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Science Fiction for September 2025

by Henry L Lazarus

Science Fiction and Fantasy adds interesting backgrounds to tales of fascinating people.

Fran Wilde sets her tale about A Philosophy of Thieves (hard from Erewhon Books) in a future after a disaster brought down civilization and Enclaves have formed to repair the damages. The founders of each Enclave are the aristocracy, and the latest trend for parties is to hire thieves, for the excitement. The Canarviers are very good players. The father, King, who usually plans the escapades, has unfortunately been arrested, So Roosa and Dax have to rely on each other at a birthday party that Mason Graves was throwing for his fiance Evangeline Benford,. Unfortunately there is much more going on. A drug Mason is developing is highly desirable, with distasteful characters willing to do anything to steal it. There’s also a secret about Roosa’s mother that will affect everything . From a ruined world to high-tech thievery, this is an exciting, pulse-pounding tale that cannot be put down. 

Joanna Ruth Meyer tells of Brynja, an acrobat sold to the king of an underground kingdom at age ten. For almost a decade she lived in a cage, as part of King Kallias’s collection, watching other children be murdered by the King when they didn't measure up. She learned early to unlock her cage and explore the caverns of the kingdom, and eventually escapes, helping a woman her age who is a crown princess of Skaanda, another kingdom of the same peninsula. While the Dark Remains ( paper from 47North) in the corridors lit by magic, the King is hunting for a weapon buried by the magic users of the same peninsula. An emperor on the mainland has been providing food for years for eventual access to that weapon. Skaanda hopes to use Brynja’s knowledge of the dark kingdom to send an Army and so she returns to her place of torment to hopefully help the Scamandas to conquer it. But she is withholding a dark secret of her own. In spite of sequels planned, this tale stands on its own. I really enjoyed it. The island of Locke is the font of magic throughout the various kingdoms of a small continent. Greed sent armies to control it, but magic sent it under the ocean, and new wells stopped being born. V. L. Bovalino tells of The Second Death of Locke(paper from Forever). The hidden heir, Grey, is a well to mage Kier Seward, captain in the Scaela Army and the two have been fighting for years. Then a risky mission grabbing a girl who was supposed to be the Locke heir, starts a process that forces her to use abilities long kept hidden. This is a solid action piece, filled with magic sparks and some romance. Hard to put down. 

Louisa Morgan pulls off a new look at King Authur. The Faerie Morgana (paper from Redhook) is the tale of Authur’s half sister sent away at age to a temple on the Isle of Apples where she rises to be one of the nine priestesses because of her strong magic. Eventually she learns to shapeshift into birds and provides healing magic to petitioners who have come to the Temple. Arthur brings her to Camulod to officiate his wedding to Gwenvere, and there she discovers a great evil, and the truth of her birth. This is an absorbing tale that is much better than most other versions of the classic tale.
 Charlie N. Holmberg has a new series set in the kingdom of Cansere where the only magic users allowed are healers. Nym just had her brother conscripted into the Army, when a conscription notice comes for her. All doctors and healers have been called on to cure the youngest prince. Nym not only has to pay her own way to the Capital, but she probably won’t be successful since no one else has been. That way she can go back to supporting her orphaned family. As you might guess, she is the only one able to start fixing the broken inner landscape of  The Shattered King (hard from 47North). The tale is about her learning how to repair his shattered soul while a neighboring kingdom threatens invasion. I really enjoyed this beginning and can’t wait for the next episode.

Anna Smith Spark continues her tale of Kanda, once one of the  six swords of Roven, who had settled down and had three daughters. After the events of A Sword of Bronze and Ashes (paper), she, her farmer husband, and her two remaining daughters, one who embraced the sword and one who lived in an alternate place till she grew old.A Sword of Gold and Ruin (hard from Flame Tree Press) follows their adventures as they face not only an evil witch, and a king who once served in Kanda’s army. The tale is an odd mixture of epic fantasy like Conan the Barbarian, and the harsh reality of medieval life. Enchanting.

Holly Black concludes her duology about a present in which shadow magic has been discovered. Charlie Hall found that  her boy friend was really a shadow, and that she was bound to him as the new hierophant of the gloamer society, linked to him. Unfortunately Vince had lost his memory.  But Charlie has to become a Thief of Night(hard from Tor) to help find who or what is slaughtering  all the people at a meeting of potential gloamists. The motive is money, of course. I enjoyed this adventure. 

Seanan McGuire’s nineteenth October Daye adventure has October pregnant, two weeks before the birth date. The Queen’s treasury had been looted during the complications of the previous two books in the series, and October is the only hero she can draw on. What seems to be an easy case of Silver and Lead(hard from Tor), soon has all her friends captured and her drugged to sleep. Someone wants her baby. October, of course, rises to meet the complication. This is a very exciting addition to a long running, and highly recommended series. 

Kristen Britain’s eighth Green Rider tale seems to be setting up a conclusion. Karigan G’ladheon is not only dealing with magical consequences that have her Falling in a Sea of Stars (hard from DAW)) but also dealing with her father's house at near bankruptcy. Luckily she has the king and Queen on her side. Meanwhile deep in haunted woods an ancient evil has broken free and is raising an army. I’ve really enjoyed this series so far. 

There were duplicate bodies at the billionaire’s murder scene. Julia Torgrimsen, a retired detective, is brought into the case. She soon realizes that the club of billionaires are all in danger and the woman chasing them lacks any present activity. Extremity(hard from Tordotcom) is a time travel tale. Nicholas Binge keeps this novelette tense and the odds impossible. Fun. 

Daedalus Is Dead (hard from Tordotcom) and gone to Hades where he builds a palace for Hades and Persephone. He also remembers building the labyrinth and losing Icarus when escaping Minos.Seamus Sullivan has an interesting look at the famous architect.  

K. J. Parker tells of a linguist working for a Tyrant. He is part of a team literally Making History (paper from Tordotcom) by creating the ruins of an ancient city. First citizen Gyges wants to prove his country has a great past. The linguist has top invent the language of the ancients. Everything is going well until he finds an example of the language he thought he invented. At the same time real relics start to appear from what had been created by the team. Unfortunately there is a mundane solution, but I had problems swallowing it. Lots of fun. 

T. Kingfisher continues her series about a sworn soldier fighting monsters, Dr. Denton owns an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia. His cousin Oscar, sent to investigate the mine reported seeing red lights and an unusual cave below the mine. He disappeared and he needs Alex Easton to help discover What Stalks the Deep(hard from‎ Tor Nightfire). There's something strange in the neighborhood, deep in the mine, and it’s eating local dogs. This is the only book in this series I’ve read and I enjoyed it. The heart of the problem is truly unearthly and unique. 

Mikolai is the sort of soldier who can go awol with a whole brigade. He is a simple mechanic for the magical steam armor suits that work with magic and steam. Then the General known as the Butcher of Belz grabs him for an expedition deep into enemy territory, making him a squad leader for a team of steam knights. Promotion comes fast in the middle of war, and when the General is recalled, he is recalled, just as he gets hold of a message suggesting he and his best friend were going to be shot as spies. Tomas J. McIntee tells us that Mikolai knows nothing of magic, thinks that everyone can talk to animals, and was taught runes by an old woman near his village who had him do chores for her. But he has to become an Accidental War Mage (paper from Podium Publishing) in order for he and his troops to survive attacks by ancient skeletons and other mages. I’ve preordered the sequel and really enjoyed this tale. 

There are more reviews at http://www.henrylazarus.com/sf.htm

Henry Lazarus is a retired Dentist and the author of A Cycle of Gods and Unnaturally Female.