{"id":1082692,"date":"2026-01-23T15:13:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=498449"},"modified":"2026-01-23T15:13:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:13:09","slug":"the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list\/","title":{"rendered":"The 44 most exciting science fiction and fantasy books for your 2025 reading list"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure> <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Illustration: &lt;a href=&quot;http:\/\/www.sonnyross.com\/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Sonny Ross&lt;\/a&gt; for Polygon\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list.jpg\" \/><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap has-text-align-none\">It\u2019s that time of the year again! As we finally put 2024 to bed, it\u2019s time to start looking forward to what the 2025 publishing season holds in store for our TBR piles. The answer, at a glance, is \u201ca lot.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Seriously, the time to reinforce all of your bookshelves so that they do not collapse in on themselves is now, my friends. 2025 marks a hotly anticipated, and no doubt emotionally devastating, return to Panem that will reflect the state of the world in the way Suzanne Collins does best; a new vampire novel from modern master of the horror genre Stephen Graham Jones; and a little spicy romantasy from the minds of Critical Role with a little help from Thea Guanzon. Needless to say, there\u2019s a little something for everyone!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">The following are 44 books you can look forward to in 2025.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-none\">Daughter of Chaos (The Dark Pantheon #1) by A.S. Webb<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-none\">Jan. 14<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-1.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of the book Daughter of Chaos by A.S. Webb\" title=\"The cover of the book Daughter of Chaos by A.S. Webb\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: HarperCollins\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Set in ancient Greece on the island of Naxos, <em>Daughter of Chaos<\/em> by A.S. Webb tells the story of Danae, a fisherman\u2019s daughter who discovers that she has mysterious powers. Cast out from her home and determined to find the truth of who she is, Danae joins forces with Heracles and his monster-fighting comrades.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Fans of Greek mythology might already know that Danae is the mother of Perseus, but <em>Daughter of Chaos<\/em> is a reimagining of the myth, which begs the question of what exactly lies in store for the hero of Webb\u2019s new series.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Helen of Troy, 1993: Poems by Maria Zoccola<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-none\">Jan. 14<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-2.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of the book Helen of Troy, 1993 by Maria Zoccola\" title=\"The cover of the book Helen of Troy, 1993 by Maria Zoccola\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Simon &amp; Schuster\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Speaking of Greek mythology\u2026&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">It\u2019s difficult to put into words how gorgeous and apropos of the world we live in Maria Zoccola\u2019s debut collection of poetry, <em>Helen of Troy, 1993<\/em>, is, but I\u2019ll try my best.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">This sparkling, feminist collection of work reimagines Helen from Homer\u2019s <em>Iliad<\/em> as a housewife in Sparta, Tennessee, in the early 1990s. It\u2019s a clever mashup of mythology and modernity that feels akin to Maria Dahvana Headley\u2019s recent translation of <em>Beowulf<\/em>. Everything old is new again, and in this case it creates a snapshot of the rural South and a powerful, unapologetic woman who is the object of desire no matter when or where the story is told.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jan. 14<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-3.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix\" title=\"The cover of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">If you\u2019re a horror fan like me, then it\u2019s hard not to love Grady Hendrix. He\u2019s written about everything from selling haunted houses to exorcisms to vampire-fighting book clubs, and in his new book, <em>Witchcraft for Wayward Girls<\/em>, he\u2019s tackling the occult.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Set in the 1970s at a Floridian institution where young pregnant women can have their babies in secret so as not to shame their families, <em>Witchcraft for Wayward Girls<\/em> tells the story of 15-year-old Fern and the girls she befriends there. While their day-to-day lives are strictly monitored, Fern discovers an unexpected source of untapped power and, potentially, an escape when she\u2019s given a book of occult witchcraft by a librarian.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Motheater by Linda H. Codega&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jan. 21<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\" alt=\"The cover for Motheater by Linda H. Codega\" title=\"The cover for Motheater by Linda H. Codega\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Kensington Books Publishing\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Set in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, Linda H. Codega\u2019s debut novel is an atmospheric, queer fantasy that pits nature and industry against one another.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">After the sudden death of her best friend, Bennie Mattox gives up everything in order to try and find out what exactly has been killing the miners up on Kire Mountain. The last thing she expects to find is a half-drowned woman who claims to be a witch who is bound to protect Kire from the seemingly inevitable progress of industry. But the more time they spend together, the more Bennie feels drawn to the mysterious Motheater and the future they could build together.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jan. 28<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-4.jpg\" alt=\"Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su\" title=\"Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: HarperCollins Publishers \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">When Vi Liu, the daughter of a Taiwanese father and white mother, goes to a drag show with her friend Rachel, she discovers an amorphous, sentient blob with beady black eyes. Vi decides to take the blob home with her and, before long, she realizes that she can shape her new companion into whatever she wants, including a perfect boyfriend. The result is Glen Powell-esque and, while undeniably handsome, her new blobby boyfriend forces Vi on a journey of self-discovery that is as delightful and touching as it is downright strange.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Lamb by Lucy Rose<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feb. 4<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-5.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of The Lamb by Lucy Rose \" title=\"The cover of The Lamb by Lucy Rose \" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: HarperCollins\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Billed as being for fans of Angela Carter and Julia Armfield (a deadly combination if ever I\u2019ve seen one), <em>The Lamb<\/em> by Lucy Rose is a modern fairy tale and gothic coming-of-age.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Margot has lived with her mama by the edge of the forest for as long as she can remember. Her mama likes to take in \u201cstrays,\u201d people who have wandered too far from the road, and looks after them for a time. But when a gorgeous stray by the name of Eden arrives, the relationship between Margot and her mother begins to change drastically as she navigates her own needs and wants.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Anoxia by Miguel \u00c1ngel Hern\u00e1ndez (translated by Adrian Nathan West)&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feb. 4<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-6.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Anoxia by Miguel Angel Hernandez\" title=\"The cover of Anoxia by Miguel Angel Hernandez\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Set 10 years after the sudden death of her husband, <em>Anoxia<\/em> tells the story of Dolores Ayala, a photographer who receives an unusual request from a man by the name of Clemente Art\u00e9s. Clemente is obsessed with the tradition of photographing the dead on the day of their funeral, and begins to train Dolores in this practice. What unravels is a nuanced ghost story in which the lines between the living and the dead become increasingly blurred.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feb. 4<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-7.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito\" title=\"The cover of Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">From Virgina Feito, author of <em>Mrs. March<\/em>, comes a gothic, dark comedy that is already being made into a movie starring Margaret Qualley and Thomasin McKenzie about a governess hell-bent on giving the staff something to talk about.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">On paper, Winifred Notty is an absolutely perfect governess. That\u2019s why the Pounds family has hired her. But the more time Winifred spends with her charges, Drusilla and Andrew, the more she begins to learn about the Pounds and their strange habits, and the more she begins to give in to her own odd compulsions.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Feb. 4<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-8.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Listen to your Sister by Neena Viel \" title=\"The cover of Listen to your Sister by Neena Viel \" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Macmillan Publishers\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><em>Stranger Things<\/em> by way of Jordan Peele, <em>Listen to Your Sister<\/em>, by debut novelist Neena Viel, promises to be as much a terrifying fever dream as it is a laugh-out-loud comedy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">After becoming the guardian of her younger brother, Jamie, Calla Williams has begun suffering from hyperrealistic, violent dreams in which he dies before she can save him. When his actions at a protest get Jamie in a little too much trouble, the two hightail it to a remote Airbnb to try and wait out the chaos. But Calla\u2019s nightmare continues to haunt her, bringing a new threat to their well-being to light.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Crimson Road by A.G. Slatter&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feb. 11<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-9.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of The Crimson Road by A.G. Slatter\" title=\"The cover of The Crimson Road by A.G. Slatter\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">A.G. Slatter, author of <em>All the Murmuring Bones<\/em>, <em>The Path of Thorns<\/em>, and <em>The<\/em> <em>Briar Book of the Dead<\/em> returns once again to her Sourdough Universe with the latest in the series, <em>The Crimson Road<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Violet Zennor has trained all of her life to be skilled in hand-to-hand combat thanks to her father, Hederek. When her father dies, Violet thinks she might finally be free of the hell that he has put her through.&nbsp;But freedom comes at a price, and her father has debts to be paid and a mess to be cleaned up. Ultimately Violet must venture into the Darklands and the Anchorhold beyond, meeting some familiar faces along the way.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Beta Vulgaris by Margie Sarsfield<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feb. 11<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-10.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Beta Vulgaris by Margie Sarsfield\" title=\"The cover of Beta Vulgaris by Margie Sarsfield\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: W.W. Norton \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Who knew that vegetables could be so scary?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Determined to find a way to pay for her Brooklyn apartment, Elise and her boyfriend, Tom, pick up a summer job in Minnesota helping to harvest sugar beets (aka <em>Beta vulgaris<\/em>). But what should be an easy gig quickly takes a turn when the grueling labor begins to run Elise into the ground and she discovers a strange, unexplainable rash on her body. Worse still is the disembodied voice that seems to be coming from the pile of harvested beets itself.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Spirit Collection of Thorne Hall by J. Ann Thomas&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feb. 11<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-11.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of The Spirit Collection of Thorne Hall by J. Ann Thomas\" title=\"The cover of The Spirit Collection of Thorne Hall by J. Ann Thomas\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">The year is 1890, and it is Elegy Thorne\u2019s job to keep the spirits that occupy Thorne Hall, her family\u2019s grand estate in the Berkshires, at peace. When one of the spirits causes a small bit of chaos within her home, a local preservationist and his son are called upon for assistance. The last thing Elegy expects is to find herself torn between Thorne family tradition and the spirits she has known her whole life, and a young man who dreams of modernity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feb. 11<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-12.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo \" title=\"The cover of But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo \" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Macmillan Publishers\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Hache Pueyo\u2019s upcoming novella, <em>But Not Too Bold<\/em>, is for all of my fellow monster lovers out there.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">The best way to describe Anatema, the Lady of the Capricious House, is somewhere between Lady Dimitrescu from <em>Resident Evil Village<\/em> and The Will from <em>Saga<\/em>. She is, essentially, a humanoid spider-woman with a weakness \u2014 and insatiable hunger \u2014 for beautiful women. Enter D\u00e1lia, the newest keeper of the keys for Capricious House. What D\u00e1lia doesn\u2019t know is that her mistress ate her predecessor, and that she might be next on the menu if she\u2019s not careful.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Emily Wilde\u2019s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feb. 11<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-13.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Emily Wilde\u2019s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett\" title=\"The cover of Emily Wilde\u2019s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">If you haven\u2019t been keeping up with Emily Wilde and her escapades, then you\u2019re missing out on one of the most romantic and heartwarming fantasy series to hit shelves in years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">In this new installment, Emily faces her most dangerous challenge yet: researching faerie folk and their realm as their new queen. Now that she\u2019s engaged to Wendell, her frustratingly handsome academic rival\/princely cohort turned fianc\u00e9, this should, hypothetically, be easy to accomplish. But Wendell\u2019s bloodthirsty stepmother has other plans in mind, and not everyone is so willing to have an academic, let alone a human, as their new ruler.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feb. 18<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-14.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods\" title=\"The cover of Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Macmillan Publishers\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">What do you get when you mix <em>The Little Mermaid<\/em> and <em>Cinderella<\/em>? The answer is <em>Upon a Starlit Tide<\/em> by Kell Woods.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">The year is 1758, and Lucinde Leon dreams of escaping the walled city of Saint-Malo, where she is the youngest daughter of a wealthy sea captain. Lucinde spends her days learning to sail with her best friend, Samuel, but her secret afternoons on the water soon change when she rescues Morgan de Chatelaine, the son of a wealthy ship owner, from drowning.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hungerstone by Kat Dunn<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feb. 18<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-15.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Hungerstone by Kat Dunn\" title=\"The cover of Hungerstone by Kat Dunn\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Zando\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">As is the case with all good vampire stories, the push and pull between fear and desire in Kat Dunn\u2019s new novel, <em>Hungerstone<\/em>, is palpable from its very first pages.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">After 10 years together, the relationship between Lenore and her husband, Henry, has taken a turn for the worse. When Henry decides to host a hunt at the remote and foreboding Nethershaw Manor, Lenore reluctantly accompanies him. But when a fluke carriage accident brings the mysterious Carmilla (yes, that Carmilla) \u2014 suspiciously weak during the day and full of vigor at night \u2014 into her life, Lenore finds herself inexplicably drawn to her new acquaintance.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feb. 25<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-16.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein \" title=\"The cover of Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein \" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Historical fiction fans, rejoice! Allison Epstein is back, and this time with a novel that focuses on one of London\u2019s most gifted thieves.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Fans of Charles Dickens will recognize the name Jacob Fagin right away. He is, of course, the infamous \u2014 and, dare I say, fan-favorite \u2014 pickpocket from <em>Oliver Twist<\/em>. In Epstein\u2019s new novel, she puts Fagin at the forefront, reimagining Dickens\u2019 work through the eyes of a Jewish man looking to make a name for himself on the streets of London in the wake of his father\u2019s death.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Greenteeth by Molly O\u2019Neill<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feb. 25<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-17.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Greenteeth by Molly O\u2019Neill\" title=\"The cover of Greenteeth by Molly O\u2019Neill\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Hachette Book Group\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">If you\u2019re anything like me, and familiar with English folklore, then you might recognize the name Jenny Greenteeth. She\u2019s typically depicted as a river hag who would pull unsuspecting victims into the water, but Molly O\u2019Neill\u2019s Greenteeth is a little bit different. Sure, she still has needle-like teeth and lives underwater, but when a witch by the name of Temperance is thrown into her lake, she has a change of heart. Though they\u2019re nothing alike, Jenny and Temperance become unlikely allies as they join forces to defeat the evil that plagues their home.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica (translated by Sarah Moses)&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-none\">March 4<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-18.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of The Unworthy by Augustina Bazterrica\" title=\"The cover of The Unworthy by Augustina Bazterrica\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Simon &amp; Schuster\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Fans of religious horror (and <em>Tender Is the Flesh<\/em>) will want to put Agustina Bazterrica\u2019s new novel,<em> The Unworthy<\/em>, at the top of their TBR list ASAP.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Told by a nameless woman, sequestered in a mysterious convent known as the House of the Sacred Sisterhood as the world falls apart, <em>The Unworthy<\/em> is a mashup of dystopian climate crisis and violent extremism. When a stranger breaches the convent\u2019s walls, it throws everyone for a loop, and Bazterrica\u2019s narrator soon finds herself questioning what enlightenment really means and what it takes to get there.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">March 4<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-19.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran\" title=\"The cover of They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Bloomsbury Publishing\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">I have been a fan of Trang Thanh Tran since their debut horror novel,<em> She Is a Haunting<\/em>, and have been waiting with bated breath for their second book ever since.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><em>They Bloom at Night<\/em> tells the story of Noon, a young woman whose hometown of Mercy, Louisiana, has been overtaken by a red algae bloom after a devastating hurricane. To make matters more complicated, Noon\u2019s mother believes that their family are sea creatures. With another storm looming on the horizon and Mercy\u2019s leader breathing down Noon\u2019s neck, it\u2019s a race against time to find out if her mother is right or something more sinister is afoot.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">March 4<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-20.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar\" title=\"The cover of The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Macmillan Publishers\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Best known for her deeply romantic novel, <em>This Is How You Lose the Time War<\/em> (co-written with Max Gladstone), Amal El-Mohtar\u2019s new novella brings readers to the far-off town of Thistleford. Thistleford is the home of the strange and mysterious Hawthorne family, who spend their days harvesting willows. Sisters Esther and Ysabel are as dedicated to this task as they are to one another, but when Esther chooses love over propriety, it tests the bonds of sisterhood.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fan Service by Rosie Danan<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">March 11<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-21.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Fan Service by Rosie Danan\" title=\"The cover of Fan Service by Rosie Danan\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">If you\u2019re looking for a book to fill the <em>Teen Wolf<\/em>-shaped hole in your heart, then look no further than Rosie Danan\u2019s new romance novel, <em>Fan Service<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">In her youth, Alex Lawson ran an online forum for a show about the supernatural called <em>The Arcane Files<\/em>. She also had a big fat crush on the show\u2019s star, Devin Ashwood, before he proved himself to be a real jerk. Now, years later, Devin is beginning to show the symptoms of being a werewolf, not unlike those his character suffered from, and Ash, now a small-town vet, might be the only person who can help him.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">March 18<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-22.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones\" title=\"The cover of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Simon &amp; Schuster\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Horror legend Stephen Graham Jones is headed back in time for his highly anticipated new novel, <em>The Buffalo Hunter Hunter<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Set in the American West during 1912, <em>The Buffalo Hunter Hunter<\/em> follows the story of a Lutheran priest transcribing the life of a vampire member of the Blackfeet tribe, hell-bent on revenge after the death of 217 tribe members.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">March 18<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-23.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins\" title=\"The cover of Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Scholastic Press\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">March 2025 marks a return to Panem for Suzanne Collins, this time for another Quarter Quell and a young Haymitch Abernathy just before his name is called for the infamous Hunger Games. There\u2019s no doubt in my mind that Collins will break fans\u2019 hearts as we learn about the events that will eventually make him the man who takes Katniss under his wing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">March 25<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-24.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen\" title=\"The cover of Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Simon &amp; Schuster\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><em>Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert<\/em> is, hands down, one of my most anticipated books of 2025 for a couple of reasons.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">The first, of course, is that it is written by Bob the Drag Queen, winner of <em>RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em> and creator of <em>We\u2019re Here<\/em>, which is nothing short of spectacular. The second reason is that <em>Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert<\/em> reimagines the American hero as a wannabe Broadway star determined to make a different name for herself while still honoring her history with the help of a hip-hop producer she meets along the way. It\u2019s a wild and utterly original concept for a book that will, no doubt, be a chart topper in and of itself.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">April 1<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-25.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou\" title=\"The cover of Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Tin House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><em>Sour Cherry<\/em> by Natalia Theodoridou is a fairy tale within a fairy tale, at once a retelling of Bluebeard and something wholly original and really gorgeous about everything from toxic masculinity to a mother\u2019s love. Theodoridou gives a voice to the victims in her novel that is as tragic as it is poignant.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gifted &amp; Talented by Olivie Blake&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">April 1<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-26.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Gifted and Talented by Olivie Blake\" title=\"The cover of Gifted and Talented by Olivie Blake\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Macmillan Publishers\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">If you watched <em>Succession<\/em> and found yourself wishing there was a little more magic involved, <em>Gifted &amp; Talented<\/em> might be just the book for you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Thayer Wren, CEO of Wrenfare Magitech, is dead. It\u2019s common knowledge that any one of his brilliant, telepathically and electrokinetically skilled children could be the one to inherit the family business. The only question is who it might be, and what exactly they\u2019re willing to do in order to inherit&nbsp;the mantle.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">April 8<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-27.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes\" title=\"The cover of Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Macmillan Publishers\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">I\u2019ve been a fan of S.A. Barnes since her first space horror novel and personally cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of <em>Cold Eternity<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">On the run from a political scandal, a woman by the name of Halley finds a brief bit of respite on a space barge hosting the cryogenically frozen bodies of earth\u2019s most elite citizens. The ship has long been out of use and while Halley knows, logically, that she\u2019s the only conscious human being on board, that doesn\u2019t change the fact that she\u2019s starting to see figures in the hallways.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sky Daddy by Kate Folk&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">April 8<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-28.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Sky Daddy by Kate Folk\" title=\"The cover of Sky Daddy by Kate Folk\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\"><em>Sky Daddy <\/em>is far and away one of the most audacious and surprisingly feel-good books that 2025 has to offer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Linda has a secret. She is sexually attracted to airplanes (yes, really) and indulges herself by taking a round trip flight from SFO to a random regional hub. In fact, she believes that it\u2019s her destiny to marry one of her Boeing suitors by dying in a plane crash. But a chance lunch date with a work friend changes all that as Linda\u2019s carefully balanced life, and secret desires, begin to spiral out of control.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">April 29<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-29.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker\" title=\"The cover of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: HarperCollins Publishers\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Hold on to your hat. <em>Bat Eater<\/em> is a wild ride from start to finish, an intense examination of the racism toward Chinese people (especially in the wake of COVID-19), and, quite possibly, one of the best horror novels of early 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">As a crime scene cleaner in New York City\u2019s Chinatown during COVID, it\u2019s safe to say that Cora Zeng does not have an easy job. That said, the grisly remains that she deals with are nothing compared to the memory of watching her sister be pushed in front of a train. While the murderer was never caught, what he shouted as he fled the scene has stuck with Cora ever since: Bat Eater. While she struggles to differentiate between what\u2019s real and what\u2019s in her head, Cora can\u2019t shake the feeling that there must be some sort of connection between the bat carcasses she keeps finding at crime scenes, the fact that all of her recent jobs have involved the bodies of East Asian women, and her sister\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">April 29<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\" alt=\"The cover of When the Tides Held the Moon by Vida Kelley\" title=\"The cover of When the Tides Held the Moon by Vida Kelley\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Kensington Books Publishing\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Part historical fiction, part epic queer romance, part fairy tale, and part illustrated novel, <em>When the Tides Held the Moon<\/em> is quite unlike anything else on this list.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Set at the turn of the 20th century in New York City, <em>When the Tides Held the Moon<\/em> tells the story of Benigno \u201cBenny\u201d Caldera, an orphan known for the ironwork tank he made for Coney Island. The last thing Benny expected was for his tank to be used for a living, breathing merman or to find himself falling in love with him.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Traitor of Sherwood Forest By Amy S. Kaufman<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">April 29<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-30.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of The Traitor of Sherwood Forest by Amy S. Kaufman\" title=\"The cover of The Traitor of Sherwood Forest by Amy S. Kaufman\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">I am a big sucker for a reimagining of Robin Hood and, as such, am incredibly excited to get my hands on a copy of <em>The Traitor of Sherwood Forest<\/em> by Amy S. Kaufman.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">This reimagining in particular is told through the eyes of Jane Crowe, a peasant girl turned spy for the infamous thief himself. The more time Jane spends with the charismatic rebel, the more she feels herself drawn to him, but when his uprising grows increasingly chaotic and violent, Jane begins to wonder if the Lord of the Greenwood is all he\u2019s cracked up to be.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Polybius by Collin Armstrong&nbsp;<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">April 29<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-31.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Polybius by Collin Armstrong\" title=\"The cover of Polybius by Collin Armstrong\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Simon &amp; Schuster\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Based on a popular urban legend born from the idea of the American government using video games for psychological warfare, Collin Armstrong\u2019s new novel is a wild ride from beginning to end.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">The year is 1982 and Andi and her mother have just moved to the picturesque, boring town of Tasker Bay. When <em>Polybius<\/em>, a hot new video game, shows up at the local arcade, Andi and her new (and only) friend, Ro, decide to go check it out. But when people who have played the game start to become paranoid and uncontrollably violent, Andi can\u2019t shake the feeling that there might be a connection between this mystery virus and the new video game.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bochica by Carolina Fl\u00f3rez-Cerchiaro&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">May 13<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-32.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Bochica by Carolina Florez-Cerchiaro\" title=\"The cover of Bochica by Carolina Florez-Cerchiaro\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Simon &amp; Schuster\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Who doesn\u2019t love a book about a haunted house?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">In <em>Bochica<\/em>, a young woman by the name of Antonia and her family move into La Casona, a deeply haunted estate located in Soacha, Colombia. It\u2019s so haunted, in fact, it\u2019s causing Antonia\u2019s entire family to suffer from horrendous nightmares. Three years after a fatal accident took her mother\u2019s life and her father attempted to burn the house down in a fit of grief, Antonia returns to her childhood home, now a hotel, to look for answers about what really happened that fateful night.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">May 13<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-33.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove\" title=\"The cover of Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Bindery Books\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Somewhere between pulp horror and classic sci-fi you\u2019ll find Barbara Truelove\u2019s upcoming, totally punk-rock queer space odyssey,<em> Of Monsters and Mainframes<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Demeter is a spaceship struggling to transport her human cargo from Earth to Alpha Centauri. They keep inconveniently dying and, in order to keep from being decommissioned, Demeter needs that to stop. Demeter believes that these aren\u2019t just your run-of-the-mill human deaths, though. These are supernatural occurrences and, in order to put them to an end, she\u2019ll have to team up with a vampire, a werewolf, and an undead engineer to close the case as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Anji Kills a King (The Rising Tide #1) by Evan Leikam<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">May 13<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-34.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of the book Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam \" title=\"The cover of the book Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam \" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Tor Books\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">For those who also loved <em>The Blacktongue Thief<\/em> and<em> The Daughters\u2019 War<\/em> and have been looking to scratch that itch ever since, <em>Anji Kills a King<\/em> by Evan Leikam promises to do just that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">It\u2019s no spoiler to say that <em>Anji Kills a King<\/em> begins with Anji killing a king. Now, with her life in shambles, a bounty on her head, and some of the kingdom\u2019s most skilled mercenaries hot on her heels, Anji has to keep moving to stay alive. But when the Hawk, a veteran swordswoman, finally catches up, an unlikely alliance forms between the two women.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Country Under Heaven by Frederic S. Durbin<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">May 13<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-35.jpg\" alt=\"The Country Under Heaven by Frederic S. Durbin\" title=\"The Country Under Heaven by Frederic S. Durbin\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">What would happen if you dropped Arthur Morgan in the middle of an H.P. Lovecraft story? The answer might just be Frederic S. Durbin\u2019s fantasy Western novel, <em>The Country Under Heaven<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Ovid Vesper, a union soldier who has been plagued by enigmatic visions after surviving the Battle of Antietam, has set across the American West to look for answers. Why him? What do the visions mean? The closer he gets to answering these questions, the stranger the world around him seems to become.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Metallic Realms by Lincoln Michel<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">May 13<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-36.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Metallic Realms by Lincoln Michel \" title=\"The cover of Metallic Realms by Lincoln Michel \" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Simon &amp; Schuster\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">I am a big ol\u2019 fan of Lincoln Michel. So much so, in fact, that I think he\u2019s one of the sharpest and cleverest minds when it comes to modern sci-fi, and his latest work, <em>Metallic Realms<\/em>, is further proof of that fact. It\u2019s also a wonderful ode to being a nerd.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">The lead character in <em>Metallic Realms<\/em>, Michael Lincoln, is, in fact, just that: a big nerd. And while he didn\u2019t grow up to be like the sci-fi heroes of his youth, he is taking it upon himself to do something heroic. He is determined to preserve The Star Rot Chronicles, a series written by his best friend, Taras K. Castle, and their writing group, Orb 4, and it just so happens to include the greatest multiverse ever created.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">This Princess Kills Monsters: The Misadventures of a Fairy-Tale Stepsister by Ry Herman&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">June 17<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-37.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of This Princess Kills Monsters by Ry Herman\" title=\"The cover of This Princess Kills Monsters by Ry Herman\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">In <em>This Princess Kills Monsters<\/em>, it\u2019s clear that someone wants Princess Melilot dead. Worse still is the fact that her stepmother won\u2019t stop sending her on dangerous quests that always seem to end with her being rescued by her stepsisters, and the fact that she\u2019s being forced to marry a king she\u2019s never met. When one quest in particular ends with her being rescued by a group of masked huntsmen rather than her sisters, Melilot comes to the conclusion that she might be the only one with the skills needed to stop what\u2019s happening to her.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon and Critical Role<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">July 1<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-38.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Critical Role: Tusk Love by Thea Guazon\" title=\"The cover of Critical Role: Tusk Love by Thea Guazon\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">The cast of Critical Role has said it time and time again: The world could use more smutty fantasy novels in it. And they\u2019re taking it upon themselves to give us exactly that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Written by Thea Guanzon, author of <em>The Hurricane Wars<\/em>, <em>Tusk Love<\/em> tells the story of Guinevere, a merchant\u2019s daughter who longs for adventure, and Oskar, the half-orc bandit who she meets during an attack on the caravan she\u2019s traveling with. Fans of Critical Role, and Jester and Fjord in particular, will be familiar with the layers to this romantic story, but it\u2019s a delightful (and spicy) tale for those who are just getting their foot in the D&amp;D door as well.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">July 15<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-39.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford\" title=\"The cover of One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Simon &amp; Schuster\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">If you\u2019re in the mood to read a literary zombie novel (with an excellent cover), look no further than Leigh Radford\u2019s new book, <em>One Yellow Eye<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Kesta\u2019s husband is dead. Well, undead, technically, and tied up in her bedroom, as he was one of the last to be bitten during a zombie pandemic. A scientist by day, Kesta is determined to find a cure for the disease that is ravaging her husband\u2019s body before she\u2019s found out, or worse, another outbreak occurs.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-none\">Aug. 5<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-40.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis\" title=\"The cover of The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Macmillan Publishers\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Following in <em>Nightbitch<\/em>\u2019s footsteps and continuing the tradition of novels in which a woman or, in this case, women might be turning into a dog, is <em>The Hounding<\/em> by Xenobe Purvis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">The villagers living in the town of Little Nettlebed have never much liked the Mansfield girls. And while the belief in witchcraft was waning in England during the 18th century, they can\u2019t help but feel that there\u2019s something not quite right about them. When the villagers begin to hear barking, and one sees one of the girls turn into a dog before their very eyes, it becomes clear to them that something entirely supernatural is afoot.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Love at First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-none\">Aug. 12<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-41.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of Love at First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe\" title=\"The cover of Love at First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">I was a huge fan of Mallory Marlowe\u2019s first romance novel, <em>Love and Other Conspiracies<\/em>, and <em>Love at First Sighting<\/em> sounds like it\u2019ll be every bit as delightful.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">Social media influencer El Martin wants to believe. In love, that is. The last thing she expects is for her heart to be all aflutter over footage of a mysterious flying aircraft, let alone Agent Carter Brody, the Private Intelligence Sector officer assigned to her. Carter himself is thrown by El\u2019s confidence, and the veracity of her footage, and soon enough the two are on the hunt to find out whether little green men are real or not.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Possession of Alba D\u00edaz by Isabel Ca\u00f1as&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-none\">Aug. 19<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list-42.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of the book The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Canas\" title=\"The cover of the book The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Canas\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" data-caption=\"\" data-portal-copyright=\"Image: Penguin Random House\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">I would be lying if I said that I haven\u2019t been feverishly counting down the days until Isabel Ca\u00f1as\u2019 next book hits shelves.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-none\">In her new novel, a plague is ravaging the town of Zacatecas. In order to save themselves, Alba and her husband, Carlos, take shelter in an abandoned mine. But, as time passes, Alba begins to experience strange hallucinations, and the encroaching feeling that she is not alone. Enter Elias, who can\u2019t help but notice the chemistry between himself and Alba whenever she enters the room. The problem, of course, is that Alba is married to his cousin and, very possibly, being possessed by a demon.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/lists\/498449\/new-books-science-fiction-fantasy-2025\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s that time of the year again! As we finally put 2024 to bed, it\u2019s time to start looking forward to what the 2025 publishing season holds in store for our TBR piles. The answer, at a glance, is \u201ca lot.\u201d Seriously, the time to reinforce all of your bookshelves so that they do not collapse in on themselves is now, my friends. 2025 marks a hotly anticipated, and no doubt emotionally devastating, return to Panem that will reflect the state of the world in the way Suzanne Collins does best; a new vampire novel from modern master of the horror genre Stephen Graham Jones; and a little spicy romantasy from the minds of Critical Role with a little help from Thea Guanzon. Needless to&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"excerpt-more\"><a class=\"blog-excerpt button\" href=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-44-most-exciting-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-for-your-2025-reading-list\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1082693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1082692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-polygon"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The 44 most exciting science fiction and fantasy books for your 2025 reading list | Arcader News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s that time of the year again! 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