Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing — 2026-09-24
Post-Worldcon reflection continues across the genre blogosphere, while fresh award news arrives in the form of National Book Awards longlists with genre interest. This week also saw the iQiyi reveal of the first trailer for the Liu Cixin adaptation *Ball Lightning*, plus a strong showing of a new Black Library Warhammer title. Below, the developments after 2026-09-17 that matter most for the field.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing — 2026-09-24
National Book Awards longlists include genre titles
Locus reports that the 2026 National Book Awards longlists have been announced, with fiction entries of genre interest including Hannah Lillith Assadi's Paradiso 17 (Knopf), Kimberly Blaeser's Red Ants (Counterpoint), and Julián Delgado Lopera's Pretend You're Dead and I Carry You (Liveright). Mainstream award longlists are a key barometer of how far SF-adjacent literary fiction is reaching into general publishing recognition.
The science fiction awards year gets its scorecard
At Boundary's Edge published a wrap-up (19 September) of the 2026 science fiction awards season, surveying winners and losers across the year's honors — a useful post-Hugo benchmark since the Hugos were decided at LAcon V (Best Novel: Alix E. Harrow's The Everlasting). Such retrospectives shape early buzz for Nebula and World Fantasy Award nomination cycles.
iQiyi unveils first trailer for Liu Cixin's Ball Lightning
On 23 September iQiyi released the first trailer for its sci-fi series Ball Lightning (《球状闪电》), adapted from Liu Cixin's novel and produced with Chen Sicheng attached, as part of its 2027 slate. It is the next major Chinese SF screen adaptation after The Three-Body Problem, with obvious knock-on effects for Liu's book sales in translation.
Black Library keeps its pedal down
Tracking site Grimdark Archive counts 47 Black Library books released in the twelve months to 20 September 2026, with 8 titles announced on pre-order; the newest is Marc Collins's Blackheart: Claws of the Maelstrom, out 19 September 2026. Black Library volume stays the strongest proof that Games Workshop's tie-in publishing is a franchise-unto-itself.
Locus reviewers' seasonal picks highlight late-autumn slate
Locus's Reviewers' Seasonal Picks (published 20–24 September window) flags Eugen Bacon's Black Dingo (Flame Tree, 10/26), a curated collection of African-Australian irrealist and speculative writing. Watch it as a potential anthology/collection contender in upcoming award season conversations.
Local view
Chinese media is concentrating on the aftermath of the 37th Galaxy Awards (银河奖), the country's oldest and highest-regarded SF award. Sohu ran a Galaxy Awards theme book list (19 September) framing the shortlist as a window into "paper-carried starlight" — the trajectory of native Chinese SF, with Liu Cixin, Han Song and the Science Fiction World lineage prominently featured.. Meanwhile, 17173 and gaming portals treated the Ball Lightning trailer as a top story, noting the series is a flagship of iQiyi's 2027 slate. Ifeng (23 September) covered the launch of Fengshan's Yundang Yelang (《云荡夜郎》), an "Eastern eco-science fiction" novel from Guizhou University Press, launched at FAST Observatory ("China's Sky Eye") with an endorsement and preface by writer Chen Qiufan — evidence of regional SF launches carrying mainstream cultural weight.
Context & numbers
- Black Library output: 47 books in 12 months to 20 September 2026; 8 titles on pre-order; newest release 19 September 2026
- On the Locus bestseller charts tracking Warhammer categories, Dan Abnett's Warhammer 40,000: Eisenhorn: The Omnibus (Black Library) remains among the top-ranked titles alongside Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl novels (Ace)
- Rachel Gillig's The Knave and the Moon (Orbit), second in The Stonewater Kingdom series, debuted at #1 on three of four print bestseller lists in the Locus weekly bestseller roundup
On the radar
- National Book Awards finalists: watch the NBA finalist round from the current longlists for further genre crossover signals
- October releases: Stephen King, Sarah J. Maas, V.E. Schwab and Rebecca Yarros headline the autumn slate — a Sanderson-scale month for pre-order volume
- China screen pipeline: iQiyi's Ball Lightning is slated for 2027 and its trailer drop suggests a marketing ramp-up already underway
- D&D Universes Beyond / Season of Rebellion: a reported D&D tie-in line running July–September 2027 is being tracked by fan schedule roundups (rumor-level detail)
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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