Volume 273
Issue 7
02/16/2026
Absence
Two rookie agents from the Bureau of Depopulation Affairs examine the return of a woman who had disappeared in a phenomenon known as Spontaneous Human Absence and who claims to have seen “the other side.” If true, her story could sow hope in a desperate population; if a lie, it could retraumatize those whose loved ones have “popped” out of existence.
The Door in Penrose Forest
When Nico returns to his hometown to care for his ill father, he finds field notes left by his scientist mother. As a boy, Nico watched her walk up a staircase in the woods near their home and vanish through a glowing door. The site, where a Gilded Age mansion once stood, appears to be haunted, and power fluctuations are rampant in town. With the help of his mother’s journals, Nico sets out to untangle how her disappearance may related to other mysteries.
The Halter
Game developer McDevitt “shines in his sci-fi noir debut,” per PW’s review, in which surrogate reality addicts get lost within the feeds, abandoning their physical bodies, and professionals known as halters are hired to get them out. When halter Kennedy Stark is asked to extract an old flame, software developer Delia Walsh, he agrees, in exchange for a one-way ticket on the next shuttle to the growing Mars colony. With his future hanging in the balance, Kennedy finds himself entangled in a dangerous and corrupt simulation.
The Iron Garden Sutra
In this series launch, Starlit Order monk Vessel Iris is charged with shepherding the souls of the long-dead passengers of a generation ship. Accompanied by scientists who are investigating the cause of the ancient ship’s demise, Iris is confronted by an enormous alien plant that has taken over the craft, and by an unknown someone—or something—stalking the explorers. Iris’s AI companion may be the only force that can save them.
The Obake Code
Yamamoto’s follow-up to 2025’s Hammajang Luck finds retired hacker Maia struggling to adapt to civilian life. When she gets caught rigging cybernetic prizefights in her favor, gang leader Jeongah Song gives her a choice: take down a troublesome politician, or die. Maia agrees to the deal and, along with a motley crew of criminals and hackers, uncovers a conspiracy that may be more than she can survive.
The Redemption Center Is Closed on Sundays
Oona the St. Berdoodle is not just a fluffy fixture of the trails and paths of the state park: she’s a citizen of the multiverse, able to travel between worlds. She also knows who’s responsible for the death of a local celebrity—and, unfortunately, the killer is aware that Oona knows. Accompanied by her current owner, Zsuzsu, and a group of locals, Oona ventures to the Redemption Center, a haunted-looking building located in the park, to solve the crime before it’s too late.
