Horror continues to enjoy a heyday, with plenty of ghost stories on offer to get readers through spooky season. Meanwhile, forthcoming fantasy and sci-fi titles pit underdog heroes against oppressive systems.
Top 10
The Circumference of the World
Lavie Tidhar. Tachyon, Sept. 5 ($17.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-61696-362-0)
At the center of this sci-fi novel from World Fantasy Award winner Tidhar is another sci-fi novel—a mysterious work that sends an unlikely band of characters on a wild goose chase to hunt it down.
Cuckoo
Gretchen Felker-Martin. Nightfire, Jan. 30 ($18.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-250-79466-6)
“Scared straight” takes on an all too literal meaning in Manhunt author Felker-Martin’s latest horror novel, set at a 1990s conversion therapy camp that hides a supernatural secret.
The Fragile Threads of Power
V.E. Schwab. Tor, Sept. 26 ($29.99, ISBN 978-0-7653-8749-3)
A spin-off of the bestselling Shades of Magic series, the first fantasy in the Threads of Power series follows Kosika, the fanatical new queen of White London; Rhy Maresh, the embattled king of Red London; and mysterious newcomer Tes, whose magic may be able to reunite the splintered city.
The Free People’s Village
Sim Kern. Levine Querido, Sept. 12 ($26.99, ISBN 978-1-64614-266-8)
In Kern’s alternate timeline, Al Gore won the 2000 presidential election and Democrats have held power ever since, but structural change remains elusive. Against this greenwashed backdrop, the members of a queer punk band join the fight to save their neighborhood from gentrification.
The Hurricane Wars
Thea Guanzon. Harper Voyager, Oct. 3 ($30, ISBN 978-0-06-327727-4)
Guanzon’s romantasy debut pits freedom fighter Talasyn against the oppressive Night Empire—but there’s no denying her attraction to its prince, Alaric.
Jewel Box: Stories
E. Lily Yu. Erewhon, Oct. 24 ($26.95, ISBN 978-1-64566-048-4)
The debut collection from Astounding Award winner Yu brings together 22 fabulist and genre-bending shorts.
The Night House
Jo Nesbø, trans. by Neil Smith. Knopf, Oct. 3 ($29, ISBN 978-0-593-53716-9)
The bestselling mystery author makes his horror debut with the story of 14-year-old Richard Elauved, the only person in his village to recognize that it’s haunted.
The Reformatory
Tananarive Due. Saga, Oct. 31 ($28.99, ISBN 978-1-982188-34-4)
A segregated boy’s reformatory school in Jim Crow–era Florida plays host to the ghosts of all the students who have died within its walls, in the latest from NAACP Image Award winner Due.
Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon
Wole Talabi. DAW, Aug. 8 ($27, ISBN 978-0-7564-1826-7)
Shigidi, a jaded Nigerian nightmare god, attempts to buy his freedom from the pantheon by stealing an ancient relic from the British Museum with help from mysterious succubus Nneoma.
Sordidez
E.G. Condé. Stelliform, Aug. 1 ($15.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-77768-236-1)
In a near future Puerto Rico ravaged by climate change, trans journalist Vero is pulled into the orbit of the revolutionary Loba Roja. PW’s starred review called it “brutal, mystical, and deeply felt.”
SF, Fantasy & Horror longlist
47North
Androne by Dwain Worrell (Sept. 1, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-66251-197-4). In the near feature, humanity wages war on an unseen enemy via remotely piloted humanoid drones—but as new drone pilot and father-to-be Paxton rises in military rank, he comes to question just who (or what) he’s fighting.
Ace
Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J.A. Bear (Aug. 8, $27, ISBN 978-0-593-54776-2) retells the Greek myth of Medusa through the eyes of her oft forgotten sisters, gorgons Stheno and Euryale.
AK Press
Inversion by Aric McBay (Nov. 21, $17 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-84935-504-9). The nomadic citizens of the utopian planet Germinal live in perfect harmony despite the wildfires that keep them on the move—but when imperialist forces invade, their way of life is irrevocably changed.
Angry Robot
Lessons in Birdwatching by Honey Watson (Aug. 8, $17.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-915202-53-6). On the brutal planet Apech, where executions are commonplace and a time plague distorts the perceptions of the infected, a group of hedonistic researchers unearth a political conspiracy that sparks civil war.
Atlantic Monthly
Touched by Walter Mosley (Oct. 10, $26, ISBN 978-0-8021-6184-0). Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Mosley spins a sci-fi yarn about the only Black man in an exclusive Los Angeles neighborhood, who becomes convinced that humanity is a virus that will destroy all other life-forms.
Atria
Where the Dead Wait by Ally Wilkes (Dec. 5, $27.99, ISBN 978-1-982182-82-3). Thirteen years after a failed arctic expedition, Victorian explorer William Day sets out to redeem himself on a rescue mission for a stranded former crewmate—but ghosts lurk in the ice.
Berkley
The September House by Carissa Orlando (Sept. 5, $27, ISBN 978-0-593-54861-5). Eleven months out of the year, Margaret lives in her dream house—but every September it becomes a nightmare as angry ghosts make their presence known.
BHC
The Last Immortal by Natalie Gibson (Jan. 23, $30, ISBN 978-1-64397-254-1). Set in Victorian England, this paranormal horror novel kicks off when a secret society of immortals springs an inmate from an asylum and pressures her to join their ranks.
Blackstone
We Are the Crisis by Cadwell Turnbull (Nov. 7, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-982603-75-5) picks up where No Gods, No Monsters left off, returning to an alternate modern-day Earth where supernatural creatures have emerged from the shadows, sparking debates about “monster’s rights.”
Brain Lag
Szabra’s Souls and Other Stories by Sally McBride (Jan. 12, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-998795-13-0) collects sci-fi, fantasy, and horror shorts from throughout the Aurora Award–winning author’s career.
CamCat
The Darkness Surrounds Us by Gail Lukasik (Sept. 5, $27.99, ISBN 978-0-7443-0289-9). In the wake of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, nurse Nellie Lester is haunted by a ghost she believes to be her mother.
Crooked Lane
Mister Lullaby by J.H. Markert (Jan. 16, $29.99 ISBN 978-1-63910-547-2). An abandoned train tunnel is the only thing separating the residents of small-town Harrod’s Reach and the mysterious and macabre Lalaland, a world of monsters trying to break free.
Del Rey
The Blue, Beautiful World by Karen Lord (Aug. 29, $28, ISBN 978-0-593-59843-6). A pop star whose charisma verges on the supernatural is tapped to be humanity’s emissary to a newly discovered alien civilization.
Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare (Oct. 10, $30, ISBN 978-0-525-61999-4). Bestselling YA author Clare makes her adult debut with this epic fantasy series launch, introducing Kell, a prince’s body double, and magic wielder Lin as they are pulled into the criminal underworld of Castellane.
Dutton
The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen (Nov. 28, $28, ISBN 978-1-5247-4275-1) riffs on The Nutcracker with the story of Natasha, who resents that her sister, Clara, gets all the attention, and seeks revenge with the aid of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
ECW
The Girl Who Cried Diamonds and Other Stories by Rebecca Hirsch Garcia (Oct. 3, $18.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-77041-727-4). This collection of genre-bending short stories infused with the magic of folklore and fairy tales is Garcia’s debut.
Erewhon
Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase (Jan. 30, $26.95, ISBN 978-1-64566-056-9). In a dystopian near-future Botswana, where husbands remotely control their wives’ bodies via microchip, pregnant Nelah accidentally runs over a pedestrian—and the victim’s ghost pushes her to question her society’s power structures.
Flatiron
Silent City by Sarah Davis-Goff (Oct. 17, $27.99, ISBN 978-1-250-26262-2). Deadly creatures called skrakes have overrun Ireland, and the price of safety is submission to the oppressive government of Phoenix City. 50,000-copy announced first printing.
Forever
The Princess of Thornwood Drive by Khalia Moreau (Nov. 7, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-5387-2526-9). Laine believes that her sister, Alyssa, is in a coma. Alyssa believes that she’s the princess of Mirendale and has fallen under a horrible curse. Which of these parallel universes is real, or do they intersect?
Grand Central
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub (Oct. 3, $29, ISBN 978-1-5387-3920-4) retells Pride and Prejudice from the perspective of the flightiest Bennet sister, recast as a powerful sorceress.
Harper
The World Wasn’t Ready for You by Justin C. Key (Sept. 19, $30, ISBN 978-0-06-329042-6) gathers horror shorts that examine and subvert the roles generally afforded to Black characters in the genre.
Harper Voyager
Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun (Aug. 8, $32, ISBN 978-0-06-311262-9) launches an epic fantasy duology about a magic-wielding woman who sets out to avenge the death of her mother at the hands of a genocidal regime.
Hyperion Avenue
Malice House by Megan Shepherd (Aug. 1, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-368-09064-3). Artist Haven Marbury discovers a lost collection of horror stories written by her late, famous father and sets out to illustrate it—but what happens when the monsters contained within its pages turn out to be real?
Keylight
Pre-approved for Haunting: And Other Stories by Patrick Barb (Sept. 26, $27.99, ISBN 978-1-68442-948-6). The weird fiction shorts in Barb’s debut collection place millennials in horrifying and often supernatural situations.
Little, Brown
Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco (Oct. 3, $29, ISBN 978-0-316-55729-0). The bestselling YA author spins off her Kingdom of the Wicked series for her adult debut, a romantasy between competitors in a deadly tournament.
Meerkat
Dark Park by Kathe Koja (Aug. 15, $14.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-946154-87-3) returns to the cyberpunk world of Dark Factory, where virtual reality enhances the experiences of dedicated ravers.
MIRA
A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen (Jan. 30, $18.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-7783-6950-9). Scientists Mariana Pineda and Carter Cho fall in love while attempting to break free from the time loop that keeps them reliving the same four days over and over again.
MIT
Communications Breakdown: SF Stories About the Future of Connection, edited by Jonathan Strahan (Oct. 31, $22.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-262-54646-1), brings together stories about how technology affects human relationships from big-name science fiction authors including Elizabeth Bear, Cory Doctorow, S.B. Divya, and Ian McDonald.
Morrow
Edenville by Sam Rebelein (Oct. 3, $30, ISBN 978-0-06-325224-0). A floundering horror author accepts a position as writer-in-residence in a quaint small town that hides a terrifying secret.
Nightfire
The Dead Take the A Train by Richard Kadrey and Cassandra Khaw (Oct. 3, $28.99, ISBN 978-1-250-86702-5) opens the Carrion City duology with a tale of cosmic horror infecting New York City’s underground magic scene.
Orbit
The Phoenix King by Aparna Verma (Aug. 29, $18.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-316-52277-9) takes readers to the desert kingdom of Sayan where former assassin Yassen seeks to put his past behind him by entering the service of the Court of Flame.
Tonight, I Burn by Katharine Adams (Nov. 7, $18.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-316-55181-6). Penny Albright has the power to move between Life and Death, but her gift is strictly regulated by a tyrannical ruler. When Penny breaks the rules, she discovers startling secrets about both realms and incites a revolution.
Quirk
What Kind of Mother by Clay McLeod Chapman (Sept. 12, $21.99, ISBN 978-1-68369-380-2). After psychic Madi Price reads her ex-boyfriend’s palm, she becomes convinced that his long-missing infant son, Skyler, is still alive. Her quest to find him leads to horrors both supernatural and psychological. 100,000-copy announced first printing.
Random House
Fever House by Keith Rosson (Aug. 15, $28, ISBN 978-0-593-59575-6). A washed-up rock star and her adult son, a small-time drug dealer, are pulled into an apocalyptic whirlwind when they come into possession of a dangerous supernatural artifact that draws both bloodthirsty criminals and shady government agents to their door.
Redhook
Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs (Oct. 3, $18.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-316-56691-9) riffs on Beowulf from the perspective of Fryda, the monster slayer’s niece, who bucks expectations to become a warrior in her own right.
Red Tower
Sanctuary of the Shadow by Aurora Ascher (Jan. 9, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-64937-411-0) kicks off the Elemental Races series with a high-heat fantasy romance. 150,000-copy announced first printing.
Saga
More Perfect by Temi Oh (Aug. 15, $19.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-982142-83-4). The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice gets a sci-fi twist in this high-tech reimagining, set in a near-future London where virtual reality implants allow the government unprecedented control over the populace.
Small Beer
OKPsyche by Anya Johanna Deniro (Sept. 12, $15 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-61873-208-8). A trans woman navigates political and social upheaval in near-future Minnesota while working on a mysterious project and conversing with the ghosts of her family members.
Sourcebooks Landmark
The Witches at the End of the World by Chelsea Iversen (Oct. 17, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-72827-578-9). Witch sisters Kaija and Minna live in a remote Norwegian forest. Longing for community, Kaija sacrifices her magic in exchange for a normal life, leaving Minna feeling betrayed—and vengeful. 100,000-copy announced first printing.
St. Martin’s
Inheritance by Nora Roberts (Nov. 21, $30, ISBN 978-1-250-28832-5). A woman inherits a haunted house full of family secrets in bestseller Robert’s Lost Bride series starter. 1,000,000-copy announced first printing.
Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling (Oct. 10, $29, ISBN 978-1-250-28261-3). An egotistical scientist stumbles on her own mysterious doppelgänger while investigating a strange, otherworldly substance—and the more time she spends with her double, the more her own identity fades.
Titan
A Light Most Hateful by Hailey Piper (Oct. 10, $16.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-80336-420-9). A strange late-night storm brings monsters and mayhem to podunk Chapel Hill, Pa., in the latest horror novel from the Bram Stoker award winner.
Tor
He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan (Aug. 22, $28.99, ISBN 978-1-250-62182-5) concludes the tale of 14th-century Chinese warrior Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, that began in She Who Became the Sun. 200,000-copy announced first printing.
Tordotcom
System Collapse by Martha Wells (Nov. 14, $21.99, ISBN 978-1-250-82697-8). SecUnit, a literal killing machine who much prefers watching television to causing violence, returns in Hugo Award winner Wells’s seventh Murderbot adventure.
The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Jan. 16, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-250-85552-7). After Russian scientists resurrect the woolly mammoth, they need the help of expert elephant behaviorist Damira Khismatullina to teach these creatures to survive in the modern world. There’s just one problem: Damira’s long dead herself. 75,000-copy announced first printing.
Unbound
Who Hunts the Whale by Laura Kate Dale and Jane Aerith Magnet (Sept. 26, $17.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-78965-160-7). A woman lands her dream job with video game developer Supremacy Software only to discover the corporation’s dark side.
Union Square
The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk (Dec. 5, $17.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-4549-5043-1) takes readers to 1755 London, where watchmaker and single father Abel creates increasingly elaborate automata while his son, Zachary, learns to embrace the gift of second sight granted to him by his clockwork eye.
Univ. of Nebraska
Godfall by Van Jensen (Nov. 1, $21.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-4962-3521-3). A small Nebraskan town becomes the site of top-secret government research after an unconscious, three-mile-tall extraterrestrial being crash-lands nearby—leaving the local sheriff in way over his head.
Viking
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan (Jan. 9, $28, ISBN 978-0-593-65345-6). When grieving Sana and her father move into a dilapidated South African manor, she discovers the long-forgotten story of the original owners—as an invisible djinn who haunts the walls looks on.
Vintage
The Big Book of Cyberpunk, edited by Jared Shurin (Sept. 26, $28 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-593-46723-7), brings together more than 100 stories that exemplify the tropes and aesthetics of the cyberpunk genre.
