10 new fantasy and sci-fi books to read in January 2023
By Daniel Roman
TRESS OF THE EMERALD SEA by Brandon Sanderson (January 11)
Remember last year when juggernaut fantasy author Brandon Sanderson made headlines for launching the most successful Kickstart campaign in the platform’s history to independently release four novels he’d written in secret? Well, the Year of Sanderson is here, and so is the first of the author’s Secret Project novels! Even if you missed out on the Kickstarter, you can still get the first of these secret novels, Tress of the Emerald Sea, this month in ebook form, with a planned physical release set for April.
Tress of the Emerald Sea is a fable set in Sanderson’s interconnected Cosmere universe. If you’ve already read The Stormlight Archive, think of this book as a tale being relayed by the enigmatic character Hoid, similar in style to “The Dog and the Dragon” chapter in Rhythm of War except novel-length.
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THE WEIGHT OF COMMAND by Michael Mammay (January 17)
Michael Mammay, author of the military science fiction series Planetside as well as the standalone novel The Misfit Soldier, is back with another story this month. Like The Misfit Soldier, The Weight of Command is a standalone that requires no knowledge of Mammay’s other works. It released as an Audible exclusive last year, but come January 17 you can finally pick it up in ebook or paperback as well.
The Weight of Command follows Lieutenant Kiera Markov, a soldier who suddenly finds herself in command of human military forces on the planet Tanara after an attack kills off every higher ranking officer. Thrust into a situation far beyond anything she’s prepared for, Markov must step up to prevent a war as vying factions seek to take advantage of her seeming inexperience.
With challenges from all sides, and even from her own troops, Markov will have to learn quickly and establish her authority. Because what hangs in the balance is not only the future of the peacekeeping force, but of the planet itself.