It’s a new year and we’re already starting off with a host of exciting new books. Here is a look at some of the new titles coming in January. And I can tell you that two of the books are amazing. Look for reviews of some of these titles coming soon!

Jan. 6

Golden Son — Pierce Brown (Del Rey)
The sequel to last year’s acclaimed Red Rising picks up a few years after that stunning debut. Darrow is now a student in the Academy, learning to command space fleets for Augustus, the leader of Mars. But political machinations and rebellion are lurking just below the surface, and soon Darrow finds he must assume the mantle for which he was saved from death.

The Galaxy Game — Karen Lord (Del Rey)
 Karen Lord’s space opera follows two young friends, Rafi and Ntenman, as the travel through the galaxy, united in their love of a game called Wallrunning. Shunned because of his father’s illegal use of psionic powers, Rafi unlocks his own latent psychic ability along the way, an ability that may hold the key to humanity’s survival and the overthrough of the galaxy’s oppressors.

Firefight — Brandon Sanderson (Delacorte Press)
The second book in the prolific Sanderson’s “Reckoners” series, Firefight continues the story of a dystopian world ruled by supervillains called Epics, introduced in Steelheart. The story follows David, a young man searching who was able to destroy the Epic Steelheart and free the city of Newcago. He is now on a quest to find the Epic named Firefight, a quest that will lead him against Regalia, the  despotic ruler of Babylon Restored.

Jan. 13

The Last American Vampire — Seth Grahame-Smith (Grand Central Publishing)
The author of the bestselling Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter returns with this sequel, providing a vampire’s-eye view of the United States from Lincoln’s friend and mentor Henry Sturges. The novel follows Sturges on a Gump-like journey through encounters with Jack the Ripper and his involvement in the JFK assassination. Fans of Kim Newman’s Anno Dracula series should love this alternate history look at America in the 20th Century.

The Whispering Swarm — Michael Moorcock (Tor)
The acclaimed British fantasist returns with his first novel in nine years. The Whispering Swarm kicks off a new series that follows a protagonist, also named Michael, as he discovers a hidden realm in the deepest recesses of London. Granted by King Henry III to an order of mystic friars, this realm, known as Alsatia, hides a powerful secret. This novel kicks off the new series, “The Sanctuary of the White Friars.”

The Providence of Fire — Brian Staveley (Tor)
Staveley’s debut The Emperor’s Blades garnered plenty of attention last year, and was nominated for the Goodreads Best Fantasy Award. Next month he returns with the second in his Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne series. After the assassination of the Emperor, the royal family of the Annurian Empire is in tatters, with each heir taking sides. The novel follows Adare as she flees the palace with knowledge of her father’s assassins.

The Just City — Jo Walton (Tor)
Walton has been delivering literate sci-fi for years. The follow-up to her acclaimed 2014 novel, My Real Children, The Just City explores the implications of Plato’s vision of utopia as outlined in The Republic. Athene decides to create the perfect city outside of time, drawing thinkers and leaders from all eras to guide 10,000 children towards become the ideal Philosopher Kings. A sequel, The Philosopher Kings is coming later this year.

Jan. 27

Gemini Cell — Myke Cole (Ace)
Set years before Cole’s previous Shadow Ops trilogy, Gemini Cell  takes place shortly after the return of magic to the world, known as the Great Reawakening. Navy SEAL Jim Sweitzer is killed defending his family, only to be resurrected by a dark sorcerer as a supernatural supersoldier and recruited for a secret military unit known as the Gemini Cell.

Pacific Fire — Greg Van Eekhout (Tor)
The follow-up to last year’s California Bones, Van Eekhout examines a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles filled with dangerous magic. The novel focuses on Sam, a golem created by Daniel, the protagonist of California Bones, as he embarks on a quest to save Daniel and defeat a powerful firedrake.

Updated

The City Stained Red — Sam Sykes (Orbit)
I can’t believe I overlooked this one! No offense Sam, but I’ve had it on e-book for months and forgot it was coming out in print on Jan. 27. Lenk and his crew of adventurers are still looking to get paid, and when they follow their mysterious benefactor to the city of Cier’Djaal and immediately find themselves in the middle of a bloody Civil War with supernatural consequences. I loved it. And for those nearby, or those willing to travel to Phoenix, he’s holding a release party on Jan. 31 at the Poisoned Pen.

—Michael Senft