Locus Online

Zodiac Rising, Katie Zhao (Random House 978-0-593-64641-0, $19.99, 416pp, hc) October 2024. Cover by Deb JJ Lee.

Author Katie Zhao opens her young adult fantasy thriller Zodiac Rising with a brief prologue ex­plaining the history behind 12 Chinese warriors, based on the zodiac calendar, who were sum­moned centuries ago in response to a royal plea to battle monsters known as Wrathlings. Their lineage brought peace to the land until ...Read More

Keith Roberts’s Pavane: A Critical Compan­ion, Paul Kincaid (Palgrave Macmillan 978-3031715662, $37.99, 86pp, hc) November 2024.

For the past couple of years, Palgrave has been publishing a series of short “critical companion” monographs each focusing on a single title of what it calls the “new canon”; books covered so far include The Last Unicorn, Dune, The Hobbit, Neuromancer, Neverwhere, The Stars My Desti­nation, ...Read More

Goblins & Greatcoats, Travis Baldree (Subter­ranean) June 2024. Unquiet on the Eastern Front, Wole Talabi (Subterranean) October 2024. Flash Fiction Online 11/24

Subterranean Press has recently been of­fering short fiction online for free, and I’m catching up with June’s “Goblins & Greatcoats” by Travis Baldree, which follows Zyll, a goblin escaping the rain and road at a small inn which just happens to be at ...Read More

Juice, Tim Winton (Picador 978-1-76134-489-3, AUD$45.00, 528pp, hc) October 2024. Cover by Adam Laszczuk.

Here’s an admission that would elicit a gasp from the Australian literary elite: I have never read a Tim Winton novel. Worse, I read the opening of one of his most famous novels and I hated it. But then I read Juice. And if all his novels hit like that for people who like realism… ...Read More

Sinkhole, and Other Inexplicable Voids, Leyna Krow (Penguin 9780593299654, $19.00, 304pp, tp) January 2025. Cover design by Nerylsa Dijol.

Leyna Krow’s Sinkhole, and Other Inexpli­cable Voids is a dazzling, vivid collection. Throughout its 16 stories, Krow expertly threads together a handful of elements: magical or absurd developments, incisive snapshots of familial loves and fears, and haunting reflections on climate change disasters. Shared thematic con­cerns and a handful of connected ...Read More

We are so happy to release our fifth episode of The Storytellers, our series of Zoom-recorded author readings! Previously, we had Daniel Abraham read ‘The Wind’. Today we are pleased to show Henry Lien reading from the first chapter of Peasprout Chen: Future Legend of Skate and Sword, the first in his middle grade series revolving around a sport of his own invention combining kung fu and figure skating: ...Read More

Welcome back for another exciting new books video to kick off the month of March! Come by and learn about our picks for the top new SF, Fantasy, Horror, and YA releases for the week! Stay up-to-date, and support what we do, by subscribing to the YouTube channel! We hope to see you next week for another week of books you’ll be adding to your growing TBR list!

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has announced the launch of New Adult imprint Requited.

The slate of initial projects includes fantasy and romantasy titles by Jordan Stephanie Gray, and its staff includes personnel experienced in genre fiction and fantasy. Senior editors are Alice Jerman, previously at Entangled, and Ruqayyah Daud. Lisa Yoskowitz, LBYR’s Executive Editorial Director, will serve as editorial lead.

Megan Tingley, president and publisher at LBYR, told ...Read More

The REH Foundation has announced the shortlist for the 2025 Robert E. Howard Awards, honoring work that is “substantively devoted to the life and/or work of Robert E. Howard” or that “carries on the spirit and tradition of Robert E. Howard, to better recognize and celebrate his influence on future generations of writers.”

Members of the REH Foundation vote on the awards. Voting closes on March 15, 2025.

HarperCollins Children’s Books has announced the launch of Storytide, a new imprint for middle grade and YA books. Storytide’s slate will include fantasy titles That Devil, Ambition by Linsey Miller and I Killed the King by Andrea Hannah and Rebecca Mix.

VP and publisher Tara Weikum will lead the imprint. The team will also include Amy Cloud and Kristin Rens as executive editors, and Sarah Homer as editor.

On the ...Read More

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has announced C.J. Lavigne as the winner of the 2025 Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award. The award is presented to “a volunteer of SFWA who best exemplifies the ideal of service to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.”

The announcement notes, among other things, that Lavigne contributed to SFWA’s “flight crew,” or tech support team. SFWA President Kate ...Read More