So far, 2025 has been a fantastic year for fantasy and speculative fiction in the literary space. This includes stand-out works such as The Devils by Joe Abercrombie, Grave Empire by Richard Swan, and Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E Schwab.
But the year is far from over, fellow bookworms. There are plenty of upcoming novels, novellas, anthologies, and collections to look forward to and bloat your TBR to absurd numbers. Here are some of the most highly anticipated fantasy books still to come in 2025.
1. Queen Demon by Martha Wells
Martha Wells, the sarcastic, introverted mind behind the bestselling sci-fi series The Murderbot Diaries, revisits her fantasy shared-world, which is a bold and fresh take on the epic genre.
Queen Demon is the second book in The Rising World series, and a direct sequel to The Witch King. The story follows Kai, who was assassinated and bound to a well for a long time, only to turn into the dreaded Witch King.
The world's changed, but Kai still seeks answers. In the wake of a rising heirarch, and gravediggers close to finding his tomb, Kai must choose whether he can trust his companions to do what's best as he tries to stop the rise of a new heirarch.
Queen Demon is expected to be published on Oct. 7, 2025.
2. Tailored Realities
It just wouldn't be a list of highly anticipated fantasy books without mentioning a project from arguably the most prolific writer in the industry, Brandon Sanderson. I'd be surprised if there was a year when he doesn't publish a book.
Nonetheless, he keeps providing his fans with tailored treats, or Tailored Realities, I should say. I apologize for that segue, but to be serious, Sanderson's newest collection of short stories looks to be a must-have for anyone a fan of the author's work, Cosmere, or a fantasy reader looking for something fresh and digestible.
Sanderson is known for his crystal clear, straight-to-the-point, script-like prose, which makes his work approachable for new readers. This short story collection features an unpublished novella titled Moment Zero, along with previously published novellas from the Cosmere universe, all bundled together in this sleek sleeve.
Tailored Realities is expected to be published on Dec. 9, 2025.
3. Outlaw Planet by M.R. Carey
You're either excited for a new novel because you're a fan of the author, or the back-of-the-book blurb actually did its job.
For me, Outlaw Planet by M.R. Carey was the latter, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. It's extremely imaginative and characterized with so little.
The story follows Bess, also known as Dog-Bitch. She's a lone outlaw. The story also, somehow, follows the iron on her hip, Wakeful Slim, and the dead man who once wielded it. It's about one woman, one gun, and the entire multiverse against them.
Blood is an abundant currency in vengeance, but pays for very little in the end. Only more violence. More war. How much of it will catch up with Bess?
Outlaw Planet will be in your orbit on Nov. 18, 2025.
4. Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree
From Travis Baldree, author of the best-sellers that popularized the cozy fantasy genre craze with Legends & Lattes and Bookshops & Bonedust, comes a brand new "low-stakes" high fantasy emotional tale, Brigands & Breadknives.
The latest novel follows Fern, who, after working as a bookseller for many years, moves to the city of Thune to be near her absent friend's coffee shop. Unfortunately for the rattkin, life is full of surprises we never ask for. As she unexpectedly accompanies a legendary warrior and a chaos goblin with a bounty on their head, Fern may rediscover the person she was before she sold it to her business.
Brigands & Breadknives will arrive in a bookshop near you on Nov. 11, 2025.
5. Alchemised by SenLinYu
Last on our list, we have a highly anticipated debut novel from SenLinYu titled Alchemised.
Set in a dark fantasy world crawling with undead creatures and forbidden magic, where evil has won and the Resistance is defeated, Helena Marino is the only survivor she knows. That's if you can trust her to know anything due to her "inexplicable memory loss."
Thought to have been a mere healer in the Resistance's ranks, Paladia's ruling class is unsure whether to settle on that assumption. Could she have been more, and if so, what other secrets does her past hold? She's shipped to High Reeve, where the notorious necromancer will probe for answers himself.
Can she keep her mind together long enough to reclaim her past self before her captors snatch it from her soul? And what if, I wonder, if the war is truly over?
Alchemised rises from the graveyard soil on Sep. 23, 2025.
That's only a handful of wonderful works to expect for the remainder of 2025. Which one are you most excited for? I wish I could've mentioned George R.R. Martin's The Winds of Winter, but alas, we can keep dreaming, can't we? At least we have these novels to look forward to in the near future.