Fantasy and Science Fiction April 2026 |
|
|
|
|
Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May
|
|
|
|
The Subtle Art of Folding Space
by John Chu
Most Ancipated Books of 2026--Esquire
Best New Science Fiction of 2026-- New Scientist
Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books to Look Forward To In 2026--Literary Hub
Most Anticipated Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2026--Book Riot
3 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of April--Polygon
Polygon Ellie's universe--and this one--is falling apart. 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.
|
|
| The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Shin'ichiro Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga, and Yoshie Hotta; translated by Jeffrey AnglesThe original story that hatched Mothra, one of the most beloved monsters in the "kaijuverse"-- available in English for the first time.
When a group of explorers captures mysterious fairies from an island in the South Pacific, they incite the wrath of the island's vengeful goddess, Mothra. Available for the first time in English since being published in 1961, this novella provided the basis for the original kaiju Mothra. The story will be a delight for fans of her similarly monstrous cohort Godzilla, as well as fans of cinematic speculative fiction with complex underlying themes. |
|
|
|
Blob: A Love Story
by Maggie Su
A New Yorker Best Book of 2025 · A Finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel.
In the alley outside the bar, Vi discovers a strange blob--a small living creature with beady black eyes. In a moment of concern and drunken desperation, she takes it home.But the blob is no ordinary pet. Becoming increasingly sentient, it begins to grow, shift shape, and obey Vi's commands. As the entity continues to change, Vi is struck with a daring idea: she'll mold the creature into her ideal partner. Feeding it a stream of sweet breakfast cereals and American pop culture, the creature grows into a movie-star handsome white man. But when Vi's desire to be loved unconditionally threatens to spiral out of control, she is forced to confront her lonely childhood, her aloof ex-boyfriend, and the racial marginalization that has defined her relationships--a journey of self-discovery that teaches her it's impossible to control those you love.
|
|
| The Poet Empress by Shen TaoA USA TODAY BESTSELLER!
A LIBRARY READS PICK!
Wei Yin has only joined the Azalea House as a concubine out of desperation to save her family. But civil war may be on the horizon, and to survive, Wei may have to put herself directly in danger by harnessing the power of poetry magic in a world where women are forbidden to read. This tale of imperial court drama and immersive fantasy features a compelling and complex heroine who will do anything to survive, perfect for fans of R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War and Shelley Parker Chan's She Who Became the Sun. |
|
|
|
A Mouthful of Dust
by Nghi Vo
Hunger makes monsters in this dark new tale in Nghi Vo's Hugo Award-winning Singing Hills Cycle.
Wandering Cleric Chih of Singing Hills and their hoopoe companion Almost Brilliant come to the river town of Baolin chasing stories of a legendary famine. Amid tales of dishes served to royalty and desserts made of dust, they discover the secrets of what happens when hunger stalks the land and what the powerful will do to hide their crimes. Trapped in the mansion of a sinister magistrate, Chih and Almost Brilliant must learn what happened in Baolin when the famine came to call, and they must do so quickly, because the things in the shadows are only growing hungrier. The Singing Hills Cycle has been shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award, the Locus Award, and the Ignyte Award, and has won the Crawford Award and the Hugo Award. The novellas are standalone stories linked by the Cleric Chih, and may be enjoyed in any order.
|
|
|
Celebrate Jewish Heritage Month in May
|
|
|
|
Combat Monsters: Untold Tales of World War II
by Henry Herz
Twenty award-winning and bestselling speculative fiction authors who each bring their own spin on an alternate history of World War II.
New research has uncovered deeply buried military secrets--both the Allied and Axis special operations during World War II included monsters. Did the Soviets use a dragon to win the Battle of Kursk? Did a vampire fight for the Canadians in Holland? Did the US drop the second atomic bomb on a kaiju?This collection takes real events from World War II and injects them with fantastical creatures that mirror the unreality of war itself. Each story--and two poems--feature mythical, mystical, and otherwise unexplainable beings that change the course of history. Dragons rise and fall, witches cast deadly spells, mermaids reroute torpedoes, and all manner of monsters intervene for better or worse in the global turmoil of World War II.Together, Combat Monsters challenge the very definition of monstrous, with the brutality of war as a sobering backdrop.
|
|
|
|
Written on the Dark
by Guy Gavriel Kay
A Globe and Mail Top 100 Book of 2025
Both sweeping and intimate, a majestic novel of love and war that brilliantly evokes the drama and turbulence of medieval France.
Thierry Villar is a well-known--even notorious-- tavern poet, familiar with the rogues and shadows of that world, but not at all with courts and power. He is an unlikely person, despite his quickness, to be caught up in the deadly contests of ambitious royals, assassins, and invading armies. But he is indeed drawn into all these things on a savagely cold night in his beloved city of Orane. And so Thierry must use all the intelligence and charm he can muster as political struggles merge with a decades-long war to bring his country to the brink of destruction. As he does, he meets his poetic equal in an aristocratic woman and is drawn to more than one unsettling person with a connection to the world beyond this one. He also crosses paths with an extraordinary young woman driven by voices within to try to heal the ailing king--and help his forces in war.
|
|
|
|
The Summer War
by Naomi Novik
A young witch who has inadvertently cursed her brother to live a life without love must find a way to undo her spell.
Furious at her beloved brother for leaving home, musically gifted Celia had no way of knowing her childish curses at him would doom him to a life without love. Celia desperately searches for a way to undo her mistake, until she uncovers a centuries-old secret about the immortal beings known as the summerlings. For fans of: magical curses, suspense, and in-depth worldbuilding as found in The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara.
|
|
|
|
The Lure of Their Graves: Book Two of the Cursed Crown Series
by Laura R. Samotin
The 2nd installment of the Cursed Crown series following The Sins of their Bones.
Dimitri Abramovich may have won back the throne of Novo-Svitsevo, but even after defeating his former husband, the usurper Alexey Balakin, he seems no closer to securing lasting peace for his people. Enemies are closing in on all sides, and pressure is mounting for Dimitri to play the one card he has left in a bid for stability-offering his hand in marriage for a second time. But Dimitri is still healing from the tragedies of the war, his return to the throne, and Alexey's years of torment. Vasily Sokolov is the only person with whom he feels safe, and giving up the comfort of their budding relationship feels unfathomable, even if it's the only way to sever the alliances being formed among the countries surrounding Novo-Svitsevo. So as Dimitri and Vasily reckon with political treachery, the lasting consequences of Dimitri's resurrection, and the sinister legacy of Alexey's use of the Holy Science, they must also work to understand what it means to love each other even as they prepare to let each other go-which might prove the most difficult of all.
|
|
|
|
As Many Souls as Stars
by Natasha Siegel
"This novel will bend and twist your notion of what love is, while leaving you utterly bewitched." -- KIRKUS REVIEWS (Starred Review)
For fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, an inventive and romantic speculative novel about two women-a witch and an immortal demon-who make a Faustian bargain and are drawn into a cat-and-mouse chase across multiple lifetimes-- Provided by publisher.
|
|
|
|
Song of Spores
by Bogi Takács
A tale of adventure, mystery, and political intrigue in space. Plus sentient fungus!
Operatives are on a mission: the gruff psychic commander, the shapeshifter, and the cynical insectoid grandma. Plus a sentient spaceship and symbiotic pilot. Can they work together? Or will they be eaten by giant space fungus? Or both?
|
|
| Boy, with Accidental Dinosaur by Ian McDonaldA FanFiAddict Most Anticipated Title!
How to Train Your Dragon meets Mad Max in this story of an orphan in a fractured Southwest who just wants to ride a dinosaur under the lights.
Tif Tamim has bounced from circus to circus, trying to chase his dream of being a dinosaur buckaroo and finding a place to belong. When he frees a dino from its abusive owner, he embarks on a journey to return the carnotaur to its home in the Cretaceous period, finding himself and falling in love along the way. This "equal parts rollicking and poignant sci-fi novella" (Publishers Weekly) will be a romp for fans of John Scalzi's The Kaiju Preservation Society. |
|
| The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto YambaoNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Passengers find their way to The Elsewhere Express when they need help rediscovering their dreams and finding their purpose. Follow Q and Raya, two souls recovering from emotional pain and grief, as they search for themselves and save the Express from a stowaway. For fans of: magical realism driven by characters finding emotional catharsis in whimsical settings, such as The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J.R. Dawson and The Keeper of Lonely Spirits by E.M. Anderson. |
|
| Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die by Greer StothersTHE INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER
Sir Cameron, a handsome but cowardly knight, teams up with the reclusive and short-tempered sorcerer Merulo when a prophecy ties them together and puts Cameron in immediate peril. As Merulo's ambitious plans come closer to fruition, Cameron realizes he may be more drawn to the sorcerer than previously planned. This "ambitious and decidedly weird" (Library Journal) debut combines fantasy cliché deconstructions with thoughtful explorations of queer self-discovery and autonomy. |
|
| The Book of Blood & Roses by Annie SummerleeA paranormal fantasy series starter.
Vampire hunter Rebecca Charity goes undercover at a school for vampires in the Scottish Highlands to get revenge for her murdered parents; however, her plans are disrupted as she starts falling for her powerful and beautiful roommate Aliz Astra. For fans of: LGBTQIA+ romantic fantasy and intricately plotted stories where the hunter falls for their quarry, such as Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell and As Many Souls As Stars by Natasha Siegel. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|