This year sees the much anticipated return of Harry Dresden, with both a full length novel and a novella. We have not seen a new Dresden book since the release of Peace Talks and Battleground in 2020. I have been making my way through the Dresden Files on Listening Books in preparation for this release so the story is fresh in my mind.
Over the past year, I have developed an interest in Greek mythology, so there are some new releases coming up in that subject that are on the list. I also have an interest in ancient Egypt, and Celtic myth, so it is great to see that there is a book about Cleopatra and Brigid coming out. I am hoping that Norse myth will get the same treatment - there is a lot of Norse themed fantasy around, and Viking themed historical novels (think of the Last Kingdom series by Bernard Cornwell) but there is very little in regards to a retelling of the myths in the Eddas and Sagas, so it would be great if there were similar books written from the perspective of the goddesses such as Frigg, her handmaidens, Freya, Idunn, etc.
Last year, I read quite a few cozy fantasy books, Legends and Lattes, Bookshops and Bonedust, the Spellshop and the Emily Wild series. Many years ago, I read a book by Mary Gentle, entitled Grunts!, which I quite enjoyed reading so I am looking forward to the cozy titles showcased here. There aren't a great deal of books around from the perspective of orcs and goblins where they aren't the enemy to be fought in a story. I'm expecting the ones selected here to have a humorous aspect to them, though I hope that they aren't too much like Tom Holt. A number of years ago, I read his book An Orc on the Wildside, but was disappointed with it but still want to read books where goblins or orcs are the main characters in the story. This was one of the reasons why I read Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor, which I enjoyed much better.
I do not read as much science fiction as I would like to as I focus a lot on reading fantasy and haven't read a lot of sci-fi since the days of reading Star Wars and Stargate books. I read The Tiger and the Wolf, and the Bear and the Serpent, which I quite enjoyed, so I hope to read some Adrian Tchaikovsky's science fiction books this year - Dogs of War is one series which I am pretty keen on reading, along with the Children of Strife series.
JANUARY
Twelve Months, by Jim Butcher
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Release Date: 20th January, 2026 One year. 365 days. Twelve months. Harry Dresden has been through a lot, and so has his city. After Harry and his allies narrowly managed to save Chicago from being razed to the ground, everything is different-and it's not just the current lack of electricity. In the battle, Harry lost people he cared about. And that's the kind of loss that takes a toll. Harry being Harry, he's doing his level best to help the city and his friends recover and rebuild. But it's a heavy load, and he needs time. But time is one thing Harry doesn't have. Ghouls are prowling Chicago and taking out innocent civilians. Harry's brother is dying, and Harry doesn't know how to help him. And last but certainly not least, the Winter Queen of the Fae has allied with the White Court of vampires-and Harry's been betrothed to the seductive, deadly vampire Lara Raith to seal the deal. 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?/td> |
Brigid, by Kim Curran
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Release date 29th January, 2026 In a wild, ancient grove at the edge of winter, a desperate girl prays to the gods for her freedom. Born to a slave mother, sold in marriage to a brutal husband, none have ever listened to Brigid’s prayers. But this time, a goddess answers . . . with a vision that will transform Brigid’s path forever. Ireland lies on the precipice of change. The new Christian god is coming, a faith that Brigid can bend to her will, building a sisterhood and sanctuary for women with nowhere else to turn. As their numbers grow, so too do the rumours – of just what powers women can hold when they come together. But power, like a flame, consumes as it grows. As Brigid rises, challenging kings, defying bishops, soon she must reckon with what she herself has become. And as her enemies draw closer, eager to reclaim all she has taken from them, what – or who – will she sacrifice to hold on to her legacy? A radical reimagining of Ireland’s most beloved saint, Brigid is the story of a woman who could never be caged – by men, by gods, or even by history itself. |
How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days, by Jessie Slyva
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Release date:20th January, 2026 When a halfling, Pansy, and a goblin, Ren, each think they've inherited the same cottage, they make a bargain: they'll live in the house together and whoever is driven out first forfeits their ownership. Amidst forced proximity and cultural misunderstandings, the two begin to fall in love. But when the cottage - and their communities - are threatened by a common enemy, the duo must learn to trust each other, and convince goblins and halflings to band together to oust the tall intruder. |
Nine Goblins, by T. Kingfisher
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Release date 20 Jan. 2026 No one knows exactly how the Goblin War began, but folks will tell you that goblins are stinking, slinking, filthy, sheep-stealing, henhouse-raiding, obnoxious, rude, and violent. Goblins would actually agree with all this, and might throw in "cowardly" and "lazy" too for good measure. But goblins don't go around killing people for fun, no matter what the propaganda posters say. And when a confrontation with an evil wizard lands a troop of nine goblins deep behind enemy lines, goblin sergeant Nessilka must figure out how to keep her hapless band together and get them home in one piece, despite a path filled with elves, trolls, monsters, and that most terrifying of creatures…a human being. |
FEBRUARY
The Wandering Queen, by Claire Heywood
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Release date: 12th February, 2026
The King of Tyre is dead, his final words anointing his clever and
strong-willed daughter, Elissa, as the new queen until his young son
comes of age. But betrayal and danger soon haunt Elissa, and she is
forced to flee the kingdom - exiled with a band of loyal followers and a
broken heart. After an arduous search for a new home, Elissa and her people settle in North Africa, and she is crowned Queen Dido: the ferocious and devoted ruler of her newly established city of Carthage. Soon a powerful trading hub, Carthage thrives under Dido's governance. But when a band of Trojan survivors, led by the valiant Aeneas, washes up on a nearby shore, Queen Dido is reminded of a promise she made long ago, never to trust or to love another again. Can Dido overcome her past and open herself - and her city - up to Aeneas, or is their love doomed to burn everything to the ground? |
Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter, by Heather Fawcett
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Release Date: 17th February 2026 Agnes Aubert is very fond of making lists. These lists kept her afloat when she lost her husband two years ago. And now, as the founder of a cat rescue charity, her meticulous organization skills feel like the only thing standing between her beloved cats - His Majesty, Banshee and sweet elderly Thoreau, to name a few - and utter disaster. But when Agnes is forced to move the charity, she soon discovers that her new shop is being used as a front; right under her feet is the lair of the decidedly disorganised - not to mention self-absorbed and infuriatingly handsome - Havelock Renard. Havelock is everything Agnes doesn't want in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers he's more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue, perhaps even romance. After all, second chances aren't just for rescue cats. . . |
The Orb of Cairado, by Katherine Addison
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Release date: 3rd February, Five years ago, Ulcetha was studying at the University of Cairado, working his way toward becoming a scholar first-class in the Department of History. Then a prize artifact disappeared and Ulcetha, deftly framed, was kicked out. Now he works for a crooked importer, using his knowledge of elven history to write provenances for the fake artifacts Salathgarad sells. When the airship Wisdom of Choharo explodes, killing the emperor and three of his four sons, it takes with it Ulcetha's best friend, Mara Lilana. But Mara leaves behind a puzzle—the one thing Ulcetha can't resist. And the puzzle leads Ulcetha back to the Department of History...and maybe the chance to clear his name. |
Cleopatra, by Saara El-Afri
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Release date: 26th February, 2026. YOU KNOW MY NAME. BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW ME. Your historians call me seductress, but I was ever in love's thrall. Your playwrights speak of witchcraft, but my talents came from the gods themselves. Your poets sing of my bloodlust, but I was always protecting my children. How wilfully they refuse to concede that a woman could be powerful, strategic, divinely blessed to rule. Death will silence me no longer. This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived. |
MARCH
Children of Strife, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
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Release Date 26 March, 2026
Centuries ago, a maverick terraforming team played God with a distant planet. Out of their vanity and spite, something terrible and unexpected arose. Generations later, tormented scientist Alis is among the crew of the research vessel that rediscovers this lost outpost. But Alis wakes from nightmares of her own making to an all-too-real catastrophe on board. The rest of the crew has vanished – leaving only Cato, the belligerent mantis-shrimp captain, and Kern, the ship’s AI. Searching for their lost fellows, Alis and Cato must venture into the darkness of the planet below. What did those ancient terraformers unleash? And will their last surviving crewmate become a greater threat than the world itself? |
MAY
Out Law, by Jim Butcher
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Release Date: 12th May, 2026 In a city that's just beginning to recover from the devastation caused by the Battle of Chicago, Harry Dresden is finally pulling himself together as well. He's ensconced in his own personal castle, healing his various wounds, and training an eager new apprentice. The last thing he wants is any trouble. But, as history has consistently--and quite annoyingly--shown, what Harry wants is rarely what Harry gets. It starts with a visit from Harry's most powerful frenemy, Gentleman John Marcone, Baron of Chicago. He needs Harry to assist in the redemption of an underling who's looking to go straight. And since Harry does kinda sorta owe Marcone for saving his life once (stupid honorable debt!), it's not a request he can refuse. He'll just wish he had. Because this little favor is going to drag Harry into a fight he doesn't want on behalf of a lowlife he doesn't trust against an enemy more powerful and pestilent than he ever could've expected: an insatiable, demonic foe whom Harry himself may have created when he wiped out the vampires of the Red Court so long ago. Before, all it wanted was blood. Now it wants the entire world . . . |
An Ordinary Sort of Evil, by Kelley Armstrong
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Release Date: 19th May, 2026 Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Mitchell has grown accustomed to life in Victorian Scotland after travelling 150 years into the past into the body of a housemaid. She’s built a new life for herself. Even though she works as an assistant to forensic-science pioneer Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie, she considers them true friends. And with Gray in particular, perhaps, someday, something more. Late one night, Gray and Mallory are summoned urgently to the home of Lady Adler, a patron of Gray’s undertaking business, and they assume there's been a death in the household. But instead, they arrive in the midst of a seance with a ghost demanding Gray's presence. The ghost is Lady Adler's former maid, who had gone missing but now requests that Gray investigate her murder. Although Gray and Mallory are skeptical, they agree to look into the matter, whether she's dead or alive. But unsure if there's been a murder or not, unable to call out the medium as a fraud, and concerned for the fate of the young maid, Gray and Mallory are once again drawn into a mystery much more puzzling—and more dangerous—than it first seems. |
Andromeda, by E.S. McCleod
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Release date: 14th May, 2026 Blessed by the gods with unparalleled beauty, Andromeda lives a life of ease within her Aethiopian palace walls. Content with her sanctuary, the young princess has no concerns other than the royal expectations her parents have for her – until a single, fateful proclamation changes everything. When the queen defies the gods with a blasphemous claim, Poseidon, fearsome God of the Seas, delivers a deadly ultimatum that puts the queen’s life in Andromeda’s hands. Poseidon sends his loyal servant, the shape-shifting Ceto, to seal the princess’s fate. But Ceto is not just a servant. With a sharp tongue and hardened heart, she has little interest in the princess’s appearance – and even less in the games of gods. Yet an undeniable tension begins to bloom between them, and both quickly realise Andromeda’s beauty is not only a gift, but a weapon to wield. As Poseidon’s judgement draws ever closer, the two women find themselves pulled into something far more passionate – and dangerous – than either could have predicted... |
JUNE
This Immortal Heart, by Jennifer Saint
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Release date 4th June Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, wields unparalleled power over every divine and mortal heart. Though her world is one of beauty, she is the most dangerous god of all, ruled by passion regardless of the consequences. Ares, God of War, is her perfect contradiction: feared, unwanted and relentless in his devotion to chaos. Where she breathes life into longing, he thrives in destruction. And yet gods are no more immune to love and loss than anyone else, and soon their lives collide. But even divine love can't protect them from the fates of Mount Olympus, and whilst the God of War may be capable of greater love than anyone else, so many the Goddess of Love be capable of the gravest mistakes. |
JULY
The Amber Owl, by Juliet Marillier
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Release date: 16th July, 2026 Stasya lives in an isolated farming village on the edge of the mysterious Heartwood Forest with her unusual dog for company. Thought odd by the locals, she is tolerated for her rare gift with animals. Engaging with her fellow humans is difficult, with one exception: goatherd Lukas, who shares her love of storytelling. The peace of Heartwood is shattered when a group of soldiers descends, under orders from the Ruler of the Northlands. Their mission: to hack a path through the forest and find the fabled treasure said to lie deep within. Under the gruelling decree, Stasya’s village falls into chaos. The task is clearly impossible. The forest is alive with bears and wolves, and the old tales speak of evil spirits, monsters and uncanny beings. Nobody has ever gone deep into Heartwood Forest and returned safe and well. When Stasya raises her voice in protest she is removed from her beloved home and transported to court – a different world. Word of her special skills has reached the Ruler’s ears, and Lady Elisabeta has a job for her. But Stasya will not break her vow to protect the forest, even under the most appalling threat. As Stasya and her band of unlikely allies embark on a perilous mission, it becomes apparent that uncanny forces may indeed be involved. Maybe the old tales of the Hermit are true... |
SEPTEMBER
Styx The River, by Nikita Gill
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Release date 17th September 2026, The firstborn child of Titans, Styx is revered as the first of her kind – until she is eclipsed and forgotten amid her scores of siblings, the Oceanids and the Potamoi. Coming of age in a world simmering with paranoia and unspoken fear of Zeus, the volatile and unchecked god-king, Styx learns to conceal the rage ignited by her growing disillusionment with her parents and her vain and unkind siblings. Instead, she finds solace and sisterhood in her cousin, Asteria. Together, they train in the arts of creation and magic. And as they seek to learn their divine purpose and their place within the Titanomachy, they discover both the joy sparked by true love and the fierce resilience birthed from motherhood. In this lyrical and heartrending tale of sisterhood, identity, love, and war, Styx must carve her own path to womanhood – and ultimately, godhood. |
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