News Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Adds Skeleton Crew and The Penguin Alums to Cast The Disney+ series comes from Jon Favreau. By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on July 1, 2025 Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm Comment 0 Share New Share Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm Jon Favreau’s Disney+ series, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, is moving forward with some casting news. According to Deadline, the young actors Ravi Cabot-Conyers (pictured above as Wim in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and who also voiced Antonio in Encanto), Mykal-Michelle Harris (Big Little Lies, Raven’s Home), and Ryder Allen (aka young Oswald in The Penguin) have joined the series. Cabot-Conyers will play Jake, “a hardworking middle school student with a big heart,” Harris will play Jen, “an artistic middle schooler who is always ahead of the game,” and Allen will play Taylor, “a middle school student who is cautious but avoids turning down his friends.” The three will presumably be the live-action component of the animation/live-action hybrid series, with Oswald being the center of the animated part. Oswald is an iconic figure for fans of Walt Disney. Walt and Ub Iwerks created the character in 1927, before a certain mouse, but moved on to Mickey since Universal held the rights to the rabbit. In 2006, Bob Iger bought the rights to Oswald and brought the rabbit back into the Disney fold. In 2023, Oswald also entered the public domain. Other than the clue that these casting announcements give—it seems like middle schoolers will be the ones to run into Oswald—we don’t have any details on the plot yet, or when the show will make its way to Disney+.[end-mark] The post <i>Oswald the Lucky Rabbit</i> Adds <i>Skeleton Crew</i> and <i>The Penguin</i> Alums to Cast appeared first on Reactor.

Excerpts Young Adult Read an Excerpt From Sky on Fire by E.K. Johnston This character-driven space fantasy, set in the world of Aetherbound, entwines Arthurian myth and the history of North Atlantic fisheries. By E.K. Johnston | Published on July 1, 2025 Comment 0 Share New Share We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from Sky on Fire by E.K. Johnston, a fast-paced and thought-provoking queer sci-fi/fantasy novel publishing with Dutton Books for Young Readers on July 22nd. Morgan Enni has things to do. A science prodigy in a university full of mage-scientists, she’s notable for having no magical ability, which only increases her ambition and drive to prove herself. Her research has the potential to devastate every aetherworker in the galaxy and shake the crumbled foundations of the Stavenger Empire. It’s no wonder she can’t find anyone who wants to listen to her, much less fund her expedition.But Morgan is stubborn, and eventually her work catches the attention of a group of rebels, who hope it might turn the tide in their favour. When they try to recruit the young scientist, they get much more than they bargained for. Morgan Enni has secrets of her own. Morgan Enni had things to do, but in the quiet of Katla Station’s designated early morning, she took a moment to breathe. It was the last time she’d be sleeping in this bed for a while, and she was strangely reluctant to get out of it and start moving around. The bed itself was nothing special, just a simple frame and mattress that she’d purchased from a shop she couldn’t be bothered to remember the name of. She hadn’t even physically gone to it, electing to shop in her preferred manner: selecting an item from the online catalogue and waiting for the mostly anonymous delivery. It wasn’t stylish or, even worse, sexy. It was functional. Her aunt had wanted to furnish the apartment with more flourish and flounce, and had tried to drag Morgan to a whole variety of stores. Eventually they’d compromised and used a public display terminal that offered virtual projections instead. Even then, Morgan had been hard pressed to simplify the decorations, but she had succeeded at least in the matter of the bedroom. Aunt Vianne meant well. She’d brought Morgan to Katla when she was small and vulnerable, and somehow already too much for her parents to deal with. Katla had much better schools and better teachers for those without gene-sense, Vianne had said, convincing her sister to give up a child she didn’t understand. It would be better for everyone. Morgan hadn’t been consulted, and at the time she’d been terrified, but as the years passed, she had come to realize that Vianne was absolutely correct. Katla, the most influential of the remaining stations, was the place where Morgan would thrive. It was just that, on occasion, Vianne tended to surround them both with things. Morgan had learned to make herself comfortable in her aunt’s home. She had her own bedroom, a proper one, which was a blessing she hadn’t had in her parents’ cramped allotment, and Vianne was always ready with a new booklet or data-crystal when Morgan was bored with her primary studies. From the time she was six until she was sixteen, Morgan’s life was cluttered, but it was good. When it came time for her to move into an apartment closer to her laboratory, she started putting her foot down. A little bit. Particularly in matters concerning throw pillows. Morgan very much enjoyed comfort, and she loved and appreciated Aunt Vianne, but she also liked having space. Space was like quiet: it made it easier to think. She was surrounded by quiet with some frequency. She worked alone in her lab. She had lived alone in her apartment for two years now. Given any choice in the matter, she’d sit alone in public places with a book or a datapad, and no one to interrupt her. However, there was a special kind of silence to the hours when the people on Katla started to think about getting up but hadn’t yet started going about their daily bustle. A waiting sort of quiet, which suited her just fine. Buy the Book Sky on Fire E.K. Johnston Buy Book Sky on Fire E.K. Johnston Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget Morgan Enni felt like she had been waiting for something all her life. Test results, acceptance letters, scholarship approvals, ethics committee decisions, and this morning was no different. Once she got out of bed and started making noise, it would be time to face the harder part of waiting. Here, under a sensible quilt, she was at least cozy and could imagine that waiting was comfortable. When she got up, she would have to check her messages, and then she would know for certain whether the thing she had been waiting for the most was going to happen. Because there is very little dignity in the human form, her bladder made the decision for her. The humming started as soon as her feet hit the floor. The coffeepot began heating water and a randomized selection of pastries and fruit juices appeared on the counter as the freshseal around them retracted. An overly friendly notification appeared on the counter of her kitchenette informing her how many calories she was advised to consume, based on her previous day’s activity. Morgan ignored it and headed into the bathroom. She would eat when she was hungry. Probably. Sometimes work was more important than a grumbling belly. By the time she was finished with her morning ablutions, the coffee was hot, and cream and sugar had appeared next to the pastries. The calorie notification was replaced by a message reminding her that she would need to reorder several food items if she wanted to have breakfast tomorrow morning. Morgan did not—or at least, not here—so she cancelled the order. An assumption, but she had a good feeling about how her last grant application had gone. She wouldn’t be here tomorrow. She was sure of it. There were several schools and academies on Katla, designated for higher learning or specialized training of some kind. It was these facilities that Vianne Enni had brought Morgan to Katla to take advantage of, and Morgan did not disappoint her. Only the æther-college was selective, requiring some level of gene-sense from those it admitted. Every other college would admit anyone who submitted an application. After that, staying was up to the student’s abilities. Aunt Vianne taught in the physics department at Katla’s primary university, and so that’s where Morgan decided to go. Her aunt had never treated her like a burden, but even as a child, Morgan was wise enough to take advantage of getting free tuition as the ward of an employee. There were no age restrictions at the university, and the application system tried to be as innominate as possible to give everyone a fair chance with the admissions board. Therefore, many professors were quite alarmed when a small, dark-haired girl-child marched into their classrooms and took a seat in the front row, feet swinging above the floor. At least, they were alarmed the first time. Morgan had quickly proven she belonged, and more than kept up with the fifteen-and sixteen-year-olds the university usually admitted. The university had been a second home to Morgan from the time she was twelve. In those sterile white rooms and under the too-bright lights, she absorbed every piece of information her instructors had been willing to give her. With Aunt Vianne’s encouragement, she took extra classes and attended every guest lecture. Some of them were quite controversial—there had been protests and strongly worded letters—but Morgan went all the same. Politics, history, mathematics, hydroculture, every kind of science, even the theories of æther-work, Morgan threw herself into the black vacuum space of Katla’s seemingly endless educational opportunities, and since nature abhors a vacuum, knowledge rushed in. The problems began when she started asking questions. The coffeepot beeped loudly, reminding her that her morning stimulant was prepared. Morgan stirred cream and sugar into the dark liquid, and then alternated between drinking it and eating the pastries. She was just beginning the dishwash cycle and programming the freshseal when a lower-pitched hum joined the harmony made by her kitchen implements. The trains were running; the inevitable could no longer be put off. Katla’s day had begun. Morgan fastened a lid on one of the fruit juices and palmed the button on the wall that would flip her apartment over from its domestic setting to its professional one. A frosted glass screen came down to block her kitchenette and the bed folded up into the wall. Her desk unfolded as soon as the floor was clear, and her work-chair rose from its niche in the floor. As she sat down, a series of monitors turned on, glowing softly as they waited for input. A small red circle flashed in the corner of her inbox. Aunt Vianne had been very understanding when Morgan decided to move out. Young people on Katla had a great deal of independence, and the station was currently in an underpopulated phase, so there were plenty of options. Several of the students Morgan would have been in school with had she progressed at a regular rate had all sought apartments at the same time. Vianne never for a moment thought Morgan would opt for a co-living situation. Instead, she imagined something glamorous, possibly with an outside viewport, high up in one of Katla’s spires. Morgan had the accumulated credit to afford something like that, but absolutely no desire for it. Instead, Morgan chose a small, compact apartment in Katla’s great ring, near one of the main transportation hubs. It had noisier corridors and walkways than the spires did, as people travelled to and from work or school. There was always a variety of street food available, and the shops were stocked with clothes and books that Morgan found suitable, even if her aunt thought they were a little gauche. If asked, Morgan couldn’t have said what drew her to this section of the station. She wasn’t slumming it by any means. Katla didn’t really have slums, though it did have an underbelly that was not discussed in polite society. She certainly didn’t hang out with her neighbours or even meet up with other grad students at the local restaurants and bars, though there were people she saw on a regular basis—picking up dinner on the way home, waiting for the trainway, that sort of thing. It was the oldest part of the station, the part the Stavengers had built to secure the Net and the Well so they could send their ships on to Brannick and ill-fated Enragon as soon as possible. The truth was that this was the part of Katla that relied the least on gene-sense. There were no arboretums or flashing signs, no view of the stars for those who could orient themselves. The tech was a bit older, the uses more practical. Everything was functional but lacked the flair that gene-mages couldn’t seem to resist adding to everything they did. Morgan liked it that way. It was not that her parents had been disappointed when she was born without a connection to the æther, it was simply more that it was a surprise. Like most people on Skúvoy Station, neither of Morgan’s parents was particularly adept. They each possessed enough magic to guarantee a job at one of Skúvoy’s many factories, but nothing more. Without gene-sense, Morgan’s future employment options on the station were extremely limited, and no one on Skúvoy prized academics. This was not something that bothered her as a toddler. Only when her sister was born did Morgan realize what she was missing. The baby’s reception was far more animated than anything she had seen before. Whereas Morgan had always been greeted with hushed whispers—maybe a coo if she fussed—the new baby was exclaimed over excitedly and passed from person to person like a prize. Morgan was smart enough to understand by then and had retreated into her shell. Now the neighbours all said she was aloof and strange. Morgan had been in the process of shutting down when her aunt Vianne arrived. Her mother’s sister was a force to be reckoned with, and she swept into Morgan’s life like a rocket. Morgan could hardly remember what her sister looked like, though she was pretty sure the baby had been blond and cheerful. She’d still been an infant when Morgan left, and there was no telling what she would look like now, more than a decade later. Morgan didn’t miss her family, nor did she resent them, nor even hate æther. She just didn’t want to constantly be reminded of the family that didn’t understand her for her singular difference. Especially when they all shared the same secret, buried deep in the past and kept in their very name. Vianne probably understood that long before Morgan did herself, and that was why her aunt did not put up much of a protest when Morgan decided to move to such an unfashionable part of Katla Station. Instead, Vianne helped her pack and only quietly grumbled about the ascetic nature of Morgan’s design preferences, while trying to discreetly add wallpaper accents to brighten up the kitchenette. Now, as the message notification flashed on the otherwise inactive screens, Morgan wished her aunt was here. If it was good news, Aunt Vianne would be proud of her. If it was bad news, she’d swear loudly and promise to make disparaging remarks at future interdepartmental meetings. Morgan had outpaced Vianne a long time ago, when it came to brain power and raw ambition. Rather than get angry about it, Vianne had been thrilled. Her niece was now even more of a problem for everyone else on the faculty, and Vianne watched with unfettered glee as department heads courted her niece, while also grinding their teeth over what more than one of them referred to as obstinacy. Morgan took a deep breath and opened the message from the university. Immediately, three faces filled the screens in front of her. Apparently, the advisory board had felt strongly enough about their decision that they’d recorded a message instead of just writing one. That didn’t give Morgan any clue as to what their decision was, though. Honestly, it could go either way. “Ms. Morgan Enni, greetings. We hope this recording finds you well,” the committee chair began. Dr. Argir was an older man, white skin made even paler by a lack of time spent under the solar simulation lamps. “We have considered your research application and are prepared to give our decision.” “We would like to commend you for the changes you have made to your research proposal.” This second speaker was Dr. Mattsen, the head of Morgan’s own department. She had supported Morgan right up until the moment she started showing initiative. Now Morgan’s brevity was unprofessional, where before it had been practical, and her ideas were untenable, where they used to be cutting edge. “It shows a great deal of professional development in regard to your response to critique.” Not enough that they were willing to have this chat in person, or even live. But to be fair, Morgan had called them all some relatively creative names the last time they’d rejected her face-to-face. She didn’t really want to meet with them either. She just wanted the courtesy before they gave her the resources she needed to disappear from their orbits for a while. “We still have a great many concerns about your primary research goals,” the committee chair said. “But my esteemed colleague has made several arguments in your defense.” “Morgan, I know how dedicated you are to this idea, even with the doubts expressed by many of my peers.” The third speaker was Dr. Morunt, a gene-mage who taught medical cooperation techniques for doctors like himself working with their non-mage counterparts. He had held his position in absentia until recently, when he finally came back to Katla after years off-station doing something Morgan didn’t care about. Morgan couldn’t stand him, but he had been unexpectedly supportive, and it was because of his recent addition to the committee that she had been given a second chance. “This, in combination with your secondary research objectives, has allowed us to grant you the funding you’ve requested.” Morgan almost tipped her chair over. “Effective immediately, you are a Research-Wanderer, with permission to leave Katla Station to pursue your academic goals.” Dr. Argir didn’t bother to hide his annoyance at the fact that she’d been successful. “Please make sure you sign the attached waivers and file your reports in the appropriate manner.” “Good luck, Research-Wanderer Enni,” said Dr. Morunt, a wry expression on his face. If she cared about his opinions beyond his ability to get her what she wanted, Morgan might have been amused by his odd commitment to her cause. He didn’t so much as blink as he congratulated and then dismissed her. “I still hope you’re wrong.” Excerpted from Sky on Fire, copyright © 2025 by E.K. Johnston. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>Sky on Fire</i> by E.K. Johnston appeared first on Reactor.

News Neuromancer Neuromancer Teaser Welcomes Us to Chatsubo as Show Goes Into Production The Apple TV+ series stars Callum Turner as Case. By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on July 1, 2025 Screenshot: Apple TV+ Comment 0 Share New Share Screenshot: Apple TV+ Today is the first day of July, which is also the forty-first anniversary of when William Gibson’s Neuromancer was first published. Happy birthday, cyberpunk! To celebrate the occasion, the Apple TV+ released a teaser for the television adaptation we first heard about over a year ago and let us know that the show is now officially in production, meaning that it will succeed in being the first adaptation of Gibson’s iconic novel to make its way to the screen.   The teaser is very much that, just a few seconds of panning in on a sci-fi looking bar, with the words, “Bar Chatsubo” flickering to life in neon. Those who’ve read the book are familiar with the establishment; a watering hole in Ninsei of Chiba City that the book’s protagonist liked to visit.  Apple TV+’s Neuromancer, according to the streamer, “follows a damaged, top-rung super-hacker named Case (Callum Turner) who is thrust into a web of digital espionage and high stakes crime with his partner Molly (Briana Middleton), a razor-girl assassin with mirrored eyes aiming to pull a heist on a corporate dynasty with untold secrets.” In addition to Turner and Middleton, the show stars Joseph Lee, Mark Strong, Cleménce Poésy, Peter Sarsgaard, Emma Laird,Dane DeHaan, André De Shields, Max Irons, and Marc Menchaca. It comes from Graham Roland (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Dark Winds) and JD Dillard (Devotion, The Outsider, Sleight), with Roland serving as showrunner and Dillard directing the pilot. No news yet on when ten-episode series will premiere on Apple TV+. Check out the teaser below.[end-mark] The post <i>Neuromancer</i> Teaser Welcomes Us to Chatsubo as Show Goes Into Production appeared first on Reactor.

Books new releases All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in July 2025 A detective/apprentice wizard, a botanist, and a historian all appear in July’s new fantasy releases… By Reactor | Published on July 1, 2025 Comment 0 Share New Share Here’s the full list of fantasy titles heading your way in July! Keep track of all the new SFF releases here. All title summaries are taken and/or summarized from copy provided by the publisher. Release dates are subject to change. July 1 Grave Birds — Dana Elmendorf (MIRA)Grave birds haunt the cemeteries of Hawthorne, South Carolina, where Spanish moss drips from the trees and Southern charm is imbued with lies. Hollis Sutherland never knew these unique birds existed, not until she died and was brought back to life. The ghostly birds are manifestations of the dead’s unfinished business, and they know Hollis and her uncanny gift can set them free. When a mysterious, charming bachelor wanders into the small town, bizarre events begin to plague its wealthiest citizens—blood drips from dogwood blossoms, flocks of birds crash into houses, fire tornadoes descend from the sky. Hollis knows these are the omens her grandfather warned about, announcing the devil’s return. But despite Cain Landry’s eerie presence and the plague that has followed him, his handsome face and wicked charm win over the townsfolk. Even Hollis falls under his spell as they grow closer. That is, until lies about the town’s past start to surface. The grave birds begin to show Hollis the dead’s ugly deeds from some twenty-five years ago and the horrible things some people did to gain their wealth. Hollis can’t decide if Cain is some immortal hand of God, there to expose their sins. Or if he’s a devil there to ruin them all. Either way, she’s determined to save her town and the people in it, whatever it takes. Sycorax — Nydia Hetherington (Pegasus Books)Born of the sun and moon, shaped by fire and malady, comes a young woman whose story has never been told… They call her Sycorax. Seer. Sage. Sorceress. Outcast by society and all alone in the world, Sycorax must find a way to understand her true nature. But as her powers begin to grow, so too do the suspicions of the local townspeople. For knowledge can be dangerous, and a woman’s knowledge is the most dangerous of all… With a great storm brewing on the horizon, Sycorax finds herself in increasing peril—but will her powers save her, or will they spell the end for them all? Find out in this gripping and vivid narrative exploration of one of literature’s most mysterious figures. July 8 Stone and Sky (Rivers of London #10) — Ben Aaronovitch (DAW)All Detective Sergeant Peter Grant wanted was a nice holiday up in Scotland. He’ll need one once this is over… Sea: check. Sand: some. Sun: sort of—but that’s not the only thing in the sky… The Secret Market of the Dead — Giovanni De Feo (Saga)Just beyond the waking edges of Lucerìa, an 18th-century town in the kingdom of Naples, lies the Night: an enigmatic fiefdom governed by seven immortals and fueled by Moira, the power to reshape one’s destiny. On this porous border separating Day from Night, Oriana spends her time fantasizing about becoming a smith in her father’s forge and eavesdropping on whispered tales of beasts and men who roam the nocturnal realm. But in the Night, these stories come alive, as Oriana saw for herself after she inadvertently trespassed into the Secret Market of the Dead, where vendors hawk Moira to those desperate enough to accept its immeasurably steep price. Years later, when her father chooses her twin brother to succeed him, Oriana challenges her sibling to a series of trials to determine the forge’s true heir. But as the twins’ fierce competition escalates, with the town and her own family set firmly against her, Oriana realizes that to break free from the stifling confines of Day, she must once again embrace the Night—and, as always, everything comes with a cost. Ascension (Summoner’s Circle #2) — S.T. Gibson (Angry Robot)Ever since Rhys McGowan was a boy, he’s only wanted two things: power and love. Now, as High Priest of Boston’s premiere Secret Society, husband to his adoring witch wife Moira, and partner to David – his psychic rival-turned-boyfriend, Rhys is finally at peace. But when a strange ritual rocks Boston’s occult community, and opens the Society up to sabotage, Rhys delves even deeper into the dark world of demon-summoning. He’s used to carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, but the strain of managing so many spirits (not to mention the stress of his loved ones exploring other people) will push him to the brink. As heaven and hell play tug of war for Rhys’ soul, he’ll have to face the greatest demon of all: his own insatiable ambition. The Bloodless Queen — Joshua Phillip Johnson (DAW)On the autumnal equinox of 1987, after fencing off half of the Earth’s land for huge nature reserves called Harbors, the leaders of the world called on their peoples to celebrate. Then began the horror and the magic. Everyone who died that day—all 132,329 of them—instead of going cold and still, turned odd and fae. They became mischievous and murderous, before disappearing into their nearest Harbor, never seen again. And each year after that on the autumnal equinox, the same terrible transformations would occur: the wretched dead not dying, but instead riddling and whispering of a faerie queen—bloodless and powerful—while fleeing into the wild confines of the Harbors. In the present day, Evangeline and Calidore are working as fencers, government-employed protectors whose magical powers come from mysterious tattoos of prime numbers. When they aren’t fixing the fences of the Midwest Harbor that separates the human world from Faerie or patrolling on the equinox, they are parents of an almost-seven-year-old daughter named Winnie. But as the new year’s autumnal equinox approaches, Evangeline and Calidore find themselves thrust into a vast conspiracy that stretches across governments, religions, and fencers worldwide. As they race to untangle this web of power and intrigue, they will need to confront the questions that have haunted the world since the fences were built: What lies at the heart of the Harbors? Who waits there? Red Tempest Brother (Winter Sea #3) — H.M. Long (Titan)In the wake of the events of Black Tide Son, Hart flees into pirate-infested waters to shelter on the island where former rogue James Demery and the Fleetbreaker, Anne Firth, now rule. Reeling from their discoveries about the truths of the Mereish-Aeadine war, Mary and Samuel hover on the precipice of a terrible, world-altering choice—they can stay silent and maintain their good names, or they can speak out and risk igniting total war across the Winter Sea. Meanwhile, Benedict captains The Red Tempest, a lawless ship of deserters and corrupted mages in search of an Usti spy with incendiary stolen documents. Benedict is determined to make the truth known, consequences be damned. As rumours spread of a new Ghistwold sprouting in the Mereish South Isles, Mary and Samuel sail once more into intrigue, espionage and an ocean on the brink of exploding into conflict. They must chart a course toward lasting, final peace, at the heart of the age-old battle for power upon the Winter Sea. Curandera — Irenosen Okojie (Soft Skull)In Gethsemane, Cape Verde, the appearance of a mysterious new arrival, Zulmira, coincides with a series of strange events. Zulmira is a shamanic disciple of Oni, an omnipotent and loving yet vengeful deity. In contemporary London, botanist Therese lives with Haitian musician Azacca, Peruvian drifter Emilien, and daring Finn. These four kindred spirits, bound together by their shared descent from Oni, travel to another realm to complete a secret, sacred task at Oni’s behest. But a disruptive object returns with them from the other plane: a bleeding ribcage, flowering with intoxicating fruit. As Zulmira grows close to a fisherman, Domingos, and his wife and daughter, the increasingly disturbing occurrences in Gethsemane disrupt forms, time, and place. In London, Therese and her housemates, growing ever more powerful on the otherworldly fruit, discover the disturbing costs of their service to Oni. As the stage is set for the collision of two dimensions, the esoteric workings of shamanism intersect with powerful forces of friendship, love, and jealousy. The Gryphon King (The Chaos Constellation) — Sara Omer (Titan)Bataar was only a child when he killed a gryphon, making him a legend across the red steppe. Now he is the formidable Bataar Rhah, ruling over the continent that once scorned his people. After a string of improbable victories, he turns his sights on the wealthy, powerful kingdom of Dumakra and their vicious pegasus-mounted warriors. Nohra Zultama has no fear of the infamous warlord who marches on her country. She and her sisters are Harpy Knights, goddess-blessed and lethal. But as deceit and betrayal swirl through her father’s court, she soon learns the price of complacency. With Dumakra under Bataar’s rule, Nohra vows to take revenge—yet her growing closeness to the rhah’s wife, Qaira, threatens to undo her resolve. When rioting breaks out and strange beasts incite panic, Nohra must fight alongside Bataar to keep order, her mixed feelings toward the man she’s sworn to kill becoming ever more complicated. Old evils are rising. Only together will Nohra and Bataar stand a chance against the djinn, ghouls, and monsters that threaten to overrun their world. July 15 The Jasad Crown (Scorched Throne #2) — Sara Hashem (Orbit)Held deep in a mountain refuge, Sylvia has been captured by the Urabi, who believe the Jasad Heir can return their homeland to its former power. But after years of denying her legacy and a forbidden alliance with Jasad’s greatest enemy, Sylvia must win the Urabi’s trust while struggling to hide the dangerous side effects her magic is having on her mind. In a rival kingdom, Arin must maneuver carefully between his father’s desire to put down the brewing rebellion and the sacred edicts Arin is sworn to uphold. He is determined to find Sylvia before it’s too late, but Arin’s search unravels secrets that threaten the very core of his beliefs about his family and the destruction of Jasad.  War is inevitable, but Sylvia cannot abandon her people again. The Urabi plan to raise the Jasadi fortress, and it will either kill Sylvia or destroy the humanity she’s fought so hard to protect. For the first time in her life Sylvia doesn’t just want to survive. She wants to win. The fugitive queen is ready to reign. A Resistance of Witches — Morgan Ryan (Viking)Stubborn, plain-spoken and from an unimpressive family, Lydia Polk never expected to be accepted into the Royal Academy of Witches. Now, with Hitler’s army rampaging across Europe, the witches of Britain have joined the war effort, and Lydia is key to the cause: she must use her magic to track down magical relics before Hitler and his sycophants can. When a Nazi witch infiltrates the Academy with heart-breaking consequences, the coven is left shaken, exposed and divided. The elder British witches have no interest in further loss of coven life in service of a government that has forced them into hiding for decades, no matter the consequences to the world. But with the discovery of the Grimorium Bellum, an ancient book that leaves a trail of death and destruction wherever it goes, Lydia knows her mission has never been more urgent. Alone and woefully outnumbered, Lydia makes her way to the heart of occupied France, where she finds allies in Rebecca Gagne—a fierce French resistance fighter chockful of secrets—and Henry Boudreaux—a handsome Haitian-American art historian with a little magic of his own. Together, they traverse the country, stalked by the natural and supernatural alike, in search of the grimoire. But, as Lydia soon discovers, finding the book is only half the battle—the Grimorium Bellum has a dark agenda all its own. Lydia must subdue it before the Witches of the Third Reich can use it—but she’ll have to survive the book herself, first. The Memory of the Ogisi (Forever Desert #3) — Moses Ose Utomi (Tordotcom Publishing)The City of a Thousand Stories stands resolute on the edge of the Forever Desert. It is a lush metropolis, where water flows into every mouth that thirsts and knowledge sprouts in every mind that craves it. Yet despite their prosperity, no one can remember how the city began. It is a dire state of affairs: a people who do not learn their past cannot chart their future. Ethike is an Ogisi, one of the City’s many historians, who has devoted his life to studying a little-known figure named Osi. He believes Osi to be the key to the city’s origins, but his years of research have only raised more questions about Osi’s identity. Until, one day, he believes he has found the answer. Spurred by his love for his city and his family, Ethike ventures into the Forever Desert in search of the Lost Tomb of Osi. If he can find it, he will finally be able to prove his worth to the City’s Elders and cement Osi’s role in history. But history is a story told by the powerful. What Ethike uncovers beneath the sand is a power far beyond anything he could have expected… and it wants vengeance. Pearl City (Phoenix Hoard #3) — Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle (Tor Books)Blade. Butcher. Thief. Worldbreaker. Emiko Soong has been called many things. But Worldbreaker is the worst. She unmasked the General and returned to San Francisco where her power is greatest. But the city, once her sanctuary from Jiaren intrigues, turns into her living nightmare. Clan wars erupt and Emiko’s life becomes a treacherous quicksand of friend and foe. Unsure of who to trust, Emiko finds herself more alone than ever. When an ancient power rips through the Realm to land in her city, the General will stop at nothing to take it for his own. Emiko must face her past, present, and future, as she races to stop the General. Is Emiko’s fate written to be the destroyer of worlds, or can she chart a new course to save her family? July 22 Arcana Academy — Elise Kova (Del Rey)Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic. After a job gone awry, Clara is sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards—a rare power reserved for practitioners at the elite Arcana Academy. Just when it seems her luck has run dry, the academy’s enigmatic headmaster, Prince Kaelis, offers her an escape—for a price. Kaelis believes that Clara is the perfect tool to help him steal a tarot card from the king and use it to re-create an all-powerful card long lost to time. In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be. Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep will send her back to prison or worse, Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems. But can she risk giving him power over the world—and her heart? Or will she take it for herself? July 29 Birth of a Dynasty — Chinaza Bado (Harper Voyager)After witnessing the massacre of everyone he’s ever known and loved, M’Kuru Mukundi, the sole surviving member of the High Noble House Mukundi of Madada, vows revenge. M’kuru flees to a small village where he hides under the guise of farm boy Khalil Rausi… unaware that the real Khalil’s father is the bloodthirsty General of Zenzele army, and under the direction of the King’s scheming son, Prince Effiom, was responsible for the murder of M’kuru’s people. When an imposter claiming to be M’kuru shows up in the village, the real M’kuru—now Khalil—must bide his time amongst his enemies, pretending to be everything that he hates in order to get vengeance. In another part of the country where giants roam free, young Zikora Nnamani, the only daughter of Lord Nnamani, knows nothing of political intrigue—she wants little more than to be a fierce Seh Llinga warrior. But a well-known prophecy places too much potential power on her small shoulders, and—as far as Prince Effiom and the King know—she is the only living threat to their dynasty ruling forever. However, when a messenger arrives to “invite” Zikora to stay at the palace, her family is not in a position to refuse. Before she is taken away, she begins The Rite of Blessing, a magical inheritance that she will need to learn how to use, but that may also bring the world one step closer to the completion of the prophecy that Prince Effiom so fears. Between scheming ladies at court, backstabbing princes on the prowl, and paranoid kings, M’kuru and Zikora must do what they can, no matter how terrible, to save their people and claim vengeance for their families. But they are just two young people against an entire kingdom—and a prophecy destined to thwart their dreams—and the last thing they can do is trust anyone… even each other. The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World — J. R. Dawson (Tor Books)At the edge of Chicago, nestled on the shores of Lake Michigan, there is a waystation for the dead. Every night, the newly-departed travel through the city to the Station, guided by its lighthouse. There, they reckon with their lives, before stepping aboard a boat to go beyond. Nera has spent decades watching her father—the ferryman of the dead—sail across the lake, each night just like the last. But tonight, something is wrong. The Station’s lighthouse has started to flicker out. The terrifying, ghostly Haunts have multiplied in the city. And now a person—a living person—has found her way onto the boat. Her name is Charlie. She followed a song. And she is searching for someone she lost. The Fallbacks: Dealing with Dragons (Dungeons & Dragons) — Jaleigh Johnson (Random House Worlds)When the day is threatened by tyrannical foes or monstrous fiends, the people of Faerûn place their trust in the realm’s mighty heroes. When the mighty heroes don’t show up, they get the Fallbacks. The team: A flamboyant bard with a bandstand’s worth of secrets. A wizard whose thirst for knowledge leads her to triumph and trouble. A virtuous fighter with a family that’s anything but. A cunning rogue just trying to keep everyone together. And then there’s the party’s cleric. Baldric has always had an unorthodox approach to divinity. While other folk of faith hitch their wagons to one god or another, this cleric figures that if his magic and might can serve many gods and reap the rewards of the entire pantheon, everyone wins. But there’s a price to be paid for the power to protect Faerûn. And every debt must one day be collected. Baldric finds himself cut off from his connection to the divine when a mysterious and otherworldly entity starts to invade his negotiations. And this entity wants more than Baldric’s service—it wants his soul. The Fallbacks race to free their cleric from his shadowy debtholder, but the heat is on—in more ways than one—because the being trying to lay claim to Baldric isn’t exactly a god. Forget striking bargains with deities. To get out of this jam, the Fallbacks will have to deal with dragons. A Covenant of Ice (Crowns of Ishia #3) — Karin Lowachee (Solaris)After years of separation, Havinger Lilley has finally reunited with his lover, Janan. He now hopes to heal from the experience that changed his life forever: being bonded to the soul of a king dragon and to the man Raka who died to save it. But this bond is consuming him, making his thoughts and feelings not his own. Compelled by this to return to the frozen north that was once Raka’s home, Lilley and his companions Janan and Meka make the arduous journey toward a confrontation with the power-hungry Kattakans that could result in another devastating war. The Alchemy of Flowers — Laura Resau (Harper Muse)Help Wanted: In search of a gardener for the ancient walled Jardins du Paradis in the South of France. Unique and rustic lodging provided. Off the grid in all ways. One must grow flowers from one’s merde… Exhausted by fruitless attempts to make a family, Eloise takes the chance of a lifetime to answer an ad in a French gardening magazine. To fly away from her life in the States and tend to both her shattered heart and the flowers of Paradise. And best of all for her… Absolutely no children allowed on the premises. Within the high garden walls, Eloise starts to learn the strange rules of the elusive estate owner. Living and working in isolation with her three companions, she finds her heart opening again to friendship—and realizes she’s drawn to the handyman, Raphael. The flowers whisper to her, enchanting, delighting, healing. But why are the workers forbidden from going out during dusk? Who is the “Goddess of the Garden”? Is her mind playing tricks on her, or does she see a woodsprite flitting through the trees? The giggles and glimpses of a little girl haunt her and make her question: What is real in Paradise and what is illusion? Eloise tries to rationalize her uneasy feelings and the darkness she uncovers beneath the garden’s lush beauty, but as she digs deeper into the mysteries of her sanctuary, she begins to suspect there’s a child on the grounds—who may be in danger. When Paradise becomes a deadly prison, she must risk everything to protect her newfound family and claim her second chance at happiness. Beasts of Carnaval — Rosália Rodrigo (MIRA)When night descends, el Carnaval de Bestias rises. Within the shores of Isla Bestia, guests from around the world discover a utopia of ever-changing performances, sumptuous feasts and beautiful monsters. Many enter, but few ever leave—the wine is simply too sweet, the music too fine and the revelry endless. Sofía, a freedwoman from a nearby colonized island, cares little for this revelry. Born an enslaved mestiza on a tobacco plantation, she has neither wealth nor title, only a scholarly pragmatism and a hunger for answers. She travels to el Carnaval de Bestias in search of her twin brother, who disappeared five years ago. There’s a world of wonder waiting for her on the shores of this legendary island, one wherein conquerors profit from Sofia’s ancestral lands and her people’s labor. But surrounded by her former enslavers, she finds something familiar in the performances—whispers of the island’s native tongue, music and stories from her Taike’ri ancestors… a culture long hidden in the shadows, thrust into the light. As the nights pass, her mind begins unraveling, drowning in the unnatural, almost sentient thrall of Carnaval. And the sense that someone is watching her grows. To find her brother and break free, Sofia must peel back the glamorous curtain and face those behind Carnaval, before she too loses herself to the island/ Silvercloak — L. K. Steven (Del Rey)Two decades ago, the Bloodmoons ruthlessly murdered Saffron Killoran’s parents, destroying her idyllic childhood. Hell-bent on revenge, she lies her way into Silvercloak Academy—the training ground for her city’s elite order of detectives—with a single goal: to bring the Bloodmoons to justice. But when Saff’s deception is exposed, rather than being cast out, she’s given a rare opportunity: to go undercover and tear the Bloodmoons down from the inside. Descending into a world where pleasure and pain are the most powerful currencies, Saff must commit some truly heinous deeds to keep her cover—and her life. Not only are there rival gangs and sinister smuggling rings to contend with, but there’s also her growing feelings for the kingpin’s tortured son, with his vicious pet fallowwolf, his dark past, and the curious prophecy foretelling his death at Saffron’s hand. With each day testing her loyalties further, Saff finds her web of lies becoming harder to spin. And when one false step could destroy everything and everyone she’s ever loved… the detective who’s dedicated her life to vengeance just might die for it. The post All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in July 2025 appeared first on Reactor.

Books Dissecting The Dark Descent All the Pieces Matter: “Afterward” by Edith Wharton By Sam Reader | Published on July 1, 2025 Comment 0 Share New Share Welcome back to Dissecting The Dark Descent, where we lovingly delve into the guts of David Hartwell’s seminal 1987 anthology story by story, and in the process, explore the underpinnings of a genre we all love. For an in-depth introduction, here’s the intro post. Edith Wharton is a name that deserves to be invoked far more often, especially in the gothic world. While many know her novella-length character portrait Ethan Frome and her classic novel The Age of Innocence, she was a lifelong fan of ghost stories, even writing several herself while incorporating her knowledge of shifting social mores, class issues, and complex studies of characters into the mix. “Afterward” is perhaps one of her more transfixing written works, a story that uses a more “realistic” approach to its gothic horror to add greater complexity and nuance to this tale of ghosts and karmic retribution. With its introduction of realism and deeper interest in the psychological landscape of its characters, it’s every bit as horrifying and strange as the other tales of the fantastic included in The Dark Descent, but contains enough emotional truth to linger long after its haunting final lines. Relocating from the Midwest, Mary Boyne and her husband move to Dorsetshire, where they plan to live at an old house called Lyng. Cut off from modern conventions such as indoor plumbing and electricity (the Boynes were determined to live in a very old house), Lyng’s distinguishing feature is a ghost that “no one knows is there,” with previous inhabitants only realizing that they’d had a spiritual encounter “long, long afterward.” Despite this disappointing development, the nouveau riche Boynes happily move into Lyng and set about their new life of leisure, Ned Boyne writing a book while Mary paints and takes care of the household. When a strange young man shows up at Lyng and mysteriously vanishes (taking Mr. Boyne along with him), Mary’s hunt for her husband uncovers a series of unnerving secrets about both her husband’s business affairs and the ghost of Lyng, the full extent of which will not be fully revealed until “long, long afterward.” In the moment, people don’t usually process all of what’s happening to them. They know, of course, if something strange is going on or if something feels off. It’s a warning sign that they should pay attention, but most of the time, we don’t piece together the full picture until we’ve had time to process, to genuinely reflect on what felt so weird. In this sort of situation, it’s not until someone starts putting all the pieces together that suddenly the unnerving truth of an odd encounter or a small, weird moment is revealed to them. It’s an effect that’s used frequently in horror—you can set your watch by how many stories or visual works will allow small, sinister details to pile up until the trap is finally sprung—but Wharton’s use here feels more realistic and true to life. Throughout “Afterward,” Mary notices various unusual details, but as they’re small moments, she doesn’t chalk them up to anything in particular. Boyne’s strange behavior can be attributed to a thousand little anxieties—moving to England, starting his book, and at points perhaps even his awareness of Lyng’s mysterious ghost, which Boyne himself might have seen. Boyne always has a handy excuse to explain away everything, from insisting that there’s no merit to his former partner Elwell accusing him of “every crime in the calendar” to claiming the first time he and Mary see the ghost of Lyng, it’s merely the man he wanted to see about the gutters. It’s not stated outright, but the glimpses start to add up. While Mary has no real reason to suspect Boyne of anything, the reader has every reason to suspect, and the way Wharton calls attention to the small details Boyne and Mary dismiss only underlines their sense of wrongness, especially on repeat readings.            It’s a common feature of toxic relationships. The person being harmed or manipulated will attempt to explain away the details that don’t jibe with their vision that everything is all right, because the truth is too psychologically devastating. Even if something is definitely wrong, even if there’s tension and quiet menace, the longer you believe everything is all right, the more likely it will be and the less likely there will be some kind of incident. You find yourself accepting any explanation for the strangeness solely in the hope that doing so will mean that things can go back to normal or return to how they were when they felt good. In Mary’s case, the more she accepts her husband’s rationalizations, the faster she can get back to enjoying life at Lyng, with its secret passages and ghosts. The sense of small details Mary is either ignoring or doesn’t want to directly confront also applies to the oft-discussed ghost of Lyng. Mary’s friend Alida claims that no one knows they’ve seen the ghost until “afterward,” but in the few encounters Mary has with the ghost in the form of Elwell, she first explains away the figure’s indistinct appearance with her nearsightedness, and then when the ghost comes for her husband, notices that “he had an American intonation” but not the accent as well as an indistinct appearance. Mary registers that something weird is going on, but (much in the same way that her husband does with her questions) rationalizes it away as Boyne’s business and not hers. After Elwell’s eventual death, Boyne still keeps her in the dark and Mary internalizes his rationalizations, waking up the morning of his strange disappearance with a sense of “security.” This is, in fact, the thing that ultimately proves Boyne’s undoing. Boyne, keeping his malfeasance secret from Mary and working hard to rationalize everything away, succeeds on making Mary complicit when the ghost finally comes to take him away. There’s something clearly weird about the whole thing, but it’s not until Boyne vanishes without a trace that the key details start to slam home. Wharton’s use of a more “realistic” style of haunting—most true ghost story accounts have the witness only realizing what happened after the person they were talking to walks through a wall or mysteriously vanishes—reinforces the horror, that somehow Mary let the ghost in and unwittingly played a role in dismantling what she (falsely) saw as an idyllic existence. Trying to avoid an incident led the incident directly to their door. Modern readers, of course, know that she had nothing to do with any of this and that Boyne got what was coming to him—he was a shady businessman dragged to the netherworld because he manipulated everyone around him and refused to face the consequences of his actions. Knowing that Mary is better off and feeling that Mary is better off are, however, two different things entirely. It’s here where Wharton’s realism has its harshest sting—the hole torn in the world by the shady, manipulative Mr. Boyne still leaves horror and trauma behind, and even if karmic retribution is just, justice sometimes looks unfathomably cruel to those like Mary who don’t see the complete picture until long, long afterward. And now to turn it over to you. Was your main experience with reading Edith Wharton Ethan Frome, or another work? Do you think Mary will recover from her terrible ordeal now that Boyne has vanished? Does Wharton’s attention to mirroring accounts of “authentic” hauntings heighten or lessen the horror? Please join us in two weeks as we explore an area of singular loneliness with “The Willows,” by Algernon Blackwood.[end-mark] The post All the Pieces Matter: “Afterward” by Edith Wharton appeared first on Reactor.