Deliciously Dark Fantasy and Sci-Fi

Spooky season is here! We love Halloween because it’s the perfect excuse (if you need one) to cosplay, and it fits our love of all things fantasy and science fiction. As fall sets in and the days grow darker, we like to read books that are a little darker, too.

Speaking of dark fantasy, Remy Apepp’s debut novel, Sand to Glass, is on sale right now: the e-book is only 99 cents through October 7th! Hailed as “a tight examination of the line between monster and human” (Foreword Reviews), Sand to Glass follows four royal siblings, who face enormous pressure as accursed beings ravage their kingdom. Their only choice is to grow into monsters, themselves—or to shatter like glass.
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Without further ado, here’s our list of other awesome dark-fantasy (and sci-fi) books:

1. Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee: A disgraced captain gets a chance to redeem herself by retaking a fortress from the enemy. Her best chance is to ally with an undead tactician, who has never lost a battle...but when he was alive, he went mad and massacred two armies, one of them his own.

2. Werewolf Cop by Andrew Klavan: While hunting a brutal gangster, detective Zach Adams is attacked by a beast under the full moon. Now the good cop has innocent blood on his own hands. Zach must break the curse, but it also might help him find the crime boss and bring him to justice. 
 
3. House of Stairs by William Sleator: Five teenage orphans are brought to a house full of nothing but staircases, all leading nowhere except back to a strange red machine. They are supposed to love it and let it run their lives. But it might just steal their souls.
 
4. Darkhenge by Catherine Fisher: Rob’s sister is in a coma, and his life is falling apart. After taking a job at an archaeological site, he finds an ancient tree buried upside down. It transports him to the Unworld, where his sister is trapped between life and death, and he must save her. But does she want to be saved?
 
5. Shade's Children by Garth Nix: The evil Overlords of a futuristic dystopia have declared that no one shall live past their 14th birthday. The mysterious Shade recruits escapee teenagers into his resistance force. They must discover the source of the Overlords’ power to bring them down.
 
6. The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas: a slice-of-life drama about a vampire who lives a mostly normal life as a college professor. He hunts humans for their blood but also has some empathy toward them.
 
7. Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata: Bored genius teen Light Yagami finds a Death Note, a book that will kill anyone whose name is written in it. After he begins using it on criminals, he’s caught in a cat-and-mouse game with a police task force and an eccentric genius rival known as “L.” ​
 
8. Against a Dark Background by Iain M. Banks: Hunted by a cult of intergalactic religious fanatics, Sharrow searches for a powerful artifact called the Lazy Gun. It kills by altering the reality around it and may be the only thing that can save her life.
 
9. Perdido Street Station by China Miéville: A monster escapes a scientist’s lab and ravages the sprawling metropolis of New Crobuzon. The scientist is soon on the run from the monster, a drug lord, and the authorities. A gripping, award-winning steampunk tale that starts a series.
 
10. The God Engines by John Scalzi: In a civilization powered by faith, with spaceships inhabited and powered by gods, Captain Tephe is given a secret mission to a hidden land. His faith and his ship will be put to the test, not only by his god but also by a much more malevolent source.
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What books do you like to read around Halloween?


​P.S. - ​If you loved these book recommendations, why not sign up for our newsletter? Twice a month, we'll send you a themed list of fantasy and/or sci-fi book recommendations, and sometimes music or movies too. (Not to mention jokes, games, puzzles, and memes!)

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Remy Apepp

If stories were stars, Remy would want to write an entire night sky full. Remy has written Sand to Glass, a dark literary fantasy about a desert kingdom on the edge of destruction, and its lyrically beautiful sequel, The Blessed. (This series can be read in any order.) Find Remy's author site at remyapepp.wordpress.com.

Sarah M. Awa

Sarah writes dark fantasy about werewolves and lives with two hairy guys. Awa? Awooo! Her debut novel is Hunter’s Moon, hailed as "emotionally strong and suspenseful" (Eric Wilson, New York Times bestselling author). Check out her author website at www.sarahmawa.com.

Deborah J. Natelson

Deborah lives with a fluffy member of fauna named Flora. She is the author of Bargaining Power, a smart, twisty fantasy thriller; The Midnight Files, a serialized, action-packed dark fantasy on Kindle Vella; and various other books. Her author website is www.deborahjnatelson.com.