New Science Fiction & Fantasy Books To Read in Fall 2026

When darkness means certain death and survival depends on reaching the dawn, the woman whose magic broke the world will carve another path: Defy the dusk. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom comes the first book in a gritty post-apocalyptic fantasy duology.

Turns out, the apocalypse will be televised! Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not … The first novel in Matt Dinniman’s smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series, now in a brand-new, deluxe hardcover collector’s edition!

Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner — of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed … A gorgeous deluxe edition of the iconic #1 New York Times bestselling dark fantasy, dividing the novel into three hardcover volumes in a stunning boxed set.

The race is on to save the Mortal Realm, but tragedy strikes when Kronos hijacks Morpheus’s body and kidnaps Hades. Now alone and unsure of the right way forward, Persephone is called to a leadership meeting of the gods, only to find that Apollo can manipulate her powers. Can Hades and Persephone find their way back to each other and stop Apollo before he destroys the realms in his dangerous quest for power? The finale of Lore Olympus has arrived! Witness Hades and Persephone’s modern, romantic reimagining in this gorgeously illustrated, Eisner Award-winning comic — now including a never-before-seen bonus short story!

The trade paperback movie tie-in edition of Frank Herbert’s science fiction masterpiece, featuring key art from the major motion picture Dune: Part Three.

Dune Messiah continues the story of Paul Atreides, better known — and feared — as the man christened Muad’Dib. As Emperor of the known universe, he possesses more power than a single man was ever meant to wield. Worshipped as a religious icon by the fanatical Fremen, Paul faces the enmity of the political houses he displaced when he assumed the throne — and a conspiracy conducted within his own sphere of influence.

I am Meredith Gentry. Princess of the realm of faerie, private investigator in the mortal land of Los Angeles, mother of triplets, and lover to my men — the royal guards sworn to protect me. With a family and a court to support back home, I can’t say no to a job investigating a string of magical attacks against up-and-coming Hollywood actresses. Not when the case raises old nightmares from my own past. This time when I find out who is responsible for all this pain, I can make him pay … New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton returns for the first in a two-book epic conclusion to her genre-defining Merry Gentry series.

In this achingly romantic dark academia fantasy a young woman must embrace Dark Magic and an alliance with a deadly Wielder to fight a powerful threat cloaked in shadow.

Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, has always managed to save the day — but in this powerful #1 New York Times bestselling entry in the Dresden Files, can he save himself?

From the Nobel Prize-winning author of Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day, a magnificent novel about the wondrous, mysterious nature of the human heart. A thrilling feat of world-building and a novel of exquisite tenderness and impeccable restraint, Klara and the Sun is a magnificent achievement, one that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore the fundamental question: What does it mean to love? Soon to be a major motion picture directed by Taika Waititi and starring Jenna Ortega!

A stunning graphic novel adaptation of the New York Times bestselling BookTok sensation and beloved cozy fantasy Legends & Lattes. After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword. The battle-weary orc aims to start afresh, opening the city of Thune’s first-ever coffee shop. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success, not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is …

Four’s a crowd. The official manhua (webcomic) adaptation of the New York Times bestselling danmei novel by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. Featuring stunning art by STARember, the webcomic produced by BILIBILI COMICS is now available in English print for the first time!

In a post-apocalyptic survivalist world, a young woman with a healing gift is forced to confront the horrors of her past and a love that will change everything. With a mounting rebellion and enemies closing in on her, Bones must confront questions around love, survival, and what’s worth fighting for when all else seems lost.

Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards, Neuromancer is a science fiction masterpiece — a classic that ranks as one of the 20th century’s most potent visions of the future. Neuromancer was the first fully-realized glimpse of humankind’s digital future — a shocking vision that has challenged our assumptions about technology and ourselves, reinvented the way we speak and think, and forever altered the landscape of our imaginations. This deluxe trade paperback edition features a stunning new cover, art printed inside the front and back covers, and sprayed edges!

A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north in this “incredibly fun journey through fae lands and dark magic” (NPR), the start of a heartwarming fantasy series. This enchanting deluxe hardcover edition features a faux-leather hardcover, a ribbon bookmark, endpapers with faerie illustrations, and more!

A monster hunter who secretly runs a sanctuary for monsters strikes an unlikely alliance to protect it in this rich and enchanting novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Teller of Small Fortunes and The Keeper of Magical Things.

The long-awaited second novel from the author of the cult hit The Library at Mount Char, a one-of-a-kind dark fantasy in which a wolf sets out on an epic journey of revenge. “Unexpected, blood-soaked, and vividly told” (qntm, author of There Is No Antimemetics Division).

A fallen empire. A warrior determined to protect her people. And the masked soldier who captures her behind enemy lines. This is the first novel in a dark, seductive, and all-consuming trilogy where hope is fickle but the fight is never over.

The roguish charlatan Astarion will free himself from a centuries-long fate of servitude or die (a second time) trying — in this decadently dark fantasy adventure by award-winning author T. Kingfisher.

Welcome back to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense, where the line between hunter and hunted has never been thinner. With enemies closing in from all sides and a ticking clock on her life, Viv must save the Half City from destruction while surviving a betrayal that strikes at the heart of everything she’s fighting for. Because in a world where monsters wear familiar faces and temptation cuts deeper than any blade, making it through her second semester at Harker will take more than skill — it will take everything Viv has left to give. Who can she really trust in a city that thrives on lies?

They were never meant to fall in love. They were meant to destroy each other. A sensual, slow-burn fantasy from internationally bestselling author Kate Dylan. Two ruthless assassins. One deadly romance …

Before he became the continent’s mightiest hero, he was a lowborn peasant just struggling to survive. The updated and official translation of Under the Oak Tree, the #1 webnovel on MANTA, continues in this fourth volume.

In this thrilling sequel to The Mask of Fear, set one year before season one of Andor, truth becomes a weapon of the Empire.

The Midnight Library meets The Ten Thousand Doors of January in this mesmerizing debut about a magical bookstore’s staff who must risk everything to stop the unraveling of the universe.

A lab assistant, a highly dissatisfied bride, and a feline familiar must unite to cast off the chains of their masters and embrace life on their own terms in the hilarious, heartwarming, and just-scary-enough The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing. “Quirky and hilarious but also deep and heartfelt, The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing is an unforgettable and fantastic story about being human. I loved it!” (Sarah Beth Durst, author of The Spellshop).

Enemies become lovers in this action-packed installment of the Married to Magic novels — swoonworthy, escapist standalone reads that combine wondrous fantasy worlds with slow-burn romance from the New York Times bestselling author of Arcana Academy. Kidnapped and bound to the Vampire Lord, a woman who once served vampire hunters discovers he’s not really the villain she’s been taught to fear …

The haunted Juliet Capulet and the brooding Prince Hamlet cross plots and purposes in this whimsically dark, Shakespeare-infused romantic fantasy.

Perfect for readers of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden, The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow is a sweeping enemies-to-lovers debut epic for romantasy-curious fantasy readers, fantasy-curious romantasy readers, and all lovers of slowburn romance.

A single mom and her neurodivergent son battle for survival and stability in a post-apocalyptic world, one that is arguably no less harsh to them than the pre-pandemic one, in this gripping, one-of-a-kind debut.

The 50th anniversary edition of the spellbinding classic that started it all, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author. Here are the confessions of a vampire: A hypnotic, shocking, and chillingly sensual story of Louis de Pointe du Lac’s first 200 years as one of the living dead. This is a story of danger and flight, of loyalty and treachery, of gaining humanity and losing it, and of the extraordinary power of the senses.

An ambitious young man is torn between his pursuit of immortality and his war-threatened family in this gripping novel in the A Thousand Li epic progression fantasy series.

Return to Wildemount with this first-of-its-kind official sequel to the hit Mighty Nein campaign from Critical Role, exploring the fates of “Empire Kids” Caleb Widogast and Beauregard Lionett. Written by Hugo, Nebula, and Ignyte Award-nominated author Nibedita Sen, Children of Empire ties together the stories of Campaigns Two and Three of hit series Critical Role, complete with intrigue, machinations, and the occasional fist fight.

The Arabian Nights meets romantasy in this debut about two sisters sent on separate missions to help their father seize power, but dark magic is brewing across the land, and they might be pawns in a much larger game …

Two Former Teen Protagonists Who Saved the World now need to learn how to be adults — with adult feelings — in this witty, warm romantic fantasy.

When you lose your way in life, the Elsewhere Express just might find you. Step on board the train that may take you to your life’s purpose in this wistful, Ghibli-esque fantasy from the bestselling author of Water Moon. “A delicately layered dream of a book that glimmers with the promise of hope after grief, The Elsewhere Express will carry you to the stars.” —Molly O’Neill, author of Greenteeth

The next book in the Fated for Hael series is “a dazzling fantasy adventure that will make you want to grab your own sword and fight. De la Force wraps a spell around your heart and squeezes” (Kristen Vale, bestselling author of A Tale of Mirth and Magic. As Cahra’s power grows, so do the threats against her …

In this raucous, tongue-in-cheek spin on the Romanian fairytale “The Girl Who Became a Boy,” a knight attempts to thwart an invasion, save the most beautiful woman in the world, and finally get away from their sisters.