12 new science fiction and fantasy releases to get chills with this October

October 2021 release: The City Beautiful – Aden Polydoros

A Jewish historical fantasy about a city, a boy, and the shadows of the past that bind them both together – along with a being from ancient folklore – The City Beautiful is certainly one of the most striking titles on this month’s list.

Set in late nineteenth-century Chicago, the story follows seventeen-year-old Alter Rosen, an immigrant living in the shadow of the World’s Fair. He longs to enjoy everything America has to offer him, but as a Romanian refugee, he feels it is his duty to work and earn money so that he might bring his family over from Europe, where they are frequently the target of government-sanctioned antisemitic violence.

But as Jewish boys start to mysteriously disappear – including Alter’s roommate and secret crush, Yakov – he knows he must do whatever he can to find out what’s happening to them, even if it means risking his own life to do so.

The official synopsis describes the story as follows.

"Chicago, 1893. For Alter Rosen, this is the land of opportunity, and he dreams of the day he’ll have enough money to bring his mother and sisters to America, freeing them from the oppression they face in his native Romania. But when Alter’s best friend, Yakov, becomes the latest victim in a long line of murdered Jewish boys, his dream begins to slip away. While the rest of the city is busy celebrating the World’s Fair, Alter is now living a nightmare: possessed by Yakov’s dybbuk, he is plunged into a world of corruption and deceit, and thrown back into the arms of a dangerous boy from his past. A boy who means more to Alter than anyone knows. Now, with only days to spare until the dybbuk takes over Alter’s body completely, the two boys must race to track down the killer—before the killer claims them next"

The City Beautiful is available on October 5.