Before we get too deep into July, it’s time to pause and examine the month’s most exciting releases (in my opinion; your mileage may vary). What intriguing new titles will be clamouring for you to make some room on your shelves?

This month sees the end of a series I’ve been following for a very long time: the final book of The Anomaly is aptly named The Ends as James Smythe wraps up his quartet of time loops, echoes and ghosts. Thirty years after the Anomaly enveloped the Earth (sorry, that was me, screaming), life – and death – have changed irrevocably. I look forward to finding out how humanity has responded on July 7th (HarperVoyager).

I often say I don’t read horror – because I’m no good at it – but there are certain ingredients that I find irresistible. CA Fletcher’s second book is set in an isolated island community hit by a water-borne blight. Neither island-born nor new residents can agree the source of the problem, but when the ferries stop and the phone masts go down it’s folkloric horror all the way down. Coming to haunt you on July 21 from Orbit.

Speaking of ideas I can’t say no to: Emmi Itäranta’s new novel The Moonday Letters (out now from Titan Books) is one part romance, one part myth, one part thriller in an epistolary SF wrapper as Lumi searches Martian colonies and a devastated Earth for her missing spouse Sol. This is up next in my reading rotation; can’t wait.

A Half-Built Garden promises to have me in tears from start to finish: hell, that mesmerising font and gorgeous cover art has me welling up already. In Ruthanna Emrys’s near-future, first contact is an invitation to leave our damaged planet – but not everyone is ready to go. A hopeful tale of rebuilding and understanding; if the communities who have worked so hard to keep Earth going can persuade our saviours to let us finish saving ourselves. I’m not crying, you’re crying. No, wait, it’s me. Out from Tor.com on July 26.

Wrath Goddess Sing – Maya Deane’s retelling of The Iliad – has been one of my most-anticipated releases for 2022. This is a radical reimagining of a familiar tale, where Achilles is a trans woman and Helen of Troy is a cruel immortal in search of a diverting challenge. I can’t wait to see how Maya Deane has crafted something modern and new. Out from William Morrow on July 21.

My last featured release this month is The Dawnhounds, Sascha Stronach’s Maori-inspired urban fantasy of a thief turned cop who proves hard to kill. Murdered by her co-workers, resurrected by an ancient power and allied with pirates, she must face down the evil taking hold of her city – all of which sounds way too entertaining to pass by. Out from Gallery / Saga Press on July 21.

Honourable mention goes to Silvia Moreno Garcia, whose new novel The Daughter of Doctor Moreau comes out from Jo Fletcher Books on July 19 to update HG Wells’s classic. I’m not actually rushing to read this, but I do love that I never know what to expect next from Moreno Garcia, whose breadth and talent are remarkable.

Last but not least, I’ve been reminded just how many intriguing titles I’ve missed over the past year or so as a wealth of paperback editions hit the shelves this month! Look out for Ryka Aoki’s Light From Uncommon Stars (July 26, Tor Trade), Hold Fast Through the Fire – the second Neo-G novel from KB Wagers (July 21, Harper Voyager), The Liar of Red Valley (July 21, Solaris), MJ Kuhn’s fantasy heist Among Thieves (July 7, Gollancz), and a US paperback release for P Djèlí Clark’s A Master Of Djinn (July 19, Tor.com). Also – as covered last month – Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson gets its UK release on July 21 (Harper Voyager). Summer reading is looking good!

What books coming out this month are you excited for?

All release dates and publishers are for the UK unless otherwise mentioned.