14 fantasy and science fiction books to read in June 2023
By Daniel Roman
THE COMBAT CODES by Alexander Darwin (The Combat Codes #1) — June 13
If you like a bit more martial arts in your sci-fi/fantasy, then June has a treat for you: The Combat Codes. Originally a contender in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off back in 2020, The Combat Codes is being re-released by Orbit Books this month. Author Alexander Darwin is an expert martial artist, and that knowledge is on full display in this novel where the fate of nations is decided by organized bouts of hand-to-hand combat.
The Combat Codes is set in a science fantasy world, which isn’t super common. Expect elements from science fiction as well as fantasy, alongside pulse-pounding martial arts battles in this story about a washed-up champion who takes an up-and-coming fighter under his wing. There’s even an extremely cool trailer for the book which is styled after the classic JRPGs of yore!
In a world long ago ravaged by war, the nations have sworn an armistice never to use weapons of mass destruction again. Instead, highly-skilled warriors known as Grievar Knights represent their nations’ interests in brutal hand-to-hand combat.
Murray Pearson was once a famed Knight until he suffered a loss that crippled his homeland — but now he’s on the hunt to discover the next champion.
In underground and ruthless combat rings, an orphaned boy called Cego is making a name for himself. Murray believes Cego has what it takes to thrive in the world’s most prestigious combat academy – but first, Cego must prove himself in the vicious arenas of the underworld. And survival isn’t guaranteed.
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THE SURVIVING SKY by Kritika H. Rao (The Rages trilogy #1) — June 13
I know I just said science fantasy isn’t all that common, but we get two big releases in that niche this month. The Surviving Sky is the debut novel from Kritika H. Rao. It follows a power couple dealing with a strained marriage as they try to uncover a mystery which threatens their floating civilization.
Based on the back-of-book description, The Surviving Sky sounds like an immensely imaginative debut. Jungle-planets! Plant-made floating civilizations! Devastating earthrage storms! I’d be lying if I said some of those phrases didn’t make me think of a Hayao Miyazaki movie, which just makes this book all the more enticing.
High above a jungle-planet float the last refuges of humanity—plant-made civilizations held together by tradition, technology, and arcane science. Here, architects are revered deeply, with humanity’s survival reliant on a privileged few. If not for their abilities, the cities would plunge into the devastating earthrage storms below.
Charismatic and powerful, Iravan is one such architect. His abilities are his identity, but to Ahilya, his archeologist wife, they are a method to suppress non-architects. Their marriage is thorny and fraught—yet when a jungle expedition goes terribly wrong, jeopardizing their careers, Ahilya and Iravan must work together to save their reputations. But as their city begins to plummet, their discoveries threaten not only their marriage, but their entire civilization.
