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  "description": "Some more exciting books to check out this month. ",
  "path": "/sci-fi-fantasy-horror-books-february-2026-ashton-okorafor-mcauley/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-19T16:01:33.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.andrewliptak.com",
  "tags": [
    "_Footfall_",
    "leaving a tip",
    "here",
    "_After the Fall_",
    "_The Rainseekers_",
    "says",
    "_Loss Protocol_",
    "_The Halter_",
    "_The Daughter Who Remains_",
    "_Who Fears Death_",
    "_She Who Knows_",
    "_One Way Witch_",
    "_The Iron Garden Sutra_",
    "starred review",
    "_The Red Winter_",
    "_The Obake Code_"
  ],
  "textContent": "I've been behind on my reading so far this year, but I have been enjoying what I've got on my TBR. Currently at the top of the list is a much older book: _Footfall_ by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. I came across it in a Reddit thread, where it was described as a plausible, hard science fiction alien invasion novel, which piqued my interest. It's pretty zippy and very much a product of the Reagan era, but it's really holding my interest.\n\nPlus, it has a wonderfully pulpy cover:\n\nImage: Andrew Liptak\n\nIt's certainly giving me lots to think about, especially as I'm planning on doing a little more writing about alien invasions later on this spring/summer. Stay tuned for that.\n\nHere's the usual plug: this newsletter is free to read, but it does cost time and resources to put together. Here's what goes into these lists:\n\n  * I start off the year with 12 shells, and as I get press releases, advanced reviewer copies, come across book announcements / cover reveals / articles / recommendations, I add them up.\n  * From there, I look at what books on that list really speak to me, and what might be of interest to you, the reader, and I whittle it down to a manageable number, generally around 15-18. If it gets longer, I'll split it into two lists.\n  * From there, I take a look at the books, read bits and pieces from them, look up reviews, and write up the captions, and add in links from Bookshop.org.\n  * I'll then gather up whatever finished / advance copies I've got and photograph them for the header picture. (Except for today, because I didn't get any of these ones.)\n  * Write it up, proof it, and send it out to you.\n\n\n\nI hear from folks that these lists are a good way for them to find their latest favorites. I'm always glad to hear that: I write these lists because I like sharing cool-looking books to people who might like them.\n\nIf you want to help support this work, please consider signing up as a supporting member, or by leaving a tip.\n\nIn the meantime, February's brought a solid crop of newer books along with it to check out. You can see the first list for February here, and posts for prior months here.\n\nHere are eight that caught my eye for you to check out over the rest of the month:\n\n### _After the Fall_ by Edward Ashton (February 24th)\n\nIn Edward Ashton's latest, humanity was conquered by aliens more than a century ago, and one survivor, John, has a mantra to ensure that he stays alive: \"Humans must be silent. Humans must be obedient. Humans must be good.\" He's bonded to one of the \"good\" aliens, Martok Barden, also known as Black Hand, who's treated him decently.\n\nHowever, when Martok decides to go build a wilderness retreat for his wealthier counterparts, he puts John up as collateral, and the human finds the limits of what that friendship was, and discovers what life is like for a lot of other people. He also has to contend with something in the woods that's been killing people. He has sixty days before Martok's loan comes due to figure out how to not only ensure that the alien's plan works, but also how humanity ended up in the state that it is.\n\n### _The Rainseekers_ by Matthew Kressell (February 17th)\n\nAn influencer named Sakunja Salazar was able to earn incredible wealth and status and bring her family out of poverty, only to crash hard because of addiction. She's given a new chance when an editor came across her photography and offered her an opportunity to accompany an expedition to Mars, where they'd get to witness the first rainfall. She's now tasked with boosting others, and discovers a whole new world and sense of awe at the experience.\n\nWriting in _New Scientist_ , Emily H. Wilson says \"Kressel is very good at telling people’s stories, powerfully and in just a few words, and that gives the novella some heft.\"\n\n### _Loss Protocol_ by Paul McAuley (February 12th)\n\nIt took eight years, but Marc Winters has finally been able to put the downfall of a dangerous cult behind him, becoming a wildlife ranger on a quiet island, where he's working to help preserve the place against a backdrop of climate change and bad weather.\n\nThat quiet life is interrupted when his narrowboat is robbed and the police come to investigate. He soon finds that everything he thought he knew about the cult and his sister's involvement was wrong, and the police think that he might have some information into their dealings.\n\n### _The Halter_ by Darby McDevitt (February 17th)\n\nKennedy Stark is a \"halter\" – someone who tracks down people lost in virtual reality, and sometimes pulls people out before it kills them. After one rescue attempt goes south, he's offered a new job: track down a software engineer named Delia Wash – Kennedy's ex – who vanished in a program called \"The Forum.\"\n\nHe slips in and finds that it's different than he expected: a place for cutting-edge research and thinking, but one where corruption is rampant. As he searches, he finds that Delia was working on a new project that could transform The Forum, and that not everyone was eager to see that happen.__\n\n_Publishers Weekly_ says \"McDevitt’s Chandleresque protagonist finds the path to halting Delia’s immersion challenging and hazardous, creating a gripping and twisty mystery for readers.\"\n\n## Sign up for Transfer Orbit\n\nA newsletter about science fiction, reading, and the future\n\nSubscribe\n\nEmail sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup.\n\nNo spam. Unsubscribe anytime.\n\n### _The Daughter Who Remains_ by Nnedi Okorafor (February 17th)\n\nNnedi Okorafor closes out the story that she began with her Africanfuturist breakout _Who Fears Death_ __ and continued with _She Who Knows_ __ and _One Way Witch_.\n\nIn _She Who Knows_ , Okorafor filled in the story of Najeeba, a sorceress who had The Call, and she set off from her village to mine salt at the Dead Lake, where she finds that her presence on the road has a profound effect on everything. In the second, _One Way Witch_ , Najeeba had become the kponyungo, the beast of wind, fire and dust, but eventually settled into a life where she married and had a daughter, Onyesonwu (the lead character in _Who Fears Death_).\n\nShe's now on a path to track down and kill the demon spirit that had been terrorizing her father's family, and accompanied by a glassmaker and a camel, she's headed back to where everything began, where she'll be forced to face her deepest fears.\n\n_Kirkus Reviews_says \"this is a page-turning novella for all the mothers and daughters faced with impossible tasks who have the resolve to carry on anyway, a fable-like story about how to walk straight into the storm, face insurmountable challenges, and fight for freedom.\"\n\n### _The Iron Garden Sutra_ by A. D. Sui (February 24th)\n\nVessel Iris, a member of the Starlit Order, is tasked with performing funeral rites across the galaxy. While he finds his work fulfilling, he's also lonely. When a long-lost starship called the _Counsel of Nicaea_ is rediscovered, he's assigned to the mission to study it, and to work to put its long-dead crew to rest.\n\nWhen he arrives on the ship, he finds himself at odds with his fellow expedition members, who react to his work with amusement and downright hostility. They also discover that the ship has turned into something of a forest, with sentient vines covering the entire thing. They're also hiding something that's been capturing the newcomers one by one...\n\n_Library Journal_ gave the book a starred review, saying \"Sui’s elaborate novel takes a locked-room murder mystery into outer space. Exploring themes of faith and philosophy, evolution and self-awareness, Sui creates a beautifully crafted world, sprinkled with a bit of horror and romance.\"\n\n### _The Red Winter_ by Cameron Sullivan (February 24th)\n\nDecades ago, monster hunter Professor Sebastian Grave attempted to hunt down a creature known as the Beast of Gévaudanin the 1760s after it went on a rampage through France. With the help of a demon that resided inside of him, he was able to take it down, something that nearly killed him in the process.\n\nTwo decades later, he receives terrible news: the Beast has returned, and it's resumed killing. He's been called back by an ex-lover named Antoine Avenel d’Ocerne to try and finish it off for good. Upon his return to Gévaudan, he finds a changed landscape: reminders of his past failures are everywhere, and the local clergy are wary of his tactics. But should he fail, the Beast will bring chaos to Europe.\n\n_Kirkus Reviews_ gave the book a starred review, calling it \"a delightful, genre-defying debut.\"\n\n### _The Obake Code_ by Makana Yamamoto (February 17th)\n\nMalia got away with a huge heist that has her set for life. She's now living it up in a great apartment on Kepler Station, but something's missing, and she's bored. She had been living as the most infamous hacker in the galaxy, and misses the highs and lows of her previous life.\n\nWhen she goes and rigs a couple of fights, she finds herself on the bad side of a brutal gang leader. Instead of a beat-down, she's \"offered\" a new gig: take down a promising, up-and-coming politician to get him out of the way, or get killed. She takes the job, and pulls in some old friends for it, only to find that there's a much bigger conspiracy at play, and he has to figure out how to get out of the way of what's coming.\n\n* * *\n\nThanks for reading. Let me know in the comments what catches your eye and what you're currently reading!",
  "title": "Eight more science fiction and fantasy books to check out this February",
  "updatedAt": "2026-02-19T16:03:04.931Z"
}