Ashton, Edward. Mal Goes to War. St. Martin’s. Apr. 2024. 304p. ISBN 9781250286314. $29. SF

Ashton’s novel Mickey7 earned an LJ starred review and is getting a film adaptation from Bong Joon Ho. His new stand-alone considers artificial intelligence and what it really means to be human as war rages between modded and unaugmented humans, and a free AI finds himself trapped in the body of a cyborg mercenary.

Bardugo, Leigh. The Familiar. Flatiron. Apr. 2024. 400p. ISBN 9781250884251. $29.99. FANTASY

Best-selling Bardugo, creator of the Grishaverse books (now a Netflix series), pens a historical fantasy set in Spain. Lowly kitchen servant Luzia uses a bit of magic to get through her days, but when her ability to produce small miracles is discovered, it launches her into a dangerous world. With a 500K-copy first printing.

Cathrall, Sylvie. A Letter to the Luminous Deep. Orbit. (The Sunken Archive, Bk. 1). Apr. 2024. 400p. ISBN 9780316565530. pap. $18.99. FANTASY

Cathrall debuts with an epistolary cozy set in a magical underwater world. As the reclusive E. and scholar Henerey Clel correspond, they uncover a mystery. When the two are lost in a seaquake, their families must piece together answers from the letters, sketches, and field notes they left behind.

Chang, Molly X. To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods. Del Rey: Ballantine. Apr. 2024. 368p. ISBN 9780593722244. $28.99. FANTASY

Chang’s debut, an epic fantasy, features Ruying, a young woman with the ability to pull life out of mortal bodies, in a land where invaders defeated the magic of her people long ago. When an enemy prince wants her to become his assassin in exchange for her family’s safety, she faces an impossible decision.

Chupeco, Rin. Court of Wanderers. Gallery/Saga. (Reaper, Bk. 2). Apr. 2024. 448p. ISBN 9781982195748. $29.99. FANTASY

The sequel to LJ-starred Silver Under Nightfall continues the story of vampire hunter Remy Pendergast and his unexpected companions—royal vampires. After fighting against the Night Empress, they are on a journey to the Third Court, but they have more battles to face and new powers to unleash in this queer gothic fantasy.

Evans, Erin M. Relics of Ruin. Orbit. (Books of the Usurper, Bk. 2). Apr. 2024. 448p. ISBN 9780316441049. pap. $19.99. FANTASY

Evans launched the epic-fantasy “Books of the Usurper” trilogy with Empire of Exiles, which featured complex worldbuilding, magical archives, and a murder. This second in the series unveils another mystery when a stolen ancient relic is found; scrivener Quill and Amadea investigate, even as an old enemy is gathering strength.

Ford, Daniel M. Necrobane. Tor. (Warden, Bk. 2). Apr. 2024. 304p. ISBN 9781250815682. $28.99. FANTASY

Aelis de Lenti, Warden of the small village of Lone Pine, returns in this adventure-packed sequel to The Warden. She released an army of the undead after opening some crypts and now must embark on a quest with a mercenary and a half-orc to unearth an immense source of necromantic power to protect her village. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Gladstone, Max. Wicked Problems. Tor.com. (The Craft Wars, Bk. 2). Apr. 2024. 464p. ISBN 9780765395931. pap. $19.99. FANTASY

Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award winner Gladstone, coauthor of the viral best seller This Is How You Lose the Time War, offers the second entry in the “Craft Wars” series (after Dead Country) as the battle for the world of the Craft ensues, and Tara Abernathy races to stop an apocalypse. With a 60K-copy first printing.

Lawrence, Mark. The Book That Broke the World. Ace: Berkley. (The Library Trilogy, Bk. 2). Apr. 2024. 384p. ISBN 9780593437940. $29. FANTASY

From internationally best-selling Lawrence, this second entry in “The Library Trilogy,” after The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, continues to explore the ancient and mysterious great library that connects this fantasy world. But now Evar and Livira find themselves separated and on the run as something hunts them.

Leckie, Ann. Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction. Orbit. Apr. 2024. 400p. ISBN 9780316553575. $29. SF

For the first time, Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Award winner Leckie’s (Translation State) short fiction is collected in one volume. It includes a brand-new novelette, stories from the Imperial Radch universe, and several stand-alone sci-fi and fantasy short stories.

Liu, Cixin. A View from the Stars. Tor. Apr. 2024. 208p. ISBN 9781250292117. $27.99. SF

After winning several awards in China, Liu also received a Hugo for the English translation of his best-selling The Three-Body Problem. This new book collects his essays and short stories, ranging across the past three decades. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Matharu, Taran. Dragon Rider. Harper Voyager. (The Soulbound Saga, Bk. 1). Apr. 2024. 576p. ISBN 9780063227576. $29. FANTASY

Best-selling YA author Matharu (“Contender” series) makes his adult debut with this trilogy starter, an epic fantasy featuring dragons and magic. Royal hostage Jai escapes with handmaiden Frida and a stolen dragon hatchling, which he hopes to bond with in order to draw on its power and seek his revenge. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Samatar, Sofia. The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain. Tor.com. Apr. 2024. 112p. ISBN 9781250881809. pap. $18.99. SF

Samatar’s first novel, A Stranger in Olondria, won the World Fantasy Award. Following her memoir, The White Mosque, longlisted for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, she returns to fiction with this sci-fi novella about a boy who toils in a mining spaceship and must learn the key to breaking free.

Whitten, Hannah. The Hemlock Queen. Orbit. (The Nightshade Crown, Bk. 2). Apr. 2024. 480p. ISBN 9780316435291. $30. FANTASY

Best seller Whitten’s debut, For the Wolf, was a B&N Speculative Fiction Pick. Her last book, The Foxglove King, launched a romantic fantasy series, and she’s back with its second installment that finds Prince Bastian seizing the throne with Lore, a necromancer, by his side. With a 125K-copy first printing.

Wiswell, John. Someone You Can Build a Nest In. DAW. Apr. 2024. 304p. ISBN 9780756418854. $28. FANTASY

Wiswell won the Nebula for his short story “Open House on Haunted Hill.” He makes his full-length novel debut with this queer romantic fantasy, a creepy yet heartwarming story in which monster-slayer Homily falls in love with Shesheshen, a shapeshifting monster—all told from Shesheshen’s perspective.

Wolf, Sara. Heavenbreaker. Entangled: Red Tower. Apr. 2024. 512p. ISBN 9781649375704. $32.99. SF

YA author Wolf breaks into adult fiction with a planned romantic sci-fi duology featuring Synali von Hauteclare, who lives aboard a massive spaceship and seeks vengeance for her mother’s death as she participates in a combat tournament on her giant robot steed Heavenbreaker. With a 500K-copy first printing and beautiful packaging from the publisher of Rebecca Yarros’s The Fourth Wing.

New Series Titles

Brust, Steven. Lyorn. Tor. (Vlad Taltos, Bk. 17). Apr. 2024. 288p. ISBN 9780765382863. $27.99. FANTASY

Czerneda, Julie E. A Change of Place. DAW. (Night’s Edge, Bk. 3). Apr. 2024. 512p. ISBN 9780756410698. pap. $20. FANTASY