I turned on the television the other day and saw an advertisement for the first presidential primary debate for the 2024 election, and I have never wanted to be transported to another world quite so much in my life. If you’re feeling the same as me, there’s good news. June 2023 is packed with some excellent fantasy books that will help you escape what is sure to be a miserable election cycle that will undoubtedly go on for literally forever.
Fantasy is a big tent type of genre in literature. It certainly has high fantasy, which is the epic tales of magic and faraway Game of Thrones types of worlds full of intertwining stories. But it also has stories that are easier to consume for people new to the genre, like Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series or Joe Abercrombie’s superb First Law trilogy. There’s likewise modern fantasy like the Jade War series and the super fun Dresden Files books, so there is bound to be something for you even if you’ve never read a fantasy book. June has fantasy stories that cover the entire fantasy spectrum, and you should definitely check at least some of them out.
Fantasy Books to Watch in June 2023
A Thousand Recipes for Revenge – Beth Cato, June 1
If you love both adventure and cooking, A Thousand Recipes for Revenge combines them in a magical story that is as much about the bonds of family as it is about plots of corrupt leaders and governments. Adamantine Garland has empathic connections to food and wine and is extremely valuable to the rulers of Verdania until she flees the oppressive government to forge her own path. After 16 years in hiding, Ada narrowly escapes an assassination attempt and sets out on a path that would unite her with Solenn, a princess in a faraway land. Ada discovers that Solenn is her long-lost daughter, and the two must unite to fight the evils of Ada’s past and save Solenn’s fiancé, the prince.
The First Bright Thing – J.R. Dawson, June 13
World War I is a recent memory for Rin and her wife Odette in The First Bright Thing. Together, they run a circus called the Circus of the Fantasticals where Odette is an expert on the trapeze, but Rin’s special abilities are far more… magical. Rin can easily jump to and from different moments in time, and although a horrible and bloody war just concluded, she sees an even worse one on the way. At the same time, Rin’s past is catching up with her in the form of another circus — one with completely black tents and a sinister presence. Its ringmaster wants something Rin has, and his deadly power gives him the means to pursue Rin until he gets it.
The Surviving Sky – Kritika H. Rao, June 13
In The Surviving Sky, the last remnants of humanity exist in cities that float above the jungle planet that used to be their home. The planet is besieged by dangerous storms, so floating cities had to be created to keep humanity alive. As a result, engineers are held in the highest regard. Iravan is one of these architects. He is powerful and charismatic, and he has a level of control in the city that his wife, Ahilya, resents. Ahilya does not have the influence over the plants that Iravan does, though she desperately seeks change. His resistance to embrace her agenda for change has created friction in their relationship, but when Iravan is accused of using his abilities beyond the imposed limits, they must work together to clear his name, repair their relationship, and save their very existence.
The Shadow Cabinet – Juno Dawson, June 20
Juno Dawson delivers the middle book of the Her Majesty’s Royal Coven trilogy with The Shadow Cabinet, and it upends everything we thought we knew after the first entry. Now suffering from amnesia, Clara must try to remember everything she has done to this point, but she finds that all of her adversaries remember her quite well. This sequel explores England and its witchcraft in a deep and significant way, with core characters that face evil across different continents while trying to stay true to their own core values. Add in a British government that is corrupted by a mysterious dark power, and the middle entry of Dawson’s trilogy promises to set up an explosive conclusion.
The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England – Brandon Sanderson, June 27
The Year of Sanderson continues with The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, the second of Brandon Sanderson’s four books releasing this year. The digital version of the book released over a month ago, but the physical book version is available in late June, so we’re going to count it here. If you haven’t read the excellent Tress of the Emerald Sea, the first of the four books, you definitely should. But they’re not connected in any way, so jump in with whichever book you want.
The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook is the only of the four to not be part of Sanderson’s Cosmere universe, and it features a man who wakes up in the middle of a field in medieval England with no idea who he is or how he got there. He had a handbook — The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England — but it exploded while he was being transported to this time. His only chance is to use the fragments of the handbook that are still intact as clues to reignite his memory before he is captured by dangerous men from his own time who are hunting him.
If you want some Jason Bourne meets Sanderson, this is the book for you.
Let us know which fantasy books in June 2023 have caught your eye, and also check out the great horror novels coming in June.
