10 fantasy and science fiction books to read in December 2023
By Daniel Roman
THE DRAGONS OF DEEPWOOD FEN by Bradley P. Beaulieu (The Book of the Holt #1) — December 5
The Dragons of Deepwood Fen kicks off a brand new fantasy series from Bradley P. Beaulieu, the author of The Song of the Shattered Sands series. Dragons, demigods and a conspiracy that stretches from a mountain city to the depths of a primordial forest: I’ll just say it, this sounds awesome.
Lorelei Aurelius is the smartest inquisitor in the mountain city of Ancris. When a mysterious tip leads her to a clandestine meeting between the Church and the hated Red Knives, she uncovers a plot that threatens not only her home but the empire itself.
The trail leads her to Rylan Holbrooke, a notorious thief posing as a dragon singer. Rylan came to Ancris to solve the very same mystery she stumbled onto. Knowing his incarceration could lead to the Red Knives’ achieving their goals, Lorelei makes a fateful decision: she frees him.
Now branded as traitors, the two flee the city on dragonback. In the massive forest known as the Holt, they discover something terrible. The Red Knives are planning to awaken a powerful demigod in the holiest shrine in Ancris, and for some reason the Church is willing to allow it. It forces their return to Ancris, where the unlikely allies must rally the very people who’ve vowed to capture them before it’s too late.
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ALL THE HIDDEN PATHS by Foz Meadows (The Tithenai Chronicles #2) — December 5
Getting back to sequels, next up we have All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows. This is the second book in Foz Meadows’ Tithenai Chronicles, which began last year with A Strange and Stubborn Endurance. That book introduced readers to Velasin vin Aaro, a noble who was betrothed to a woman from the neighboring country of Tithena. But before the marriage can go through, Velasin is outed as gay, which isn’t accepted in his homeland. However, the Tithenai have different views, and instead of ruining the political alliance Velasin ended up betrothed to his former intended’s brother, Caethari Aeduria, instead.
Velasin and Caethari spent much of the first book navigating this relationship, set against the backdrop of a political game of betrayals that threatened their alliance. But they survived, and now in All the Hidden Paths, the next chapter of their journey unfolds as they head to the bustling capital of Tithena, Qi-Xihan.
With the plot against them foiled and the city of Qi-Katai in safe hands, newlywed and tentative lovers Velasin and Caethari have just begun to test the waters of their relationship. But the wider political ramifications of their marriage are still playing out across two nations, and all too soon, they’re summoned north to Tithena’s capital city, Qi-Xihan, to present themselves to its monarch.
With Caethari newly invested as his grandmother’s heir and Velasin’s old ghosts gnawing at his heels, what little peace they’ve managed to find is swiftly put to the test. Cae’s recent losses have left him racked with grief and guilt, while Vel struggles with the disconnect between instincts that have kept him safe in secrecy and what an open life requires of him now. Pursued by unknown assailants and with Qi-Xihan’s court factions jockeying for power, Vel and Cae must use all the skills at their disposal to not only survive, but thrive.
Because there’s more than one way to end an alliance, and more than one person who wants to see them fail…and they will resort to murder if needed.