Everybody who knows me knows that I’m a rather voracious reader. Not only do I read a lot, I read in a wide variety of genres. I’ve always been like that–fiction, nonfiction, you name it; if it sounds interesting, I’ll read it (or at least I’ll put it on my ever-growing TBR pile)!
One genre I’ve always had a special soft spot for, though, is Science Fiction & Fantasy, or SF&F, as most people abbreviate it, along with all its attendant subgenres, such as urban fantasy, post-apocalyptic sci-fi, and speculative fiction. And since I love these books so much, I thought I would share with you a list of 8 SF&F books that I’m excited to read in 2020!
In no particular order…
1. House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City Series #1) by Sarah J. Maas
I really enjoyed Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series–I’ve always liked a good political intrigue series set in a fantasy world–so I’m very much looking forward to her new Crescent City series and its first book, House of Earth and Blood, which is technically already released on March 3, 2020, but I haven’t had the opportunity to read it yet. You can check out more about the book and maybe pick up your own copy by visiting its Amazon page right here.
2. Deathless Divide (Dread Nation #2) by Justina Ireland
Justina Ireland’s first book in this series, Dread Nation, blew me away with its originality. Until I read her book, I hadn’t seen any books with the premise that this one had: being a history buff, a book about a zombie apocalypse starting on the fields of Gettysburg during the American Civil War was just too good to turn down. (It turned out to be a lot deeper than that, though, but I don’t want to spoil anything!) I was glad to see that Ireland had decided to continue the story with a sequel. This one, too, is one that’s already released, but I haven’t gotten the chance to read it yet. You can check out its book page right here on Amazon.
3. Smoke Bitten (Mercy Thompson Series #12) by Patricia Briggs
I’ve been reading the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs for quite a while now, and I’m glad to see that the series is continuing. This is classic urban fantasy at its finest. According to urban fantasy fans who have read this one already, it’s probably one of the best in the series, and I’m looking forward to finding the time to squeeze it in! You can check out the book on Amazon right here.
4. Imaginary Numbers (InCryptid Series #9) by Seanan McGuire
I’ve been a fan of McGuire’s books for many years now, ever since I stumbled across her zombie series (Feed is the first book, written as Mira Grant, and that series is still one of my all-time favorite z-poc series). One of my favorite urban fantasy series she writes is the InCryptid Series. It’s one of the most original urban fantasy series I’ve ever read, with just the right amounts of everything (except the Aeslin mice–there’s just not enough of those!) to keep me hooked in. This is her newest book in the series, and I’m really looking forward to reading it! You can grab your copy right here!
5. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
I read Moreno-Garcia’s book Certain Dark Things (which seems to have vanished from Amazon, sadly) and enjoyed it thoroughly. I have her book Gods of Jade and Shadow on my nightstand ready and waiting for me to read it. So when I saw she had another book coming out, this one a dark gothic tale, it immediately landed on my TBR list. Moreno-Garcia is an amazing writer, and she really has a way with words that brings a story to life. I highly recommend checking out Certain Dark Things if you like both urban fantasy and horror (assuming you can find a copy), and then you should pick up this book after that, because it really looks like it’s going to be good. You can preorder your copy right here on Amazon.
6. The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
I haven’t read many books by Garth Nix, which is surprising considering I’m such a fan of the genre and he’s so prolific. Back in high school, I read Shade’s Children, and it left me with a distinctly unsettled feeling in my stomach; that feeling didn’t go away when I re-read it as an adult. But the concept of this book–magical fighting booksellers? What?!–is just too good to pass up! You can preorder your copy in preparation for its September release here on Amazon!
7. A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen
I read Mike Chen’s book Here and Now and Then last year and I was totally captivated. If you like a really good time travel science fiction thriller, that’s definitely one to read. The concept for A Beginning at the End sounds just as good as Chen’s first book–an apocalyptic thriller where people are struggling to recover from a pandemic (strangely apropos for our current lives…)–so I’m definitely going to grab this up to read the first chance I get and you should too!
8. Battle Ground (Dresden Files Series #17) by Jim Butcher
I think I discovered Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series (which is apparently being turned into a TV show, or so I hear?) back in about 2009 or 2010, when I found ebooks and started reading again after a long absence from doing so. I played catch up, and I’m still lagging a few books behind, but I’m very excited to read this one when I get to it! Hopefully, it will be released by then so I won’t have to wait! You can preorder a copy of this book right here on Amazon.
What SF&F books are you looking forward to reading this year? Not familiar with the genre and not sure where to start? One good option is my urban fantasy series The Unnaturals! You can check out the first book in the series, The Unnaturals, for $3.99 on Amazon or read it for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription!