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New Book Releases Video: August 11, 2026

13 August 2026 at 21:00

Ready to discover your next great read? Our August 11, 2026 new releases roundup brings together a fresh selection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult novels arriving on shelves this week.

Whether you’re in the mood for sprawling sci-fi adventures, immersive fantasy worlds, dark and unsettling horror, or engaging YA stories, there’s plenty to explore in this week’s lineup. We’ve highlighted some of the most noteworthy new titles to make finding your next read a little easier.

Enjoy staying up to date with the newest books? Subscribe to the channel and join us each week as we spotlight the latest releases across speculative fiction. Thanks for watching, and we’ll be back next week with another batch of exciting new books!

The post New Book Releases Video: August 11, 2026 appeared first on Locus.

Swift Wins 40th Anniversary Clarke Award

13 August 2026 at 00:26
When There Are Wolves Again by E.J. Swift (Arcadia) Amazon / Bookshop has won the 2026 annual Arthur C. Clarke Award. Swift receives £2,025 and an engraved bookend. Other finalists were:

Arthur C. Clarke Award logo

The winner was announced at an award ceremony in London on August 12, 2026.

The 2026 judges are Eliza Filimon for the British Science Fiction Association, Tiffani Angus and John Coxon for the Science Fiction Foundation, and Esther Stewart for the SCI-FI-LONDON film festival. Andrew M. Butler represented the Clarke Award directors as non-voting Chair of the Judges.

Butler says,

“For forty years, the many Arthur C. Clarke Award judges have made the difficult choice of best sf novel. For our anniversary year, they picked E.J. Swift’s near future When There Are Wolves Again, a story of environmental change and possible recovery. If the industry continues producing such awesome novels, the ten years between now and the award’s 50th anniversary will be worth watching out for.”

Award Director Tom Hunter said,

“Sir Arthur was always passionate that the award’s definition of science fiction be as diverse and open as possible, and he would have applauded the record levels of new SF being published today and been delighted by this year’s winner. Following Sir Arthur’s passing, the award faced the real possibility of being forced to close after its 25th year. I am delighted that we have been able to steward the award successfully all the way to its 40th anniversary, and am happy to report the directors are already making plans for celebrating in 2036.”

For more information, see the Clarke Award website.

The post Swift Wins 40th Anniversary Clarke Award appeared first on Locus.

2026 Premio Ernesto Vegetti Winners

12 August 2026 at 22:06

The Associazione World SF Italia announced the winners of the 2026 Premio Ernesto Vegetti, an Italian SF award.World SF logo next to a globe image

Novel

  • WINNER: Mai verrà la notte, Mariangela Cerrino (Tabula Fati)
  • La grande insurrezione, Claude Francis Dozière (Tabula Fati)
  • Un compagno e tante stelle, Daniela Piegai (Delos Digital)

Nonfiction

  • WINNER: I grandi scrittori di Urani, D. Arecco, R. Chiavini, L. Ortino, F. Piccinini (Profondo Rosso)
  • Città invisibili, città immaginarie, Franco Piccininia (Scudo)
  • Conan il Barbaro, Michele Tetro (Weird Book)

Anthology

  • WINNER: Orizzonti lontani, storie di fanta west, F. Piccinini e L. Ortino (Tabula Fati)
  • Spazio, tempo e paradossi, Fabio Calabrese (Scudo)
  • Il palcoscenico del fato, Andrea Carlo Cappi (Giraldi Editore)
  • Visioni fantastiche: on demand, Giorgio Sangiorgi, (Scudo)

Short Fiction

  • WINNER: “Kayla Ross, the bounty hunter”, Sandra Moretti (Orizzonti lontani, storie di fanta west)
  • “Il pazzo di Verona”, Claudio Bovino (Fantasmi di oggi)
  • “La danza nel cimitero”, Mario Gazzola (Fantasmi di oggi)
  • “Il mistero del bosco di betulle”, Roberta Guardascione (Fantasmi di oggi)
  • “Un dio lo ha deciso”, Antonella Mecenero (Robot Fall ’25)
  • “Il salario dello scrittore”, Luca Ortino (World SF Italia Magazine 8/25)

For more information, see the official announcement.

The post 2026 Premio Ernesto Vegetti Winners appeared first on Locus.

Dave Nee (1953-2026)

12 August 2026 at 20:29

SF/F fan and bookseller Dave Nee, 73, died August 6, 2026 of an apparent heart attack.

David Chin-Kuo Nee was born in 1953. He attended high school in the San Francisco Bay Area and studied at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1974, he co-founded The Portable Bookstore with Debbie Notkin and Tom Whitmore as a service running books to local organizations. It would be renamed The Other Change of Hobbit and became a physical store in Berkeley at the suggestion of Sherry Gottlieb, founder of the eponymous bookstore A Change of Hobbit. The physical store relocated multiple times over the decades, finding homes in downtown Berkeley and El Cerrito, before closing in 2014.

Besides bookselling, Nee wrote bibliographies for Thomas M. Disch and Michael Bishop in 1982 and 1983. He also had a long-time involvement with San Francisco Pride, being chair of the SF Pride Safety Committee.

He is survived by his husband, David Scott Marley.

The post Dave Nee (1953-2026) appeared first on Locus.

Weekly Bestsellers, 10 August 2026

11 August 2026 at 18:10
Durst

Sarah Beth Durst’s Sea of Charms (Bramble), third in The Spellshop series, debuts in the top 10 on three lists.

Title Debut / #wks on any list NYT
08.16
LAT
08.09
USAT
08.02
PW
08.10
Amz
(08.10)
UK:
Amz UK
(08.10)
Canada:
Amz.ca
(08.10)
Items on list -x- number of lists surveyed 10×3 10×2 150 15×3 100 100 100
Hardcovers
Aster, Starside 04.13.26 / 18 xxx.. xxx.. 15 +2 xxx..
Brown, Red Rising (Deluxe Slipcase Edition) 10.27.25 / 41 xxx.. 32 +5 xxx..
Burke, Yesteryear 04.20.26 / 17 3 -1 2 = 4 +1 3 -1 3 +4 3 +3 4 +1
Collins, Sunrise on the Reaping 06.10.24 / 90 xxx.. 22 -5 xxx.. xxx.. xx
Dinniman, A Parade of Horribles 04.27.26 / 16 xxx.. xxx.. xxx 12 -1 86 -11 87 +
Dinniman, Carl’s Doomsday Scenario 01.12.26 / 31 8 -1 xx 21 +5 42 -22 27 -10
Dinniman, Dungeon Crawler Carl 05.26.25 / 52 11 = xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. 12 +1 xxx..
Dinniman, The Butcher’s Masquerade 04.21.25 / 27 14 +1 40 +13 xxx.. 43 = 88 +6
Dinniman, The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook 02.02.26 / 27 10 -1 24 +7 15 +4 9 +18
Dinniman, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride 05.26.25 / 25 xxx.. 89 +6 xxx.. 59 -4
Dinniman, The Gate of the Feral Gods 03.24.25 / 29 13 +1 30 +12 xxx.. 35 -2 11 +11
Dinniman, This Inevitable Ruin 10.06.25 / 22 xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. 14 -2 64 +1
Durst, Sea of Charms 08.10.26 / 1 5 ++ 6 ++ 4 ++
Griffin, The Sun and the Starmaker 03.02.26 / 19 10 = xxx.. xxx..
Kova, Prince of Swords 08.03.26 / 2 x 77 -70 x
Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses 6 03.09.26 / 13 xxx.. 36 +12 xxx.. 52 -1
Marie, Immortal Consequences 08.11.25 / 15 xxx.. 142 -63 9 -5
Marie, Ruinous Ends 07.27.26 / 3 2 -1 xx 25 -10
Parker, The Ballad of Falling Dragons 05.25.26 / 12 xxx.. xxx.. x xxx.. 80 +
Pham, The Secret World of Briar Rose 06.15.26 / 8 9 -1 xxx.. xxx..
Roberts, Powerless 11.20.23 / 105 xxx.. xxx.. 14 -1 xxx.. xxx.. xxx..
Roux, Star Wars: Legacy 08.10.26 / 1 122 ++
Sanderson, Warbreaker 06.23.09 / 2 xxx.. 65 ++
SenLinYu, Alchemised 10.06.25 / 43 xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. 23 = xxx.. xxx.. xxx..
Yarros, Fourth Wing 05.15.23 / 121 xxx.. xxx.. 124 +17 xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. xxx..
Yarros, Onyx Storm 04.01.24 / 120 xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. 33 -11 xxx..
Yarros, Threshing Day 04.20.26 / 15 4 -2 7 -2 6 -2
Title Debut / #wks on any list NYT
08.16
LAT
08.09
USAT
08.02
PW
08.10
Amz
(08.10)
UK:
Amz UK
(08.10)
Canada:
Amz.ca
(08.10)
Paperbacks [tpb=trade]
Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 07.20.03 / 500 xxx.. 41 +15 xxx.. 13 -1 xxx.. x
Brown, Red Rising [tpb] 05.02.16 / 41 11 +3 xxx.. xxx.. 85 +8 38 +5
Buehlman, Between Two Fires [tpb] 09.09.24 / 24 81 -9
Dinniman, Dungeon Crawler Carl [tpb] 01.12.26 / 31 4 -1 5 -1 x 3 -1 38 -3 10 =
Dinniman, Dungeon Crawler Carl, Vol. 1 (Graphic Novel) [tpb] 06.01.26 / 11 71 +16 12 +10
Durst, The Faraway Inn [tpb] 04.13.26 / 15 xxx.. 23 + xxx..
Gillig, The Knight and the Moth [tpb] 06.01.26 / 7 xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. 25 + xxx..
Haig, The Midnight Library [tpb] 05.22.23 / 89 xxx.. xxx 140 -21 xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. xxx..
Jones, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter [tpb] 07.27.26 / 3 xx 83 -42 xx
Lowry, The Giver 09.02.13 / 198 xxx.. 134 -41 xxx.. 47 +29 xxx..
Maas, A Court of Frost and Starlight [tpb] 04.10.23 / 131 xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. 58 +32 xxx..
Maas, A Court of Silver Flames [tpb] 09.12.22 / 161 xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. 55 + xxx..
Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses [tpb] 05.16.16 / 278 xxx.. xxx.. 84 -15 xxx.. xxx.. 45 +5 60 +28
Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses Paperback Box Set 06.19.23 / 153 xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. 81 -11
Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin [tpb] 05.14.18 / 198 xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. 52 +11 xxx..
Miller, Circe [tpb] 09.06.21 / 100 8 +3 7 + 29 +23 76 -44 xxx
Miller, The Song of Achilles [tpb] 09.06.21 / 114 xxx.. x 54 +21 x xxx.. xx
Orwell, Animal Farm 07.20.03 / 140 x 32 +15 xxx.. xxx..
Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four 07.20.03 / 593 xxx.. 131 + xxx.. xxx.. xxx..
Rowling, Harry Potter Box Set: The Complete Collection (UK) [tpb] 03.23.15 / 462 xxx.. 61 -9
Thorne, Moss’d in Space [tpb] 07.13.26 / 5 80 +33 x
Weir, Project Hail Mary [tpb] 10.03.22 / 90 2 = 8 -2 13 -5 x 9 -1 56 -10 15 -4
Yarros, Fourth Wing [tpb] 09.16.24 / 98 xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. 29 -3 xxx..
Yarros, Iron Flame [tpb] 06.02.25 / 59 xxx.. xxx.. xxx.. 27 -4 xxx..
Title Debut / #wks on any list NYT
08.16
LAT
08.09
USAT
08.02
PW
08.10
Amz
(08.10)
UK:
Amz UK
(08.10)
Canada:
Amz.ca
(08.10)

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 post Weekly Bestsellers, 10 August 2026 appeared first on Locus.

New Book Releases: Aug 11, 2026

11 August 2026 at 18:00

New Fantasy Romantasy Sci-Fi horror books and novels

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

 


 

 

Afifi - A fugitive's History of the Known UniverseAfifi, Nadia: A Fugitive’s History of the Known Universe (Flame Tree Press UK 978-1787589483, $26.95, 288pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 08/11/2026)

SF novel. Azad is being hunted across the galaxies by the Vitruvian Authorities because he exposed the dark past of his world. Azad and his team need to team up with a space pirate to start a revolution.

 

 

Anonymous - The Mighty Nein -- Stories UntoldAnonymous: Critical Role: The Mighty Nein: Stories Untold (Penguin Random House/Random House Worlds 979-8217298488, $30.00, 320pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Tie-in anthology of Critical Role, stories based on the livestreamed roleplaying game. Nine different tales of some of the most memorable characters, including: Essek Thelyss, Isharni, and Pumat Sol. Simultaneous with the Penguin Random House UK edition.

 

 

Ayinde - A Dance of Burning BladesAyinde, M.H.: A Dance of Burning Blades (Simon & Schuster/Saga Press 978-1668086858, $22.00, 688pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Epic fantasy novel, the second in the A Song of Legends Lost series. Tension is growing everywhere across the nine lands. The people hope to find out the secrets the king has been keeping from them.

 

 

Bennett - A Trade of BloodBennett, Robert Jackson: A Trade of Blood (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 978-0593723852, $32.00, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Fantasy mystery novel, third in the Shadow of the Leviathan series. Ana Dolabra must prove the innocence of the heir of one of the Empire’s most powerful families, and if she doesn’t, the Empire will fall apart. Simultaneous with the Hodder & Stoughton UK edition.

 

 

Bo-Young - A Plagued SeaKim, Bo-Young & Bowman, Sophie: A Plagued Sea (Tor/Nightfire 978-1250380753, $24.99, 102pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Horror novel. An earthquake on the coast of Haewon, a small seaside village, released a plague that turns its victims into fish monsters. Mu-young has been doing everything she can to survive here for the past three years.

 

 

Chapman - Devil InsideChapman, Clay McLeod: Devil Inside (Harlequin/Mira 978-0778306214, $18.99, 384pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Horror romance novel. After an accident that nearly cost his life, Jordan’s grip on reality seems to be slipping. After getting ghosted by a woman named Lilith, things start to get even weirder. Simultaneous with the Titan Books UK edition.

 

 

Dade - World's Okayest Oracle (Reluctantly) Seeks DemonDade, Olivia: World’s Okayest Oracle (Reluctantly) Seeks Demon (Penguin Random House/Berkley Romance 978-0593818220, $20.00, 458pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Supernatural romantic comedy novel, the second in the Supernatural Entanglements series. Gwen Wexloff can see the future, but not when it matters, until one day, she experiences a world-changing vision, and she needs to find help.

 

 

Doty - The House That Eats the DeadDoty, Max: The House that Eats the Dead (Macmillan/Tor Nightfire UK 979-8217092239, $20.00, 336pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/18/2026)

Horror novel. Claire discovers that her family’s new house eats anything that used to be alive. When she exploits this power, she forms a bond with the house, but its hunger starts to grow.

 

 

El-Arifi - EarthboundEl-Arifi, Saara: Earthbound (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 978-0593723067, $29.99, 384pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Fantasy novel. Alder returns to the cave he was born in to discover more about his past, and the truth has him shaken. In the fae court, Yeeran is trying to create a peace treaty with the elven army.

 

 

Goodman - Orestes' ReturnGoodman, A.B.: House of Atreus: Orestes’ Return (Planetary Books 979-8188214753, $19.99, 144pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 07/20/2026)

SF novel, third in the House of Atreus series. Agamemnon’s exiled son, Orestes, has finally come of age, and must prove himself to Apollo, as he returns home to the kingdom.

 

 

Hanrahan - The Dungeon BookHanrahan, Gareth: The Dungeon Book (Orbit US 978-0316595421, $19.99, 352pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Fantasy novel. After Bait is captured by a dragon, and left for dead in a dungeon, she’s taken in by a family of goblins, and is given the chance to decide where she belongs. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.

 

 

Jafari - Heavensent & HellbentJafari, Sara: Heavensent & Hellbent (Penguin Random House/Delacorte 979-8217028634, $20.99, 416pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Young-adult fantasy romance novel. After seeing Zain kill a man, Roxana realizes that demons (and also angels) exist, but she can’t help her attraction towards him.

 

 

Johnston - The Third Period ComebackJohnston, E.K.: The Third Period Comeback (Penguin Random House/Dutton 979-8217110421, $17.99, 176pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Upper middle-grade “magic-tinged” novel. Hayley Rilko is cursed to ruin any hockey team she plays for, but it doesn’t go into effect until she’s no longer a kid, so she becomes determined to break the curse.

 

 

Kelly - The Book of BotsKelly, James Patrick: The Book of Bots (Fairwood Press 978-1958880418, $19.99, 302pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 08/14/2026)

Collection of 12 stories about robots and AI that come in all different forms. Some are in the shape of a car, some are from the far future, and some only exist in cyberspace.

 

 

Keslowitz - Traveling the Yellow Brick RoadKeslowitz, Steven: Traveling the Yellow Brick Road: What We Learn from The Wizard of Oz and Wicked (McFarland 978-1476699646, $39.95, 236pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 08/13/2026)

Critical non-fiction focusing on the films, looking at the world of Oz as a reflection of American society, exploring how beliefs about heroism, villainy, ethics, and truth change between the classic film and the recent Wicked films.

 

 

Maberry - BewildernessMaberry, Jonathan: Bewilderness (WordFire Press 978-1680577969, $23.99, 514pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 08/11/2026)

SF horror novel. A doorway to a parallel dimension malfunctions and causes infinite parallel Earth’s to collide with our’s. Abby Corman is the only one who knows how to stop this, but an alien hunter is determined to stop her.

 

 

Okungbowa - Season of the SerpentOkungbowa, Suyi Davies: Season of the Serpent (Orbit US ‎978-0316428996, $19.99, 368pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Epic fantasy novel, the third book in the Nameless Republic trilogy. The Nameless Republic and Kangalaland are on the verge of war, and everyone must pick a side. Lilong lost her power, and is doing everything she can to get it back.

 

 

Penelope - The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara DouglassPenelope, Leslye: The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass (Orbit US/Redhook 978-0316594691, $19.99, 496pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Contemporary fantasy novel. After the disappearance of Zahara’s sister, no one remembered she even existed in the first place, besides her. Four years later she finds evidence of her existence, and hires a private investigator to look into her past.

 

 

Ribay - Nest of TonguesRibay, Randy: Nest of Tongues (Penguin Random House/Random House 979-8217024346, $19.99, 384pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Young-adult paranormal horror novel inspired by Filipino mythology. Lily and her brother Caleb are vampires, but choose to keep it a secret, until one day when a monster hunter kills another vampire.

 

 

Smith - Death CardSmith, Jasmine: Death Card (Penguin Random House/Putnam 978-0593858295, $13.99, 304pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Young-adult contemporary fantasy novel. Mikaela Broussard has a vision of a customer stabbing her in the heart. She decides to spend time with the customer, Joelle, in order to gather more information, but starts to find her irresistible. A first novel.

 

 

Spotts - Saint DelilahSpotts, Isabelle: Saint Delilah (Penguin Random House/Berkley 979-8217189816, $30.00, 311pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Horror novel. Delilah, a ghost, is trying to clear her unfinished business, and she needs to start with finding who her killer is, so she teams up with the owner of a strip club she used to dance at, and a stranger who can hear and touch her. A first novel.

 

 

Tchaikovsky - Preaching to the ChoirTchaikovsky, Adrian: Preaching to the Choir (Rebellion/Solaris UK 978-1837867301, $32.99, 176pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/13/2026)

SF novel, second in the Terrible Worlds: Transformations series. Ross asked Elena to come with her to a mysterious family gathering for moral support, despite the fact that spouses aren’t invited, and they uncover dark secrets.

 

 

Tooley - There Are Ghosts HereTooley, Adrienne: There Are Ghosts Here (Penguin Random House/Delacorte 979-8217027897, $19.99, 272pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Young-adult speculative horror novel. Willa Childs forgets the details of the accident that sent her to the Dorsey House, and the others stuck there, Caroline and Ivy, are intending to keep it from her.

 

 

Walter - The Witch QueenWalter, Heather: The Witch Queen (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 978-0593598399, $30.00, 560pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/11/2026)

Fantasy novel, second in the Crimson Crown duology. Queen Ayleth knows that having the kingdom under her rule isn’t perfect, and she’s consumed by fears that the witches will come to remove her, or that people will find out her secret. Simultaneous with the Penguin Random House UK edition.

 

 

Whitten - ReliquaryWhitten, Hannah: Reliquary (Orbit US/Run For It 978-0316579537, $30.00, 320pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 08/11/2026)

Horror novel. The estranged family of Claire’s late fiancé, Elias, reaches out after his death, and invites her to a three day stay at Harrow Point. While she’s there, she uncovers the reason behind her traumatic connection to the ocean.

 



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The post New Book Releases: Aug 11, 2026 appeared first on Locus.

John Crowley (1942-2026)

11 August 2026 at 00:51

John Crowley, 83, died August 8, 2026.

John William Crowley was born December 1, 1942 in Presque Isle ME, where his father, a doctor and captain in the Army Air Corps, was stationed. The family moved several times until settling in Indiana in 1953. He earned an English degree from Indiana University in 1964 and moved to New York City and worked in photography and documentary film writing. Crowley became a freelance writer in 1966, married his wife Laurie Block in 1984 and had twin daughters, and began teaching fiction at Yale University in 1993.

Crowley’s first novel, SF The Deep, was published in 1975. He soon published Beasts (1976), Engine Summer (1979), and Little, Big (1981), his first published work of fantasy and perhaps his best-known work, once called “a neglected masterpiece” by critic Harold Bloom. The novel won a World Fantasy Award and a Mythopoeic Award and was a finalist for a Hugo Award, a Nebula Award, a BSFA Award, and a Seiun Award. He went on to write the highly ambitious Ægypt series, beginning with Ægypt (1987) and followed by Love & Sleep (1994), Dæmonomania (2000), and Endless Things (2007); and he wrote other standalones including The Translator (2002), historical novels Lord Byron’s Novel: The Evening Land (2005) and Four Freedoms (2009), Mythopoeic Award and Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire winner and Locus and World Fantasy Award finalist Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr (2017), and Flint and Mirror (2022).

Crowley’s shorter fiction is also celebrated, most notably “Great Work of Time” (1991), a World Fantasy Award winner and Nebula Award finalist for Novella. He wrote Hugo and Nebula Award nominee “Snow” (1985) and Locus Award winner and Hugo and Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist “Gone” (1996). His short fiction has been published in F&SF, Omni Best Science Fiction, Interzone, and Asimov’s, and collected in World Fantasy Award-winner Novelty (1989), Antiquities (1993), Novelties & Souvenirs (2004), Totalitopia (2017), and And Go Like This: Stories (2019). Some of his non-fiction was gathered as In Other Words (2007) and Reading Backwards (2019). His work was the subject of critical study Snake’s-Hands: The Fiction of John Crowley, Michael Andre-Driussi & Alice K. Turner, eds. (2003).

Crowley’s numerous awards include an American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award in Literature (1992) and a World Fantasy Life Achievement Award (2006).

For more, see his entry in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.

The post John Crowley (1942-2026) appeared first on Locus.

2026 Aurora Awards Winners

10 August 2026 at 23:42

Silver Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association logo, with a red maple leafThe winners of the 2026 Aurora Awards for works by Canadians were announced in an online awards ceremony on August 9, 2026, hosted by Elizabeth May Anderson and Mark Leslie Lefebvre.

Best Novel

  • WINNER: The Downloaded 2: Ghosts in the Machine, Robert J. Sawyer (Shadowpaw) amazon / bookshop

Best YA Novel

  • WINNER: Breath of the Dragon, Fonda Lee & Shannon Lee (Wednesday) amazon / bookshop

Best Novelette/Novella

  • A Palace Near the Wind, Ai Jiang (Titan) amazon / bookshop
  • “In the Gardener’s Service”, Michèle Laframboise (Asimov’s 7-8/25)
  • The First Thousand Trees, Premee Mohamed (ECW) amazon / bookshop
  • “The Lure of Stone”, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Uncanny 9-10/25)

Best Short Story

  • WINNER: “The Stone Played at Tengen”, R.H. Wesley (Clarkesworld 11/25)
  • “Hunted To Extinction”, Premee Mohamed (The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand)
  • “What If We Kissed While Sinking a Billionaire’s Yacht?”, Rachel A. Rosen (Antifa Lit Journal, Volume 1: What If We Kissed While Sinking a Billionaire’s Yacht?)
  • “the love song of house and lake”, Gillian Secord (On Spec 9/25)
  • “I Ain’t Your Doll Face”, Jacqueline Thorpe (Polar Borealis 3/25)

Best Graphic Novel/Comic

  • WINNER: Shark Girl, Kate Beaton (Quill and Quire)
  • “Bonds of the Forest“, Ally Rom Colthoff (Augur 8.3)
  • Questionable Content, Jeph Jacques (self-published)
  • It Never Rains, Kari Maaren (self-published)
  • Atana and the Jade Mermaid, Vivian Zhou (HarperAlley)

Best Related Work

  • WINNER: Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction: Volume Three, Stephen Kotowych, ed. (Ansible) amazon
  • Augur 8.1-8.3, Azure Arther, Kerry C. Byrne, André Geleynse, Toria Liao & Kelley Tai, eds.
  • On Spec Vol 35, #131-134, Diane L. Walton, ed. (The Copper Pig Writers’ Society)
  • One Message Remains, Premee Mohamed (Psychopomp) amazon / bookshop
  • As the Earth Dreams: Black Canadian Speculative Stories, Terese Mason Pierre, ed. (Spiderline) amazon / bookshop

Best Poem/Song

  • WINNER: “From Dust”, J.Y. Zhang (Small Wonders 12/25)
  • “Bigfoot Farewell”, Carolyn Clink (Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn: Poems and Micro-Stories about Modern Midwest Monsters)
  • “Dragon Karaoke”, David Clink, (Polar Starlight 4/25)
  • “flowers without meadow”, Tiffany Morris (Eye to the Telescope 4/25)
  • “Explosive”, Derek Newman-Stille (Polar Starlight 8/25)
  • “At the Spaceport Bar”, Lisa Timpf (Polar Starlight 2/25)

Best Cover Art/Interior Illustration

  • WINNER: “Listen to Me and I’ll tell You a Story”, Ejiwa “Edge” Ebenebe (Uncanny 9-10/25)
  • Starship Librarians cover art, Lorna Antoniazzi (Tyche)
  • “Dancing With the Holly King”, Janice Blaine (On Spec Winter ’25)
  • “Seance”, Alice M. (Heartlines Spec Spring ’25)
  • “Lunar Base”, Dan O’Driscoll (On Spec Summer ’25)

Best Fan Writing and Publications

  • WINNER: Polar Starlight Magazine, Rhea E. Rose, ed.
  • Amazing Stories 405-420, Steve Fahnestalk
  • Young People Read Old SFF, James Davis Nicoll (self-published)
  • Book Reviews in The Ottawa Review of Books, Robert Runté
  • “Speculative Poetry and the Hugos”, Lynne Sargent (Strange Horizons 7/21/25)

Best Fan Related Work

  • WINNER: Can*Con 2025
  • Scintillation 2025
  • Two Old Farts Talk Sci-Fi
  • Wizards & Spaceships
  • The Worldshapers

Hall of Fame inductees were previously announced: Kelley Armstrong, James Alan Gardner, and Mike Glicksohn.

For more information, see the Aurora Awards website.

The post 2026 Aurora Awards Winners appeared first on Locus.

2026 Prix Rosny Aîné Winners

10 August 2026 at 20:26

The winners for the 2026 Prix Rosny Aîné have been announced. The prize is awarded to SF novels and short stories written in French and published in print in 2025.Rosny aîné Prize logo, an armoured paladin.

Best Novel

  • WINNER: Sintonia, Audrey Pleynet (Belial)
  • La Dernière Tentation de Judas, Phillipe Battaglia (Atalante)
  • Echos Stellaires, David Bry (Flueve Eds)
  • Aatea, Anouck Faure (Argyll)
  • Soma, Floriane Soulas (R. Laffont)

Best Short Story

  • WINNER: “Les Noueurs,” Chloé Chevalier (Utopiales 2025)
  • “Résonances”, Mina Jacobson (Bifrost 10/25)
  • (Dés)Incarnations, Julia Richard (Timelapse)
  • Maléfcity – Histoire D’Un Conte Défait, Nicolas de Torsiac (Cordes de lune)
  • Re:Start, Katia Lanero Zamora (Argyll)

The Prix Cyrano recipient is Pierre Stolze.

For more information, see announcements from ActuSF and Soufflereve.

[via File770]

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2026 SFRA Awards

6 August 2026 at 21:43

The Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA) has announced the 2026 winners of its annual book awards.SFRA logo

The SFRA Award for Lifetime Contributions to SF Scholarship

  • Istvan Csicsery-Ronay, Jr.

The SFRA Innovative Research Award

  • “Growth, Resource, Population: The GRP Triangle in Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction by Female Writers.” , Regina Kanyu Wang (SFRA Review Summer ’25)

Thomas D. Clareson Award for Distinguished Service

  • Patrick Sharp

Mary Kay Bray Award

  • Paromita Sarkar for the review of The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SF (SFRA Review Summer ’25)

SFRA Book Award

  • Black Apocalypse: Afrofuturism at the End of the World, Tavia Nyong’o (University of California Press)

Student Paper Award

  •  “‘I Must Put Things in My Mouth:’ Loving Trans Children in Octavia Butler’s Adulthood Rites”, Franklin Mitchell (University of Colorado Boulder)

The awards, selected by a committee of SFRA members, are given in recognition of “members of the SF community who exhibit outstanding scholarship, pioneering viewpoints in the science fiction discourse, and lifetime contributions to SF research.” Winners were announced at the SFRA conference banquet in East Lansing, Michigan.

For more information, see the SFRA website.

The post 2026 SFRA Awards appeared first on Locus.

New Book Releases Video: August 4, 2026

6 August 2026 at 21:00

Looking for your next unforgettable read? This week’s lineup of new releases for August 4, 2026 delivers an exciting collection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult novels that are making their debut today.

From epic adventures through distant galaxies and imaginative fantasy realms to chilling supernatural tales and compelling YA stories, this week’s selection offers something for every speculative fiction fan. We’ve gathered some of the standout releases to help you discover your next favorite book without the hassle of searching through endless lists.

If you enjoy keeping up with the latest releases, be sure to subscribe so you never miss our weekly new book roundups. Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you next week with another collection of exciting new titles!

The post New Book Releases Video: August 4, 2026 appeared first on Locus.

2026 World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Awards

6 August 2026 at 17:54

World Fantasy Award, depicting a tree and gold discClive Barker and Joyce Carol Oates have been announced as the recipients of the 2026 World Fantasy Awards for Lifetime Achievement, presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to the fantasy field. The final ballot for the 2026 World Fantasy Awards was previously announced.

The awards will be presented during the 2026 World Fantasy Convention, to be held October 22-25, 2026 in Oakland CA.

For more information, see the World Fantasy Convention website.

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2026 Mythopoeic Awards Winners

5 August 2026 at 22:36

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

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature

  • WINNER: Snake-Eater, T. Kingfisher (47North)
  • The Charlatan Duology, Holly Black (Tor)
  • Audition for the Fox, Martin Cahill (Tachyon)
  • The Bright Sword, Lev Grossman (Viking)
  • The West Passage, Jared Pechaček (Tordotcom)
  • Water Moon, Samantha Sotto Yambao (Del Rey)
  • The Incandescent, Emily Tesh (Tor)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Young Adult Literature

  • WINNER: The Corruption of Hollis Brown, K. Ancrum (HarperCollins)
  • The Leaving Room, Amber McBride (Feiwel & Friends)
  • The Little Thieves series, Margaret Owen (Henry Holt & Co.)
  • On the Wings of La Noche, Vanessa L. Torres (Knopf)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature

  • WINNER: The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, Aubrey Hartman (Little, Brown)
  • The Village Beyond the Mist, Sachiko Kashiwaba, tr. Avery Fischer Udagawa (Yonder)
  • The Island of Forgotten Gods, Victor Pinñeiro (Sourcebooks Young Readers)
  • The Misewa Saga, David A. Robertson (Tundra; Puffin Canada)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies

  • WINNER: The Tower and the Ruin: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Creation, Michael D.C. Drout (Norton)
  • Mapping Middle-earth: Environmental and Political Narratives in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Cartographies, Anahit Behrooz (Bloomsbury Academic)
  • A Real Taste for Fairy-Stories, Verlyn Flieger (Walking Tree)
  • Pity, Power, and Tolkien’s Ring: To Rule the Fate of Many, Thomas P. Hillman (Kent State University Press)
  • Tolkien and the Mystery of Literary Creation, Giuseppe Pezzini (Cambridge UP 2025)
  • J.R.R. Tolkien’s Utopianism and the Classics, Hamish Williams (Bloomsbury Academic)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies

  • WINNER: Fantasy: A Short History, Adam Roberts (Bloomsbury Academic)
  • Art and Enchantment: How Wonder Works, Patrick Curry, (Routledge 2023)
  • Enheduanna: The Complete Poems of the World’s First Author, Sophus Helle, ed. (Yale University Press)
  • The Archetype of the Dying and Rising God in World Mythology, Paul R. Rovang (Lexington)
  • Speculative Poetry and the Modern Alliterative Revival: A Critical Anthology, Dennis Wilson Wise, ed. (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press)

For more information, see the official announcement.

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2026 N3F Awards

5 August 2026 at 20:36

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

Best Novel

  • All That We See or Seem, Ken Liu (Saga)

Best Shorter Work or Anthology

  • The Dagger in Vichy, Alastair Reynolds (Subterranean)

Best Poem or Collection

  • Entropocene, Jean-Paul L. Garnier (Space Cowboy)

Best Editor

  • Toni Weisskopf (Baen)

Best Literary-Critical Work

  • Playing at the World Volume 2, Jon Peterson (MIT Press)

Best Historical Work

  • Dreaming of Autonomous Vehicles: Miloslav (Miles) J. Breuer: Czech- American Writer and the Birth of Science Fiction, Jaroslav Olša, Jr. (Space Cowboy)

Best Fan Writer

  • Lloyd Penney

Best Fan Editor

  • Bob Jennings (Fadeaway)

Best Non-N3F Fan Publication

  • The N3F Fan Gazette

Best Fan Artist

  • Jose Sanchez

Best Pro Artist

  • Bob Eggleton

Best Fan Website

  • The FANAC: Fan History Project

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.

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Aurealis Awards Changes

5 August 2026 at 19:40

Black and white logo for the Aurealis AwardsThe 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 change to the fees is onerous, and a large change compared with the full history of the awards. This is perceived by many as a ‘pay to play’ situation that favours those able to absorb the cost, and disadvantages self-publishing authors and small presses as well as authors whose publishers won’t take on the costs. The new structure will ensure that many works worthy of consideration will not be submitted, and favours larger publishers and well-established authors.

As well, the reduced fees for QWC or GenreCon members is perceived as a clear conflict of interest between award management and the financial operation of the Centre, as well as a disadvantage to authors in regional, remote, or interstate areas for which the above is not practical nor feasible. No costs to enter an award should be passed onto the authors, and especially no preference given to some authors over others.

The letter also expresses concerns about changes to rules, in particular arguing there is “lack of clarity around judge autonomy” and highlighting the rule that works shortlisted for multiple categories can only win in one, saying, “This is an impeachment on judge impartiality and artificially restricts works that blend genre or that cross categories.” The letter requests that the guidelines should also include a “clear statement that AI-generated work is not eligible.”

The letter was sent July 18, 2026 “with almost 250 signatures,” including authors and editors such as Leigh Blackmore, Jeff Clulow, Gabino Iglesias, T.R. Napper, Cat Sparks, and Kaaron Warren.

On July 20, the post was updated to report a reply to the letter: “Thank you for sharing this finally. Because it is so close to our Management Committee meeting we will hold it over for their consultation on the 28th. We will be in touch after that. I will update as and when we hear more.” The meeting was reportedly later delayed to August 10.

For more information, see the QWC website.

The post Aurealis Awards Changes appeared first on Locus.

2026 Dragon Awards Ballot

5 August 2026 at 16:47

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

Best Science Fiction Novel

  • God’s Junk Drawer, Peter Clines (Blackstone)
  • The Faith of Beasts, James S.A. Corey (Orbit)
  • Operation Bounce House, Matt Dinniman (Ace)
  • Radiant Star, Ann Leckie (Orbit US)
  • Slow Gods, Claire North (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
  • The Shattering Peace, John Scalzi (Tor; Tor UK)

Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal)

  • Twelve Months, Jim Butcher (Ace)
  • Academy of Outcasts, Larry Correia (Aethon)
  • The Lost Reliquary, Lyndsay Ely (Saga)
  • Hell to Pay, Sherrilyn Kenyon (Oliver Heber)
  • Red City, Marie Lu (Tor)
  • Queen Demon, Martha Wells (Tor)

Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel

  • Make Me a Monster, Kalynn Bayron (Bloomsbury YA)
  • Ride or Die, Delilah S. Dawson (Delacorte)
  • The Executioners Three, Susan Dennard (Tor Teen)
  • Hazelthorn, CG Drews (Feiwel & Friends)
  • Sky on Fire, E.K. Johnston (Dutton Books for Young Readers)
  • Queen of Faces, Petra Lord (HarperCollins)

Best Alternate History Novel

  • World War 3.2, John Birmingham (Gigantic Bombs)
  • No Man’s Land, Richard K. Morgan (Del Rey)
  • A Resistance of Witches, Morgan Ryan (Viking)
  • The Winds of Fate, S.M. Stirling (Baen)
  • The Unnecessary War, Brian C. Thompson (self-published)
  • Powerless, Harry Turtledove (Caezik)

Best Horror Novel

  • The Possession of Alba Díaz, Isabel Cañas (Berkley; Solaris UK)
  • Play Nice, Rachel Harrison (Berkley)
  • King Sorrow, Joe Hill (Morrow; Headline UK)
  • The Bewitching, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey; Arcadia UK)
  • Girl in the Creek, Wendy N. Wagner (Tor Nightfire)

Best Illustrative Book Cover

  • Jeff Brown for The Sapphire Heart, Abigail Bender, Victoria Hungria & Sandra Mead Miller (Three Scribes)
  • Dominic Harman for The Ishtar Deception, James L. Cambias (Baen)
  • T. Kingfisher for Hemlock & Silver (Tor; Tor UK)
  • Carson Lowmiller for Brigands & Breadknives, Travis Baldree (Tor)
  • Anna Moshak for The Second Death of Locke, V.L. Bovalino (Forever)
  • Joe Wilson for Pretenders to the Throne of God, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Head of Zeus)

Best Comic Book or Graphic Novel

  • Absolute Superman, Jason Aaron, illustrated by Rafa Sandoval
  • X-Men: Elsewhen, John Byrne
  • Daredevil, Stephanie Phillips, illustrated by Lee Garbett
  • Absolute Batman, Scott Snyder, illustrated by Nick Dragotta
  • Absolute Wonder Woman, Kelly Thompson, illustrated by Hayden Sherman
  • Something is Killing the Children, James Tynion IV, illustrated by Werther Dell’Edera

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series, TV or Internet

  • Alien: Earth
  • The Boys Season 5
  • Fallout Season 2
  • Foundation Season 3
  • A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
  • Plur1bus
  • Strange New Worlds Season 3
  • Widow’s Bay

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie

  • Superman
  • Project Hail Mary
  • Disclosure Day
  • Predator: Badlands
  • Frankenstein
  • The Sheep Detectives
  • Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
  • Toy Story 5

Finalists in digital and tabletop gaming-related categories were also announced. Winners will be announced at Dragon Con, to be held September 3-7, 2026 in Atlanta GA.

The post 2026 Dragon Awards Ballot appeared first on Locus.

2026 Dream Foundry Contest Finalists

4 August 2026 at 23:32

Dream Foundry,Dream Foundry dragon logo 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

  • Ooreoluwa O. Agbede
  • Sara Ang
  • N.A. Blair
  • Tomás Xavier Díaz
  • Angela Luo
  • Natalie Anai Nowo Lydick
  • Fatima Masood
  • Femi Salami
  • Ashleigh Spencer
  • Plamen Ivanov Vasilev

Art Contest

  • River Barton
  • Ginger Bertoni
  • Emelia Feldman
  • Javiera Díaz
  • Sierra Eston
  • Olive Humphrey
  • Niko Kristic
  • Jessie Li
  • Kurtis Sawyer
  • Marcus Leon Solomon

First place winners receive $1,500, second place receives $750, and third place receives $400.

The writing judges are P.A. Cornell and R.S.A. Garcia. The art contest judges are Becca Farrow and Hannah Vardit. The writing contest coordinator was Julia Rios and the art contest coordinator was Ilinca Barbacuta.

For more information, see the Dream Foundry website or their contest press releases.

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

2026 World Fantasy Awards Finalists

4 August 2026 at 18:12

World Fantasy Awards logo with trophyThe 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

  • Audition for the Fox, Martin Cahill (Tachyon)
  • Once Was Willem, M.R. Carey (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
  • The Secret Market of the Dead, Giovanni De Feo (Saga)
  • The Everlasting, Alix E. Harrow (Tor US; Tor UK)
  • The Adventures of Mary Darling, Pat Murphy (Tachyon)

Best Long Fiction

  • The River Has Roots, Amal El-Mohtar (Tordotcom; Arcadia)
  • “The Secret Diary of Mina Harker”, Theodora Goss (Letters from an Imaginary Country)
  • “Uncertain Sons”, Thomas Ha (Uncertain Sons and Other Stories)
  • The Death of Mountains, Jordan Kurella (Lethe)
  • “The Spotter”, Josh Malerman (You, Human: An Anthology of Dark Science Fiction, Vol. 2)
  • Psychopomp & Circumstance, Eden Royce (Tordotcom)
  • A Mouthful of Dust, Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)

Best Short Fiction

  • “The Hungry Mouth at the Edge of Space and the Goddess Knitting at Home”, Renan Bernardo (Reactor 8/27/25)
  • “In My Country”, Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld 4/25)
  • “10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days”, Samantha Mills (Uncanny 3-4/25)
  • “St. Dymphna’s School for Borderland Girls”, Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece (Weird Horror Spring ‘25)
  • “Unfinished Architectures of the Human-Fae War”, Caroline M. Yoachim (Uncanny 5-6/25)

Best Anthology

  • Night & Day, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Saga)
  • Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology, Julie C. Day, Carina Bissett & Craig Laurance Gidney, eds. (Essential Dreams)
  • The Best Weird Fiction of the Year: Volume 1, Michael Kelly, ed. (Undertow)
  • Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy & Science Fiction: Volume Three, Stephen Kotowych, ed. (Ansible)
  • Bog People: A Working-Class Anthology of Folk Horror, Hollie Starling, ed. (Chatto & Windus)

Best Collection

  • Letters from an Imaginary Country, Theodora Goss (Tachyon)
  • Uncertain Sons and Other Stories, Thomas Ha (Undertow)
  • The Eleventh Hour: A Quintet of Stories, Salman Rushdie (Random House; Jonathan Cape)
  • Black Hole Heart and Other Stories, K.A. Teryna, tr. Alex Shvartsman (Fairwood)

Best Artist

  • Galen Dara
  • Kathleen Jennings
  • Daniele Serra
  • Rachel Smythe
  • Charles Vess

Special Award – Professional

  • Clive Bloom, for London Uncanny: A Gothic Guide to the Capital in Weird History and Fiction (Bloomsbury Academic)
  • Jaymee Goh, Jill Roberts & Jacob Weisman, for Tachyon Publications
  • Tim Lucas, for Succubus (PS/Electric Dreamhouse)
  • Blumhouse & Dave Schilling, for Horror’s New Wave: 15 Years of Blumhouse (Simon Element)
  • Becky Siegel Spratford, for Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature (Saga)
  • Richard Wolinsky, for Space Ships! Ray Guns! Martian Octopods!: Interviews with Science Fiction Legends (Tachyon)

Special Award – Non-Professional

  • Scott H. Andrews, for Beneath Ceaseless Skies
  • Andy Cox, for Remains
  • Patrick Swenson, for Fairwood Press and for the Rainforest Writers Village Retreat
  • Elise C. Tobler, for The Deadlands
  • Wendy Wagner, for Nightmare

The Life Achievement Awards recipients have not yet been announced.

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.

New Book Releases: Aug 4, 2026

4 August 2026 at 18:00

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

 


 

 

Arena - To Dance with DeathArena, 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 - The Lion and the Deathless DarkBroadbent, 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 - Queen of the GodsCorr, 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 - YñigaDiaz, 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 - Meat BeesErbach, 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 - 1637 Pilgrim's PassageFlint, 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 - Strange and Terrible ThingsForst, 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 - Eyes of KingsGong, 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 - The Sands of MarsHampson, 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 - Cursed by the DawnKarlie, 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 - We Turn Gruesome At NightLaRocca, 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 - SteelbornLarue, 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 - Time to BurnLloyd, 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 - SunsplitterMacLean, 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 - Time Travel for BeginnersMoriarty, 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 - Devour MeRath, 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 - Chaotic OrbitsRevis, 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 - Small Town SlasherRose, 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 - Immortal GameSaft, 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 - Local GodsSalisbury, 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 - A Clash of CarnivoresSambury, 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 - The Dream ThievesStiefvater, 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 - One-Fifth DragonStovall, 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 - The Infinite StateSwan, 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 - Assassin at AllgateWard, 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 - Fire to the StarsWatchorn, 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 - The Castle & the CloisterWeymouth, 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 - Find My Way Down to YouWinters, 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.

 



Locus Magazine, Science Fiction Fantasy
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The post New Book Releases: Aug 4, 2026 appeared first on Locus.

Ursula K. Le Guin’s Home Recognized as National Historic Landmark, to host Writers’ Residency

3 August 2026 at 23:21
image of Ursula K. LeGuin signing books
Ursula K. Le Guin (2013), photo by K. Kendall/Creative Commons

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.

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