Books Received in November 2025

Many thanks to Tor.com for letting me read advance copies of these books. Both of them are later additions to series, and they're both really good.

Through Gates of Garnet and Gold by Seanan McGuire - This takes place a few months after the events of Mislaid in Parts Half-Known, and it's worth revisiting that book to remind yourself of what's been happening. There's another quest and more explanation of the Halls of the Dead, which have only been briefly explored in previous books. Out January 6, 2026.

A fan-favorite character returns in this action-packed installment of the Hugo Award-winning Wayward Children series.

After Nancy was cast out of the Halls of the Dead and forced to enroll at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children, she never believed she'd find her door again, and when she did, she didn't look back. She disappeared from the school to resume her place in the Halls, never intending to return.

Years have passed. A darkness has descended on the Halls, and the living statues who populate them are dying at the hands of the already dead. The Lord and Lady who rule the land are helpless to stop the slaughter, forcing Nancy to leave the Halls again, this time on purpose, as she attempts to seek much-needed help from her former schoolmates.

But who would volunteer to quest in a world where the dead roam freely?

And why are the dead so intent on adding to their number?

Platform Decay by Martha Wells - This is book 8 in the Murderbot Diaries series. It helps to have read the rest of the books as there's little character introduction in this one. It's an extraction story, so it's slower paced than some of the others. The book has the same dry wit and humour as the rest, enhanced by Murderbot's new 'emotion check' program. Out May 25, 2026.

Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back in the next installment of Martha Wells' bestselling and award-winning Murderbot Diaries series.

Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good.

Having volunteered to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realises that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn't know.

Including human children. Ugh.

This may well call for... eye contact!

(Emotion check: Oh, for f—)