The best new science-fiction books of October 2026
From Becky Chambers to Audrey Niffenegger, there are some heavy hitters with new sci-fi novels out this month – and a hefty dose of time travel, says Alison Flood
This month sees the release of several new science-fiction books that are sure to delight fans and readers alike. The graphic novel adaptation of Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, adapted by Steven Spielberg, is out and receiving high praise.
New Scientist columnist Annalee Newitz returns with a novel featuring a slime mould protagonist, while alumni of the New Scientist Book Club, Adam Roberts and Claire North, have new books to look forward to. Audrey Niffenegger, known for her bestseller The Time Traveler's Wife, returns with a sequel to her earlier work, and Becky Chambers brings us another installment in her beloved sci-fi series.
As You Wake, Break the Shell by Becky Chambers continues the adventure of Cora, a pilot with a dangerous condition linked to her bond with an alien animal. Meanwhile, Dark Reading Matter by Jasper Fforde marks the final novel in Fforde's literary detective series, featuring a Martian invasion and distorted reality experiments. Exhumation by Nicholas Binge follows a private investigator in London who stumbles onto strange experiments blurring the lines between life and death.
Adam Roberts' reimagining of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, titled Frankenstein Rex, imagines a world where the monster conquers Europe and rules the world. Claire North tackles the subject of time travel in her latest novel, Our Verdict on Claire North's space opera Slow Gods, a big thumbs-up, and Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger, a sequel to her beloved Time Traveler's Wife, which explores big questions like climate change and democracy.
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