The 10 Best Upcoming Sci-Fi Books To Read in Fall 2026
Diego Pineda has been a devout storyteller his whole life. He has self-published a fantasy novel and a book of short stories, and is actively working on publishing his second novel.
A lifelong fan of watching movies and talking about them endlessly, he writes reviews and analyses on his Instagram page dedicated to cinema, and occasionally on his blog. His favorite filmmakers are Andrei Tarkovsky and Charlie Chaplin. He loves modern Mexican cinema and thinks it's tragically underappreciated.
Other interests of Diego's include reading, gaming, roller coasters, writing reviews on his Letterboxd account (username: DPP_reviews), and going down rabbit holes of whatever topic he's interested in at any given point.
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Fall is officially here, and that means that science fiction fans can get ready for the publication of what are bound to be remembered as some of the greatest sci-fi books of the 2020s at best, and some of the best of 2026 at the very least. The first half of the year has already given us masterpieces by authors of the caliber of Adrian Tchaikovsky and Martha Wells, so fall has a lot to live up to.
Publishers often save some of their biggest speculative fiction heavy-hitters for the latter half of the year. From September until November, bookworms gain access to things like spooky-adjacent science fiction, cozier works that line up with what readers usually crave as the months get colder, and heavyweight titles aimed to compete in the holiday gift-buying market. That's why we at Collider have put together our very first Fall Guide for sci-fi books coming out over the coming couple of months.
'Strange Is the Light' - September 8
Promoted with a blurb that recommends it to fans of the likes of Netflix's Stranger Things and Susanna Clarke's Piranesi, Sarah Maria Griffin's Strange Is the Light will likely be among many people's favorite science fantasy books published since 2000. Part dark fantasy, part LGBTQ+ sci-fi, this Irish gem is perfect for those who love speculative fiction coming-of-age stories.
The story follows four estranged childhood friends who return to the coastal Irish village of Valentia, where they left their final session of a tabletop RPG they created twenty years earlier unfinished. Few authors write about the heavy emotional toll of growing up with quite as much emotional depth as Griffin. Thus, Strange Is the Light, which was published just earlier this month, more than deserves to be bought on Amazon.
'The Rouse' - September 15
The mind behind groundbreaking masterpieces like Perdido Street Station, award-winning author China Miéville is one of the most important speculative fiction auteurs of his generation. By injecting radical politics into his work and bending genres like it's no one's business, he helped pioneer and shape the New Weird movement. The Rouse comes as part of that fascinating wave of work.
Set during the Cold War, The Rouse follows a grieving mother investigating her son's suspicious death while serving in the military, uncovering a complex conspiracy that weaponizes the dead. This colossal, decades-in-the-making maximalist epic is a horror and science fantasy triumph, structurally audacious and as genre-bending as any Miéville fan might expect. It was released earlier this month and can be bought on Amazon.
'Forged in FIYAH' - September 29
Announced in 2016, FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction was born as a project meant to showcase the work of Black authors like Maurice Broaddus and Tonja K. Johnson. Forged in FIYAH, whose full title is Forged in FIYAH: Celebrating Ten Years of Black Speculative Fiction, collects 18 tales from throughout the magazine's history, edited by DaVaun Sanders.
Both for people who are already FIYAH mainstays and for those who have never even heard about the publication, Forged in FIYAH should be considered a must-read. As far as science fantasy anthology books go, it doesn't get much better, with the book featuring a collection of different but equally accomplished voices. The book was published earlier this month and can be bought on Amazon.
'Victorious' - October 6
V.E. Schwab's Villains trilogy is a highly beloved piece of modern science fantasy, and the latest installment in the series, Victorious, only further enshrines this as one of the best dark academia book series in recent memory. People who read Vicious and Vengeful and loved them are quite likely to also love the triumphant conclusion to the series.
The novel brings the saga of former best friends turned mortal enemies Victor and Eli to a rousing close. Full of high-stakes conflict, cathartic emotional explosions, and deep exploration of the same morally grey characters that made the series beloved to begin with, the book is set to end this trilogy on a high note. Victorious will be published in hardcover on October 6th and can be bought on Amazon.
'A Wall Is Also a Road' - October 6
American journalist, editor, and author of both fiction and nonfiction books Annalee Newitz is a well-known and well-respected figure in science fiction, a writer whose background in tech journalism lends her work a level of complexity that's absolutely delightful. Case in point: A Wall Is Also a Road, her latest work, is further proof of just how versatile a science fiction writer Newitz can be.
The story follows Gardenpath, an amoeba who's also a graduate student secretly studying ancient Earth. Gardenpath, who lives in a world where academia says that life can only evolve in space gas clouds, wants to prove that rocky planets can also develop life. With as much heart and humor as it has philosophical depth, A Wall Is Also a Road is a truly rare effort bound to be one of the year's most special, original, and daring sci-fi books. It comes out on October 6th and can be bought on Amazon.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you'd actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don't trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn't just tactical — it's physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they're actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You'd Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You're a systems thinker who can't help but notice the seams in things.
- You're drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
- You'd find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines' worst nightmare.
- You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
- The Matrix built an airtight prison. You'd be the one probing the walls for the door.
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn't reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That's you.
- You don't need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
- You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you're good at all three.
- You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
- In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Blade Runner
You'd survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
- You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
- In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
- You're not a hero. But you're not lost, either.
- In Blade Runner's world, that distinction is everything.
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
- Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they're survival tools.
- You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
- Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You'd learn its logic and earn its respect.
- In time, you wouldn't just survive Arrakis — you'd begin to reshape it.
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn't have it any other way.
- You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
- You'd gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire's grip can be broken.
- You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn't something you're capable of.
- In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
'As You Wake, Break the Shell' - October 13
Hugo Award winner Becky Chambers is widely considered one of the most unique and refreshing voices in current-day science fiction, perfect for those who enjoy cozier slice-of-life sci-fi over high-stakes, action-packed tales. Her latest is As You Wake, Break the Shell, and if it's anything like what she's had to offer throughout the last six years, it's sure to be one of the best sci-fi books of the 2020s.
The story is set on Fortune, an extraterrestrial Earth colony with a poisonous atmosphere. There, after a cargo pilot falls victim to a dangerous telepathic alien bond, she seeks illegal treatment from a rogue botanist, sparking a romance that challenges their society's strict rules. Perfect for those who love queer romance and forbidden love stories in space (niche as that combo might sound), As You Wake, Break the Shell comes out on October 13th and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.
'No One Dies' - October 21
A Big Ideas Novel is a concept typically referring to science fiction books centered around a massive high-concept premise. Reviewers who have read advanced copies of Robert Pagano's No One Dies have praised it as a refreshing throwback to the era dominated by Big Ideas science fiction. It's Pagano's second novel after the seriously underappreciated thriller Your Life Does Not Exist and promises to be a wonderful sophomore effort.
The story follows Ethan Trask, inventor of NeuroConnect, a technology that promises to revive people after they die. After Trask dies and is brought back to life by NeuroConnect, he discovers that the government is using his technology for suspicious purposes. The premise is exciting enough, and Pagano's previous effort already confirmed him as a gifted storyteller. No One Dies' ebook will be released on October 21st and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.
'Monsters of Ohio' - November 3
John Scalzi is one of the most celebrated and highly influential voices in modern science fiction; his Old Man's War series, in particular, contains some of the best military sci-fi books of all time. Scalzi has explored all manner of facets of science fiction in his work, and Monsters of Ohio sees him write an urban science fantasy tale with elements of horror and comedy.
The novel follows Mike, a laid-off USDA worker who returns to his declining rural hometown just as residents inexplicably start to explode and transform into tentacled monsters. It's about as high-concept as sci-fi premises get, ambitious yet slightly absurd. Knowing Scalzi, it's likely to result in one of the most exquisitely creative sci-fi novels of the year. Monsters of Ohio hits bookshelves on November 3rd and can be bought on Amazon.
'Star Trek: The Kelvin Era' - November 17
Born on the small screen all the way back in 1966, Star Trek quickly became one of the biggest, most influential, and most prolific multimedia sci-fi franchises in the genre's history. As such, expectations were high for J. J. Abrams' live-action reboot, one of those 2009 movies that are now modern classics. As part of the movie's release, IDW Publishing put out three comic book miniseries: Star Trek: Countdown, Star Trek: Nero, and Star Trek: The Official Motion Picture Adaptation.Illustrated by David Messina and authored by Abrams, Mike Johnson, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman, these three comic series will be offered together for the first time in a portable 6″ x 9″ format with Star Trek: The Kelvin Era. The book will be released on November 17th and can be pre-ordered on Amazon, and it should be a must-read for any Star Trek fan.
'Desire in His Blood' - November 17
Zoey Draven's Desire in His Blood was published in ebook and audiobook form back in 2022, but this year will finally see Del Rey publish this gem of steamy science fantasy fiction in paperback form. It's an ideal read for those who love spicy alien stories and spicy paranormal stories and crave something that mixes both of those things with the heat amped up to 11.
It's the standalone first installment in the interconnected USA Today bestselling Brides of the Kylorr series. The story is about Gemma, a human woman who enters a forced marriage with an alien warlord named Azur to pay off her father's crippling gambling debts. You can guess what ensues based on that premise. Sci-fi fans who don't shy away from smut may want to pre-order Desire in His Blood on Amazon before it comes out on November 17th.
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