21 magical science fiction and fantasy books hitting shelves in Fall 2021

The year 2021 just keeps marching on somehow, and even though most of us have probably only made the smallest of dents in our summer reading lists, it’s time to start talking about the positively ridiculous number of incredible science fiction and fantasy stories coming to a bookstore near you this Fall.

Fall is always an exciting time in the world of publishing – it marks the kick-off of both spooky season (Halloween means horror and horror adjacent stories) and the unofficial start of holiday book buying. Or, at least, ’tis the season to get these releases on readers’ holiday wishlist radars.

Getting this list down to just 21 entries was a challenge – and there are so many more great titles that were sadly left off. (Though, stay tuned to our monthly previews for more of those near-misses.)

From new novels from fan-favorite authors (Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire, C.S. Pacat’s Dark Rise) to highly-anticipated series conclusions (Roshani Chokshi’s The Bronzed Beasts, Katy Rose Pool’s Into the Dying Light) and buzzy debuts (Ayana Gray’s Beasts of Prey), there’s so much variety hitting shelves this Fall.  There’s sure to be something for every kind of reader.

Here are 21 must-read science-fiction and fantasy book releases for Fall 2021

Here are 21 of our most anticipated science fiction and fantasy book releases arriving in Fall 2021 (for the technically minded among us, that means from September through November – our winter preview will cover December releases.).

Let us know if you’re looking forward to any of them – and we can’t wait to talk about all of them once they arrive!