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This year you might have your schedule jam packed with a ton of video games you need to play, but if you want a break from staring at a screen, there are a number of great sci-fi books you should be checking out.
All of these are new, out just this past year, and all fantastic reads that may tie into many aspects of current video games. We have military sci-fi, we have one Assassin’s Creed-like entry. There’s a lot to choose from here, from unknown authors to some of the best in the genre.
The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
If you loved The Stars Are Legion, Kameron Hurley’s new book may be right up your alley. It’s about a futuristic war where soldiers are broken down into light in order to be beamed to the front lines on Mars. The process of how that works is … complicated, to say the least, but it’s explained expertly by the Hugo Award- winning author.
The Solar War by A.G. Riddle
This is actually the second book in A.G. Riddle’s series, so you should go back and read Winter World first. (And more are coming after this.) The series tells the tale of what happens after a new Ice Age called The Long Winter—and unfortunately there is not a Night King to kill in order to get it to end. This series is military sci-fi at its finest so far and a worthy pair of books to invest in before more are released.
Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone
Switching from fantasy to sci-fi, Hugo-nominated Max Gladstone has written a stellar book in Empress of Forever, which follows a young tech billionaire about to take over the world, but after being hounded by enemies, she fakes her own death and in the process, is accidentally transported to a different galaxy.
Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O’Keefe
This is the birth of an epic space opera series by Megan E. O’Keefe, about a pair of siblings destined for great things—only to have their plans derailed when the sister’s ship blows up, and she finds herself on an empty, AI-controlled ship far, far in the future, unaware of what has happened since.
Firefly: Magnificent Nine, by James Lovegrove
The overlap between gamers and Firefly fans is pretty significant, so you may appreciate this expanded universe offering. It focuses on an old flame of Jayne’s who brings him and the crew of the Serenity to a planet where bandits are trying to take over a town and take its water supply.
Tiamat’s Wrath by James S.A. Corey
There is never going to be one of these lists where I don’t recommend The Expanse series. And obviously when I’m recommending the latest book, in this case Tiamat’s Wrath, I am absolutely assuming you read the entire series before it. Some of the best modern science fiction in existence, on the page and on the screen for its TV show as well. I’m hoping for a great Expanse video game someday too.
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Preorder my new sci-fi novel Herokiller, and read my first series, The Earthborn Trilogy, which is also on audiobook.
