17 fantasy and science fiction books to read in March 2024
By Daniel Roman
STARS LIKE FIRE by Marissa Lupe (Stars Like Acid #2) — March 18
Stars Like Fire is the sequel to Marissa Lupe's Stars Like Acid, a sci-fi novel where the lives of two women — a soldier and a member of the social elite — collide on a space station where they’re forced to unravel a complex web of mysteries involving oppressive government oversight, out-of-control human evolution, and humanity adapting to life beyond Earth.
This is the second installment in a projected four-book series, so if you enjoy the story of Téa, Eleanor and newcomer Theo, there's more to come.
Fighting for their freedom was only the beginning, now they must do the hardest thing of all, they must live.
Three journeys and one destination will bring them all together.
Despite having never met in person, their years of communicating virtually cemented Eleanor's love for the woman who has her whole heart long ago. But when her love goes missing, Eleanor leaves the safety of Sandstone Estate to rescue her, and ends up finding more than she bargained for. An entire town has had their children stolen, and it's up to Eleanor to lead the fight to save them, along with the woman that she loves.
Theo can't remember his past, but begins to build his future when a family takes him in as a farm hand. But then the farm is destroyed, a young boy is orphaned, and Theo finds himself slipping into the role of guardian. When the boy receives an urgent message from a mysterious voice through the radio, Theo must guide him across a dangerous and barren landscape in hopes of finding a safe place to call home.
Téa and her infant daughter have traveled the continent to restore the land for a grateful nation, but when strangers arrive on her doorstep looking for help, Téa must decide if she can risk opening her heart again. Then tragedy strikes, and Téa is forced to confront her past and meet a new challenge that has the power to rip the Earth to shreds.
As Eleanor, Theo, and Téa's paths collide, the future of mankind is thrust into their hands, and they must work together to save not only themselves, but all of humanity.
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MUSHROOM BLUES by Adrian M. Gibson (The Hofmann Report #1) — March 19
You know what I bet you don't have on your bookshelf yet? Fungalpunk. But that could be about to change!
Mushroom Blues is the debut novel from Adrian M. Gibson, best known as one of the co-hosts of the popular SFF Addicts podcast, where he and fantasy author M.J. Kuhn (Among Thieves) interview writers about the craft of storytelling. Set in a cyberpunk mushroom city, Mushroom Blues sees a detective team up with a fungal patrol officer to get to the bottom of a string of murders. It sounds reminiscent of stories like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, but with an out-of-this-world setting and style that sets it apart from many other genre novels.
Gibson is planning more books in his Hofmann Report series; Mushroom Blues is just the beginning.
Two years after a devastating defeat in the decade-long Spore War, the island nation of Hōppon and its capital city of Neo Kinoko are occupied by invading Coprinian forces. Its fungal citizens are in dire straits, wracked by food shortages, poverty and an influx of war refugees. Even worse, the corrupt occupiers exploit their power, hounding the native population.
As a winter storm looms over the metropolis, NKPD homicide detective Henrietta Hofmann begrudgingly partners up with mushroom-headed patrol officer Koji Nameko to investigate the mysterious murders of fungal and half-breed children. Their investigation drags them deep into the seedy underbelly of a war-torn city, one brimming with colonizers, criminal gangs, racial division and moral decay.
In order to solve the case and unravel the truth, Hofmann must challenge her past and embrace fungal ways. What she and Nameko uncover in the midst of this frigid wasteland will chill them to the core, but will they make it through the storm alive?