The Mythopoeic Society announced the 2026 Mythopoeic Awards winners during Mythcon 54, held July 24-27, 2026 in Weatherford OK.

For more information, see the official announcement.

The post 2026 Mythopoeic Awards Winners appeared first on Locus.

The National Fantasy Fan Federation (N3F) has announced the winners of the 2026 National Fantasy Fan Federation Laureate Awards (AKA the Neffy Awards). 

The awards are presented irregularly by the National Fantasy Fan Federation (N3F), “the oldest (founded 1941) national science fiction club in the world.” For more information, see the N3F website.

The post 2026 N3F Awards appeared first on Locus.

The Queensland Writers Centre (QWC) has updated the entry guidelines for the 2026 Aurealis Awards, established to recognize the best in Australian speculative fiction, making changes including expanded terms for entry fees.

The Aurealis Awards were established in 1995 by Chimaera Publications, the team behind the magazine Aurealis. The Awards later partnered with different organizations to administer them. According to the Aurealis Awards web page, these have included “Fantastic Queensland, SpecFaction NSW, Conflux Inc. (ACT), the Western Australian Science Fiction Foundation (WASFF), Continuum Foundation (Vic), and the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild (CSFG).” In August 2025, the Aurealis Awards announced “new overlords” on a web page no longer available, and the QWC later established the new web page for the Awards, in which they note that the QWC is “anchoring the awards ceremony within the vibrant programming of GenreCon.”

According to online sources, when the WASFF started overseeing the awards, fees were introduced for titles entered into all novel categories, as well as anthology and collections categories, each entry incurring a $10 cost. However, as of this time, the prior Aurealis Awards website now forwards to the QWC website, which does not show archival pages for the old website, making authoritative verification challenging.

The 2026 entry guidelines set entry fees as $30 for Best Science Fiction Novel, Best Fantasy Novel, Best Horror Novel, and Best YA Novel; $5 for the four short story categories; and $20 for other categories, with “belonging discounts” for QWC members and GenreCon ticketholders.

In response to the changes, authors Alan Baxter and Matt Tighe shared an open letter to the QWC expressing concerns about the entry fees:

The post Aurealis Awards Changes appeared first on Locus.

Dragon Con has announced the ballot for the 2026 Dragon Awards.

The post 2026 Dragon Awards Ballot appeared first on Locus.

Dream Foundry, a “non-profit dedicated to bolstering the careers of nascent professionals working with the speculative arts,” has announced the finalists for its 2026 contests.

Writing Contest

The post 2026 Dream Foundry Contest Finalists appeared first on Locus.

The World Fantasy Awards ballot for works published in 2025 has been announced. The awards will be presented during the 2026 World Fantasy Convention, scheduled for October 22-25, 2026 in Oakland CA.

The World Fantasy Awards finalists are:

Best Novel

This year’s judges are Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ, Tamsyn Muir, Madeleine E. Robins, Richard Thomas, and Ann VanderMeer. For more information, see the WFC website.

The post 2026 World Fantasy Awards Finalists appeared first on Locus.

Visit our bookshop.org page to purchase this week’s new books and support your local bookstore. And us!

Arena, Brittney: To Dance with Death (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 978-0593973226, $30.00, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Fantasy novel, the second in the Edge of Glass series. Vasalie sacrificed herself to kill King Illian. Now his brother, Anton, made a deal with the goddess of the underworld to bring King Illian back.

Broadbent, Carissa: The Lion & the Deathless Dark (Tor/Bramble 978-1250367846, $29.99, 560pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Fantasy romance novel, fifth in the Crowns of Nyaxia series. Kyrene makes a deal with her enemy, Septimus, to slay the gods in exchange for money. Simultaneous with the Tor Bramble UK edition.

Corr, Katharine & Corr, Elizabeth: Queen of the Gods (Candlewick Press 978-1536244540, $19.99, 448pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 08/04/2026)

Young-adult fantasy novel, second in the House of Shadows trilogy. Deina is trapped in the underworld, and is offered the chance to become a goddess by Hades, but she refuses, and decides to escape.

Diaz, Glenn: Yñiga (Coffee House Press 978-1566897556, $17.99, 264pp, formats: paperback, 08/04/2026)

Novel about modern Philippine life with supernatural elements. Yñiga’s neighborhood is burned down, so she visits an old friend, and they go to the nearby forest that houses trauma that still haunts her family.

Erbach, Dane: Meat Bees (Clash Books 978-1968043056, $21.95, 290pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 08/04/2026)

Horror novel. Scarlett finds herself searching for a co-worker that disappeared, but instead of finding him, she discovers a swarm of yellow jackets eating meat off of his corpse.

Flint, Eric & Barber, Griffin: 1637: The Pilgrim’s Passage (Baen 978-1668073346, $28.00, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 08/04/2026)

SF novel in Flint’s Ring of Fire series. Princess Begum Sahib is being escorted to Jeddah, but the real reason she’s leaving is so she can have her child in secret.

Forst, Devin: Strange and Terrible Things (Abrams 978-1419780615, $19.99, 208pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Upper middle-grade non-fiction/art book. Guide to nearly 80 creatures of different myths, and folklore from all over the world. Includes chapters such as: Fiendish Faeries, Menacing Monsters, and Creepy Cryptids.

Gong, Chloe: Eyes of Kings (Simon & Schuster/Saga Press 978-1668000298, $29.00, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Fantasy novel, third in the Flesh and False Gods series. Unrest is stirring in the kingdom of Talin. The recently dethroned king August Shenzhi is ready to go to war with the one who dethroned him, Calla Tuoleimi.

Hampson, Robert E.: The Sands of Mars (Baen 978-1964856735, $17.99, 432pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 08/04/2026)

Near-future SF novel, second in the Bionic Frontier series. Colonel Shepard is on a mars base and struggling with missing his family, but the rest of the base is struggling with trusting each other as suspicion of sabotage arises.

Karlie, Logan: Cursed by the Dawn (Little, Brown/Ottaviano 978-0316610889, $24.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Young-adult fantasy romance novel. Esmer and Erebus must stop the demon king from destroying everything, but they realize something horrible has already happened, and their love might be the first thing to go.

LaRocca, Eric: We Turn Gruesome at Night (Titan Books UK 978-1803369556, $28.99, 304pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/09/2026)

Horror novel. Second in the Burnt Sparrow series. Gladys Esherwood and Rupert Cromwell are trapped in the End House. One day Rupert is introduced to a secret organization that shows him the secrets of the town.

Larue, Taylor J.: Steelborn (Little, Brown/Requited 978-0316599412, $32.00, 432pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Fantasy romance novel. Reya Connery is a thief who follows a strict set of rules, but when a heist goes wrong, she needs to rethink her principles, which is when she meets Caelan Halcyon, an immortal warrior. A first novel.

Lloyd, Ellery: Time to Burn (Harper 978-0063323056, $28.99, 320pp, formats: hardcover, 08/04/2026)

SF mystery novel. Time travel is real, but only available to the ultra-wealthy, and on the first ever trip to the past, a group of billionaires return covered in blood, and with one of their members missing. Simultaneous with the Macmillan UK edition.

MacLean, S.A.: Sunsplitter (Orbit US 978-0316573146, $9.99, 581pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Spicy fantasy romance novel, second in the Beasts of the Void series. Fi needs to rebuild her city with the help of Antal, but Antal is brought home by his father, and he must prepare himself for the first homecoming in 50 years. Simultaneous with the Orion UK edition.

Moriarty, Jaclyn: Time Travel for Beginners (Penguin Random House/Berkley 978-0593820339, $30.00, 544pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

SF novel. In Sydney, Australia, there is a coffee shop known as the time travel agency, which allows you to go anywhere in the past, without the risk of changing the future. Simultaneous with the HarperCollins UK edition.

Rath, Emily: Devour Me (HarperCollins/Avon 978-0063484764, $22.00, 528pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Paranormal love triangle romance novel, the first in a trilogy. Dáinn has spent two centuries working for a witch. While on a mission to kill a rival witch, Dáinn makes a deal to spare a life, if they kill his mistress.

Revis, Beth: Chaotic Orbits (Astra House/DAW 978-0756420802, $20.00, 400pp, formats: paperback, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Omnibus of the Chaotic Orbits trilogy: Full Speed to a Crash Landing (2024), How to Steal a Galaxy (2024), and Last Chance to Save the World (2025).

Rose, Stephanie: Small Town Slasher (Death by TBR Books 979-8218635510, $8.99, 276pp, formats: ebook, 08/04/2026)

Serial-killer horror novel. Horror fan Jenna rents a horror themed cabin in rural Montana, but the day before she arrives, people begin to get murdered, and it’s clear a massacre is starting.

Saft, Allison: Immortal Game (St. Martin’s/Wednesday Books 978-1250404763, $22.00, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Young-adult fantasy romance novel. Shea Fury is given the chance to participate in a chess tournament, where the winner is granted one wish, and hers is to free her sister from the land of fae.

Salisbury, Melinda: Local Gods (Simon & Schuster/Sarah Barley 979-8347101474, $19.99, 384pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

YA folk horror novel. Sylvie spends most of her time in an abandoned railway station avoiding carnivorous deer, but one day she finds a dying god named Illican, who can teach her magic that would save her town.

Sambury, Liselle: A Clash of Carnivores (Simon & Schuster/McElderry 978-1665957397, $24.99, 608pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Young-adult horror novel, second in the Mastery of Monsters trilogy. August Black is bonded with a monster, Virgil, for life, and they must prepare for the Monster’s Ball, despite their challenging relationship.

Stiefvater, Maggie & Milledge, Sas: The Dream Thieves: The Graphic Novel (Penguin Random House/Viking 978-0593621233, $17.99, 288pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 08/04/2026)

Graphic novel adapted by Stiefvater from her Raven Cycle. Ronan Lynch has a secret ability to pull things out of dreams, and it’s almost killed him multiple times.

Stovall, Shami: One-Fifth Dragon (Baen 978-1668073353, $28.00, , formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Fantasy Novel. Story of a person whose “found family” murdered their true family, and now they’re determined to get revenge using the techniques this family taught them.

Swan, Richard: The Infinite State (Tor 978-1250386229, $29.99, 416pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Dystopian SF novel, the first in the Decurion Saga. Katherine Fuller’s father is a member of the fascist Pater Aeternus, and she’s using this power to attempt to create a more fair world. Simultaneous with the Orion UK edition.

Ward, Tristis: Assassin at Allgate (Hades/EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy 978-1770532588, $15.95, 236pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 08/04/2026)

Space opera/mystery novel, the first book in the Desire & the Law series. Desire, an android, was built to assassinate an alien aristocrat, but when the aristocrat is murdered by someone else, she tries to find the real killer.

Watchorn, Morgan J.: Fire to the Stars (Penguin Random House/Knopf 978-0593708446, $19.99, 416pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Young-adult fantasy romance novel. Every month, an event happens that turns people into dragon shifters. Claire forms an alliance with dragon slayer, Abel, to help her get the life she once had back. A first novel.

Weymouth, Laura E.: The Castle & The Cloister (Simon & Schuster/Saga Press 978-1668069660, $20.00, 448pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

Fantasy novel, first in the Daughter’s of Light series. A queen that’s teetering on the edge of loyalty and betrayal, and a priest that waits in darkness will decide the fate of a kingdom together. Simultaneous with the Penguin Random House UK edition.

Winters, Julian: Find My Way Down to You (Penguin Random House/Viking , $13.99, 384pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/04/2026)

YA fantasy romance novel. August is grieving the death of his boyfriend when he accidentally stumbles into the underworld. Down there, he’s forced to choose between a normal life with grief, or a life with love that might ruin him.

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 post New Book Releases: Aug 4, 2026 appeared first on Locus.

Ursula K. Le Guin’s longtime residence at 3321 NW Thurman St. in Portland, Oregon has been added to the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its “significance to American literature and women’s history.”

During the 58 years she spent in the distinctive Queen Anne-style home until her death in 2018, Le Guin wrote many of the novels that have since been canonized among the most celebrated classics of speculative fiction, including A Wizard of Earthsea, The Dispossessed, and The Left Hand of Darkness. Among other accolades, her work would earn her five Hugo awards, a National Book Award, and finalist status for the 1997 Pulitzer Prize.

In 2024, her estate donated the house to the local nonprofit Literary Arts, which is in the process of converting it into the Ursula K. Le Guin Writers Residency.

For more information, see coverage from local outlets such as the Portland Tribune and KPTV.

Two debuts this week: Elise Kova’s Prince of Swords (Del Rey), and Stacey McEwan’s A Forsaken Prophecy (Saga), each ranking among the top 12 on three lists each.

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 most prominent debut this week is I.V. Marie’s Ruinous Ends (Delacorte), second in The Souls of Blackwood Academy, on three lists, ranking as high as #1 on the NYT Young Adult Hardcover list. Also debuting this week: the trade paperback of Stephen Graham Jones’ multiple-award-winning novel The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. Finally: while Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear still ranks in the top 10 on all lists here after 15 weeks, it might be noted that, despite some descriptions of the book, it is not actually science fiction or fantasy.

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 August 2026 Locus magazine, issue #787, has interviews with Chloe Gong and James Patrick Kelly, and a spotlight on authors Anand Gandhi & Zain Memon and the Maya Universe. News covers the Shirley Jackson Awards winners, the Profile Books acquisition of Solaris, new imprint Pink Beam Press, the Future Worlds prize winners, S&S’s relaunch of Pocket Books, the relaunch of Starlog Magazine with a podcast, and much more. Reports include Westercon78/BayCon 42, Readercon 35, MetropolCon/Eurocon, RichmondCon, and the 2026 Locus Survey results. Obituaries remember R.S. Belcher, Mark J. McGarry, Dafydd Ab Hugh, Russell Kirkpatrick, Robin Johnson, and Katharine T. Carroll. Reviews cover new works by Jaclyn Moriarty, Peter Watts, Cadwell Turnbull, J.P. Lacrampe, Keely Jobe, Deb Olin Unferth, August Clarke, Robert Jackson Bennett, Frances Hardinge, A.D. Sui, Miles Cameron, Yoon Ha Lee, Aimee Pokwatka, Meg Elison, Mónica Ojeda translated by Sarah Booker, Wendy Waring, Richard Swan, Keala Kendall, Cale Plett, Jillian Laine, Farah Naz Rishi, Kristin O’Donnell Tubb, Tessa Yang, Christopher Golden, Paul Tremblay, Gabrielle Sher, Eugen Bacon, Ursula K. Le Guin, David M. Brinley & Amanda T. Zehnder (eds.), Jeffrey Alan Love; John Jos. Miller & Kevin Andrew Murphy, Stephen King, and others.

Reviews by ALEXANDRA PIERCE / 18

Our Infinite and Inevitable Ends, A.D. Sui; Whalesong, Miles Cameron; Code and Codex, Yoon Ha Lee; Accumulation, Aimee Pokwatka.

Reviews by NIALL HARRISON / 20

Foundling Fathers, Meg Elison; Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun, Mónica Ojeda, tr. Sarah Booker; The Hunger of Those Who Built It, Wendy Waring; The Infinite State, Richard Swan.

Reviews by ALEX BROWN / 22

Japanese Gothic, Kylie Lee Baker; The Tapestry of Fate, Shannon Chakraborty.

Reviews by GABINO IGLESIAS / 24

Carry Me to My Grave, Christopher Golden; Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep, Paul Tremblay; Odessa, Gabrielle Sher.

Reviews by VANESSA FOGG / 25

Crimson in Quietus, Eugen Bacon.

Reviews by KAREN HABER / 27

Ursula K. Le Guin’s Book of Cats, Ursula K. Le Guin; Icons of the Fantastic: Illustrations of Imaginative Literature from the Korshak Collection, David M. Brinley & Amanda T. Zehnder, eds.; The Last Battle at the End of the World, Jeffrey Alan Love; SHORT TAKES: The Forest of a Thousand Eyes, Frances Hardinge; George R.R. Martin Presents Wild Cards: Ante Up, John Jos. Miller & Kevin Andrew Murphy; Hansel and Gretel, Stephen King.

Bacon, Eugen • Crimson in Quietus (Vanessa Fogg)
Bennett, Robert Jackson • A Trade of Blood (Abigail Nussbaum)
Brinley, David M., & Amanda T. Zehner, eds. • Icons of the Fantastic: Illustrations of Imaginative Literature from the Korshak Collection (Karen Haber)
Cameron, Miles • Whalesong (Alexandra Pierce)
Clarke, August • The Felicity Complex (Abigail Nussbaum)
Elison, Meg • Foundling Fathers (Niall Harrison)
Golden, Christopher • Carry Me to My Grave (Gabino Iglesias)
Hardinge, Frances • The Forest of a Thousand Eyes (Karen Haber)
Hardinge, Frances • Traitors’ Nest (Abigail Nussbaum)
Jobe, Keely • The Endling (Ian Mond)
Kendall, Keala • That Which Feeds Us (Alex Brown)
King, Stephen, illustrated by Maurice Sendak • Hansel and Gretel (Karen Haber)
Lacrampe, J. P. • Valet (Ian Mond)
Laine, Jillian • Henry Tudor Must Die (Colleen Mondor)
Le Guin, Ursula K. • Ursula K. Le Guin’s Book of Cats (Karen Haber)
Lee, Yoon Ha • Code and Codex (Alexandra Pierce)
Love, Jeffrey Alan • The Last Battle at the End of the World (Karen Haber)
Miller, John Jos., & Kevin Andrew Murphy • George R.R. Martin Presents Wild Cards: Ante Up (Karen Haber)
Moriarty, Jaclyn • Time Travel for Beginners (Gary K. Wolfe)
Ojeda, M nica • Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun (Niall Harrison)
Plett, Cale • The Saw Mouth (Alex Brown)
Pokwatka, Aimee • Accumulation (Alexandra Pierce)
Rishi, Farah Naz • Lovestruck (Colleen Mondor)
Sher, Gabrielle • Odessa (Gabino Iglesias)
Sui, A. D. • Our Infinite and Inevitable Ends (Alexandra Pierce)
Swan, Richard • The Infinite State (Niall Harrison)
Tremblay, Paul • Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep (Gabino Iglesias)
Tubb, Kristin O’Donnell • The Spiritualists (Colleen Mondor)
Turnbull, Cadwell • All the Hidden Places (Gary K. Wolfe)
Unferth, Deb Olin • Earth 7 (Ian Mond)
Waring, Wendy • The Hunger of Those Who Built It (Niall Harrison)
Watts, Peter • Fold Catastrophes (Gary K. Wolfe)
Yang, Tessa • The Jellyfish Problem (Colleen Mondor)Science Fiction and Fantasy (Alvaro Zinos-Amaro)

Ready to give your reading list a mid-summer upgrade? The July 28th drop is packed with highly anticipated new arrivals across Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult—bringing you the biggest and most buzzworthy releases hitting bookstores today.

Whether you’re craving immersive space operas, haunting gothic magic, spine-chilling suspense, or high-stakes YA thrillers, today’s batch of new books has something tailored just for you.

We’ve curated the top highlights so you can skip the searching and dive right into your next obsession. Don’t forget to hit subscribe for your weekly dose of top-tier book recommendations, and thanks for hanging out with us! Catch you next week for another round of must-read titles.

The 13-title longlist for the 2026 Booker Prize has been announced, with works and writers of genre interest including:

The End of Everything, M. John Harrison (Serpent’s Tail)

The Renovation, Kenan Orhan (Hamish Hamilton)

The Vivisectors, Missouri Williams (4th Estate)

Helen of Nowhere, Makenna Goodman (Coffee House)

Switzy, Emma Cline (Random House)

The Disappearers, Marlon James (Riverhead)

The shortlist will be announced September 22, 2026. Shortlisted authors receive £2,500. The winner will be announced November 9, 2026; the winning work receives £50,000.

For more information, including the complete longlist, see the International Booker Prize website.

For previous titles of genre interest listed for the Booker, see past Locus coverage of the award.

The North Carolina Speculative Fiction Foundation (NCSFF) has announced the winner for the 2026 Manly Wade Wellman Award. The award recognizes “outstanding achievement in science fiction and fantasy novels written by North Carolina authors.”

Winners for the 2026 Imadjinn Awards have been announced. Winners were selected by jury and announced at the Imaginarium Convention, held July 17-19, 2026 at the Holiday Inn Louisville East in Louisville KY.

Best Science Fiction Novel

• WINNER: Dead to Rights: A Car Warriors Autoduel Novel, Jay Barnson (Three Ravens)

• Frozen Echoes, Ed Downes (Undertaker)
• Bifrost Down, Jon R. Osborne (Seventh Seal)

Best Fantasy Novel

• WINNER: Rise From Ruin, Melissa Olthoff (Baen)

• The Blacksmith’s Boy, Bruce Buchanan (Wild Ink)
• The Healer’s Heir, Katie Fitzgerald (self-published)
• A Count of Courage, Nancy Moser (Mustard Seed)

Best Horror Novel

• WINNER: Darkness Calls, Joe Chianakas (Rogue River)

• Southern Cross, Vaughn A. Jackson (Falstaff)
• The Great Dick: And the Dysfunctional Demon, Barry Maher (Crystal Lake)
• The Exorcist’s House: Resurrection, Nick Roberts (Crystal Lake)

Best Urban Fantasy Novel

• WINNER: The Unlife of Lisa Cooper: Vengeance, J.M. Celi (Rockamooka)

• A Conundrum of Wizards, K.R. Brady (Woods)
• Reaper, John G. Hartness (Falstaff)
• House of Owls, Jon R. Osborne (New Mythology)

Best Paranormal Romance

• WINNER: Dancing with a Demon, L.R. Braden (Magical Realms)

• S’more Love, K. Rose (self-published)
• Resurrection, Karen White

Best Romance Novel

• WINNER: No Apologies, Andrea Jenelle (Willow Creek Publishing)

• The Scald Crow, Karen White (Baisong)

Best Young Adult Novel

• WINNER: The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine, Lindsay A. Franklin (Enclave Escape)

• Paramour, Robin Alvarez (Tides Collide)
• Missing Mom, Lynn Slaughter (Fire & Ice Young Adult)
• Awakening: Winberie Journals Book One, Lynn Tincher (Hydra)

Best Middle Grade Book

• WINNER: Not Lucille, Mike Steele (Creative James Media)

• Dreams of Gold and Fire, Fred Phillips (Raconteur)
• Scareville: Food to Die For, John Ward (Crystal Lake)

Best Cross Genre Novel

• WINNER: The Eagle Flies at Night, Lance Loot (self-published)

• Clutching Cthulhu’s Pearls, Marilyn Barr (self-published)

Best Anthology

• WINNER: What Swallows the Light, Theresa Derwin, Charlene du Toit, Victoria Kiska & Paula Limbaugh, eds. (Crystal Lake)

• Dancing With Destruction, Jason Cordova, ed. (Baen)
• It Came From the Trailer Park: Double Wide Volume 1, Jesse James Fain & William Joseph Roberts, eds. (Three Ravens)

Best Short Story Collection

• WINNER: Midnight Vintage, Sean Eads & Joshua Viola (Crystal Lake)

• The Wind’s Four Quarters, Alma Alexander (Book View Cafe)
• Six O’Clock House & Other Strange Tales, Rebecca Cuthbert (Watertower Hill)

Best Short Story

• WINNER: “Through the Holler, Into the Dark”, Emma E. Murray (The Drowning Machine and Other Obsessions)

• “The Leper’s Garden”, Jeff Clulow (The Leper’s Garden: And Other Contagions)
• “This Broken World”, Mia Dalia (Choices: An Anthology of Reproductive Horror)

Best Audiobook Narration

• WINNER: Harvest of Evil: The John Fisher Chronicles, Book 1, William H. Lehman, narrated by Perry Wince (Three Ravens)

• Ghostship Derelict, J.R. Handley, narrated by Brian Fairbank (Three Ravens)
• Shadow Card Guardian, Kacey Ezell, narrated by Anna Delphine (Sevillalost)

Best Thriller Novel

• WINNER: The First Wives, S.E. Reed (Storm)

• Cash Target, Edale Lane (self-published)
• Collateral Damage, Mick Williams (Valiant)

Best Western Novel

• WINNER: Legends of the West, Micheal Black (Circulation & Trade Division)

• Blood Lake, C.M. Saunders (Undertaker)

Best Poetry Collection

• WINNER: The Eight, Rita Spalding (Hydra)

• The Book of Hours, Darius Jones (self-published)

Best Magazine/Periodical

• WINNER: Kentucky Monthly, Stephen M. Vest (self-published)

• parABnormal Magazine, H. David Blalock, ed.

Imadjinn prizes were also awarded for categories including Historical Fiction, Thriller, Children’s Book, Graphic Novel/Comic Book, and others. For more information, including a complete list of winners, see the Imaginarium website.

Visit our bookshop.org page to purchase this week’s new books and support your local bookstore. And us!

Aragon, Jesse: The Demon Star (The Broken Binding 978-0756420536, $29.00, 448pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Science fantasy novel. Ysira Natkis escaped death and brought back something that could change the fate of her civilization, and now she must battle aliens, cultists, and gods to prevent the apocalypse. A first novel.

Blackwell, Juliet: The Séance Garden (Penguin Random House/Berkley 978-0593638262, $18.99, 400pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Ghost mystery novel. Professor Harper Grae is a non-believer in the supernatural, but that’s put to the test when a mysterious murder happens at the “haunted” mansion of the Perles family.

Chan, Eliza: Harbour of Hungry Ghosts (Orbit US 978-0316589710, $19.99, 400pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Fantasy novel inspired by Asian lore. When Kiamling’s grandmother is taken by a strange monster during the Hungry Ghosts festival, she must find out what happened and lead a search to save her grandmother. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.

Davidson, Cesi: Laterals (Aqueduct Press 978-1619762923, $12.00, N/App, formats: paperback, ebook, 08/01/2026)

Collection of short plays. Part of the Conversation Pieces series.

Durst, Sarah Beth: Sea of Charms (Tor/Bramble 978-1250400673, $29.99, 384pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Cozy fantasy romance novel. Marin sails from island to island working as a supply runner. When she visits the capital during a revolution she makes a deal with her friend Dax, but starts to discover her underlying feelings towards him.

Eames, Andrea: A Tangled Magic (Kensington/Erewhon 978-1645661894, $28.00, 464pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Dark fantasy novel. Netta has lived in a tower her entire life, with only her hair that moves on its own, and a telepathic raven to accompany her. When her mother vanishes, she goes on a quest to save her.

Hannan, Sophia: We Were Never Here (Simon & Schuster 978-1665958332, $19.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Young-adult horror novel. When Georgia’s girlfriend mysteriously dies visiting a haunted house, her life falls apart. Months later, she’s forced to return to her old life as a thief, but when she tries to steal a painting, something horrifying happens A first novel.

Henning, Sarah: Such a Witch (Little, Brown 978-0316584371, $19.99, 400pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Young-adult magic school rom-com. Embry Woodcross, a witch and senior at Raven’s Head School for the Magically Gifted, takes a new student, Oakley Riddle, under her wing, but after a murder, she becomes the main suspect.

James, Calvin: Affairs of State (Titan Books UK ‎ 978-1835416211, $19.99, 496pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 07/28/2026)

SF novel. Levar Boylan, a junior supply officer, finds himself as a diplomat discussing peace treaties with the empire, all because his ex is the reigning demon emperor. After they reconnect, they discover the spark is still there. A first novel.

Johnson, Lora Beth: Hell to Pay (Penguin Random House/Putnam 978-0593856529, $20.99, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Young-adult fantasy novel. After the death of her brother, and disappearance of her parents, Elle feels lost, until one day, she’s offered a job to steal a soul from the afterlife, a task that’s much easier said than done.

Lim, Elizabeth: Fishbone Cinderella (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 979-8217092987, $30.00, 448pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Fantasy novel inspired by Chinese folklore and Western fairy tales. A book that explores the family dynamics of mothers and daughters across decades and cultures.

Omar, Sara: The Harpy Knight (Titan Books UK 978-1835412848, $18.99, 432pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Fantasy novel second in the Chaos Constellation trilogy. After conquering the kingdom of Dumakra, Bataar Rhah focuses attention on Aglea in the north, a land of monster infested marshes, and pagan berserkers.

René, Leslie: Maggie and Arthur’s Magic Moment (Ace 978-0593956182, $20.00, 432pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Fantasy romance novel. Maggie Linden, an Incantations Translation professor, becomes forced to share her basement office with Arthur Taliesin, an alchemist with an insufferable attitude, but she starts to realize he’s putting on an act. A first novel.

Roux, Madeleine: Star Wars: Legacy (Penguin Random House/Random House Worlds 978-0593982662, $30.00, 416pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Star Wars tie-in novel set between episodes VIII and IX. Leia Organa does everything she can to train Rey, but her knowledge of the force is extremely limited, so they choose to journey to an old Jedi temple on Tython together. Simultaneous with the Penguin Random House UK edition.

Sierra, Caleb: The Wetworks Miracle (Stelliform Press 978-1738316571, $15.00, 108pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 07/30/2026)

Dark fantasy novella. After the ecological collapse of society, humans fled their world to a place called the Wetworks, and the only plant there is something called the “Root.” People call it a miracle despite how it alters their bodies. A first novel.

Spires, D.A. Xiaolin: Ellipses (AudioText/Infinivox N/A, $16.00, 100pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 08/01/2026)

SF novella. Koharu is looking for a landing spot on exoplanet Kepler-62f, when she comes in contact with seemingly friendly aliens. She does everything she can to communicate with them, while at the same time trying to contact her boyfriend.

Thorne, Scarlett J.: Lord of the Heights (Arc Manor/Caezik SF & Fantasy 978-1647102074, $19.99, 316pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Fantasy romance novel. Dark gothic romantasy reimagining of Wuthering Heights. James Lockwood moves to Yorkshire for peace, but his car gets destroyed, and the road vanishes, so his only option is to go to Wuthering Heights.

West, Jacqueline: Black Point (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum 978-1665981859, $19.99, 304pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Young-adult dark fantasy novel set in a small town steeped in Norse traditions. When the supposedly haunted Black Point Hotel is bought by outsiders, the town is taken aback.

Zanetti, Rebecca: One Shattered Crown (Kensington 978-1035417964, $32.00, 380pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/28/2026)

Erotic fantasy romance novel, the third in the Grimm Bargains series. Justice Beathach and Ella Rendale have a long lasting feud, but when Justice is forced to protect her from people who want her dead, he becomes obsessed.

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.

Fan and organizer Robin Johnson, 89, died July 6, 2026 in Ballarat, Australia of underlying causes after a fall.

Johnson was born March 9, 1937 and lived variously in Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart, and Ballarat, as well as in England. He chaired the first Australian Worldcon in 1975 as well as Thylacons 1-3. He was awarded the Ditmar Awards Special Award in 1974 and in 1983, and he received the Big Heart Award at Worldcon in 2007.

’Pemi Aguda, One Leg on Earth (Norton 5/26) Dark fantasy novel set in Lagos, a place of opportunity, but urban develop­ment has a price. Yosoye, 23 and eager to start her new job at an architectural firm in the shiny city, starts to notice things aren’t quite right. She gets pregnant and real­izes many pregnant women are drowning themselves, walking into water or throwing themselves off bridges. “One Leg on Earth lives up to its title. It is a bridge between the untameable present and an unknowable future.” [Niall Harrison]

Ilona Andrews, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Tor 3/26) Fantasy novel, the first book in the Maggie the Undying series, about a woman who finds herself in a city she recognizes from the unfinished dark epic fantasy series she’s obsessed with; she figures out that she can get killed (in some horrible ways) but always comes back, and can’t resist trying to change things, with some unexpected results.

Caroline Bicks, Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King (Hogarth US 4/26) Bicks used her unprecedented access to King’s pri­vate archives and interviews with the man himself to explore what makes his writing work so well. Focusing on early drafts and handwritten revisions of five early books (The Shining, Carrie, Pet Sematary, ’Salem’s Lot, and Night Shift), Bicks’s book was described, by King himself, as “the best book about my process that I have ever read.”

Albertine Clarke, The Body Builders (Bloomsbury USA 3/26) An aspiring writer decides she and a man she con­nects with share one mind in two bodies; then she finds herself in an otherworldly artificial environment, where her every wish is made real. “The largest part of my enjoyment of The Body Builders came from the simple pleasure of encountering the first outing of a fresh and skillful voice, one that has an understanding of SF as both tool and project, and as a route to estrang­ing the society we have allowed to happen around us.” [Niall Harrison]

Bar Fridman-Tell, Honeysuckle (Blooms­bury USA 3/26) Dark fantasy novel based on the Welsh myth of Blodeuwedd. Human boy Royr is lonely, so his big sister makes him a playmate, Daye, out of twigs and flowers. Unfortunately, she has to be rewoven every season or she’ll fall apart; Rory starts to research ways to keep her blooming, but as he gets older his feelings change. A first novel.

Sarah Gailey, Make Me Better (Tor 5/26) Horror novel full of psychological dread, with something of a folk-horror feel. Celia goes to the Salt Festival on a mysterious island surrounded by an impossible reef, where the secluded community promises healing and transformation. “Make Me Better is unsettling, mysterious, with all the bad parts of cults, and creepy in a ‘let’s get outta here and get away from these weirdos and all those bloody shoes’ sort of way.” [Gabino Iglesias]

Fonda Lee, The Last Contract of Isako (Orbit US 5/26) From the author of Jade City, an SF novel about a legendary swordswoman on the merciless planet Aquilo as she takes a final mission in­volving her last (and worst) apprentice. It blends the discipline of martial arts with the sweeping scale of a corporate space opera.

Hache Pueyo, Cabaret in Flames (Tordotcom) Dark fantasy novella set amidst Brazil’s political chaos. Ariadne, despite having lost her limbs to guls – vampire-like beings who eat meat – still as­sists guls at a clinic, and then gets help from a gul investigating how her mentor died. It was translated, expanded, and revised by the author from a 2020 story published in Brazilian Portuguese in Mafagafo magazine. “It’s a complex, layered portrayal worthy of a much longer work.” [Ian Mond]

Ali Smith, Glyph (Hamish Hamilton UK 1/26; Pantheon 5/26) Fantasy novel, a com­panion to Gliff, about unreliable memory and the stories we tell. Sisters Petra and Patch, now grown and estranged, reunite after Patch finds a phantom horse destroy­ing her bedroom. “Glyph doesn’t contain an ugly sentence or a boring page – and has a reassuringly crisp moral urgency.” [Niall Harrison]

Martha Wells, Platform Decay (Tor 5/26) Short SF novel (around 54,000 words) and the eighth book in the Murderbot Diaries series. Everyone’s favorite SecUnit Murderbot volunteers to run a rescue mission, despite it involving strangers, even human children, and possibly…eye contact. Balancing high-stakes adventure with snarky inner monologues.

#noinsta

Dark Carnival, the second oldest science fiction bookstore in the US, will be celebrating its 50th anniversary on Saturday, August 1, 2026 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at its longtime location on Claremont Avenue in Berkeley, CA.

The sprawling establishment, which specializes in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery books—as well as comics through its next-door sister store, Escapist Comics—first opened its doors in 1976, resiliently weathering challenges including the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, COVID-19 lockdowns, and numerous periods of economic “malaise and recession” over the decades.

Dark Carnival’s events and book signings have previously attracted esteemed authors such as Ray Bradbury, Anne Rice, Douglas Adams, and Clive Barker, and the store continues to benefit from the support of a devoted community of patrons, fans, and local writers including Michael Chabon, Charlie Jane Anders, and Maggie Tokuda-Hall.

Owner Jack Rems, who has sat behind the desk at Dark Carnival “since dinosaurs and old Cadillacs roamed the earth,” prides himself on the store’s discerningly curated “recommended reads” shelf and expanded online booklists: “I like to feel I’m leading readers to something better than they would end up with if I wasn’t here to offer them guidance,” he said.

For more information on Dark Carnival and its upcoming anniversary celebration, visit its website.