Tag: Chuck Wendig

Top Ten Tuesday – Books on my Winter 2026 To Be Read (TBR) List

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List3 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday participants have a Thanksgiving freebie which I am going to use to look at some upcoming books. This is because today is the first Tuesday of Winter 2026, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to do my quarterly post about the best upcoming books I am looking forward to reading in Winter (Summer for folks in the Northern Hemisphere). This is a regular post I do at the start of each season, and I always love to highlight some of the most impressive sounding novels coming out in the next three months.

For this list, I have come up with ten books coming out between 1 June 2026 and 31 August 2026 that I am most excited for. There are quite a few amazing novels set for release in the next few months, so it took me a while to finalise my final top ten list, including my usual honourable mentions section. I have primarily used the Australian publication dates to reflect when I will be able to get these awesome novels, and these might be somewhat different to the rest of the world. I have previously discussed a number of these books before in prior Waiting on Wednesday articles, and I even have some early copies of a some of them (I’m hoping to read them soon). I am extremely excited for these next three months and I feel that quite a few of these upcoming reads have the potential to be some of my favourite books of 2026.

Honourable Mentions:

Hide and Seek by Chris Carter – 16 July 2026

A compelling and chilling thriller that I think has a ton of potential.

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Eight Tastes of Treachery by Ryan Rose – 21 July 2026

An intriguing food-based fantasy novel, that will serve as a sequel to last year’s fun debut, Seven Recipes for Revolution.

Amazon

 

The Unknown by Riley Sager – 4 August 2026

A very interesting upcoming mystery novel about missing people on a spooky island, with compelling horror elements also thrown into the mix.

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The Calamities by Chuck Wendig – 18 August 2026

An exciting tale of familial bonds and betrayal, when the scion of a half-demon business dynasty decides to turn his back on his family’s evil ways.

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Top Ten Tuesday:

Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky – 30 June 2026

The first book I want to highlight in this Top Ten list is the new upcoming novel from Adrian Tchaikovksy, Green City Wars.  One of Tchaikovsky’s more entertaining and distinctive scenarios (which is saying a lot), Green City Wars is a noir-inspired mystery, set in science fiction world where humans are served by unseen, genetically enhanced animals.  Set to feature a fun cast of sentient animals attempting to solve their problems without disturbing their human masters, Green City Wars sounds delightful, and I cannot wait to dive into it.

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One of Us Is Guilty by Steve Cavanagh – 28 July 2026

One of my favourite thriller authors, Steve Cavanagh, returns in 2026 with a new complex legal thriller.  Part of his Eddie Flynn series, One of Us is Guilty will see the protagonist try to determine which member of a seemingly perfect couple committed a brutal murder and which one of them is being set up by their partner.  Sure to be another awesome read with some fantastic legal twists, One of Us is Guilty is going to be an outstanding, and I’ve very excited to read it.

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The Infinite State by Richard Swan – 28 July 2026

Australian fantasy author Richard Swan takes a break from his acclaimed Empire of the Wolf/The Great Silence novels, and instead presents a cool, standalone science fiction release with The Infinite State.  Set to follow a suddenly ultra-wealthy widow and her allies as they attempt to buy a planet to set up a democracy in defiance of a galaxy-spanning fascist government.  I love the sound of this intriguing narrative, especially as Swan will likely utilise his prior Warhammer 40,000 experience, to create a unique and insightful read.

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Duel of Beasts by Boyd and Beth Morrison – 30 July 2026

The team of Boyd and Beth Morrison look set to continue their historical hijinks with their fourth Tale of the Lawless Land entry coming out soon.  This time set in medieval Spain, Duel of the Beasts will see the series protagonists get involved to help another helpless sole, only to find themselves hunted across the country.  Sure to be an exciting and intense historical thriller, Duel of the Beasts is going to be an awesome read.

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Bad Neighbours by Joanna Jenkins – 4 August 2026

A more grounded Australian novel that I’m keen to check out this Winter is the new Joanna Jenkins novel, Bad Neighbours.  The follow-up to Jenkins’ How to Kill a Client and The Bluff, Bad Neighbours will see the returning lawyer protagonist forced to investigate her new neighbours to find justice.  I love the sound of this new book from Jenkins, and I cannot wait to see her latest piece of Australian crime fiction.

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The Deep and the Drowned by Ian Green – 6 August 2026

One of the few books on this list from an author I haven’t previously read anything from, The Deep and the Drowned is an intriguing fantasy read that caught my attention a few weeks ago thanks to its cool plot and striking cover.  Featuring a compelling setting of giant, monster-filled seas, multiple chaotic islands, and sailors trying to cross between them, The Deep and the Drowned sounds very awesome, and I’m so glad I’ve gotten an early copy of it.

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A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett – 11 August 2026

Probably the Winter 2026 release I’m most excited for is A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett.  The third book in a deeply impressive fantasy murder mystery series that follows a unique team of investigators as they attempt to unravel empire-shattering crimes in a nation constantly under siege by giant monsters. This next book will follow the series protagonists as they attempt to prove that a young noble is innocent of murder, despite overwhelming evidence.  The previous novels in this series (The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption), where both exceptional, five-star reads, and I have no doubt that A Trade of Blood is going to be one of the very best novels of the year.

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The Dungeon Book by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan – 11 August 2026

I always have my eye out for cool and unique reads, and one of the more outrageous fantasy novels coming out in Winter 2026 is The Dungeon Book by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan.  An entertaining standalone novel that will follow a young human who was raised by the monsters and creatures of a fantasy dungeon, The Dungeon Book sounds like a very fun and inventive upcoming fantasy release and I’m very keen to get my hands on it.

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The Killer’s Mark by M. W. Craven – 11 August 2026

One of modern crime fictions more distinctive voices, M. W. Craven, looks set to bring the chaos once more with his next novel The Killer’s Mark.  Bringing back the excentric protagonists of the Washington Poe series, Craven will present another unique mystery with some outstanding twists.  I’ve had a brilliant time with the last few books of this series, The Mercy Chair and The Final Vow, and I’m sure The Killer’s Mark is going to be another extremely fun murder mystery.

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Upon the Forge of Battle by Anthony Ryan – 25 August 2026

The final book I want to highlight on this list is the awesome upcoming fantasy release, Upon the Forge of Battle by Anthony Ryan.  The third and final book in Ryan’s Age of Wrath series (previous featuring A Tide of Black Steel and Born of an Iron Storm), Upon the Forge of Battle will see the series’ four embattled protagonists attempt to find their destinies as war, intrigue and betrayal overwhelms them.  Based on how impressive the rest of this series has been, Upon the Forge of Battle is likely to be one of the top fantasy books of 2026 and is a very worthy final entry for this list.

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Well, that is the end of my Top Ten list. I think it turned out pretty well and it does a good job of capturing all my most anticipated books for the next three months. There are some impressive books coming out in this part of 2026, and I cannot wait to read each of them soon. Let me know which of the above you are most excited for and stay tuned for reviews of them in the next few months. In the meantime, it looks like I have quite a bit of reading to do soon.

Waiting on Wednesday – The Calamities by Chuck Wendig

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Waiting on Wednesday1 Comment

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.

Nights of the Living Dead edited by George A. Romero and Jonathan Maberry

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Extended Universe, Horror, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Tie-in Novel6 Comments

Nights of the Living Dead Cover

Publisher: Duckworth

Australian Publication Date – 1 December 2017

World Publication Date – 11 July 2017

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In 1968, the late, great, George A. Romero created one of the most iconic films in horror movie history, Night of the Living Dead.  Night of the Living Dead has had many lasting impacts in the world of film, but one of the most significant things it did was to firmly enforce the terror of the zombie into the public consciousness and set the rules for all future zombie works.

Since that day, zombies have dominated people’s minds and pop culture in all its forms.  From movies to television and comic books, zombie stories infest modern fiction.  The introduction of zombies has also influenced the world of literature, with many prominent authors producing some incredible and varied works of zombie fiction.  From World War Z to Warm Bodies, these bestsellers have enthralled the world, with many serving as inspiration for other mediums.

One significant piece of zombie literature published in 1989 was Book of the Dead, edited by John Skipp and Craig Spector.  Book of the Dead was an anthology of short stories based on the zombie apocalypse premise introduced in Night of the Living Dead.  With a foreword by Romero himself and bringing together original stories from a large number of prominent horror authors, including Stephen King, this iconic book is considered one of the first pieces of zombie literature.  It produced two follow up anthologies, Still Dead and Mondo Zombie.

Now, the concept of a zombie anthology book has again been resurrected in Nights of the Living Dead, edited by George A. Romero and Jonathan Maberry.

Nights of the Living Dead contains 20 new and unique stories from a distinguished group of authors.  Each of these stories is set in a world forever changed by a zombie apocalypse and shows the horror through the eyes of a range of different survivors enduring a number of different scenarios.  Police, doctors, murderers, white supremacists, scientists and showmen all examine different sides of the classic zombie apocalypse.  Many of the stories are set in more contemporary times, exploring how people in 2017 would react to this phenomenon while also allowing some commentary of current social issues.

Fans of the original movie may also be interested in several stories set during the events of the film.  The connection that some of these stories have to Night of the Living Dead is somewhat minor, with the stories merely being set in the same year, thus allowing the reader to assume they are set during the same outbreak.  Other stories have a far more significant connection to the events of the movie.  John Russo’s story is a direct sequel to the movie and follows some of the posse that played a significant part in the end of the film.  Another story, by Isaac Marion, is told from the perspective of a minor character in the film, Karen Cooper, and features her dramatic and eventually violent interactions with other characters in the movie.

Perhaps one of the best features of Nights of the Living Dead is the sheer talent that has been gathered together to write this book.  Numbered among the contributors are some of the most influential writers of zombie fiction, including both of the Night of the Living Dead’s original screenwriters, Romero and Russo.  The other writers include multiple Bram Stroker Award winners, such as editor Jonathan Maberry, whose contribution to zombie culture includes working on the Marvel Zombies series.  Many of the authors have their own zombie fiction novels and series, including Isaac Marion, writer of Warm Bodies, Briane Keene, author of The Rising, and Mira Grant, author of the Newsflesh series.  The list of contributors also includes people who have worked on zombie comics and television shows, including one of the writers and co-creators of Z-Nation, Craig Engler.

The various contributions to the anthology allow the reader to enjoy a range of zombie stories which may appeal to different people.  Personal favourites include David Wellington’s short story set around the International Space Station and Mira Grant’s emotional tale set in a zoo.  Other great stories includes Craig Engler’s tale of vigilante justice in a world of zombies and a new original contribution by George A. Romero, which also takes the time to examine racism in more modern times.  Readers may also be interested in the forewords from Romero and Maberry, which examine their experiences with the movie and how it has influenced zombie culture for the last 50 years.

Nights of the Living Dead is an exciting anthology series that presents the reader with 20 new and unique stories from some of the leading minds in zombie fiction.  With a range of different and exciting stories of the zombie apocalypse, many with ties to the original movie, this is a must-read book for all fans of zombie fiction and the man who inspired it all.

My Rating:

Four stars

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