Nathan’s Weekly Recommendation List, this week featuring new fantasy and science fiction books in June 2023.
Can you believe it is already June? 2023 is flying by so fast, and a new month means MORE BOOKS! As is true about pretty any month, June brings another deluge of fantasy and science fiction books, but here are five that I think that you should definitely be adding to your summer TBR.
Five New Fantasy and Science Fiction Books in June 2023
Buzzard’s Bowl by John Palladino (June 1)
Ok, I’ll admit that this is a book on this list that I haven’t read yet….and I haven’t read the first book in this series (The Trials of Ashmount) either. However, the hype for this book and this series has been so strong, and the reviews have been so overwhelmingly positive, including a review from my fellow reviewer Esmay, that I had to add it to the list. My plan is to get to both of these books in 2023!
Plus, the book was released on June 1 so you can pick it up right now!
The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao (June 13)
Earth is ravaged by globe-spanning natural disasters that kill everything in its wake. Luckily, humans have been able to discover a new type of magic that allows them to operate floating cities in the sky, protecting them from Earth’s terrible rages. However, the magic is failing and it is up to an estranged married couple, one a magic-user and the other an archaeologist, to save their community. The Surviving Sky is a mash-up of genres that injects Hindu philosophy into its worldbuilding, making it one of the most unique reads I’ve experienced in a while. It is heavy on the info-dumping, but if you like books that tackle big ideas, you’ll really enjoy this one.
The Combat Codes by Alexander Darwin (June 13)
A science fantasy where humans decided that war is too costly, and so they settle all international disputes by single combat fights. The Combat Codes follows Cego, a young man who is training to become one of these all-powerful warriors, and Murray, a retired fighter who takes over Cego’s training. This book is perfect is you like deadly games, magical academies, fighting RPGs, and coming of age stories. I read this book back when it was self-published, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the updated and revised version from Orbit!
The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon (June 27)
Unique, weird, and unapologetically queer, The Archive Undying is a mashup of AI gods who destroy their cities when they die, mech-warriors, and self-destructive main characters. What results is a challenging and clever book that simultaneously keeps the reader in the dark while also embracing them in a hug. This book definitely won’t be for everyone – the learning curve is at least at the level of Gideon the Ninth – but the main character is so relatable and imperfect that he forms an emotional core to the novel that you cannot help to connect to…even when the rest of the book is wild and opaque.
The Gods of the Wyrdwood by RJ Barker (June 27)
What if you took Shrek, placed him in an epic fantasy novel, and made him a former chosen one just trying to escape his past? You would get something close to The Gods of the Wyrdwood. Cahal was raised to be the Chosen One – the Cowl Rai – who would hopefully one day end the forever winter gripping his world. But another Chosen One, dedicated to another god, instead ascended as Cowl-Rai. Cahal now just wants to live alone, but growing political and religious tension means that he might need to come out of retirement. RJ Barker is one of my favorite authors. His “Tide Child Trilogy” is one of my all time favorites, and he is at the top of his game here. Fair warning – the book is a bit slow, but Barker’s prose and characters make the pages fly by.
