Meryl Streep is our next Aslan.

“I wanted someone who was older than 70, so there was a wisdom of experience, but who also had the capacity of fresh wonder, like a child,” Greta Gerwig told Empire in a first-look. Oh, and it had to be one of the greatest actors to play the role. Enter Streep.

We’re learning more about Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, and if the Streep casting was news to you, here’s everything else we know about the adaptation so far:

• David Bowie helped inspire Aslan’s look and the essence of the film
• In addition to Streep, the cast includes Daniel Craig, Carey Mulligan, and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
• Empire published an exclusive first look at the film’s rock opera stylings

Narnia is literally a world made out of music. It is a world sung to life by Aslan, and rock ’n’ roll to me felt like a world made out of music.”
— Greta Gerwig

• The film is set in post-war 1950s Britain
• The adaptation is based on the 6th book in the series, but the story chronologically comes first
• It will be Netflix’s first movie to get a wide theatrical release
• It premieres in theaters and IMAX on February 12, 2027 with sneak previews on February 10th
• Its streaming release is set for April 2, 2027
• It’s been about 15 years since the release of the last Narnia adaption, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• Gerwig has brought the Barbie composers back to create the original Narnia score
• Gerwig read the source material as a child

I’m willing to get over my enduring fear of the White Witch to watch this one. — SZW

Book award committees have an impossible job, and not just because art is subjective. Take, for instance, the three components of the National Book Foundation’s mission:

• To celebrate the best literature published in the United States,
• Connect books with readers of all ages, and
• Champion the literary arts as a vital part of our culture

There’s an inherent, unacknowledged tension between the first two goals: the books that are most likely to connect with a wide range of readers are seldom the ones considered to have the most literary merit.

• In the former camp, you’ll find Colleen Hoover, Theo of Golden, BookTok trends, and Dungeon Crawler Carl.
• In the latter, look for literary fiction, critical darlings, and the kinds of books that get men accused of performative reading.

These are gross generalizations, yes, but they point to a real divide in reading culture. The most popular books are rarely the best ones, and that’s why it is so exciting when writers like Colson Whitehead, Lauren Groff, Douglas Stuart, Percival Everett, Jesmyn Ward, Tayari Jones, and Emily St. John Mandel break through.

A healthy literary ecosystem needs both commercial hits and critical successes, and IMO, book award committees do their best work serving Art and readers when they reward books that land in the sweet spot of both good and popular.

Listen as we assess this year’s National Book Award longlist for fiction and discuss what a book award should be on the Book Riot Podcast. — RJS

Books about the ragtag crew of a spaceship or an underdog having adventures and fighting evil are one of the more popular science fiction subgenres.

It’s so fun to read about them using what little resources they have to save the day. Sometimes, the resources the scrappy heroes use are literally scraps. Whatever’s on hand, they’re going to win.

So for all you fans of the underdog, like in Firefly, Star Wars, or The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, here are five fun sci-fi novels about the protagonists using their wits and whatever else is available to fight the good fight.

• Boltguns and Duct Tape by Jamie McFarlane: When a spaceship crashes in a WWII vet’s cornfield, angering the Galactic Empire, he decides to put together his own ship to take on the Empire himself.
• Exordia by Seth Dickinson: An office worker and a serpent alien—along with a ragtag group of scientists and soldiers—work together to decipher a mysterious broadcast and stop the world from ending.
• Star Wars: Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse: In this Star Wars tie-in novel written by a Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award–winning author, the wounded heroes of the Resistance must band back together after defeat in order to take on the Empire once more.
• The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente: On an Earth mostly filled with water, garbage is all that is left. When Tetley meets a stranger and learns a secret, she sees it as her chance to redeem herself and save what is left of humanity.
• The Salvage Crew by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne: Scraps are literally the job description for the crew of this fun sci-fi novel! A salvage mission goes wrong when the team is forced to fight a feral planet that could destroy humanity. —LH

Whether or not going analog was one of your resolutions or goals this year, there’s nothing quite like a fresh new hobby book to get you excited to make things with your hands. With fall imminent, there’s no better time than now to plan your fall TBR with these nonfiction books about arts, crafts, cooking, and more. 

Here’s a look at some new hobby books and some you’ll want to preorder or request from your library ASAP:

→ Cozy Hobbies by Kennedy (Cozy K) Rose: This is the book to pick up if you’re looking to get into a new hobby. You’ll find 45 different hobby ideas, ranging from gem painting to foraging, tabletop gaming to junk journaling.

→ Essential Guide to Plant Propagation by ​​American Horticultural Society (Oct 6): Curious about plants? This book will teach you how to propagate and care for your newest leafy friends. 

→ Foods of La Frontera by Pati Jinich: La Frontera is where Mexico and the United States connect, and Jinich’s book is a collection of 125 recipes that explore this rich and delicious cultural landscape.

→ A Hoop of Threads and Longing by Hilary Leslie: Attention romantasy fans: this book features 20 embroidery projects tailored to your favorite literary genre. Stitch dragons, daggers, star-crossed lovers, and more.

→ Learn to Watercolor Adorable Animals by Lacey Walker: Find 20 beginner-friendly adorable animals to watercolor. Bonus: it includes a watercolor pad with sketches so you don’t even need to draw if you don’t want to. 

→ No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World by Meherwan Irani and Jamie Feldmar: 100 recipes by a James Beard Award winning chef showcasing the best of Indian street, truck stop, and palace food? Scrumptious–and the photos are drool-worthy on their own. 

→ The Unordinary Book of Ideas by Half-Asleep Chris (Nov 24): This book is packed with fun and off-beat projects that encourage boundless creativity and experimentation. Create imaginary transit maps, toys for your pets, and more. 

For family fun, I can’t not include Richard Scarry’s Busy Busy Cookbook by Richard Scarry (Nov 3). You’ll find recipes designed to be made by people of any age, all inspired by the beloved classic Scarry characters. Lowly Worm’s Apple Car! Ma Dog’s Cherry Pie! Fun AND Yum. – KJ

“Folklore and horror go together like blood and flesh.” It’s a line so good, I’m mad I didn’t write it myself. From ghost stories told around a campfire to fables and folk stories sanitized by the folks at Disney (Little Mermaid – lookin’ at you), so many of our favorite pieces of mythology and folklore have terrifying origins.  

Some of the best horror being published today is rooted in folklore and mythology, or revolves around the horror of a tale or myth that has evolved over time. Whether you’re a dedicated horror reader who already likes your myths and folk tales with a side of cold terror, or a mythology and folklore enthusiastic in the mood for something scary, add these mythology- and folklore-inspired horror reads to your fall TBR, curated by Lyndsie Manusos.

• Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part 2 edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.: Discover another banger lineup of Indigenous authors in this horror anthology follow-up.
• Skin Folk: Stories by Nalo Hopkinson: This collection from a spec fic master includes stories inspired by Caribbean folklore, chilling superstitions, and mind-blowing sci-fi.
• The Winter Folk by Jen Julian: Gothic horror meets Appalachian folklore. Consider your spine tingled.
• Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado: Worth the price of admission for “The Husband Stitch” alone, inspired by the story of the woman with the green ribbon around her neck.

Add the full list of mythology- and folklore-inspired horror to your TBR. —VD

Libbie Grant is the author of The Ended World, out now from Galiot Press. Below, she recommends three novels about humanity’s relationship with thinking machines.

When I first began writing my novel The Ended World, I never imagined I’d see some of the themes play out in real time shortly before the book’s release. The Ended World is a literary novel that follows two characters whose ideas about technology and spirituality are challenged when an AI appears to have gained consciousness.

Now, we’re seeing echoes of the plot as major publications debate the possibility of AI consciousness and tech companies invest in hiring psychologists, ethicists, and philosophers to guide their decision-making.

The Ended World asks the question of what it means to be human here and now, at the beginning of the age of AI. I explored that idea in a few ways with my story, but I’m not the first author to tackle the subject.

Here are three great novels that examine humanity’s relationship with thinking machines:

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger: This Oprah’s Book Club pick appeared on many Best Books of the Year lists in 2025, with good reason. A tense family drama exploring the aftermath of an accident involving an AI-driven minivan, it’s a deeply moving portrait of a family trying to hold onto their humanity in the face of technological encroachment and overbearing capitalism.

Speak by Louisa Hall: A complex, engrossing narrative that weaves across time and space and multiple seemingly unrelated characters, each involved in surprising ways with the creation of lifelike dolls imbued with artificial intelligence.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro: Klara is an AI-powered android waiting in a store for a human to choose her. It’s such a touching exploration of the need for love and belonging. The fact that such human emotions are explored through the character of a non-human intelligence somehow makes it all the more impactful.

Did you know? Perhaps unsurprisingly, the first movie Stephen King ever saw was a horror movie. Perhaps surprisingly, he said that movie was Bambi.

Here are the best new picture books and novels for kids.

Turn back time with a power ranking of the books of 2006.

Read up on the nominees for the National Book Awards.

New research confirms reading is good for your mental health.

This list of favorite book quotes isn’t as predictable as you might think.

Written by Rebecca Schinsky, Sharifah Williams, Danika Ellis, Kelly Jensen, Liberty Hardy, Vanessa Diaz, and Jeff O’Neal. Thanks to Vanessa Diaz for copy editing.

Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here.

_{Got a tip, question, comment, or story idea? Drop us a line: thenewsletter@bookriot.com}