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Summer is winding down. Soon the leaves will be turning and the pumpkin spice will be flowing. But until then, we’ve got one more month of summer books to get hyped about!
June and July held a ton of exciting new fantasy and science fiction releases, and August is no different. With new entries in beloved series, fantasy worlds rife with intrigue and magic, historical sagas, and even a heist set in Cyberpunk 2077‘s Night City, there are a lot of new books to add to your shelves this month. Here are 13 worth checking out.
CASSIEL’S SERVANT by Jacqueline Carey (Kushiel’s Legacy #4) — August 1
Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Dart is a fantasy story famous for its sweeping political intrigue and explicit sex scenes. First published in 2001, it follows a courtesan spy named Phèdre nó Delaunay who has a rare gift from the goddess Kushiel: whatever brings her pain also makes her experience pleasure. While the book series is notorious for its depictions of BDSM, it’s also a grand, epic fantasy series filled with politics, schemes and magic.
The original Kushiel’s Legacy trilogy wrapped up with Kushiel’s Avatar in 2016. This month Carey returns to the world of Terre d’Ange with Cassiel’s Servant, a sidequel novel which explores the events of Kushiel’s Dart from the perspective of Phèdre’s protector Joscelin.
In Kushiel’s Dart, a daring young courtesan uncovered a plot to destroy her beloved homeland. But hers is only half the tale. Now see the other half of the heart that lived it.
Cassiel’s Servant is a retelling of cult favorite Kushiel’s Dart from the point of view of Joscelin, Cassiline warrior-priest and protector of Phèdre nó Delaunay. He’s sworn to celibacy and the blade as surely as she’s pledged to pleasure, but the gods they serve have bound them together. When both are betrayed, they must rely on each other to survive.
From his earliest training to captivity amongst their enemies, his journey with Phèdre to avert the conquest of Terre D’Ange shatters body and mind… and brings him an impossible love that he will do anything to keep.
Even if it means breaking all vows and losing his soul.
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OUTLAW MAGE by K.S. Villoso (The Dageian Puppetmaster #1) — August 1
K.S. Villoso is best known for her epic fantasy series The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen, which began with The Wolf of Oren-Yaro. This month she’s kicking off a new series with Outlaw Mage, a story about a young woman who joins a magic school only to find it rigged against her. With elements of gothic murder mysteries and Villoso’s knack for building fantasy worlds and vivid characters, we’re excited to see what she does with a magic school story set amidst a complex political landscape.
Despite Rosha’s best efforts, she will never fit in. To her classmates, she is forever an outsider, a girl from the fringes of the empire just lucky enough to have well-off parents. To her teachers, she is either a charity case or an exception to the rule that Gorenten just aren’t capable of performing complex magic. Worse, still, she is nothing but a status symbol to her father—a child gifted with magic to show his powerful friends that even people like them could belong in the empire. As if she doesn’t have enough problems already.
Haunted by the invisible rules that pull her dreams just out of grasp, she walks out on the eve of her final exams, throwing away her one chance at becoming an official mage of the empire. She practices magic outside the mage council’s grasp, one of the worst crimes anyone could commit. A dropout. A failure. An outlaw.
Years later, her father’s shoddy business deals have finally landed him in trouble and he disappears without a trace. Rosha reluctantly enters the services of a rich sorcerer, his last known connection. The sorcerer’s sudden death leaves her stranded in a sea of enemies—and the knowledge that the man is the voice behind the ageless, faceless emperor. To protect herself and her family, Rosha must impersonate the most powerful man in the empire. As she becomes everything she has ever hated, she stumbles upon conspiracies that seek to break the empire from within…
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LORD OF A SHATTERED LAND by Howard Andrew Jones (The Chronicles of Hanuvar #1) — August 1
Howard Andrew Jones is the creator of the Ring-Sworn series, The Desert of Souls Arabic-inspired historical series, and four novels set in the Pathfinder universe. This month he kicks off his latest series, The Chronicles of Hanuvar, which is an epic fantasy that follows a fallen general as he tries to fight back against an overwhelming empire and save the remnants of his people from slavery and death.
The Dervan Empire has at last triumphed over Volanus, putting the great city to the torch, its treasures looted, temples defiled, and fields sown with salt. What little remains of Volanus is scattered across the empire, its wealth plundered and its survivors sold into slavery. It is an absolute victory for the Dervans in every way but one.
Hanuvar, last and greatest general of Volanus, still lives. He now travels the length of the Dervan Empire that conquered his homeland, driven by a singular purpose—to find what remains of his people who were carried into slavery across the empire, and free them from subjugation by any means necessary.
Against the might of a vast empire, he had only an aging sword arm, a lifetime of hard-won wisdom, and the greatest military mind in the world, set upon a single goal. No matter what the empire musters against him, no matter what man or monster stands in his way, from the empire’s festering capital to its furthest outposts, Hanuvar would find his people, every last one of them.
And he would set them free.
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THE BOOK OF WITCHES edited by Jonathan Strahan — August 1
Next up is The Book of Witches, a short story anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan. I typically reserve these lists for novels and novellas, but when an anthology is as stacked as The Book of Witches, I’d be doing you a disservice not to mention it.
Containing 29 brand new stories from a ton of top-tier fantasy and science fiction authors, The Book of Witches brings us fresh takes on spellcasters that draw from folklore and fantasy. Themed anthologies can be a fun way to get some variety in your reading diet, since each story can be consumed in a single sitting and each author brings their own perspectives to the table. With a list of contributing authors as impressive as the one outlined in the back-of-book description below, this one’s pretty much a no-brainer for fantasy fans.
Witches! Whether you know them from Shakespeare or from Wicked, there is no staple more beloved in folklore, fairy tale, or fantasy than these magical beings. Witches are everywhere, and at the heart of stories that resonate with many people around the world. This dazzling, otherworldly collection gathers new stories of witches from all walks of life, ensuring a Halloween readers will never forget. Whether they be maiden, mother, crone, or other; funny, fierce, light and airy, or dark and disturbing; witches are a vital part of some of the greatest stories we have, and new ones start here!
Bringing together twenty-nine stories and poems from some of the greatest science fiction and fantasy writers working today, including three tales from a BIPOC-only open submission period, The Book of Witches features Linda Addison, C.L. Clark, P Djeli Clark, Indrapramit Das, Amal El Mohtar, Andrea Hairston, Millie Ho, Saad Hossain, Kathleen Jennings, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Cassandra Khaw, Fonda Lee, Darcie Little Badger, Ken Liu, Usman T. Malik, Maureen F. McHugh, Premee Mohamed, Garth Nix, Tobi Ogundiran, Tochi Onyebuchi, Miyuki Jane Pinckard, Kelly Robson, Angela Slatter, Andrea Stewart, Emily Teng, Sheree Renée Thomas, Tade Thompson, and E. Lily Yu—and contains illustrations from three-time Hugo award-nominated artist Alyssa Winans throughout. This extraordinary anthology vividly breathes life into one of the most captivating and feared magical sorceresses and will become a treasured keepsake for fans of fantasy, science fiction, and fairy tales everywhere.
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THE PATTERN OF THE WORLD by J.T. Greathouse (Pact and Pattern #3) — August 3
J.T. Greathouse’s debut novel The Hand of the Sun King made waves when it was released back in 2021. Only a few short years later, Greathouse is back with the third and final novel in his Pact and Pattern trilogy: The Pattern of the World.
Pact and Pattern is a told in the first person. It’s some ways it’s similar to Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicle, but with more Asian influences and a more focused story that pulls you relentlessly through to the finish. It begins with a young boy named Wen Alder, or Foolish Cur by some. He has a gift for magic which the expansionist Empire has worked ruthlessly to suppress.
In the first two books, we saw Wen Alder go from a young student to a rebel witch. Now, we see how his story ends in The Pattern of the World.
In an ill-fated attempt to prevent the tyrannical Emperor from rekindling war with the gods, young rebel Foolish Cur made the dreadful mistake of wielding incredibly powerful but forbidden magic. In doing so, he himself fell into a trap of the gods’ own making, inadvertently setting them free.
Now, after uncountable years, the gods are free to wreak their own chaos upon the world, transforming the lands into a nightmare for mortals while horrific new creatures emerge to terrorize all in their path. The Empire, the rebellion, and existence itself stand on the brink of destruction.
To undo the damage he caused, Foolish Cur must use every ounce of skill, intelligence, and guile within him while gathering those who still have the will to fight. But while this may be a battle Foolish Cur can win, it may not be one he can survive…
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CYBERPUNK 2077: NO COINCIDENCE by Rafał Kosik — August 8
We’re getting the first official tie-in novel for Cyberpunk 2077, the hit sci-fi video game from CD Projekt Red. Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidence is a standalone story that plunges readers into the gritty life of an impromptu gang of criminals who must navigate the dangers of a dystopian cyberpunk world after a job unexpectedly ties them together.
Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidence is written by the influential Polish science fiction author and screenwriter Rafał Kosik. If you’re looking for a way to start getting warmed up for the release of the Cyberpunk 2077 expansion Phantom Liberty later this year, then Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidence might be just the preem stuff you’re looking for.
In neon-drenched Night City, a ragtag group of strangers have just pulled off a daring heist on a Militech convoy transporting a mysterious container. What do each of them have in common? Good, old-fashioned blackmail. Forced to do the job, they have no idea how far their employer’s reach goes, nor what mysterious object the container holds.
The newly-formed gang – consisting of a veteran turned renegade, a Militech sleeper agent, an amateur netrunner, a corporate negotiator, a ripperdoc and a techie – must overcome their differences and work together lest their secrets come to light before they can pull off the next deadly heist.
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BRIDGE by Lauren Beukes — August 8
Bridge is a new speculative thriller novel by Lauren Beukes, the critically acclaimed author of Moxyland, Zoo City and The Shining Girls. Following the death of her neuroscientist mother, Bridget “Bridge” Kittinger discovers a strange substance called the dreamworm which allows her to travel between different realities. So begins a psychedelic journey through grief, self-discovery and an infinite multiverse as Bridge seeks to discover the truth about her mother’s death.
Twenty-four-year-old Bridge is paralyzed by choices: all the other lives she could have lived, the decisions she could have made. And now, who she should be in the wake of her mother’s unexpected death.
Jo was a maverick neuroscientist fixated on an artifact she called the “dreamworm” that she believed could open the doors to other worlds. It was part of Jo’s grand delusion, her sickness, and it cost her everything, including her relationship with her daughter.
But in packing up Jo’s house, Bridge discovers Jo’s obsession hidden amongst her things. And the dreamworm works, exactly the way it’s supposed to, the way Bridge remembers from when she was a little girl. Suddenly Bridge can step into other realities, otherselves. In one of them, could she find out what really happened to her mother? What Bridge doesn’t know is that there are others hunting for the dreamworm—who will kill to get their hands on it.
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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.
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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.
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THE PHOENIX KING by Aparna Verma (The Ravence Trilogy #1) — August 29
Author Aparna Verma’s debut novel The Phoenix King is an Indian-inspired epic fantasy story filled with romance, magic and political intrigue. It was originally self-published in 2021 under the name The Boy with Fire, but this month we’ll see a newly revised version released by Orbit Books. It follows a princess who must fight to keep her throne and an assassin with hidden secrets drawn together by an ancient prophecy. It’s always refreshing to see more fantasy with non-European settings and inspirations.
The Ravani kingdom was born of a prophecy, carved from unforgiving desert sands and ruled by the Ravence bloodline: those with the power to command the Eternal Fire.
Elena Aadya is the heir to the throne—and the only Ravence who cannot wield her family’s legendary magic. As her coronation approaches, she will do whatever it takes to prove herself a worthy successor to her revered father. But she doesn’t anticipate the arrival of Yassen Knight, the notorious assassin who now claims fealty to the throne. Elena’s father might trust Yassen to be a member of her royal guard, but she is certain he is hiding something.
As the threat of war looms like a storm on the horizon, the two begin a dangerous dance of intrigue and betrayal. And the choices they make could burn down the world.
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From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi (Star Wars) — August 29
We end with another short fiction anthology. Like The Book of Witches, this one is so stacked with great authors that just reading the table of contents makes my head spin. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the classic Star Wars film Return of the Jedi, From a Certain Point of View lets 40 authors loose in the galaxy far, far away.
Ever wonder what was going through the head of the Imperial soldier who arrested Luke Skywalker on Endor, or how the Ewoks felt about people crash landing in their forest? How about the story behind Jabba the Hutt’s emotional rancor keeper who lost his best friend at the hands of Luke’s trickery? Or maybe you want to know what it’s like inside a Sarlacc pit. From a Certain Point of View gives you all that and much, much more.
On May 25, 1983, Star Wars cemented its legacy as the greatest movie franchise of all time with the release of Return of the Jedi. In honor of its fortieth anniversary, forty storytellers re-create an iconic scene from Return of the Jedi through the eyes of a supporting character, from heroes and villains to droids and creatures. From a Certain Point of View features contributions by bestselling authors and trendsetting artists:
• Olivie Blake provides a chilling glimpse into the mind of Emperor Palpatine.
• Saladin Ahmed recounts the tragic history of the rancor trainer.
• Charlie Jane Anders explores the life and times of the Sarlacc.
• Fran Wilde reveals Mon Mothma’s secret mission to save the Rebel Alliance.
• Mary Kenney chronicles Wicket the Ewok’s quest for one quiet day on the forest moon of Endor.
• Anakin Skywalker becomes one with the Force in a gripping tale by Mike Chen.
Plus more hilarious, heartbreaking, and astonishing tales from:
Tom Angleberger, K Arsenault Rivera, Kristin Baver, Akemi Dawn Bowman, Emma Mieko Candon, Olivia Chadha, Gloria Chao, Adam Christopher, Paul Crilley, Amal El-Mohtar, M. K. England, Jason Fry, Adam Lance Garcia, Lamar Giles, Max Gladstone, Thea Guanzon, Ali Hazelwood, Patricia A. Jackson, Alex Jennings, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Sarah Kuhn, Danny Lore, Sarah Glenn Marsh, Kwame Mbalia, Marieke Nijkamp, Danielle Paige, Laura Pohl, Dana Schwartz, Tara Sim, Phil Szostak, Suzanne Walker, Hannah Whitten, Sean Williams, Alyssa Wong.
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And thus concludes this month’s roundup of new fantasy and science fiction books. Happy reading!
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