New This Week in Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movies, Series, and Books: March 23-29, 2026

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 (Disney+)

The Man Without Fear is back for another round, and this time he’s bringing friends. Season 2 launches with eight new episodes continuing the story of Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk—and the big news is that Krysten Ritter returns as Jessica Jones! Sitting at a stellar 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, this premiere is the can’t-miss superhero event of the week.

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen (Netflix)

The Duffer Brothers are here to ruin your sleep schedule again, and this time the horror isn’t in the Upside Down. Creator Haley Z. Boston’s eight-episode miniseries follows an engaged couple (Camila Morrone and Adam DiMarco) whose dream wedding spirals into a waking nightmare—the closer to the altar she gets, the worse it becomes. With Jennifer Jason Leigh and Ted Levine in the supporting cast and all episodes dropping at once, clear your Thursday evening for a terrifying binge.

For All Mankind Season 5 (Apple TV+)

The crown jewel of Apple’s sci-fi lineup rockets forward with its most ambitious season yet. Happy Valley has blossomed into a thriving Mars colony with thousands of residents, but as Earth’s nations demand law and order on the Red Planet, tensions between Martian settlers and their former home are boiling over. Newcomers Mireille Enos and Costa Ronin join the stellar returning cast for ten episodes of alt-history space drama at its absolute finest.

Forbidden Fruits (Shudder)

Fresh from its SXSW world premiere, this wickedly fun comedy horror follows a witchy femme cult secretly operating in a mall basement after hours. When new hire Pumpkin challenges their performative sisterhood, the “fruits” are forced to face their own poisons or succumb to a bloody fate. With Lili Reinhart, Lola Tung, Victoria Pedretti, and Alexandra Shipp leading the cast—and Diablo Cody producing—this one has Jennifer’s Body energy written all over it.

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (Hulu)

What happens when you mix gangsters, a love triangle, and a time machine? Absolute chaos, apparently. Vince Vaughn plays a gangster named Nick—twice, because one Nick is from the future—trying to save his heavy Mike (James Marsden) from a grim fate in this wildly inventive sci-fi action comedy that had SXSW audiences cheering.

They Will Kill You (Only in theaters)

An ex-convict answers an ad to be a housekeeper at a mysterious New York City high-rise, only to discover the building has seen a disturbing number of disappearances over the years. This action-comedy-horror gem from Warner Bros. features an incredible ensemble including Zazie Beetz, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, and Patricia Arquette—yet another SXSW darling hitting the big screen this week.

Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring Season 1 (Crunchyroll)

From the pen of Kana Akatsuki (creator of Violet Evergarden) and the animators at Wit Studio comes a lush new fantasy about Hinagiku, the Agent of Spring, who returns after ten years to repair the broken seasonal cycle. With composer Kensuke Ushio (Chainsaw Man, A Silent Voice) scoring the series, this is shaping up to be one of the standout anime premieres of the spring season.

Children of Strife by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Orbit
View on Amazon

The long-awaited fourth installment of the Children of Time saga dropped on March 17, and we’re time jumping back to grab it. A ship crewed by humans, spiders, and a spectacularly punchy mantis shrimp captain discovers a terraformed planet. Then human crewmate Alis wakes to discover that she, her captain, and the ship’s intelligence are the only ones left on their ship. But what happened to those who left to explore the ark … and the world below?

Daughter of Crows by Mark Lawrence
Ace
View on Amazon

The internationally bestselling author of the Library Trilogy and the Broken Empire series launches a stunning new world with The Academy of Kindness. A hundred girls are sold to The Academy each year, and ten years later only three emerge. Thew few that survive leave its gates as avatars of vengeance, forged in blood. Dark, macabre, and atmospheric, early readers are already calling this one of the best fantasy novels of 2026.

No Man’s Land by Richard K. Morgan
Del Rey
View on Amazon

The master of grimdark turns his razor-sharp pen to an alternate post-WWI Britain being consumed by a fae forest that’s out to end humanity. Veteran Duncan Silver makes his living retrieving children stolen by the encroaching Huldu, but when a routine rescue uncovers a much bigger plot, long-buried secrets erupt violently to the surface. If you’ve been craving Morgan’s signature edge in a fantasy setting, your wait is over.

Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
Tor Nightfire
View on Amazon

T. Kingfisher brings her signature blend of gothic atmosphere and stomach-churning body horror to 1899 North Carolina. Scientific illustrator Sonia Wilson takes a position at a reclusive doctor’s manor house to catalog his vast insect collection, only to discover dark happenings in the Carolina woods—and unsettling questions about what happened to her predecessor. Yes, the title refers to the botfly larva. You’ve been warned.

Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories by Amal El-Mohtar
Tor Books
View on Amazon

Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award-winning author Amal El-Mohtar (This Is How You Lose the Time War) gathers fourteen stories and four poems of gleaming worlds and fairy tales with teeth into one luminous collection. Told through letters, diary entries, folktales, and lyrical prose, this is a treasure chest for anyone who loves their speculative fiction sharp and shimmering.

Deep Black by Miles Cameron
Saga Press
View on Amazon

The explosive sequel to Artifact Space sends Marca Nbaro and the crew of the Greatship Athens hurtling into danger once more. Something sinister is lurking in the deep black, the Greatships have become the prey, and Marca and her crew are racing against time as allies lose patience and enemies close in. If you love your space opera packed with action, intrigue, and character growth, strap in.

Blindside by Michael Mammay
Harper Voyager
View on Amazon

Colonel Carl Butler charges back into action for the fifth installment of the beloved Planetside series. After two mysterious deaths connected to his last mission, Carl realizes the intruders who broke into his home might be looking to add him to the body count. Military sci-fi fans, your favorite grumpy colonel is in trouble and he needs you.

Wretch by Eric LaRocca
Saga Press
View on Amazon

Bram Stoker Award finalist Eric LaRocca delivers a nightmarish, tech-Gothic thrill ride about grief, memory, and love as transgression. After his husband dies, Simeon Link finds dangerous comfort in a support group called The Wretches, who introduce him to a man with the ability to give the grieving one last intimate moment with their beloved—for a price. Poetic, visceral, and deeply unsettling.

Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui
Orbit
View on Amazon

This stunning debut reimagines the Moroccan folkloric figure of Aicha Kandicha against the backdrop of the Portuguese occupation of Morocco. Aicha, daughter of a freedom fighter, was born for battle—and the rage burning inside her speaks to something ancient and powerful. Perfect for fans of The City of Brass and The Stardust Thief.

The Best of Adrian Tchaikovsky by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Subterranean Press
View on Amazon

We missed this one when it dropped February 28. A huge thank you to Subterranean Press for letting us know! This 600-plus-page collection gathers 37 of Tchaikovsky’s best short stories—science fiction, fantasy, and the delightfully weird—with an introduction by John Scalzi and personal essays by the author himself. If you love his novels, this treasure trove of shorter work is absolutely essential.

Enemy of My Enemy by Alex Segura
Hyperion Avenue
View on Amazon

The Marvel Crime series continues with a Daredevil novel perfectly timed to the launch of Born Again Season 2. When the Kingpin and a police officer are killed and the Punisher turns himself in, Matt Murdock smells a setup. Representing Frank Castle in court while Hell’s Kitchen descends into chaos, Matt must decide what justice truly means.

The Dead Man’s Empire by W.P. Wiles
Angry Robot
View on Amazon

The Kitschies award-winning sequel to The Last Blade Priest deepens the crisis sweeping this grimdark fantasy world. Princess Syzenne harbors a terrifying secret—she’s a Scourge, armed with devastating abilities—as war between empires threatens the religion that worships the God Mountain and the elven race resurges. For fans of Brandon Sanderson and Scott Lynch who crave political intrigue with their epic fantasy.

Honeysuckle by Bar Fridman-Tell
Bloomsbury
View on Amazon

A dark, feminist fairy tale inspired by the Welsh mythology of the Blodeuwedd. A girl named Daye, woven from flowers and words, must be rebuilt each season or fall gruesomely apart—and as her creator grows obsessed with breaking the cycle, Daye begins to question how much control she truly has over her own existence. Haunting, gorgeous, and razor-sharp in its exploration of consent and autonomy.

The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
Berkley
View on Amazon

From the author of The Witch and the Tsar comes a mesmerizing tale of Russian émigrés with an affinity for summoning restless spirits in 1920s Paris. When an exiled Romanov princess arrives seeking her missing father, fortune teller Zina performs a séance that goes terribly wrong—and uncovers dark secrets about her own mother’s death. Rich with Russian folklore and supernatural intrigue.

This Will Be Interesting by E.B. Asher
Avon
View on Amazon

The sequel to the USA Today bestseller This Will Be Fun throws a resurrected legendary hero, an assassin sent to kill him, and a journalist into an unlikely quest together—with one golden rule: do not fall in love with your questmates. (Spoiler: that rule is absolutely getting broken.) A delightful romp for fans who like their fantasy with a heavy dose of romance and humor.

Afterbirth by Emma Cleary
Harper
View on Amazon

An unsettling descent into “mommy horror” that reverberates with echoes of classic horror cinema. When Brooke arrives in Vancouver to care for her sister before surgery, their refuge—a decaying apartment building stalked by a figure known only as Medusa—offers anything but safety. As horror bleeds from the screen into their lives, the line between self and sister blurs into something deeply, disturbingly wrong.

Beneath by Ariel Sullivan
Ballantine Books
View on Amazon

This dystopian romance prequel to Conform plunges readers into an underground city of nuclear fallout survivors. Twenty-three-year-old Sasha Cadell is recruited for an elite team on a dangerous mission to return to the surface, where the stakes go far beyond personal survival and a sizzling attraction to her commander threatens to derail everything. A gripping origin story for a fan-favorite dystopian world.

Dig by J.H. Markert
Crooked Lane Books
View on Amazon

Eight years after a boy took an axe and slaughtered a dozen people on Crow Island, his father begins digging up the past—literally. Soon a compulsion to dig sweeps over the entire island, driving neighbors to violence as buried secrets claw their way to the surface and the island’s famous tupelo honey turns sinister. Surreal, atmospheric, and dripping with dread, this has serious Stephen King energy.

Heir of Twisted Lies by LJ Andrews
Penguin Random House
View on Amazon

The Stonegate Duology reaches its dramatic conclusion in the Broken Souls and Bones series. After discovering the truth about Roark’s split soul and his identity as a lost prince, Lyra Bien has vowed to end the corruption of her kingdom’s crown—but the revelations ahead will test everything she thought she knew. Fantasy romance fans, prepare your hearts.

Charmed and Dangerous by Shelly Page
Joy Revolution
View on Amazon

Magic lingers in the cozy town of Fair Glen, Illinois, and junior Bureau of Mystical Affairs recruit Monroe Bennett is on the case of a rogue love charm wreaking havoc at her high school. When a fake-dating scheme with her boss’s daughter starts sparking very real feelings, Monroe discovers that matters of the heart are the hardest cases to crack. A delightful LGBTQ+ YA fantasy romance that’s pure magic.

Celestial Lights by Cecile Pin
Holt
View on Amazon

Born the day the Challenger shuttle fell from the sky, Oliver Ines grows up to become one of the most renowned astronauts of his generation. When a billionaire taps him to lead a landmark mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa, the journey into uncharted territory sends Ollie spiraling through the past—relationships found and lost, becoming a husband and father. A stunning literary sci-fi novel from the award-winning author of Wandering Souls.

House of Spells and Secrets by Ivy Cassidy
Alcove Press
View on Amazon

Inspired by the legend of Irish wise woman Biddy Early, this sweeping story follows triplet sisters Rowan, Caraline, and Saoirse—the last generation of Early women—as they grapple with inherited magical powers after their mother’s mysterious drowning leads them to a manor house they never knew existed. A captivating blend of historical fiction and magical realism for fans of Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen.

The Cellar Below the Cellar by Ivy Grimes
Apex Book Company
View on Amazon

When a wild solar storm wipes out all electronics and traps Jane at her grandmother’s house deep in the woods, she must build a new life in a small, isolated community—but that means facing whatever hides in the cellar below the cellar, a place that seems to be waiting for her. A playfully dark folk horror novella inspired by the fairy tale “Vasilisa the Beautiful” and the mythology of Frau Perchta.

Wolfskin by Jeremy Szal
Gollancz
View on Amazon

The Common trilogy reaches its thunderous conclusion as Vakov Fukasawa battles his most feared foe, The Jackal, while the addictive alien substance stormtech wars within his veins. Betrayed, trapped, and tortured while the person he loves watches him slowly die, Vakov must find a way to save the galaxy one last time. The darkest, most action-packed, and most heroic entry in the series—if you’ve followed Vakov from Stormblood, this finale delivers on every promise.