17 fantasy and science fiction books to read in September 2023
By Daniel Roman
GODKILLER by Hannah Kaner (Godkiller #1) — September 12
The debut novel from author Hannah Kaner, Godkiller is the first book of a dark fantasy trilogy where the old gods have been outlawed, yet ancient magic still stirs. It’s been described as a great fit for fans of stories like The Witcher, Gideon the Ninth, and American Gods.
Gods are forbidden in the kingdom of Middren. Formed by human desires and fed by their worship, there are countless gods in the world—but after a great war, the new king outlawed them and now pays “godkillers” to destroy any who try to rise from the shadows.
As a child, Kissen saw her family murdered by a fire god. Now, she makes a living killing them and enjoys it. But all this changes when Kissen is tasked with helping a young noble girl with a god problem. The child’s soul is bonded to a tiny god of white lies, and Kissen can’t kill it without ending the girl’s life too.
Joined by a disillusioned knight on a secret quest, the unlikely group must travel to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, to each beg a favor. Pursued by assassins and demons, and in the midst of burgeoning civil war, they will all face a reckoning. Something is rotting at the heart of their world, and they are the only ones who can stop it.
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MAMMOTHS AT THE GATES by Nghi Vo (The Singing Hills Cycle #4) — September 12
Mammoths at the Gates is the fourth novella in Nghi Vho’s The Singing Hills Cycle, a lyrical fantasy set in a fictional world reminiscent of Imperial China. The series consists of four standalone books, each linked by a cleric named Chih. While it’s never a bad choice to start at the beginning of a series, The Singing Hills Cycle books are constructed such that you can easily dive in wherever you wish, since each one contains a full tale within its pages.
The wandering Cleric Chih returns home to the Singing Hills Abbey for the first time in almost three years, to be met with both joy and sorrow. Their mentor, Cleric Thien, has died, and rests among the archivists and storytellers of the storied abbey. But not everyone is prepared to leave them to their rest.
Because Cleric Thien was once the patriarch of Coh clan of Northern Bell Pass–and now their granddaughters have arrived on the backs of royal mammoths, demanding their grandfather’s body for burial. Chih must somehow balance honoring their mentor’s chosen life while keeping the sisters from the north from storming the gates and destroying the history the clerics have worked so hard to preserve.
But as Chih and their neixin Almost Brilliant navigate the looming crisis, Myriad Virtues, Cleric Thien’s own beloved hoopoe companion, grieves her loss as only a being with perfect memory can, and her sorrow may be more powerful than anyone could anticipate. . .