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.