A new week means a brand-new stack of books to get excited about! Join us as we spotlight some of the most anticipated Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult releases arriving the week of June 30th, 2026.

Whether you’re eager for epic quests, imaginative futures, chilling tales, or unforgettable coming-of-age stories, this week’s selection offers something for every speculative fiction reader.

We’ve rounded up a collection of standout new titles to help you find your next favorite read and keep your TBR pile growing. Be sure to subscribe for weekly updates on the latest genre releases, book recommendations, and all things speculative fiction. Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you again soon with even more incredible books to discover!

The post New Book Releases Video: June 30, 2026 appeared first on Locus.

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

The winner will be announced July 17, 2026 during ConGregate 12, to be held at the Airport Marriott in Greensboro NC.

For more information, visit the NCSFF website.

The post 2026 Wellman Award Finalists appeared first on Locus.

The July 2026 Locus magazine, issue #786, has interviews with Naomi Kritzer and Temi Oh. The issue includes the 2026 Locus Poll results. Jane Yolen (1939-2026) is remembered with an obituary and appreciations. News covers the 2025 Nebula, Bram Stoker, and Seiun Award winners, as well as Subterranean Press’s planned closure, the Commonwealth Prize Regional winners and AI controversy, and much more. Cory Doctorow’s column is entitled “Hell Is Other People”. Event coverage includes the Locus Awards, StokerCon, the SFWA Nebula Conference, the Bay Area Book Festival, and WisCon 48, as well as international reports on SF in Brazil and SF in Bulgaria. Other obituaries remember Lalana Dararutana AKA Piper J. Drake, Ted White, and James Ray Comer. Reviews cover new works by Ada Hoffmann, Lavie Tidhar, Naomi Kritzer, James Islington, Mahmud El Sayed, R.J. Barker, Paul Tremblay, Geoffrey D. Morrison, Hildur Knútsdóttir (translated by Mary Robinette Kowal), Kylie Lee Baker, Shannon Chakraborty, Grace Curtis, Luis López Carrasco (translated by Rosalind Harvey), Luis Othoniel Rosa (translated by Katie Marya), Keala Kendall, Eileen M. Ruvane, J.A. Morgenstein, Soman Chainani, Nat Cassidy, Eugen Bacon, Cheryl Ntumy & Stephen Embleton (eds.), Sarah Coolidge (ed.), Kirsten Kaschock, Alexis Hall, James Patrick Kelly, Jo Walton & Ada Palmer, and others.

Reviews by ALEXANDRA PIERCE / 19

Scion, James Islington; The Republic of Memory, Mahmud El Sayed; Mortedant’s Peril, R.J. Barker.

Reviews by ALEX BROWN / 21

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

Reviews by GABINO IGLESIAS / 25

I Know a Place, Nat Cassidy; Sauúti Terrors, Eugen Bacon, Cheryl Ntumy & Stephen Embleton, eds.; I Was Alive Here Once: Ghost Stories, Sarah Coolidge, ed.

Reviews by DIVERS HANDS: VANESSA FOGG, ADRIENNE MARTINI, MICHAEL SWANWICK, ALVARO ZINOS-AMARO / 26

An Impossibility of Crows, Kirsten Kaschock; Hell’s Heart, Alexis Hall; The Book of Bots, James Patrick Kelly; Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Jo Walton and Ada Palmer.

Bacon, Eugen, & Cheryl Ntumy, eds. • Sauúti Terrors (Gabino Iglesias)
Baker, Kylie Lee • Japanese Gothic (Alex Brown)
Barker, R. J. • Mortedant’s Peril (Alexandra Pierce)
Carrasco, Luis López • The White Desert (Niall Harrison)
Cassidy, Nat • I Know a Place (Gabino Iglesias)
Chainani, Soman • Young World (Colleen Mondor)
Chakraborty, Shannon • The Tapestry of Fate (Alex Brown)
Coolidge, Sarah, ed. • I Was Alive Here Once: Ghost Stories (Gabino Iglesias)
Curtis, Grace • Heaven’s Graveyard (Niall Harrison)
El Sayed, Mahmud • The Republic of Memory (Alexandra Pierce)
Hall, Alexis • Hell’s Heart (Adrienne Martini)
Hoffman, Ada • Ignore All Previous Instructions (Gary K. Wolfe)
Islington, James • Scion (Alexandra Pierce)
Kaschock, Kirsten • An Impossibility of Crows (Vanessa Fogg)
Kendall, Keala • That Which Feeds Us (Colleen Mondor)
Knútsdóttir, Hildur, tr. Mary Robinette Kowal • Dead Weight (Ian Mond)
Kritzer, Naomi • Obstetrix (Gary K. Wolfe)
Morgenstein, J. A. • The League of Dangerous Young Ladies (Colleen Mondor)
Morrison, Geoffrey D. • The Coffin of Honey (Ian Mond)
Rosa, Luis Othoniel, tr. Katie Marya • Animal Spiral (Niall Harrison)
Ruvane, Eileen M. • Tell Me My Future (Colleen Mondor)
Swanwick, Michael • The Book of Bots (Michael Swanwick)
Tidhar, Lavie • The Three Coffin Problem (Gary K. Wolfe)
Tremblay, Paul • Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep (Ian Mond)
Walton, Jo, & Ada Palmer • Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy (Alvaro Zinos-Amaro)

The post Issue 786 Table of Contents, July 2026 appeared first on Locus.

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

Beiko, S.M.: The Sleuth of Ferren City (ECW Press 978-1770416970, $17.95, 376pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 06/30/2026)

Young-adult fantasy novel, third in the Brindlewatch Quintet. Monstros have emerged in various places, looking for acceptance, but Camillite Sable is suspicious as she tries to find her missing friend.

Berman, Steve: Witchcraft in Your Lips (Lethe Press 978-1590215524, $20.00, 284pp, formats: paperback, 07/01/2026)

Anthology of six novellas (one reprint) about witches and queer love, ranging from bog spirits to Bloody Mary. Authors are Steve Berman, Mia Dalia, L.A. Fields, Joachim Heijndermans, Audrey R. Hollis, and Ivy L. James.

Bianco, Julia: Witch Season (St. Martin’s 978-1250384393, $30.00, 320pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

Urban fantasy romance novel, first in the Broken Coven series. Katherine, enforcer for the LA Aestas coven, is forced to put up with Silas, the rich heir to the Noctis coven who tries to interfere with her methods.

Bourne, Brianna: Meet Me at Midnight (Penguin Random House/Delacorte 979-8217225552, $19.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

YA fantasy romance. Aria keeps meeting the same boy in her midnight dreams, meeting him in beautiful locations every midnight.

Broaddus, Maurice: A City Dreaming (Tor 978-1250265166, $32.99, 336pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 06/30/2026)

SF novel, third in the Astra Black trilogy. A new empire approaches the Muungano empire, a collection of city-states that spans the solar system.

Castle, Jayne: Enter the Nightmare (Penguin Random House/Berkley 979-8217187379, $30.00, 304pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

Science fiction thriller, part of the Harmony series. After staying at the Hotel of Dreams, Alice’s life is falling apart again, with a dead body in the shower and a mysterious man rescuing her. Castle is a pen name for Jayne Ann Krentz, who also writes as Amanda Quick.

Codega, Linda H.: Pasha the Storm (Kensington/Erewhon 978-1645661825, $27.34, 560pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

Fantasy novel. Exiled pirate queen Pasha is guarded hostage by nobleman Atle, but as the ambitions of Atle’s necromantic queen turn dangerous, Atle draws Pasha into his own treasonous plans.

Eudave, Cecilia & Myers, Robin: The Summer of the Serpent (Soho Press 978-1641295826, $27.00, 144pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

Supernatural novel. In 1977 Guadalajara, children start seeing bizarre apparitions, while listless adults wander through the summer.

Hathaway, Amber: Hallowed Deadly Seeds (Deadly Seeds Press 978-1967381043, $16.99, 306pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 06/30/2026)

Horror novel, second in the Little White Flowers series. Alice Drayton and her brother get trapped in isolated Evanston, Maine, where the twisted religious community is determined to assimilate them.

Hofstatter, Eric: Pain Is a Chain. Move, and I’ll Hear You (Aqueduct Press N/A, $5.95, 109pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 07/01/2026)

Prose-poetry book with fantasy and horror elements. Part of the Conversation Pieces series.

Hur, Angela Mi Young: The Loom Tree (Kensington/Erewhon 978-1645660880, $27.48, 464pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

Dark academia fantasy novel. Korean American teenager V crawls into a tree trunk whose powers unlock the diary of her mother, Sharon, who attended the terrifying magical boarding school Alvsdahl.

Hurwitz, Gregg: The Delivery (Amazon/Thomas & Mercer 978-1662539343, $19.99, 251pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/01/2026)

SF novella. Struggling parents Rebecca and Mark accept “Mr. Man,” an AI companion, into their home to help, but violent incidents start to plague the neighborhood.

James, V.V.: Redhaven (Orion UK/Gollancz 978-1399635547, £12.99, 384pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 07/02/2026)

Fantasy novel, part of the Sanctuary universe. Sarah and her daughter Harper flee a government crackdown targeting witches in America. Author also writes as Vic James.

Kim, Sophie: The Winged Game (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 978-0593983362, $32.99, 544pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

Sports fantasy romance novel. Taissa, a former player of magical airborne sport Carriwitchet, is offered a chance to return to the game by Kion, the rival who destroyed her career. Simultaneous with the UK (Hodderscape) edition.

Laben, Carrie-Edmund: Smoke Season (Word Horde 978-1956252125, $22.99, 326pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 06/30/2026)

Cosmic horror novel. Searching for his estranged sister Helen, now a worshipped figure in a remote Montana commune, Justin ends up contending with a government agency set on wiping her out.

Mason, Ruthy: Death Do Us (Hachette/Union Square & Co. 978-1454965152, $18.99, 368pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

Body horror novel. Young archaeologist Bea, feeling increasingly constrained by her imminent marriage, and notices her skin and hair falling off. A first novel.

McGuire, Seanan: Velveteen vs. The Consequences of Her Actions (Subterranean Press 978-1645243069, $95.00, 608pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 06/30/2026)

Collection of 33 stories featuring the superheroine, including 16 never-before-published. There is a signed limited edition of 1000.

Modesitt, L.E.: Last of the First (Tor 978-1250349057, $32.99, 448pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

Fantasy novel, 26th in the Sage of Recluce series. Mirror Lancer Alyiakal is promoted to Subcommander, though high command on Cyador is full of treachery.

Newton, Ruth: The Carrier (Penguin Random House UK/Bantam UK 978-0857508126, £18.99, 448pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/02/2026)

SF thriller novel. People can avoid emotional pain by paying to give it to others — but those Carriers end up dead. A first novel.

Paxman, Emily: All We Have Left (Titan Books UK 978-1835417591, $18.99, 384pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

Post-apocalyptic romance novel. Survivor Kayla brings her ailing sister to an exclusive community with a functioning hospital, where she’s courted by local politician Sid, whose marriage would help her chances of entry.

Rirdan, Daniel: The Woman Who Touched the Sun (Corino Press 979-8992609073, $13.99, 24pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, 06/30/2026)

SF novel. A woman from Nebraska with a samurai bloodline builds herself a spaceship in her barn, traveling to distant fiery reaches of space.

Shipton, Liz: Mother & Slaughter (Tyrannosaurus Yes 979-8295553233, $15.99, 380pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 07/01/2026)

Fantasy novel. In Draconia, where women must choose between being mothers and gladiators, star combatant Eleanor finds herself pregnant and takes a risky journey to find a witch outside the kingdom. Illustrated by Daniel Lorca.

Simmons, David: Fetty on the Switches (Clash Books 978-1968043117, $18.95, 198pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 06/30/2026)

Collection of 21 crime, horror, and love stories. In an alternate Baltimore where the dead rise, citizens struggle with phantasmagoric situations like biology-class vivisections and serial-killing monsters. A first collection.

Swift, Dana: When Dealing with Dragons (St. Martin’s/Wednesday Books 978-1250402431, $20.99, 339pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

Young-adult romantic fantasy novel. Farren Walsh is determined to become a dragon veterinarian like her father, but her arrogant rival James Murphy interns at her family’s sanctuary.

Szal, Jeremy: Wolfskin (Orion UK/Gollancz 978-1473227521, $32.00, 672pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

SF novel, book 3 of The Common series. Vakov is a Reaper, an elite soldier injected with alien DNA that makes him stronger and faster — and has to fight a cult and the Shenoi, the genocidal race who gives him his powers.

Thorne, Rebecca: Moss’d in Space (Tor/Bramble 978-1250414144, $17.70, 368pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

Cozy SF novel, first in the Moss’d in Space series. Torian buys an abandoned alien starship, and discovers that it houses an organic computer entity named Moss, abandoned inside by its former owner. Simultaneous with the Bramble UK edition.

Tremblay, Paul: Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep (HarperCollins/Morrow 978-0063398467, $30.00, 336pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

Near-future SF horror novel. Gamer Julia gets a temp job “remote-controlling” a comatose man across the country for the company that owns the AI tech in his brain, and he starts to wake up.

Varga, Emily: The River She Became (St. Martin’s/Wednesday Books 978-1250878694, $22.00, 416pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

YA romantic fantasy novel. Scholar Yaseema archives fae relics by day, and tries to unlock their magic at night, and finds an ancient key to the fae realm where she can save her land.

Verne, Jules: From the Earth to the Moon: Annotated for Our Spacefaring Age (MIT Press 978-0-262553865, $30.00, 334pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 06/30/2026)

Reprint of the classic 1865 SF novel, with detailed annotations. Translated by William James Miller. With essays by Samit Basu, Jordan Bimm, Erika Nesvold, Adam Oyebanji, Malka Older, Adam Roberts, and Asif Siddiqi.

Walton, Jo: Everybody’s Perfect (Tor 978-1250314055, $29.99, 272pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/30/2026)

Fantasy novel. In a fantasy mirror city to Venice, laborer Tiry is one of many citizens who has a dream that his city Serenissima will have a doge and marry the sea.

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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Starlog, the magazine devoted to “visionary sci-fi and cutting-edge science,” has announced its return to print for November 13, 2026. The magazine will be published annually; there will also be a weekly email newsletter, Lodestar.

Annalee Newitz will serve as editor-in-chief, with Meredith Borders as senior editor and Jason Kauzlarich as senior art director. In a podcast episode announcing the relaunch, Newitz described the goals of the print issue:

“What is required of a magazine is to have something that you can’t get online, and that’s really thoughtful, engaging articles and beautiful, full-color images that just pop off the page…We’re going to have a healthy dose of articles about cutting-edge science, speculating with scientists about where we’re headed next. And we’re also going to have deep-dive essays from experts about all your favorite movies and books.”

The magazine will also be accompanied by The Starlog Podcast, hosted by Jordan Hoffman and Dave Gonzales. The show will feature “conversations with visionary creators, filmmakers, and scientists.”

Starlog magazine previously ran from August 1976 to April 2009, concluding with issue #374. The relaunch will be part of Fangoria’s media network.

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A new week means a brand-new stack of books to get excited about! Join us as we spotlight some of the most anticipated Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult releases arriving the week of June 23rd, 2026. Whether you’re eager for epic quests, imaginative futures, chilling tales, or unforgettable coming-of-age stories, this week’s selection offers something for every speculative fiction reader.

We’ve rounded up a collection of standout new titles to help you find your next favorite read and keep your TBR pile growing. Be sure to subscribe for weekly updates on the latest genre releases, book recommendations, and all things speculative fiction. Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you again soon with even more incredible books to discover!

The post New Book Releases Video: June 23, 2026 appeared first on Locus.

Ahmad, The Age of Calami­ties (Holt 1/26) Original debut col­lection of nine stories (two reprints) with surreal, fantastic, and historical elements: Anne Boleyn keeps coming back to life whatever Henry does, a choose-your-own-apocalypse story set at the Manhattan Project, and a dinner party mystery with Nefertiti to Marilyn Monroe, among others. “Dazzlingly inventive…. These stories make it clear how ancient history and myths still linger in contemporary life….” [Kelly Link]

Samantha Mills, Rabbit Test and Oth­er Stories (Tachyon 4/26) The author’s first collection with 13 stories, two new, originally published from 2018 to now; includes the Hugo, Nebula, Sturgeon, and Locus Award-winning title story. Mills provides an afterword and notes on the inspirations for the stories. “In every story here, there is a twist on the familiar that is entirely unexpected.” [Abigail Nussbaum]

Terry Dowling, Bedlam Rose and Wormwood (PS Publishing 3/26) Noted Australian author Dowling gets UK publication for his collection Wormwood (originally published by Aphelion in 1991, here with one added story previously collected elsewhere) of ten linked stories from a far-future Earth transformed in strange, mysterious ways by aliens; new novel Bedlam Rose returns to that setting for new adventures and discoveries. “The collection is a very good introduction to Dowling’s stylised, complicated, and also playful prose.” [Alexandra Pierce]

Justin Feinstein, Your Behavior Will Be Monitored (Tachyon 4/26) Satirical near-future SF novel about a man train­ing a revolutionary advertising AI to write emotionally manipulative copy, told through “questionably obtained” company emails, chat transcripts, and more. “In an afterword to [the book], Feinstein notes that he was constantly revising the manuscript to stay ahead of the rapid acceleration of AI.” [Ian Mond] A first novel.

Cecile Pin, Celestial Lights (Holt 3/26) “In the beautifully written and achingly realistic Celestial Lights, author Cecile Pin takes readers along on astronaut Oliver Ines’s deep space mission.” [Colleen Mondor] This novel follows a man born the day the space shuttle Challenger exploded who makes it his life’s ambition to become an astronaut, and ends up on a mission to Europa.

Kim Samek, I Am the Ghost Here (Dial 2/26) A first collection, this offers 12 stories (six reprints) about women in strange yet familiar situations, often involving human connection through technology, in a mix of the weird, witty, and absurd. The collection con­tains elements of magical realism and examines trauma, illness, and grief.

Jo Walton & Ada Palmer, Trace Ele­ments (Tor 3/26) Non-fiction collec­tion of 25 essays and five poems, sub­titled Conversations on the Projects of Science Fiction and Fantasy, in which Walton & Palmer share their scholarly and writerly thoughts on the genre, how it is written, how it works, how it has changed over the years, and how it is read. “It offers a lively and sometimes surprisingly personal appreciation of the field today by two of its most distinguished practitioners.” [Gary K. Wolfe]

Michael Swanwick, The Universe Box (Tachyon 2/26) Collection of 19 stories, two new, in an eclectic variety of topics and styles. It blends magic and science to create new myths and legends. “For all his narrative ad­venturousness and sly wit, Swanwick can also be a master of evocative, graceful prose.” [Gary K. Wolfe]

Sara Hashem, Where No Shadow Stays (Holiday House 3/26) Young-adult horror novel about an American-Egyptian homecoming queen who visits Egypt and comes back with a sinister presence following her, part of an old family debt. The story flows through different time periods and multiple points of view to reveal the terrifying truth of the generational curse.

Andrew Ludington, Double Shadow (Minotaur 4/26) SF thriller novel, second in the Splinter Effect series about time-traveling archaeologist Rabbit Ward, who heads to first cen­tury Jerusalem to track down a deadly time-traveling thief. It contains romance, adventure, and a serial killer.

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

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

Barrow, Rebecca: Doe (Penguin Random House/Nancy Paulsen 979-8217006335, $20.99, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 06/23/2026)

Horror novel in verse. Being captain of the cheer team helps Maris forget about her absent father, and girlfriend that doesn’t love her. While sleepwalking, Maris meets an enormous decaying beast named Doe, who takes the form of a deer, but she doesn’t realize Doe is actually real.

Blackwell, Amelia: The Haunting of a Bronte (Macmillan UK 978-1035054145, $25.46, 424pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/25/2026)

Speculative novel. Georgiana uses her time travel device to visit her lover in 1995, but she ends up inside the Thorp Green Hall in the year 1845, where she meets Branwell and Anne Brontë. Georgiana must save the Brontë siblings from a killer.

Carey, M.R.: The Tinder Box (Orbit US 978-0316595490, $19.99, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/23/2026)

Dark fantasy novel. Former Solider Mag Tresti works for a widow, Jannae Mirchella, who’s a witch. One day, Mag Tresti discovers a tinderbox on the body of a demon that fell out of the sky, and this Tinderbox grants Mag any wish he desires. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.

Dedroog, Lauren: A Dance of Serpents (Orion UK/Gollancz 978-1399616157, $18.99, 528pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 06/25/2026)

Fantasy novel. Diana is the princess of hell, but she won’t forget the way that the gods wronged her, her family, and her friends. Diana, along with her allies, search for justice, but the line between justice and revenge is unclear, and she has to keep herself from becoming the very thing she hates.

Doctorow, Cory: The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI: How to Think About Artificial Intelligence — Before It’s Too Late (Macmillan/Farrar, Straus, Giroux/MCD 978-0374621568, $18.00, 240pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 06/23/2026)

Associational non-fiction about artificial intelligence. This book discusses why AI is valued at above $16 trillion dollars, a number so large that the only way for it to reach that value is by replacing huge amounts of the human workforce, despite it’s underwhelming performance.

Elison, Meg: Foundling Fathers (Tachyon Publications 978-1616964580, $16.95, 192pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 06/23/2026)

Satirical SF novella. A group of right wing billionaires doesn’t like how the country is being run so they clone the founding fathers, and raise them in secrecy, in order to bring back America’s “Former Glory.”

Evans, Malayna: The Isis of Egypt: Goddess of Thrones (The Quick Brown Fox/Alcove 979-8892424189, $29.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 06/23/2026)

Historical fantasy novel of ancient Egypt. The goddess of thrones and magic, Isis, along with her husband, Osiris, are living a great life until the god of chaos comes in and traps Osiris in a box. Osiris does everything in her power to find him.

Everett, Sarah: The Romance Rewind (Penguin Random House/Putnam 979-8217002986, $12.99, 304pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/23/2026)

Young-adult fantasy time-loop romance novel. After Zadie’s breakup with Jason, she doesn’t know what to do, and is left wondering about the breakup. All of a sudden, she’s launched back to the day of their first date, and no one else remembers besides Jason’s cousin Marcus.

Haynes, Clarence A.: The Broken Hearts Agency (Grand Central/Legacy Lit 978-1538783603, $20.99, 398pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/23/2026)

Urban fantasy novel in the Our Mystical World series. Evelyn Kendricks just got dumped by her toxic boyfriend, all the while, she’s trying to cope with the ghosts that invaded the world.

Katouh, Zoulfa: The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue (Little, Brown 978-0316351942, $25.99, 368pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/23/2026)

Young-adult fantasy/magical realism novel. Every woman in Jihad Dabbagh’s family receives a magical gift, and Jihad’s is a heightened sense for colors that changes based on her mood, so when her mother dies the world becomes permanently gray.

Kim, Suji: Under the Oak Tree, Volume 3 (Penguin Random House/Inklore 978-0593871256, $32.00, 528pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/23/2026)

Tie-in fantasy novel, third in the series based on the webnovel. Maxi fears that as she continues her studies of magic, her husband, Riftan Calypse, will discover that she’s not the proper noblewoman she claims to be.

Kiser, S.E.: Hunt the Ever Wild (Angry Robot UK 978-1836730071, $19.99, 336pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/23/2026)

Fantasy novel. The wizard Sy jumps at the chance to go on a hunt for a phoenix in Lichtenwald forest because the prize is enough for him to pay off the debt he owes to the king, but he needs help navigating the forest, so he teams up with Anya, a huntress, and claims that he’ll split the prize. A first novel.

Riesen, Lila: Rainsong (Penguin Random House/Knopf 978-0593810286, $19.99, 336pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/23/2026)

Horror novel. Zayn just moved to Mendocino, and the town seems to have a dark past; when she arrives there are missing posters of a girl everywhere, and off the coast is an island called Rainsong, which rumors say is haunted.

Tchaikovsky, Adrian: Green City Wars (Tor 978-1250290335, $28.99, 368pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/23/2026)

SF noir novel. A raccoon private investigator named Skotch is willing to take whatever job you pay him for, as long as it isn’t too illegal. When he’s offered a job to search for a missing mouse that seems to have something everyone wants, he has trouble turning it down. Simultaneous with the Tor UK edition.

Tremblay, Rachel: Lavender Spike (ECW Press 978-1770418417, $19.95, 384pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 06/23/2026)

Dystopian SF novel. Izzy, the last working artist in the Old Holy Order, lives a live of poverty covertly selling her illegal paintings to the last followers of the Order, but a run-in with the government forces her to turn to rebels, and a new kind of art.

Voleur, Cat: Queer Tastes: Unconventional Representation in Horror Film (From Beyond 979-8-9925941-4-0, $15.99, 170pp, formats: paperback, 06/23/2026)

Associational non-fiction. This book takes a critical look at queer representation in horror films, and guides readers through 20 different horror films that span over 80 years of cinema. The author includes her personal experiences with the LGBTQ+ community as she takes you through these films.

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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Cozy fantasy Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett moved up to the top of our hardcover list with a decisive lead over our second-place finisher, Matt Dinniman’s The Butcher’s Masquerade, the fifth book in his Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Our runner-up was The First Step by Tao Wong (Ace), the first book of twelve in the A Thousand Li series. There were 55 nominated titles, the same number as last month.

Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary reclaimed the top spot on our trade paperback list, followed closely by last month’s winner Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. There were no new runners-up. Fifty-five titles were nominated, down from last month’s 74.

On our media and gaming-related book list, only two books made our list. Both titles were by Dan Abnett – Warhammer 40,000: The Horus Heresy: Horus Rising came in first, followed by Warhammer 40,000: Eisenhorn: The Omnibus. There were no new runners-up. For the third month in a row, we had 22 nominated titles.

Compiled with data from: Bakka-Phoenix (Canada), Book Moon (MA), Borderlands (CA), McNally Robinson (two in Canada), Mysterious Galaxy (CA), Toadstool (two in NH), White Dwarf (Canada).

Data period: March 2026

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Get ready for a fresh batch of must-read releases as we take a look at the most exciting Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult books hitting shelves during the week of June 16th, 2026! From sweeping epic adventures and thought-provoking speculative fiction to spine-tingling horror and captivating YA stories, this week’s lineup is packed with new worlds, memorable characters, and unforgettable journeys. We’ve gathered some of the biggest and most noteworthy releases to help you discover your next great read and add a few more titles to your ever-expanding reading list. Don’t forget to subscribe for weekly coverage of new book releases, genre highlights, and recommendations for speculative fiction fans. Thanks for joining us, and we’ll be back soon with even more exciting books to explore!

The post New Books Video: Releases of the Week, June 16, 2026 appeared first on Locus.

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

Alexander, Jessica: Agnes, We’re Not Murderers! (Clash Books 978-1968043087, $22.87, 236pp, formats: paperback, 06/16/2026)

Gothic vampire horror novel. Agnes, and Mary, lesbian vixens from another world must survive despite Agnes wasting away. Their curse is spreading, and it seeks to purify the world. A first novel.

Berry, Jedediah: Kill All Wizards (Tordotcom 978-1250908056, $24.99, 144pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Fantasy novella, the first book in the Barbaric Ledgers series. A barbarian’s strength was exploited, and sword was stolen by a group of far away wizards. Now, he seeks revenge on every single one of them.

Curtis, Grace: Heaven’s Graveyard (Astra House/DAW 978-0756419844, $22.00, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Fantasy novel. Cod is an archaeologist determined to prove that her hero actually existed. When her former teacher tells her about an enchanted city found beneath the soil, Cod wonders if some things should be left untouched.

Eximeno, Santiago & Alonso, Alicia L.: Alicia Is in the Basement (Tenebrous Press 978-1959790631, $14.99, 114pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 06/16/2026)

Horror novella. Santi and Maria’s daughter disappears one day without a trace, tearing the whole family apart. Months later, Santi discovers a clue that reveals a new horror to the father.

Ghosh, Amitav: Ghost-Eye (Macmillan/Farrar, Straus, Giroux 978-0374298395, $29.00, 336pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Reincarnation fantasy. Varsha, a three year old, claims that she remembers another life, so her parents take her to a psychologist, and their understanding of the world is forever changed. 50 years later, activists begin a search for Varsha.

Hamilton, Peter F.: Exodus: The Helium Sea (Penguin Random House/Random House Worlds 978-0593357699, $32.00, 752pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Gaming tie-in novel, the second based on the new SF roleplaying game. The Crown Dominion is facing a crisis, as a group of exiles return for revenge. Finn, and his allies must team up to earn independence from the Crown Dominion. Simultaneous with the Tor UK edition.

Pennza, Amy: Dhampira (Ace 978-0593956045, $20.00, 496pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Fantasy vampire romance novel, the first in a trilogy. When Corinthe is discovered to be half-vampire, half-human, she is captured. She is sold to the vampire king’s knight, and is forced to become a pawn for the king’s court.

Stitch, Guillermo: The Coast of Everything (Sagging Meniscus Press 978-1963846386, $37.99, 760pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Genre-shifting novel of stories-within-stories mixing SF, mystery, noir, and fantasy. This novel has no ending, and many beginnings, and serves as a reminder to persist through everything.

Tavares, Nathan: The Disco at the End of the World (Titan Books UK 978-1835414194, $18.99, 400pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

SF romance novel. Mitch, and Gloria move to LA as the world’s ending, but when an old friend approaches them about a utopian society that can protect them, and their friends in the queer community, they decide to stand up for what’s right. A first novel.

Tchaikovsky, Adrian & Collins, Mike: The Final Architecture: Salvation’s Child (Cosmic Lighthouse N/A, $6.99, 110pp, formats: ebook, 05/26/2026)

Graphic novel, a prologue to Tchaikovsky’s series The Final Architecture. Aliens the size of planets, the Architects, have destroyed Earth. Marta does everything she can to protect her daughter Xavienne, but Xavi may know the secret to saving humanity.

James, Cassandra: Libertad (HarperCollins/Quill Tree 978-0063345669, $19.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Young-adult fantasy novel. Gasparilla and her crew hit the high seas again after a recent betrayal. The empire is closing in on this crew of pirates, so Ximena must do everything she can to protect those she cares about.

Lariviere, Sarah: Live From the Afterlife (Penguin Random House/Knopf 978-0593479995, $19.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Young-adult SF romance novel. Gigi’s ghost is forever in the consciousness of her old love, Axl Fischer. Axl leads a troupe that plans to use satire and art to defeat the police state that’s controlling America.

Cornell, Paul: The Lychford Collection Book 2 (Tordotcom 978-1250394026, $28.99, 352pp, formats: paperback, 06/16/2026)

Collection of the fourth through sixth fantasy novellas in the Lychford series. A group of witches is working to save Lychford, and the entire world from the supernatural forces that are gunning for its destruction.

Gammon, Jendia & Powell, Gareth L.: Of Dread, Decay, and Doom (Stars and Sabers 979-8990705579, $32.99, 362pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 06/16/2026)

Original horror anthology with 38 contributing authors including Eugen Bacon, Ai Jiang, and Eden Royce.

Linde, K.A.: The Raven at the Ash Door (Entangled/Red Tower 978-1682816714, $32.99, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Fantasy romance novel, third in the Oak & Holly Cycle series. Kierce McKenna’s magic is tied to a man she hates. Graves, the man she loves, will do everything he can to stop this, so he goes on a quest to find a missing stone that can lift any curse. Simultaneous with the Tor Bramble UK edition.

Carter, Aimée: Royal Vengeance (Penguin Random House/Delacorte 978-0593485972, $19.99, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Young-adult alternate-world mystery novel, third in the Royal Blood series. Evangeline Bright must kill the attempted assassin of the king of England in order to prove that she herself isn’t a traitor.

Gratton, Tessa: The Shape of Monsters (Orbit US 978-0316578813, $19.99, 560pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Queer fantasy novel, the second book in the Moon Heresies trilogy. Iriset freed the Moon-Eater God from prison, which landed her in a city full of monsters, where the only one she can trust is the emperor Lyric, who she’s betrayed before.

Tropea, Ashley: The Shrouded Queen (Simon & Schuster/Gallery 978-1668096215, $20.00, 448pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Romantic fantasy novel, the first in a series mixing elements of Ancient Egypt and Vikings. When Samira is captured by a shape-shifter, she needs to impersonate the princess, and go through trials meant to awaken divine powers.

Race, Holly: Six Savage Thrones (Orbit US 978-0316572897, $30.00, 400pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 06/16/2026)

Fantasy novel, second in the Queens of Elben series. The kingdom of Elben is falling apart. All of the Queens must realize that they need to come together in order to cut ties with King Henry, as he’s using stranger and stranger magics. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.

Poston, Ashley: The Someday Garden (Penguin Random House/Berkley Romance 978-0593952757, $20.00, 400pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Fantasy romance novel. Sophie is working a temp job fixing up the Lilymoore House. She discovers a door that’s never in the same place twice, that leads to a garden that highlights the instability of the future of Lilymoore.

Sanderson, Brandon & Orullian, Peter: Songs of the Dead (Simon & Schuster/Saga Press 978-1668068144, $30.00, 464pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Contemporary fantasy novel, first in the Strata Wars trilogy. Jack Solomon wakes up in a new reality after being killed, a reality where light and music are used to make magic, and where the history of London spreads beneath its surface.

Heard, Wendy: Such a Lucky Girl (Little, Brown/Ottaviano 978-0316610742, $25.99, 574pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Young-adult horror novel. Bella abandoned her best friend Kerry in order to pursue her dreams of becoming an influencer, and it worked. Kerry discovers a book on shadow work, and decides to get back at Bella.

DiLouie, Craig: The Summer Fun Massacre (Orbit US/Run For It 978-0316578240, $19.99, 304pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Slasher horror novel. Deputy Tom Bailey is always on edge this time of year when camp Summer Fun is wrapping up, because in the 80s there was a massacre that left a single survivor. Tom gets a call reporting screams coming from the camp once again.

Ruvane, Eileen M.: Tell Me My Future (Abrams/Amulet 978-1419785580, $19.99, 336pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Contemporary fantasy novel. Kess Turner is used to her mother making them move every few months, but their new home is very strange. Kess pretends to be a psychic in order to discover the truth, but she begins to actually have visions of the future. A first novel.

Tidhar, Lavie: The Three Coffin Problem (JAB Books 978-1625677983, $18.99, 290pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 06/16/2026)

Collection of nine humorous medieval dark fantasy mystery stories about Judge Dee. Judge Dee’s assistant, Johnathan, joins him on solving many mysteries, but he prefers to just lay around and eat cheese with bread.

Jenkinson, Becky: Wildflower (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 979-8217095216, $29.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/16/2026)

Cosy fantasy romance novel. Felicity, a magical florist, is cursed to always tell the truth, so she chooses her words extremely carefully in order to stay out of trouble, but one day she gets an anonymous message that puts her directly in harm’s way. A first novel. Simultaneous with the Zaffre UK edition.

Harrison, M. John: The End of Everything (Serpent’s Tail UK 978-1800812949, £16.99, 208pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/18/2026)

Satirical post-apocalyptic SF novel. Philip Tennet makes his living collecting artefacts that wash up on shore. The world has been changed after a crisis with unknown origins, and when Philip fishes up a creature that keeps changing, he must bring it inland before it destroys everything.

Billias, Stephen: The Zen Time Traveler: A Pilgrim’s Journey Through the Koans (Discovery Publisher 978-1788946896, $44.90, 257pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 06/21/2026)

Fantasy time-travel novel. Stephen Maine uses poetry as a way to create a portal to thirteenth-century China, where myths he had heard his whole life are a reality, but when he forms a bond with a sword master, he becomes torn between his present day marriage, and his love affair of the past.

Scott, Megan: A Masterpiece in Blood (HarperCollins UK/Magpie 978-1335015266, $19.99, 384pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/18/2026)

Young-adult fantasy novel, second in the Empyreal trilogy. Nicole is on the run from The Wake, and Kyan is supposed to be hunting her down, despite his feelings for her. They must go on a quest that takes them all over the world, but The Wake sees everything.

Kaster, Allan: The Year’s Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 10 (AudioText/Infinivox N/A, $8.99, 443pp, formats: ebook, 06/19/2026)

Collection highlighting the best hard science-fiction stories published in 2025. Includes stories about the daughter daughter of a scientist launching a mission to Europa, astronauts caught in a galactic aurora storm, and borane life-forms discovering carbon life-forms.

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The post New Book Releases: June 16, 2026 appeared first on Locus.

CJ CHERRYH announced her retirement from writing on Facebook. She thanks her publisher Betsy Wollheim and wife “Jane, who is all things.”

KELLY MURASHIGE is now represented by Ashley Reisinger of Triada US. Murashige sold Milkiverse, in which a neurodiverse woman “discovers that drinking her customers’ leftover milk allows her to enter alternate worlds in which she is finally happy,” to Alexa Wejko at Soho Press via Savannah Brooks of kt literary.

LYSZ FLO and JEANÉ D. RIDGES have launched Spec Colorways In Verse, a “newsletter and community space” centering queer, BIPOC speculative poetry. It opened to submissions on May 16.

AKWAEKE EMEZI sold dark epic fantasy Eclipse & The Wolf and another book to Laura Schreiber at Voyager in a pre-empt via Jacqueline Ko of The Wylie Agency.

LYNN BUCHANAN’s Breeze Felt at Moonrise, first in a fantasy series with “a young woman growing mineral armor from her body who must leave home on a quest to prove herself to her people,” and another book went to Betsy Wollheim at DAW via Matt Bialer of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

LAUREN DEDROOG sold Bloodlorn, “pitched as Carmilla meets The Serpent and the Wings of Night,” and Godscorn to Toni Kirkpatrick at Diversion Books via Melissa Vandeputte of Hamley Books Literary Agency.

CHOI JIN-YOUNG’s Everything Happened at Once, translated from Korean by Soje and in which a virus sweeps away half the population overnight, went to Michael Reynolds at Europa Editions via Emma Thawley at Hachette UK. Lucrezia Lazzari will edit.

SHELBY CARLETON sold Sexpocalypse to Zach Phillips at Pantheon in a pre-empt via Charlie Olsen of Inkwell Management.

ARTHUR H. MANNERS’s Inworld, “pitched as The Three-Body Problem meets Annihilation,” and another book sold to Tim O’Connell at Saga Press via Brandi Bowles of UTA. UK rights sold to Chloe Gough at Voyager UK via Alexander Cochran while part of C+W on behalf of Mike Nardullo.

DULEY ANDERSON sold Saint of Despondent Pets, “in which a woman accidentally becomes a magical saint and must wrangle her newfound powers—and a love triangle between her boss and the saint of lost causes,” to Stefanie Chin at Union Square & Co via Hannah Andrade of Bradford Literary Agency.

SOLAR HOÀNG sold River Runs Red in a historical fantasy duology set in Hanoi and another book to David Pomerico at Voyager via Angeline Rodriguez of WME.

MATT BELL sold Penitent, “a future-set novel cast in a medieval-like world,” to Thomas Gebremedhin at Doubleday via Kirby Kim of Janklow & Nesbit.

TRAVIS BALDREE’s Tales from the Territory, a five-story collection in the world of Legends & Lattes, went to Bill Schafer at Subterranean Press via Stevie Finegan of Zeno Agency. Jonathan Strahan will edit. UK rights went to Sophie Robinson at Tor UK.

SALLY SULTZMAN’s “dark fairy tale” They Are All Her Children sold to Darian Bianco at Apex.

CHARLENE CHALLENGER sold “cozy speculative novel” The Architect to Elsewhere and another book to Diana M. Pho at Erewhon Books via Kelvin Kong of K2Literary.

KAT COLLINS sold Jetsam, “the Murderbot Diaries meets Memento,” to Amy Borsuk at Rebellion via Brady McReynolds of JABberwocky Literary Agency.

DANIEL KALLA’s The Perfect Memory, “grounded in existing neuroscience, about a gene therapy that can erase traumatic memories,” and another book sold to Luisa Smith at Mysterious Press in a pre-empt via Liza Fleissig of Liza Royce Agency.

DETE MESERVE sold speculative mystery The Last Time She Saw and an untitled mystery to Melissa Rechter at Poisoned Pen Press via Christina Hogrebe of Jane Rotrosen Agency.

THOMAS PIERCE’s short story collection Do You Miss Earth? went to Meg Reid at Hub City Press via Jin Auh of The Wylie Agency.

BETH CATO’s A Manor Beyond the Mist, “weaving Arthurian lore and fae myth,” sold to Marilyn Brigham at 47North via Rebecca Strauss of DeFiore & Company.

MICHAEL SIMON sold Fifth Horizon, fifth in the First Command series, to Rhett Bruno at Aethon & Vault via Michelle Hauck of Storm Literary Agency.

KURT SCHLICHTER sold American Warlord to Tony Daniel at Ark Press.

EMILIA HART sold The Enigmas to Sarah Cantin at St. Martin’s via Alexandra Machinist at CAA on behalf of Felicity Blunt at Curtis Brown UK. UK rights went to Amy Perkins at The Borough Press via Blunt.

TEOLINDA GERSÃO’s short story collection Alice in Thunderland & Other Stories went to Fernanda Viveiros at Arquipélago via Jennifer Thompson of Nordlyset Literary Agency.

JOHANNA VAN VEEN’s The Literary Remains of Cornelia Feyen, “a humorous epistolary novel pitched as intertwining Dutch faerie folklore with a sapphic love story,” sold to Rebecca Brewer at Bloomsbury Archer at auction via Kristina Pérez of Pérez Literary & Entertainment. UK rights sold to Delayna Spencer at Hodderscape.

ALTA HENSLEY sold dark romantic comedy Witchmoth in the Wake and another book to Laura Schreiber at Avon Impulse for six figures via Katie Shea Boutillier of Donald Maass Literary Agency.

CHARLAINE HARRIS sold adult romantasy Hold My Spellbook, “pitched as The Bachelorette with swords and magic,” to Joe Monti at Saga Press. UK rights to Hold My Spellbook and another title went to Gillian Green at Bramble UK in a pre-empt via Stevie Finegan of Zeno Agency on behalf of JABberwocky Literary Agency.

KATRINA KWAN sold Deathly Beloved, following two vampires who work to end a war between their families, to Candice Coote at Berkley in a pre-empt via Jim McCarthy of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

KALIE REID’s “friends-to-lovers romantasy” Copperstitched went to Julia DeVarti at Little, Brown via Maddy Belton of Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency.

GUS KRIEGER’s romantic speculative The Seventh Ribbon, in which a widow finds typewriter ribbons that can ink a different reality, sold to Karen Kosztolnyik at Grand Central via Margaret Sutherland Brown & Jenna Land Free of Folio Literary Management.

ALYSSA PICKERING sold Princess of Lies and two more books to Rachel Winterbottom at Wayward TxF in a pre-empt via Juliet Mushens of Mushens Entertainment.

B. CELESTE sold Not Another Vampire Romance to Reina Galhea at Berkley XO at auction via Josi Beck of Beck Literary Agency.

JENNIFER ESTEP’s “Robin Hood-inspired” Queen of Foxes went to Liz Pelletier at Red Tower via Jessica Errera & Annelise Robey of Jane Rotrosen Agency. Rebecca Heyman will edit. UK rights went to Rebecca Hilsdon at Michael Joseph.

JENNA WOLFHART sold dark romantasy Forsaken Crown, first in a duology, and another title to Liz Pelletier at Red Tower via Susan Velazquez Colmant of JABberwocky Literary Agency. UK rights sold to Rebecca Hilsdon at Michael Joseph.

RACHEL ROBINSON’s Echoed Vow and Golden Oath in the Resonant Hunger series and another title went to Ellie Folden at Love N. Books Press. Kayla Ireland will edit.

TESSONJA ODETTE’s “standalone fantasy rom-com” Elegance & Espionage sold to Kelly Smith at Zaffre via Kimberly Whalen of The Whalen Agency.

HEATHER CARTER sold gothic paranormal romance The Echoes of Radfield Hall to Lisa Green at City Owl Press via Marisa Corvisiero & Katrina Lemaire of Corvisiero Literary Agency.

TORRI HEAT’s paranormal romance Heresy and three more books went to Jasmine Callaghan at Boldwood via Katie Monson of SBR Media.

LINDY RYAN’s Final Girl Forever, in which a washed-up scream queen ends up a resident ghost in a mansion “until a botched seance forces her to step back into the spotlight and fight one last time for survival,” sold to Alexandra Sehulster at Minotaur via Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management.

TAYLOR GROTHE sold “queer, dark academia horror-romance” Lethal Kiss to Gillian Green at Nightfire UK.

KATE COLLINS sold Saint Death, set at a decrepit hotel now chosen as the site for a TV show, to Gina Iaquinta at Liveright via Stephanie Delman of Trellis Literary Management on behalf of Sara Langham. UK rights went to Harriet Hirshman at Dead Ink via Sara Langham at David Higham Associates.

BENEDICT ANNING’s Atomic Coffin, “blending deep-sea dread and psychological horror,” and another title went to Joe Monti at Saga Press at auction via John Baker of Bell Lomax Moreton Agency. UK rights sold to Simon Taylor at Transworld.

DAVE V. RISER sold Not Only Will this Kill You but It Will Hurt the Whole Time You Are Dying, following “a trans street kid turned necromancer,” to Alex Woodroe at Tenebrous Press.

HAILEY SPENCER’s Epiphyte, in which a grad student and her childhood friend are trapped in a story controlled by the rules of fairy tales, went to Amanda Manns at Creature via Marisa Corvisiero & Gabrielle Harbowy of Corvisiero Literary Agency. Krysta Winsheimer will edit.

CAITLIN CHISLING sold fantasy What the Wind Said, in which “a hungry wind uses impossible wishes to devour the living,” to Alyza Liu at Simon & Schuster Children’s via Bridget Smith of JABberwocky Literary Agency.

HILARY FILKINS sold The Living Half, following a girl and her mother after a zombie apocalypse, and another book to Alex Borbolla at Bloomsbury Children’s for six figures at auction via Elizabeth Bennett of Transatlantic Literary Agency.

CINDY PON sold Sheen, “in which a young woman lives among a traveling troupe of performers with illegal magic,” to Jenny Bak at Viking Children’s via Eric Smith of Neighborhood Literary.

KATHLEEN KITT’s fantasy romance Crown & Captive went to Jennifer Klonsky at Putnam Children’s via Lanie Davis & Viana Siniscalchi of Alloy Entertainment. Simone Roberts-Payne will edit.

ERICA SAGE’s Dead Things, “in which a girl discovers the rotting body of the most popular girl in school,” sold to Sofia Aves at Evernight Teen.

KYLIE LEE BAKER’s Infernally Yours, in which a teenage girl competes for the hand of the prince of hell to avoid being stuck as a yokai forever, went to Holly West at Feiwel & Friends via Mary C. Moore of Aevitas Creative Management.

DANA SCHWARTZ sold YA gothic historical fantasy Down Came a Blackbird and another book to Sara Goodman at Wednesday Books via Dan Mandel of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

ADRIANA MATHER sold A Curse of Stolen Time to Holly West at Feiwel & Friends via Rosemary Stimola of Stimola Literary Studio.

MEGAN FLETCHER’s YA “post-apocalyptic sapphic romance” Where Time Ends went to Kristie Choi at Atheneum via Juliana McBride of Rebecca Friedman Literary.

EMILY THIEDE’s YA fantasy romance Gilded Wings and another book sold to Vicki Lame at Wednesday Books via Chelsea Eberly of Folio Jr.

HAZEL CROSS’s YA paranormal romance Roses & Ruin sold to Jennifer Klonsky at Putnam Children’s via Lanie Davis & Viana Siniscalchi of Alloy Entertainment. Simone Roberts-Payne will edit.

VALERIE NORTON sold debut, fantasy adventure The Darkness Beneath, “pitched as inspired by The Mummy,” to Elana Gibson at Alcove Press via Bethany Hendrix of Spencerhill Associates.

S.J. CRISTEA sold debut, “fantasy rom-com” How to Save a Dog from the Underworld and another book to Julia Elliott at Avon in a pre-empt via Kiya Evans of Paper Literary. Canadian rights went to Mikaela Roasa at Harper Canada, and UK rights went to Phillipa Walker at Michael Joseph at auction, via Evans.

JUNE HARRINGTON sold debut Merely a Matter of Time, in which two scientists skilled in magic “accidentally fall 200 years back in time, only to fall for each other,” and another title to Ali Fisher at Wildthorn in a pre-empt via Aurora Fernandez of Trident Media Group. UK rights sold to Bella Pagan at Tor UK at auction on behalf of Marley Johnson of Trident Media Group.

CHARLOTTE PETERS’s debut, “swashbuckling western romantasy” The Silver Bounty and another book went to Alexandra Sehulster at Saturday Books at auction via Lisa Grubka of UTA. UK rights went to Saida Azizova at Renegade Books via Susan Armstrong of C+W.

TAMAR VOSKUNI’s debut Witch & Hunter, a romantasy in which a vampire bounty hunter targets a woman accused of witchcraft, and another book sold to Kate Roddy at akaSTORY for six figures at auction via Claire Friedman of Inkwell Management for Voskuni and via Stephen Barbara of Inkwell Management for Jenna Brickley of StoryGiants; and to Sophie Clarke at Wayward TxF at auction via Hannah Schofield of LBA.

ESME LEE WILMOT sold debut Parallel, “a domestic suspense novel with speculative elements,” and another title to Pippa White at Lake Union Publishing via Anjanette Fennell of Bookspark Literary.

GITA JACKSON’s debut, “LitRPG romance” Level Up for Romance! went to Emma Cole at Mira via Alex Land of Mad Woman Literary Agency.

MARIE CROKE’s debut, horror Hush Little Hauntings sold to Nivia Evans at Saga Press via Kaitlyn Katsoupis of Belcastro Agency.

TAUBIN DUPAVILLON’s debut, romantasy Ocean Eyes went to Frankie Vasquez at Olive Press.

CAITLIN CLEMENTS’s debut Every Stop Between Us, “a speculative coming-of-age romance,” and another book went to Kelsey Horton at Delacorte in a pre-empt via Renee Runge of Spencerhill Associates.

GARETH L. POWELL’s SF novella Downdraft sold to Jendia Gammon at Stars and Sabers.

AKUA LEZLI HOPE’s collection of speculative poetry Telepath went to Gnashing Teeth Publishing.

HADEER ELSBAI’s horror novella You Just Have to Ask Me sold to Mika Kasuga at Union Square & Co in a pre-empt for publication in winter 2027, by Laura Crockett at TriadaUS Literary Agency (world).

JESSIKA FLECK’s ”Choose Your Own Adventure” The Hawthorne Vampire Society sold to Lizzi Middleman at Chooseco via Fiona Kenshole at Transatlantic Literary Agency. Eamon Dunn will edit.

MICHAEL ROCH resold Lanvil, 2070, originally published in French, to Zach Phillips at Pantheon via Rebecca Wearmouth of PFD on behalf of Lucy Barry and Kieron Fairweather of PFD for La Volte. UK rights went to Christopher Sturtivant at Harvill Secker in a pre-empt via Barry and Fairweather.

ZOEY DRAVEN resold Desire in His Blood, Craving in His Blood, and Hunger in His Blood, the first three in “a sci-fi romantasy/monster romance series” to Emily Archbold at Del Rey via Kimberly Brower of Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management.

Three books in JENNIFER CHIPMAN’s Witches of Pleasant Grove series resold to Phillipa Walker at Michael Joseph via Valentine Grinstead of The Seymour Agency.

At DAW, Head of Marketing and Publicity LAURA FITZGERALD will add Associate Publisher to their title, MADELINE GOLDBERG is now Associate Editor, and GRACE BROWN will join as Junior Designer.

JUDITH CURR, HarperOne president and publisher, retired May 29 after eight years leading the imprint.

STEPHANIE FRYLING joined HarperCollins as president of sales beginning May 11. Fryling was previously at Barnes & Noble and Penguin Random House. ROXANNE FINKELSTEIN has been promoted to director of publishing operations in managing editorial, GINA MACDONALD to associate director in production editorial, and TARYN ORTOLAN and ERIN PINKSEN each to assistant manager in production editorial.

Senior staff at Curtis Brown Creative, including ANNA DAVIS, have bought a majority stake in CBC from Curtis Brown UK. JONNY GELLER has resigned as director of CBC and the company will vacate Curtis Brown’s offices but maintain a relationship with it.

LISA LITWACK has been promoted to executive director of art as Simon & Schuster.

Film rights to The Midnight Library by MATT HAIG went to StudioCanal and Blueprint Pictures. Matt Haig will produce along with Florence Pugh. Gareth Davis will direct.

Film rights to The Buried Giant by KAZUO ISHIGURO sold to Netflix as a stop-motion film. Guillermo del Toro will produce, ShadowMachine will produce animation, and Dennis Kelly and del Toro will adapt the script.

Film rights to The Barbie Mur­ders by JOHN VARLEY sold to FX Studios via Jon Levin of Sustainable Entertainment and the Virginia Kidd Agency on behalf of Kerry Varley for the Estate of John Varley.

Film rights to Rest Stop by NAT CASSIDY went to Coin Operated. Gary Dauberman and Mia Manis­calco will produce; Cassidy will adapt the screenplay.

Join us for another exciting week of new releases as we spotlight the most anticipated Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult books arriving the week of June 9th, 2026! Whether you’re in the mood for thrilling adventures, imaginative worlds, chilling tales, or unforgettable characters, this week’s selection has plenty of fresh stories to discover. We’ve rounded up some of the standout titles making their debut to help you find the perfect addition to your ever-growing TBR. Be sure to subscribe for weekly updates featuring the latest book releases, genre news, and reading recommendations. Thanks for spending time with us, and we look forward to bringing you even more fantastic books in the weeks ahead!

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

Anderson, Taylor: Fleet of Ghosts (Ace 978-0593641606, $31.95, 464 pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 6/09/26)
Alternate history military SF novel, the first in the Destroyermen series. Courtney Bradford, along with other war veterans, sets out to explore a spot in the Pacific where ships keep going missing, and they find a fleet of strange lost ships.

Briar, Shiloh: Hopeless Necromantic (Orbit US 978-0316602105, $19.99, 368pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Fantasy romance novel. Helspira must escort Sikras as he attempts to prevent an undead army from entering the kingdom. Even Sikras doesn’t believe in himself, but as they grow closer they’re able to imagine a future where they succeed. A first novel. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.

English, Shannon K.: Endless Blue Beneath (Orbit US 978-0316592574, $19.99, 464pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Fantasy novel, the first in the Daughters of Atlantea duology. On land, Eppie is nothing special, but underwater she is a powerful and ravenous mermaid. She quickly falls for another mermaid, Marie, and the two must survive the mermaid hunters.

Holmes, Jasmine: Our Sister’s Keeper (Bindery Books/Mareas 978-1967967100, $19.95, 336pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Historical horror novel. In 1927, the all-Black Free Town of East Cobb seems perfect, but the town houses nightmares that only women can see. Marah has the ability to remove traumatic memories from men, but a sudden death teaches her more about her power. A first novel.

Koenig, Kate: Her Sharp Embrace (St. Martin’s/Wednesday Books 978-1250321244, $21.00, 384pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Young-adult fantasy novel. A group of outlaws called The Nightshades steal from the corrupt elite, and provide for the forgotten. Noa Toussiant left her wealthy life to join the nightshades, but her family puts all of The Nightshades in danger. A first novel.

Kritzer, Naomi: Obstetrix (Tordotcom 978-1250423375, $24.99, 208pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

SF novella. Doctor Liz is kidnapped by a fundamentalist cult because they’re desperate for an OB/GYN. Because she’s the only doctor there, she’s treated well, but she knows she needs to escape and free the girls trapped on the compound.

Leede, CJ: Headlights (Tor/Nightfire 978-1250857958, $27.99, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Horror novel. Daniel, an FBI agent about to quit, is called to Denver because innocent people are waking up wearing the skin of victims they’ve never met. Daniel is forced to confront his childhood in order to keep him and his family from being the next victims.

McGuire, Seanan: Inkpot Gods (Tor 978-1250339324, $29.99, 448pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Fantasy novel, fourth in the Alchemical Journeys series. Asphodel Baker created life in a way no one else had ever been able to, and she built the Impossible City on top of the ruins of Olympus. Her descendants are forced to confront the hellscape that she created.

Miller, Darcy: I Am Not a Vampire (Anymore) (Penguin Random House/Random House 978-0593903162, $19.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

YA fantasy romance novel. A girl hopes that she’ll get a chance at normal life after finally being turned human, but that changes when she’s forced to fight off her immortal ex-boyfriend, and raise a newborn vampire named Ezra.

Morín, Tomás Q.: Cat Love (Penguin Random House/Pantheon 978-0593702055, $24.00, 207pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Near-future SF novel. A cat is kidnapped and put on display in a Schrödinger’s box, so students can learn how to be better Emotional Support Humans. The cat finds out the truth of her kidnapping, and must find a way out of the box. A first novel.

Thompson, L.T.: Devils We Know (Bloomsbury USA 978-1547615230, $22.99, 384pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

YA fantasy novel, sequel to Devils Like Us. A secret society wants to capture Death so that only the “unworthy” will face it. Cas, Remy, and Finn need to stop this because it will destroy the Mori, the only place where they can openly be themselves.

Unferth, Deb Olin: Earth 7 (Graywolf 978-1644453940, $27.00, 248pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

SF romance novel. Earth is reduced to rubble, but on a beach of artificial sand, two women meet. Some people are chasing eternal life through digital code, but others are creating a molecular collection in hopes that a future person can create a new earth.

Johnson, Jaleigh: The Reimagining of Thornwood House (Ace 979-8217188819, $30.00, 391pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Cozy fantasy novel. Evelyn Sharpe, a witch, moves to the sentient Thornwood House, but it’s not what she expected. Evie must form a bond with the house before being let in.

Slayton, David R.: The Silent Paths of Night (Blackstone Publishing 979-8228000780, $29.99, 338pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Fantasy novel, the second book in the Gods of Night and Day series. Raef hoped that the world would be okay once the moon goddess Phoebe returned, but Phoebe brought back a great evil with her.

Bennett, Ashley: Tentacles & Triathlons (Penguin Random House/Berkley Romance 978-0593956991, $18.99, 352pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Fantasy romance novel, the second in the Leviathan Fitness series. Reece Collins gets help from Cyrus, a kraken, in training for his triathlon. Feelings start to develop between the two, but will they be able to fall in love?

Saint, Jennifer: This Immortal Heart (Penguin Random House/Ballantine 979-8217092307, $30.00, 368pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Fantasy novel. Aphrodite hold ancient power, and has influence over every living thing. When her love affair with Ares lasts lifetimes. she must question her devotion to her divine purpose.

Eckert, Joseph: The Traveler (Tor 978-1250428554, $28.99, 384pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

SF novel. Scott Treder jumps forward through time each day, with each jump getting larger and larger. His son, Lyle, is determined to figure out how to save him, so he begins to study quantum physics. A first novel.

Croucher, Lex: The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones (Orion UK/Gollancz 978-0063460218, $32.00, 464pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Young-adult dark fantasy novel. Briar Jones’ best friend, Seb, gets an acceptance letter to Briar’s dream school, the Temple School of Thaumaturgy, and Briar doesn’t. Seven years later, Briar discovers that Seb is no longer a sweet kid, and has instead become an arrogant villain.

Samotin, Laura R.: The Way It Haunted Him (Titan Books UK 978-1835412312, $18.99, 288pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Horror novel. Michael Stein blames himself for the death of his boyfriend, and chooses to continue his research of demons in honor of him. Michael becomes forced to confront the truth about his boyfriend’s death, while becoming obsessed with someone new. A first novel.

Seeley, Mollyhall: We Hexed the Moon (Simon & Schuster/Saga Press 978-1668099230, $17.99, 224pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Contemporary fantasy novel. Four newly graduated highschoolers are about to be separated from each other by their plans for the future, and instead of processing their emotions they perform a ritual to get rid of the moon, and to their surprise, it works. A first novel.

Kate, Lauren: White Lights (Grand Central 978-1538781326, $33.00, 416pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Dark academia fantasy novel, the first in a trilogy. Desdemona is recruited to the elite film school, Acheron, and she decides to finally pursue her lifelong dream of making movies, but the school isn’t as perfect as it seems.

Goodman, A.B.: House of Atreus: Agamemnon Rising (Planetary Books 979-8295701412, $19.99, 156pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 06/15/2026)

SF novel, the first in the House of Atreus duology. Set in a world where the Greek gods were actually artificial intelligence. Apollo, Artemis, and the oracles of Delphi are manipulating humanity, and Artemis forces king Agamemnon to kill his daughter.

Worthen, Johnny: Fresh Start (Flame Tree Press US 978-1787589636, $26.95, 336pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 06/09/2026)

SF novel. The empire sends the worst of the worst to the planet Fresh Start, where the most forgiving sentence is exile to five-generations. On this planet, Qays Mendoza searches for his old captain as the empire collapses, and Fresh Start is being abandoned. Simultaneous with the Flame Tree Press UK edition.

Schneider, Rachel: Light Wielder (St. Martin’s/Saturday Books 978-1250419101, $31.00, 448pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/09/2026)

Fantasy romance novel, second in the Fire & Metal series. Jovie started a war after sparing King Edmond’s life, per Acker’s request. Jovie wants to keep the Maile people protected from this conflict. Simultaneous with the Orion UK edition.

Simpson, W.A.: Steelbound (Flame Tree Press US 978-1787589827, $26.95, 288pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 06/09/2026)

Fantasy novel, fourth in the Riven Isles series. Ursa, and Lucea must work together to stop the rot. As they go on a journey through the Riven Isles, they discover secrets that could decide the fate of their world. Simultaneous with the Flame Tree Press UK edition.

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.

“I’m really looking forward to The Dragon Has Some Complaints (DAW) by John Wiswell, coming out in July! I’m excited because I loved Wiswell’s first two novels and the way they respectively deconstructed and reimagined the idea of monstrousness and heroism respectively. I can’t wait to see what he does with the fantasy staple of dragons!”

–A.C. Wise

“Sea of Charms (Bramble 7/26) by Sar­ah Beth Durst! The latest entry in Durst’s cozy series following The Spellshop and The Enchanted Greenhouse, showcases yet again her outstanding world building. While the romance definitely charms, it is her characters’ acts of steadfast rebellion in the midst of political upheaval that elevates this romantasy above the rest. Great pool­side reading!”

–Colleen Mondor

“Summer means fat beach reads, but sometimes something else appeals. Hugo and Nebula Award-winner James Patrick Kelly looks at the nuances of the AI revolution and more in his fascinat­ing new collection, The Book of Bots (Fairwood 8/26). One of the collections of the year, and perfect for when you’re sipping a cocktail on the porch on a hot summer’s evening when you’re ponder­ing the end times.”

–Jonathan Strahan

“I’m looking forward to James Patrick Kelly’s forthcoming collection The Book of Bots. I love short story collections, Kelly is a master of the form, robots is one of my favorite subgenres, and these days small press releases often provide me with my favorite genre reading experiences!”

–Alvaro Zinos-Amaro

“The Sourdough Compendium (Ti­tan 6/26) by A.G. (Angela) Slatter: A whopping 688 pages of short stories compiled from three previous mosaic collections – Sourdough and Other Stories, The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings, and The Tallow- Wife and Other Tales – all based in Slatter’s Sourdough universe. For those of us lucky enough to have been immersed in this darkly fantastic world for fifteen years or so, there will be no surprises; for newcomers oriented only since the recent novels, it will be a thrill to discover more of the mythology. Both will be delighted.”

–Paula Guran

“I am looking forward to Robert Jack­son Bennett’s A Trade of Blood (Del Rey 8/26) because I have enjoyed the first two books immensely, and I really want to know both how Bennett develops the relationship between Ana and Din and what he shows of how the empire works (and might unravel).”

–Alexandra Pierce

“Jo Walton’s Everybody’s Perfect (Tor 6/26) caught my eye, partly because I’ve been meaning to catch up on her work (a bunch of her titles are sitting in the TBR pile) and partly because the promo material has me wondering whether this might be something along the lines of John M. Ford’s wonderful Aspects.”

–Russell Letson

“I’m excited about Temi Oh’s new sci­ence fiction novel Not With A Bang (Saga) – out in the US in July. The book centers around reactions to an incoming celestial object, which is one of my favorite setups in science fiction. It’s even a key plot point in my own forthcoming novel The Fist Of Memory, but while I use it in that novel as a geopolitical driver, Temi Oh seems to be using it in a more intimate way to examine a family at breaking point. I loved Do You Dream Of Terra-Two and More Perfect and I am excited to see what she does with this.”

–Wole Talabi

“Daggerbound (Bramble 8/26) by T. Kingfisher is the title I’m most looking forward to this summer, if only to return to a world where the Order of the White Rat and their devotion to order and bu­reaucracy is a respite from what we are enduring right now. But Kingfisher offers so much more, like a little romance, a lot of humor, and just enough peril to keep it engaging.”

–Adrienne Martini

“There are two books I’m partic­ularly excited for: I’m excited for Naomi Kritzer’s Obstetrix (Tordotcom 6/26), because Kritzer is never less than interesting, and this sounds like a sharp and timely near-future thriller. I’m very eager to read T. Kingfisher’s Dag­gerbound. Her fantasy is always vivid, entertaining, and filled with relatable characters, and I’ve been waiting for a sequel to Swordheart for the last eight years. Now it’s nearly here.”

–Liz Bourke

The post 2026 Locus Reviewers’ Summer Picks appeared first on Locus.

Step into a brand-new week of fiction as we explore the most exciting Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult titles arriving the week of June 2nd, 2026! Whether you’re searching for epic journeys, dark and unsettling stories, imaginative new worlds, or unforgettable characters, this week’s selection offers something for every speculative fiction fan. We’ve gathered a collection of standout releases and buzzworthy new books to help you find your next great read and keep your TBR growing. Be sure to subscribe for fresh weekly updates on the latest releases, industry news, and must-read recommendations. Thanks for joining us, and we look forward to bringing you even more amazing books in the weeks ahead!

The post New Books Video: Releases of the Week! June 2, 2026 appeared first on Locus.

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

Albert, Melissa: The Children (HarperCollins 978-0063497856, $32.00, 416pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Fantasy/Horror novel. As an adult, Guinevere Sharpe lived off of the success of her mother who mysteriously died in a fire. When her estranged brother returns with an art piece titled “Mother,” Guinevere starts to piece together what really happened the night of the fire. A first novel.

Archer, Amy: Nemesis Mine (Harper Voyager US 978-0063459403, $19.99, 428pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Historical fantasy novel. Cyrus used to be the biggest villain in Agatha, but no one’s been paying attention to him recently. The hero of the land, Maximillian, creates a plan to start a fake rivalry with Cyrus, but it becomes harder to perform when they start to fall for each other. A first novel.

Arden, Katherine: The Unicorn Hunters (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 978-0593128282, $30.00, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Fantasy Novel. As Anne, the duchess of Brittany, is set to be married off to the king of France, she devises a plan to stop it. Anne plans a unicorn hunt in the forest of Brocéliande so that she can marry someone else and escape this arranged marriage. Simultaneous with the Penguin Random House UK edition.

Bandreddi, S.C.: The Game of Oaths (Candlewick Press 978-1536252637, $19.99, 432pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Young-adult dark fantasy novel. Falan Sunkara, a 17 year old trapeze artist, is seeking revenge after her sister died in the game of oaths, a game where 12 are selected to compete, but only one will survive. A first novel.

Cambias, James L.: The Ishtar Deception (Baen 978-1668073308, $18.00, 288pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 06/02/2026)

Science fiction novel, book four in the Billion Worlds series. In the far-future solar system, Sabbath and Daslakh of Deimos travel to the city of Ishtar on Venus to find out the truth about the death of an undercover agent.

Crocker, Ed: Moonfall (St. Martin’s 978-1250287755, $30.00, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 06/02/2026)

Fantasy novel, second in the Everlands trilogy. Sam has a plan to destroy the vampire city of First Light, but she’ll need the help of the city’s former ruler in order for it to succeed. The most dangerous sorcerer in history, Neuras Sinassion, is finally telling the truth about humanity.

DuQuette, Lon Milo & Bratkowsky, James M.: Young Aleister Crowley and the Magicians’ Revolt (Red Wheel/Weiser 978-1578639151, $16.95, 176pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/06/2026)

Fantasy novel. Aleister Crowley steps foot into Edwardian London where there’s a power struggle between magicians of the Golden Dawn, and the leaders of the Golden Dawn. The leaders’ power is fading, and Crowley finds himself in the middle of this war.

Gómez, Cynthia: Muñeca (Penguin Random House/Putnam 979-8217047581, $29.00, 171pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Gothic fantasy romance novel. Violeta, the heiress to Spanish colonial wealth is paralyzed, and Natalia Fuentes thinks dark magic caused it. Nati becomes Violeta’s caretaker in hopes of receiving a reward, but as feelings start to form between the two, Nati is forced to confront her past. A first novel.

Jane, Emily: Mr. Yay (Disney/Hyperion Avenue 978-1368116046, $18.99, 488pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Novel in Disney’s line of adult books. Mr. Yay (Who’s real name is Fatty Bratty), has a blossoming rap career, but his therapist, Miriam, has memories of a TV show named Mr. Yay, yet no one else does, and there’s no record of it on the internet. Miriam watches Mr. Yay continue to grow as her life starts to fall apart.

Kim, Isabel J.: Sublimation (Tor 978-1250376794, $28.99, 357pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Science Fiction novel. Immigration splits you into two copies of yourself, one stays in their original country, and one travels to their new country. Some stay in touch with each other, while others never speak to each other again. A first novel.

Lacrampe, J.P.: Valet (Simon & Schuster/Saga Press 978-1668216439, $28.00, 272pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Science fiction novel. Grayson panics as his sister plans to sell the family’s robotics company to a tech giant. Grayson, Cy (Grayson’s robot helper), and their dog, Sasha III, run away until they can figure out what to do. A first novel.

Leighton, Georgia: Maiden (Penguin Random House UK/Bantam UK 978-0857505934, £16.99, 432pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/04/2026)

Fantasy novel. Every year after the snow is melted, a young woman is selected to be sacrificed to the dragon. The three women in charge hold the power to stop the ritual, but doing so comes with a price.

Noni, Lynette: Shadow Reaper (Penguin Random House/Knopf 979-8217033454, $21.99, 496pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

YA fantasy romance novel. The streets of Aravell are swarmed with reapers, and they’re led by the Reaper Priest. When his most loyal follower is captured, he makes a deal with a person whose parents he murdered.

Pacton, Jamie: The Hyacinth Labyrinth (Peachtree Teen 978-1682638194, $19.99, 368pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Young-adult fantasy romance novel. The fae Hyacinth, her friend Chloe, and a dragon travel through a labyrinth to find a library. Hyacinth and Chloe discover bandits, magical creatures, and their feelings for each other.

Pham, Cindy: The Secret World of Briar Rose (Penguin Random House/Kokila 979-8217113026, $21.99, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Fantasy romance novel. Corin finds her sister Elly after jumping into a portal that leads to Princess Amelia’s dreams. There they meet the dream version of Amelia, but suspect that she’s hiding some things that can’t be kept secret forever. A first novel.

Samorano, Désirée: Amarisa’s Cooking Pot (University of Nevada Press 978-1647792428, $26.95, 229pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 06/02/2026)

Collection of 21 stories. These stories draw on Mexican American culture, and possess a wide range of emotions that are all deeply human. It explores what it means to be alive in a world that’s so unpredictable.

Sim, Tara: The Dawn Throne (Orbit US 978-0316458962, $19.99, 448pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Fantasy novel, the third in the Dark Gods series. When the god of light, Phos, decides to attack the heirs for control of the cosmos, the heirs decide to bring the battle to Phos’s home realm. Simultaneous with the Hodder & Stoughton UK edition.

St. Jude, Jen: Where You’ll Find Us (Bloomsbury USA 978-1547611409, $20.99, 384pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Young-adult fantasy novel. Calla’s parents disowned her because she was gay, but she’s trying to figure out if she’s even a girl. She finds a farmhouse that’s frozen in time, and houses queer teens from the past. Simultaneous with the Penguin Random House UK edition.

Tubb, Kristin O’Donnell: The Spiritualists (Simon & Schuster 978-1665985734, $19.99, 416pp, formats: ebook, 06/02/2026)

Young-adult fantasy novel. Stella, a psychic, gets an invitation to join a group of mystics, and in return they’ll get revenge on her sister’s killer. The only problem is, she’s the reason her sister is dead in the first place. A first novel.

Valldeperas, R.J.: Their Will Undone (HarperCollins/Quill Tree 978-0063388765, $19.99, 367pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Young-adult fantasy novel. Kasik must retrieve Nina and bring her to the emperor, however the path back brings them to dangerous places. Kasik questions her loyalty when desire starts to take over. A first novel.

Yang, Tessa: The Jellyfish Problem (Penguin Random House/Berkley 978-0593955826, $30.00, 384pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Magical realism novel. Dr. Jo Ness gets a call from Nadia who tells her of a giant jellyfish terrorizing her island. Jo decides to fly over to the island where she meets Clementine, a jellyfish that changes everyone who sees it. A first novel.

Young-do, Lee: The Heart of the Nhaga (Harper Voyager US 978-0063349896, $32.00, 448pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 06/02/2026)

Fantasy novel, book one of the Bird That Drinks Tears series. The world is divided in two, the Tokebbi to the north, and the Nhaga to the south. No one has crossed the border in centuries, but that’s about to change.

While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep the site paywall free, but WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT to continue quality coverage of the science fiction and fantasy field.

The post New Book Releases: June 2, 2026 appeared first on Locus.

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

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

The post Forthcoming Books Through December 2026 appeared first on Locus.

The June 2026 Locus magazine, issue #785, has interviews with Robert Jackson Bennett and Isabel J. Kim, and a spotlight on artist Dante Luiz. The Summer Reads section includes Locus reviewers’ recommendations, commentary from Saga editor Nivia Evans and Sheree Renée Thomas, and US and UK forthcoming books titles. News includes the 2026 Locus Awards winners, Daniel Kraus’s Pulitzer Prize win, LA Times Book Prize winners, new Transworld imprint 3AM Books, and more. Obituaries remember Tom Clegg, Michael P. Spradlin, and Donald Sidney-Fryer. Reviews include new titles by Amitav Ghosh, Joseph Eckert, Ian McDonald, Christopher Priest & Nina Allan, Rachel Khong, Thomas Elrod, Ra Page & David Sue (eds.), Garth Nix, J.M. Sidorova, Andrea Hairston, Isabel Ibañez, Leslye Penelope, Vonda N. McIntyre, Isabel J. Kim, Jedediah Berry, ‘Pemi Aguda, Munir Hachemi translated by Julia Sanches, M. John Harrison, Lee Young-do translated by Anton Hur, Violet Allen, Andrew Dana Hudson, Kate Milford, Meg Shaffer, Elana K. Arnold, Daisy Pearce, Uketsu translated by Jim Rion, Allen Stroud, Cynthia Gómez, James S.A. Corey, Ann Leckie, Alex Shvartsman, Jeff Noon, Sheree Renée Thomas, and more.

Reviews by MAYA C. JAMES / 19

The Redemption Center is Closed on Sundays, Andrea Hairston; Graceless Heart, Isabel Ibañez; The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass, Leslye Penelope.

Reviews by GABINO IGLESIAS / 25

Dark is When the Devil Comes, Daisy Pearce; Strange Buildings, Uketsu; Anti-State, Allen Stroud.

Reviews by DIVERS HANDS: ALEX BROWN, YOON HA LEE, RUSSELL LETSON, ADRIENNE MARTINI, ADAM ROBERTS, WOLE TALABI, ALVARO ZINOS-AMARO / 26

Muñeca, Cynthia Gómez; The Faith of Beasts, James S. A. Corey; Radiant Star, Ann Leckie; The Best of All Possible Planets, Alex Shvartsman; Moon Over Brendle, Jeff Noon; Ring Shout on Saturn, Sheree Renée Thomas; The Illuminated Man: Life, Death and the Worlds of J.G. Ballard, Christopher Priest & Nina Allan.

Aguda, ‘Pemi • One Leg on Earth (Niall Harrison)
Allen, Violet • Plastic, Prism, Void (Abigail Nussbaum)
Arnold, Elana K. • Holloway (Colleen Mondor)
Berry, Jedediah • Kill All Wizards (Niall Harrison)
Corey, James S. A. • The Faith of Beasts (Yoon Ha Lee)
Eckert, Joseph • The Traveler (Gary K. Wolfe)
Elrod, Thomas • The Franchise (Ian Mond)
Ghosh, Amitav • Ghost-Eye (Gary K. Wolfe)
Gómez, Cynthia • Mu eca (Alex Brown)
Hachemi, Munir • The Mulai (Niall Harrison)
Hairston, Andrea • The Redemption Center is Closed on Sundays (Maya C. James)
Harrison, M. John • The End of Everything (Niall Harrison)
Hudson, Andrew Dana • Absence (Abigail Nussbaum)
Iba ez, Isabel • Graceless Heart (Maya C. James)
Khong, Rachel • My Dear You (Ian Mond)
Kim, Isabel J. • Sublimation (Niall Harrison)
Leckie, Ann • Radiant Star (Russell Letson)
McDonald, Ian • Boy, With Accidental Dinosaur (Gary K. Wolfe)
McIntyre, Vonda N. • The Curve of the World (Niall Harrison)
Milford, Kate • Rialto (Colleen Mondor)
Nix, Garth • Massif (Alexandra Pierce)
Noon, Jeff • Moon Over Brendle (Adam Roberts)
Page, Ra, & David Sue, eds. • Monster Capital: Tales of Capitalist Unease (Ian Mond)
Pearce, Daisy • Dark Is When the Devil Comes (Gabino Iglesias)
Penelope, Leslye • The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass (Maya C. James)
Priest, Christopher, & Nina Allan • The Illuminated Man: Life, Death and the Worlds of J.G. Ballard (Alvaro Zinos-Amaro)
Priest, Christopher, & Nina Allan • The Illuminated Man: Life, Death and the Worlds of J.G. Ballard (Gary K. Wolfe)
Shaffer, Meg • The Book Witch (Colleen Mondor)
Shvartsman, Alex • The Best of All Possible Planets (Adrienne Martini)
Sidorova, J. M. • The Witch of Prague (Alexandra Pierce)
Stroud, Allen • Anti-State (Gabino Iglesias)
Thomas, Sheree Ren e • Ring Shout on Saturn (Wole Talabi)
Uketsu, translated by Jim Rion • Strange Buildings (Gabino Iglesias)
Young-do, Lee • The Heart of the Nhaga (Abigail Nussbaum)

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