40 fantasy and science fiction books you should read in 2022
By Daniel Roman
Flames Of Mira by Clay Harmon (The Riftwalker Series #1) — July 5
Flames Of Mira is author Clay Harmon’s debut novel. It tells the tale of a magically bound elemental whose loyalties will be tested as his bond is shifted from new masters to old, and one-time allies become unwilling enemies:
Born through life-threatening trials that bind chemical elements to the human body, Ig was forged in the boiling volcanoes under Mira’s frozen lands. One of the most powerful known elementals, he serves as an enforcer for Magnate Sorrelo Adriann, cursed with flesh binding magic that will kill him at the first sign of disobedience.
When Sorrelo is overthrown, Ig quickly learns he can do far worse than what has been asked of him so far. If he can’t escape the flesh binding in time, Ig will have to kill friend and foe alike to stop his master reclaiming the throne, or sacrifice himself trying.
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A Prayer For The Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers (Monk & Robot #2) — July 12
It’s become somewhat the standard for a lot modern science fiction to have a darker tone, depicting futures where humanity often has to pay for the follies of its past or struggle to break free of age-old patterns. But not all sci-fi is such a downer. Becky Chambers, author of The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet, has a reputation for being a “practitioner of hopeful sci-fi,” and her latest series Monk & Robot fits that tone to a T.
A Prayer For The Crown-Shy is the follow-up to Chambers’ novel A Psalm For The Wild-Built, and looks to strike that same perfect balance of hope, humor, and thought-provoking questions about human existence:
After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.
They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.
Becky Chambers’s new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter?
Pre-order it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million