THE ULTIMATE BOOK PREVIEW

JONATHAN WRIGHT GATHERS TOGETHER SOME OF THE BEST NEW NOVELS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN THE COMING YEAR

Here they are – the most buzz-worthy science fiction and fantasy page-turners out to claim a chunk of shelf-space in 2019.

INFINITE DETAIL by TIM MAUGHAN (MCD/FSG Originals)

Eight years on from his acclaimed collection Paintworks, nouveau-cyberpunk’s brightest name finally has a debut novel to his name. Set in Bristol, it imagines what might happen if somebody turned off the internet. Think worldwide hard Brexit, plus-plus. Bad, very bad. ETA March

DAVID MOGO: GODHUNTER by SUYI DAVIES okungbowa (Abaddon Books)

In the wake of the Orisha War that rained gods on Lagos, David Mogo is a godhunter. He’s good at what he does. And he needs to be when confronted with a legion of taboos – feral godling-child hybrids. Nigerian writer Okungbowa’s richly promising debut urban fantasy. ETA Summer

THE TRUE QUEEN by Zen Cho (Macmillan)

Witches abroad. In a novel that ranges across Regency London, Fairyland and an enchanted island in the Malay archipelago, two sisters are separated. For things to be righted, a curse needs to be lifted. A wildly imaginative fantasy from British Fantasy Society Award-winning, Malaysiaraised Zen Cho, who now lives in Birmingham. ETA March

THE RAVEN TOWER by ANN LECKIE (Orbit)

Having won Every Award Ever for her hard SF novels, Leckie turns her attention to fantasy. Specifics are sketchy at the moment, but we’re told to expect a tale of gods and men meddling in each other’s fates, and a pretender who “must be cast down from the throne”. ETA February

THE CITY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT by CHARLIE JANE ANDERS (Titan Books)

On a failing planet with zones where, respectively, night and day never end, humanity resides in two cities where it’s always dusk. A pariah, sacrificed to the night, wants better and leads a rebellion. Much-anticipated sophomore offering from the former editor-in-chief of io9. Michael Chabon is a fan. ETA February

SANCTUARY by vv JAMES (Gollancz)

As the Connecticut town of Sanctuary mourns its deceased star quarterback, suspicion falls on his ex-girlfriend, Harper. Well, she’s said to be the daughter of a witch and she was there when he died. A supernatural-tinged thriller from the writer of (as Vic James) the “Dark Gifts Trilogy”. ETA August

A BOY AND HIS DOG AT THE END OF THE WORLD by CA FLETCHER (Orbit)

Griz lives on a remote island with his parents. He’s not lonely – he has a pooch for company – until a thief comes to the island. The new novel from Stoneheart author (C)harlie A Fletcher, a story set amidst “the ruins of the world”, conjures up both melancholy and fragile hope. ETA April

WASTE TIDE by CHEN QIUFAN (Head of Zeus)

In a near-future China, “waste girl” Mimi ekes out a living on Silicon Isle, the global capital for electronic garbage recycling. When a ship carrying a terrible virus arrives, so too does conflict – between rich and poor, the past and what lies ahead. The Chinese SF renaissance gathers pace. ETA April

THE LIGHT BRIGADE by kameron hurley (Angry Robot)

Quite possibly the best speculative novelist you’ve yet to read, Hurley’s consistency is a thing of magic in itself. Her new novel is a military SF tale of grunts serving in the corporate corps, and the gap between propaganda and reality experienced by new recruit Dietz. ETA April

BLACK LEOPARD, RED WOLF by MARLON JAMES (Hamish Hamilton)

The Man Booker Prize-winning author of A Brief History of Seven Killings turns to fantasy for the first volume in his “Dark Star Trilogy”. Rooted in African mythology, it follows a loner hunter, Tracker, who’s forced to call on help in his quest to locate a missing child. ETA February