The best new science fiction books of January 2026 05. January 2026 (11:00) Big hitter Peter F. Hamilton has a new sci-fi novel out this month – and Booker winner George Saunders ventures into speculative fiction with his latest book, Vigil(New Scientist)
Gargantuan black hole may be a remnant from the dawn of the universe 02. January 2026 (13:00) Astronomers were puzzled by a black hole around 50 million times the mass of the sun with no stars, spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope – now simulations suggest it could be a primordial black hole, something we have never seen before(New Scientist)
Our verdict on The Player of Games: Iain M. Banks is still a master 02. January 2026 (09:55) The New Scientist Book Club has just finished our December read, Iain M. Banks's sci-fi novel The Player of Games - and most of us were fans of this big-thinking Culture tale(New Scientist)
The challenges of writing from the perspective of a sex robot 02. January 2026 (09:45) The author of the award-winning science fiction novel Annie Bot, the January read for the New Scientist Book Club, on how she created her startling protagonist(New Scientist)
Read an extract from Annie Bot by Sierra Greer 02. January 2026 (09:45) In this extract from the award-winning science fiction novel Annie Bot, the January read for the New Scientist Book Club, we are introduced to Sierra Greer's protagonist, a sex robot called Annie(New Scientist)
Chess can be made fairer by rearranging the pieces 01. January 2026 (20:00) Chess960 involves shuffling the pieces at the back of the board, and an analysis suggests doing so can increase the complexity of the game to favour white, black or neither player(New Scientist)
