Between June and August, a tonne of novels are coming out that are well worth reading. Reimagined with a creative touch, this is renowned children’s author M.T. Anderson’s adult debut of Lady Macbeth.
Here are 25 books that we can’t wait to curl up with and read this summer that are romantic, fanciful, and action-packed.
BARELY EVEN FRIENDS BY MAE BENNETT
JUNE 4
Try Mae Bennett’s first romance book, Barely Even Friends, if you’re in the mood for a spicy, modern version of Beauty and the Beast.
Bellamy Price is an expert in all things related to house renovation and a contractor by trade. She is driven to establish herself in a field that is traditionally dominated by men. Fortunately, she receives an offer to work on the opulent and enigmatic Killington Estate, marking the ideal chance. Bellamy arrives at the house expecting it to be unoccupied, but to her surprise, it is occupied by Oliver Killington, the hermit and heir to the enormous Killington empire who also happens to have a very handy suspender habit.
Oliver is initially painfully stubborn, but it soon becomes apparent that there is more to him than meets the eye, and a shared enemy swiftly draws Bellamy and Oliver closer than either of them had anticipated.
SERVICE MODEL BY ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY
JUNE 4
Fans of I, Robot and Jeeves will love this new, shockingly humorous, and profoundly philosophical science fiction book by the author of Elder Race and Children of Time about a violent robot valet named Charles.
They’re forced to flee, something they never believed they’d be able to do, when Charles, a robot valet painstakingly built to be at the right hand of any modern human, has the idea to murder their master — and subsequently does. Charles soon learns that there are other robots gaining freedom and that the world is far bigger than the house they lived in.
THE STARDUST GRAIL BY YUME KITASEI
JUNE 11
The Stardust Grail is billed as an anti-colonial space heist novel, and it’s difficult not to be overly enthused about it. The protagonist, instead of hoarding the artefacts for herself or displaying them behind glass in a museum, returns them to the extraterrestrial civilizations to which they belong.
Ten years after a disastrous job, Maya Hoshimoto, who was previously regarded as the galaxy’s greatest art thief, receives an irresistible offer from an old friend: locate a potent extraterrestrial artefact. The drawback? The aforementioned artefact may or may not be real, and if it is, its discovery may spell the end for modern human society.
MOONBOUND BY ROBIN SLOAN
JUNE 11
If, like me, you found yourself thinking, “That was strange,” after reading Robin Sloan’s entertaining novel Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, then you might want to hang onto your hat.
Moonbound, a narrative set 13,000 years in the future, centres on Ariel, a little boy living in a town run by a magician. Ariel is called to adventure and a quest to save the world when he inadvertently discovers a crucial piece of historical record-keeping technology.
THE DAUGHTERS’ WAR BY CHRISTOPHER BUEHLMAN
JUNE 25
Since I first learned that Christopher Buehlman would be writing a prequel to his excellent fantasy novel, The Blacktongue Thief, I have been eagerly awaiting the publication of The Daughters’ War. Rather than bringing readers back to the lush world he has created with a sequel (we will see Kinch again soon), Buehlman is transporting them to a bygone era with a story about Galva, who rides her war-corvid into battle against goblins.
PINK SLIME BY FERNANDA TRÍAS
JULY 2
In a not too distant future where a plague has completely destroyed the world, Fernanda Trías’s climate fiction novel Pink Slime is incredibly upsetting yet incredibly captivating to read.
An unidentified company creates a disgusting pink food product that is meant for consumption by all after an unexplained algae bloom contaminates the air coming inland from the coast. Think Pepto Bismol mixed with Soylent Green. The narrator of this novel, a particular lady, clings to the life she once knew, refusing to leave behind the family and friends she loves as the end of the world draws nearer and society begins to fall apart.
FULL SPEED TO A CRASH LANDING BY BETH REVIS
AUGUST 6
Beth Revis has experience with science fiction, space exploration, impossible heists, and romantic tension, having dabbled in the literary side of Star Wars for a while. All of it and more is present in her brand-new novella, Full Speed to a Crash Landing, the first of a trilogy.
Ada Lamarr is pressed for time when readers first meet her. as well as oxygen. However, assistance quickly comes in the shape of a salvage crew approved by the government. Ada swears to keep out of their hair and out of their business, but they’re not exactly delighted to have her on board as they travel to their destination—a covert mission lead by the deliciously attractive Agent Rian White. This is untrue, of course. But it’s getting harder to tell who’s playing whom as Ada and Rian spend more time together and their desire to each other intensifies.
LADY MACBETH BY AVA REID
AUGUST 13
Ava Reid is the queen of complex, multifaceted female characters. Her next book, Lady Macbeth, retells the tale of one of Shakespeare’s most brutal, merciless, and power-hungry heroines.
The Lady is aware of what awaits her in terms of fate. She is aware that she will eventually drive men insane by being married to a violent Scot. The Lady is also aware that occasionally a little sorcery is necessary to get by. She is unaware of her husband’s secrets, which include his own involvement in the occult.