Welcome, dear reader, to a most wonderful corner of the literary universe—a place where spaceships hum with the warmth of home, where robots ponder philosophy over cups of tea, and where the greatest adventures are those of the heart. This enchanting realm is called cozy science fiction, and never has it blossomed more beautifully than in 2026.
Come along, then, and let us journey together through these gentle tales. For in a universe vast and often cold, there is something reassuring indeed about stories that remind us what matters most: kindness, connection, and the families we choose for ourselves.
What Makes Science Fiction “Cozy”?
Before we venture forth, a word about this curious designation. Cozy science fiction, much like its cousin the cozy mystery, delights in skipping past the grimmer aspects of speculative fiction—the gore, the despair, all that tiresome darkness. Instead, these tales embrace found families, lovable misfits traversing the cosmos, and stakes that are deliciously personal rather than universe-shattering.
The result is science fiction that feels rather like a warm blanket and a cup of something lovely, even when set among alien worlds and sentient starships.
New Cozy Sci-Fi Books Coming in 2026
As You Wake, Break the Shell by Becky Chambers
One cannot speak of cozy science fiction without mentioning the incomparable Becky Chambers, and her new duology promises to be perfectly splendid. On the misnomered planet of Fortune—where the atmosphere is poisonous and life is rather hard—two souls find each other in the most wonderful way.
Signy is a botanist who bio-prints medicine for those who need it, bending the rules of their resource-poor world. Cora pilots a living ship called a rorqual, though her unusual connection with the creature threatens her career. When Cora seeks unorthodox aid in Signy’s shop, a love story begins. Told in alternating timelines between their first meeting and future domestic bliss, this is Chambers at her most hopeful. Arrives October 2026 from Harper Voyager.
Amazon link not yet available for this upcoming title.
(Follow our weekly release posts to make sure you don’t miss it.)
Nobody’s Baby by Olivia Waite
What happens when a baby mysteriously appears aboard the HMS Fairweather, Her Majesty’s most luxurious interstellar passenger liner? Detective Dorothy Gentleman must solve this particular puzzle while preventing her rather rigid colleague from classifying the poor infant as a stowaway—or worse, luggage.
This delightful series has been described as “Becky Chambers meets Miss Marple,” and Dorothy makes for a formidable, no-nonsense auntie of a detective. The worldbuilding is quite clever: passengers’ minds can be preserved in glass in the ship’s Library between lifetimes. Arrives March 2026 from Tordotcom.
Moss’d In Space by Rebecca Thorne
In this charming tale, Torian Razner finally acquires a starship—abandoned for a century and covered in moss, but her ticket to freedom nonetheless. The surprise? That moss is actually an organic computer with a snarky attitude and rather serious abandonment issues.
The moss’s particular target of loathing is the immortal alien who built it, then parked the starship and forgot about it entirely. When said alien accuses Torian of theft, adventures ensue. Pitched as “Murderbot meets The Spellshop,” this promises sweet found family and second-chance romance among the stars. Arrives July 2026 from Bramble Romance.
What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed
On the planet Scythia, where plants give birth to insects and trees can drag one to one’s death, John Maraintha has been abandoned—light-years from the peaceful forests he loves. He must find some way to make a life among people with radically different customs.
Reed’s tale features weird biology, alien languages, and a surprising amount of cooking. But mainly, it concerns how to make a life when forced to live among strangers—whether they be human, alien, or AI. Perfect for readers of Ann Leckie and Amal El-Mohtar who appreciate thoughtful transformation. Arrives April 2026 from Tor Books.
Beloved Cozy Sci-Fi Books Already on Shelves
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Possibly the coziest science fiction story in existence, this Hugo Award-winning novella follows Sibling Dex, an agender tea monk who travels the land dispensing comfort and good tea. Despite success, something feels missing—so Dex ventures into the wild, where robots withdrew generations ago.
There, they meet Splendid Speckled Mosscap, a curious robot with one question for humanity: “What do you need?” This gentle philosophical amble asks profound questions about meaning and contentment while wrapping readers in warmth. If you need a story that feels like a warm fuzzy feeling inside, this is it.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
The tale that established Chambers as the queen of cozy sci-fi follows the gloriously mismatched crew of the Wayfarer—a ship that constructs transportation tunnels across space. There’s the new arrival with a mysterious past, the level-headed captain, the reptilian pilot, the boisterous engineers, and an AI named Lovey.
This character-driven space opera delights in relationships, personal growth, and diverse cultures. The destination matters far less than the journey and the friendships forged along the way. Reviewers call it “a cozy and intimate exploration of the universe.”
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
Despite the rather alarming name, this Hugo and Nebula Award-winning series is wonderfully cozy. The narrator is a security android who hacked its own governing module and now must pretend to be a normal robot while watching television dramas and avoiding social interaction.
Murderbot is socially anxious, impatient with humans, and delivers observations with delicious sarcasm and self-deprecation. As it spends time with caring humans and AIs, it develops genuine friendships—which it finds terribly inconvenient. NPR called it “a cozy mystery garlanded with plasma cannons and spaceships.”
In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune
If one looked up “cozy” in a genre dictionary, one would find TJ Klune’s books. This New York Times bestseller retells Pinocchio with a family of robots and one human living in a grove of trees: fatherly inventor Giovanni, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, a small vacuum desperate for love, and Victor.
When Victor repairs an unfamiliar android, he discovers a dark connection to Giovanni’s past. The family must journey across an unforgiving land to rescue their father from decommission. It’s found family at its finest, teaching about true humanity through the lens of robots.
The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
This Hugo Award finalist combines the cozy mystery tradition with interplanetary adventure. Tesla Crane, brilliant inventor and heiress, is honeymooning incognito on a luxury space liner between the Moon and Mars. When murder strikes and her spouse is arrested, she must solve the crime herself.
Armed with banter, martinis, and her scrappy service dog Gimlet (who steals every scene), Tesla navigates the magnificent I.S.S. Lindgren—three spinning rings offering different gravity environments. Inspired by classic Thin Man films, it’s a page-turner with science fiction, romance, and mystery without grim darkness.
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis
All year round, the Grand Abeona Hotel moves from planet to planet, pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the Milky Way. Though the ship has seen better days, it remains a choice setting—and the staff and passengers make for a delightful found family.
This UK bestseller has been compared to “a particularly whimsical episode of Star Trek” crossed with Becky Chambers’ warmth. It’s character study over plot, keeping things intimate and understated while centering optimism in an increasingly dark universe.
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
This Otherwise Award winner weaves together a violin teacher who made a deal with a demon, a young transgender prodigy, and a starship captain disguised as a doughnut shop owner. It should not work, and yet it absolutely does.
The human condition transcends genre boundaries, and Aoki’s novel never feels disjointed. Filled with mouthwatering food descriptions and heart-swelling meditations on music, it’s “high stakes yet still cozy because of its emphasis on the families one finds.” An unexpected gift indeed.
Why Cozy Science Fiction Matters
In an age when the future can seem rather frightening, cozy science fiction offers something precious: hope. These stories suggest that even among alien worlds and artificial intelligences, what matters most remains kindness, connection, and the courage to care for one another.
So venture forth, dear reader, into these gentle galaxies. For in the wise words passed down through the ages: all children grow up, except those who are clever enough to keep reading stories that make the heart feel light.
Looking for more science fiction recommendations? We regularly update our guides with the latest releases and beloved classics in speculative fiction.
