Archives de catégorie : Fantasy

OBSERVER de Nicholas Russell

A mystical and mercury-ladened mystery involving trees that walk, desert illusions, and a 100-year-old diary.

OBSERVER
by Nicholas Russell
Ecco, Fall 2026
(via Sterling Lord Literistic)

For fans of Brian Evenson, K-Ming Chang, and Jeff VanderMeer, OBSERVER is the story of the American desert, government cover-ups, family devotion, and how curiosity for the truth or a version of it sends even the most sane into the deepest depths.

Renata’s mother left her in the care of her aunt and took a job at an observatory when she was young, never to return. Now in her early twenties, Renata receives a truck load of her mother’s papers and possessions one day; the family assumes her dead. Renata, curious and undeterred, packs up her camera and her mothers’ notebooks and drives to the Observatory, asking questions the locals would prefer not to answer and reminding them of what they’ve been denying for years. Renata might be able to complete the research her mother was undergoing, but she might also reach for a truth much stranger than any of the tall tales the desert weaves through her dreams.

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas. His work has appeared in The Believer, McSweeney’s, The Atlantic, Conjunctions, The Baffler, The Drift, and Defector. He is a bookseller at The Writer’s Block, Managing Editor of Still Alive magazine, and a contributor to Defector.

THE GODESS AND THE HAWK de Chiara Gala

A fast-paced romantasy brimming with intrigue, spice, and vibrant characters that will draw you irrevocably into their world. Perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas’s CRESCENT CITY and Sarah A Parker’s WHEN THE MOON HATCHED.

THE GODESS AND THE HAWK
by Chiara Gala
Self-published, 2023
(via Zeno Agency)

At the temple of the Yonium, the Moon Goddess Serabel has been murdered.

Amala, her High Priestess, is devastated. But she cannot wallow: her only priority is the safe protection of her sisters, the priestesses who live at the temple – a temple which is no longer safe.

Leading the investigation into Serabel’s death is Hawk Mercurian. Mysterious, handsome and devastating: nobody knew but Serabel, that he holds Amala’s heart.

For they are mates: fated to be together.

A fate Amala has been resisting, all these years. Because Serabel had rules. Because Amala had to put the temple first, and could never imagine putting anything else before that.

But now their fates are more entangled than ever.

And when the investigation heats up, revealing Amala to be at the centre of it: can Hawk keep his emotions from clouding his judgement, when all he wants to do is protect his mate?

And can Amala continue to resist the bond that winds around her heart?

Chiara Gala is an Italian author based in London. A lifetime-writer with a background in classics and linguistics, she has an extensive imagination and adores building worlds and mystical characters. An integral part of her identity is her devotion to the power of feminine spirituality, which reflects both strongly in her life and her writing. She is currently working on her second novel in the GODDESS AND THE HAWK world.

THE ARCHEOLOGY OF FALLING WORLDS de Megan Chee

A science fantasy book for fans of Brandon Sanderson’s Yumi and the Nightmare Painter if it was a Studio Ghibli film.

THE ARCHEOLOGY OF FALLING WORLDS
by Megan Chee
(via Zeno Agency)

Starga is a vibrant, neon city built with magic and technology from athousand unreachable worlds. Existing in a weird splinter of reality where people from across the universe fall out of the sky with no memory of their past lives, it is a mystery even to its own citizens.

No-one knows why Starga exists or what lies beyond it. No-one has ever been able to leave. And with more people falling from the sky every year, Starga’s resources are at a breaking point.

Frey is a disillusioned office worker who once dreamed of being an archeologist—a scholar of fallen artefacts from the worlds above. When she gets the opportunity to salvage artefacts for a criminal organization, she knows it’s a dangerous idea. But she can’t resist the call of the unknown.

She explores the desert wasteland beyond the city walls in search of valuable artefacts. What she finds is a fuzzy black worm. Then the worm starts changing shape… and talking… and Frey’s life suddenly gets a lot more complicated. Because the worm is actually a shapeshifting dragon who knows the secret of what Starga really is—and how to escape from it. He just needs to get his memory back.

Megan Chee is a Singaporean author who has lived in Taiwan,Hong Kong, and the United States, and is currently based in Singapore. Her short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, Strange Horizons, Lightspeed Magazine, Nightmare Magazine, Fantasy Magazine, and other venues. Her work has been translated into Chinese in Science Fiction World, and has been featured in The Year’s Best Fantasy, Vol.3 (Pyr Books).

A THORN IN EVERY HEART de Kate King

Beauty and the Beast meets Anastasia in this spicy and addictive modern fairytale mashup from the USA Today bestselling author of Wilde Fae.

A THORN IN EVERY HEART
(Enchanted Legacies Series, Book 1)
by Kate King
Kate King Publishing, April 2025
(via JABberwocky)

What if Belle never returned to the enchanted castle?

After her cheating husband ruins her life, twenty-nine-year-old musician, Alixandria Knight, moves from Chicago to Ironhill, Pennsylvania—a near-abandoned Appalachian ghost town with a firey history. Officially, she’s there to help her aging grandmother. Unofficially, Alix just wants to escape reality.

She’ll get her wish.

When a one night stand with a wickedly handsome stranger turns out to be more than she bargained for, Alix is whisked away to the land of the fae. There, she uncovers her family’s darkest secret: sixty years ago, Alix’s grandmother, Isabelle, broke her promise to marry a beastly king. Now, the fae are hungry, and it’s up to Alix to clear her family’s debt.

USA Today and International best selling author Kate King loves sassy heroines, crazy magic, and alpha-hole heroes. An avid reader and writer from a young age, she has been telling stories her whole life. Ever a fan of the dramatic, she lives in an 18th century church with her husband and two cats, and often writes in cemeteries.

Duologie THE CHOSEN d’Emily Bähr

Her beautiful sister was meant to be the one competing for the crown prince’s hand – but now shy girl Iris is forced to take her place. Yet if she wants to be queen, she must first survive a deadly contest… Perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Blood and Ash, Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass and Tracy Wolff’s Crave

THE CHOSEN DUOLOGY
by Emily Bähr
Heyne/PRH Germany, 2025

• The Hunger Games meets The Royals

Book 1: TRÄUME AUS GOLD (February 2025)

This is the day the daughters of Vesmon’s aristocracy have been preparing for all their lives: the day of the Royal Games, whose winner will marry the crown prince. Without her training in magic, Iris would never have qualified for the contest, but now that her sister Hyacinth is suddenly out of the running, she has no choice.

The moment Iris arrives at the royal court, she is drawn into a web of intrigue. Her mentor Cylus is her only hope of survival – but despite his stand-offish ways, he soon makes her lose sight of her original goal…

Book 2: HAUS AUS ASCHE (June 2025)

Young noblewoman Iris fights for her life – and true love.
After the assassination of Prince Cilian and the revelation that Prince Cylus is the true crown prince, the king will do anything to preserve the integrity of the Royal Games. Iris is faced with a cruel choice: continue to take part in this fatal contest, or be executed. Only the top three will survive, but victory – and thus a chance at happiness with Cylus – is impossible. While Iris keeps up her tough fighter’s façade in front of the cameras, deep down she’s finding it increasingly harder to hide her true feelings for Cylus. But ever since his cousin Cilian’s assassination, the prince is convinced he can’t trust her. Will she be able to win his heart – and survive the Royal Games?

Emily Bähr and her cats live in magical Northern Ireland, somewhere between Narnia and Westeros. She makes a living as a graphic designer, while also being a self-confessed nerd who loves sci-fi, the cinema and Pokémon. Bähr would jump at the chance to move to Mars – but since that’s unlikely to happen, she instead travels to the fantastic realms inside her own mind. At night, under cover of darkness, she combs Wikipedia for useless knowledge.