20 fantasy and science fiction books to read in February 2024
By Daniel Roman
A FLAME IN THE NORTH by Lilith Saintcrow (Black Land's Bane #1) — February 13
Moving on to the second week of February, you can get your Norse-inspired fantasy on with A Flame in the North by Lilith Saintcrow. Saintcrow is an extremely prolific New York Times-bestselling author who has penned a number of books across genres and age groups. This month she'll be starting a new adult fantasy series called Black Land's Bane.
The first book, A Flame in the North, is about a young woman named Sol who is sent to serve as a hostage of sorts in a mythic and unknowable land. While there, she'll discover that her hosts have nefarious plans for her and her fire magic, as well as for the wide world beyond their borders.
The Black Land is a myth: Centuries have passed since that Great Enemy was slain. Yet old fears linger, and on the longest night of the year, people in the South still light ritual bonfires to banish the dark.
In her village, this duty falls to Solveig, a girl favored by the gods with powerful fire magic. But when her brother kills a Northern lord’s son during the ritual, it is Sol who faces punishment, by being weregild—part hostage, part guest—in the North for a year and a day.
As she journeys to her captivity, Sol starts to realize that the Black Land is no myth. The forests teem with foul beasts. Her travel companions are not what they seem, and their plans for her magic are shrouded in secrecy.
With only her loyal shieldmaiden and her own wits to rely upon, Sol must learn to master her powers and wrest control of her fate. For the Black Land’s army stirs, ready to cover the world in darkness—unless Sol can find the courage to stop it.
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WHAT FEASTS AT NIGHT by T. Kingfisher (Sworn Soldier #2) — February 13
Another author whose work defies simplistic description, T. Kingfisher is putting out another book in her Sworn Soldier series. What Feasts at Night is another scary adventure for retired soldier Alex Easton, who was introduced in Kingfisher's Fall of the House of Usher-inspired novella What Moves the Dead. If you're looking for a bit more horror in your reading this month, What Feasts at Night may be just the ticket. And at just under 150 pages, it's a quick read.
After their terrifying ordeal at the Usher manor, Alex Easton feels as if they just survived another war. All they crave is rest, routine, and sunshine, but instead, as a favor to Angus and Miss Potter, they find themself heading to their family hunting lodge, deep in the cold, damp forests of their home country, Gallacia.
In theory, one can find relaxation in even the coldest and dampest of Gallacian autumns, but when Easton arrives, they find the caretaker dead, the lodge in disarray, and the grounds troubled by a strange, uncanny silence. The villagers whisper that a breath-stealing monster from folklore has taken up residence in Easton’s home. Easton knows better than to put too much stock in local superstitions, but they can tell that something is not quite right in their home. . . or in their dreams.