I’ve seen lots of people writing their ‘most anticipated’ lists for 2022, and I’ve even published an excellent guest post from author Thomas Parrott along those lines, so I thought it was about time I jumped on the bandwagon and looked ahead to next year myself. If I’m honest, I’m hoping to spend much of 2022 catching up on books I didn’t get round to reading this year, but that’s not to say there aren’t loads of great books due for publication over the coming months that I’m very much looking forward to reading, so I’ve picked out some of my personal highlights to talk about here. For my main list I’ve concentrated on general SFF releases, but I’ve also included a shorter list later on of the Black Library novels I’m currently looking forward to the most.
For the sake of realistic expectations I’m only including books on these lists that have been officially announced, so no wild hopes of a new Susanna Clarke novel for example (and if I’m honest, while there’s a chance we might see new titles in some of my past-favourite series like The Gentlemen Bastards or The Kingkiller Chronicles, I don’t think I’d bother reading them even if they did come out, the waits have been so long). For each book I’ve included the planned release month (if it’s been confirmed…looking at you Black Library, refusing to give us advance information), but of course in the age of Covid, Brexit, paper shortages and all the other chaos, release dates are very much subject to change. That being said, we can only plan based on the information we have available to us, so I’ve listed these books in the order in which they’re currently planned for release.
General SFF
The first half of this list features books that are all coming in the first two months of 2022, so I’m pretty hopeful that these release dates will stay as planned. The rest of the books are all (hopefully) coming from April onwards, with the final book currently due in September…although of all of them, this one feels the most likely to be delayed or otherwise adjusted. Across the whole list I’ve mostly chosen books by authors I know and love, with four that are continuations of existing series, three sequels to books I’ve read recently, and two debut novels from authors whose short fiction I’ve enjoyed over the last couple of years. Only one is a total unknown to me, but as I’ll explain shortly it sounds right up my street.
Seven Mercies by Elizabeth May and Laura Lam
January 2022 (click here to pre–order*)
After an ambush leaves the Novantae resistance in tatters, the survivors scatter across the galaxy. Wanted by two great empires, the bounty on any rebel’s head is enough to make a captor filthy rich. And the seven devils? Biggest score of them all. To avoid attacks, the crew of Zelus scavenge for supplies on long-abandoned Tholosian outposts.
Not long after the remnants of the rebellion settle briefly on Fortuna, Ariadne gets a message with unimaginable consequences: the Oracle has gone rogue. In a planned coup against the Empire’s new ruler, the AI has developed a way of mass programming citizens into mindless drones. The Oracle’s demand is simple: the AI wants One’s daughter back at any cost.
Time for an Impossible to Infiltrate mission: high chance of death, low chance of success. The devils will have to use their unique skills, no matter the sacrifice, and pair up with old enemies. Their plan? Get to the heart of the Empire. Destroy the Oracle. Burn it all to the ground.
2020’s Seven Devils was a much-needed blast of fun, a feminist space opera featuring a ragtag crew of rebels in a desperate fight against an overwhelmingly powerful empire. It was surprisingly dark and even creepy in places (the AI ‘One’ is properly sinister) but taken in context of an action-packed, space-hopping adventure and a fantastic set of characters, it all came together in a single cohesive whole that was tremendously entertaining. Seven Mercies is the sequel, picking up where events left off and promising another exciting adventure and a conclusion to the broader story. I do like a duology, so I can’t wait to get stuck into this and find out how things go in the end for Clo, Eris and the rest of the gang. I’m also looking forward very much to more of Clo’s inventive swearing.
Recruited by Thomas Parrott
February 2022 (click here to pre–order*)
Maira Kanhai has had enough: since the Green Poison epidemic hit DC, her Cybersecurity degree is worthless, she can’t rejoin the US Navy, and her early efforts to secure Maryland led to a costly mistake: the death of her brother. Every day new factions emerge, trying to burn her city to the ground – until the Division emerges, inspiring hope. When a grenade kills one of their agents, Maira suddenly has a chance to make a real difference as a raw new Division recruit … if she can pass the tests, and overcome the enemies plotting to permanently eliminate the Division once and for all.
I’ve been following Tom’s writing for a couple of years now, and enjoyed everything I’ve read – this year his two stories in the Arkham Horror anthology The Devourer Below were particularly interesting. Recruited is his debut novel, and while I don’t know anything about the world of Tom Clancy’s The Division (at all…I’ve never played any of the games) I do enjoy a good technothriller and this sounds like something I’m going to enjoy! It’s not a genre I’ve previously associated with Tom’s writing, but I don’t think it’s going to be a million miles away from his SF fiction in overall style, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what he comes up with, and in particular getting to read his first long-form fiction.
The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan
February 2022 (click here to pre-order*)
As an Emperor’s Justice, Sir Konrad Vonvalt always has the last word. His duty is to uphold the law of the empire using whatever tools he has at his disposal: whether it’s his blade, the arcane secrets passed down from Justice to Justice, or his wealth of knowledge of the laws of the empire. But usually his reputation as one of the most revered – and hated – Justices is enough to get most any job done.
When Vonvalt investigates the murder of a noblewoman, he finds his authority being challenged like never before. As the simple case becomes more complex and convoluted, he begins to pull at the threads that unravel a conspiracy that could see an end to all Justices, and a beginning to lawless chaos across the empire.
I’ve been lucky enough to have been sent an advance copy of this, and it sounds fantastic! I obviously love a good fantasy novel, and this looks like it’s going to tick a lot of the right boxes, but the main thing that’s hooked me in? The fact that the central character has been described as “a medieval Judge Dredd”! That’s all it takes. Sold. I mean, what’s not to like about that? Of course flippancy aside, a single great character doesn’t necessarily make for a great book, but happily this seems to be getting fantastic advance reviews! My review copy has been staring at me for a while now, so this is pretty close to the top of my reading list for 2022.
Sisters of the Forsaken Stars by Lina Rather
February 2022 (click here to pre-order*)
Not long ago, Earth’s colonies and space stations threw off the yoke of planet Earth’s tyrannical rule. Decades later, trouble is brewing in the Four Systems, and Old Earth is flexing its power in a bid to regain control over its lost territories.
The Order of Saint Rita – whose mission is to provide aid and mercy to those in need – bore witness to and defied Central Governance’s atrocities on the remote planet Phyosonga III. The sisters have been running ever since, staying under the radar while still trying to honor their calling.
Despite the sisters’ secrecy, the story of their defiance is spreading like wildfire, spearheaded by a growing anti-Earth religious movement calling for revolution. Faced with staying silent or speaking up, the Order of Saint Rita must decide the role they will play – and what hand they will have – in reshaping the galaxy.
Lina Rather’s novella Sisters of the Vast Black was a real highlight for me in 2019, and ever since I finished it I’ve been hoping for a sequel – which is nearly here! The first book was a delight, with a sentient ship (always a big fan of these) and a small but fascinating cast of brilliant characters, and it really felt like Rather was offering readers just the tiniest glimpse of a world that was begging for further exploration. This second book promises to do exactly that, to dig a little deeper into the setting while continuing to tell the story of the Order of Saint Rita. I may go back and reread the first one in preparation for the sequel, but given that both books are novellas that shouldn’t take too long – and I’m really looking forward to it!
36 Streets by T.R. Napper
February 2022 (click here to pre-order*)
Lin ‘The Silent One’ Vu is a gangster and sometime private investigator living in Chinese-occupied Hanoi, in the steaming, paranoid alleyways of the 36 Streets. Born in Vietnam, raised in Australia, everywhere she is an outsider.
Through grit and courage Lin has carved a place for herself in the Vietnamese underworld where Hanoi’s crime boss, Bao Nguyen, is training her to fight and lead. Bao drives her hard; on the streets there are no second chances. Meanwhile the people of Hanoi are succumbing to Fat Victory – a dangerously addictive immersive simulation of the US-Vietnam war.
When an Englishman comes to Hanoi on the trail of his friend’s murderer, Lin’s life is turned upside down. She is drawn into the grand conspiracies of the neon gods – of regimes and mega-corporations – as they unleash dangerous new technologies.
Lin must confront the immutable moral calculus of unjust wars. She must choose: family, country, or gang. Blood, truth, or redemption. No choice is easy on the 36 Streets.
I’m slightly cheating here, as I’m actually reading a review copy of this book right now – but seeing as it’s not due out until February I think it still deserves a place on this list! I read Napper’s short story anthology Neon Leviathan in 2020 and was blown away by both the storytelling on show and the fascinating, cyberpunk world building that underpinned the whole collection. Napper’s powerful vision of a not-too-distant future in Southeast Asia and Australia is undoubtedly bleak, but utterly fascinating. Every story is a total gem, but as is often the case I finished the book thinking that I would absolutely love to explore this world in a longer-form story…and now I can!
Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch
April 2022 (click here to pre-order*)
This is the only book on the list that doesn’t have a synopsis as yet (and one of two that doesn’t even have a finalised cover), but honestly that isn’t a problem. I adore the Rivers of London series, so much so that I’d be entirely happy to pick up a new story sight unseen, safe in the knowledge that Aaronovitch has never failed to deliver before. Whatever Peter, Beverley, Nightingale, Abigail and the others get up to this time around, I’m confident that it will be another fun, entertaining urban fantasy police procedural with all the usual magical goings on and investigative twists and turns. I haven’t quite worked out where the series is going since the events of Lies Sleeping, but to be honest I don’t really mind…I’m confident I’ll enjoy this whatever happens!
The Flower Path by Josh Reynolds
June 2022 (click here to pre-order*)
Extraordinary detective Daidoji Shin returns, in a wonderful locked-room murder mystery like no other, in this lively novel from the epic fantasy world of Legend of the Five Rings
Opening night at the Foxfire Theater is set to be a huge success for Daidoji Shin, amateur detective turned theater impresario. The City of the Rich Frog’s leading lights are all there, but even as the performance begins, the Three Flower Troupe’s new lead actress is found dead backstage – and everyone in the venue is a potential suspect. Shin has only till the curtain falls to find the killer. But the clock is ticking and Shin can only hold the great and the good hostage so long. As the night wears on, the chance of the murderer escaping justice grows ever more likely.
Reynolds’ first two Legend of the Five Rings stories featuring the layabout noble Daidoji Shin and his put-upon bodyguard Kasami – Poison River and Death’s Kiss – were both absolute gems, taking a much less supernatural approach to the setting than other L5R novels and instead delving into the less fantastical aspects of this brilliant world. The investigative mystery nature of these books means they’re just tremendous fun, while Shin and Kasami make a wonderful double act, and as far as I’m concerned this is a series that could run and run. This third novel looks to be focusing back on the City of the Rich Frog and Shin’s new business venture, and I just can’t wait to see what kind of trouble he gets himself into this time (I also love a locked-room mystery)!
Furious Heaven by Kate Elliot
August 2022 (click here to pre-order*)
The Republic of Chaonia fleets under the joint command of Princess Sun and her formidable mother, Queen-Marshal Eirene, have defeated and driven out an invading fleet of the Phene Empire, although not without heavy losses. But the Empire remains strong and undeterred. While Chaonia scrambles to rebuild its military, the Empire’s rulers are determined to squash Chaonia once and for all by any means necessary.
On the eve of Eirene’s bold attack on the rich and populous Karnos System, an unexpected tragedy strikes the republic. Sun must take charge or lose the throne. Will Sun be content with the pragmatic path laid out by her mother for Chaonia’s future? Or will she forge her own legend despite all the forces arrayed against her?
Book two in Elliot’s The Sun Chronicles, a “gender-swapped space opera trilogy inspired by the life of Alexander The Great”, I’ve been looking forward to this coming out ever since I read the first book – Unconquerable Sun – back in 2020. Book one was a pacy, action-packed thrill-ride of an SF novel which also incorporated a brilliant sense of court politics into the story with all manner of espionage and intrigue, and a fantastic female-driven cast of characters. I’m not all that well up on Greek history but I didn’t find that a problem whatsoever, so whatever your knowledge of Alexander the Great, if you enjoy a good space opera then this is very much a series to get on board with. I’m so pleased that book 2 is coming soon, and I can’t wait to find out what Princess Sun gets up to next.
Priest of Crowns by Peter McLean
August 2022 (click here to pre-order*)
Once, Tomas Piety looked after his men, body and soul, as best he could. Then those who ran his country decided his dark talents would better serve in the corridors of power.
Crushed by the power of the Queen’s Men and with the Skanian menace rising once more on the streets of Ellinburg, Tomas Piety is forced to turn to old friends, old debts and untrustworthy alliances.
Meanwhile in the capital city of Dannsburg, Dieter Vogel is beginning to wonder if the horror he has unleashed in the Martyr’s Disciples might be getting out of control.
With revolution brewing and tragedy and terrorism running rife in the cities, Piety and Vogel must each weigh the cost of a crown.
The War for the Rose Throne series has been an absolute revelation to me – dark, gritty, brutal fantasy with the heart of a gangster family drama and the page-turning pace of the best crime fiction, it’s just SO good! From Priest of Bones through Priest of Lies and Priest of Gallows, each book has pushed Tomas and his crew deeper and deeper into danger, gradually broadening out the horizons of this fascinatingly grim fantasy world and forcing Tomas into progressively more uncomfortable choices. I won’t spoil anything regarding what’s gone before, but suffice to say after the events of Priest of Gallows I’m decidedly nervous about what’s going to happen in the final book – whatever the case will be, I’m confident that it’s going to be bad news for a lot of characters…but utterly impossible to put down for the reader!
Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
September 2022 (click here to pre-order*)
Her city is under siege.
The zombies are coming back.
And all Nona wants is a birthday party.
In many ways, Nona is like other people. She lives with her family, has a job at her local school, and loves walks on the beach and meeting new dogs. But Nona’s not like other people. Six months ago she woke up in a stranger’s body, and she’s afraid she might have to give it back.
The whole city is falling to pieces. A monstrous blue sphere hangs on the horizon, ready to tear the planet apart. Blood of Eden forces have surrounded the last Cohort facility and wait for the Emperor Undying to come calling. Their leaders want Nona to be the weapon that will save them from the Nine Houses. Nona would prefer to live an ordinary life with the people she loves, with Pyrrha and Camilla and Palamedes, but she also knows that nothing lasts forever.
And each night, Nona dreams of a woman with a skull-painted face…
While the third Locked Tomb novel was originally supposed to be Alecto the Ninth, it now looks like what was a trilogy has morphed into a series, with Nona the Ninth coming next. To be honest, Muir could write whatever she wants in this world and I would happily pick it up as soon as it was released – I’m not saying I would necessarily understand what the hell is going on, but I’m pretty sure I would enjoy it regardless! Of course, having read the synopsis for Nona…well, my excitement levels are genuinely starting to rise now that its release is beginning to draw near! Don’t get me wrong, Gideon and Harrow were both batshit crazy, and I spent large parts of particularly Harrow without a single clue about what was happening, but this is just one of those series that I trust wholeheartedly to end up being brilliant in the end!
Black Library
Rather than incorporating one or more Black Library novels into my main 2022 TBR list, I thought instead it makes sense to pick out a few upcoming BL books in their own list. All five of these novels have been announced as coming in 2022, even though only two of them have confirmed release months so far; I would hope that they’ll all arrive in one format or another within the first half of 2022, but as ever with Black Library there are no guarantees. Still, whenever they do arrive, I’m expecting big things.
Day of Ascension by Adrian Tchaikovsky
January 2022 (click here to pre-order*)
On the forge world of Morod, the machines never stop and the work never ends. The population toil in the mines and factoria to protect humanity from the monsters in the void, while the Adeptus Mechanicus enjoy lives of palatial comfort.
Genetor Gammat Triskellian seeks to end this stagnant corruption. When he learns of a twisted congregation operating within the shadows, one which believes that the tech-priests are keeping the people from their true salvation – a long-prophesied union with angels – he sees in them an opportunity to bring down Morad’s masters and reclaim the world in the name of progress.
But sometimes, the only hope for real change lies in the coming of monsters.
I’m a big fan of Tchaikovsky’s writing in general (particularly his ability to ‘humanise’ non-human characters), and anyone who’s familiar with Track of Words will know I love a good 40k novel, so I’ve got high hopes for this. Tchaikovsky’s first 40k story was in fact a short story called Raised in Darkness that was released in Inferno! Volume 6, and it was pretty great, so I’m confident his first novel will be a success. You can find out a bit more about it in my recent author interview, but as it’s due out in January there shouldn’t be too long to wait!
The Twice-dead King: Reign by Nate Crowley
January 2022
This doesn’t have a synopsis yet, but we do know that it’s essentially the second half of the story that began with 2021’s The Twice-dead King: Ruin. I haven’t actually read the first book yet, not because I don’t want to but originally because I hadn’t yet found the time, and then because I decided that I was going to save it and read both books once the second one was released! It’s been hard sticking to that plan because so many people have been raving about the first book – not least Black Library author Victoria Hayward, whose guest review is absolutely brilliant – but I’m standing firm. It’s not long until Reign will be out, and given how much I adore Crowley’s writing (Severed is incredible, The Death and Life of Schneider Wrack is wonderfully insane, and Ghazghkull is easily my favourite BL book of 2021) I’m confident that I’m going to have the best time reading both books one after the other!
Assassinorum: Kingmaker by Robert Rath
TBC – sometime in 2022
The Officio Assassinorum safeguards the future of humanity. They are the bloody-handed, secret saviours of the Imperium, killers charged with achieving the impossible…and Vindicare assassin Absolom Raithe has just been handed the most difficult assignment of his career.
The Knight world of Dominion is on the verge of seceding from the Imperium, its court riven by factions and ruled over by an increasingly unhinged monarch. After recruiting the shape-shifting Callidus assassin Sycorax, Raithe must remove the king and safely steer a pro-Imperial candidate to the throne through the ensuing brutal succession crisis. His team will need to infiltrate a world steeped in blood feuds, plots and chivalric codes, where every move risks discovery, and every threat pilots an adamantine monster…for if the assassins fail, and Dominion falls, the entire sector will be plunged into chaos.
I don’t know much about this one just yet, but there are a few reasons why I’m particularly excited about it. Firstly, Imperial Assassins are just cool – simple as that. Secondly, I’ve loved every one of Rob’s BL stories I’ve read so far, from his debut short story – Age of Sigmar tale The Garden of Mortal Delights – to his fabulous necron novel The Infinite and the Divine, so I have absolute confidence in his writing in general. Thirdly, his three Assassinorum short stories have been brilliant, and my reaction after reading each of them has been “there MUST be a full novel coming soon”! So factor all that in, along with Rob’s guest post about the spy novels that inspired Kingmaker, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a great book!
Ahriman: Eternal by John French
TBC – sometime in 2022
Doom has come upon the Thousand Sons. Born from the Rubric, a curse of fire and dust stalks them across time and space. The spirits of the Rubricae are vanishing from the prisons of their armour, while living sorcerers take their place one by one. Driven by the need to save his Legion and find redemption, Ahzek Ahriman seeks the time-altering technology of the forgotten necrons to overwrite the past. Shadowed by aeldari harlequins and with secrets and divisions spreading through his forces, he must find a new path to salvation before all becomes dust.
Regular Track of Words readers will know that French’s Ahriman trilogy is one of my favourite 40k series of all time, so the prospect of a new Ahriman novel was always going to appeal to me! If I’m honest my enthusiasm is slightly tamped down by the knowledge that BL are releasing Eternal as an expensive ‘Mega Edition’ first, which presumably (from past experience) means there will be at least a six month wait for the regular hardback. As lovely as all the extra gubbins do look, I just don’t need them and couldn’t justify the price even if I did, so I’m going to have to wait for the standard hardback, which means I can’t quite get properly excited just yet – especially as BL haven’t provided a release date yet. However, once the standard release is a bit closer, this is definitely going to be a book I pick up as soon as possible, as I simply can’t wait to find out what Ahriman does next!
Hallowed Ground by Richard Strachan
TBC – sometime in 2022
The siege of Excelsis is over, and amidst the rubble of the city the survivors count the costs. But for Galen and Doralia ven Denst, two of the most feared witch hunters in the Order of Azyr, the horrors they have witnessed are not so easily dismissed.
Struggling to cope with the traumas of the siege, Doralia is concerned when her father disappears into the wilds of Ghur. As she sets off on his trail, Doralia begins to suspect that Galen is hunting down a dark secret from their past – one that might hold the key to a new threat rising to engulf Excelsis.
With the city barely recovered from its ordeal, the witch hunters must make a fatal choice between the desire for revenge and the rigours of duty – or Excelsis will pay the price.
In my opinion Richard Strachan is one of the underappreciated heroes of Black Library fiction – his first two BL novels (Blood of the Everchosen and The End of Enlightenment) are some of the best Warhammer stories I’ve ever read, and I really hope more BL fans will get on board with his writing soon! I would happily pick up any new Strachan novel regardless of the subject matter, but a story about witch hunters? Featuring the badass father/daughter duo of the ven Densts? Yes please! I really hope he gets to delve into the AoS setting and explore something really off the beaten track in a future novel, but for now I can’t wait to see what he can do with these witch hunters and the ongoing narrative around Excelsis!
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So there you go, those are the books – general SFF and Black Library in particular – that I’m most looking forward to (so far) in 2022. If you hadn’t already come across some of those titles, hopefully I’ve inspired you to add some of them to your own TBR list, and check them out once they’re released into the wild. I would love to know what you’re particularly looking forward to reading in 2022, so do let me know in the comments below or over on Twitter!
Most of the books in this article are available to pre-order, so check out the links* against each one to guarantee your copy! If you’re in the UK, you can also pre-order most of the books via my store on Bookshop.org and support local bookstores!
*If you buy anything using one of these links, I will receive a small affiliate commission – see here for more details.
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