Welcome to Future Fiction, my reimagining of the Waiting on Wednesday meme! There are so many amazing new books coming out, that I can no longer pick just one. My goal with Future Fiction is to share at least three new books each week, a combination of recent cover reveals and books that I’ve recently added to my TBR pile. I’m still going to be linking up with Wishful Endings/Can’t Wait Wednesday, and I also want to give a shout out to Jill at Breaking the Spine for starting the original Waiting on Wednesday meme. I hope you’ll find some new books to add to your TBR piles, and as always, I look forward to hearing what YOU’RE looking forward to:-D
Today I have a trio of 2026 science fiction titles to share, take a look:
From New York Times bestselling author Mike Chen comes a page-turning space opera in which a starship captain and her crew receive a distress signal and find themselves at odds with various factions of a galactic civil war—for fans of Alastair Reynolds and Adrian Tchaikovsky.
After ten years trapped across the expanse of space, Captain Demora Kim and the crew aboard the Horizon are finally home. Only it’s not the home they know. The Cluster, formerly a peaceful cooperative between planets, is on the verge of collapse due to a civil war.
A way to end the conflict may lie in the limitless energy that trapped the Horizon crew halfway across the galaxy and the engine they crafted to bring them home. But that means going back to the pocket of space they’ve only just escaped.
Demi isn’t sure she’s up for the task. She fulfilled her promise. She brought her crew home. Maybe it’s time to walk away. However, leaving everything behind won’t be as simple as she thinks. Conspiracies are afoot, loyalties will be tested, and Demi’s choices could shake the foundation of the galaxy.
The Photonic Effect by Mike Chen. Releases in April 2026 from Saga Press. I have never read Mike Chen before but I do have a handful of his books on my TBR. I love the sound of this epic space opera!
The Future of Another Timeline meets The Bone Clocks in this dazzling piece of time-travel climate fiction.
Recruited by the mysterious Project Kairos to change history and save the future from ecological disaster, Echo and Hazel are transported through time to opposite worlds. Echo works as a healer’s assistant in Ancient Athens, embroiled in dangerous politics and wild philosophy. Hazel is the last human alive, in a laboratory on a polluted island with nothing but tiny robots and an untrustworthy AI for company.
Both women suffer from amnesia but when they fall asleep, their consciousnesses transcend time and they meet in their dreams. Together, they start to uncover their past – but soon discover the past threatens humanity’s survival.
If Echo and Hazel have a chance of changing the future, they must remember to forget…
THE FOREST ON THE EDGE OF TIME is a novel about family and duty and the worlds we try to save along the way.
The Forest on the Edge of Time by Jasmin Kirkbride. Releases in February 2026 from Tor Books. First, what a great cover, right? Time travel climate fiction, sort of reminds me of a book I just read, The Afterlife Project, so now I’m very curious.
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.
The Language of Liars by S.L. Huang. Releases in April 2026 from Tordotcom. Wow, another fantastic cover! I haven’t read S.L. Huang before either, but this alien/first contact (?) story is one I’m definitely adding to my TBR.
These covers are sooooo beautiful!! And all the books sound so intriguing, too!! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks Susy!
I love the sound of all of them – but the last one particularly intrigued me as it has echoes of the marvellous Embassytown by China Mieville… Thank you for sharing, Tammy!
I think that is the one China Mieville I haven’t read yet!
I haven’t read much of Mieville’s output – but Embassytown absolutely blew me away as one of the best books I’ve ever read about alien contact.
These could all be possibilities for me.
It’s an interesting selection for sure!
I loved Huang’s book Zero Sum Game! So any book by her is one I’ll check out. 😀
I haven’t read that one, but I think it’s still on my TBR:-)
I’m very excited Mike Chen has a new one coming up!
I still haven’t read any Mike Chen, maybe this will be the first!
I’m definitely interested in the climate fiction one from Tor…seems like me & Tor need to get reacquainted on NG lol.
I love climate fiction, I feel like I need to read more, so yes, it’s going to be a must read for me:-)
I love the colours of the first two covers. The Forest On The Edge Of Time intrigues me most as it mentioned a healer, ancient Athens and robots. Although I am curious about the last one too. I was unsure at first as it sounds complicated but the titles intriguing and I figured maybe with the inhabiting a mind thing it could have some The Host vibes to it?
The Forest On the Edge of Time has so many interesting elements, it’s one I’m keeping on my radar for sure:-)
I hope you enjoy it if you do end up checking it out.
I like the cover for The Forest on the Edge of Time. Can’t believe we’re looking at 2026 releases, where is the time going?!? 😀
Right?? And yep, I love that cover too:-)
I really like the sound of The Language of Liars. It very much reminds me of several other books or stories of contact and integration with other species and I loved some of those. I recall some by Ursula K Le Guin and Octavia Butler, but I’m sure there were some others.
I’m intrigued by it as well. I do love alien/human contact stories:-)
I NEEEEED The Forest on the Edge of Time, thank you for putting it on my radar! (I am also in LOVE with the cover!) I am very excited about the new Mike Chen- I cannot believe you have not read any yet! He is amazinG! The Language of Liars is also new to me, and also one I need!
Making sure all these are added to my watch list!
wow, already thinking of 2026!!
This time-travel climate fiction sounds great!
These all look and sound really good – The Forest On The Edge Of Time – in particular jumps out at me though.
Lynn 😀