Fall is nearly upon us and book publishers seem especially excited for the new season, unleashing dozens of new releases for fans of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror tales. September brings monsters, time-travel, witches, sneaky royals, supernatural killers, hostile alien planets, mermaids, and so much more.
Lost in Time by A.G. Riddle
In a future where killers are sent to the distant past, the inventor of the time machine confesses to a murder to save his teenage daughter after she’s accused of a terrible crime. He must travel to the era of the dinosaurs before he can begin to clear his name—and finds a secret waiting for him when he arrives. (September 1)
Against All Gods by Miles Cameron
In this mythology-inspired tale set in an alternate Bronze Age, a group of mortals with ties to the gods join together to take down the aging, corrupt beings that govern from the heavens. (September 6)
Be the Serpent by Seanan McGuire
The October Daye urban fantasy series continues as the hero adjusts to an entirely new challenge: married life. Things get even more complicated when one of her oldest friends reveals that they’re actually an enemy in disguise. (September 6)
Blood of Troy by Claire Andrews
The sequel to Daughter of Sparta finds Daphne the warrior figuring out her feelings for Apollo the god—all while dealing with the looming Trojan War. (September 6)
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
The blockbuster author’s latest is about a lonely teen who befriends his eccentric neighbor—only to learn after the man’s death that his backyard shed contains a secret portal to a magical world. (September 6)
Final Heir by Faith Hunter
Vampire queen Jane Yellowrock’s latest New Orleans adventure finds her gathering all her allies to battle her former boss and his dark army. (September 6)
Ithaca by Claire North
The myth of Penelope and Odysseus gets a feminist retelling in the latest from the author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. (September 6)
Luda by Grant Morrison
“A drag queen initiates her protégée into the magical arts in this phantasmagoric epic, the first novel from the legendary comics writer and New York Times bestselling author.” Read an excerpt and io9's interview with Morrison about the book here. (September 6)
Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Dreams of Wakanda by various contributors
A wide range of contributors—including Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter and writers Tre Johnson, Yona Harvey, and Hannah Giorgis—discuss the cultural impact and legacy of Marvel’s Black Panther movie in this illustrated essay collection. (September 6)
Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah
In this dystopian, South Asian-inspired fantasy, a teen skilled in fighting cruel monsters must confront the most terrifying breed of all—the ruling elite—when she’s forced to join a win-or-die chariot race. (September 6)
Ruination by Anthony Reynolds
The first novel set in the universe of League of Legends promises “an epic tale of magic, revenge, and an empire on the verge of ruin.” Read an excerpt here. (September 6)
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
When the trans son of the goddess of birds is unexpectedly picked to compete in the Sunbearer Trials—a competition where the winner serves the temples of Sol, and the loser becomes a sacrifice—he must overcome intense hurdles if he wants to survive. (September 6)
Bindle Punk Bruja by Desideria Mesa
In this fantasy set in the 1920s, an aspiring Kansas City jazz-club owner deals with sexism, racism, interfering gangsters, and more as she pursues her dream—all while keeping her magical abilities a closely guarded secret. (September 13)
Fellstones by Ramsey Campbell
A man with a troubled past reluctantly returns to the town where he grew up to investigate the truth about the ancient stones standing on its village green. (September 13)
Full Immersion by Gemma Amor
In this speculative horror tale, an amnesiac discovers her own dead body and must scramble to figure out what’s real and what isn’t—and who’s controlling things from the shadows. (September 13)
Glorious Fiends by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam
A vampire runs into trouble with a Guardian of the Underworld when she resurrects her dead best friends in what’s described as a “Hammer-inspired odyssey” that updates “‘80s horror tropes with modern sensibilities.” (September 13)
Ledge by Stacy McEwan
After she escapes being sacrificed to the mystical creatures that rule her icy homeland, a determined woman faces uncertainty and danger in the name of freedom. (September 13)
Lucky Girl, How I Became a Horror Writer by M. Rickert
Subtitled “A Krampus Story,” this tale of Christmas horror follows a lonely writer who hosts a holiday dinner party with ghostly storytelling on the menu. (September 13)
Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
The latest entry in the Locked Tomb Series follows Nona, whose chaotic, zombie-filled world is interfering with her desire to have a normal life, despite the fact that she recently woke up in a stranger’s body. Read an excerpt here. (September 13)
Redspace Rising by Brian Trent
“Harris Alexander Pope is the man who ended the Partisan War on Mars. All he seeks now is solitude and a return to the life that was stolen from him. Yet when he learns that the worst war criminals are hiding in other bodies, he is forced into an interplanetary pursuit.” (September 13)
Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott
This modern fairy tale inspired by Eastern European folklore and Jewish mythology follows a pair of estranged siblings who reunite when they claim their unusual inheritance—a sentient house perched on chicken legs—and then must work together to evade a stranger with a violent past. (September 13)
The Girl in the Castle by James Patterson and Emily Raymond
A young psychiatric patient claims she’s a time traveler from 1347 who needs to return to the past to save her sister—but will anyone believe her wild claims and help her figure out how to do that? (September 19)
Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros
An “adopted daughter of the benevolent undead” must leave her peaceful life and travel through a war zone in search of her sister—while also figuring out her place in a world where the ruling elite have magic powers and the rest of the population is highly superstitious. (September 20)
The Dao of Drizzt by R.A. Salvatore
This book collects all the journal entries—“thoughts about life and love, the nature of good and evil, the joys (and frustrations) of family, and so much more”—of the beloved character, taken from over 30 years of fantasy literature. (September 20)
Daphne by Josh Malerman
The latest from the author of Bird Box follows a high-school basketball player who fears her thoughts are conjuring Daphne, a legendary serial killer who’s seemingly awakened from the past. (September 20)
Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer
This sequel to Defy the Night finds newly powerful former outlaw Tessa trying to cure the sickness sweeping through the kingdom, though it’ll require reluctantly accepting the help of a prince she doesn’t trust. (September 20)
Eternally Yours edited by Patrice Caldwell
This anthology of paranormal romance tales gathers the work of 15 writers, including Kendare Blake, Hafsah Faizal, Sarah Gailey, Chloe Gong, and more. (September 20)
Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman
After her ex-boyfriend dies of an overdose, a woman hoping to make peace with him agrees to try a new drug that allows users to see the dead... not realizing it carries some permanent aftereffects. (September 20)
Imperium Restored by Walter Jon Williams
The author’s latest military sci-fi trilogy set in the universe of his Dread Empire’s Fall series ends with this installment, in which Martinez and Sula must fight one last enemy and mend the cracks in their own relationship before they can reunite the empire. (September 20)
The Last Dreamwalker by Rita Woods
After her mother dies, a woman reconnects with her aunts and, through them, her Gullah ancestors—once she realizes she’s inherited the power to visit and manipulate other people’s dreams. (September 20)
Mistborn: Secret History by Brandon Sanderson
“If you think you know the story of the Mistborn trilogy, think again,” promises this exploration of “events hidden in the shadows” of the author’s original trilogy. (September 20)
Moral Code by Lois and Ross Melbourne
When a creator merges her ethical AI invention, dubbed the “Moral Operating System,” with a billionaire’s nanite technology, she’s horrified to realize the company is now vulnerable to people who want to weaponize their creation. (September 20)
Only Bad Options by Jennifer Estep
When a corporate design-lab worker notices a flaw in a new line of spaceships, she’s targeted by her powerful employer and must seek out a villainous accomplice in what’s described as “science-fiction fantasy adventure with a dash of Regency romance.” (September 20)
The Queen of Summer’s Twilight by Charles Vess
The acclaimed fantasy artist’s first novel follows a Scottish teenager who meets a mysterious man that may hold the key to understanding her past—especially its ties to a fantastical fairy realm. (September 20)
Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland
In this historical fantasy from the author of Dread Nation, 1937 America is split between people who use magic and those who don’t. As a young mage plots her future, she takes a government job that exposes her to some dark truths about the country’s mystical past. (September 20)
Stolen City by Elisa A. Bonnin
A thief who specializes in stealing magical artifacts signs on for a heist that forces her to reconnect with her twin brother, confront a tragedy in her past, and fight to free her city from anti-magic occupiers. (September 20)
The Unbalancing by R.B. Lemberg
In the first full-length novel set in the author’s Birdverse, a troubled starkeeper meets a poet who’s being guided by their ancestor into their own starkeeping post. As an attraction forms between them, can they work together to save their island homeland? (September 20)
Valley of Shadows by Rudy Ruiz
This “neo-Western blend of magical realism, mystery, and horror” set in the late 19th century follows a former lawman who’s drawn back into the game when a series of terrible crimes begin haunting the U.S.-Mexico border. (September 20)
The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
In 16th century Russia, the legendary witch Baba Yaga emerges from self-imposed isolation to take on Ivan the Terrible—and the magical forces giving him his power. (September 20)
The Ashen War by Dan Le Fever
This alt-history tale imagines that a plague swept the world during the Civil War, leaving the door open for England to attempt to colonize the U.S.—now a haven for post-apocalyptic cults—a second time. (September 27)
Big Bad by Lily Anderson
This Buffy the Vampire Slayer-inspired novel finds some of the series’ standout villains working to save their home—the alt-reality town of Demondale—from Buffy’s pesky evil-eradicating ways. (September 27)
Forestfall by Lyndall Clipstone
To survive breaking a curse, a woman must agree to live in the land of the dead—and getting back home won’t be an easy task. (September 27)
Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang
This debut novel follows “high-tech space battles and political machinations, starring a queer and diverse array of pilots, princesses, and prophetic heirs”—except the prophetic heir is very skeptical about their so-called destiny. (September 27)
The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik
The Scholomance trilogy concludes as our protagonist leaves the school of magic having destroyed no enclavers—but now finds themself in a position of trying to prevent someone else from picking up the mantle as war begins to brew. (September 27)
House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
Wanting to find a way out of poverty, a woman agrees to become a “bloodmaid” to a strangely charismatic countess who takes an extra-special interest in her. (September 27)
How to Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy
A young witch must compete for a scholarship to a prestigious magical university; it’ll involve besting a towering rival and succeeding in the school’s musical despite her sleazy drama teacher. (September 27)
Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco
The Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy concludes as Emilia fights to clear her sister’s name after she’s accused of a high-profile assassination; at the same time, she’s also fighting to be with the demonic Prince of Wrath. (September 27)
Leech by Hiron Ennes
This surreal tale “combines parasitic body horror with gothic family drama in a post-post-apocalyptic masterpiece that defies our understanding of identity, heredity, and bodily autonomy.” (September 27)
Miss Peregrine’s Museum of Wonders by Ransom Riggs
This “deluxe companion guide” to the author’s Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series explores “everything you need to know about the peculiar world, written by Miss Peregrine herself.” (September 27)
Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth
After her cruel mother-in-law dies, a lonely woman is haunted by her ghost—so she takes extreme measures to keep the only family she’s got left from falling apart. (September 27)
The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrow by Steven Novella with Jay Novella and Bob Novella
The latest from the authors of The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe offers “a high-tech roadmap of the future [that cracks] open the follies of futurists past and how technology will profoundly change our world, redefining what it means to be human.” (September 27)
Secrets So Deep by Ginny Myers Sain
A teen returns to the seaside campground where her mother drowned under mysterious circumstances 12 years before, determined to crack the mystery of what really happened: accident or supernatural malevolence? (September 27)
Soul of the Deep by Natasha Bowen
The sequel to Skin of the Sea picks back up with heroic mermaid Simi, who is once again faced with a seemingly impossible choice. Read an interview with the author here. (September 27)
Tantalus Depths by Evan Graham
The crew of a survey ship arrives on a new planet, only to discover they’re not the first to land there: there’s an ancient structure hidden below the surface, and it’s starting to affect the behavior of the AI they need to survive. (September 27)
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. (September 27)
Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes by Rob Wilkins
The only authorized biography of the late Discworld author—written by his friend and manager—uses Pratchett’s own notes as well as input from friends and family to tell his story. (September 29)
Want more io9 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.