42 New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books Releasing in January

Resolve to read more books in 2026—and start right here with io9’s first list of the year rounding up all the new sci-fi, fantasy, and horror titles coming your way in January. Check out new books by Charles Stross, Jim Butcher, Seanan McGuire, Alastair Reynolds, and more.

January 6

The Bloody Brick Road: A Wizard of Oz Retelling by Maude Royer 

“In this wildly creative, horror-soaked reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, nothing is as it seems in Dorothy’s dystopian nightmare.” (January 6)

A God of Countless Guises by Bradley P. Beaulieu 

“Long ago, the elder gods devised a brutal contest – a game of ascension, where contestants gained power by killing their own. The prize? Godhood. Now, that game is stirring once again.” Sequel to The Book of the Holt. (January 6)

A Monsoon Rising by Thea Guanzon 

“Two hearts circle each other in the eye of the storm in this highly anticipated follow-up to The Hurricane Wars—prepare for more enemies-to-lovers romance, magical adventures, and political schemes in this Southeast Asian-inspired world.” (January 6)

The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz 

“An enthralling new romantic suspense novel filled with deeply entrenched grudges, psychic dangers, and a conspiracy that threatens not only two families but also the entire paranormal community.” (January 6)

The Starseekers by Nicole Glover 

“Indiana Jones meets Hidden Figures in this brand-new stand-alone historical fantasy set in the world of The Conductors, in which the space race of the mid-20th century will be determined by magic… if not murder.” (January 6)

Through Gates of Garnet and Gold by Seanan McGuire 

“A fan-favorite character returns in this action-packed installment of the Hugo Award-winning Wayward Children series. After Nancy was cast out of the Halls of the Dead and forced to enroll at Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children, she never believed she’d find her door again, and when she did, she didn’t look back.” (January 6)

January 13

The Book of Blood and Roses by Annie Summerlee

“A vampire hunter goes undercover at a mysterious university—and finds herself falling in love with her roommate, an alluring vampire, in book one of a seductive sapphic paranormal fantasy.” (January 13)

Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart

“A space shuttle flight crew discovers that the Earth they’ve returned to is not the home they left behind in the first book of this emotional, mind-bending thriller series from the creator of the hit Netflix show Manifest and the bestselling author of The Warehouse.” (January 13)

The East Wind by Alexandria Warwick

“Rapunzel meets the myth of Psyche and Cupid in a standalone fantasy romance tale of love, survival and healing, as a mortal woman and a god unite to overcome deadly trials—and their own tortured pasts—in the climactic final installment of the Four Winds series.” (January 13)

Fire Sword and Sea by Vanessa Riley

“The real Pirates of the Caribbean were Black, and women! From Vanessa Riley, acclaimed author of Queen of Exiles, comes a sweeping, immersive saga based on the life of the legendary 17th-century pirate Jacquotte Delehaye.” (January 13)

Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez

“A lush tale full of enemies-to-lovers tension, whimsical magic, villain romance, and slow-burn desire, set in an enchanted, perilous Florence where forbidden power could ignite a war.” (January 13)

Ice by Jacek Dukaj, translated by Ursula Phillips

“A Trans-Siberian odyssey through political, criminal, scientific, philosophical and amorous intrigues, and into an endless winter to confront something utterly alien.” (January 13)

Into the Midnight Wood by Alexandra McCollum

“A whimsical queer romance about two mismatched roommates whose fragile—and definitely not romantic at all—balance is upended by an impending family wedding and an otherworldly danger in the nearby enchanted wood.” (January 13)

The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Shin’ichiro Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga, and Yoshie Hotta, translated by Jeffrey Angles

“The original story that hatched Mothra, one of the most beloved monsters in the ‘kaijuverse’—available in English for the first time.” (January 13)

The Magic of Untamed Hearts by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

“After several years stuck as a ghost, Sky Flores learns to reconnect with the living again with the help of her handsome neighbor in this lush romance.” (January 13)

The Midnight Carousel by Fiza Saeed McLynn

“The Night Circus meets Water for Elephants in this enchanting, darkly glittering story of grief, obsession, revenge, and enduring love.” (January 13)

A Vow in Vengeance by Jaclyn Rodriguez

“Sexy, action-packed, and brimming with magic, A Vow in Vengeance is an unputdownable romantasy debut.” (January 13)

The Younger Gods by Katie Shepard

“Danger looms when a former priestess sails to the realm of the dead to find her fallen lover, only to discover the gods she thought she defeated are preparing for war.” (January 13)

January 20

A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James

A “pulse-pounding story about siblings who return to the house they fled 18 years before, called back by the ghost of their long-missing brother and his haunting request: Come home.” (January 20)

The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao

“When you lose your way in life, the Elsewhere Express just might find you. Step on board the train that may take you to your life’s purpose in this wistful, Ghibli-esque fantasy from the bestselling author of Water Moon.” (January 20)

The Friend of the Family by Dean Koontz

“A girl liberated from a carnival sideshow discovers her mysterious purpose in a moving novel about family, sacrifice, and transcendent love.” (January 20)

George Falls Through Time by Ryan Collett

“Less meets the year 1300 in this exhilarating and thoughtfully genre-defying literary novel about a man transported through time in a moment of extreme stress, whose modern anxieties are replaced by medieval brutalities.” (January 20)

The Poet Empress by Shen Tao

“Wei Yin is desperate. After the fifth death of a sibling, with her family and village on the brink of starvation, she will do anything to save those she loves … To save herself and the nation, she must survive the dangers of court, learn to read in secret, and compose the most powerful spell of all. A ballad of love. . . and death.” (January 20)

To Leave a Warrior Behind: The Life and Stories of Charles R. Saunders, the Man Who Rewrote Fantasy by Jon Tattrie

“Discover the untold story of Charles R. Saunders, the little known figure who wrote groundbreaking fantasy worlds and redefined an entire genre. Blending biography with a tribute to Saunders’ forgotten literary legacy, To Leave a Warrior Behind uncovers the life of an enigmatic recluse, and the worlds he left behind.” (January 20)

Twelve Months by Jim Butcher

“Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, has always managed to save the day—but, in this powerful entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files, can he save himself? … It’s been a tough year. More than ever, the city needs Harry Dresden the wizard—but after loss and grief, is there enough left of Harry Dresden the man to rise to the challenge?” (January 20)

The Twice-Wanted Witch by Katie Hallahan

“It’s been six months since McKenna Ellerbeck killed her second Archdemon, saved Arcadia Commons, and earned a spot on the Witches Council. Things should be good, right? Instead she’s overworked, underpaid, disrespected by her fellow Council members, all while fighting demons on a regular basis and suffering through having her mother as a roommate.” (January 20)

Sauúti Terrors Short Stories edited by Eugen Bacon, Stephen Embleton, and Cheryl S. Ntumy

“A powerful dark science fiction collection in a stunning edition, bringing back the revolutionary Afrocentric Sauútiverse.” (January 20)

The Sea Child by Linda Wilgus

“In this enchanting, adventurous debut novel, a band of seafaring smugglers lands on the Cornish coast, where a young widow with a mysterious past becomes entangled in their schemes—and with their charismatic captain.” (January 20)

January 27

Ballad of the Bone Road by A.C. Wise

“In the glittering city of Port Astor, where fae roads criss-cross human highways and ghosts whisper to the living, nothing is ever as it seems.” (January 27)

Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis

“Another irreverent, sparkling, and sexy installment in the Queens of Villainy series, where a seductive fae queen meets her unexpected match in the enemy empire’s valiant general.” (January 27)

Halcyon Years by Alastair Reynolds

“A private investigator is hired to look into a mysterious, high-profile death aboard the starship Halcyon in this fresh new science fiction masterpiece from the creator of the beloved Revelation Space universe. Strap in for a gripping murder mystery.” (January 27)

Hearthspace by Stephen Baxter

“Thousands of years ago, a massive colony ship arrived at the Hearth—the celestial birthplace of millions of planets, ranging from habitable earth-like worlds to unimaginable hellscapes of pressure and heat. Using lightsails to navigate, humanity has spread itself across dozens of these worlds. But they have also forgotten their beginnings, where they came from… and a terrible secret is about to be unveiled.” (January 27)

Monster in the Moonlight by Annelise Ryan

“Under the light of the full moon, a quiet rural lane becomes the scene of a shocking crime that may be the work of a mythical monster.” (January 27)

On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield

“In this sinister and surreal Southern Gothic debut, a woman escapes into the uncanny woods of southern Georgia and must contend with ghosts, haints, and most dangerous of all, the truth about herself.” (January 27)

Passage to Tokyo by Poppy Kuroki

“In the second book in the Ancestor Memories historical fantasy series, a young woman finds herself back in 1920s Tokyo as Japan enters a new and dangerous era—and a deadly tragedy awaits her city.” (January 27)

The Regicide Report by Charles Stross

“An occult assassin, a living god and an elderly queen face off in the thrilling conclusion to Charles Stross’ Hugo Award-winning Laundry Files series.” (January 27)

Silver & Blood by Jessie Mihalik

“On a deadly mission to kill the mythical beast that has been haunting her woods, a desperate mage finds her fate intertwined with the handsome, powerful man who saves her in this dark and sexy romantasy.” (January 27)

Sister Svangerd and the Not Quite Dead by K.J. Parker

“​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.” (January 27)

This House Will Feed by Maria Tureaud

“Amidst the devastation of Ireland’s Great Famine, a young woman is salvaged from certain death when offered a mysterious position at a remote manor house haunted by a strange power and the horror of her own memories in this chillingly evocative historical novel braided with gothic horror and supernatural suspense.” (January 27)

To Ride a Rising Storm by Moniquill Blackgoose

“A young indigenous woman and her dragon fight for the independence of their homeland in this epic sequel to the bestselling and multi-award-winning To Shape a Dragon’s Breath.” (January 27)

We Who Have No Gods by Liza Anderson

“In a world of witches, a human woman must hunt or be hunted in this explosive debut novel filled with dangerous rivals, guarded secrets, and simmering chemistry.” (January 27)

The Wolf and the Crown of Blood by Elizabeth May

“A princess and a war-weary god meet in the ashes of a broken city, forging a pact in blood and sacrifice.” (January 27)

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.