15 highly anticipated fantasy and science fiction books coming this fall

Leviathan Falls, the final book in The Expanse series, is just one of many great sci-fi and fantasy books coming out before the end of 2021!

Last week we got together a list of amazing science fiction and fantasy books that you might have missed from 2020, because that year was a giant dumpster fire and there were a lot of great stories that flew by under the radar.

But hey, you’re up-to-date. You read like a fiend. You need the latest books, lest your bookshelves implode in a fiery ball of dissatisfaction!

We hear you, which is why this week we’re lining up another list: this time, it’s the science fiction and fantasy releases coming out this fall. This has been a highly condensed year of great book releases, due in no small part to the fact that many novels that were originally scheduled to release in 2020 ended up being delayed thanks to the coronavirus. We’ve seen the end of The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen by K.S. Villoso, the Sapphic Trifecta, the start of a new series by John Gwynne, A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine (the sequel to her highly acclaimed A Memory Called Empire), and so many more.

But if the year has been good for sci-fi and fantasy books, this fall is looking incredible. So many great releases are coming up that it’ll be a challenge to read them all.

Without further adieu, let’s dig in! We’re going to go through these puppies in release order so that you can properly prioritize your reading for maximum epic times.

1. The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie (9/14)

You probably should have known this one was coming, right? Joe Abercrombie, master of grimdark fantasy, never fails to carve a bloody path onto lists like this, because his books are just that damn awesome. Abercrombie’s latest release marks the end of his new trilogy set in the First Law world, The Age of Madness. These books see the Union powering forward into an industrial revolution…but in typical Abercrombie fashion, it’s a dark, gritty affair with characters whose morals range are rarely kept in tact.

The Age of Madness is set around 30 years after the end of Abercrombie’s original First Law trilogy, and follows several descendants of the original crew like Savine dan Glokta and Prince Orso, as well as a bunch of memorable new characters. Add to that the fact that everyone’s favorite selfish wizard Bayaz is still around pulling strings and you have a recipe for one of those exceedingly bittersweet tales that are Joe Abercrombie’s trademark.

Since we don’t want to spoil anything for you in case you haven’t started in on The Age of Madness yet, here’s the description from the first book of this newest trilogy, A Little Hatred:

"The chimneys of industry rise over Adua and the world seethes with new opportunities. But old scores run deep as ever. On the blood-soaked borders of Angland, Leo dan Brock struggles to win fame on the battlefield, and defeat the marauding armies of Stour Nightfall. He hopes for help from the crown. But King Jezal’s son, the feckless Prince Orso, is a man who specialises in disappointments. Savine dan Glokta – socialite, investor, and daughter of the most feared man in the Union – plans to claw her way to the top of the slag-heap of society by any means necessary. But the slums boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control. The age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die. With the help of the mad hillwoman Isern-i-Phail, Rikke struggles to control the blessing, or the curse, of the Long Eye. Glimpsing the future is one thing, but with the guiding hand of the First of the Magi still pulling the strings, changing it will be quite another…"

The Wisdom of Crowds hits shelves on September 14.

2. Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer (9/14)

If you’re hoping for a revolution that isn’t quite as soulcrushing, then perhaps Defy the Night will be a bit more to your taste. This is the newest novel from Brigid Kemmerer, author of The Elementals series, Thicker Than Water, Letters to the Lost, and a bunch of other books. It’s been described as a dark fantasy story with Robin Hood vibes, and begins with the main characters stealing supplies to make elixirs for the sick who cannot afford them. That, of course, begets all sorts of questions about what has brought the in-world society to the bitter brink of revolution.

Here’s the official description:

"Apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade is tired of seeing her people die. King Harristan and his cruel brother, Prince Corrick, ignore the suffering of their people and react mercilessly to any sign of rebellion, even as a sickness ravages the land. That’s why she and her best friend Wes risk their lives each night to steal the petals of the delicate Moonflower, the only known cure. But it’s not enough to keep everyone she loves safe-or alive. When Prince Corrick commits an act of unspeakable cruelty, Tessa becomes desperate enough to try the impossible: sneaking into the palace. But what she finds there makes her wonder if it’s even possible to fix their world without destroying it first."

Color us intrigued. Defy the Night comes out on September 14.

3. The Bone Ship’s Wake by R.J. Barker (9/28)

If you enjoy reading about sea voyages, misfit crews, and nautical warfare, then you’ll love R.J. Barker’s Tide Child Trilogy, which began in 2019 with The Bone Ships. The final installment, The Bone Ship’s Wake, is due out in September, and promises to be an epic conclusion to a highly original and exciting series.

The Bone Ships and its sequels follow the crew of the titular Tide Child, a ship made from the bones of sea dragons. Sea dragon bones are an extremely valued resource on the archipelago world of The Hundred Isles; they’re a superior, magical building material used to create extremely powerful ships for the two warring nations of the novel. The Tide Child is captained by Lucky Meas and crewed by a group of misfit criminals who are given a second chance and shipped off on a suicide mission.

The story mainly focuses on Lucky Meas’ first mate Joron Twinner as he undergoes a huge transformation to become a leader worth following. But a huge part of the joy of the Tide Child books is the fascinating and fun world that Barker has created. It has some highly structured societal caste issues…but the way the author deftly handles them with plentiful dashes of wit and humor, keeping things entertaining. Right up until the books punch you in the heart strings.

The Bone Ship’s Wake will see the tale of Joron and the Tide Child crew come to an end on September 28.

4. A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow (10/5)

Heading into October, one of the first fantasy releases on the calendar is A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow. Harrow is best known for her novels The Once and Future Witches and The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Her newest release is a fairytale retelling with a fun multiversal twist. Here’s the back-of-book description for A Spindle Splintered:

"It’s Zinnia Gray’s twenty-first birthday, which is extra-special because it’s the last birthday she’ll ever have. When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition. Not much is known about her illness, just that no one has lived past twenty-one. Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia’s last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate."

Sleeping Beauty meets the multiverse in a story that promises to be thought-provoking and challenge age-old fairytale tropes. And since this book is a novella, it’s perfect for devouring in a minimum number of sittings for maximum immersion.

A Spindle Splintered comes out on October 5.

5. Trailer Park Trickster by David R. Slayton (10/12)

Moving into the realm of urban fantasy, we have Trailer Park Trickster by David R. Slayton. This is the second book in Slayton’s Adam Binder series, which began with White Trash Warlock in 2020. The series follows the titular Adam Binder, a man gifted with the Sight to see and sense otherworldly beings and energies. In the first book, Adam had to contend with his painful past, a difficult family, and being ostracized both because of his gifts and because he’s a gay man born in the rural South. In the first novel, Adam had to face some of those past hurts head on when he went out to Denver to get to investigate a dark entity that had possessed his sister-in-law.

The second book sees Binder back in the crossfire as he once again finds his family the target of supernatural powers.

"Returning to Guthrie, Oklahoma for the funeral of his mysterious and beloved Aunt Sue, Adam Binder once again finds himself in the path of deadly magic when a dark druid begins to prey on members of Adam’s family. It all seems linked to the death of Adam’s father many years ago—a man who may have somehow survived as a warlock. Watched by the police, separated from the man who may be the love of his life, compelled to seek the truth about his connection to the druid, Adam learns more about his family and its troubled history than he ever bargained for, and finally comes face to face with the warlock he has vowed to stop. Meanwhile, beyond the Veil of the mortal world, Argent the Queen of Swords and Vic the Reaper undertake a dangerous journey to a secret meeting of the Council of Races . . . where the sea elves are calling for the destruction of humanity."

It’s rare to find a book in the urban fantasy sphere that can stand on the level with greats like Jim Butcher, and even rarer for said book to feature an LGBTQ+ lead character. There’s a lot to love about this series, and if urban fantasy is your jam it’s absolutely worth a look.

Trailer Park Trickster hits on October 12.

6. Far From the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson (10/26)

Leaving the heavy bounds of the Earth, our next book sees us blasting into space aboard the colony ship Ragtime. Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author Tade Thompson, author of The Wormwood Trilogy, has a new standalone science fiction novel coming out that promises to be filled with deep moral quandaries and spiritual reckonings. Far From the Light of Heaven is billed as a mystery meets sci-fi political thriller in space. The acting captain of the Ragtime has to team up with an investigator and several other intriguing characters to unravel a bloody mystery that is taking place aboard her ship.

Here’s the back-of-book:

"The colony ship Ragtime docks in the Lagos system, having traveled light-years to bring one thousand sleeping souls to a new home among the stars. But when first mate Michelle Campion rouses, she discovers some of the sleepers will never wake. Answering Campion’s distress call, investigator Rasheed Fin is tasked with finding out who is responsible for these deaths. Soon a sinister mystery unfolds aboard the gigantic vessel, one that will have repercussions for the entire system—from the scheming politicians of Lagos station, to the colony planet Bloodroot, to other far-flung systems, and indeed to Earth itself."

We don’t know too much about this book yet, but from what we’ve been able to gather from early reviews it sounds like the team on the Ragtime will deal with a long list of issues ranging from escaped biological experiments to rogue AIs and even some unexpected animal life. To say more would risk spoilers, and dear reader, we would not do such a thing to you.

Far From the Light of Heaven comes out on October 28.

7. The Veiled Throne by Ken Liu (11/2)

We’re now into November, which is going to be THE MONTH OF BOOKS. It kicks off with the release of The Veiled Throne, the third book in Ken Liu’s Dandelion Dynasty series. This was originally slated to be the final book of the series, but due to the sheer size and majesty of the novel, Liu and his publisher decided to split it in two. The first book, The Veiled Throne, comes out this November, while the final book, The Speaking Bones, is expected to release in 2022.

The Dandelion Dynasty follows Kuni Garu, a man who was once a feckless layabout but who eventually grew an empire on the back of destiny, ambition and war. Over the course of the novels the focus shifts between many characters, especially members of Kuni’s family, namely his daughter Théra. The first novel, The Grace of Kings, gained a huge following when it came out due in no small part to Liu’s incredibly imaginative Asian-inspired fantasy world. There’s an epic, mythical quality to the author’s storytelling that has made The Dandelion Dynasty one of the most notable fantasy series of the past decade.

These novels are a rumination on the corrupting nature of power and rulership, told by one of this generation’s greatest storytellers.

The Veiled Throne lands on November 2.

8. The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart (11/9)

It feels like I just got done raving about The Bone Shard Daughter in last week’s article, but here we find ourselves again to talk about the sequel, because this…this is a series that every fantasy fan should know about.

The Bone Shard Emperor is the second book in Andrea Stewart’s debut trilogy, The Drowning Empire, and if the first book is any indication, this is going to be one of the fall’s biggest releases. The Bone Shard Daughter was a highly original story about an empire teetering on the brink of insurrection, told from the viewpoints of multiple characters occupying various positions in the society. The story had some beats that will likely feel familiar to fantasy fans, but the skills, twists, and narrative tricks that Stewart employed to tell the tale made it stand out.

At the heart of the book is Lin, the daughter of the emperor, who begins the story with amnesia and is undergoing a sort of training regiment to help her regain her memories so that she can properly succeed her father one day. That training regiment involves teaching her how to manipulate constructs, monstrous creatures sewn together from the bodies of various animals and powered by bone shards. In this world, the Empire’s subjects are forced as children to give up a literal piece of their skull, which the Emperor uses to power the constructs and, presumably, keep everyone safe from an ancient magical enemy.

As you might imagine, this isn’t the most popular system among the people. All the characters become swept up in this uprising in one way or another, but one particular player worth noting is Jovis, a smuggler turned unwilling hero who happens to have the single most lovable animal companion of any book in recent memory. It’s worth reading these books for Mephi alone, and that is a hill I will gladly die on.

The Bone Shard Emperor picks up immediately following the events of the first novel. Which is great, since that book ended in an extremely satisfying way that somehow still managed to be an incredible cliffhanger. Nothing is what it seems in this series, and the twists are nuts. Definitely one to mark on your calendar.

The Bone Shard Emperor comes out on November 9.

9. The Fall of Babel by Josiah Bancroft (11/9)

Another book coming out on November 9 is The Fall of Babel, the final volume of Josiah Bancroft’s The Books of Babel. This series follows Thomas Senlin as he traverses the mythical Tower of Babel in search of his lost wife, who has vanished into the recesses of the imposing and mysterious structure. The first book was a runaway self-published smash hit, before Orbit Books picked up the series and helped bring the rest of Bancroft’s vision to the world.

The tale of Babel has been long and twisting. It’s made up of three books: Senlin Ascends (2018), Arm of the Sphinx (2018) and The Hod King (2019). Since we wouldn’t want to spoil any of the surprises, let’s take a journey back to the where it all begin with the description for book one:

"The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel in the world. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of luxury and menace, of unusual animals and mysterious machines. Soon after arriving for his honeymoon at the Tower, the mild-mannered headmaster of a small village school, Thomas Senlin, gets separated from his wife, Marya, in the overwhelming swarm of tourists, residents, and miscreants. Senlin is determined to find Marya, but to do so he’ll have to navigate madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassins, and the illusions of the Tower. But if he hopes to find his wife, he will have to do more than just endure. This quiet man of letters must become a man of action."

The Fall of Babel lands on shelves November 9.

10. Noor by Nnedi Okorafor (11/9)

From the mind that brought us Binti and Who Fears Death comes a new tale of Africanfuturism set in a near-future Nigeria. Nnedi Okorafor is a force in the genre; she writes incredibly thought-provoking stories that have won tons of awards and made waves across the science fiction community. Who Fears Death is currently being adapted for television by HBO, with George R.R. Martin attached as an executive producer. I think it’s safe to say we can expect to see even more of this prolific and insightful author in the coming years.

Noor is a brand new story not connected to any of Okorafor’s other works. Here’s the back-of-book:

"Anwuli Okwudili prefers to be called AO. To her, these initials have always stood for Artificial Organism. AO has never really felt…natural, and that’s putting it lightly. Her parents spent most of the days before she was born praying for her peaceful passing because even in-utero she was “wrong”. But she lived. Then came the car accident years later that disabled her even further. Yet instead of viewing her strange body the way the world views it, as freakish, unnatural, even the work of the devil, AO embraces all that she is: A woman with a ton of major and necessary body augmentations. And then one day she goes to her local market and everything goes wrong. Once on the run, she meets a Fulani herdsman named DNA and the race against time across the deserts of Northern Nigeria begins. In a world where all things are streamed, everyone is watching the “reckoning of the murderess and the terrorist” and the “saga of the wicked woman and mad man” unfold. This fast-paced, relentless journey of tribe, destiny, body, and the wonderland of technology revels in the fact that the future sometimes isn’t so predictable. Expect the unaccepted."

Even from that description alone, it seems all but certain that Noor will be a reading experience like nothing else this year. It comes out on November 9.

11. Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson (11/9)

“Wait,” you might be saying, “didn’t we get a Stormlight Archive book last year?” Yes, dear reader, we certainly did, but since when did such a thing ever stop Brandon Sanderson, the writing machine? While last year’s Rhythm of War was a mainline Stormlight book that spanned over a thousand pages, Dawnshard is a short novella that follows several smaller characters and takes place between Volumes 3 and 4 of the main series. It features a sea voyage, a mysterious island, and primarily follows Rysn, one of the interlude characters from the mainline novels.

If you’re experiencing a bit of déjà vu seeing this title here, there’s a reason for that. Sanderson originally released Dawnshard as a self-published book early last year, when he was running a Kickstarter for the leatherbound edition of The Way of Kings. However, this fall Tor Books will be doing a proper mini-hardcover release of Dawnshard that will be more widely available. So whether you missed Dawnshard the first time around or if this is your first time reading it, it’s a good time to revisit Roshar.

After all, who doesn’t want to read a story that features The Lopen as a main character?

Dawnshard releases on November 9. A paperback edition of Rhythm of War comes out the following week on November 17.

12. Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey (11/18)

Of all the releases coming out this fall, the most historic may be Leviathan Falls, the concluding volume of The Expanse. Nine books and eight piece of shorter fiction later, the story of James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante will finally be coming to a close this year. It’s a bittersweet moment for sure, but also amazing that author James S.A. Corey (the joint pen name for authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) will be bringing this series to its epic finale.

The Expanse hardly needs an introduction at this point, because it’s been adapted into a highly successful television series on Amazon Prime Video that’s heading into its sixth and final season. And unlike so many other adaptations out there, the books and show capitalize on their specific mediums incredibly well; they’re both riveting in different ways, each well worth your time and attention.

We can’t even really talk about Leviathan Falls’ plot, because when a series is on Book 9 there’s obviously a lot of room for spoilers. But suffice it to say that Abraham and Franck have thus far nailed every single one of these books with pinpoint storytelling precision. There’s no reason to expect Leviathan Falls won’t be exactly as amazing as we’re all hoping for.

Leviathan Falls releases on November 18.

13. Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson (11/23)

In true Sanderson fashion, we have not one but two new releases coming out from fantasy’s most prolific author this fall. Unlike Dawnshard, however, Cytonic is not set in the Cosmere (the interconnected universe that encompasses most of Sanderson’s adult fantasy stories). Cytonic is the third volume of the Skyward series, which are young adult sci-fi books. But don’t let the age classification fool you; Skyward is still a classic Sanderson story sure to please most fans of his more adult works as well.

Skyward (2019), Starsight (2020), and Cytonic (2021) follow Spensa, an underdog turned starfighter pilot, as she attempts to uncover the secrets of humanity’s existence and defend her planet from an alien species known as the Krell. But of course, there’s much more to the situation than it first seems. Here’s the back-of-book:

"Spensa’s life as a Defiant Defense Force pilot has been far from ordinary. She proved herself one of the best starfighters in the human enclave of Detritus and she saved her people from extermination at the hands of the Krell—the enigmatic alien species that has been holding them captive for decades. What’s more, she traveled light-years from home as an undercover spy to infiltrate the Superiority, where she learned of the galaxy beyond her small, desolate planet home. Now, the Superiority—the governing galactic alliance bent on dominating all human life—has started a galaxy-wide war. And Spensa’s seen the weapons they plan to use to end it: the Delvers. Ancient, mysterious alien forces that can wipe out entire planetary systems in an instant. Spensa knows that no matter how many pilots the DDF has, there is no defeating this predator. Except that Spensa is Cytonic. She faced down a Delver and saw something eerily familiar about it. And maybe, if she’s able to figure out what she is, she could be more than just another pilot in this unfolding war. She could save the galaxy. The only way she can discover what she really is, though, is to leave behind all she knows and enter the Nowhere. A place from which few ever return. To have courage means facing fear. And this mission is terrifying."

Consider us terrified…of the wait until this book comes out. Cytonic is due out on November 23.

14. Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee (11/30)

Rounding out the epic month that is November 2021 is Jade Legacy, the final volume of Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga. The story of the Kaul family that began back in Jade City is nearing its end, which means that we can expect our hearts to be shattered in a million different ways and to have no emotional reservoir left by the time we finish reading it.

The Green Bone Saga is a rather unique fantasy series that doesn’t fit neatly into any typical subgenres. The world that Lee has crafted is much more modern, harkening back to the ’60s and ’70s: think Godfather-era mobsters, but in an extremely cool Asian-influenced society set on an island that is the sole source of naturally occurring jade, which is the most valuable substance in the world because it can imbue those who possess it with a vast array of magical powers.

Jade City was set entirely on the island of Kekon. Lee’s trilogy is also unique in that the author sought to imbue each volume of the story with elements that seriously differentiate it from the others. Jade City is the story of a bloody war between two clans for control of the island, Jade War takes that conflict international by involving various other foreign nations, and the forthcoming Jade Legacy makes things intergenerational.

We’ve talked about the uniqueness of the series, and it’s worth reading for that alone…but on top of that, Lee manages to make everything from duels to raids on safehouses to forensic accounting seem cool as hell. The writing is snappy and gripping and the characters are incredibly relatable. For as ambitious and far-reaching as The Green Bone Saga is, at its core it’s a story about a generation of the Kaul family of clan No Peak as they struggle to reconcile their lives with their changing world and keep those they love from being swept up in the tides of violence. Over the course of the series the characters shift across a moral spectrum, often swinging from endearingly tender to shockingly ruthless as circumstances dictate.

The result has been an amazingly powerful journey, and from early reviews, it sounds like Lee has really nailed the ending to the trilogy.

Jade Legacy hits shelves on November 30.

15. Discordia by K.S. Merbeth (12/7)

Speaking of crime families, our final book for this round-up takes that idea to space. K.S. Merbeth’s Nova Vita Protocol trilogy follows the Kaisers, a family of spacefaring smugglers who travel the titular Nova Vita system on a variety of different misadventures. The series is told from two viewpoints: Scorpia, the oldest daughter of the family and a brash pilot who is constantly getting herself into trouble; and Corvus, the eldest son and prospective heir of the family’s ship, who begins the series as a conscripted soldier on the ice planet Titan. The first two volumes, Fortuna and Memoria, saw the Kaiser siblings come into their own as a crew…after causing a near-genocide and preventing another. Memoria ended with the Kaisers no longer able to stay in the shadows, instead being forced into the public spotlight as they try to avert an interplanetary war that threatens to destroy entire worlds. Discordia promises to finish out the tale in epic fashion.

The premise behind the Kaiser family’s smuggling enterprise is that each sibling (five in total) was born on a different planet in the Nova Vita system. They are all above to to smuggle goods anywhere in the system, which is in a state of near-cold war at the beginning of the series.

At least, all the siblings were born on planets except for Scorpia, who was born in space. She’s the family’s pilot, an alcoholic, a daring rogue, and a damn good time to read about. Corvus, on the other hand, is a character torn between two worlds: his criminal family and his excessively patriotic homeworld Titan. The result is a fantastic story highly focused on the family’s inner workings. The Kaisers’ strongest resource is each other, and throughout the series their ability to rely on one another is driven home again and again, even as conflicts develop between them.

The setting that Merbeth has developed is outstanding. Nova Vita features six different planets, each with extremely well-developed ecologies and cultures. Combined with the mayhem the Kaisers cause, this goes a long way toward making Nova Vita an excellent place to spend a reading vacation.

The final volume of the Kaiser family’s story blasts off in Discordia on December 7.

And thus concludes our round-up of fantasy and sci-fi books coming this fall and winter. Did we miss a title you’re looking forward to? Let us know in the comments!

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