Genre: Speculative Fiction

Ascension by Nicholas Binge Genres: Adult, British Literature, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Thriller Published by Harper Voyager on April 24, 2023 Format: Hardcover, Special Edition Pages: 320 Source: The Broken Binding A mind-bending speculative thriller in which the sudden appearance of a mountain in the middle of the Pacific Ocean leads a group of scientists to a series of jaw-dropping revelations that challenge the notion of what it means to be human. An enormous snow-covered mountain has appeared in the Pacific Ocean. No one knows when exactly it showed up, precisely how big it might be, or how to explain its existence. When Harold Tunmore, a scientist of mysterious phenomena, is contacted by a shadowy organization to help investigate, he has no idea what he is getting into as he and his team set out for the mountain.  The higher Harold’s team ascends, the less things make sense. Time moves differently, turning minutes into hours, and hours into days. Amid the whipping cold of higher elevation, the climbers’ limbs numb and memories of their lives before the mountain begin to fade. Paranoia quickly turns to violence among the crew, and slithering, ancient creatures pursue them …

The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee Genres: Adult, Science Fiction, Cyberpunk, Hard Sci-fi, Speculative Fiction, AAPI, Noir Published by Orbit on May 4, 2026 Format: Hardcover, Special Edition Pages: 514 Source: Starbright Get ready to be blown away by this searing standalone space opera where corporate samurai fight beneath merciless stars, and death is always a mere breath away. Isako is a legendary swordswoman, but every legend has to come to an end. When her long-time client unexpectedly retires, she plans to follow–to walk out into the frozen wasteland of their planet with her head held high and her family enriched by her legacy. But when a competitor offers her a final mission, it’s one she can’t refuse. Soon, she’s thrust deep into a world of corporate espionage, duty-bound duels, and shadowy secrets. What she uncovers will change humanity’s existence in the stars forever. The Last Contract of Isako is the space opera you didn’t know you needed: corporate samurai… in space. This is the first adult science fiction novel from the award-winning author of Jade City. Mixing together politically motivated corporate strategizing, samurai code of conduct, rigid society resource management, all set on a frozen and desolate …

All That We See Or Seem by Ken Liu Series: Julia Z #1 Genres: Adult, Mystery, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, AAPI Published by Saga Press on October 13, 2025 Format: Hardcover, Special Edition Pages: 419 Source: Owlcrate Award­ winning author Ken Liu returns with his first sci-fi thriller in a brand-new series following former “orphan hacker” Julia Z as she is thrust into a high-stakes adventure where she must use her cybersecurity and hacking skills to unravel a virtual reality mystery, rescue a kidnapped dream artist, and confront the blurred lines between technology, identity, and the power of shared dreams.&nbsp Julia Z, a young woman who gained notoriety at fourteen as the “orphan hacker,” is trying to live a life of digital obscurity in a Boston suburb.&nbsp But when a lawyer named Piers—whose famous artist wife, Elli, has been kidnapped by dangerous criminals—barges into her life, Julia decides to put the solitary life she has painstakingly created at risk as she can’t walk away from helping Piers and Elli, nor step away from the challenge of this digital puzzle. Elli is an onierofex, a dream artist, who can weave the dreams of an audience together through a shared virtual landscape, …

Coldwire by Chloe Gong Series: The StrangeLoom Trilogy #1 Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Cyberpunk, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult, Espionage Published by Hodderscape on November 30, 2025 Format: Hardcover, Special Edition Pages: 496 Source: FairyLoot For decades, the world has been caught in a cold war between two powerful nations: Medaluo and Atahua. The Medan orphans who live in Atahua suffer the cost. Their enrollment at Nile Military Academy is mandatory. Either serve as a soldier, or risk being labelled a spy.  Eighteen-year-old Eirale is one such orphan. Having recently graduated and joined NileCorp’s forces, she’s doing well for herself – until Atahua’s most wanted anarchist frames her for assassinating a government official and she’s given a choice: cooperate with him to search for a dangerous program in Medaluo or go down for treason.  Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Lia is close to her own graduation when she’s paired with her academic nemesis for one final assignment. But when they are ordered to infiltrate Medaluo in virtual reality, Lia quickly realises there is much more at stake than her school ranking.  As Eirale and Lia tear through Medaluo on separate courses, the two start to suspect they are pieces in a larger conspiracy – …

Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman Genres: Adult, Satire, Science Fiction, Hard Sci-fi, Speculative Fiction Published by Penguin on February 9, 2026 Format: Hardcover, Special Edition Pages: 390 Source: The Broken Binding All New Sonoran colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do is run the family ranch and keep their aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking.  But now the colossal Apex corporation has been hired to commence an ‘eviction action’ – exterminate all life on New Sonora in preparation for a reboot. And they charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines, remotely pilot them and make it a game.  The game is called OPERATION BOUNCE HOUSE…  And New Sonora is its playing field.  Determined to defend the only home he’s ever known, Oliver and his friends find themselves fighting for their lives against these machines.  To Earth it’s a game, but to Oliver, it’s war. This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence. There are many ways one could describe Matt Dinniman’s scifi novel Operation Bounce House, but what I’ve settled on is “refreshingly brilliant”. A self-contained …