Make Books Your Valentine With February’s New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Releases

December and January are traditionally lighter months for publishing, but February is ramping things back up again—just in time for picking out a book for your Valentine (or yourself)! Romance is a theme this month—but you’ll also find space adventures, inter-dimensional hijinks, magical libraries, monsters, and more.

The Bad Weather Friend by Dean R. Koontz

A man who’s having a string of bad luck inherits an unlikely champion: an intimidatingly giant new friend named Spike, who’s determined to help him turn things turn around by any means necessary. (February 1)

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

“A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.” (February 6)

The Burning Land by David Hair

A new trilogy begins in this tale of knights who take an enemy hostage—and realize neither the empire they’re protecting, nor the magical order they’ve long been loyal to, are what they seem to be. (February 6)

Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien de Castell

“A mortally wounded magistrate faces his deadliest trial inside an ancient abbey where the monks are going mad and the gods themselves may be to blame.” (February 6)

Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories by GennaRose Nethercott

“A collection of dark fairytales and fractured folklore exploring how our passions can save us—or go monstrously wrong.” (February 6)

George R.R. Martin Presents Wild Cards: Sleeper Straddle: A Novel in Stories edited by George R.R. Martin

“An original collection of interwoven short stories set in the Wild Cards universe, where an alien virus mutates some and grants superpowers to others,” featuring contributions from Carrie Vaughn, Cherie Priest, Max Gladstone, and more. (February 6)

Simul by Andrew Caldecott

The Momenticon series continues as Morag and Fogg race through a magical land, facing monsters, corruption, and worse—with the fate of humanity at stake. (February 6)

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

“A Holmes and Watson-style detective duo take the stage in this fantasy with a mystery twist.” (February 6)

Tales of the Celestial Kingdom by Sue Lynn Tan

The world of the author’s Celestial Kingdom duology expands in this collection tales set “before, during, and after the events in Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior, all from the perspectives of beloved characters.” (February 6)

Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine

Described as “The Last of Us meets Bird Box,” this story explores a world in which “eye contact causes people to spiral into a deadly, violent rage.” (February 6)

Among the Living by Tim Lebbon

In this Arctic-set horror thriller, former friends must put their differences aside in order to survive a contagion seeping from the melting ice. (February 13)

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

After a customer dies in her bookstore, a woman takes note of the mysterious volume he was reading. Before long, she’s targeted by collectors who’re dying to get their hands on it—and she’ll need to do everything she can to protect its magical secrets. (February 13)

The Book of Love by Kelly Link

The acclaimed short-story author’s first novel is about a trio of dead friends given a magical second chance—with some major conditions attached—to return to the world of the living. (February 13)

Convergence Problems by Wole Talabi

This new short-story collection explores “the rapidly changing role of technology and belief in our lives as we search for meaning, for knowledge, for justice; constantly converging on our future selves.” (February 13)

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

When a character is named “Carmilla,” you know vampires will be involved. Such is the case with this tale set at a Massachusetts college for women, where a new student soon makes an academic rival she finds both intimidating and alluring. (February 13)

The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond

An art thief who uses her secret magical powers to pull off heists seems unstoppable—until her daughter turns her in. A decade later, the old crew enlists the now-regretful daughter in their most dangerous job yet. (February 13)

The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older

The next cozy space-opera detective tale featuring Investigator Mossa and Scholar Pleiti after The Mimicking of Known Successes brings a new mystery to the table that’ll require a trip to Jupiter’s moon, Io, to solve. (February 13)

Jubilee by Stephen K. Stanford

A pair of detectives venture into an AI-ruled parallel universe to discreetly recover the body of a politician’s son—a job that proves trickier than they’d first thought, especially as they start to realize the attraction between them. (February 13)

Medea by Eilish Quin

“Discover the full story of the sorceress Medea, one of the most reviled and maligned women of Greek antiquity.” (February 13)

Plastic: A Novel by Scott Guild

This tale described as “both a crypto-comedic dystopian fantasy and a deadly serious dissection of our own farcical pre-apocalypse” takes place in a world where people immerse themselves in wearable tech that allows them to exist in virtual worlds—a handy escape until reality itself begins to fall apart. (February 13)

Projections by S.E. Porter

The YA author’s adult debut is billed as a “dark historical fantasy” that “explores misogyny and the soul-corrupting power of unrequited love through an enchanted lens of violence and revenge.” (February 13)

RJ The Astronaut by Jon Turney

When his craft fails and his crew abandons ship, a veteran astronaut is left to try and save the mission—but soon realizes he’s not exactly alone in deep space. “Is this entity an alien presence, is RJ losing his mind, or is there a third option? What happens next will leave him with more questions than answers.” (February 13)

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

In this “historical novel with a speculative twist” set during World War I, a nurse sets out to look for her brother after starting to doubt the reports of his death. (February 13)

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher

The sequel to horror novella What Moves the Dead finds retired soldier Alex Easton heading to their family’s ancestral hunting lodge for a peaceful retreat, only to find a new supernatural nightmare awaits. (February 13)

The Bezzle: A Martin Hench Novel by Cory Doctorow

In this tale set in 2006, a forensic accountant Martin Hench, last seen in the author’s Red Team Blues, accidentally uncovers a deadly scheme involving ultra-wealthy Californians and the state’s privatized prison system. (February 20)

The Book of Ile-Rien: The Element of Fire and The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells

Collected for the first time in a single volume, and revised to represent Wells’ “preferred texts,” are two fantasy tales from the author of Witch King and the Murderbot Diaries. (February 20)

Exit Black by Joe Pitkin

Set at a ritzy space hotel that becomes infiltrated by terrorists, this sci-fi thriller is described as “Die Hard meets The Martian—with a dash of Knives Out.” (February 20)

Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa

“Set in 19th century Sri Lanka and inspired by local folklore, the daughter of a traditional demon-priest—relentlessly bullied by peers and accused of witchcraft herself—tries to solve the mysterious attacks that have been terrorizing her coastal village.” (February 20)

Night for Day by Roselle Lim

Exes who unexpectedly reunite when they start working at the same company are separated again when their office becomes a battleground for a war between the gods. (February 20)

Ours by Phillip B. Williams

This novel takes place over 40 years and taps into “Black surrealism, mythology, and spirituality” to tell its tale of a conjurer who travels the South in the 1830s, rescuing enslaved people and helping them resettle in a community magically hidden from the outside world. (February 20)

Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares

“This reimagining of Zorro—featuring a heroic warrior sorceress—weaves Mesoamerican mythology and Mexican history two decades after the Spanish conquest into a swashbuckling, historical debut fantasy with magic, intrigue, treachery, and romance.” (February 20)

To Cage a God by Elizabeth May

Inspired by Imperial Russia, this romantic fantasy kicks off a new duology and follows a pair of magical sisters raised to lead a rebellion against the gods possessing the royal family. (February 20)

Twice Lived by Joma West

A teen who is a “shifter”—they have two identities in parallel dimensions—must face the painful decision of deciding which world to make their permanent home. (February 20)

Vangie’s Ghosts by Paul Di Filippo

A child with the ability to see other versions of herself across dimensions discovers she has the ability to jump across timelines—honing her skills and escaping power-mad adults as she goes. But she may not be able to leap away from a sinister threat that’s chasing her through the multiverse. (February 20)

The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed

In this dark fairytale, woman is forced to undertake a high-stakes rescue mission within a dangerous magical forest. (February 27)

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

“A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in the first book of a Norse-inspired fantasy romance series.” (February 27)

A Haunting in the Arctic by C.J. Cooke

A 100-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Iceland is slated to be destroyed, so an explorer decides to take one last look around—and realizes the vessel is still teeming with the ghosts of its past. (February 27)

The Lady in Glass and Other Stories by Anne Bishop

This collection gathers the fantasy author’s shorter works into a single volume; it features both published and unpublished works, as well as a pair of brand-new stories written especially for this release. (February 27)

Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana

A human trapped in the Fae world bargains to save her village by taking over an enchanted but cursed library—all while dealing with the different alluring Faes she encounters, and plotting to cultivate her own magic. (February 27)

Maiden, Mother, Crone by Joanne Harris

This collection includes a new introduction from the author, three original short stories, and the novellas A Pocketful of Crows, The Blue Salt Road, and Orfeia. (February 27)

Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice

This standalone tale set in the same post-apocalyptic world as the author’s Moon of the Crusted Snow follows a group of survivors traversing “unknown and dangerous territory to find a new home for their close-knit Northern Ontario Indigenous community more than a decade after a world-ending blackout.” (February 27)

Redsight by Meredith Mooring

This space opera brings together “sapphic romance, space pirates, a blind witch, and powerful priestesses” in its tale of a misfit who uses her abilities to manipulate space-time as a navigator aboard an Imperium ship. (February 27)

Remedial Magic by Melissa Marr

A librarian discovers she is a witch after falling in love with a witch—then must beef up her magical education in a hurry if she wants to help save her new community. (February 27)

So Eden Sank to Grief by Eric Reitan

“When a young man and woman both awaken aboard a starship floating who knows where into space, without any memory of how they got there, the last thing they expect is to fall in love. As more people begin to awaken, the mystery deepens and rivalries begin to jeopardize everyone’s survival. Can our two young lovers save their world before it even begins?” (February 27)

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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