55 Riveting Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books That Came Out in 2023

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We here at Men's Health love our television shows and movies. But sometimes, there's nothing more relaxing than settling in with a good book. But finding a book that suits your reading tastes is like looking for a grain of sand in the ocean. There are tons of books out there and it's hard to know which ones will interest you. The first step to narrowing down the list, of course, is to choose a genre.

Sci-fi and fantasy are often underrated genres which have since found a more mainstream audience, especially in television and movies (think Black Mirror, Game of Thrones). At first it may appear daunting to jump into worlds of myths, magic, and advanced technology, but once you find the right author or book, these genres can make a dedicated reader out of you. Sci-fi and fantasy books can often be part of a series or an overall world an author is creating, which means it'll be that much easier to find what to read next. Think Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings, which, depending on your reading speed, could be a whole year of reading for you.

2023 has been an exciting year for sci-fi and fantasy (plus a few books with a mix of horror and fantasy). There's astropreneurs building impossible space technology, fairy tale reinventions, dating apps turned into portals to other worlds, and much, much more. Whether you're looking for fantastical twists on modern life or are ready to immerse yourself into worlds completely different from our own, we've got 55 books you may have missed this year that are definitely worth the read.

Hell Bent: A Novel (Alex Stern, 2) (January 10, 2023)

The highly anticipated sequel to Ninth House, Hell Bent follows Alex and Dawes from Ninth House as they try to find a gate to the underworld and take a soul out of purgatory. Of course, there's far more at play than Alex realizes and Bardugo packs Hell Bent with major twists and turns, just like in Ninth House.

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The Deluge (January 10, 2023)

When a scientist receives a death threat, he embarks on an adventure, which finds his path crossing with an eco-terrorist, an actor, a young activist and more in this novel about an alternative America on the verge of collapse.

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I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself: A Novel (January 17, 2023)

Fans of Black Mirror will enjoy this novel set in a world where those charged with a crime won't face incarceration, but instead gain shadows which follow them around as a constant reminder of their wrongdoing, while also serving as a warning to others. A woman with a shadow must raise her newborn alone after the death of her wife.

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Please Report Your Bug Here: A Novel (January 17, 2023)

A dating app employee tries to hack the system to view his soulmate, but inadvertently ends up discovering a portal to other worlds in this millennial coming-of-age workplace novel.

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The Terraformers (January 31, 2023)

In this science fiction novel, a woman named Destry works for the Environmental Rescue Team, tasked with taking care of the planet named Sask-E. When she discovers a city of people who live inside a volcano, however, she's forced to question everything she knows about her world and her work.

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Critical Mass: A Novel (A Delta-v Novel) (January 31, 2023)

The second book in Suarez's Delta-v series follows a team of astropreneurs who must engineer a way to save two stranded colleagues on a distant asteroid, overcoming near-impossible odds and potentially impacting Earth's climate crisis in the process.

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Our Share of Night: A Novel (February 7, 2023)

After the critical acclaim for her short story collection, The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, Marian Enriquez returns with a novel, Our Share of Night. After the death of his wife, a father and son embark on a journey to her ancestral home, only to become embroiled in her family's perilous quest for immortality.

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Victory City: A Novel (February 7, 2023)

In 14th century India, a grief stricken girl becomes possessed by a goddess who says the girl will be integral in the rise of a great city. Over the course of 250 years, Pampa Kampana sets out to fulfill her destiny, but finds the extraordinary task of crafting a better world to be a daunting challenge.

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VenCo: A Novel (February 7, 2023)

Lucky St. James learns that she and her grandmother will be evicted from their apartment, but then discovers a magical silver spoon in her walls. This ignites her magical Indigenous ancestry and sets her and her grandmother on a prophesied quest to acquire six other spoons to unite witches around the world and create a new world where women are in power.

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Don't Fear the Reaper (2) (The Indian Lake Trilogy) (February 7, 2023)

The sequel to My Heart Is a Chainsaw, Don't Fear the Reaper follows Jade Daniels as she returns to the town Proofrock at the same time as serial killer Dark Mill South escapes from prison and embarks on a revenge killing spree. The book is the second in The Indian Lake Trilogy.

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Users: A Novel (February 21, 2023)

Miles works at a company that engineers a new product called The Ghost Lover, where users will experience a reality almost identical to their own, except an ex-lover follows them around as a ghost. When the product rollout goes awry, Miles scrambles to save face and announces a revolutionary product called the Egg. Fans of Apple TV+'s Severance will enjoy this workplace novel.

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Arch-Conspirator (February 21, 2023)

Veronica Roth takes Antigone and retells it with a sci-fi bend in this novel. Antigone's parents are dead, and humanity's last hope is the Archive, where the dead's genes are stored. Trapped in her uncle's mansion, Antigone rages against him as he prepares to take her father's throne.

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The Destroyer of Worlds: A Return to Lovecraft Country (February 21, 2023)

Although HBO's Lovecraft Country was cancelled after only one season, Matt Ruff's original book is still a worthy read. In 2023, he returns to the various Lovecraft Country characters and brings them new supernatural challenges in a book which will no doubt be as compelling as the first.

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The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi: A Novel (February 28, 2023)

A famous pirate ready to settle down is tasked with a job she can't pass up: rescue a friend's kidnapped daughter for a large payout. But as she begins her journey, Amina realizes there's far, far more at work here than she thought. This supernatural, magical sea adventure is sure to be a fun ride.

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The Curator (March 7, 2023)

Stephen King raised not one, but two successful authors. Owen King's The Curator follows Dora, who is determined to find out the truth about her late brother. As she explores the various institutions in this fantasy world, she discovers a conspiracy with the potential to change everything about her reality.

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The Faithless (Magic of the Lost, 2) (March 7, 2023)

The second book in Clark's Magic of the Lost series, The Faithless follows Luca and Torraine as they work to regain Luca's place on the throne and help society rebuild now that the empire has gone.

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The Mimicking of Known Successes (March 7, 2023)

Love noirs but want one...in space?! That's the premise for Malka Older's The Mimicking of Known Successes, which follows an investigator and her ex-girlfriend who team up to solve a missing persons case on Jupiter.

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Flux (March 21, 2023)

A man finds out his employers have discovered how to use time travel to their advantage and unravels their string of crimes in this time-bending novel with intersecting storylines that include both noir and sci-fi elements.

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Ten Planets: Stories (March 21, 2023)

Herrera's short story collection covers science-fiction, noir, and more in this wide-spanning book. For a short but exciting read, check out Ten Planets.

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The Lies of the Ajungo (The Forever Desert, 1) (March 21, 2023)

For a short read that still packs a punch, check out The Lies of Ajungo, a debut novella about a boy's quest to bring water to his city and save his mother.

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A Brief History of Living Forever: A Novel (March 28, 2023)

This endearing novel follows a mother who leaves her native Czech village to find her long-lost daughter, Teresa, in a near-future authoritarian America. After shocking events separate the two, Teresa enlists the Czech brother she's never met before to embark on a one-of-a-kind adventure.

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Lone Women: A Novel (March 28, 2023)

A woman in 1915 carries a suspicious trunk around everywhere she goes and does her best never to open it. When the government offers free land for anyone willing to take on the challenge, she accepts. But as the terrain challenges her, Adelaide Henry must face her secrets and her past to survive.

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White Cat, Black Dog: Stories (March 28, 2023)

If you miss reading fairy tales as a child, White Cat, Black Dog reinvents the childhood storytelling structure with modern tales, like a professor who becomes stuck in an airport hotel, or the story of a man who agrees to house-sit, only to discover the house is a portal for otherworldly travelers.

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Chlorine: A Novel (March 28, 2023)

This debut novel is a horror story about a young swimmer desperate to become a mermaid... by any means necessary, bloody or otherwise. Chlorine is for readers who want a little gore with their coming-of-age tale.

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The Last Catastrophe: Stories (March 28, 2023)

A poignant short story collection on the impact of climate change on humanity, The Last Catastrophe is 15 stories postulating on our potential future.

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A House With Good Bones (March 28, 2023)

When Sam Montgomery visits her mother in North Carolina, she realizes her mother is different than before. The walls are painted white, a stark departure from the previously warm decor. Her mother is skittish. And beneath the rose bushes, a jar of teeth is hidden. The strange and unsettling tale delves into the dark underside of a seemingly perfect family.

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Rose/House (March 30, 2023)

Rose/House is a novella about AI, ghosts, with a mystery folded in. It's perfect for science-fiction fans with a little time on their hands who are in the mood for a fascinating read.

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The Scourge Between Stars (April 4, 2023)

This novella follows the acting captain of a ship containing the last of humanity. When the already beleaguered crew begin to mysteriously die off in gruesome ways, it's up to Captain Jacklyn Albright to keep her crew alive.

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Natural Beauty: A Novel (April 4, 2023)

When a promising musician has to give up her dream to take care of her parents, she takes a job at a high-end wellness and beauty store. As she settles into her role, she discovers there's more sinister things at worth behind the skin creams and treatments.

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Camp Zero: A Novel (April 4, 2023)

In the near-future, a spy code-named Rose is hired to keep an eye on a group of climate researchers in Northern Canada. As Rose learns more about the camp, she finds everyone has their own agenda. Eventually, the researchers various struggles come to a head.

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Tress of the Emerald Sea (April 4, 2023)

Expanding his Cosmere universe, the popular fantasy author Brandon Sanderson is back with Tress of the Emerald Sea, about a girl named Tress who stows away on a ship to seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea.

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The Haunting of Alejandra: A Novel (April 18, 2023)

A woman struggles to fight the demon La Llorona in this novel about family and generational trauma. Through her therapy sessions and delving into the histories of the women in her family, Alejandra works to defeat the demon and get her life back.

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The Wishing Pool and Other Stories (April 18, 2023)

Critically acclaimed Black author Tananarive Due returns with her first book in seven years. The collection of stories include classic horror, pandemic stories, sci-fi, and more. For fans of Jordan Peele, horror book fanatics, and people who love short but powerful tales, this book is for you.

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Sisters of the Lost Nation (April 18, 2023)

When a woman's younger sister goes missing, she must delve into the myth's of her reservations' past and present to bring her home. Described as "part gripping thriller and part mythological horror," Nick Medina's Sisters of the Lost Nation is an exciting release for horror and fantasy fans alike.

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Ascension: A Novel (April 25, 2023)

A mountain appears in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. As a group of scientists commit to reaching the mountain's peak, strange things begin to happen. Ancient creatures chase them, team members become violent, time slips away. Who knows what will happen when they reach the top?

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Red Team Blues: A Martin Hench Novel (April 25, 2023)

Cory Doctorow's newest novel is a cryptocurrency thriller about a man named Martin Hench. As a forensic accountant, Hench has extensive knowledge of where and how the rich and powerful hide their money. When Hench is pulled into a dangerous job, he has to use all of his hard-earned skills to get out alive.

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Chain Gang All Stars: A Novel (May 2, 2023)

Chain Gang All-Stars is the highly anticipated debut novel from the author of the short story collection Friday Black. The novel follows two prisoners participating in a death-match where (if they survive) they have a shot at freedom.

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The Ferryman: A Novel (May 2, 2023)

On a futuristic utopian island, a ferryman delivers people to retirement–which really means their bodies are rejuvenated and their memories are wiped. The perfect world begins to crack, however, when the ferryman the staff are becoming restless, and he begins to do the impossible: dream.

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The Book That Wouldn't Burn (May 9, 2023)

The first book in Lawrence's new series follows a boy and a girl who become connected through a vast library. As we learn their story, their incredible influence on the world around them grows.

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Our Hideous Progeny: A Novel (May 9, 2023)

Inspired by Mary Shelley's classic novel, Our Hideous Progeny depicts the great-niece of Victor Frankenstein, who investigates her great uncle's past and starts out on a journey to garner success and fame. But as she embarks on her quest, she runs foul of rivals, a reclusive sister-in-law, and more.

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Titanium Noir: A Novel (May 16, 2023)

A detective is called to a strange case in Nick Haraway's newest novel. At a local apartment, Cal Sounders is shocked to discover the victim is a Titan, a seven foot tall genetically altered human. As the case unfolds, Cal realizes it's anything but a straightforward case.

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Perilous Times: A Novel (May 23, 2023)

How would Arthurian legends save a contemporary Britain? That's the premise of Perilous Times, which follows the immortal Knight of the Round Table, Kay, as he embarks on a journey to save the world. It's comical, magical, and sounds like a great read for a fan of classic fantasy.

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Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea (May 30, 2023)

This historical fiction fantasy follows a Chinese pirate named Shek Yeung who, after watching her husband die, hatches a plan to marry his second-in-command to keep her reign over her fleet. But as the Chinese Emperor launches a campaign to rid the seas of pirates, Shek Yeung must navigate motherhood, the trials of leadership, and the unforgiving seas.

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Translation State (June 6, 2023)

An interspecies translator defies their role and crosses paths with a diplomat and a mechanic who both have life-altering journeys to go on. As the three work toward their goals, their actions create a ripple effect which influence the various species across the universe.

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On Earth as It Is on Television (June 13, 2023)

When spaceships arrive and humans realize they're not alone in the universe, three people's live are altered forever in this heartwarming and strange tale about humanity.

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The First Bright Thing (June 13, 2023)

A circus ringmaster possesses the ability to jump through moments in time. But as the troupe travels across the Midwest, they find an adversary in a rival circus troupe whose ringmaster has his own dangerous power.

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The Water Outlaws (August 22, 2023)

An arms instructor on the run joins in with a group of bandits who believe for fighting for the underdogs... and potentially taking down an entire empire.

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Silver Nitrate (July 18, 2023)

The talented Silvia Moreno-Garcia returns with Silver Nitrate, about a sound editor in love with her best friend, a former soap opera star. The two team up to help a famed horror director determined to lift a curse and film a missing scene from an unfinished film. As they get to work, ghosts and shadows begin to haunt them, and the pair begin to question what they know about reality.

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More Perfect (Temi Oh) (August 15, 2023)

A popular Greek myth reinvented with a sci-fi lens, More Perfect reimagines Eurydice and Orpheus in a world where people have implants to experience social media in a new augmented reality. But when the government increases their control over the device, a dystopian society emerges.

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The Fragile Threads of Power (Shades of Magic, 4) (September 26, 2023)

Set in the world of A Darker Shade of Magic, V.E. Schwab's newest book takes place in a world with a London divided into four worlds. With growing unrest among the four Londons, it's up to four magicians, including one new one in White London, to set things right.

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Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind: A Novel (October 17, 2023)

A down on his luck man gets the job of a lifetime: the ability to audit people's dreams. Diving into his coworker's minds to remove their unsavory and unproductive thoughts sounds simple at first, but quickly becomes complicated as his personal and professional life begins to become one.

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The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023 (October 17, 2023)

It's not a sci-fi and fantasy list unless you have The Best American anthology included. The highly anticipated tome comes out every year with some of the best short stories published within the year. Whether you're a fan of indie writers or simply looking to discover a new author, this anthology will introduce you to both major names and up-and-coming ones.

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The Reformatory: A Novel (October 31, 2023)

American Book Award-winner Tananarive Due returns with this gripping new horror novel about a young Black boy named Robbie is sent to a reformatory school in 1950. With his innate talent to see ghosts, Robbie is a witness to the horrors the schools holds within it, and must do everything he can to survive.

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The Olympian Affair (The Cinder Spires) (November 7, 2023)

The second book in author Jim Butcher's series The Cinder Spires is a fantasy war story centered on airships. Partnered with political intrigue in an attempt to gather forces for Spire Albion, The Olympian Affair appears to be a thrilling next chapter in The Cinder Spires series.

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Chaos Terminal (The Midsolar Murders) (November 7, 2023)

Mallory would rather not be an amateur detective, but people tend to die around her for some reason. When she flees to an alien space station, she hopes she can finally escape any strange or mysterious human deaths. But, of course, friends and enemies from her life decide to follow her in her journey...and a dead body inevitably appears.

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