Pierce Brown spent his childhood building forts and setting traps for his cousins in the woods of six states and the deserts of two. Graduating college in 2010, he fancied the idea of continuing his studies at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a magical bone in his body. So while trying to make it as a writer, he worked as a manager of social media at a startup tech company, toiled as a peon on the Disney lot at ABC Studios, did his time as an NBC page, and gave sleep deprivation a new meaning during his stint as an aide on a U.S. Senate Campaign. Now he lives in Los Angeles, where he scribbles tales of spaceships, wizards, ghouls, and most things old or bizarre.
The Wolves of War (2026) (Wisdom of Wolves, book 1) John Gwynne "Armed with deadly prose, armored in weighty themes, Gwynne is a rare breed of writer whose gift lies not in his panoply of talents, but in his authenticity. The Wolves of War is a beautiful book. It was written in blood. But that is not why it is beautiful. It is beautiful because Gwynne knows that war is hell, and only in hell can we mean mortals discover the angels within."
The Infinite State (2026) (Decurion Saga, book 1) Richard Swan "Prescient, dark, and ultimately hopeful, The Infinite State mauled my heart and kept me reading well into the winnowing hours of the night."
The Demon Star (2026) Jesse Aragon "Mythic, propulsive, and rich with characterization, The Demon Star is one hell of a debut."
Hole in the Sky (2025) Daniel H Wilson "A first contact story, Hole in the Sky seems a familiar tale. Yet in its telling, Daniel H. Wilson chooses the road less traveled by. Wielding immediate prose and Native mythology, Wilson draws on his own deep roots to weave a story that is not only thrilling and personal, but an important addition to the landscape of science fiction."
The Devils (2025) (Devils , book 1) Joe Abercrombie "Devilish fun, an unholy delight. Wielding his trademarked grit and stiletto-sharp prose, Abercrombie is at his bloody best weaving a tale of monstrous heroes who discover the humanity in themselves."
Shakedown (2023) (Crypt , book 1) Scott Sigler "Sigler grinds his dastardly cast of misfits into the teeth of unrelenting action and unspeakable horror to craft a gritty tale of cosmic dread that is mad, bad, and dangerous to know."
Dream of the Falling Axe (2023) (Grave of Empires) Sam Sykes "Sykes is a master at taking familiar elements of fantasy and stirring them to a wicked, wholly original churn."
Children of the Flying City (2022) Jason Sheehan "Richly imagined and emotionally resonant, Children of the Flying City is a fantasy for young and old alike. This book gave my heart wings."
Child of Light (2021) (Viridian Deep, book 1) Terry Brooks "Child of Light is enchantingly feral. Precise in his prose, clever in his worldbuilding, Brooks stretches new muscles to explore a young woman’s quest for identity. The pace is rapid as a river, but this one twists hard and runs deep."
A Deadly Education (2020) (Scholomance, book 1) Naomi Novik "A Deadly Education is a nightmare from which I never wished to wake: savage, inventive, and soulful. Novik grasps the totems of childhood that linger in your mind—schools of magic, curses, cutthroat classmates, monsters—only to twist them into a grand new tale that’ll make you believe in magic again."
Bystander 27 (2020) Rik Hoskin "Irreverent, gritty, and poignant when it needs to be, Bystander 27 is a bloody blaze of a read that peels back the familiar trappings of a super-hero tale to explore loss, revenge, and the power imbalance when cape-wearing gods walk the Earth astride us mere mortals."
Hard Wired (2020) Len Vlahos "Len's vibrant prose casts a spell as he weaves many of the best elements of science fiction and myth together to create a unique and engrossing yarn. A page turner for sure, but one that haunts long after it has entertained."
Sleeping Giants (2016) (Themis Files, book 1) Sylvain Neuvel "Reminiscent of The Martian and World War Z, Sleeping Giants is a luminous conspiracy yarn that shoots for (and lands among) the stars."
Tin Men (2015) Christopher Golden "A chilling tale of a world that could be, Tin Men is a vicious beast—Starship Troopers meets Generation Kill—that left my nerves fried and my brain craving another fix."
The Emperor's Blades (2014) (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, book 1) Brian Staveley "An enchanting union of old and new, Staveley's debut will keep you turning pages late into the night."
