3 Long-Dormant Book Series Returning in 2026 (No One Saw #1 Coming)

Returning to a book series after a long time away can be comforting, and many readers do this through re-reads. However, it’s even more exciting to revisit favorite worlds when long-dormant series make comebacks. There are a few instances of this happening in 2026, giving readers multiple opportunities to connect with beloved characters and stories once more.

The most obvious example comes from one of the biggest romantasy series out there, which is roaring back to life with more content than anyone anticipated. A long-awaited fantasy sequel is also coming out, and there’s one 2026 return that nobody saw coming — but it’s easily the most interesting means of reviving a series.

3) A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas

It’s been five years since Sarah J. Maas last released a book in the Court of Thorns & Roses series, with A Court of Silver Flames hitting shelves in 2021. Maas is about to make up for lost time with a super-sized addition to the ACOTAR world, though, as her next story will span three books. Two of them will be out within the next year, with the first installment arriving on October 27. After the lengthy and sometimes frustrating wait for ACOTAR 6, this is easily going to be one of the biggest romantasy releases of the year. Its follow-up, which will continue the story (but not in a traditional trilogy format), will be out on January 12. And hopefully, we’ll have news of the last release by then. Although plot details remain sparse, it’s going to be a massive return to Prythian after so much time away.

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2) Villains by V.E. Schwab

With Vicious debuting in 2013 and Vengeful arriving in 2018, fans of V.E. Schwab’s Villains series are used to waits between releases — and for a long time, most of us weren’t expecting sequels at all. Schwab has one more addition to this story coming in 2026, however, eight years after the most recent book’s release. Victorious, the finale to this fantasy series, will make its debut on October 6. Vengeful‘s ending raises questions about where things will go from here, but Victorious‘ synopsis promises the rivalry between Victor and Eli isn’t done just yet. And regardless of where it’s headed, longtime fans of Schwab’s series are bound to dive in.

1) Divergent by Veronica Roth

Since bidding farewell to her hit dystopian series in Allegiant and Four, Veronica Roth has been focused on other fantasy and dystopian releases. And given how Allegiant ends, few readers ever expected her to return to Divergent. However, she recently announced that she’s headed back to that world — this time, with a two-part addition to the sci-fi series that will reimagine the original story completely. The first installment, titled The Sixth Faction, will release on October 6. It will take place in an alternate universe, with Tris becoming factionless instead of joining Dauntless. Naturally, then, it will be a very different adventure from the one that dominated the dystopian genre in the 2010s. It’s an intriguing concept, and hopefully, it’ll give Tris and Four a slightly happier ending. (We can dream, can’t we?)

Are you excited about any of these returning series? Leave a comment and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!