Incarnate

On Sale September 22nd, 2026

Most anticipated books of September: Literary Hub, Crime Reads, Bloody Disgusting

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From beloved horror maven Alma Katsu comes a terrifying reimagining of The Picture of Dorian Gray for the internet age.

Beauty doesn’t fade. It feeds.

Dorothy Wagner has spent her whole life wanting nothing more than to be seen. But after failing to make her mark as an influencer, she takes a job working for a brilliant coder whose company is focused on cutting-edge deepfake technology. And there, in secret, is where she creates her salvation.

Isabella. An impossibly gorgeous girl who takes social media by storm. Dorothy’s artistry is brilliant, and Isabella seems so real that she garners millions of followers. But everybody knows overnight success doesn’t just happen. And when someone gets a little too close to the truth, a violent confrontation sends Dorothy on the run, forcing her to confront what she’s willing to sacrifice to keep her secrets.

A modern reimagining of a classic tale, Alma Katsu’s Incarnate is an illuminating, haunting tale of algorithmic worship and beauty that can kill.

Praise & Reviews

“Incarnate is an electric tale that vivisects our fears about both the future of our world and the darkness in our hearts. A deliciously addictive techno-horror that you can’t look away from.” – Kylie Lee Baker, author of Japanese Gothic

“Alma Katsu’s Incarnate is disturbingly timely, exploring ego, obsession, and self-image in an age when the adoration of strangers can be addictive. The book is smart, dark, and itself highly addictive. Katsu is simply one of the best writers in the field.” – Richard Kadrey, New York Times bestselling author of the Sandman Slim series

“Alma Katsu brings her unparalleled expertise, both as an intelligence analyst and a crafter of ghoulish delights, to this digital doppelgänger nightmare. Incarnate is like an uncanny selfie: squirm-inducing, but impossible to look away from.” – Nat Cassidy, USA Bestselling author of When the Wolf Comes Home and Mary

“Incarnate ruthlessly distilled all of my AI paranoia into an eerily relevant, binge-worthy thriller that made me scared of my phone for days.” – David Yoon, New York Times bestselling author of Version Zero

“Incarnate shines a terrifying light on how scary modern technology is. It’s a shocking thriller that will dial your paranoia to eleven!” —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Red Empire and NecroTek

“Alma Katsu’s got her finger on the zeitgeist with Incarnate, where body horror meets AI, in a novel whose pages fly. What elevates her work is her research—even the most far-fetched genre plot points are utterly believable in Katsu’s masterful hands.” —Sarah Langan, author of Trad Wife

“A deal with the devil is reworked for the online age, with a healthy dose of body horror joining AI. The combination makes the story uniquely terrifying. Katsu has again taken a real-world danger and woven it into a horror novel that is truly frightening, all the more because much of it could happen. Recommended for those who enjoyed Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill or Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang. Readers drawn to explorations of the terrible side of technology as in Molka by Monika Kim will also enjoy this book.” -Library Journal

“Incarnate is a cautionary tale perfectly told by Alma Katsu. It’s a fast-paced read that quickly becomes addictive—not unlike the social media environment readers are being warned about.” —Bolo Books