Anticipated 2022 Releases (Part II)

If you missed Part 1 of this post, check it out. As usual, I try to be circumspect, but my Goodreads 2022 releases list has 153 books on it in total, so there’s more books on here than I would like, even though I am trying hard to limit to my absolute most anticipated books! Also, as an fyi, some of these books have actually already been released, which isn’t how these posts of mine usually go, but due to the way I structured it this year, that’s what’s happening. Which is fine. They all come out in 2022, which is all that matters.

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Secondary World Fantasy

Engines of Empire (Jan 18, Orbit): I actually DNF’d another book by this author before, but I really liked their writing style and ideas, so I’m excited to try something else by them! This is supposed to be kind of steampunk and focused on the advances and horrors of industry, with multiple POVs.

Nettle and Bone (April 26, Tor): T. Kingfisher is an author I want to read more of in general. I’ve not read any of her fantasy yet, but I just have feeling I’ll love it. Nettle and Bone is about a third daughter, confined to a convent, who embarks on a journey to avenge one sister and perhaps save another, featuring “gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon.” Sounds bonkers.

Kagen the Damned (May 10, St. Martin’s): I love the sound of this dark epic fantasy — it’s got the word “witch-king” and starts off with a brutal murder of a family. And I hear one of the main characters is a nun and the other a young girl, both hell-bent on revenge like the titular Kagen. I’ve actually never heard of this author, but apparently he’s a pretty prolific horror writer, so excited to see how dark this fantasy will get!

The Collarbound (May 12, Gollancz): This seems like a very straightforward fantasy with magical hierarchies and rebellion, but also seems to feature a strong friendship — hopefully not a romance!!

The Last Blade Priest (July 12, Angry Robot): This sounds like an intriguing political fantasy. Spies and torturers and priests and human sacrifice!

The Art of Prophecy (Aug 9, Del Rey): A multi-POV epic fantasy with a twist on the Chosen One trope, featuring a cruel immortal god-king!

The Bruising of Qilwa (Aug 9, Tachyon): This is actually a fantasy novella, inspired by Persian culture, I believe, featuring a healer as a main character, and a dangerous plague.

A Taste of Gold and Iron (Aug 30, Tordotcom): This sounds so intriguing and has had really good advance reviews thus far. I’m fascinated in particular by the different familial settings at play here, but there also seems to be a mystery at the center of everything, and I love fantasy mysteries.

Belladonna (August 30, Little, Brown): This seems to feature the Death and the Maiden trope, which I adore, plus it just has lots of Gothic vibes.

No Gods for Drowning (Sep 7, Polis Books): I couldn’t even begin to describe this book, so please go read the summary, because it’s wild.

Silver Under Nightfall (Sep 13, Saga): Vampires in a fantasy setting!

House of Hunger (Oct 4, Ace): More vampires in a fantasy setting!

The Ones We Burn (Nov 1, Margaret K. McElderry Books): I mean, who isn’t excited for this book.

The Stars Undying (Nov 8, Orbit): I don’t usually go for sci-fi, but I’m really drawn by the plot of this book! And would you look at that cover!

Empire of Exiles (Nov 8, Orbit): In the wake of a brutal murder, an apprentice scribe joins with a young mage, a seasoned archivist, and a disillusioned detective to try to discover the truth; this happens in the wake of the discovery of artefacts that played a large role in a brutal coup a generation ago.

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SFF in Our World/Urban SFF

Her Dark Wings (July 7, David Fickling Books): I can’t resist a Hades and Persephone retelling.

Babel (Aug 23, Voyager): I mean. Dark Academia from R.F. Kuang. The whole world is anticipating this.

Tread of Angels (Nov 15, Saga): Angel-themed urban fantasy from Rebecca Roanhorse! While I didn’t love her debut urban fantasy series I adored Black Sun, so I’m definitely going to try everything she writes!

The Two Doctors Gorski (Nov 29, Tordotcom): I love the sound of this Gothic novella about a fraught relationship between an apprentice and master.

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Gothic/Horror

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau (July 19, Del Rey): I will read anything Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes, but I will especially read a retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau!

Into the Sublime (July 26, Henry Holt and Co): I generally enjoy YA horror, and this one features mixed media and is about four girls who went into a cave and…shit happened.

The Weight of Blood (Sep 6, Katherine Tegen Books): I’ve been wanting to read this author’s other books for years now, but I may start with this one. It’s about Georgia’s first integrated prom and seems to be Carrie-inspired.

The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror (Sep 6, Page Street Kids): I have so many short story collections I want to read…but this one is all about folk horror, which I love, featuring some authors I adore!

It Rides a Pale Horse (Oct 4, Redhook): This is about a man whose sister is abducted, and to save her he has to follow the directions of a book that may turn out to be demonic. Sounds very intriguing.

The Witch in the Well (Oct 4, Tor): This author’s debut is one of my favorite books, so I’m eager to see her take on witches and witch-hunts!

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Literary/Contemporary/Romance

Olga Dies Dreaming (Jan 4, Flatiron): The summary of this book had me a bit hesitant that I would like it, but I read the first page and really enjoyed the writing style, so I think this could be a book that I really enjoy. I also just love reading about POC in New York City.

Notes on an Execution (Jan 25, William Morrow): A deconstruction of the true crime genre, I think? It’s focused on three women in the lives of a serial killer, and I’ve heard excellent things!

One Night on the Island (Feb 15, Ballantine/Penguin): Two people stuck on a remote Irish island fall in love. I love Ireland and this reminds me a bit of one of my favorite movies of all time, Leap Year.

Groundskeeping (Mar 1, Knopf): Could be a hit or miss for me, about a groundskeeper from Kentucky and the daughter of Bosnian immigrants. I’m really intrigued by that clash of cultures, so here’s hoping this will be a hit!

Love Marriage (May 3, Scribner): Again, an interesting clash of cultures! An British-Indian woman is engaged to a white man, and leading up to the wedding various misunderstandings and secrets between the two families cause tension.

We Had to Remove This Post (May 26, Picador): I have always wanted to read something about content moderation! It’s such a highly disturbing industry, and I’m surprised there haven’t been more horror novels based around it. This looks like it leans more literary than thriller, but I’m intrigued, and this is also a very short novella!

These Impossible Things (June 7, Grand Central Publishing): Three Muslim women in Britain navigate the delicate balance between religion and rebellion. I love premises like this, so here’s hoping this will be good!

Love on the Brain (Aug 23, Berkeley): After how much I loved this author’s debut, I’ll likely read whatever other romance she publishes.

Best of Friends (Sep 27, Riverhead): Kamila Shamsie wrote one of my favorite books ever, Home Fire, so I’m super excited to see she has a new novel about a friendship between two Pakistani-British women.

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Nonfiction

South to America: A Journey Below the Mason Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation (Jan 25, Ecco): I’ve always loved studying the American South; though I’ve never been, I’m really fascinated by Southern culture and history. This book, written by a black woman who grew up in the South, delves into Southern history and life.

Fifty Sounds: A Memoir of Language, Learning, and Longing (Mar 15, Liveright): This is a memoir about translation, focusing specifically on the author’s experience with Japanese. I am always fascinated by anything to do with Japan and living in Japan, but also by linguistics and translation. I’ve heard this is really intelligent and beautifully written.

A Concise Guide to the Life of Muhammad: Answering Thirty Key Questions (May 1, Baker Academic): This author wrote a book in a similar vein about the Quran, which I absolutely loved and really need to buy a physical copy of at some point. I like the format (30 questions) and the objective academic way he writes (with some sardonic attitude as an Egyptian Coptic Christian who grew up in a staunchly Muslim country, which, fair).

Putting the Fact in Fantasy: Expert Advice to Bring Authenticity to Your Fantasy Writing (May 3, Writer’s Digest Books): Not totally sure what to expect from this but the summary describes it as “collection of essays from historians, linguists, martial artists, and other experts to help you write more compelling fantasy by getting the facts right.” It sounds like a manual for various activities, but somehow with a fantasy spin? I’m very curious!

Everything I Need I Get from You: How Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It (June 14, MCD X Fsg Originals): I love anything and everything to do with fandom history and culture, especially as it pertains to the internet.

Enjoy Me Among My Ruins (July 12, Feminist Press): A short memoir by a queer sex-working mother that combines feminist theories, X-Files fandom, and personal memoir. I have to say, mainly what drew me to this is the X-Files fandom angle and letters written to Gillian Anderson.

The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters (Sep 27, Quirk Books): I’m endlessly fascinated by Americana and American folklore and have been on the hunt for a book exactly like this one!

Myth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past (Oct 18, Basic Books): I love books like these; it’s filled with essays about various misinterpretations and exaggerations about events and legends of American history.

Toil and Trouble: A Women’s History of the Occult (Oct 25, Quirk Books): I read a previous book by these two authors, MONSTER SHE WROTE, which ended up being a favorite non-fiction book of all time — gorgeously put together and illustrated. I’m expecting the same of this one, which is already on a topic I love.

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Poetry

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head (Mar 1, Random House): I rarely read poetry but I’ve always loved Warsan Shire’s work; super excited to see she has a full-length collection coming out!

Dear God. Dear Bones. Dear Yellow. (May 31, Haymarket): These poems explore explore colonialism, religion, and patriarchy, along with art and trauma. The cover captured my attention on NetGalley and the description sounds intriguing, so I want to give this a shot!

Girls That Never Die (July 12, One World): Again, I’m not a big poetry person, but I absolutely adored Safia Elhillo’s debut poetry collection, so I’m extremely excited she has another one coming out!

And how striking are all these covers??? I may just buy all three of these books tbh.

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Graphic Novels

It Won’t Always Be Like This (Sep 20, Ten Speed Press): Adored Malaka Gharib’s debut graphic novel; she’s an Egyptian-Filipino-American artist, so her content is very #relatable. This particular graphic novel is about her experiences in Egypt!

Shubeik Lubeik (Oct 1, Pantheon): I’ve been aware of Deena and her work since following her on Tumblr way back in 2015; she became well-known for her Qahera series, and was Tumblr-famous for her #discourse on Egyptian racial politics. She published Shubeik Lubeik in Arabic a few years ago, and then it was picked up by an American publisher, along with its sequels, and I believe she’s translating it herself! I actually have the Arabic edition but have yet to read it, but I’m extremely excited to see how the translation comes along.

Where Black Stars Rise (Oct 18, Tor Nightfire): A horror graphic novel retelling of The King in Yellow with a Lebanese protagonist! Say no more!!!