17 of our most anticipated fantasy and sci-fi books of 2024

THE MERCY OF GODS by James S.A. Corey (The Captive's War #1) — August 6

The Mercy of Gods is the first installment in a brand new series from The Expanse scribes Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, otherwise known as James S.A. Corey. Their skill at weaving a compelling tale needs no exaggeration; we're all big fans of The Expanse here.

The Mercy of Gods sounds like it will have that same epic magic, but bring in a far more alien and strange element. The alien Carryx, who are part empire and part hive, enslave other species to help bolster their own power in a war against a deathless enemy. A scientist named Dafyd Alkhor is swept into this conflict. He and the other human survivors of the planet Anjiin are brought to the Carryx homeworld where they have to compete in order to be the most helpful servants to their new alien masters.

Like The Expanse, this new series sounds like it loves to play in the gray area between good and bad, as Dafyd becomes "the champion of humanity and its betrayer, the most hated man in history and the guardian of his people."

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THE DOORS OF MIDNIGHT by R.R. Virdi (Tales of Tremaine #2) — August 13

The Doors of Midnight is the highly-anticipated sequel to R.R. Virdi's The First Binding, which was one of the more notable fantasy books of 2021. The First Binding is a lyrical, dense fantasy book that draws inspiration from Southeast Asian culture and Silk Road history. It's about a young man named Ari who becomes a legend in his own time thanks to his ability to spin tales about his exploits like no one else. It's also a story about stories that draws on oral storytelling traditions in some beautiful ways.

The First Binding had some striking similarities to Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind, so if you're one of those people who's been waiting over a decade for The Doors of Stone, this is probably a series you want on your radar. The second book, The Doors of Midnight, hits bookstores this August and will unfold the next chapter in Ari's story.

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THE LAST SHIELD by Cameron Johnston

Cameron Johnston is the author of The Maleficent Seven, a rollicking fantasy book where the villains are the heroes and no one is safe. This year, Johnston will be releasing another standalone fantasy book called The Last Shield, which is being described as "a gender-flipped Die Hard set in a mysterious castle."

Let's be honest, do you really need to know much more than that? A gender-flipped Die Hard in a castle sounds like an absolute blast — especially when said castle houses a bunch of druidic artifacts, and all that stands between the bad guys and retrieving them is Briar, the commander of a group of soldiers called the Shields. "The odds may be against her, but she'll see every enemy head adorning a spike or she'll die trying," reads the back-of-book copy, and man do I need to see how it plays out.

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