13 fantasy and science fiction books to read in July 2023
By Daniel Roman
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Summer’s in full swing, and you know what that means: time to break out the beach reads! 2023 has been a banger of a year for science fiction and fantasy books. But one can never have too much to read!
July’s book list features cyberpunk futures and mind-bending space adventures; nautical fantasies and thieves stalking dark streets; trilogy enders and debuts. In terms of variety, it’s a pretty great month. Let’s get into it without further adieu, and touch on 13 books we’re looking forward to that will be out in the world this month!
A WITCH’S SIN by Daniel B. Greene (Neon Ghosts #1) — July 4
There’s a pretty good chance that if you know who Daniel Greene is, it’s from his sensational YouTube channel where he covers weekly fantasy news, among other things. Well, he writes books, too! Following the release of his first two Lawful Times books, Greene is starting out on a new adventure with A Witch’s Sin, the first novel in a cyberpunk series titled Neon Ghosts.
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Bruised, stoned, and still adjusting to her latest wear implants, apprentice enforcer Taya Mint plunges into the darkest depths of Megastructure Seven Zero Three, challenging everything she thought she knew about life within the walls she has never stepped beyond. With only one assignment left to earn her full license, Taya finally stands a chance to rebuild a life wounded by grief. But soon she discovers the kidnapping she’s investigating is just a piece of a puzzle, one that leads to grisly death and the greedy heart of power within the structure. When evidence points to a supernatural threat as the culprit, Taya finds herself needing to rely on cold-blooded allies just to survive the hell that is Seven Zero Three.
In order to save an innocent life in a world polluted by zealots, Taya will have to learn just how much it costs to face the monsters that occupy humanity’s artificial Eden.
SONS OF DARKNESS by Gourav Mohanty (The Raag of Rta #1) — July 6
Author Gourav Mohanty’s debut novel Sons of Darkness is a reimagining of the Indian epic The Mahabarata but with a tone and flavor reminiscent of dark fantasy stories like George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire or Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law. It’s being heralded as “India’s first grimdark fantasy series.”
The idea of a series with brutal grimdark trappings set against Indian myth and culture is extremely intriguing. Nothing says summer like reading about a bunch of morally dubious people literally stabbing each other in the back!
Bled dry by violent confrontations with the Magadhan Empire, the Mathuran Republic simmers on the brink of oblivion. Senator Krishna and his third wife Satyabhama have put their plans in motion, both within and beyond the Republic’s blood-soaked borders, to protect it from total annihilation.
But they are soon to discover that neither gold nor alliances last forever – and that they are not the only players on the board.
Mati, Pirate-Princess of Kalinga, has decided to mend her ways and become a good wife. But old habits die hard, especially when one habitually uses murder to settle old scores.
Brooding and beautiful Karna hopes to bury his brutal past, but finds that destiny is a miser when it comes to granting second chances.
Hero-turned-torturer Shakuni limps through a path of daggers. Meanwhile, his foes and woes multiply, leaving little time for vengeance.
Their lives are about to become yet more difficult, as a cast of sinister queens, naive kings, pious assassins and ravenous priests are converging where the Son of Darkness is prophesied to rise… even as forgotten Gods prepare to play their hand.
*Sons of Darkness is releasing in ebook on July 6 in the US. The physical release will follow in January 2024.