18 fantasy and science fiction books to read in November 2023
By Daniel Roman
DEFIANT by Brandon Sanderson (Skyward #4) — November 21
In the Year of Sanderson, no monthly book round-up is complete without an appearance from one of the sci-fi/fantasy genre’s most prolific authors. This month Brandon Sanderson launches Defiant, the fourth and final novel in his YA sci-fi series Skyward.
Spensa has come a long way since she found that derelict stealth spacecraft which changed her life back in the original Skyward book. Now we finally get to see how the story ends for her and the rest of her Skyward Flight companions.
Spensa made it out of the Nowhere, but what she saw in the space between the stars has changed her forever. She came face to face with the Delvers, and finally got answers to the questions she’s had about her own strange Cytonic gifts.
The Superiority didn’t stop in it’s fight for galactic dominance while she was gone, though. Spensa’s team, Skyward Flight, was able to hold Winzik off, and even collect allies to help with the cause, but it’s only a matter of time until humanity–and the rest of the galaxy–falls.
Defeating them will require all the knowledge Spensa gathered while in the Nowhere. But being Cytonic is more complicated than she ever could have imagined. Now, Spensa must ask herself: how far is she willing to go for victory, if it means losing herself–and her friends–in the process.
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WARRIOR OF THE WIND by Suyi Davies Okungbowa (The Nameless Republic #2) — November 21
Another book I’m personally very stoked for this month is Warrior of the Wind, the sequel to Nigerian author Suyi Davies Okungbowa’s Son of the Storm. Inspired by the pre-colonial empires of West Africa, Son of the Storm featured a young scholar who is swept away from everything he knows when he crosses paths with a woman wielding magics long thought to be forgotten. Or at least, they’re forgotten in Bassa, a bustling empire with many dark secrets.
After narrowly escaping with their lives in Son of the Storm, Danso and Lilong have to work through the horrors they’ve faced so far and plan their next moves—while back in Bassa, a dangerous new ruler is on the rise.
There is no peace in the season of the Red Emperor.
Traumatized by their escape from Bassa, Lilong and Danso have found safety in a vagabond colony on the edge of the emperor’s control. But time is running out on their refuge. A new bounty makes every person a threat, and whispers of magic have roused those eager for their own power.
Lilong is determined to return the Diwi—the ibor heirloom—to her people. It’s the only way to keep it safe from Esheme’s insatiable desire. The journey home will be long, filled with twists and treachery, unexpected allies and fabled enemies.
But surviving the journey is the least of their problems.
Something ancient and uncontrollable awakens. Trouble heads for Bassa, and the continent of Oon will need more than ibor to fix what’s coming.