Exciting Fantasy Books, March 2018

Note: This isn’t a complete list of all the fantasy novels coming out this month. Below you’ll discover only those titles I’m personally excited about!

Here’s how this post works — you get to see the cover and release date first, then I’ve copied the official synopsis and marked it in Italic so you’ll know when you can stop reading, and in the end, you’ll get my two pence, i.e. why my handsome wee brain reckons the book in question is worth a bit of ogling.

Off we go, then!

Release Date: March 13th; Weird original publication date which confuses me.
Series: Yes, this is the second entry in The Books of Babel.
Synopsis:
“Forced by necessity into a life of piracy, Senlin and his crew struggle to survive aboard their stolen airship. Senlin’s search for his lost wife continues, even as her ghost hounds his every step. But the Tower of Babel proves to be as difficult to reenter as it was to escape.

While searching for an unguarded port, Senlin encounters the camp of Luc Marat, who seems equal parts bandit and humanitarian. One thing is for certain: his asylum for the downtrodden hods is not as peaceful as it appears.

In desperation, Senlin turns to the mysterious and dangerous Sphinx, with whom Edith shares a terrible bond. They discover the Sphinx’s help does not come cheaply. Senlin must choose between his friends, his freedom, and his wife.”

First off: No, I haven’t read the first book in the series. Now that I read this, I have to! If I had to guess what the first book would be about, I’d say…stealing an airship? This Senlin fellow beginning to search for his wife, possibly after losing her in a clockwork restaurant? I have a great many expectations, and I’m not sure that first book will quite manage them!

What got this series on my radar? That’d definitely have to be the part-fantasy, part-steampunk description I read while looking at this month’s upcoming publications. Excellent, excellent, give me more!

Next!

P.S. Damnation, this one is being republished, for whatever reason! What is it doing on my list?!

Well, I’m not very well going to remove it NOW, will I?

NEEEEXT!

Release Date: March 6, 2018.
Series: Doesn’t say something like ‘Book one of the Ichor of the Blokes,’ so I’ll go with an excited ‘No!’
Synopsis:
“In the great kingdom of Quandis, everyone is a slave. Some are slaves to the gods. Most are slaves to everyone else.

Blessed by the gods with lives of comfort and splendor, the royal elite routinely perform their duties, yet some chafe at their role. A young woman of stunning ambition, Princess Phela refuses to allow a few obstacles—including her mother the queen and her brother, the heir apparent—stand in the way of claiming ultimate power and glory for herself.

Far below the royals are the Bajuman. Poor and oppressed, members of this wretched caste have but two paths out of servitude: the priesthood . . . or death.

Because magic has been kept at bay in Quandis, royals and Bajuman have lived together in an uneasy peace for centuries. But Princess Phela’s desire for power will disrupt the realm’s order, setting into motion a series of events that will end with her becoming a goddess in her own right . . . or ultimately destroying Quandis and all its inhabitants. “

I’m not familiar with either of these authors. What they, or the publishers, promise is, if I’m a fan of Brandon Sanderson or N.K. Jemisin, this here novel will appeal to me! Tell you what I like, authors and/or publisher! Your book isn’t going to make me wait for years or possibly decades to finish the entire story! This, I like.

I also enjoy the power trip–and a literal one it will be–this Princess, Phela, will be going on! And there’re castes, too! A system, we will all agree, far preferable to such lofty notions as freedom and equality.  (Wasn’t it those two ideas that brought on the October Revolution? Boo!)

What I’m trying to say is, I finished listening to October by China Mielville (with an accent on the first e on his family name). What a wonder–hey, I’m getting off-track again, aren’t I?

Move it along!

Publication Date: March 6th
Series: Phew, yes! For a moment there, I thought we were in trouble, guys’n’gals!  This one is the first entry in The Fire Sacraments.
Summary:
“Kandri Hinjuman was never meant to be a soldier. His brother Mektu was never meant for this world. Rivals since childhood, they are drafted into a horrific war led by a madwoman-Prophet, and survive each day only by hiding their disbelief. Kandri is good at blending in, but Mektu is hopeless: impulsive, erratic—and certain that a demon is stalking him. Is this madness or a second sense? Either way, Kandri knows that Mektu’s antics will land them both in early graves.

But all bets are off when the brothers’ simmering feud explodes into violence, and holy blood is spilled. Kandri and Mektu are taken for contract killers and must flee for their lives—to the one place where they can hope to disappear: the sprawling desert known as the Land that Eats Men. In this eerie wilderness, the terrain is as deadly as the monsters, ghouls, and traffickers in human flesh. Here the brothers find strange allies: an aging warlord, a desert nomad searching for her family, a lethal child-soldier still in her teens. They also find themselves in possession of a secret that could bring peace to the continent of Urrath. Or unthinkable carnage.

On their heels are the Prophet’s death squads. Ahead lie warring armies, sandstorms, evil spirits and the deeper evil of human greed. But hope beckons as well—if the “Master Assassins” can expose the lie that has made them the world’s most wanted men.”

Mark Lawrence described this one as “Literary fantasy full of excitement, mystery, and even guys with flaming gauntlets riding huge saber-toothed cats. By literary fantasy I mean that it is deep, very intelligent, and exquisitely written.”

YES PLEASE GIVE IT TO MEEEEEE–cough, I mean, it sounds exciting enough.
I’m not familiar with Robert V.S. Redick’s previous series, but I will familiarize myself with this one! Something about assassins always gets me going, even when they don’t have much personality — and I’m convinced that’s not the case here. Roll along the sixth!

Release Date: March 20th
Series: This is a novella catching us up with Karen Memory, whoever she is. Unfamiliar with the original novel, Karen Memory.
Synopsis:
“Readers met the irrepressible Karen Memory in Elizabeth Bear’s 2015 novel Karen Memory, and fell in love with her steampunk Victorian Pacific Northwest city, and her down-to-earth story-telling voice.

Now Karen is back with Stone Mad, a new story about spiritualists, magicians, con-men, and an angry lost tommy-knocker—a magical creature who generally lives in the deep gold mines of Alaska, but has been kidnapped and brought to Rapid City.

Karen and Priya are out for a night on the town, celebrating the purchase of their own little ranch and Karen’s retirement from the Hotel Ma Cherie, when they meet the Arcadia Sisters, spiritualists who unexpectedly stir up the tommy-knocker in the basement. The ensuing show could bring down the house, if Karen didn’t rush in to rescue everyone she can.”

This is one of the books I get interested in because of how much I like the cover. It’s also steampunk, and I’ve never read much steampunk but I want to, very, very much. I’d have to read the novel, though.

Probably won’t happen this month.

Release Date: Another book with two release dates but I reckon it should be released on March 20th with this cover.
Series: The Song of the Shattered Sands #3
Synopsis: I feel like the synopsis is interesting enough to warrant going back to read book 1’s and decide from there, but it’s also spoiler-ific for some of book 1 and 2.

This is another one of those books with eye-catching covers. It’s fifty shades of gold up there, and it’s gorgeous. I have to wonder who the artist responsible is.
Will I look at the series? Yes. Will I buy and read it? …We’ll see.

Release Date: March 6th
Series: Legacy of Orïsha#1
Synapsis:
“Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. 

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. 

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for the enemy.”

Cool! Few different, very similar versions of this cover are up on the web, which is curious. I dig the promise in the synopsis. This might be interesting to read since the novel I’m writing has certain plot points in common with what this book is going to offer, if we judge by the summary alone.

Release Date: March 6th
Series: Blood and Gold #1
Synopsis:

“FIVE ROYAL SISTERS. ONE CROWN.

They are the daughters of a king. Though they share the same royal blood, they could not be more different. Bluebell is a proud warrior, stronger than any man and with an ironclad heart to match. Rose’s heart is all too passionate: She is the queen of a neighboring kingdom, who is risking everything for a forbidden love. The twins: vain Ivy, who lives for admiration, and zealous Willow, who lives for the gods. And Ash, who is discovering a dangerous talent for magic that might be a gift–or a curse.

But when their father is stricken by a mysterious ailment, they must come together on a desperate journey to save him and prevent their treacherous stepbrother from seizing the throne. Their mission: find the powerful witch who can cure the king. But to succeed on their quest, they must overcome their differences, and hope that the secrets they hide from one another and the world are never brought to light. Because if this royal family breaks, it could destroy the kingdom.”

Cool! Cool, cool, cool. This series will be in the tradition of Naomi Novik, Peter V. Brett, and Robin Hobb, Goodreads tells me. If that’s indeed the case — fantastic, I love Hobb and Novik! If it ain’t…There will be blood!

It’s also going to be Norse-flavoured. I like that flavour.  It tastes like…a noose around my neck and a spear in my chest, a snake’s venom dripping in my eyes, and worse besides!

Bonus Mention: 

Good Guys by Steven Brust It’s a sci-fi book about a cop that dies or almost dies and then is saved by The Foundation which is probably not Asimov’s Foundation, since I see all sorts of continuity issues with that, which is excellent, and Brust is excellent, too! It’s rare that I don’t enjoy the man’s words, and his Twitter feed is a blast.

That’s it for what excites me in March, ladies and gents! Which of these books sound interesting to you? Will you pick any of them up? Will you do it on release date, or further down the line? Let me know in the comments!