17 fantasy and science fiction books to read in March 2024
By Daniel Roman
EMPIRE OF THE DAMNED by Jay Kristoff (Empire of the Vampire #2) — March 12
From fae to vampires! The second book in Nevernight author Jay Kristoff's Empire of the Vampire series is coming, and it's another one with quite a lot of anticipation behind it. The first book in the series, Empire of the Vampire, introduced us to a world where the sun no longer rose and vampires had torn down all but the last remnants of human civilization.
Gabriel de León is the last silversaint, a holy warrior dedicated to fighting off creatures of the night. In Empire of the Vampire, he embarked on a perilous quest to retrieve the Holy Grail. That quest ended in both victory and defeat; the Grail was procured, but the vampire reign continuing unimpeded. Where does Gabriel go from here?
From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hands sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.
Gabriel de León has saved the Holy Grail from death, but his chance to end the endless night is lost. Drawn into an uneasy alliance with the mysterious vampire Liathe, Gabriel must now deliver the Grail to ancients of the Blood Esani, and learn the truth of how Daysdeath might be finally undone.
But the Last Silversaint faces peril, within and without. Pursued by terrors of the Blood Voss, drawn into warfare between the Blood Dyvok and duskdancers of the frozen Highlands, and ravaged by his own rising bloodlust, Gabriel may not survive to see the Grail learn her truth.
And that truth may be too awful for any to imagine.
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JUMPNAUTS by Hao Jingfang (Folding Universe) — March 12
Hao Jingfang is an acclaimed Chinese science fiction author whose 2016 story Folding Beijing won the Hugo Award for Best Novella. Her latest book, Jumpnauts, is both the start of a new series as well as a part of the Folding Universe, which includes that award-winning novella.
Jumpnauts is being released in the United States with a translation from The Dandelion Dynasty author Ken Liu, who has been a key part of bringing translations of some of China's most popular science fiction works to the west, including Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem. Like Liu's books, Hao Jingfang's Jumpnauts deals with a group of scientists racing to understand messages from an intelligent alien race before the world's governments commit to an irrevocably violent response.
In a future where the world is roughly divided into two factions, the Pacific League of Nations and the Atlantic Division of Nations, tensions are high as each side waits for the other to make a move. But neither side is prepared for a powerful third party that has apparently been an influential presence on Earth for thousands of years—and just might be making a reappearance very soon.
With the realization that a highly intelligent alien race has been trying to send them messages, three rising scientists within the Pacific League of Nations form an uneasy alliance. Fueled by a curiosity to have their questions answered and a fear that other factions within their rival Atlantic Division of Nations would opt for a more aggressive and potentially disastrous military response, the three race to secure first contact with this extraterrestrial life they aren’t quite convinced is a threat.
Bolstered by recent evidence of alien visitations in the distant past, the three scientific minds must solve puzzles rooted within human antiquity, face off with their personal demons, and discover truths of the universe.