Code and Codex forthcoming! US release (Saga Press) October 27, 2026; UK release (Solaris Books) March 4, 2027 (update; was previously slated for late February). E-ARCs can currently be requested from NetGalley if you are so inclined.
US cover (Saga Press, October 27, 2026):
UK cover (Solaris Books, March 4, 2026):
Yes, these are very different cover treatments! I love them both.
For anyone who’s had difficulty finding print copies of Machineries of Empire (Ninefox Gambit et alia), I’ve renewed the contract with Solaris Books so a new print versions are available.
July 8, 2026 update: Solaris Books has been acquired [Locus Magazine] by Profile Books. At the moment, the ebooks (no-DRM epubs) are no longer available on the old Rebellion Publishing website, although you can e.g. find them on other sites, such as Bookshop.org (e.g. Ninefox Gambit in epub format – updated link).
May 31, 2026: STARSTRIKE won the Locus Award for Best YA Novel! Congratulations to the other honorees all around.
Newsletter archive, last updated September 27, 2026. You can read it at the archive link without subscribing. I despise email clutter; maybe you do too! Or you can subscribe. I’m not the boss of you. NOTE: I do not guarantee the newsletter, or the archives, will be available forever.
Wanted y’all to hear it from me: CROWNWORLD (book 3 of the Moonstorm trilogy) is canceled. I will not be completing the book (the trilogy). I’m very sorry to readers who were hoping for the conclusion.
This was a mutually agreed, amicable decision between the primary/US publisher (Delacorte), the UK publisher (Rebellion Publishing – Solaris Books), and myself.
Between sales and publishing realities (MOONSTORM sold poorly and its prospects are unlikely to improve for political reasons you can guess), this was a rare situation where this benefits both publishers and myself. I could not announce the cancellation earlier for legal/contract reasons, and can’t “simply” release the partial draft of CROWNWORLD for same.
I didn’t plan on MOONSTORM being a market failure. But novel-writing is a career with baked-in instability and career risk. I knew that going in.
Abbreviated version of what happened on my end: I have 66,000 words of a near-finished draft that I don’t plan on resuming. The breaking point was when I had a concussion in March 2025.
You might ask why I don’t “just” yeet the last 10,000 words to have a book for release to readers even if the print publishers are no longer interested in publishing it. After illness and family crises, I’m exhausted. More than one person close to me nearly died; I set writing aside for months to do caretaking. I have peripheral neuropathy (among other things); my hands and feet might recover, or they might get worse and curtail my ability to do the things that bring me joy.
Both my publishers extended incredible grace and kindness to me during this period. This is not on them. The trilogy existence failure is on me.
I’m moving on. I’ve spent the past several years writing about three books every two years (or 1.5 books per year – releases won’t line up because of production/publishing variables). This probably sounds slow/leisurely but was not sustainable with my health as unstable as it is. There would have been a breaking point down the line even if it hadn’t happened with this specific book. I’m going to spend some time on endeavors just for the joy of it.
I hope y’all have many books you’re looking forward to reading, by other writers.
Note: I’m not in financial distress at present. Please don’t worry on that account.
Best,
YHL
Feburary 5, 2026
