Gully Foyle
ICE is enlisting ten companies for a widespread immigrant surveillance program.
‘Upgrade’ Producer Dishes On the TV Sequel That Almost Was @ io9
The cult classic 'Upgrade' almost got a continuation with a TV show, but real-world events kept getting in its way.
Emails Show Even Epstein Thought Crypto Pumps are Unethical @ io9
In 2018, Epstein wrote that because he is "high profile" he had concerns about the "questionable ethics" of crypto pumps if he was involved.
Matthew Lillard Is Happy Netflix Is Bringing ‘Scooby-Doo’ Back @ io9
After a couple of years being shelved or not used properly, Netflix might be just what 'Scooby-Doo' needs.
Apple Leadership Is Quietly Getting AI-Pilled, Report Claims @ io9
Is Apple getting ready for its big AI push?
‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’ Returns to Theaters in Japan @ io9
Japanese audiences get another few chances to see 'Demon Slayer' on the big screen, with other territories currently TBD.
When Does ‘The Last of Us’ End? HBO Doesn’t Know @ io9
You (probably) won't see the last of 'The Last of Us' when it comes back next year, just Abby's side of the story.
SwitchBot Lock Ultra Review: A Good Retrofit Smart Lock for Secondary Doors @ io9
A versatile solution to retrofit your existing door lock.
Weekly New Releases – Feb 10, 2026 @ Bureau 42
| 10 Rillington Place | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| 3:10 to Yuma (Criterion Collection) | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Comments | This is the 1957 film. | ||||||||
| After the Fox | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Allegiant | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Amistad | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Angry Neighbors | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Apartment | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Comments | Best Picture 1960 | ||||||||
| Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Bogie | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Bucket of Blood | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Child is Waiting | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Cinema Paradiso | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Clambake | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Click | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Clue | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Code Name Banshee | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Couch Trip | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Curse of Inferno | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Damnation Alley | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Dead to Rights | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Dear John | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932) | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Face/Off | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Faculty | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Fifty Shades: 3 Movie Collection | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Fog | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Friday the 13th | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Comments | This is the 2003 Remake/Semi-sequel | ||||||||
| Friday the 13th: Part 2 | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Full Moon’s Noir Double Feature: Head of the Family / Hideous! | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Gang Related | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Godfather | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Godfather, Part II | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Golden Child | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Grease 2 | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Grudge (2004) | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Harvey Girls | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Haunted | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Hi-Lo Country | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Home of Our Own | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Housemaid | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| In and Out | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Indian Fighter | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Joseph L. Mankiewicz’ the Honey Pot | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Journey to the Seventh Planet | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Just Like Heaven | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| K2 | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Keeper | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| King and Four Queens | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| King Solomon’s Mines | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Kino’s Journey | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Comments | This is the original Kino’s Journey anime series from 2003 | ||||||||
| Kiss the Girls | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Lady Be Good | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Legend of the Lost | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Life of Emile Zola | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Comments | Best Picture 1937 | ||||||||
| Lisa | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Lost Future | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Ma and Pa Kettle | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Man with the Gun | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Masterpiece Mystery!: MIss Scarlet | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Men’s Club | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Mister Roberts | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| National Velvet | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Nicholas Nickleby | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Original Kings of Comedy | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Outlaws | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Penguins of Madagascar | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Pride and the Passion | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Sabrina (1954) | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Secret Agent (2025) | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Comments | Best Picture nominee | ||||||||
| Shocker | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Simpatico | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Solomon and Sheba | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Spikes Gang | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Stepford Wives | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Strike Up the Band | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Team America World Police | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| That’ll Be the Day | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Three Days of the Condor | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| To Catch a Thief | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Tower of London | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Trapeze | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Vacation from Marriage (1945) | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Virgin Suicides | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| We Bury the Dead | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Weekend at Bernie’s | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Wicked: For Good | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Woman in the Window | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Comments | Fritz Lang directs Edward G. Robinson. | ||||||||
| Young Racers | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
| Young Savages | |||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||
Finally, the picks of the week. Alex says, “Kino’s Journey is my anime pick of the week, if only because while we have all of the original Code Geass series, I think Kino’s Journey is a more cohesive whole. Otherwise, I’m going with of our UHD releases, Friday the 13th Part 2 – though it also might make for an interesting double feature with the 2003 film, as that film technically fits in the same place in the chronology as Part 2.” Blaine says, “the Bill and Ted movies and Mister Roberts are great comedies while Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a classic of a very different tone.”
What If the Sensors on Your Car Were Inspecting Potholes for the Government? Honda Found Out @ io9
Radars and cameras might be for seeing cars and people now but they can be used to make existing roads better in the first place.
2025 Recommended Reading List @ Locus Online
Welcome to the Locus Recommended Reading List…
We saw some fabulous books come out last year and are so pleased to let you know about them! Our recommendations are compiled annually by the Locus reviewers, editors, and columnists; outside reviewers; and other professionals and well-known critics of genre fiction and non-fiction. This year we looked at over 1,000 titles between short and long fiction.
Note: we know there will be books you loved that didn’t make it; any one of our voting group would have a different exact list, of course. The list we share is our combined sum of opinions, assessed with a great affection and care for the field. We did not see everything that came out last year (though we tried!) and there will always be books that didn’t make it. No one in the group is allowed to vote for any titles they worked on or acquired.
This year we had recommendations from Liza Groen Trombi, reviews editor Jonathan Strahan; Locus reviewers Liz Bourke, Jake Casella Brookins, Alex Brown, Paul Di Filippo, Paula Guran, Niall Harrison, Rich Horton, Paul Kincaid, Russell Letson, Archita Mittra, Ian Mond, Colleen Mondor, Abigail Nussbaum, Alexandra Pierce, Wole Talabi, Gary K. Wolfe, and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro; staffers Bob Blough, Tim Melody Pratt, and Eleanor Trombla; and outside critics James Bradley, Cheryl Morgan, and Graham Sleight. Input for the non-fiction section also came from Eugen Bacon and Farah Mendlesohn. The art book section had advice from Arnie Fenner, Karen Haber, and Locus senior editor Francesca Myman. Short fiction recommendations added in anthologists and reviewers John Joseph Adams, Sean Dowie, Maria Haskins, Allan Kaster, Charles Payseur, Nisi Shawl, Bogi Takács, and A.C. Wise.
This year we are adding a new category for Translated Novels! For those recommendations we had input and assistance from Gautam Bhatia, Rachel Cordasco, Jukka Halme, Cristina Jurado, Roseanna Pendlebury, Carlos Arturo Serrano, Alex Schvartsman, and Jared Shurin.
You can let us know what your favorites were by voting in the 2025 Poll & Survey. The Poll decides the winners of the Locus Awards, to be held May 30, 2026 during the Bay Area Book Festival (early-bird tickets available now), and is open to all to vote on. The Survey helps us to be a better magazine; thank you for participating!
Links are purchase links for books and reading links (when available) for short stories. Please email us about any typos or errors. Enjoy!
SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS
Sunward, William Alexander (Saga) amazon / bookshop- Dark Diamond, Neal Asher (Pyr, Tor UK) amazon / bookshop
- The King Must Die, Kemi Ashing-Giwa (Saga) amazon / bookshop
- The Folded Sky, Elizabeth Bear (Saga; Gollancz) amazon / bookshop
- Landfall, James Bradley (Hodder & Stoughton) amazon / bookshop
- Outlaw Planet, M.R. Carey (Orbit US; Orbit UK) amazon / bookshop
- Moderation, Elaine Castillo (Atlantic UK; Viking) amazon / bookshop
- The Book of Guilt, Catherine Chidgey (John Murray; Cardinal) amazon / bookshop
Picks & Shovels, Cory Doctorow (Ad Astra; Tor) amazon / bookshop- Notes from a Regicide, Isaac Fellman (Tor) amazon / bookshop
- When We Were Real, Daryl Gregory (Saga) amazon / bookshop
- The Essence, Dave Hutchinson (NewCon) amazon / bookshop
- The Dream Hotel, Laila Lalami (Pantheon; Bloomsbury Circus UK) amazon / bookshop
- Transmentation | Transience, Darkly Lem (Blackstone) amazon / bookshop
- All That We See or Seem, Ken Liu (Saga; Ad Astra) amazon / bookshop
- Metallic Realms, Lincoln Michel (Atria) amazon / bookshop
Red Star Hustle, Sam J. Miller (Apprehension/Red Star Hustle) amazon / bookshop- Where the Axe Is Buried, Ray Nayler (MCD; Weidenfel & Nicolson) amazon / bookshop
- Slow Gods, Claire North (Orbit US; Orbit UK) amazon / bookshop
- Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor (Morrow; Gollancz) amazon / bookshop
- One Way Witch, Nnedi Okorafor (DAW) amazon / bookshop
- Esperance, Adam Oyebanji (DAW; Arcadia UK) amazon / bookshop
- Halcyon Years, Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz; Orbit US) amazon / bookshop
The Shattering Peace, John Scalzi (Tor; Tor UK) amazon / bookshop- When There Are Wolves Again, E.J. Swift (Arcadia UK) amazon
- We Lived on the Horizon, Erika Swyler (Atria) amazon / bookshop
- Shroud, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor UK; Orbit US) amazon / bookshop
- The Book of Records, Madeleine Thien (Norton; Granta UK) amazon / bookshop
- A Philosophy of Thieves, Fran Wilde (Erewhon) amazon / bookshop
- Hole in the Sky, Daniel H. Wilson (Doubleday) amazon / bookshop
- The Salt Oracle, Lorraine Wilson (Solaris) amazon / bookshop
FANTASY NOVELS
- The Devils, Joe Abercrombie (Tor; Gollancz) amazon / bookshop
- The Tomb of Dragons, Katherine Addison (Tor; Solaris UK) amazon / bookshop
A Granite Silence, Nina Allan (riverrun) amazon / bookshop- Lessons in Magic and Disaster, Charlie Jane Anders (Tor; Titan UK) amazon / bookshop
- Angel Maker, Elizabeth Bear (Sobbing Squonk) amazon / bookshop
- A Drop of Corruption, Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey; Hodderscape) amazon / bookshop
- Once Was Willem, M.R. Carey (Orbit US; Orbit UK) amazon / bookshop
- The Sovereign, C.L. Clark (Orbit US; Orbit UK) amazon / bookshop
- The Works of Vermin, Hiron Ennes (Tor; Tor UK) amazon / bookshop
- Dead Hand Rule, Max Gladstone (Tor) amazon / bookshop
- The Everlasting, Alix E. Harrow (Tor; Tor UK) amazon / bookshop
- The Raven Scholar, Antonia Hodgson (Orbit US; Hodderscape) amazon / bookshop
- Secrets of the First School, T.L. Huchu (Tor; Tor UK) amazon / bookshop
- Honeyeater, Kathleen Jennings (Tor) amazon / bookshop
- Written on the Dark, Guy Gavriel Kay (Ace; Viking Canada; Hodderscape) amazon / bookshop
- Hemlock & Silver, T. Kingfisher (Tor; Tor UK) amazon / bookshop
- Snake-Eater, T. Kingfisher (47North; Titan UK) amazon / bookshop
- Katabasis, R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager; Harper Voyager UK) amazon / bookshop
- The Adventures of Mary Darling, Pat Murphy (Tachyon) amazon / bookshop
- Harmattan Season, Tochi Onyebuchi (Tor) amazon / bookshop
Waterblack, Alex Pheby (Tor; Galley Beggar UK) amazon / bookshop- Major Arcana, John Pistelli (Belt) amazon / bookshop
- The Rose Field, Philip Pullman (Knopf; Penguin and David Fickling UK) amazon / bookshop
- Shadow Ticket, Thomas Pynchon (Penguin; Jonathan Cape) amazon / bookshop
- The Isle in the Silver Sea, Tasha Suri (Orbit US; Orbit UK) amazon / bookshop
- The Incandescent, Emily Tesh (Tor; Orbit UK) amazon / bookshop
- Queen Demon, Martha Wells (Tor) amazon / bookshop
HORROR NOVELS
We Love You, Bunny, Mona Awad (Marysue Rucci; Scribner UK) amazon / bookshop- The Possession of Alba Díaz, Isabel Cañas (Berkley; Solaris UK) amazon / bookshop
- Black Brane, Michael Cisco (Clash) amazon / bookshop
- Spread Me, Sarah Gailey (Nightfire) amazon / bookshop
- The Needfire, MK Hardy (Solaris) amazon
- King Sorrow, Joe Hill (Morrow; Headline UK) amazon / bookshop
- The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Stephen Graham Jones (Saga; Titan UK) amazon / bookshop
The Library at Hellebore, Cassandra Khaw (Nightfire; Titan UK) amazon / bookshop- Never Flinch, Stephen King (Scribner, Hodder & Stoughton UK) amazon / bookshop
- The Bewitching, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey; Arcadia UK) amazon / bookshop
- It Was Her House First, Cherie Priest (Poisoned Pen) amazon / bookshop
- Animals, Geoff Ryman (NewCon) amazon / bookshop
- The Crimson Road, A.G. Slatter (Titan UK) amazon / bookshop
- The Staircase in the Woods, Chuck Wendig (Del Rey; Del Rey UK) amazon / bookshop
YOUNG ADULT NOVELS
- The Singular Life of Aria Patel, Samira Ahmed (Little, Brown; Atom UK) [SF] amazon / bookshop
- Make Me a Monster, Kalynn Bayron (Bloomsbury US; Bloomsbury UK) [H] amazon / bookshop
- Costumes for Time Travelers, A.R. Capetta (Candlewick; Walker UK) [F] amazon / bookshop
- The Executioners Three, Susan Dennard (Tor Teen; Daphne UK) [H] amazon / bookshop
- Needy Little Things, Channelle Desamours (Wednesday; Bloomsbury UK) [F] amazon / bookshop
- The Underwood Tapes, Amanda DeWitt (Peachtree Teen) [H] amazon / bookshop
- Among Ghosts, Rachel Hartman (Random House) [F] amazon / bookshop
Sky on Fire, E.K. Johnston (Dutton) [F] amazon / bookshop- The Transition, Logan-Ashley Kisner (Delacorte) [H] amazon / bookshop
- Starstrike, Yoon Ha Lee (Delacorte; Solaris UK) [SF] amazon / bookshop
- I Am Not Jessica Chen, Ann Liang (Harper) [F] amazon / bookshop
- The Leaving Room, Amber McBride (Feiwel and Friends) [F] amazon / bookshop
- Night Swimming, Aaron Starmer (Penguin Workshop) [H] amazon / bookshop
- They Bloom at Night, Trang Thanh Tran (Bloomsbury US; Bloomsbury UK) [H] amazon / bookshop
FIRST NOVELS
-
A Song of Legends Lost, M.H. Ayinde (Orbit UK; Saga) [F] amazon / bookshop
- Acts of God, Kanan Gill (HarperCollins India 2024; Blackstone) [SF] amazon / bookshop
- Red Rabbit Ghost, Jen Julian (Run For It) [H] amazon / bookshop
- When Devils Sing, Xan Kaur (Holt; First Ink UK) [H] amazon / bookshop
- Dwelling, Emily Hunt Kivel (Farrar, Straus, Giroux) [F] amazon / bookshop
- Awake in the Floating City, Susanna Kwan (Pantheon; Simon & Schuster UK) [SF] amazon / bookshop
- Luminous, Silvia Park (Simon & Schuster; Magpie) [SF] amazon / bookshop
Archive of Unknown Universes, Ruben Reyes Jr. (Mariner; Footnote UK) [SF] amazon / bookshop- North Sun, Or The Voyage of the Whaleship Esther, Ethan Rutherford (A Strange Object) [H] amazon / bookshop
- Nothing in the Basement, Romie Stott (Dybbuk) [H] amazon / bookshop
- Blob, Maggie Su (Harper; Sceptre UK) [F] amazon / bookshop
- Song of Spores, Bogi Takács (Broken Eye) amazon / bookshop
- Sour Cherry, Natalia Theodoridou (Tin House; Wildfire UK) [F] amazon / bookshop
TRANSLATED NOVELS
On the Calculation of Volume III, Solvej Balle, tr. Sophia Hersi Smith & Jennifer Russell (New Directions; Faber & Faber) [SF] amazon / bookshop- The Unworthy, Agustina Bazterrica, tr. Sarah Moses (Scribner; Pushkin UK) [H] amazon / bookshop
- The Village at the Edge of Noon, Darya Bobyleva, tr. Ilona Yazhbin Chavasse (Angry Robot) [H] amazon / bookshop
- The Midnight Shift, Cheon Seon-Ran, tr. Gene Png (Bloomsbury UK; Bloomsbury US) [H] amazon / bookshop
- A Thousand Blues, Cheon Seon-Ran, tr. Chi-Young Kim (Doubleday UK) [SF] amazon / bookshop
Red Sword, Bora Chung, tr. Anton Hur (Honford Star) [SF] amazon / bookshop- The Midnight Timetable, Bora Chung, tr. Anton Hur (Algonquin) [H] amazon / bookshop
- Ice, Jacek Dukaj, tr. Ursula Phillips (Head of Zeus) [SF] amazon / bookshop
- School of Shards, Marina & Sergey Dyachenko, tr. Julia Meitov Hersey (Harper Voyager US) [F] amazon / bookshop
- Dead Souls, Han Song, tr. Michael Berry (AmazonCrossing) [SF] amazon / bookshop
- The Place of Shells, Mai Ishizawa, tr. Polly Barton (New Directions; Sceptre UK) [F] amazon / bookshop
- We Computers, Hamid Ismailov, tr. Shelley Fairweather-Vega (Yale UP) [SF] amazon / bookshop
- Blood for the Undying Throne, Sung-il Kim, tr. Anton Hur (Tor) [F] amazon / bookshop
- Artificial Truth, J.M. Lee, tr. Sean Lin Halbert (AmazonCrossing) [SF] amazon / bookshop
- Sea Now, Eva Meijer, tr. Anne Thompson Melo (Two Lines; Peirene UK) [SF] amazon / bookshop
Vanishing World, Sayaka Murata, tr. Ginny Tapley Takemori (Grove; Granta UK) [SF] amazon / bookshop- Dengue Boy, Michel Nieva, tr. Rahul Bery (Astra House; Serpent’s Tail) [SF] amazon / bookshop
- Into the Sun, C.F. Ramuz, tr. Olivia Baes & Emma Ramadan (New Directions) [SF] amazon / bookshop
- The Wax Child, Olga Ravn, tr. Martin Aitken (New Directions; Viking UK) [F] amazon / bookshop
COLLECTIONS
- Call and Response, Christopher Caldwell (Neon Hemlock) amazon / bookshop
- The Other Shore, Rebecca Campbell (Stelliform) amazon / bookshop
-
Moon Songs, Carol Emshwiller (Third Man) amazon / bookshop - Haunted Ecologies and Other Stories, Corey Farrenkopf (JournalStone) amazon / bookshop
- The House of Illusionists, Vanessa Fogg (Interstellar Flight) amazon / bookshop
- Letters from an Imaginary Country, Theodora Goss (Tachyon) amazon / bookshop
- Uncertain Sons and Other Stories, Thomas Ha (Undertow) amazon / bookshop
- Bright Dead Star, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean) amazon / bookshop
- Histories Within Us, Matthew Kressel (Senses Five) amazon / bookshop
- Sinkhole, and Other Inexplicable Voids, Leyna Krow (Penguin) amazon / bookshop
- Changelog, Rich Larson (Fairwood) amazon / bookshop
The Essential Patricia A. McKillip, Patricia A. McKillip (Tachyon) amazon / bookshop- One Message Remains, Premee Mohamed (Psychopomp) amazon / bookshop
- Teenage Girls Can Be Demons, Hailey Piper (Titan UK) amazon / bookshop
- The Revelation Space Collection Volumes 1 & 2, Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz) amazon / bookshop
- Masters of Science Fiction: Pamela Sargent, Pamela Sargent (Centipede)
- Crows and Silences, Lucius Shepard (Subterranean) amazon / bookshop
- Tell Me Yours, I’ll Tell You Mine, Kristina Ten (Stillhouse) amazon / bookshop
- Portalmania, Debbie Urbanski (Simon & Schuster) amazon / bookshop
- A Catalog of Storms, Fran Wilde (Fairwood) amazon / bookshop
ANTHOLOGIES
Night & Day, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Saga) amazon / bookshop- Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology, Julie C. Day, Carina Bissett & Craig Laurance Gidney, eds. (Essential Dreams) amazon / bookshop
- These Bodies Ain’t Broken, Madeline Dyer, ed. (Page Street) amazon / bookshop
- The End of the World As We Know It, Christopher Golden & Brian Keene, eds. (Gallery) amazon / bookshop
- Will This Be a Problem, Somto Ihezue & Olivia Kidula, eds. (Shilitza) amazon
- Bandigoat: A Collection of Strange & Horrible Tales, Rakesh Khanna, ed. (Blaft)
- We Will Rise Again, Karen Lord, Annalee Newitz & Malka Older, eds. (Saga) amazon / bookshop
- Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity, Lee Mandelo, ed. (Erewhon) amazon / bookshop
As the Earth Dreams: Black Canadian Speculative Stories, Terese Mason Pierre, ed. (Spiderline) amazon / bookshop- Signos: A Fiction Anthology of Filipino Supernatural, Tilde Acuña, John Bengan et al eds. (Radix)
- The Black Fantastic, andré m. carrington, ed. (Library of America) amazon / bookshop
- The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Seventeen, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Night Shade) amazon / bookshop
- The Year’s Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 9, Allan Kaster, ed. (Infinivox) amazon / bookshop
- The Year’s Top Tales of Space and Time 5, Allan Kaster, ed. (Infinivox) amazon / bookshop
- The Year’s Top Robot and AI Stories: Sixth Annual Collection, Allan Kaster, ed. (Infinivox) amazon / bookshop
- The Best Weird Fiction of the Year: Volume 1, Michael Kelly, ed. (Undertow) amazon / bookshop
Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction: Volume Three, Stephen Kotowych, ed. (Ansible) amazon - The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025, Nnedi Okorafor & John Joseph Adams, eds. (Mariner) amazon / bookshop
NON-FICTION
- The Outspoken and the Incendiary, Terry Bisson (PM) amazon / bookshop
- Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, Keith Cooper (Reaktion) amazon / bookshop
- Enshittification, Cory Doctorow (MCD) amazon / bookshop
- Colourfields, Paul Kincaid (Briardene) amazon
- Spring, Summer, Asteroid, Bird: The Art of Eastern Storytelling, Henry Lien (Norton) amazon / bookshop
- Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler, Susana M. Morris (Amistad) amazon / bookshop
- Black Apocalypse: Afrofuturism at the End of the World, Tavia Nyong’o (University of California Press) amazon / bookshop
- Dreaming of Autonomous Vehicles: Miloslav (Miles) J. Breuer, Jaroslav Olsa (Space Cowboy) amazon / bookshop
Racebook: A Personal History of the Internet, Tochi Onyebuchi (Roxane Gay) amazon / bookshop- The Ultimate Cosmos: How a 1933 Serial Novel Reshaped Science Fiction, David Ritter & Daniel Ritter, eds. (First Fandom Experience)
- Dispelling Fantasies: Authors of Color Reimagine a Genre, Joy Sanchez-Taylor (Ohio State University Press) amazon / bookshop
- Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature, Becky Siegel Spratford, ed. (Saga) amazon / bookshop
- Reimagining Science Fiction, Gary Westfahl, ed. (McFarland) amazon / bookshop
- Space Ships! Ray Guns! Martian Octopods!: Interviews with Science Fiction Legends, Richard Wolinsky, ed. (Tachyon) amazon / bookshop
- Octavia E. Butler: H is for Horse, Chi-ming Yang (Oxford University Press) amazon / bookshop
ILLUSTRATED AND ART BOOKS
- The Invisible Parade, Leigh Bardugo & John Picacio (Little, Brown) amazon / bookshop
- Frank Frazetta: Fine Lines, Sara Frazetta & Arnie Fenner, eds., art by Frank Frazetta (Frazetta Girls) amazon
- The Art of Gervasio Gallardo, Gervasio Gallardo (Centipede)
- Bob Haberfield: The Man and His Art, Ben Haberfield, ed., art by Bob Haberfield (Jayde Design UK)
- Starling House, Alix E. Harrow, art by Rovina Cai (Subterranean) amazon / bookshop
- The Art of Kelogsloops: From Sketch to Finish, Kelogsloops (3dtotal) amazon / bookshop
- Designing Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, Paul Kidby (Harper; Doubleday UK) amazon / bookshop
- The Fantastic Art of Ron Turner, John Lawrence (Telos) amazon
- Carmilla, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, art by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (Beehive) amazon
- Sentience, Vanessa Lemen (Spiridon Giannakis & Éditions Caurette)
- The Last Battle at the End of the World, Jeffrey Alan Love (Flesk) amazon / bookshop
- Graciela in the Abyss, Meg Medina, art by Anna & Elena Balbusso (Candlewick) amazon / bookshop
- The Space Cat, Nnedi Okorafor, art by Tana Ford (First Second) amazon / bookshop
- Illustrations & Illuminations: A Meditation on Thirty-Five Years of Illustration, Comics, and Pop Culture, James A. Owen (Coppervale)
- The Verdant Companion, Stephanie Pui-Mun Law (Llewellyn) amazon / bookshop
- Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene Volumes 1-3, adapted by Rebecca K. Reynolds, art by Justin Gerard (Sky Turtle) amazon
- Infected by Art Volume 13, Todd Spoor & Bill Cox, eds. (Dynamite)
- Sunset at Zero Point, Simon Stålenhag (as Swedish Machines Free League Sweden; Saga US) amazon / bookshop
- Faraway Dreaming, Ulla Thynell (Atthis Arts)
- Icons of the Fantastic: Illustrations of Imaginative Literature from the Korshak Collection, Amanda T. Zehnder & David M. Brinley, eds. (University of Delaware Press) amazon / bookshop
NOVELLAS
- The Orb of Cairado, Katherine Addison (Subterranean) amazon / bookshop
- The Iron Below Remembers, Sharang Biswas (Neon Hemlock) amazon / bookshop
- The Adventure of the Demonic Ox, Lois McMaster Bujold (Spectrum) amazon
- Redundancies and Potentials, Dominique Dickey (Neon Hemlock) amazon / bookshop
- No Such Thing as Duty, Lara Elena Donnelly (Neon Hemlock) amazon / bookshop
- The River Has Roots, Amal El-Mohtar (Tordotcom) amazon / bookshop
- “Murder on the Eris Express“, Beth Goder (Analog 3-4/25)
- What Stalks the Deep, T. Kingfisher (Nightfire) amazon / bookshop
- Apprehension, Mary Robinette Kowal (Apprehension/Red Star Hustle) amazon / bookshop
- “Quantum Ghosts“, Nancy Kress (Asimov’s 3-4/25, 5-6/25)
- The Death of Mountains, Jordan Kurella (Lethe) amazon / bookshop
- The Dead Withheld, L.D. Lewis (Neon Hemlock) amazon / bookshop
- Cinder House, Freya Marske (Tordotcom) amazon / bookshop
- “The Hidden God“, T.R. Napper (Asimov’s 3-4/25)
- Automatic Noodle, Annalee Newitz (Tordotcom) amazon / bookshop
- “Those Uncaring Waves“, Yukimi Ogawa (Clarkesworld 3/25)
- Starstruck, Aimee Ogden (Psychopomp)
- “The Chronolithographer’s Assistant“, Suzanne Palmer (Asimov’s 7-8/25)
- Making History, K.J. Parker (Tordotcom) amazon / bookshop
- But Not Too Bold, Hache Pueyo (Tordotcom) amazon / bookshop
- The Dagger in Vichy, Alastair Reynolds (Subterranean) amazon / bookshop
- Psychopomp & Circumstance, Eden Royce (Tordotcom) amazon / bookshop
- No One To Hold the Distant Dead, K.L. Schroeder (Psychopomp)
- The Oblivion Bride, Caitlin Starling (Neon Hemlock) amazon / bookshop
- “Descent“, Wole Talabi (Clarkesworld 5/25)
- Lives of Bitter Rain, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Head of Zeus) amazon / bookshop
- “The Apologists“, Tade Thompson (Clarkesworld 11/25)
- A Mouthful of Dust, Nghi Vo (Tordotcom) amazon / bookshop
- Don’t Sleep with the Dead, Nghi Vo (Tordotcom) amazon / bookshop
- Murder by Memory, Olivia Waite (Tordotcom) amazon / bookshop
- Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame, Neon Yang (Tordotcom) amazon / bookshop
NOVELETTES
- “Heart of Thunder“, Raahem Alvi (Clarkesworld 8/25)
- “The Witch and the Wyrm“, Elizabeth Bear (Reactor 2/26/25)
- “Garden of the Bloodpotter“, Erin Brown (Psychopomp 9/25)
- “With Only a Razor Between“, Martin Cahill (Reactor 8/13/25)
- “Our Echoes Drifting Through the Marsh“, Marie Croke (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 1/9/25)
- “A Tide of Paper“, Leah Cypess (Asimov’s 9-10/25)
- “Barnacle“, Kate Elliott (Reactor 11/5/25)
- “Last Train from Deadwall“, André Geleynse (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 5/29/25)
- “Horror Vacui“, A.V. Greene (GigaNotoSaurus 4/25)
- “Uncertain Sons“, Thomas Ha (Uncertain Sons)
- “Shadow Jack“, CL Hellisen (GigaNotoSaurus 5/25)
- “We Begin Where Infinity Ends“, Somto Ihezue (Clarkesworld 2/25)
- “Shorted“, Alex Irvine (Reactor 7/30/25)
- “The Shadow on the Nest“, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Uncanny 9-10/25)
- “What I Saw Before the War“, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Reactor 1/22/25)
- “The Sack of Burley Cottage“, Rich Larson (Reactor 6/25/25)
- “Kaiju Agonistes“, Scott Lynch (Uncanny 1-2/25)
- “The Tin Man’s Ghost“, Ray Nayler (Asimov’s 5-6/25)
- “Never Eaten Vegetables“, H.H. Pak (Clarkesworld 1/25)
- “The Millay Illusion“, Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny 11-12/25)
- “The Many Sins of Clara Greenstone“, Hailey Piper (Teenage Girls Can Be Demons)
- “It Holds Her in the Palm of One Hand“, Lowry Poletti (Lightspeed 2/25, 3/25)
- “Regarding the Childhood of Morrigan, Who Was Chosen to Open the Way“, Benjamin Rosenbaum (Reactor 11/19/25)
- “We, the Fleet“, Alex T. Singer (Clarkesworld 5/25)
- “Tenth Contact“, Bruce & Paul Di Filippo Sterling (Asimov’s 9-10/25)
- “After the Invasion of the Bug-Eyed Aliens“, Rachel Swirsky (Reactor 3/19/25)
- “The City of Tears“, Molly Tanzer (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 4/3/25)
- “The Temporary Murder of Thomas Monroe“, Tia Tashiro (Clarkesworld 1/25)
- “Bunny Ears“, Kristina Ten (Nightmare 8/25)
- “Mindtrips“, Tlotlo Tsamaase (Clarkesworld 3/25)
- “When He Calls Your Name“, Catherynne M. Valente (Uncanny 7-8/25)
- “The Twenty-One Second God“, Peter Watts (Lightspeed 6/25)
- “The Creator“, Aliya Whiteley (NewCon Press) amazon / bookshop
- “A Random Walk Through the Goblin Library“, Chris Willrich (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 10/16/25)
- “Wolf Moon, Antler Moon“, A.C. Wise (Reactor 1/13/25)
- “Phantom View“, John Wiswell (Reactor 10/22/25)
- “Symbiotic“, Carolyn Zhao (Clarkesworld 4/25)
SHORT STORIES
- “Magical Girl Antifa War Machine“, Esther Alter (Escape Pod 5/22/25)
- “Hot Teeth“, Sylvie Althoff (Lesbians in Space)
- “Chickenfoot Soup“, Marika Bailey (Lightspeed 1/25)
- “Secret Night“, Nathan Ballingrud (Night & Day)
- “The Hungry Mouth at the Edge of Space and the Goddess Knitting at Home“, Renan Bernardo (Reactor 8/27/25)
- “Toothpaste Feelings“, Sharang Biswas (khōréō 5.3)
- “The Night Market“, Erin Brown (Skull & Laurel 7/25)
- “In the Halls of the Makeshift King“, Tobias S. Buckell (Asimov’s 7-8/25)
- “Last Meal Aboard the Awassa“, Kel Coleman (Lightspeed 9/25)
- “It Grows Back“, Grant Collier (Cast of Wonders 10/31/25)
- “When the Devil Comes From Babylon“, Maya Deane (Amplitudes)
- “The Peculiarities of Hunger“, Woody Dismukes (khōréō 5.2)
- “Drown-Haunted“, Corey Farrenkopf (Flash Fiction Online 3/25)
- “Arachnomorphosis“, Beth Goder (Strange Horizons 2/17/25)
- “Drosera regina“, A.L. Goldfuss (Lightspeed 10/25)
- “In My Country“, Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld 4/25)
- “Highway 1, Past Hope“, Maria Haskins (The Deadlands Spring ’25)
- “The Piano Player Has Eight Arms“, Íde Hennessy (Reckoning 2/17/25)
- “How to Cook with the Negative Space in Your Grandmother’s Recipes“, Jennifer Hudak (Worlds of Possibility 2/25)
- “The Nine Crashes of Flight Lieutenant Hilla Quinn“, Louise Hughes (Kaleidotrope Autumn ’25)
- “Woodpecker, Warbler, Mussel, Thrush“, Ruth Joffre (PodCastle 11/4/25)
- “Domestic Disputes“, Naomi Kanakia (Lightspeed 7/25)
- “Freediver“, Isabel J. Kim (Reactor 9/24/25)
- “Wire Mother“, Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld 10/25)
- “Standardized Test“, Seoung Kim (Lightspeed 2/25)
- “The Shape of Stones“, Hildur Knútsdóttir (Reactor 3/12/25)
- “The Last Lunar New Year“, Derek Künsken (Clarkesworld 6/25)
- “Other Wars Elsewhere“, R.B. Lemberg (We Will Rise Again)
- “The Memory Technician“, Ian Li (Small Wonders 3/25)
- “his love’s ashes on his tongue“, Monte Lin (The Deadlands Winter ’25)
- “The Year the Sheep God Shattered“, Marissa Lingen (Diabolical Plots 1/25)
- “A Recipe for Immortality (Serves 2)“, Shreejita Majumder (Tales & Feathers Volume 3)
- “The Ache of Hollow Places“, Avra Margariti (Strange Horizons Fund Drive 2025)
- “The Heart Is Hungry Above All Things“, Avra Margariti (Three-Lobed Burning Eye 6/25)
- “The Library of the Apocalypse“, Rati Mehrotra (Clarkesworld 5/25)
- “Conversations With You“, Teresa Milbrodt (Baffling 4/25)
- “Courtney Lovecraft’s Book of the Dead“, Sam J. Miller (Nightmare 10/25)
- “My Heart in a Snow Globe“, Archita Mittra (PseudoPod 7/11/25)
- “möbius loop“, Samir Sirk Morató (khōréō 5.1)
- “Full, Empty Houses“, Plangdi Neple (Kaleidotrope Spring ’25)
- “How To Rob A Bullion Van“, Plangdi Neple (Baffling 4/25)
- “Because I Held His Name Like a Key“, Aimee Ogden (Strange Horizons 6/16/25)
- “Fear of the Dark“, Benjamin Percy (Night & Day)
- “Tell Them a Story to Teach Them Kindness“, B. Pladek (Lightspeed 1/25)
- “Coda“, Arula Ratnakar (Future Tense Fiction 3/28/25)
- “Landline“, Kelly Robson (Reactor 3/5/25)
- “The Magnolia Returns“, Eden Royce (PodCastle 10/21/25)
- “Julius Cheeks: The Cook With No Voice“, L.M. Spann (Fiyah Winter ’25)
- “Four Questions with Something Like God“, Carlie St. George (The Dark 1/25)
- “Crisis Actors“, Maddison Stoff & Corey Jae White (Strange Horizons 1/20/25)
- “Mavka“, A.D. Sui (PseudoPod 2/21/25)
- “On an Unusual Kind of Spatially Distributed Haunting“, Bogi Takács (Lightspeed 9/25)
- “Missing Helen“, Tia Tashiro (Clarkesworld 7/25)
- “Prime Purpose“, Steve Rasnic Tem (Analog 1-2/25)
- “Head of the Household“, Kristina Ten (F(r)iction Winter ’25)
- “Slipcraft“, Jarune Uwujaren (Fiyah Winter ’25)
- “Woolly“, Carrie Vaughn (Asimov’s 5-6/25)
- “Schadenfreude“, Liza Wemakor (Fiyah Spring ’25)
- “Escape Pod 1007: 35 / F / Lane’s Creek, Oklahoma“, Hans Ege Wenger (Escape Pod 8/21/25)
- “Things You Learn As a Werewolf (That Will Come In Handy Later)“, Morgan Wilson (Baffling 7/25)
- “Autogas Ferryman“, Champ Wongsatayanont (Nightmare 9/25)
- “Pandora’s Formula“, Hannah Yang (Strange Horizons 4/14/25)
- “The Octopus Dreams of Personhood“, Hannah Yang (Diabolical Plots 4/16/25)
Good reading to you all! Please email us with any errors or typos you see. Thank you!
[Edited to move Song of Spores to 1st Novel.]
HBO Still Loyal to ‘House of the Dragon’ Despite Creative Strife @ io9
Behind the scenes turmoil isn't stopping the network's excitement for the return of 'House of the Dragon' later in 2026.
Trump’s Pick for Fed Chair Points to Growing Bitcoin-Dollar Synthesis @ io9
Warsh's hawkish stance on Fed policy may have disappointed the crypto world, but he said Bitcoin was effectively gold for anyone under the age of 40.
Study: Used EVs Are The Cheapest Vehicles To Own @ io9
A lot of people leased EVs three years ago, and now they're turning them in. You should probably buy one.
HBO Knows ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Should Get a Season 2 @ io9
If you're wanting more 'Welcome to Derry,' you better hope the Muschiettis come up with a good enough reason to take you back to town.
Don’t You Dare ‘Misinterpret’ Elon Musk’s Epstein Emails. Just the Facts Are Bad Enough @ io9
Sorry, but what is the correct interpretation supposed to be?
The Original ‘Saw’ Team Is Leading the Franchise’s Return @ io9
James Wan and Leigh Whannell are reuniting to revitalize 'Saw' and make it scary franchise again.
Hollywood Mourns the Surprise Death of Catherine O’Hara @ io9
Actors and directors remember Catherine O'Hara as one of the greats and gone too soon.
Rokid AI Glasses Style Review: Surprisingly Tough Competition for Meta’s Ray-Ban @ io9
Meta might have some real competition.
xAI Wants to Hire Award-Winning Writers to Train Elon Musk’s Stupid AI Chatbot @ io9
How many award-winning writers are desperate enough to train Grok?
The Super Bowl Will Test New Device for Blind Fans Who Want to Enjoy the Big Game @ io9
The NFL and OneCourt are providing about 10 Super Bowl attendees a device that translates live gameplay into tactile feedback.
‘Florida Man’s Home’ Is the Most Florida Thing Imaginable, and It Might Be Coming to Airbnb @ io9
Does YOUR house have a tribute to 'Jaws' out back?
From the 2025 Recommended Reading List: Sunward by William Alexander @ Locus Online
Here’s a highlight from our 2025 Recommended Reading List: Sunward by William Alexander, out from Saga.
A 2026 Philip K. Dick Award Finalist
A debut science fiction novel by National Book Award-winning writer William Alexander, this story of found family follows a planetary courier training adolescent androids in a solar system grappling with interplanetary conflict after a devastating explosion on Earth’s moon. This a must-read for fans of Becky Chambers and Ursula K. Le Guin. Lovers of poignant science fiction, where the bonds of found family, the evolution of AI, and the building distrust of centuries of bias, come together in this visionary look at humanity’s future,
Captain Tova Lir chose a life as a courier rather than get involved in her family’s illustrious business in politics. Set in humanity’s far future, hiring a planetary courier is essential for delivering private messages across the stars.
Encouraged by friends, Tova begins mentoring baby bots, juvenile AI who are developmentally in their teens, and trains them how to interact within society essentially becoming their foster mom. Her latest charge, Agatha Panza von Sparkles, named herself on their first run from Luna to Phoebe station. But on their return, they encounter a derelict spaceship and a lurking assassin, igniting a thrilling chase across the solar system.
Tova and Agatha’s daring actions leave Agatha’s mind vulnerable, relying on Tova’s former AI pupils for help. As Tova starts gathering her scattered family around her, she is chased through the solar system by forces who want her captured and her family erased.
Don’t forget to vote in the Locus Awards for your favorite titles from 2025 at the Locus Awards Poll & Survey.
[sponsored post, email for promotion details]
Issue 781 Table of Contents, February 2026 @ Locus Online
The February 2026 Locus magazine, issue #781, is the annual Year in Review overview with the Locus 2025 Recommended Reading List, essays from our reviewers and others recommending their favorite books, and magazine and book summaries tracking the progress of the industry. The issue also features an interview with Nnedi Okorafor. News includes the Philip K. Dick Award nominees, changes to Must Read’s contract language, Patrick Nielsen Hayden’s retirement from Tor, the hospitalization of Asimov’s editor Sheila Williams, and more. Obituaries and appreciations remember Terence M. Green, M. Christian, Pierre Bordage, and Patrick Delahunt. Reviews cover new works by Tim Powers, K.J. Parker, Jo Walton & Ada Palmer, Margot Harrison, Allan Kaster, (ed.), Aliya Whiteley, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Francis Spufford, George Saunders, Kristina Ten, M. Darusha Wehm, Jasmin Kirkbride, Paul McAuley, A.D. Sui, Gurnaik Johal, L.S. Stratton, Kate Quinn, Harper Ross, Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Sam Munson, Cullen Bunn, John Fram, Joe Lansdale, Moniquill Blackgoose, and others.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
February 2026 • Issue 781 • Vol. 96 • No. 2
58th Year of Publication • 30-Time Hugo Winner
Cover art by Greg Ruth. Cover and interview design by Francesca Myman.
INTERVIEW / 10
Nnedi Okorafor: Global Perspective
MAIN STORIES / 6
Philip K. Dick Nominees • Must Read Changes Contract Language • Nielsen Hayden Retires From Tor • Asimov’s Editor Sheila Williams Hospitalized
THE DATA FILE / 7
SFWA Announces LLM Nebula Awards Rules • LAcon V Adds Tracey Baptiste as Special Guest • 2026 Heinlein Society Scholarships Open • SFPA President’s Lifetime Service Award • 2025 Diverse Writers and Diverse Worlds Grants Winners • Prometheus Hall of Fame Finalists • AnLab Award and Asimov’s Readers’ Awards • Splatterpunk Awards Nominees • Fox Wins Inaugural Ark Press Prize • Spate of Scams and Schemes Flood Email • Financial News • International Rights • Audio Rights
PEOPLE & PUBLISHING / 8
Notes on milestones, awards, books sold, etc., with news this issue about James Patterson, Kevin J. Anderson, Won-pyung Sohn, Linda Quinton and many others.
THE YEAR IN REVIEW / 25
2025 Recommended Reading List, 26 • 2025 Recommeneded Reading by Liza Groen Trombi (with Eleanor Trombla, Bob Blough, Alice Strangeman, Maya St. Clair & Francesca Myman), Gary K. Wolfe, Archita Mittra, Ian Mond, Colleen Mondor, Tim Melody Pratt, Arley Sorg, Jake Casella Brookins, Alex Brown, Alexandra Pierce, Eugen Bacon, Maria Haskins, Russell Letson, A.C. Wise, Graham Sleight, Niall Harrison, and Rachel S. Cordasco, 32 • 2025 Book Summary, 54 • 2025 Magazine Summary, 59
SPECIAL FEATURES
Photo Story: Brooklyn Books & Booze, 87
LISTINGS
Magazines Received: December, 69 • Bestsellers, 70 • New & Notable Books: December, 71 • Books Received: December, 72
OBITUARIES / 89
Terence M. Green • M. Christian • Appreciation by Cecilia Tan • Pierre Bordage • Patrick Delahunt
EDITORIAL MATTERS / 90
Short Fiction Reviews by MARIA HASKINS / 12
Fantasy Magazine 12/25; PodCastle 11/18/25; Cast of Wonders 11/18/25, 11/20/25; Beneath Ceaseless Skies 12/11/25; Lightspeed 12/25; Small Wonders 12/25; Bourbon Penn 11/25.
Short Fiction Reviews by A.C. WISE / 14
Clarkesworld 12/25; Augur 8.2; Analog 11-12/25.
Reviews by GARY K. WOLFE / 15
The Mills of the Gods, Tim Powers; Sister Svangerd and the Not Quite Dead, K.J. Parker; Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Jo Walton & Ada Palmer.
Reviews by ALEXANDRA PIERCE / 16
The Library of Fates, Margot Harrison; The Year’s Best Science Fiction on Earth 3, Allan Kaster, ed.
Reviews by ABIGAIL NUSSBAUM / 17
The Misheard World, Aliya Whiteley; Pretenders to the Throne of God, Adrian Tchaikovsky.
Reviews by IAN MOND / 18
Nonesuch, Francis Spufford; Vigil, George Saunders; The Misheard World, Aliya Whiteley; Tell Me Yours, I’ll Tell You Mine, Kristina Ten.
Reviews by NIALL HARRISON / 20
The Department of What It (Really) Means to be Human, M. Darusha Wehm; The Forest on the Edge of Time, Jasmin Kirkbride; Loss Protocol, Paul McAuley; The Iron Garden Sutra, A.D. Sui; SHORT TAKE: Saraswati, Gurnaik Johal.
Reviews by COLLEEN MONDOR / 22
Sundown Girls, L.S. Stratton; The Astral Library, Kate Quinn; The Unwritten Rules of Magic, Harper Ross.
Reviews by GABINO IGLESIAS / 23
Darker Days, Thomas Olde Heuvelt; The Sofa, Sam Munson; Bones of Our Stars, Blood of Our World, Cullen Bunn; The Midnight Knock, John Fram; The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale, Joe Lansdale.
Reviews by ALEX BROWN / 24
To Ride a Rising Storm, Moniquill Blackgoose.
Books reviews in this issue (indicating reviewer) —
Blackgoose, Moniquill • To Ride a Rising Storm (Alex Brown)
Bunn, Cullen • Bones of Our Stars, Blood of Our World (Gabino Iglesias)
Fram, John • The Midnight Knock (Gabino Iglesias)
Harrison, Margot • The Library of Fates (Alexandra Pierce)
Johal, Gurnaik • Saraswati (Niall Harrison)
Kaster, Allan, ed. • The Year’s Best Science Fiction on Earth 3 (Alexandra Pierce)
Kirkbride, Jasmin • The Forest on the Edge of Time (Niall Harrison)
Lansdale, Joe R. • The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale (Gabino Iglesias)
McAuley, Paul • Loss Protocol (Niall Harrison)
Munson, Sam • The Sofa (Gabino Iglesias)
Olde Heuvelt, Thomas • Darker Days (Gabino Iglesias)
Parker, K. J. • Sister Svangerd and the Not Quite Dead (Gary K. Wolfe)
Powers, Tim • The Mills of the Gods (Gary K. Wolfe)
Quinn, Kate • The Astral Library (Colleen Mondor)
Ross, Harper • The Unwritten Rules of Magic (Colleen Mondor)
Saunders, George • Vigil (Ian Mond)
Spufford, Francis • Nonesuch (Ian Mond)
Stratton, L. S. • Sundown Girls (Colleen Mondor)
Sui, A. D. • The Iron Garden Sutra (Niall Harrison)
Tchaikovsky, Adrian • Pretenders to the Throne of God (Abigail Nussbaum)
Ten, Kristina • Tell Me Yours, I’ll Tell You Mine (Ian Mond)
Walton, Jo, & Ada Palmer • Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy (Gary K. Wolfe)
Wehm, M. Darusha • The Department of What It (Really) Means to be Human (Niall Harrison)
Whiteley, Aliya • The Misheard World (Abigail Nussbaum)
Whiteley, Aliya • The Misheard World (Ian Mond)
#SFF #sciencefiction #fantasy #books #booksky #bookreviews
The Success of ‘Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Is Already Influencing HBO’s Other ‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff Plans @ io9
He may be tall, but Dunk's adventures could mean HBO's future in Westeros looks a little smaller in scale than initially planned.
Japan Botched a Satellite Launch in One of the Weirdest Ways Possible @ io9
Japan's H3 rocket lost its payload fairing around 4 minutes after launch, leaving a satellite exposed and hanging on for dear life.
AI Agents Have Their Own Social Network Now, and They Would Like a Little Privacy @ io9
Moltbook is a place for chatbots to link and connect with other chatbots, and all we can do is watch.
February’s Lego Releases Want You to Catch ‘Em All @ io9
Lego is following its blockbuster January with one of its biggest new lines in years: Pokémon.
George R.R. Martin Almost Planned a Very Different Kind of Targaryen Power for ‘Game of Thrones’ @ io9
There have been some hints of it in 'House of the Dragon' and 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.'
Elon Musk Emailed With Jeffrey Epstein to Plan Island Visits in 2012 and 2014 @ io9
Epstein wrote an email to Musk in 2013 discussing a visit with four "assistants," newly released DOJ documents show.
Could Poop Pills Be a Secret Weapon Against Cancer? @ io9
Two new studies highlight the potential of fecal microbiota transplantation as a boon to cancer immunotherapy.
Tananarive Due and Stephen Graham Jones Are 2026 Locus Awards Guests of Honor @ Locus Online
Locus is thrilled to announce two of the field’s talented and award-winning authors, Tananarive Due and Stephen Graham Jones, will be headlining the 2026 Locus Awards as Guests of Honor this May. Novelists Due (The Reformatory, a NYT Notable Book) and Jones (The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, NYT Bestseller) will grace the stage in Berkeley, California, on May 30, 2026, as we celebrate the science fiction, fantasy, and horror works and creators of the last year.
And for the first time, this year’s ceremony will be held in partnership with the Bay Area Book Festival, a centerpiece event for the Bay Area celebrating the literary arts under the festival’s 2026 theme “Writing the Future.” The collaboration will create an exciting weekend of events and conversation for all readers, with more guests and full programming still to be announced.
More details about the guests and the weekend’s events can be found on the official 2026 Locus Awards page.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the Locus Awards this year during the Bay Area Book Festival weekend,” said J.K. Fowler, Executive Director of the Bay Area Book Festival. “Their enduring commitment to honoring visionary voices across speculative genres mirrors our own dedication to celebrating the breadth and brilliance of contemporary literature. It’s an honor to bring our communities together in recognition of such transformative work.”
Liza Groen Trombi, Publisher of Locus Magazine, said “‘Writing the Future’ is a concept Locus has been excited about for more than 50 years, and we’re so pleased that our two Bay Area groups can come together to create an exciting event for readers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and book lovers of all genres. And we can’t wait to welcome Stephen Graham Jones and Tananarive Due — two truly talented voices in the field — to the Locus Awards stage as our guests of honor.”
More guests, events, panels and workshops at both the Locus Awards and the Bay Area Book Festival will be announced in the coming months.
About the Locus Awards:
The Locus Awards have been held since 1971 to celebrate the best in science fiction, fantasy, and horror publishing, and are voted for by readers of Locus magazine and the public. Prior winners include Isaac Asimov, Octavia E. Butler, Ted Chiang, Ursula K. Le Guin, Nnedi Okorafor, and G.R.R. Martin, with R.F. Kuang, N.K. Jemisin, T. Kingfisher, Sheree Renée Thomas, and Martha Wells among recent years’ winners. This year’s event will include panel discussions, live conversations and workshops, as well as the live awards banquet and ceremony.
About the Bay Area Book Festival:
The Bay Area Book Festival, now in its 12th year, is a cultural celebration and critical gathering space where activists, authors, and audiences can unite around today’s most urgent issues and uplift marginalized voices. The festival fosters an inclusive culture where participants—staff, volunteers, authors, exhibitors, patrons, and attendees—feel empowered to contribute to our collective future.
Seeing Is Believing at Your Own Peril in ‘After God’ @ io9
Sumi Eno's dystopian fantasy manga is a criminally underrated hidden gem that's writing circles around its contemporaries.
Google’s Project Genie Is Not for You @ io9
Google tries the Yann LeCun approach.
US Declassifies Vintage Spy Satellite With a Wildly Lopsided Orbit @ io9
JUMPSEAT launched from 1971 to 1987 to collect intelligence during the Cold War-era.
Catherine O’Hara, Star of ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Home Alone,’ Has Died @ io9
The comedic legend also starred in 'Schitt's Creek,' 'Best in Show,' 'The Last of Us,' and so much more.
This Robot Hand Pops Off and Crawls. I Hate It So Much. @ io9
Like a robotic spider! But somehow worse!
The Next ‘Fast and Furious’ Movie Finally Has an Official Title and Release Date @ io9
It's called 'Fast Forever' and will be in theaters on March 17, 2028.
Disgraced Crypto CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Seeks Trump Pardon With Republican Pivot @ io9
SBF swears he was Republican-curious long before things went awry.
Rabbit’s Next AI Gadget Is a ‘Cyberdeck’ for Vibe Coding @ io9
Ah man, here we go again.
Turtlemania Surges as ‘TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze’ Returns to Theaters @ io9
The cult-beloved sequel celebrates its 35th anniversary with a week-long run showcasing its new 4K restoration.
RFK Jr. Stacks Key Autism Panel With Vaccine Skeptics @ io9
Several new members of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee have pushed unproven therapies for autism or misrepresented the safety of vaccines.
In a Sea of Melting Ice, These Polar Bears Are Doing Something Unexpected @ io9
Can’t remember the last time you heard good news about this threatened species? Well, here you go.
The Films and Shows You Should Be Streaming in February 2026 @ io9
We've picked out the best horror, sci-fi, and genre titles coming to Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and beyond.
Tragic Death of Canadian Backpacker Prompts Dingo Cull. Here’s Why It’s the Wrong Move @ io9
Will killing dingoes on Australia’s K’gari Island make visitors safer? These experts say it’s unlikely.
Elon Musk Considers Merging SpaceX With xAI, as He Races to Beat Sam Altman to IPO @ io9
The race for the first major AI IPO is on.
Sony Knows You Want a True PlayStation Handheld, Even Though it May Take a While @ io9
Will a PlayStation Portal with an OLED screen tide you over?
Colin Farrell’s Detective Show ‘Sugar’ Will Finally Have to Address that Wild Twist This Summer @ io9
Apple TV's neo-noir drama about a private eye with a big secret returns for season two June 19.
Amazon’s ‘God of War’ Show Finds Itself Some More Norse Gods @ io9
Plus, could the Scarlet Witch finally be getting a solo film?
Gold Has Been Acting More Like Bitcoin Lately @ io9
Gold added more than two entire Bitcoin market caps in 72 Hours.
69 New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books Coming Your Way in February @ io9
The shortest month is hardly light on new releases, with new titles from Matt Dinniman, Nnedi Okorafor, Edward Ashton, Stephen Graham Jones, and many more.
The Best Gadgets of January 2026 @ io9
If new gadgets are your thing, then there's arguably not a more fruitful month than January.
Domhnall Gleeson Can Save Us in Delightful Sundance Film ‘The Incomer’ @ io9
The 'Harry Potter' and 'Star Wars' star plays a man who has to evict two siblings living on a deserted island.
Darren Aronofsky’s New AI Series About the Revolutionary War Looks Like Dogshit @ io9
"Used to be that when Darren Aronofsky wanted to feature a dead-eyed actor, he'd just employ Jared Leto."
The Best Moment in the Worst Episode of ‘Star Trek: Voyager,’ 30 Years Later @ io9
As 'Threshold' turns 30, there's still some potential in between all the weird space amphibian sex.
Napster Is Now a Slop Farm for AI Music @ io9
Now that's what I call slop! Vol. 2.
What Is the Future of ‘Dragon Ball’ Without Akira Toriyama? @ io9
Although the recently announced 'Dragon Ball Super: Galactic Patrol' is poised to adapt one of Goku's best arcs, 'Dragon Ball' without Akira Toriyama is gonna be weird to witness.
Mercedes-Benz Says the 2027 S-Class Gives Passengers a Better Ride Through AI @ io9
Updates to the vehicle of the financial district include things you can feel, including heated seat belts.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Discussion – 1×04 “Vox in Excelso” @ Bureau 42
In which the cadets of the newly reformed Starfleet Academy do battle with their words. Jay-Den Kraag must deal with his past while confronting the future of the Klingon people.
Pronunciation tip for podcasters and youtubers: “Ex-chel-so” not “Ex-sel-so”. “CE” is a “CHE” sound in Latin. Source: Ex-Catholic that had to sing a lot of Latin.
Next-Generation Weather Satellite Captures Earth’s Atmospheric Chaos in Striking Detail @ io9
The first images from the European Space Agency’s MTG-S satellite offer an early look at how the mission will improve weather forecasting across Europe and Northern Africa.
A Waymo Robotaxi Hit a Kid by a School @ io9
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into the incident.
Apple Drops $2 Billion on Israeli AI Facial Tracking Company @ io9
Tim Cook is having a week.
Whoa, Why Has This Frozen Lake Turned Green? @ io9
Scientists say it's a rare natural phenomenon driven by pollution and—yep—climate change.
Amazon Digs Deeper Into the Comics Shelf With a ‘Sex Criminals’ Show @ io9
Prime Video's next comic target is Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky's supernaturally weird love story.
The 30-Year Nostalgia Cycle Has Me Actually Excited for a PC With Fake Floppy Drives @ io9
I know you're desperately wondering about the floppy drives in this Maingear Retro98 desktop.
‘Starfleet Academy’ Decides There Are Some Things Worth Keeping the Same @ io9
'Vox in Excelso' puts the spotlight on the academy's Klingon cadet for a check-in on what's changed—and what hasn't—with one of the most enduring 'Star Trek' species.
Kids Are Overdosing on GLP-1 Drugs, and It Can Get Dangerous Fast @ io9
Poison control calls involving GLP-1 medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide have dramatically risen in recent years.
Tesla Applies for Trademarks on ‘Cybercar’ and ‘Cybervehicle,’ But What Do They Mean? @ io9
Place your bets now.
New ‘Masters of the Universe’ Toys Will Power You Up for the Movie @ io9
While you're getting excited to see He-Man on the big screen this summer, Mattel hopes you'll keep that love going for its action figures.
It’s a Big Week for Google Privacy Violation Settlements @ io9
Get your money since you can't have your privacy.
The Computer History Museum’s New Online Portal Is a Nerd’s Dream Come True @ io9
It's the next best thing to an IRL visit.
‘Absolute Batman’ Is the Batman We Deserve in 2026 @ io9
Now is the perfect time to dive into Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta's generational DC Comics run in 'Absolute Batman.'
OpenAI Working on Social Media Network That Could Require Creepy Eye Scans: Report @ io9
Signing up for the bot-free platform will reportedly require submitting some biometric data.
The Age of the Most Distant Galaxy Ever Seen Barely Makes Any Sense @ io9
The light from MoM-z14 galaxy has been traveling through space for about 13.5 billion years.
2026 Is About to Be a Blockbuster Year for Smart Glasses @ io9
Heated competition, legal drama, and the future of tech on the line? Start writing the movie now, I guess.
‘Inception’ and ‘The Incredibles’ Among 2025’s National Film Registry Inductees @ io9
The Library of Congress deemed 'Inception', the original 'Karate Kid', and 'The Thing' worth preserving for their 'cultural, historic, or aesthetic importance.'
Shit’s Getting Real: NASA Aims for Artemis 2 Fueling Test on Saturday @ io9
The agency has bumped up the wet dress rehearsal to increase its chances of launching within the February window, but could an Arctic blast interfere?
143-Year-Old Shipwreck Emerges on a New Jersey Beach @ io9
The unfortunate ship, along with its cargo of oranges, sank in 1890 while en route to New York City.
Apple TV+ Adapting the Cosmere – Mistborn & Stormlight Confirmed! @ Worlds Without End
Huge news worth passing along.
Thanks Jay, for breaking that down for us! Excitement and trepidation in equal parts but, as the man said, “Thank God it’s not Amazon.”
Can Xbox Outlast the AI Bubble? @ io9
Microsoft is pouring money into AI, but Xbox is dragging down the company's entire hardware business.
Doctors Kept a Man Alive Without Lungs for 2 Days @ io9
The team's total artificial lung system, or TAL, bought the man precious time until a double lung transplant was viable.
SS Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ Follow Up Is Coming Next Year @ io9
'Varanasi,' starring Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, finally has a release date.
Ryan Coogler Spills the Tea on What Smoke and Stack Were Up to Before ‘Sinners’ @ io9
Before the twins had their barn-burning shindig at the juke joint, they were globe-trotting and breaking hearts.
This Spider’s ‘Pearl Necklace’ Looks Fancy—Until You Learn What It Really Is @ io9
Nature is awesome, but it can also be super gross.
6 Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Leaks That Have Already Dripped Out @ io9
With Samsung's next Unpacked event likely around the corner, Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro rumors are pouring in.
Jason Momoa Teases His ‘Pretty Gnarly’ Lobo @ io9
Plus, why we didn't get a second season of 'Hawkeye'.
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