NEED TO KNOW
- Kerri Maniscalco has a new romantasy novel on the way
- The bestselling author, known for series like Stalking Jack the Ripper and Kingdom of the Wicked, will publish Throne of Nightmares in 2026
- “I love being a reader and wanted to channel that love of books into a character I hope a lot of booklovers can relate to,” the author tells PEOPLE of the book, which is a standalone novel in her Prince of Sin series
Kerri Maniscalco has a new book on the way!
PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the bestselling author’s forthcoming fantasy novel Throne of Nightmares, out next year from Little, Brown and Company, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.
The book is a standalone installment of the author’s Prince of Sin series. When a deity threatens to destroy the Underworld, Prince Sloth must leave his beloved enchanted library and hunt down the Book of Nightmares, an artifact with the ability to destroy worlds. On his mission, however, Sloth meets Lore Brimstone, a young woman who owns a legendary tool that can help them on their journey.
The cover of ‘Throne of Nightmares’ by Kerri Maniscalco.
Little, Brown and Company
Soon, Sloth and Lore find themselves quite literally lost in a book, as they figure out how to save their universe from obliteration.
The PEOPLE App is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more!
Maniscalco, known for the Stalking Jack the Ripper and Kingdom of the Wicked series, tells PEOPLE that some of her own favorite media — like Neverending Story and Buffy the Vampire Slayer — influenced the novel.
“I’m such a sucker for anything that combines action, adventure, romance (obviously) and hard-won victories,” the author says. “When I was brainstorming ideas for Prince Sloth — the ultimate book nerd — I knew he needed to have a story that was devoted entirely to books and was basically a love letter to all things story.”
As such, it was only natural for Throne of Nightmares’ protagonist to be a bookworm too.
Kerri Maniscalco.
Kerri Maniscalco
“I love being a reader and wanted to channel that love of books into a character I hope a lot of booklovers can relate to as well,” she says. “Lore, to me, is like your favorite bookish friend. The one you can text while reading and scream about plot twists and then spend hours theorizing about what comes next … She’s the perfect counterpart to our cold, ruthless and highly analytical Prince of Sin.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Maniscalco says that writing the novel was a challenge, especially since she began working on it during a particularly bad chronic illness flare-up at the end of 2024. The process taught her to “prioritize my health, and to trust that it would be beneficial in the end.”
“This is my favorite book I’ve written,” the author says. “It took a little longer to finish, but I did it and I love it and am so, so excited for readers to dive into this world. I hope it provides them with the exact escape I needed while writing it.”
Throne of Nightmares will be published on Feb. 10, 2026 and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.