Future Fiction #75: Cover Reveals & Newly Discovered SFF Books

Welcome to Future Fiction, my reimagining of the Waiting on Wednesday meme! There are so many amazing new books coming out, that I can no longer pick just one. My goal with Future Fiction is to share at least three new books each week, a combination of recent cover reveals and books that I’ve recently added to my TBR pile. I’m still going to be linking up with Wishful Endings/Can’t Wait Wednesday, and I also want to give a shout out to Jill at Breaking the Spine for starting the original Waiting on Wednesday meme. I hope you’ll find some new books to add to your TBR piles, and as always, I look forward to hearing what YOU’RE looking forward to:-D


Three new books with amazing covers and great potential, take a look:


This innovative sci-fi novel explores the potential impact of alien infection on humankind as they traverse the stars and find themselves stranded on new and strange planets.

Amid the Crowd of Stars is a grand scale science fiction novel examining the ethical implications of interstellar travel, a topic rarely addressed in science fiction novels. What responsibilities do we have to isolate ourselves from the bacteria, viruses, and other life of another world, and to prevent any of that alien biome from being brought back to Earth?

What happens when a group of humans are stranded for centuries on another world with no choice but to expose themselves to that world? After such long exposure, are they still Homo sapiens or have they become another species entirely?

These questions are at the heart of this intriguing novel, explored through the complicated lives and the viewpoints of the people who have come to rescue the stranded colony, the members of that colony, and the sentient alien life that dwells on the planet. Difficult life and death choices will be made by all involved

Amid the Crowd of Stars by Stephen Leigh. Releases in February 2021 from DAW Books. So this isn’t even up on Goodreads yet, and instead I’m linking to the publisher’s website page, which is also where the blurb came from. I’m intrigued! The “ethical implications” the blurb mentions sound chillingly familiar in today’s coronavirus-impacted world.


C. S. Malerich’s The Factory Witches of Lowell is a riveting historical fantasy about witches going on strike in the historical mill-town of Lowell, Massachusetts.

Faced with abominable working conditions, unsympathetic owners, and hard-hearted managers, the mill girls of Lowell have had enough. They’re going on strike, and they have a secret weapon on their side: a little witchcraft to ensure that no one leaves the picket line.

For the young women of Lowell, Massachusetts, freedom means fair wages for fair work, decent room and board, and a chance to escape the cotton mills before lint stops up their lungs. When the Boston owners decide to raise the workers’ rent, the girls go on strike. Their ringleader is Judith Whittier, a newcomer to Lowell but not to class warfare. Judith has already seen one strike fold and she doesn’t intend to see it again. Fortunately Hannah, her best friend in the boardinghouse—and maybe first love?—has a gift for the dying art of witchcraft.

The Factory Witches of Lowell by C.S. Malerich. Releases in November 2020 from Tor Books. First, I love this cover and how it refers to the cotton mills in the story. And you all know how much I love stories about witches, so here’s another one I’m highly anticipating!


The Karensa Federation has conquered a dozen countries, leaving Mara as one of the last free nations in the world. Refugees flee to its borders to escape a fate worse than death―transformation into mutant war beasts known as Ghosts, creatures the Federation then sends to attack Mara.

The legendary Strikers, Mara’s elite fighting force, are trained to stop these monsters. But as the number of Ghosts grows and Karensa closes in, defeat seems inevitable.

Still, one Striker refuses to give up hope.

Robbed of her voice and home, Talin Kanami knows firsthand the brutality of the Federation. Their cruelty forced her and her mother to seek asylum in a country that finds their people repugnant. She finds comfort only with a handful of fellow Strikers who have pledged their lives to one another, soldiers determined to push Karensa back at all costs.

After another devastating battle, Mara seems ready to fall. But when a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front, Talin senses there’s more to him than meets the eye. Is he a spy from the Federation? Or could he be the weapon that will save them all?

Skyhunter (Skyhunter #1) by Marie Lu. Releases in September 2020 from Roaring Brook Press. I mean, this cover is pretty amazing, right? How could I NOT highlight this today? This is the start of a new series, and I’m really looking forward to it.


What do you think of this week’s Future Fiction picks? Let me know in the comments!

Posted June 3, 2020 by Tammy in Future Fiction / 45 Comments

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45 responses to “Future Fiction #75: Cover Reveals & Newly Discovered SFF Books

  1. Amid the Crowd of Stars sounds intriguing. I’ve only rarely come across a story about introducing something from space to Earth (Andromeda Strain comes to mind). Most of what I’ve read is work done by NASA, and that’s usually more concerned with introducing our biome to the places we visit. I’m sure there must be more fiction that addresses this, but I’ve not read it, so I’d be curious to try this one.

  2. Ugh… Amid the Crowd of Stars sounds amazing. Yet another book for my TBR, thanks. Haha 😀 The Factory Witches of Lowell, too of course because WITCHES! Skyhunter looks and sounds great too. I’ve been wanting to read a Marie Lu book FOREVER.

  3. I love the sound of The Factory Witches of Lowell – the space virus sounds too close to home, right now… But Skyhunter is another fabulous premise – great selection, as ever, Tammy:))

  4. All of these sound good! I’m especially interested in Marie Lu’s book and The Factory of Witches. I hope they will all be good! Have a great week.

    • Tammy

      The description definitely sounds a little on the dry side. Hopefully when it gets to Goodreads they’ll have a better blurb:-)

  5. verushka

    Oh my, I am loving The Factory Witches of Lowell — and you’re right, the cover is a brilliant reflection of the story and cotton mills.

  6. The Factory Witches of Lowell – give it to me now. Actually I don’t think this is available in the UK at the moment but I’ll keep my eye out for it.
    Lynn 😀

  7. Omg thank you for bringing Factory Of Witches to my attention. How could I possibly resist a title like that? Especially in a historical setting.

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