Penguin Random House UK has announced an imprint for the new adult reader category, Dusk, focusing on “romance, fantasy and crossover fiction.” Carmen McCullough and Amina Parchment-Youssef will lead the imprint, which expects to publish it’s first titles fall 2026.

McCullough told The Bookseller, “Some of the most exciting energy in publishing today is coming from a generation of readers who don’t see themselves, or their reading tastes, in traditional categories… They move effortlessly between YA, new adult and adult fiction, between romance and fantasy, discovering books through friends, creators and online communities, and turning the stories they love into genuine cultural moments.”

The winners of the 2026 Colorado Book Awards were revealed at a ceremony located in Denver CO on September 26, 2026. Titles and authors of genre interest in categories with winners of genre interest include:

“We, the Fleet” by Alex T. Singer (Clarkesworld 5/25) is the winner of the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for the best short science fiction story, presented by the J. Wayne and Elsie M. Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction.

The second-place runner up was “The Sack of Burley Cottage” by Rich Larson (Reactor 6/25/25). The third-place runner up was “The Shadow on the Nest” by Alaya Dawn Johnson (Uncanny 9-10/25).

Other finalists were:

Established in 1987 by James Gunn and the heirs of Theodore Sturgeon, including his partner Jayne Engelhart Tannehill and Sturgeon’s children, the Sturgeon Award is “a memorial to one of the great short-story writers in a field distinguished by its short fiction.” This year’s jurors were Elizabeth Bear, Kelly Link, Sarah Pinsker, Noël Sturgeon, and Taryne Taylor.

The award will be presented in-person at the fifth annual Sturgeon Symposium at the Hall Center for the Humanities in Lawrence KS. The Sturgeon Award ceremony, to be held on October 15, 2026, will feature a reception, opening remarks, presentation of the award, a reading by Singer, and a Q&A session. The theme of this year’s symposium is “Expanding Speculative Horizons.” The Symposium itself is from October 15-16.

For more information, see the Gunn Center’s website.

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Alderson, Ben & Samotin, Laura R.: The Darkness Bites Back (Angry Robot UK 978-1836730057, $19.99, 320pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

Fantasy romance novel. Tobias, seeking revenge against the vampire who turned him, targets the vampire’s son Alexander, only to find Alexander more principled and devoted than he thought.

Baldree, Travis: Tales from the Territory (Subterranean Press 978-1645243366, $48.00, 224pp, formats: hardcover, 09/30/2026)

Collection of five cozy fantasy stories (three new) set in the world of Legends & Lattes. The Subterranean edition is signed, limited to 1500 copies printed in two colors throughout, with illustrations. Macmillan publishes the audiobook, out on 10/6. Simultaneous with the Macmillan/Tor UK edition.

Banta, Bel: The Court of Venus (Tor 978-1250437136, $29.99, 368pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

Romantic fantasy novel. In a world where magicians’ powers are determined by celestial alignments, Bianca is a rare moon-blessed magician summoned to a deadly court by her onetime rival, Venus-born Roland. Simultaneous with the Macmillan/Tor UK edition.

Davey, Heather: The Memory Tree (Titan Books UK 978-1835414392, $18.99, 352pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

Horror novel. Minister’s wife Kate moves to her husband’s new parish in Hope-under-Barrow, a rural community whose strange rituals and noxious yew tree unnerve Kate.

Duhaime, Zoé: The Lost Spectacular (Kensington/Erewhon 978-1645663348e maladies are cured and people can’t die — seems to be facing an increasing number of ghosts.

Gregovic, Lydia: The False Vow (Penguin Random House/Delacorte 979-8217120680, $21.99, 528pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 09/29/2026)

Young-adult fantasy romance novel, sequel to The Weaver Bride. On the eve of her marriage to Weaver heir Noé, silkwitch Lovett sets out to take down the despotic reign of his father, and also solve a murder mystery.

Ireland, Liz: Mrs. Claus and the Fatal Figgy Pudding (Kensington Cozies 978-1496763013, $18.95, 272pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 09/29/2026)

Fantasy mystery novel, seventh in the Mrs. Claus series. Rehearsals for the upcoming community production of A Christmas Carol get disrupted by a foundling baby elf and the murder of the actor playing Tiny Tim. The author also writes as Elizabeth Bass and Liz Freeland.

Janovsky, Timothy: The Invisible Roommate (St. Martin’s Griffin 978-1250394613, $19.00, 320pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 09/29/2026)

Paranormal romance. Gerard, a famed band member fleeing the spotlight, travels to a remote town in the Chesapeake where he rooms with Emory, a scientist who’s tested out his invisibility research on himself.

Kingfisher, T.: Baldur’s Gate 3: Astarion (Penguin Random House/Random House Worlds 979-8217298594, $30.00, 272pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

Fantasy novel based on the computer game/D&D universe. Astarion, reluctant vampire, sees a chance to escape his servitude in a competition to find the blood of a dead god; he finds an ally in the handsome paladin Hahn. Copyrighted by Wizards of the Coast.

Langan, Sarah: Trad Wife (Simon & Schuster/Atria 978-166822965, $29.00, 320pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

Horror novel. Struggling journalist Jenny sets out to write a scathing expose of tradwife influencer Mia and her idyllic family farm, only to become unnerved as the farm itself gives her strange dreams. First US edition (Tor Nightfire UK 5/26).

Mafi, Tahereh: Escape Me (HarperCollins/Storytide 978-0063419100, $21.99, 416pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

YA dystopian romance novel, third in Shatter Me: Series Two. Rosabelle needs to ignore her feelings for James to convince Sebastian she’s still working against the rebels.

McGuire, Seanan: A Divided Duty (Tor 978-1250375278, $29.99, 384pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 09/29/2026)

Fantasy novel, 20th in the October Daye series. Toby is raising her baby with the help of Raysel, who’s been getting help and therapy while serving out a bond; once the bond ends, Raysel’s mother Luna steals her back and Toby must rescue her.

Miller, Sam A.: Still Lost: Tales from 2080 (Penguin Random House UK/Del Rey UK 978-0143139553, $19.00, 336pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

Collection of eight linked science fiction stories set on an Earth invaded by aliens. Sardonic, humorous situations include an intelligent baboon being cyberbullied and a shocking secret about grass.

Palahniuk, Chuck & Bailey, Michael: Silent Nightmares (Simon & Schuster/Saga Press 978-1668212844, $25.00, 320pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

Original anthology of 15 horror stories, all set in the longest nights of the year. Authors include Eugen Bacon, Cynthia Pelayo, Josh Malerman, Gabino Iglesias, Alma Katsu, and more.

Ravenscroft, Dorian: The White North Has Thy Bones (Bloomsbury UK/Raven N/A, $15.19, 361pp, formats: ebook, audiobook, 10/01/2026)

Historical horror novel. A London newsman seeks answers about what happened on the HMS Melpomene, a rescue ship that met disaster, amnesia, and alleged possession in the Arctic.

Rose-Teter, Marley: The Bone Brides (Page Street YA 979-8890035004, $22.99, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

YA dark fantasy novel. Nora, a human grieving her father, must enter the faerie realm at the bottom of a lake to save her girlfriend Lumi, a changeling.

Sanders, DaVaun: Forged in FIYAH (Tordotcom 978-1250360854, $29.99, 336pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 09/29/2026)

Anthology of Black science fiction and fantasy commemorating ten years of FIYAH magazine. Authors include Maurice Broaddus, C.L. Clark, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Sheree Renée Thomas, Tobi Ogundiran, and more.

Shinn, Sharon: Tropes (Fairwood Press 978-1958880449, $19.99, 260pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 10/01/2026)

Collection of fantasy stories and novellas, including one set in the Elemental Blessings universe. Features shapeshifters, unicorns, and a magical city.

Sweazy, Melissa Anderson: The Sisters of Crimson House (Sourcebooks Landmark 978-1464272356, $18.99, 416pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

Southern paranormal novel. Charley, the only woman in her family not to inherit psychic gifts, saves their ancestral Memphis manor by becoming a tarot-slinging fraudster, only to have her psychic sister show up.

Tan, Shaun: Hometown (Allen & Unwin (Australia) 978-1923627215, $9.99, 110pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 09/29/2026)

YA graphic novel. A girl with an adoptive family and a community she loves is shocked to have a creature from space arrive and say she’s more like him than her family.

Thorne, Jennifer: Newbourne Park (Penguin Random House/Putnam 979-8217177769, $30.00, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

Horror novel. Stressed-out Martha is grateful when a family friend offers her a not-quite-legal getaway at mega-mansion Newbourne, whose owner is supposed to be gone — only for the owner to return, different, at night. Simultaneous with the Titan Books UK edition.

Warner, Dan: Wither (Bloomsbury USA 978-1639736409, $36.99, 336pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

SF horror novel. A year ago, Mick went off-grid to test Regression, a black-box technology that creates a person’s perfect digital twin — after disaster, he returns to civilization, only to find everything deserted.

Waters, Martha: Spellstruck (Simon & Schuster/Atria 978-1668215241, $18.99, 352pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

Historical fantasy romance novel. In an alternate 1920s London where magic is forbidden, Vesper runs a magic speakeasy but must join forces with Max Ashbridge, a government agent.

Wehunt, Michael: The Nightjars (St. Martin’s 978-1250333728, $30.00, 318pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

Horror novel. In the middle of a date, Luke is given a photograph of himself as a child with a murdered body in the background, none of which he can remember; a new string of serial killings points towards him.

Wexler, Django: The Only Way Out Is Up (Orbit US 978-0316392600, $19.99, 384pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

Dystopian novel, first in The Sigilist series. Junkyard worker Taj is offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete in the Ascent, which could elevate him, his family, and his smart-ass robot Star to a richer level. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.

Williams, Jen: The Dreamless (St. Martin’s/Wednesday Books 978-1250409317, $22.00, 336pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

Young-adult fantasy romance novel, sequel to The Sleepless. Elver, sacrificed yet again, comes back from the dead more jih than human, and Artair/Lucian must deal with their feelings for her in their shared body.

Yarros, Rebecca: Threshing Day (Entangled/Red Tower 978-1682818084, $24.99, 208pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 09/29/2026)

Collection of 13 stories featuring characters from the Empyrean fantasy romance series. Features 16 illustrations by Joe Requeza.

Zelkowitz, Jeff: The Mask of the Storyteller (EurekaSignal Press 979-8995521501, $19.95, 396pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 10/01/2026)

Young-adult dystopian fantasy novel. In an Arctic troubled by climate change and a bureaucratic regime, Aggie Brown and her classmate Tommy Tulugaq get entangled with an Inuit mask, a melting ice cap, and an conspiracy. A first novel.

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