Congratulations! You’ve survived another year. And for that you deserve a reward. Now, if you’re anything like me, you’ll already have a stack of books to read after the festive season. But what TBR is complete without *one more book*? Certainly not mine. And it looks like 2022 will have enough books on the way to satisfy any reader. And when you’re not reading, I’m sure there’ll be some television to watch too. And if you don’t know what’s coming your way, here’s a handy primer.

JANUARY

Throughout January, The Expanse will continue to air its final season.

1st: Doctor Who: Eve of the Daleks. The somewhat obligatory Dalek New Year’s Special follows on from Flux with the promise of a time loop. Hopefully more self-contained than the previous series, and I’m looking forward to it.

3rd: Manticore Ascendant #4: A Call to Insurrection, by David Weber, Timothy Zahn, and Thomas Pope. The latest Honorverse novel, and a return to the early days of Manticore’s expansion into space.

4th: Star Wars: The High Republic #3: The Fallen Star, by Claudia Gray. I haven’t been keeping up with the High Republic story arc, but with three novels now out, it’s probably time to remedy that situation.

11th: The Cruel Stars #2: The Shattered Skies, by John Birmingham. Sequel to The Cruel Stars. I’ve got a review copy of this one, so be on the lookout for a full review very soon.

20th: The Bookkeeper’s Skull, by Justin D Hill. Warhammer Horror has been more miss than hit for me so far, but Hill’s phenomenal Traitor Rock makes this a definite purchase.

TBA: The Twice Dead King #2: Reign, by Nate Crowley. The sequel to Ruin is guaranteed to bring more tragicomedy to the world of the necrons, and promises an engagement with Imperial forces.

TBA: Krieg, by Steve Lyons. Returning to the regiment that found fame in Dead Men Walking, Lyons brings a new story from the bleakest world in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

TBA: The Triumph of Saint Katherine, by Danie Ware. The first full novel from the modern mistress of the Sisters of Battle, this will see a limited edition release, and hopefully a regular hardback later in the year.

FEBRUARY

3rd: Day of Ascension, by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky’s Warhammer 40,000 debut, this tale of genestealers could will be the tyranid PoV novel I thought we’d never get.

15th: Stars and Bones #1: Stars and Bones, by Gareth L. Powell. The start of a new space opera series from the author of Embers of War.

22nd: 31st: The Misift Soldier, by Michael Mammay. A new, standalone piece of military SF from the man who wrote the Planetside trilogy. This one looks a little lighter in tone, and is sure to be a lot of fun.

TBA: Star Trek: Picard: Season 2. The return of Q and a trip back in time promises a very different outing for Patrick Stewart.

TBA: Cadian Blood, by Aaron Dembski-Bowden. The reissue of this fan favourite is sure to please readers looking for their next slice of grimdark military SF

MARCH

15th: The Expanse: Memory’s Legion, by James S.A. Corey. A collection of all the short fiction written for the series over the years, along with a final novella to wrap up the epic that concluded in 2021.

17th: Gazhghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh!, by Nate Crowley. A Warhammer 40,000 Ork novel, previously released as a limited edition, and now available as a regular hardback.

APRIL

14th: Sun Eater #4: Kingdoms of Death, by Christopher Ruocchio. Perhaps my most anticipated release of the year, in which the tragedy of Hadrian Marlowe continues. The fifth book and a second short story collection are both provisionally set for release later this year.

28th: The Final Architecture #2: The Eyes of the Void, by Adrian Tchaikovsky. The sequel to Shards of Earth, this one promises more unique alien weirdness and solid space opera action.

MAY

10th: Star Wars: Brotherhood, by Mike Chen. A novel following Anakin and Obi-Wan? Yes please. I don’t know all that much about this one, but I do know I’m looking forward to it. Yet another reason I need to get back into Star Wars.

17th: Star Trek: Picard: Second Self, by Una McCormack. McCormack’s second Picard novel is the first set after the events of the first season. this one follows breakout character Raffi Musiker.

26th: Ghost Dossier #1: The Vincula Insurgency, by Dan Abnett. A return to the early days of Gaunt’s Ghosts. previously published as a limited edition, and now available as a regular hardback

JUNE

28th: Dune: Sands of Dune, by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson. The second collection of short fiction and novellas from the duo’s sprawling expansion of Frank Herbert’s classic series.

28th: Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith, by Adam Christopher. Promising to fill in gaps between episodes 6 and 7, this one features Luke and Lando, which is a combination we really haven’t seen enough of.

JULY

26th: Newbury & Hobbes #6: The Albion Initiative, by George Mann. The much-delayed conclusion to the best of British Steampunk,  this one has been on my wishlist for a long time.

AUGUST

30th: Frontlines #8: Centres of Gravity, by Marko Kloos. Picking up where Orders of Battle left off, the second phase of Kloos’ saga is set to deliver more action and military SF goodness.

ALSO THIS YEAR

Cagey as ever, Black Library have teased a number of releases for 2022 without confirming any dates. Robert Rath’s Assassinorum: Kingmaker is at the top of that list, closely followed by Mike Brooks’ Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom and Justin Woolley’s Catachan Devil, and there’s always a small chance that Dan Abnett’s eagerly anticipated sequels Interceptor City and Pandaemonium will see the light of day. I’m also confident that Black Library will have a few surprise releases this year as they do every year.

In television news, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is all-but confirmed for this year, alongside another series of Lower Decks. Not to be outdone, there’s a possible triple threat from Star Wars in the form of a third season of The Mandalorian, as well as debuts for Kenobi and Andor. None of that is confirmed, of course, but I’d be surprised if we didn’t get some news on them this year. Later in the year, we’re also set to see Jodie Whittaker’s departure from the lead role in Doctor Who, and perhaps the announcement of her successor.

This year should see the release of the final book in both the Dune: Caladan and Skyward series, though neither has a set date yet. I’ve also got my fingers crossed for more Jack Campbell, the fourth in Marko Kloos’ other series. And that’s not even getting into the authors currently between series that I hope to see more of.