Summer Reads 2026 from Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly

Dead Weight

Hildur Knútsdóttir, trans. from the Icelandic by Mary Robinette Kowal (Nightfire)

This nail-biter of a horror novel generates an impressive amount of suspense through chronicling the subtle shifts in the developing relationship between two Icelandic women, one of whom is trapped in a toxic relationship. Knútsdóttir crafts skillful psychological portraits of her heroines on the way to a gory and cathartic finale. It’s a sleek little volume, but it packs a powerful punch.

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Fishbone Cinderella

Elizabeth Lim (Del Rey)

Toggling between 1940s Hong Kong and 1980s San Francisco, YA author Lim’s lovely adult fantasy debut tracks a bizarre curse through two generations of the Ha family. The prose is stunning, the subtle magic is brilliantly conceived, and it’s easy to get invested in the deliciously complex mother-daughter relationship at the book’s heart.

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Ignore All Previous Instructions

Ada Hoffmann (Tachyon)

Hoffmann sets this far-future romp on a colonized Jupiter under the control of the AI megacorporation Inspiration. Against this dystopian backdrop, autistic heroine Kelli reluctantly joins a dangerous heist with her trans outlaw ex, Rowan, a smuggler of human-told stories. The fun, fast-paced plot pairs seamlessly with a timely critique of artificial intelligence and an impassioned paean to creativity.

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Sublimation

Isabel J. Kim (Tor)

Kim’s un-put-downable debut imagines a world where migration literally splits immigrants in two, leaving one self in their country of origin while the other moves to their new home. When the Soyoung Rose Kang who has lived in the U.S. since age 10 returns to Korea for her grandfather’s funeral, she comes face-to-face with the iteration of herself who stayed behind. This fresh and fascinating conceit gives rise to a taut plot and an incisive exploration of identity and assimilation.

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We Dance upon Demons

Vaishnavi Patel (Saga)

Combining entertaining elements of classic urban fantasy with blistering cultural criticism, bestseller Patel’s riveting latest follows burned-out abortion clinic volunteer Nisha as she navigates newfound powers given to her by a Hindi demon. Patel expertly balances real world and supernatural threats, and it’s immensely satisfying to witness Nisha come into her own.

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