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 found two exciting fantasies and a horror, all with beautiful covers. Take a look:
An Iron Age goddess must grapple with becoming human in this delightful historical fantasy of myth and magic from the author of the instant hit Greenteeth.
When Malt, the goddess of death, is accidentally turned into a human by a wayward spell, she finds she’s ill-equipped to deal with the trials of a mortal life.
After all, why would a goddess need to know how to gather food or light a fire?
Trapped in a body that’s frustratingly feeble, she’s forced to team up with Bellis, warrior daughter of Boudicca on a perilous journey across Roman-occupied Britain to the afterlife to try to restore her powers. As animosity turns to attraction, these two very different women must learn to work together if they are to have any hope of surviving their quest.
Nightshade & Oak by Molly O’Neill. Releases in February 2026 from Orbit. I was thrilled to see this gorgeous cover revealed earlier this week. I loved Greenteeth and gave it five stars, so you can image how excited I am for O’Neill’s next book!
In a city of ancient automata, strange spirits, and sleeping gods, a cleric of death finds his own life on the line in this vividly imagined fantasy murder mystery from the acclaimed author of The Bone Ships and Age of Assassins.
Irody Hasp is a Mortedant, a cleric tasked with reading the last thoughts of the dead—though no one thanks him for it. No Mortedant is popular, but Irody is scarcely tolerated even by the other members of his own guild, and rarely selected for anything but the lowliest of jobs.
This impoverished existence would be dismal enough—but after reading the corpse of a low-level records keeper, Irody’s troubles quickly multiply when his own apprentice is murdered, and all fingers point to him as a suspect. The only way to save his own skin is to find the real culprit himself, an investigation that quickly attracts powerful enemies with few scruples, and draws him into a plot that threatens the entire corrupt yet wondrous city he calls home.
Perfect for fans of The Lies of Locke Lamora, Foundryside, and Witness for the Dead, this investigative misadventure begins a perilous new series by award-winning author RJ Barker.
Mortedant’s Peril by R.J. Barker. Releases in May 2026 from Tor Books. I’m excited for a new R.J. Barker book, and the blurb mentions it’s the start to a new series, even though it’s not listed that way on Goodreads. Barker wrote the absolutely fabulous The Tide Child series, and I can’t wait to see what he does in the fantasy/mystery genre.
A woman returns to the mysterious lodge in the woods where she once worked, and to the inscrutable creature that bound her there, in this haunting Appalachian gothic horror from singular voice Jen Julian. Perfect for fans of Alix E. Harrow and T. Kingfisher.
This is the story of Moth, who earned her name working for the Winter Folk.
Every year, the Winter Folk gather at a secret lodge in the Appalachians, a place known as Deerhaven, refuge for the time-worn and weary. As a child, Moth heard warnings from her mother: They are heartless, wild creatures—and they got no concern of us. At twenty-one, Moth is a college dropout, indebted, impoverished, and desperate for better things. She falls instantly for Deerhaven’s beautiful antlered host, the mild-mannered Mr. Oslin. When he offers her a housekeeper’s contract—one wish granted for a winter of service—she signs without question.
But Deerhaven is a dangerous place. Staff must follow strict rules or else face dire consequences, and the guests can be unpredictable and savage. And yet, Moth endures, enticed by a rumor that Mr. Oslin is looking for a protégé. A singular worker who would stay with him forever and be transformed.
Decades later, Moth returns to Appalachia with her husband and teenage daughter. She can’t shake the feeling that she needs to return to Deerhaven, which banished her twenty years ago. As she hunts for a way in, her haunting memories and harrowing experiences come roaring back — her friends and rivals, her growing obsession with Mr. Oslin, and her mysterious exile.
A door exists in the dark of the woods. After so long away, what has Deerhaven become?
The Winter Folk by Jen Julian. Releases in July 2026 from Run For It. That’s a rather long story blurb, but I think this has potential! I’m sad I haven’t been able to get to Red Rabbit Ghost, Julian’s recent release, but I’m definitely keeping this one on my radar.
Oh Tammy… Nightshade & Oak sounds SO good! An Iron Age goddess who became human, Roman-occupied Britain and the daughter of Boudicca? SAY NO MORE!
It’s definitely a “Stephanie” book;-)
Okay, all of these sound amazing!
I agree, I can’t wait!
Beautiful and intriguing covers for sure
I love all these covers:-)
These all sound good and I just KNEW when I was doing my post and featuring Winter Folk, it was likely I would see it over here as well. Doesn’t it sound awesome!
I’m so excited for Winter Folk, and the cover has a certain vibe.
I loved Greenteeth too, so I’m really excited to see Nightshade & Oak!!
It sounds so good, I can’t wait!
These are all new to me, exciting! I am definitely interested in Nightshade & Oak (and agree, love the cover!), and Winter Folk sounds good too! (Funny enough when I saw the cover I thought “wow this is giving major T Kingfisher” and then the synopsis was like “yes this is absolutely supposed to be giving T Kingfisher” heh.) Thanks for putting these on my radar!
Yes! It’s a very T Kingfisher cover, I’m sure that was deliberate;-)
Ooh, I am also enthused for Nightshade & Oak now! I loved Greenteeth.
I hope it’s just as good!
The Winter Folk looks really interesting, a horror with a bit of fae mythology. Would be interested to see how the author marries fantasy and horror in this one.
It seems like a really good blend of genres:-)
I’m excited about Night Shade & Oak…I really enjoyed Greenteeth by that same author!
Me too, I’m hoping for more awesome characters like Jenny.
These all sound amazing, but Molly ONeill and RJ Barker – I danced a little happy dance.
Lynn 😀
Right?? Two authors I love.
Oooo… I LOVED Greenteeth, so I’m really excited to see that O’Neill’s got another book due to be released. And that is such a lovely cover. Thank you for the heads up – I’ll keeping looking out for this one, Tammy:)).
I have high hopes for Nightshade & Oak!
Good finds! Mortedant’s Peril sounds really interesting to me—I’ve been enjoying fantasy mysteries a lot lately.
I love fantasy mystery too, this one sounds so good.
These books are super intriguing!! The one that is the most appealing to me is the second one, because Barker’s book seems to hit all the right spots. But the first one is interesting too, even if I didn’t love the first book by the author. And the last one is the least appealing to me, but the fact that they say that is good for Kingfisher’s fans made me reconsider, at least partially!
I see so many books compared to Kingfisher these days, I hope they are right this time:-)
I really like the setup of Mortedant’s Peril, sounds like a story I might enjoy.
It’s been a few years since I’ve read Barker, I’m looking forward to this:-)
The RJ Barker looks so different from what he’s written before! And I’m also very curious for more from the author of Greenteeth!
I’d probably have overlooked the last one based on its cover but I’m glad you shared it as it sounds right up my street. Its giving me gothic and fae vibes after all. Im also majorly excited for Mortedant’s Peril. I hope you love all of these.