4 Fantasy Novels for Fall Reading

by MK French

Pumpkin spice is popping up everywhere which means Halloween is just around the corner. Fall fantasy novels are often darker to match the shorter days and longer nights. If fantasy is your go-to genre for Halloween reads, then get your list out for these upcoming titles.

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Out of the Drowning Deep by A.C. Wise

September 2024; Titan Books; 978-1803369822
ebook, print (176 pages); fantasy

The automaton Scribe IV lives in the Bastion, a secluded monastery in the corner of the galaxy. The Sisters of the Drowned Deep plan to arrive and punish the Bastion when the visiting Pope is murdered. Scribe IV prays for help, so an Angel named Angel arrives to help the human private detective Quin investigate. He has a traumatic past he can't remember, as he feeds memories to his lover, the angel Murmuration. Some fragments of memories remain and may hold the key to the murder.

On top of a murder mystery, this novella also examines memories and the nature of divinity. This is a world with space-faring people, stations for docking, and the possibility of creating new gods even as multitudes of gods, demons, and angels exist. Quin was traumatized by the religious fervor of his father and sought to erase it with Murmuration, but it's difficult to erase it completely. The manner of the Pope's death is triggering, but the fearsome Sisters of the Drowned Deep plan to use the opportunity for their own gain. 

It's fascinating how much world-building and emotion is crammed into this novella, and how much I hoped for a good outcome for Scribe IV and Quin. We have an answer, the murder solved, and a crisis averted. It's a world I easily fell into and would gladly revisit if future novels are set there.

Buy Out of the Drowning Deep at Amazon

Lucy Undying by Kiersten White

September 2024; Del Rey; 978-0593724408
audio, ebook, print (464 pages); gothic

Lucy Westenra was Dracula's first victim in England, and though she died in the pages of someone else's diary, she was reborn a vampire. She spent years trying to escape Dracula, and in the twenty-first century is captivated by Iris, a young woman whose family is built from a dangerous secret. The two are drawn to each other, but Iris' mother won't let her go and Dracula is still out there.

The story follows Lucy via her secret journal, Lucy telling her story in the present day, and Iris in the present day. We learn about Lucy's real feelings toward her three suitors, and her infatuation with Mina, who is not as fixated or enamored with her in the same manner. We find out how Lucy survived the staking and how she spent her time afterwards. I really enjoyed that story thread, and the way Lucy maneuvered through history, unknowingly seeking out the other women that Dracula turned into vampires. Each are a little off in their sanity and purpose in the afterlife but becomes something of a family for her to fall back on. Her life changes as she gets to know them, and their lives change over time as well.

Iris is fascinating. From the start, Iris Godalming is hesitant to fall back on her family name and fortune. As far as she knows, it was built on a multilevel marketing cultlike business, and she goes through properties to find things worthy of selling. It takes her to the old Westenra home and to Whitby, with a historian at her side to help. She has a crush on Elle, and there are mysterious aspects of her past and her family to intrigue the reader. We think we know what happened if we've read Bram Stoker's Dracula, and this seems to be a world where that novel was never published. Iris gets to know Elle as she goes through the properties and the diary she found; it all comes together soon enough and Iris finds out more about Elle and her own Godalming legacy. It isn't quite what we thought it was at first, which makes the final third of the novel even more fun to read. It's a little over the top, with a vampire MLM in the middle of Utah, and more gore with the finale than the state will likely want. 

Buy Lucy Undying at Amazon

The Ending Fire by Saara El-Arifi

September 2024; Del Rey; 978-0593357002
ebook, print (512 pages); epic fantasy

The Wardens’ Empire is falling and the Truthsayer is raising an army against them. Sylah and Hassa search for Anoor as they navigate politics. The Blood Forged prepare for war, and Jond trains soldiers for combat. The Zalaam celebrate the Child of Fire, though Anoor still has doubts. Either way, the Zalaam will have their holy war.

As with the second book, we open with a grist giving a summary of the important discoveries from the previous nook, and then we dive into the story. No one starts where they hoped to be; a lot of revelations and death in the prior novel derailed their original plans. The politics in the Empire are still present, even as the truth of bloodwerking is revealed. Embers try to solidify their ranks as the lower classes move against them, and Hassa discovers part of her past. Sylah works against the Empire, using what she knows about the Zalaam. Across the sea, Anoor learns more of her heritage with the Zalaam, and Jond works with Kara to build an army against them. 

Working on three fronts, the book follows the push towards an intercontinental holy war. For all that the blood colors are equally able to do workings, the different factions still have an aspect of rank and privilege within them. Revolution within the Empire and a three-front war takes up the bulk of this novel, with creations pitted against fighters. It's a horrifying and bloody ending to the story, with hope for the future once the characters are able to rebuild. 

Buy The Ending Fire at Amazon

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

September 2024; Del Rey; 978-0593722343
audio, ebook, print (384 pages); dark fantasy

Lorelei Kaskel is a folklorist on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The king wants to harness its magical power to secure his reign in Brunnestaad. Lorelei wants to prove herself, but her mentor is murdered on their ship. The remaining expedition members have motive, and the only one Lorelei knows must be innocent is her rival Sylvia von Wolff. Now in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must find the spring. Even without the threat of a coup, there are dangers to contend with. The forest can rearrange itself at night, dragons are hiding in the river, and shapeshifting beasts are out for blood.

The different nations rapidly conquered by Brunnestaad all have a sort of magic, which here is the ability to manipulate water and its properties. The spring they are all looking for is the source of magic, and using it will give untold power. The king wants this to cement his rule and is far more ruthless about it than he appears. The different regions can be compared to European countries, and Lorelei is Jewish coded for how her people are talked about and derided and the traditions mentioned. She's motivated to prove herself and her people, and the others on the expedition are all representatives of different regions. They each have the expertise to help find the spring, as well as motives to stop its discovery. 

The book is a murder mystery as well as a travelogue for a fantasy nation. Most of the characters don't all trust each other despite growing up together, given their different backgrounds. Lorelai is aware of her differences from them, the precarious position she's in, and that her life would be forfeit if she doesn't present a solution to the king. The travels were dangerous due to magical creatures, their own mistrust, and difficulty finding the spring. The story took a few turns I didn't expect as well as a few that I could. It kept me riveted the entire time, and I thoroughly enjoyed this story. 

Buy A Dark and Drowning Tide at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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