This page is updated as books are received throughout the month.
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
(The First Law: Book Two), Pyr, $15.00, 543pp, tp, 9781591026419. Epic Fantasy.
Superior Glokta has a problem. How do you defend a city surrounded by enemies and riddled with traitors, when your allies can by no means be trusted, and your predecessor vanished without a trace? It’s enough to make a torturer want to run—if he could even walk without a stick.
Northmen have spilled over the border of Angland and are spreading fire and death across the frozen country. Crown Prince Ladisla is poised to drive them back and win undying glory. There is only one problem—he commands the worst-armed, worst-trained, worst-led army in the world.
And Bayaz, the First of the Magi, is leading a party of bold adventurers on a perilous mission through the ruins of the past. The most hated woman in the South, the most feared man in the North, and the most selfish boy in the Union make a strange alliance, but a deadlly one. They might even stand a chance of saving mankind from the Eaters—if they didn’t hate each other quite so much.
Ancient secrets will be uncovered. Bloody battles will be won and lost. Bitter enemies will be forgiven—but not before they are hanged.
Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
Ace, $7.99, 312pp, pb, 9780441015993. Science fiction.
As the carrier of a rare gene, Sirantha Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace—a talent that cuts into her life expectancy but makes her a highly prized navigator for the Corp. But then the ship she’s navigating crash-lands, and she’s accused of killing everyone on board. It’s hard for Jax to defend herself: She has no memory of the crash.
Imprisoned and subject to a ruthless interrogation, Jax is on the verge of madness. Then a mysterious man breaks into her cell, offering her freedom—for a price. March needs Jax to help his small band of rogue fighters break the Corp monopoly on interstellar travel—and establish a new breed of jumper.
Jax is only good at one thing—grimspace—and it will eventually kill her. So she may as well have some fun in the meantime…
Worldweavers: Spellspam by Alma Alexander
Eos, $17.99, 439pp, hc, 9780060839598. YA Fantasy.
spellspam (spel’ spam) noun an ordinary spam e-mail infused with magic; known to cause havoc
The dramatic second book of the YA fantasy trilogy, Worldweavers, draws readers into a rich fantasy world and another adventure with Thea at the Wandless Academy.
A rash of “spellspam” has hit the Wandless Academy, leaving students and staff helpless against dangerous emails that can force those who open them to talk gibberish or even send them off into another world. Thea doesn’t know who is sending them, but does know the Federal Bureau of Magic is involved—as are Alphiri and the Faele, alien races whose trading has become necessary to the world, but involves unimaginable perils.
Beware of ads promising “clear” skin… your skin might disappear!
Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop
(a Black Jewels Novel), Roc, $23.95, 368pp, hc, 9780451461605. Fantasy. On-sale date: 4 March 2008.
In Tangled Webs: A Black Jewels Novel, Anne Bishop continues her national bestselling and critically acclaimed Black Jewels aseries, which began with Daughter of the Blood. This series is by far Bishop’s most popular, and fans will be pleased to learn that Tangled Webs will include a Black Jewels short story, “By the Time the Witchblood Blooms,” previously published and until now out-of-print.
The invitation is signed “Jaenelle Angeline,” and it summons her family to a special party. Surreal SaDiablo—former courtesan and assassin—arrives first. Upon entering the house, she finds herself trapped in a living nightmare created by the tangled webs of Black Widow witches. If she uses Craft to defend herself, she risks being sealed in the house forever.
But Jaenelle did not send the invitation. And now Jaenelle and her family must rescue Surreal and the others inside without becoming trapped themselves—and then discover who created such a place, and why… Readers will be more than satisfied with Bishop’s exciting new novel.
The Secret of Sinharat and People of the Talisman by Leigh Brackett, introduction by Michael Moorcock
Planet Stories, $12.99, 238pp, tp, 9781601250476. Science fiction.
Raised on the savage world of Mercury, hard-bitten mercenary Eric John Stark lives among the people of the civilized solar system, but his calm veneer masks a warrior’s spirit. In The Secret of Sinharat, criminals staging a revolution in the murderous Martian Drylands force a reluctant Stark to side with the law in an adventure leading him to the ruinis of the Martian Low Canals, an unlikely romance, and a secret that could shake the Red Planet to its core. In a special bonus nomvel, People of the Talisman, an attempt to return a stolen artifact to an oppressed people living on the polar icecap turns into a siege that can only be broken by passing through the Gates of Death.
Talents enough to co-write The Big Sleep film with William Faulkner and imaginative enough to pen the original screenplay for The Empire Strikes Back, Brackett’s fiction never fails to deliver thrills and wry smiles.
Airhead by Meg Cabot
Point/Scholastic, $16.99, 352pp, hc, 9780545040525. YA fiction. On-sale date: 13 May 2008.
It’s about modeling. Gaming. And corporate greed. With hot guys. Oh, and a poodle. Airhead is the first book in a new trilogy by #1 New York Times best-selling author Meg Cabot. With Cabot’s signature wit, Airhead is pitch perfect for teen summer reading.
One day she’s a brainiac. The next she’s… not herself. Emerson Watts isn’t your average sixteen-year-old girl. She loves playing video games and hanging out with her best friend Christopher, and has made peace with her less-than-supermodel-esque looks. But when she’s involved in a mysterious accident, she finds herself… not herself at all. Who’s behind it? What’s their motive? And how can she get Christopher to realize she’s still the same person inside? One thing’s for sure: Em Watts is gone. Nikki Howard is here to stay.
Apricot Brandy by Lynn Cesar
Juno, $6.99, 300pp, pb, 9780809572045. Dark Fantasy.
Deep in ancient Darkness where seed and spore and root and sleepless worm commingle—Xibalba awaits. To the ancient god, human life has become a disease destroying the earth and the now-demonic Xibalba is coming to feed on the good and the evil alike, to scour humankind from the face of the earth…
Returning to the family homestead after her father’s suicide, Karen Fox finds herself haunted by her past and bound by rage and guilt to a place she despises. Her lover, Susan, shows up to help Karen confront her past, but she, too, is overwhelmed by malevolent powers that have seeded the earth with evil. Only Karen, ex-con Kyle, an ancient Guatemalan bruja named Quetzal, and the army of ghosts Quetzal commands stand between Xibalba and the annihilation of us all.
Alliance Space by C.J. Cherryh
(contains Merchanter’s Luck and Forty Thousand in Gehenna), DAW, $8.99, 602pp, pb, 9780756404949. Science Fiction. On-sale date: 4 March 2008.
Alliance Space is an omnibus of two novels in C.J. Cherryh’s most renowned universe—the Union-Alliance Universe—setting of Cherryh’s two Hugo-award winning novels. Merchanter’s Luck is the story of two spacers who accomplish together something neither could have achieved alone, and Forty Thousand in Gehenna is the story of a civilization that arises through the symbiotic relationship between the descendents of human colonists and a native alien species.
Cosmos Incorporated by Maurice G. Dantec
Del Rey, $15.00, 464pp, tp, 9780345499936. Science Fiction. On-sale date: 20 May 2008.
The English translation of one of France’s most admired writers and author of Babylon A.D., the basis for the Fox blockbuster starring Vin Diesel, Cosmos Incorporated by Maurice G. Dantec is a triumph of science fiction—a masterwork of cataclysm, mysticism, and suspense.
Fifty years of warfare, disease, and strife have decimated the world’s population. Those who remain are motes in the mind of the UniWorld, a superstate that monitors humanity via a vast computer metastructure that catalogs everything about everyone on the planet—race, religion, genetic codes, even fantasties. Those who have the means escape UniWorld’s tight control through the orbital Ring.
Though his memory has been wiped clean and his history fabricated in order to pass through UniWorld’s check points, Sergei Diego Plotkin knows his name. And he knows his mission: to murder a man in the city of Grand Junction, a Vegas-like outpost that is home to the private launching pad to the Ring. But this sense of purpose is compromised by random memories that flash through Plotkin’s brain. Now, Plotkin is about to meet his maker. As his identity and mission incrementally resurface in his conscious mind, and in the presence of an eerily beautiful woman, Plotkin will soon discover that he has come here not just to kill but to be born…
From a science fiction writer of considerable literary talent, who won France’s esteemed Prix de l’Imaginaire for his cyberpunk novel Les Racines du Mal (The Roots of Evil), Cosmos Incorporated is a powerful SF thriller of a not-too-distant future.
The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Sixteen Original Works by Speculative Fiction’s Finest Voices edited by Ellen Datlow
Del Rey, $16.00, 402pp, tp, 97803435496324. Science fiction/fantasy anthology. On-sale date: 29 April 2008.
In one of the strongest collabnorations in speculative fiction, renowned editor Ellen Datlow and Del Rey Books have come together to create what could count as a virtual “best of the year” anthology in the world of contemporary science fiction and fantasy: The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Here are just a few examples of the slyly twisted alternate histories, fractured fairy tales, topical science fiction, and edgy urban fantasy found in the book:
* In “Daltharee,” World Fantasy Award-winning author Jeffrey Ford spins a chilling tale of a city in a bottle—and the demented genius who put it there.
* In “Sonny Liston Takes the Fall,” John W. Campbell Award-winning author Elizabeth Bear pens a poignant and eerie requiem for the heavyweight forever associated with his controversial loss to Cassius Clay.
* In “The Goosle,” hot new writer Margo Lanagan provides an unforgettable take opn “Hansel and Gretel.”
Acclaimed editor Ellen Datlow has a keen eye for the best in speculative fiction an dhas brought some of the most gifted talen to the public, including Stephen King, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Clive Barker, among others. The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy features many writers you’ll recognize; and others who are newly discovered and ready to make their mark. But one thing is certain: these stars of today and tomorrow demonstrate that the field of speculative fiction is not only alive and well—it’s better than ever.
[Contributors: Jason Stoddard, Lucy Sussex, Christopher Rowe, Elizabeth Bear, Nathan Ballingrud, Carol Emshwiller, Maureen F. McHugh, Richard Bowes, Margo Lanagan, Lavie Tidhar, Barry N. Malzberg, Laird Barron, Anna Tambour, Jeffrey Ford, Pat Cadigan, and Paul McAuley & Kim Newman.]
Tigerheart: A Tale of the Anyplace by Peter David
Del Rey, $22.00, 304pp, hc, 9780345501592. Fantasy. On-sale date: 17 June 2008.
For all readers who have ever lent an enthusiastic ear to a wonderfully well-told tale, or tumbled gladly into pages that could transport them anywhere, comes novelist Peter David’s enchanting new work of fantasy Tigerheart: A Tale of the Anyplace. Action-packed and suspenseful, heart-tugging and wise, it weaves a spell both hauntingly familiar and utterly irresistible for those who have ever surrendered themselves to flights of fancy, and have whispered in their hearts, “I believe.”
Paul Dear is a good and clever boy, doted on by a father who fills his son’s head with tall tales, thrilling legends, and talk of fairy-folk, and by a mother who indulges these fantastic stories and tempers them with common sense. But Paul is special in ways that even his adoring parents could never have imagined. For by day, in London’s Kensington Gardens, he walks and talks with the pixies and sprites and other magical creatures that dwell among the living—but are unseen by most. And at night in his room, a boy much like himself, yet not, beckons to Paul from the mirror to come adventuring. It’s a happy life for Paul, made all the more so by the birth of his baby sister.
But everything changes when tragedy strikes, and Paul concludes that there’s only one course of action he can take to dispel the darkness and make things right again. And like countless heroes before him, he knows that he must risk everything to save the day.
Thus begins a quest that will lead Paul down the city’s bustling streets, to a curio shop where a magical ally awaits him, and launches him into the starry skies, bound for a realm where anything is possible. Far from home, he will run with fierce Indian warriors, cross swords with fearsome pirates, befriend a magnificent white tiger, and soar beside an extraordinary, ageless boy who reigns in a boundless world of imagination.
Brimming with sly humor and breathless excitement of a traditional Victorian bedtime story, deftly embroidered with its own unique wisdom and wonder, Tigerheart is a hymn to childhood’s happiness and heartbreak, a meditation on the love, courage, sacrifice, and faith that shape us and define our lives, and a splendidly rendered modern fable—for readers of any age—that brilliantly proves itself a worthy brother to the timeless classic that serrve as its inspiration.
Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle
Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, $16.95, 352pp, hc, 9780805082517. Young adult fantasy. On-sale date: April 2008.
Set in the 19th century world of the English royal court, just before the coronation of Queen Victoria, the debut fantasy novel Bewitching Season is a frothy delight! Twin sisters Persephone and Penelope are the teenage daughters of Viscount Leland. As such, the girls are expected to care only about the latest fashions, titled husbands and the “coming out” season. But the Leland two-some are also talented witches and when they unearth a plot to kidnap Princess Victoria, the twins must use their magical powers to save their world.
The Alchemist’s Code by Dave Duncan
(sequel to The Alchemist’s Apprentice), Ace, $14.00, 308pp, 9780441015627. Fantasy.
Legendary clairvoyant, alchemist, astrologer, and physician Maestro Nostradamus may be able to glimpse the ever-changing future, but even he cannot see the danger that is about to envelop him and his daring apprentice, Alfeo…
When Nostradamus is hired to find a foreign spy by Venice’s ruling Council of Ten, the only clues they can offer him are the spy’s intercepted messages, encoded in a seemingly unbreakable cipher.
But Nostradamus soon detects evil influences working against him, and realizes the spy can only be caught by occult means. He turns to his able apprentice, the young swordsman Alfeo Zeno, whose unique talents may prove essential to unraveling the truth.
Thus begins a series of events that will involve Alfeo in murder, passion, betrayal, and magic…
Out of the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst
Razorbill, $15.99, 272pp, tp, 9781595141590. Teen fantasy. On-sale date: June 2008.
Ever since twelve-year-old Julie Marchen helped defeat the fairy-tale world of the Wild, life’s been pretty much back to normal. That is, as normal as life can be for a girl whose brother is Puss-in-Boots and whose mom is Rapunzel. (Yes, that Rapunzel.)
The Wild is safely back under Julie’s bed, but then it suddenly spits out Julie’s dad—Rapunzel’s prince—and things take a seriously enchanted turn. He’s gallant, he’s handsome, and he’s totally clueless about life in the 21st century! (You try teaching a five-hundred-year-old prince how to text message.) Julie couldn’t be happier to have her family back together, but when Dad dashes off to save a kidnapped Sleeping Beauty, Julie must embark on a magical cross-country adventure to bring him home, protect the family secret, and while she’s at it, save the world. And if she can’t everyone will spend eternity in a fairy tale.
TIM: Defender of the Earth by Sam Enthoven
Razorbill, $19.99, 288pp, hc, 9781595141842. Young adult fantasy. On-sale date: 15 March 2008.
He’s big, he’s moddy, he has a tail that could crush the Houses of Parliament… and he’s all that stands between the earth and total destruction. (Oh… and he’s completely loveable, razor-sharp car-sized teeth notwithstanding.)
TIM (that’s Tyrannosaurus: Improved Model), is the product of a top-secret military experiment. He lives in a comfy labn under Trafalgar Square—but now the British government has pulled the plug on his funding and TIM must make a break for it.
TIM forms an unlikely alliance with fifteen-year-old Chris and his classmate Anna in order to save humanity from the greatest threat it has ever known: Anna’s father, the brilliant and demented Professor Mallahide, and his growing swarm of vicious nanobots. Will TIM prevail and save the British Isles and the world? In order to find out we’ll have to hold hands, read, and believe—in TIM, Defender of the Earth!
Reaper’s Gale by Steven Erikson
(Book Seven of The Malazan Book of the Fallen), Tor, $16.95, 832pp, tp, 9780765316530. Fantasy.
All is not well in the Letherii Empire. Rhulad Sengar, the Emperer of a Thousand Deaths, spirals into madness, surrounded by sycophants and agents of his Machiavellian chancellor, while the Letherii secret police conduct a campaign of terror against their own people. The Errant, once a farseeing god, is suddenly blind to the future. Conspiracies seethe throughout the palace, as the empire edges ever closer to all-out war with the neighboring kingdoms.
The great Edur fleet draws ever closer. Among its warriors are Karsa Orlong and Icarium Lifestealer—each destined to cross blades with the emperor himself. A band of fugitives seeks a way out of the empire. One of them, Fear Sengar must find the soul of Scabandari Bloodeye. Yet, traveling with them is Scabandari’s most ancient foe: Silchas Ruin. His motives are anything but certain, for the wounds he carries on his back, made by the blades of Scabandari, are still fresh.
Fate decrees that there is to be a reckoning—a reckoning on an unimaginable scale. This is a brutal, harrowing novel of war, intrigue, and dark, uncontrollable magic; this is epic fantasy at its most imaginative, storytelling at its most thrilling.
Gone by Michael Grant
HarperTeen, $17.99, 576pp, hc, 9780061448768. Teen fantasy. On-sale date: 22 April 2008.
In the blink of an eye everyone disappears. Gone.
Except for anyone young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not a single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what’s happened.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.
It’s a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else did.
Something Magic This Way Comes edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Sarah A. Hoyt
DAW, $7.99, 312pp, pb, 9780756404727. Fantasy anthology. On-sale date: 4 March 2008.
In the earliest days of humankind, everything in the world seemed magical. Gods and demons, spirits and sprites were considered to be responsible for everything from life and death, to the turning of the seasons, to the abundance or failure of crops.
Today, much that was once attributed to magic has been explained by science, and in our technologically driven world, the question is whether there is still a place for magic. For twenty of fantasy’s finest imaginers, the answer is obviously, “Yes.”
So welcome to visionary, modern-day realms of magic where surprising things can still happen. From a Gypsy fortune-teller’s transforming prophecy… to a trouble teen seeking a haven from his family woes… to a mysterious gathering of cats at Cape Canaveral… and a kid out to spook his best friend into believing that werewolves are real… here are stories that will amuse you or send chills down your spine—or have you looking wistfully around the next corner, hoping to find a bit of magic all your own.…
[Contributors: Irene Radford, Esther M. Friesner, Harry Turtledove, Charles Edgar Quinn, Daniel M. Hoyt, Laura Resnick, Paul Crilley, Russell Davis, Fran LaPlaca, Kate Paulk, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Alan L. Lickiss, Eric Flint, Darwin A. Garrison, John Lambshead, Barbara Nickless, and Dave Freer.]
Death’s Head: Maximum Offense by David Gunn
Del Rey, $25.00, 368pp, hc, 9780345500014. Science fiction. On-sale date: 6 May 2008.
With Death’s Head, David Gunn rocketed onto the scene in the most explosive and entertaining science fiction debut since Richard Morgan’s Altered Carbon. Now, Gunn is back with Death’s Head: Maximum Offense, a book just as brutal and unforgiving as it’s protagonist: Lieutenant Sven Tveskoeg. Sven is antisocial, an antihero, anti-you-name-it. A one-man killing spree whose best friend is an intelligent handgun with a bad attitude, Sven’s worst enemy is, well, just about everybody else. While these qualities would normally doom a man to prison or worse in any decent society, Sven’s society is anything but decent, it’s the status quo.
Set in a chillingly realistic far-future world, this second book in the Death’s Head series takes Sven to the hardboiled planet of Hekati. A harsh, grim, and desolate place, Hekati is the location where the powers of the universe have whimsically decided to stage a major battle, a battle Sven can not avoid. Sven realizes he must not only win the battle against impossible odds but protect a key figure in the political machinations of an endless universe… and Sven isn’t much for politics.
Featuring more of the same pulse pounding thrills and gritty action that Gunn unleased in Death’s Head, Death’s Head: Maximum Offense is a relentless, electric thrill ride.
Betrayed by Jamie Leigh Hansen
Tor, $6.99, 324pp, pb, 9780765357205. Paranormal romance.
This is their last chance. After nine loveless lives and nine horrible deaths, Kalyss must save Dreux from his stone prison—or pass without him into an empty eternity.
When two strangers violently enter her life, Kalyss’s gift awakens—along with the memory of her past lives—and she must learn who she can trust in order to break the cycle of hatred and betrayal that has held them captive for centuries. For only then can she free Dreux from his prison of stone.
But will Kalyss be strong enough, now that the last chance has arrived—now that she must face not only the pain of this life, but of all her lives before?
The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison
Eos, $24.95, 455pp, hc, 9780060788704. Fantasy.
New York Times-bestselling author Kim Harrison, whose first adventure, Dead Witch Walking, introduced her alluring, crafty—and if necessary, dangerous—protagonist Rachel Morgan, full-time witch and independent bounty hunter to an eager audience is ready to bring us the next chapter in her ongoing adventure. Eos Books, presently celebrating its 10th Anniversary, is pleased to announce the publication of Kim’s newest novel featuring Ms. Morgan, The Outlaw Demon Wails.
In Outlaw, Rachel must play a dangerous game, in which the prize is her immortal soul. To have saved the life of her friends, Rachel crossed uncrossable lines, willingly trafficking in forbidden demon magic. And now her sins are coming home to haunt her. And, there was one person she couldn’t save, despite all her skills, wit, and wiles.
Searching for the truth behind this devastating loss, Rachel walks a dangerous path, filled with menace—even greater menace than she has known, for the demon Algaliarept is now determined to claim her, even as the discovery of a dark family secret throws the purpose of her entire life into question. If she is ever to live free again, she must walk willingly into the demonic realm, knowing she may never return—and that there are some lines which simply should never be crossed.
Children of Dune by Frank Herbert, read by Simon Vance, Scott Brick, and others
Macmillan Audio, $49.95, 14 CDs (18 hours), 9781427202918. Science fiction audiobook.
The bestselling science fiction series of all time continues with this new audiobook production of Children of Dune, read by a cast including acclaimed narrators Simon Vance and Scott Brick, both of whom were narrators on the recently published new audiobook productions of Dune and Dune Messiah, the first two titles from Frank Herbert’s original Dune series.
In this third installment, the sand-blasted world of Arrakis has become green, watered and fertile. Old Paul Atreides, who led the desert Fremen to political and religious domination of the galaxy, is gone. But for the children of Dune, the very blossoming of their land contains the seeds of its own destruction. The altered climate is destroying the giant sandworms, and this in turn is disastrous for the planet’s economy. Leto and Ghanima, Paul Atreides’s twin children and his heirs, can see possible solutions—but fanatics begin to challenge the rule of the all-powerful Atreides empire, and more than economic disaster threatens…
Goblin War by Jim C. Hines
DAW, $7.99, 336pp, pb, 9780756404932. Fantasy. On-sale date: 4 March 2008.
If you think it’s hard being a hobgoblin or a human, try living a goblin’s life for a while. In fact, try imaging what it’s like to be the runtiest goblin in the caves, the lone worshiper of a god who’s been forgotten for a good reason, and the target everyone points to at the first hint of trouble. Try picturing yourself as Jig Dragonslayer, and see how you like it…
Despite impossible odds, Jig was still alive. He’d survived an adventurers’ quest against a dragon and a necromancer, a pixie invasion that had ogres and trolls dropping like flies, and, most frightening of all, the threat of being made chief of the goblins. He wasn’t sure how much more he could stand. Naturally, he was about to find out.
War was brewing in the world outside the Mountain, and when the goblins’ lair was invaded by human warriors in search of the Rod of Creation, Jig just knew it was only the start of another really bad day…
The Year of Disappearances by Susan Hubbard
(sequel to The Society of S), Simon & Schuster, $22.95, 304pp, hc, 9781416552710. Fantasy. On-sale date: 6 May 2008.
A hip vampire story with a difference… Wherever Ariella Montero goes, it seems, someone is murdered. Writing in a style that The New York Times calls “minimalism O. Henrified,” Susan Hubbard continues, with The Year of Disappearances, her heroine’s mysterious and spellbinding quest, begun in The Society of S, to recognize the demons who may live inside us and the ones we love—so that they can be removed.
Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel by Michio Kaku
Doubleday, $26.95, 329pp, hc, 9780385520690. Science. On-sale date: 11 March 2008.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel through time? Or what if you could become invisible? Or better yet, move things with your mind? Before Michio Kaku became world renowned theoretical physicist, he was just a curious child pondering these types of questions. Time travel, force fields, psychokinesis and the like all have one thing in common; they have all been deemed physically impossible, at least for now. One hundred years ago, the same was thought about lasers, televisions and visiting outer space. Yet, today, these are all commonplace. So what exactly can we expect to become possible one hundred or even one thousand years from now?
In Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel, bestselling author of Hyperspace and co-founder of the String Field Theory, Michio Kaku explores to what extent technologies and devices deemed impossible today might become commonplace in the future. Kaku looks at a number of “impossible” technologies, categorizing them into three groupings: technologies that are not possible today, but which may be in the foreseeable future (Class I); technologies which are impossible in the foreseeable future but which do not violate the laws of physics (Class II); and technologies that violate the laws of physics as we know them today (Class III).
Unlike the fantastic world of science fiction—from lasers to antimatter engines to nanorockets—Kaku explores the fundamentals—and the limits—of the laws of physics as we know them today. Amongst other topics, he explains how:
* The science of optics, electromagnetism, and light may be able to be used to simulate invisibility
* Enhancing the sensitivity of MRI devices may someday allow us to read minds.
* Time travel is actually consistent with the known laws of quantum physics and therefore someday possible.
* Magnetic fields, superconductors, and nanotechnologies may eventually enable scientists to levitate an elevator in outer space.
Physics of the Impossible takes us on an exciting scientific tour beyond science fiction, fantasy, and magic. Never before has a book explored the vast realm of human and scientific possibility on so grand a scale.
Requiem: New Collected Works by Robert A. Heinlein and Tributes to the Grand Master edited by Yoji Kondo
Tor, $15.95, 352pp, tp, 9780765320544. Science fiction/nonfiction anthology. On-sale date: May 2008.
Collected short fiction, speeches, and tributes to one of science fiction’s greatest writers.
Requiem is a compelling celebration of Robert A. Heinlein and his vision, containing many reare, uncollected works by the Grand Master of science fiction, including the novellas Destination Moon and Tenderfoot in Space. Also featured are contributions from such luminaries as Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Silverberg, Greg Bear, and Larry Niven.
[Contents by Heinlein: “Requiem,” “Tenderfoot in Space,” “Destination Moon,” “Shooting Destination Moon,” “The Witch’s Daughters,” “The Bulletin Board,” “Poor Daddy,” “Guest of Honor Speech at the Third World Science Fiction Convention—Denver, 1941,” “Guest of Honor Speech at the XIXth World Science Fiction Convention—Seattle, 1961,” “Guest of Honor Speech—Rio de Janeiro Movie Festival, 1969,” “Guest of Honor Speech at the XXXIVth World Science Fiction Convention—Kansas City, 1976.”]
[Other contributors: Virginia Heinlein, Yoji Kondo, Tom Clancy, L. Sprague de Camp, Jerry Pournelle, Charles Sheffield, Jon McBride, Catherine Crook de Camp, Tetsu Yano, Poul Anderson, Jim Baen, Greg Bear, J. Hartley Bowen Jr., Arthur C. Clarke, Gordon R. Dickson, Joe Haldeman, Larry Niven, Spider Robinson, Robert Silverberg, Harry Turtledove, and Jack Williamson.]
Saga by Conor Kostick
(sequel to Epic), Viking, $18.99, 368pp, hc, 9780670062805. Young adult fantasy. On-sale date: May 2008.
Ghost is part of an anarcho-punk airboard gang who live to break the rules. And there’s a good reason—their world, Saga, has a strict class system enforced by high-tech electronics, armed guards, and a corrupt monarchy.
But something is changing within Saga. Strangers are appearing and disappearing on the streets, like some kind of special effect. Soon Ghost and her gang learn the complicated truth. Saga isn’t actually a place; it’s a sentient computer game. The strangers are “playing” frmo their home on New Earth, and access to Saga works on them like a drug. The Dark Queen who rules Saga is trying to enslave the people of New Earth by making them Saga addicts.
And she will succeed unless Ghost and her friends—and Erik, from Epic, and his friends—figure out how to stop her in time.
The Guin Saga, Book Three: The Battle of Nospherus by Kaoru Kurimoto, translated by Alexander O. Smith and Elye J. Alexander
Vertical, $9.95, 269pp, tp, 9781934287064. Fantasy.
The Guin Saga by Kaoru Kurimoto is fast becoming the standard in classic fantasy. A fluid 118-volume masterpiece in its native Japan—and still growing—the epic has enjoyed widespread popularity spanning three decades and continues to have an unfaltering fan base. In the third of the five-part “Marches Episode,” the inaugural storyline, Kurimoto begins to reveal tantalizing story elements that hint at a more complex interwoven narrative, a rich tableau that elevates what initially seemed like a popcorn fantasy to an epic adventure with legs worthy of carrying the title into literary fantasy history.
In Book Three the fate that Jarn weaves is unraveled a little on each page divulging more of the secrets behind the wildlands of Nospherus and its inhabitants. Unaware of their destiny, three future kinds stand united to defend the wildlands of Nospherus against the pending attack of the Mongauli army. Devil-may-care mercenary Istavan’s swaggering personality extends past his mouth, while Guin commands an army of the indigenous primitive tribes of the Sem, vastly outnumbered and out-skilled by ten thousand well-honed soldiers. In the enemy camp, the Lady Amnelis finally reveals her true motives for entering the treacherous wasteland: a stone of unsurpassable powers discovered by the hideously deformed spellcaster Cal Moru during a previous expedition into the Valley of Death—a spot of Hell-on-Earth deeply hidden within the heart of Nospherus.
Written in the 1920s American pulp style, a refreshing counterpoint to Tolkienesque fantasy, The Guin Saga is a powerhouse of action, packed with savage villains and unflinching heroes clashing in a nefarious land of unimaginable horror. Each paperback volume sports cover and interior artwork by the series’ original artist Naoyuki Katoh.
The Guin Saga Manga Vol. 3: The Seven Magi story by Kaoru Kurimoto, illustrated by Kazuaki Yanagisawa
Vertical, $12.95, 200pp, tp, 9781934287088. Graphic Novel / Manga-Sci-Fi.
Kazuaki Yanagisawa’s adaptation of this side story to Kaoru Kurimoto’s The Guin Saga—the world’s longest running fantasy series—is a crowning example of seinen manga, a more action-packed, mature style of manga that evolved from the discontentment of shonen manga fans who had outgrown the far milder coming-of-age stories. Yanagisawa is celebrated for his ingenious takes on video games, bringing famous titles like Shin Megami Tensei to life on paper. His in-your-face stylings of the timeless hero are unforgiving and breathless, his fight scenes fluid, his panoramic views of Guin’s kingdom awesome.
In the third and final volume King Guin will uncover the dark magic that has ensorcelled his realm. As he rushes to save the citizens of Cheironia, the evil becomes manifest, erupting from the center of the city. The kingdom’s only hope is for its brave monarch to dash headlong into the manifestation and confront the magi face-to-face.
Elak of Atlantis by Henry Kuttner (introduction by Joe R. Lansdale)
Planet Stories, $12.99, 221pp, tp, 9781601250469.
Fantasy.
Explore the origins of sword and sorcery with Henry Kuttner’s Elak of Atlantis! Published in Weird Tales to satisfy fans of Conan the Barbarian in the wake of Robert E. Howard’s death, these four stories depict a brutal world of flashing swords and primal magic, touched by a hint of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos. Never collected in a mass-market edition since their publication in the late 1930s, these exciting tales helped to establish a genre and are a critical part of any fantasy library. Also included in this collection are Kuttner’s two rare and equally ground-breaking Prince Raynor stories from 1939’s Strange Tales.
Dive into these seminal, thrilling adventure tales from one of the most important writers in science fiction and fantasy, and discover for yourself why Elak of Atlantis is renowned by scholars as a major step in the evolution of a genre.
Staked by J.F. Lewis
Pocket, $14.00, 370pp, tp, 9781416547808. Fantasy.
Marking the debut of a fresh new voice in the genre, Staked by J.F. Lewis, is a funny, biting urban fantasy starring a strip bar-owning vampire. Imagine an undead Denis Leary, complete with acid wit, misanthropism, and a love for ice hockey. Add in a strip club with a never-ending stream of beauties at his disposal. Toss in a sassy girlfriend and being framed for a crime he didn’t commit. Now you have Staked.
Eric is a vampire with issues. His short-term and long-term memory problems are just the beginning. He not only can’t remember what he did yesterday, he doesn’t even remember how he became a vampire in the first place. His one true love refuses to become a vampire, so she’s in her eighties, now, but still hanging around, helping him run his strip club, the Demon Heart, in downtown Void City. His current girlfriend, Tabitha, won’t stop bugging him to turn her into a vampire, but when he finally gives in and does, he’s suddenly not interested in her anymore. And now, it’s starting to look like someone’s setting him up to take the rap for a recent werewolf murder. It would help if Eric could actually remember if he did the deed… but he’s pretty sure he didn’t. And now the entire pack of fundamentalist werewolves wants to kill him as revenge. His newly-vamped girlfriend Tabitha might be the best person to come to his rescue… if he’ll let her.
Staked is a subversive, hilarious vampire fantasy with an appealing anti-hero that will keep readers turning the pages and leave them wanting more.
House of Whispers by Margaret Lucke
Juno, $6.99, 304pp, pb, 9780809571581. Paranormal mystery / fantasy / romance.
Claire Scanlan is launching a new life and a new career in real estate. She has a chance to sell a spectacular house but, as the site of a mass murder, the property is not attracting buyers. When Ben Grant, the handsome brother of one of the murder victims, shows her the empty house, Claire experiences strange sensations that are both fascinating and repellent. Claire is also fascinated (and not at all repelled) by Ben Grant. But if Claire accepts her new-found paranormal power as real, she must also accept the responsibility for solving a bloody crime—even though Ben seems to be a prime suspect.
The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez
Tor, $14.95, 320pp, tp, 9780765318343.
Extra! Extra! Bad robot trying to make good finds himself up to his opticals in mutant lowlifes and little green wiseguys!
Even in Empire City, a town where weird science is the hope for tomorrow, it’s hard for a robot to make his way. It’s harder for a robot named Mack Megaton, a hulking machine designed to bring mankind to its knees. But Mack’s not interested in world domination. He’s just a bot trying to get by, to prove that he isn’t just an automated smashing machine and earn his citizenship in the process. It should be as easy as crushing a tank for Mack, but some bots just can’t catch a break.
When Mack’s neighbors are kidnapped, Mack sets off on a journey through the dark alleys and gleaming skyscrapers of Empire City. Along the way, he runs afoul of a talking gorilla, a brainy dame, a mutant lowlife, a little green mob boss, and the secret conspiracy at the heart of Empire’s foudners—not to mention more trouble than he bargained for!
Lost Time by Susan Maupin-Schmid
Philomel, $16.99, 176pp, hc, 9780399244605. Young adult science fiction. On-sale date: May 2008.
Twelve-year-old Violynne Vivant wants answers. Orphaned and anguished, she wonders daily what happened to her parents, archaeologists who went digging for the ancient city of Nithnon and vanished into the red sands of Lindos. Where are they? Will they ever return?
Things start to come unglued when a thief breaks into the Vivants’ house, looking for Violynne. Suddenly she is swept into a maze of powerful adult forces, from the planetary ruler called the Arbiter to the murky underworld figure the Coil—they all have a sudden deep interest in Violynne. What do they all want? And what does it have to do with her parents’ disappearance? It becomes apparent that only Violynne herself can uncover her parents’ whereabouts—along with age-old secrets of the mysterious planet that many would rather keep buried…
Imaginative and gripping, this unique blend of sci-fi and mystery will captivate young readers.
Andromeda Stories, Volume 3 story by Ryu Mitsuse, illustrated by Keiko Takemiya
Vertical, $11.95, 200pp, tp, 97819324287040. Graphic Novel / Manga / Sci-Fi.
Keiko Takemiya is part of the “Magnificent 49ers”, a group of women renowned for overcoming a male-dominated industry by reinventing the genre, essentially creating their own sandbox in which to play. Takemiya’s work explores transcendent themes drawn with awe-inspiring celestial interludes.
Scripted by Japan’s science fiction legend, Ryu Mitsuse, Andromeda Stories is a descerning look at the unsettling possibilities spawning from advanced technology. In this third and final volume, Jimsa and his twin Affle must overcome their presuppositions about one another and join forces to save the galaxy before it’s overrun by machines.
Victory Conditions by Elizabeth Moon
(the conclusion of Vatta’s War), Del Rey, $26.00, 398pp, hc, 9780345491619. Science fiction. On-sale date: 19 February 2008.
Nebula Award-winning author and Marine Corps verteran Elizabeth Moon brings her Vatta’s War series to a thrilling conclusion in Victory Conditions, the last installment in the series featuring heroine Kylara Vatta.
For Ky, it’s not just about liberating the star systems subjugated by Turek and defending the rest of the galaxy’s freedom. There’s also a score to be settled and payback to be meted out for the obliteration of the Vatta Transport dynawsty… and the slaughter of Ky’s family. But the enemy have their own escalation efforts under way—including the placement of covert agents among the allies with whom Ky and the surviving Vattas are collaborating in the war effort. And when a spy ring linked to a wealthy businessman is exposed, a cracked pirate code reveals a galaxywide conspiracy fueling the proliferation of Turek’s warship fleet.
Matching the invaders’ swelling firepower will mean marshaling an armada of battle-ready ships for Ky to lead into combat. But a violent skirmish leaves Ky reeling—and presumed dead by her enemies. Now, as Turek readies an all-out attack on the Nexus system—a key conquest that could seal the rest of the galaxy’s doom—Ky must rally to the challenge, draw upon every last reserve of her strategic skills, and reach deep if she is to tear from the ashes of tragedy her most decisive victory.
Elric: The Stealer of Souls: Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné: Volume I by Michael Moorcock
Del Rey, $15.00, 461pp, tp, 9780345498625. Fantasy.
When Michael Moorcock began chronicling the adventures of the albino sorcerer Elric, last king of decadent Melniboné, and his sentient vampiric sword, Stormbringer, he set out to create a new kind of fantasy adventure, one that broke with tradition and reflected a more up-to-date sophistication of theme and style. The result was a bold and unique hero—weak in body, subtle in mind, dependent on drugs for the vitality to sustain himself—with great crimes behind him and a greater destiny ahead: a rock-and-roll antihero who would channel all the violent excesses of the sixties into one enduring archetype.
Now, with a major film in development, Elric: The Stealer of Souls is the first volume of a dazzling collection of stories containing the seminal appearances of Elric and lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist John Picacio—plus essays, letters, maps, and other material. Adventures include “The Dreaming City,” “While the Gods Laugh,” “Kings in Darkness,” “Dead God’s Homecoming,” “Black Sword’s Brothers,” and “Sad Giant’s Shield.”
An indispensable addition to any fantasy collection, Elric: The Stealer of Souls is an unmatched introduction to a brilliant writer and his most famous—or infamous—creation.
Heroes Adrift by Moira J. Moore
Ace, $7.99, 340pp, pb, 9780441015986. Fantasy.
In a realm beset by natural disasters, only the magical abilities of the bonded Pairs—Source and Shield—make the land habitable and keep the citizenry safe. The ties that bind them are far beyond the relationships between lovers or kin—and last their entire lives. Whether they like it or not…
Long-suffering Shield Lee Mallorough and her all-too-charming Source Shintaro Karish are summoned to court by the Empress, who asks the fractious Pair to undertake a mission of utmost importance and secrecy: locate the descendants of her illegitimate, exiled sister.
As their recent chaotic exploits have proven, Lee and Taro are completely ill suited to such a task, but they are in no position to refuse. So, in search of lost royalty, they travel to the Southern Islands, where the heat is unbearable, the clothing is just short of optional—and the less-than-friendly locals could care less that Lee and Taro are working for the Empress…
Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert
New American Library, $14.00, 406pp, tp, 9780451223357.
Fantasy. On-sale date: 4 March 2008.
Gabriel Blackstone is no ordinary man—but, as he’s about to find out, sisters Morrighan and Minnaloushe are no ordinary women. In Season of the Witch, the sexy, seductive thriller by Natasha Mostert, their worlds collide with drastic consequences.
All his life, Gabrial Blackstone has possessed a special ability. He is a “remote viewer,” someone who can enter the depths of another person’s most private and personal thoughts. When Gabriel is asked to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend’s stepson, old feelings between ex-lovers begin to resurface, and Gabriel’s search leads him to encounter two sexy, seductive “solar” witches obsessed with the study of alchemy and the ancient Art of Memory.
Soon, Gabriel becomes convinced that the young man was murdered by one of the sisters… but which one? As Gabriel uses his remote viewing skills to solve the crime, he makes a shocking revelation—someone is reading his mind too! Before long, Gabriel finds himself caught in a complex love triangle—and seduced into the erotic world of the two mysterious systers—as they lead him through a deadly chase within the unending maze of their own memory. Will Gabriel be able to solve the murder—and save himself—before this seduction costs him his life?
Filled with sexy romance and chilling twists and turns, Season of the Witch asks how far someone will go for knowledge and truth, and gives new meaning to the phrase “it’s all in your mind.”
The Queen’s Bastard by C.E. Murphy
Del Rey, $14.00, 448pp, tp, 9780345494641. Fantasy. On-sale date: 29 April 2008.
Society’s fascination with the European Renaissance is evident in the wide span of books, movies, and television shows that celebrate the machinations of the royal courts. Now, royal conspiracy meets sensual fanasy in C.E. Murphy’s The Queen’s Bastard.
Set in an Elizabethan-era fantasy world, The Queen’s Bastard follows the path of Belinda Primrose, the queen’s bastard—the illegitimate daughter of Lorraine, first queen to sit on the Aulunian throne. Religion has ripped apart the old world order, and with churches vying for power alongside princes and queens, Lorraine must defend her throne against those who would wrest it away. She selects her most valuable weapon: Belinda, the daughter she has never acknowledged, trained from childhood in the covert art of assassination.
Now, fluent in languages and cold-blooded enough to take lives when she must, Belinda is able to take on any persona that will allow her to infiltrate the inner circles of her mother’s enemies. But her spying takes a very different twist when she discovers her birthright has gifted her with magical powers her mother never knew—powers that enable her to attract the love of handsome young Prince Javier, whose throne her mother both fears and desires. And Belinda wonders—for the first time—whether she wants to seize power of her own.
Murphy’s The Queen’s Bastard is an absorbing mix of historical detail, fantastical elements, and the carefully woven thread of human emotions.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, $16.95, 272pp, 9780805076684. Young adult science fiction. On-sale date: May 2008.
Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox awakens from a coma with no idea who she is, no memories and no beliefs. She can’t even recall what cheese tastes like. To find her true self, Jenna will be forced to confront her past, her future, and her parents. A ground-breaking page turner set in the near future, The Adoration of Jenna Fox raises questions about medical ethics, biotechnology, the root of the self, and the limits of parental love. While not traditional or hard sci-fi, this lyrical and gripping novel will definitely pique the interest of sci-fi readers.
Unwelcome Bodies by Jennifer Pelland
Apex, $14.95, 249pp, tp, 9780978867683. Science fiction collection.
Pain. Pleasure. The sensation of touch… we feel everything through our skin, that delicate membrane separating “I” from “other,” protecting the very essence of self. Until it breaks. Or changes. Or burns. What would you do if you were the one called on to save humanity, and the price you had to pay was becoming something other than human? Or if healing your body meant losing the only person you’ve ever loved? Wander through worlds where a woman craves even a poisonous touch… a man’s deformities become a society’s fashion… genetic regeneration keeps the fires of Hell away… and painted lovers risk everything to break the boundaries of their caste system down. Separate your mind from your flesh and come in. Welcome…
The Humming of Numbers by Joni Sensel
Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, $16.95, 256pp, hc, 9780805083279. Young adult fantasy. On-sale date: June 2008.
Monk-in-training Aidan has his cloistered life in medieval Ireland thrown into a spin by the arrival of a warrior girl named Lana in the new fantasy and adventure novel The Humming of Numbers. Aidan can “hear” objects and people, “see” the numbers and colors spinning around them and Lana is a mystery to him. But does this wild teen girl have powers of her own? And will their magic be of any use against Viking raiders?
Helo: Contact Harvest by Joseph Staten, read by Jen Taylor and Holter Graham
Macmillan Audio, $39.95, 10 CDs (11 hours), 9781427202499. Science fiction video game tie-in audiobook.
Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Dohert Associates, LLC—the largest publisher of science fiction in the world—is pleased to announce the next novel in its New York Times bestselling series based on Microsoft Game Studios’ and Bungie Studios’ Halo video games for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system. Halo: Contact Harvest is written by Joseph Staten, Bungie Studios’ lead writer and one of the original creators of the Halo game trilogy.
The audiobook of Halo: Contact Harvest, published by Tor’s sister imprint Macmillan Audio, is read by Jen Taylor, the voice of Cortana in the Halo video games, and experience actor and audiobook narrator Holter Graham. Taylor’s familiar voice from the video games makes this a must-listen for Halo fans; when combined with Graham’s excellent narration skills, the result is a gripping science fiction audiobook that brings the characters of this new Halo story to life and will keep listeners hooked until the very last word.
Halo: Contact Harvest reveals the state of the Halo universe leading up to humanity’s devastating first contact with the Covenant—a chance encounter that catapults mankind into a struggle for its very existence. Readers will experience the start of the Human-Covenant war from the perspective of Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson, Master Chief’s legendary confidant and mentor. As readers follow the young Sergeant’s adventures, they will gain terrifying insights into both the Covenant’s genocidal fury and the vicious civil war that threatened to destroy humanity’s fledgling interstellar empire, even before the Covenant got their chance.
Galaxy Blues by Allen Steele
Ace, $24.95, 336pp, hc, 9780441015641. Science Fiction. On-sale date: 1 April 2008.
From the two-time Hugo Award winning author of the Coyote Trilogy and Spindrift comes the story of a young man who travels to the distant stars, only to find himself enmeshed in a tale of extraterrestrial intrigue and interstellar catastrophe.
Expelled from the Union Astronautica, desperate to escape from Earth and fulfill his dream of becoming a spacer, Jules Truffaut stows away aboard a starship bound for the colony world of Coyote. Yet his scheme quickly falls apart, and before long he lands in a jail cell, awaiting deportation and likely imprisonment.
Then he is approached by a billionaire entrepreneur with an offer he can’t refuse: in exchange for political amnesty, he can sign on as a shuttle pilot for the first trade mission to the home world of a newly encountered alien race. Having no other choice, Jules takes the job, only to discover that his crewmates range from an alcoholic telepath to an attractive young woman who despises everything about him.
Still, everything seems to go well… until Jules commits a diplomatic blunder that threatens to undermine humankind’s fragile relationship with the other races of the galaxy. Now he must put things right by undertaking what appears to be a suicide mission: a rendezvous with a force that has already obliterated entire worlds, and now threatens to destroy yet another.
Serialized in Asimov’s Science Fiction to enthusiastic response by the magazine’s readers, Galaxy Blues is a space adventure on a grand scale, by an author who has been called “the closest thing the science fiction world now has to Robert A. Heinlein.”
Dead to Me by Anton Strout
Ace, $7.99, 357pp, pb, 9780441015788. Fantasy.
psy*chom*e*try (si-kom’i-tre) n.
1. The power to touch an object and divine information about its history.
2. For Simon Canderous: not as cool as it sounds.
Possessing the power of psychometry has meant a life of petty crime and failed relationships for Simon Canderous, but now he’s gone over to the good side. A recent recruit to New York City’s underfunded and (mostly) secret Department of Extraordinary Affairs, Simon is learning his way around mazes of red tape, office politics, and the basics of paranormal investigation. But it’s not just the paperwork that has him breathless…
After Simon spills his coffee on (okay, through) the mysterious ghost of a beautiful woman—who doesn’t know she’s dead—he and his mentor decide to track down her killers. But Simon’s not at all prepared for the strange and nefarious plot that unfolds before him, one involving politically correct cultists, a large wooden fish, a homicidal bookcase, and the forces of Darkness, which kind of have a crush on him…
Mariah Mundi: The Midas Box by G.P. Taylor
Putnam, $17.99, 320pp, hc, 9780399243479. Young adult fantasy. On-sale date: May 2008.
The Prince Regent is no ordinary hotel. The biggest in the world, it’s built into the side of a cliff and run by an eccentric inventor who doesn’t believe in sleep. Full of shadowy characters and dangerous secrets, it’s a place where nothing is as it appears—as the newest employee is about to discover.
Mariah Mundi’s job as an assistant in the hotel’s nightly magic show begins with a warning: The boys hired before him have all disappeared. The head magician claims they ran away, but Mariah’s coworker Sacha suspects something far more sinister.
When Mariah and Sacha unwittingly learn more than they were meant to know, they become pawns in an evil plot so full of twists and turns that even the labyrinth of hidden tunnels and caverns beneath the hotel can’t contain it. As they encounter secret rooms, enchanted objects and vicious mythical creatures, they struggle to unravel the mystery—and stay alive in the process.
New York Times bestselling author G.P. Taylor’s spine-tingling adventure is set in an eerie seaside town in Victorian England where everyone seems to be hiding something. After all, Mariah got his job only because his predecessor vanished one night—and, as Mariah is fast realizing, not all magic tricks are illusions.
Madhouse by Rob Thurman
Roc, $6.99, 338pp, pb, 9780451461964. Fantasy.
My brother had spent a lifetime—mine, at least—telling me that I was normal, that I wasn’t a monster. With his help, I’d finally realized that as long as I could remain who I was, I could survive what I was. It was only bad genes…
Half-human Cal Leandros and his brother, Niko, aren’t exactly prospering with their preternatural detective agency. Who could have guessed that business would dry up in New York City, where vampires, trolls, and other creepy crawlies are all over the place?
But now there’s a new arrival in the Big Apple. A malevolent evil with ancient powers, dead set on making history with an orgy of blood and murder, is picking off humans like sheep. And for Cal and Niko, this is one paycheck they’re going to have to earn… if they live long enough to collect it.
Rolling Thunder by John Varley
(sequel to Red Thunder and Red Lightning), Ace, $24.95, 344pp, hc, 9780441015634. Science fiction.
Red Lightning was hailed as “a cracking, exciting space-adventure tale that’ll have you laughing and cheering as it goes” (Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing). Now, John Varley’s “keen-edged depiction of off-world existence” (Paul Di Filippo, Sci Fi Weekly) reaches its crescendo with Rolling Thunder…
Lieutenant Patricia Kelly Elizabeth Podkayne Strickland-Garcia-Redmond—otherwise known as Podkayne—is a third-generation Martian with a planet-sized chip on her shoulder. Her grandfather Manny was one of the first men to set foot on Mars. So Poddy has some equally planet-sized shoes to fill…
That’s why she’s joined the Music, Arts, and Drama Division of the Martian Navy. Though some may say her voice is a weapon in itself, Poddy passed the audition with a little help from some higher-ups. And now she’s going to Europa, one of Jupiter’s many moons, to be an entertainer. But she’s about to learn that underneath the song and dance routines, there can be plenty of danger to go around in the Martian Navy, even if you’ve just signed on to sing…
The Encyclopedia of Superstitions by Richard Webster
Llewellyn, $18.95, 322pp, tp, 9780738712772. Body, Mind, Spirit / Parapsychology / General.
Have you ever thrown salt over your left shoulder and wondered why?
Richard Webster has traveled the globe collecting superstitions from every country and culture. Documented here are over 500 of the most obscure, curious, and downright bizarre superstitions of the Western world. This all-encompassing compilation features modern practices—blessing someone who sneezes, saving wedding cake, wearing St. Christopher medals while traveling—as well as centuries-old beliefs. Discover how Friday the 13th, the Bermuda Triangle, ravens, and black cats became so unlucky. And why the number seven, pennies, robins, and rabbits’ feet are associated with good fortune.
Trivia fans and fun fact fanatics will adore this eclectic collection of superstitions and irrational beliefs surrounding holidays, births, funerals, weddings, colors, gemstones, trees, flowers, fairies, foods, sailing, theater, the mystical, and more.
The Hidden City by Michelle West
(a novel of The House War), DAW, $24.95, 615pp, hc, 9780756404703. Fantasy. On-sale date: 4 March 2008.
Set in the same rich universe as The Sun Sword, The Hidden Cirty: A House War Novel is the incredible story that Michelle West’s fans have been waiting to read.
Orphaned and left to fend for herself in the slums of Averalaan, Jewel Markess—Jay to her friends—meets an unlikely savior in Rath, a man who prowls the ruins of the undercity. Rath’s nursing Jay back to health is an unusual act for a man who renounced his own family long ago, and the situation becomes even stranger still when Jay begins to form a den of other rescued children in Rath’s home. But worse perils lurk beneath the slums: the demons that once nearly destroyed the Essalieyan Empire are stirring again, and soon Rath and Jay will find themselves targets of these unstoppable beings.
Shadowplay by Tad Williams
(Volume Two of Shadowmarch), DAW, $15.95, 656pp, tp, 9780756404710. Fantasy. On-sale date: 4 March 2008.
Now available for the first time in paperback, Shadowplay: Volume Two of Shadowmarch is the second installment in Tad Williams’s celebrated Shadowmarch series.
Shadowmarch introduced readers to the Shadowline, the mystical boundary between the lands of men and their inhuman enemies, the ageless Qar. Shadowmarch borders this no-man’s land and is the northernmost human kingdom. In the compelling first installment, King Olin was captured by a rival kingdom, and Shadowmarch was left in the hands of his young, ill-equipped heirs.
At the start of Shadowplay, the twin heirs have been doing their best to hold their kingdom together, but Barrick has just been captured and Briony has fled the castle. Old magics are stirring beneath the ancient castle and behind the Shadowline, and the machinations of gods, fairies, and mortals threaten to spread devastation across the entire world. As the Qar grow more menacing and the darkness descends, the Shadowline begins to move for the first time in centuries, threatening to engulf the human kingdom.
Filled with a cast of character both diverse and three-dimensional, Shadowplay is a true fantasy masterwork, an epic of storytelling by a master of the genre.