Fans of speculative fiction have some great new book to look forward to this month. Among the new science fiction and fantasy books out November 2026, you’ll find an exciting debut novel inspired by Taiwanese myth, the deluxe edition of a pop culture sensation, a space thriller, and the next installment in a critically-acclaimed speculative series.
Familiar names in the genres, like Holly Black, Adam Oyebanji, and TJ Klune are joined by debut authors Gracie Marsden, Christine Cowan, and more. Whether you’re into hard sci-fi, cozy fantasy, or speculative tales that lean literary, you’ll find the new book for you.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Out November 2026A Conspiracy of Charming Monsters: Illustrated Tales from Elfhame (The Folk of the Air) by Holly Black (November 3)
Fans of Holly Black and all things fae will be enchanted by a new collection of short stories written by the author of The Folk of the Air series. The collection of tales spun from the world of the Modern Faerie Tales and Elfhame features two brand new stories and the gorgeous art of Solenne Songer (Frostbite Studios).
Chimera Skin by Johnny Compton (November 3)
If you love shorter works of science fiction, Chimera Skin should be on your radar. The author of The Spite House has an apocalyptic sci-fi novel out this month. Swanson lives in a world ruined by an alien. Mutated and hanging on by a thread, he’s civilization’s last hope, and he’s hatched a plan that will take him far from home.
Bones of Jade, Flesh Like Ice by Gracie Marsden (November 10)
You don’t often come across historical fantasy inspired by Taiwanese mythology and the enthusiasm around this debut novel is big. Yu’er’s story unfolds in the Eleventh century in a small village. First sold off for marriage in her youth at the advice of a jing, then estranged from the husband she’s come to love, Yu’er takes matters into her own hands. She strikes a bargain with a jing that sets her on a path to riches and agency but away from her humanity.
Lavender and Hemlock by Lili Wilkinson (November 10)
Tansy is a housemaid caring for her elderly charge in a prosaic seaside cottage. Merit is a knight and servant of a dark entity. The women’s worlds collide when Merit, wounded, tumbles into the Oubliette. As the bond between the two grows so too do Tansy’s questions. She can’t remember how she got to the cozy cottage or having ever left it. In search of who she is and what she wants, Tansy is on the precipice of unlocking the dark origins of her world.
Birth of the Witch: A Coven of Three by Nora Roberts (November 17)
Niamh McShane died at 13 years old, the day she learned she was a witch. On the same island more than three hundred years later, Neve McShane gets the gift of a revelation on her thirteenth birthday. She and her aunts are witches, their lives tied with Niamh’s, and Neve has to prepare herself to defeat an encroaching darkness.
Dungeon Crawler Carl: Deluxe Edition by Matt Dinniman (November 17)
Just in time for gifting season, the book that broke out into the broader world of pop culture is getting the deluxe treatment. Embark on a madcap thrill ride as Carl and his ex’s cat, Princess Donut, try to survive one sick intergalactic game show. This fancy edition comes with decorated endpapers, stenciled edges, an illustrated hardcover case with a solvable maze, and more.
Line of Descent by Adam Oyebanji
Fling yourself into space and board the ship Archimedes where all hell is about to break loose. Faisal, a junior officer, is abducted outside one of the ship’s bars and is returned 24 hours later with no memory of what happened. Though the event is dismissed as the tale of a drunk, it causes turmoil aboard the ship that’s been bound for a bubble of humanity for centuries. Expect timely topics and big worldbuilding.
Love, Witches, and Wahala by Christine Cowan
Sure to catch the attention of readers who loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, this cozy fantasy follows a witch who has to find her soulmate to save the witches of Kamalu Lane. When Nneka accidentally gets her love potion into a batch of puff puffs, every man in the town except the one she wants falls for her. Her attraction to architect and human Dakoru might spell doom or might be the answer she’s seeking.
Murmuration by TJ Klune
Mike is about to be disoriented in the town he thought he loved and knew so well. He’s been leading a charmed life working in a bookstore and looking forward to taking the next step in his relationship with Sean, a waiter at the local diner. But when Mike begins to take note of strange aspects about life in 1950s Amorea. A cloud of starlings hearkens darkness ahead and Mike, no longer certain of who he is, will do anything to protect Sean.
On the Calculation of Volume (Book V) by Solvej Balle, translated by Jennifer Russell and Sophia Hersi Smith
The fifth installment of Balle’s seven-part time loop series is out this month. Books in the series have so far been longlisted and shortlisted for prestigious awards including the International Booker Prize and the National Book Awards, and Volume III won the Locus Prize for Translated Novel. The new volume continues the story of time-trapped Tara who’s working toward making peace with her new reality.
Salt Water Blood by Manuia Heinrich
In this debut YA speculative thriller, Indigenous teen Moe hears prophesies from the sea. She knew her father was going to die, felt her mother’s relief when she abandoned Moe and younger brother Tao, and she knows Tao will drown if she doesn’t act. But rather than pulling him out of danger, Moe finds Tao with blood on his hands at the location where his missing girlfriend was last seen. It’s up to Tao to figure out what happened and save her brother and her community.