Bloomsbury Archer: New Fantasy and Sci-Fi Imprint by Laura
We have really enjoyed expanded our Fantasy and Sci-Fi offering at Books on the Hill over the last several months and are happy to say the response from you all has been brilliant - they are floating off the shelves as if by magic! As the resident fantasy enthusiast among the booksellers, I was thrilled to hear that Bloomsbury have announced they are launching a new imprint which will showcase a huge range of speculative fiction: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, myth retellings and speculative romance.
Their first release in September will be Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon, the highly anticipated sequel to the prequel (itself a prequel – epic fantasy timelines at their finest!) and the third in her Roots of Chaos cycle. These wonderfully epic books, which are inspired by the legend of Saint George and the Dragon, are brilliant explorations of good vs evil, love, power and destiny – as well as some incredible dragons!
Also, in September we will see the publication of Alan Moore’s, (of graphic novel fame: V for Vendetta, From Hell, Watchmen) paperback The Great When. The first in a planned five book series and set in post WWII London, The Great When features a young second-hand bookseller who acquires a dangerous book which comes from a disturbing and magical version of London that exists outside of time and space.
In November, the debut novel of Natasha Siegel, As Many Souls as Stars – a gothic historical romance beginning in 16th century Suffolk sees an alchemist’s daughter and a shadow demon weave in and out of each other’s lives over many generations.
And in April 2026, we can very much look forward to Sam Beckbessinger’s Femme Ferale, which is gloriously and hilariously described as a Jekyll-and-Hyde ‘female rage horror’ about a high-flying CEO whose perimenopause symptoms are actually signs of her transition into something far wilder.
We can’t wait to have these exciting books on the shelfs when they come out and eager await the future favourites Bloomsbury Archer will bring us in the coming years. Come in soon and have a browse of our sci-fi and fantasy sections – we look forward to seeing you!