Weekly Book Recs 39-2025: Sci-Fi and Fantasy

WEEKLY BOOK RECS: 6 book suggestions every week

New week, new book recs. With everything going on in the world right now, sometimes it's more fun to just escape into a different one. We've got some sci-fi and fantasy book recommendations that will help you do just that. Of course, it's good to stay up to date with the things that are happening, but for the moments in between, when your brain is just a bit too saturated with news and information, pick up one of the books on this list. Happy reading.

1. “Oceansong” by C.W. Rose

Tropes/Genre: Romantasy, Contemporary

OCEANSONG is an Asian Romeo & Juliet meets The Little Mermaid, but set in the grittiness of the real world.

24-year-old aspiring marine biologist Angie Song has just returned to her Alaskan hometown to work at her family’s docks for the summer. She soon discovers that fish are mysteriously vanishing from the sea, starving her small fishing village. When she investigates, she finds merfolk responsible. Her family declares war on the mer, resulting in a brutal fight for control of the sea’s resources. And in the midst of the conflict, she falls in love with a mer-prince, putting everything and everyone dear to her in danger.

2. “Etched in Stone” by Sarah Alserhaid

Tropes/Genre: Magical realism/ speculative fiction

Jade and Amber prepare to take over their late parents' company when the questions that have lingered for 12 years can be ignored no longer. Upon discovering who they truly are, and the source of their parents' wealth and power, they take claim of their own. How far would you go to protect your family? The ultimate lesson of everything comes at a price is brought forth as the sisters put each other first, but in a brand new way.

3. “The Lord and Lady of Darkness” by Brandon James Cutlip

Tropes/Genre: Romantasy

A neurodivergent love story!

Zenia is a poet struggling with trauma and searching for her true calling. Those who don't follow theirs are consumed by the darkness, meaning they die and do not go to the afterlife. She meets the king and devises a plan to impress him with her poetry! Now, they’re off on an adventure to destroy Dammers before the ceremony to make her the bard takes place. These creatures roam the lands of the medieval kingdom of Ranki (pronounced Rank-eye), searching for a victim to trade to the darkness and regain access to the afterlife. Zenia’s true calling and the love she has been longing for are within her grasp!

All that stands in the way of becoming the bard and being with the newfound love of her life is a journey to the border with a fellowship of mismatched companions. One of which is the king’s abusive, Elven ex-girlfriend with an insidious plot in her head. The kingdom needs protection, but does love take precedence?

4. “The Miraculous Life of Rupert Rocket” by Mark Salzwedel

Tropes/Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy

In 1942, Rupert Rocket’s grandmother was cursed by an Irish fairy, the Pooka, to end her bloodline.

But the Pooka’s sister, the Grogoch, blessed the boy to counteract the curse. As a young gay man, Rupert’s life spins wildly between the competing spells through adventures as a dancer, a model, an actor, and a spy…

But what will happen when the blessing runs out?

5. “Mors Obliviscens” by Allyson McCollum

Tropes/Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy

What happens after death?

Flit has no idea who she is. She doesn't remember her name, how she got here, or where "here" is. When she encounters the Grim Reaper who tells her that she has died and is now in Purgatory––unlike other souls who pass on to Heaven or Hell, her only real option is to leave with him. He gives her a name and takes her with him to an abandoned cabin, where she tries to recover her memories. As she helps him retrieve the souls of the dead, she starts to wonder what really happened to her: Was she supposed to die? What happened to her family? Did someone kill her?

As they reap more passing souls and face new creatures, she has more questions than answers. There is a war brewing, and Flit finds herself caught in the threads of a battle between angels and demons, descending into the depths of Hell to save someone she thought was a myth. Will she help the angels and prevail? Or will she learn that the secrets of death are darker than she could've imagined?

6. “The Lever” by Mark Salzwedel

Tropes/Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy

In the future, a reporter uncovers a plot to change the DNA of selected young adults, abduct them, and cover up evidence that they ever existed. Her investigation takes her and three gay soldiers to Mars and eventually to the other side of the galaxy, where any misstep they make could doom the human race.

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