2026 is shaping up to be a standout year for science fiction, with a release calendar that feels unusually deep rather than just loud. Between long-awaited continuations, ambitious new projects, and a handful of debuts that look genuinely exciting, this is a year that’s going to reward readers who like their futures thoughtfully imagined and well written.
Several cornerstone sci-fi series and Worlds are moving forward in 2026: Adrian Tchaikovsky returns to the Children of Time, Ann Leckie deepens her Imperial Radch World with a new standalone, and Martha Wells blesses us with a new Murderbot installment.
There’s also a strong showing from new voices like Mahmud El Sayed, and some welcome genre cross-pollination, most notably with Fonda Lee, whose Green Bone Saga helped define modern epic fantasy, turning her attention to science fiction. The result is a slate of books that feels varied in scope and approach, from intimate, character-driven stories to big-concept speculation.
Below, I’ll start with my Top 5, the releases I’m most eagerly anticipating, before listing the rest of 2026’s notable science fiction titles in publication order. Whether you’re drawn to space opera, near-future speculation, or something harder to pin down, 2026 is shaping up to be an excellent year for science fiction readers.
Top 5 Most Anticipated Releases of 2026
#5 The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed
The Song of the Safina #1 | May 5 | Saga Press
The Safina is a city ship halfway through its four-hundred-year voyage from the ruins of Earth to a new colony world. Its crew maintain the ship, generation after generation, while protecting their ancestors in cryostasis so that one day they will be able to enjoy a fresh start under clear blue skies.
But when blackouts start, unrest follows.
The ship can only continue running smoothly with the cooperation of the crew. And the crew has had enough. As coordinated acts of resistance coincide with a much more complex conspiracy, a chain of events is set into motion that will change life on the Safina forever.
Inspired by the real-world events of the Arab Spring, The Republic of Memory is a bold interrogation of empire and an energizing portrait of revolution.
#4 The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee
May 5 | Orbit
LIVE BY THE CODE. DIE BY THE KNIFE.
Isako is a legendary swordswoman, but every legend must come to an end. When her long-time client unexpectedly retires, she plans to follow--to walk out into the frozen wasteland of their planet with her head held high and her family enriched by her death. But when she's offered a final mission, she can't refuse, especially when she realizes who lies at the center of it all: Martim, her last--and worst--apprentice, who's somehow made his way to the top. As she's thrust into a world of corporate espionage and shadowy secrets, what she uncovers could forever change humanity's existence among the stars.
The Last Contract of Isako is epic science fiction like only Fonda Lee can write it--set in a world where money trumps loyalty, the elite have the power to extend life or end it, and one woman in the twilight of her calling must decide what's ultimately worth living--or dying--for.
#3 River of Bones and Other Stories by Rebecca Roanhorse
March 3 | Saga Press
We're big fans of Rebecca Roanhorse here at Snowlock Books. Her Between Earth and Sky series was amazing. Despite her renown as a short-story writer, none of us have read her short fiction. A travesty we aim to address this year.
Rebecca Roanhorse's first publication, "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience(TM)", was awarded both the Nebula and Hugo award for best short story, and on its strength, Roanhorse was awarded the Astounding Award for Best New Writer. Although Roanhorse began to publish novels including Trail of Lightning and Black Sun, she has continued to write piercing stories that examine the American experience through marginalized perspectives.
"River of Bones" returns to the Sixth World series with a novella, this time from Kai's perspective, as he and Maggie travel back to where he grew up to save his ex from the people who almost beat him to death--his ex's family.
Based on the Tewa fable of Deer Hunter and White Corn Maiden, "A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy"--winner of the 2019 Ignyte award--explores the tradition of celestial-based storytelling, set in a future where virtual reality is nearly indistinguishable from the real world and celebrities can project their images into space as literal stars.
"Falling Bodies" follows a young student at a space station university caught between two disparate worlds--the one he currently inhabits and the one he has desperately tried to escape--as he searches for his place in the universe.
First published in Jordan Peele's Out There Screaming, "Eye and Tooth" is a story of black horror about the hunters who hunt the monsters and the monstrous among us.
Through a range of contemporary to outright fantasy and science fiction, these stories will immediately capture your attention from one of our premiere writers of speculative fiction whose work is always at the vanguard of American fiction.
#2 Children of Strife by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Children of Time #4 | March 17 | Orbit
I try to make room for a space opera or two every year. Tchaikovsky's voluminous output of great stories can at times make it difficult to give other authors a chance. In the case of the Children of Time series I'll gladly punt some books down Mount TBR. Do yourself a favor and pick up the first book in the series, Children of Time, if you haven't yet.
After Earth fell, ark ships hunted for a new home. They sought lost worlds terraformed in Earth's forgotten past. A ship crewed by maverick humans, spiders and a spectacularly punchy mantis shrimp captain is about to rediscover one such world, and an ark.
Then human crewmate Alis wakes to discover that she, her captain and the ship's intelligence are the only ones left on their ship.
But what happened to those who left to explore the ark ... and the world below?
#1 As You Wake, Break the Shell by Becky Chambers
October 13 | Harper Voyager
A new duology from Becky Chambers? Sign me up.
Both of Chambers' previous series, Wayfarers and Monk & Robot, wonderfully mixed meaningful insight with infectious and uplifting positivity. I'm pleased that this novel appears to continue that trend.
Life on the resource-poor planet of Fortune is challenging, but for its inhabitants, it’s home. For two of them, Signy and Cora, this home might no longer be enough.
Signy is a brilliant but reclusive botanist who bio-prints medicine from her small plant shop, often bending the rules to help those the system leaves behind. Her life is filled with the green of her store, the warmth of her one elderly friend, and the quiet determination to help others without putting herself in danger.
Cora is a rorqual pilot, one of the few with the unique ability to navigate the massive, living ships that connect the scattered settlements of their solar system. Her bond with her rorqual, Colibri, is profound—a connection that is both her greatest gift and a threat to her career.
It is that threat—the “mindbleed,” a dangerous side effect of her piloting—that brings her to Signy’s shop, and her appearance puts Signy in the danger she so fears. But it’s soon apparent it’s not just about losing her license—this delicate balance between risk and trust has the potential to change everything for them.
Told in an alternating timeline of their initial coming together and a not-so-distant future where they have found domestic bliss, this is a story harrowing and haunting, heartfelt and hopeful. Through a love story centered around survival, we are given a glimpse into the very best of what Becky Chambers does in her writing: explore what it means to be human, and what it means to come together.
2026 Most Anticipated Releases sorted by release date
Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman
February 10 | Ace Books
All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do was run the family ranch with his sister, maybe play a gig or two with his band, and keep his family's aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking as long as possible. He figures it will be a good thing when the transfer gate finally opens all the way and restores instant travel and full communication between Earth and his planet, New Sonora. But there's a complication.
Even though the settlers were promised they'd be left in peace, Earth's government now has other plans. The colossal Apex Industries is hired to commence an "eviction action." But maximizing profits will always be Apex's number one priority. Why spend money printing and deploying AI soldiers when they can turn it into a game? Why not charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines and remotely pilot them from the comfort of their homes?
The game is called Operation Bounce House.
Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against machines piloted by gamers who've paid a premium for the privilege. With the help of an old book from his grandfather and a bucket of rusty parts, Oliver is determined to defend the only home he's ever known.
The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu
April 7 | Tor Books
Ellie's universe--and this one--is falling apart. Her ailing mother is in a coma; her sister, Chris, accuses her of being insufficiently Chinese between assassination attempts; and a shadowy cabal of engineers is trying to hijack the skunkworks, the machinery that keeps the physics of each universe working the way it's supposed to.
Daniel, Ellie's cousin, has found an illicit device in the skunkworks--one that keeps Ellie's comatose mother alive while also creating destabilizing bugs in the physics of this universe. It's not a good day.
If she can confront her mother's legacy and overcome her family's generational trauma, she just might find a way to preserve the skunkworks and reconcile with her sister...but digging into her family's past is thornier than it seems, and the secrets she uncovers will force Ellie to choose between her family and the universe itself.
What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed
April 7 | Tor Books
On the planet Scythia, plants give birth to insects and trees can drag you to your death. Artificial monsters stalk the desert, and alien basket-men have wandered into town.
John Maraintha has been abandoned here, light-years from the peaceful forests that he loves.
The desert is harsh and the people in thrall to a barbaric custom called marriage.
He must find some way to make a life here.
But on Scythia, survival means transformation--and not everyone is willing to change.
The Faith of Beasts by James S. A. Corey
The Captive's War #2 | April 14 | Orbit
The monstrous Carryx empire was built by subjugation and war. Thousands of species are bound to their Sovran's command in an endless, blood-soaked test: be useful in the eternal conflict or be slaughtered.
Dafyd Alkhor, highest among their human captives, is feared and despised by the very people he champions. Ruthless in carving out his niche in the eternal war machine of the empire, he will reshape human nature itself as a tool for their alien masters' use. But Dafyd's loyalty is not what it seems.
The Swarm, an agent of the Carryx's deathless enemy, has been smuggled into the Carryx world-palace along with the human slaves. Its mission: discover a way to bring down the empire's eternal reign. But the longer it lives among and within humanity, the more it forgets that it is a weapon.
As the human captives spread through the battlefronts of empire, the awesome power of the Carryx becomes clear. And with it, a desperate plan for their destruction.
But empires hide secrets, and even the deathless enemy may not be what it appears...
The Language of Liars by S. L. Huang
April 21 | Tordotcom
Speak another people's language. Know them. Become them.
And discover you've destroyed them.In his training as a spy, Ro was warned: you will always be living a lie.
Jumping into a Star Eater's mind in the first place requires a moment of perfect psychic connection, and he has studied all his life to comprehend their species. Admires them, respects them, is reverent at the idea of being one of them--the only species physiologically capable of mining the element needed for lightyear-spanning space travel. The species all others crave to know more of, but who have notoriously shared so very little. The species Ro's own small civilization, with its dwindling resources and withering reach, needs to know more about.
It will feel real, his elders impressed upon him. It will never be real.
But Ro's certainty runs deep: he will be different. Ro will not be an imposter hiding the truth of his past, because his heart will be one of them. He will be one of them.
To understand is to become. It never occurs to him that the mere act of understanding can destroy.
Platform Decay by Martha Wells
The Murderbot Diaries #8 | May 5 | Tor Books
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--)
Radiant Star by Ann Leckie
Imperial Radch Standalone | May 12 | Orbit
The Temporal Location of the Radiant Star is an inconvenience: A backwater religious site on an unimportant planet soon to be absorbed into the imperial Radch's own, superior culture. But local politics is complicated, and the Radch have made a final concession: One man will be allowed to join the mummified bodies in the Temporal Location to become a "living saint".
However, this decision will ripple out to affect every part of the city. Amidst a slowly worsening food shortage, riots, and a communication blackout from the rest of the Radch Empire, a religious savant will entertain visions of his own sainthood, a socialite will discover zer comfortable life upended, and a young man sold into servitude will find unlikely escape.
Engines of Reason by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Elder Race #2 | September 1 | Tordotcom
On a planet where stories govern identity, where science and magic are a merely point of view, a fallen princess, a reluctant wizard, and a precocious child must unravel the past to shape the future.
Betrayal, ancient myths, and the clash of worlds converge in this spellbinding tale of courage, friendship, and self-discovery.
A profound exploration of identity, memory, and discovery from one of science fiction's most compelling voices.
Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel
September 15 | Knopf Publishing Group
Los Angeles, 2031: The first spring after the collapse of the United States, peacekeeping troops withdraw from the city, the Jacaranda trees blossom, and the curfew is finally lifted. Ari Waker and her roommate pass the gauntlet of bomb-sniffing dogs, the shanty towns, and the Red Cross tents as they walk across Silverlake to a party. The mood is ecstatic inside the apartment, people drink and dance, a woman wears a silver dress, pleated like tinfoil. And then: A shift. A bewildered twin, an uncanny doppelganger stumbles through the crowd and out into the night, and Kareem, the party's host, vanishes into thin air.
As Ari Waker unravels the mystery of this inexplicable night, Emily St. John Mandel unfurls a story that takes us from a future America splintered by civil war to the seaside cliffs of Greece where weapons dealers hide in an elegant resort, and from the domed city of Paris to a colony on the moon. An unforgettable literary feat, Exit Party is a novel about the price of safety, the perils of the surveillance state, a requiem for a world not unlike our own, and a breathtaking story of resilience in the face of cataclysmic change.
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