Last year saw some incredible releases. Hugely successful debuts like Kings of the Wyld blasted into our bookshops out of nowhere alongside much-hyped, big-name sequels such as Oathbringer. 

2018 looks to be, if possible, an even more amazing year for new releases. Our ‘Most Anticipated’ list features diverse authors, self-published titles, long-anticipated sequels from established names, and debuts from unknowns. We’re super excited to get our hands on this lot, and you surely will be, too.

Booknest, et al. ‘The Art of War (Anthology)’

Charity Anthology: All proceeds will go to MSF (Doctors Without Borders).

“War, my friend, is a thing of beauty.”

How do you get forty fantasy authors to contribute short stories for a war-themed anthology without paying them? It sounds as if there should be a good punchline to that, but all Petros Triantafyllou did was twist the moral thumbscrews and tell them all the profits would go to Doctors Without Borders, a charity that works tirelessly across the world to alleviate the effects of conflict, sickness and poverty.

So, with clear consciences, several busloads of excellent and acclaimed fantasy authors have applied themselves to the task of penning a veritable mountain of words on the subject of The Art of War, expect bloodshed, gore, pathos, insight, passion, and laughs. Maybe even a wombat. Who knows. Anyway, as the original blurb said: “It’s good. Buy it.” – Mark Lawrence

Release date: February 2018

Mihir says: “This is a charity anthology with an amazeballs cover and a ton of authors that showcase the beauty, ugliness, and the entirety of the phenomenon of war. This is an anthology that I’m very, very excited for and I believe promises a lot of surprises.”

‘Lost Lore: A Fantasy Anthology’
(Various Authors)

In Midgard, a humble priestess takes it upon herself to move Valhalla and earth to bring justice to lands unfairly ruled by men, gods, and giants.

On the Emerald Road, a dead Sage triggers a brutal trial beneath the forest floor. There, a young man must fight—and kill—both friends and enemies to become the next wielder of the fabled Emerald Blade.

And in the Yarnsworld, the Magpie King teaches two brothers a dangerous lesson about the power of stories. Sticks and stones may indeed break bones . . . but they cannot hurt the Bramble Man.

In worlds ravaged by flood, fire, and frost, mere mortals strive to make their own legends amidst demons and deities alike. And in lands racked with human strife—where evil endures and no one is ever safe—scarred heroes fight forces even darker than their own personal demons.

Why do they fight?

Some seek to better the world, or themselves. Others are out to right old wrongs. But whatever their goal – reward, redemption, or just respite – the truth will out eventually. For no story is ever truly lost so long as there exists one to tell it.

Hidden pasts. Secrets untold. Legends half-remembered. Sixteen fantasy writers gather to bring sixteen tales to life, each one a unique glimpse into a wholly original world.

Release date: January 15th, 2018

Mihir says: “The Lost Lore anthology features a who’s who of SPFBO talents and since this collection will be perma-free, I believe many readers would do great to give it a shot. I can’t wait to read all the short stories and see what gems the readers unearth.”

A.C. Cobble, ‘Burning Tower’
(Benjamin Ashwood, #5)

Book five of the Benjamin Ashwood series, Burning Tower, will be followed in December by book six, Weight of the Crown.

Release date: June 2018

Alec Hutson, ‘The Shadow King’
(The Raveling, #2)

Release date: 2018

Mihir says: “The Crimson Queen by Alec Hutson was the Fantasy Book Critic SPFBO finalist & its sequel, The Shadow King, is a book that I can’t wait to jump into. Alec Hutson’s world is an intriguing one and I want to see if he can overcome the sophomore slump.”

Anna Smith Spark, ‘The Tower of Living and Dying’
(Empires of Dust, #2)

Marith has been a sellsword, a prince, a murderer, a demon, and dead. But something keeps bringing him back to life, and now there is nothing stopping him from taking back the throne that is rightfully his.

Thalia, the former high priestess, remains Marith’s only tenuous grasp to whatever goodness he has left. His left hand and his last source of light, Thalia still believes that the power that lies within him can be used for better ends. But as more forces gather beneath Marith’s banner, she can feel her influence slipping.

Read the second book in this “gritty and glorious!” (Miles Cameron) epic fantasy series reminiscent of Joe Abercrombie and Mark Lawrence where the exiled son of a king fights to reclaim his throne no matter the cost. 

Release date: 24th July (US) 2018 (Harper Voyager/Orbit)

Anna Stephens, ‘Darksoul’
(Godblind, #2)

The thrilling sequel to GODBLIND, the biggest fantasy debut of 2017.

The Red Gods have risen.

Anna Stephens’s second novel continues the stories of Rillirin, Crys and Dom as they fight to defend the kingdom of Rilpor from the brutal Mireces.

Release date: 31st May, 2018 (Harper Voyager)

Anthony Ryan, ‘The Empire of Ashes’
(Draconis Memoria, #3)

Release date: 3rd July, 2018 (Orbit)

Mihir says: “The Empire Of Ashes is the conclusion to Anthony Ryan’s epic story of spies, superpowers and drakes. This series hasn’t caught on as much as his debut trilogy but make no mistake, this trilogy is the better plotted one with amazing world building. This volume will have it all: action, intrigue and a climax that will upend everything that has come before.”

Brian McClellan, ‘Wrath of Empire’
(Gods of Blood and Powder, #2)

The country is in turmoil. With the capital city occupied, half a million refugees are on the march, looking for safety on the frontier, accompanied by Lady Flint’s soldiers. But escaping war is never easy, and soon the battle may find them, whether they are prepared or not.

Back in the capital, Michel Bravis smuggles even more refugees out of the city. But internal forces are working against him. With enemies on all sides, Michael may be forced to find help with the very occupiers he’s trying to undermine.

Meanwhile, Ben Styke is building his own army. He and his mad lancers are gathering every able body they can find and searching for an ancient artifact that may have the power to turn the tides of war in their favor. But what they find may not be what they’re looking for.

Release date: 6th March, 2018 (Orbit)

Cameron Johnston, ‘The Traitor God‘

A city threatened by unimaginable horrors must trust their most hated outcast, or lose everything, in this crushing epic fantasy debut.

After ten years on the run, dodging daemons and debt, reviled magus Edrin Walker returns home to avenge the brutal murder of his friend. Lynas had uncovered a terrible secret, something that threatened to devour the entire city. He tried to warn the Arcanum, the mageocracy who rule the city. He failed.

Lynas was skinned alive and Walker felt every cut. Now nothing will stop him from finding the murderer. Magi, mortals, daemons, and even the gods – Walker will burn them all if he has to.

After all, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s killed a god…

Release date: 3rd July, 2018 (Angry Robot)

Claire North, ‘84K’

What if your life were defined by a number?

What if any crime could be committed without punishment, so long as you could afford to pay the fee assigned to that crime?

Theo works in the Criminal Audit Office. He assesses each crime that crosses his desk and makes sure the correct debt to society is paid in full.

But when Theo’s ex-lover Dani is killed, it’s different. This is one death he can’t let become merely an entry on a balance sheet.

Because when the richest in the world are getting away with murder, sometimes the numbers just don’t add up.

Release date: 22nd May, 2018 (Orbit)

Craig Schaefer, ‘The Neon Boneyard’
(Daniel Faust, #8)

Release date: April, 2018

Mihir says: “This is the 8th volume of Daniel Faust series and is the start of a new arc in Daniel’s life. Craig Schaefer’s series has a unique mix of crime noir & urban fantasy and can be best surmised as Richard Stark’s Parker meets The Dresden Files. The Neon Boneyard promises a whole lot with regards to family reunions, magical revelations and mayhem of the visceral kind. As a fan I can’t ask for more, watch out for this one.”

Craig Schaefer, ‘Sworn to the Night‘

Mihir says: “This is the start of a new trilogy that will unify all of the author’s previous titles. Considering that he has written 15 books and a novella, you can imagine my lust for it. Focussing on black magic, dimension-hopping witches, eldritch horror and more, this book is perhaps the one that I want to get my hands on the most in the first quarter of 2018.”

David Estes, ‘Star-Born Mage’
(Godstar Chronicles, #1)

First in a brand new series from the hugely successful author of the five-book Fatemarked Epic. The first book will be rapidly followed by two sequels: Fire-Born Mage (June 14th) and Armor-Born Mage (June 30th).

Release date: 31st May 2018

David Mack, ‘The Midnight Front’
(Dark Arts, #1)

On the eve of World War Two, Nazi sorcerers come gunning for Cade but kill his family instead. His one path of vengeance is to become an apprentice of The Midnight Front–the Allies’ top-secret magickal warfare program–and become a sorcerer himself.

Unsure who will kill him first–his allies, his enemies, or the demons he has to use to wield magick–Cade fights his way through occupied Europe and enemy lines. But he learns too late the true price of revenge will be more terrible than just the loss of his soul–and there’s no task harder than doing good with a power born of ultimate evil.

Release date: 30th January, 2018 (Tor Books)

David Mealing, ‘Blood of the Gods’
(The Ascension Cycle, #2)

The battle for the city is over, but the aftermath of a revolution is never simple…

Sarine begins to experience visions, ones which make her dragon familiar sicker every day. Erris pushes toward conquest and the need to expand her territory and restore her power. And, exiled from his tribe, Arak’Jur apprentices himself to a deadly master.

Faced with the threat of a return to the days of darkness, the heroes begin to understand the depth of the sacrifices required from them. To protect their world, they’ll have to stand and fight once more.

Release date: 1st May, 2018 (Orbit)

Davis Ashura, ‘William Wilde and the Necrosed’
(Chronicles of William Wilde, #1)

The first in a brand new trilogy. Will be followed in June by book two, William Wilde and the Stolen Life, and by William Wilde and the Unusual Suspects  (book three) in October.

Release date: February 2018

Dominic Dulley, ‘Shattermoon’
(The Long Game, #1)

An inexperienced grifter. An obsolete spaceship. And against them, the might of the Grand Fleet. Orry might just be in over her head…

Release date: 14th June, 2018 (Jo Fletcher Books)

Dyrk Ashton, ‘Paternus: War of Gods’
(Paternus, #2)

Release date: July 10, 2018

Mihir says: “Dyrk Ashton’s Paternus was my favorite book in SPFBO 2016 and the way the author presented his grand unifying theory for all mythologies blew my mind. The book ended on a climactic note and I can’t wait to see where Dyrk takes the story next. He’s offered plenty of hints and the next chapter in this new clash of the titans is an unmissable one for me.”

Ed McDonald, ‘Ravencry’
(Ravens’ Mark, #2)

Ryhalt Galharrow is a blackwing–a bounty hunter who seeks out and turns over any man, woman, or child who has been compromised by the immortals known as the Deep Kings. Four years have passed since he helped drive the Deep Kings back across the Misery. But new and darker forces are rising against the republic…

Release date: 14th June, 2018 (Gollancz)

E. J. Swift, ‘Paris Adrift’

The Time Machine meets Midnight In Paris 

Determined to escape her old life, misfit and student geologist Hallie packs up her life in England and heads to Paris. She falls in with the eclectic expat community as a bartender at the notorious Millie’s, located next to the Moulin Rouge.

Here she meets Gabriela, a bartender who guides her through this strange nocturnal world, and begins to find a new family. But Millie’s is not all that it seems: a bird warns Hallie to get her feathers in order, a mysterious woman shows up claiming to be a chronometrist, and Gabriela is inexplicably unable to leave Paris.

Then Hallie discovers a time portal located in the keg room. Over the next nine months, irate customers will be the least of her concerns, as she navigates time-faring through the city’s turbulent past and future, falling in love, and coming to terms with her own precarious sense of self.

Release date: February, 2018 (Solaris)

Elizabeth Bear, ‘Ancestral Night’
(White Space, #1)

Release date: 26th July, 2018 (Gollancz)

Emma Newman, ‘Before Mars’
(Planetfall, #3)

After months of travel, Anna Kubrick finally arrives on Mars for her new job as a geologist and de facto artist-in-residence. Already she feels like she is losing the connection with her husband and baby at home on Earth–and she’ll be on Mars for over a year. Throwing herself into her work, she tries her best to fit in with the team.

But in her new room on the base, Anna finds a mysterious note written in her own handwriting, warning her not to trust the colony psychologist. A note she can’t remember writing. She unpacks her wedding ring, only to find it has been replaced by a fake. 

Finding a footprint in a place the colony AI claims has never been visited by humans, Anna begins to suspect that her assignment isn’t as simple as she was led to believe. Is she caught up in an elaborate corporate conspiracy, or is she actually losing her mind? Regardless of what horrors she might discover, or what they might do to her sanity, Anna has find the truth before her own mind destroys her.

Release date: 17th April, 2018 (Ace)

G. X. Todd, ‘Hunted’
(The Voices, #2)

The birds are flying. The birds are flocking. The birds know where to find her.

One man is driven by a Voice that isn’t his. It’s killing his sanity and wrestling with it over and over like a jackal with a bone. He has one goal.

To find the girl with a Voice like his own. She has no one to defend her now. The hunt is on.

But in an Inn by the sea, a boy with no tongue and no Voice gathers his warriors. Albus must find Lacey … before the Other does. And finish the work his sister, Ruby began.

Hunted is the second book in the highly acclaimed Voices series, where the battle between Good and Evil rages on. And on.

Release date: 31st May, 2018 (Headline)

Ilona Andrews, ‘Magic Triumphs’
(Kate Daniels, #10)

Kate has come a long way from her origins as a loner taking care of paranormal problems in post-Shift Atlanta. She’s made friends and enemies. She’s found love and started a family with Curran Lennart, the former Beast Lord. But her magic is too strong for the power players of the world to let her be.

Kate and her father, Roland, currently have an uneasy truce, but when he starts testing her defenses again, she knows that sooner or later, a confrontation is inevitable. The Witch Oracle has begun seeing visions of blood, fire, and human bones. And when a mysterious box is delivered to Kate’s doorstep, a threat of war from the ancient enemy who nearly destroyed her family, she knows their time is up.

Kate Daniels sees no other choice but to combine forces with the unlikeliest of allies. She knows betrayal is inevitable. She knows she may not survive the coming battle. But she has to try.

For her child.

Release date: 8th May, 2018 (Ace)

Mihir says: “This book, along with Magic & Iron (to be self-published in 2018?), will be the culmination of more than a decade’s worth of books, world building & action. Kate Daniels will be facing off against her father and it’s a fight I, along with millions of other fans, can’t wait to read.”

Jasmine Gower, ‘Moonshine’

Daisy’s starting a new job and stylish city life, but mage-hunters out for her dark magic threaten to destroy her vogue image. 

In the flourishing metropolis of Soot City (a warped version of 1920s Chicago), progressive ideals reign and the old ways of magic and liquid mana are forbidden. Daisy Dell is a Modern Girl – stylish, educated and independent – keen to establish herself in the city but reluctant to give up the taboo magic inherited from her grandmother.

Her new job takes her to unexpected places, and she gets more attention than she had hoped for. When bounty hunters start combing the city for magicians, Daisy must decide whether to stay with her new employer – even if it means revealing the grim source of her occult powers.

Release date: 6th February, 2018 (Angry Robot)

Jeff Noon, ‘The Body Library’
(John Nyquist, #2)

In a city dissolving into an infected sprawl of ideas, where words come to life and reality is contaminated by stories, John Nyquist wakes up in a room with a dead body… The dead man’s impossible whispers plunge him into a murder investigation like no other. Clues point him deeper into an unfolding story infesting its participants as reality blurs between place and genre.

Only one man can hope to put it all back together into some kind of order, enough that lives can be saved… That man is Nyquist, and he is lost.

Release date: 3rd April, 2018 (Angry Robot)

Jen Williams, ‘The Bitter Twins’
(Winnowing Flame, #2)

The Ninth Rain has fallen, the Jure’lia have returned, and with Ebora a shadow of its former self, the old enemy are closer to conquering Sarn than ever.

Tormalin the Oathless and the Fell-Witch Noon have their hands full dealing with the first war-beasts to be born in Ebora for nearly three hundred years. But these are not the great mythological warriors of old; hatched too early and with no link to their past lives, the war-beasts have no memory of the many battles they have fought and won, and no concept of how they can possibly do it again. The key to uniting them, according to the scholar Vintage, may lie in a part of Sarn no one really believes exists, but finding it will mean a dangerous journey at a time of war…

Meanwhile, Hestillion is trapped on board the corpse moon, forced into a strange and uneasy alliance with the Jure’lia queen. Something terrifying is growing up there, in the heart of the Behemoth, and the people of Sarn will have no defence against these new monsters.

Release date: 8th March, 2018 (Headline)

John Gwynne, ‘A Time of Dread’
(Of Blood and Bone, #1)

The Ben-Elim, a fierce race of warrior-angels, burst into the Banished Lands over a hundred and thirty years ago. They were in pursuit of their eternal enemy, the Kadoshim demon-horde. On that day a great battle was fought, the Ben-Elim and Kadoshim joined by allies from the races of both men and giants, and a great victory was won.

Now much of the Banished Lands is ruled by the Ben-Elim, who have made this world their home, extending their influence and power as they swallow ancient kingdoms into the protective grasp of their ever-extending borders. But peace is fragile within the realm and the Kadoshim that remain are now amassing on the edges of the empire….

Threats long in the shadows are about to strike.

Release date: 9th January, 2018 (Pan)

John Scalzi, ‘Head On’
(Lock In, #2)

Hilketa is a frenetic and violent pastime where players attack each other with swords and hammers. The main goal of the game: obtain your opponent’s head and carry it through the goalposts. With flesh and bone bodies, a sport like this would be impossible. But all the players are “threeps,” robot-like bodies controlled by people with Haden’s Syndrome, so anything goes. No one gets hurt, but the brutality is real and the crowds love it.

Until a star athlete drops dead on the playing field.

Is it an accident or murder? FBI Agents and Haden-related crime investigators, Chris Shane and Leslie Vann, are called in to uncover the truth―and in doing so travel to the darker side of the fast-growing sport of Hilketa, where fortunes are made or lost, and where players and owners do whatever it takes to win, on and off the field.

Release date: 17th April, 2018 (Tor Books)

Jonathan French, ‘The Grey Bastards’
(The Lot Lands, #1)

A raucous, bawdy, blood-soaked adventure fantasy debut that’s The Lord of the Rings reimagined by way of Sons of Anarchy.

Jackal is proud to be a Grey Bastard, member of a sworn brotherhood of half-orcs. Unloved and unwanted in civilized society, the Bastards eke out a hard life in the desolate no-man’s-land called the Lots, protecting frail and noble human civilization from invading bands of vicious full-blooded orcs.

But as Jackal is soon to learn, his pride may be misplaced. Because a dark secret lies at the heart of the Bastards’ existence–one that reveals a horrifying truth behind humanity’s tenuous peace with the orcs, and exposes a grave danger on the horizon. On the heels of the ultimate betrayal, Jackal must scramble to stop a devastating invasion–even as he wonders where his true loyalties lie.

Release date: 19th June, 2018 (Crown Publishing)

Josiah Bancroft, ‘The Hod King’
(The Books of Babel, #3)

Release date: 2018 (Orbit)

J. P. Ashman, ‘Black Guild’
(Black Powder Wars, #2)

With sufficient scheming & force of will, the unthinkable becomes the inevitable.

Marked for death by the Black Guild, King Barrison’s lords scramble to see him protected. But what repercussions come from a master assassin acting behind another’s back? What comes from said master involving another guild altogether?

War, plain and simple, although the resulting conflict is anything but.

From gargantuan scale-suspended land-masses to leagues of caravan paths across plateaus and passes, Brisance crumbles into disarray and a single name is whispered on the lips of many: Dignaaln, emissary

Release date: 10th February, 2018

Kristen Ciccarelli, ‘The Caged Queen’
(Iskari, #2)

The sequel to The Last Namsara.

Release date: 1st September, 2018 (Gollancz/Harper Teen)

Kristi Charish, ‘Owl and the Tiger Thieves’
(The Adventures of Owl, #4)

Release date: 7th May, 2018 (Simon & Schuster)

Mihir says: “Kristi Charish’s Owl series is a wonderful twist on Indiana Jones within an urban fantasy lens. This series is an understated one and definitely deserves more eyeballs on it.”

K. S. Villoso, ‘The Wolf of Oren-Yaro’
(Annals of the Bitch Queen, #1)

Born under the crumbling towers of Oren-yaro, Talyien aren dar Orenar’s life unfolded like a storybook. The shining jewel and legacy of the War of the Wolves that nearly tore her nation apart, her marriage to the Ikessar heir, Rayyel, spoke of peaceful days to come.

But all storybooks must end. Rayyel suddenly left the night before they were to be crowned, leaving the land as divided as before.

Years later, in the midst of the warlords’ rising tensions, Talyien receives a message from Rayyel, urging her to meet with him in the Empire of Ziri-nar-Orxiaro. An assassination attempt interrupts Talyien’s quest for reconciliation, sending the queen struggling in a strange and dangerous land. With betrayals in every twist and turn, she is forced to enlist the help of a con-artist to survive and save her husband from the clutches of those who would seek to use him for their gain…if he would let her.

Release date: 29th January, 2018

Mark Lawrence, ‘Grey Sister’
(Book of the Ancestor, #1)

In Mystic Class Nona Grey begins to learn the secrets of the universe. But so often even the deepest truths just make our choices harder. Before she leaves the Convent of Sweet Mercy Nona must choose her path and take the red of a Martial Sister, the grey of a Sister of Discretion, the blue of a Mystic Sister or the simple black of a Bride of the Ancestor and a life of prayer and service.

All that stands between her and these choices are the pride of a thwarted assassin, the ambition of a would-be empress wielding the Inquisition like a blade, and the vengeance of the empire’s richest lord.

As the world narrows around her, and her enemies attack her through the system she has sworn to, Nona must find her own path despite the competing pull of friendship, revenge, ambition, and loyalty.

And in all this only one thing is certain.

There will be blood.

Release date: April 2018 (Harper Voyager/Ace Roc)

Martha Wells, ‘Artificial Condition’
(Murderbot Diaries, #2)

It has a dark past – one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot”.

But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more.

Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue.

What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks…

Artificial Condition will be followed by books three and four, Rogue Protocol (August 7th) and Exit Strategy.

Release date: 8th May, 2018 (Tor.com)

Mihir says: “The first Murderbot novella “All Systems Red” blew me away with its focus on a depressed AI and its push-pull relationship with its creators. I can’t wait to see the author explore this milieu and the unique AI protagonist.”

Melissa Caruso, ‘The Defiant Heir’
(Swords and Fire, #2)

Across the border, the Witch Lords of Vaskandar are preparing for war. But before an invasion can begin, they must call a rare gathering of all seventeen lords to decide a course of action. Lady Amalia Cornaro knows that this Conclave might be her only chance to stifle the growing flames of war, and she is ready to make any sacrifice if it means saving Raverra from destruction.

Amalia and Zaira must go behind enemy lines, using every ounce of wit and cunning they have, to sway Vaskandar from war. Or else it will all come down to swords and fire.

Release date: 19th April, 2018 (Orbit)

Micah Yongo, ‘Lost Gods’

A teenaged assassin is hunted by his own Brotherhood as he seeks to uncover a supernatural conspiracy before it’s too late

Neythan is one of five adolescents trained and raised together by a mysterious brotherhood of assassins known as the Shedaím. When Neythan is framed for the murder of his closest friend, he pursues his betrayer, and in so doing learns there’s far more to the Brotherhood, and even the world itself, than he’d ever thought possible.

Release date: 5th April, 2018 (Angry Robot)

Michael McClung, ‘The Thief Who Went to War’
(Amra Thetys, #5)

Release date: 2018

Michael R. Miller, ‘The Last Guardian’
(The Dragon’s Blade, #3)

As winter wanes, the fragile bonds of the Three Races begin to break. 

With Darnuir recovering from his addiction, and Blaine reclusive in the hallways of his Order, it falls to Lira to manage the mounting tension between the humans and zealous dragons before catastrophe strikes from within the city walls. 

In Brevia, King Arkus unveils his new weapons to the Assembly of Lords, but is it a gift to his people or a threat? Cassandra fears it the latter and vows to curb her father’s new unchecked power that she herself helped to create. 

And beneath the burned mountain of Kar’drun, Dukoona suffers at the hands of his Master. His one hope now lies in the crippled spectre Sonrid, who is forcing his broken body back to the mountain in order to play his part, or die, and be free from his pained existence. 

Darnuir awakes weakened, and to an alliance on the brink. He must at last become the leader the dragons need but will he be too late to save his people, not just from Rectar, but from years of their own mistakes?

Release date: March 2018 (Acorn Press)

Michael J. Sullivan, ‘Age of War’
(Legends of the First Empire, #3)

The alliance of humans and renegade Fhrey is fragile—and about to be tested as never before. Persephone keeps the human clans from turning on one another through her iron will and a compassionate heart. The arrogant Fhrey are barely held in check by their leader, Nyphron, who seeks to advance his own nefarious agenda.

As the Fhrey overlords marshal their army and sorcerers to crush the rebellion, old loyalties will be challenged and fresh conspiracies will threaten to undo all that Persephone has accomplished. In the darkest hour, when hope is all but lost, new heroes will rise . . . but at what terrible cost? 

Release date: 17th April, 2018 (Del Rey)

Mike Shel, ‘Aching God’
(Iconoclasts, #1)

The much-anticipated debut novel of Mike Shel, freelance RPG designer and writer for Pathfinder since 2010. We can’t wait to read this one!

Release date: 2018

Myke Cole, ‘The Armored Saint’
(The Sacred Throne, #1)

In a world where any act of magic could open a portal to hell, the Order insures that no wizard will live to summon devils, and will kill as many innocent people as they must to prevent that greater horror. After witnessing a horrendous slaughter, the village girl Heloise opposes the Order, and risks bringing their wrath down on herself, her family, and her village.

Release date: 20th February, 2018 (Tor)

Mihir says: “This is Myke Cole’s first foray in to Grimdark fantasy after his debut urban military fantasy series. Myke’s style of writing was dark enough to begin with and I want to see how he explores his imagination within this new world wherein a girl seeks the ultimate revenge on the supposed good guys who want to prevent a Demonapocalypse.”

Natasha Pulley, ‘Pepperharrow’
(The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, #2)

The author has said in an interview:

The next book follows on from Watchmaker. Thaniel and Mori go to Japan, apparently for Thaniel’s health, but he soon realizes that Mori has plenty of other, stranger reasons. Katsu is back, by the way, with a wheel.

Release date: 2018 (Bloomsbury)

Nicholas Eames, Bloody Rose’
(The Band, #2)

Release date: 26th April, 2018 (Orbit)

Peter McLean, ‘Priest of Bones’

Release date: October 2018 (Ace)

Peter Newman, ‘The Deathless’

Release date: 14th June, 2018 (Harper Voyager)

Phil Tucker, ‘Trial of Kings’
(Godsblood, #2)

Release date: 2018

Pierce Brown, ‘Iron Gold’
(Red Rising Saga, #4)

A decade ago, Darrow was the hero of the revolution he believed would break the chains of the Society. But the Rising has shattered everything: Instead of peace and freedom, it has brought endless war. Now he must risk everything he has fought for on one last desperate mission. Darrow still believes he can save everyone, but can he save himself?

And throughout the worlds, other destinies entwine with Darrow’s to change his fate forever: 

A young Red girl flees tragedy in her refugee camp and achieves for herself a new life she could never have imagined.

An ex-soldier broken by grief is forced to steal the most valuable thing in the galaxy—or pay with his life.

And Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile to the sovereign, wanders the stars with his mentor, Cassius, haunted by the loss of the world that Darrow transformed, and dreaming of what will rise from its ashes.

Release date: 16th January, 2018 (Del Rey)

Rachel Aaron, ‘Last Dragon Standing’
(Heartstrikers, #5)

Release date: 2018

Mihir says: “Last Dragon Standing is the thematic and explosive conclusion to a series that mixes dragons, urban fantasy, sci-fi, comedy, inter-dimensional hijinks and a twist on seers vis-a-vis their prophecies. Rachel Aaron combines her trademark humor, twisted plotting & terrific characterization in this series conclusion and I can’t wait to see how it all ends.”

Rachel Aaron, ‘Garrison Girl‘

Mihir says: “Garrison Girl is the first time a western author has been officially approved to write in the ATTACK ON TITAN franchise by creating a new storyline with new characters. I’m excited for this simply because of Rachel Aaron and since it will be her most gruesome book. I’m counting down the days for August 7th.”

R.J Barker, ‘Blood of Assassins’
(Wounded Kingdom, #2)

The assassin Girton Club-foot and his master have returned to Maniyadoc in hope of finding sanctuary, but death, as always, dogs Girton’s heels. The place he knew no longer exists.

War rages across Maniyadoc, with three kings claiming the same crown – and one of them is Girton’s old friend Rufra. Girton finds himself hurrying to uncover a plot to murder Rufra on what should be the day of the king’s greatest victory. But while Girton deals with threats inside and outside Rufra’s war encampment, he can’t help wondering if his greatest enemy hides beneath his own skin.

Will be followed by the third and final Wounded Kingdom book, King of Assassins, in June.

Release date: 27th February, 2018 (Orbit)

Rob J. Hayes, ‘City of Kings‘

Mihir says: “Rob J. Hayes has become one of my all-time favorites with his previous 5 books (the Ties That Bind trilogy & The Best Laid Plans duology) set in the First Earth saga. He returns to the same setting with one of my favorite characters (The black Thorn) and City Of Kings is a standalone story. Focussing on a siege in a world wherein evil is the norm, it will be the epic to outdo all epic fantasy.”

Sam J. Miller, ‘Blackfish City’

After the climate wars, a floating city is constructed in the Arctic Circle, a remarkable feat of mechanical and social engineering, complete with geothermal heating and sustainable energy. The city’s denizens have become accustomed to a roughshod new way of living, however, the city is starting to fray along the edges—crime and corruption have set in, the contradictions of incredible wealth alongside direst poverty are spawning unrest, and a new disease called “the breaks” is ravaging the population.

When a strange new visitor arrives—a woman riding an orca, with a polar bear at her side—the city is entranced. The “orcamancer,” as she’s known, very subtly brings together four people—each living on the periphery—to stage unprecedented acts of resistance. By banding together to save their city before it crumbles under the weight of its own decay, they will learn shocking truths about themselves.

Release date: 17th April, 2018 (Ecco)

Seanan McGuire, ‘Beneath the Sugar Sky’
(Wayward Children, #3)

Beneath the Sugar Sky returns to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. At this magical boarding school, children who have experienced fantasy adventures are reintroduced to the “real” world. 

Sumi died years before her prophesied daughter Rini could be born. Rini was born anyway, and now she’s trying to bring her mother back from a world without magic.

Release date: 9th January, 2018 (Tor.com)

Steve McHugh, ‘A Glimmer of Hope’
(The Avalon Chronicles, #1)

The author of the seven-book Hellequin Chronicles returns with the first in a brand new series.

Layla Cassidy has always wanted a normal life, and the chance to put her father’s brutal legacy behind her. And in her final year of university she’s finally found it. Or so she thinks.

But when Layla accidentally activates an ancient scroll, she is bestowed with an incredible, inhuman power. She plunges into a dangerous new world, full of mythical creatures and menace—all while a group of fanatics will stop at nothing to turn her abilities to their cause.

To protect those she loves most, Layla must take control of her new powers…before they destroy her. All is not yet lost—there is a light shining, but Layla must survive long enough to see it.

Release date: 1st April, 2018 (47 North)

Steven Kelliher, ‘The World Apart’
(Landkist Saga, #4)

Release date: April/May 2018 (Ember Press)

T. A. Miles, ‘One Empire’
(Dryth Chronicles/Celestial Empire, #6)

Release date: February/March 2018 (Raventide Books)

T. A. Miles, ‘Silverhand’
(Bastards of the Gods/Hunter-King Trilogy, #1)

Release date: April/May 2018 (Raventide Books)

Taran Matharu, ‘The Outcast’
(Summoner, #4)

Enter an immersive world where the chosen few have the ability to summon demons…

Arcturus is just an orphaned stable boy when he discovers he has the ability to summon demons from another world. He is sent to Vocans Academy where the lost arts of summoning, spell craft and demonology are taught to the noble children of the Empire. As the first commoner gifted with this ability, his discovery challenges the nobility and the powers that be and Arcturus soon makes enemies. With no one but his demon Sacharissa by his side, Arcturus must prove himself as a worthy Summoner…

Set before the events of SUMMONER: The Novice this is the perfect introduction to the New York Times bestselling SUMMONER series.

Release date: 3rd May, 2018 (Hodder)

Timandra Whitecastle, ‘Mother of Slag’
(Living Blade, #3)

Release date: 2018

Tyler Whitesides, ‘The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn’
(Ardor Benn, #1)

Ardor Benn is no ordinary thief. Rakish, ambitious, and master of wildly complex heists, he styles himself a Ruse Artist Extraordinaire.

When a priest hires him for the most daring ruse yet, Ardor knows he’ll need more than quick wit and sleight of hand. Assembling a dream team of forgers, disguisers, schemers, and thieves, he sets out to steal from the most powerful king the realm has ever known.

But it soon becomes clear there’s more at stake than fame and glory -Ard and his team might just be the last hope for human civilization.

Release date: 27th March, 2018 (Orbit)

Vivian Shaw, ‘Dreadful Company’
(Dr. Greta Helsing, #2)

Release date: 31st July, 2018 (Orbit)

Zen Cho, ‘Sorcerer Royal’
(Sorcerer Royal, #2)

Release date: 2018