9 Fantastic New Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books Out February 2025 

This is a sci-fi thriller in the vein of Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy! A group of scientists in Antarctica are far away from the fighting as World War III spreads across other continents. But when a strange contagion introduced by visiting scientists turns humans on the research base into superhuman killing machines, Antarctica is soon racking up a body count all on its own. This one is being hyped as “Contagion meets The Walking Dead,” for obvious reasons.

Is there room for love in the life of a monster? You’ll find out in this Gothic romantasy novella! Dália works as the keeper for Anatema, a humanoid spider who enjoys laudanum and eating beautiful women. Dália must help Anatema keep her memories by caring for the locked drawers where they are stored and trying not to show any fear, even though Anatema ate Dália’s predecessor. Will they become entangled in a good way, or will Dália eventually be lunch?

In this Cinderella/Little Mermaid-inspired fantasy tale, a young woman dissatisfied with her life finds romance, glamour, and danger beyond the walls of her home. Set in France in the eighteenth century, Upon a Starlit Tide follows Luce, the daughter of a wealthy shipowner, who longs to go beyond the walls of her town. When Luce rescues a mysterious drowning man while secretly learning to sail, she is transported to a world of lavish parties and faerie magic. But things long-hidden in the depths of the ocean are also rising to the surface.

This is the new sci-fi novel from the author of Mickey7 (now being republished as Mickey 17, so fans of the film can find it.) It’s about a man named Dalton Greaves who is beginning to suspect that he got suckered into taking a representative position for the Unity confederation. He’s getting that feeling because the other confederation members seem to hate him, the peace he is supposed to be helping the confederation wage isn’t working, and now that he’s stuck on a planet with few survivors, he’s sure that he’s going to be the first to go—and not in a “surrender your torch and pack up” way. What is a hero to do?

Here is another monster romantasy, but less on the scary side. This one is a cozy fantasy about Jenny Greenteeth, a lake monster who has never interacted with the humans in the nearby village. But when the witch Temperance is thrown in Jenny’s lake, she decides to help Temperance get revenge on the evil pastor and people of her town. Together they go on a magical quest to right the wrongs done to them and develop a special bond in the process.