Release Week: 10 November 2026

Release Week: 10 November 2026

Posted on 2026-11-10 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

PICKS:

• The Fist of Memory by Wole Talabi, read by Precious Mustapha and Michael Obiora for Recorded Books — “A strange alien spacecraft suddenly appears in the sky in this electrifying, action-packed first contact novel set in near-future Nigeria from award-winning author Wole Talabi.”

• The Better Animal: A Novel by Ken Ballen and Wu Ming, read by Andrew Gibson for Dreamscape — “A gripping and ultimately hopeful tale of a future America on the cusp of electing the most unusual president in its history and an allegorical take on the state of our current political climate and technological advances.”

• We Were Never Meant to Survive This by Jesse Sherwood, read by Vikas Adam for Blackstone — “Jaime, a web developer, is disillusioned by humanity’s immersion in the digital world and his own hand in its creation. When a colleague returns from a survival school hidden in the Catskill Mountains, Jaime decides what the hell, why not? Making fire with sticks, butchering animals, crafting a bow—these are just a few things Jaime learns. All the while, the school’s enigmatic founder, A, whispers of Day Zero, her prophecy that the world will end and be born anew. As the other students become more fervent, the day arrives and civilization outside of the school collapses, just as A had foreseen. In the aftermath, as A’s grip tightens and she forces her followers into obedience, Jaime begins to understand that she will do anything to sculpt her vision into reality, even as blood begins to spill.”

• The Black Hole Whisky Gang: An Alternate History of Modern Detroit by Christian Klaver, read by JD Jackson for Blackstone — “Ten years after humans lost their war against superior alien forces, Earth belongs to the Nightwalkers, masters of a vast interstellar empire. To pacify humanity, the Nightwalkers have introduced the Angels, beings with an irresistible allure who are capable of physical and emotional communion unlike anything humans have experienced. For the Angels, it’s enslavement. For Earthers, it’s addictive. One such addict is Hansa, an ex-soldier whose involvement with the Angel Wren, and her subsequent escape into the no-man’s-land of the postapocalyptic Midwest, nearly destroyed him. Now Hansa lives as a broken soul in the Nightwalkers’ employ, unable to forgive himself for his past failures. But when, months later, Hansa receives a message from Wren begging for his help—at the same time an extremely odd band of Nightwalker gunslingers desperately seek his aid—he begins a dangerous odyssey from the deserted streets of Detroit to the most sacred heights of the Nightwalkers’ presence on Earth, and uncovers secrets that will change him and all his companions forever.”

• Prudence Marsh Is Not a Nobody Anymore by Emily Krempholtz, read by Emma Ladji for Penguin — “A musician leaves her quaint town in search of a bigger life, only to get tangled up with a mischievous bandit and a royal heist in this delightful and poignant new cozy fantasy romance.”

• This Wretched Alchemy by Tina Mars, read by Jennifer Ikeda and Soneela Nankani for Macmillan — “In a fractured realm ruled by warring noble Houses and the tyrannical Prime, the most coveted power lies in god-shards - divine fragments that grant extraordinary abilities to those who possess them. Revel’s brother was murdered in pursuit of one.”

• Bones of Jade, Flesh Like Ice: A Novel by Gracie Marsden, read by Katharine Chin for Penguin — “A young woman makes a bargain with a shapeshifting demon who promises her power, if she will give up love—a painful price that sets her on a dark journey in this historical fantasy inspired by Taiwanese myth.”

• Everything Happens So Much: A Novel by Andrew H. Murray, read by Isy Suttie for Little, Brown and Co — “Esme Good is an unremarkable young woman working a dead-end job in an unremarkable city. Her only escape is The Elsewheres: tiny potions that allow you to disappear for fifteen minutes into alternate versions of yourself. Sadly, these only confirm her suspicion that she is, in a cosmic sense, living her worst life. Then, after a workplace incident that could have happened to anyone, Esme unintentionally becomes the most important person in this—or perhaps any—universe. We don’t have time to get into exactly why this is, but to remedy it, Esme must find an uncharted land and fulfill a prophecy that has been on hold since the dawn of time.”

• The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow by Caitríona Moran, read by Imani Jade Powers and Will Watt for Penguin — “Magdalena Overmorrow has been called a scholar, a healer, a harlot. She carves out some measure of freedom for the women of Astoleyn, risking capture and death by caring for them and performing forbidden abortions. When she’s betrayed by a close confidante, she faces banishment to the realm’s desolate northernmost city as an accused witch. There, she must await her trial and possible doom under the watchful aegis of the Lord Proctor of Cair Gramora, a man so pious and humorless it is rumored that he has never once laughed in his life.”

• The Drakon King by Terry J. Benton-Walker, read by Curtis Michael Holland and the author for Macmillan — “Queer, Black, and sexy as hell, romantasy at its best: A forbidden love story between princes in the court of a cruel king and an edge-of-your-seat tale of missing dragons, ruthless betrayals, and stolen hearts.”

• An Embodiment of Souls: A Novel by Julia Laurel, read by Mia Hutchinson Shaw for Union Square — “As the daughter of a foreign ambassador, Rissa hoped living abroad would protect her from home’s puritanical customs where women are forbidden to walk at night or use magic except to support a necromancer’s dual identity. Alek, the youngest prince of the Memric Isle, hasn’t yet taken his Second body. Fearing he’ll be accused of sin and his body claimed as a Second himself, Alek lives piously while studying abroad, even though he’s distracted by magic—and his handsome roommate, Gable. When Alek meets Rissa by chance, his quiet life is thrown into chaos.”

• Loba by Valentina Cano Repetto, read by Brenda Arteaga-Walsh for Simon Maverick — ” Isabel Cañas’s The Hacienda meets V. Castro’s The Haunting of Alejandra in this split-timeline gothic horror novel set in a remote lighthouse on the edge of Uruguay, following one woman’s escape from an abusive marriage…and into a haunting.”

• The Thorns We Wear Inside by Amy Avery, read by Nikki Thomas and Kelsey Navarro Foster for Simon Maverick — “For fans of Hannah Whitten’s For the Wolf and T. Kingfisher’s Nettle & Bone comes a dark, romantic fantasy about a witch, a monster, and the two parasitic demons who’ll stop at nothing to keep them apart.”

• Andy Weir Presents: Exoplanet by Benjamin Percy, read by Anthony Mackie, Ariana DeBose, John Leguizamo, and a full cast for Audible — “One crew. One planet. Three timelines. No one survives alone.”

• Death Premium by Eric Ugland, read by Neil Hellegers for Audible — “The System has rules for everything. Mike Veseth is about to exploit the one loophole they didn’t patch: him.”

SERIES WATCH:

• Woodfeast: Necrology, Book 2 by Meg Ripley, read by Jenn Lee for Dreamscape — “Revolutionary politics and dark fantasy for a blisteringly timely look at the rights, communities, and power of women.”

• The Eagle in the Mountain: Raven and Eagle, Book 2 by Caskey Russell, read by Jason Grasl for Tantor — “Book 2 in a fantasy trilogy based on Tlingit culture.”

• Infinite Wisdom: Artificial Wisdom, Book 2 by Thomas R. Weaver, read by Steven Pacey for Random House — ” After an AI leader was elected to save the planet from environmental destruction, humanity faces an even deadlier threat.”

• The Last Star in the Void: The Echo Archives, Book 3 by Melissa Caruso, read by Moira Quirk for Orbit — “The brilliant conclusion to the trilogy; a whip-smart adventure fantasy where a detective has to solve the greatest mystery of all—her own murder.”

TIE-IN WATCH:

• Critical Role: The Mighty Nein—Children of Empire by Nibedita Sen, read by Robbie Daymond — “Return to Wildemount with this first-of-its-kind official sequel to the hit Mighty Nein campaign from Critical Role, exploring the fates of “Empire Kids” Caleb Widogast and Beauregard Lionett.”

• Assassin’s Creed: Heresy by Christie Golden, read by Kevin Kemp — “Reliving the memories of his ancestor who fought beside Joan of Arc, high-ranking Templar Simon Hathaway slowly uncovers secrets of the past that could dangerously impact his present … and that of the entire Templar order.”

• Halo: The Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund, read by a full cast — “An all-new production to celebrate the landmark 25th anniversary of the Halo franchise, performed by a full cast led by iconic series voices Steve Downes, Jen Taylor, and Tim Dadabo, and featuring an immersive sound design with music and sound effects to create a cinematic audio experience.”

• Star Wars Legends: Rogue Squadron: Isard’s Revenge by Michael A. Stackpole, read by Marc Thompson — “When Rogue Squadron faces their greatest test yet, their only chance of success lies in working with the sinister Ysanne Isard.”

• Star Wars Legends: Wraith Squadron: Starfighters of Adumar by Aaron Allston, read by Marc Thompson — “The X-wing fighter pilots of Wraith Squadron have earned their reputation as the Rebel Alliance’s ultimate strike force by overwhelming enemies with their rapid-fire assaults. But now they are about to embark on a diplomatic mission that will prove to be even more hazardous than all-out combat.”

INDIE WATCH:

• Shadow Slave: Child of Shadows by Guiltythree, read by Garrett Michael Brown for Aethon — “Witness the rise of the Shadow Slave in this gritty, dark fantasy adventure where a nameless street rat must rise to challenge the gods themselves.”

Posted in Release Week