42 New Sci-Fi, Horror, and Fantasy Books to Add to Your Shelf in January

Happy New Year, and happy new books! If “reading more” is a goal you have in mind for 2025—we salute you! And we have 42 suggestions of where to start turning the pages, with sci-fi, horror, and fantasy tales galore.

January 7

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire 

The latest in the author’s Hugo and Nebula-winning Wayward Children series features “giant turtles, impossible ships, and tidal rivers ridden by a Drowned Girl in search of a family.” (January 7)

The Capital of Dreams by Heather O’Neill 

“A dark dystopian fairytale about an idyllic country ravaged by war—and a girl torn between safety and loyalty.” (January 7)

Cold Storage by Michael C. Grumley 

In this standalone near-future thriller, an army veteran goes on the run from the shadowy group that brought him back from the dead. (January 7)

A Conventional Boy by Charles Stross 

“In this new Laundry Files adventure the fate of the world will literally depend on the roll of dice… twenty-sided dice, that is.” (January 7)

The Dryad Storm by Laurie Forest 

“Magical forces clash and Erthia hovers on the brink of ruin in the can’t-miss finale of Laurie Forest’s epic fantasy series, the Black Witch Chronicles.” (January 7)

Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan 

“A young ruler must forge a delicate alliance with the untrustworthy yet magnetic God of War to protect her kingdom in this stunning romantic fantasy filled with dangerous secrets, forbidden magic, and passion.” (January 7)

Mother of Rome by Lauren J.A. Bear 

“A powerful and fierce reimagining of the earliest Roman legend: the twins, Romulus and Remus, mythical founders of history’s greatest empire, and the woman whose sacrifice made it all possible.” (January 7)

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young 

“A woman investigates her twin brother’s mysterious death while confronting the ghosts of her own haunted past.” (January 7)

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard (January 7)

In this romantasy, a bladesmith accepts an invitation to court mostly because she’s longing for adventure. She instead finds trouble in the form of the crown prince’s alluring half-brother, and things get even worse when her forbidden powers begin to awaken, drawing the interest of a dark god.

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman 

In this social horror tale, a man and his nephew race to escape “a demonic possession epidemic” that affects those who consume too much toxic media. (January 7)

January 14

Aurora Fragment by Brian Shea and Raquel Byrnes 

The Memory Bank techno-thriller series continues; in this entry, “plagued by the intrusive memories of a dead killer, Detective Morgan Reed is drawn to a remote and troubled Alaskan town.” (January 14)

Babylonia by Costanza Casati 

This tale offers a blend of “myth and ancient history to give Semiramis, the only female ruler of the Assyrian Empire, a voice, charting her captivating ascent to a throne no one promised her.” (January 14)

Daughter of Chaos by A.S. Webb 

The Dark Pantheon Trilogy begins in this tale set in ancient Greece, where a fisherman’s daughter realizes she has magic powers—and might be the key to setting humankind free from the tyrannical gods. (January 14)

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor 

In this new tale described as “a book within a book” from the author of Who Fears Death, “a disabled Nigerian American woman pens a wildly successful sci-fi novel, but as her fame rises, she loses control of the narrative—a surprisingly cutting, yet heartfelt drama about art and love, identity and connection, and, ultimately, what makes us human.” (January 14)

Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto 

“Ocean’s 8 meets Blade Runner in this trail-blazing debut science fiction novel and swashbuckling love letter to Hawai’i about being forced to find a new home and striving to build a better one.” (January 14)

Heavenly Bodies by Imani Erriu 

A new romantasy series begins with this tale that “blends mythology and shadow magic with a tantalizing enemies-to-lovers romance that will rewrite the stars.” (January 14)

The Last Room on the Left by Leah Konen 

“The caretaker at an isolated mountain hotel finds herself fighting for her life—and sanity—in this twisty, addictive thriller.” (January 14)

The Night Is Defying by Chloe C. Peñaranda

The second entry in the author’s Nytefall trilogy is set “where history is doomed to repeat, and star-crossed lovers must face a choice between their hearts or the world.” (January 14)

Strange Pictures by Uketsu, translated by Jim Rion 

This Japanese best-seller offers “an eerie fresh take on mystery-horror in which a series of seemingly innocent pictures draws you into a disturbing web of unsolved mysteries and shattered psyches.” (January 14)

Vow of the Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes 

This romantasy tale, the next installment in the Bride of the Shadow King series, picks back up with Princess Faraine. She’s trapped in the Shadow Realm with King Vor, her new husband, who is reluctant to trust her despite the spark between them. (January 14)

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao 

“A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical quest when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop, in this dreamlike fantasy novel.” (January 14)

Waterblack by Alex Pheby 

The Cities of the Weft trilogy concludes as Nathan Treeves steps into his role as Master of Waterblack, the City of the Dead, and the God-Killer who has him in her sights. (January 14)

We Lived on the Horizon by Erika Swyler 

This tale follows “a bio-prosthetic surgeon and her personal AI as they are drawn into a revolution.” (January 14)

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix 

In 1970 Florida, an occult book on witchcraft brings a strange and dangerous new power to the young women biding their time in a home for unwed pregnant teens. (January 14)

January 21

Boudicca by P.C. Cast 

“An epic, lusty, magic-filled romantasy about British warrior queen Boudicca.” (January 21)

The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao 

This “fantasy inspired by one of the most famous romances in Hindu mythology” follows “the story of a celestial dancer tasked with seducing a human sage, but when she finds herself falling for her mark, she will be forced to choose between loyalties and being true to herself.” (January 21)

Motheater by Linda H. Codega 

“In this nuanced queer fantasy set amid the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, the last witch of the Ridge must choose sides in a clash between industry and nature.” Read a Q&A with the author, an io9 alumni, here. (January 21)

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros 

The Empyrean series continues as Violet departs Basgiath War College and heads into battle—in search of allies and desperate to protect her dragons and the people she loves.  (January 21)

The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang, translated by Slin Juno 

“On the outskirts of Rainbow Town, there is an old, abandoned house. They say that if you send a letter detailing your misfortunes there, you could receive a ticket. If you bring this ticket to the house on the first day of the rainy season, you’ll be granted entrance into the mysterious Rainfall Market—where you can choose to completely change your life.” A woman who’s shocked to receive such a ticket must figure out what to do next. (January 21)

Strange Stones by Edward Lee and Mary SanGiovanni 

“This story follows an insufferable horror-con lurker as he spurns the wrong woman and is cursed to a monstrous dimension full of Lovecraftian creations.” (January 21)

The Wind on Her Tongue by Anita Kopacz 

This follow-up to Shallow Waters continues the Daughter of Three Waters trilogy, as “Oya—the Yoruban deity of the weather—is brought to life during 1870s America.” (January 21)

January 25

Those Fatal Flowers by Shannon Ives

“Greco-Roman mythology and the mystery of the vanished Roanoke colony collide in this epic adventure filled with sapphic longing and female rage.” (January 25)

January 28

At the Bottom of the Garden by Camilla Bruce 

“A murderess becomes the guardian of two very unusual girls in this mesmerizing gothic novel.” (January 28)

At the Fount of Creation by Tobi Ogundirian 

“The fate of the Orisha will be decided in the concluding volume of the Guardians of the Gods duology.” (January 28)

Gate to Kagoshima by Poppy Kuroki 

In this historical romantasy, “a young Scottish woman is magically transported to the last Samurai era, where she encounters ghosts from the past, her own Japanese ancestry, and a love that transcends time.” (January 28)

Old Soul by Susan Barker 

“Part horror, part western, part thriller, Old Soul is a fearlessly bold and genre-defying tale about predation, morality and free will, and one man’s quest to bring a centuries-long chain of human devastation to an end.” (January 28)

Our Winter Monster by Dennis Mahoney 

“Chilling holiday horror about an unhappy couple running from their problems and straight into the maw of a terrifying beast.” (January 28)

The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbell 

“A mage bereft of her powers must find out if she is destined to save the world or destroy it.” (January 28)

The Scorpion Queen by Mira Frears 

“Uprooted meets Children of Blood and Bone in this dark fantasy inspired by a Malian fairy tale about a princess whose suitors are challenged to gruesome trials.” (January 28)

Shadow of the Eternal Watcher by Josh Mendoza 

A down-on-his-luck private eye who’s often visited by demons discovers he has another power he’s never realized: the ability to bend space-time, a gift that may allow him to achieve the life he’s always dreamed of. (January 28)

Sinkhole, and Other Inexplicable Voids: Stories by Leyna Krow 

“Set in the Pacific Northwest, these stories blend high concept magic with the sometimes subtle, other times glaring, realities of climate change.” (January 28)

The Teeth of Dawn by Marina Lostetter 

The Five Penalties fantasy series concludes as “a rebellion struggles to tear the mask off the illusions and enchantments of a society shrouded in layers of mystery.” (January 28)

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