42 New Sci-Fi, Horror, and Fantasy Books to Add to Your Shelf in January

Happy New Year, and pleased new books! If “studying extra” is a aim you take note of for 2025—we salute you! And we’ve got 42 solutions of the place to start out turning the pages, with sci-fi, horror, and fantasy tales galore.

January 7

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire 

The most recent within the writer’s Hugo and Nebula-winning Wayward Kids collection options “large turtles, unimaginable ships, and tidal rivers ridden by a Drowned Lady in the hunt for a household.” (January 7)

The Capital of Dreams by Heather O’Neill 

“A darkish dystopian fairytale about an idyllic nation ravaged by struggle—and a woman torn between security and loyalty.” (January 7)

Cold Storage by Michael C. Grumley 

On this standalone near-future thriller, a military veteran goes on the run from the shadowy group that introduced him again from the useless. (January 7)

A Conventional Boy by Charles Stross 

“On this new Laundry Recordsdata journey the destiny of the world will actually rely on the roll of cube… twenty-sided cube, that’s.” (January 7)

The Dryad Storm by Laurie Forest 

“Magical forces conflict and Erthia hovers getting ready to break within the can’t-miss finale of Laurie Forest’s epic fantasy collection, the Black Witch Chronicles.” (January 7)

Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan 

“A younger ruler should forge a fragile alliance with the untrustworthy but magnetic God of Warfare to guard her kingdom on this beautiful romantic fantasy full of harmful secrets and techniques, forbidden magic, and keenness.” (January 7)

Mother of Rome by Lauren J.A. Bear 

“A robust and fierce reimagining of the earliest Roman legend: the twins, Romulus and Remus, legendary founders of historical past’s biggest empire, and the girl whose sacrifice made all of it potential.” (January 7)

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Younger 

“A lady investigates her twin brother’s mysterious demise whereas confronting the ghosts of her personal haunted previous.” (January 7)

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard (January 7)

On this romantasy, a bladesmith accepts an invite to court docket principally as a result of she’s eager for journey. She as a substitute finds bother within the type of the crown prince’s alluring half-brother, and issues get even worse when her forbidden powers start to awaken, drawing the curiosity of a darkish god.

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman 

On this social horror story, a man and his nephew race to flee “a demonic possession epidemic” that impacts those that devour an excessive amount of poisonous media. (January 7)

January 14

Aurora Fragment by Brian Shea and Raquel Byrnes 

The Reminiscence Financial institution techno-thriller collection continues; on this entry, “suffering from the intrusive recollections of a useless killer, Detective Morgan Reed is drawn to a distant and troubled Alaskan city.” (January 14)

Babylonia by Costanza Casati 

This story presents a mix of “fable and historic historical past to provide Semiramis, the one feminine ruler of the Assyrian Empire, a voice, charting her charming ascent to a throne nobody promised her.” (January 14)

Daughter of Chaos by A.S. Webb 

The Darkish Pantheon Trilogy begins on this story set in historic Greece, the place a fisherman’s daughter realizes she has magic powers—and could be the important thing to setting humankind free from the tyrannical gods. (January 14)

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor 

On this new story described as “a ebook inside a ebook” from the writer of Who Fears Dying, “a disabled Nigerian American lady pens a wildly profitable sci-fi novel, however as her fame rises, she loses management of the narrative—a surprisingly chopping, but heartfelt drama about artwork and love, identification and connection, and, in the end, what makes us human.” (January 14)

Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto 

“Ocean’s 8 meets Blade Runner on this trail-blazing debut science fiction novel and swashbuckling love letter to Hawai’i about being compelled to discover a new dwelling and striving to construct a greater one.” (January 14)

Heavenly Bodies by Imani Erriu 

A brand new romantasy collection begins with this story that “blends mythology and shadow magic with a tantalizing enemies-to-lovers romance that may rewrite the celebs.” (January 14)

The Last Room on the Left by Leah Konen 

“The caretaker at an remoted mountain lodge finds herself combating for her life—and sanity—on this twisty, addictive thriller.” (January 14)

The Night Is Defying by Chloe C. Peñaranda

The second entry within the writer’s Nytefall trilogy is ready “the place historical past is doomed to repeat, and star-crossed lovers should face a selection between their hearts or the world.” (January 14)

Strange Pictures by Uketsu, translated by Jim Rion 

This Japanese best-seller presents “an eerie contemporary tackle mystery-horror during which a collection of seemingly harmless footage attracts you right into a disturbing internet of unsolved mysteries and shattered psyches.” (January 14)

Vow of the Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes 

This romantasy story, the subsequent installment within the Bride of the Shadow King collection, picks again up with Princess Faraine. She’s trapped within the Shadow Realm with King Vor, her new husband, who’s reluctant to belief her regardless of the spark between them. (January 14)

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao 

“A lady inherits a pawnshop the place you’ll be able to promote your regrets, after which embarks on a magical quest when an enthralling younger physicist wanders into the store, on this dreamlike fantasy novel.” (January 14)

Waterblack by Alex Pheby 

The Cities of the Weft trilogy concludes as Nathan Treeves steps into his function as Grasp of Waterblack, the Metropolis of the Lifeless, and the God-Killer who has him in her sights. (January 14)

We Lived on the Horizon by Erika Swyler 

This story follows “a bio-prosthetic surgeon and her private AI as they’re drawn right into a revolution.” (January 14)

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix 

In 1970 Florida, an occult ebook on witchcraft brings an odd and harmful new energy to the younger girls biding their time in a house for unwed pregnant teenagers. (January 14)

January 21

Boudicca by P.C. Forged 

“An epic, lusty, magic-filled romantasy about British warrior queen Boudicca.” (January 21)

The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao 

This “fantasy impressed by probably the most well-known romances in Hindu mythology” follows “the story of a celestial dancer tasked with seducing a human sage, however when she finds herself falling for her mark, she will probably be compelled to decide on between loyalties and being true to herself.” (January 21)

Motheater by Linda H. Codega 

“On this nuanced queer fantasy set amid the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, the final witch of the Ridge should select sides in a conflict between business and nature.” Learn a Q&A with the writer, an io9 alumni, here. (January 21)

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros 

The Empyrean collection continues as Violet departs Basgiath Warfare School and heads into battle—in the hunt for allies and determined to guard her dragons and the folks she loves.  (January 21)

The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang, translated by Slin Juno 

“On the outskirts of Rainbow City, there may be an outdated, deserted home. They are saying that if you happen to ship a letter detailing your misfortunes there, you would obtain a ticket. In case you carry this ticket to the home on the primary day of the wet season, you’ll be granted entrance into the mysterious Rainfall Market—the place you’ll be able to select to fully change your life.” A lady who’s shocked to obtain such a ticket should work out what to do subsequent. (January 21)

Strange Stones by Edward Lee and Mary SanGiovanni 

“This story follows an unbearable horror-con lurker as he spurns the fallacious lady and is cursed to a monstrous dimension filled with Lovecraftian creations.” (January 21)

The Wind on Her Tongue by Anita Kopacz 

This follow-up to Shallow Waters continues the Daughter of Three Waters trilogy, as “Oya—the Yoruban deity of the climate—is delivered to life throughout 1870s America.” (January 21)

January 25

Those Fatal Flowers by Shannon Ives

“Greco-Roman mythology and the thriller of the vanished Roanoke colony collide on this epic journey full of sapphic longing and feminine rage.” (January 25)

January 28

At the Bottom of the Garden by Camilla Bruce 

“A murderess turns into the guardian of two very uncommon women on this mesmerizing gothic novel.” (January 28)

At the Fount of Creation by Tobi Ogundirian 

“The destiny of the Orisha will probably be determined within the concluding quantity of the Guardians of the Gods duology.” (January 28)

Gate to Kagoshima by Poppy Kuroki 

On this historic romantasy, “a younger Scottish lady is magically transported to the final Samurai period, the place she encounters ghosts from the previous, her personal Japanese ancestry, and a love that transcends time.” (January 28)

Old Soul by Susan Barker 

“Half horror, half western, half thriller, Previous Soul is a fearlessly daring and genre-defying story about predation, morality and free will, and one man’s quest to carry a centuries-long chain of human devastation to an finish.” (January 28)

Our Winter Monster by Dennis Mahoney 

“Chilling vacation horror about an sad couple working from their issues and straight into the maw of a terrifying beast.” (January 28)

The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbell 

“A mage bereft of her powers should discover out if she is destined to save lots of the world or destroy it.” (January 28)

The Scorpion Queen by Mira Frears 

“Uprooted meets Kids of Blood and Bone on this darkish fantasy impressed by a Malian fairy story a few princess whose suitors are challenged to grotesque trials.” (January 28)

Shadow of the Eternal Watcher by Josh Mendoza 

A down-on-his-luck personal eye who’s usually visited by demons discovers he has one other energy he’s by no means realized: the flexibility to bend space-time, a present that will enable him to attain the life he’s at all times dreamed of. (January 28)

Sinkhole, and Other Inexplicable Voids: Stories by Leyna Krow 

“Set within the Pacific Northwest, these tales mix excessive idea magic with the typically delicate, different instances evident, realities of local weather change.” (January 28)

The Teeth of Dawn by Marina Lostetter 

The 5 Penalties fantasy collection concludes as “a rise up struggles to tear the masks off the illusions and enchantments of a society shrouded in layers of thriller.” (January 28)

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