As the world starts to look more like a science fiction novel and we all need a good fantasy to escape it, this fall invites a host of incredible debuts, fan favorite authors returning and genre-bending new books to indulge in. Is there any better season than fall to curl up with a new read… or ten? Check out the most anticipated science fiction and fantasy novels coming Fall 2023.
Science Fiction
More Perfect by Temi Oh
In what can be considered a modern take on 1984, Temi Oh explores a near-future London where social media is integrated into the human body through an implant. This augmented reality gives users an immersed experience, but the British government’s extreme oversight turns this natural progression of technology into a severe form of surveillance. Told through the lens of mythology using the story of Eurydice, More Perfect explores a world that feels just at society’s fingertips.
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Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty
In book two of The Midsolar Murders series, Mallory Viridian has fled to an alien space station in hopes of escaping her role as an amateur detective. When a new crop of human arrivals shows up and a murder transpires, she finds herself sucked back in. Battling more than just a killer, Mallory must find answers before an intergalactic catastrophe breaks out.
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Bridge by Lauren Beukes
Bridge’s mother was a brilliant neuroscientist focused on unlocking the key to traveling through alternate realities. It cost her the relationship with her daughter, and ultimately her life. As Bridge goes through her mother’s things, she discovers the “dreamworm” and begins her own travels, hoping to unlock the mysteries surrounding her mother by entering other versions of herself across the multiverse. She isn’t the only one interested in the dreamworm though. Others are hunting it and will kill for it.
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The Brill Pill by Akemi C. Brodsky
In the near future, stem cells are used to re-grow organs. Even the trickiest among them: the brain. Though the science is life-saving for those who can afford it, the mind is a difficult thing to mend. With each save comes a loss. Whether it is a decline in intelligence or an appearance of sociopathy, the trade-off is debatable. Dr. William Dalal must contend with the life-giving solution, while observing the sometimes horrifying results of progress.
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With Regrets by Lee Kelley
When Liz is invited to a posh soiree at her new neighbors’, her initial reaction is to decline. Still, she RSVP’s yes in hopes of making her husband happy. Leaving her kids with a barely qualified babysitter, they head to the party. Before they even get passed drinks, an emergency alert blares on their phones and TV’s. There is an atmospheric anomaly, shimmering clouds that kill anyone it touches. As Liz and her husband are forced to barricade with the party guests, she does everything she can imagine to try to get back to her kids.
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Out of the Dawn by P.C. Cast
In this thrilling sequel to Into the Mist, Mercury is on the other side of “the green mist.” When a bomb went off that killed any men who came in contact with it and gave way to supernatural powers for any women, the world was flipped upside down. In the aftermath, Mercury and her family are trying to resettle and build a community, but someone or something is hunting them. Mercury must fight this force to ensure a new beginning for humanity rather than letting this ominous force rule over its ruins.
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The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins
Emi was born after the climate crisis, a fact for which she is supposed to be grateful. Her mother and father met as a part of The Great Transition, an effort to save society amidst the crisis. Following the execution of climate criminals, Emi’s mother disappears and is a possible suspect. As the father/daughter team search for the woman they love, the truth about the past and what happened during the crisis are revealed.
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Prophet by Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché
When an American Intelligence agent and an MI-6 agent discover a dead American in a field in the UK, they are confronted with a wild and indistinct threat. Prophet turns memories into a materialized nightmare and as it spreads, dangerous and surreal things begin to turn up. In this new world, games, pets and rides turn into malevolent forces threatening those in contact with Prophet. With a slow-burn queer romance brimming beneath the surface, this book is a heart-pounding thrill for more reasons than one.
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The Salvation Gambit by Emily Skrutskie
Hark has taught Murdock everything she knows about being a con artist. Once a lowlife hacker, Murdock now works alongside Hark running schemes. That is until they are sent to Justice, an AI-run ship for criminals. Amidst a society of sinners fighting for power or trying to forge a society, Murdock has caught the eye of the ship’s intelligence and it is determined to separate her from Hark and use her hacker skills. Now the two most plot a way out under the ever-watchful eye of AI.
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The Future by Naomi Alderman
From bestselling author of The Power, comes the next great dystopian novel. Martha fled her father’s Oregon compound where talks of the apocalypse were something of a bedtime story to her. But now she is working for a tech company intent on controlling literally everything. Martha wonders if the future her father forecast is actually in the process of becoming reality. Zhen has amassed an audience as an online survivalist. Now, assassins are after her, but software appears on her phone that helps her escape. Who installed it and what do they want? In this fast-paced, futuristic thriller, Zhen and Martha face the impending cataclysm.
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Fantasy
Champion of Fate by Kendare Blake
The Aristene are female warriors, tasked with forging heroes. Reed is one test away from being inducted into the sisterhood. Her assigned hero, Hestion, is creating problems for her though. When she is forced to choose between her hero and her future, she must ask herself if the life she planned is actually the one she’s destined for.
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Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout
For romantasy fans, Jennifer L. Armentrout, author of From Blood and Ash, comes a steamy new story. The gods destroyed the world sparing only nine cities. Between those occupied lands lies terrible wilds teaming with dangerous creatures. Calista has unfailing intuition, a tool the powerful are happy to exploit, which is why she’s kept hidden and serves the Baron of Archwood. When her talents lead her to save a prince, she must face the reality where he could open her up to joy and also lead her to doom.
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The Lightstruck by Sunya Mara
In the second book of the Darkening duology, Vesper Vale awakens three years after sacrificing herself to save the city from a cursed storm. Instead of finding the peace she had hoped for, she finds a new threat. Taken over by The Great King and his army of lightstruck, Vesper must channel her new status as a goddess to the people in order to save them for good.
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An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka
The elite are unreachable, almost as if they are being shielded by magic. Stephen Oakwood has talent, but is on the outside. Developing his skill requires money he doesn’t have and opportunity he hasn’t been given. When a chance encounter brings him into the elite circles, he has to build himself into something greater to beat them at their own game.
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Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
You can’t go anywhere (online) without seeing Fourth Wing, the dragon riding epic fantasy that has taken TikTok by storm. In fact, the only place you can’t seem to find this new fantasy series is in stores. Assuming you’ve gotten your hands on book one, readers can rejoice that book two, Iron Flame will hit shelves this fall. Now that Violet survived the initial Threshing, the real training starts.
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The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab
In this new fantasy set inside the Shades of Magic world, the magical realms Red London, Grey London, and White London have been sealed off from one another. The few who could travel between them haven’t been seen in nearly seven years. The queen of White London’s kingdom is being threatened by her religious fervor. The king of Red London is facing a vicious rebellion. As both fight to hold onto their throne, a newcomer with the ability to change the fate of the worlds arrives to either unite or destroy them all.
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Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare
In this new epic fantasy from #1 New York Times bestseller Cassandra Clare, the world of royalty and elite are no better than the criminals. All of which are seeking their next big thrill and indulgence. Kel is a Sword Catcher, body double to the prince and destined to die saving him. Lin is a physician from the walled off part of the city where they keep the dwindling faction of those still able to summon magic. When the two are thrust together and put in the path of the king of the underworld, they are exposed to the corruption that runs deep and the lies propping up the kingdom of Castellane.
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The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang
Lin Chong is a master of arms. She trains the Emperor’s soldiers in swordsmanship, crossbow, battle axe and more. She keeps her head down and does her job, uninterested in the morality of the imperial exploits. Then, a powerful man upends her world and she is cast out and tattooed a criminal. A gang of bandits takes her in. As they oppose the Emperor, she will discover where her loyalties lie and the truth of the empire.
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The Dead Take the Train by Richard Kadrey and Cassandra Khaw
Julie has made every backhanded deal possible to get to the top of New York’s magic scene. In coke-fueled chaos she has made shady deals with gods, taken on demons and done the unthinkable to get ahead. When her best friend Sarah shows up, in desperate need of help, all her energy goes toward keeping her safe. In an attempt to save Sarah with a quick fix, she sets off a deadly chain of events that threaten her, her friend and the whole world.
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A Power Unbound by Freya Marske
In the final book of Freya Marske’s award-winning The Last Binding series, Jack is a lord looking to live a quiet life. After the death of his twin sister, though, he is thrust back into the world of magic he wishes to leave behind. Alan is the infuriating (and irresistible) writer and thief whose help Jack desperately needs. The two are caught up in a plot to take power that thrusts them into a world of sacrifice, secrets and the foundation of magic.
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