I hate to break it to you, but it’s August guys. I know, I’m not sure how it happened either. Here we are in the armpit of summer yearning towards fall and dreaming of that first sip of Pumpkin Spice Latte, soft infinity scarves, and crisp autumn breezes. You might be eyeing your calendar, but September 29th is still a ways off and you can’t curl up with Jojo Moyes’ latest edition of “How Many Ways Can I Make You Die Inside” quite yet. (Otherwise entitled: After You).
What do you do until then? Well, here are some of my favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy series that I have been loving lately to tide you over.
1. Red Rising
By Pierce Brown
This is hands down one of my favorite books that I have read in the last five years. And the second one, Golden Son, is JUST AS GOOD. From the very first pages of Red Rising I was breathless. The setting is epic, the scope colossal, the pacing super-sonic. Pierce Brown is the king of the plot-twist. All Bow Down.
Darrow, the protagonist, is a helldiver living beneath the surface of Mars, a space pioneer mining helium-3 to make the planet habitable for humans. He is a Red, the lowest caste of the society’s strict class hierarchy. When tragedy strikes and Darrow is given the chance to help his people he takes it, at great cost to himself. The adventure that follows is phenomenal. You won’t be able to put this book down. Each chapter twists and turns and ends with a cliffhanger. The characters are vicious, ruthless, and deeply flawed, but you love them anyway. Best of all it’s like Harry Potter meets the Hunger Games—ON MARS!
Also—when you’ve finished, while we’re waiting for the last book, won’t someone write me some Darrow/Cassius slash fic please? Pretty please? I ships it, I ships it hard.
2. The Bone Season
By Samantha Shannon
The heavy-handed info dump at the beginning of this novel might deter you. I know it did
me, but I can promise you that if you keep going you will become totally immersed in this alternate history London that Shannon has created. Wee-woo, wee-woo calling all anglophiles!
The protagonist, Paige, is a clairvoyant living in 2059. Her powers are seen as dangerous to the totalitarian regime in control, Scion, and she must keep them hidden at all costs. She works for a syndicate of other clairvoyants in the London underworld, trying to keep out of the hands of Scion. When Paige is captured she is taken to a prison for other psychics, ruled over by a separate race of creatures, the Rephaim. Paige is given to one of them, Arcturus, who will use her as he sees fit. Is he one of the evil Rephaim or one of the few good ones? I won’t spoil it for you, but one thing is certain- he’s hot as fuck. Paige is soon caught up in a web of intrigue that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Bonus? This is going to be a seven book series, the second of which is The Mime Order, out in paperback now, and it’s also awesome.
3. A Darker Shade of Magic
By: V.E. Schwab
Oh did you want another fantasy series set in yet ANOTHER alternate-history London? You did? Well, then let me introduce you to V.E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic.
*Snaps Fingers* Hello. Hello! Do I have your attention? You can come back and look at David later I promise.
ADSoM has alternate universes, it features a thief who is also a wanna-be pirate, it has effortless world-building, and magic that has a mind of it’s own, not to mention high-fashion extraordinary coats. Kell, the protagonist, is a magician, one of two who has the ability to travel between universes. Each version of London, (Red, White, Gray, and Black) has been differently affected by magic, ranging from being completely devoid of any to being completely devoured by it. Kell’s job is to ferry messages back and forth between the monarchs who rule over each London. He might smuggle magical items between realms on the side. The night he meets Delilah Bard, this side business gets Kell into big trouble that has implications for every universe.
You’re going to love Kell and Rhys and Lila especially. It’s got action, adventure, and I ate it up in one sitting.
4. The Winner’s Curse
By: Marie Rutkoski
Did I hear you say that you were looking for your next YA book boyfriend?
Say hello to The Winner’s Curse. Not since Laini’s Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series have
I enjoyed a YA series so much. Kestral is the main character and she’s the daughter of an important General who is also a piano playing, military strategizing prodigy. Against her better judgment Kestral purchases a slave in the opening chapter. The slave’s name? Arin.
Enter your next book boyfriend.
The Winner’s Curse is beautifully written, masterfully plotted, and will kick you in the gut. Repeatedly. The sequel, The Winner’s Crime, will only do more of the same. But at the end of it all you will be begging Marie Rutkoski for more. (The third installment, The Winner’s Kiss, comes out next year) The world-building is tight, the emotion is high, and Arin, oh sweet goodness, Arin will steal your heart and make you wish you could have the NSFW version.
