Looking to refresh your TBR pile? July 21st brings a fresh batch of incredible new releases across Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, and YA—featuring the most talked-about books landing on shelves this week.
Whether your taste leans toward mind-bending speculative worlds, dark magical realms, heart-pounding scares, or unputdownable YA adventures, this week’s lineup has something for every reader.
We’ve rounded up the standout titles you won’t want to miss so you can jump straight to your next great read. Hit subscribe to keep up with the best weekly book recs, and thanks for stopping by! We’ll see you next week with even more amazing titles!
Russell Kirkpatrick, 65, died June 26, 2026 in Canberra Hospital. He was diagnosed with aggressive melanoma.
Kirkpatrick was born April 11, 1961 in Christchurch, New Zealand. He received a PhD in geography from the University of Canterbury and was at separate times a lecturer at the University of Waikato and the University of Canberra. He wrote the Fire of Heaven series and the Husk series, the latter known as Broken Man in the US and UK. Fire of Heaven is Across the Face of the World (2004), In the Earth Abides the Flame (2004), and The Right Hand of God (2005). The Broken Man series is Path of Revenge (2007), Dark Heart (2008), and Beyond the Wall of Time (2008). All three Broken Man books won Sir Julius Vogel Awards. He also wrote Silent Sorrow (2021), the first and only title in the Book of Remezov series.
Titan US publicity director Katharine T. Carroll, 68, died June 28, 2026. The cause was attributed to aortic dissection.
Carroll was born Katharine Trowbridge in January 1958. She attended Manhattan Country School, Riverdale Country School, and Boston University and lived in New York City and Maine. She began work as a publicist in 1980 with Time Inc., formed her own publicity consulting company in 1990, then joined Titan Publishing Group’s US branch as a publicist in 2008. She went on to work for Titan for 18 years. She is survived by her three children and mother.
On July 20, the US District Court for the Northern District of California granted final approval of the $1.5 billion settlement proposed in class action suit Bartz v. Anthropic PBC, in which authors accused the Amazon-backed company of illegally obtaining and using their books to teach its AI system.
According to a Bloomberg report, Bartz v. Anthropic is “the largest copyright class action settlement in US history,” paying “about $3,100 per author of more than 480,000 works,” with claims being filed for 440,490, that were downloaded from Library Genesis and Pirate Library Mirror by Anthropic. $122 million of the settlement money will go toward attorneys and litigation costs.
Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin said the settlement “provides meaningful relief to the Settlement Class given the reasonable range of Class Members’ possible recoveries, especially since further litigation would likely be complex, expensive, lengthy, and risky. The estimated per-work payment of approximately $3,000 is four times the minimum statutory damages amount for willful infringement.”
Maria A. Pallante, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers, said in a statement:
We applaud the court’s final approval of this settlement, which represents an important victory in the larger battle to hold big tech accountable for its unscrupulous appropriation of intellectual and creative properties that clearly belong to authors and publishers. In this case, the court recognized that downloading from pirate sites is not a choice we should simply accept as an efficiency for the infringer; on the contrary, it’s abhorrent conduct that should never be normalized.
Nor should fair use extend to training, which can easily be licensed like every other digital use in the modern copyright economy. Tech companies might like a copyright law with a giant hole in the place of exclusive rights, but that law does not exist. Partnerships, not piracy, are the best path forward.
Westercon 80, to be held in 2028 by the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society (LASFS) in conjunction with Loscon 54, will officially be the final Westercon after voters at its 2026 business meeting ratified a motion to repeal its bylaws. Following Loscon 54/Westercon 80, the convention “will be deemed to have ‘returned its charter’ to the owner of the Westercon service mark, LASFS,” which will determine its future going forward.
Westercon’s press release cited a lack of bids to host the convention and the proliferation of localized conventions across western North America that “filled the same role that Westercon once held” as reasons behind its discontinuement. Active since 1948, Westercon will pay homage to its history with its final two events, a planned “retirement tour” spanning from the Bay Area to its birthplace in Los Angeles.
The penultimate Westercon (79) will be held jointly with BayCon 2027 at the Santa Clara Marriott in Santa Clara, California, July 2-5, 2027. For more information, visit Westercon’s website.
Following a “careful review,” Apex Magazinehas removed the story “Vigil of the Tenth Air” from Apex #153 amid skepticism around the author’s potential use of AI tools for its writing.
Though ultimately not selected for publication, a shortlisted story for Apex imprint Violet Lichen’s upcoming ECO25: the Year’s Best Speculative Ecofiction was also struck from website listings after it came to light that other work associated with the author’s pen name was “recently removed from several other short fiction publications under suspicion of AI usage.”
In response, Apex Book Company, Apex Magazine, and Violet Lichen announced plans to reevaluate their submission guidelines, including “refining the language” of its AI clause and “expanding” the team’s internal review processes to more ably respond to concerns around LLM usage. The editorial team clarified that they do not intend to use AI screening applications or request early drafting papers for evidence “in the event a piece is suspected of AI use after publication,” and will converse directly with the author(s) involved “to discuss the story in further detail” and come to an appropriate resolution.
The Apex team is resolved to apply the lessons learned both from our experience, and from the invaluable reports and statements compiled by fellow indie publishers, to fortify our submission process against AI-assisted work, and to continue uplifting strange, surreal, beautiful speculative fiction written with passion and care by humans, for humans.
This comes after the recent news covered by Locus concerning speculation that some of the regional winners of the Commonwealth Prize may have at least partially used AI to generate their work—the Commonwealth Foundation has since announced that they are “satisfied that AI was not used to write the winning stories” after an investigation—and Hachette’s March decision to pull horror novel Shy Girl by Mia Ballard from shelves after information alleging its contents were AI generated was shared with the company by the New York Times.
Noidanlanka by J. S. Meresmaa (Myllylahti), is the winner of the 2026 Tähtifantasia Award, presented by the Helsinki Science Fiction Society for the best Finnish fantasy book published in the previous year. Other nominees were:
Kuulotorvi, Leonora Carrington, tr. by Kristiina Drews (Kosmo)
Lumenlaulaja, Emmi Itäranta (Teos)
Kun aurinko kuoli, Yan Lianke, tr. Riina Vuokko (Rìxī)
Vahalapsi, Olga Ravn, tr. Sanna Manninen (Voksbarnet)
The 2026 jurors were Jukka Halme, Aleksi Kuutio, Osmo Määttä, and Niina Tolonen. For more information, see the official announcement.
Matt Haig announced on Instagram plans to open a “bookshop and coffee place” called Golden, to be located in Brighton UK in the Seven Dials neighborhood, which according to Haig does not currently have a bookshop. The shop aims to open “by Christmas.”
Haig said,
My belief, as someone who grew up in a town without a bookshop, is that all communities should have a bookshop because bookshops save civilisation and make life interesting. This bookshop will be about freedom. We won’t be pushing things we don’t
want to push. Just good books. Curated by me and people I trust. Mind-bending books. Tearful books. Banned books. Fun books. Graphic novels. Kids books. Grownup books. Really cool music and art books. Books with words. Books that have no words but are really gorgeous to flick through. Books that are actually vinyl records. The best dead and living writers. It will also have some comfy places to sit and drink some really good coffee. The occasional evening event. No stuffy vibes. No genre snobbery. No high/low book classism. You are welcome here. And so is your dog.
Since the announcement, Haig reported receiving over 200 applications and work enquiries, and has created an email to handle work enquiries: hello@thegoldenbookshop.com, though he says that “we are still in the early phases and won’t be able to respond to everyone and at this point don’t know yet everything we need.”
Visit our bookshop.org page to purchase this week’s new books and support your local bookstore. And us!
Anderson, Kevin J. & Longueira, Allyson: Into the Deep, Dark Woods (WordFire Press 978-1680578638, $29.99, 356pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 07/21/2026)
Original anthology of 28 all-new poems and stories of spooky wilderness in mix of SF, fantasy, and horror worlds. Authors include Sherilynn Kenyon, Charles De Lint, Jonathan Maberry, and Sebastien de Castell.
August, Riley: A Planet Called Happy (Penguin Random House UK/Del Rey UK 978-1529934908, £18.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 07/23/2026)
SF novel. Ellis goes to Planet Happy, a paradise that promises Happiness X — the trademarked secret to happiness — but his trip is interrupted by activists.
Anthology of 19 cosmic horror stories. Authors include Caitlín R. Kiernan, T. Kingfisher, Steve Rasmic Tem, and Paul Tremblay.
Ellis, Sami: Funerals Are for the Living (Abrams/Amulet 978-1419784736, $19.99, 320pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/21/2026)
Young-adult horror novel. When her sister dies, Junie is forced to inter her in Williamsville — named after a slavemaster who practiced dark magic — and gets entangled with a racist cult.
Golden, Christopher: Carry Me to My Grave (St. Martin’s 978-1250404527, $29.00, 336pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/21/2026)
Horror novel. Malcolm promises his dying mother, a rumored witch, to return her body to Maine; on the train there, evil forces erupt to keep him from fulfilling his oath. Simultaneous with the Titan UK edition.
Grove, S.E.: Armor for Liars (Simon & Schuster 978-1665983709, $21.99, 432pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/21/2026)
Young-adult fantasy novel. In a world where male enchanters claim dead female souls as servants, Clementine disguises as a boy and colludes with the vengeful spirit Sam.
SF adventure novella, second in the Volatile Memory duology. Wylla, her identity now erased from the Corporate Federation, joins the eco-resistance of the Edenic Order with her digital lover and and collaborator Sable.
Howe, Jenny L.: How (Not) to Renovate a Haunted House (Penguin Random House/Delacorte 978-0593809129, $12.99, 384pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/21/2026)
YA supernatural romance novel. Amity, trying to help her mom restore a delapidated haunted house, strikes a deal with handsome ghost-hunter and construction expert Theo.
Julian, Jen: The Winter Folk (Orbit US/Run For It 978-0316580496, $19.99, 384pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/21/2026)
Gothic horror novel. Every year, the mythical Winter Folk gather at a secret lodge in the Appalachians; former housekeeper Moth, expelled for decades, tries to find her way back to Mr. Oslin, the house’s master. A first novel.
Kim, Suji & namu: Under the Oak Tree, 3 (Penguin Random House/Inklore 978-0593871256, $32.00, 528pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/23/2026)
Fantasy romance novel, third part in the titular work. Worried for her war-bound husband Sir Riftan, Lady Maximilian escapes the monastery where she’s sheltered and crosses a country filled with monsters. Originally published as a webnovel by RidiBooks, 2017.
Kova, Elise: Prince of Swords (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 978-0593726372, $32.99, 560pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/21/2026)
Fantasy romance novel, second in the Arcana Academy series. Hiding her secret identity within the Arcana Academy, Clara grows closer to prince Kaelis and is drawn to the mysterious order of Worldkeepers. Simultaneous with the Hodderscape UK edition.
Laine, Jillian: Henry Tudor Must Die (Penguin Random House/Berkley 979-8217189717, $30.00, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/21/2026)
Fantasy novel. On the eve of her execution, sorceress Anne Boleyn is offered a deal by Henry VIII’s first wife, who’s part of a secret feminist society known as the Hellebore Sisterhood. Simultaneous with the Michael Joseph UK edition.
Young-adult fantasy romance novel, second in the Storm Weaver series. Before Blaze can be crowned Queen of the Aquatori, she must ally herself with Fox to find the Eye of the Soul. First US edition (Penguin UK 6/26).
Parry, H.G.: The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood (Orbit US/Redhook 978-0316588249, $19.99, 448pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 07/21/2026)
Historical fantasy novel. In 1941, people worldwide begin having connected dreams of King Arthur, while Elaine, a librarian sent to catalogue a collection in Wales, finds herself dreaming of the Lady of the Lake. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.
Young-adult horror novel. Cursed teen Harrow — who locks her personified emotions inside her mind — ventures with friends to a remote island only to be stranded there with an ominous presence.
Specht, Mary Helen: Mudlark (Penguin Random House/Ballantine 979-8217092499, $20.00, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/21/2026)
Post-apocalyptic SF novel. Jenny, a rocker whose band and marriage are crumbling, tries to find her missing daughter Neko; years later, Neko scavenges for resources in flooded Manhattan and finds Jenny’s lost solo album.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep the site paywall free, but WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT to continue quality coverage of the science fiction and fantasy field.
The most prominent debut this week is Brigette Knightley’s The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy (Ace), second in a duology following last year’s The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, ranking in the top 15 on three lists.
The book by Rebecca Yarros previously listed as Untitled Empyrean (Not Book Four) now has a title: Threshing Day (Entangled: Red Tower Books). A collection of stories, it’s due Sept. 29th, and it ranks #1 on all three Amazon lists today.
This cell color indicates rankings on children’s bestsellers lists
This cell color indicates rankings of books based on pre-publication sales
[Italics and brackets, and/or this cell color, indicate stale data — rankings from one or more weeks before — and do not contribute to the cumulative weeks on any list totals]
The table shows the current rank of each book and the change since last week, where:
= same as last week
+/- change since last week
+ back on list
++ new on list
x no longer on list (number of x’s: weeks off list)
All lists rank hardcovers and paperbacks separately, except for the USA Today list, which is a single list combining fiction and nonfiction in all formats. Dates shown are posted dates, except those in parentheses, which are dates compiled. New York Times posts its list one week in advance of print publication.
Note that some sources do not compile paperback bestsellers, and some exclude YA books (like the Harry Potter series) from their hardcover and paperback fiction lists.
The Locus Bestsellers for November include top titles: The Faith of Beasts by James S.A. Corey (Orbit US), Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Ballantine), and Dragonlance Legends by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (Random House Worlds).
Warhammer 40,000: Eisenhorn: The Omnibus, Dan Abnett (Black Library)
6
2
The Faith of Beasts, the second book in James S.A. Corey’s The Captive’s War series, took first place with a respectable lead over our second-place finisher, Christopher Buehlman’s medieval horror adventure Between Two Fires. Our runner-up was The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan (Tor), a fantasy centered on the hunt for the Beast of Gévaudan. There were 54 nominated titles, down from 55 last month.
Echoing last month’s voting, Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary held onto the top spot on our trade paperback list, followed by Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. There were no new runners-up. Sixty-three titles were nominated, up from last month’s 55.
On our media and gaming-related list, three books made our list. Two tied for first place, Dragonlance Legends by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman and Magic: The Gathering: Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos by Seanan McGuire. Dan Abnett’s Warhammer 40,000: Eisenhorn: The Omnibus came in third. There were no new runners-up. We had 16 titles nominated, down from 22 last month.
Compiled with data from: Bakka-Phoenix (Canada), Book Moon (MA), Borderlands (CA), McNally Robinson (two in Canada), Mysterious Galaxy (CA), Toadstool (two in NH), White Dwarf (Canada).
Ab Hugh was born David M. Friedman on October 22, 1960 in Los Angeles CA. He began writing SF/F as early as 1987 with Heroing: or, How He Wound Down the World, first of two books in the fantasy series Jiana. He wrote Arthuriana books Arthur War Lord (1994) and Far Beyond the Wave (1994), as well as several tie-in novels for Star Trek and Doom. His short fiction, including Hugo and Nebula Award-nominated novelette “The Coon Rolled Down and Ruptured His Larinks, a Squeezed Novel by Mr. Skunk” (1990), was published in Asimov’s, New Destinies, Free Space (1997), and more.
Ready to update your reading list? A brand-new wave of incredible books has officially arrived, and we’re highlighting the most anticipated new releases in Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, and YA hitting shelves the week of July 14th, 2026. Whether you’re searching for mind-bending futures, dark magic, spine-tingling terror, or captivating young adult stories, this week’s lineup is packed with must-reads.
We’ve curated the ultimate shortlist of standout arrivals to help you easily spot your next obsession. Don’t forget to subscribe for your weekly dose of fresh speculative fiction recommendations, and thanks for hanging out with us—we’ll catch you next time with another stack of great books to explore!
Rod Belcher was born May 2, 1967 in Roanoke VA. He graduated Virginia Commonwealth University, worked on a Masters degree in forensic science at The George Washington University, and worked as a newspaper and magazine editor, a reporter, and a freelance writer. After story “Orphans” appeared in a Star Trek tie-in anthology in 2006, he continued publishing in 2013 with “Hollow Moments” and The Six-Gun Tarot, first in the Golgotha series, which continued with The Shotgun Arcana (2014), The Queen of Swords (2017), and The Ghost Dance Judgment (2020). He also wrote the Nightwise Universe, including Nightwise (2015), The Night Dahlia (2018), Locus Award nominee for Horror The Brotherhood of the Wheel (2016), and King of the Road (2018). In 2019, he published another tie-in novel, Men in Black International (2019). Standalone novel The Queen’s Road was published in 2020. He published about a dozen short fiction works in the 2010s and ‘20s in anthologies such as Galactic Stew (2020) and Skull X Bones (2025) and in magazines such as Amazing Stories.
Author and editor Mark J. McGarry, 68, died in May 2026 in Paris, France.
McGarry was born February 6, 1958 in Albany NY. He wrote Sun Dogs (1981) and Blank Slate (1984) as well as several genre works of short fiction published in magazines including Asimov’s, Analog, Stellar, Amazing Stories, and F&SF, including Nebula Award nominee “The Mercy Gate” (1998). He was the original editor of SF magazine Empire and a past editor of the SFWA Forum and Bulletin.
The prize formerly known as the International Booker Prize has announced a partnership with Bukhman Philanthropies, which “has made a generous commitment to fund the next 10 years of the International Booker Prize.” The funding will double the prize awarded to the winning title from £50,000 to £100,000, split between the author and translator.
The Buhkman International Booker Prize “celebrates the best works of long-form fiction or collections of short stories translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland.” This year’s judges are Katie Kitamura (chair), Patrick McGuinness, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Olga Ravn, and Tessa Thompson. Submissions are open until September 24, 2026.
The shortlist will be announced on April 15, 2027. The winner will be announced the following month. Shortlisted titles receive £5,000, or £2,500 each for author and translator.
ELEANNA CASTROIANNI is now represented by Arley Sorg of kt literary.
ERIN LATIMER, CORAL ALEJANDRA MOORE, and J.C. SNOW are now represented by JABberwocky Literary Agency.
ROBERT J. SAWYER will be writer-in-residence at Calgary’s Alexandria Writers’ Centre Society from September 1 to November 30.
AWARDS
“Whatever Kills the Pain” by C.W. BLACKWELL won Best Long Story, “Blind Pig” by MICHAEL BRACKEN won Best Short Story, and “The Temporary Murder of Thomas Monroe” by TIA TASHIRO won Best Novelette in the 2026 Derringer Awards.
Trail of Shadows by MIKE ALLEN won the Webster Award at RavenCon 2026, held April 24-26.
BOOKS SOLD
ADA PALMER’s And Loki in His Prison and And Odin on His Tree, in “a Norse duology,” went to Mal Frazier and Patrick Nielsen Hayden at Tor via Cameron McClure of Donald Maass Literary Agency. Jennifer Gunnels will edit. UK rights sold to Nicolas Cheetham at Head of Zeus via Harry Illingworth of DHH Literary on behalf of Cameron McClure.
JON COURTENAY GRIMWOOD sold Thrones and Powers and an untitled historical fantasy novel to Simon Taylor at Transworld in a pre-empt via John Jarrold of John Jarrold Literary Agency.
JON GRACEY’s Midnight in Ravenswood, OLIVER K. LANGMEAD’s Beneath the Martyr’s Eye, and RILEY SILVERMAN’s Because the Night, in the world of social deduction game Blood on the Clocktower, sold to Lee Harris at Tor. Carl Engle-Laird will edit.
STEPHEN ARYAN sold Silver Tongued Devils and another title to Marcus Gipps at The Broken Binding Press via Juliet Mushens of Mushens Entertainment (world English).
CAITLIN ROZAKIS sold Dreadful sequel Half-Baked to George Sandison at Titan Books via Sarah Fisk of The Tobias Literary Agency.
CASEY SCIESZKA sold Future You, “about a young woman working at a Catskills hotel who finds herself trapped in a four-month ‘time scramble,’” to Sarah Stein at Harper via Ali Lake of O’Connor Literary Agency.
TRAVIS J.I. CORCORAN’s Red State Earth, a prequel to Red State Mars, and another book went to Tony Daniel at Ark Press.
Kelley Armstrong (2024)
DUSTIN PLANTHOLT sold Homebound Apocalypse and two more books to Rhett Bruno at Aethon & Vault. Damian Wassel will edit.
KELLEY ARMSTRONG’s Immortal Lies, in which a young woman teams up with a vampire hunter to save a college from a coven of vampires, and another book went to Elizabeth Agyemang at 47North via Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency.
ZACK PETROC and JUSTIN SLOAN’s “litRPG fantasy” Castle Crawl and another title sold to Elizabeth Agyemang at 47North via Connor Smith of Hesperides Literary.
JC ROSS sold an untitled “litRPG fantasy” and another book to Gwyn Jordan at Rogueheart Press. Chelsea Karol will edit.
GENEVA LEE sold Harbinger and four more books to Liz Pelletier at Red Tower for seven figures via Louise Fury of The Fury Agency. UK rights sold to Rebecca Hilsdon at Michael Joseph.
JULIE HALL sold “Bridgerton-inspired historical romantasy” The Secrets of Everlight and another title to Elizabeth Vinson at Ace via Flavia Viotti of Bookcase Literary Agency.
JULIETTE CROSS’s “gothic standalone paranormal romances” The Ayre Witch, Of Frost and Fyre, and Vanity and Vampires went to Erika Tsang at Bramble for seven figures via Rachel Brooks of BookEnds.
JESSICA CAGE’s I Inherited a Gargoyle, “following a reluctant succubus,” and two more books sold to Jason Pinter at Simon Maverick via Patrice Caldwell of The Caldwell Agency.
SCARLETT ASH’s The Demon’s Kiss went to Amy Baxter at Avon UK via Haley Warrington of Booker Albert Agency.
KATE RHODES and JENNIFER XU, writing as KAIJU, sold Novae, with a romance between a necromancer and an astronomer, and two more titles to Rebecca Taylor at Inklore at auction via Ammi-Joan Paquette of Aevitas Creative Management. Sara Miller will edit.
COLETTE RHODES sold Harpy at High Tide, first in the Monsters at Sea series, and two more books to Elizabeth May at Kensington via Jill Marr of Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.
ASH LUKENS’s “polyamorous romantic fantasy” Signed in Shadows went to Katie McGuire at Alcove Press via Lauren Bieker of FinePrint Literary Management and Mara Hollander of Azantian Literary Agency.
Ronald Malfi (2025)
KIERSTEN WHITE’s Drown: A Love Story, “in which a woman possessed since childhood uses her bond with the unknowable entity inside her to undo other dormant possessions, until the attacks begin zeroing in on her home,” sold to Tricia Narwani at Del Rey via Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary Agency.
RONALD MALFI’s Revenant, “in which a detective investigating the disappearance of a local child is forced to confront the impossible return of his younger brother,” went to Ed Schlesinger at Gallery via Cameron McClure of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
CHRIS PANATIER sold Kill Me With Fire, in which a curse transforms two women into “feral witches,” to Alan Lastufka at Shortwave via Sara Megibow of Megibow Literary Agency.
BEAR LEE sold “cosmic giallo novel” Morphia Slow to David-Jack Fletcher at Slashic Horror Press.
CHLOE SPENCER’s Make a House a Home, following a Midwestern tradwife, went to David-Jack Fletcher at Slashic Horror Press.
MARIAH STILLBROOK sold Betsy, “about a possessed mannequin wreaking havoc on a group of teens in the ‘90s,” to David-Jack Fletcher at Slashic Horror Press.
ANTOINETTE VAN SLUYTMAN’s Red Rhen, a “matriarchal cosmic-fantasy,” went to dave ring at Neon Hemlock via Julie Crisp of Julie Crisp Literary Agency.
SAMANTHA COHOE’s adult debut The Devoured, in which twins are haunted by their 20-years-prior kidnapping, went to Elana Gibson at Crooked Lane via Sarah Phair of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.
STEPHANIE FELDMAN sold “feminist folk horror” In Summer She Turns Cruel to Christine Neulieb at Lanternfish Press via Stacia Decker of Dunow, Carlson & Lerner.
KATE WESTON’s Death Looks Good on You, “pitched as body horror meets the beauty industry,” went to Aleena Hasan at Daphne Press via Chloe Seager of Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency.
AMY GIACALONE’s “modern-day ghost story” This May Come Back to Haunt Me sold to Megan Stielstra at TriQuarterly Books.
Shameez Patel (2024)
GABRIELLA GYLLENHOFF sold My Demon Exchange Student to Ashlyn Inman at Keylight.
SHAMEEZ PATEL sold Fang-Girling and another book to Ashley Imane Fields at Forever via Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
EILIS O’NEAL’s “sci-fi dystopian duology” Redemption Ark and Renegade Stars, set on a reality TV show in outer space, went to Mary Kate Castellani at Bloomsbury Children’s at auction via Christabel McKinley of David Higham Associates. Meghan Maria McCullough will edit. UK rights went to Simon & Schuster UK at auction.
LIZ EDELBROCK sold Spectacle of Ruin, about a gods-cursed teen, to Wendy Loggia at Delacorte via Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary Agency.
ELLE TESCH’s “YA adventure fantasy” The Gods We Buried went to Lydia Gregovic at Delacorte via Pete Knapp & Stuti Telidevara of Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management.
MARC J GREGSON’s Bright Sky, first in the Below the Black fantasy trilogy, and two more titles sold to Jonah Heller at Peachtree Teen via Heather Cashman of Storm Literary Agency.
LAURA E. WEYMOUTH sold Willow Crowned, “in which an exiled king and a rebel serving girl clash on a remote island stronghold,” to Bess Braswell & Hana Tzou at Feiwel & Friends via Laura Crockett of TriadaUS Literary Agency.
JORDAN RIVET sold post-apocalyptic romance KATHARSIS to Sara Goodman at Wednesday Books via Lanie Davis & Daisy Garrison of Alloy Entertainment on behalf of Jim McCarthy of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.
AMANDA DEWITT and MARIA INGRANDE MORA sold “academic rivals-to-queerplatonic-besties fantasy-comedy” Royal Person Fiction to Ashley Hearn at Peachtree Teen via Cate Hart of Harvey Klinger for DeWitt, and Erica Bauman of Aevitas Creative Management for Mora.
CATHERINE CHENG’s debut, literary horror Whitefish, “about a Michelin-starred chef who spirals into madness as he becomes increasingly entangled with a wealthy family – and the merman whose flesh he’s serving them,” sold to Kate Lucas and Sophie Garcia-Cubas Assemat at Flatiron Books for six figures at auction via Maddy Belton of Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency. UK rights went to Delayna Spencer at Hodder & Stoughton at auction.
ASH HUANG sold debut speculative novel The Secret Lives of Immortals, about a love story between “a poet from the Imperial Chinese palace and the Roman gladiator who tricks her into eternal life,” and another title to Angelica Chong at Redhook and Jenni Hill at Orbit UK in a pre-empt via Hana El Niwairi of CookeMcDermid.
JESSICA PLUMMER’s debut Magestruck, “a queer fantasy rom-com,” and another book went to Leyla Erkan at Harlequin via Eric Smith of Neighborhood Literary. The Conman’s Guide to Dragon Slaying, pitched as “an adult How to Train Your Dragon meets Heated Rivalry,” sold to John Morgan at Grand Central at auction via Smith.
LIVVY JANE BAKER’s debut, “sapphic enemies-to-lovers cozy fantasy” Advanced Alchemy, sold to Elana Gibson at Alcove Press via Fabienne Schwizer of Ki Agency.
Filmmaker and screenwriter LINDSEY ANDERSON BEER’s debut novel Hollow, “a feminist retelling of ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’,” sold to Tara Singh Carlson at Putnam in a pre-empt via Alyssa Reuben of WME. Beer will adapt and direct a film version through the Honey Trap producing label with producers Sydney Sweeney and Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap.
MADELINE HAZE CURTIS sold debut A Light Mistaken for the Sun, pitched as a sapphic Interview with the Vampire, to Brittany Adames at Simon & Schuster at auction via Sasha Landauer of Writers House.
KATY LAIRD sold debut, horror Occult Entertainment, pitched as Squid Game meets Backrooms, and another title to Troix Jackson at Nightfire in a pre-empt via Kiana Nguyen of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
RORY FORREST sold “humorous sci-fi” Dave, the Space Pet to Summer Stewart at Unsolicited Press, by Stacey Kondla while at The Rights Factory (world English).
LILIA VARGAS COSTELLO sold debut Borderline, “for fans of Stranger Things and Rules for Vanishing,” to Ardyce Alspach at Union Square Kids via Stephen Barbara & Sidney Boker of Inkwell Management.
Cynthia Pelayo (2023)
CYNTHIA PELAYO sold Everina, a novella reworking of Frankenstein “inspired by Mary Shelley’s experience as a grieving mother,” to Mika Kasuga at Union Square & Co via Lane Heymont of The Tobias Literary Agency.
EMAN ABDELHADI and M.E. O’BRIEN will edit anthology When We Win: Dispatches from Revolutionary Futures for Dao Tran at Haymarket.
BEATKA LAKE sold “sapphic western horror novella” Beneath the Veins to Mika Kasuga at Union Square & Co via Paul Lucas of Regal Hoffmann & Associates.
AMALIA STONE sold 6 Steps to Survival, a “sapphic, dual timeline space opera novella,” to Veronica Holmes at Scylla.
BOOKS RESOLD
M.H. FOSTER resold The Demon Overlord’s Retirement Plan, first in a previously self-published fantasy series, Love, Politics, and Other Acts of War, and Band of Others to Morgan Spehar at Grand Central via Seth Fishman of The Gernert Company (NA).
KATE ASHER resold Crown of Olympus, Blood of Olympus, Blade of Olympus, and another book to Christine Ebbs at Penguin Australia via Saffron Dodd of ASH Literary.
ERICK THIEMKE, writing as ALWAYSROLLSAONE, sold three books in the series A Soldier’s Life to Rhett Bruno at Aethon & Vault. Damian Wassel will edit.
PUBLISHING
CAILIN DUFFY has joined Orbit as assistant editor and NICOLE PUAPATTANAKAJORN has joined as administrative assistant.
EDEN RAILSBACK has joined Tor Publishing Group as an associate editor. She was previously at HarperCollins.
SARAH BLUMENSTOCK has been promoted to executive editor at Berkley.
Uncanny Magazine Managing Editor MONTE LIN will also become nonfiction editor starting with Uncanny Magazine Issue 72.
At Harper Collins, MAY CHEN and TESSA WOODWARD have been promoted to VP, publishers of Avon Group, which includes the imprints Harper Voyager, Avon, and Avon A. MORGAN PAGER has joined as senior director, marketing for Avon. RICH THOMAS has been promoted to SVP, group publisher and HEIDI RICHTER to VP, marketing and publicity at Harper Children’s.
MEDIA
REBECCA YARROS sold film rights to The Things We Leave Unfinished to Lionsgate. Yarros, Arash Amel of Amel Company, and Carly Kleinbart Elter and Alex Young of Hidden Pictures are executive producers. Todd Lieberman will also produce, Thea Sharrock will direct, and Amel will adapt the script.
Film rights to SARAH BLUE’s The Marriage Hex and The Fang Arrangement went to Molly Cusick at ReelShort.
Stephen King’s 1982 collection Different Seasons (Warner) is the most recent book banned from all public schools in Utah after being removed in four school districts. Utah state law requires a book to be removed state-wide if a sufficient number of districts identify it as “objective sensitive material,” which is defined in state code as “instructional material that constitutes pornographic or indecent material.” The Davis School District website comments that “[t]here is sexual stimulation, arousal, and masturbation in the book.”
The collection includes four novellas: “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: Hope Springs Eternal”, “Apt Pupil: Summer of Corruption”, “The Body: Fall from Innocence”, and “The Breathing Method: A Winter’s Tale”. Three of the stories were adapted to film as The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, and Apt Pupil.
According to the Utah State Board of Education website, this is the latest of 36 book bannings from Utah public schools, including five books in Sarah J. Maas’s Court of Thorns and Roses series and one book in the Throne of Glass series, George R.R. Martin’s A Clash of Kings (Voyager UK; Bantam Spectra US), and Stephen King’sBag of Bones (Simon & Schuster).
Visit our bookshop.org page to purchase this week’s new books and support your local bookstore. And us!
Bontrager, Megan: The Sea Hides Its Dead (Orbit US/Run For It 978-0316588010, $19.99, 368pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/14/2026)
Horror novel. Grad student Caro joins a sea-cave expedition to find the ancient Cult of the Leviathan, only for the entrance to collapse and trap them inside the site. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK/Run For It UK edition.
Carrick, M.A.: The Eye of Leviathan (Orbit US 978-0316584845, $19.99, 512pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/14/2026)
Fantasy novel, first in The Sea Beyond series. In an alternate Spanish Golden Age, a human in the otherworldly Sea Beyond and a fae disguised as a human must take down the empire. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.
Goodman, A.B.: House of Atreus: Agamemnon Falling (Planetary Books 979-8183814347, $19.99, 162pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/01/2026)
SF novel, second in the House of Atreus series. As Agamemnon returns home after war, Trojan prophetess Cassandra tells him that the “goddess” he sacrificed his daughter to was actually an ancient machine.
Grist, Rhiannon: Home Sick (Rebellion/Solaris UK 978-1837867639, $16.99, 288pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/16/2026)
Horror novel. Tamsin, after a traumatic incident, moves to a cottage with only a thin wall separating her from an unnerving woman.
Hachemi, Munir & Sanches, Julia: The Mulai (Coach House Books 978-1552455197, $18.95, 176pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 07/14/2026)
SF novel. An archaeologist travels to a remote planet to study the Mulai, descendants of a lost space mission with unrecognizable customs who live in domes. Translated from the Spanish by Julia Sanches. Simultaneous with the UK Fitzcarraldo edition.
Urban fantasy novel. Siblings (and private investigators) Angelina and Evan Everhart-Trueblood are drawn into a disappearance case that seems to involve Angie’s aunt and vampire ex-husband.
Romantic fantasy novel, the first in the Silk and Iron trilogy. In a world of four rival factions and tyger-bonded riders, Rubi enters a deadly competition and encounters a frustratingly handsome leader.
Lambert, Jennifer K.: Among the Thorns (Macmillan/Tor Bramble UK 978-1250360373, $32.99, 400pp, formats: hardcover, audiobook, 07/14/2026)
Fantasy romance novel, second in the Never the Roses series. Dream sorceress Rose is acclaimed and sought after by the prince, while isolated dream sorceress Thorn wants everything she has. This author also writes as Jeffe Kennedy; copyrighted by Jennifer M. Kennedy.
Young-adult dark academia fantasy novel, second in the series The Souls of Blackwood Academy series. After the Decennial competition, six former pupils discover new secrets about Blackwood.
Marillier, Juliet: The Amber Owl (Rebellion/Solaris UK 978-1763662513, $29.35, 416pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 07/16/2026)
Fantasy novel in the Heartwood series. Stasya lives by the Heartwood Forest, where she uses her gift with animals, but is relocated to court when she protests soldiers trying to hack through the woods.
SF thriller novel. Carver, a security operative, and Spider, world’s deadliest assassin, team up to stop saboteurs from damaging BALDR, a nuclear facility that powers half of Europe.
Oh, Temi: Not With a Bang (Simon & Schuster/Saga Press 978-1668203460, $18.99, 352pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/14/2026)
SF novel. The Minton family, from prepper father Marcus to Briar, drawn into a UFO cult, are confronted with an extinction-level event. Copyrighted by Temitoyen Ochuboju Douglas-Scott. First US edition (Simon & Schuster UK 5/26).
Olsson, Lindsey: To Drown a Witch (Penguin Random House/Putnam 979-8217004799, $20.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/14/2026)
Young-adult fantasy romance novel, first in a duology. When the deadly entity “the Witch” shows signs of being reborn, thief Nes, who can detect magic, is drawn into the hunt by Toran of the King’s Guard.
Parker, Natalie C.: The Assassin’s Guide to Dating (Candlewick Press 978-1536243291, $12.99, 256pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 07/14/2026)
Young-adult superhero romance, sequel to The Assassin’s Guide to Babysitting. At an academy for those with powers, Lila finds her “bombshell” powers are subject to increasing surveillance, hindering her growing relationship with Tru.
Fantasy romance novel. Maid Marian, unhappily betrothed to the Sheriff of Nottingham, is kidnapped in the forest by the notorious fae Merry Men and Robin Hood. A first novel.
Rowland, Alexandra: Yield Under Great Persuasion (Macmillan/Tor Bramble UK 978-1035087556, £22.00, 320pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/16/2026)
Fantasy romance novel. Tam sets out on a quest to find himself, finally fed up with his lover Lord Lyford, who smashed his prize-fair vegetables when they were children and is favored by the goddess Tam feels betrayed by.
Shunmugam, Megam: The Mortal Trials (Angry Robot UK 978-1836730156, $19.99, 304pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/14/2026)
Fantasy novel. Mistaken for someone else, Lirah enters a deadly competition and encounters a frustratingly handsome trainer.
SF novel. In this retelling of a Portuguese folktale, trans woman Elixane receives a message from a toad to rescue her sister, who is married to the King of Misery.
SF novel, third in the Red Space series. Petrova and her crew must unite the solar system’s factions to stop Erebus, a dark entity hurtling towards Earth. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.
Wiswell, John: The Dragon Has Some Complaints (Astra House/DAW 978-0756420499, $29.00, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/14/2026)
Fantasy novel. A three-headed (formerly four-headed) dragon with bickering heads tries to sneak into a dragon-riding academy for food, and bonds with rider Rania, who’s desperate for a dragon of her own.
Year’s best anthology of 23 weird stories from 2025, selected as winners of the Brave New Weird Award. Authors include Corrie Haldane, Alistair Rey, Ashley Stokes, and Audrey Zhou. Edited by Woodroe with Matt Blairstone.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep the site paywall free, but WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT to continue quality coverage of the science fiction and fantasy field.
Login
