February 2026 – Page 2 – The Unseen Library

I’ve had an excellent couple of weeks for books, as I was lucky enough to receive some incredible and amazing new novels from publishers and Netgalley. These novels include some truly awesome new releases, including books that have the potential to be some of my top reads of the year. I cannot wait to dive into them, and I so excited to see how they all turn out.

Antihero by Gregg Hurwitz

Let’s start this Book Haul post off strong with one of my most anticipated books of 2026, Antihero by Gregg Hurwitz. The next entry in Hurwitz’s excellent Orphan X spy thriller series, Antihero will follow on from the tragic conclusion of his previous book, Nemesis, and will follow his highly damaged vigilante protagonist as he takes on an unusual job, get justice without any violence. Sure to be one of the more heartfelt entries in this outstanding series, Antihero has a ton of potential, and I’m hoping to read it very soon.

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Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman

The next new book that I want to highlight is the very awesome science fiction novel, Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman. A very fun sounding novel that sees a group of farmers living on an isolated planet attempt to protect their planet from murderous drones piloted by bored gamers on Earth, Operation Bounce House promises to be an extremely entertaining read with a ton of over-the-top content. I have been looking forward to reading Operation Bounce House ever since I became obsessed with the author’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series last year, and I have no doubt this new standalone novel from Dinniman is going to be a particularly epic read.

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Dark Sanctuary by Sarah Barrie

One of the book’s I was particularly happy to recently get a copy of was the dark Australian thriller Dark Sanctuary. Written by talented Australian author Sarah Barrie, who previously impressed me with her great Lexi Winter series, Dark Sanctuary promises to be another intense and shocking read, as several desperate protagonists are drawn together. I cannot wait to read this new book from Barrie, and Dark Sanctuary has the potential to be one of the top Australian novels of 2026.

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Ironwood by Michael Connelly

I was very lucky to receive an early copy of the upcoming Michael Connelly novel, Ironwood. A sequel to the author’s 2025 novel, Nightshade, Ironwood looks set to continue the compelling crime fiction adventures of a banished cop on the surprisingly crime-ridden Catalina Island, this time with an intriguing plot tied into one of Connelly’s other long-running shared crime fiction series. I have no doubt this will be an incredible novel, and I can’t wait to read it.

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Redbelly Crossing by Candice Fox

The awesome Australian fiction of 2026 continues to flow into my bookshelf with the new Candice Fox book, Redbelly Crossing. Set in outback Australia, Redbelly Crossing sees two estranged cop brothers forced to work together to investigate a high-profile murder. However, it soon becomes apparent that only one sibling wants to solve the crime, while the other wants to bury the truth. Sure to be another outback thriller from one of Australia’s best crime-fiction authors, Redbelly Crossing has a ton of potential, and I cannot wait to dive into it.

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The Exes by Leodora Darlington

I was very happy to get my hands on one of the more entertaining debuts of 2026 with the awesome new novel, The Exes by Leodora Darlington. A fun and gritty sounding crime fiction read about a woman with a complicated and deadly past when it comes to relationships, The Exes is going to be an awesome read and I look forward to diving into it.

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Haze by Sam Elliott

I also received a copy of the cool Australian debut Haze by Sam Elliot, which features a great sounding narrative about a small-town country cop who is forced to try and find a missing child in the middle of a deadly Australian bushfire. I love the sound of this awesome book, and I have a feeling that Haze is going to be one of the strongest Australian debuts of the year.

The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan

An extremely interesting fantasy debut from another new Australian author. The Red Winter sounds like a particularly gripping read, and I’m curious to check out Cameron Sullivan’s take on a classic tale.

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The Couples Retreat by Mercedes Mercie

A complex and compelling sounding Australian thriller with some interesting twists behind it.

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The Ascension of Souls by Bronte-Marie Wesson

The final book I recently received was the compelling new fantasy novel, The Ascension of Souls by Bronte-Marie Wesson. The start of a cool new fantasy series, The Ascension of Souls sounds particularly fascinating, and I cannot wait to read it.

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Well, that’s the end of this latest Book Haul post. As you can see I have quite a bit of reading to do at the moment thanks to all these awesome books that have come in. Let me know which of the above you are most interested in and make sure to check back in a few weeks to see my reviews of them.

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this latest Waiting on Wednesday post, I highlight a very cool upcoming fantasy novel from acclaimed author Chuck Wendig, The Calamities.

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While there are a lot of great novels coming out in 2026 from authors that I am familiar with, I also want to try out some new writers, so to that end I’m hoping to check out an upcoming book from science fiction and fantasy author Chuck Wendig. Wendig is a veteran author who has written a ton of compelling and unique novels over the years. Despite having some very cool books to his name, I haven’t had the pleasure of reading anything from Wendig, although his Star Wars Aftermath trilogy has been on my to-read list for a while. However, this is hopefully going to change later this year as Wendig’s next book, The Calamities, has caught my attention.

Set for release in August 2026, The Calamities is an intriguing and compelling upcoming novel that will blend a complex story about family drama and corrupt business, with dark fantasy elements. Set to follow the scion of a family of powerful, half-demon business moguls, who decides to rebel against his father’s control, The Calamities has a great premise behind it which I think has a ton of potential. I really love the sound of this book, and I think it’s going to be an excellent novel to check out in the second half of 2026.

Plot Synopsis:

The heir to one of the world’s most influential families reckons with the demonic secret to their power, in this contemporary dark fantasy that melds occult magic with shocking family drama from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents.

Mourning Mayne knows he’ll one day bear the duty of managing his family’s vast empire of wealth and power. But the feckless Mourning has always struggled to accept this legacy, which is one of cruelty, domination, and exploitation… and something even darker.

Because the Maynes are no ordinary family: Hidden in our world are the fiends—half-human, half-demon, and possessed of dark magic born from buying human souls—and the Maynes are one of the oldest and most influential fiendish families.

But when Mourning’s estranged father, the formidable and terrifying Hadrian Mayne, demands that he return to the fold, Mourning has to make a decision whether to accept his legacy and embrace his role in the family, or to forge his own destiny, and with it, change the course of the world.

Because along the way home, he will meet Key, a black-market seller of human souls, and Quinn, an artist who may hold the dark truth behind the fate of the fiends. Alone, they have all struggled with the darkness of their fiendish nature… but together, they might find a path out of the shadows.