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
Two exciting SF releases and a new Stephen King, take a look:
How humanity came to the planet called Anjiin is lost in the fog of history, but that history is about to end.
The Carryx—part empire, part hive—have waged wars of conquest for centuries, destroying or enslaving species across the galaxy. Now, they are facing a great and deathless enemy. The key to their survival may rest with the humans of Anjiin.
Caught up in academic intrigue and affairs of the heart, Dafyd Alkhor is pleased just to be an assistant to a brilliant scientist and his celebrated research team. Then the Carryx ships descend, decimating the human population and taking the best and brightest of Anjiin society away to serve on the Carryx homeworld, and Dafyd is swept along with them.
They are dropped in the middle of a struggle they barely understand, set in a competition against the other captive species with extinction as the price of failure. Only Dafyd and a handful of his companions see past the Darwinian contest to the deeper game that they must play to survive: learning to understand—and manipulate—the Carryx themselves.
With a noble but suicidal human rebellion on one hand and strange and murderous enemies on the other, the team pays a terrible price to become the trusted servants of their new rulers.
Dafyd Alkhor is a simple man swept up in events that are beyond his control and more vast than his imagination. He will become the champion of humanity and its betrayer, the most hated man in history and the guardian of his people.
This is where his story begins.
The Mercy of Gods (The Captive’s War #1) by James S.A. Corey. Releases in August 2024 from Orbit. This was such an exciting announcement last week, and I’m glad the cover was revealed during Sci Fi Month!
A masterful near future whodunit for fans of Glass Onion and Black Mirror; join a stranded start-up team led by a terrifyingly realistic charismatic billionaire, a deserted tropical island, and a mysterious AI-driven mansion–as the remaining members disappear one by one.
A group of employees and their CEO, celebrating the sale of their remarkable emotion-mapping-AI-alogorithm, crash onto a not-quite-deserted tropical island.
Luckily, those who survived have found a beautiful, fully-stocked private palace, with all the latest technological updates (though one without connection to the outside world). The house, however, has more secrets than anyone might have guessed, and much darker reason for having been built and left behind.
Kristin, the hyper-competent “human emotional support technician” (i.e., the eccentric boyish billionaire-CEO Sumpter’s idea of an HR department) tries to keep her colleagues stable, throughout this new challange, but staying sane seems to be as much of a challange as staying alive. Being a “woman in technology” has always meant having to be smarter then anyone expects….and Kristin’s survival skills are more impressive than anyone knows.
Glass Houses by Madeline Ashby. Releases in August 2024 from Tor Books. Years ago I read and loved Ashby’s Company Town, and I’ve been waiting ever since for another book of hers. This sounds so good, a near future mystery set on a deserted island, I can’t wait!
From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.
“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.
“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.
King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.
You Like It Darker by Stephen King. Releases in March 2024 from Scribner. The U.S. cover was just revealed, and I’m excited to see a new SK story collection on the horizon.
Glass Houses sounds like And Then There Were None for the new millennium LOL. Interesting…though the (repeated) use of the word “challange” is odd at the very least…
Roberta R. recently posted…Krystal Sutherland: “House of Hollow”
Well, it will be interesting to read it!
A new book from the authors of The Expanse is something worth celebrating, indeed!
Pity that August is so far, far away…. 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…MUSIC MONDAY – SciFi Month Edition #SciFiMonth
It does seem very far away…
Glass Houses definitely sounds like my kind of book. It’s giving me Agatha Christie vibes!
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra recently posted…Can’t Wait Wednesday – CANADIAN BOYFRIEND by Jenny Holiday
Yes, me too, can’t wait:-)
Glass Houses sounds quite good! Im also looking forward to The Mercy of Gods.
The cover of The Mercy of Gods looks like fantasy so I’m very curious to read it:-)
Ooo… The Mercy of Gods sounds amazing!! I’ll try and get hold of it – thank you for the heads-up, Tammy.
My pleasure, I can hardly wait:-)
Sign me up for Glass Houses and the Stephen King book. On the plus side, maybe Stormi and I will have finished It by then.
Ha ha you guys have been reading It forever, it seems;-)
I really like the sound of Glass Houses! “a mysterious AI-driven mansion…” I mean, what could go wrong? 😛
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Book Blitz: Love Songs and Ferry Tales by Julie Farley + Giveaway (INT)
Ha ha I know! It sounds like so much fun.
A new James S A Corey series is reason to celebrate!! So exciting. I’ll want the Stephen King books too — I don’t usually go for story collections, but make an exception for the King 🙂
Definitely, King’s short stories are worth reading:-)
I think Stephen King is a writing machine!!
He is! I’m always amazed that he keeps putting out really good books:-)
I very obviously need Glass Houses and You Like It Darker! I have to admit, I have never actually read anything by Stephen King despite liking his adaptations, his tweets, his made-for-TV miniseries Storm of the Century (I may be obsessed with that last one), so I think THIS is the perfect starting point! No need to feel overwhelmed because it is multiple stories!
Now, here is the part where I ALSO admit to not having read any James S A Corey books either, despite owning several AND being a huge fan of The Expanse. And I DO want to read them, but I have not, because time, and also intimidation. BUT this also sounds amazing, so on my TBR it goes. You know, maybe the “newness” will make me do it
Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight recently posted…Reviews in a Minute: Noteworthy in November
I’m glad I’m not the only one who hasn’t read The Expanse! And it’s such a long series I’m not sure I ever will, lol.
Hope you get your hands on them and enjoy!
Stormi recently posted…Two Bloggers One Series ~ Whispers at Dusk by Heather Graham
Thanks Stormi!
Glass Houses sounds really good. Thanks for sharing!
And it has a good cover too:-)
Glass houses sounds a little Christie-ish, so that appeals to me, and the new Stephen King is also a must even though I’m not usually a fan of short stories. 😀
I know you love Christie so I can see why that would appeal to you:-)
I love the sound of Glass Houses! I hope you enjoy all of these!
Literary Feline recently posted…Can’t Wait to Read Wednesday: Death by Demo / Raiders of the Lost Heart / Someone to Wed
Me too, I can’t wait to read it:-)
The reveal of The Mercy of Gods was so exciting! I knew it was going straight onto the list. I am also interested in Stephen King’s book, normally I wouldn’t give a short story collection another look but he’s written some good ones!
He has written some good short stories:-)
One day I’ll get around to reading a Stephen King book, one day. I have two sitting on my shelf, lol.
Ha ha I know the feeling. I have a bunch of authors sitting on my shelf that I still haven’t read.
I wish I liked short stories. I’m so tempted by the Stephen King collection but they rarely work for me and so it almost feels unfair to pick it up and read it.
Lynn 😀
I have enjoyed King’s short stories, so I may grab a copy.
Glass Houses looks very interesting. Not to say the other two don’t also, of course. 🙂
I’m very excited for Glass Houses:-) I can see why it jumped out at you.
I haven’t read THE EXPANSE books (I watched the TV series first and decided to give myself space before trying to pick those up), so I’m excited to have a fresh series to jump into from such a well-regarded duo!
Caitlin G. recently posted…Waiting on Wednesday: THE DEAD CAT TAIL ASSASSINS
I haven’t either! So yep, it’s nice to have a new series we can start from the beginning:-)
The Glass Houses cover is so eye catching!
Kit @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted…Bookish Musings: When the Main Character Remembers, But No One Else Does
I agree, it really makes me want to read the book:-)