The best new science fiction books of February 2026 30. January 2026 (14:00) We pick the sci-fi novels we’re most looking forward to reading this month, from a new Brandon Sanderson to the latest from Makana Yamamoto(New Scientist)
How an 1800s vaccine drive beat smallpox in Denmark in just 7 years 30. January 2026 (12:00) In the early 1800s, Denmark’s government, medical community, church leaders and school teachers all united to promote the new smallpox vaccine, which led to a remarkably quick elimination of the disease in the capital(New Scientist)
Our verdict on Annie Bot: This novel about a sex robot split opinions 30. January 2026 (10:22) Members of the New Scientist Book Club give their take on Sierra Greer's award-winning science-fiction novel Annie Bot, our read for February – and the needle swings wildly from positive to negative(New Scientist)
Read an extract from Juice by Tim Winton 30. January 2026 (10:15) In this extract from the February read for the New Scientist Book Club, we meet the protagonist of Tim Winton’s Juice, driving across a scorched landscape in a future version of Australia(New Scientist)
Tim Winton: 'Sometimes I think we use the word dystopia as an opiate' 30. January 2026 (10:10) The New Scientist Book Club's February read is Tim Winton's novel Juice, set in a future Australia that is so hot it is almost unliveable. Here, the author lays out his reasons for writing it – and why he doesn't see it as dystopian(New Scientist)
This doctor is on the hunt for people with first-rate faeces 30. January 2026 (10:00) Elizabeth Hohmann is very interested in faeces, and spends her days sifting through stools to find those that could make the biggest difference to other people's health(New Scientist)
