We're highlighting the newest and most critically acclaimed books within the dystopian, fantasy and science fiction genres. This year’s best of selection includes an eerily familiar New York City, an ocean of spirits, magical libraries and schools, dragons, political intrigue, a war with Mars, undiscovered life forms, and gamma radiation. Discover prequels and sequels and debut authors.
Read on to find your next dystopian, sci-fi, or fantasy read!
Dystopian
"Famous Men Who Never Lived" by K. Chess
As a survivor of nuclear war in the not-too-distant future, Hel finds herself living as a refugee in a New York City that is both reassuringly familiar and terribly wrong.
"The Women's War" by Jenna Glass
A feminist epic, this compulsive read centers on a revolutionary spell that allows women to control their own fertility. Their patriarchal society is rocked to its core.
"A Song for a New Day" by Sarah Pinsker
Luce Cannon is a passionate musician, and her world is divided into the before and the after. In the After, terror attacks and deadly viruses reign and her connection to the world is closed forever.
Fantasy
"The Winter of the Witch" by Katherine Arden
In the third installation and conclusion of the Winternight Trilogy, Vasya faces an uncertain future as she tries to save Moscow from total disaster.
"The Deepest Blue: Tales of Renthia" by Sarah Beth Durst
Surrounded by an ocean filled with malicious spirits, life is fragile and precious on the islands of Belene. In order to survive, Mayara learns to trust her magical instincts.
"Magic for Liars" by Sarah Gailey
When there's a murder at the San Francisco Osthorne Academy for Young Mages, private investigator Ivy calls on her estranged, magically gifted twin sister.
"The Library of the Unwritten" by A.J. Hackwith
Unfinished books reside in Hell in the Library of the Unwritten. The Librarian's task is to trap any restless characters who try to escape.
"The Raven Tower" by Ann Leckie
Gods meddle in the fates of men and men play with the fates of the Gods in this wonderfully strange powerhouse epic.
"The Ruin of Kings" by Jenn Lyons
Destined to destroy the world, Kihrin is claimed against his will as the son of a treasonous prince.
"Gideon the Ninth" by Tamsyn Muir
Raised in a hostile undead world where she would escape servitude and a zombie afterlife, a wizard becomes a bodyguard to an emperor to secure her freedom in a solar system of swordplay and cutthroat politics.
"The Gutter Prayer" by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
Three young thieves defend the city of Guerdon, the last refuge from a centuries-old magical war.
"The Priory of the Orange Tree" by Samantha Shannon
The author breathes new life into the genre with a cadre of richly-imagined, powerful women in this compelling high fantasy novel filled with dragons, dueling religions, political intrigue and dark magic.
Science Fiction
"Earth" by Ben Bova
A wave of lethal gamma radiation is expanding from the core of the Milky Way galaxy at the speed of light, killing everything in its path. The countdown to when the death wave will reach Earth and the rest of the solar system is at two thousand years.
"To Be Taught, If Fortunate" by Becky Chambers
This novel about an interplanetary mission to explore habitable environments in outer space asks big questions and gives human answers.
"The Hive" by Orson Scott Card
A second prequel to Ender's Game continues the sci-fi history of the Formic Wars and finds the warring nations and corporations of Earth struggling to set aside their differences to defend against an imminent alien invasion.
"The Light Brigade" by Kameron Hurley
A gritty time-bending perspective on the future of war, The Light Brigade are the soldiers in the war against Mars.
"A Memory Called Empire" by Arkady Martine
Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died.
"Middlegame" by Seanan McGuire
Roger and Dodger are genetically manufactured twins, one skilled in languages and the other in math. Their psychotic creator, Reed, plans to unlock their godlike powers.
"The Lesson" by Cadwell Turnbull
One of the first sci-fi novels set in the U.S. Virgin Islands, The Lesson explores colonization as a race of super advanced aliens conquer a community of laid-back islanders.
"Chilling Effect" by Valerie Valdes
A light-hearted space opera, "Chilling Effect" follows starship captain Eva Innocente and her crew as they encounter strange life forms, exciting twists and a galaxy full of adventure.
"The Andromeda Evolution" by Daniel Wilson
A sequel to the Andromeda Strain, the deadly extraterrestrial microparticle has been detected in Brazil.
Interested in finding more titles?
Find fantasy and science fiction on the back wall of the Fiction Annex, organized by author surname. Or ask a librarian for recommendations!