8 new fantasy and science fiction books to read in December 2024

Somehow, 2024 has flown by and we've already arrived at the final month of the year. December may be a time to deck the halls and spread holiday cheer, but it's also a time to buy all the readers in your lives books as gifts. Or treat yourself to a book. Or catch up on your reading as you take some hard earned rest from a long year.

Despite how good a time it is for book lovers, December is a fairly light month in terms of new releases. Most of the new books for 2024 are already out there. But what December lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality; this month will see some really exciting releases from up-and-coming authors as well as some of the biggest names in the fantasy and science fiction fields. From dystopian sci-fi futures to fantasy cities where alchemy runs rampant, sci-fantasy martial arts extravaganzas and a return to one of the most iconic fantasy worlds of recent years, there's a great variety of books to stuff stockings and imaginations this holiday season.

BLACKLIGHT BORN by Alexander Darwin (The Combat Codes #3) — December 3

Let's kick off the month with some literal kicks. Blacklight Born is the third and final volume in Alexander Darwin's science fantasy martial arts series The Combat Codes. In this far-future world, disputes between nations are solved by duels between deadly fighters called Grievar Knights, who are forged into the ultimate combatants by highly specialized warrior schools. The first book introduced us to weathered veteran Grievar Murray Pearson and his student Cego, whom he recruited out of a fighting pit in the slums and launched into the spotlight.

Readers discovered secrets aplenty, both about the Grievar system and about Cego and Murray's pasts. In the third and final book, Blacklight Born, those secrets are brought to light as Murray leads a group of students on the path of combat mastery, while Cego has to decide whether to adhere to the Grievar ways or join a growing rebellion that could upset this carefully maintained order.

If you've been enjoying Cobra Kai or martial arts action is up your alley, The Combat Codes is a series you absolutely need on your radar. And now that Blacklight Born is hitting shelves, you can read the whole thing from start to finish!

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REBEL BLADE by Davinia Evans (The Burnished City #3) — December 3

Another series getting its conclusion this month is The Burnished City, a fantasy story set in a city filled with alchemy and intrigue by Davinia Evans. Rebel Blade is the third book in the series, and things are not looking good for Siyon Velo, the chaotic alchemist at the heart of the story. The city of Bezim has come a long way since the first book, Notorious Sorceror, when Siyon accidentally thinned the barriers between his world and the neighboring dimensions where angels, demons, and monsters live with all their valuable alchemical reagents. Now, those mythical beings are crossing over into his world, and consequences abound.

Meanwhile, the politics of the nobility run as rampant as ever. Whether ambitions can be set aside long enough to secure Bezim's future is anything but a sure thing.

Evans excels at writing characters who stick their foot directly into the mess, causing all sorts of unforeseen repercussions even as they carve out a place in your heart with their antics. It'll be mighty interesting to see how things wrap up for Siyon and the rest in Rebel Blade.

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ARDENT VIOLET AND THE INFINITE EYE by Alex White (The Starmetal Symphony #2) — December 3

Next we head off into the realm of glam rock space opera for Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye, the second book in Alex White's Starmetal Symphony. This series is full of character and panache. It's about a non-binary rocker named Ardent Violet, their boyfriend August Kitko and their group of misfit musicians as they try to stop an army of giant AI mechas from taking over Earth. The first book, August Kitko and the Mechas from Space, saw the team make an alliance with a bunch of aliens in order to stave off the AI invasion. It was a long shot, but music is the great unifier, don't you know?

Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye continues the saga, with a mysterious AI establishing a foothold in the solar system and the twisty politics of the alien Coalition making things ever more complicated. Then, August makes a startling discovery that launches Ardent Violet "back in the spotlight for an encore."

This book screams Kings of the Wyld but in space, queerer, and even more bombastically fun. A shoe-in if you're looking for a heartfelt but light sci-fi read this holiday season.

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QUEEN OF FURY by Natania Barron (The Queens of Fate #2) — December 3

Perhaps you'd prefer to spend some time with Arthurian legends this holiday. If that's you, then Queen of Fury is one you'll want to consider. This book is an Arthurian fantasy romance, and the second novel in Natania Barron's Queens of Fate series, which began with Queen of None. It's not a direct sequel to the first book; rather, it's another standalone novel that expands on one of the most beloved characters from the first book: Hwyfar. This book sees Hwyfar return home to her kingdom of Avillion, only to find that her father is ailing and a usurper is poised to take the throne.

Instead, she assumed the role of Queen Regent. This draws attention away from King Arthur, who offers to help support her so long as she surrenders her crown and marries one of his knights. Enter Gawain of Orkney, a famed character from the Arthurian legends whom Hwyfar doesn't have particularly fond memories of. But as they spend more time together, they find more common ground than they expected. They get closer, but Arthur has other designs for Hwyfar and Gawain is under strict orders not to fall for her.

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Von Bek: The Warhound and the World's Pain and The City in the Autumn Star by Michael Moorcock — December 3

Michael Moorcock is a legend in the fantasy field who's been publishing books since the 1960s. This new printing collects two of Moorcock's books about Ulrich von Bek, a cynical mercenary who shelters in a castle during Europe's Thirty Years War and ends up encountering Lucifer there. The fallen angel tasks von Bek with retrieving the Holy Grail as a way to heal both humanity and himself, as well as get back in God's good graces.

The Warhound and the World's Pain and The City in the Autumn Star were originally published in the 1980s and haven't always been easy to find in bookstores. With this new omnibus edition, Moorecock fans can finally add them to their collection. These von Bek novels are part of Moorcock's Eternal Champion series, which is a sort of meta collection where the heroes of his various novels all form facets of a specific heroic theme: the Eternal Champion. If that sounds a little wild, you probably have no choice but to dig into the series and see what it's all about.

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WIND AND TRUTH by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive #5) — December 6

We've arrived at the big release of December, which is probably also the biggest fantasy novel release of 2024: Wind and Truth, the fifth novel in Brandon Sanderson's magnum opus The Stormlight Archive. If you're not familiar, The Stormlight Archive is a massive epic fantasy series, with each volume spanning well over 1,000 pages as Sanderson brings us to all corners of his fictional world of Roshar, a craggy land wracked by devastating storms that have dictated the evolution of wildlife, civilizations, and magic.

But let's be real: you probably know about The Stormlight Archive. And while any Stormlight book is notable, Wind and Truth is doubly so because it's the end of the first major arc of the series. The fourth novel, Rhythm of War, left off with the magical Knights Radiant and the forces of the nefarious deity Odium agreeing to a contest of champions in 10 days' time. Wind and Truth tells the story of those 10 days, and the heroes and villains who rise in this final hour of Roshar's greatest need.

After this book, Sanderson is taking a hiatus from The Stormlight Archive to work on some of his other series, like Mistborn and Elantris. Whenever Stormlight returns, it'll likely look pretty different as Sanderson's shared fictional universe, the Cosmere, heads into the space age. So let's enjoy this final ride with Dalinar Kholin, Shallan Davar, and Kaladin Stormblessed before the big arc 1 finale in Wind and Truth.

One final note about Wind and Truth: yes, you're reading the release date right. This book comes out on a Friday. In the U.S., books from traditional publishers usually come out on Tuesdays like clockwork, but Sanderson is a big enough name that he was able to get Wind and Truth released on a Friday to coincide with his Dragonsteel Nexus convention. Never underestimate the power of Sanderson.

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CLUB CONTANGO by Eliane Boey — December 10

Believe it or not, every book we've covered so far drops in the first week of December. After that, December gets pretty light as publishing houses shutter up for the holidays. But there are still some books launching later in the month. One that's particularly worth noting for science fiction fans is Club Contango, the latest book from Other Minds author Eliane Boey.

Club Contango follows single mother Connie Lam, who runs an illegal micro-casino on the galaxy's first international space city. But when the murder of a former business partner crosses the fine print on an old AI contract, she's forced to race to recover her life from other versions of herself. One can never have enough mind-bending sci-fi in their lives, and Club Contango sounds like a perfect way to scratch that speculative fiction itch as we head toward the new year.

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MISS AMELIA'S LIST by Mercedes Lackey (Elemental Masters #17) — December 24

We've arrived at the night before Christmas, and all through the house, no one is stirring, not even a mouse...and Mercedes Lackey, who is releasing the seventeenth novel in her long-running Elemental Masters series. Lackey is a giant of the fantasy genre who has been publishing books for decades; if you're a fan of her work, you don't need me to tell you who she is. And if don't know who Mercedes Lackey is, you'll also want to check out her most famous series, the Valdemar epic fantasies.

Elemental Masters are fairy tale retellings largely set in the 1800s and early 1900s. Each novel is a standalone with only loose connections to other books, meaning you don't need to have read all 16 previous entries to check out Miss Amelia's List. Dive in where you please!

Miss Amelia's List is the story of Amelia Stonehold and Serena Meleva, who move to the town of Devon in 1815. This pair has the ability to command earth and fire, and one of them is a shapeshifter. Amelia has a fairly straightforward list of Regency England-type activities she's looking to accomplish, including procuring some property and finding a husband. But when the greedy Captain Harold Roughtower reveals he has designs on Amelia's fortune, it sets them on an adventure that takes them to a ruined Roman temple where something ancient and dangerous awaits.

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And thus concludes our final monthly round-up of new fantasy and science fiction releases for 2024. It's been a pleasure to help keep you up to date on all the latest and greatest genre books throughout the year. Soon we'll be getting into our most anticipated novels of 2025, along with more monthly round-ups as the year turns and a whole new crop of books hits shelves. From all of us here at Winter Is Coming, thanks for following along and making this such a wonderful year...and happy reading!

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