> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.andrewliptak.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Here’s one last batch of new sci-fi and fantasy books to read this September - URL: https://www.andrewliptak.com/september-2026-new-scifi-horror-books-canas-johnson-rosson-strahan-wexler/ - Published: 2026-09-22T17:17:40.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-22T18:28:06.000Z - Description: 13 new books to close out the month with - Author: Andrew Liptak - Tags: Book List, Books, Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy Fall is here! I've always found this time of the year to be great for reading – something that I desperately need after a hectic summer. September has been absolutely packed with new books to check out, and in case you missed it, here's the [first list](https://www.andrewliptak.com/september-2026-new-scifi-fantasy-books-butler-tchaikovsky-islington-liu/) for September, and [here's the second](https://www.andrewliptak.com/september-2026-new-scifi-fantasy-books-alderman-bardugo-kuang-mandel-mieville/). You can always find the other installments [here](https://www.andrewliptak.com/tag/book-list/). **Transfer Orbit* is free to read, but it takes time to report, write, and host. If you've found it useful for finding your next read or for understanding the SF/F world, consider signing up as a supporting subscriber. [Support Transfer Orbit ](#/portal/signup) Okay, here are 13 new SF/F books to close out September with: ### [*The House of Gardenias*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9780593620410?ref=andrewliptak.com) by Isabel Cañas (September 29th) A couple of years ago, I picked up and loved Isabel Cañas's [*Vampires of El Norte*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9780593436738?ref=andrewliptak.com), and really loved it (I also have [*The Possession of Alba Díaz*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9780593641071?ref=andrewliptak.com) on my to-read list.) Her next is *The House of Gardenias*, her first YA novel. It follows a teenager named Minerva Treviño, who's grown up in an abusive household, and who eventually runs away and takes a job as a maid to a wealthy widow, Encarnación del Valle. She's now fed and is in a safe place, but events are taking place in the country that threaten that stability. A viceroy has come back into power and his rebels have unleashed a wave of killings, prompting del Valle to decamp to a mountain stronghold, where Minverva now has to content with the rest of the cruel family. She also has to contend with some deeper problems at the family estate, which is home to some long-buried threats. *Publishers Weekly* gave the book a [starred review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/isabel-canas/the-house-of-gardenias/?ref=andrewliptak.com), saying "The complex characters and a propulsive plot will keep readers riveted through the feverish climax. Minerva, who is “mixed-blood” with Indigenous ancestry, is a compelling and relatable teen hero who struggles with self-confidence." [Monsters on the western frontierIsabel Cañas’s Vampires of El Norte is the perfect spooky read this October![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/d7/2cd7d323-e6ed-4666-8092-07e380dbdf2a/content/images/icon/54948818650_d4d892e6db_w-017a3429-8ed3-4ad7-8564-3773013a8067.jpg)Transfer OrbitAndrew Liptak![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/d7/2cd7d323-e6ed-4666-8092-07e380dbdf2a/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_3333-84d7160b-db12-452b-82a0-d2e00d765222.jpg)](https://www.andrewliptak.com/vampires-of-el-norte-isabel-canas-horror-book-review/) ### [*Desert Radio*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9781956252149?ref=andrewliptak.com) by Pamela M. Durgin (September 29th) Gloria has retreated to the California desert to get away from the problems and addictions that have been plaguing her. She's hoping to find some quiet and ends up taking a job as a late-night DJ on a rock station. What she finds is that the desert is a strange place. People go missing, there are weird voices on the radio, ancient petroglyphs, and other oddities, along with the normal, run-of-the-mill strange people who've also found there way there. When her coworker Matt goes missing, her friend Mel thinks that there's some sort of conspiracy at play, who might have also been responsible for the death of Matt's parents. *Publishers Weekly* [says that](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781956252149?ref=andrewliptak.com) "Durgin creates flawed but sympathetic characters whose painful pasts have lingering consequences in the present. It’s greatly enjoyable to witness these eclectic figures seek meaning under the wide-open desert skies." ### [*The Unhaunting*](https://bookshop.org/a/79715/9798217181131?ref=andrewliptak.com) by Micaiah Johnson (September 29th) I loved Johnson's novel [*The Space Between Worlds*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9780593156919?ref=andrewliptak.com), and I'm eager to see what she does with horror. When the American Civil War comes to an end, a woman makes what she thinks is an innocent wish: construct a home where nothing bad can ever happen. 170 years later, Shantell and her friends find that that that wish came with a price. Shantell's friend Avery inherited the house, and they plan to turn it into a sanctuary after too much loss: family members to wars, suicide, police violence, and other tragedies, and the house, without a dark history, seems almost too good to be true. It's in good shape, and it seems to have a good effect on their mental health. But (isn't there always a but?) they begin to realize that there is something off about the house, and that they aren't alone. As they begin to dig into its history, they find that there's more than meets the eye, and that there's nothing scarier than a house that \*wants\* to be haunted. *Publishers Weekly* [says that it](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9798217181131?ref=andrewliptak.com) "will be a hit with anyone seeking a fresh take on genre conventions." ## Sign up for Transfer Orbit A newsletter about science fiction, reading, and the future Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### [*The Big Bad Book of Kaiju*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9781835417515?ref=andrewliptak.com) edited by Jonathan Maberry and Henry Herz (September 22nd) Who doesn't love giant monsters? Titan Books has a big anthology featuring a ton of stories about the creatures from authors like Kevin J. Anderson, Maurice Broaddus, Tananarive Due, Taiyo Fuji, Ai Jiang, Seanan McGuire, and a ton of others. ### [*A Librarian's War: The Man Who Fought World War II with Books and Brought the Joy of Reading to Millions*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9780197861240?ref=andrewliptak.com) by Molly Guptill Manning (September 29th) If you're reading this newsletter, I'm guessing you're here for the books. I've really enjoyed paging through Molly Guptill Manning's prior books, [*When Books Went To War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9780544570405?ref=andrewliptak.com)and [*The War of Word: How America's GI Journalists Battled Censorship and Propaganda to Help Win World War II*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9798212877091?ref=andrewliptak.com), which explore the power of literature and how books played a notable role during the Second World War. She's back with another one, focusing on the life of Ray Trautman, the U.S. Army's Chief Librarian, who pushed for initiatives that brought books to the GIs fighting on the front lines, arguing that they helped embody the values that we were fighting for. One of the projects he spearheaded was the "Armed Services Editions," small, pocket-sized paperbacks that printed a wide range of stories and literature for soldiers to read, and which went on to have an outsized impact on the reading habits for Americans in the decades that followed. ### [*Something Followed Us Home: Tales of Latiné Horror*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9781668091944?ref=andrewliptak.com)by Cynthia Pelayo (September 29th) Cynthia Pelayo has assembled a new anthology ofLatiné horror stories, featuring 17 stories about everything from colonization to faith to folklore to immigration. The authors here include Isabel Cañas, Daniel José Older, Cynthia Pelayo, Lilliam Rivera, Alex Segura, and many others. *Publishers Weekly* [says](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781668091944?ref=andrewliptak.com) "universally vivid and immersive, these tales are sure to leave horror fans unsettled." ### [*Crone*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9780593733431?ref=andrewliptak.com)by Keith Rosson (September 22nd) A former detective and recovering addict named Eli Lamp has been struggling since his daughter went missing a year ago. He destroyed his life trying to track her down, and has found himself in the dept of a local gang called Crooked Wheel. When his boss's son is brutally murdered, Eli's tasked with figuring out who was behind the crime, and if he can figure it out, his debts will be cleared from the books. As he investigates, he comes into contact with his daughter's best friend, and realizes that the crimes might be linked in a conspiracy that stretches back decades. *Library Journal* gave the book a [starred review](https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/crone-100013047?ref=andrewliptak.com), saying "Rosson’s writing is propulsive and compelling, the setting grim and dreary, and the characters grimy and real." ### [*Forged in FIYAH: Celebrating Ten Years of Black Speculative Fiction*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9781250360847?ref=andrewliptak.com)edited by DaVaun Sanders (September 29th) Word broke earlier this year that the *FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction* will soon go on hiatus, a testament to the struggle that small magazines and publications face in an uncertain environment. But before that happens, we'll get a celebration in the form of an anthology that looks back on the publication's last decade, featuring 18 stories from authors such as Maurice Broaddus, C. L. Clark, Veronica G. Henry, L.D. Lewis, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Sheree Renée Thomas, Tade Thompson, and many others. Writing for *Lightspeed Magazine*, Arley Sorg [says](https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/book-review-forged-in-fiyah-by-davaun-sanders-ed/?ref=andrewliptak.com) that faced with the impossible task of picking the "best" stories, editor DaVaun Sanders "invited authors with a strong connection to the magazine to send in work," and that it's full of "wonderful pieces by a host of powerful writers, waiting for your discovery." [FIYAH is going on indefinite hiatusIssue #40 will be its last, for now![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/d7/2cd7d323-e6ed-4666-8092-07e380dbdf2a/content/images/icon/54948818650_d4d892e6db_w-5a2d1e4d-d7ba-4195-82c7-67d0fd38359b.jpg)Transfer OrbitAndrew Liptak![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/d7/2cd7d323-e6ed-4666-8092-07e380dbdf2a/content/images/thumbnail/Copy-of-Triple-image---5--3fe56c05-1bc2-4450-bf89-f2e35ab1097d.png)](https://www.andrewliptak.com/fiyah-black-speculative-science-fantasy-short-fiction-magazine-hiatus/) ### [*Revolution in the Heart: Stories Inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9781835412749?ref=andrewliptak.com) edited by Jonathan Strahan (September 22nd) When Ursula K. Le Guin passed away in 2018, she left behind an incredible legacy of fantastic and principled storytelling and has inspired countless writers who've followed in her footsteps. Jonathan Strahan works to honor her legacy with a new anthology: *Revolution in the Heart*, which features 15 new short stories inspired by her works and worlds. It's got a stacked table of contents, including such authors as Ann Leckie, Charlie Jane Anders, Sarah Pinsker, S. Qiouyi Lu, Vandana Singh, Premee Mohamed, Karen Joy Fowler, and many others. *Publishers Weekly* [says](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781835412749?ref=andrewliptak.com) "taken as a whole, this anthology has a lot to say about how writing and art can be both uniting and destructive." ### [*The Hunger of Those Who Built It*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9781998466054?ref=andrewliptak.com)by Wendy Waring (September 17th) Set in Paris in the near future, an environmental engineer named Diane Griffith has been taking advantage of the latest technologies to mitigate the effects of climate change. Years after her activist sister goes missing, she has to confront the challenges and questions that those changes require in the historic city. Years later, Diane's daughter Lou goes undercover to investigate the conditions endured by the city's working class under the super-wealthy elites – lives that Diane's work helped realize. *Publishers Weekly* [says](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781998466054?ref=andrewliptak.com) "Waring’s thematic exploration of misguided human aspiration, greed, grief, and the weight of responsibility offers much to chew on. This dark cli-fi tale is sure to linger in readers’ minds. " ### [*Nightjars*](https://bookshop.org/a/79715/9781250333728?ref=andrewliptak.com) by Michael Wehunt (September 29th) A man named Luke Oshel has a disturbing date: before she leaves halfway through, she leaves behind a photograph of Luke as a kid, with a dead body and masked man in his room, something he doesn't remember ever happening. He soon gets more disturbing photographs, and begins to recall some repressed memories that he's long since hidden away with alcohol, drugs, hypnosis, and therapy. Things point to his late father, who killed a string of people by draining their blood, and with a new wave of victims cropping up, it seems like Luke might be at fault, and he has to figure out how to clear his name and confront his family's centuries-old secrets. ### [*The Only Way Out is Up*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9780316392600?ref=andrewliptak.com) by Django Wexler (September 29th) A scrapper named Taj has been subsisting on whatever he can find and sell from a junkheap, all while staying one step ahead of the monsters that inhabit it. He's helped by a robot that he cobbled together, Star, and he hopes to escape from this life by entering Star in the fighting leagues. Everything changes when he's given the opportunity to enter Star in the Ascent, a huge tournament with a massive prize. But it could also be too good to be true, and he finds that his sponsor comes with enemies of his own, who now have Taj in their own sights. ### [*The Ship of Death*](https://bookshop.org/a/6134/9780063492356?ref=andrewliptak.com)by Kyle Winkler (September 29th) Two boardgame testers, Cole and Lorraine have been assigned a strange new tabletop RPG from a mysterious indie developer, The Ship of Death. It turns out to be a sprawling game that relies on the player's imaginations, and the pair find that as it grows and grows, it's taking on a strange and malevolent tone, dissolving the boundaries between reality and the game, to the point where they're instructed to take a stranger's soul. It's told through various game reports, messages, online posts, journal entries and police reports, and it sounds like a really spectacular cosmic horror read. --- And that's it for September! Whew! As always, let me know what caught your eye on this list and what you're currently reading.