18 fantasy and science fiction books to read in November 2023
By Daniel Roman
BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes #2) — October 7
Legends & Lattes was author Travis Baldree’s hit debut novel, a cozy fantasy book that followed the orc warrior Viv as she hung up her sword and opened a coffee shop. It was a fun read with a ton of heart, and it got a lot of buzz when it came out for how much it leaned into the lighter side of the fantasy genre.
This month, Baldree is releasing a prequel novel called Bookshops & Bonedust. This will presumably bridge the gap between Viv’s decision to call it quits on mercenary work and her coffee shop days. If you’re a fantasy reader who wants to sip pumpkin spice and get cozy this fall, this one is ideal.
Viv’s career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam’s Ravens isn’t going as planned.
Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she’s packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk—so far from the action that she worries she’ll never be able to return to it.
What’s a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?
Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn’t possibly imagine.
Still, adventure isn’t all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.
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SLAY by Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #30) — November 7
Slay is the 30th novel in Laurell K. Hamilton’s paranormal romance series Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter. Hamilton and Anita Blake are pretty much mainstays of the genre at this point; this 30th book is releasing 30 years after the first, which is fitting.
This time around, Anita is getting married! To a vampire! Or at least, she will be if she can navigate one of her most dangerous challenges yet.
Necromancer Anita Blake is small, dark, and dangerous. Her turf is the city of St. Louis. Her job: U.S. Marshal—Preternatural Branch. She’s faced horrifying monsters and brutal killers and come out the other side still standing.
Considering how things in her life tend to go, Anita never expected her walk down the aisle with Jean-Claude to go smoothly. They’ve already been confronted with naysayers and a power-hungry ancient evil, but now Anita has to do the one thing that actually scares her: introduce her very religious, very human relatives to her fiancé—the newly crowned vampire king of America.
As Anita tries to keep the peace between the family she left behind and the family she’s chosen, dark forces jump at the chance to take advantage of the chaos. With her happy-ever-after at risk and everyone’s immortal souls hanging in the balance, Anita grapples with a hard truth: Blood makes you related, but loyalty makes you family.