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
For the first Future Fiction of Wyrd & Wonder, here are three upcoming fantasy books;
In this new epic fantasy, three societal outcasts must work together to fulfill the orders of a dead king’s ghost or risk their nation falling to a tyrant
The king is dead, his queen is missing. On the amber coast, the usurper king is driving Zavonia to the brink of war. A dangerous magical power is rising up in Biela Miasto, and the only people who can set things right are a failed bodyguard, a Landstrider witch, and the assassin who set off the whole sorry chain of events.
Valdas, Captain of the High Guard, has not only failed in his duty to protect the king, but he’s been accused of the murder, and he’s on the run. He’s sworn to seek justice, but his king sets him another task from beyond the grave. Valdas doesn’t believe in magic, which is unfortunate as it turns out.
Mirza is the healer-witch of a Landstrider band, valued and feared in equal measure for her witchmark, her scolding tongue, and her ability to walk the spirit world. When she’s given a task by Valdas’ dead king, she believes that the journey she must take is one she can never return from.
Lind is the clever assassin. Yes, someone paid him to kill the king, but who is to blame, the weapon or the power behind it? Lind must face his traumatic past if he’s to have a future.
Can these three discover the real villain, find the queen, and set the rightful king on the throne before the country is overcome?
The Amber Crown by Jacey Bedford. Releases in January 2022 from DAW Books. I have not yet read any of Jacey Bedford’s books, but I’ve heard good things about her last series, Rowankind. I’m looking forward to this fantasy, which I have to admit grabbed me with the “three societal outcasts must work together” trope!
A psychic travel agent and a Seattle PD detective solve a murder in this quirky mystery in the vein of Lisa Lutz’s The Spellman Files and Charlaine Harris’s Aurora Teagarden series.
Meet Leda Foley: devoted friend, struggling travel agent, and inconsistent psychic. When Leda, sole proprietor of Foley’s Flights of Fancy, impulsively re-books Seattle PD detective Grady Merritt’s flight, her life changes in ways she couldn’t have predicted.
After watching his original plane blow up from the safety of the airport, Grady realizes that Leda’s special abilities could help him with a cold case he just can’t crack.
Despite her scattershot premonitions, she agrees for a secret reason: her fiancé’s murder remains unsolved. Leda’s psychic abilities couldn’t help the case several years before, but she’s been honing her skills and drawing a crowd at her favorite bar’s open-mic nights, where she performs Klairvoyant Karaoke—singing whatever song comes to mind when she holds people’s personal effects. Now joined by a rag-tag group of bar patrons and pals alike, Leda and Grady set out to catch a killer—and learn how the two cases that haunt them have more in common than they ever suspected.
Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest. Releases in October 2021 from Atria Books. I really don’t read enough humorous urban fantasy, and I’d like to remedy that by starting with this book. I’ve recently discovered the joy of following Cherie Priest on Twitter (if you love dogs and cats you’ll be treated to the daily exploits of her fur babies!), and I’m really looking forward to checking out her next book.
In his sci-fi debut, Bellecourt explores an alternate roaring 20s where a shell-shocked soldier must uncover latent telepathic abilities to save himself and the people around him.
Liam Mulcahey, a reclusive, shell-shocked veteran, remembers little of the Great War. Ten years later, when he is caught in a brutal attack on a Chicago speakeasy, Liam is saved by Grace, an alluring heiress who’s able to cast illusions. Though the attack appears to have been committed by the hated Uprising, Grace believes it was orchestrated by Leland De Pere–Liam’s former commander and the current President of the United States.
Meeting Grace unearths long-buried memories. Liam’s former squad, the Devil’s Henchmen, was given a serum to allow telepathic communication, transforming them into a unified killing machine. With Grace’s help, Liam begins to regain his abilities, but when De Pere learns of it, he orders his militia to eliminate Liam at any cost.
But Liam’s abilities are expanding quickly. When Liam turns the tables and digs deeper into De Pere’s plans, he discovers a terrible secret. The same experiment that granted Liam’s abilities was bent toward darker purposes. Liam must navigate both his enemies and supposed allies to stop the President’s nefarious plans before they’re unleashed on the world. And Grace is hiding secrets of her own, secrets that could prove every bit as dangerous as the President’s.
Absynthe by Brendan Bellecourt. Releases in December 2021 from DAW Books. I know it says “science fiction” but just because it’s alternate history doesn’t mean it can’t be fantasy. I think this sounds more like fantasy, and that’s why I included it. Anyway, I’m looking forward to this “alternate roaring 20s” story, I think it has potential! Although, this cover reminds me of another book and I finally figured it out. Both books use the exact same art and the colors are just different. There’s even a guy with green glowing eyes on both covers! Weird, right?
I love both the premise and the cover for Absynthe, and I like books whose genre is not so easy to identify… 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…TOP TEN TUESDAY: Wyrd & Wonder Edition – #Wyrdandwonder
Me too, I love when there is a mix of genres, as long as that mix works together;-)
Absynthe is going straight into my tbr
It sounds really good, right?
Well HELLO gorgeous covers!
They are staring back at you, Jake;-)
The Amber Crown and Grave Reservations sound fun, but I really like the cover to Absynthe.
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…The Odd Writer
I do too, I love the art deco vibe:-)
Oh I love the cover of Absynthe, it kinda looks like a cool video game
I never thought of it that way but you are right:-)
The Amber Crown has me pondering why it is we grow so weary of some tropes and yet with others it doesn’t seem to matter how often we see or read stories using them we just can’t get enough. 🙂
Ha ha I know what you mean!
Ohhh, Grave Reservations! I am definitely onboard for some humour and the paranormal! That cover is sooo cool as well!
I know, it sounds like so much fun!
Grave Reservations is definitely on my to-read list! I always enjoy Cherie Priest! Great choices.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve read a book by her, I’m excited!
The Amber Crown is a new one for me but it sounds great!
It does sound good!
Dang. Humorous urban fantasy isn’t something I realized I also needed.
It’s a great combo, but I don’t read enough of it:-)
The first and third have gorgeous covers! The second one though, I love that cover too, using the reflection in the sunglasses to set the scene. Great picks, thanks for sharing! My post is in the link below.
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…Lisa’s Looking Forward To #108 – May 11th, 2021
Thanks Lisa, I love all these covers too.
I love the sound of The Amber Crown! The cover is gorgeous and I’m all for the three societal outcasts having to work together. GIMME! Grave Reservations I’ve seen here and there on the blogosphere and it sounds really good too. And alternate roaring 20s in Absynthe? YESSSS!!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood
Yes, I love the three outcasts coming together, one of my favorite tropes:-)
The Amber Crown and Absynthe sound great! Absynthe in particular really grabs me. I’m glad you linked that cover because I knew it looked so familiar, haha!
I know, I was trying to figure out where I had seen that cover before, luckily I remembered:-)
Looks very familiar to me!
Ha ha right??
All three of these sound like they will be great reads. I’m really looking forward to Grave Reservations in particular. I hope you enjoy all of these when you read them!
Thanks Wendy, I’m also very keen to read Grave Reservations:-)
These are gorgeous, Tammy, and each one sounds as good as the last. The Amber Crown cover is so intricate and beautiful. I can’t stop staring at it!
I agree, that cover makes me want to grab that crown and wear it, lol.
Absynthe sounds fantastic – thanks for the intro!
I’m glad it sounds good to you!
Grave Reservations sounds like a lot of fun. 🙂
I agree, we all need a little fun right now:-)
I have the Jacey Bedford on my list too, though I’ve read the first book of Rowankind and she seems to be a romance fantasy writer…heavier on the romance. I am waiting to see what the balance will be like with The Amber Crown!
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Waiting on Wednesday 05/05/21
Interesting, I’m not opposed to fantasy romance, so I’ll keep an eye on it:-)
Oh wow! The Amber Crown is drool worthy!
I agree, it’s sooo pretty! It needs a special edition, right?
A new Cherie Priest. How did I not now about this. So happy. *dancing a little jig right now*
Lynn 😀
Oh myyyy. That cover for Absynthe is amazing, and it sounds like it’s going to be a good read! Onto my poor TBR it goes. xD Oops. I must’ve slipped and accidentally added it. *cough* 😉