Let's Get Literate! February 2019 Books
Jan. 28th, 2019 02:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ladybusinessI'm excited for way more books than I will ever read. I've accepted this as my lot in life and I'm resigned to my fate. Here's some of the books coming out in February that caught my eye.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James — February 5 | Riverhead Books
Black Leopard, Red Wolf was buzzy as soon as it was announced: before a title and way before an announced release date. James's last book A Brief History of Seven Killings swept awards in 2015, and those of us who love the space where literary fiction and speculative fiction merge have been excited to see what James would do with the epic fantasy structure. It's almost time. eta: some folks have weighed in to share that this book features rape and probably also violence against kids, so if those things are a deal breaker, be aware! There's a longer profile here that may give some context for the book people who need content warnings might find useful.
A People's Future of the United States edited by Victor LaValle & John Joseph Adams — February 5 | One World
John Joseph Adams is a familiar name in SFF anthologies and he's working with Victor LaValle here with a table of contents that reads like a metaphorical Walk of Fame for SFF writers. I'm excited to see names I'm not familiar with alongside some of my favorite writers. I used to love mixtapes as a kid, and then later, custom CDs made for me by friends, and anthologies have always felt like that, but in book form. It's a great way to find new writers doing cool stuff in genre. The blurb for this one sold me: "A future of peace, justice, and love comes to life in original speculative stories that challenge oppression and embrace inclusiveness."
Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik — February 5 | Harper Voyager
Jessie Mihalik is a brand new author to me, but the premise of this gave me such hardcore Final Fantasy XII feels that I couldn't help but note it. Specifically, in Final Fantasy XII there's a princess and a pirate and some grudging partnership, and that was something that drew me to FFXII (even if they didn't fulfill it the way I assumed), so I have pretty high hopes for the politicking and face mashing.
The Matchmaker's List by Sonya Lalli — February 5 | Berkley Books
The first non-SFF title on the list is one I came across while I was trawling through anticipated book lists—perhaps The Millions?—and it caught my eye because it looks like it might have a solid intergenerational story about a woman and her grandmother. I've wanted to start reading more stories about women and their relationships with family, and I'm hopeful this will fit the bill. The cover is super cute and it sounds like it will be a fun time.
The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons — February 5 | Tor Books
TO BE FRANK, I ignored The Ruin of Kings initially because it was compared to Sanderson and Rothfuss, two authors I have tried and found Problematic for various reasons. I didn't really get interested until this thread about the AO3 tag applicable to the book. What I have learned is that I am Very Susceptible to comparison blurbs in both directions.
Heartstopper Vol. One by Alice Oseman — February 7 | Hodder Children's Books
Heartstopper is an ongoing webcomic, and this is a collected edition being published in the UK by Hodder—it gathers the first two chapters. The art looks so charming and I always love seeing web comic creators get wider distribution. :)
The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders — February 12 | Tor Books
I absolutely loved All the Birds in the Sky, the last SFF release by Charlie Jane, and have been excited to see what she does next. I find the blurb for this one a little bemusing, but it looks like it might be an examination of power and I'm here for it! I'm always telling people that Charlie Jane is going to be John Scalzi levels of famous for her SFF one day so feel free to join me on the beginning of her journey!!!
Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard — February 12 | Tor Teen
Past me: Truthwitch should have been gay.
Current me: HAHAHA I'M A GIANT HYPOCRITE!! The hets got me.
Anyway, I'm excited about this book.
Empire of Light by Alex Harrow — February 25 | NineStar Press
The first book in a new SF series featuring queer characters, morally dubious heroes, and Evil Empires (I will never get tired of a good Evil Empire). Grudging partnerships? Team ups? Heroics driven by love? Here for it.
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie — February 26 | Orbit
Own up: who, two-ish years ago, saw Ann Leckie had a standalone fantasy novel on the way and went, "yep!" and made plans to pre-order it, then did pre-order it, and is now waiting like a fat spider for February 26 to roll around? Mmmhmm. The main response I've seen about this novel is people saying, "This is in second person and...it works? Wow!" Honestly, Leckie writes so deftly about history and culture that I'm not even worried about the point of view. Also, I love seeing standalone fantasy novels in a world filled with sequels (even though I read something and then inevitably want a sequel...*cough*GoblinEmperor*cough*).
We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia — February 26 | Katherine Tegen Books
I went from not knowing about We Set the Dark on Fire to seeing it almost everywhere. The blurb gives me very strong immigration metaphor vibes. When![[twitter.com profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/e0caa790ec10/-/twitter.com/favicon.ico)
booksmugglers mentioned this book to me on a recent episode of fangirlpod, the blurb she read said it was for fans of The Handmaid's Tale, proving the blurb culture sure is a thing. The big selling point for this one seems to be the F/F romance, but meanwhile, I'm like, "SPIES? SECRET RESISTANCE?" Anyway, if you're a fan of The Handmaid's Tale...XD
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon — February 26 | Bloomsbury Publishing
There's dragons, the world seems very women-focused, and there's a secret group using illegal magic. Sure, it's 900 pages, but it's 900 pages of epic fantasy by a lady getting a lot of mainstream push (yes, come to us, people who want more epic fantasy by ladies...we have recs)! I'm cautiously excited.
What books are you excited for in February, on this list or otherwise?
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James — February 5 | Riverhead Books
Black Leopard, Red Wolf was buzzy as soon as it was announced: before a title and way before an announced release date. James's last book A Brief History of Seven Killings swept awards in 2015, and those of us who love the space where literary fiction and speculative fiction merge have been excited to see what James would do with the epic fantasy structure. It's almost time. eta: some folks have weighed in to share that this book features rape and probably also violence against kids, so if those things are a deal breaker, be aware! There's a longer profile here that may give some context for the book people who need content warnings might find useful.
A People's Future of the United States edited by Victor LaValle & John Joseph Adams — February 5 | One World
John Joseph Adams is a familiar name in SFF anthologies and he's working with Victor LaValle here with a table of contents that reads like a metaphorical Walk of Fame for SFF writers. I'm excited to see names I'm not familiar with alongside some of my favorite writers. I used to love mixtapes as a kid, and then later, custom CDs made for me by friends, and anthologies have always felt like that, but in book form. It's a great way to find new writers doing cool stuff in genre. The blurb for this one sold me: "A future of peace, justice, and love comes to life in original speculative stories that challenge oppression and embrace inclusiveness."
Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik — February 5 | Harper Voyager
Jessie Mihalik is a brand new author to me, but the premise of this gave me such hardcore Final Fantasy XII feels that I couldn't help but note it. Specifically, in Final Fantasy XII there's a princess and a pirate and some grudging partnership, and that was something that drew me to FFXII (even if they didn't fulfill it the way I assumed), so I have pretty high hopes for the politicking and face mashing.
The Matchmaker's List by Sonya Lalli — February 5 | Berkley Books
The first non-SFF title on the list is one I came across while I was trawling through anticipated book lists—perhaps The Millions?—and it caught my eye because it looks like it might have a solid intergenerational story about a woman and her grandmother. I've wanted to start reading more stories about women and their relationships with family, and I'm hopeful this will fit the bill. The cover is super cute and it sounds like it will be a fun time.
The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons — February 5 | Tor Books
TO BE FRANK, I ignored The Ruin of Kings initially because it was compared to Sanderson and Rothfuss, two authors I have tried and found Problematic for various reasons. I didn't really get interested until this thread about the AO3 tag applicable to the book. What I have learned is that I am Very Susceptible to comparison blurbs in both directions.
Heartstopper Vol. One by Alice Oseman — February 7 | Hodder Children's Books
The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders — February 12 | Tor Books
I absolutely loved All the Birds in the Sky, the last SFF release by Charlie Jane, and have been excited to see what she does next. I find the blurb for this one a little bemusing, but it looks like it might be an examination of power and I'm here for it! I'm always telling people that Charlie Jane is going to be John Scalzi levels of famous for her SFF one day so feel free to join me on the beginning of her journey!!!
Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard — February 12 | Tor Teen
Past me: Truthwitch should have been gay.
Current me: HAHAHA I'M A GIANT HYPOCRITE!! The hets got me.
Anyway, I'm excited about this book.
Empire of Light by Alex Harrow — February 25 | NineStar Press
The first book in a new SF series featuring queer characters, morally dubious heroes, and Evil Empires (I will never get tired of a good Evil Empire). Grudging partnerships? Team ups? Heroics driven by love? Here for it.
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie — February 26 | Orbit
Own up: who, two-ish years ago, saw Ann Leckie had a standalone fantasy novel on the way and went, "yep!" and made plans to pre-order it, then did pre-order it, and is now waiting like a fat spider for February 26 to roll around? Mmmhmm. The main response I've seen about this novel is people saying, "This is in second person and...it works? Wow!" Honestly, Leckie writes so deftly about history and culture that I'm not even worried about the point of view. Also, I love seeing standalone fantasy novels in a world filled with sequels (even though I read something and then inevitably want a sequel...*cough*GoblinEmperor*cough*).
We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia — February 26 | Katherine Tegen Books
I went from not knowing about We Set the Dark on Fire to seeing it almost everywhere. The blurb gives me very strong immigration metaphor vibes. When
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon — February 26 | Bloomsbury Publishing
There's dragons, the world seems very women-focused, and there's a secret group using illegal magic. Sure, it's 900 pages, but it's 900 pages of epic fantasy by a lady getting a lot of mainstream push (yes, come to us, people who want more epic fantasy by ladies...we have recs)! I'm cautiously excited.
What books are you excited for in February, on this list or otherwise?
no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 09:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 06:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-29 09:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 10:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 06:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 10:58 am (UTC)The Nalendar, originally published 2008, reprinted in Uncanny Magazine in 2015
Marsh Gods, in Strange Horizons from 2008
The God of Au, in Transcriptase from 2008
Beloved of the Sun, in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, from 2010
no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 06:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 12:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 06:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 12:41 pm (UTC)From this list, I'd only heard of Raven Tower, which I've been excited for since last year. :)
no subject
Date: 2019-01-28 06:56 pm (UTC)Honestly, I'd be more surprised to find someone who HASN'T been looking forward to The Raven Tower. XD
February books!
Date: 2019-01-28 02:26 pm (UTC)Some other February books I'm excited about:
- The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
- The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
- The Afterwards by E.K. Johnston
- The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark
Re: February books!
Date: 2019-01-28 07:02 pm (UTC)