Some more books to check out for June
10 more books to read this month
The end of June is approaching, and that means that it's a good time to check out some additional books that are hitting stores in the back half of the month.
In case you missed the first June list, you can find that here, and you can find the other book lists here. As always, links to Bookshop.org are affiliates, and if you make a purchase, we'll get a small cut (which goes to help host this newsletter.)
Far Reaches edited by John Joseph Adams (June 27th)
John Joseph Adams is one of my favorite anthologists, and his latest project is a little different: a group of stories for Amazon Original Stories called Far Reaches, six standalone stories that look out into the cosmos. There's an impressive lineup here: James S.A. Corey ("How It Unfolds"), Veronica Roth ("Void"), Rebecca Roanhorse ("Falling Bodies"), Ann Leckie ("The Long Game"), Nnedi Okorafor ("Just Out of Jupiter's Reach"), and John Scalzi ("Slow Time Between the Stars").
Citadel by C. M. Alongi (June 20th)
On an alien ocean planet called Edalide, Citadel is the only human-occupied city. It's a dangerous place with tides that bring new resources and dangers, with other threats lurking in the forests: things that the settlers believe are demons sent from hell as a cost of their ancestor's mistakes. One woman named Olivia lost family to the demons, and during an expedition, discovers that the creatures aren't supernatural, but intelligent. It's a revelation that will get her killed by her fellow colonists, and to find the truth behind their predicament, she goes on a journey into the planet's forests to find answers.
Publishers Weekly says "As the first in a series, Alongi’s novel ably sets up a sequel, leaving plenty of exciting questions still to answer."
Danged Black Thing by Eugen Bacon (June 20th)
Eugen Bacon's latest book features 17 short stories set in West Africa, covering everything from a student who's having trouble leaving his home behind, a woman seeking revenge against an ex, climate change, migration, and quite a bit more.
Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, saying "With poetic prose, an eclectic range of subgenres, and affecting observations on Blackness and womanhood, this collection showcases Bacon at the top of her game."
The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon (June 27th)
On a distant world, a robotic god named Khuon Mo goes mad, and destroyed everything in its path: its priests, cities, and everything it made. In its last moments, it brought back one thing: one of its archivists named Sunai, who's been left to deal with the trauma that he witnessed, unable to die or grow in the broken world that's left.
After he has a drunken encounter with another former archivist, Sunai is set along on a path of rediscovery, reconnecting with old friends and allies and confronting his past. Publishers Weekly says "Inhabiting the Downworld universe is often a joy: Candon’s fresh, vivid worldbuilding skillfully blends anime staples like giant robots and cigarette-smoking aunties with edgy SFF tropes like dying gods and legendary hybrid beasts."
The Infinite Miles by Hannah Fergesen (June 20th)
In this time travel adventure, Harper has been contending with the disappearance of her best friend, Peggy. She's been caught in an endless cycle of grief and dead-end jobs, and the only consolation are reruns of her favorite science fcition TV show, Infinite Voyage.
When Peggy abruptly returns, she has a weird demand: she needs to be taken to the Argonaut, the TV show's main character. Harper's confused until the Argonaut appears and explains that the show's real, Peggy had accompanied him, and was now under the influence of a deadly enemy known as the Incarnate before dumping her off in the year 1971. There, she has to figure out how to save Peggy before the Incarnate comes for her.
The book earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly which noted that "Fergesen grounds their travels in fleshed-out interpersonal dynamics and lovely explorations of friendship, anger, and remorse. Harper is a gratifyingly complex protagonist; she’s smart and dynamic but also grudge-holding and full of fury."
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston (June 27th)
A book publicist has big plans for her future: she takes her job seriously and has been looking for the right partner. When she finds a strange man in her aunt's apartment, she realizes she's found the right person, but there's a hitch: he's living seven years in her past, leading to an unconventional romance.
The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson (June 27th)
The next of Brandon Sanderson's novels from his massive Kickstarter campaign hits bookstores: The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, in which a man awakens in what appears to be medieval times with no memory of who he is or how he's gotten there.
Pursued by a group of other people from his own time, he has to figure out how to survive and make friends with the locals. His only guide would have been a book called The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, but his was destroyed, with only a few fragments left to help him.
The Ghosts of Trappist by K.B. Wagers (June 27th)
K.B Wagers continues their NeoG series with The Ghosts of Trappist (following A Pale Light in the Black and Hold Fast Through the Fire), continuing the adventures of the Near-Earth Orbital Guard, a Coast Guard-like military unit that patrols the solar system.
Ensign Nell "Sapphi" Zika HAS has been through some trauma while the crew of the Zuma's Ghost work to defend their championship in the Boarding Games. While she and the rest of her crew are training, they're forced to contend with the reappearance of some missing ships and a mysterious attacker who's been harassing them.
Library Journal gave the book a starred review, saying "Wagers’s inclusive worldbuilding contains an amazing range of personalities, while the fast-paced plot still gives time for meaningful character stories."
The Book of Gems by Fran Wilde (June 20th)
In this third installment of her Gems series (preceded by The Jewel and her Lapidary and Fire Opal Mechanism), Fran Wilde's novella The Book of Gems picks up the story of the world centuries later as a scientist named Dr. Devina Brunai, works to rediscover the true gems and their powers, despite critics who believe she's on a fool's errand.
When a mentor steals her research and embarks on a research trip for himself to the rediscovered Palace of Gems, his messages back home become incoherent, prompting her to follow and save him and her research from a mysterious enemy.
Publishers Weekly says "Readers will root for the cousins to find answers, and even those new to the series will be swept up in Wilde’s inventive worldbuilding. This is a bite-size treat."
The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis (June 27th)
One of the genre's most beloved authors is back with a new adventure: a road trip to Roswell. Francie heads to the UFO capitol of the world for her college roommate's alien-themed wedding, only to have her skepticism at the scene evaporate when she's abducted herself.
Along with fellow abductees – a con man named Wade, a little old lady named Eula Mae, a retiree named Joseph, and a UFO true-believer named Lyle – she has to figure out why they've been abducted and even how to communicate with their mysterious captor.
Kirkus Reviews notes that "Willis shapes readers’ expectations by tossing around hints and clues in the form of references to various genres—science fiction, Western, romantic comedy—until it’s not a surprise but a pleasantly satisfied expectation to discover that this or that character is not who he or she (or it) appears to be."
Thanks for reading. Let me know what catches your eye, and what you've been reading lately. If you're new to the newsletter, consider signing up: you'll get some regular issues with commentary about the SF/F world, as well as other book lists, interviews, and reviews.