10 Books Publishing This Summer We’re Stoked About!

Summer is in full swing! Whether you have plans to hit the beach, or head to the mountains, or just chill at home... whatever you plan to do this summer, we hope a good book will always be in reach and that you'll find plenty of time to kick back and enjoy it. Not sure where to start? As always, we have you covered! Here is a list of 10 books publishing this summer that we are stoked about! 

Questland by Carrie Vaughn 

Release Date: June 22nd, 2021

Literature professor Dr. Addie Cox is living a happy, if sheltered, life in her ivory tower when Harris Lang, the famously eccentric billionaire tech genius, offers her an unusual job. He wants her to guide a mercenary strike team sent to infiltrate his island retreat off the northwest coast of the United States. Addie is puzzled by her role on the mission until she understands what Lang has built:  Insula Mirabilis, an isolated resort where tourists will one day pay big bucks for a convincing, high-tech-powered fantasy-world experience, complete with dragons, unicorns, and, yes, magic.

Unfortunately, one of the island's employees has gone rogue and activated an invisible force shield that has cut off all outside communication. A Coast Guard cutter attempting to pass through the shield has been destroyed. Suspicion rests on Dominic Brand, the project’s head designer— and Addie Cox's ex-boyfriend. Lang has tasked Addie and the mercenary team with taking back control of the island at any cost.

But Addie is wrestling demons of her own—and not the fantastical kind. Now, she must navigate the deadly traps of Insula Mirabilis as well as her own past trauma. And no d20, however lucky, can help Addie make this saving throw.

Read Questland  here on Amazon.

Vapor Trails (Terran Scout Fleet Book Three) by Joshua Dalzelle

Release Date: July 5, 2021

Marine Lieutenant Jacob Brown was on borrowed time, and he knew it.

He was a rogue element, disobeying orders and pursuing mission goals of his own. His Scout Team had been burned, disavowed by his chain of command and the owner of the stolen ship he was flying was after them to get it back. To make matters even more complicated, the man Jacob had stolen the ship from is an infamous outlaw and mercenary named Jason Burke… his father.

Being hunted down by both the United Earth Navy and the mercenary group that called itself Omega Force, Jacob has only one chance to keep his team out of a military prison and bring down the head of the One World terrorist faction that always seemed to be three steps ahead of him… and that was only if his father didn't catch him first.

Read Vapor Trails  here on Amazon.

Lost Hope (The Bridge Sequence Book 3) by Nathan Hystad

Release Date: July 6th, 2021

Rex Walker has returned to Earth only to discover it under attack. Time has run out.

With the assistance of his new allies, Rex and his friends race to prevent a widespread invasion. Not to mention save his sister and best friend Marcus from the ultimate sacrifice.

Dirk is on Rimia and finds himself working with someone from his past. A man he thought was dead.

Rex must team with the Freedom Earthers and Special Agent Evan Young to stop the Believers from destroying civilization once and for all.

When everything else is gone, sometimes hope is all you have.

Lost Hope is the gripping conclusion to The Bridge Sequence.

Get your copy of Lost Hope here on Amazon.

We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen

Read We Have Always Been Here here on Amazon.

E-Day by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

Release Date: July 6th, 2021

Engines. Genetically modified warriors that keep the great Nova Alliance war machine churning against the enemy Coalition. Most days, Engines are all that stand between salvation and chaos. Led by legendary Engine, Captain Akira Hayashi, Shadow Squad has fought on the frontlines for a decade. They are on the brink of victory when the Coalition launches a series of desperate and devastating attacks that cripple the Nova Alliance restoration sites vital to save the dying planet.

As the sites burn and Earth’s hope of salvation fades, Shadow Squad is equipped with neural implants to connect them to Apeiron, the first hybrid-human-AI entity. She is coded for what Captain Hayashi believes is an impossible task—peace. But war isn’t the only threat to the Earth. Apeiron has uncovered a deadly secret with implications that could end all life. This rapidly approaching threat can be stopped only if humanity bands together on what will become known as E-Day, a pivotal moment that will determine the evolution—or the extinction—of the entire human race.

Grab E-Day here on Amazon.

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The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry

Release Date: July 6th, 2021

"I love you. In every world."

Young real estate agent Madison May is shocked when a client at an open house says these words to her. The man, a stranger, seems to know far too much about her, and professes his love--shortly before he murders her.

Felicity Staples hates reporting on murders. As a journalist for a midsize New York City paper, she knows she must take on the assignment to research Madison May's shocking murder, but the crime seems random and the suspect is in the wind. That is, until Felicity spots the killer on the subway, right before he vanishes.

Soon, Felicity senses her entire universe has shifted. No one remembers Madison May, or Felicity's encounter with the mysterious man. And her cat is missing. Felicity realizes that in her pursuit of Madison's killer, she followed him into a different dimension--one where everything about her existence is slightly altered. At first, she is determined to return to the reality she knows, but when Madison May--in this world, a struggling actress--is murdered again, Felicity decides she must find the killer--and learns that she is not the only one hunting him.

Traveling through different realities, Felicity uncovers the opportunity--and danger--of living more than one life.

Get your copy of The 22 Murders of Madison May  here on Amazon.

The Cost of Freedom (Starship Freedom II) by Daniel Arenson

Release Date: July 13th, 2021

Not long ago, the starship Freedom was a museum ship. A relic of a bygone era. A rusty old warship converted into a tourist trap.

Then the aliens attacked.

Now, once more, the legendary Freedom flies to war.

The war is brutal. The enemy is merciless. The rahs, vicious arachnids from deep space, crave only one thing. Human flesh.

Before this terror, Earth’s fleet crumbles. Starships burn. Millions die.

But the Freedom still flies. James King, her gruff old commander, still fights.

The Freedom will never surrender. The Freedom will never flee. The long, cold night has come to Earth, but the Freedom shines bright.

The survivors of the fleet rally behind her. All brave souls heed her call. The Freedom sounds the cry of Earth: We will win!

Dive into The Cost of Freedom here on Amazon.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built (A Monk and Robot Book) by Becky Chambers

Release Date: July 13th, 2021

It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.

One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered.

But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how.

They're going to need to ask it a lot.

Becky Chambers's new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?

Get your copy of A Psalm for the Wild-Built  here on Amazon.

Sentinel (Deadmen's War Book One) by Anthony Melchiorri

Release Date: July 20th, 2021

Born on a forsaken desert planet, Cole Shaw has two options - perish from starvation and disease, or enlist in the New World Republic’s armed forces. He chooses the military. For the first time, he thinks he has a shot at a better life. But survival is not guaranteed.

Leading an elite team of mech operators, he is deployed to a frozen planet called Ferrous where dangerous relics of a past war lurk beneath the ice and savage creatures prowl the barren wastelands. Scientists on Ferrous are chasing rumors of godlike technologies buried in the ruins of a long-extinct civilization. When Shaw and his team are assigned to protect the researchers, they face an unexpected, merciless new enemy desperate to stop them.

An ancient secret has been awakened on Ferrous. The deadly race to claim this terrifying power has only just begun.

Start reading Sentinel here on Amazon.

In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu

Release Date: August 31, 2021

Anima is an extrasensory human tasked with surveilling and protecting Ora’s citizens via a complex living network called the Gleaming. Although ær world is restricted to what æ can see and experience through the Gleaming, Anima takes pride and comfort in keeping Ora safe from harm.

When a mysterious outsider enters the city carrying a cabinet of curiosities from around with the world with a story attached to each item, Anima’s world expands beyond the borders of Ora to places—and possibilities—æ never before imagined to exist. But such knowledge leaves Anima with a question that throws into doubt ær entire purpose: What good is a city if it can’t protect its people?

Grab In the Watchful City  here on Amazon.

Which of these summer releases will make their way into your beach bag this year? Which ones are you most excited for? Let us know here in the comments, or over in the Discover Sci-Fi Facebook group! 

*All book-related copy in this post was pulled from Amazon, Goodreads & Wikipedia, unless otherwise credited.