September Books I'm looking forward to!
September looks to be dishy month in terms of some great books coming out in SFF Genre. I've listed a few on my most-wanted list, top of the TBR pile.
Twelve Kings of Sharakhai by Bradley P Beaulieu
Sharakhai, the great city of the desert, center of commerce and culture, has been ruled from time immemorial by twelve kings—cruel, ruthless, powerful, and immortal. With their army of Silver Spears, their elite company of Blade Maidens, and their holy defenders, the terrifying asirim, the Kings uphold their positions as undisputed, invincible lords of the desert. There is no hope of freedom for any under their rule.
Or so it seems, until Çeda, a brave young woman from the west end slums, defies the Kings’ laws by going outside on the holy night of Beht Zha’ir. What she learns that night sets her on a path that winds through both the terrible truths of the Kings’ mysterious history and the hidden riddles of her own heritage. Together, these secrets could finally break the iron grip of the Kings’ power...if the nigh-omnipotent Kings don’t find her first.
What's in it for me: Ah. Bradley has been known to bring in the sweet scent of exotic cultures into the Fantasy landscape. The russo-inspired Lays of Anuskaya was a breath of fresh air, adeptly drawn up and meticulously researched, a new fantasy world that we loved. In this one, he promises to take us deep into a desert warrior civilization. And a kickass heroine to boot. Whats not to love!
Coming out on Sept 1st by DAW
Abandon by Blake Crouch
A gripping thriller from Blake Crouch, internationally bestselling author of the Wayward Pines trilogy.
On Christmas Day in 1893, every man, woman, and child in a remote gold-mining town disappeared, belongings forsaken, meals left to freeze in vacant cabins—and not a single bone was ever found.
One hundred sixteen years later, two backcountry guides are hired by a history professor and his journalist daughter to lead them to the abandoned mining town so they can learn what happened. Recently, a similar party had also attempted to explore the town and was never heard from again. Now the area is believed to be haunted. This crew is about to discover, twenty miles from civilization with a blizzard bearing down, that they are not alone, and the past is very much alive.
Whats in it for me: Blake Crouch is probably now a household name. And the world is now clamoring to read more from him. After Wayward Pines hit the small screen, that is. My reviews on Wayward Pines series has been the highest hit posts ever on my blog ( Hooray!) - and with Abandon going the way of wayward pines as well now, it's a good time to jump onto the Blake Crouch party with this revised edition of Abandon coming out in September!
Coming out Sept 1st from Amazon Publishing imprint Thomas & Mercer.
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
The Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers, one of the most respected organizations throughout all of England, has long been tasked with maintaining magic within His Majesty’s lands. But lately, the once proper institute has fallen into disgrace, naming an altogether unsuitable gentleman—a freed slave who doesn’t even have a familiar—as their Sorcerer Royal, and allowing England’s once profuse stores of magic to slowly bleed dry. At least they haven’t stooped so low as to allow women to practice what is obviously a man’s profession…
At his wit’s end, Zacharias Wythe, Sorcerer Royal of the Unnatural Philosophers and eminently proficient magician, ventures to the border of Fairyland to discover why England’s magical stocks are drying up. But when his adventure brings him in contact with a most unusual comrade, a woman with immense power and an unfathomable gift, he sets on a path which will alter the nature of sorcery in all of Britain—and the world at large…
What's in it for me: One of my hotly anticipated 2015 titles. They had me at Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers. I mean, what! Unnatural Philosophers? Magic and Mayhem in the British courts? Susanna Clarke? Damn, get me the book already.
Coming out on Sept 1st from Ace books.
Updraft by Fran Wilde
In a city of living bone rising high above the clouds, where danger hides in the wind and the ground is lost to legend, a young woman must expose a dangerous secret to save everyone she loves.
Welcome to a world of wind and bone, songs and silence, betrayal and courage.
Kirit Densira cannot wait to pass her wingtest and begin flying as a trader by her mother’s side, being in service to her beloved home tower and exploring the skies beyond. When Kirit inadvertently breaks Tower Law, the city’s secretive governing body, the Singers, demand that she become one of them instead. In an attempt to save her family from greater censure, Kirit must give up her dreams to throw herself into the dangerous training at the Spire, the tallest, most forbidding tower, deep at the heart of the City.
As she grows in knowledge and power, she starts to uncover the depths of Spire secrets. Kirit begins to doubt her world and its unassailable Laws, setting in motion a chain of events that will lead to a haunting choice, and may well change the city forever—if it isn’t destroyed outright.
Whats in it for me: Another book that pushes the boundaries of the genre scope. An entire airborne city? After reading this interview at Aidan Moher's, I am now super excited about reading this one.
Coming out on Sept 1st from Tor Books.
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT is an epic geopolitical fantasy about one woman's mission to tear down an empire by learning how to rule it.
Tomorrow, on the beach, Baru Cormorant will look up from the sand of her home and see red sails on the horizon.
The Empire of Masks is coming, armed with coin and ink, doctrine and compass, soap and lies. They'll conquer Baru’s island, rewrite her culture, criminalize her customs, and dispose of one of her fathers. But Baru is patient. She'll swallow her hate, prove her talent, and join the Masquerade. She will learn the secrets of empire. She’ll be exactly what they need. And she'll claw her way high enough up the rungs of power to set her people free.
In a final test of her loyalty, the Masquerade will send Baru to bring order to distant Aurdwynn, a snakepit of rebels, informants, and seditious dukes. Aurdwynn kills everyone who tries to rule it. To survive, Baru will need to untangle this land’s intricate web of treachery - and conceal her attraction to the dangerously fascinating Duchess Tain Hu.
But Baru is a savant in games of power, as ruthless in her tactics as she is fixated on her goals. In the calculus of her schemes, all ledgers must be balanced, and the price of liberation paid in full.
What's in it for me: Been a hotly anticipated title for long now - the couple of opening chapters at tor.com got my interest piqued and then when Kameron Hurley cautioned us to get ready to have your heart ripped through your throat, then I knew this is a MUST-READ!!
Coming out Sept 15th by TOR Books
Last Song Before Night by Illana C Myers
Her name was Kimbralin Amaristoth: sister to a cruel brother, daughter of a hateful family. But that name she has forsworn, and now she is simply Lin, a musician and lyricist of uncommon ability in a land where women are forbidden to answer such callings—a fugitive who must conceal her identity or risk imprisonment and even death.
On the eve of a great festival, Lin learns that an ancient scourge has returned to the land of Eivar, a pandemic both deadly and unnatural. Its resurgence brings with it the memory of an apocalypse that transformed half a continent. Long ago, magic was everywhere, rising from artistic expression—from song, from verse, from stories. But in Eivar, where poets once wove enchantments from their words and harps, the power was lost. Forbidden experiments in blood divination unleashed the plague that is remembered as the Red Death, killing thousands before it was stopped, and Eivar’s connection to the Otherworld from which all enchantment flowed, broken.
The Red Death’s return can mean only one thing: someone is spilling innocent blood in order to master dark magic. Now poets who thought only to gain fame for their songs face a challenge much greater: galvanized by Valanir Ocune, greatest Seer of the age, Lin and several others set out to reclaim their legacy and reopen the way to the Otherworld-a quest that will test their deepest desires, imperil their lives, and decide the future.
Coming out Sept 29th from TOR books.
There are more gems of course! MyBookishways keeps a great list here. Do check it out.
What are you looking forward to read in September?
Twelve Kings of Sharakhai by Bradley P Beaulieu
Or so it seems, until Çeda, a brave young woman from the west end slums, defies the Kings’ laws by going outside on the holy night of Beht Zha’ir. What she learns that night sets her on a path that winds through both the terrible truths of the Kings’ mysterious history and the hidden riddles of her own heritage. Together, these secrets could finally break the iron grip of the Kings’ power...if the nigh-omnipotent Kings don’t find her first.
What's in it for me: Ah. Bradley has been known to bring in the sweet scent of exotic cultures into the Fantasy landscape. The russo-inspired Lays of Anuskaya was a breath of fresh air, adeptly drawn up and meticulously researched, a new fantasy world that we loved. In this one, he promises to take us deep into a desert warrior civilization. And a kickass heroine to boot. Whats not to love!
Coming out on Sept 1st by DAW
Abandon by Blake Crouch
On Christmas Day in 1893, every man, woman, and child in a remote gold-mining town disappeared, belongings forsaken, meals left to freeze in vacant cabins—and not a single bone was ever found.
One hundred sixteen years later, two backcountry guides are hired by a history professor and his journalist daughter to lead them to the abandoned mining town so they can learn what happened. Recently, a similar party had also attempted to explore the town and was never heard from again. Now the area is believed to be haunted. This crew is about to discover, twenty miles from civilization with a blizzard bearing down, that they are not alone, and the past is very much alive.
Whats in it for me: Blake Crouch is probably now a household name. And the world is now clamoring to read more from him. After Wayward Pines hit the small screen, that is. My reviews on Wayward Pines series has been the highest hit posts ever on my blog ( Hooray!) - and with Abandon going the way of wayward pines as well now, it's a good time to jump onto the Blake Crouch party with this revised edition of Abandon coming out in September!
Coming out Sept 1st from Amazon Publishing imprint Thomas & Mercer.
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
At his wit’s end, Zacharias Wythe, Sorcerer Royal of the Unnatural Philosophers and eminently proficient magician, ventures to the border of Fairyland to discover why England’s magical stocks are drying up. But when his adventure brings him in contact with a most unusual comrade, a woman with immense power and an unfathomable gift, he sets on a path which will alter the nature of sorcery in all of Britain—and the world at large…
What's in it for me: One of my hotly anticipated 2015 titles. They had me at Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers. I mean, what! Unnatural Philosophers? Magic and Mayhem in the British courts? Susanna Clarke? Damn, get me the book already.
Coming out on Sept 1st from Ace books.
Updraft by Fran Wilde
Welcome to a world of wind and bone, songs and silence, betrayal and courage.
Kirit Densira cannot wait to pass her wingtest and begin flying as a trader by her mother’s side, being in service to her beloved home tower and exploring the skies beyond. When Kirit inadvertently breaks Tower Law, the city’s secretive governing body, the Singers, demand that she become one of them instead. In an attempt to save her family from greater censure, Kirit must give up her dreams to throw herself into the dangerous training at the Spire, the tallest, most forbidding tower, deep at the heart of the City.
As she grows in knowledge and power, she starts to uncover the depths of Spire secrets. Kirit begins to doubt her world and its unassailable Laws, setting in motion a chain of events that will lead to a haunting choice, and may well change the city forever—if it isn’t destroyed outright.
Whats in it for me: Another book that pushes the boundaries of the genre scope. An entire airborne city? After reading this interview at Aidan Moher's, I am now super excited about reading this one.
Coming out on Sept 1st from Tor Books.
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
Tomorrow, on the beach, Baru Cormorant will look up from the sand of her home and see red sails on the horizon.
The Empire of Masks is coming, armed with coin and ink, doctrine and compass, soap and lies. They'll conquer Baru’s island, rewrite her culture, criminalize her customs, and dispose of one of her fathers. But Baru is patient. She'll swallow her hate, prove her talent, and join the Masquerade. She will learn the secrets of empire. She’ll be exactly what they need. And she'll claw her way high enough up the rungs of power to set her people free.
In a final test of her loyalty, the Masquerade will send Baru to bring order to distant Aurdwynn, a snakepit of rebels, informants, and seditious dukes. Aurdwynn kills everyone who tries to rule it. To survive, Baru will need to untangle this land’s intricate web of treachery - and conceal her attraction to the dangerously fascinating Duchess Tain Hu.
But Baru is a savant in games of power, as ruthless in her tactics as she is fixated on her goals. In the calculus of her schemes, all ledgers must be balanced, and the price of liberation paid in full.
What's in it for me: Been a hotly anticipated title for long now - the couple of opening chapters at tor.com got my interest piqued and then when Kameron Hurley cautioned us to get ready to have your heart ripped through your throat, then I knew this is a MUST-READ!!
Coming out Sept 15th by TOR Books
Last Song Before Night by Illana C Myers
On the eve of a great festival, Lin learns that an ancient scourge has returned to the land of Eivar, a pandemic both deadly and unnatural. Its resurgence brings with it the memory of an apocalypse that transformed half a continent. Long ago, magic was everywhere, rising from artistic expression—from song, from verse, from stories. But in Eivar, where poets once wove enchantments from their words and harps, the power was lost. Forbidden experiments in blood divination unleashed the plague that is remembered as the Red Death, killing thousands before it was stopped, and Eivar’s connection to the Otherworld from which all enchantment flowed, broken.
The Red Death’s return can mean only one thing: someone is spilling innocent blood in order to master dark magic. Now poets who thought only to gain fame for their songs face a challenge much greater: galvanized by Valanir Ocune, greatest Seer of the age, Lin and several others set out to reclaim their legacy and reopen the way to the Otherworld-a quest that will test their deepest desires, imperil their lives, and decide the future.
What's in it for me: This one caught my eye after a Goodreads recommendation and as I dug further in and read this first chapter on tor.com plus heard Brian Staveley talk rapturously about this one, I cannot wait to read it.
Coming out Sept 29th from TOR books.
There are more gems of course! MyBookishways keeps a great list here. Do check it out.
What are you looking forward to read in September?
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