February New Releases I’m intrigued about

I wasn’t planning on doing a monthly segment dedicated to new releases but I had too many books on my list to write a single post so… here we are.

My selection isn’t trying to be comprehensive, I haven’t even mentioned all the books I’m intrigued about and I’m sure I missed a number of other great ones. However, I love gushing about new shiny books and I thought it would be a great opportunity to do so!  It’s not a February TBR by any means though I wish I could read all of them asap!

 

SCIENCE FICTION

The City in the Middle of the Night—Charlie Jane Anders (February 12, Tor Books)Set on a planet that has fully definitive, never-changing zones of day and night, with ensuing extreme climates of endless, frigid darkness and blinding, relentless light, humankind has somehow continued apace — though the perils outside the built cities are rife with danger as much as the streets below.

But in a world where time means only what the ruling government proclaims, and the levels of light available are artificially imposed to great consequence, lost souls and disappeared bodies are shadow-bound and savage, and as common as grains of sand. And one such pariah, sacrificed to the night, but borne up by time and a mysterious bond with an enigmatic beast, will rise to take on the entire planet–before it can crumble beneath the weight of human existence.

I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t even had to read the synopsis to know I wanted to read this book. I really liked All The Birds in the Sky and that’s enough for me to check out this new book by Charlie Jane Anders!

 

Dark Age (Red Rising #5)—Pierce Brown (February 12, Del Rey)
For a decade Darrow led a revolution against the corrupt color-coded Society. Now, outlawed by the very Republic he founded, he wages a rogue war on Mercury in hopes that he can still salvage the dream of Eo. But as he leaves death and destruction in his wake, is he still the hero who broke the chains? Or will another legend rise to take his place?

I have yet to read Iron Gold, the fourth installment in the Red Rising Saga but I loved the first three books and, even if I don’t think the original trilogy needed more books, I’m attached to the characters enough to read the continuation of their story.

 

Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation—Ken Liu, translator (February 19, Tor Books)
Broken Stars, edited by multi award-winning writer Ken Liu–translator of the bestselling and Hugo Award-winning novel The Three Body Problem by acclaimed Chinese author Cixin Liu–is his second thought-provoking anthology of Chinese short speculative fiction. Following Invisible Planets, Liu has now assembled the most comprehensive collection yet available in the English language, sure to thrill and gratify readers developing a taste and excitement for Chinese SF.

I tend to like Chinese SF a lot and I’m always on the lookout for new stories and authors. I’ll probably pick up Invisible Planets before Broken Stars (since I already have a copy of it) but it doesn’t mean that Broken Stars isn’t on my radar as well! Especially when I’m in such a short fiction mood, I want ALL the anthologies! 😀

 

FANTASY

Black Leopard, Red Wolf (Dark Star #1)—Marlon James (February 5, Riverhead Books)
Tracker is known far and wide for his skills as a hunter: “He has a nose,” people say. Engaged to track down a mysterious boy who disappeared three years earlier, Tracker breaks his own rule of always working alone when he finds himself part of a group that comes together to search for the boy.

This one has been everywhere lately and I want it! Not because it’s described as “an African Game of Thrones” but precisely because it doesn’t appear to be “another” Game of Thrones. It sounds very different from what’s already published and that’s why it’s appealing to me. And also, we are in 2019, can publishing companies stop comparing every single “grim” books to A Song of Ice and Fire please…?

 

Early Riser—Jasper Fforde (February 12, Viking)
Every Winter, the human population hibernates. During those bitterly cold four months, the nation is a snow-draped landscape of desolate loneliness, devoid of human activity. Well, not quite.

Your name is Charlie Worthing and it’s your first season with the Winter Consuls, the committed but mildly unhinged group of misfits who are responsible for ensuring the hibernatory safe passage of the sleeping masses.

If I’m correct this was released last year in the UK and if it intrigued me then, it intrigues me even more now. Believe or not, I have never read a book by Fforde and this one might very well be my first one! It sounds very weird and right up my alley.

 

The Haunting of Tram Car 015—P. Djèlí Clark (February 19, Tor.com Publishing)
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 returns to the alternate Cairo of Clark’s short fiction, where humans live and work alongside otherworldly beings; the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities handles the issues that can arise between the magical and the mundane. Senior Agent Hamed al-Nasr shows his new partner Agent Onsi the ropes of investigation when they are called to subdue a dangerous, possessed tram car. What starts off as a simple matter of exorcism, however, becomes more complicated as the origins of the demon inside are revealed.

I read and really enjoyed The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark last year so I pre-ordered this one without even reading the synopsis. I’m glad I did because now that I know what’s it’s actually about, it sounds great! I definitely want to read a story about an alternate Cairo full of magical creatures!

 

The Raven Tower—Ann Leckie (February 26, Orbit Books)
For centuries, the kingdom of Iraden has been protected by the god known as the Raven. He watches over his territory from atop a tower in the powerful port of Vastai. His will is enacted through the Raven’s Lease, a human ruler chosen by the god himself. His magic is sustained via the blood sacrifice that every Lease must offer. And under the Raven’s watch, the city flourishes.

But the power of the Raven is weakening. A usurper has claimed the throne. The kingdom borders are tested by invaders who long for the prosperity that Vastai boasts. And they have made their own alliances with other gods.

It is into this unrest that the warrior Eolo–aide to Mawat, the true Lease–arrives. And in seeking to help Mawat reclaim his city, Eolo discovers that the Raven’s Tower holds a secret. Its foundations conceal a dark history that has been waiting to reveal itself…and to set in motion a chain of events that could destroy Iraden forever.

The Raven Tower is Leckie’s fantasy debut novel and if it’s as good as her science fiction, it’s going to be good! That’s enough for me to put this book pretty high in my “want list”.

 

MELTING POT

A People’s Future of the United States—Victor LaValle and John Joseph Adams, editors (February 5, One World)

For many Americans, imagining a bright future has always been an act of resistance. A People’s Future of the United States presents twenty-five never-before-published stories by a diverse group of writers, featuring voices both new and well-established. These stories imagine their characters fighting everything from government surveillance, to corporate cities, to climate change disasters, to nuclear wars. But fear not: A People’s Future also invites readers into visionary futures in which the country is shaped by justice, equity, and joy.

Edited by Victor LaValle and John Joseph Adams, this collection features a glittering landscape of moving, visionary stories written from the perspective of people of color, indigenous writers, women, queer & trans people, Muslims and other people whose lives are often at risk.

It’s hard to categorize this one so I’m not going to. The author lineup of this anthology is amazing! To name just a few, it features Charlie Jane Anders, Sam J. Miller, Tobias S. Buckell, N.K. Jemisin, Omar El Akkad, Catherynne M. Valente, Seanan McGuire, Daniel José Older… OF COURSE I’M GOING TO READ THIS. This sounds freakin’ amazing!

 

That’s it for my small(ish) selection of February releases! I’m sure I forgot some amazing ones, if you have any more to add, feel free to mention them in the comments, it’s impossible to want too many books right? 😀