The hits just keep on coming as we roll through 2026 at warp speed. There’s a little something here for everyone, whether you’re a hardcore genre reader or just getting started with science fiction and fantasy. (Seriously, these books are so, so fun!)
There’s (possibly) unicorns in 16th-century France; a barbarian who gets a lesson in societal manners; a young boy who must compete to save Earth; a queer retelling of Sleeping Beauty; a dark academia fantasy about a mother and daughter’s memories; a new sci-fi novel from the most recent fiction Pulitzer Prize winner; a jewel heist set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons; a giant glowing jellyfish off the coast of Maine; and much more.
The Best New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Out in June 2026
The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden (Del Rey, June 2)
This is a gorgeous historical fantasy about Anne of Brittany in France. In order to keep from being the last duchess of Brittany, she schemes a secret marriage to France’s rival. To pull off this stunt, she plans a unicorn hunt in an enchanted location, the forest of Brocéliande, where unicorns were said to have once walked. And maybe they still do…
Kill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry (Tordotcom, June 16)
In this start to a new series, a barbarian must try to blend in with polite society in order to exact his revenge on the wizards who ruined his life. It sounds awesome, but honestly, I’d buy it just for the cover. It looks like Ray Davies hulked out. (And the second book is coming next March!)
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The Loom Tree by Angela Mi Young Hur (Erewhon Books, June 30)
Up next, a Korean American dark academia fantasy! When V has an unusual episode where she climbs inside a tree and text appears on her body, it leads to a diary. On its pages, V and her mother write down memories and their family history, including time at Alvsdahl, an exclusive East Coast college.
The Sixth Nik by Daniel Kraus (S&S/Saga Press, June 23)
Fresh off his Pulitzer Prize win for Angel Down, Kraus is shaking things up again with this epic sci-fi novel! The mysterious crew aboard the sentient biomatter ship The Sickness travels to a plague-riddled planet to find out what is going on. But first, they’ll have to survive the journey and the scores that need settling among the crew.
The Feywild Job by C. L. Polk (Random House Worlds, June 30)
This is an exciting romantasy set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons! Saeldian, a small-time grifter and thief, is contracted to steal “The Kiss of Enduring Love,” a famous gem, and return it to Feywild. It all sounds so easy, until they discover their ex, Kell the bard, is going to be their partner in crime.
The Disco at the End of the World by Nathan Tavares (Titan Books, June 16)
In this alternate history adventure set in the 1970s, Mitch, a member of the US Spaceguard, and his best friend, Gloria, are dishonorably discharged from their duties on the moon. So they decide to move to Los Angeles and live it up at the discos. It’s here they run into Flynn, Mitch’s ex, who tells them about a utopian society for queer people.
Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor Books, June 23)
This book had me at “raccoon PI.” It’s a noir sci-fi about genetically engineered animals, called Little Helpers, who do small things for humanity. (It sounds like if Raymond Chandler wrote the mice and birds in Disney’s Cinderella.) When a mouse goes missing, Skotch, the aforementioned raccoon detective, is hired to find him for a suspiciously large fee.
The Jellyfish Problem by Tessa Yang (Berkley, June 2)
I am a big fan of Tessa Yang’s collection The Runaway Restaurant, so I was super excited to hear about this debut novel. When marine biologist Dr. Jo Ness learns of a giant glowing jellyfish that is terrorizing the residents of a small Maine island, she drops everything to try to learn more about it.
The Heart of the Nhaga: Book One of the Bird That Drinks Tears by Lee Young-do, translated by Anton Hur (Harper Voyager, June 2)
This classic of South Korean fantasy, by the author called the “J.R.R. Tolkien of South Korea,” has been translated into English for the first time by the amazing Anton Hur!
The Best New Children’s and YA Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Out in June 2026
Rostam Wrecks the Realm by Olivia Abtahi (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, June 9)
In this Persian mythology-inspired middle grade sci-fi, a young boy makes a deal with an ancient demon. On his new home on one of Saturn’s moons, Rostam wants to be more popular than he was on Earth. He makes a deal with an ancient demon to receive the legendary golden mace to impress his new friends. But instead, the weapon sends their moon into darkness, and only he can fix it.
Goldenborn by Ama Ofosua Lieb (Scholastic Press, June 2)
Grieving her seriously ill father, Akoma Addo takes a job investigating magical crimes in San Francisco’s AfricaTown. Akoma knows that getting too close to magic can be harmful, like the orb that put her father in a coma. But when a trickster god offers Akoma a chance to save him, she can’t turn it down, even though she knows she should.
Champions of the Galaxy by Tolá Okogwu
In this thrilling middle grade sci-fi, the Galactic Syndicate has declared Earth and its inhabitants to be too much of a problem to keep around any longer. They give humanity one last chance at survival: a series of complicated trials that must be performed by Earth’s best and brightest children. When Kola Adesola’s sister is chosen as one of the competitors, he stows away aboard the ship to keep her safe, but somehow ends up competing as well.
The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham
And finally, this queer YA retelling of Sleeping Beauty, in which a young thief goes searching for her missing sister, who went searching for the legendary sleeping princess. The two of them stumble through a portal into the princess’s subconscious and meet her alter ego, Briar Rose, who takes them on a tour of the enchanting land, along with a magical demon.
Bonus New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Out in June 2026
Because I can’t just stop at 13 books: in June, be sure to also watch for All We Have Left by Emily Paxman, Heaven’s Graveyard by Grace Curtis, Animal Spiral by Luis Othoniel Rosa and translated by Katie Marya, Six of Crows: A Darker Shore, Letters from Ketterdam by Leigh Bardugo, The River She Became by Emily Varga, The Game of Oaths by S. C. Bandreddi, The Winged Game by Sophie Kim, Everybody’s Perfect by Jo Walton, and The Broken Hearts Agency by Clarence A. Haynes.
There are also a bunch of excellent sci-fi and fantasy titles out in paperback this month, including Immortal Consequences by I. V. Marie, Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin, Into the Sunken City by Dinesh Thiru, Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher, A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff, Volatile Memory by Seth Haddon, The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw, The Summer War by Naomi Novik, and Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell.
Don’t forget the sequels! Amazing continuations of great stories are hitting the shelves, like Firesnake: The Last Cuentista Book III by Donna Barba Higuera, Devils We Know by L.T. Thompson, This Blade of Ours by Shalini Abeysekara, Inkpot Gods by Seanan McGuire, and The Dawn Throne by Tara Sim.
If you want to learn about more sci-fi and fantasy books, check out 5 Great Space Operas, The Best Fantasy Books About Knights, and 5 Sci-Fi Novels with Immersive Settings. Also, be sure to sign up for our SFF newsletter, Swords and Spaceships!
Finally, you can also find a full list of new releases in the magical New Release Index, carefully curated by your favorite Book Riot editors, organized by genre and release date.
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