Executive Overview
For a generation of young adult and adult fantasy readers, the name Chloe Gong has become synonymous with razor-sharp prose, high-stakes political intrigue, and devastating, emotionally resonant character arcs. Breaking onto the scene in 2020 with her critically acclaimed, explosive Romeo & Juliet retelling These Violent Delights—vividly set against the neon-and-shadow backdrop of 1920s Shanghai—Gong swiftly transformed from a viral sensation into a powerhouse of modern speculative fiction.
Now, looking across the sprawling landscape of her literary career, 2026 is shaping up to be her most demanding and prolific year yet. Balancing multiple intersecting trilogies, navigating the delicate editorial trenches of franchise finales, and quietly forging a radical shift into entirely new genres, Gong is operating at a breathless creative velocity.
In a wide-ranging, exclusive interview with Variety late this August, the bestselling author pulled back the curtain on her chaotic writing schedule. Fresh off the August 4 release of Eyes of Kings—the explosive, heart-stopping conclusion to her adult epic fantasy Flesh & False Gods saga—Gong is hardly pausing to catch her breath. Instead, she finds herself deep in the creative trenches, simultaneously polishing the upcoming November launch of Deadlock (the sequel to 2025’s Coldwire), drafting the final book of her StrangeLoom trilogy, and revising a heavily guarded, top-secret contemporary project that promises to marry the emotional beats of romance heavyweights with the gut-wrenching survival mechanics of a zombie apocalypse.
Despite the relentless pressure of her publishing calendar, Gong remains remarkably grounded, balancing the anxieties of public reader reactions with an unwavering commitment to her craft. As Hollywood continues to circle her expansive bibliography for potential film and television adaptations, Gong maintains a refreshingly pragmatic perspective on the notoriously fickle entertainment industry. For Gong, the core of her universe will always reside on the page—even as she playfully leaves her phone lines open for Hollywood executives looking to bring her sprawling fantasy landscapes to life.
Detailed Chronology: Navigating a Packed 2026 Release and Writing Schedule
The year 2026 has been defined by a masterclass in time management for Gong. Her professional calendar reads like a strategic military campaign, mapped out across overlapping editorial deadlines, aggressive structural revisions, and high-profile promotional rollouts.
[August 4, 2026] ──► Release of "Eyes of Kings" (Flesh & False Gods Saga Finale)
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├──► Current Focus: Drafting the final book of the "StrangeLoom" trilogy
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[November 17, 2026] ─► Release of "Deadlock" (Sequel to 2025's "Coldwire")
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└──► Secret Project: Deep in revision for an unannounced contemporary/zombie projectThe timeline kicked into high gear at the tail end of summer. On August 4, 2026, readers finally received Eyes of Kings, the climactic final installment of her Flesh & False Gods trilogy. Inspired loosely by William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, the saga demanded an immense emotional and physical toll from its creator. Writing adult epic fantasy requires a unique brand of endurance, and Gong notes that bringing such a sprawling, war-torn narrative to a close was both deeply satisfying and creatively grueling.
Yet, the conclusion of one epic did not signal a moment of rest. Even as the digital ink dried on Eyes of Kings, Gong was already entrenched in the weeds of her next major publication: Deadlock. Set to hit shelves on November 17, 2026, Deadlock serves as the high-stakes sequel to her 2025 sci-fi/thriller venture, Coldwire. Balancing the promotional demands of an impending book launch with the rigorous line-edits and structural polishes required for a major late-autumn release would break many writers, but Gong treats the chaos as part of the job description.
Compounding this already formidable workload is her ongoing commitment to the StrangeLoom trilogy. Gong is currently writing the final, untitled book of that series. Writing a trilogy’s conclusion, she explains, is a uniquely volatile process. It requires a delicate balancing act: tying off loose narrative threads, paying off years of character development, and delivering an explosive payoff that honors the complex world-building established in earlier installments.
Beyond her known fantasy commitments, Gong has quietly carved out space for a radically different endeavor. She is presently deep in the revision trenches of a secret, unannounced book project. Unlike her historical retellings or intricate fantasy sagas, this manuscript represents a major departure from her established brand—a pivot that has required a complete recalibration of her creative voice.
Supporting Context & Metrics: From Viral Debut to Genre-Crossing Titan
To understand the magnitude of Gong’s 2026 output, one must examine the meteoric trajectory that brought her here. When These Violent Delights debuted in late 2020, it arrived during a tumultuous period in global publishing, quickly capturing the hearts of millions of readers marooned at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The novel—which reimagined Verona’s star-crossed lovers as rival gang heirs in 1920s Shanghai—became an instant New York Times bestseller and established Gong as a leading voice in the young adult speculative fiction renaissance.
She did not rest on her laurels. Rather than recycling the formula that made her a household name, Gong systematically expanded her literary footprint across multiple demographics and subgenres:
- Young Adult Historical Fantasy: Pioneered by the These Violent Delights duology and its companion series, Our Violent Ends and These Violent Ends, cementing her knack for atmospheric historical world-building.
- Adult Epic Fantasy: Marked by the Flesh & False Gods trilogy (culminating in Eyes of Kings), proving her ability to transition seamlessly into complex adult speculative fiction featuring high political stakes, brutal combat, and mature thematic elements.
- Sci-Fi & Thriller: Demonstrated by the gritty future-focused world of Coldwire and its upcoming November 2026 sequel, Deadlock.
- Contemporary Genre-Bending (Upcoming): Her newly teased project, playfully described as an "Emily Henry love story meets the zombie apocalypse," showcases her willingness to experiment outside traditional fantasy boundaries.
This diversification has paid massive dividends. Gong’s books consistently dominate bestseller lists, anchor massive reader communities on platforms like TikTok (BookTok) and Instagram, and command dedicated fandoms that treat every new release announcement as a major cultural event. Her ability to pivot between historical fiction, gritty sci-fi, and high fantasy without losing her signature voice is a rare feat in modern commercial publishing.
Official Statements & Insights: Inside the Creative Process
In her conversation with Variety, Gong offered candid insights into the psychological and emotional mechanics of being a serial novelist. She detailed the surreal nature of managing books at various stages of their lifecycle simultaneously—promoting one book that has just hit shelves while furiously rewriting another that won’t debut for months, all while drafting a third.
"I’m currently working on the final book in The StrangeLoom trilogy," Gong shared. "It is always really strange to talk about because Deadlock isn’t out yet. That’s coming out in November, but already I’m deep in the weeds of getting that third and final book finished and I’m very excited about how that’s going to look. I always love writing the final book in a trilogy because it’s so explosive and there’s so much in the world to figure out, but does it kill me a little every time? Absolutely."
The anxiety of secrecy is another hallmark of the modern publishing lifecycle. Authors often sit on major developmental milestones for months or years before their marketing teams give them the green light to speak publicly. Gong admits that keeping her upcoming projects under wraps can be a test of endurance:
"I’m also in the revision process of a secret project that we haven’t yet announced, but I hope to soon and I always feel like, as authors, there’s so many secrets that we’re hiding until we’re suddenly not hiding it and they’re like, please, let me tell you about this book that I have coming out."
When asked about that mysterious project, Gong offered fans the most substantial teaser yet regarding her new creative direction:
"It’s secret because it’s brand new for me. It’s my first venture into something contemporary," Gong revealed. "I have been kind of teasing it as, imagine an Emily Henry love story meets the zombie apocalypse. I’m super excited to talk about it more, and I think at this point, I’ve done that teaser enough times that I’m like, it’s OK, my publisher’s not gonna sack me for that."
Reader Reactions and Emotional Toll
The release of Eyes of Kings has also brought a wave of visceral reader reactions. As an adult epic fantasy featuring high casualties and a ruthless struggle for political dominance, Gong ensured that her audience was adequately warned from the very beginning. The official tagline of the novel—“At the end of this war, there can only be one king”—served as a fair warning for what was to come.
Rather than diving headfirst into the algorithmic fray of social media reviews, Gong prefers to protect her creative peace, relying instead on trusted readers who forward the most entertaining feedback:
"I don’t look it up with my own volition," Gong notes regarding reader hot takes. "I like to save my sanity that way, but I have some amazing readers who will tag me in their reactions. They will tag me in their crying videos, or they’ll tag me in their Instagram pictures where they have these beautiful aesthetic flat lays and the captions are like ‘Chloe Gong, how dare you!’ I love those reactions, especially when it comes to the end of the series. I have been preparing people, I think from Book 1. I’m like, guys, this is adult epic fantasy, I’m not promising to go light on you and there’s a fight coming… You know, no one’s happy, but everyone’s had a great time, I think."
Future Outlook: Hollywood Adaptations and the Horizon
As Gong’s literary empire expands, industry watchers and fans alike inevitably turn their attention toward the silver screen. Given the intensely visual nature of her world-building—from the jazz-soaked alleyways of 1920s Shanghai to the sprawling, god-touched battlefields of her epic fantasy sagas—her work is frequently cited as prime material for film and television adaptations.
Rumors surrounding a potential screen adaptation of These Violent Delights have circulated within literary and entertainment circles for years. While Gong remains tight-lipped regarding formal announcements, she confirms that the conversations are ongoing:
"As far as I know, things are always moving somehow in the industry," Gong says. "But I don’t have anything to report, at least as of now. People are always looking at my work. People are considering, and people are in conversation. And I always have my fingers crossed that something will come of it. At least for what I can focus on, I just try to write the books that would look good and feel fun and be exciting to adapt, but my focus is on the words on the page and I can just hope that someone who shares the vision would see the visual equivalent."
Unlike authors who demand ironclad creative control over every frame of an adaptation, Gong proudly positions herself as an unfussy collaborator. She understands that translating the written word into a visual medium requires structural and narrative compromises, and she welcomes the challenge:
"I’ve always said I would love any type of adaptation. I’m such an unfussy author," Gong says with a laugh. "I probably have the least amount of opinions ever when it comes to what an adaptation would look like, because I just think it would be so cool to have one at all. I think fantasy is a terrain that is quite hard to adapt. There’s so much CGI involved, especially when you have characters doing effectively what is magic, even though I don’t use that term in the series. There are so many cool things that I think would be great on a screen. It just depends on who wants to do it. So Hollywood, call me."
What Lies Ahead
Looking past the immediate horizon of the November 17 release of Deadlock, Chloe Gong shows zero signs of slowing down. With a finalized StrangeLoom trilogy on the docket, an imminent announcement regarding her contemporary zombie-romance project, and active industry discussions regarding screen adaptations, her literary footprint is set to grow exponentially over the next several years.
For a writer who broke into the industry before she was even legally old enough to rent a car, Gong’s trajectory has been nothing short of astronomical. Yet, sitting amidst manuscript revisions, launch schedules, and fan theories, her primary focus remains remarkably simple: putting compelling, beautiful, and devastating words on the page. As Hollywood weighs its options and readers brace themselves for her next emotional gut-punch, Chloe Gong remains the undisputed captain of her own literary ship—navigating uncharted waters with poise, ambition, and an unrelenting passion for storytelling.
