13 more sci-fi and fantasy books to check out in April 2026

Before we get started, here's a quick announcement: I'll be at the Vermont Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Expo this weekend! I've got two things that I'll be doing on both Saturday and Sunday:

• 11:00AM, The History of Cosplay, Room B
• 1:00PM, A Babylon 5 Mini-Reunion, Upstairs Room A

I'm very excited about the Babylon 5 panel: actors Bruce Boxleitner and Claudia Christian are attending, and I'll be asking them about their experiences on the show and since. I'm a big fan of the series, so this'll be a cool chat.

As always, you can find prior book roundup over on the Book List tag, and you can read the first list for April here. Here are 13 more science fiction and fantasy to check out this month:

The Story of Birds: A New History, from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present by Steven Brusette (April 28th)

One of my favorite popular science authors of recent years has been Steven Brusette, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World and The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us, both of which provide a neatly accessible overview of the story of how the dinosaurs and mammals evolved and took over the world.

I'd been wondering what he'd tackle next, and it's the perfect subject: birds. Over the course of my lifetime, it's become clear that birds share a link to the dinosaurs (and judging from the way that our rooster, Hermes, decided to attack my legs this morning, they're still living amongst us), and in this book, Brusette turns his attention to how the birds that surround us have evolved and changed with time: how they survived the extinction of the dinosaurs, how they've proliferated across the world, and how they've adapted and play a vital role in the world around us.

The Photonic Effect by Mike Chen (April 21st)

In Mike Chen's latest, the crew of a starship survived a galactic civil war. Stuck together for a decade on their ship, they've just arrived home, only to find that the place they left behind isn't something they recognize. The Cluster, a coalition of peaceful planets, has been torn apart by the war.

When an attack on a mining station kills thousands, Captain Demora King's efforts to keep her crew safe are out the window, and they're sent off to the front lines, where they have to figure out how to navigate the crisis.

Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, saying that "Chen takes impressive care presenting nonhuman characters, showcasing their often baffled perspectives on humanity."

Sanctuary by James Cleary (April 28)

The world faces some intense threats, thanks to climate change. Realizing that there would be significant disruptions, a billionaire named John Brandt set up the Sanctuary, a secure bunker buried under Nebraska, and he hopes that he and his security team can ride out the unrest in relative comfort.

However, there's a group of raiders who're aware of the facility and are prepared to stop at nothing to get in to try and survive.

Your Behavior Will Be Monitored by Justin Feinstein (April 7th)

A major tech company called UniView has been establishing its reputation as a trusted name in the world of artificial intelligence, and they've been readying a new product that will hopefully change the world.

The company hires a copywriter who's been down on his luck and when the company's digital head of HR selects him for a job at the company, he seems like an unlikely choice. He's to train an AI bot named Quinn, which works with personal advertising, and it's Noah's job to teach the bot the finer points of advertising. When the company accelerates its plans to release Quinn, it decides to drop its safety guard rails, threatening to unleash some chaos for the company.

Publishers Weekly says "Steeped in satire, this chaotic corporate unraveling is made all the more zany by its epistolary construction, piecing together emails, data readouts, chats, and transcripts. This inventive structure succinctly captures the precariousness of digital-age communications while hammering out a timely warning about generative AI."

Stimulus by Daniel Freedman, illustrated by Robert Sammelin and Stefano Realdini (April 28th)

In this graphic novel, Daniel Freedman, Robert Sammelin, and Stefano Realdini bring together 12 science fiction stories, all connected by a supernatural plant known as "SeaFarer", including everything from vampires, soldiers, crystalline women, aliens, AIs, and quite a bit more. It looks like a lot of fun.

Skies of Fire and Smoke by Brian D. Hinson (April 24th)

World War I takes on a slightly different look in this alternate history: Germania fights against dragons that have ruled Europe, and pilot Lt. Johann Fischer is pressed into battle in his Fokker airplane. The dragons, allied with the Papal States are a formidable enemy, and but Fischer is fighting for his family and people. Meanwhile, a Citadel guard named Kendensei has been dispatched to Germania as a spy, infiltrating Fischer's household as a maid.

At the same time, the war proves to be an opportune moment for politicking, and as the Pope works to try and convince Germania's Kaiser to back down, he faces threats from within, in the form of a rival who hopes to take the throne for himself.

The Language of Liars by S.L. Huang (April 21st)

In S.L. Huang's latest novella, we're introduced to an alien called Ro, who was trained as a spy. He's tasked with making the jump into the mind of a Star Eater, and he's been training for his whole life to understand the species, which are vital for space travel.

Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, saying "Huang manages to make completely alien ways of understanding and complex ideas about language, culture, and hegemony easy to follow while providing a fascinating linguistic puzzle that will entice hard sci-fi fans and literary scholars alike."

A River From the Sky by Ai Jiang (April 28th)

Ai Jiang brings out a followup to last year's A Palace Near the Wind, in which Liu Lengeng is the oldest princess of the Feng royalty, and is slated to be the next bride to the human king.

Along with her sisters, she's from the Palace and reaches Gear, where she encounters rebels, and learns more about the experiments Zinc has inflicted upon her people.

When the Trees Came Back: The Great Battle to Save Vermont's Forests by Robert A. Mello (April 21st)

This is a book that I've been deeply involved with, but were I not a VHS employee, I'd be still pushing this as much as possible.

While Vermont is covered with rich forests, this wasn't always the case: when European settlers arrived in the 1700s, they quickly began cutting the region's ancient forests down for crops, livestock, and industry, eventually reaching upwards of 75% of the land deforested.

In his new book, Mello takes a look at the actions that Vermonters took to restore those forests: it was the work of regular citizens, reformers, politicians, and environmentalists, who fought to reforest the state's hillsides, and reverse deforestation that took place. I've read most of it through my duties here, but I've been sitting down to read it through, and I'm really loving it.

Interview: Robert Mello, author of When the Trees Came Back

An interview with Robert A. Mello, author of When the Trees Came Back

Transfer OrbitAndrew Liptak

Rabbit Test and Other Stories by Samantha Mills (April 21st)

Samantha Mills earned a good amount of acclaim for her story "Rabbit Test" back in 2023, when it earned the the Hugo, Locus, Nebula, and Theodore Sturgeon awards. (She's since disavowed the Hugo). After publishing her debut novel, The Wings Upon Her Back, in 2024, she's back with a collection of her short stories. In addition to the title story, it's got stories about witches, floating libraries, musicians, aliens, and quite a few more, as well as an introduction by author Meg Elison.

Gary K. Wolfe reviewed the book for Locus Magazine, saying "I’m not sure that Rabbit Test and Other Stories, Mills’s first collection, offers any easy answers, but then the whole notion of easy answers consistently comes under question in her stories."

The Many by Sylvain Neuvel (April 21st)

In Sylvain Neuvel's latest, an advertising executive named Carole Veilleux causes a stir in her Michigan city when she loses her temper and bites Booker on the arm. It's only after that that things get strange: they find their minds are beginning to merge, and soon, others are beginning to find their way into the collective as well, including Carole's husband and a local doctor. As they become one, they find that it's the beginning of something very, very strange as the entire world begins to be overtaken.

Kirkus Reviews says that "the speculation surrounding the planet’s organisms (humans, animals, plants, etc.) being part of a massive hive mind is intriguing, particularly as it deals with issues like racism, sexism, and systemic discrimination."

The Illuminated Man: Life, Death and the Worlds of J. G. Ballard by Christopher Priest and Nina Allan (April 23rd)

When Christopher Priest died in 2024, he left behind one unfinished project: a biography of acclaimed author J.G. Ballard, known for books like High-Rise and The Drowned World, and Empire of the Sun.

Priest was heavily influenced by Ballard's work, and he began writing about his life and how he transcended genre and should be considered one of the 20th century's best writers. After his death, his wife and fellow author Nina Allen took over to complete the project.

The Guardian notes that "Priest was well equipped to assess Ballard’s oeuvre. He advances some interesting ideas" and that "his is a reliable and authoritative guide to Ballard’s work, in so far as it goes."

On Life Support: Eco-Dystopian Cinema in the Long 1970s by Matthew I Thompson (April 14th)

This looks like a particularly interesting read: Matthew I. Thompson takes a look at the science fiction films of the 1970s, and how the environmental movement found its way into those stories, from concerns about overcrowding playing big role in films like Soylent Green to the destruction of the world's biosphere in Silent Running.

As always, thanks for reading. Let me know in the comments what you have on your TBR and what you're looking forward to on this list!