Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Strife will be a highlight of March Joby Sessions/SFX Magazine/Future via Getty Images I may have to eat my hat later, but I reckon 2026 is shaping up to be an excellent year for science fiction. With eight months of books announced, the table is already loaded with delightful offerings. In January, we welcome new books from two big hitters. There is Peter F. Hamilton’s A Hole in the Sky, the first in an ark ship trilogy, and a change of pace for the author, who made his name with sprawling, science-heavy, brain-warping books. This one is short and straightforward, written from the point of view of a teenage girl. Hamilton hopes his current fans will enjoy the book, which is aimed at a younger audience. The novel is also a change in terms of its publishing schedule, since all three books will be published this year – the second in June, the third in December. It will be interesting to see how that works for readers. Our second big arrival …