The Fantasy Review’s list of 36 upcoming sci-fi & fantasy books in October 2023. These releases are from the following publishers, and all information is from their websites: Angry Robot; Titan Books; Orbit UK; Tordotcom; Mantle; Tor; Second Sky Books; The Orion Publishing Group; Head of Zeus; and Hodderscape.
All release dates are subject to change, and are UK by default in this article. However, where the US dates are different, we will include the US dates too.
You can click the cover art to go over to Amazon and preorder the books that look of interest to you! The links are affiliate links, so we can earn a small comission from any purchases made through those links.
The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu
Release Date: 3rd October 2023
Publisher: Tordotcom
From the blurb:
Shantiport was supposed to be a gateway to the stars. But the city is sinking, and its colonist rulers aren’t helping anyone but themselves.
Lina, a daughter of failed revolutionaries, has no desire to escape Shantiport. She loves her city and would do anything to save its people. This is, in fact, the plan for her life, made before she was even born….
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson
Release Date: 3rd October 2023
Publisher: The Orion Publishing Group
From the blurb:
Yumi has spent her entire life in strict obedience, granting her the power to summon the spirits that bestow vital aid upon her society―but she longs for even a single day as a normal person. Painter patrols the dark streets dreaming of being a hero―a goal that has led to nothing but heartache and isolation, leaving him always on the outside looking in. In their own ways, both of them face the world alone….
Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco
Release Date: 3rd October 2023
Publisher: Hodderscape
From the blurb:
Sinner. Villain. Wicked.
The Prince of Envy has never claimed to be a saint. But when a cryptic note arrives, signaling the beginning of a deadly game, he knows it will take more than a hint of sin to win and save his falling demon court. Riddles, hexed objects, anonymous players, nothing will stand in his way, though none of his meticulous plans prepare him for her, the frustrating artist who ignites his sin like no other…
The Bone Roots by Gabriela Houston
Release Date: 10th October 2023
Publisher: Angry Robot
From the blurb:
It’s been 40 years since the Fox took Kada’s brother. Though she ran and kept herself hidden, she fears it may be stalking her again, this time to steal her daughter.
Every year, Vedma Kada gives thanks to the bone roots – those that belong to the child-bearing tree who gave Kada her desperately-wanted baby, Secha. Kada lives her life in service of the bone roots and the goddess Zemya, but they cannot keep her daughter safe. Not when Secha’s emerging powers, both mysterious and brutish, threaten to out her for who she truly is…
Edenville by Sam Rebelein
Release Date: 10th October 2023
Publisher: Titan Books
From the blurb:
After publishing his debut novel, The Shattered Man, to disappointing sales and reviews, Campbell P. Marion is struggling to find inspiration for a follow-up. When Edenville College invites him to join as a writer-in-residence, he’s convinced that his bad luck has finally taken a turn. His girlfriend Quinn isn’t so sure—she grew up near Edenville and has good reasons for not wanting to move back. Cam disregards her skepticism and accepts the job, with Quinn reluctantly following along….
A Light Most Hateful by Hailey Piper
Release Date: 10th October 2023
Publisher: Titan Books
From the blurb:
Three years after running away from home, Olivia is stuck with a dead-end job in nowhere town Chapel Hill, Pennsylvania. At least she has her best friend, Sunflower.
Olivia figures she’ll die in Chapel Hill, if not from boredom, then the summer night storm which crashes into town with a mind-bending monster in tow….
The Pale House Devil by Richard Kadrey
Release Date: 10th October 2023
Publisher: Titan Books
From the blurb:
Ford and Neuland are paranormal mercenaries—one living, one undead; one of them kills the undead, the other kills the living. When a job goes bad in New York, they head west to wait for the heat to cool down.
There, a young woman named Tilda Rosenbloom hires them on behalf of wealthy landowner, Shepherd Mansfield, to track and kill a demon haunting a mansion in remote northern California….
Captain Marvel: Shadow Code by Gilly Segal
Release Date: 10th October 2023
Publisher: Titan Books
From the blurb:
CAPTAIN MARVEL IS ASKED FOR A SIMPLE FAVOR, BUT SHE SOON MEETS AN ADVERSARY WITH UNPARALLELED POWER.
Tony Stark wants Carol to keep an eye on brilliant grad student Mara Melamed, who is struggling to find her feet at Empire State University. Although reluctant at first, Carol meets Mara and is soon impressed by the young woman….
Blight by Tom Carlisle
Release Date: 10th October 2023
Publisher: Titan Books
From the blurb:
1897. James Harringley is summoned home from London to his rambling family mansion in the north of England. His father is sick, deranged, and James must return, confronting the horrors he tried to forget: the labyrinthine house, the madness and secrets which poison their bloodline and, most frightening of all, the spectre of the tall man – an eerie visage who promises to whisk children away and make them royalty in the land of Faery….
Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare
Release Date: 10th October 2023
Publisher: Tor
From the blurb:
In the vibrant city-state of Castellane, the richest of nobles and the most debauched of criminals have one thing in common: the constant search for wealth, power, and the next hedonistic thrill.
Kel is an orphan, stolen from the life he knew to become the Sword Catcher—the body double of a royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are as close as brothers, but Kel knows that his destiny is to die for Conor. No other future is possible….
The House at Phantom Park by Graham Masterton
Release Date: 12th October 2023
Publisher: House of Zeus
From the blurb:
St Philomena’s military hospital has been abandoned for over three years. Now Lilian Chesterfield, who works for one of the most successful building companies in England, is in charge of developing it into a luxury housing complex. But as soon as she and her colleagues start work in the Jacobean-style mansion, their dream turns into a nightmare. They hear screaming from wards full of empty beds. They hear doors slamming and find cutlery scattered over the kitchen floor….
A Fire Born of Exile by Aliette de Bodard
Release Date: 12th October 2023
Publisher: The Orion Publishing Group
From the blurb:
The Scattered Pearls Belt is a string of habitats on the edge of a huge galactic empire—a glittering, decadent society rife with corruption. Now, one of its victims—Quỳnh, a scholar betrayed and left for dead—has come back for her revenge, under the guise of the glamorous and enigmatic Alchemist of Streams and Hills….
Witch You Weren’t Here by Emma Jackson
Release Date: 12th October 2023
Publisher: The Orion Publishing Group
From the blurb:
One hurricane. Two stranded witches.
Sparks are bound to fly…
Kay knows three things to be true: a witch who cannot control their powers is dangerous, she needs to make it home for her brother’s wedding, and Harry Ashworth is the last person she ever wants to see…
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
Release Date: 12th October 2023
Publisher: Hodderscape
From the blurb:
After an attempted assassination and kidnapping, Sophos, heir to the throne of Sounis, disappears. Those who care for him—including the thief Eugenides and the Queen of Eddis—are left to wonder if he is alive and if they will ever see him again.
Palace of Shadows by Ray Celestin
Release Date: 12th October 2023
Publisher: Mantle
From the blurb:
Samuel Etherstone, a penniless artist, is adrift in London. His disturbing art is shunned by patrons and critics alike, his friend Oscar Wilde is now an exile living in Paris, and a personal tragedy has taken its toll. So when he is contacted by a mysterious heiress, Mrs Chesterfield, and asked to work on a commission for the house she is building on the desolate Smugglers’ Coast of North Yorkshire, he accepts the offer….
The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro
Release Date: 17th October 2023
Publisher: Titan Books
From the blurb:
Alejandra no longer knows who she is. To her husband, she is a wife, and to her children, a mother. To her own adoptive mother, she is a daughter. But they cannot see who Alejandra has become: a woman struggling with a darkness that threatens to consume her….
The Waking of Angantyr by Marie Brennan
Release Date: 17th October 2023
Publisher: Titan Books
From the blurb:
The bondmaid Hervor is used to dead men whispering in her sleep. They’ve been doing it for as long as she can remember; it’s the living she has to watch out for. And when a new arrival at her holding triggers her into a berserker fury, she’s forced to flee the contract that enslaves her and into the arms of an uncertain future….
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
Release Date: 19th October 2023
Publisher: Orbit UK
From the blurb:
Gripped by a tyrant king and in the thrall of dark magic, the kingdom is in peril. Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last—and most important—one remains to be found: the Twin Alders. If they’re going to find the card before Solstice and set free the kingdom, they will need to journey through the dangerous mist-cloaked forest. The only one who can lead them through is the monster that shares Elspeth’s head: the Nightmare.
And he’s not eager to share any longer.
These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs
Release Date: 19th October 2023
Publisher: Orbit UK
From the blurb:
On a dusty backwater planet, occasional thief Jun Ironway has gotten her hands on the score of a lifetime: a secret that could raze the Kindom, the ruling power of the galaxy.
A star system away, preternaturally stoic Chono and brilliant hothead Esek— the two most brutal clerics of the Kindom—are tasked with hunting Jun down….
A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova
Release Date: 19th October 2023
Publisher: The Orion Publishing Group
From the blurb:
Three-thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young woman from Luella’s village to be their Human Queen.
To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the townsfolk. A mark nineteen-year-old Luella is grateful to have escaped as a girl. Instead, she’s dedicated her life to studying herbology and becoming the town’s only healer.
That is, until the Elf King unexpectedly arrives… for her….
A Dance with the Fae Prince by Elise Kova
Release Date: 19th October 2023
Publisher: The Orion Publishing Group
From the blurb:
She knew her hand in marriage would be sold. She had no idea a fae prince was the buyer.
Katria swore she’d never fall in love. She’s seen what “love” means through the cruelty of her family. So when she’s married off to the mysterious Lord Fenwood for a handsome price, all Katria wants is a better life than the one she’s leaving. Feelings are off the table.
But her new husband makes not falling in love difficult….
Earth Retrograde by R.W.W Greene
Release Date: 24th October 2023
Publisher: Angry Robot
From the blurb:
The United Nations is working to get everyone off Earth by the deadline – set by the planet’s true owners, the aliens known as the First. It’s a task made somewhat easier by a mysterious virus that rendered at least fifty percent of humanity unable to have children. Meanwhile, the USA and the USSR have set their sights on Mars, claiming half a planet each….
The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker
Release Date: 25th October 2023
Publisher: Hodderscape
From the blurb:
Zilan dreams of becoming a royal alchemist, of providing for her family by making alchemical gold and gems for the wealthy to eat in order to stay young forever. But for now, she’s trapped in her impoverished village in southern China, practicing an illegal form of alchemy to keep food on the table—resurrecting the dead, for a price….
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Release Date: 31st October 2023
Publisher: Titan Books
From the blurb:
Gracetown, Florida
June 1950
Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory….
Conan the Barbarian by L. Sprague de Camp
Release Date: 31st October 2023
Publisher: Titan Books
From the blurb:
The official adaptation of CONAN THE BARBARIAN, the seminal film written by John Milius and Oliver Stone, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Earl Jones. In the novel by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter, the Cimmerian youth Conan witnesses the death of his parents at the hands of Thulsa Doom, a priest of Set. Enslaved, he is trained as a gladiator. Gaining his freedom he allies with Subotai, a Hyrkanian archer, and a skilled swordswoman thief named Valeria. Together they raid the Tower of the Serpent, then Conan breaks away to seek the cult of Doom—and revenge on the sorcerer who leads it.
The Dead Take the A Train by Richard Kadrey & Cassandra Khaw
Release Date: 31st October 2023
Publisher: Titan Books
From the blurb:
Julie is a coked-up, burnt-out thirty-year-old whose only retirement plan is dying early. She’s been trying to establish herself in the NYC magic scene, and she’ll work the most gruesome gigs, exorcize the nastiest demons, and make deals with the cruelest gods to claw her way to the top. But nothing can prepare her for the toughest job yet: when her best friend, Sarah, shows up at her door in need of help. Keeping Sarah safe becomes top priority….
A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather
Release Date: 31st October 2023
Publisher: Tordotcom
From the blurb:
In 17th-century London, unnatural babies are being born, with eyes made for the dark and webbed digits suited to the sea.
Sarah Davis is intimately familiar with such strangeness―having hidden her uncanny nature all her life and fled to London under suspicious circumstances, Sarah starts over as a midwife’s apprentice to a member of the illegal Worshipful Company of Midwives, hoping to carve out for herself an independent life. But with each new unnatural birth, the fear in London grows of the Devil’s work….
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
Release Date: 31st October 2023
Publisher: Tor
From the blurb:
I dream sometimes about a house I’ve never seen….
Opal is a lot of things―orphan, high school dropout, full-time cynic and part-time cashier―but above all, she’s determined to find a better life for her younger brother Jasper. One that gets them out of Eden, Kentucky, a town remarkable for only two things: bad luck and E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth century author of The Underland, who disappeared over a hundred years ago….
