Best New Fantasy Books in October 2022

A spiritual successor to the Dresden Files and some “uncanny” happenings give October’s most intriguing new fantasy releases some Halloween flavor. Here are our top picks for the best new fantasy books in October 2022.

Dead Man’s Hand by James J. Butcher

Type: Novel
Publisher: Ace
Release date: October 11

Den of Geek says: Butcher follows in the footsteps of his father, whose Dresden Files series has gained a massive following over its decades-long run at the forefront of urban fantasy.

Publisher’s summary: On the streets of Boston, the world is divided into the ordinary Usuals, and the paranormal Unorthodox. And in the Department of Unorthodox Affairs, the Auditors are the magical elite, government-sanctioned witches with spells at their command and all the power and prestige that comes with it. Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby is…not one of those witches.
 
After flunking out of the Auditor training program and being dismissed as “not Department material,” Grimsby tried to resign himself to life as a mediocre witch. But he can’t help hoping he’ll somehow, someway, get another chance to prove his skill. That opportunity comes with a price when his former mentor, aka the most dangerous witch alive, is murdered down the street from where he works, and Grimsby is the Auditors’ number one suspect.
 
Proving his innocence will require more than a little legwork, and after forming a strange alliance with the retired legend known as the Huntsman and a mysterious being from Elsewhere, Grimsby is abruptly thrown into a life of adventure, whether he wants it or not. Now all he has to do is find the real killer, avoid the Auditors on his trail, and most importantly, stay alive.

The River of Silver by S.A. Chakraborty

Type: Anthology
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release date: October 11

Den of Geek says: Chakraborty’s Daevabad Trilogy made a mark on fantasy, and the author’s world expands with new stories in this anthology, including one set after the trilogy.

Publisher’s summary: Now together in one place, these stories of Daevabad enrich a world already teeming with magic and wonder. Explore this magical kingdom, hidden from human eyes. A place where djinn live and thrive, fight and love. A world where princes question their power, and powerful demons can help you…or destroy you.

A prospective new queen joins a court whose lethal history may overwhelm her own political savvy…

An imprisoned royal from a fallen dynasty and a young woman wrenched from her home cross paths in an enchanted garden…

A pair of scouts stumble upon a secret in a cursed winter wood that will turn over their world…

From Manizheh’s first steps towards rebellion to adventures that take place after The Empire of Gold, this is a must-have collection for those who can’t get enough of Nahri, Ali, and Dara and all that unfolded around them.  

Uncanny Times by Laura Anne Gilman

Type: Novel
Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press
Release date: October 18

Den of Geek says: This historical fantasy with siblings at its heart has drawn comparisons to long-running television show Supernatural, but the 1913 setting adds a distinct milieu to the monster-hunting.

Publisher’s summary: Huntsmen, according to the Church, were damned, their blood unclean, unholy. Yet for Rosemary and Aaron Harker the Church was less important than being ready to stand against the Uncanny as not being prepared could lead to being dead.

The year is 1913. America—and the world—trembles on the edge of a modern age. Political and social unrest shift the foundations; technology is beginning to make its mark.

But in the shadows, things from the past still move. Things inhuman, uncanny.

And the Uncanny are no friend to humanity.

But when Aaron and Rosemary Harker go to investigate the suspicious death of a distant relative, what they discover could turn their world upside down—and change the Huntsmen forever.