In the past week there’s been a flurry of notable speculative fiction releases that I intend to read. My only problem is deciding where to start. The list below is probably how I’ll proceed. These will all jump to close to the head of my queue:
- Ancillary Mercy is the final book in Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch trilogy. This is first on the list for a reason: the first two books were masterful works of science fiction, nominated and winning awards all over the place.
- Empire Ascendant by Kameron Hurley is the second book in her The Mirror Empire series. The first book teases the intersection of fantasy and the multiverse to great effect, with plenty of subverting of typical fantasy tropes, and I expect the second volume to take everything further.
- Shadows of Self is the second book of the Wax and Wayne series by Brandon Sanderson, set in the same world as his Mistborn series. Sanderson writes books as though they were screenplays, with visceral action and innovative magical systems. Not only is this series even shorter and punchier than Sanderson’s usual fare, the third and final book in the trilogy—Bands of Mourning—will be released in January 2016.