New This Week in Sci-Fi & Fantasy: March 16–22, 2026

Invincible Season 4 (Prime Video)

Mark Grayson is back, and he’s heading into the most devastating arc of the entire series: the Viltrumite War. After the soul-crushing events of Season 3, Steven Yeun’s beloved hero is darker, more haunted, and facing enemies that make everything he’s survived so far look like a warm-up. With Lee Pace joining the cast as the terrifying Thragg and the story expanding into the far reaches of space, Season 4 promises to be the most ambitious and emotionally brutal chapter yet.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run Season 1 (Netflix)

The moment JoJo fans have been dreaming about is finally here. Steel Ball Run — widely considered the magnum opus of Hirohiko Araki’s legendary manga — launches on Netflix with a special extended 47-minute premiere episode. Set during a perilous 6,000-kilometer horse race across 1890s America, the story follows paraplegic former jockey Johnny Joestar and the enigmatic Gyro Zeppeli as they uncover the race’s sinister true purpose. David Production is once again at the helm, and early word suggests this adaptation is everything fans hoped it would be.

Project Hail Mary (Only in theaters)

From the author of The Martian comes one of the most anticipated sci-fi films in years, and it is already earning rave reviews. Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a school teacher who wakes up alone on a spacecraft with no memory, only to discover he’s humanity’s last hope for survival. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller with a screenplay by Drew Goddard, this one is a near-miraculous fusion of hard science, cosmic wonder, and heart — plus an interspecies friendship that might just make you cry.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (Only in theaters)

Grace is back, and the game just got a whole lot bigger. This sequel to the wildly fun 2019 original expands the supernatural stakes as Grace and her estranged sister Faith find themselves hunted by not one but four rival elite families all vying for the High Seat of a shadowy council that controls the world. If the first film’s blend of razor-sharp satire and blood-soaked ritual thrills had you cheering, this one cranks the chaos to eleven.

The Cure (Only in theaters)

A sixteen-year-old adopted girl discovers that her biotech billionaire parents have been harvesting her blood for sinister purposes in this sci-fi horror thriller that takes sharp aim at the modern ultra-rich. Part escape thriller, part body horror, part biting social satire, The Cure traps its heroine on a fortified island compound and dares her to fight her way out — and reclaim her humanity in the process.

Vampires of the Velvet Lounge (Only in theaters)

A glamorous coven of Southern vampires has been using dating apps to lure lonely singles and drain them dry — until they accidentally swipe right on an undercover vampire hunter. This darkly comedic horror-fantasy inspired by the legend of Elizabeth Báthory mixes old-school bloodsucker mythology with modern dating culture, and it sounds like an absolute blast for fans who like their creature features with a wicked sense of humor.

Achilles’s Wife by Judith Starkston
Bronze Age Books

A mythic retelling that finally gives voice to Deidamia, the Skyrian princess who loved the young Achilles when he was disguised as a girl named Pyrrha to escape his fated early death. Rich in Bronze Age scholarship and fierce feminine perspective, this one is a must for readers who love their mythology told from the margins.

Innamorata by Ava Reid
Del Rey

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning launches a new dark gothic fantasy duology, and it sounds breathtaking. Agnes hasn’t spoken in seven years, and now she’s been tasked with recapturing the secrets of death magic — but her most dangerous order is not to fall in love with the very heir she’s meant to destroy. Critics are calling it “symphonically lyrical, unflinchingly dark, and terrifyingly romantic.”

Mother of Death and Dawn by Carissa Broadbent
Tor Books

The War of Lost Hearts trilogy reaches its epic conclusion as Tisaanah, Max, and Aefe are thrust into a cataclysm between the human and Fey worlds. If you’ve been following this series of dark romantasy, sacrifice, and world-shattering magic, clear your schedule — this finale demands to be devoured in one sitting.

The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison
Tor Books

The fourth installment in the beloved Chronicles of Osreth brings Thara Celehar face to face with a genocide he cannot ignore: the systematic murder of Osreth’s dragons by a mining company. Fans of cozy fantasy with moral weight will find this one impossible to put down, as Addison weaves intimate character work with questions of historical justice.

The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale by C.M. Waggoner
Penguin Random House

A practical witch living in a Dark Forest finds a screaming baby on her doorstep and raises him as her own. Eighteen years later, when forest animals start prophesying that her beloved son Bradley is actually a lost prince, she’ll do anything to sabotage his ascension — because she knows the kingdom isn’t ready for him (and she’s not ready to let go). Heartwarming, hilarious, and deeply charming.

The Book of Fallen Leaves by A.S. Tamaki
Orbit

This debut epic fantasy draws from ancient samurai sagas to tell the story of an exiled prince and the peasant girl who saved his life, fighting to reclaim their homeland as civil war and demons threaten to consume the empire. Publishers Weekly calls it “densely poetic” and heralds Tamaki as “an exciting new voice in epic fantasy.”

When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory
Saga Press

What if the world was revealed to be a digital simulation — and then physics started glitching? Two lifelong friends embark on a cross-country bus tour of North America’s “Impossibles” — physics-defying anomalies — in this Nebula-nominated novel that’s equal parts philosophical mind-bender and deeply moving story about friendship, mortality, and the nature of reality itself. Kirkus calls it “a marvel.”

Crawlspace by Adam Christopher
Tor Nightfire

A crew from the Artemis Corporation prepares for an interdimensional test flight, but their journey turns nightmarish when strange voices fill the corridors, long-forgotten faces appear, and ancient forces gather outside the hull. If Event Horizon meets corporate space horror sounds like your kind of dread, Adam Christopher has you covered.

Daughter of the Hunt by K. Arsenault Rivera
Forever

This lush sapphic mythology retelling reimagines the story of Iphigenia and Artemis. When Iphigenia is offered as a sacrifice, the goddess is horrified and takes her as a disciple instead — and what follows is a tale of forbidden love, autonomy, and the wild power of the hunt.

Queen of the Night Sky by Amalie Howard
Harper Voyager

The Starkeeper duology reaches its spicy, mythological conclusion in this romantasy inspired by Indian and Persian mythology. With a magic system rooted in Vedic astrology, a shadow king who may be a soul-fated mate, and an escaped mythical dragon, this finale goes big in all the right ways.

Daughter of Fate by A.S. Webb
Hanover Square Press

Danae fights to fulfill the prophecy that names her as the mortal destined to destroy Olympus in this second installment of The Dark Pantheon series. A descent into the Underworld, a winged horse, and a furious Zeus make this a mythology-fueled thrill ride.

The Fountain by Casey Scieszka
Harper

Vera Van Valkenburgh is forever twenty-six and can heal from any wound — and she hasn’t been home in 188 years. When she returns to the Catskills to uncover how to reverse her family’s immortality, she stumbles onto a conspiracy involving a suspicious company buying up local land. Clever, funny, and full of surprises.

Downfall by Marc J. Gregson
Peachtree Teen

The Above the Black trilogy concludes with an explosive finale as Conrad is sent on a near-suicidal invasion of enemy colonies. Monster battles, fierce duels, and a morally gray dystopian world collide in this action-packed YA fantasy.

How to Hold Someone in Your Heart by Mizuki Tsujimura
Scribner

In this luminous sequel to Lonely Castle in the Mirror, Ayumi is a go-between who can arrange meetings between the living and the dead during full moons. After seven years, he’s questioning the meaning of his gift — even as five new visitors arrive seeking closure with the people they’ve lost. Gentle, heartbreaking, and quietly magical.

Prodigal Tiger by Samantha Chong
Putnam Children’s

Caroline Chua is summoned home to Malaysia when her brother vanishes, kidnapped by vengeful ghosts who plan to use him to shatter the barriers between realms during the Hungry Ghost Festival. A vibrant YA fantasy steeped in Malaysian folklore and diaspora identity.

Mayhem and the Mortal by Shanora Williams
Entangled: Red Tower Books

Zaira needs a weapon to save her sister from a soul-devouring curse, and her only guide through the nightmare landscape of The Shallows is a dangerous sorcerer-assassin named Thane Valkor. Dark fantasy romantasy with sharp humor and sharper blades.

Only Spell Deep by Ava Morgyn
St. Martin’s Griffin

Seventeen years after accidentally burning her family alive with uncontrolled magic, Judeth Cole has been hiding in Seattle under a false name. But when another witch comes hunting for her power, she must reclaim the abilities she’s spent a lifetime burying.

Shake Out the Ghosts by Al Hess
Angry Robot

Two artists — a portrait painter with PTSD and a sculptor — are haunted by each other in more ways than one in this contemporary queer fantasy that blends paranormal charm with a tender story about healing and connection.

Wayward Souls by Susan J. Morris
Harker & Moriarty #2

Samantha Harker (daughter of Dracula’s killer) and Dr. Helena Moriarty (daughter of the criminal mastermind) investigate the disappearance of two field agents in Ireland in this gothic supernatural mystery that cleverly weaves classic literary lore into a feminist paranormal thriller.

The Witch of Prague by J.M. Sidorova
Homeward Books

Set during the 1967–68 Prague Spring, a dyslexic teenager becomes entangled in political intrigue and inherits an ancient tapestry that haunts her with visions of violent hunts. Magical realism meets Cold War resistance in this smart, surprising literary fantasy.

The Girl Who Made a Mouse From Her Grandfather’s Whiskers by Kenneth Hunter Gordon
Lanternfish Press

In the distant future, young Anny makes toy mice from scraps in an isolated village of human colonists’ descendants. When luminous-eyed beings arrive to recruit her for a distant city, she discovers a universe far stranger and more wondrous than she ever imagined.

You Did Nothing Wrong by C.G. Drews
St. Martin’s Press

Single mother Elodie moves into her new husband’s crumbling family house, where her autistic son claims to hear voices in the walls — and insists the renovations are hurting the house. Dark domestic suspense meets haunted house horror in this unsettling page-turner.

Where Dreams Fall by R.L. Caulder
Defying Fate #1

In a world where magically gifted elves shape human dreams to fuel their power, a mortal girl is pulled into a realm of nightmares and longing when a rogue elf breaks every rule to reach her. Dark romantasy where love itself is rebellion.

The Star-Blessed by Angie Dickinson
Enclave Escape

A reimagining of “Rumpelstiltskin” and “Cat-Skin” set in a dying kingdom poisoned from within, where a princess must hide the untamed magic awakening in her blood while navigating a court built on gold and corruption.

Mother Is Watching by Karma Brown
Dutton

In near-future Savannah, motherhood has been commodified and controlled. When Tilly discovers she’s unexpectedly pregnant while restoring a mysterious painting, terrifying events begin to unfold — insect swarms, visits from her dead mother, and sinister whispers. Dystopian horror that cuts close to the bone.

The Bear Hunter’s Daughters by Anneli Jordahl
HarperVia

Seven sisters raised in the Finnish wilderness must fend for themselves after both parents die, caught between wildness and civilization. Described as “Yellowjackets meets Lord of the Flies,” this is a fierce, sensory literary fantasy about the bonds that hold us together — and tear us apart.

The Spoil by Maile Chapman
Graywolf Press

A 1970s haunted house, a demon released from a dead mother’s belongings, and the terror of memories you can’t quite hold onto — Maile Chapman’s first novel in fifteen years is a slow-burn paranormal horror story about family, grief, and the things that follow us home.

A Breath of Time by Various Authors
Flame Tree Press

A romantic fantasy anthology featuring tales of lost loves, ancient forests, and great adventures where Time itself must be conquered. Perfect for readers who want to dip into bite-sized fantasy worlds.

Transmentation | Transgression by Darkly Lem
Blackstone Publishing

The Formation Saga continues with a multiverse-spanning story of body-hopping, political intrigue, and moral compromise as an intelligence officer questions his society’s motives and a councilor pursues prosperity through control. Ambitious collaborative sci-fi at its most inventive.

Tyrants of Gravity by JH Gruger
Vox Proxima

The Sentinel Suppressions saga continues as two autistic brothers search for their parents in a post-alien-attack Earth while humanity races to develop black-hole-powered weapons against the Centauri fleet. Hard sci-fi with heart, neurodivergent representation, and escalating interstellar stakes.