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. . . .

 

[Charlaquin]

I can't understand after a decade the slang among the youngest ones can change but I feel to use "them" as pron for a single person is too forced. The evolution of the languange has to be by the most of native speakers, not only by a little group dictating the rest how we have to talk.

English has had they and them as singular personal pronouns since the 14th century, and most English speakers use the singular they and them in casual conversation all the time without even thinking about it.

 

[Charlaquin]

The author uses 'them' as their pronouns. This is an author including a character they identify with. Not sure how that is "too forced" when it is literally them referencing their own personal experience.

Just because you, by your own admission, aren't following along with the younger generation's evolution of language does not mean it is a little group dictating to anyone. Besides it is far from just the younger generation doing this, too. Everyone in my circles - friends, family, multiple work places, online communities, etc. were fine with this years ago and it's simply part of our language now.

This is what language evolving looks like whether any of us are personally happy or not with whatever direction it is going.

Singular they and them isn’t even a younger generation thing, unless you’re over 700 years old. People objecting to the singular they and them is an extremely new development.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Gendered pronouns are an artificial creation of certain languages.

I don't think there's anything "artificial" about gendered pronouns, they most likely evolved as "naturally" as any other language constructs.

 

[Parmandur]

I did not know, but it makes the point that you can do without the things and nothing breaks. Gendered pronouns are an artificial creation of certain languages.

English is, per usual, very peculiar. Languages like Hungarian or Tagalog that have no linguistic gender at all don't have this situation, and in highly gendered languages like Spanish the conversation is entirely different. English only cares about Gender in the weird corner case of pronouns, and it really isn't that hard fir English speakers to just...chill out about the corner case.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Singular they and them isn’t even a younger generation thing, unless you’re over 700 years old. People objecting to the singular they and them is an extremely new development.

William Shakespeare, so woke!

 

[slobster]

 

[Paul Farquhar]

English is, per usual, very peculiar. Languages like Hungarian or Tagalog that have no linguistic gender at all don't have this situation, and in highly gendered languages like Spanish the conversation is entirely different. English only cares about Gender in the weird corner case of pronouns, and it really isn't that hard fir English speakers to just...chill out about the corner case.

Yes, I think a lot of the reason it is such a big deal for Luis is because they are a native Spanish speaker. And when you learn a second language at school you learn a much more formalised version of that language. Language affects the way you think about things.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I don't think there's anything "artificial" about gendered pronouns, they most likely evolved as "naturally" as any other language constructs.

Artificial as in a product of human creation, not a product of the laws of nature.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Artificial as in a product of human creation, not a product of the laws of nature.

So why did you call out gendered pronouns specifically for being artificial, when all language is?

 

[Umbran]

I can't understand after a decade the slang among the youngest ones can change but I feel to use "them" as pron for a single person is too forced. The evolution of the languange has to be by the most of native speakers, not only by a little group dictating the rest how we have to talk.

Luis, so you are aware - use of "they" or "them" as an individual, non-gendered pronouns in English goes back to the 15th century, at least - William Shakespeare made use of it, for example. It is not some new evolution by some small group.