Tuesday, February 10, 2026

The latest must-read science fiction

 
Readworthy by BookBub
This Month's Best New Science Fiction
 
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Book cover for Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman
One colony planet's only hope for survival — against Earth itself — rests on a ragtag group of settlers
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • The author of Dungeon Crawler Carl, the viral sci-fi sensation, ensures "fans will not be disappointed" as "the Ender's Game–esque plot moves at a rapid clip" (Library Journal)
  • A corporation has decided to turn the forceful eviction of Oliver's planet into a violent game. But he's not going down without a fight…
  • "Rich with riotous characters and a plot that crackles toward chaos with all the alacrity of a dynamite fuse" (Red Rising author Pierce Brown)
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Media mentions for Operation Bounce House by Matt DinnimanMEDIA MENTIONS:Locus, People, Smart Bitches Trashy Books, Indie Next List, Library Reads, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, BookPage, Literary Hub
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for Halcyon Years by Alastair Reynolds
Murder is afoot on a sprawling generation ship…
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • The celebrated author of the Revelation Space series delivers "a clever, entertaining blend of crime and space opera" (The Guardian)
  • A series of suspicious deaths aboard a starship plunges cosmonaut turned PI Yuri Gagarin into a deep conspiracy
  • "[Reynolds] is one of the most gifted hard SF writers working today" (Publishers Weekly)
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Media mentions for Halcyon Years by Alastair ReynoldsMEDIA MENTIONS:Locus, New Scientist, The Guardian, Reactor, Publishers Weekly
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for Humboldt Cut by Allison Mick
There's something lurking in the redwood forests — and it's not human
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • When her brother vanishes into the foreboding woods of her logging hometown, Jas realizes a dark entity has been planning its revenge…
  • Perfect for fans of Jeff VanderMeer's Annihilation, this eco-horror drenched in atmosphere poses big questions
  • "You will never see forests the same way again" (USA Today bestselling author T.L. Huchu)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Humboldt Cut by Allison MickMEDIA MENTIONS:New Scientist, San Francisco Chronicle, Reactor, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart
Loved The Martian? Launch into a fast-paced new series with a mind-bending twist
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • An unlikely crew of astronauts and civilians returns from their mission to one of Saturn's moons — only to realize things on Earth aren't as they left them
  • Cowritten by the author of The Warehouse and the creator of the hit Netflix series Manifest
  • "Propulsive and exciting from the very first page… A thrilling ride that is as timely as it is compelling" (New York Times bestselling author Jake Tapper)
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Media mentions for Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob HartMEDIA MENTIONS:Locus, New Scientist, Reactor, Publishers Weekly
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for Boy, with Accidental Dinosaur by Ian McDonald
Nothing can stop scrawny orphan Tif from becoming a dinosaur rodeo star
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • "One of the very best science fiction writers in the world" (Kim Stanley Robinson) delivers a coming-of-age romp set in a devastated American Southwest
  • Combines "the futuristic wastelands and clan wars of Mad Max with a gate to John Scalzi's Kaiju Preservation Society" (Library Journal)
  • "Bejeweled, dinosaur-riding buckaroos are the stars of the show in this equal-parts rollicking and poignant sci-fi" (Publishers Weekly starred review)
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Media mentions for Boy, with Accidental Dinosaur by Ian McDonaldMEDIA MENTIONS:Locus, Reactor, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for Pedro the Vast by Simón López Trujillo
This unsettling, impactful work of sci-fi horror is one of NPR's most highly anticipated winter releases
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • As a mysterious fungal disease leaves death in its wake, an ordinary farm worker who miraculously survives finds his life forever transformed
  • "Simmers and then sears… Stunning [and] brilliantly perspective-altering" (Locus)
  • NPR says, "It won't take long to finish this hallucinatory vision of ecological disaster. Getting over Trujillo's disquieting novella, however, is another matter"
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Media mentions for Pedro the Vast by Simón López TrujilloMEDIA MENTIONS:NPR, Locus, New Scientist, New York Post, Reactor, Publishers Weekly, Literary Hub
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for The Hospital at the End of the World by Justin C. Key
This timely near-future medical thriller is hailed as 'essential' (Sarah Pinsker)
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • After his father's suspicious death, medical student Pok faces off against the AI system that rules global society
  • "A strong voice of contemporary sci-fi… for fans of Michael Crichton" (Booklist)
  • "The Hospital at the End of the World is the cyberpunk, anti-AI, anti-tech-fascism, medical mystery/thriller you need in your life right now. Don't miss it" (Paul Tremblay)
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Hospital at the End of the World by Justin C. KeyMEDIA MENTIONS:The Washington Post, Reactor, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for The Forest on the Edge of Time by Jasmin Kirkbride
To save humanity, two women are sent to opposite ends of time…
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • 11/22/63 meets This Is How You Lose the Time War in this dazzling work of climate fiction with a time-traveling spin
  • Earth's future hangs in the balance as a healer in ancient Greece and the last human alive come together across centuries
  • "Incisive and thoughtful sci-fi… A stellar achievement" (Nicholas Binge, author of Ascension)
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Media mentions for The Forest on the Edge of Time by Jasmin KirkbrideMEDIA MENTIONS:Locus, New Scientist, Reactor, Library Journal, Literary Hub
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for A Hole in the Sky by Peter F. Hamilton
For centuries, a generation ship where people have expiration dates has been hiding a dark truth…
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • Adrian Tchaikovsky ("excellent") and Kevin J. Anderson ("engaging, refreshing") are raving about this series starter
  • With her injured brother set to be culled, Hazel races to save her fellow inhabitants of a sprawling ark ship where not all is as it seems
  • "The phrase 'modern master of science fiction' is not to be lightly bestowed. Peter F. Hamilton has earned it" (John Scalzi)
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Media mentions for A Hole in the Sky by Peter F. HamiltonMEDIA MENTIONS:New Scientist, The Guardian, Publishers Weekly
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for The School of Night by Karl Ove Knausgaard
Readers and critics alike love this genre-bender from one of 'the finest writers alive' (The New York Times)
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • From the acclaimed author of The Morning Star, who's a "master of the uncanny" (Los Angeles Times)
  • A photographer sacrifices everything for his ambitions — and decades later, is he prepared to pay the price of success?
  • "A damned masterpiece" (The Times) set in 1980s London and 21st-century New York City
Learn more...
Media mentions for The School of Night by Karl Ove KnausgaardMEDIA MENTIONS:The New Yorker, NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Financial Times, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Times, The Times Literary Supplement, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, BookPage, Literary Hub
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for You & Me and You & Me and You & Me by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees
If you could revisit your past, what would you change?
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • "Funny, tender, bittersweet, and ultimately affirming… Showstopping" (Publishers Weekly)
  • When a middle-aged married couple stumbles on a mixtape time machine, they find themselves both reliving the past… and crafting a different future
  • "If you read just one book this year, read this one — a time-bending love story full of nostalgia and 'what-ifs'" (New York Times bestselling author Sophie Cousens)
Learn more...
Media mentions for You & Me and You & Me and You & Me by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn ReesMEDIA MENTIONS:The Times, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon by Mike Chen
Explore the galaxy's underworld alongside an unlikely duo
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • Jaylen Barsha is the sole survivor of an attack on his family — and with battle droid ND-5 at his side, he's determined to find answers
  • An essential read from a New York Times bestselling author for fans of the Star Wars Outlaws video game
  • Gripping crime noir set in a fractured Empire
Learn more...
Media mentions for Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon by Mike ChenMEDIA MENTION:Reactor
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
 
  

The latest must-read science fiction

We've done the research to bring you the best, most-talked-about science fiction books from the past few months! Don't miss this mon...