12 new science fiction and fantasy books to check out this July

My colleague Chaim Gartenberg recently reviewed Sarah Gailey’s debut novel Magic for Liars, prompting me to bump it further up my to-read list. I’m already a sucker for books about magical schools, and it’s a spectacular read, following a tough-as-nails PI who is hired to investigate a brutal murder at The Osthorne Academy of Young Mages, where her estranged, magical twin sister works.

What impressed me most was how Gailey plays with all of the conventions of a magical academy story while demonstrating that teenagers — magical or not — will be teenagers, and that the problems that they face and create are deeply rooted in some very human tendencies. It’s a stellar mystery, and it makes a perfect read for a summer afternoon.

Here are 12 new science fiction and fantasy novels to check out that are coming out in the first half of July. Check back later this month for the next batch.

Aftershocks by Marko Kloos

Marko Kloos is best known for his military science fiction series Frontlines, but it seems he’s taking a short break. His next book is Aftershocks, the first installment of a new series called The Palladium Wars. Following a massive interplanetary war in a distant solar system, a veteran of the side that lost the war works to come to terms with what comes next. Earlier this year, Kloos told The Verge that the story emerged as he developed his solar system, using his knowledge of Germany’s history during the 20th Century.

Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke

Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 film Pan’s Labyrinth is a cinematic masterpiece, and possibly one of the best fantasy films ever produced. Now, years after the film came out, del Toro is collaborating with fantasy author Cornelia Funke to write a novelization of the film, along with some extras. When the book was announced earlier this year, IndieWire noted that it’s a “transformation” of the movie, and will include some artwork and short stories that build on the world.

Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review, saying that the “brief, interspersed tales that stitch together several characters’ backstories deepen and add greater complexity to the plot while also shrinking the original story’s ambiguous gap between fantasy and reality.”

Dragonslayer by Duncan M. Hamilton

In the first of a new series by Duncan M. Hamilton, a kingdom believes that it has killed off all of the dragons that threatened its population. It’s a triumphant moment, but it leaves dragonslayers like Lord Guillot, the last survivor of an elite unit known as the Silver Circle, aimless and without purpose. During the last five years, he’s lost his wife and descended into alcoholism, but when a dragon reappears, he’s brought back to kill it, not knowing that he’s playing a part in a much larger conflict.

Read an excerpt.

Growing Things and Other Stories by Paul Tremblay

With books like A Head Full of Ghosts, Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, and last year’s The Cabin at the End of the World, Paul Tremblay has established himself as a master of horror fiction. His latest book is a collection of his short fiction, Growing Things and Other Stories, featuring stories about disturbing online videos, robberies gone awry, drug-induced hallucinations (or not) of monsters, as well as some stories that bring back characters from A Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance at Devil’s Rock.

Read an excerpt.

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

In a novel that’s drawn comparisons to Stephen King’s The Stand, Chuck Wendig’s latest tome explores a near future when a strange illness grips the country after a comet passes by. The story follows a large cast of characters as people across America begin to sleepwalk across the country. Shana discovers that her sister is afflicted, and follows her to protect her from religious zealots as she begins walking... somewhere. Meanwhile, Benji Ray, a former epidemiologist, is selected by a super computer to help stop the epidemic. The book has earned considerable acclaim already, with starred reviews in Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly. QC Entertainment has also optioned the rights to produce a television series.

Read an excerpt.

The Big Book of Classic Fantasy by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer

A couple of years ago, Ann and Jeff VanderMeer released a massive anthology called The Big Book of Science Fiction, which collected stories representing the breadth of the history of science fiction, including authors like H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Liu Cixin. Now the pair are back with a new anthology that looks at the history of fantasy fiction, including 90 stories from authors like Hans Christian Andersen, J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and numerous others from around the world. Kirkus Reviews says that this “dense and exhaustive collection would serve as an admirable survey course for the genre.”

Read an excerpt.

XYZT by Kristen Alvanson

In a nearish future, volunteers are flown between America and Iran as part of a technological test program. They’re given the opportunity to live as their host for a brief time, as a way to build dialogue between the two countries. But the program has some unexpected problems as reality begins to shift in strange ways.

Dark Age by Pierce Brown

The fifth installment of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series is Dark Age, set after a revolutionary named Darrow led a rebellion against a corrupt Society, which split its citizens into color-coded castes. Darrow has been banished from the Republic he founded, and ends up fighting a war on Mercury to try to resuscitate his reputation. Meanwhile, the head of the Republic, Mustang, tries to keep her government held together, while the Society’s heir-in-exile Lysander au Lune works to reunite the fractured Gold families.

Null Set by S.L. Huang

S.L. Huang released her debut novel Zero Sum Game last year. It is about Cas Russell, a mercenary who has the uncanny ability to use math to take down other fighters and dodge bullets. In the last book, she discovered someone else with abilities: a person who can twist minds. In this latest outing, she’s been recovering from that fight and coping with a slew of false memories, all while violence breaks out across the world. As she’s hunting for a crime lord, she begins to remember parts of her past, which might hold the key to where she got her powers in the first place. Publishers Weekly says that “readers who appreciate suspenseful science fiction will enjoy this vigorous novel.”

David Mogo, Godhunter by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

Ancient gods known as Orishas have fallen to Earth, and a demigod and godhunter named David Mogo embarks on a mission to capture two of the gods and deliver them to Lukmon Ajala, a wizard gangster. Publishers Weekly says the “story is captivating, and readers who enjoy non-Western fantasy, mythpunk, and tales of found family will find it delightful.”

The Toll by Cherie Priest

In Cherie Priest’s latest gothic horror novel, Titus and Melanie, a couple on honeymoon, head out to the Okefenokee Swamp cabins for a trip. On their way there, they cross a strange, rickety bridge. Titus awakens hours later, only to discover that Melanie is missing, and when he calls the police, he discovers that the bridge doesn’t exist. Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review: “Priest keeps the supernatural elements grounded by developing nuanced characters who feel as though they could walk off the page. Moody and mysterious, this gothic tale touches the heart even as it wraps chilly fingers around the spine.”

Salvation Day by Kali Wallace

A exploration spaceship called the House of Wisdom was abandoned a decade ago after a deadly virus killed almost everyone on board. It’s become the target of scavengers, who hatch a plot to kidnap Jaswinder Bhattacharya, the only person who survived the disaster. What they don’t realize is that there’s something waiting for them on the ship — something that the government didn’t want found.

Read an excerpt.