Summary
- August 2024 brings a diverse range of sci-fi books exploring themes like evolution, survival, and time across various genres.
- Highly anticipated releases like “The Mercy Of The Gods” and “Full Speed To A Crash Landing” promise gripping narratives and surprises.
- New novels like “Hum” and “She Who Knows” tackle real-world issues like climate change and identity in futuristic settings.
August 2024 is set to be another excellent month for sci-fi books. Although there are not many new science fiction releases, the novels that will arrive this month are nothing short of exceptional. From science fiction fantasy books to debut novels to space heists, the upcoming sci-fi books in August 2024 are highly diverse. Award-winning authors return with stunning new stories, and widely-anticipated debuts will hit the market. The science fiction books releasing this month also have quite a lot of representation, with various identities set to take central stage in the spotlight.
August 2024’s sci-fi books will explore various themes, including evolution, family, artificial intelligence, choice, survival, and time. Furthermore, several of these narratives intertwine with other genres, such as fantasy, thriller, and romance. The science fiction genre has come a long way, and these upcoming releases will undoubtedly be excellent additions. Some of these books are better known than others, but it does not change that each is worth the read. August 2024 will certainly be a month for gripping sci-fi narratives.
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10 Mercy Of The Gods By James S.A. Corey
August 6, 2024
The Mercy Of The Gods is a space opera novel by James S.A. Corey, the pen name for authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. It is the first book in a brand-new science-fiction trilogy, The Captive’s War. The Mercy Of The Gods revolves around the Carryx arriving in Anjiin, conquering the humans residing there, and kidnapping scores of people to bring them back to the Carryx’s home planet. The protagonist, Dafyd Alkhor, is among this group of people. The Carryx thrust Dafyd into a competition for survival with other species that the Carryx have kidnapped.
Early reviews are raving about The Mercy Of The Gods, often in comparison to James S.A. Corey’s previous successful science fiction series, The Expanse. This book is an intriguing contrast to The Expanse, with humanity at the mercy of an alien race rather than having colonized the entire solar system. The Mercy Of The Gods is a strong first novel in a trilogy that will explore themes of trauma and human instinct as Dafyd and his friends try their best to survive their new circumstances and make decisions that will change humanity forever.
9 Full Speed To A Crash Landing By Beth Revis
August 6, 2024
Beth Revis, the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author, is back with a new science fiction trilogy, Chaotic Orbits. It is a fun trilogy of novellas, beginning with Full Speed To A Crash Landing. The series follows Ada Lamarr, a rebel, as she infiltrates a government spaceship with classified information. However, the more time Ada spends with this government crew—which includes her potential love interest, Rian—the more she realizes she might be in over her head. Described as a “sexy space heist,” Full Speed To A Crash Landing is a widely-anticipated new sci-fi adventure from Beth Ravis.
Her most successful work, the Across The Universe trilogy, also features an outer space setting—but Across The Universe is a dystopian story, whereas Full Speed To A Crash Landing is a fast-paced sci-fi romance. The book will also have many unexpected twists and turns that bring the narrative full circle and to the next installment of the trilogy. Full Speed To A Crash Landing debuts on August 6, but the second novella, How To Steal A Galaxy, is already set for release on December 3, 2024.
8 To Turn The Tide By S.M. Stirling
August 6, 2024
To Turn The Tide by S.M. Stirling features a group of graduate students and their professor as they embark on a time-traveling journey to the Roman Empire to save humanity. It just so happens that the students and their professor are experts in this field. However, this group of people will quickly learn that studying the Roman Empire and living through it are not the same at all. S.M. Stirling is a science fiction author who often writes books involving time travel or alternative histories. He is most known for his Draka series, his Nantucket trilogy, and the Emberverse series.
To Turn The Tide is also the first book in a brand-new series. It is a science fiction military adventure story where the graduate students and their professor attempt to save the world through the late Roman Empire. Critics and reviewers are raving about Stirling’s epic new saga, with particular emphasis on the meticulous details of the Roman Empire. There will be at least three installments in this series, with To Turn The Tide acting as the first book.
7 Hum By Helen Phillips
August 6, 2024
Hum, a new novel by critically acclaimed author Helen Phillips, follows a woman named May in a future world deeply changed by climate change and artificial intelligence. May loses her job to a hum, one of the artificially intelligent robots. May decides to become the subject of experimentation to make more money for her family, which leads to May accepting a three-day stay at the Botanical Garden. This luxurious natural location seems unaffected by climate change and artificial intelligence. However, things are not what they seem, and May must rely on a hum to save her family.
It is a near-future science fiction story, bringing up real anxieties about today’s world and what it could become.
Hum is expected to be as critically acclaimed as Helen Phillips’s previous works, including The Need, which was long-listed for the National Book Award for Fiction in 2019. Hum will explore themes of motherhood, family, and identity in a world ravaged by climate change and artificial intelligence. The novel is classified as a sci-fi, horror, and fantasy narrative, and it presents the possibilities of May’s world falling into dystopia or utopia. It is a near-future science fiction story, bringing up real anxieties about today’s world and what it could become.
6 The Dead Cat Tail Assassins By P. Djèlí Clark
August 6, 2024
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a new novella by Nebula award-winning author P. Djèlí Clark, featuring the protagonist Eveen the Eviscerator, a member of the deadly group the Matron of Assassins. Eveen, just like her peers, is resurrected without her memories and must abide by the group’s rules. However, Eveen runs into a familiar face from her past, a face she could not remember until now. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins perfectly blends fantasy and sci-fi in an action-packed story that centers on class struggles and marginalized people.
Similar to P. Djèlí Clark’s previous work, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is another powerful commentary on today’s society in a sci-fi fantastical setting. He is notorious for blending fantasy with today’s social issues in his novels, novellas, and short stories. His only novel, A Master of Djinn, won a Nebula Award and was nominated for a Hugo Award. The Dead Cat Tail Assasins should perform well, given the high critical acclaim P. Djèlí Clark has received for his works throughout his literary career.
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5 Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend By M.J. Wassmer
August 6, 2024
Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by MJ Wassmer is a highly anticipated debut novel about a man named Dan Foster enjoying his vacation until the sun suddenly explodes. The story revolves around the aftermath of this catastrophic event on this remote island, as Dan is thrust into the center of it all. Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend is a humorous science fiction narrative that deals with important themes of class struggle, impossible choices, and the lengths humanity will go to survive. Reviewers are gushing over this excellent debut, which blew up on social media before publication.
With a debut novel this big, Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend solidifies MJ Wassmer’s place as an author of funny and entertaining science fiction narratives. It is rare for a writer to rise to critical acclaim and success with their debut novel, but it is safe to say that MJ Wassmer has already done it before the book is even published. It would not be a surprise to see Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend debut on fiction bestseller lists, given how popular the book already is.
4 Glass Houses By Madeline Ashby
August 13, 2024
Glass Houses is a new science fiction thriller by Canadian sci-fi writer Madeline Ashby, which features a group of employees and their CEO on a tropical island. After getting stranded, they find a house with every possible amenity they could ever need. However, there is a lot more than meets the eye with this artificially intelligent-powered house. Kristin, the protagonist, becomes the employee her peers rely on to survive this tumultuous environment. Glass Houses is a novel that tests humanity and their survival skills in the face of a suspicious house riddled with artificial intelligence.
The book also deals with what it means to be a woman in a technological space, often underestimated when they are the most resourceful in dire circumstances.
Glass Houses does an excellent job blending science fiction, thriller, and mystery to create a compelling narrative. The book also deals with what it means to be a woman in a technological space, often underestimated when they are the most resourceful in dire circumstances. Although Glass Houses is not as popular as some of the other August releases, it should not be underestimated, as Kristin is. She proves her worth as her peers turn to her once people start to disappear. Kristin is the only person grounded and intelligent enough to outsmart the person—or machinery—behind this awful twist of events.
3 Key Lime Sky By Al Hess
August 13, 2024
Key Lime Sky by Al Hess is a romantic sci-fi novel about Denver Bryant, who unexpectedly witnesses a UFO explode over Muddy Gap, Wyoming. Upon searching for answers, Denver realizes they are the only person who saw the UFO. It becomes stranger when the residents of Muddy Gap begin acting bizarrely, except for the bartender, Denver’s love interest, Ezra. However, once people start to disappear, Denver realizes the alien source affecting Muddy Gap may be more severe than they initially thought. It is up to Denver to save the residents of Muddy Gap and, potentially, the world.
Key Lime Sky is a wonderful piece of speculative science fiction with excellent representation. Denver is non-binary and autistic; additional characters include plus-size and Latino representation. It is rare to find compelling science fiction narratives with a diverse cast of characters, but Key Lime Sky does it exceptionally. It is a book with many unexpected plot twists that keep readers on their toes. Key Lime Sky also examines themes of selfhood and identity in the wake of a potential alien invasion.
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2 Time’s Agent By Brenda Peynado
August 13, 2024
Time’s Agent by Brenda Peynado is a science fiction novel about Raquel and Marlena, a couple invested in pocket universes—small spinoffs of reality—to expand the world for their daughter. However, catastrophic failure leads Marlena to leave Raquel for her own pocket universe, and their daughter’s consciousness remains in a robotic dog. Raquel discovers a new pocket universe that gives her one last chance to prove herself to Marlena and save their daughter. Time’s Agent explores a world where even time is commodified by the richest and most powerful. The book includes themes such as grief, capitalism, family, and love.
1 She Who Knows By Nnedi Okorafor
August 20, 2024
Nnedi Okorafor is back with a brand-new series, and the first novel is She Who Knows. It is another book that blends sci-fi with fantasy, immersed in Western African culture. She Who Knows revolves around Najeeba, who receives the Call to the Salt Roads, which only men experienced until her. She joins her father and brothers on their trip, but her presence changes the stakes for everyone. She Who Knows takes place in the Africanfuturist universe created by Nnedi Okorafor in Who Fears Death. She Who Knows is expected to be another bestseller that follows Najeeba’s coming-of-age story.
