Kathleen Kennedy’s Legacy Is More Than Just Star Wars

Kathleen Kennedy is reportedly stepping away from Lucasfilm at the end of the year. While the news isn’t official, multiple industry trades have confirmed the story after it was broken by Puck News’ Matt Belloni earlier today, with Variety noting that she is planning to fully retire when her contract concludes at the end of […]

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It’s fun to be first. Whether it’s being among the first users of a new technology, the first to play a video game, or members of the audience for a movie on opening night, the feeling of being ahead of the curve is satisfying. That’s true when it comes to new books, and even more so when you’re among the first to fall in love with the first work of a debut author.

Trying out a new writer, especially on their first novel, carries a small risk–there’s no guarantee you’ll be their target audience. But Den of Geek has dialed back that risk for you with these nine titles that are sure to appeal to the right readers, spanning enough SFF and adjacent subgenres that there should be something to appeal to everyone! Grab your TBR list, open up your library holds, or text yourself a reminder to pick these up at your local bookstore on their release dates!

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Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto

January 14, Harper Voyager

No one steals from Joyce Atlas, one of the richest men in the galaxy. Edie learned that the hard way when a heist went bad, their best friend sold them out, and they spent eight long years in prison. But when the aforementioned best friend, Angel, gets them released early, it’s not with altruism in mind: Angel wants to go after Atlas again, and she wants Edie to join her. Edie wants nothing to do with it–they just want to go legit, help out their sister and her kids, and get a real job. Only when they find out they’ve been blacklisted and no one will hire them, it seems like Angel’s job is the one thing left to them. It’s just one last job. How bad could it be?

Yamamoto indulges in all the best heist tropes right from the beginning: the reluctant hero who doesn’t want this life, but can’t find any other way; the team that just needs the hero’s special skills; and the audience’s knowledge (or, at least, hope) that everything’s going to get totally chaotic before the heroes win in the end. The sci-fi space station setting, mixed with a heavy dose of the Hawaiian slang and vocabulary that the main characters drop into their exchanges, gives those familiar tropes a fresh feeling. Edie’s an earnest narrator, with just enough snark in their first person narrative to give them edge and inspire empathy. Yamamoto hits the ground running with Hammajang Luck, which released in January 2025, and it’s going to be exciting to see what they write next.

Aunt Tigress by Emily Yu-Xuan Qin

March 18, Astra Publishing House

Old stories about tiger gods blend with urban fantasy and horror in this gorgeous mythological novel inspired by both Chinese and First Nations stories. Tam is the kind of tiger who wears a human skin. Her Aunt Tigress once treated her for an illness, and though Tam had been raised to believe she was human, Tigress’s interference gave her the ability to see the supernatural world. Now, she’s a college student, excited about her connection with free-spirited Janet and their first date together, which goes well despite being interrupted by an incubus.

But then Tam’s Aunt Tigress is murdered and skinned, and Tam inherits not only an undead fox, but also all of Aunt Tigress’s enemies. But the real danger may still be Aunt Tigress herself. While Aunt Tigress feels like an urban fantasy, both the hefty dose of horror and the length (over 400 pages) keep it from having a mass market feel. Yu-Xuan’s narrative swaps out of first person when needed, keeping the perspective close to Tam’s voice, but breaking narrative rules in a way that works remarkably well. If you scare easily, hold onto this one for sunny afternoons after it hits bookstores shelves in March.

A Song of Legends Lost by M.H. Ayinde

Illustration of a warrior with a red fiery shadow looming over him

June 3, Saga

The second doorstopper on this list embraces the length and feel of epic fantasy in a novel that spans thousands of years. The kingdom was once almost taken over by greyblood servants. The rebels were defeated and pushed out, but when they return to pit their wills against the kingdom again, it becomes a war of attrition. Invokers and warriors are far more skilled than the rebels, but there aren’t enough of them to defeat the greybloods forever.

But none of that is at the forefront of commoner Temi’s mind when she finds her family’s ship alight in green flames. Her family killed, her way of life stolen, and Temi herself attacked by a witch, she’s not given a lot of options. When the same witch speaks prophecy to her–The king must fall by your hand!–she’s inclined to ignore it. But Temi accidentally invokes a powerful spirit, and she realizes it could be the key to ending the war. Only, whose side will she end it for, and once it’s over, where will Temi find herself? Ayinde leaps right into the story, giving readers both an every-person narrator to follow in Temi, but also giving hints and insights into the world from multiple points of view. Celebrated by fellow epic fantasists like Andrea Stewart and Tobi Ogundiran, A Song of Legends Lost, which releases in June, is sure to take epic fantasy by the reigns and lead it on a grand new adventure.

The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara

A blue starry night with a striped tiger in the foreground and birds flying in silhouette from the cover of The Prince Without Sorrow

March 27, Harper Voyager

Not ready to commit to something that lengthy? Dive into a fantasy inspired by the Mauryan Empire of ancient India in Wijesekara’s The Prince Without Sorrow. Ashoka is third in line for the throne of his tyrant father, and in his heart, he craves peace, refusing to take the life of even a deer. Shakti is a mayakari, a witch sworn to pacifism by her culture’s beliefs but inclined toward martial skill to defend herself. She’s not one to let a bully keep her down–even when that bully is the emperor himself. When her aunt is murdered for the crime of being a witch, nonviolence is the last thing on Shakti’s mind. And when the emperor dies, Ashoka is thrust into a leadership role in a region terrorized by nature spirits–nature spirits that the mayakari can communicate with. When their paths cross, the two of them must both question their ideals, and Ashoka must acknowledge that unless he takes power, even at the risk of becoming like his father, their world may fall apart.

Wijesekara’s prose drops readers right into the narrative; the vibrant setting is immediately clear, and the parallel point of view between a prince and a witch gives readers two clear vantage points through which to explore the empire. This debut is also a series starter, giving readers a taste of the story to come with an ending that changes the stakes for both main characters. Look for this one in March!

The Serpent Called Mercy by Roanne Lau

March 27, Solaris

Lau’s protagonist Lythlet has none of the qualms about violence the protagonists of Wijesekara’s novel do. Facing a life of debt and poverty, Lythlet and her only friend, Desil, take the one path they can think of to escape: becoming gladiators in an illegal arena, where they fight monsters. But the monsters in the ring are far less dangerous than the monsters beyond it; to survive, Lythlet has to play an entirely different game, balancing politics and intrigue to get ahead. When she has to make a choice between her friendship and her ambition, she discovers how far she’ll go to claim her own power.

Readers who love the combat aspects and morally gray spaces of novels (and characters) like Arcane’s Ambessa (most recently featured in a prequel novel by C.L. Clark) are sure to gravitate toward Lau’s vividly depicted arena sequences. And the monsters are the stuff of nightmares–shadowy wolves that don’t bleed, two headed creatures that spew fire and ice–unique and inventive in a genre filled with fiends. Readers can fight alongside Lythlet when The Serpent Called Mercy arrives in March.

When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vide Kelley

Illustration of a human and a blue fantasy man embracing

April 29, Erewhon

Craving something a little cozier? How about a romance between an immigrant and a merman? When Benny is given the opportunity to build something more than steel beams for the skyscrapers of 20th century magnates–each an idol to the egos of the wealthy–he’s thrilled to get to use some of the skills he’d learned in Puerto Rico to create a thing of beauty. The frame, for a carriage with glass walls, looks to be used to transport something, but Benny’s horrified to learn it’s meant to contain a merman, especially when the sideshow owner who hired him commits supernatural murder. With the command to save the merman echoing in his head, Benny treads a new path, following merman Rio to where he’s imprisoned at Coney Island.

Told in both prose (Benny’s perspective) and poetry (Rio’s), this novel showcases not only Kelley’s gorgeous writing, which seamlessly blends Spanish and English. It also highlights her talent as an artist–her own illustrations pepper the book, capturing poignant scenes of danger, community, and love. With vibes reminiscent of The Greatest Showman in a lush, fantastical setting, When the Tides Held the Moon, which releases in April, will draw readers back to a magical early 1900s.

Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle

May 20, Simon & Schuster

In Lavelle’s debut, death is not an ending. Kostya is haunted by ghosts he can’t see. But when a spirit is near, he can taste their favorite meals. And when he finally decides to act on what only he can experience, everything changes. He enters the New York restaurant scene, determined to reunite people with their lost loved ones through food. But when he realizes that the people who helped him open the restaurant are involved with the Mafia–and when the love of his life is convinced he’s on a path to destroying himself–he begins to understand that holding onto the dead has greater consequences than he ever imagined.

Lavelle weaves poetry into her work as well, and the memories are themselves poems in Aftertaste, which comes out in May. Filled with food and grief and love, this is one of those novels likely to linger on long after it’s finished, just like the flavors of Kostya’s memory-saturated recipes.

Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours

February 4, Wednesday Books

If YA is more your speed, Desamours’s paranormal mystery might be exactly the thing you need. High schooler Sariyah would know. She hears the needs of others like a hum at the back of her brain, itching and itching until she can fulfil the need. Sometimes it’s easy–a stick of gum, a nail file. But sometimes giving those little gifts can have even greater meaning, like when her boss uses the nail file Sariyah gave her earlier to fend off a mugger at the back of the ice cream store. The weight of her ability weighs on her. What if she doesn’t give a person the thing they need? Will she be responsible for what happens next?

But when her best friend goes missing at a concert, Sariyah’s own need to find her outweighs any of the responsibilities she feels toward others. And though she swore she’d never do it, she begins to use her gift for profit. It may be the only way to get her friend back, but it might put her in exactly the same danger herself. Sariyah’s voice comes through so clearly, you can almost hear her telling the story without need for an audiobook. Desamours doesn’t shy away from topics like racial inequality–Sariyah’s friend doesn’t get the same press or community support looking for her as another teen did, because she’s a Black girl, and the other missing person was white. Sariyah’s magic is also unique, and it’s such a core part to her world experience that it’s always present in the background of the narrative. Needy Little Things is already out on library shelves, and you definitely need to go pick it up.

Pride or Die by C.L. Montblanc

April 15, Wednesday Books

This last must-read entry is a mix of a queer rom-com, an attempted-murder mystery, and a dark comedy, which begins when Eleanora Finkel is trying to save the LGBTQ club at her high school, which she founded, from falling apart after she graduates. It’s tough to be a queer kid in Texas, and she wants a safe space to be preserved for future generations of high schoolers. But when a cheerleader is attacked at the same time their club is meeting at the school, they all become prime suspects in the case.

In order to clear their names, Eleanora is determined to solve the mystery herself (without letting the cute cheerleader distract her). But she’s not exactly private eye material, and the rest of the club are the same types of misfits. Not to mention, the real criminal is still on the loose–and if they get close to uncovering the truth, it’s possible they’ll be the next victims. Pride or Die, which comes out in April, will hit audiences with some Scooby Doo meets Heathers vibes and a dash of sweet romantic tension.

Alana Joli Abbott is a reviewer and game writer, who also co-edits fantasy anthologies for Outland Entertainment, including Rising Tides (which is currently live on Kickstarter) and edits novels, like the debut paranormal mystery A Promise of Sirens by V.L. Barycz, due out in July. You can find her online at VirgilandBeatrice.com.

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