It’s a new month, which means that it’s a good time to look forward to the coming onslaught of science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels (as well as some cool nonfiction books) hitting bookstores over the course of September.

Here's what you should keep your eyes open for this month:

September 6th

Summerlong by Peter S. Beagle

Peter S. Beagle is best known for his novel The Last Unicorn, but at long last, his latest novel is here. Summerlongfollows Lioness, a waiter with strange abilities. She’s taken in by a family on Puget Sound, and her presence creates some profound changes in the family, all while a looming secret from her past fast approaches.





Ninth City Burning by J. Patrick Black

Aliens have invaded planet Earth, using a weapon known as thelemity, which threatened to crush humanity. However, when we discovered that we could wield it as well, our planet became a battleground for the next five centuries. After a grinding war, the tactics are about to shift, and the real battle is about to begin.

Forsaken Skies by D. Nolan Clark

This new space opera novel has been described as Star Wars meets The Seven Samurai, set far in the future. A backwater planet called Niraya is brutally attacked, and their fates lie in the hands of a small band of pilots who have their own host of problems.

The Boys of Summer by Richard Cox

Stranger Things might have just gotten a second season, but this book looks as though it’ll be the perfect thing to hold you over (along with 11 others). In this story, a Tornado leaves Todd Willis in a coma. When he wakes up four years later in 1983, everything is... different. A quarter-century later, he and his friends reunite to confront their past.

The Secret Ingredient of Wishes by Susan Bishop Crispell

Rachel Monroe has a secret: she can make wishes come true, and sometimes they backfire in disastrous ways. After one accident, she leaves town and finds herself in a strange town called Nowhere, where she discovers other people with strange abilities. As she tries to keep her secret, wishes are piling up and she must come to terms with her abilities and past.

The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from my Life by John le Carré

John le Carré is one of the greatest living thriller authors of all time, authoring books such as The Spy that Came In From The Cold, The Constant Gardner, and The Night Manager. He was also a spy during the Cold War, and talks about his life in this new memoir, providing some insight into his fantastic novels.

Ursula K. Le Guin: The Complete Orsinia by Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin has written some of the greatest works of speculative fiction over the course of her career, and her historical Orsinian stories are now being collected into a single volume from the Library of America. This is a rare honor: there are very few living authors who get the Library of America treatment.

MJ-12: Inception by Michael J Martinez

During the Cold War, people across the world begin to develop fantastic abilities. The so-called Variants can do things like cure diseases, bend emotions, change matter, or absorb the memories of the dying. The government gathers these people together into a secret military program called MAJESTIC-12 to serve their country in new ways.

Women of Futures Past: Classic Stories by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

There’s so much science fiction out there, it’s hard to keep track of some of the greatest authors. Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s latest project is one that focuses on the genre’s female authors. This book will include stories from Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey, Lois McMaster Bujold, CJ Cherryh, C.L. Moore, Leigh Brackett, Ursula K. Le Guin, and more.

Everfair by Nisi Shawl

Nisi Shawl has made a name for herself when it comes to short fiction, but her debut novel looks to be a really impressive alternate history. Set in a neo-Victorian era where native Congolese adopt steam technology far earlier, Shawl reimagines how the colonization of Africa might have played out.

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

Everyone knows about President Kennedy’s speech at Rice University where he proclaimed that the United States would go to the Moon before the end of the decade, and that Neil Armstrong became the first to land in 1969. What we don’t know is the important contributions made by female African-American computers who helped make space travel a reality. We’re pretty excited for the film adaptation of Hidden Figures, which is due out in early 2017, but you can read the book first.

September 13th

The Sound of Seas: Book 3 of The EarthEnd Saga by Gillian Anderson and Jeff Rovin

Gillian Anderson — best known as Scully from X-Files — and co-author Jeff Rovin conclude their EarthEnd trilogy with The Sound of Seas. In it, Caitlin O’Hara’s son is accidentally transported back in time, and she must master the power of the recently discovered Daalderkhani tiles to bring him back.

Cold Forged Flame by Marie Brennan

Marie Brennan’s short novella from Tor.com looks to be a fascinating fantasy, and the start to a new series. A woman with no memory appears, bound by a prophecy and sets off on a quest in a strange, changing island. If she completes her task, she’ll never be summoned again, and on her journey, teams up with a man who is on a similar quest.

Navigators of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's Dune series rolls on with the latest installment, Navigators of Dune, the finale of their Great Schools of Dune trilogy. Taking place 10,000 years before Frank Herbert’s classic novel Dune, it explores the origins of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood and a conflict between reason and fanaticism, all of which will help set the stage for the events to come.

Jerusalem by Alan Moore

Alan Moore is one of the greatest comic book writers currently living, known for his legendary work on books such as Watchman and V for Vendetta. His new book, Jerusalem is his first novel in a decade, and it looks as bonkers as one might expect. Weighing in at over a million words, it promises to be an intriguing, strange, and brilliant read.

Children of the New World: Stories by Alexander Weinstein

Short story collections are always good books to pick up, and Alexander Weinstein’s latest contains stories of virtual reality, robotics, utopian futures, and memories — all stories about how technology and humanity intersect.

September 20th

Children of Lovecraft by Ellen Datlow

As fall approaches, it's time to break out the horror fiction. One anthology to look up this fall comes from master anthologist Ellen Datlow, who takes on H.P. Lovecraft for inspiration with this anthology of stories. There’s a great lineup of stories and authors in this book, including Stephen Graham Jones, Maria Dahvana Headley, Caitlín R. Kiernan, and more.

The Queen of Blood: Book One of The Queens of Renthia by Sarah Beth Durst

In a fantastic world, spirits want to get rid of all of humanity, with only one queen standing in their way. She has been a protector for humanity for years, and her heirs are being trained to take on her important position. They embark on a journey to discover what is behind the spirits to save their world from destruction.

The Warren by Brian Evenson

This short novella from Brian Evenson is all about identity. X doesn’t have a name, or he’s at least forgotten it. He also might not be human, and when he discovers another individual outside of his protective Warren, he must learn what it means to be human, or face destroy humanity.

Death’s End by Cixin Liu (translated Ken Liu)

The Three Body Problem was the first Chinese science fiction novel to earn a Hugo Award, and the trilogy it started comes to a close with Death’s End. Ken Liu (who edited the first installment) is back translating the story that picks up half a century after the Doomsday Battle and the delicate balance it left behind. The human and Trisolaran civilizations are existing alongside one another, but when Cheng Xin, an aerospace engineer from the early 21st century, is awoken from hibernation, her presence might upset the long peace.

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Part of James Patterson’s new children’s imprint, Kerri Maniscalco’s new horror novel takes its inspiration from Jack the Ripper. Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born into privilege, but she leads a double life, slipping away to study medicine. When a series of bodies show up, she’s thrust into the investigation to discover the identity of the serial killer.

The Family Plot by Cherie Priest

A salvager named Chuck Dutton hits a payday when a woman comes by his business and signs away the rights to her entire property. When they arrive at the property, they find some surprises waiting for them: it’s not only in good shape, but there’s a cemetery on the premise, which the owners insist isn’t real. That’s only the start of their problems, as the work crews appear to have awoken something that had long been quiet. Priest has written some excellent horror stories over the course of her career, and this haunted house story looks like it’ll be a good one.

September 27th

A Night Without Stars by Peter F. Hamilton

Peter F. Hamilton is known for some of his hard SF adventures, and his latest is a sequel to his 2014 novel The Abyss Beyond Dreams. The planet Bienvenido has returned to normal space from the Void, but millions of lightyears from the Commonwealth. The planet is turned into a battleground between humans and Fallers, and when baby appears on a captured spacecraft, the tide could turn for humanity.

Cloudbound by Fran Wilde

Fran Wilde’s debut novel Updraft has earned her considerable praise, including an Andre Norton award for best YA fiction. Now its sequel Cloudbound is set to go even more in depth into the world, following Kirit Densira after she leaves the city as a flyer, only to discover that the city is falling apart after a couple of months. Her partner, Naton, is working on trying to save the city, but as they explore the lowest levels, they’re discovering more secrets that could threaten everything.