May It Forward: 14 Electrifying New Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of May 2026

Verity Guild by Mai Corland (Entangled: Red Tower Books, May 5)

High Priestess Kerasea Vestal has been keeping her magical bloodline hidden her whole life, while it’s Praetorian Torren Morvane’s job to find the traitors and liars in the kingdom. When a senator is murdered with a temple blade, Torren’s attention turns to Kerasea. But the more he searches for the truth, the more their attraction grows, and the more danger they uncover.

The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean (Tor Books, May 5)

Mercy Chan arrives in Hong Kong with nothing, not even any memories of her life before. She finds work as a ghost talker for the triad in Kowloon Walled City and begins wrangling ghosts. But when people start being murdered by a vengeful spirit, that spirit claims to be tied to Mercy and to know the secrets of the life she can’t remember.

The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee (Orbit, May 5)

From the author of the Green Bone Saga comes an exciting stand-alone sci-fi adventure! Isako is a legendary swordswoman at the end of her career, which means she’s ready to walk off into the frozen wasteland. But then she is offered a last mission. It involves espionage, danger, and her last apprentice.

Platform Decay (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells (Tor Books, May 5)

The Tapestry of Fate: An Amina al-Sirafi Adventure by Shannon Chakraborty (Harper Voyager, May 12)

Legendary pirate Amina al-Sirafi is back with another high-seas escapade! This time, she is forced to leave her daughter to hunt down and steal a magical spindle from a goddess on an inescapable island. Can Amina and her crew figure out a way to beat a seemingly impossible problem?

Palaces of the Crow by Ray Nayler (MCD,‎ May 19)

Award-winning author Ray Nayler is back with a speculative story set in Lithuania during World War II. Several people from different backgrounds, including a young Jewish girl, a Red Army soldier who has gone AWOL, and a horse trader, are helped by a group of crows that seem to have supernatural intelligence.

Villain by Natalie Zina Walschots (William Morrow,‎ May 19)

The wait is over! Following the awesome first novel, Hench, Anna and her spreadsheets are back. Now working under her villain name, the Auditor, she has set her sights on destroying The Draft, the organization that churns out superheroes and gives them all the support they need. Why fight the soldiers when you can go right to the source?

The Midnight Train by Matt Haig (Viking, May 26)

It has been six years since the release of Matt Haig’s blockbuster bestseller The Midnight Library, and this month, readers can return to the Midnight World. This time, it’s about the—you guessed it—Midnight Train, which can transport people back in time to the most important moments of their lives.

The Redemption Center is Closed on Sundays by Andrea Hairston (Tor Books, May 26)

In this multi-dimensional mystery, a mansion on a hill is mistaken for a haunted house. It’s actually the Redemption Center, a depot for interdimensional travel. When a local celebrity in town is murdered, Oona, a time traveler, brings other residents together to bring the killer to justice. Oh, and did I mention Oona is a dog? I must have buried the lead lede.

Babylon, South Dakota by Tom Lin (Little, Brown and Company, ‎May 26)

Tom Lin’s debut novel, The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu, won the Carnegie Medal in Fiction. Now he’s back with a new speculative offering about several generations of an immigrant family on a farm. After the US Army Corps of Engineers buys a lot on their land and builds a silo, strange and unusual things happen to the family, the animals, and the plants.

The Shark Prince by Malia Maunakea (Penguin Workshop,‎ May 5)

Nohea lives in a small Hawaiian village, where he has grown up with a shocking secret: he comes from a long line of males in his family who are half-human, half-shark. Nohea must control his shark cravings and his shark nature, but when he starts seventh grade and is bullied, he grows a new row of sharp teeth! Then, when his surfing pals start disappearing, Nohea wonders if he is to blame.

Storm Breaker by Nisha J. Tuli (Entangled: Mayhem Books, May 5)

This YA dystopian romantasy has already been optioned for television! Nineteen-year-old Poet Graves has always lived in safety behind the walls of New Manhattan, carefully guarding her secret. But things change when she enters Amery Academy and meets an outsider she can’t seem to stay away from. But can she tell him her secret? Because Poet’s secret is that she can talk to storms. 

The Second Life of Snap by Erin Entrada Kelly (Greenwillow Books, May 12)

This middle grade adventure from multi-award-winning author Erin Entrada Kelly is perfect for fans of The Wild Robot. Twelve-year-old Zuzu Santos lives in the Bright Valley Camp, where work and food are scarce. When her father is given an old robot with a dwindling battery that she names Snap, she becomes attached and is determined to keep Snap and everyone she loves safe, no matter the cost.

Lost in Peach Blossom Paradise: Little Yu and the Treelings by Xiong Liang, Chloe Garcia Roberts (translator) (Elsewhere Editions, May 19)

To wrap things up, a story inspired by Chinese mythology that takes readers on an Alice in Wonderland-type adventure. It’s the last day of summer vacation for Little Yu, who has been staying with her grandparents. Determined to have one last adventure, she gets more than she bargains for when she crosses a fence that is prohibited to trespassers and winds up in a magical forest.