A poet’s debut novel, “a quintessential fantasy story,” features an unconventional hero’s trial-filled quest. It’s awfully short for the fantasy genre, though, and that impacts its characterization (and a story that feels “a tad truncated”). —Zoe McKenna reviews Not All Dragons, by David Ly (Hamilton: Poplar Press/Wolsak & Wynn, 2026) $24.00 / 9781998408429
With the sudden appearance of silent, prismatic alien orbs (that have transdimensional capabilities), humans react to yet another crisis. “Despite the narrative scope, and the frequently metatextual, multilingual nature of the story it weaves, The Coffin of Honey remains staunchly humanist, entertaining. It begs for a read, and then another,” exclaims our reviewer. —Kenna Clifford reviews The Coffin of Honey, by Geoffrey D. Morrison (Toronto: Coach House Books, 2026) $24.95 / 9781552455180
Bounding across the centuries—1983, the 2090s, 2586—a debut novel begins with a lonely girl, a budding computer coder. From there, an eclectic, compelling story unfolds. “It’s raw, tragic, and fearful to a degree that’s sometimes difficult to look at, and has a sneaking vulnerability that draws you in bit by bit until it is nearly too much to bear. Yet, more often, it is earnest, hopeful, and intensely heartfelt,” our reviewer says. —Zoe McKenna reviews Homebound, by Portia Elan (Toronto: Scribner Canada, 2026) $26.99 / 9781668206225
Final book of a pentalogy rife with dualities — “the epic conclusion to an action-packed, magic-filled saga of love, loss, and becoming who you were meant to be” — leaves our reviewer satisfied and, happily, unbothered by any unanswered questions. —Myshara McMyn reviews The Call of the Rift: Fuse, by Jae Waller (Toronto: ECW Press, 2026) $23.95 / 9781770417137
The opening volume of a speculative fiction trilogy ranges between Germany of the present decade and Canada of 2085. In spite of an intriguing set-up, the novel’s surfeit of plot threads and wildly unlikable characters diminished the book’s appeal. —Sophia Wasylinko reviews Gaia’s Revolution: Book 1 of the Icaria Trilogy, by Nina Munteanu (Calgary: Dragon Moon Press, 2026) $6.88 [ebook] / 9781774000762
Written “in blank verse that swings between paragraphs of near-prose and short stanzas dominated by blank space,” a novel-in-verse traces lovers O and Z, survivors in a war-torn world. The moving, pensive novel “asks us to reflect on how our long legacies of memory and forgetfulness (both purposeful and unintentional) allow us to recreate harmful systems that have endured for hundreds of years and may well persist into the distant future.” —Zoe McKenna reviews Syncopation, by Whitney French (Hamilton: Wolsak & Wynn, 2026) $24.00 / 9781998408283
The fourth volume of an epic series—with “two branching timelines that have a massive crossover of characters, cities, histories, and wars”—grabs attention for its deft and artful handling of complexity, and for its queer inclusivity. —Myshara McMyn reviews Wake (The Call of the Rift, Book Four), by Jae Waller (Toronto: ECW Press, 2023) $23.95 / 9781770414594
Phantasmagorical speculative fiction that spans centuries and jumps between dimensions, a novel unfolds as “a bold, evocative exploration of what it means to awaken to one’s purpose in a world shaped by both ancient forces and uncertain futures.” —Raeshelle Pascual reviews A Dream Wants Waking, by Lydia Kwa (Hamilton: Wolsak & Wynn, 2023) $22.00 / 9781989496756
A satiric tale about the MAGA era is a “lighthearted romp.” And though another facet of the novel—the coming-of-age tale focussed on a miniature dragon and its wizard master—promises a “nuanced development of a father-son type relationship,” the “book seems to lose its way.” —Sheldon Goldfarb reviews We’ve Come for Your Eggs (And Other Reasons to Annex the North), by Septimus Brown (Victoria: Look—See—Press, 2025) $23.00 / 9781738076666
In a world invaded by two powerful forces, a band of misfit wizards (vampire kangaroo among them) fight as best they can. Written “in a humorous tone that draws the reader’s attention quickly from the first page,” a sequel to a 2023 novel disappoints our reviewer only by ending too soon. —Myshara McMyn reviews The Malevolent Eight, by Sebastien de Castell (New York: Hachette Mobius, 2025) $36.00 / 9781529440911
A “‘romantasy’ with elaborate world-building, discernible inspiration from Game of Thrones, and class divides” (plus, a sentient dog), comes with possible side-effects: “a rampant desire to watch Game of Thrones, wariness of gendered power imbalances, and impatience for an adventurous sequel.” —Jessica Poon reviews Realm of Thieves, by Karina Halle (Toronto: Ace, 2025) 9780593819821 / $25.99
Simultaneously black- and warmhearted, a Victoria author’s sophomore novel satirizes corporate culture. In it, a nebbish hero simmers with fantasies of power and revenge… and then strikes a fateful bargain with dire consequences. —Ron Verzuh reviews Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World, by Mark Waddell (Toronto: Viking Canada, 2025) $26.95 / 9780735250321
A “surrealist and bizarre” (and hallucinatory) debut novella—set in a cheerless, labyrinthine bunker—shows great appeal in concept. Yet, the book’s realization and editorial slackness limit the book’s overall credibility. —Zoe McKenna reviews The Firmament, by Adam Parker (Middletown: Alien Buddha Press, 2025) $16.99 / 97898287359348
“In fact, gratitude is something I believe was on display in this enclave in the Coastal Room at the Gibson Public Market, an appreciation for the array of literary talent on the Sunshine Coast and across the province. That was certainly the message relayed by several literary award judges at this fifth annual event.” Trevor Marc Hughes reports on the recent Art & Words Festival events held in Gibsons this past weekend.
“Don’t mistake my criticisms of this book for my full opinion: there are reasons that I read both Unbalanced and Unbent in very quick succession. The plot kept me enthralled and even when certain moments pushed me out of the story, I was able to quickly jump back in and follow the sisters toward another danger. Formatting, sentence structure, and diction: all put together stunningly.” —Myshara McMyn reviews Unbent, by Courtney Shepard (Calgary: Champagne Book Group, 2025) $31.00 / 9781957228471
“We Are Dreams in the Eternal Machine demonstrates Béchard’s skill for thoughtful, purposeful prose in full force. Though the subject matter is challenging, and the structure is purposefully complex, elegant writing and earnest character development propel the story forward.” —Zoe McKenna reviews We Are Dreams in the Eternal Machine, by Deni Ellis Béchard (Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2025) $25.99 / 9781487013356
“A true standalone gothic fantasy, What Wakes the Bells is full of blood and guts, action, and of course, romance”: for YA readers, a striking debut. —Myshara McMyn reviews What Wakes the Bells, by Elle Tesch (New York: Feiwel & Friends, 2025) $26.99 / 9781250322807
Vunt and Oldo—squabbling sidekicks, current quest-mates, accidental traffickers—arrive in a town where wizards (power-hungry or deranged) vie for supremacy. With time travel thrown in, a charming maximalist tale grows a little overwhelming. —Sophia Wasylinko reviews Henchmen, by Matthew Hughes (Seattle: Amazon, 2025) $19.99 / 9781927880463
Third novel of a complex, magic- and power-laden series (this volume set in a parallel historical time) grabs attention and does not let go. But be sure to read books One and Two before Three, writes Myshara Herbert-McMyn in her review of Crest (The Call of the Rift, Book Three), by Jae Waller (Toronto: ECW Press, 2021) $23.95 / 9781770414587
At its best, a debut collection of 15 stories is deeply unsettling, anxiety-inducing, and memorably character-driven. —Zoe McKenna reviews I Will Wander On: Terrifying Tales of Life, Love, & Death, by Ron Prasad (Acheson: iUniverse, 2024) $30.95 / 9781663266477