clones added to the mix (guess what the 7 stands for). Readers who like The Martian will probably want to put this on their to-read list as well.
Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham (fourth week of February)
Most people will probably have read the sci-fi works by Daniel Abraham (he is the co-author of the well-known series turned TV series called The Expanse), but his fantasy novels are in my honest opinion even better. So, the start of a new fantasy series by Abraham is a cause for celebration and it looks like Age of Ash is going to be a whopper of an epic fantasy.
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin (fourth week of February)
There are a lot of apocalypse stories these days, especially the kind involving flesh-eating infected humans, but it is not often that you encounter one that brings a new perspective to the mix. Billed as Y the Last Man meets The Girl with all the Gifts this one will in all likelihood become an interesting addition to the apocalypse genre. Plus, I like a book with a good pun for a title.
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake (first week of March)
I love it when an independently published book becomes a huge success. Actually, we already had The Atlas Six in the shop way back in 2020. It was first self-published and soon became such a hit that customers would literally grab copies out of my hands before I even had a chance to put it on the shelves. Now being published by Macmillan, I’m looking forward to seeing The Atlas Six reach an even greater audience. Think dark academia with a strong magic-fueled Hunger Games vibe and that’s what you get with this great title.
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (third week of March)
John Scalzi pretty much ranks high on my list of favorite sci-fi authors. His work is best described as engaging and pretty darn funny sci-fi, so a new Scalzi book is always something to look forward to. This year I think we are in for a treat as Scalzi sets foot into the world of giant dinosaur-like monsters better known as Kaiju!
The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller (fourth week of March)
I love whodunits in a fantasy setting. There is just something very pleasing about following the characters as they slowly peel away the layers of the mystery. The Bone Orchard is set in a lush gothic world and the main character is a necromancer/concubine charged with discovering who is responsible for the death of the emperor. The suspects: his own three horrible sons.
I get a distinct Gideon the Ninth meets Knives Out vibe from this one. High on the anticipation rating.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (first week of April)
Emily St. John Mandel is best known for her bestseller Station Eleven, which won the Arthur C. Clark award in 2014. Last year it was also adapted into a tv series.
Sea of Tranquility is her latest novel and this one sounds even more ambitious, ranging from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon five hundred years later. It is a novel about time travel and metaphysics.
Colleague Sywert already read the advanced reader’s copy we received earlier this year and was very enthusiastic about it, so it looks like this will be another hit from a very talented author.
The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monae (fourth week of April)
Last year I pretty much listened non-stop to the music of Janelle Monae, especially the album Dirty Computer. Besides being very funky catchy music, it also features a grand Afrofuturistic sci fi narrative.
The Memory Librarian is a story collection that delves further into the world of Dirty Computer. An exploration of different kinds of liberation in a totalitarian dystopia. I expect fans of Octavia Butler and Ursula LeGuin will find this one an interesting read.
So, these are some of the science-fiction and fantasy novels I’m looking forward to getting my hands on in the next few months. I can’t wait to be able to display them on our shelves.
Do you have novels that you eagerly anticipate as well? Let us know in the comments or on our social media channels! We are always eager to hear about our patrons interests.
