This month’s new sci-fi, horror, and fantasy books bring authors you’ll recognise — including Veronica Roth, Alan Moore, Terry Brooks, and George R.R. Martin (no, not that book). But there are also plenty of potential new favourites among these 56 titles. It’s spooky season this month, but it’s always reading season!
A Curse of Queens by Amanda Bouchet
The Kingmaker Chronicles series continues as the king’s younger sister seeks a legendary island to find the antidote to break a curse plaguing the royal family — while a war between the gods brews on the horizon. (October 4)
Across the Sand by Hugh Howey
This novel returns to the far-future world of the author’s Sand, following a family of siblings struggling to survive and find hope in the post-apocalypse — as well as a woman who seeks revenge in the desert after an atomic bomb destroys her community. (October 4)
Dark Tides by Kimberly Vale
The Kingdom of Bones fantasy series continues as Csilla settles into her new role as pirate leader, hunting for a traitor with the help of Kane, though they’re soon preoccupied with another hunt: finding the magical Lorelei, who’s gone missing. (October 4)
Daughter of Darkness by Terry Brooks
The sequel to Child of Light picks back up with Auris in her blissful new life living among the Fae. but her happiness is short-lived when Goblins appear again, still determined to capture her for reasons she doesn’t yet understand. (October 4)
The Empress of Time by Kylie Lee Baker
The duology that began with The Keeper of Night concludes as Ren must stand her ground as the newly named Goddess of Death, overseeing all of Japan’s underworld, when Britain’s own vengeful Goddess of Death shows up to challenge her. (October 4)
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
A peasant girl realises her beloved husband has a very dark secret: he’s actually Dracula, in this novel that explores the tale of the vampire’s first wife. (October 4)
Fight, Magic, Items: The History of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and the Rise of Japanese RPGs in the West by Aidan Moher
With the recent 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII’s North American release, this nonfiction book (written by a confirmed fan) examines the game’s lasting influence on Western pop culture. Read an excerpt here. (October 4)
It Rides a Pale Horse by Andy Marino
After his sister is kidnapped, a successful artist must obey the rules set forth in a book delivered by her captors in order to set her free — a book that he begins to realise just might be demonic. (October 4)
The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
This prequel to They Both Die at the End begins the night before Death-Cast, which claims to be able to predict when people will die, goes live. After they spark on their first meeting, Orion and Valentino decide to spend the day together while waiting for its predictions. (October 4)
Lute by Jennifer Thorne
“Wicker Man meets Final Destination” in this folk-horror tale about an idyllic island where every seven years, seven people die — until a newcomer arrives to challenge the accepted tradition. (October 4)
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
When a marine biologist joins a team studying a newly discovered species of hyper-intelligent octopi, she works to communicate with them before powerful forces swoop in who are intent on exploiting the creatures. (October 4)
The Quantum Chain by Joseph Bridgeman
The Joseph Bridgeman series continues as the time-traveller heads out on a dangerous new mission while investigating the mysterious organisation that’s targeting the group he works for. (October 4)
The Revivalists by Christopher M. Hood
In a world altered by devastating climate change and an ongoing pandemic, a couple heads out on a post-apocalyptic, cross-country odyssey to save their daughter from a cult. (October 4)
River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan
When a woman’s husband is arrested for a shocking murder, she’s forced to face another similar death in her past and draw on her magic powers to determine if she’s somehow unknowingly involved in both crimes. (October 4)
The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond by Amanda Glaze
Teen twins join a travelling spiritualist show, using their talents as mediums to communicate with the dead. But when a dark spirit forces its way into the land of the living, the girls must fight for their lives against a killer targeting people with psychic gifts. (October 4)
Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty
An amateur detective digs into a murder case while working on an alien space station. Read an excerpt here. (October 4)
The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal
When a young woman turns 18, she realises she’s inherited the gift of being able to see the stories from long-dead family members play out before her eyes. It’s a delightful connection to her history — until she becomes drawn into a murder mystery she’ll need to solve if she wants to survive. (October 4)
Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison
When a woman returns to her hometown to help out her pregnant twin sister, she’s attacked by an animal… and soon begins to realise she might be a werewolf. (October 4)
When Life Gives You Vampires by Gloria Duke
A newly turned vampire must figure out her new (eternal) life in this supernatural romantic comedy. (October 4)
The Witch in the Well by Camilla Bruce
A reunion between estranged childhood friends turns dark when they both become deeply affected by the centuries-old ghost of a woman accused of being a child-murdering witch. (October 4)
Dead Man’s Hand by James J. Butcher
A new urban fantasy series begins with this Boston-set tale of a witch who flunks out of an elite training program, but ends up tapping into his talents when his former mentor is murdered and he becomes the top suspect. (October 11)
Illuminations by Alan Moore
Somehow, this is the very first short-story collection from the acclaimed comics writer; it draws on work spanning his four-decade career. (October 11)
The Immortality Thief by Taran Hunt
A linguist who picked “salvaging data in a long-dead language from an abandoned ship filled with traps and monsters, just days before it’s destroyed in a supernova” over prison or forced military service discovers some spooky secrets in dark space. (October 11)
Little Eve by Catriona Ward
On an island off the coast of Scotland, a cop’s arrival to investigate a murder interrupts the community’s sacred ceremony to bring about the end of the world. (October 11)
Mystic Skies by Jason Denzel
The Mystic Trilogy, set in a world where the human and fae worlds have merged, concludes as the mystic Pomella undertakes a dangerous journey to save her island and her people. (October 11)
The Oracle of Maracoor by Gregory Maguire
The author of Wicked returns to that world with his Another Day series, following the magical adventures of Elphaba’s granddaughter in the land across the sea from Oz. (October 11)
The River of Silver: Tales from the Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty
The Daevabad Trilogy expands with “stories from before, during, and after the events of The City of Brass, The Kingdom of Copper, and The Empire of Gold, all from the perspective of characters both beloved and hated, and even those without a voice in the novels.” (October 11)
Saturnalia by Stephanie Feldman
After she quits the elite Saturn Club, a woman who makes a living reading tarot cards is drawn back into the fold for its Saturnalia carnival — a party that exposes dark secrets from the past and foreshadows an even darker future. (October 11)
The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
An inventor and heiress travelling in disguise on her honeymoon — a cruise between the moon and Mars — gets drawn into a madcap murder mystery when her new husband is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit. (October 11)
The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters by J.W. Ocker
The latest from the author of Cursed Objects explores famous and not-so-famous tales of mysterious monsters across America (including the Lizard Man of South Carolina and the Flatwoods Monster of West Virginia), as well as the impacts they’ve had on the communities where they supposedly dwell. (October 11)
Will Do Magic for Small Change by Andrea Hairston
A woman who dreams of a career on the stage digs into her mysterious past, which includes famous actors as well as, possibly, a great African warrior and an inter-dimensional alien. (October 11)
Wrath by Shäron Moalem and Daniel Kraus
When a super-intelligent lab rat named Sammy escapes and plans a rodent overthrow of the human race, it’s up to a sympathetic 10-year-old to try and change his mind about global domination. (October 11)
The Witch Hunt by Sasha Peyton Smith
The sequel to The Witch Haven finds Frances travelling to Paris to figure out why she’s begun to have problems with her powers, only to get caught up in a life-or-death mystery involving nefarious magicians. (October 11)
The Creeper by A.M. Shine
When an academic and a pair of historical researchers arrive in an isolated Irish village to begin a new project, they’re received with suspicion by the locals — and soon learn of a local legend that could spell their doom. (October 13)
The House at Phantom Park by Graham Masterton
A couple buys a recently abandoned hospital, intending to turn it into a resort hotel until they realise the place is haunted. (October 13)
Close to Midnight edited by Mark Morris
This latest entry in the ongoing anthology series gathers 20 original horror stories from established and emerging authors, perfect for spooky season. (October 18)
Deadbeat Druid by David R. Slayton
The Adam Binder series continues as he continues to pursue the warlock that threatens his family, a quest that leads him all the way into the underworld. (October 18)
If This Book Exists, You’re in the Wrong Universe by Jason Pargin
The fourth novel in the John Dies at the End series picks back up with Dave, John, and Amy, who’re used to taking on supernatural threats, but not so accustomed to dealing with apocalypses. (October 18)
The New Annotated Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
“The definitive edition of Robert Louis Stevenson’s immortal tale of depraved murder and unrelenting horror, introduced by Joe Hill, annotated by Edgar-winner Leslie S. Klinger, and illustrated with over 100 colour images.” (October 18)
Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove by Rati Mehrotra
In this YA fantasy novel, “a young guardswoman struggles with her unwitting role as a major pawn in the deadly games between two kingdoms in a monster-infested alternate medieval India.” (October 18)
The Realm of the Deathless by Greg Keyes
The High and Faraway series continues as Aster pursues a clue left behind by her late father, who she’s only recently learned helped cause the curse plaguing the magical land where she lives. Even worse, there’s also an ancient evil afoot. (October 18)
Singer Distance: A Novel by Ethan Chatagnier
In 1960, an MIT grad student believes she’s solved a mathematical proof left behind on Mars by ancient beings then promptly disappears in this tale about “how far we’re willing to go to communicate with a distant civilisation, and the great lengths we’ll travel to connect with each other here on Earth.” (October 18)
Uncanny Times by Laura Anne Gilman
Rosemary and Aaron Harker — both “Huntsmen,” damned by the church but imperative in the ongoing war to protect humanity from the shadows — uncover a terrible truth when they look into a suspicious death in their midst. (October 18)
Living Memory by David Walton
A pair of paleontologists working in Thailand uncover not just dinosaur skeletons, but “the remains of an ancient genetic technology that nations will kill to control.” Things get a lot more complicated (and a whole lot more dangerous) after that. (October 18)
Poster Girl by Veronica Roth
Imprisoned for her role in a dystopian regime that has since been overthrown, a former “poster girl” is offered freedom if she can track down a young kidnap victim. Her quest leads her down a dark path that reveals some terrible truths buried in her past. (October 18)
Self-Portrait With Nothing by Aimee Pokwatka
Described as “Orphan Black meets Fringe,” this tale follows a woman who seeks to learn more about her biological mother, a reclusive painter who’s gained fame from her claims that “her portraits summon their subjects’ doppelgängers from parallel universes.” (October 18)
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake
The sequel to The Atlas Six picks back up with its magician characters to dig further into the alarmingly powerful Society of Alexandrians. (October 25)
The Dark Between the Trees by Fiona Barnett
This “goth folk-thriller” begins in 1643 as a group of soldiers vanish into a forest in Northern England. Then, in the present day, a group of women set out to trace their path, determined to discover what really happened. (October 25)
Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo
In this tale, a cleric journeys around with a talking bird for a companion, accidentally entangling themselves in an ancient feud while recording martial-arts tales and lore from the region. (October 25)
Into the Windwracked Wilds by A. Deborah Baker
Seanan McGuire (writing under an open pseudonym) penned this fantasy about a pair of adventurers who become stranded in the land of Air and fall under the dangerous eye of the Queen of Swords. (October 25)
Light Perpetual by Andrzej Sapkowski
The latest from the author of The Witcher series wraps up the Hussite trilogy, about the adventures of a 15th-century “scoundrel, magician, and possibly a fool.” (October 25)
Night of Demons and Saints by Menna van Praag
The Sisters Grimm — daughters of a demon — reunite to face their 21st birthday, with one plotting a human sacrifice to try and fix her life, the second determined to prevent that from happening, and the third showing signs of being possessed by something evil. (October 25)
Reckoning by W. Michael Gear
The sixth entry in the Donovan series “returns to a treacherous alien planet where corporate threats and dangerous creatures imperil the lives of the colonists.” (October 25)
The Rise of the Dragon: An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One by George R.R. Martin and Elio M. Garcia Jr.
Sounds like a cool story. Maybe they should make a TV show about it. Perhaps two. (October 25)
Sign Here by Claudia Lux
A guy who works in Hell is tasked with capturing a soul from one particular wealthy family up on Earth — but the task proves trickier than he first realises at. (October 25)
Toil and Trouble: A Women’s History of the Occult by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson
This “celebration of magical women and nonbinary people in American history” highlights intriguing people from across the decades, including New Orleans icon Marie Laveau, Nancy Reagan’s personal astrologer Joan Quigley, and Hollywood horror legend Elvira. (October 25)
Want more Gizmodo news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.