13 fantasy and science fiction books to read in August 2023
By Daniel Roman
HE WHO DROWNED THE WORLD by Shelley Parker-Chan (The Radiant Emperor Duology #2) — August 22
She Who Became the Sun was Shelley Parker Chan’s stunning 2021 debut novel, a historical saga that reimagined the rise of China’s Ming Dynasty. At its heart is Zhu Yuanzhuang, a young woman who dresses like a man in order to infiltrate the ranks of the aristocracy.
She Who Became the Sun explored gender and queerness in ways that resonated deeply with readers. It’s based on the real-life history of the Mind Dynasty, but asks: what if its first emperor, Zhu, was a woman? What would that have meant for her? How would she have had to adapt to pursue her ambitions?
With He Who Drowned the World, Parker-Chan answers those questions and more as they bring this sweeping story to a close.
How much would you give to win the world?
Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, is riding high after her victory that tore southern China from its Mongol masters. Now she burns with a new desire: to seize the throne and crown herself emperor.
But Zhu isn’t the only one with imperial ambitions. Her neighbor in the south, the courtesan Madam Zhang, wants the throne for her husband—and she’s strong enough to wipe Zhu off the map. To stay in the game, Zhu will have to gamble everything on a risky alliance with an old enemy: the talented but unstable eunuch general Ouyang, who has already sacrificed everything for a chance at revenge on his father’s killer, the Great Khan.
Unbeknownst to the southerners, a new contender is even closer to the throne. The scorned scholar Wang Baoxiang has maneuvered his way into the capital, and his lethal court games threaten to bring the empire to its knees. For Baoxiang also desires revenge: to become the most degenerate Great Khan in history—and in so doing, make a mockery of every value his Mongol warrior family loved more than him.
All the contenders are determined to do whatever it takes to win. But when desire is the size of the world, the price could be too much for even the most ruthless heart to bear…
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THE MIDNIGHT KINGDOM by Tara Sim (The Dark Gods #2) — August 22
The second book in Tara Sim’s The Dark Gods trilogy is out this August. The first novel, The City of Dusk, explored a city called Nexus, which is a meeting point for four different realms: Life, Death, Light and Darkness. Each of those realms has its own god, and each god has an heir.
The City of Dusk saw those heirs become reluctant allies in the quest to save Nexus from decline. Yet their choices cost them and the city dearly. The Midnight Kingdom picks up the tale and shows what happens next as Taesia, Risha, Angelica and Nikolas navigate a world filled with necromancy, elemental magic, swordplay and danger.
A cataclysmic battle to save the city of Nexus has left the four noble heirs scattered across the four realms.
Taesia, the shadow-wielding rebel of House Lastrider, and Nikolas, the solider son of House Cyr, have been cast into Noctus, the realm of night. But they are not alone. The dangerous and unpredictable god of light has traveled with them, and he will do anything in his power to destroy Noctus once and for all.
Risha, the peace-loving necromancer of House Vakara, has finally found her way to Mortri, the realm of death. But she still cannot help the wayward spirits trapped in Vaega, nor does she have any idea how to get herself and her friend Jas home. All she knows is that no mortal can survive for long in Mortri. And the creatures that walk the realm of death don’t take kindly to the living.
Angelica, the stubborn elementalist of House Mardova, finds herself alone in Vaega. With the other three heirs vanished, it is up to her help keep the city of Nexus from unraveling. But Angelica secretly suffers from a sickness that her goddess left in her veins. And when she is sent on a delicate diplomatic mission, she knows that any sign of weakness will have disastrous repercussions for her family, her city, and her dreams of the throne.
All will encounter old friends and new enemies as they attempt to restore the balance of the world. But as the gods grow stronger, they’ll need more than their powers and their wits to survive.