If mermaids, pirates, aliens, hidden underwater communities, faerie bargains, and magical competitions sound good to you, then get ready for this month’s electrifying selection of science fiction and fantasy novels!
There’s a young girl trapped in a magical underwater kingdom; a woman who must choose between saving her mother or the universe; a princess trapped by a curse inside a bookshop (living the dream!); a group of people in Michigan whose minds become connected after a first-contact event; a marine biologist who discovers an underwater community in a flooded valley; and much more.
The Best New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Out in April 2026
The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu (Tor Books, April 7)
John Chu’s debut sci-fi novel follows Ellie in a future where the universe is held together by machinery. As a criminal group tries to undermine the machinery, Ellie’s cousin gives her a device that can help save her ailing mother, but at the cost of destabilizing the universe, forcing her to make a hard choice.
Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois (Bindery Books, April 7, 2026)
In this debut Caribbean-inspired fantasy featuring pirates and mermaids, lovers Lu and Nnenna are at odds when Nnenna works to protect the key that can help her find her people, while Lu has been sent on a mission to hunt it down and retrieve it. They’ll have to come to an arrangement before ancient gods destroy them all.
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The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains by Reena McCarty (Orbit, April 7)
This is a cozy fantasy debut! After being kidnapped from Montana as a child, Poppy spent more than a century working in the land of Fae in the Wild King’s castle. This makes her great at her new job back in the human world: brokering faerie bargains. But when a deal blows up, Poppy has to return to Fae to fix it, something she’s not excited to do.
Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe (Ace, April 14)
And another cozy fantasy debut, this time about a princess and just about the best curse a book lover could hope for! Princess Tanadelle is dissatisfied with palace life and wishes she had more time to read. She’ll get that wish when she’s cursed to remain inside a bookshop until someone figures out her heart’s desire and breaks the curse. (Seriously, does this sound like a curse to any of you?)
The Photonic Effect by Mike Chen (S&S/Saga, April 21)
In Mike Chen’s exciting new space opera, the crew of a decade-long mission returns home to find the world in the middle of civil war. The instability of the situation could send the crew right back into the fray, forcing people to choose sides and make decisions that may splinter things further.
The Language of Liars by S. L. Huang (Tordotcom, April 21)
From the author of The Water Outlaws comes a new thought-provoking sci-fi novel. Ro is a spy, a body jumper who inhabits Star Eaters to learn their secrets to help his own dwindling civilization. But what if, instead, he continues to be one of them?
Underlake by Erin L. McCoy (Doubleday, April 21)
A marine biologist goes looking for a missing girl in a flooded valley and discovers a hidden underwater realm in this ethereal debut. Wracked with guilt over a dive gone wrong, Otta returns to her hometown, where a woman begs her to retrieve her daughter from the water. Thinking it impossible she would still be alive, Otta instead finds a community that is attempting to change humanity.
The Many by Sylvain Neuvel (Solaris, April 21)
In this thrilling first-contact novel from the author of the excellent The Themis Files series, which begins with Sleeping Giants, five people’s minds begin to merge in Michigan, causing them to behave strangely, before things really start to change.
The Best New Children’s and YA Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Out in April 2026
To Steal a Throne by Gabi Burton (Bloomsbury YA, April 7)
The author of the fantastic Sing Me To Sleep duology returns! In the court of Virdei, Mira Kyler’s half-brother Luc rules from the throne, but Mira is actually calling the shots using magic. When another magic user, Kaidren, decides to take the throne for himself, and he and Luc enter The Trials to fight, Mira at first wants to help Luc. But then she realizes that if she can help Luc reach the throne, she might as well take it as her own.
Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai (Wednesday Books, April 14)
Kang Siying is a priestess who guides the dead home, but when her own father becomes gravely ill, she accepts a dangerous job in order to get the money she needs to stave off death. When her mission goes awry, she finds herself helping a handsome prince purify evil spirits to feed the life force he needs to stay alive. It’s an exciting dark fantasy debut inspired by the Chinese folk practice of necromancy.
Shim Jung Takes the Dive by Julia Riew (Quill Tree Books, April 28)
In this middle grade fantasy debut inspired by the author’s viral TikTok musical, a young girl who doesn’t believe in magic gets a dose of unreality when she falls into the ocean and becomes trapped in a magical underwater kingdom. She will have to join up with a runaway prince to stop the evil queen from destroying her world.
Bonus New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Out in April 2026
Because I can’t just stop at 11 books: in April, be sure to also watch for They Made Us Blood and Fury by Cheryl S. Ntumy, The Killing Spell by Shay Kauwe, West of Wicked by Nikki St. Crowe, Year of the Mer by L. D. Lewis, Your Behavior Will Be Monitored by Justin Feinstein, Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan, Rabbit Test and Other Stories: Stories by Samantha Mills, Witch Queen Rising by Savannah Stephens, and We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune.
There are also a bunch of excellent sci-fi and fantasy titles out in paperback this month, including Where the Axe Is Buried by Ray Nayler, Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite, Heir by Sabaa Tahir, The Incandescent by Emily Tesh, The Devils by Joe Abercrombie, Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi, Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake, We Lived on the Horizon by Erika Swyler, and Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier.
Don’t forget the sequels! Amazing continuations of great stories are hitting the shelves, like The Rise of the Celestials by Kritika H. Rao, Release Me by Tahereh Mafi, The Faith of Beasts by James S. A. Corey, and Alex Wise vs. the Gods of the Apocalypse by Terry J. Benton-Walker.
If you want to learn about more sci-fi and fantasy books, check out 5 Books to Read After You See Project Hail Mary, We Missed the Point of These Great Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, and 4 Great Sci-Fi Novels with Ragtag Crews. 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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