Penguin Random House Announces New D&D Romantasy Book

Penguin Random House has announced The Feywild Job, a new D&D novel written by World Fantasy Award and Nebula-winning writer CL Polk. The new book is a romantasy novel, a popular and wildly growing book genre. The book features a rogue tasked with stealing a gem called "The Kiss of Enduring Love" and is teamed up with their ex-lover, a bard. The twist to the novel is that the rogue has a magical pact granting them powers in exchange for never falling in love.

The new novel is written by CL Polk, a writer with serious bonafides in the fantasy community. Polk's debut novel Witchmark won the World Fantasy Award in 2019 and their 2022 novella Even Though I Knew The End won the Nebula Award for Best Novella that year. Based on their website, this appears to be Polk's first foray into licensed media.

Below is the full description for The Feywild Job. The book will be released on June 30, 2026.

Sparks fly when bitter exes are forced to team up for an elaborate Feywild heist, in this cozy fantasy romance by the bestselling author of the Kingston Cycle and Even Though I Knew the End.

Saeldian has sworn never to fall in love. That oath isn’t just a personal promise, but rather a magical pact, granting them powerful abilities. The only catch? They must never give their heart away—a deal that Saeldian is perfectly content with. They’ve seen firsthand how messy love can get.

Saeldian prefers their no-strings-attached life as a con artist, pulling off heists and leaving a trail of broken hearts behind them. But when a grift goes horribly wrong, they catch the eye of a mysterious patron with a job offer they can’t refuse.

The mission? Steal a gem called “The Kiss of Enduring Love” and return it to the Feywild. Simple enough, until Saeldian discovers their ex-partner, Kell—a charming bard—is part of the team.
The last time Saeldian saw Kell, things hardly ended on good terms. A kiss became a betrayal, leaving Kell hurt and confused for almost a decade. But Kell can’t just walk away—not when this job might finally be his ticket back to the Feywild.

Forced to work together again, their adventure takes them from high-society parties to Feywild couple’s therapy. But as Saeldian and Kell rekindle their chemistry, they realize the gem is much more than a fey bauble, and their simple heist has summoned powerful enemies. . . .

 

[Jeremy E Grenemyer]

I really hope this book does well. There are so many ways to play the game. This book could be one way to inspire people to try out D&D.

 

[TwoSix]

Hmm...I wonder if genre expectations will clash with corporate squeamishness here. I've read a handful of romantasy books my wife recommended, and they are incredibly graphic at times.

Probably not. They used the word "cosy" in the marketing, which is a genre flag for being fairly PG/PG-13. Contrast with "spicy", which is the more graphic books.

 

[kenmarable]

Isaac Asimov wrote plenty of tie-in fiction. The idea that a successful writer "debases" themselves writing a tie-in is basically a notion that existed for maybe 20-30 years during the tail end of the paperback era.

Exactly! Plus they sure seem more "super excited to do this after starting to play AD&D as a teen" than "welp, gotta pay the bills."

https://www.patreon.com/posts/hey-do-you-want-147580209

It's weird to think people still have hang ups about tie-in fiction that they immediately think it's only about money and not another avenue of creative expression the author might enjoy. That see it as "lesser" fiction. Heck, James Alan Gardner wrote a whole Planescape fan fiction novel!

And speaking of fan fiction, even N.K. Jemisin, I believe, says she still writes fan fiction. Just because someone is an award-winning author doesn't mean they don't find creative fulfillment in writing for existing media properties and are "above" it.

I'm awfully excited to hear about this and look forward to reading it!

 

[Chaltab]

I notice the blurb only uses 'they' pronouns for the main character. It's cool to see nonbinary rep, but I'm not actually sure how much crossover appeal this will have with the romantasy fanbase, which seems largely interested in cookie-cutter hetero romances between small women and large men.

 

[TerraDave]

I wonder if this ties into any game products brewing

Exactly. Fiction like this makes sense, but where are the supporting mechanics?

 

[bedir than]

Exactly. Fiction like this makes sense, but where are the supporting mechanics?

not in a novel

likely in the upcoming unannounced products, though Strix has very basic systems

 

[Von Ether]

Exactly! Plus they sure seem more "super excited to do this after starting to play AD&D as a teen" than "welp, gotta pay the bills."

https://www.patreon.com/posts/hey-do-you-want-147580209

It's weird to think people still have hang ups about tie-in fiction that they immediately think it's only about money and not another avenue of creative expression the author might enjoy. That see it as "lesser" fiction. Heck, James Alan Gardner wrote a whole Planescape fan fiction novel!

And speaking of fan fiction, even N.K. Jemisin, I believe, says she still writes fan fiction. Just because someone is an award-winning author doesn't mean they don't find creative fulfillment in writing for existing media properties and are "above" it.

I'm awfully excited to hear about this and look forward to reading it!

The heartbreaking aspect of the gig is the lack of cross-over marketing for the artist. One could assume that if writer X wrote an awesome book in your favorite IP, that they must have other great books in a similar vein. It's likely that's how they got the job.

Sadly, a lot of IP fans have zero interest in the writer past what was done in the IP and I think even more fans don't even notice the name in the byline.

So for anyone aspiring to write media tie-ins in the hopes of expanding your audience, don't hold your breath.

 

[Charlaquin]

I notice the blurb only uses 'they' pronouns for the main character. It's cool to see nonbinary rep, but I'm not actually sure how much crossover appeal this will have with the romantasy fanbase, which seems largely interested in cookie-cutter hetero romances between small women and large men.

Those are the most popular, but there is a niche within the genre for queer and NB romances. I would bet the crossover between that niche and romantasy readers who play D&D is pretty high.

 

[Dire Bare]

Heck, James Alan Gardner wrote a whole Planescape fan fiction novel!

Link?!

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Those are the most popular, but there is a niche within the genre for queer and NB romances. I would bet the crossover between that niche and romantasy readers who play D&D is pretty high.

Interesting. Why do you think so?