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    20 New Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Releases of October

    This post may contain affiliate links for products and services I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission. Read the full disclosure here.

    October is on its way, and so it’s time to look forward and see what great books are releasing this October 2020! I’m pleased to say that many of them are LGBTQ, which I think is great progress in terms of representation.

    If you want to check out the releases of September instead, you can do that here.

    fantasy and sci-fi book releases october 2020

    New Book Releases October Overview

    Jump directly to information about:


    Book Releases October 2020

    Salt Slow – Julia Armfield

    october book releases salt slow book cover

    Genre: Magical Realism, LGBTQ, Short Stories

    Pubdate: 1st of October

    Publisher: Picador USA

    It’s a collection of stories about women and their experiences in society. Throughout the stories, women become insects, men turn to stone, a city becomes insomniac, and bodies are picked apart to make up better ones. Mundane worlds are invaded and transformed, creating a landscape that is constantly shifting.


    The Tower of Nero (The Trials of Apollo #5) – Rick Riordan

    tower of nero book cover

    Genre: YA/Middle Grade Adventure Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Mythology, LGBT

    Pubdate: 6th of October

    Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

    Alright, so the demigods at Camp Jupiter just helped Lester survive attacks from ghouls, an evil Roman king with an undead army, and lethal emperors Caligula and Commodus. Now Lester, the former Greek god Apollo, needs to follow a prophecy if he ever wants to regain his place on Mount Olympus. Lester’s final challenge will take place at the Tower of Nero, in New York. It promises to be an epic showdown!


    In a Holidaze – Christina Lauren

    book releases october 2020 in a holidaze

    Genre: Adult Romance, time travel, contemporary

    Pubdate: 6th of October

    Publisher: Piatkus

    A Christmas story! Who doesn’t love those? Maelyn Jones is not exactly living the life she wants. She lives with her parents and works at a dead-end job which she hates, and she made a big romantic error. And to top it all off, this is the last Christmas Mea will spend with her family in the snowy Utah cabin where they go every holiday, along with two other families. Desperate, she pleads to the universe to show her what will make her happy. The last thing she remembers is tires screeching and metal colliding, and then blackness. But when she wakes up again, she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, to experience the same holiday all over again. And it happens again, and again. Mea must figure out how to break the strange time loop, and get her true love under the mistletoe.


    The Devil and the Dark Water – Stuart Turton

    book releases october the devil and the dark

    Genre: Thriller, Detective, Adult Fantasy, Historical Fiction

    Pubdate: 6th of October

    Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

    Samuel Pipps is transported to Amsterdam for execution because of a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Traveling with his is his bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend’s innocence. But when they’re out on the sea, the devilry begins. A twice-dead leper stalks the decks, along with strange symbols appearing on the sails, and slaughtered livestock. Then, three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel. Is it the work of a demon? Only Arent can try to solve the mystery before their ship sinks, and everybody on board is killed.


    Return of the Thief (The Queen’s Thief #6) – Megan Whalen Turner

    book releases october return of the thief

    Genre: YA Adventure Fantasy, Mythology

    Pubdate: 6th of October

    Publisher: Greenwillow Books

    Eugenides has risen to be high king of Ettolia, Eddis, and Sounis, but the Baron Erondites scheme again, and there is a prophecy to foretell the death of the king. To make matters worse, the ruthless Mede empire prepares to strike. Get ready for some political machinations, divine intervention, dangerous journeys, battles, power, passion, and deception.


    Magic Lessons: The Prequel to Practical Magic – Alice Hoffman

    magic lessons book cover

    Genre: Historical Fantasy, Adult, Witches

    Pubdate: 6th of October

    Publisher: Simon Schuster

    This is the story of Maria Owens, who lived in the 1600s, abandoned in a snowy field in rural England as a baby. Raised by Hannah Owens, Maria learns about the “Unnamed Arts.” Maria has a gift, and Hannah teaches the girl everything she knows. The first important lesson: always love someone who will love you back.

    Abandoned by the man who has declared his love for her, Maria follows him to Salem. Here she invoked the curse that will haunt her family. It’s here that she learns the rules of magic, and the lessons she will carry with her forever. Love is the only thing that matters.


    The Lives of Saints (Grishaverse) – Leigh Bardugo

    book releases autumn the lives of saints

    Genre: YA Fantasy, Short stories

    Pubdate: 6th of October

    Publisher: Imprint

    A new book especially for the Grishaverse. While I loved Ninth House, I have yet to read her other books. I will. At some point.

    Anyway, this book contains beautiful illistrations together with stories of the saints who are both in and not in the Shadow and Bone trilogy. Some familiar saints include Sankta Lizabeta of the Roses and Sankt Ilya in Chaints. It’s supposed to provide a fuller background on the Grishaverse, and every story is accompanied with full-color illustrations.


    The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue – V. E. Schwab

    book releases autumn the invisible life of addie larue

    Genre: Adult Fantasy

    Pubdate: 6th of October

    Publisher: Tor Books

    In France, 1714, a young, desperate woman bargains to live forever, and in exchange is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. This is the life of Addie LaRue, gauging to see how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But what happens when, after nearly 300 years, Addie meets a young man in a hidden bookstore who remembers her name?


    The Archive of the Forgotten (Hell’s Library #2) – A. J. Hackwith

    book releases october 2020 the archive of the forgotten

    Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy, Horror, LGBTQ, Paranormal

    Pubdate: 6th of October

    Publisher: Ace Books

    While the Library of the Unwritten in Hell was saved from total destruction, hundreds of potential books were destroyed. Claire, the former librarian, and Brevity, the muse, both feel the loss of the stories and are trying to adjust to their new roles within the Arcane Wing and Library. But when the remains of the destroyed books are starting to leak a strange ink, Claire realizes that the Library has kept secrets from Hell. Claire and Brevity are at odds in their approach. A representative from the Muses Corps arrives to advise Brevity, and the angel Rami and the erstwhile Hero are hunting for answers in other realms. The ink has the potential to change the afterlife for good or ill, but that depends on who is left to hold the pen.


    Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky #1) – Rebecca Roanhorse

    fantasy and sci-fi book releases october black sun

    Genre: Adult Sci-fi & Fantasy, LGBTQ, Historical fiction

    Pub date: 13th of October

    Publisher: Saga Press

    The winter solstice is a time for celebration and renewal in the holy city of Tova. But not this year. This year it coincides with a solar eclipse, which, according to the Sun Priest, is an unbalancing of the world. At the same time, a ship from a distant city is bound for Tova to witness the solstice. Xiala, the captain, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her, and wrap a man’s mind. She has one passenger called Serapio, a harmless, young man, who is blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. But is he really so harmless?


    The Once and Future Witches – Alix E. Harrow

    book releases autumn once and future witches

    Genre: Historical Paranormal Fantasy

    Pubdate: 13th of October

    Publisher: Orbit

    After so many burnings, witchcraft has pretty much died out in 1893. Now, it’s just simple charms and nursery rhymes. For any kind of power, a woman needs to find the ballot box. In New Salem, the Eastwood sisters—James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna—join the suffragists, and slowly the women’s movement into the witch’s movement. But there are still forces that will not suffer a with to vote (or live). So, the sisters need to delve into the oldest magics and forge new alliances if they want to survive.


    Lightbringer (Empirium #3) – Clair Legrand

    fantasy and sci-fi book releases october 2020 lightbringer

    Genre: YA/NA Romance Fantasy, LGBTQ

    Pubdate: 13th of October

    Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

    Queen Rielle turns to Corien and his promises of glory. But whispers from the imperium are slowly driving her mad, urging her to open the Gate. She embraces the role of Blood Queen, determined to become the monster the world believes her to be. Meanwhile, in the future, Eliana arrives in the Empire’s capital, betrayed and abandoned. She fights to keep her power at bay and away from Corien. But then the mysterious Prophet reveals themselves, and everything changes. Rielle and Eliana get a second chance for salvation or destruction.


    Swamp Thing: Twin Branches – Maggie Stiefvater & Morgan Beem

    swamp thing book cover

    Genre: Graphic Novel, YA Superhero Fantasy

    Pubdate: 13th of October

    Publisher: DC Comics

    While they’re twins, Alec and Walker Holland are quite different. One is quiet, and the other is the life of the party. But they’re inseparable even so. For their last summer before college, they go live with their rural cousins, where they find that the swamp holds far darker depths than they could have imagined. Walker carves their names into the new social scene, but Alec goes into a summer school laboratory, working on an experiment on something he brought from home. The experiment will soon consume him.


    The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice – Lisa DeSelm

    book releases october puppetmaster

    Genre: YA Fantasy Retellings

    Pubdate: 13th of October

    Publisher: Page Street Kids

    The Margrave, Tavia’s ruler, has ordered the dozens of life-size marionette soldiers from the puppetmaster and his apprentice. But as the orders for more soldiers come in with increasingly urgent deadlines, the puppetmaster’s health suffers. Pirouette, his daughter and apprentice, is left to build in his stead. But there’s more—Margrave’s son wants Pirouette to create an assassin, and he wants her to give it life. Pirouette has no choice but to accept, and she’s racing against the rise of the next blue moon, which will give life to her creation. but is she making a masterpiece or a monster?


    Beyond the Ruby Veil (Beyond the Ruby Veil #1) – Mara Fitzgerald

    book releases october beyond the ruby veil

    Genre: YA Fantasy, LGBTQ

    Pubdate: 13th of October

    Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

    Emanuela Ragno is used to getting her way. And she refuses to be the demure young lady everyone wants her to be. And so, she’s about to marry Alessandro Morandi, her childhood best friend and heir to the wealthiest house in Occhia. She doesn’t care that both of them are gay; she’s not interested in marrying for love. She wants power. However, according to the rules, when someone receives the bruise-like omen on their skin by the watercrea—a being who uses magic to make water from blood—they need to surrender themselves to be drained of life. It’s the only source of water in Occhia. But Emanuala hasn’t surrendered. And when the watercrea exposes her during her wedding, Emanuala fights back and kills her. Now Occhia has no one to make water, and no idea to get more. Emanuela and Ale must travel through the mysterious, blood-red veil that surrounds the city to uncover the secrets of the watercrea’s magic to find a way to save their people.


    Among the Beasts & Briars – Ashley Poston

    among the beasts and briars book cover

    Genre: YA Fantasy, Fairy tale Retellings

    Pubdate: 20th of October

    Publisher: Balzer + Bray

    In the kingdom of Aloriya there are no droughts, disease, famine, or war. This is all thanks to a bargain the first king made with the Lady who ruled the forest that borders the kingdom. But as Aloriya prospered, the woods grew dark, cursed and forbidden. Cerys knows from experience: when she was young, she barely escaped as the woods killed her friends and her mother. Now Cerys carries a small bit of the magic in her blood. However, a new queen is crowned, and things that were hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom. Cerys has to run, taking with her only a small fox from her garden, a strange and powerful bear, and her magic. She needs to find the legendary Lady of the Wilds and beg her to save her home. But it’s a dark and dangerous road, with secrets of her past uncovered along the way.


    Plain Bad Heroines – Emily M. Danforth

    book releases october plain bad heroines

    Genre: YA Horror, Mystery, LGBTQ

    Publisher: William Morrow

    Pubdate: 20th of October

    Flo and Clara, students at The Brookhants School for Girls, are obsessed with each other and a daring young writer named Mary MacLane, the author of a scandalous bestselling memoir. To show their devotion, the girls create their own private club called ‘The Plain Bad Heroine Society’. They have secret meetings near an apple orchard, where they experience both happiness and macabre death. They’re the victims of a swarm of stinging, angry yellow jackets. Less than five years later, the Brookhants School for Girls closes its doors for good, with three more people mysteriously dying on the property. A century later, the crumbling school building is back in the news when Merrit Emmons publishes a book, celebrating the queer, feminist history surrounding the institution. The book inspires a controversial horror film adaptation, starring Harper Harper But and Audrey Wells. But as they go to Brookhants to film, past and present become grimly entangled, and soon it’s impossible to tell where the curse leaves off and Hollywood begins.


    The Last Druid (The Fall of Shannara #4) – Terry Brooks

    book releases autumn the last druid

    Genre: Epic Action-Adventure Fantasy

    Pubdate: 20th of October

    Publisher: Del Rey Books

    It’s been a long ride, but the conclusion to the entire Shannara series is finally here. While I have only read the first two books myself, I can imagine this is a book anticipated eagerly by fans.

    The Four Lands are battling a brutal invasion from across the sea, a nation that is determined to make the Four Lands their own. What are our heroes willing to risk in order to save the integrity of their home? One group is fighting to defend their homeland, while another undertakes a journey across the sea, to the invaders, carrying a new piece of technology that could change the world forever. Unfortunately, one of their key allies has been banished to the Forbidding: a demon-filled prison from which there is no escape.The one who sent him there now walks freely with a fearsome demon at her side. Can a young girl free her mentor from the Forbidding in time to stop the invasion? Can a strange technology reach the foreign shore in time to alter the fate of two nations?

    Can a young girl free her mentor in time to stop an invasion? And can a strange new science reach a foreign shore in time to alter the fate of two nations…providing the device even works?


    Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked #1) – Kerri Maniscalco

    kingdom of the wicked book cover

    Genre: YA Historical Fantasy, Mystery, Witches

    Pubdate: 27th of October

    Publisher: JIMMY Patterson

    Secretly living among humans are twin sisters Emilia and Vittoria, two streghe-witches. After Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s Sicilian restaurant, Emilia finds her body, desecrated beyond belief. Emilia is devastated and sets out to find her sister’s killer and seek vengeance at any cost. Even if it means using dark magic. Then she meets Wrath, a Wicked-prince of Hell she has been warned against in childhood tales. He claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked to help her with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems…


    The Tea Dragon Tapestry (Tea Dragon #3) – Katie O’Neill

    fantasy and sci-fi book releases october tea dragon tapestry

    Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel, Fantasy, LGBTQ, Dragons

    Pubdate: 27th of October

    Publisher: Oni Press

    After a year, Greta still can’t chase away the cloud of mourning that hangs over the timid Tea Dragon. She also struggles to create something that’s spectacular enough ti impress a master blacksmith who is searching for an apprentice. Greta questions the true meaning of crafting, and of caring for someone in grief. Meanwhile, Minette receives a package from the monastery where she once trained to be a prophetess. She’s now confused about her path in life but finds that the more she opens her heart to others, the more clearly she can see what was inside.


    That’s it for the October 2020 Book Releases

    Phew, that was quite the list with the fantasy & sci-fi Book Releases of October 2020. Which ones are you most looking forward to?


    If you like this, you might also like…

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    Sign up for the newsletter & receive a free short story: Veils. 

    Ari and her dragon Oizealth are in the final round of a deadly competion: Veils. Only two more men are in the way of what she truly wants: a life together with the one she loves.

    But does Ari have what it takes to win?

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