13 fantasy and science fiction books to read in July 2023
By Daniel Roman
ETHERA GRAVE by Essa Hansen (The Graven #3) — July 18
Essa Hansen’s Graven trilogy is one of the most imaginative, mind-bending space operas to come out in recent years, and it’s coming to an end this month in Ethera Grave. Caiden has come a long way since being stranded on a planet full of bloodthirsty lion creatures called Nophek back in Nophek Gloss; now, the fate of the entire multiverse hangs on what he, his sentient starship Azura, and his found family of spacefarers do next.
Book two in Hansen’s series, Azura Ghost, left off with a pretty huge cliffhanger for Caiden and company. Allegiances have shifted, and the stakes are colossally high. This is a book we’re equal parts anticipating and dreading; we need to know how Caiden’s story ends, but also don’t want it to be over. If the previous novel is anything to judge by, Ethera Grave is going to be an epic finale.
Caiden has finally been reunited with his sister Leta after ten years on the run with his unique starship and managed to convince his longtime enemy—Threi—to join his side. But the multiverse isn’t safe yet. Threi’s sister is still the most powerful being in existence. And she still wants to collapse their beautiful, diverse, constellation of multiverses down to one.
Now, Caiden and his makeshift family carry the fate of all the worlds in their hands.
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BLADE OF DREAM by Daniel Abraham (The Kithamar Trilogy #2) — July 18
Daniel Abraham is one of the co-writers of The Expanse and a prolific fantasy author. This month he’ll be releasing the second novel in his Kithamar Trilogy, Blade of Dream.
Kithamar is a bit different from stand fantasy series; each volume covers the same particularly turbulent year in the metropolis of Kithamar from a different perspective. The first book, Age of Ash, was the story of Alys, a street thief who is drawn into a web of intrigue. It was an engrossing read with some major twists and turns; you can read our review here.
We’ll return to Kithamar in Blade of Dream, where we’ll see that fateful year in the city from another angle.
Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories endure.
This is Garreth’s.
Garreth Left is heir to one of Kithamar’s most prominent merchant families. The path of his life was paved long before he was born. Learn the family trade, marry to secure wealthy in-laws, and inherit the business when the time is right. But to Garreth, a life chosen for him is no life at all.
In one night, a chance meeting with an enigmatic stranger changes everything. He falls in love with a woman whose name he doesn’t even know, and he will do anything to find her again. His search leads him down corridors and alleys that are best left unexplored, where ancient gods hide in the shadows, and every deal made has a dangerous edge.
The path that Garreth chooses will change the course of not only those he loves, but the entire future of Kithamar’s citizens.
In Kithamar, every story matters — and the fate of the city is woven from them all.