40 fantasy and science fiction books you should read in 2022
By Daniel Roman
The City of Dusk by Tara Sim (The Dark Gods #1) — March 22
Author Tara Sim’s debut novel, The City of Dusk, comes out this March as well. It’s a dark fantasy tale about factions vying for control in the eerie city of dusk, each with their own magical powers. Expect moody vibes, bone and shadow magic, and complex political scheming:
The Four Realms—Life, Death, Light, and Darkness—all converge on the city of dusk. For each realm there is a god, and for each god there is an heir.
But the gods have withdrawn their favor from the once vibrant and thriving city. And without it, all the realms are dying.
Unwilling to stand by and watch the destruction, the four heirs—Risha, a necromancer struggling to keep the peace; Angelica, an elementalist with her eyes set on the throne; Taesia, a shadow-wielding rogue with rebellion in her heart; and Nik, a soldier who struggles to see the light—will sacrifice everything to save the city.
But their defiance will cost them dearly.
Pre-order it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million
Voice of the Banished by Shelly Campbell (The Marked Son #2) — March 31
Voice of the Banished is the sequel to Shelly Campbell’s 2020 book Under the Lesser Moon, which was a brooding dark fantasy set in a prehistoric-inspired world where dragons once led nomadic tribes to fresh hunting grounds before they gradually disappeared. Akrist was marked to be sacrificed under the lesser moon as a way of bringing those dragons back…but he escaped, and instead went on a journey across the merciless landscape in search of answers. He found more than he expected:
Betrayed, broken, and banished, Akrist is left to wander the wilderness in search of his lost love, Yara. But he’s not alone. Against all odds, he has bonded with Nardiri, one of the world’s last dragons.
In this stunning sequel to Under the Lesser Moon, author Shelly Campbell brings us the heart-wrenching conclusion to Akrist’s journey. In a cruel, unforgiving world, Akrist must navigate what it means to be marked as both a Speaker—a leader chosen by Nasheira herself—and an outcast. Haunted by the sacrifices of first-born sons, he fears the world cannot be changed, even with a dragon’s help. But if he does nothing, the cycle of sacrifice will begin again when the moons touch.
Pre-order it: Amazon and Barnes & Noble