It is officially spooky season, and no prepping for Halloween is complete for bibliophiles without a plethora of reading options. Maybe you speed through your yearly readings of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and Ray Bradbury's The Halloween Tree, or are just in the mood for something new. In that case, this list of October's new fantasy and science fiction books will keep your thirst for blood and magic sated.
Whether the books in this list are from new authors or already have fans impatiently waiting, they can each cast a spell on the reader. So, be sure to check out these reads to get into the Halloween spirit!
Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber — Oct. 7
Alchemy of Secrets is the latest offering from the author of the Caraval series, Stephanie Garber. This is Garber's first adult book, as her previous series were for young adults. Myth and magic meet modern life as Holland St. James must race against time to save her own life. I'm always intrigued by stories that bring folklore and myth to life, so this sounds like my kind of book. If you love Garber's previous novels or love ancient and mysterious magic, Alchemy of Secrets should go on your TBR.
It starts with a class in an old movie theater.
Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, taught by a woman called the Professor. Most students believe the Professor’s stories are just fiction, but Holland St. James has always been convinced that magic is real. When she tracks down a local legend named the Watch Man, who can supposedly tell you when you’ll die, the world finally makes sense. Except that the Watch Man tells her she will die at midnight tomorrow unless she finds an ancient object called the Alchemical Heart.
With the clock ticking, Holland is pulled deeper into this magical world in the heart of Los Angeles―and into the path of a magnetic stranger. Everything about him feels like a bad idea, but he promises Holland that her sister sent him to protect her. As they chase clues and stories that take them closer to the Alchemical Heart, Holland realizes everyone in this intoxicating new world is lying to her, even this stranger. And if she can’t figure out whom to trust, not even the Alchemical Heart will save her.
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The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller — Oct. 7
If you're looking for a bit of macabre with your fantasy, The Women of Wild Hill is a perfect choice.
Written by Kirsten Miller, whose previous books include The Change and The Eternal Ones series, The Women of Wild Hill follows three descendants of an ancient witch. The magic powers each woman possesses are dark and terrible, but they must learn to wield them to save their family and obey the Powers That Be. Hopefully, the women can get past their grudges and anger because their magic is only as strong as their bond.
There are places on earth where nature’s powers gather. Girls raised there are bequeathed strange gifts. A few have powers so dark that they fear to use them. Such a place is Wild Hill, on the tip of Long Island. For centuries, the ghost of a witch murdered by colonists claimed the beautiful and fertile Wild Hill…until a young Scottish woman with strange gifts arrived. Sadie Duncan was allowed to stay.
Five generations of Sadie’s descendants called Wild Hill home, each generation more powerful than the last. Then, in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy, the last of the Duncans, once prophesized to be the most powerful of their kind, abandoned their ancestral home.
One of them, Brigid Laguerre moved to California and turned her dark gift into fame and fortune. Her sister, Phoebe, settled on a ranch in Texas, where women visit in secret for her tonics and cures. Phoebe’s daughter, Sybil, has become a famous chef. Seemingly powerless, Sibyl has never been told of the Duncan bloodline.
Now Brigid, Phoebe, and Sibyl have been brought to Wild Hill to discover their family legacy. The Old One, furious at the path mankind has taken, has chosen three powerful witches to turn the tide. The Duncans will fulfill their destinies—but only if they can set aside their grievances and come together as a family.
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Queen Demon by Martha Wells (The Rising World #2) — Oct. 7
Queen Demon is Martha Wells' sequel to Witch King, and the second book in The Rising World series. With Wells being the genius behind The Murderbot Diaries series, you can expect the same humor, heart, and action, just set in a fantasy world instead of science fiction. The epic fantasy plot is pretty complex, so it is definitely not one you can read as a standalone. But if you binge-read Witch King, you'll be prepared for Queen Demon's release.
Dahin, a beloved member of the Witch King's coterie, believes he has clues to the location of the Hierarchs' Well, and the Witch King Kai, along with his companions Ziede and Tahren, knowing there's something he isn't telling them, travel with him to the rebuilt university of Ancartre, which may be dangerously close to finding the Well itself.
Can Kai stop the rise of a new Hierarch?
And can he trust his companions to do what’s right?
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All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu — Oct. 14
Just as Martha Wells switched from science fiction to fantasy for her latest series, Ken Liu has moved from his usual fantasy into science fiction with All That We See or Seem.
Liu is famous for his Dandelion Dynasty series and The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories. For this latest novel, Liu's title references a line from Edgar Allen Poe's "A Dream Within a Dream." With a character who can create art out of people's dreams, it sounds like there will be a lot of exploration of the philosophical ideas surrounding the definition of reality. If you liked the film Inception, this novel will be right up your alley.
Julia Z, a young woman who gained notoriety at fourteen as the “orphan hacker,” is trying to live a life of digital obscurity in a quiet Boston suburb.
But when a lawyer named Piers—whose famous artist wife, Elli, has been kidnapped by dangerous criminals—barges into her life, Julia decides to put the solitary life she has painstakingly created at risk as she can’t walk away from helping Piers and Elli, nor step away from the challenge of this digital puzzle. Elli is an oneirofex, a dream artist, who can weave the dreams of an audience together through a shared virtual landscape, live, in a concert-like experience by tapping into each attendee’s memories and providing an emotionally resonant narrative experience. While these collective dreams are anonymous, Julia discovers that Elli was also dreaming one-on-one with the head of an international criminal enterprise, and he’s demanding the return of his dreams in exchange for Elli.
Unraveling the real and unreal leads Julia on an adventure that takes her across the country and deep into the shadows of her psyche.
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Red City by Marie Lu (The New Alchemists #1) — Oct. 14
Red City is the debut adult novel by Marie Lu, author of many YA series such as Legend, Warcross, and The Young Elites.
This story is darker, dealing with magical mafias and the drugs they supply. What could be a star-crossed lovers trope gets mixed in with alchemy and deadly crimes. If you ever wondered what The Godfather would have been like if they had magical powers, Red City will answer those questions. You'll have to read it to find out whether they can turn a horse head into gold though.
Alchemy is the hidden art of transformation. An exclusive power wielded by crime syndicates that market it to the world’s elites in the form of sand, a drug that enhances those who take it into a more perfect version of themselves: more beautiful, more charismatic, simply more.
Among the gleaming skyscrapers and rolling foothills of Angel City, alchemy is controlled by two rival syndicates. For years, Grand Central and Lumines have been balanced on a razor’s edge between polite negotiation and outright violence. But when two childhood friends step into that delicate equation, the city―and the paths of their lives―will be irrevocably transformed.
The daughter of a poor single mother, Sam would do anything to claw her way into the ranks of Grand Central in search of a better life. Plucked away from his family as a boy to become a Lumines apprentice, Ari is one of the syndicates' brightest rising stars. Once, they might have loved each other. But as the two alchemists face off across opposite sides of an ever-escalating conflict, ambition becomes power, loyalty becomes lies, and no transformation may be perfect enough for them both to survive the coming war.
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Cold War by Jonathan Maberry — Oct. 14
Three weeks until the release of COLD WAR: NeckroTek Book 2. It's available for PRE-ORDER from ANY bookseller! (Info on where to order signed copies in the thread). @BlackstoneAudio and @weirdtales #scifi #darkscifi #ActionHorror #scifihorror #weirdtalespresents pic.twitter.com/92PC1hZQMU
— Jonathan Maberry (@JonathanMaberry) September 22, 2025
If you were thinking by the title that Cold War was a historical fiction novel, guess again. This is the sequel to NecroTek, a science fiction thriller about a war between humanity and aliens and space tech that is powered by necromancy.
Jonathan Maberry is a veteran author with many titles that would be perfect for a good scare, and Cold War has the makings of joining those ranks. Both on Earth and their space station, the humans learn that the enemy they have been fighting isn't the only one, and they're about to find out which one is worse.
On Earth, scientists uncover an alien spacecraft buried for millions of years beneath Antarctic ice. Inside are terrible secrets and a creature desperate to escape.
Soon the scientists studying the Artifact begin to have terrifying dreams, driving many of them to madness and acts of shocking violence. Dr. Evie Cronin and her team struggle to find answers, fully aware that they may only be discovered out among the stars. Their investigation brings them to the orbit of Jupiter moments before the WarpLine gun misfires. Destiny is a vicious and devious thing.
On Asphodel Station, the newly created ghost-driven NecroTek fighting machines are engaged in a desperate battle for survival against the deadly shoggoth fleets. But a new and far more dangerous race of creatures is poised to attack, both with their own fleets and with nightmares forced into the minds of the dwindling human defenders.
The group of scientists from Antarctica and the survivors on Asphodel are pitted against an unstoppable enemy. If they fail, Asphodel Station will fall, and the Outer Gods will be free to wage a war of conquest across the galaxy--to Earth itself.
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Conform by Ariel Sullivan — Oct. 14
Conform is Ariel Sullivan's debut novel, and is Thousand Voices Books' first title published. Thousand Voices Books is a media company founded by author and journalist Jenna Bush Hager. She also happens to be the daughter of George W. Bush. With her backing, Conform has a good chance of success. This is a dystopian romance fantasy that could fit alongside stories like Veronica Roth's Divergent series and Lois Lowry's Giver Quartet.
A lifelong outcast, twenty-seven-year-old Emeline spends her days alone, sorting ancient art for destruction. Centuries after a catastrophic war nearly decimated humanity, society is now ruled by an elusive and technologically advanced group called the Illum, who constantly monitor the population’s health and mandate procreation contracts. But Emeline’s bleak existence is shattered when, for the first time in decades, an Illum named Collin takes a Mate: Emeline.
Baffled as to why she was chosen, Emeline is swept into the dangerous game of the Courting, where one wrong move can mean elimination. Soon, she discovers a rebellion rising in secret, and that her Mate may be keeping secrets of his own. Collin is confusing, both cold and protective, and worse, she finds herself drawn to the very last person she should be falling for: Hal, one of the resistance leaders.
As she draws closer to both Collin and Hal, the Illum exercise their power in increasingly brutal ways, forcing Emeline to question everything—most of all whether she’ll have to give up her heart and even her life to stop them.
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Kill the Beast by Serra Swift — Oct. 14
Another debut novel on our list, Kill the Beast by Serra Swift, is not to be confused with the tale of Disney's Beauty and the Beast from Gaston's point of view. This novel is about a monster hunter and her mission of revenge. When Lyssa learns that the only way to get her revenge is to work with the air-headed Alderic, it makes her wonder if her efforts will be in vain. But, there has to be a reason the witch they encountered said that Lyssa needs Alderic to succeed, right? Rather than Beauty and the Beast, Kill the Beast sounds more like The Princess and the Frog in regard to character dynamics. But this adult book is no sanitized fairytale, and you can expect a darker plot.
The night Lyssa Cadogan's brother was murdered by a faerie-made monster known as the Beast, she made him a promise: she would find a way to destroy the immortal creature and avenge his death. For thirteen years, she has been hunting faeries and the abominations they created. But in all that time, the one Beast she is most desperate to find has never resurfaced.
Until she meets Alderic Casimir de Laurent, a melodramatic dandy with a coin purse bigger than his brain. Somehow, he has found the monster’s lair, and―even more surprising―retrieved one of its claws. A claw Lyssa needs in order to forge a sword that can kill the Beast.
Alderic is ill-equipped for a hunt and almost guaranteed to get himself killed. But as the two of them search for the rest of the materials that will be the Beast's undoing, Alderic reveals hidden depths: dark secrets that he guards as carefully as Lyssa guards hers. Before long, and against Lyssa's better judgment, an unlikely friendship begins to bloom―one that will either lead to the culmination of Lyssa's quest for vengeance, or spell doom for them both.
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Psychopomp & Circumstance by Eden Royce — Oct. 21
Looking for a novel that blends many genres to create a chilling yet poignant story? Psychopomp & Circumstance by Eden Royce combines Gothic horror, fantasy, and historical fiction to tell the story of Phee St. Margaret and her ghostly visions during the Reconstruction era. This is Royce's first adult novel, but it sounds completely captivating for a spooky read. It already has me hooked from just the premise! And there are sure to be themes of family, life, and death to grapple with, which Royce is just the storyteller for.
Phee St. Margaret is a daughter of the Reconstruction, born to a family of free Black business owners in New Charleston. Coddled to within an inch of her life by a mother who refuses to let her daughter live a life other than the one she dictates, Phee yearns to demonstrate she's capable of more than simply marrying well.
When word arrives that her Aunt Cleo, long estranged from the family, has passed away, Phee risks her mother's wrath to step up and accept the role of pomp—the highly honored duty of planning the funeral service. Traveling alone to the town of Horizon and her aunt's unsettling home, Phee soon discovers that visions and shadows beckon from every reflective surface, and that some secrets transcend the borders of life and death.
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When They Burned the Butterfly by Wen-yi Lee — Oct. 21
When They Burned the Butterfly is another historical fiction fantasy, this time set in Singapore in the late 1700s. After her mother's death, Adeline learns that the magic she wields is what connects her to a magical gang and a fire goddess. Post-colonialism meets magic in Wen-Yi Lee's newest novel, along with LGBTQ+ romance. So many different themes coming together to tell an enchanting story of love, loss, and renewal. Can Adeline rise from the ashes of her former self and fly?
Loner schoolgirl Adeline Siow has never needed more company than the flame she can summon at her fingertips. But when her mother dies in a house fire with a butterfly seared onto her skin and Adeline hunts down a girl she saw in a back-alley barfight―a girl with a butterfly tattoo―she discovers she’s far from alone.
Ang Tian is a Red Butterfly: one of a gang of girls who came from nothing, sworn to a fire goddess and empowered to wreak vengeance on the men that abuse and underestimate them. Adeline’s mother led a double life as their elusive patron, Madam Butterfly. Now that she’s dead, Adeline’s bloodline is the sole thing sustaining the goddess. Between her search for her mother’s killer and the gang’s succession crisis, Adeline becomes quickly entangled with the girls’ dangerous world, and even more so with the charismatic Tian.
But no home lasts long around here. Ambitious and paranoid neighbor gangs hunt at the edges of Butterfly territory, and bodies are turning up in the red light district suffused with a strange new magic. Adeline may have found her place for once, but with the streets changing by the day, it may take everything she is to keep it.
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The Rose Field by Philip Pullman (Book of Dust Volume 3) — Oct. 23
Philip Pullman, the famed author of the His Dark Materials series, is releasing the final book in his Book of Dust series. The Rose Field has no time jump, unlike the years that exist between books one and two. The story continues from the ending of the second book, with Lyra and Malcolm searching for the secrets of a dangerous compound called Dust, trying to get it before their enemies. This culminating episode in Pullman's latest trilogy will hopefully answer the questions fans have had and provide a satisfying ending. And the love for this series might just be as long-lasting as His Dark Materials has been.
Picking up right where The Secret Commonwealth left off, this story finds Lyra alone in a city haunted by daemons, searching for her beloved Pan. Malcolm Polstead isn’t far behind, searching for Lyra. And they are both racing toward the desert of Karamakan, following the trail of roses said to hold the secret of Dust.
Their allies and enemies are converging on the mysterious red building at the heart of the desert: Marcel Delamare and the military might of the Magisterium; the radical Men from the Mountains; scientists, scholars and spies; troops of witches and other people of the air. And awaiting them all is a previously unseen and chilling new threat that will change everything.
The intertwining odysseys of Malcolm and Lyra, their journeys both internal and external, will test their limits and challenge even their most dearly held beliefs.
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The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow — Oct. 28
Time-travel fantasy fans need to check out The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow. Early readers on Goodreads have already rated this novel very highly, and it seems that Harrow has outdone herself once again. Some of her previous works include The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Starling House, and The Once and Future Witches. In this newest tale, a female knight and a modern-day scholar become connected through time and must work together to stop their story from looping. Its premise is giving "Arthurian legend meets Outlander" vibes, and I am here for it!
Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children’s books and recruiting posters―but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten.
Centuries later, Owen Mallory―failed soldier, struggling scholar―falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to war, to the archives―and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs.
But that story always ends the same way. If they want to rewrite Una’s legend―if they want to tell a different story--they’ll have to rewrite history itself.
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Blood for the Undying Throne by Sung-il Kim (The Bleeding Empire #2) — Oct. 28
Blood for the Undying Throne is the second book in The Bleeding Empire series by Sung-il Kim. It has been translated into English by Anton Hur and continues the stories of Loran and Arienne, though Cain is no longer a main character. They are still trying to fight against the Empire that gets its power from the corpses of sorcerers. But this time, we also get to learn about a past before the Empire's takeover. This sequel shows how getting rid of one tyrannical ruler may only leave room for a worse one to take their place.
The Empire continues to enforce its so-called peace with massive war machines that destroy anything that opposes their might. Though the conquered are wholly at the mercy of the Empire, desperate odds such as these can be fertile soil for heroic resistance.
Last seen rallying under Loran’s banner, Emere is now a powerless politician in the Imperial Capital. But when an assassination attempt is made on his life, he discovers that he may just be at the center of sinister plots brewing in the highest levels of the Empire.
Arienne has crossed the continent on a mission to learn more about the Star of Mersia, the infamous yet mysterious weapon that decimated the country of Mersia in a single day. But when she arrives at the supposedly lifeless land, Arienne is shocked to find much more than ruins.
One hundred and seventy years ago, before the Empire laid waste to its plains and its people, Mersia suffers under the whims of the ruthless Grim King Eldred. When Yuma, the chief cattle herder, meets an emissary from the Empire, she dares to hope that this foreign nation might have the power to overthrow the Grim King and end his reign of terror. But Yuma will learn, only once it’s too late, that aligning with the Empire will have consequences that reverberate through the ages.
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Witches of Dubious Origin by Jenn McKinlay — Oct. 28
If scary stories aren't your thing, but you still want a fantasy to read for Halloween, Witches of Dubious Origin will be one to check out. This cozy fantasy by mystery and romance author Jenn McKinlay has all the feelings of Fall without the horror genre slipping in. A librarian discovers that she's descended from witches and suddenly, her simple life becomes quite chaotic. Trying to unravel the mysteries of her family and facing a destiny she's unsure she wants, Zoe's world becomes a lot bigger thanks to the magical creatures she now has following her. There is of course a love interest for Zoe as well, so it's a perfect cozy read for those wanting witchy vibes and no chills.
Zoe Ziakas enjoys a quiet life, working as a librarian in her quaint New England town. When a mysterious black book with an unbreakable latch is delivered to the library, Zoe has a strange feeling the tome is somehow calling to her. She decides to consult the Museum of Literature, home to volumes of indecipherable secrets, some possessing dark magic that must be guarded.
Here, among their most dangerous collection, the Books of Dubious Origin, Zoe discovers that she is the last descendant of a family of witches and this little black book is their grimoire. Zoe knows she must decode the family’s spell book and solve the mystery of what happened to her mother and her grandmother. However, the book’s potential power draws all things magical to it, and Zoe finds herself under the constant watch of a pesky raven, while being chased by undead Vikings, ghost pirates, and assorted ghouls.
With assistance from the eccentric staff of the Books of Dubious Origin department—including their annoyingly smart and handsome containment specialist, Jasper Griffin—Zoe must confront her past and the legacy of her family. But as their adventure unfolds, she’ll have to decide whether or not she’s ready to embrace her destiny.
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If you need something to read while waiting for trick-or-treaters to come to the door, or you just want your TBR list to get into the Halloween spirit, then definitely try any or all of these books. Whether you want a good scare or a cozy story of enchantment, you won't be disappointed by these fantasy and science fiction releases.