The winners of the 2025 Shirley Jackson Awards for outstanding achievement in horror, psychological suspense, and dark fantasy fiction were announced Saturday, July 11, 2026 at Readercon 35 in Burlington MA, hosted by Readercon guests of honor P. Djèlí Clark and David Gerrold.

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Dive into a fresh week and a whole new pile of incredible books to obsess over! In this episode, we’re highlighting the biggest, most anticipated releases in Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, and YA hitting shelves during the week of July 7th, 2026. Whether you’re searching for mind-bending futures, spellbinding magic, spine-tingling scares, or powerful young adult journeys, this week’s lineup has a little something for every fiction lover.

We’ve curated the ultimate list of standout new arrivals to help you refresh your TBR and track down your next favorite obsession. Make sure to subscribe for your weekly dose of fresh genre releases, curated book recommendations, and everything speculative fiction. Thanks for hanging out with us, and we’ll catch you next time with another stack of amazing books to discover!

The post New Book Releases Video: July 7, 2026 appeared first on Locus.

The European Science Fiction Society (ESFS) announced the Hall of Fame Awards, Achievement Awards, and winners of the Chrysalis Awards for emerging talent.

The Hall of Fame Awards winners are:

Thomas Recktenwald (Germany) was honored as European Grandmaster.

Winners were announced at Metropol Con 2026, held June 2-5, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. For more information, see the ESFS website.

The post 2026 ESFS Awards Winners appeared first on Locus.

Winners of the Heinlein Society’s annual undergraduate scholarships for the 2026-2027 academic year were announced on July 7, 2026, Robert A. Heinlein’s 119th birthday.

This year’s winners are Riya Gupta, Nora Kane, Leslie Manga-Abomo, William Mar, and Evan Sturdivant. The scholarship awards $4,000 to each recipient. Winners were selected from 310 applications, including 40 international submissions from 22 different countries.

Gupta receives the Society’s new, unnamed scholarship and will attend “California Institute of Technology as a sophomore, majoring in mechanical engineering.” Kane, a repeat winner from last year, received the Virginia Heinlein Memorial Scholarship, which is “dedicated to a female candidate majoring in engineering, math, or biological or physical sciences.” Sturdivant received the Dr. Jerry Pournelle Memorial Scholarship, and Mar received the Dr. Yoji Kondo Memorial Scholarship. Manga-Abomo is the winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Scholarship.

The post 2026 Heinlein Scholarship Recipients appeared first on Locus.

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

Brooks, Mike: This Is Where the Future Bleeds (Titan Books UK 978-1835417614, $18.99, 400pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Diviner Kitt finds destinies for the rich and powerful, but when one destiny sets off a chain of violence and she sets out with a ragtag group to warn the recipient.

Bullen, Chiara: The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance (Penguin Random House/Del Rey 978-0593982693, $29.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Aspiring scholar Ainsworth sets out to write his thesis about Mount Vengeance, an attraction for bold adventurers, and discovers a kind innkeeper and a mystery. Simultaneous with the Penguin Random House UK/Del Rey UK edition.

Cassidy, Kalie: In the Wake of the Ruined (Little, Brown 978-0316587587, $19.99, 432pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Romantic fantasy novel, second in the Siren Mage series. Imogen has claimed her crown and powers, and faces a war while trying to end her bond with the deity Eusia. Simultaneous with the Orion UK/Gollancz edition.

Chien, Florence: The Revenant of Surolifia (Rising Action 978-1998672349, $18.99, 416pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 07/07/2026)

Political fantasy novel. After the Empire slaughters thousands of Lucas’s people, he infiltrates the imperial forces, while Prince Faye joins violent revolutionaries to reclaim his throne.

Cleeton, Chanel: An Infinite Love Story (Penguin Random House/Berkley 978-0593816950, $30.00, 352pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Science fiction romance novel. During the space race, astronaut Joe loses contact with earth — a mishap written off as an error, while his wife Vivian tries to unravel what really happened.

Connolly, Amanda: The Lure of Wolves and Whispers (Simon & Schuster 978-1665989510, $21.99, 464pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Young-adult fantasy novel, first in the Martyred Isle series. To save her sibling, Maeve enters a deadly competition and encounters a frustratingly handsome leader.

Cross, Charlotte: The Brides (Macmillan/Tor Nightfire UK 978-1335000965, $30.00, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Horror novel about the brides of Dracula. Mafalda, her lover Lucy, chaperone Eliza, and maid Alice seek out a cure for wasting illness at a castle in Transylvania.

Ernshaw, Shea: Habits of the Sea (Simon & Schuster/Atria 978-1668097731, $28.00, 304pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Magical realist novel. Clay’s wife dies, and a violent storm tears their home property away from Scotland, and now it exists as an island out of time where Clay hasn’t aged.

Foxfield, Kathryn: Our Wicked Gifts (Penguin Random House/Random House 979-8217122080, $20.99, 432pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

YA fantasy novel. Cecily is the overlooked daughter of the Winter family, who made a deal with the devil for riches and magic; she investigates Soren, a boy they banished to the underworld.

Goff, Ellen Pauley: The Farewitch of Foxe Holler (Simon & Schuster/Saga Press 978-1668099179, $19.00, 480pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Contemporary fantasy romance. Honey — a farewitch who can heal ailments with the right baking recipe — deals with a moody warlock who asks her to heal his mysterious illness.

Hinkley, Sara: The Red Sacrament (Titan Books UK 978-1835410820, $19.99, 512pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Horror novel. In 1869 Paris, ageless actors led by the vampire Arnault perform at midnight for those with elusive entry slips. A first novel.

Holness, Nevin: King of Lost Dreams (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum 978-1665946940, $19.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Young-adult fantasy novel, sequel to King of Dead Things. After defeating the daughter of Death, Malcolm, Eli, and Sunny grapple with their magic and origins and set out to find a key.

Hotston, Stewart: The Next Enemy Shall Be the Last (NewCon Press UK 978-1917735308, £26.99, 278pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, 07/07/2026)

SF novel. A father and son’s narratives intertwine as a paranormal artefact lands on a beach in Devon, bestowing nearby humans with psychic powers, and a similar one may have surfaced in Russia decades later.

Kagawa, Julie: Deathless (HarperCollins 978-1335008466, $19.99, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Young-adult fantasy novel, second in the Fateless series. Sparrow and her companions must slay the Deathless King, and must journey to the Loom of the goddess of Fate to be granted her powers.

Knightley, Brigitte: The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy (Ace 978-0593819487, $31.00, 416pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Fantasy romance novel, second in the Dearly Beloathed duology. Osric the assassin and Aurienne the healer confront their growing attraction as well as a deadly Pox that may have been unleashed by a mysterious Order. Simultaneous with the Orbit UK edition.

Lambridis, Scott: St. Ulphia’s Dead (Regal House 978-1646037506, $19.95, 210pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Folkloric horror novel. Disgraced researcher Mirs and his supervisor Jo investigate the island of St. Ulphia, where locals claim they’re being possessed by a cannibalistic Wendigo. A first novel.

Lanzen, Meredith: Formula Zero (Penguin Random House/Berkley Romance 978-0593956694, $20.00, 448pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Science fiction romance novel. Madeline earns competes in the dangerous, male-dominated, zero-gravity racing sport Formula Zero, and is rescued from an accident by her former situationship Julian.

Markov, Haralambi: The Language of Knives: Stories (Mythic Delirium Books 978-1956522051, $17.95, 218pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 07/07/2026)

Collection of 13 horror stories blending Slavic mythology, body horror, sexuality, and queerness. Introduction by Ann VanderMeer.

McCarthy, Wil: Thieves’ Sky (Baen 978-1668073322, $28.00, 288pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 07/07/2026)

SF novel, fourth in the Rich Man’s Sky series. When pirates steal an alien technology with dangerous powers, the crew of the CV Defender must find them before it destroys the Solar System.

McCaughrain, Kelly: Just Another Dead Boy (Candlewick Press 978-1536251739, $19.99, 352pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Fantasy romance novel. In a world where everyone knows when they’ll die, Regan works as a “Juliet” at a luxury resort, offering sensational end-of-life romances to rich guys until her relationship with client Jude becomes something more.

Miles, Jo: The Final Chronicle of Yeneh (Horned Lark 978-1998390182, $24.99, 136pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 07/07/2026)

Science fantasy novella. Lady Ada Quintrall wants to terraform her family’s new planet and restore their fortune — but xenobiologist Dr. Zamora and some troubling revelations about the native wildlife give her second thoughts.

Olthoff, Melissa: Tempered By Fire (Baen 978-1668073339, $17.99, 496pp, formats: paperback, ebook, 07/07/2026)

Fantasy novel, second in the Griffin Corps series. After bonding with her griffin and graduating the Training Academy, Harper is sent out from Tennessan to find out what’s happening to rival Savinia’s griffins.

Rowan, Leah: Marion (Titan Books UK 978-1835418949, £9.99, 368pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Horror novel, a feminist retelling of Psycho. When Norman attempts to murder Marion in his motel, she turns the knife on him and goes on the run. First UK edition (Nightfire 6/26).

Roy, Lucinda: The Bird Tribe (Tor 978-1250816887, $32.99, 512pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, 07/07/2026)

Futuristic fantasy novel, third in the Dreambird Chronicles trilogy. Ji-ji sets out on a transatlantic quest to discover the truth about the Flying Africans, their origins, and whether they’re a myth or genetic experiment.

Sampson, Freya: Most Ardently Yours (Sourcebooks Landmark 978-1464277894, $32.99, 320pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Contemporary fantasy romance. A struggling romance writer swears off men, then accidentally summons Mr. Darcy from an abandoned copy of Pride and Prejudice she finds in a London bookshop.

Sims, Jonathan: The Burn Line (Orion UK/Gollancz 978-1399620703, £25.00, 368pp, formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/09/2026)

Horror novel. During the hottest summer on record, passengers on the London Underground witness a terrible event that messes with their memories, and bond together to confront the force responsible.

Song, Yu-jeong: The Memory Bookshop (HarperCollins/Morrow 978-0063475120, $17.99, 192pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Fantasy novel. Jiwon, mourning her mother, and stumbling into a bookstore, is offered an hourglass that can let her relive the past — in exchange for giving up time in her future. Translated from the Korean by Shanna Tan.

Suh, Yejin: The Last Soldier of Nava (HarperCollins UK/Magpie 978-0008683474, $18.99, 384pp, formats: paperback, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Fantasy novel. Shadow, having escaped her power-hungry father, is pulled back into court life as magical dead zones consume the world and her father’s new protege seeks revenge. A first novel.

Tingle, Chuck: Fabulous Bodies (Tor/Nightfire 978-1250398567, $27.99, 240pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audiobook, 07/07/2026)

Horror novel. Poppy, influencer by day and grave-robber by night, steals the body of her idol, flamboyant pianist Eddie Michaels, only for him to wake up. Simultaneous with the Titan Books UK edition.

The post New Book Releases: Jul 7, 2026 appeared first on Locus.

The five-title shortlist for the 2026 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic was announced July 6, 2026:

The winner, who receives a medallion with the Sunburst logo and a cash prize of CAD $3,000, will be announced in the fall. The jurors for the 2026 Award are A.G. Pasquella, Daniel Perry, and A.C. Wise.

For more information, see the Sunburst Award Society website.

The post 2026 Sunburst Award Shortlist appeared first on Locus.

Author and historian JAMES RAY COMER, who wrote as J. Comer, 59, died in late April or early May 2026.

Comer was born August 5, 1966. He wrote sev­eral pieces of short fiction, including “Soldier’s Coat” (2015), “Scratch” (2016), “The Wooing of Etroklos” (2016), “Star Thistle” (2018), “Beam That Is In” (2019), “Tilting the Wick” (2020), “Sky Machine” (2021), “Sometime Called Parchment” (2021), “Quicksilver” (2023), and “The Weather Maker” (2024). His stories were published in magazines including Cirsova Magazine and Daily Science Fiction, and anthologies includ­ing Secret Stairs (2018), Lost Trails (2015) and Lost Trails 2: Forgotten Tales of the Weird West (2016), and anthologies for Queer Sci Fi’s annual flash fiction contest. He also wrote a number of articles for Cir­sova and Queer Sci Fi and sourcebooks for tabletop role-playing game Were­wolf: The Apocalypse.

#noinsta

The post James Ray Comer (1966–2026) appeared first on Locus.

Three debuts, Danielle J. Jensen’s The Inadequate Heir (Del Rey), K.M. Moronova’s Once Upon a Demon’s Heart (Bloom), and Jaymin Eve’s Night Witch (Mira), each debuts on both the USA Today and Publishers Weekly lists.

The table shows the current rank of each book and the change since last week, where:

= same as last week

+/- change since last week

+ back on list

++ new on list

x no longer on list (number of x’s: weeks off list)

All lists rank hardcovers and paperbacks separately, except for the USA Today list, which is a single list combining fiction and nonfiction in all formats. Dates shown are posted dates, except those in parentheses, which are dates compiled. New York Times posts its list one week in advance of print publication.

Note that some sources do not compile paperback bestsellers, and some exclude YA books (like the Harry Potter series) from their hardcover and paperback fiction lists.

The post Weekly Bestsellers, 6 July 2026 appeared first on Locus.

Author and editor TED WHITE, 88, died May 24, 2026. He was in palliative care.

Theodore Edwin White was born February 4, 1938. He contributed to SF fan­zines at a young age and won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 1968. He was assistant editor at F&SF from 1963-1968 and editor for Amazing Stories and Fantastic from 1968-1978. As an author, he wrote Invasion from 2500 (1964) with Terry Carr, Lost in Space (1967) with Dave Van Arnam, Sideslip (1968) with Dave Van Arnam, No Time Like Tomorrow (1969), By Furies Possessed (1970), Trouble on Project Ce­res (1971), and For­bidden World (1978) with David Bischoff. He wrote Android Avenger (1965) and The Spawn of the Death Machine (1968) in the Tanner series. He wrote Phoenix Prime (1966), The Sorceress of Qar (1966), and Star Wolf! (1971) in the Qanar series. He also wrote more than two dozen works of short fiction. He edited The Best from Amazing Stories (1973) and The Best from Fantastic (1973). He briefly edited Heavy Metal, which won a British Fantasy Award in 1980. As a fan, his fanzine Blat!, edited with Dan Steffan, won a FAAn Award in 1994. He later won FAAn Awards for Fan Writer in 1998 and for Lifetime Achievement in 2009.

He is survived by his daughter, Arielle White, who also goes by Kit.

The post Ted White (1938–2026) appeared first on Locus.

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.

Simon & Schuster has announced that Atria Gallery Group will relaunch the Pocket Books imprint as a core romance imprint that will also publish “additional genres including romantic thrillers, dark romance, and horror.” Anh Schluep, who is joining Atria Gallery, will be vice president, editorial director, and deputy publisher of Pocket Books. Schluep said,

I’m excited to be bringing back Pocket Books. The imprint, which published its first list in 1939, revolutionized the industry by making books available to readers in non-traditional outlets. The first contemporary U.S. publisher to democratize reading, it became the home for legendary romance authors including Jude Deveraux, Julie Garwood, and Judith McNaught. I look forward to publishing the next generation of fan favorites.

The imprint is planned to publish “two to three titles per month starting in January 2027.”

According to Publishers Weekly, Pocket was S&S’s main mass market paperback publisher until the format was phased out in early 2026. Gallery Books EVP and publisher Jennifer Bergstrom stated that Pocket will be rebranded “as a home for forward-thinking writers, including bestselling indie and hybrid authors looking to amplify their reach,” focusing on print deals for self-published authors.

For more, see the official announcement.

The post S&S Relaunches Pocket Books appeared first on Locus.

The Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association (CSFFA) announced three inductees to the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame for 2026: author Kelley Armstrong, author James Alan Gardner, and past president of Fanzine Writers of America Mike Glicksohn.

This year’s jury included David Clink (chair), JM Landels, Y.M. Pang, Clifford Samuels, and Edo van Belkom.

For more information, see the CSFFA website.

The post 2026 CSFFA Hall of Fame Inductees 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.

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

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.

The post Starlog Magazine to Relaunch with Podcast appeared first on Locus.

Matt Dinniman has six titles on this week’s New York Times fiction hardcover bestseller list — a record, for books tracked on this page. The runner-up is Rebecca Yarros, with three titles on the list over a dozen times during 2025.

The table shows the current rank of each book and the change since last week, where:

= same as last week

+/- change since last week

+ back on list

++ new on list

x no longer on list (number of x’s: weeks off list)

All lists rank hardcovers and paperbacks separately, except for the USA Today list, which is a single list combining fiction and nonfiction in all formats. Dates shown are posted dates, except those in parentheses, which are dates compiled. New York Times posts its list one week in advance of print publication.

Note that some sources do not compile paperback bestsellers, and some exclude YA books (like the Harry Potter series) from their hardcover and paperback fiction lists.

The post Weekly Bestsellers, 29 June 2026 appeared first on Locus.

The Ursula K. Le Guin Literary Trust has announced the shortlist for the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction, awarding a $25,000 cash prize “to the author of a book that reflects the concepts and ideas that were central to Ursula’s own work.”

The nine shortlisted titles are:

The post 2026 Le Guin Prize for Fiction Shortlist appeared first on Locus.

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