13 fantasy and science fiction books to read in August 2023
By Daniel Roman
ESRAHADDON by Michael J. Sullivan (The Rise and Fall #3) — August 15
Michael J. Sullivan is the mastermind behind the fantasy world of Elan, which has served as the setting for his Riyria Revelations, Riyria Chronicles, and Legends of the First Empire series. Sullivan has been building out this world for years, and the full breadth of his work now spans 3,000 years of history filled with gods, creatures, elves and empires.
Sullivan’s latest series is The Rise and Fall, and it’s a bit different from his others. It’s comprised of three standalone fantasy novels: Nolyn, Farilane and now Esrahaddon. Each focuses on a notable character in the history of Elan, painting a picture of the Novronian Empire’s eventual collapse in the lead-up to The Riyria Revelations.
Esrahaddon caps off this trilogy by exploring the life of the titular sorcerer. Esrahaddon has always been a fascinating character in Sullivan’s mythos; we first meet him in The Riyria Revelations, where he crosses paths with Royce and Hadrian. Now with Esrahaddon we’ll finally find out what led to his name going down in infamy.
A hero to some. A villain to many. The truth forever buried.
The man who became known as Esrahaddon is reported to have destroyed the world’s greatest empire—but there are those who believe he saved it. Few individuals are as divisive, but all agree on three facts: He was exiled to the wilderness, hunted by a goblin priestess, and sentenced to death by a god—all before the age of eight. How he managed to survive and why people continued to fear his name a thousand years later has always been a mystery…until now.
*Esrahaddon is releasing in ebook and audiobook only this month. The hardcover physical release will follow on December 15.
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LABYRINTH’S HEART by M.A. Carrick (Rook & Rose #3) — August 15
Rook & Rose is a series of fantasy novels with cons on top of cons, exhaustively developed characters and a lush Venetian-style fantasy setting, written by author duo Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms under the pseudonym M.A. Carrick. The series began with The Mask of Mirrors, which detailed the story of how a woman named Ren sought to con her way into a fortune by pretending to be the distant relation to a noble family.
Things have gotten a lot more complicated for Ren since then. This month her story comes to a conclusion with Labyrinth’s Heart.
May you see the face and not the mask.
Ren came to Nadežra with a plan. She would pose as the long-lost daughter of the noble house Traementis. She would secure a fortune for herself and her sister. And she would vanish without a backward glance. She ought to have known that in the city of dreams, nothing is ever so simple.
Now, she is Ren, con-artist and thief. But she is also Renata, the celebrated Traementis heir. She is Arenza, the mysterious pattern-reader and political rebel. And she is the Black Rose, a vigilante who fights alongside the legendary Rook.
Even with the help of Grey Serrado and Derossi Vargo, it is too many masks for one person to wear. And as the dark magic the three of them helped unleash builds to storm that could tear the very fabric of the city apart, it’s only a matter of time before one of the masks slips—and everything comes crashing down around them.