A Jam's list to 2026 releases - Part 1

16 Dec 2025

Welcome to what at this point feels like a blog's tradition: it's time to take a look at all those releases in 2026 that I plan (a one man army) to cover, those titles that picked my attention and that I hope to feature (might depends on time and ARCs availability).

Just in case, as an answer to a frequent question, there's no particular order in this list; and obviously, I will probably end up covering more titles than the ones on the list. I'm not sure how many parts there will be, but it might be a few ones.

Let's dive in!

The Iron Garden Sutra (The Cosmic Wheel #1), by A. D. Sui (24th Feb 2026)

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Vessel Iris has devoted himself to the Starlit Order, performing funeral rites for the dead across the galaxy and guiding souls back into the Infinite Light. Despite the comfort he wants to believe he brings to the dead, his relationships with his fellow Vessels are distant at best, leaving him reliant on his AI construct for companionship.

The spaceship Counsel of Nicaea has been lost for more than a thousand years. A relic of Earth’s dying past, humanity took the ship to the stars on a multi-generation journey to find another habitable planet yet never reached its destination. Its sudden appearance has attracted a team of academics eager to investigate its archeological history. And Iris has been assigned to bring peace to the crew’s long departed souls.

Carpeted in moss and intertwined with vines, Nicaea is more forest than ship.But the ship's plant life isn’t the only sentience to have survived in the past millennia. Something onboard is stalking the explorers one by one. And Iris with his AI construct may be their only hope for survival. . .

The Night Ship, by Alex Woodroe (20th Jan 2026)

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Driving a logging truck through the Romanian mountains, smuggler Rosi and her crew come across a radio signal that hints at impending doom. As the world goes completely dark, their truck becomes a vessel sailing across a sea of nothingness.

But they’re not transmissions trickle in through the radio from similar isolated islands across the country, from amateur radio hobbyists and police cars and customs facilities.

Attempting to rescue survivors and find a way out, the group save more lives, but soon discover that something hungry lurks below, and it's sending up agents – and transmissions – of its own.  

Witch Queen Rising, by Savannah Stephens (21st Apr 2026)

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A reclusive witch who fled the burden of her bloodline rises to be the greatest among them in this lush and haunting fantasy debut.

For New Orleans witchkin, there is no greater honor than to become the Prime—chosen to rule. But the title is meant to pass between two rival Houses of magic. Not to the prodigal daughter of the former Prime who died under mysterious circumstances.

As a girl, Seraphine Barreau was dubbed the Tick Witch for her ability to feed on magic and make it her own. Even among those who alter fate and manipulate reality, she was a powerful outcast feared and misunderstood by her people. Now dragged back to continue the legacy that nearly destroyed her, Phine has her work cut out for her. She must earn the respect of her people, navigate the politics of the paranormal communities residing in her city, and heal a broken heart all the while battling a parasitic curse poisoning witchkin. Between her werewolf ex, power-hungry vampires, and the skeletons in her family’s closet, Phine must learn to make peace with her past to save her—and all of witchkin’s—future.  

Moon Over Brendle, by Jeff Noon (12th May 2026)

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Magical contemporary fantasy meets fantastical memoir in the new novel from a cult favourite, Jeff Noon.

1968, Joe Sutter is enjoying his last summer before going to secondary school. But this is another world; like ours but very different. Beyond and beside the world we know is Greot; a vast swirling rainbow of many-coloured dust. It settles on the dead, it swathes cities and fields. Joe is one of the 10% of the population who have the gift of being able to see it. But neither he or nor anyone else know what Greot is. Is it the trillion-eyed god? Is it the history of everything told grain-by-grain? Is it prophecy? Is it the magic of creativity?

Joe knows he is something of an outsider, all he wants to do is draw comics and listen to music but one day, as the moon rises over Brendle hill, he meets an old writer of cheap pulp SF books who is determined to pass on to Joe the power and joy of telling stories and everything changes. Decades later, Joe is a successful writer of strange and powerful SF novels. And now the time has come to tell the story of how he became a writer and how Greot coloured everything.  

The Revenant of Surolifia, by Florence Chien (7th Jul 2026)

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In the vein of The Traitor Baru Cormorant and The UnbrokenThe Revenant of Surolifia is a gripping political fantasy of empire, identity, and impossible choices, where rebellion blazes in the streets, loyalty is a double-edged sword, and the price of peace may be too steep to pay.

Secrets are often liabilities, but sometimes they are power.

Lucas Rhine has seen enough violence. When the Empire of Colours slaughters 17,000 of his silver-eyed kin, Lucas buries his hatred, hides his eyes behind coloured lenses, and vows to become the imperial gendarmerie’s commander. He will liberate his annexed island home through a diplomatic secession.

Usurped prince Faye Phlorik wants his throne back. When violent revolutionaries help him escape from prison, he joins them. They need a silver-eyed champion to rally the people, and he needs their resources to defeat the gendarmerie protecting the usurper.

When Faye’s escape costs Lucas his promotion, Lucas adds revenge to his list of reasons to stop the bloody revolution. While the two hunt each other across the country, the Empire's warships are landing in two weeks to exterminate everyone with silver eyes. If Lucas and Faye can't unite their forces against the imperial fleet, there will soon be nothing left of the people they're both trying to liberate.  

The Demon Star, by Jesse Aragon (28th Jul 2026)

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Gods rule this planet. Demons stalk its canyons while Kings beg for mercy. Can three mere humans rewrite its destiny?

The otherworldly religious conflict of Dune, the cosmic strangeness of Gideon the Ninth, and the heart-pounding action of Red Rising converge in this horror-tinged epic science fantasy debut.

Ysira Naktis was a human sacrifice, marked for death. Unlike the thousands ‘harvested’ each year, though, she did the unthinkable. She survived—and what she brought back with her could change the fate of worlds.

When Ysira’s estranged son is chosen to become the vessel of a god-killing demon, she is faced with a choice: allow him to harness cosmic power at an unspeakable cost, or doom millions to save him. She finds an unlikely ally in Brother Jacen Kheris, once a gifted exorcist, now a guilt-ridden addict, desperate for purpose.

From a demon-haunted canyon to a starbound satellite, they must battle their way through cultists, aliens, and the gods themselves. The truths they unearth are deeper and more sinister than anything they could have imagined.

In this cinematic thrill ride, Jesse Aragon plunges us into a world as intricate and inventive as it is brutal.  

All That Is In The Earth, by Andrew Knighton (3rd Feb 2026)

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  When Clifford crash lands on the planet of Abaddon, he might as well be a terrible plague and a strict quarantine mean that no one leaves Abaddon alive.

Clifford isn't the only dead man walking. Corporate mercenaries and desperate survivors are looking for ways to live in a hostile world. Constantly on the run from flesh-hungry monsters, there's no chance to escape or to build something more.

But when Clifford makes a discovery that could change the meaning of Abaddon, loyalty clashes with survival in a story about how to live with the certainty of death. 

Love Lethal, Death Divine, by Jelena Dunato (7th Apr 2026)

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When Liana learns that her beloved husband, Prince Amron, was killed, she uses her half-divine blood to strike a bargain: the gods will send her back into the past and give her three days to make Amron fall in love with her. If she succeeds, she gets him back. If she fails, she loses him, and her divine powers, forever.

Seventeen years earlier, Melia is forced by her controlling father to marry Amron on the brink of the biggest peace treaty in history. But Melia has her own plans: to destroy the treaty and carve a new future with her rebellious lover, Ferisa.

As Melia’s betrayal sparks a bloody conflict, Liana realizes the gods have deceived her: she must help Amron earn Melia’s trust, even if it means losing him, or the future won’t exist. And Melia must decide whether to reveal the truth, knowing it could cost her everything – or let the kingdom burn to ashes.

A dark fantasy story of love and revenge, Love Lethal Death Divine blends the history of Eastern Adriatic with Slavic folklore, set in the same world as Ghost Apparent and Dark Woods, Deep Water.  

The House of Shattered Wings, by Aliette de Bodard (10th March 2026)

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Paris, turn of the century.

The Great War between magical Houses of Fallen angels has devastated the city. The Seine runs black with ashes, the great monuments are blackened ruins, and the Houses still fight. It is a quiet war of alliances and intrigues played in worn drawing-rooms and once-elegant gardens.

Silverspires, once the greatest House, is now nothing more than a minor player in those intrigues.Philippe, a young man from the colonies of the East, is caught harming a helpless Fallen, and held prisoner in House Silverpires. His path intersects with Isabelle, the naive Fallen he has wounded; Selene, the insecure Fallen head of the House; and Madeleine, a washed-out alchemist addicted to angel drugs.

Together, they will either save the House, or cause its final, irrevocable Fall...  

A Forest, Darkly, by A.G. Slatter (10th Feb 2026)

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A page-turning dark fantasy of witches, twisted magic, changelings and the sins that bind. Set in the award-winning author's acclaimed universe, this immersive story is perfect for fans of Ava Reid, Hannah Whitten and Lucy Holland.

Deep in the forest lives Mehrab the witch, coping with loneliness in her own strange ways and quietly battling her demons. One evening, a young woman appears on her doorstep seeking shelter, pursued by godhounds who wish to destroy all those practising magic, and Mehrab's solitary existence is disrupted as she teaches the girl how to control her powers. Together they forge a cure for their isolation with heartbreaking consequences...

Meanwhile, in the local village, children begin to disappear, sometimes returning forever changed – or not returning at all. Sinister offerings appear on Mehrab's doorstep, and a dark power pursues her through the trees. As the villagers turn hostile and the godhounds close in, Mehrab finds herself at the centre of a struggle to save the soul of the forest, the life of an old love – and her own new-formed family.

A bewitching gothic tale; haunting, gripping and written with wit and heart, this is a book to both savour and devour.  

Asunder, by Kerstin Hall (15th Jan 2026)

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We choose our own gods here.

Karys Eska is a deathspeaker, locked into an irrevocable compact with Sabaster, a terrifying eldritch entity—three-faced, hundred-winged, unforgiving—who has granted her the ability to communicate with the newly departed. She pays the rent by using her abilities to investigate suspicious deaths around the troubled city she calls home. When a job goes sideways and connects her to a dying stranger with dangerous secrets, her entire world is upended.

Ferain is willing to pay a ludicrous sum of money for her help. To save him, Karys inadvertently binds him to her shadow, an act that may doom them both. If they want to survive, they will need to learn to trust one another. Together, they journey to the heart of a faded empire, all the while haunted by arcane horrors and the unquiet ghosts of their pasts.

And all too soon, Karys knows her debts will come due.  

City of Others, by Jared Poon (13th Jan 2026)

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Dive into a world where magic lies hidden just below the surface in this charming urban fantasy full of workplace found family, queer romance, and supernatural creatures straight out of Southeast Asian lore, from debut author Jared Poon. 

In the sunny city of Singapore, the government takes care of everything—even the weird stuff.

Benjamin Toh is a middle manager in the Division for Engagement of Unusual Stakeholders (DEUS), and his job is keep the supernatural inhabitants of Singapore happy and keep them out of sight. That is, don’t bother the good, normal citizens, and certainly don’t bother the bosses. Sure, he's overworked and understaffed, but usually, people (and senior management) don’t see what they don’t want to see. 

But when an entire housing estate glitches out of existence on what was meant to be a routine check-in, Ben has to scramble to keep things under control and stop the rest of the city from disappearing. He may not have the budget or the bandwidth, but he has the best—if highly irregular and supernaturally inclined—team to help him. Together, they’ll traverse secret shadow markets, scale skyscrapers, and maybe even go to the stars, all so they can just do their goddamn job.   

Entwined (Entwined Duology #1), by H.M. Long (10th Mar 2026)

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Three sisters join the hunt for a stolen magical artefact in the start of this Gilded Age fantasy duology.

Ottilie Rushforth hides from the mighty Sorcerer’s Guild as secretary to a has-been detective. She is Entwined – threads of magic run beneath her skin, and the Guild would trap her in service.

But Ottilie has a plan to escape the Guild forever with her estranged fiancé, the enigmatic poet, soldier and smuggler Lewis Illing. All she must do is track down a mysterious artefact, claim the bounty, and leave the city forever. But Ottilie's sisters – Pretoria, a quick-witted sorceress and thief recently emerged from exile, and Madge, a guild mage to the core, appear to make equally unwelcome offers. A new life at the cost of everything she has ever wanted, or prestige and safety in a gilded cage.

With her life on the line, Ottilie must track down the artifact in a city torn apart by prejudice and violence, and choose between the two sides of herself – the fugitive and the Entwined.  

Shooeshine Boy & Cigarette Girl, by P.A. Cornell (3rd Feb 2026)

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Just beneath the hovercar lanes, in a Toronto very much like ours, sits an unassuming diner called Rocket Ray’s. There, Shoeshine Boy spots the girl of his dreams—if his dreams ever got that good. No stranger to men, Cigarette Girl isn’t easily impressed, but something about Shoeshine Boy tells her this one just might be worth her time.

Over steaming cups of coffee, they dream of a life just out of reach. Goodhearted Shoeshine Boy just wants to give his girl the moon, even if that means risking everything. Cigarette Girl, a grifter used to looking out for number one, finds her priorities shifting as her heart soars like the rockets in the sky.

When a well-dressed stranger enters the picture, he presents them with opportunities that put their love to the test. Will Shoeshine Boy & Cigarette Girl make each other’s dreams come true, or lose each other in the process?  

Moonfall (The Everlands #2), by Ed Crocker (2nd June 2026)

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The thrilling sequel to Lightfall, a fantasy epic of revolution set in a world of vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers, for fans of Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire and Cassandra Clare’s Swordcatcher.

The revolution is here… but in the Everlands, nothing comes easy.

In the last vampire city of First Light, the rebels know the truth about the Grays. But nothing has changed. Sam has a plan to bring the whole rotten city down - a plan of peace, not violence. But in this city, the best laid plans have a way of falling apart, and she’ll need the help of the city’s ex ruler and former enemy if she’s to avoid a bloodbath.

Meanwhile, in the Wolflands, Jacob, Sage, and Raven must seek help from the wolves. But when a murder is committed, the land threatens to descend into war, and unless the culprit is found, they might not escape with their lives. But with a long list of suspects and a long set of claws out for them, the odds don't look good.

And then there’s Neuras Sinassion. History’s most dangerous sorcerer has decided it’s finally time to tell his secrets and the truth about the humans. But the truth will come at a price.

When the dust has settled and the bodies are counted, only one thing is certain—the Everlands will never be the same again.

Home Sick, by Rhiannon Grist (14th Jul 2026)

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“The symmetry should have tipped me off.”

After a violent incident at work, Tamsin goes looking for a fresh start in a remote cottage far away from her old life. Here she could make real friends, find a job she loves, become a whole new person, even.

But the solitary cottage is actually a semi-detached, with only a thin wall separating her from a total stranger. Her neighbour is an enigma. Dowdy one moment, vivacious the next, but always wearing an unnerving smile. Tamsin can’t shake the feeling that there’s something wrong with her, especially when she starts experiencing disturbances in her own home.

As the locals share strange stories about her house, and her barely contained paranoia spirals out of control, Tamsin begins to suspect that the past she was so desperate to escape might never let her go.  

Pretenders to the Throne of God (The Tyrant Philosophers #4), by Adrian Tchaikovsky (12th Feb 2026)

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Arthur C. Clarke winner and Sunday Times bestseller returns to a world steeped in magic – and the Tyrant Philosophers' campaign to bring reason, logic and 'perfection' to it.

Eres Ffenegh - “the City on the Back of a Crab” - is the next state slated for conquest by the Palleseen, but its citizens won't give up sovereignty easily, and the siege has now dragged into the harsh Eresi winter. The defenders – both locals and Pal renegades – hold an uneasy alliance against the enemy at the gates, while the Pal army is constantly looking over its shoulder for the next self-destructive dictate of their government back home.

Within the city, Devil Jack is the apprentice to the notorious conjurer and bawd known as the Widow, a good man driven to bargaining with hell to get back what he's lost. Meanwhile Kiffel ea Leachan is the city's champion, a child of privilege who's just lost everything to the invaders. We follow the ups and downs of both as they try to survive the siege and make their own destinies in a world that's cut them loose.

Outside the city, the Pals have been desperately waiting for reinforcements so they can finally take the city, but when new soldiers finally march in with the winter it's the worst kind of help, enough to damn the entire army.  

The Dragon Has Some Complaints, by John Wiswell (14th Jul 2026)

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In this heartfelt and humorous fantasy, a dragon whose three heads bear rather…different personalities finds family in the most unexpected of places.

From the Nebula-winning author of Someone You Can Build a Nest In!

Garrodigh was once a four-headed dragon, among the most powerful in Kardoša. After an unfortunate incident, he now has three heads, one stump, and a daily whirlwind of internal bickering. Centerhead wants to rain death upon all humanity, Bottomhead is like a feral cat, and Upperhead is under the delicate delusion that he is, in fact, human.

When a nearby battle goes awry, Garrodigh sneaks into an elite dragon rider academy, pretending to be tame to get free food and a warm bed. Lucky for him, rider Rania Albright is desperate enough for a dragon of her own that she overlooks his eccentricities.

As Garrodigh recovers under Rania’s care, all three heads start to turn, for the first time, in the same direction. Each wants to protect her from the invaders who killed their fourth head—the same invaders who seek to conquer Kardoša. When the academy comes under attack, can this wild dragon and his wilder rider save their homeland together?

This cozy fantasy intertwines epic battles with loving friendships, sharing an utterly unique perspective on what it means to be a ‘monster.’  

Scratch Moss, by David Barnett (5th Mar 2026)

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1865. Coal lies beneath Scratch Moss Manor and Sir Henry Brody is determined to get to it. But something else lurks below, something dark and evil.

1905. Reverend George Ackman has never known such godless people as those of Scratch Moss. But if not God, what do they believe in?

1945. Arthur works for the Coal Commission, visiting privately-owned pits ahead of their nationalisation. On his visit to Scratch Moss, he finds only misery and death.

1985. The miners have lost. Thatcher reigns supreme. And in the shattered community of Scratch Moss, rumours resurface about Red Clogs, a terrible presence in the land below.

2025. Divorced, fifty-something writer Joe returns to his hometown of Scratch Moss for the funeral of his father. Soon the memories of Joe's teenage years, and the horror that blighted the community, come flooding back…

A devastating, five-timeline tale centred on a community first invigorated, then devastated by the coal mining industry in the most original folk horror novel of the year.  

Molka, by Monika Kim (28th Apr 2026)

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THE NEW NOVEL BY THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE EYES ARE THE BEST PART

molka (n): the Korean term for spy cameras secretly and illegally installed, often to capture voyeuristic images and videos

Dahye can't believe her luck when she finds herself in a whirlwind romance with handsome, charismatic Hyukjoon, the heir to a multi-million dollar fortune.

But then a shocking revelation threatens: the couple has been caught on a spycam amid Korea's growing molka epidemic, and the video is all over the internet. When Hyukjoon flees the country to avoid the intense public scrutiny, Dahye is left to grapple with the ramifications on her own; and the demons from her childhood, long dormant, begin to surface.

Amid the chaos, she catches the attention of Junyoung, a nerdy, introverted IT tech at work. Junyoung harbours a dark secret: he has been spying on the women at work with his own hidden cameras. As Dahye's life begins to unravel, she unknowingly becomes the sole target of Junyoung's perverse obsession.

When the facts surrounding the invasion of her privacy come to light, Dahye is faced with the humiliating truth. Her pain and hurt turn to rage as she faces her past. Her desire for vengeance is insatiable, and she will not rest until the men who have wronged her have paid in blood...  

Way of the Walker, by Salinee Goldenberg (27th Jan 2026)

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Return to the Thai-inspired world of Suyoram in this vicious follow up to 2024’s The Last Phi Hunter, exploring mythology, colonialism, and feminine rage. A perfect read for fans of Iron Widow and The Sword of Kaigen.

With her constant connection to the Everpresent – the mystical plane where hunters draw their powers – Isaree’s a natural Phi Hunter, with a future predetermined by tradition: to stalk the Kingdom of Suyoram’s haunted lands and slay troublesome ghosts.

But the more Ree learns about the Phi Hunter Guild’s legacy, the more she questions their rigid doctrine. And as colonizing forces from Grisland tighten their grip across the region, Ree begins to wonder if the hunter’s path is her true calling.Elsewhere, the famed Storm Prince Tanung has one desire: death or glory. Grappling with a fading legacy and a mysterious illness, his ambition drives him on a mission to capture a brutal rebel leader known for leaving horrific massacres in their wake. But the further he goes, the further he’s drawn into a war rumbling beyond his reality, and out of anyone’s control.

Their paths were never meant to cross. But unmoored by their legacies, the shadows they cast decide whether they’ll be remembered as heroes – or villains.  

Burn the Sea, by Mona Tewari (21st Apr 2026)

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To protect her homeland, one queen must fight her people’s historic enemy―once and for all.

Abbakka Chowta never expected to be queen. The youngest of Ullal’s two rajkumaris, Abbakka has spent years in rigorous combat training to become her sister’s blade. But when the monstrous Porcugi attempt to lay claim to Ullal, Abbakka’s world―and fate―are upended.

The Porcugi―giant half-men, half-snakes who attack from the sea―haven’t been seen in Ullal since their failed invasion more than fifty years ago. But now, they’re back with vengeance and a choice: pay their tithes or suffer total devastation. Soon, Abbakka’s definitions of strength, subterfuge, and statecraft are put to the test. Will marriage to a neighboring king give her the resources she needs to protect her people . . . or will she watch her homeland be crushed beneath the waves of would-be colonizers?

A lush historical fantasy that reimagines the Portuguese attacks on South India in the 1500s and the fierce real-life queen’s story, Burn the Sea is an electrifying exaltation of female power and the value of freedom.  

Sister Svangerd and the Not Quite Dead (The Loyal Opposition #1), by K.J. Parker (27th Jan 2026)

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  From World Fantasy Award-winning author K.J. Parker comes a devilishly clever tale of murder, intrigue, and existential crisis.​

Not even the Church of the Invincible Sun is invincible – and somebody has to do its dirty work. Enter Sister Svangerd and her accompanying priest, both first-rate practitioners. Their mission is simple: to make a meddlesome princess disappear (permanently).

To get to her, they must attend the legendary Ecumenical Council, the once-in-a-century convening of the greatest spiritual minds the world has to offer. But when they arrive, they find instead a den of villainy that would make the most hardened criminal blush.

To complicate matters further, it appears that some people who were definitely grim reapered might not be after all. What began as a little assassination is about to escalate into a theological debate of terrifying complexity.