Ready to discover your next favorite book? Our September 1, 2026 new releases roundup highlights this week’s newest titles across Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult fiction.

Whether you’re searching for bold new worlds, epic fantasy quests, unsettling horror, or compelling YA adventures, there’s plenty arriving this week to explore. We’ve picked out a selection of notable releases to help you find something worth adding to your reading queue.

Enjoy staying up to date with the latest books? Subscribe to the channel and join us each week as we explore more new releases from across the world of speculative fiction. Thanks for watching, and we’ll be back next week with another lineup of books to discover!

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Several awards for services to fandom were presented by the First Fandom Foundation during the opening ceremonies of LAcon V, the 84th Worldcon, held August 27, 2026.

The post 2026 First Fandom Awards appeared first on Locus.

The winners for the 2025 Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were announced August 31, 2026 at LAcon V.

The Sidewise Awards have been presented since 1996 to recognize excellence in alternate historical fiction. For more, see the Sidewise Awards website.

The post 2025 Sidewise Awards Winners appeared first on Locus.

Author and editor David Kopaska-Merkel, 69, died August 26, 2026.

David C. Kopaska-Merkel was born January 11, 1957 in Charlottesville VA. He attended William & Mary, earned a doctorate in geology, worked for the Geological Survey of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and wrote several articles and books on geology and paleontology. He began writing speculative work in short fiction, starting with his first published story “Mecroniya” (1981), but soon began publishing poetry, beginning with “on the river” (1984) under the name Lawrence Harding and accumulating well over 1,000 published poems. He served as the president of the Science Fiction Poetry Association from 2011 to 2014. In 2017, he was voted a SFPA Grand Master, and in 2025, the association awarded him the President’s Lifetime Service Award. He lived in Birmingham AL.

Several of his works have been recognized with awards, including Rhysling Award winner “The Tin Men” (2005); Rhysling Award nominees “Valley of Years” (2000), “Medusa’s Tale” (2002), “meteor shower” (2002), “Tsunami Child” (2005), and “Rattlebox III” (2009); and Dwarf Stars Award nominee “If She Knew She Was a Ghost” (2017). He was published in Abyss & Apex, Dreams & Nightmares, Eldritch Tales, The Magazine of Speculative Poetry, Scifaikuest Online, Space & Time, Star*Line, Strange Horizons, and many more. His over 30 collections include underfoot (1991), Elgin Award nominee Edible Zoo (1994), Y2K Survival Kit (1999), The Ruined City (2003), I don’t know what you’re having (2005), Drowning Atlantis (2007), Hasp Deadbolt, Private Eye (2007), Brushfires (2010), The Tin Men (2011) with Kendall Evans, Elgin Award nominee SETI Hits Paydirt (2014), Gods and Monsters (2015), The Ambassador Takes One for the Team (2019), Unwelcome Guests (2024), and Risk Assessment(2025). Some Disassembly Required (2022) won an Elgin Award.

Kopaska-Merkel was also a storied editor. Among his projects, he edited Dreams & Nightmares spanning more than 100 issues over approximately 40 years, beginning in 1986, making the magazine one of the oldest recognized speculative poetry magazines. He edited Star*Line from 1996 to 2002 and a 2020 guest issue of Eye to the Telescope. He edited nine issues of the Rhysling Poetry Awards Anthology, and the 2023 issue of the Dwarf Stars Poetry Award Anthology with Miguel O. Mitchell. He contributed numerous works of non-fiction, primarily to Star*Line, but also to Dreams & Nightmares, The Magazine of Speculative Poetry, Mindsparks, Scifaikuest, and Xenophilia.

He is survived by his wife, Sheila, and their daughters.

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The African Speculative Fiction Society (ASFS) announced the shortlist for the 2026 Nommo Awards, given to works “by African authors” as defined by the ASFS and Nommo Awards Guidelines, on August 27, 2026 at LAcon V, the 84th World Science Fiction Convention, in Anaheim CA.

The post 2026 Nommo Awards Shortlist appeared first on Locus.

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

Aguirre, Ann: The Hocus Pocus Handbook (Sourcebooks Casablanca 978-1464224119, $18.99, 352pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 09/01/2026)

SF romantic comedy novel. Thea, a changeling, was stolen from the mortal world and now lives in the wildlands. Now she has to hunt down Devan J. Fenelon, but she has to work with a difficult hunter known as Winter’s Hound.

Agyemang, Elizabeth: Divine Oaths (Little, Brown/Requited 978-0316613378, $25.99, 574pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 09/01/2026)

Fantasy romance. Sianna Adu was about to attend an elite school in Virginia’s swampland, but her entire life changes in one day after her family dies and she gains the power to see people’s pasts and futures.

Bacon, Eugen: Crimson in Quietus (Meerkat Press 978-1965740071, $20.95, 300pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 09/01/2026)

Fantasy novel set in the Afrocentric Sauútiverse, where sound is a tangible force. Muso’mi is an expert in consuming sound, and researches silence so she can master theft, but when her friend disappears, her goals change.

Bastianelli, Gregory: Thorns (Flame Tree Press UK 978-1787589971, $34.95, 240pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 09/01/2026)

Horror novel. Dr. Monica studies a deadly virus that causes thorns to sprout from the body, but when she’s infected with it, she must travel across the plagued world where her trust in humanity is tested.

Bennett, Ashley: Mantras & Minotaurs (Penguin Random House/Berkley Romance 978-0593957011, $20.00, 304pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 09/01/2026)

Fantasy romance novel, third in the Leviathan Fitness series. After Pam Rollin’s kids move out, she decides to start yoga, and download a dating app, which is where she starts a long distance relationship with a minotaur.

Brown, Stacey Marie: White Raven (Blackstone Publishing 979-8228474635, $32.99, 360pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/01/2026)

Romantic fantasy novel, the first in the Messengers of the Realm series. Set in a world where the land is divided into Day, Night, and Dusk. The king’s daughter was kidnapped, and is being brought to the night king.

Gillig, Rachel: The Knave and the Moon (Orbit US 978-0316601849, $30.00, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/01/2026)

Gothic fantasy romance novel, the second in the Stonewater Kingdom trilogy. Benji creates a tournament as a way to strengthen his power over Traum, but then an unknown knave begins to excel in the tournament. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.

Hawkins, Scott: Blacktail (Penguin Random House/Crown 979-8217089963, $29.00, 288pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/01/2026)

Dark fantasy novel. Blacktail, a wolf, is loyal to the Forest God, but when his mate, a house dog, is killed, he goes into the house of the owners to take revenge, which is when he receives an offer from a feline witch. Simultaneous with the Macmillan edition.

Islington, James: Scion (Simon & Schuster/Saga Press 978-1668239247, $28.00, 240pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/01/2026)

Cyberpunk thriller novel, first in a series. Azure is really good at his job of killing the ultra wealthy as a deterrent for them to stop hoarding all of the limited resources. But he’s recruited for a new job that’s the complete opposite of what he normally does. Simultaneous with the Orion UK/ edition.

Kelleher, Julie Salmon: The Sea-Glass Shore (Forest Avenue Press 978-0988265790, $17.99, 342pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 09/01/2026)

Contemporary fantasy novel mixing Native American and European lore. Even though Jack knows that all Selkie stories end with the woman finding her stolen skin and leaving, he’s still determined to make it work with Rona. A first novel.

Krause, Autumn: The Gods Will Sing Our Song (Penguin Random House/Delacorte 979-8217027668, $20.99, 432pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/01/2026)

Young-adult fantasy romance novel. Ren Hamada, and Violet Aratani don’t have much in common besides that they’re the only ones who can free a god whose mortal form is tied to the same internment camps they’re locked inside of.

Livino, Isabela: An Immaculate Deception (Penguin Random House/Dutton 979-8217048373, $29.49, 304pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/01/2026)

Gothic horror novel set in 1870s Brazil. When Madalena is about to tell Leandro about their baby that’s on the way, a storm comes and knocks her out. She wakes up in his home, but something’s different about him, he’s obsessed, and always watching. A first novel. Simultaneous with the Orion UK edition.

Martinez, A. Lee: Unbearable (Baen 978-1668073452, $28.00, 208pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 09/01/2026)

Fantasy novel. Ortiz is an ambitionless man until the day he discovers a magic sword that keeps away the all-devouring dragon. He decides to keep it because he can’t trust anyone else to wield it, and besides, it’ll give him a more meaningful life.

McNeil, Gretchen: We Are for the Dark (Astra House/DAW 978-0756400255, $54.48, 352pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/01/2026)

Horror novel. After a priest goes missing on an island in Newfoundland, Miriam and Ryan travel to the island to find out more. Upon arrival, they discover something wrong with the island, and despite not trusting each other, they work together.

Reed, MacKenzie: I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell (Penguin Random House/Berkley 978-0593957097, $20.00, 352pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 09/01/2026)

Fantasy romance novel. After the death of her parents, Brie has been working as a receptionist, but when she catches her boss, Luke, performing an exorcism, she joins him on a rescue mission of one of their coworkers.

Ringo, John & Rinehart, Gray: Troy Rising (Baen 978-1668073445, $28.00, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 09/01/2026)

Original anthology of new stories of espionage, cleverness, humor, and much more. Authors include Adam Oyebanji, Mike Massa, Marisa Wolf, Michael Mersault, Casey Moores, Michael Gants, Karl K. Gallagher, Chris Kennedy, and Jason Cordova & Melissa Olthoff.

Sanderson, Brandon & Patterson, Janci: Blightfall (Penguin Random House/Delacorte 978-0593707050, $22.99, 496pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/01/2026)

Young-adult SF novel. The defiant defense force finally earned freedom from the alien oppressors, but a lot of work still needs to be done. Arturo Mendez, and his team must travel to Blightfall in order to rescue other human settlements. Simultaneous with the Orion UK edition.

Tchaikovsky, Adrian: Engines of Reason (Tordotcom 978-1250388292, $26.99, 192pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 09/01/2026)

SF novella, second in the Elder Race series. In a world where science and magic are just points of view, a fallen princess, a reluctant wizard, and a precocious child need to decipher the past in order to create a better future.

Thompson, Mary G.: Precious Children (Tachyon Publications 978-1616964658, $16.95, 224pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 09/01/2026)

SF horror novel. The Blake family has thousands of clones of their children that live with other families, so that they can be replaced if the Blake’s lose one of their children. When Geoff gets replaced for the third time, something goes wrong.

Vedder, Leslie: The Siren’s Kiss (Abrams/Amulet 978-1419788314, $19.99, 320pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/01/2026)

YA fantasy romance novel. Rayleigh and Maren are both looking to find the sea witch, and when they run into each other, sparks begin to fly, and their plans fall apart, so now they need to team up in order to succeed.

Weitze, Torsten & Markkinen, Erika: The Tower of Beggars (Absurd Ventures 979-8994931622, $28.99, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/01/2026)

Fantasy novel, the first in the Stormfell Academy series. After a tragedy, Niri is left alone, and her only possession is a coin that allows admission to the Stormfall Academy. She’ll need to adapt if she wants to make it through.

Winans, Justine Pucella: Your Boyfriend Needs an Exorcist (Bloomsbury USA 978-1547618811, $20.99, 304pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/01/2026)

YA horror novel. After Schuyler, a spirit, accidentally possesses the boyfriend of her crush, she must pretend to be him until his spirit is found, but she realizes she’s much more comfortable in his body than she was in her own.

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.

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The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has named Nancy Kress the 43rd recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award.

SFWA President Kate Ristau said,

When we choose a SFWA Grand Master, the discussion begins with the Past Presidents. Year after year, Nancy’s name has come up as an author who is long overdue for this award. She has made an incredible impact on our industry not only with her work, but also with her teaching at both Clarions and Taos Toolbox, as well as workshops in Beijing and Leipzig.

She has spent decades writing at the cutting edge of genetics, biotechnology, and human transformation, asking what happens when science changes not only our world, but our understanding of what it means to be human.

There could not be a more prescient time to honor Nancy’s contributions. As we confront the impact of AI on our work and on our livelihoods, Nancy reminds us what it means to be human: to question, to imagine, to connect. Not only that, but to recognize that our humanity cannot be separated from the choices we make about our future.

Jeffe Kennedy, former president of SFWA, said,

I met Nancy when we were both teaching at Taos Toolbox. She was as smart, gracious, and generous as everyone in the industry says. I’m tremendously pleased to see her join the ranks of SFWA’s Grand Masters and I know she’ll continue to contribute to the new generations of writers following in her illustrious footsteps.

Previously honored SFWA Grand Masters include N.K. Jemisin, Samuel R. Delany, Ursula K. Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, and others, going back to 1974. The award will be presented at the 2027 Nebula Awards Conference, to be held June 3-7, 2027.

For more information, see the SFWA website.

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LAcon V has announced that Aussiecon 5 and the Brisbane in 2028 bid won the right to host the 2028 Worldcon. The 86th World Science Fiction Convention will be held July 27-31, 2028 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre in Brisbane, Australia.

Guests of honor announced so far include Claire G. Coleman, David Gaider, Kathleen Jennings, Seanan McGuire, Perry Middlemiss, and Jonathan Strahan.

According to File 770, Brisbane bid received 610 out of 682 votes cast. There was no opposing bid, as the Nuremberg in 2028 group withdrew earlier in the year.

For more, or to purchase you membership before rates rise, see the Worldcon in Brisbane 2028 website.

The post Worldcon 2028 Site Selection: Brisbane appeared first on Locus.

The September 2026 Locus magazine, issue #788, has interviews with Garth Nix and James Islington, a spotlight on Dmitri Lincoln Mehlhorn & Archipelago of Light, and a spotlight on artist Tithi Luadthong AKA Grandfailure. The Fall Titles section includes reviewers’ seasonal picks, US and UK forthcoming books, a spotlight on Chinelo Onwualu, and commentary from Claire North, Tricia Narwani, and Yoon Ha Lee. John Crowley and Dave Nee are remembered with obituaries and appreciations. News includes the 2026 World Fantasy Awards ballot, the Dragon Awards ballot, E.J. Swift’s 40th Anniversary Clarke Award win, Anthropic settlement updates, a report on GenCon, and much more. This month’s commentary by Cory Doctorow is entitled “Technopolitics”. Reviews include new titles by Alix E. Harrow, Jonathan Strahan (ed.), Ahmad Nabil, Jacqueline West, Zoulfa Katouh, Sarah Beth Durst, Melissa Albert, China Miéville, Jaclyn Moriarty, Emma Glass, Huang Chong-Kai (translated by Jeremy Tiang), Hernan Diaz, Emily St. John Mandel, Kurt Andersen, Anne Charnock, Max Dosser, Alma Katsu, Jessica Alexander, Liam Higginson, Alex Grecian, Mason Coile, David Demchuk, Josh Malerman, Amal Singh, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Becky Chambers, and others.

Reviews by NIALL HARRISON / 22

The Formosa Exchange, Huang Chong-Kai, tr. Jeremy Tiang; Ply, Hernan Diaz; Exit Party, Emily St. John Mandel; The Breakup, Kurt Andersen; Alston Moor, Anne Charnock.

Reviews by JOANNE ANDERTON / 24

Nostalgic Futures, Max Dosser; Incarnate, Alma Katsu; Agnes, We’re Not Murderers!, Jessica Alexander.

Reviews by GABINO IGLESIAS / 25

The Hill in the Dark Grove, Liam Higginson; The Boatman, Alex Grecian; Driven, Mason Coile; Red X, David Demchuk; Pictures of You, Josh Malerman.

Reviews by DIVERS HANDS: MARIA HASKINS, MAYA C. JAMES, RUSSELL LETSON, ADRIENNE MARTINI / 27

Slow Burn, Amal Singh; Vaster Than Empires, Jonathan Strahan ed.; Engines of Reason, Adrian Tchaikovsky; As You Wake, Break the Shell, Becky Chambers.

Albert, Melissa • The Children (Colleen Mondor)
Alexander, Jessica • Agnes, We’re Not Murderers! (Joanne Anderton)
Andersen, Kurt • The Breakup (Niall Harrison)
Chambers, Becky • As You Wake, Break the Shell (Adrienne Martini)
Charnock, Anne • Alston Moor (Niall Harrison)
Chong-Kai, Huang • The Formosa Exchange (Niall Harrison)
Coile, Mason • Driven (Gabino Iglesias)
Demchuk, David • Red X (Gabino Iglesias)
Diaz, Hernan • Ply (Niall Harrison)
Dosser, Max • Nostalgic Futures (Joanne Anderton)
Durst, Sarah Beth • Sea of Charms (Colleen Mondor)
Glass, Emma • Mrs. Jekyll (Ian Mond)
Grecian, Alex • The Boatman (Gabino Iglesias)
Harrow, Alix E. • The Slantwise Histories (Gary K. Wolfe)
Higginson, Liam • The Hill in the Dark Grove (Gabino Iglesias)
Katouh, Zoulfa • The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue (Colleen Mondor)
Katsu, Alma • Incarnate (Joanne Anderton)
Malerman, Josh • Pictures of You (Gabino Iglesias)
Mandel, Emily St. John • Exit Party (Niall Harrison)
Mi ville, China • The Rouse (Ian Mond)
Moriarty, Jaclyn • Time Travel for Beginners (Ian Mond)
Nabil, Ahmad • Hidden Companions (Colleen Mondor)
Singh, Amal • Slow Burn (Maria Haskins)
Strahan, Jonathan, ed. • Revolution in the Heart (Gary K. Wolfe)
Strahan, Jonathan, ed. • The Book of the Dead (Gary K. Wolfe)
Strahan, Jonathan, ed. • Vaster Than Empires (Maya C. James)
Tchaikovsky, Adrian • Engines of Reason (Russell Letson)
West, Jacqueline • Black Point (Colleen Mondor)

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The notable debut this week is Sheila Masterson’s romantasy The Poison Daughter (Slowburn), ranking #1 or #2 at New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly.

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, 31 August 2026 appeared first on Locus.

The Locus Selected Books by Author list has been updated on our Forthcoming Books page, with information from the September 2026 issue covering upcoming titles from genre houses slated through March 2027. Find out about your favorite authors’ upcoming books!

For the complete list of books by publisher, subscribe to our print magazine or purchase the September issue in print or digital editions, available September 1, 2026.

The post Forthcoming Books Through March 2027 appeared first on Locus.

The winners of the Hugo Awards, the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, and the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book were announced on August 30, 2026 by LAcon V, the 84th World Science Fiction Convention.

The winners are:

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Looking for something new to add to your reading list? Our August 25, 2026 new releases roundup takes a look at the latest arrivals in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult fiction.

From futuristic journeys and imaginative fantasy adventures to eerie horror stories and gripping YA novels, this week brings a diverse range of new titles to discover. We’ve gathered some of the standout releases to help you find your next great book.

If you enjoy keeping up with the latest releases, be sure to subscribe to the channel and check back each week for more new books across the world of speculative fiction. Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you next week with another selection of exciting new releases!

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

Arnott, Jake: Netherwood (Titan Books UK 978-1835416594, £18.99, 256pp, formats: hardcover, 08/25/2026)

Horror novel. After moving to the town of Hastings, Justine and Adam find a witch bottle that’s said to be connected to a band that experimented with blood magic, and occult forces. When Adam opens the bottle, strange things start happening in Hastings.

Binx, Stephanie: Hellbound (The Quick Brown Fox/Alcove 979-8892426541, $19.99, 349pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 08/25/2026)

Dark romantasy novel. Marian Meyer lives in a world where demons roam the earth and offer people money to take artifacts from hell. After one of her visits to hell, she comes back with memories of that night missing, and she’ll do anything to get them back. A first novel.

Blanchet, Trisha: Murder Like Magic (The Quick Brown Fox/Crooked Lane 979-8892427470, $29.99, 336pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Urban fantasy mystery novel. Tess Tulley is the owner of a private investigation business, and she has a rocky history with other Spinners, so she hesitates to take a case involving a dead Spinner whose true cause of death is a complete mystery, but she chooses to anyway. A first novel.

Brooks, Terry: Brona (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 978-0593129838, $28.00, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Fantasy novel, the second book in The First Druids of Shanna series. Abronja, the son of Nirianne and Galaphile Joss, finds the peacefulness across the four lands boring, but when excitement comes, it’s in the form of an evil sorcerer that’s more powerful than ever.

Carson, Rae: Monster, Monarch, Maiden (HarperCollins/Greenwillow 978-0063244207, $19.99, 480pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Young-adult romantic fantasy novel. Bria is one of the only survivors of a raid on her mountain town. When she’s captured she doubts she’ll survive, but is rescued by a man named Titus, who chose to complete a quest involving Bria.

Cathrall, Sylvie: The Art of Charming a Changeling (Orbit US 978-0316586139, $19.99, 352pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Fantasy romance novel in the Pigments and Paramours trilogy. Florrie Hyverfell discovers a fairy named Vern living in a painting on her first day working for the prince’s galleries. Even worse, the painting is fake, so together they go on a journey to find the real one. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.

Coles, Donyae: The Sunken, the Adored (HarperCollins/Amistad 978-0063458628, $19.99, 352pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Historical eldritch horror novel set in Venice. Mercy goes from being enslaved, to working as a photographer, and living with the Contessa family where she forms deep bonds and friendships. But something is lurking through the city, and threatens to destroy her new life.

de la Chevotière, Robert: The Twelfth House (Kensington/Erewhon 978-1645662037, $26.95, 288pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Magical realism historical novel rooted in West African mythology. Bako escapes to the mountains to save himself and his unborn child, Etta, from enslavement. Here he meets Mary, who agrees to birth Etta into the world, but the child has scars from her previous spiritual deaths.

Delaney, Jennifer: Tales of a Treacherous Fate (Orion UK/Gollancz 979-8895151556, $19.99, 542pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/27/2026)

Fantasy novel, third In The Tales trilogy. War is about to begin as demons are terrorizing the earth, so Kat and Emrys ask the Old Gods for help. Fey are fleeing to the north to awaken the ancient power that’s beyond the mountains.

Edge, Clare: Natural Selection (Penguin Random House/Delacorte 979-8217117451, $19.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Young-adult contemporary fantasy novel. Megan Lawless, Megan Deloria, and Meghan Bach can’t stand Kevin Johnson, and they decide to teach the town a lesson about grizzly bears , which is Kevin’s biggest fear.

Frampton, Megan: Demons and Diplomacy (Penguin Random House/Berkley Romance 979-8217189663, $20.00, 352pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Victorian fantasy romance novel, first in the Ministry of Supernatural Affairs series. Cora Hastings has the job of keeping peace between humans and supernatural creatures after they all emerged from hiding. This job is fairly easy until the devil decides to leave hell.

Hati, S.: The Carousel of Forgotten Places (Angry Robot UK 978-1836730392, $19.99, 288pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Fantasy novel. Ryka, an immortal timekeeper, runs a fair at the edge of time with the other spirits that live there. But when the carousel at the center starts to experience time rot, a human shows up, so Ryka and her boss need to get them home while the fair falls apart.

Hillis, Kat & Thor, Rosiee: Summer Coven (Penguin Random House/Berkley 978-0593952733, $20.00, 336pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Cozy fantasy mystery novel, second in the A Dead & Breakfast Mystery series. Arthur Miller (No connection to the playwright) is a private detective, living with his wife Salvatore in Trident Falls, and when a psychic dies from a poison potion, he looks into her background to find the answers.

Kane, Paul & O’Regan, Marie: Best Served Cold (Flame Tree Collections UK 978-1835626009, $26.99, 416pp, formats: hardcover, 08/25/2026)

Anthology of chilling stories about crime and revenge from authors including Amanda Brittany, Joanie Brittingham, John Connolly, Helen Cooper, Terry Edge, Marcus Field, Helen Fields and more. Part of the Beyond and Within series.

Kerr, Katharine: Zyon (Arc Manor/Caezik SF & Fantasy 978-1647101992, $19.99, 280pp, formats: paperback, 08/25/2026)

SF novel. The inhabitants of Zyon exiled a group of religious fanatics to the neighboring planet, Ninva. Over a hundred years later, those exiled enact revenge and take over Zyon, leaving one sole survivor, Andra Godluv, who turns to the planet Thorn to get help.

Kingfisher, T.: Daggerbound (Tor/Bramble 978-1250400086, $29.99, 448pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Fantasy romance novel. Edmund is a scholar who transports objects from one temple to another, but one day he’s attacked by bandits, and reaches for a sword to fight back, but this sword releases Dervish, an immortal warrior, and after saving Edmund, they start to fall for each other.

Mochizuki, Mai & Taylor, Jordan: Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop (Penguin Random House/Ballantine 979-8217300464, $28.00, 201pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Fantasy novel, third in the Full Moon Coffee Shop series. In Japan there’s a coffee shop that lies under the full moon, and one day Neptune, taking the form of a human, visits the shop to help the cats working there find more ways to help customers with personal conflict. A first novel.

Patterson, Ian: The Fruits of Our Labor (Shiraki Press 978-1970458091, $18.99, 180pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Short SF novel. In 2049, asexual reproduction becomes fully legal and possible, and Samara longs for the day she can escape her relationship. As men become functionally useless for the survival of humanity, protests erupt across the nation.

Pinborough, Sarah: They Say a Girl Died Here (Macmillan/Flatiron/Pine & Cedar 978-1250436689, $28.99, 320pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Gothic thriller/horror novel. After moving with her family to an isolated town called Harper’s Creek, Anna Maybourne feels stuck, and the only interesting thing to her is the murders from the killer known as the farmhandman.

Rapier, Maggie: Wolftamer (Ace 978-0593819296, $20.00, 512pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Fantasy romance novel, the second in the duology The Magpie and the Wolf. Faolan is trapped with no ship on the Isle of Lost Souls with his wife, Saoirse, who pledged herself to the lands, but all he wants to do is create chaos and run away.

Ryan, Anthony: Upon the Forge of Battle (Orbit US 978-0316574648, $19.99, 512pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Fantasy novel, the second in the Age of Wrath series. Thera Blackspear has become a queen, and has Elvine as her spear maiden, who holds a weapon created by gods, but as long as the Sister Lores are still around, Ascarlia can’t be safe. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.

Schultz, Victor Ladis: The Book of the Jaguar (Fairwood Press 978-1958880425, $19.99, 302pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Latin American fantasy novel. Álbaro Ceynos is the sole survivor of the attack of a fabled monster on his company. Now he travels a dying empire, collecting his comrades’ remains, and when he meets other mourners, he’ll explain how the attack happened. A first novel.

Shay, Kate: Portrait of a Witch Undone (Kensington/Erewhon 978-1645662273, $28.00, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Contemporary fantasy novel. After destroying her reputation as the strongest witch of her generation, Maeve Ryan wants nothing more than to get rid of her magic forever, but when a researcher disappears through a painting frame, Maeve chooses to follow. A first novel.

Sims, Jonathan: The Burn Line (Poisoned Pen 978-1464258534, $18.99, 384pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Horror novel. Five people become trapped in a tube car underneath London, and by the time they leave they’re all bound as witnesses of a terrifying event, but they can’t remember what. As time goes on, their realities start to fall apart, unless they can figure out what they saw.

Smith, Lauren Lee: The Night Pool (Blackstone Publishing 979-8228350274, $29.99, 354pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Historical horror novel. One night in Coloma, California, Clara Tice, and Haloke witness Clementine Cobbs get lured across a river, and watch something terrible happen. Later, an attacker kills the mining men of Coloma, and Clara, Haloke, and Mei work together to stop these killings. A first novel.

Spellman, Heather: Cruel Summerween (Macmillan UK/Pan 978-1037400438, $17.00, 308pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 08/27/2026)

Cozy fantasy novel. As an ancient spell stirs, Izzy must figure out what to do as the wrong choice could lead to her magical world falling apart. All the while her heart is pulled between Finn and Noah. two brothers who she’s known for a long time.

Unthank, J.J.: Any More Questions for the Corpse (The Quick Brown Fox/Crooked Lane 979-8892426909, $29.99, 288pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 08/25/2026)

Mystery fantasy novel. Malowin Gladstone was raised by two skeletons, and all he wants is to get through university without the use of necromancy, but this becomes much harder when he’s recruited to hunt down a serial killer. A first novel.

Vair, C.N.: The Devil Knows Her Name (Penguin Random House/Berkley 979-8217188758, $30.00, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/25/2026)

Fantasy horror novel. Tess Wynne was on the brink of death, and swore that she’d do anything to live. The devil hears her, and offers a deal where she will be ageless, but tied to the land she almost died on, which is on the edge of the Appalachian town Burrsville. A first novel.

Wendig, Chuck: The Calamities (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 979-8217091829, $32.00, 592pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 08/18/2026)

Fantasy horror novel, the first in The Fiends duology. Mourning Mayne is part of a family of fiends, half-human and half-demon, but he doesn’t accept his family’s legacy of cruelty. When his father demands he comes home, he becomes forced to choose his destiny. Simultaneous with the Del Rey UK edition.

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The post New Book Releases: Aug 25, 2026 appeared first on Locus.

Matt Dinniman matches his record of a couple months ago, with six titles on the New York Times hardcover fiction list this week. Now he also has two of those titles on the NYT trade paperback list. The seventh in Sarah J. Maas A Court of Thorns and Roses series now has a title: A Court of Forgotten Melody. It’s due January 12, 2027, from Bloomsbury.

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, 24 August 2026 appeared first on Locus.

Mahbod & Mahyar A. Amouzegar, To­morrow Brings Joy: Elysium (University of New Orleans Press 3/26) Near-future SF novel set in Elysium, a utopian society where humans and androids coexist, but Dolores and her android companion KR uncover a place called Walled City, a par­allel social experiment that reveals some unsettling truths about Elysium’s origins.

Andrea Hairston, The Redemption Center Is Closed on Sundays (Tor 5/26) Multi-dimensional SF mystery novel. A local celebrity is murdered in a small town with a mysterious building where time stands still and dimensions collide. But only an inter-dimensional traveling St. Berdoodle named Oona knows who the killer is. “My favorite part of [the book] is not its playful premise, but that misfits, local personalities, and nosy neighbors are the beating heart of the book.” [Maya C. James]

S.L. Huang, The Language of Liars (Tordotcom 4/26) SF novella about body jumping, secrets, linguistics, and consequences. Reo, a member of an empathic species, trains in linguistics to help him understand and “jump” into the mind of a Star Eater, in order to spy on the species and find out why they are dying out – a desperate concern for many worlds, since Star Eaters are the only beings capable of mining a substance necessary for faster-than-light travel – but Reo has no idea just how dark a secret he’ll uncover. “Huang’s book works beauti­fully on multiple levels. It’s a tautly plotted spy-thriller-mystery.” [Vanessa Fogg]

T. Kingfisher, Wolf Worm (Nightfire 3/26) Southern gothic horror novel set in 1899 North Carolina, where scientific illustrator Sonia Wilson jumps at the chance to illustrate a reclusive scientist’s collection of insects. “Once the pace accelerates and the true nature of [the scientist’s] research becomes clear, those who came for the horror won’t be disappointed.” [Gary K. Wolfe]

TJ Klune, We Burned So Bright (Tor 2026) Cozy end-of-the-world SF short novel about two gay men, together for 40 years, who decide to take a road trip as a wandering black hole ap­proaches. They race from Maine to Washington state to take care of unfinished business and meet a kaleidoscope of characters along the way.

Ann Leckie, Radiant Star (Orbit US 5/26) Standalone SF novel in the world of the Imperial Radch, who consider the Temporal Location of the Radiant Star to be an antiquated religious site, but decide to allow one last man to join the mummified bodies there to become a “liv­ing saint”, and naturally complications ensue. “What it is about, I think, is where the various characters land in their attempts to find where they belong, where they can be themselves, where they can be at home.” [Russell Letson]

James Machell, Human Voices, Alien Con­versations (Space Cowboy 6/26) Non-fiction collection of 16 interviews on writing and SF, conducted by Machell, asking intriguing ques­tions of an interesting mix of authors, artists, critics, and editors, from old legends to new tal­ents, including Paolo Bacigalupi, Pat Cadigan, P. Djèlí Clark, Neil Clarke, John Clute, Samuel R. Delany, Ai Jiang, Ken Liu, Cheryl Morgan, and John Picacio.

Suzanne Palmer, Ode to the Half-Broken (DAW 5/26) A hopeful post-apocalyptic SF novel. An old ex-assassin robot, who’s been hiding out for decades in the remains of the New York Botanical Gardens, is forced to reconnect with the outside world as he looks for his stolen leg with the help of a human mechanic and a chatty cyborg dog. “This book is a masterclass in how to write near-future SF that features both an old-school wisdom and charms and a totally contemporary vibe.” [Paul Di Filippo]

Cameron Reed, What We Are Seeking (Tor 4/26) SF mystery/adventure novel. John Maraintha is abandoned on the planet Scythia, a strange world where “survival means transformation”, where plants give birth to insects, trees kill, artificial monsters and aliens lurk, and people follow a barbaric custom called marriage. “’Things that are changing are beautiful’ is a recurring phrase in What We Are Seeking. Talking to each other is how we understand this, how we make sure we are fitting the categories to the people, not the people to the categories.” [Niall Harrison]

Paul Tremblay, Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep Near-future SF horror novel with darkly humorous moments. A female gamer gets a temp job piloting a comatose man, driving him with a game-like controller across the country for the company that owns the AI tech in his brain – while he’s tortured by surreal nightmares. “This lone harried individual experiencing his ‘I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream’-style mental captivity does evoke Phildickian ego-unease expertly and vividly.” [Paul Di Filippo]

#noinsta

Nghi Vo, A Long and Speaking Silence (Tordotcom 5/26) Fantasy novella, seventh in the Singing Hills Cycle, a prequel to previous tales, following Chih’s earliest days as a wandering cleric with their hoopoe companion Almost Bril­liant, dealing with a refugee crisis and unraveling a mystery. “It continues to be the most rewarding cycle of novellas I’ve seen in recent years.” [Gary K. Wolfe]

The post New & Notable, August 2026 appeared first on Locus.

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.

The post Robin Johnson (1937-2026) appeared first on Locus.

Looking for something new to add to your reading list? Our August 18, 2026 new releases roundup takes a look at the latest Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult books hitting shelves this week.

From expansive futuristic adventures and richly crafted fantasy settings to eerie horror stories and compelling YA novels, this week’s releases offer plenty of exciting options for every kind of speculative fiction reader. We’ve gathered a selection of standout titles worth checking out as you search for your next favorite book.

Want to keep up with the latest releases? Subscribe to the channel and join us every week as we explore new books across Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult fiction. Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you next week for another look at the newest titles!

The post New Book Releases Video: August 18, 2026 appeared first on Locus.