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. This week I’m doing several different Waiting on Wednesday posts, including my first one for Upon the Forge of Battle by Anthony Ryan. I’m following up this fun fantasy adventure with a cool science fiction thriller from a rising Australian author, with Scion by James Islington.
Few fantasy writers are as beloved right now as Australia’s James Islington. A talented author with the ability to create truly elaborate worlds, Islington has gained a big following in recent years thanks to his exceptional Hierarchy series. An intricate and complex series, the Hierarchy books follow a damaged protagonist as he attempts to overcome dark conspiracies and ancient magical threats across a multiverse. This series started with The Will of the Many, where it introduced Vis Telimus, a fugitive prince who finds himself enrolled in an academy for the children of the elite members of the nation that conquered his homeland. The resulting narrative saw Vis to deal with elaborate ancient puzzles, the unique magic of his world, unlikely friendships, deadly rebels, and all his hidden secrets potentially becoming uncovered. I had such an amazing time reading The Will of the Many that it got a very easy five-star rating from me, and it ended up topping several of my end-of-year lists for 2023, including my favourite book, audiobook, new-to-me author and Australian fiction lists.
Naturally after enjoying such an awesome read from Islington, I eagerly picked up the sequel last year as soon as I could with The Strength of the Few. A fantastic and ambitious read that cleverly followed three separate versions of the protagonist who were replicated and transported to alternate mirror worlds. This complex new take on the story was very impressive, with each version of Vis encountering tragedy, adversity and friendship as they attempted to survive. An outstanding second entry, The Strength of the Few was one of my favourite books, audiobooks, sequels and Australian Fiction releases of 2025, and I cannot recommend it enough.
After having so much fun with these amazing books, I’m honestly very keen to read more from Islington, and while the third Hierarchy novel is probably a little way off, fans are still getting a new story from this awesome author in 2026 with Scion. An action-packed science fiction thriller, Scion follows a futuristic contract killer who gets into all manner of trouble when she decides to take on a job protecting someone. Set for release in September 2026, Scion sounds like an interesting change of pace from Islington, and it’s caught my attention.
Plot Synopsis:
Scion is a gripping sci-fi thriller in which a contract killer assigned to protect a scientist from assassination finds himself in the crosshairs.
My name’s Azure. I kill rich idiots for a living. All completely legal, of course, even if it does still make the old-fashioned crowd a bit uncomfortable. Once the ultra-wealthy realised they had a way to live forever—limited resources be damned—there was only ever going to be one real deterrent.
In the end, it’s like a lot of people’s jobs. I have to deal with a ton of boring planning. Inconvenient hours. Some awkward face-to-face interactions. And, like most of us, I’m only clocking on to crawl out from beneath my debts. It can be dirty work sometimes, sure, but someone’s got to do it.
Luckily, my genetic enhancements make me really, really good at it.
This next job, though…strange, that it got thrown my way. I haven’t had to protect a client in years.
Still, what could go wrong?
This new book from James Islington sounds pretty damn awesome, and I’m already very keen to check out Scion later this year. An exciting and unique science fiction thriller in the hands of the uber talented Islington sounds like an absolute treat, and I have no doubt at all that this will be a very cool and addictive read. As such, Scion is now one of my most anticipated releases for the second half of 2026, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.