If you’re not reading books in translation, you’re cutting yourself off from most of the planet’s best writers. Only a tiny percentage of authors published in languages other than English get their works translated, which is a shame, but the more we read and promote books in translation, the more will get published. Whatever your reading taste, there are books in translation that you’ll love—it’s not just literary fiction.
That’s why task #21 of the 2026 Read Harder Challenge is “Read a genre (SFF, horror, mystery, romance) book in translation.” Below, I’ve highlighted a title or two in a range of genres. Some are harder to find than others: Nordic noir and Japanese horror, for example, are whole subgenres to themselves, while romance in translation is difficult to find. Let us know in the comments: what are your favorite genre books in translation?
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Romance in Translation:
Pioneer Summer by Kateryna Sylvanova and Elena Malisova, translated by Anne O. Fisher
This gay romance by a Ukrainian-Russian author team was the bestselling novel in Russia in 2022. By December, it was banned under a new Russian law against “gay propaganda,” and the authors were forced to flee the country. Now it’s available in English. Pioneer Summer follows Yurka’s summer at Pioneer Camp, where he meets Volodya. The teenagers can’t deny their feelings for each other, but they know their relationship would be illegal. 20 years later, Yury returns to the defunct camp to reminisce—and finds out that the end of that summer wasn’t the end of their love story. —Danika Ellis
Fantasy in Translation:
Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-Il Kim, translated by Anton Hur
This English translation of an epic, high-fantasy adventure follows three unlikely heroes who work to subvert the overwhelming power of the Empire. For years, undead sorcerers have conquered and unified the world under one regime. Loran, a swordswoman on a path for revenge against the empire, secures a dragon’s fang weapon to dismantle her enemies. Cain is ready to start a war if it means finding out who murdered the mentor who saved him as an orphan on the streets. Arienne is a sorcerer waiting to die for the empire until she begins to hear the voice of a powerful necromancer who challenges her to live. One by one, their individual actions may just disrupt the existing power system. —R. Nassor
All Access members, read on for sci-fi, mysteries, thrillers, and horror novels in translation.
Science Fiction in Translation:
I’m Waiting for You and Other Stories by Bo-Young Kim, translated by Sophie Bowman and Sung Ryu
I’m Waiting for You is a sci-fi short story collection that follows two interconnected storylines. The first is about a couple who are trying to coordinate their own space missions so that they can arrive on Earth at the same time and finally get married. The other storyline follows these godlike creatures—who are responsible for life on Earth—as they take a look at humanity and ponder philosophical questions about existence and free will. Kim Bo-Young is a famous SFF author from South Korea, and I’m so glad her work is being translated, because I wouldn’t want to miss any of these stories! —Rey Rowland
Mystery in Translation:
The Man Who Died Seven Times by Yasuhiko Nishizawa, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
Translated from Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood, Yasuhiko Nishizawa’s novel is a murder mystery with a fun twist. Hisataro’s life has what he’s come to call “traps”: without any rhyme or reason, a day will randomly repeat itself seven times. Every one of the seven days will be the same, and no one else can change that, except him. Now his family has been reunited, and they discover that his grandfather keeps changing his will and who inherits the family business. This news happens right before Hisataro’s grandfather is murdered, which coincides with the start of the same day repeating itself. —Jamie Canaves
Thrillers in Translation:
The Night of Baba Yaga by Akira Otani, translated by Sam Bett
In 1979, Tokyo, outcast Yoriko Shindo is kidnapped by the Naiki-kai, a branch of the yakuza. After she fights off multiple men in an escape attempt, she is allowed to live under the condition that she becomes the bodyguard and personal driver for the gang boss’ daughter, Shoko Naiki. Recognizing that both she and Shoko are surrounded by men with a passion for violence, Yoriko becomes determined to use any means necessary to fight her way out of captivity and to a better life for both of them. —Katie Moench
Home Before Dark by Eva Bjorg Ægisdóttir, translated by Victoria Cribb
Translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb, Eva Bjorg Ægisdóttir’s novel follows Marsi and the missing case of her sister from a decade before. In the late ‘60s, Marsi was set to meet a pen pal who she’d been writing to while pretending to be her older sister, Stína. But instead of Marsi meeting him, her sister Stína disappeared from the meeting spot, leaving blood behind. Now, a decade later, there’s still no news on her sister, but Marsi receives a letter from her old pen pal… —Jamie Canaves
Horror in Translation:
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi, translated by Jonathan Wright
This novel weaves speculative elements with some good old-fashioned horror. Frankenstein in Baghdad is the story of a scavenger named Hadi. He collects human body parts and stitches them together to create a single corpse. One day, this corpse goes missing. Coincidentally, a horrendous-looking murderer is plaguing the streets. Oh, and reports say that bullets barely tickle him. It won’t be long before Hadi realizes he created a monster — and only he will be able to stop it. —Rey Rowland
The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir, translated by Mary Robinette Kowal
Iðunn suffers from constant fatigue, but doctors can find no cause with medical tests and thus dismiss her concerns. Her family and friends have become fonts of helpful but ultimately useless advice—except the person who suggests she buy a step-counting watch. And the watch reveals that during the night while she was supposedly asleep, she took 40,000 steps. Soon, she begins waking up with injuries, each more concerning than the last, and no one will believe her. —Alex Acks
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