Here are 22 new SF/F books to read in November 2026

Image: Andrew Liptak

How is it November already? It feels like the summer has flown by, and each passing day reminds me how woefully behind I am on my reading list. As the end of the year approaches, I've been taking stock of the books that I really want to read, and I'm starting to plan out an overly ambitious pile to work through.

But the flood of books doesn't stop: after a packed October, we've got a ton of new books coming in November. It's not quite as busy this time around (I've got two lists, not three), but there's still a lot of great-looking ones to look forward to reading!

Here are 22 new SF/F books to check out:

Cello's Gate by Maurice Africh (November 3rd)

Captain Grey commands a group of sky pirates who're known for taking on the toughest jobs – they've broken into research facilities and conned the rich, but their next job might be their toughest yet: after coming back from a heist, a woman named Dalia comes to them with an offer. She's an immortal daughter of the ArchGovernor and wants them to steal the seven legendary Stones of Indigo, which are scattered all over the place and protected by formidable defenses. The crew will each get a million credits for each one they can recover.

There's a problem though: the stones are mere legends and the subject of stories that are recounted to children. Grey is also sure that Dalia is hiding something, and they have to figure out what's behind the racket in order to survive.

Kirkus Reviews says that "readers should enjoy this thinly veiled literary love letter to pop-culture SF."

Hooch Tuesday by Jack Cady (November 10th)

Jack Cady was a speculative fiction author who earned acclaim for stories like "The Night We Buried Road Dog". He died in 2004, and Fairwood Press has acquired a never-before-published novel of his, Hooch Tuesday. It's a satirical work that includes a millennia-old business manager, a truck driver, a witchy DAR member and guy who communes with his bulldozer. There's also thousands of ghosts, a haunted truck, and quite a bit more.

There Used to Be People Here by Kennedy Cole (November 3rd)

Set in the 1970s in Mississippi, a Black detective named Samuel Barkley and his new partner Harvey Wilkins contend with a puzzling case: a man went into a local gay bar and was found dead on the floor, with no clue as to how he met his end. Samuel's just trying to advance in the force without making too many waves.

As they investigate, they run into a strange happenings: a coverup with a crashed plane that isn't a plane is part of the picture, and what they discover is enough to upend their tiny town and the world.

Chimera Skin by Johnny Compton (November 3rd)

In the nearish future, the world has been transformed after first contact: an alien civilization tried to uplift humanity, and everything went wrong. We're introduced to a man named Swanson, who had been mutated in the incident and who has figured out a way to fight back, even if it means that he might be forced to escape from Earth.

The Wolves of War by John Gwynne (November 3rd)

John Gwynne kicks off a new series, The Wolfheart Chronicles. In this land, the clans once lived peacefully, only to be conquered by their northern neighbors. One member, Ivan, doesn't care about anything but the safety of his family, especially his daughter, Halia. For her entire life, she's been trapped in her body, but at night, she has vivid dreams about running with wolves and speaking with the forest's supernatural creatures.

While their neighbors think that she's cursed, her powers might be the only way for them to find freedom. At the same time, a war is looming: two princes are engaged in a brutal fight, while a witch hunts the shadows of the forests. As she works to figure out the nature of her powers, Halia has to contend with the notion that in order to save her family and community, she might need to embrace the darkness to do so.

Nordic Nightmares: The Best of Nordic Speculative Fiction edited by Margrét Helgadottir (November 3rd)

A couple of years ago, Margrét Helgadottir edited the anthology Nordic Visions: The Best of Nordic Speculative Fiction, and now she's back with a new one: Nordic Nightmares: The Best of Nordic Horror. This anthology brings together 20 stories from Finland to Greenland, featuring stories that incorporate folklore, horrifying creatures, volcanoes, or uncanny new neighbors or strangers who aren't what they appear to be. This sounds like a fantastic anthology for the coming winter months.

Dune Messiah: The Graphic Novel Book 1 by Frank Herbert, adapted by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, illustrated by Michael Shelfer (November 3rd)

With Dune: Part 3 just a little over a month away from hitting theaters, Frank Herbert's son Brian and co-author Kevin J. Anderson have adapted the second installment in the series, Dune Messiah (the basis for the film) as a graphic novel. They had previously adapted Dune as a three-part graphic novel series, Book 1: Dune, Book 2: Muad'dib, and Book 3: The Prophet.

This edition (the first of two) brings in artist Michael Shelfer for the artwork, and it picks up years after the events of Dune, in which Paul Atreides has ascended to power as the galactic Emperor and who is seen as the messiah by the Fremen people. As Paul has gained power, he's also become the target of a variety of forces in the galaxy who're looking to topple him.

The John Persons Files by Cassandra Khaw (November 10th)

Horror author Cassandra Khaw wrote a couple of shorter Lovecraftian stories, Hammers on Bone and A Song for Quiet. Tordotcom has packaged both of the novellas together into a single volume, along with a new short story, "You Were Always Mine". In the first story, PI John Parsons is hired by a ten year old to kill his abusive stepfather, who's also a monster, only to realize that the man is harboring something much darker. In the second, a musician named Deacon James encounters trouble on a train ride to Arkham, and encounters Parsons, who tells him that he's carrying a seed in his head, and that it can't be permitted to hatch.

These sound like some pretty gripping stories, and this new volume is a good opportunity to introduce new readers to Khaw and her characters.

The Black Hole Whisky Gang: An Alternate History of Modern Detroit by Christian Klaver (November 10th)

A decade ago, Earth was invaded by an alien civilization called the Nightwalkers, which have been working to put down any last bits of revolution from humanity. They've brought in another alien species, Angels, who have a particular, addictive effect on humans.

One of the human survivors is Hansa, who had bonded with Angel Wren, and escaped into a post-apocalyptic wasteland that was once the American midwest. It was an experience that nearly killed him, and now he's etching out a living by working for the Nightwalkers. He soon gets a message for Wren asking for his help, all while a group of Nightwalkers are asking the same, and it sets him off on a journey to the Nightwalker's base on Earth, where he'll uncover a secret that could change everything.

Haunted Space: Paradise for Extinction by Adam Kovac (November 16th)

An astronaut named Auggie has fallen on hard times, along with the crew of the ship King Bat. When they're chartered by a wealthy official and his sister for a trip across a couple of solar systems, they jump at the chance for an easy ride and a good payday.

Things quickly go wrong, however: the pair have them make a quick stop at a science vessel to retrieve something, and that easy job got considerably more difficult, and it's going to take the crew everything they can muster to survive.

The Queen's Witch by Nancy Kress (November 1st)

A woman named Alysoun Rowe has a family history of healers and witches – their powers are fully unlocked when they bond with a destined familiar. Alysoun is undertaking the ritual when something goes wrong: it's not an object or animal that's fated to bond with her, but Anne Boleyn, of King Henry VIII's court.

Anne is ambitious herself and the two of them will go to great lengths to achieve what they most want. As King Henry goes on his own obsessive pursuit and witch hunt, the two have to form an alliance to succeed.

Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, saying "With lavishly described Tudor revels, masterfully shaded characters, and a wealth of historical lore, Kress brings to life a witch-hunting England torn by controversy. It’s a feast."

Quantum Dawn by Derek Künsken (November 3rd)

Derek Künsken brings out a fourth installment of his Quantum Evolutions series, Quantum Dawn (preceded by The Quantum Magician, The Quantum Garden, and The Quantum War), in which the Quantum War had come to an end, and Belisarius vanished into a wormhole, believed to be gone forever.

But that doesn't seem to have been the case: priestess Rosalie Johns-10 has begun experiencing nightmares, which Belisarius’s former partner Cassandra and AI Saint Matthew realize are signals from another dimension. They set off to move through time to find him, a quest that will take them to the foundations of the quantum network.

The Trial of Madgalena Overmorrow by Caitríona Moran (November 10th)

Magdalena Overmorrow is known for a lot of things: a sex worker, a scholar, and a healer. She's worked to protect the women for Astoleyn, and when she's betrayed by a friend and accused of being a witch, she's banished to a northern city to await punishment. Her overseer is Lord Proctor of Cair Gramora, who has a reputation for his humorless nature.

When she arrives, she finds that that isn't the case: he's a handsome and mysterious figure, and she finds that her life is in his hands. She's drawn to him for his scholarly nature and secrets, and as her trial nears and new dangers emerge, the two have to form a partnership that could save or ruin them.

Star Trek: The Original Voyages: A Visual History by Kyle Newman and Jeff Bond (November 10th)

2026 marked the 60th anniversary of the Star Trek franchise, and to celebrate, Kyle Newman and Jeff Bond have put together a new visual history of the series. This book takes a behind the scenes look at the series and its creator, Gene Roddenberry, featuring interviews and hundreds of photographs that follow the world through not just the show, but the books, comics, games, merch, and other touchstones. It also comes with a foreword by Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner.

Halo: The Master Chief Omnibus by Eric Nylund and William C. Dietz (November 10th)

The Halo franchise extends far beyond the video games that most folks are familiar with: there's a huge line of novels and comics that have regularly expanded the story and world. This is an omnibus edition that brings together three of the earlier novels, The Fall of Reach and First Strike by Eric Nylund and The Flood by William C. Dietz. This edition also includes a new foreword and additional material.

Exoplanet by Benjamin Percy (November 5th)

Benjamin Percy's next project is a new audio drama from Audible, Exoplanet. Produced by Andy Weir, it follows the crew of a spaceship named Wild Blue Yonder that encounters an anomaly and crash-lands on a distant exoplanet. The crew crashes down, but instead of trying to find one another across the planet's terrain, they've all scattered through time, and have to figure out what's happened to their crewmates, but also figure out how to communicate with one another across the centuries in order to survive.

The Eagle in the Mountain by Caskey Russell (November 3rd)

In The Door on the Sea, Elān found his life changed forever when he was chosen by a Raven to go on a quest to save his people. He's returned, but he's a different person, and refuses to use the weapon that he was destined to use. Raven tries to convince him – the weapon has to be used to send the Koosh back to their own world, and Raven turns to Kwa, Elān’s companion.

Kwa wants to become her people's warrior leader, and aided by a wolf named Chetdyl, she begins preparing to attack the Koosh. But she needs the weapon, and if Elān won't use it, she might have to listen to Raven and take some drastic measures.

Writing in the Ancillary Review of Books, Aidan Bunker says "Russell’s writing sharpens Kwa’s determined voice, the pressure of leadership, and her preoccupation with the opinions of others. At the philosophical heart of the book is the conflict between Elān, the pacifist who refuses to use the Koosh weapon, and Kwa, the realist who sees no other choice, especially after she witnesses the death of half her warriors on Samish Island."

Monsters of Ohio by John Scalzi (November 3rd)

I’m a big fan of John’s books, and this one looks like it’ll be both fun and topical. The residents of a small Ohio town have have been dealing with the stresses that come with modern life in the U.S.A former USDA worker named Mike Boyd was laid off and ended up returning home after many years away, and he comes at a tense time: the local meat processing plant is closing down.

Other strange things begin happening: animals and people begin to turn into monsters. Mike and his friend Dave (the town's only police officer) and Andi (an events coordinator) have to figure out what's going on.

Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review, saying "the focus here is the effect those forces have on a small town with one industry, a situation that’s playing out in many places."

Vaster Than Empires: Speculative Fiction of the Eternal and the Ephemeral edited by Jonathan Strahan (November 3rd)

The MIT Press has produced a lot of excellent science fiction over the years, from their Twelve Tomorrows series to the Radium Age series, to anthologies like this one: Vaster than Empires, which is edited by Jonathan Strahan.

This looks like it'll be a fascinating read: a collection of original stories that look at everything from biology to climate change, interstellar travel and artificial intelligence and includes a powerhouse table of contents featuring the likes of Aliette de Bodard, Greg Egan, Saad Z. Hossain, Tochi Onyebuchi, Chen Qiufan (translated by Emily Jin), Karl Schroeder, Wole Talabi, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Karin Tidbeck, and many others.

Publishers Weekly says that the authors "find fascinating ways to explore the impact—or lack thereof—that individual humans can have on the universe."

The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu by Phil Szostak (November 3rd)

I'm a big fan of Phil Szostak's Star Wars art books. He's published two for the first and second seasons of The Mandalorian, a spectacular one for Andor's entire run, and ones for the other entries in the sequel trilogy. This volume packages up the wealth of concept art and interviews with various members of the cast, crew, and other creatives involved in making The Mandalorian & Grogu. I might not have been the biggest fan of the film, but I always find these books fascinating to page through.

Blue Fire by Molly Tanzer (November 10th)

Fans of science fiction and fantasy's pulp era should know the name C.L. Moore: she was a pioneering author who began publishing short stories in the 1930s in magazines like Weird Tales. One of her best-known figures is Jirel of Joiry, a proud and headstrong warrior who fought in medieval France.

Moore only wrote a handful of stories featuring the character, but she's back, thanks to author Molly Tanzer. She's written a novella called Blue Fire (authorized by Moore's estate) in which Jirel faces off against a formidable threat: an illness that nobody can explain or heal, and it sends her off on a quest to find a cure.

Infinite Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver (November 10th)

Thomas R. Weaver picks up the story that he began in last year's Artificial Wisdom. Five years after a journalist named Marcus Tully pushed a global election towards the world's first artificial intelligence, believing that it would be the only entity capable of leading humanity through a climate crisis.

But humanity's new leader, Solomon, is far more ruthless than Tully imagined, and while it's been making some progress, people are chafing under its strict rules. A revolution is brewing and Solomon offers humanity a choice: upgrade by merging with AI to fundamentally change human nature, or reduce themselves back to a pre-digital age. It's set up one key election that could go either way.

As always, thanks for reading. Let me know what catches your eye and what you've got on your TBR.