What to watch and read this week, 2–8 November

New fantasy releases this week centre on 3 November: Cassandra Clare's The Last King of Faerie and John Gwynne's The Wolves of War, both out that day, plus Netflix's steampunk western Bass X Machina. Shudder's film New Group follows on 6 November and The Institute Season 2 arrives on MGM+ on 8 November.

Screen picks are fewer than book releases this week, so books and Star Wars titles carry most of the list. If you missed the last round, our 26 October to 1 November edition covers the week before. Dates come from publisher and listings information, and some may still shift.

What fantasy and sci-fi is on screen this week?

Netflix leads on 3 November with Bass X Machina, a steampunk western about a father who becomes judge, jury and executioner. All episodes are available at once, so it suits a binge. On 6 November Shudder's original movie New Group premieres, and on 8 November The Institute Season 2 arrives on MGM+.

The Rings of Power Season 3 lands on Prime Video on 11 November with the first four episodes, just outside this window. Anyone wanting a refresher can read our Rings of Power guide before then. The 1984 Dune and Jodorowsky's Dune have been streaming on HBO Max since 1 November, so they are there if you want a Dune fix.

November has fewer genre entries than October overall, so this is a quieter stretch on screen.

What new fantasy books come out this week?

The big date is 3 November. The Last King of Faerie by Cassandra Clare, from Knopf Books for Young Readers, opens The Wicked Powers, the final Shadowhunter trilogy. It begins with Dru Blackthorn kidnapped by Prince Ash. The same day brings The Wolves of War by John Gwynne, an epic fantasy drawing on Slavic mythology and following Ivan and his daughter Halia.

Also out on 3 November are Defy the Dusk by Danielle L. Jensen, which starts The Sundering Duet, and A Conspiracy of Charming Monsters by Holly Black, an illustrated collection of six tales, two of them new. Science fiction readers get Monsters of Ohio by John Scalzi and Reapers by Anthony Ryan.

On 10 November, The Last Star in the Void by Melissa Caruso ends the Echo Archives series, so start with the earlier books. Dates here come from publisher information, and these are curated picks rather than full catalogues.

Are there new Star Wars books out this week?

Yes, mostly on 3 November. The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, from Abrams Books, is a behind-the-scenes art book by Phil Szostak. The film it covers is the first Star Wars theatrical release in seven years. Dark Horse's trade paperback Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories: The Bad Batch, Rogue Agents collects all four issues, and HarperCollins has two LEGO Star Wars activity books, Han Solo and Chewie in Action and Secrets of the Dark Side.

On 10 November, Random House Audio releases unabridged audiobooks of X-Wing: Isard's Revenge and X-Wing: Starfighters of Adumar, both narrated by Marc Thompson. Later dates may still change.

Are there Harry Potter, Middle-earth or game releases this week?

None could be confirmed for 2–8 November. No Harry Potter, Doctor Who, The Witcher, Game of Thrones, Discworld or The Expanse release turned up in the window, and no fantasy or science fiction game release or fan event was confirmed either.

Middle-earth fans have a short wait: Rings of Power Season 3 is due on 11 November. The HBO Harry Potter series is listed for 25 December, and our HBO Harry Potter guide has what is known so far.

No new Dune cinema or TV material for the week has been confirmed. The Dune items found are the streaming release on 1 November and a book edition on 17 November. For the film, see Dune: Part Three release dates.

What should readers look out for after this week?

On 11 November, The Rings of Power Season 3 arrives on Prime Video. On 17 November comes Rebecca Yarros's standalone Peculiar Stars, with Apple TV holding the rights, and Chloe Gong's YA science fiction Deadlock, the second Strangeloom book. A movie tie-in edition of Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah, Dungeon Crawler Carl: Deluxe Edition and Rebecca McKee's debut Mr. Mendlebee's Pandimensional Literary Repository (and Yarn) land that day too.

On 24 November, Christopher Ruocchio's Songs of the Sun Eater is released, and on 25 November the Prime Video mini-series Blade Runner 2099 arrives with all episodes available. If you want the original film first, see our Blade Runner 1982 piece.

Queen of Foxes has moved to 1 December 2026 after first being listed for November. The Percy Jackson Season 3 date conflicts across the listings, so it is left out. You can also browse free reads in our Free Library.