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The Best Books of 2023: Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror
For reading that is truly our of this world, look no further than our hand-picked selection of the very best science fiction, fantasy and horror books of 2023. From captivating romantasy to epic space opera and gothic chills, explore richly imagined new worlds courtesy of Waterstones.
Romatic fantasy (or romantasy for short) has ruled the bestseller charts this year with phenomenal successes such as Rebecca Yarros' spectacular Fourth Wing (and don't forget to catch the sequel Iron Flame when it publishes in November) and the mesmerising conclusion to Stephanie Garber's Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy. Perfectly balancing sizzling love stories with break-neck action, immerse yourself in 2023's best romantic fantasy here.
£20.00
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 2-3 working days
A thrilling fantasy epic that has taken BookTok by storm, Fourth Wing centres on the bookish Violet's attempts to become a dragon rider amidst the intrigue and deadly danger of the kingdom of Navarre.
£22.00
£18.99
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The fallout from Violet's jaw-dropping discoveries in Fourth Wing takes spectacular flight in this completely unputdownable second instalment of Yarros' TikTok-dominating fantasy series.
£18.99
£16.99
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Evangeline Fox's story comes to a mesmerising conclusion as the fate of the Prince of Hearts is sealed in the sweeping climax to Garber's Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy.
£22.00
£18.99
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A prince's body-double and an outcast with forbidden magic join forces to expose a web of corruption and intrigue in the gilded city of Castellane in the enthralling adult fantasy debut from the author of the bestselling Shadowhunter Chronicles.
£18.99
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Old ghosts and dangerous foes conspire to destroy the immortal Rosalind Laing in this spectacular sequel to the bestselling Foul Lady Fortune.
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£13.99
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The Great Gatsby meets Swan Lake in another enchanting modern-day fairy tale from the author of Midnight in Everwood, as struggling artist Forster is drawn into the orbit of a cursed woman longing to be free.
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£16.99
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A sexy, scintillating standalone novel set in the world of Maniscalco's Kingdom of the Wicked series, Throne of the Fallen finds the Prince of Envy and Miss Camilla Antonius engage in a thrillingly dangerous bargain which brings their simmering passion to the fore.
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The bestselling author of The Atlas Six delivers an irresistible tale of ambition, sacrifice and the meaning of blood ties, as two sisters and two brothers from rival witch families come head-to-head in a dark and fantastical New York City.
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£16.99
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A bellicose orc finds unexpected adventure in the second-hand bookshops of a sleepy beach town in this impossibly charming, witty and immersive slice of whimsical fantasy from the author of Legends and Lattes.
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Now ensconced in the land of the fae, Auren risks falling captive once again in the heart-pounding fifth instalment of Kennedy's Plated Prisoner series.
£18.99
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Out of stock
The Hunger Games meets Antony and Cleopatra in this blistering opening instalment of Gong's Flesh and False Gods series, where an avenging princess and a debt-ridden fighter join forces to win a set of deadly contests.
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A magical orphan and a ruthless warrior find themselves on opposite sides of the titular conflict in the first instalment of Guanzon's scintillating fantasy series.
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The mesmerising conclusion to Marske's queer fantasy set in an alternate Edwardian England, A Power Unbound finds reluctant magician Jack drawn into a deadly conspiracy whilst fighting his feelings for a roguish thief.
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The bestselling author of the Blood and Ash series weaves another saga of addictive fantasy romance as a baron, a prince and a girl whose intuition never fails find themselves at the mercy of dark forces massing outside the city gates.
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Vampiric estate agents, death's godson and a demonic personal trainer all abound in this witty and page-turning urban fantasy from the author of the bestselling The Atlas Six.
£14.99
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Taking inspiration from the xianxia genre of Chinese epic fantasy, Song of Silver, Flame Like Night revolves around two magical outsiders thrown together in a quest to uncover their destiny.
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A sumptuous gothic slice of dark academia from the author of the acclaimed The Wolf and the Woodsman, A Study in Drowning follows a young architecture student and a stodgy scholar as they uncover sinister secrets in a crumbling old manor house.
Weaving stunningly imaginative stories of gods, monsters, dragons, fantastical pirates and sexy witches, this year's best fantasy novels have transported us to meticulously constructed speculative landscapes. From Hannah Kaner's enthralling saga of deity slayers and found families to Leigh Bardugo's scintillating sequel to Ninth House, and from Juno Dawson's playful queer blockbuster to Sir Terry Pratchett's inimitable short stories, we present 2023's finest fantasy books.
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A slayer of gods and a disillusioned knight must join forces in a perilous quest to defeat an indestructible deity in Kaner's breathtaking fantasy debut.
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The engrossing prequel to the bestselling The Priory of the Orange Tree delivers more character-driven, emotionally complex adventure and intrigue as the eruption of the Dreadmount brings three formidable women to the fore.
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Fan favourite characters return for the opening instalment of a hugely exciting new trilogy set in the Shades of Magic universe, as Schwab spins an irresistible tale of piracy, spirits and a powerful artefact that many are prepared to kill for.
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A final collection of mesmeric short stories from the much-missed author of the award-winning Discworld series, A Stroke of the Pen is filled with Pratchett's trademark invention, fantastical goings-on and irresistible humour.
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Bardugo's rollercoaster-ride of a follow up to Ninth House ups the ante on sinister intrigue and atmospheric chills as faculty members start turning up very dead very frequently.
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Following on from the spellbinding Her Majesty's Royal Coven, the second instalment in Juno Dawson’s bewitching new series finds trouble seething at the very core of the government.
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From the author of the bestselling Daevabad trilogy comes the rip-roaring first instalment of a fantastical series centred on a notorious female pirate and the magical adventure that just might prove her undoing.
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A breathtaking novella from the author of the seminal The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, The Narrow Road Between Desires focuses on the exploits of the Kingkiller universe's most charming fae.
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The irresistible sequel to The Art of Prophecy spins another tale of martial arts and magic as a motley assortment of elderly grandmasters attempt to whip Jian into shape.
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Tranquility and magic collide with nightmarish darkness in this riveting fantasy from the author of The Lost Metal, as two very different individuals strive to save each other's worlds.
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This breathtaking sequel to Connolly's bestselling The Book of Lost Things revels once more in folklore and myth, as a comatose girl finds herself drawn to a mysterious property on her hospital's grounds.
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Two sisters must confront a shadowy organisation determined to get their hands on a set of magic books in this unputdownable dark fantasy with strong elements of romance and adventure.
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Recasting Chinese myth and history with a fantastical twist, the follow-up to Parker-Chan's lauded She Who Became the Sun finds the Radiant King Zhu Yuanzhang forced into an uneasy alliance with an embittered eunuch general in a determined bid to be crowned Emperor.
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The enthralling sequel to El-Arifi's acclaimed fantasy The Final Strife finds Anoor, Sylah and Hassa all striking out on their own, highly dangerous missions.
£16.99
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A shimmering, stunningly realised fantasy built for bibliophiles, this epic tale about the power of books from the author of Prince of Thorns finds two outcasts join forces to send a world-changing story to the stars.
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The fantasy maestro returns with a pulsating epic that plunges readers into a deadly mission to retrieve a magical artefact before its power winds up in the hands of his enemies.
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Blending the time-travelling excitement of The Invisible Life of Addie la Rue with the intoxicating atmosphere of The Night Circus, Dawson's enchanting debut centres on a troupe of magical performers in the shadow of an impending war.
The very best science fiction writing challenges readers' conceptions of the real world through engagement with alien worlds and societies and this year has seen many great SF authors push the boundaries of imagination and expectation. The Booker-longlisted In Ascension brilliantly married the cosmic to the wonders of the natural world whilst Justin Cronin's first novel since the conclusion of the Passage trilogy painted a visceral and unique picture of the end of the world.
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Brandon Sanderson's magnificent Skyward series reaches its epic conclusion, as secrets from Spensa's past intensify, threatening to throw her future in peril too.
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A mind-bending tale revolving around a small island community cut off from a rapidly deteriorating outside world, this powerful, thrilling novel from the author of The Passage blends myth, mystery and science fiction to mine the human condition and the nature of truth in impeccable prose.
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Masterfully combining a cosmic quest with the intimacies of an individual life, MacInnes’ stunning and sombre speculative novel sees a researcher of ancient algae make a discovery which will propel her on a journey across the universe.
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Once again seamlessly blending crime and science fiction tropes, this unputdownable Rivers of London novella finds FBI Special Agent Kimberley Reynolds in snowbound Northern Wisconsin following a lead to the coldest of cold cases..
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Charting the events before the narrative of Paolini’s bestselling To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, Fractal Noise finds a xenobiologist embark on a dangerous quest in a desperate attempt to find meaning in an increasingly callous universe.
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The Final Architecture trilogy concludes in stellar style as Idris discovers the Architects' fatal flaw only for competing interests to threaten ultimate success.
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A skilful mix of mystery and space opera, this compelling slice of sci-fi from the award-winning author of Ancillary Justice centres around the disappearance of a translator and intermediary between alien and human worlds.
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In a future Earth decimated by climate catastrophe, the arrival of the planet's first visitor in three centuries sparks fear and paranoia in Curtis' unputdownable queer sci-fi opus.
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The bestselling author of Divergent swathes the Greek myth of Antigone in science fiction trappings in this bravura novella which finds the formidable orphan a captive in her Uncle Kreon's gilded mansion.
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The perfect way to enjoy the epic continuation of Frank Herbert's unrivalled masterpiece, this stunning hardback edition of Dune's sequel chronicles what happened after Paul Atreides claimed victory over House Harkonnen.
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The acclaimed author of The Shining Girls and Zoo City delivers another scintillatingly realised slice of speculative fiction, as the daughter of a maverick scientist stumbles upon a potential gateway to other worlds.
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A slow-burning tour de force set in a future North-America, Michelle Min Sterling’s evocative climate dystopia is a tantalising story about trust, deception, and the courage it takes to fall in love.
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From the acclaimed author of Do You Dream of Terra-Two? comes a mind-bending science fiction opus centred upon the sinister Panopticon – a network which allows you to see inside the minds of others.
Good old fashioned chills were the order of the day for the best horror books of 2023, with Jo Nesbo (best known as the Nordic crime maestro) delivering a riveting small-town scarefest in The Night House and Elizabeth Hand returning to the gothic world of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. Elsewhere, filmmaker Jordan Peele collects the finest horror writing by Black authors in Out There Screaming and undisputed master of schlock Garth Marenghi terrorises us all with the outrageous Incarcerat.
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Perfect reading for fans of Stephen King and Stranger Things, this pulsating coming-of-age horror from the pen of the Nordic crime maestro sees a small-town outcast pursue the otherworldly disappearance of his classmate.
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Curated by the horror movie maestro behind Get Out and Nope, this dazzling collection of spine-chilling stories by Black authors boasts contributions from N.K. Jemisin, Tananarive Due and Nalo Hopkinson.
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The first officially sanctioned sequel to Shirley Jackson's ghostly masterpiece The Haunting of Hill House finds a troop of actors holing up in the gothic mansion as events take a turn for the chilling.
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The acclaimed author of Mexican Gothic spins an enticingly chilling story of haunted films and Nazi occultists in 1990s Mexico, as a mysterious auteur recruits a sound editor and her soap opera star friend to lift a curse from an unfinished movie.
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A sublimely wrought collection from Jeanette Winterson, Night Side of the River is filled with thrilling, provocative and truly dark tales about ghosts, gender fluidity, science, AI, and what makes us human.
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Volume two of the legendary 'darkscribe' Garth Marenghi's chilling opus Terrortome ups the ante on schlock and scares, as a horror novelist is abducted by a team of shadowy scientific experts.
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Centred around Christmas or Advent, these chilling tales from Bridget Collins, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Jess Kidd and others make for a gorgeously gothic follow-up to the bestselling ghost stories anthology The Haunting Season.
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Steeped in intrigue and gothic atmosphere, McGill’s gripping debut takes inspiration from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to deliver a powerful and evocative tale of passion, ambition and old secrets exploding out into the open.
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Charming, uncanny and uncategorisable, King’s captivating tale of a girl who works in museum occupied by waxwork tableaux of miners, nurses, shopkeepers and other workers is a stunning feat of imagination filled with terror, magic and searing insight.
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