The market front

New Urban fantasy books

4 books released in the last eighteen months, best first.

What is new and already good

0 of these have cleared the ordinary bar of 50 ratings; 4 carry an early score from 20 to 49 ratings. The newest arrival is “Songs of the Dead (Duplicate of OL45746319W)” by Brandon Sanderson.

An early score uses the same formula as everything else, pulled harder toward the category mean until more readers vote. The chip on a row says how much of the number is the readers’ own. Method →

  1. Out Law
    Out LawJim Butcher · 2026Early · 17% own38 ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  2. 1% Lifesteal (Volume 2)
    1% Lifesteal (Volume 2)Robert Blaise · 2025Early · 18% own40 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  3. Half City
    Half CityKate Golden · 2026Early · 17% own37 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  4. Songs of the Dead (Duplicate of OL45746319W)Brandon Sanderson
    Songs of the Dead (Duplicate of OL45746319W)Brandon Sanderson · 2026Early · 11% own23 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
What is the best new Urban fantasy book?

“Out Law” by Jim Butcher scores 8.2/10 from 38 reader ratings, the highest of the releases we have enough readers for.

What does “early score” mean?

The book has between 20 and 49 reader ratings. It gets a page and a place on this list, but it does not enter category rankings until it reaches 50, like every other book.

How is this list built?

From reader ratings only: the same Bayesian score as everywhere on the site, with releases of the last eighteen months and at least 20 ratings. Sales, marketing and prizes do not enter it. Refreshed daily.