A new year always brings new possibilities. For readers, that usually means looking forward to new books! So what if our to-be-read piles are enormous and threatening to crush us under their towering weights? Our favorite authors might be coming out with their next novel, and no one can fault us wanting to support them!
Last year was an exciting one in science fiction and fantasy. We saw the release of Wind and Truth, the latest installment of Brandon Sanderson's epic fantasy magnus opus, the Stormlight Archive. It also saw some stunning debuts like John Wiswell’s cozy fantasy Someone You Can Build a Nest In, about a shapeshifting monster who falls in love with the human whose family she killed. And, of course, we also got new books from genre favorites like Sarah. J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo, Holly Black, and Robert Jackson Bennett.
But it’s time to say goodbye to 2024 and look to the future. What will 2025 bring? No doubt, it kicks off in a big way with the release of Onyx Storm, the final installment of the romantasy sensation that began with Fourth Wing. But beyond that? Let’s hope for some variety and innovation in addition to familiar and comforting reads from our favorite authors.
That said, SFF debuts can be hard to predict, so here, let’s explore some anticipated science fiction and fantasy novels forthcoming from a few recognizable names in the field. Maybe they’re rising luminaries, maybe they’re genre mainstays, or maybe they once wrote a novella that went viral on the site formerly known as Twitter. You might already be an avid reader of these authors or this could be your first introduction. Regardless, there should be something on this list to pique your interest.
Katabasis: A Novel
As you can maybe guess by the title, Kuang’s next book involves a journey to the underworld. Alice Law has sacrificed everything to work with the greatest magician in the world, but when he dies in an accident she might have inadvertently caused, she literally goes to Hell after him … after all, his recommendation might make or break her future in the field of magic.
Fans of Kuang's Babel and its deconstruction of the inherent colonialism built into academic structures can rejoice at seeing her return to the dark academia subgenre. This exploration of academic trauma (and doing the most to make that pain worth it) will likely elicit the same sort of furor among readers.
Babylonia: A Novel
The past decade has seen a seen a deluge of mythological retellings, many of which focus on notable figures and events from the Trojan War and even more of which delve into the lives of women from these stories and legends. Author Costanza Casati’s debut novel told the story of Clytemnestra, sister to the famously beautiful Helen and wife to King Agamemnon.
In her second novel, however, Casati departs from Greco-Roman mythology and introduces readers to Mesopotamian legend. Another complicated female figure from this storytelling tradition, Semiramis, was the wife of two Assyrian kings. In Babylonia, she’s an orphan raised on the outskirts of an empire. Then, one day, she meets a newly appointed governor and after he falls madly in love with her, marries him. But when he takes her to the capital, Semiramis plunges deep into a world of political intrigue and attracts the attention of the newly ascended king himself.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
Details are still sparse about Schwab’s forthcoming novel. We know it spans centuries, continents, and cultures. We know at least one, if not all of them, are vampires. And, based on early reviews, we know the backbone of the novel involves toxic sapphic relationships.
While Schwab made a splash on the adult market with her Shades of Magic series and Villains duology, it was The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue that really made SFF fans take notice and why Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil has our full attention.
When the Moon Hits Your Eye
John Scalzi has established himself as a reliable author of science fiction, and his newest book tackles the old folk tale about the moon being made of cheese and builds an entire premise around it. Imagine one day waking up to discover the moon is now made of cheese.
How would you handle it and what would you do? Some people might question their faith. Others might try to capitalize on the opportunity. A few might just keep on, keeping on, because that’s the only thing left to do. Since humanity is a diverse and non-cohesive thing, the answers Scalzi draws are as varied and wild as you’d expect.
The River Has Roots
Amal El-Mohtar is probably best-known for her co-written novella, This Is How You Lose the Time War, which is about two time-travelling enemy agents who fall in love. The River Has Roots is her much-anticipated solo debut about two sisters and their connection to Faerie.
For generations, the Hawthorne family has tended to ancient, magical willow trees—including the two latest daughters, Esther and Ysabel. But when Esther rejects a suitor for a faerie lover, we’ll discover just how deeply the sisters’ relationship goes. In fact, it may even transcend death.
The Devils
Joe Abercrombie has a talent of blending morally grey characters with black humor to great effect. His forthcoming novel is no different. In The Devils, Abercrombie leaves the familiar universe of The First Law series and takes readers to Europe.
Here, Brother Diaz arrives at the Sacred City expecting an important holy assignment. Instead, he’s tasked with overseeing a group of murderers and monsters. The mission? To put a former thief on the throne. And in true Abercrombie fashion, the journey there will be paved with blood.
