42 New Sci-Fi, Horror, and Fantasy Books to Add to Your Bookshelf in January

Happy new yearand happy new books! If “read more” is a goal you have in mind for 2025, we salute you! And we have 42 suggestions of where to start turning the pages, with sci-fi, horror and fantasy tales galore.

January 7

Drifting in Clean and Clear Currents by Seanan McGuire

The latest in the author’s Hugo and Nebula-winning Wayward Children series features “giant turtles, impossible ships and tidal rivers ridden by a drowned girl in search of a family.” (January 7)

The capital of dreams by Heather O’Neill

“A dark dystopian fairy tale about an idyllic country ravaged by war – and a girl torn between safety and loyalty. (January 7)

Cold Storage by Michael C. Grumley

In this near-future stand-alone thriller, an army veteran escapes from the shadowy group that brought him back from the dead. (January 7)

A conventional child by Charles Stross

“In this new Laundry Files adventure, the fate of the world will literally depend on the roll of the dice…twenty-sided dice, that is. (January 7)

The Storm Dryad by Laurie Forest

“Magical forces collide and Erthia finds herself on the brink of ruin in the unmissable finale to Laurie Forest’s epic fantasy series, Black Witch Chronicles. (January 7)

Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan

“A young ruler must forge a delicate alliance with the unreliable but magnetic war god to protect his kingdom in this fantastical romantic fantasy filled with dangerous secrets, forbidden magic, and passion. (January 7)

Mother of Rome by Lauren JA Bear

“A powerful and fierce reimagining of the first Roman legend: the twins, Romulus and Remus, mythical founders of the greatest empire in history, and the woman whose sacrifice made it all possible. (January 7)

A Sea of ​​Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young

“A woman investigates the mysterious death of her twin brother while facing the ghosts of her haunted past. (January 7)

Starlight’s heir by Amalie Howard (January 7)

In this romance, a blacksmith accepts an invitation to court mainly because he longs for adventure. She instead finds trouble in the form of the crown prince’s seductive brother, and things get even worse when her forbidden powers begin to awaken, attracting the interest of a dark god.

Wake up and open your eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman

In this social horror story, a the man and his grandson race to escape “an epidemic of demonic possession” that affects those who consume too much toxic media. (January 7)

January 14

Aurora Fragment by Brian Shea and Raquel Byrnes

The Memory Bank techno-thriller series continues; in this entry, “Plagued by intrusive memories of a dead murderer, detective Morgan Reed is drawn to a remote, troubled Alaskan town. (January 14)

Babylon by Costanza Casati

This story offers a blend of “myth and ancient history to give Semiramis, the only female ruler of the Assyrian Empire, a voice, tracing her captivating ascent to a throne no one promised her.” (January 14)

Daughter of Chaos by AS Webb

The Dark Pantheon Trilogy begins in this story set in ancient Greece, where a fisherman’s daughter realizes she has magical powers – and could be the key to freeing humanity from the tyrannical gods. (January 14)

Death of the author by Nnedi Okorafor

In this new story described as “a book within a book” by the author of Who fears death“a disabled Nigerian-American woman writes a highly successful science fiction novel, but as her fame grows, she loses control of the narrative – a surprisingly sharp yet heartfelt drama about art and love, identity and the connection, and, finally, what makes us. human”. (January 14)

Hammajang Fortuna by Makana Yamamoto

“Ocean’s 8 meets Blade Runner in this science fiction novel and a cheeky love letter to Hawai’i to be forced to find a new home and strive to build a better one.” (January 14)

Celestial bodies by Imani Erriu

A new romantic series begins with this story that “mixes mythology and shadow magic with a tantalizing romance of enemies to lovers that will rewrite the stars. (January 14)

The last room on the left by Leah Konen

“The caretaker of an isolated mountain hotel finds himself fighting for his life – and sanity – in this twisting and addictive thriller. (January 14)

The night is challenging by Chloe C. Peñaranda

The second entry in the author’s Nytefall trilogy is set “where history is doomed to repeat itself, and star-crossed lovers must face a choice between their hearts or the world.” (January 14)

Strange pictures by Uketsu, translated by Jim Rion

This Japanese bestseller offers “a strangely fresh version of mystery-horror in which a series of seemingly innocent photographs drags you into a disturbing web of unsolved mysteries and shattered psyches. (January 14)

Vow of the Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes

This romantic story, the next installment in the Bride of the Shadow King series, picks up with Princess Faraine. She is trapped in the Shadow Realm with King Vor, her new husband, who is reluctant to trust her despite the spark between them. (January 14)

Water moon by Samantha Sotto

“A woman inherits a pawn shop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical quest when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop, in this dreamlike fantasy novel. (January 14)

Water black by Alex Pheby

The Cities of the Weft trilogy concludes when Nathan Treeves steps into his role as Master of Waterblack, the City of the Dead and the God-Killer who has it in his sights. (January 14)

We live on the horizon by Erika Swyler

This story follows”a bio-prosthetic surgeon and his personal AI as they are drawn into a revolution.” (January 14)

Witchcraft for capricious girls by Grady Hendrix

In 1970 Florida, an occult book about witchcraft brings a strange and dangerous new power to the women waiting their time in a home for unmarried pregnant teenagers. (January 14)

January 21

Boudicca by PC Cast

“An epic, lusty, magic-filled love story about the British warrior queen Boudicca. (January 21)

The legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao

This “fantasy inspired by one of the most famous novels in Hindu mythology” follows “the story of a celestial dancer tasked with seducing a human sage, but when she finds herself falling for his mark, she will be forced to choose between loyalty and being faithful to herself.” (January 21)

Theater by Linda H. Codega

“In this strange fantasy set in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, the last witch of the Ridge must choose sides in a clash between industry and nature. Read a Q&A with the author, an io9 alumni, here. (January 21)

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

The Empyrean series continues as Violet leaves the Basgiath War College and goes into battle – searching for allies and desperate to protect her dragons and the people she loves. (January 21)

The Precipitation Market by You Yeong-Gwang, translated by Slin Juno

“On the outskirts of Rainbow Town, there is an old abandoned house. They say if you send a letter detailing your woes there, you might get a ticket. If you bring this ticket home on the first day of the rainy season, you will be allowed entry to the mysterious Rain Market, where you can choose to change your life completely. A woman who is shocked to receive such a ticket must understand what to do next. (January 21)

Strange stones by Edward Lee and Mary SanGiovanni

“This story follows an insufferable horror-con lurker as he rejects the wrong woman and is cursed to a monstrous dimension full of Lovecraftian creations.” (January 21)

The wind on his tongue by Anita Kopacz

This follow to Shallow waters continues the trilogy Daughter of three waters, as “Oya – the Yoruba weather deity – is brought to life during 1870’s America.” (January 21)

January 25

Those Fatal Flowers by Shannon Ives

“Greco-Roman mythology and the mystery of the lost Roanoke colony collide in this epic adventure filled with sapphic longing and female rage. (January 25)

January 28

At the bottom of the garden by Camilla Bruce

“A killer becomes the guardian of two very unusual girls in this fascinating gothic novel. (January 28)

At the Fountain of Creation by Tobi Ogundirian

“The fate of the Orisha will be decided in the final volume of the Guardians of the Gods duology.” (January 28)

Gate to Kagoshima by Poppy Kuroki

In this romantic story, “a young Scottish woman is magically transported to the last era of Samurai, where she encounters ghosts from the past, her own Japanese ancestry, and a love that transcends time. (January 28)

Old soul by Susan Barker

“Part horror, part western, part thriller, Old soul is a fearless and genre-defying story about predation, morality and free will, and one man’s quest to bring a centuries-long chain of human devastation to an end.” (January 28)

Our winter monster by Dennis Mahoney

“A terrifying holiday horror about a hapless couple who run away from their problems and straight into the mouth of a terrifying beast. (January 28)

The Outcast Wizard by Annabel Campbell

“A magician deprived of his powers must know if he is destined to save the world or destroy it. (January 28)

The Scorpion Queen by Mira Frears

“Uprooted meets Children of Blood and Bone in this dark fantasy inspired by a Malian fairy tale about a princess whose suitors are challenged to gruesome trials. (January 28)

The shadow of the Eternal Watcher by Josh Mendoza

An unfortunate private eye who is often visited by demons discovers that he has another power that he never realized: the ability to bend space-time, a gift that can allow him to get the life he always dreamed of. (January 28)

Sinkhole, and other unexplained voids: Stories by Leyna Crow

“Set in the Pacific Northwest, these stories mix high-concept magic with the sometimes subtle, sometimes stark reality of climate change. (January 28)

The teeth of dawn by Marina Lostetter

The fantasy series Five Penalties concludes as “a rebellion fighting to tear off the mask of illusions and spells of a society wrapped in layers of mystery”. (January 28)

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