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Happy fall, SFF fans! The weather may be getting cooler, but the amazing new science fiction and fantasy book releases continue to be red hot! Many of you may be readying yourself for October and spooky reads season, but make sure you’re getting a healthy daily recommended dose of dragons and demons, too! You want scary? Getting eaten by a dragon is scary. A cat possessed by a demon is scary. (Or as we call them, cats.) Supernatural kidnappers are scary. There’s lots to fear in fantasy and science fiction this month, but there’s also found family, magic, talking animals, and a little romance too. Just check out all these fun books out this month!
In this list, you’ll find two sisters fighting a war against gods; a living goddess asking a demon for help to keep her throne; a secret magic school where a student must harness her power of persuasion; a photo studio to the afterlife; a new story collection which includes a Pride and Prejudice reimagining with dragons; danger in the world of the named and unnamed; one of the year’s most acclaimed children’s fantasy novels; a creepy summer camps; and Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Murder, She Wrote!
So grab your holy water and a fire extinguisher, and let’s kick off a great SFFall!
The Best New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Out September 2024
The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart (Orbit, September 3)
We are big fans of the Drowning Empire trilogy here at Book Riot, so you bet a new book from Stewart is exciting! In this epic fantasy, two sisters are separated following a divine war and tragedy. The result of the war transformed many of the people — literally. Years later, the sisters discover that the other is still alive, but they wind up on opposite sides of a war against the gods.
The Ending Fire by Saara El-Arifi (Del Rey, September 10)
I don’t normally include sequels in this section, but this trilogy inspired by the mythology of Africa and Arabia is just so good that I wanted to bring attention to it. I also don’t want to accidentally spoil anything in case you haven’t read the first two books, so I’ll just say that in the final book in the Ending Fire series, there will be an epic final battle, new powers, and a last voyage.
The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow (Orbit, September 10)
This book has a talking cat. If that isn’t enough to get you to read it, let me also say it’s an exciting debut about goddesses and demons. Binsa is the chosen one, a living goddess who sits upon the Scarlet Throne and has the final word in all matters. But unlike her predecessors, who were granted their wisdom from an immortal god, Binsa secretly has a demon inside her. And when the priests decide it’s time for a new living goddess to take the throne, Binsa knows just who to ask for help to keep from being replaced.
An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson (Ace, September 17)
Raise your hand if you love reading dark academia novels! Lennon is invited to take the entrance exam for Drayton College, which is strange, because she’s never heard of it. That’s because it’s a secret hidden school in Savannah, where students like Lennon are taught to control their gifts. The students at Drayton all have the gift of persuasion, which can be devastating if not controlled properly. As Lennon’s school year progresses, she discovers the school has a dark past, and deciding what to do with its secrets might be the hardest test of all.
The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi, Jesse Kirkwood (translator ) (Grand Central Publishing, September 17)
Sanaka Hiiragi’s author bio says she’s a big fan of cameras and photography, so perhaps that is what inspired this new book! It’s about an afterlife people visit when they die to reflect on key moments of their life and relive one memory before they move on. (I’m not crying, you’re crying!) Like Before the Coffee Gets Cold, readers are treated to the stories of several characters and a moment in time that is important to them.
Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik (Del Rey, September 17)
Award-winning author Naomi Novik returns with thirteen new tales of science fiction and fantasy, including a Pride & Prejudice reimagining with dragons; a mushroom witch’s roommate problems; Marc Antony and his dragon egg; and a story that gives readers a glimpse of the world of her next novel.
The Naming Song by Jedediah Berry (Tor Books, September 24)
Here is an inventive new fantasy! When the words went away, the world slipped into chaos and the monsters came out of the shadows. Finally, the Names Committee was established to bring order back to the world. But when an unnamed courier for the committee charged with delivering new words has to flee after attacks on the named, she and her companions must find the truth of their world to save it.
The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner (Ace, September 24)
More cats and demons, plus a librarian! Said librarian is Sherry Pinkwhistle, who has a knack for recommending books and solving murders. But the body count has become unusually high, and the killer doesn’t appear to be mortal. After a death hits close to home and Sherry’s cat is possessed by an ancient demon, she forms a ragtag group of sleuths to get to the bottom of things.
SFF New Releases for Kids and Teens
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, Ashley Mackenzie (Knopf Books for Young Readers, September 10)
This middle grade fantasy is one of the most highly acclaimed children’s books in years! A young boy saves a baby griffin from drowning and accidentally discovers a whole world of magical creatures. It’s here that Christopher meets Mal, who enlists him in helping find out why many of the creatures are dying. They will have to travel to see the most spectacular magical creatures to get answers.
Camp Twisted Pine by Ciera Burch (Margaret K. McElderry Books, September 17)
From the author of the excellent Finch House comes another story of creepy supernatural fun! Naomi is very unhappy when her parents announce they are getting a divorce and they are sending Naomi and her twin brothers to summer camp. Naomi is not a fan of the outdoors. She prefers to learn about it from books. (Same, tbh.) Things seem like they aren’t going to be that bad when Naomi makes new friends. But then someone — or something — starts kidnapping people from camp, and Naomi may be the only one who can figure out how to stop it.
The Wand Keepers: A Sky Full of Dragons by Tiffany McDaniel, Ayesha L. Rubio (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, September 24)
Last, but not least, it’s the middle grade debut of Tiffany McDaniel! Spella is raised in the forest and taught spells and magic by Aunt Cauldroneyes, who discovered her in a cauldron when she was a little girl. Now eight, Spella is all set to attend Dragon’s Knob, the academy in the sky with dragons, but the night before she is set to leave, someone kidnaps Aunt Cauldroneyes. Spella knows that to find the answer to the kidnapping, she must go to the school and uncover its secrets if she ever wants to see Aunt Cauldroneyes again.
Bonus Mentions
Because I can’t just stop at eleven books, in September, be sure to watch for The Fallen Fruit by Shawntelle Madison, The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy, and The Daggers of Ire by J. C. Cervantes. And for sequels, we get Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune, Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman, Vilest Things by Chloe Gong, Bringer of Dust by J. M. Miro, Rumor Has It by Cat Rambo, and Space Oddity by Catherynne M. Valente.
There are also a bunch of amazing SFF titles out in paperback this month, including The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab, Shadow Speaker: The Desert Magician’s Duology by Nnedi Okorafor, A River of Golden Bones: Book One of the Golden Court by A.K. Mulford, and The Free People’s Village by Sim Kern.
If you want to learn about more sci-fi and fantasy books, check out 8 Backpack Fantasy Recommendations for Heroes On the Go and 12 of the Funniest Science Fiction and Fantasy Books. And be sure to sign up for our SFF newsletter, Swords and Spaceships, and listen to our SFF podcast, SFF Yeah!
Finally, you can also find a full list of new releases in the magical New Release Index, carefully curated by your favorite Book Riot editors, organized by genre and release date.
