There exists an exquisite kind of magic in stories set not in distant galaxies or far-flung centuries, but in the world just around the corner—a tomorrow so near one might reach out and touch it. Near-future science fiction holds a looking glass to our present moment, showing us reflections both wondrous and cautionary. These are tales of technology we almost possess, dilemmas we nearly face, and futures we might yet choose.
Whether you seek the thrilling new arrivals of 2026 or wish to acquaint yourself with the modern classics that shaped this beloved subgenre, you shall find your next adventure within these pages.
Exciting Near-Future Sci-Fi Books Arriving in 2026
The coming year brings a harvest of remarkable tales from authors both celebrated and newly discovered. Here are the most anticipated near-future science fiction books of 2026.
Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay
What peculiar cargo Julia Flang must shepherd across America: a man in a vegetative state with artificial intelligence implanted in his head. Meanwhile, this poor soul—whom Julia calls “Bernie”—wanders through a morphing nightmare, seeking someone he cannot remember. Paul Tremblay, the acclaimed author whose The Cabin at the End of the World became a major film, delivers what has been called “Philip K. Dick meets the Coen Brothers.” A genre-bending near-future tech nightmare that is as bitingly funny as it is horrifically believable. Available June 30, 2026.
The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu
In his dazzling debut novel, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author John Chu weaves quantum physics, generational trauma, and the comfort of really good dim sum into one extraordinary tapestry. Ellie’s universe—and ours—is falling apart. Her mother lies in a coma, kept alive by an illicit device that simultaneously repairs her and creates destabilizing bugs in reality itself. As Elizabeth Bear observes, this novel contains “actual quantum mechanics: as in, the engineers who make the universe go.” A most unusual family drama indeed. Available April 7, 2026.
The Radiant Dark by Alexandra Oliva
Imagine this: in March 1980, Carol Girard and her husband are living an ordinary life when something extraordinary happens—a flickering of light in the sky, determined to be communication from intelligent life eleven light-years away. Thus begins a decades-long exchange of messages, and Alexandra Oliva follows the Girard family across fifty years as humanity reckons with the knowledge that we are not alone. Described as “Arrival meets Wild Dark Shore,” this is a profound exploration of what it truly means to be human. Available April 28, 2026.
Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer
Forty years after the world nearly ended, a worn-out robot named Be lives in peaceful isolation within the abandoned New York Botanical Gardens. When someone steals one of Be’s legs—such rudeness!—they must venture forth with a cyborg dog and a human mechanic to find the thief. This hope-punk tale wrestles with loneliness, connection, and purpose, perfect for readers who adored Becky Chambers’s Monk & Robot duology. A story about becoming whole in a world half-broken. Available April 28, 2026.
We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune
A wandering black hole is coming for Earth. In one month, everything and everyone will be gone. Husbands Don and Rodney, after forty years together, embark on a cross-country journey from Maine to Washington State to tend to unfinished business before the end. From the bestselling author of The House in the Cerulean Sea comes a heart-wrenching tale of love, loss, and the question that haunts us all: Is it enough to burn bright if nothing comes from the ashes? Keep handkerchiefs near. Available April 28, 2026.
Radiant Star by Ann Leckie
Ann Leckie returns to her beloved Imperial Radch universe with this brilliant standalone novel. The Temporal Location of the Radiant Star has long been sacred to the people of Ooioiaa, yet the imperial Radch see it merely as an antiquated inconvenience. Amidst food shortages, riots, and a communication blackout, a religious savant entertains visions of sainthood, a socialite’s comfortable life unravels, and a young man sold into servitude finds unlikely escape. From the winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Awards. Available May 12, 2026.
Platform Decay by Martha Wells
Our beloved Murderbot returns in this eighth installment of Martha Wells’s award-winning series. Having volunteered to run a rescue mission—whatever was it thinking?—Murderbot realizes it must spend significant time with humans it doesn’t know. Including human children. This may well call for… eye contact! Those who have followed this socially anxious security unit through its adventures will find another delightful chapter. Available May 5, 2026.
Children of Strife by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The fourth entry in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s acclaimed Children of Time series introduces us to Cato, a spectacularly punchy mantis shrimp captain. When scientist Alis wakes from nightmares to find her crewmates have vanished, she and Cato must venture into darkness to discover what ancient terraformers unleashed on a lost outpost. The author promises Cato “lights up the page” whenever centre stage. What more could one ask than an intelligent, combative mantis shrimp? Available March 17, 2026.
Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel
From the bestselling author of Station Eleven comes a mind-bending tale set in 2031, where America has fractured but the Republic of California has been signed into existence. When party host Kareem vanishes into thin air and a bewildering doppelganger stumbles through the crowd, Ari Waker must unravel the mystery—a journey taking us from civil war to Greek cliffs to a domed Paris to a lunar colony. A story about the price of safety and the perils of surveillance. Available September 15, 2026.
A Hole in the Sky by Peter F. Hamilton
Sixteen-year-old Hazel lives aboard the Daedalus, a generation ship searching for a new world for five hundred years. Life is simple—perhaps too simple. When Hazel discovers the ship is damaged and its atmosphere is leaking away, when her injured brother faces mandatory “Cycling,” she flees to join those who refused to die on schedule. A departure from Hamilton’s sprawling space operas, this young adult-friendly tale focuses on one brave young woman fighting for truth. Available January 20, 2026.
Essential Near-Future Sci-Fi Classics You Must Read
Before venturing into tomorrow’s tales, one ought to acquaint oneself with the recent masterpieces and foundational works that shaped this beloved corner of science fiction.
The Martian by Andy Weir
After a dust storm strands astronaut Mark Watney alone on Mars—his crew believing him dead—he must survive with damaged equipment, limited supplies, and his wits alone. Andy Weir’s debut novel is gloriously scientific, painstakingly accurate, and unexpectedly funny. Every bit of technology exists today; Weir simply imagined it put to desperate use. The Wall Street Journal called it “the best pure sci-fi novel in years,” and the 2015 film starring Matt Damon brought Mark’s struggle to millions more.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Schoolteacher Ryland Grace awakens aboard a spacecraft with no memory of who he is or why he’s there. He is humanity’s last hope, sent on a desperate mission to save our dying Sun from a microbe called Astrophage. Andy Weir’s second masterwork became a New York Times bestseller, won the Audie Award, and earned recommendations from Bill Gates and Barack Obama. The film adaptation starring Ryan Gosling arrives in March 2026—the perfect companion to the novel.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
“Are you happy with your life?” These are the last words physicist Jason Dessen hears before waking in a reality where his wife is not his wife and his son was never born. Blake Crouch’s multiverse thriller, now adapted for Apple TV+, explores identity and the paths not taken. At its heart, this is a love story—Jason’s desperate drive to find his family grounds all the high-concept physics in raw human emotion. The Guardian called it “the most helter-skelter, race-to-the-finish-line thriller you’ll read.”
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
In a twenty-third-century Bangkok where fossil fuels are exhausted and biotechnology has reshaped everything, rising sea levels threaten to break the city’s levees. Paolo Bacigalupi’s debut won the Hugo, Nebula, and numerous international awards. TIME Magazine named it one of the ten best novels of 2009. The Guardian listed it among the five best climate change novels ever written. Environmental collapse here is not a looming threat but a permanent reality shaping every decision.
Rosewater by Tade Thompson
In 2066 Nigeria, a community has formed around the edges of a mysterious alien biodome rumored to have healing powers. Kaaro, a government agent with a criminal past, has seen inside—and has no wish to look again. But when others like him begin dying, he must investigate. Tade Thompson’s Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning novel blends Africanfuturism, biopunk, and mystery into something wholly original. The Wormwood Trilogy that follows is equally essential.
Autonomous by Annalee Newitz
In 2144, both humans and intelligent robots can be owned as property. Jack is a “drug pirate” who manufactures illegal versions of patented medications, while Paladin is a combat robot hunting her. When one of Jack’s reverse-engineered drugs proves dangerous, their paths collide. Neal Stephenson compared this Lambda Literary Award winner to Neuromancer, calling it “what Neuromancer was to the Internet” for biotech and AI.
We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker
When teenage David asks for a Pilot—a brain implant that improves focus through better multitasking—his parents reluctantly agree. Soon his mother feels workplace pressure to get one too. But daughter Sophie, ineligible due to epilepsy, grows suspicious of the device everyone seems to need. Hugo Award-winning author Sarah Pinsker examines how technology divides families and societies in this quietly compelling near-future tale that will make you reconsider your relationship with your own devices.
How to Choose Your Next Near-Future Read
Near-future science fiction offers many flavors. If you crave survival against impossible odds, begin with Andy Weir. If climate concerns keep you awake at night, Paolo Bacigalupi writes those nightmares beautifully. For explorations of artificial intelligence and identity, seek out Martha Wells or Annalee Newitz. And if you simply wish to be dazzled by extraordinary imagination, any book on this list shall serve you well.
The beauty of near-future tales lies in their uncomfortable proximity to our present. These authors take the technology we know, the problems we face, and the hopes we harbor, then ask: What might happen next? The answers, whether hopeful or cautionary, illuminate our own moment with startling clarity.
Happy reading, and may you find exactly the tomorrow you seek.
