We all love the feeling of being the first to discover the next big thing — especially when that thing is a new book. And it’s even better when that new book comes from a brand new voice in fiction. From psychological thrillers to literary fiction to culturally on-point YA, these are some of the debut novels of 2017 that we think have the most potential to stand the test of time. We very much hope we’ll be hearing from these authors again soon.
See all the debuts we’re excited about this year here.
"Lincoln in the Bardo is one of the most extraordinary books I have ever listened to — and make no mistake — this one is meant to be listened to. 166 individual narrators (led by Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, author George Saunders, and the incomparably sweet Kirby Heyborne as Willie) came together to voice this wildly surreal audiobook. And while that might sound like a production stunt, the breadth of voices is necessary to create the immersive cacophony effect (almost a Greek chorus of Americana) — because Saunders' first full-length novel, a hugely ambitious work that delivers a devastatingly accurate portrait of grief, is entirely voiced by ghosts." – Emily, Audible Editor
Series name: Winternight TrilogyBooks in Series: The Bear and the Nightingale (Book 1);The Girl in the Tower (Book 2); The Winter of the Witch (Book 3)Vasya is a young, plucky girl living in a small village in Northern Russia. She lives a mostly happy life—until her widowed father brings home a new wife from Moscow. Determined to control her spirited stepdaughter, Vasya’s stepmother forbids her and her siblings from listening to their nurse’s fairy tales or participating in the ancient practice of honoring household spirits. However, when a force from the outside world threatens life as Vasya and her community know it, she sets off on a journey to defend her home, using a mysterious jewel given to her father by a stranger when she was born. Katherine Arden's writing soars on the wings of Kathleen Gati's narration in this story of tension between Russian tradition and modernity.