All the new science fiction and fantasy books to check out in January 2025

Welcome to the first monthly book list of 2025! We've picked up some new subscribers in the last couple of days, so here's a bit of a refresher and introduction: I'm Andrew Liptak, a writer and journalist who's covered science fiction, fantasy, pop culture, and entertainment for a number of sites, including io9, The Verge, Polygon, Reactor, Kirkus Reviews, and more.

This newsletter is my attempt to make sense of the world of science fiction (and fantasy) and its intersections with the real world. One of the regular features that you'll get is a monthly (sometimes twice a month) roundup of books that catch my eye that you might also enjoy.

Earlier this week, I published my picks for the books that I'm looking forward to the most over the course of 2025, which you can read here. You also can find prior lists and recommendations via the Book List tag.

Here are the 18 SF/F/H books that caught my eye that are coming out in the month of January 2025:

Old Soul by Susan Barker (January 28th)

Two strangers, Jake and Mariko, are stranded after they miss their flight, and while chatting over dinner, they discover a strange connection: they both lost loved ones to a strange woman. Their encounter sends Jake across the world, trying to track this mysterious person down, listening to people who've encountered her, discovering a trail of bodies that stretches back centuries. When he eventually encounters Theo, a dying sculptor who knows the woman better than anyone else, and who might be his best opportunity to figure out who she is.

Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, saying "Barker weaves an eerie and suspenseful narrative, alternating between Jake’s present-day pursuit and haunting flashbacks of the woman’s victims. The slow-burning tension and lush, atmospheric prose build a creeping sense of dread that lingers long after the final page."

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall (January 7th)

In the near future, climate change has raised the oceans and flooded parts of the world. In the aftermath, a girl named Nonie, her family, and her parents' scientist friends have settled in an abandoned New York City on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History.

They've been working to save the exhibits and the knowledge the museum holds while they hunt and grow their own food in what remains of Central Park. When a massive storm hits and breaks through the city's walls, they flee north, carrying with them a book of records of the lost collections.

Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review, saying "The narrative keeps pace with the sense of urgency created by the hypercane, and Caffall brings the terrifying realities of this near-future to vivid life through expert use of sensory language" and that it's "Gripping, beautifully descriptive, and likely to stay with you."

The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbell (January 28th)

Annabel Campbell introduces us to the glass city of Amoria in this debut. Naila is a student at the city's academy, where she's studying magic. If she fails, she'll be exiled where she'll be punished or consumed by her own powers.

After an accident, she's saved by Haelius Akana, the city's most powerful mage. He recognizes something in her, and decides to help her learn to hone her abilities. But his tutorage comes with risk: it's not a popular decision and there are plenty of people hoping to see the two of them fail.

Publishers Weekly awarded the book a starred review, saying "the captivating heroine and hints of even graver danger to come make for a thrilling series starter."

Motheater by Linda H. Codega (January 21st)

I recently sent out my "most anticipated books for 2025", and this one was on it. I know of Linda H. Codega from their work as one of the better writers on of io9, and they've recently been working on this book.

In it, we meet a woman named Bennie Mattox, who decides to investigate why the miners working on Kire Mountain have been dying in accidents. While there, she discovers a half-drowned white woman and takes her in. The woman tells her she's called Motheater and can't remember her real name or how she got there. She's a witch, bound to the land, and has vowed to preserve the mountain. The unlikely pair now have the opportunity to change the town forever.

Publishers Weekly says "Codega weaves Appalachian magic and Southern cunning throughout their protagonists’ crusade and brings in an exploration of what it is to be queer in the South."

Lightfall by Ed Crocker (January 14th)

Ed Crocker kicks off his debut series with Lightfall, in which vampires roamed the world for centuries until the arrival of "Grays" arrived and wiped out half of their population overnight. The survivors fled to the city of First Light, and settled into a cast system: the wealthy could drink the best blood, while the poor only gets the weaker stuff.

Nobody can leave the city, and Sam, a palace maid, has had enough of the oppression. After the son of a noble is murdered and she discovers some clues to his death, she has an opportunity to jump into the upper classes. In doing so, she discovers a conspiracy from the upper elites, one that could transform the city if uncovered. But first, she has to avoid a similar fate.

Publishers Weekly says that "the worldbuilding is classic paranormal fantasy, but the many players and complex politics lend this an epic fantasy feel."

Level: Unknown by David Dalglish (January 14th)

An alien artifact chooses a young researcher named Nick to explore a vast world that it's stored inside of it: the realm of Yensere, which contains lost empires, heroes with powers, strange monsters. He's transported there every time he falls asleep,, and he has to explore and grow his own skills to uncover the mysteries that it holds.

Nick's seen by its inhabitants as a demonic threat, and each time he's killed, he's brought back to the real world, over and over again. There's only so much longer before death catches up with him, but he has to keep trying: there's a good chance that understanding Yensere can save humanity from a terrible end.

Publishers Weekly says "Dalglish embeds naive gamer Nick in a simulation that’s out to destroy him while still making the gameplay feel believably fun for Nick and his fellow players. Dedicated RPG fans will be tickled, but even readers without a gaming background will find plenty to enjoy."

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix (January 14th)

The Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida is a place where unwed mothers can give birth to their babies and give them up for adoption in secret before returning to their lives. When 15-year-old Fern arrives in the summer of 1970, she's alone and terrified, and meets plenty of other girls in the same situation from all walks of life.

While there, every part of their lives are controlled by the adults who run the place. When Fern meets a librarian who gives her a book about witchcraft, she and her companions finally discover some agency and power that they can control. That power is dangerous though: it can take what it gives, and there's always a cost.

Publishers Weekly says "The fantastical horror elements are uncharacteristically few and the pace occasionally drags, but Hendrix perfectly captures the girls’ youth and loss of innocence, as well as the power of their friendships."

The Teeth of Dawn by Marina Lostetter (January 28th)

Marina Lostetter closes out her Five Penalties series (preceded by The Helm of Midnight and The Cage of Dark Hours), in which the theft of a magical artifact that unleashed a mythical killer and brought about a rebellion. Krona and her companions have survived the killer Louis Charbon and the Savior, and realize in order to free Arkensyre, they have to free some chained ancient gods and enlist them to their cause.

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire (January 7th)

Seanan McGuire's latest is the 10th installment of her Wayward Children series (which kicked off in 2016 with Every Heart a Doorway). This adventure follows Nadya was born missing an arm and was fine with that until her adopted parents fitted her with a prosthetic arm.

She didn't like it: it felt wrong, like it wasn't her. Frustrated and wandering, she fell through a door into Belyrreka, the Land Beneath the Lake and discovered a water world filled with strange aquatic creatures, and discovers who she really is: a Drowned Girl. She finally feels at home, but it's still a dangerous place, and she'll have to fight to remain there.

Publishers Weekly says "newcomers are sure to be sucked in, and though longtime readers of the series already know how Nadya’s story ends, they’ll enjoy seeing where it began."

At the Fount of Creation by Tobi Ogundiran (January 28th)

Tobi Ogundiran follows up last year's In the Shadow of the Fall with At the Fount of Creation. In that first book, Ashâke grew up as an acolyte in a temple, awaiting the day that she'll be made a priest and will serve her order out in the world. Out of desperation, she tried to trap an orisha, and instead received a powerful vision that brought her to the attention of an ancient enemy that could destroy her world.

In this concluding volume, Ashâke is carrying the spirits of the Orisha that remain after being decimated by the soul-stealing Godkillers their leader, and she's looking for allies to help her defeat a coming army.

Over on Locus, Archita Mittra says that the book is a "thrilling conclusion" to the series, and that it's "an enjoy­able and engrossing book, filled with adventure and action sequences that unfold like a block­buster film, exploring the nature and relevance of divinity in an embittered world."

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (January 14th)

This is another one on my most anticipated books this year: I really like meta, books-about-stories novels and this looks like it fits in that category neatly.

This book follows a woman named Zelu who finds her life turned upside down: she learns she's been fired in the middle of her sister's wedding, and her latest novel has been rejected from a publisher. She decides to write something completely different: a science fiction novel about a war between androids and AIs on a devastated Earth, Rusted Robots. When she finishes and publishes the book, it goes on to become a major bestseller, bringing her fame and attention that she never anticipated.

Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review, saying "Zelu’s story and the book-within-a-book echo each other, as characters in both narratives learn to overcome shame, reach forgiveness and self-acceptance, and commit to life-giving purpose; fundamentally, in both parts of the book, Okorafor explores what it means to be human."

Dead Souls by Han Song, translated by Michael Berry (January 10th)

Han Song finishes out the trilogy he began with Hospital and Exorcism, about a man named Yang Wei, who woke up in mysterious hospital, from which he's been unable to escape before finding himself aged decades and in a geriatric ward on a massive Hospital ship.

In this book, he's once again awoken in a hospital, trapped in an endless cycle of treatment, death, and resurrection. This time, he finds that the hospital has fallen into chaos as its patients revolt. It's so shocking that Yang Wei is beginning to question what is real and what is imaginary.

A Conventional Boy : A Laundry Files Novel by Charles Stross (January 7th)

Charles Stross adds a new entry to his long-running Laundry Files series. The books are a blend of horror tropes, following an IT guy-turned-field agent for a secretive government agency that deals with the supernatural.

In this installment (number 13), Stross takes us back to 1984 to introduce us to Derek Reilly, a teenage dungeon master whose life is turned over when his house is raided by the government at the height of the satanic panic. Decades later, Derek is institutionalized at a deprograming camp for Elder God cultists. He's been cooperative, and has been running a D&D campaign by mail. When he learns about a local gaming convention, he wants to escape to check it out, only to find that there's actually a ritual at play designed to summon an evil god into our world, and it's up to him to stop it from happening.

Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, saying "this is urban fantasy with its tongue firmly in its cheek, and it reads a bit like Terry Pratchett trying his hand at Lovecraftian horror. The result will delight newcomers and longtime fans alike. 

We Lived on the Horizon by Erika Swyler (January 14th)

The city of Bulwark is named for its walls that have held back a series of cataclysms, ruled by an AI that rewards sacrifice. A caste system has evolved over generations from the city's founders, known as the Sainted. Their numbers include Enita Malovis, who's enjoyed a luxurious life. She's coming to the end of that life, where she worked for decades as a bio-prosthetist, and to keep her legacy alive, has created a physical being called Nix, which contains all of her knowledge.

While working on the project, a fellow Saint is murdered and the crime is covered up by the city's AI. Enita and Nix are soon drawn into a class war that could upend the life that they've known and the rigid structure that has kept the hidden underclasses in check.

Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review, saying "The story transports and transforms, alchemizing a combination of mystery, romance, and science fiction into an impactful exploration of the importance of connection, the evolutionary nature of identity, and the inevitability of revolution. Affecting relationships and a sinuous, kaleidoscopic third-person narrative further define and develop the exquisitely rendered characters."

Murderbot Diaries Vol 1., Vol 2., and Vol 3. by Martha Wells (January 7th)

Martha Wells scored a huge hit with her Murderbot Diaries series a couple of years ago (Wired recently ran an excellent profile about her that you should read) and you'll see more of it in the nearish future: there's a TV series in production with Apple TV Plus.

If you haven't picked these up yet, here's a good opportunity. The series is mainly novellas, with a pair of novels thrown in there, and Tordotcom is re-releasing them as omnibuses. Volume 1 contains All Systems Red and Artificial Condition; Vol 2. has Rogue Protocol and Exit Strategy, and Vol 3. has Fugitive Telemetry and the novel System Collapse. (The first novel, Network Effect, isn't included, and sits between Vols. 2 and 3.) It's a great series, and this is a good way to dig into it all at once.

Martha Wells Interview: Writing Murderbot

Martha Wells on her blockbuster series Murderbot: finding common ground with anxiety-driven killer robots, television, and second chances.

Transfer OrbitAndrew Liptak

Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto (January 14th)

Edie is a criminal who was betrayed by a colleague and sent to prison on an icy prison planet. After eight years, the opportunity for an early parole arrives, and Edie is free, only to come face to face with the woman who betrayed them, Angel. She has an offer: one last job, another opportunity to take down a tech trillionaire that they attempted to take down last time.

Arly Sorg reviewed the book for Lightspeed Magazine, saying that "Yamamoto adds in the growth of challenging relationships and friendships, that sense of various kinds of family, punctuated by occasional humor. It’s a satisfying book, and far more nuanced than most heist stories, while still hitting the marks that readers expect.

As always, thanks for reading. Please let me know what books in this list caught your eye, and what you've got on your to-read list.