15 highly anticipated fantasy and science fiction books coming this fall

15. Discordia by K.S. Merbeth (12/7)

Speaking of crime families, our final book for this round-up takes that idea to space. K.S. Merbeth’s Nova Vita Protocol trilogy follows the Kaisers, a family of spacefaring smugglers who travel the titular Nova Vita system on a variety of different misadventures. The series is told from two viewpoints: Scorpia, the oldest daughter of the family and a brash pilot who is constantly getting herself into trouble; and Corvus, the eldest son and prospective heir of the family’s ship, who begins the series as a conscripted soldier on the ice planet Titan. The first two volumes, Fortuna and Memoria, saw the Kaiser siblings come into their own as a crew…after causing a near-genocide and preventing another. Memoria ended with the Kaisers no longer able to stay in the shadows, instead being forced into the public spotlight as they try to avert an interplanetary war that threatens to destroy entire worlds. Discordia promises to finish out the tale in epic fashion.

The premise behind the Kaiser family’s smuggling enterprise is that each sibling (five in total) was born on a different planet in the Nova Vita system. They are all above to to smuggle goods anywhere in the system, which is in a state of near-cold war at the beginning of the series.

At least, all the siblings were born on planets except for Scorpia, who was born in space. She’s the family’s pilot, an alcoholic, a daring rogue, and a damn good time to read about. Corvus, on the other hand, is a character torn between two worlds: his criminal family and his excessively patriotic homeworld Titan. The result is a fantastic story highly focused on the family’s inner workings. The Kaisers’ strongest resource is each other, and throughout the series their ability to rely on one another is driven home again and again, even as conflicts develop between them.

The setting that Merbeth has developed is outstanding. Nova Vita features six different planets, each with extremely well-developed ecologies and cultures. Combined with the mayhem the Kaisers cause, this goes a long way toward making Nova Vita an excellent place to spend a reading vacation.

The final volume of the Kaiser family’s story blasts off in Discordia on December 7.

And thus concludes our round-up of fantasy and sci-fi books coming this fall and winter. Did we miss a title you’re looking forward to? Let us know in the comments!

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