All the books I'm looking forward to reading in 2026
Are you ready for a great year of stories?
The beginning of a new year is a moment of opportunity: a point to look forward to try and figure out the things that we want to do over the course of the next twelve months.
I recently told a friend that I don't have much in the way of new year's resolutions, only to realize that I do have a big one: read 52 books in the coming year. If you've followed this newsletter for any amount of time, you'll know that's something that I take seriously, and in addition to all of the books that I've written about at the start of every month, I also like to take a moment to look at the books that I'm most excited to read in the coming year.
There are a whole bunch, most from authors that I've enjoyed in the past, but a few new from newcomers as well. Will I get to all of them? Time will tell: these lists are always aspirational, and I've found that I'll enjoy a bunch, read some only to find that they don't work for me, and some will linger on my to-read list for the next couple of years. They'll be mixed in with all of the books that I'll encounter along the way, some that come out of left field, some that I've been meaning to read for years, and others that I'll pick up on a whim. It's a fun journey.
It's a suggestion for myself, rather than a rule, although as with last year, there are a lot of books that I'm excited for. I'm looking forward to tackling this pile.
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Okay, here are the 19 books that I'm looking forward to the most in the first half of 2026:
February
Boy, with Accidental Dinosaur by Ian McDonald (February 3rd)
Years ago, I fell in love with Ian McDonald's Luna novels: New Moon, Wolf Moon, and Moon Rising, as well as a couple of his other books. His latest looks like it'll be a lot of fun: a novella about an orphan who wants nothing more than to ride a dinosaur at a circus. When he ends up freeing a dinosaur from an abusive owner, he embarks on a journey to bring it to safety.
This looks like a sweet, fun adventure, because who doesn't like the idea of a western with dinosaurs?
March
River of Bones and Other Stories by Rebecca Roanhorse (March 3rd)
Rebecca Roanhorse wrote some of my favorite urban(ish) fantasy novels in recent years: Trail of Lightning and Storm of Locusts, set in a climate change-ravaged, post-apocalyptic near future where magic has returned to the world. She hasn't returned to that world in a while, but in her new collection of short fiction, she's got a new adventure set in the world, which I'm super excited to dig into.
There's more to look forward to than just that, of course: she also brings together some of her award-winning short stories, like “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™” as well stories like “A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy,” “Falling Bodies," “Eye and Tooth," and a whole bunch of others.
Children of Strife by Adrian Tchaikovsky (March 17th)
One of the best science fiction novels to come out in recent years was Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time, an epic read about terraforming, intelligence, evolution, and civilization, following the uplifting of spiders on a distant colony world and the clash between them and a band of colonists from a destroyed Earth. Tchaikovsky followed it up with Children of Ruin and Children of Memory, and now, Children of Strife.
Andrew Liptak
In this installment, we're back to seeking out the other worlds that Earth began terraforming before it collapsed. A motley crew of humans, spiders, and mantis shrimp head out into the depths of space where they encounter one such colonial world. When they arrive, a human named Alis discovers that only she, the ship's captain, and its AI are the only ones left on the ship – and it's up to them to figure out what happened to the others who set off to explore the world and the arkship orbiting it.
I've loved reading these books, and this type of story: people heading out to explore the crumbling remains of a colony or spaceship, is something that I love to delve into.
April
The Story of Birds: A New History, from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present by Steven Brusette (April 28th)
Steven Brusette has become one of the best-known authorities on dinosaurs and paleontology in recent years, thanks to books such as 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, which spell out the latest thinking in how life on Earth has evolved over millions of years.
He's now back with a new book that continues that story: while the dinosaurs were largely killed off by an asteroid impact 65 million years ago, their descendants have persisted in the form of birds. In this book, Brusette takes a look at how birds have proliferated across the planet and how they've shaped the world.
I loved The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and The Rise and Reign of the Mammals. I learned a lot from each of them, and as someone who's gained a better appreciation for the birds that surround us, I'm eager to see what I can learn from this one.
The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu (April 7th)
John Chu has earned a considerable amount of acclaim over the last decade for his short fiction: he's picked up Nebula and Hugo Awards for shorter works like "If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You" and "The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere."
This year, he'll publish his debut novel, The Subtle Art of Folding Space, about a woman named Ellie whose world is falling apart: her mother is in a coma, her sister is threatened by assassins, and there's a secretive group working to hijack the universe. It looks and sounds like a fascinating story about generational trauma and secrets.
The Faith of Beasts by James S.A. Corey (April 14th)
I've made little secret that I think James S.A. Corey's Expanse series is a modern space opera classic, and while that series has ended, I was very impressed with the series that they're following it up with: The Captives War series, which kicked off in 2024 with The Mercy of Gods, in which humanity has been conquered by an alien collective known as the Carryx, and those who remain have to figure out how to survive amidst their ranks.
In The Mercy of Gods, Dafyd Alkhor betrayed some of his fellow captives to ensure humanity's survival, and he now has to figure out how to move forward and reshape humanity to serve the Carryx – all while hiding his true intentions. Meanwhile, an entity known as The Swarm has infiltrated humanity, hoping to find a weakness to take down their conquerors from within.
Andrew Liptak
The Mercy of Gods was one of my favorite books in 2024. It featured a new epic world from Corey, some fascinating new characters, and a gripping plot. I'm eager to see where they take the story in this installment.
May
The Franchise by Thomas Elrod (May 12th)
I use this newsletter to write a lot about storytelling and the ways that we consume those stories, so this debut novel by Thomas Elrod looks as though it'll be right up my alley: a classic fantasy novel and world called The Malicarn is being adapted as a series of films, and the characters who inhabit it believe that their lives are real. At the same time, a popular actor who's been cast in the series has been doubting what the studio is doing, and freeing its population isn't going to be as easy as he thought.
I love a good meta narrative about stories, and this feels like it'll have a neat twist like John Scalzi's Redshirts. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed (May 5th)
Generation ships, empires, revolutionary struggles: these are the types of things that I love reading about, and Mahmud El Sayed's debut has it all. It's about the crew of a ship called the Safina, and it's been enroute to its destination for two centuries, leaving behind a ruined Earth. The crew has been keeping their passengers alive, and when a series of blackouts rock the ship, unrest begins to bubble up amongst the crew, threatening the mission, ship, and its inhabitants forever.
Saga Press says that this is inspired in part by the events of the Arab Spring, and I'm very interested in seeing how this comes together. (I'd have already been reading it, had my dog not destroyed my advance copy the minute it came through the door. 😒)
Radiant Star by Ann Leckie (May 12th)
Ann Leckie is one of the genre's best writers, having written such books as Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword, Ancillary Mercy, Provenance, and Translation State. She's returning to the world of the Imperial Radch for another standalone novel, set in the Temporal Location of the Radiant Star, something that's been both inspiring and conflicting for the Ooioiaa people. The Radch has deemed it an irrelevant religious site that they'll soon absorb, but they've been forced to reckon with the reality of the situation and allow one final man to become a "living saint."
That decision will have a huge impact on the rest of the civilization, exacerbating other issues that have been turning up the temperature.
I loved Leckie's last installment in the world, Translation State, and I've got high hopes for this one. (And an interview that I still need to transcribe. This year, I promise.)
The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee (May 5th)
In Fonda Lee's next novel, we're introduced to Isako, a legendary swordswomen who's preparing for the end. Her long-standing client has died, and she's planning on walking out into her planet's frozen wastelands to die in a customary ritual, only to be offered one last contract involving her last dismal apprentice, Martim. Taking the gig, she finds herself immersed in a world of corporate espionage and a looming conspiracy that could change humanity's entire existence in the universe.
I do like these sorts of "Samurai's last job" type stories, and it looks like a fun adventure of a story set in a fascinating and immersive world.
Palaces of the Crow by Ray Nayler (May 19th)
I was a huge fan of Ray Nayler's debut novel The Mountain in the Sea (Review), Tusks of Extinction (review), and last year's Where the Axe is Buried (one of my favorites of 2025!) and his next looks just as fascinating. It's about a young woman named Nerya who loves biology and befriends a flock of crows near her home, a Polish soldier named Czeslaw who deserts his post, a mute and abandoned boy named Innokentiy, and a Roma horse trader named Kezia, all of whom are facing the German invasion of Europe in June 1941.
They're each forced to flee into the forests and come together to form a deep bond, helped by Nerya's crows – who warn them of danger and threats in the dangerous wilderness.
This looks like a fascinating read. Nayler's written some of the best science fiction in recent years, with a deep understanding of European politics and history, and I think this'll be an engrossing and thoughtful read. (I also have an interview with Nayler that I need to get finished up.)
And Side by Side They Wander by Molly Tanzer (May 19th)
It's been a hot minute since Molly Tanzer has released a new book, and I'm glad to see that 2026 brings a new one: And Side by Side They Wander. For centuries, the world's best artwork has been loaned to an alien museum, and when their loan comes to an end, the extraterrestrial curators aren't willing to return them to Earth.
Humanity isn't willing to force the issue: they're way outside of our league, so some enterprising folks decide to try and steal them. They're led by Tarquin, who assembles a crew including an art historian named Fennel Tycho, an insectoid pilot named Tchik-tchik, an enhanced fighter named Misora, and a sensynth hacker named Jack. Together, they have to figure out how to work together to pull off the greatest heist the world has ever seen.
This looks like a lot of fun, especially as someone who works at a museum with a lot of art (and in the aftermath of the big Louvre heist!)
Villain by Natalie Zina Walschots (May 19th)
Superheroes are often at their best in the pages of a comic book, but every now and again, you get a novel that does an excellent job. Case in point: Natalie Zina Walschot's 2020 novel Hench, about a woman named Anna Tromedlov, who's tired of the supervillain gig economy, and who after being grievously injured, realizes that superheroes often cause more damage to society, and attracts the attention of a villain, Leviathan, to try and take down one of the world's most powerful heroes, SuperCollider.
She's now back with a sequel, and Anna, now known as the Auditor, has been working to take down The Draft, an organization that trains the world's superheroes, all while her relationship with Leviathan becomes strained and as a new enemy emerges, one who is far more her equal.
Hench was a great read – I picked it as one of my favorites of 2021 – and I'm glad to see that Walschots is returning to this world for another adventure.
Platform Decay by Martha Wells (May 5th)
Martha Wells has a new Murderbot novel coming out: need I say more? In this installment, Murderbot has volunteered to handle a rescue mission, and in doing so, it's going to have to spend more time with folks it doesn't know – including their children.
Andrew Liptak
This series is phenomenal: it's a wonderful series of adventures with a wonderful character and look at the complications of life and how we interact with one another and form communities and relationships. Also, Murderbot interacting with children just sounds like a hilarious read.
June
The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden (June 2nd)
Katherine Arden is a good friend of mine here in Vermont, and I loved her last novel, The Warm Hands of Ghosts. Her latest looks like an excellent fantasy: Anne of Brittany finds her life turned upside-down as a child when her realm is invaded and her father killed. She's ordered to marry the King of France, ultimately resulting in her country's annexation, something she promised her father would never happen.
Secretly, she plans to short-circuit the French plans by marrying someone else: their greatest enemy, and in a world of magic, she has to go deep into a forest, far from the eyes of French diviners in search of a unicorn for a secret wedding. One appears, along with a legendary figure that might provide her with the means to save her home.
Andrew Liptak
A Trade of Blood: An Ana and Din Mystery by Robert Jackson Bennett (June 9th)
TO readers have been telling me to pick up Robert Jackson Bennett's latest fantasy series, the Ana and Din Mysteries (The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption), for a while now, and I think this year will be the year to do that. (I loved his Founders trilogy: Foundryside, Locklands, and Shorefall)
Set in a fantastical empire, two imperial families are about to go to war with one another, an act that could bring chaos to the lands. At the core of the issue is an accusation, that one elder son had committed an unspeakable murder. There's lots of evidence that he did it, and detective Ana Dolabra and her assistant Din have been tasked with trying to figure out what happened, eventually discovering that there's a much greater plot at hand. This sounds fantastic.
Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim (June 2nd)
Isabel J. Kim earned a considerable amount of acclaim for her short fiction, particularly for her 2024 Clarkesworld story, "Kid In the Omelas Hole." She's now got her debut novel, about a world where immigrating to another country means that you're leaving a copy of yourself behind. Folks sometimes keep in touch with themselves, but one, Soyoung Rose Kang, never did, and never expected to return to Korea until her grandfather dies. It's only when she returns that she finds that the copy who remained behind is planning on taking her place and the life that she's built.
This sounds like a fascinating premise, and I'm eager to see how it turns out. It's also been picked up for a series adaptation.
Star Wars: The Art of Andor by Phil Szostak (June 30th)
I've written at length about my love of Andor and how it's one of the best stories in the entire franchise. In addition to its outstanding story and acting, it's also a beautifully-shot series, and I've been waiting for ages for Lucasfilm to put together a behind-the-scenes art book like they've done for the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, Rogue One, Solo, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker. These books are excellent windows into their respective productions, and I've made it a point to snag them when they come out.
This volume will encompass both seasons of Andor, looking at the concept art, visuals, and designs, as well as a number of behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew about the series and how they brought the world to life.
As a bonus, Szostak has another book coming out in November for The Mandalorian and Grogu, which should also be interesting to check out.
Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay (June 30th)
With books like A Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance at Devil's Rock, Paul Tremblay has remained one of my favorite horror authors, and I'm eager to see how he'll terrify me this summer: his next novel is Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep, about a woman named Julia Flang, a former semi-professional gamer who's offered a job that she can't refuse: a tech company needs someone to help bring a man with an AI implanted in his brain from California to the East coast.
Meanwhile, a man wakes up in a strange, horrifying wasteland, and is trying to make sense of how he got there, who he is, and and what's happening around him. As Julia uses her smartphone to control him as they work their way across the country, their lives are going to collide as things get complicated.
Tremblay's an excellent writer who takes a deft and light hand with the speculative elements of his stories, which makes them stand out for me. I'm eager to see what he does, blending horror with this sort of plausible near-future setting.
July and beyond
After June, release dates get a little fuzzy, but there are a handful of other novels that are coming out later this year that I'm looking forward to:
- Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel (September 15th)
- The Rouse by China Miéville (September 17th)
- A Wall Is Also a Road by Annalee Newitz (October 6th)
- Harvest by Joe Hill (October 10th)
- As You Wake, Break the Shell by Becky Chambers (October 13th)
- Monsters of Ohio by John Scalzi (November 3rd).
What books are you most looking forward to this year? Let me know in the comments.