Margaret's 2025 Science Fiction & Fantasy Picks

This list will be maintained alphabetical by author and consists of books which have already been published in January-February 2025 and which previously appeared on my New Releases and Forthcoming Books list.

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Brooks, Terry
Galaphile
(bk 1 of The First Druids of Shannara. This is "the origin story of the druid order and its enigmatic creator....")
Fantasy.
Penguin Random House / Random House / Ballantine Books / Del Rey Books
Mar.2025

Bujold, Lois McMaster
Demon Daughter
(First print [hardcover] edition. According to both the author & Locus Magazine.)
Fantasy
Subterranean Press
Jan.2025

Butcher, James J.
Cold Iron Task
(bk 3 of Unorthodox Chronicles. Sequel to Long Past Dues.)
Urban Fantasy.
Penguin Random House / Berkley Books / Ace
Mar.2025

Cooper, Iver P.
1637: The Pacific Initiative
(bk 39 in the Ring of Fire series. Direct sequel to 1636: Seas of Fortune. Trade pbk.)
Alternate history. Time travel.
Baen
Mar.2025

Doctorow, Cory
Picks and Shovels
(bk 3 of Martin Hench series. Sequel to The Bezzle. "New York Times bestselling author Cory Doctorow returns to the world of Red Team Blues to bring us the origin story of Martin Hench and the most powerful new tool for crime ever invented: the personal computer...."
"Righteously satisfying...A fascinating tale of financial skullduggery, long cons, and the delivery of ice-cold revenge." - Booklist on The Bezzle" (both Amazon blurb)
Hard sf.
Macmillan / Tor Publishing / Tor Books
Feb.2025

Flint, Eric and Hunt, Walter H.
1637: The French Correction
(bk 38 in the Ring of Fire series. Direct sequel to 1636: The Cardinal Virtues.)
Alternate history. Time travel.
Baen
Mar.2025

Forthright
Folk-Spelled
(bk 1 of Immortal Holmes. A steampunk mystery. An alternate history. Cozy suspense with a paranormal twist. Trade pbk.)
Steampunk mystery urban fantasy. Alternate history. Cozy suspense.
Twinkle Press
Mar. 28, 2025

Hearne, Kevin
Oberon's Bathtime Stories
(bk 5 of Oberon's Meaty Mysteries. Sequel to Canines and Cocktails. "Join Oberon and his Boston terrier buddy, Starbuck, in the tub as they hear about Corrie Ten Boom, Junko Tabei, Francisco de Miranda, Johannes Kepler, and many other figures from history spanning centuries." (Amazon blurb) [So, no murder mystery this time.] Trade pbk.)
Urban fantasy Alternate history
Horned Lark Press
Apr.2025

Hines, Jim C.
Kitemaster
("...spellbinding adventure of loss, resilience, and transformation." (Amazon blurb) Kitemaster was originally a short fiction piece. It has been expanded into a 390 page novel.)
Fantasy.
Arc Manor / Caezik SF & Fantasy
Apr.2025

Kingfisher, T.
Swordheart
("Cozy fantasy romance" [Amazon.com])
Romantasy
Macmillan / Tor Publishing / Bramble
Feb.2025

Kowal, Mary Robinette
The Martian Contingency
(bk 4 of the Lady Astronaut series. Sequel to The Relentless Moon.)
Hard sf. Alternate history.
Macmillan / Tor Publishing / Tor Books
Mar.2025

Lee, Shannon and Lee, Fonda
Breath of the Dragon
(bk 1 of the Breathmarked duology. Shannon is Bruce Lee's daughter and she wanted to write a novel which would feature Bruce Lee's values & philosophy. Fonda is an award-winning author and also a Bruce Lee fan. Young adult.)
Fantasy.
Macmillan / Wednesday Books
Jan.2025

Lee, Sharon and Miller, Steve
Diviner's Bow
(bk 27 in the Liaden Universe. Direct sequel to Ribbon Dance. [Padi yos'Galan book])
Hard sf. Space opera.
Baen
Apr.2025

McGuire, Seanan
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear
(bk 10 of Wayward Children. Sequel to Mislaid in Parts Half-Known. Novella.)
Fantasy.
Macmillan / Tor Publishing / Tordotcom
Jan.2025

McGuire, Seanan
Installment Immortality
(bk 14 of InCryptid. Sequel to Aftermarket Afterlife. Trade pbk.)
Urban fantasy
Macmillan / Tor Publishing / Tor Books
Mar.2025

Okorafor, Nnedi
Death of the Author: A Novel
(Deluxe limited edition hardback. Standalone. Not part of any series.)
Hard sf.
Harper Collins / William Morrow
Jan.2025

Okorafor, Nnedi
One-Way Witch
(bk 2 of She Who Knows. Sequel to Firespitter. Novella.)
Fantasy
Astra Publishing House / DAW
Apr.2025

Onyebuchi, Tochi
Harmattan Season: A Novel
("From the visionary author of Riot Baby and Goliath, Harmattan Season is a gripping fantasy noir in the tradition of Chandler, Hammond, and Christie that will have you by the throat, both dryly funny and unforgettably evocative." [Amazon blurb])
Detective mystery fantasy
Macmillan / Tor Publishing / Tor Books
Mar.2025

Salvatore, R.A.
Witch of Whispervale
(bk 2 of DemonWars: The Buccaneers. Sequel to Pinquickle's Folly.)
Fantasy
Simon & Schuster / Saga Press
Feb.2025

Scalzi, John
When the Moon Hits Your Eye
("From the New York Times bestselling author of Starter Villain comes an entirely serious take on a distinctly unserious subject: what would really happen if suddenly the moon were replaced by a giant wheel of cheese....an orb of cheese with the exact same mass." [Amazon blurb])
Hard sf.
Macmillan / Tor Publishing / Tor Books
Mar.2025

Taylor, Jodi
The Ballad of Smallhope and Pennyroyal
(bk 14.6 of The Chronicles of St. Mary's. Sequel to Christmas Pie. Smallhope & Pennyroyal origin story.)
NOTE: Kindle edition was published 9/3/2024.
Hard sf. Humorous time travel.
Hachette / Headline Publishing Group Limited / Headline
Feb.2025

Tchaikovsky, Adrian
Alien Clay
Macmillan / Tor Publishing / Tor Books
Mar.2025

Turtledove, Harry
Twice as Dead
("[N]oir fantasy expertly weaves a tale of suspense, intrigue, and the supernatural....Twice As Dead offers a unique blend of classic detective fiction and dark fantasy elements...."[Amazon blurb])
Detective Mystery Fantasy
Arc Manor / Caezik SF & Fantasy
Mar.2025

Weber, David & Lindskold, Jane
Friends Indeed
(bk 5 in the Star Kingdom [Stephanie Harrington] series. Sequel to A New Clan.)
Hard sf. Space opera.
Baen
Mar.2025

Williamson, S.F.
A Language of Dragons
("The most exciting debut of 2025 an incredible fantasy Dark Academia, perfect for fans of Babel, Fourth Wing, and the Scholomance trilogy....An epic, sweeping fantasy with an incredible Dark Academia setting, a clandestine, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, and an unputdownable story, filled with twists and turns, betrayals and secret identities, A Language of Dragons is the unmissable debut of 2025, from an extraordinary new voice." [Amazon blurb] Young adult.)
Fantasy
HarperCollins
Jan.2025

Zahn, Timothy
Icarus Coda
(bk 7 of the Icarus Saga. Sequel to Icarus Needle.)
Hard sf. Space Opera. Murder mystery.
Baen
Apr.2025

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