12 new SF/F books to check out in the second half of May

Apple finally releases its adaptation of Martha Wells' Murderbot novels, and the first two episodes are great: I thought they really captured the tone and feel of the books nicely. Because the show was coming, I recently picking up the first and second books (All Systems Red and Artificial Condition) to refresh my memory and sink back into them.

Given the pile of books that I've amassed, I don't often go back to books that I've already read, but there's a certain joy to sinking into a familiar read. I've read the first four novellas a couple of times, and I've found that they're a delightful, light-yet-serious series of stories, and they've been just what I've needed, reading-wise. I remember the broad beats of the stories, and get to focus on the smaller things that I might have missed.

I came away from both of these books with a better sense of Murderbot's dislike of people and its social anxiety, something that feels very timely and relevant at the moment, and appreciated its efforts to balance doing its job against interacting with people and slacking off. I'll likely return to the next couple of entries (Rogue Protocol and Exit Strategy) in the next couple of weeks when I need another familiar, quick read while I wait for the next couple of episodes of the show to drop.

There are lots of other books coming out in the meantime to add to the TBR. Here are 12 that caught my eye to check out over the course of the rest of May.

As always, you can see prior lists through the Book List tag, and in case you missed the first book list for May, here it is:

Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd by Delilah S. Dawson (May 13th)

I've enjoyed Delilah S. Dawson's Star Wars tie-in novels like Phasma (I have Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade on my to-get-to list), and now she turns her attention to another franchise, Dungeons & Dragons. Five strangers awaken in a strange, misty world called Barovia: Rotrog (orcish wizard), Chivarion (drow barbarian), Alishai (tiefling paladin), Kah (kenku cleric), and Fielle (human artificer).

They're soon presented with an invitation: a Strahd von Zarovich invites them to dine with him at Castle Ravenloft, and find themselves in over their heads: they have to survive Strahd and the dangers his castle holds, confront their greatest fears and secrets, and get along before they're trapped by Barovia's mists forever.

Disgraced Return of the Kap's Needle by Renan Bernardo (April 29th)

A century from now, a generation ship called Kap's Needle departed Earth for a new world, only to run into trouble. As the ship and its crew make a desperate attempt to return home, they have to contend with a dwindling oxygen supply and the collapse of their biospheres.

Life Support Manager Reva has been placed in charge of who gets to breathe, and when the ship's captain, Horvat, begins purging officers to cover up his own incompetence, she knows she'll be next, and has to turn to the last person she can trust, First Officer Torres, to save her son.

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig (May 20th)

Rachel Gillig kicks off a new series called The Stonewater Kingdom with The Knight and the Moth, in which a woman named Sybil Delling has found her calling as a Diviner, using her dreams to get visions from six entities known as Omens. She uses her skills to predict the terrible things her kingdom will confront.

Coming to the end of her tenure, everything is upended when a knight arrives at the cathedral. He doesn't care about her visions, but when her sisters begin to vanish, she seeks him out to help find them in the wild world outside of her home.

The Sword Triumphant by Gareth Hanrahan (May 27th)

Gareth Hanrahan brings his Lands of the Firstborn trilogy (The Sword Defiant and The Sword Unbound) to an end with The Sword Triumphant.

In the first book, Sir Aelfric and his eight companions saved the world from a Dark Lord and set about dealing with the aftermath. Aelfric found himself keeping Skellbreaker the Dark Lord's cursed sword, had to gather his former companions to face a new threat, only to find that some of them have turned to the dark side themselves, only to get branded as a traitor himself.

Now, he's been pulled into a rebellion against a malevolent ruler who has been manipulating humanity, and is brought back for one last quest to save the world.

Library Journal says "At its heart, this is the story of a brother and sister who, despite being too old and burdened to shoulder the weight of the world, do so anyway with admirable resolve and humanity."

Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay (May 27th)

Thierry Villar is a poet who’s well known in taverns and shadows of medieval France and unexpectedly finds himself caught up in a plot that involves assassins, royal, and invading armies. He has to use all of his wits and charm to navigate his way through the halls of power as a war looms.

Library Journal says "Kay once again delivers a skillful blend of history and fantasy that captures both the beauty and brutality of the past with poetic precision."

Never Flinch by Stephen King (May 27th)

Holly Gibney has appeared in a bunch of Stephen King's novels: Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, End of Watch, The Outsider, If It Bleeds, and Holly, and he's brought her back for his latest novel.  

When the Buckeye City Police Department gets a letter from someone threatening to kill a whole bunch of people to atone "the needless death of an innocent man,” Detective Izzy Jaynes isn't sure what to think, and turns to her friend Holly Gibney for help. At the same time, Holly is hired to serve as a body guard for a controversial women's rights activist whose lectures are being disrupted by a stalker.

Amplitudes : Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity edited by Lee Mandelo (May 27th)

Lee Mandelo assembles an excellent table of contents for his new anthology Amplitudes, in which he explores the various possibilities that the future holds for queer and trans people. These stories, written by folks like Katharine Duckett, Meg Elison, Sarah Gailey, Margaret Killjoy, Sam J. Miller, Neon Yang, and many more, includes everything from knights fighting in the streets of dystopian cities to Appalachian conservationists to dance-club cruising in the distant edges of the galaxy.

Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review, saying "Although the mood shifts frequently throughout the anthology—Miller’s tale is easily the most lighthearted, Yoakeim’s the saddest—each story is a poignant, unflinching look at what could be for the LGBTQ+ community."

Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer by Leon Neyfakh (May 2nd)

Leon Neyfakh is one of those rare podcast hosts who knocks something out of the park with each project he undertakes. I came across him via his first couple of season of Slow Burn on Slate (about Watergate and President Clinton's impeachment), and then his podcast Fiasco (which had seasons about the Bush/ Gore election and supreme court decision, the Iran-Contra scandal, the Boston busing crisis, the Benghazi incident, and the AIDS Crisis).

His latest project is an audiobook from Audible that's a close look at TV host Jerry Springer and picking apart his public persona and who he really is. It's a really fascinating listen.

Harmattan Season by Tochi Onyebuchi (May 27th)

"Harmattan" is a season that takes place between November and March, which brings dusty winds off from the Sahara through West Africa into the Gulf of Guinea, and sets the tone for Tochi Onyebuchi's latest novel. A veteran-turned-private eye named Boubacar is contending with a dry spell during the season. When a bleeding woman appears at his door and vanishes, he begins to investigate while his city is primed for violence between rebels and the occupying French government.

Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, saying "blending elements of classic noir fiction (including a Chandleresque narrative voice) and fantastic acts of terroristic martyrdom, Onyebuchi crafts an equally heady and page-turning narrative."

Esperance by Adam Oyebaji (May 20th)

A Chicago detective named Ethan Krol comes across a strange scene: the bodies of a father and son who appear to have drowned in the ocean – hundreds of miles away from the city. At the same time, a woman named Abidemi Eniola arrives in England, and is hunting for clues about a ship that set sale from Bristol in 1791. She has some strange tech with her, along with heirlooms that she's trying to get back into the hands of their owners.

Krol's investigation eventually includes Abidemi and her assistant Hollie, and it seems that their two quests are related in some strange ways as technology, history, and culture crash into one another.

Publishers Weekly says "The plotlines eventually intersect, yielding a satisfying, if grim, solution. Rob Hart and Blake Crouch fans should check this out."

Starstuff: Ten Science Fiction Stories to Celebrate New Possibilities edited by Wade Roush (May 20th)

Wade Roush follows up his 2023 YA anthology Tasting Light with another: Starstuff, in which authors William Alexander, A. R. Capetta, Maddi Gonzalez, Carlos Hernandez, Kekla Magoon, Jenn Reese, David Robertson, Roush, Eliot Schrefer, and Fran Wilde take on hard science fiction with stories about space junk, multiverses, asteroids, and quite a bit more, all with an optimistic lens.

Kirkus Reviews says "the themes of humanity, morality, and the quest for knowledge will appeal beyond aficionados of the genre. Naturally inclusive diversity is interwoven throughout, for example through the presence of nongendered characters."

Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler (May 27th)

Django Wexler closes out his Dark Lord Davi duology with a followup to last year's How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying. Dark Lord Davi saved her kingdom and became its ruler, but how has tons of wilders under her command who're out for human blood – all of it. She's beginning to face threats at her borders, and has to figure out a way to use her time loop to bring some sort of harmony to the kingdom before it all comes tumbling down.

Publishers Weekly says "Wexler raises the stakes by removing Davi’s “reset” option this time around: now deaths are permanent. The added emotional weight nicely balances out the snarky humor and barrage of pop-culture references. This is a worthy finale."