20 fantasy and science fiction books to read in February 2024
By Daniel Roman
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We've been talking a lot about books here at Winter Is Coming lately, and we're not going to let up today. There were plenty of exciting sci-fi and fantasy books that came out in January, but looking at the packed slate for February, it feels like that was just the warm-up for a wonderful year of reading ahead. This month is stacked!
Fantasy mysteries, epic tales of war and tragedy, gritty space operas and even some re-releases of hard-to-find books; there's a lot to take in. As we do every month, we've rounded up a bunch of books that are coming out in the next 30 days to make it easier for all you avid fantasy and sci-fi readers to find your next favorite read.
We're looking at a pretty full list, so let's not waste time on formalities. Pull up your Goodreads page, get a pen and paper, or whatever else you use to keep track of the stories which tempt you toward their pages. We've got books to discuss!
THE TRIALS OF EMPIRE by Richard Swan (Empire of the Wolf #3) — February 6
February start with a bang with The Trials of Empire, the third and final book in Richard Swan's Empire of the Wolf trilogy. Combining elements of dark fantasy and mystery, Empire of the Wolf follows Justice Sir Konrad Vonvault and his protégé Helena, the latter of whom also serves as the series' narrator, as they attempt to get to the bottom of a multilayered conspiracy which has the Sovan Empire teetering on the brink of decline. In this world, Justices serve as investigator, lawyer and executioner (and, in Vonvault's case, dabble in a bit of necromancy on the side). But when arrayed against demonic forces and corruption from within, they may not be enough to keep the empire from crumbling.
The first two books in Swan's series, The Justice of Kings and The Tyranny of Faith, were both excellent. Vonvault and Helena recall other great mystery duos like Holmes and Watson, but with an even more complicated relationship. (Are they romantically attracted to one another? Is that even appropriate, when Vonvault is Helena's teacher?) Drop them in a brooding fantasy setting reminiscent of A Song of Ice and Fire, and it's hard to resist. I know I'm personally very curious to see how Swan wraps up this story with The Trials of Empire.
THE TIME OF JUDGEMENT IS AT HAND
The Empire of the Wolf is on its knees, but there's life in the great beast yet.
To save it, Sir Konrad Vonvalt and Helena must look beyond its borders for allies - to the wolfmen of the southern plains, and the pagan clans in the north. But old grievances run deep, and both factions would benefit from the fall of Sova.
Even these allies might not be enough. Their enemy, the zealot Bartholomew Claver, wields infernal powers bestowed on him by a mysterious demonic patron. If Vonvalt and Helena are to stand against him, they will need friends on both sides of the mortal plane—but such allegiances carry a heavy price.
As the battlelines are drawn in both Sova and the afterlife, the final reckoning draws close. Here, at the beating heart of the Empire, the two-headed wolf will be reborn in a blaze of justice . . . or crushed beneath the shadow of tyranny.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
THE TAINTED CUP by Robert Jackson Bennett (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) — February 6
Speaking of mystery duos, next up is The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. Bennett is perhaps best known for his Founders Trilogy of epic fantasy books, but in February he'll be kicking off a brand new series called Shadow of the Leviathan, which follows the detective Ana Dolabra and her new assistant Dinios Kol as they seek to unravel a murder which plunges them into ever-deeper mysteries. It sounds like magic will play a huge role in the investigation, which could be a fascinating spin on this type of detective story.
The first book in Shadow of the Leviathan is The Tainted Cup, which lands in bookstores right at the top of the month. Combined with Richard Swan's The Trial of Empire, fantasy mysteries clearly dominate the first week of February.
In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.
Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.
At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.
As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.
By an “endlessly inventive” (Vulture) author with a “wicked sense of humor” (NPR),The Tainted Cupmixes the charms of detective fiction with brilliant world-building to deliver a fiendishly clever mystery that’s at once instantly recognizable and thrillingly new.