This page is updated as books are received throughout the month.
Vendor by Kevin Abrams and Adam Moore, lettered and illustrated by Nicc Balce
Viper, $11.95, tp, 9780980238532. Graphic novel.
It is the Age of Moss—an aggressive, flesh-eating virus that feasts on human body parts. Enter John J. Vendor, a purveyor of black market replacement limbs who may have stumbled on a cure. This graphic novel chronicles one man’s quest for the most elusive treasure of all—humanity’s salvation.
Touch of Darkness by C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp
(sequel to Touch of Evil), Tor, $6.99, 418pp, pb, 9780765359629. Paranormal romance.
USA Today bestsellers C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp have excited and engaged readers with their vampire-packed paranormal series. Now they are at their sizzling best with Touch of Darkness, the final book of the Thrall trilogy. While betrayal and deception lurk around every corner, one woman must find the strength to save the people she loves—and maybe save the world in the process.
Kate Reilly just can’t catch a break. First, her building collapses in a freak snowstorm that may have been more than just an accident, leaving all of her belongings buried under the rubble. Then, her marriage to the sexy fireman werewolf Tom is postponed indefinitely by the werewolf counsel. Meanwhile, Tom’s psychotic ex-girlfriend—who also happens to be the daughter of the head of the counsel—is stalking Kate around town, looking for any opportunity to take her out.
As if that weren’t enough, Kate’s own ex, Dylan, just refuses to stay dead. He’s back in town as the leader of the Thrall, and he has big plans for his vampire brethren. But before he unleashes his attack on the werewolves of the world, he has a more personal vengeance to exact against Kate and everything she holds dear…
Will Kate be able to unite the werewolves against their common enemy, or will all be lost to the darkness? Packed to the brim with adventure, danger, and—most importantly—true love, Touch of Darkness is a hot thrill ride with heart.
The Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J. Anderson
Harper, $7.99, 467pp, pb, 9780061340758. Fiction/comics tie-in.
In The Last Days of Krypton, New York Times-bestselling novelist Kevin J. Anderson tells the fascinating story of the tragic destruction of Superman‘s home planet, and the decision of his parents to be sure at least one Kryptonian—their son—would survive.
The Last Days of Krypton explores the wonders of the distant world where the young Kal-El was born. The glories of its famous cities and accomplishments of its futuristic and sometimes strange society, are brought to life by Anderson with skilled, accomplished clarity. He examines the politics—and the betrayals, that blind both heroes and villains to the coming disaster, inccorporating traditional elements of Superman lore—Brainiac, the shrunken city, Phantom Zone as well as the most dangerous man on Krypton, General Zod—and the courtship of Superman’s parent’s Jor-El and Lara.
Filled with adventure, intrigue, and passion, Anderson’s masterful and thrilling saga adds depth and color to the story of Superman; and for fans of the Man of Steel—new and old, of all ages—it is sure to be the must-have book of the year.
Ending an Ending: First Book of the Laurian Pentology by Danny Birt
Cyberwizard, $16.95, 273pp, tp, 9780981566917. Fantasy.
Existence is not supposed to be optional in this flat polytheistic world, but a seemingly amnesic individual named Sanct finds himself in possession of (or being possessed by) a staff that ignores this most basic of the gods’ rules.
Throughout the course of battles with foes magical and holy, Sanct learns that another of the gods’ rules is at the breaking point: the amount of Time allotted this world is running out as surely as sand runs from an hourglass. If it continues, the world will not reach the End of Time, and will instead simply disintegrate.
Around Sanct gathers a series of characters who hold the key to returning the world to its rightful path, provided they can figure out what they need to do, and have the courage in the end to carry through with their plans.
Thus begins the Laurian Pentology.
Genesis of Shannara: The Gypsy Morph by Terry Brooks
Del Rey, $27.00, 407pp, hc, 9780345484147. Fantasy.
For over 30 years, Terry Books has been at the head of the fantasy field. He has written more than twenty-five bestselling books and there are over 21 million copies in print of his US editions alone. In 1977, Terry Brooks won instant acclaim with his phenomenal New York Times bestseller The Sword of Shannara. He gave the genre a darkly compelling contemporary twist in his trilogy of the word and the Void. In 2006, Brooks began the Genesis of Shannara trilogy with Armageddon’s Children, which united two unique worlds. The Elves of Cintra followed in 2007. Now, that trilogy comes to a shattering conclusion in The Gypsy Morph.
Eighty years into the future, the United States is a no-man’s land: its landscape blighted by chemical warfare, pollution, and plague; its government collapsed; its citizens adrift, desperate, fighting to stay alive. In fortified compounds, survivors hold the line against wandering predators, rogue militias, and hideous mutations spawned from the toxic environment. While against them all stands an enemy neither mortal nor merciful: demons and their minions bent on slaughtering and subjugating the last of humankind. But from around the country, allies of good unite to challenge the rampaging evil. Logan Tom, wielding the magic staff of a Knight of the Word, has a promise to keep—protecting the world’s only hope of salvation—and a score to settle with the demon that massacred his family. Angel Perez, Logan’s fellow Knight, has risked her life to aid the elvish race, whose peaceful, hidden realm is marked for extermination by the forces of the Void. Kirisin Belloruus, a young elf entrusted with an ancient magic, must deliver his entire civilization from a monstrous army. And Hawk, the rootless boy who is nothing less than destiny’s instrument, must lead the last of humanity to a latter-day promised land before the final darkness fall.s
The Gypsy Morph is an epic saga of a world in flux as the mortal realm yields to a magical one; as the champions of the Word and the Void clash for the last time to decide what will be and what must cease; and as, from the remnants of a doomed age, something altogether extraordinary rises.
I Remember the Future: The Award-Nominated Stories of Michael A. Burstein by Michael A. Burstein
Apex, $21.95, 444pp, tp, 9780981639062. Science fiction collection. On-sale date: 1 November 2008.
A familiar name to readers of the popular science fiction magazine Analog, Michael A. Burstein’s straightforward storytelling melds classic and modern science fiction in accessible stories that focus on human interactions in speculative situations. Brought together for the first time in one collection, thirteen of Burstein’s stories that made Hugo, Nebula, and other award ballots are presented with new afterwords by the author.
Perhaps some of his best-known works, “TeleAbsence” and “TelePresence,” are included, along with the parallel universe story cycle of “Broken Symmetry,” “Absent Friends,” “Reality Check,” and the new addition of “Empty Space.”
Tributes to science fiction greats become the stuff of story in “Cosmic Corkscrew,” “Paying It Forward,” and his new work, “I Remember the Future.” The classic cautionary tale takes on an ominous modern twist in “Seventy-Five Years.” “Kaddish for the Last Survivor” offers a poignant look at how history shapes the future.
For those familiar with Burstein’s work, I Remember the Future offers a new look at some old friends, plus bonus stories to fill in the worlds previously created. Newcomers to the science fiction field would do well to look at this collection as a taste of award-caliber science fiction over the last dozen years.
[Contents: “Introduction” by Stanley Schmidt; “Kaddish for the Last Survivor”; “TeleAbsence”; “TelePresence”; “Broken Symmetry”; “Absent Friends”; “Reality Check”; “Empty Space”; “Spaceships”; “Decisions”; “Time Ablaze”; “Seventy-Five Years”; “Sanctuary”; “I Remember the Future”; “Cosmic Corkscrew”; and “Paying It Forward”.]
Hot Flash by Kathy Carmichael
Medallion, $7.95, 380pp, pb, 9781934755037. Fiction. On-sale date: February 2009.
Calm, Cool, and Premenopausal.
As a single mom and chef, Jill Morgan Storm’s frenzied life is about to become even more chaotic as she sets out on a scheme to find, and wed, a traveling salesman. In return, she’s hoping for one week of marital bliss, three weeks off, and a monthly paycheck.
Enter Davin Wesley, exactly the opposite of the type of man Jill is searching for. He’s an elementary-school teacher who refuses to skedaddle out of town like a good little potential husband.
But Jill isn’t sure if she can keep up the protests because his kiss is pure fire and he won’t be discouraged. With hot flash after hot flash, can she say no while her temperature rises and her libido screams yesssss?
Riders of the Storm by Julie E. Czerneda
(a novel of The Clan Chronicles), DAW, $24.95, 456pp, hc, 9780756405182.
On the distant world of Cersi, Om’ray Aryl Sarc and her supporters have been exiled from the rest of their people. Finding refuge in the mountains, they work to rebuild the ruined village of Sona, even as they try to discover what happened to the original Sona Clan. But Sona has a history among all three of Cersi’s races—a history that may soon threaten the future of Aryl’s newly founded clan.…
Other Times Than Peace by David Drake
Baen, $7.99, 472pp, pb, 9781416555667. Science fiction collection.
They may not be flawless heroes—but they’ll get the job done.
In the past, present, and future, life is grim and often short for the few who protect the many, usually for little pay, less gratitude, and slight prospect of growing old.
* A squadron of fighter spacecraft, their mother ship destroyed, are lost in the interstellar void. They have little hope of finding their way home, and that home may already have been destroyed.
* A Roman soldier must defeat an usurper who is the catspaw for beings from another world with very unpleasant plans for this one.
* Two battle-scarred Vietnam veterans battle the insectoid horror abducting humans for a purpose to which death is infinitely preferable.
* Two new Hammer’s Slammers adventures.
* And more…
[Contents: “Introduction: A Range of Treatments”; “Lambs to the Slaughter”; “Men Like Us”; “The Day of Glory”; “The Interrogation Team”; “A Death in Peactime”; “Dreams in Amber”; “Safe to Sea”; “The Murder of Halley’s Comet”, by David Drake and Larry Niven; “The Hunting Ground”; “The False Prophet”; and “A Grand Tour”.]
Acacia: Book One: The War with Mein by David Anthony Durham
Anchor, $7.99, 753pp, pb, 9780385722520. Fantasy.
From David Anthony Durham, the acclaimed historical novelist comes an exciting new saga, Acacia: Book One: The War with the Mein, an imaginative fantasy epic that follows four children of royalty in their quest to reclaim their father’s empire and avenge his death. Acacia spans continents, generations, and centuries, and creates a completely made-up world that is entirely convincing. Time magazine called Acacia, “A big, fat, rich piece of history-flavored fantasy… Imagined with remarkable thoroughness.”
The time is mythic time—neither the past, present or future. The setting is a world similar to ours in terms of the racial diversity of its human population and the almost Shakespearean themes that drive its imperial and dynastic clashes. Leodan Arkan, ruler of the Known World, has inherited generations of apparent peace and prosperity, won ages ago by his ancestors. A widower of high intelligence, he presides over an empire called Acacia, after the idyllic island from which he rules. He dotes on his four children, Aliver, Corinn, Mona and Daniel, and hides from them the dark realities of traffic in drugs and human lives on which their prosperity depends. He hopes that he might change this, but powerful forces—in particular independent traders called The League and a shadowy race of beings, the Lothan Akln, who live beyond the borders of the Known World—stand in his way. And then a deadly assassin sent from a race called the Mein, exiled long ago to an ice-locked stronghold in the frozen north, strikes at Leodan in the heart of Acacia while they unleash surprise attacks across the empire. On his deathbed, Leodan puts into play a plan to allow his children to escape, each to their separate destiny. The balance of the books concerns their quest to avenge their father’s death and restore the Acacian empire—this time on the basis of universal freedom and morality.
Acacia is a bold, capacious, sustained work of literary imagination that presents a world both convincingly real and timeless, where acts of heroism, informed by subtle consideration for political right and wrong, play out on the largest conceivable scale. It’s a book to get lost in.
1635: The Dreeson Incident by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce
Baen, $26.00, 608pp, hc, 9781416555896. Science fiction. On-sale date: December 2008.
The Thirty Years War continues to ravage 17th century Europe, but a new force is gathering power and influence: the Confederated Principalities of Europe, an alliance between Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, and the West Virginians from the 20th century led by Mike Stearns who were hurled centuries into the past by a mysterious cosmic accident.
While the old entrenched rulers and manipulators continue to plot against this new upstart nation, everyday life goes on in Grantville, the town lost in time, with librarians, firefighters, and garbage collectors trying to make do under unusual circumstances. And what better place for an undercover spy from France than working with the garbage collectors, examining 20th century machines that others throw out and copying the technology (though he wishes one device—the paper shredder—had been left behind in the future).
There are more sinister agents at work, however. One of them, Ducos, almost succeeded in assassinating the Pope, but his plan was ruined by quick action by a few Americans. Now, the would-be assassin not only has a score to settle, but has also decided on two excellent targets: Grantville’s leader Mike Stearns and his wife Rebecca.…
Passion’s Blood by Cherif Fortin & Lynn Sanders
Medallion, $25.95, 104pp, hc, 9781605420622. Illustrated romance. On-sale date: November 2008.
Medallion Press is proud to announce the teaming with author and illustrators Fortin and Sanders to publish the first book in the new Medallion Masterpiece Series, Passion’s Blood, set to be released in November 2008. This will be a new imprint for Medallion Press and will be a collection of illustrated romance novellas. Each title released under this imprint will showcase a different author with illustrations by Fortin and Sanders. Every book will be in hardcover format with a similar ornate “frame” surrounding the main image on the cover.
With this new innovative format, readers will be introduced to a unique method of romantic storytelling that will draw the reader into the story, not only on a literary level, but on a visual level as well. Look for the first release of this new imprint, Passion’s Blood, by Fortin and Sanders to hit stores in November 2008.
Lady Leanna is a flame-haired beauty loved by her betrothed, Prince Emric, desired by his loathsome brother, Prince Bran. Although in love with Emric, Leanna has still not made her peafce with the knowledge that this arrangement was forced upon her.
Prince Emric, noble and courageous, rides to war, ignorant of his brother’s dark treachery.
In a net of betrayal and violence, the young lovers must preserve their faith, and Leanna must keep Emric alive with her love and the magical powers she herself does not fully understand…
Quofum by Alan Dean Foster
(a novel of the Commonwealth), Del Rey, $25.00, 304pp, hc, 9780345496058. Science fiction. On-sale date: 28 October 2008.
Lying along the inner edge of the Orion Arm and outside the boundaries of the Commonwealth, the planet Quofum was thought not to exist. And most of the time it didn’t. But when a rudimentary AI probe was sent to this faraway planetary system, even the robot was startled to discover the sudden materialization of an entirely new planet, a revelation of great enough magnitude to boggle even the most efficiently designed artificial intelligence. The inhabitants of Quofum were equally mind boggling, in both appearance and actions, and their intentions seemed quite obscure.
What better place for Alan Dean Foster to stage an interstellar adventure, one full of danger and intrigue? Set in the world of his beloved Pip & Flinx characters, Quofum reveals important information that will have ramifications for next year’s final Pip & Flinx novel, Flinx Transcendant.
Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory
Del Rey, $13.00, 291pp, tp, 9780345401165. Fantasy.
The world in Daryl Gregory’s debut novel Pandemonium is like our own in every respect… save onve. In the 1950s, random acts of possession begin to occur. Ordinary men, women, and children are the taregets of entities that seem to spring from the depths of the collective unconscious, pop-cultural avatars some call demons. There’s the Truth, implacable avenger of falsehood. The Captain, brave and self-sacrificing soldier. The Little Angel, whose kiss brings death, whether desired or not. And a string of others, ranging from the bizarre to the benign to the horrific.
As a boy, Del Pierce is possessed by the Hellion, an entity whose mischief-making can be deadly. With the help of Del’s family and a caring psychologist, the demon is exorcised… or is it? Years later, following a car accident, the Hellion is back, trapped inside Del’s head and clamoring to get out.
Del’s quest for help leads him to Valis, an entity possessing the science fiction writer formerly known as Philip K. Dick; to Mother Mariette, a nun who inspires decidedly unchaste feelings; and to the Human League, a secret society devoted to the extermination of demons. All believe that Del holds the key to the plague of possession—and its solution. But for Del, the cure may be worse than the disease.
Misspent Youth by Peter F. Hamilton
Del Rey, $26.00, 407pp, hc, 9780345461643. Science fiction.
Readers have learned to expect the unexpected from Peter F. Hamilton. Now, in Misspent Youth, the master of space opera focuses on near-future EArth and one most unusual familyh. The result is a coming-of-age tale like no other. By turns comic, erotic, and tragic, Misspent Youth is a profound and timely exploration of all that divides and unites fathers and sons, men and women, the young and the old.
2040. After decades of concentrated research and experimentation in the field of genetic engineering, scientists of the European Union believe they have at last conquered humankind’s most pernicious foe: old age. For the first time, tefchnology holds out the promise of not merely slowing the aging process but actually reversing it. The ancient dream of the Fountain of Youth seems at hand.
The first subject for treatment is seventy-eight-year-old philanthropist Jeff Baker. After eighteen months in a rejuvenation tank, Jeff emerges looking like a twenty-year-old. And the change is more than skin deep. From his hair cells down to his DNA, Jeff is twenty—with a breadth of life experience.
But while possessing the wisdom of a septuagenarian at age twenty is one thing, raging testosterone is another, as Jeff discovers when he attempts to pick up his life where he left off. Suddenly his oldest friends seem, well, old. Jeff’s trophy wife looks better than she ever did. His teenage son, Tim, is more like a younger brother. And Tim’s nubile girlfriend is a conquest too tempting to resist.
Jeff’s rejuvenated libido wreaks havoc on the lives of his friends and family, straining his relationship with Tim to the breaking point. It’s as if youth is a drug and Jeff is wasted on it. But if so, it’s an addiction he has no interest in kicking.
As Jeff’s personal life spirals out of control, the European Union undergoes a parallel meltdown, attacked by shadowy separatist groups whose violent actions earn both condemnation and applause. Now, in one terrifying instant, the personal and the political will intersect, and neither Jeff nor Tim—or the Union itself—will ever be the same again.
Cursed by Jamie Leigh Hansen
Tor,
$6.99, 384pp, pb, 9780765357212. Paranormal romance. On-sale date: 2 December 2008.
For twelve years the seductive dream has always been the same—a candlelit room, satin sheets, and a mysterious woman. Then, one night, everything changes. A mysterious entity shows Alex Foster a vision of his dream woman in danger from demonic forces.
Beth Raines has returned home to Spokane to care for her dying mother and abandoned nieces and nephews. With their family home ready to crash down around them and no help from her siblings, she carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. Until the day Alex shows up, unwilling to love her only in their shared dreams.
But the real world is much bigger than a dream. An ancient enemy has awakened, and only Alex and Beth’s combined supernatural gifts can save them.
Between Planets by Robert A. Heinlein (introduction by William H. Patterson, Jr.; afterword by Travis S. Taylor, PhD)
Baen, $13.99, 227pp, tp, 9781416555643. Science fiction.
Interplanetary war as only the grand master of science fiction could tell it.
Don Harvey was attending school on Earth when his parents suddenly and urgently called him home to Mars. He had been skeptical about the talk of interplanetary war breaking out if Mars and Venus followed through on their threats to declare independence from Earth, but he was wrong. War broke out, and he was stuck on Venus, with no way of getting home.
Then there was the ring that an old family friend had given him just before he had left Earth. Shortly afterward, the friend had been questioned by Earth’s secret police and had died—from “heart failure,” they claimed. When Earth troops landed on Venus and started looking for Don and that mysterious ring, he realized that he was trapped in the center of a war between worlds that could change the fate of the Solar System forever!
The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard by Robert E. Howard (illustrated by Greg Staples)
Del Rey, $18.00, 560pp, tp, 9780345490209. Horror collection. On-sale date: 28 October 2008.
One of the most prolific writers of the early twentieth-century “pulp era,” Robert E. Howard brought to life the archetypal adventurer known to millions around the world as Conan the Cimmerian and many others including Kull of Atlantis and Solomon Kane. Howard also enjoyed writing in the horror genre, dropping some of the most revered characters in the most terrifying circumstances and locales. This November, Del Rey is thrilled to be publishing The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard, a masterful collection of some of Howard’s most bone-chilling tales.
The collection includes Howard’s masterpiece “Pigeons from Hell,” which Stephen King calls “one of the finest horror stories of [the twentieth] century,” a tale of two travelers who stumble upon the ruins of a Southern plantation—and into the maw of its fatal secret. In “Black Canaan” even the best warrior has little chance of taking down the evil voodoo man with unholy powers—and none at all against his wily mistress, the diabolical High Priestess of Damballah. In these and other lavishly illustrated classics, such as the revenge nightmare “Worms of the Earth” and “The Cairn of the Headland,” Howard spins tales of unrelenting terror, the legacy of one of the world’s great masters of the macabre.
Released just in time for Halloween, here are Howard’s greatest horror tales, all in their original, definitive versions.
[Contents: “In the Village of Villefere”, “A Song of the Werewolf Folk”, “Wolfshead”, “Up, John Kane!”, “Remembrance”, “The Dream Snake”, “Sea Curse”, “The Moor Ghost”, “Moon Mockery”, “The Little People”, “Dead Man’s Hate”, “The Tavern”, “Rattle of Bones”, “The Fear that Follows”, “The Spirit of Tom Molyneaux”, “Casonetto’s Last Song”, “The Touch of Death”, “Out of the Deep”, “A Legend of Faring Town”, “The Shadow of the Beast”, “Restless Waters”, “The Dead Slaver’s Tale”, “Dermod’s Bane”, “The Hills of the Dead”, “Dig Me No Grave”, “The Song of a Mad Minstrel”, “The Children of the Night”, “Musings”, “The Black Stone”, “The Thing on the Roof”, “The Dweller in Dark Valley”, “The Horror from the Mound”, “A Dull Sound as of Knocking”, “The People of the Dark”, “Delenda Est”, “The Cairn on the Headland”, “Worms of the Earth”, “The Symbol”, “The Valley of the Lost”, “The Hoofed Thing”, “The Noseless Horror”, “The Dwellers Under the Tombs”, “An Open Window”, “The House of Arabs”, “The Man on the Ground”, “Old Garfield’s Heart”, “Kelly the Conjure Man”, “Black Canaan”, “To a Woman”, “One Who Comes at Eventide”, “The Haunter of the Ring”, “Pigeons from Hell”, “The Dead Remember”, “The Fire of Asshurbanipal”, “Fragment”, “Which Will Scarcely Be Understood”, “Golnar the Ape”, “Spectres in the Dark”, “The House”, and “Untitled Fragment”.]
Gentleman Takes a Chance by Sarah A. Hoyt
Baen, $23.00, 336pp, hc, 9781416555933. Fantasy. On-sale date: October 2008.
There are those living secretly among us who have the power to change their physical form from that of a human to an animal, even animals thought to be mythical, such as dragons. Throughout out the ages, these shape shifters have come together in a loose organization to protect themselves from humans—and other shape shifters. According to their code, killing another shifter is a crime, no matter if the shifter was slaughtering humans.
Kyrie Smith, a young panther shifter, must decide where she will stand: with her group or with humanity at large. And she’ll have to do it while both older shifters and her boyfriend Tom Ormson—a dragon shifter—push her from quandary to quandary and police detective Rafiel Thrall—who happens to be a lion shifter—demands her help in solving mysterious murders that he suspects have been committed by a shifter. But when Tom begins getting telepathic warnings from the Great Sky Dragon that his life is in danger, the same dragon who recently almost killed him, he and Kyrie realize that much more is involved than a homicidal shape shifter.
Someone—or something—has been killing shifters in large numbers, and the most ancient and powerful of shifters are converging on the city to find the killer. And anyone, human or shifter, who gets in their way will be eliminated without mercy.…
Rune Warriors by James Jennewein and Tom S. Parker
Laura Geringer/HarperCollins, $16.99, 320pp, hc, 9780061449369. Children’s fantasy. On-sale date: 23 September 2008.
An epic tale of courage, adventure, and frostbite!
It’s the eve of the Festival of Greatness, and Dane has yet to choose his nickname. Dane the Dangerous? Dane the Despicable? He can’t decide. But when Dane sees his proud father shamed by the evil tyrant Thidrek the Terrifying, Dane’s indignation earns him a moniker that sticks—Dane the Defiant! And when Thidrek kidnaps Dane’s beloved Astrid in hopes of trading her for the ultimate power of the gods, Dane defiantly goes after him like a bat out of Valhalla. Braving treacherous seas, deadly creatures, and a love-starved Frost Giant, Dane and his rowdy band of Norseboys embark on an epic quest to end Thidrek’s reign of terror and take their place among the greatest Viking heroes of all time.
The Ghost Quartet edited by Marvin Kaye
Tor, $25.95, 303pp, hc, 9780765312518. Fantasy anthology.
Do you believe in ghosts?
You will after reading The Ghost Quartet; four original short novels from some of today’s best writers of the fantastic. The stories were gathered and edited by Marvin Kaye, who also brought you The Dragon Quintet. with stories from two returning authors, Orson Scott Card and Tanith Lee, as well as from Kaye himself and the talented Brian Lumley, The Ghost Quartet is packed with thrills.
Brian Lumley opens the collection with the tense “A Place of Waiting.” The moors of Devon, England, are home to many ghosts, but none as fearsome as the red-eyed specter that refuses to accept his death. His only chance of release, however, comes at a terrible cost.
Orson Scott Card puts a new spin on one of literature’s most famous ghosts in “Hamlet’s Father.” What if the former King of Denmark was not killed by his treacherous brother for his crown, but by someone entirely unexpected as punishment for the darkest of crimes? Would his troubled son still seek revenge?
The patrons of an Edinburgh tavern are introduced to a beverage with an unusual history in “The Haunted Single Malt” by Marvin Kaye, a clever and spooky story about ghost stories and the people who love them.
Finally, Tanith Lee offers “Strindberg’s Ghost,” a chilling tale set in an alternate Russia. When a poor man is rescued from certain death by hospitable strangers, he discovers that he is not a guest in their haunted tenement building—he is a prisoner destined to beccome a sacrifice.
The Ghost Quartet is a beautiful (and frightening) set of ghost stories. Showcasing the works of four spectacular writers, the collection is a must have for true science fictiton and horror fans.
Beyond Magic by Susan Kearney, Elaine Cunningham, and Kassandra Sims
Tor, $6.99, 297pp, pb, 9780765355270. Paranormal romance.
Beloved bestselling romance authors Susan Kearney, Elaine Cunningham, and Kassandra Sims have delighted and inspired their readers with their many novels of intrigue and seduction. Now, the three join forcecs in Beyond Magic, a collection of short stories that features distant galaxies, a psychic investigative team, and a witch who just may have to save the world.
From USA Today bestselling author Susan Kearney: A skeptical journalist intends to debunk an astral projection machine—until it slingshots her mind through the galaxy into another body. To keep the love she finds there, she must leave all she knew behind and embrace the stars…
From New York Times bestselling author Elaine Cunningham: A medium and a psychic team up to solve a series of mystifying kidnappings and murders. Can they put their own past behind them? If so, they might survive to have a future together…
From national bestselling author Kassandra Sims: Magic is dying, and to save it, an apathetic witch must choose side. Along the way, she learns that there are things in the world worth fighting for, beyond her wildest dreams—like love.
Beyond Magic is an exciting new release that will delight the many fans of Kearney, Cunningham, and Sims. With breakneck pacing, magical adventure, and steamy desire to spare, Beyond Magic is just what romance readers are searching for to heat up a cool fall evening.
Devil’s Gold by Julie Korzenko
Medallion, $25.95, 290pp, hc, 9781934755556. Fiction. On-sale date: March 2009.
Chastised for not cooperating with the oil company giant New World Petroleum, zoologist Cassidy Lowell is reassigned from the jungles of the Niger Delta to Yellowstone National Park, where wolves are disappearing. Jake Anderson, Special Forces operative, is working within the shadows of Cassidy’s organization, Zoological Ecological Biological Research Agency. His mission? To determine the threatening connection between ZEBRA and NWP.
An alarming genetic mutation of the parvovirus is discovered: CPV-19: human parvovirus merged with canine. And the virus is loose in Yellowstone. Murder, execution, and deadly helicopter rides leak Jake and Cassidy down a road rife with double-crossing and an underlying plot that forces them back to the Niger Delta and into the heart of NWP.
This is the twenty-first-century gold rush—welcome to the dark side!
The Day the Sun Shone Down by Les Logue
RoseDog, $18.00, 182pp, tp, 9780805979763.
In this thrilling mystery, Rory wonders how he will survive after going through the Holland Tunnel and discovering everybody is dead.
Rory Williams lives on Manhattan Island in New York City. He loves to play tennis, and his favorite pro is playing a charity match in New Jersey. He drives his old Chevy to Flushing Meadows to see him play. After the match, Rory is driving home through the Holland Tunnel when his car dies. He works on it for a long time and can’t get it to run.
When he starts walking out, he notices there are no cars in the tunnel. He wonders why. Rory walks out into the city and can’t believe what he is seeing. Everybody is dead, including the dog at the end of a leash. He wonders how he is going to survive all alone.
First Daughter by Eric Van Lustbader
Forge, $25.95, 400pp, hc, 9780765321701. Thriller.
The name Eric Van Lustbader is synonymous with action-packed, provocative thrillers that keep readers on the edge of their seats. The author of over 25 international bestsellers, including The Ninja, The Testament, and the last three Jason Bourne novels: The Bourne Legacy, The Bourne Betrayal, and The Bourne Sanction, he is a master in the world of thriller writers.
Now, with First Daughter, Lustbader delves into our chaotic political climate with his trademark ability to weave current events and nonstop action into a highly addictive novel. With the presidential election right around the corner, the mounting tension between the political parties, and the conflicting religious ideologies of different administrations, it’s not surprising that the future of our country is in the forefront of everyone’s minds. Lustbader, with his penchant for dramatic narrative and strong character development, jumps into the political arena with First Daughter, a thriller that will engage people—and make them think.
ATF agent Jack McClure is a breed apart from other men; an outsider. He inhabits the world just like everyone else, but he walks through shadows. Born with dyslexia, he suffered an abusive childhood until he was forced to live on the mean streets of Washington, D.C., in order to survive. With the help of a mentor, however, he learned that he had the ability to solve puzzles and analyze situations in a unique way—a talent that enabled him, as an adult, to become one of the top agents in the Bureau.
But today, Jack is still haunted by his demons. The recent death of his daughter, Emma, has almost put him over the edge. Right before she died, she called him to ask for help. He didn’t take her seriously. He didn’t go to her until it was too late, Now, his marriage has failed and he is tormented by his grief and pain. He blames himself for the fact that his daughter had a secret life from which, even in death, he is excluded. Only his job is keeping him somewhat sane. And when he’s called in by his friend Edward Carson, the president-elect of the United States, after his own daughter, Alli, is mysteriously kidnapped just weeks away from his inauguration, Jack once again finds himself haunted by his past.
For the last eight years, America has been led by a president hell-bent on an aggressive foreign policy and re-building the nation on Christian values. With Edward Carson at the helm, however, the new administration promises to usher in a new era of moderation. But the outgoing president has a few power moves left to solidify his legacy. He is determined to usse an American branch of a missionary atheist movement as a scapegoat to bring back religious conservatism to the country.
In the meantime, Jack’s investigation leads him into the path of a dangerous and cunning killer, a man who thrives on manipulating Jack, leaving clues that only Jack can interpret. And as Alli’s abductor, this man holds the reins of the country’s entire future in his hands. Using persuasion, fear, and domination, he slowly turns Alli into a time bomb, setting in motion a plan that, if successful, will change America forever.
Faith, redemption, and political intrigue play off one another as Jack McClure journeys into the mind of a cold and brilliant man who manages to stay one step ahead of him. And Jack will soon discover that this man has affected his lfe—and his country—in more ways than he could ever imagine.
Emotionally powerful and absolutely riveting, First Daughter once again marks Eric Van Lustbader as one of today’s hottest thriller writers.
The Soldier King by Violette Malan
(a novel of Dhulyn and Parno), DAW, $15.00, 372pp, tp, 9780756405168. Fantasy.
Dhulyn Wolfshead and Parno Lionsmane were members of the Mercenary Guild, both veterans of numerous battles and missions, each a master of martial arts. But more than that Dhulyn and Parno were Partners, a Mercenary bond that could only be broken by one or both of their deaths.
Dhulyn had once believed that she was the last of her tribe, the only survivor of a terrible massacre when she was a young child. Sold into slavery and rescued by a pirate, Dhulyn had learned the hardest lessons life had to teach. Now she was also learning how to master her Visions of the future and the past. And always, she also searched for anyone who might have survived the destruction of her tribe.
Raised in more civilized lands than Dhulyn, Parno came from a family of some importance. He chose not to speak about why he’d abandoned them or been cast out, and no Mercenary Brother would have asked him.
Having taken a commission to fight on what by all accounts should have been the losing side in a war against invaders, the two Mercenaries instead found themselves among the winners—as Dhulyn’s Vision had predicted. But when they accepted the surrender of Prince Edmir, heir to the Tegriani realm, Dhulyn and Parno were caught in an untenable position. The Common Rule of the Mercenary Brothers tated that prisoners taken by them would go free, unmolested and unransomed. So when the War Commander they had been fighting for refused to honor this agreement, the two not only broke their contracct, but decided to extricate both themselves and the prince from what had now become an enemy camp. And thus they took the first step along a path that might lead them to Dhulyn’s heart’s desire, or into a magical trap from which there might be no escape.…
Imaginary Friends edited by John Marco & Martin H. Greenberg
DAW, $7.99, 304pp, pb, 9780756405113. Fantasy anthology.
When you were a child, did you have an imaginary friend who kept you company when you were lonely or scared, or who had the most delightful adventures with you? For anyone who fondly remembers that unique companion no one else could see or hear, here is a chance to recapture that magical time of your life. Join thirteen top imaginers as they introduce you to both special friends and special places in thirteen spellbinding tales.
From the adventurous doings of a dragon and a boy… to a young woman held captive in a tower, and the mysterious being who is her only companion, though he can’t enter her room… to a beggar, a bartender, and a stray dog in the heart of Nashville… and a woman who seems to have lost her creativity until a toy Canadian Mountie suddenly comes to life… you’ll find an intriguing assortment of comrades to share some of your time with in Imaginary Friends.
[Contributors: Rick Hautala, Anne Bishop, Jean Rabe, Juliet McKenna, Kristine Kathryn Rusc, Kristen Britain, Donald J. Bingle, Tim Waggoner, Paul Genesse, Russell Davis, Bill Fawcett, Fiona Patton, and Jim C. Hines.]
Dragonheart by Todd McCaffrey
(Todd McCaffrey’s second solo Dragonriders of Pern novel), Del Rey, $27.00, 560pp, hc, 9780345491145. Science fiction. On-sale date: 11 November 2008.
When young Fiona impresses a queen dragon, she doesn’t realize the perils and privileges that come with her new role. The challenges of becoming a Weyrwoman—co-leader of an entire dragon Weyr—can be overwhelming, and then, on top of it all, she faces the possibility of losing her dragon to the sickness that has already claimed so many others. Now Fiona is forced to confront the question: What is she willing to give up in order to truly be a queen rider?
Elric: To Rescue Tanelorn by Michael Moorcock (fully illustrated by Michael Wm. Kaluta)
(Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné, Volume 2), Del Rey, $15.00, 471pp, tp, 9780345498632. Fantasy.
Elric of Melniboné. The name is like a magic spell, conjuring up an image of an albino champion and his cursed, vampire sword, Stormbringer. Elric, the last emperor of a cruel and decadent race, rogue and adventurer, hero and murderer, lover and traitor, is mystery and paradox personified—a timeless testament to the creative achievement of Michael Moorcock, the most significant fantasy writer since Tolkien.
Now comes the second in this definitive series of Elric volumes: Elric: To Rescue Tanelorn. Gorgeously illustrated by acclaimed artists Michael Wm. Kaluta and including a new introduction by Michael Moorcock, this collection features, along with Elric, such renowned characters as Erekosë, Rackhir the Red Archer, and Count Renark von Bek. Readers will delight in adventures that include “To Rescue Tanelorn…,” “Master of Chaos,” “The Singing Citadel,” “The Black Blade’s Song,” and the novella version of “The Eternal Champion.”
Elric: To Rescue Tanelorn is essential reading for every fantasy fan and provide indelible proof—if any was needed—of the genius of Michael Moorock.
[Contents: “Foreword: My Eternal Champion” by Walter Mosley; “Introduction”; “The Eternal Champion”; “To Rescue Tanelorn”; “The Last Enchantment (Jesting with Chaos)”; “The Greater Conqueror”; “Master of Chaos (Earl Aubec)”; “Phase 1: A Jerry Cornelius Story”; “The Singing Citadel”; “The Jade Man’s Eyes”; “The Stone Thing”; “Elric at the End of Time”; “The Black Blade’s Song (The White Wolf’s Song)”; “Crimson Eyes”; “Sir Milk-and-Blood”; “The Roaming Forest”; and “Origins”.]
Inferno by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
(Authors’ Preferred Edition), Orb, $12.95, 237pp, tp, 9780765316769.
The 1976 classic back in print! Inferno is Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle’s modern rendering of Dante’s classic; a vivid re-imaging that continues to amaze and excite and has since become a classic in its own right. Re-issued, revised, and updated, this version sets the stage for its long-awaited sequel, Escape from Hell (Tor Books, February 2009).
After being thrown from the window of his luxury apartment, science fiction writer Allen Carpentier wakes to find himself at the gates of hell. Seeing what he thinks is a great opportunity for a book idea, Carpentier sets off to do research. Determined to meet Satan himself, he meets up with Benito Mussolini, playing the role of Virgil, who leads him throughout the underworld. As he makes his way through the Nine Layers of Hell, he encounters countless mental and physical tortures. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he struggles to escape and is taken through new, puzzling, and outlandish versions of sin—recast for the present day.
With this stylistic tour de force, Niven and Pournelle examine these questions of sin and accountability in a modern and relatable context. These two legends of the field wrap deeper musings in a thoroughly riveting story, grabbing the reader from the start and never letting go. With the long-anticipated sequel, Escape from Hell, due out from Tor in February 2009, this Authors’ Preferred Edition of the classic text perfectly sets the stage for the next installment in this thrilling story.
Afro Samurai by Takashi Okazaki
Tor/Seven Seas, $10.99, 176pp, tp, 9780765321237. Manga.
Takashi Okazaki’s dark edgy Afro Samurai manga resnoates with revenge, cool characters and gorgeous illustrations.
Made into a TV series which premiered on Spike TV in 2007, the anime featured the voices of Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Perlman (Hellboy), and Kelly Hu (X-Men 2)—with a phenomenal hip-hop soundtrack created by the Wun-Tang Clan’s RZA.
The storyline and artwork inspired Jackson to not only to voice the titular Afro and his sidekick, Ninja Ninja, but to also take on a major role as producer for the anime series.
The Afro Samurai video game for the XBox 360 and Playstation 3 is also slated for a Fall 2008 release by Namco.
In the futuristic yet feudal world of Afro Samurai, people wield cell phones and katanas, cyborgs battle ninjas, and blood flows freely (and literally on the page). However, there is a fixed rule; The Number One warrior has nearly unlimited power and only the Number Two warrior can formally challenge Number One. The current Number One is a man named Justice.
Many years ago, Justice cruelly shot down Afro’s father to gain that title. Set on a path of revenge, Afro has assumed the title of Number Two. He is ready to become Number One.
The Engine’s Child by Holly Phillips
Del Rey, $15.00, 384pp, tp, 9780345499653. Fantasy. On-sale date: 25 November 2008.
From acclaimed author Holly Phillips comes The Engine’s Child, a major work of visionary fantasy. As richly detailed as it is evocative, the vivid prose of this ambitious novel illuminates a lushly imagined world poised on the brink of revolution.
Lanterns and flickering bulbs light the shadowy world of rasnan, the island at the edge of a world-spanning ocean that harbors, in its ivory towers and mossy temples, the descendants of men and women who long ago fled a world ruined by magical and technological excess. But not all the island’s inhabitants are resigned to exile. A mysterious brotherhood seeks to pry open doors that lead back to their damaged, dangerous homeland. Others risk the even greater danger of flight, seeking new lands and new freedoms in the cast, uncharted seas.
Amid a web of conspiracy and betrayal, three people threaten to shatter this fragile world. Scheming Lord Ghar, faithful to lost gods and forbidden lore, plays an intricate power game; Lady Vashmarna, an iron-willed ruler, conceals a guilty secret behind her noble façade; and Moth, a poor, irreverent novice, holds perhaps the darkest power of all: a mysterious link to a shadowy force that may prove to be humanity’s final hope—or its ultimate doom.
Exile—and Glory by Jerry Pournelle
(contains High Justice and Exiles to Glory), Baen, $23.00, 360pp, hc, 9781416555636. Science fiction.
Earth was stagnating from a lack of resources, from corrupt governments that stayed in power by keeping their people in ignorance and poverty, and by the established power structures that stifled the creative technologies that could solve the planet’s problems. But the governments and power structures didn’t yet control space, where bold new techniques could freely be applied and the vast resources of the solar system could be utilized by such courageous men and women as:
* Aneas MacKenzie—he had believed in the man he had helped to reach the office of the presidency of the United States, and had tirelessly rooted out corruption wherever he found it, until the trail led straight back to the White House. After that, no place on Earth was safe for him.
* Laurie Jo Hansen—she controlled a multi-national corporation more powerful than many governments. Unlike those governments, she wanted to see Earth’s problems solved and reaching the high frontier was the only way to do that.
* Kevin Senecal—he had made the mistake of fighting back against a juvenile gang, and accidentally killing one of them while escaping. Both the gang and the law were after him, and on all of Earth there was no place to hide.
* Ellen MacMillan—a young employee of the Hansen Corporation who fascinated Kevin, she was on a secret mission, and the biggest secret was her real name.
Two complete novels—High Justice and Exiles to Glory—in one volume by a New York Times best-selling author, telling of an Earth sinking into a morass of corruption, red tape, and failure of nerve, while a dedicated few dare to reach for the stars.
The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution by David Quammen
Atlas/Norton, $14.95, 304pp, tp, 9780393329957. Science/Evolution.
The story of Charles Darwin and his wondrous, scary idea—the idea of “natural selection” as the main mechanism of evolution—is one of the most exciting in the history of science. Yet twenty-one years passed between Darwin’s conception of this idea and his publication of The Origin of Species. In The Reluctant Mr. Darwin, David Quammen draws on Darwin’s secret “transmutation” notebooks and private letters to create a meticulous, humane portrait of the man, and a lucid explication of his work, that captures both the personal foibles and the scientific substance. It’s an intimate view of a great scientist—taking readers behind the veil of Darwin’s greatness and his fame, following him closely through the joys, struggles, and sorrows of his quiet but extraordinarily consequential life.
Just One Bite by Kimberly Raye
(a Dead-End Dating novel), Ballantine, $6.99, 328pp, pb, 9780345503657. Paranormal romance.
Author Kimberly Raye is back with a new adventure for Lil Marchette, everyone’s favorite matchmaking vampire, in Just One Bite. After dealing with everything from geeky vampires to werewolves to an undead hot bounty hunter, one would think Lil’s Dead End Dating service has seen it all—but she’s not even close.
As a vampire extraordinaire and owner of Manhattan’s hottest hook-up service, Lil is an expert at matching up the lonely and desperate (and sometimes dead). And thanks to the popular local reality dating show Manhattan’s Most Wanted, Lil has plenty of fresh blood to add to the mix—including the biggest, baddest vampire in the Big Apple. Vinnie Balducci, Brooklyn representative for the Snipers of Otherworldly Beings, is making Lil an offer she can’t refuse: find him the perfect woman or she’s going to be swimming with the fishes.
But Lil may not be the only one taking the plunge. The three hunky demon Prince brothers are poking around Lil’s office—hot on the trail of a rogue spirit trying to escape the land down under (not Australia) by possessing some poor, clueless human soul. Then Lil makes a startling discovery: The oblivious human vessel is none other than her loyal assistant, Evie. Between saving Evie from eternal damnation and saving herself from Vinnie’s lethal ultimatum, Lil is sure to be in for the most hellish ride of her afterlife.
Stalking the Unicorn by Mike Resnick
(A Fable of Tonight; a John Justin Mallory Mystery), Pyr, $15.00, 310pp, tp, 9781591026488. Fantasy.
It’s 8:35PM on New Year’s Eve, and Private Detective John Justin Mallory is hiding out in his Manhattan office to avoid his landlord’s persistent inquiries about the unpaid rent. As he cheerlessly reflects on the passing of a lousy year, which saw his business partner run off with his wife, he assumes the bourbon is responsible for the appearance of a belligerent elf. The elf informs him that he needs the detective’s help in searching for a unicorn that was stolen from his charge.
When Mallory realizes the little green fellow is not going to disappear with the passing of his inebriation, he listen to the elf’s impassioned plea that the stolen magical beast much be returned to his care by daylight or his little green life will be forfeited by the elves’ guild.
Join detective Mallory on a New Year’s night of wild adventure in a fantasy Manhattan of leprechauns, gnomes, and Harpies as he matches wits with the all-powerful demon Grundy in a race to find the missing unicorn before time runs out!
Stalking the Vampire by Mike Resnick
(a Fable of Tonight; a John Justin Mallory Mystery), Pyr, $25.00, 288pp, hc, 9781591026495. Fantasy.
In the imaginary Manhattan of Mike Resnick’s John Justin Mallory series, Halloween is the biggest holiday of the year. On this night when ghosts and goblins are out celebrating, detective Mallory must stalk the vampire who has threatened his assistant, Winnifred Carruthers, and killed her nephew. With the aid of Felina, the catgirl, Mallory and Carruthers investigate clubs and lairs that only seem to exist on this one night of the year.
His hunt takes him to Creepy Conrad’s Cut-Rate All-Night Mortuary, where he questions the living and the dead; to the Annual Zombies’ Ball, to learn more about the undead; to the Hills of Home Cemetery, where the vampire sleeps by dady; and to the Central Park Battery, where all of Manhattan’s bats come to feed and sleep. Along the way he meets a few old friends and enemies, and a host of strange new inhabitants of this otherworldly Manhattan.
Just before dawn, he tracks down the elusive vampire, who is millennia old and tired of living, but can’t overcome its nature and instinct to survive. An intriguing battle of wits ensues with a surprise ending.
The Last Centurion by John Ringo
Baen, $25.00, 439pp, hc, 9781416555537. Science fiction.
In the second decade of the twenty-first century the world is struck by two catastrophes, a new mini-ice age and, nearly simultaneously, a plague to dwarf all previous experiences.
Rising out of the disaster is the character known to history as “Bandit Six” an American Army officer caught up in the struggle to rebuild the world and prevent the fall of his homeland—despite the best efforts of politicians both elected and military.
The Last Centurion is a memoir of one possible future, a world that is a darkling mirror of our own. Written “blog-style,” it pulls no punches in its descriptions of junk science, bad strategy and organic farming not to mention all three at once.
Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff
Harper Perennial, $13.95, 230pp, tp, 9780061240423. Fiction.
Locked up on a murder charge in the Las Vegas county jail, a woman named Jane Charlotte matter-of-factly admits to being an operative for a secret organization that takes out evil people, dangerous criminals dubbed “bad monkeys.” Are these simply the lunatic ramblings of a damaged brain? Or could vigilantes really be out thhere, hiding in plain sight and dispensing a unique brand of justice?
Welcome to the labyrinthine unvierse of Bad Monkeys. Now available in paperback, Bad Monkeys is a futuristic psychological literary thriller by Matt Ruff where nothing is as it appears, everyone has secrets and the truth is up for grabs. Relentlessly paced and cunningly plotted, this nonstop adrenaline rush throbs with moral ambiguities and existential what ifs, taking a feverish, hallucinatory trip through a literary funhouse that obliterates all conventional notions of right and wrong.
Transferred to the psych ward of the prison, Jane has a sit-down with Dr. Richard Vale. Is she a headcase or stone-cold sane? To answer that question, he needs to hear more. So Jane begins her account of this all-knowing organization and her role as a ruthless agent of good. She explains that her division is actually called “The Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons,” “Bad Monkeys” for short, and paret of a much larger group with eyes and ears everywhere—literally.
Twisting and turning to its ultimate outcome, Bad Monkeys challenges every assumption, upends every certainty and defies every expectation in a way that only a boldly original, wildly imaginative storyteller like Matt Ruff can pull off.
Future Proof: The Greatest Gadgets and Gizmos Ever Imagined by Nick Sagan with Mark Frary and Andy Walker
Icon, £10.99, 160pp, tp, 9781848310049.
Future Proof charts from prototype to realisation, the real-life technical evolution of 50 of the most popular science fiction inventions.
Co-author Nick Sagan is the son of science fiction legend Carl Sagan and has contributed to an unashamedly nerdy tour through science fiction’s most brilliant inventions. From Buck Rogers’ jetpack to Vanilla Sky’s cryonics, this beautifully designed book details the history, reality and tech spec of science fiction’s most brilliant crime-fighting, space-travelling, remote controlled, lightspeed, artificially intelligent inventions. Features include: Buck Rogers’ jetpack; Jetsons Flying cars; Star Trek’s transporters; The Six Million Dollar Man’s cyborg; Sleeper’s Orgasmatron; 2001’s artificial intelligence; Lost in Space’s remote controlled robots; Vanilla Sky’s cryonics; Star Wars’ Warp Drives; Back to the Future’s time travel; Total Recall’s terraforming; Doctor Who’s robot pets; Galactic Patrol’s cybernetics; A Fall of Moondust’s space tourism; Stargate’s wormholes; Brave New World’s hypnopedia.
Essential reading for the technology addict or science fiction addict, this is also the perfect book for anyone who misses Tomorrow’s World and wants to know if the technology of the future is really possible.
East of the Sun and West of Fort Smith by William Sanders (introduction by Rick Bowes)
Norilana, $32.95, 588pp, hc, 9781934648656. Science fiction collection.
Norilana Books presents East of the Sun and West of Fort Smith, the definitive short fiction collection by award-winning author William Sanders which combines in one volume all of his previously collected short work in addition to several previously unseen originals, with an introduction by Rick Bowes and additional notes by the author.
William Sanders is the critically acclaimed author of over 20 books, and numerous works of short fiction and articles, including The Ballad of Billy Badass and the Rose of Turkestan, A Death on 66, The Next Victim, The Wild Blue and the Gray, Are We Having Fun Yet?, the apocalyptic stunner J., and award-winning stories “The Undiscovered” and “Empire”.
He is a two-time winner of the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and a multiple finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award, the Nebula, the Hugo, the Theodore Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Award. He is the senior editor of speculative fiction magazine Helix and lives in Oklahoma.
[Contents: “Introduction” by Rick Bowes; “Introduction” by William Sanders; “Elvis Bearpaw’s Luck”; “Going After Old Man Alabama”; “The Undiscovered”; “Words and Music”; “Billy Mitchell’s Overt Act”; “Ninekiller and the Neterw“; “Dirty Little Cowards”; “Jennifer, Just Before Midnight”; “Creatures”; “Smoke”; “Looking for Rhonda Honda”; “When this World is All on Fire”; “He Did the Flatline Boogie and He Boogied on Down the Line”; “The Scuttling, or, Down by the Sea with Marvin and Pamela”; “Empire”; “Tenbears and the Bruja“; “Duce”; “Dry Bones”; “At Ten Wolf Lake”; “Sitka”; “Angel Kills”; “Not Fade Away”; “Acts”; “Amba”; “Going to See the Beast”; “The Contractors”; and “Afterword” by William Sanders.]
Son of Man by Robert Silverberg
Pyr, $15.00, 256pp, tp, 9781591026464. Science fiction.
In the beginnnig… there was no Brooklyn, no St. Louis, no Shakespeare, no moon, no hunger, no death…
In the beginning… there were no real men, no real women, nothing but dispassionately passionate ambisexuals of the lowest and highest order…
In the beginning… the heavens, the seas and the Earth belonged to more intelligent species than a man called Clay could ever have dreamed possible in his own time.
But his own time as a man had passed, and now his time as the son of man had come!
Clay is a man from the 20th Century who is somehow caught up in a time-flux and transported into a distant future. The earth and the life on it have changed beyond recognition. Even the human race has evolved into many different forms, now coexisting on the planet. The seemingly omnipotent Skimmers, the tyrannosaur-like Eaters, the sedentary Awaiters, the squid-like Breathers, the Interceders, the Destroyers—all of these are “Sons of Man”. Befriended and besexed by the Skimmers, Clay goes on a journey which takes him around the future earth and into the depths off his own soul. He is human, but what does that mean?
We the Underpeople by Cordwainer Smith
Baen, $7.99, 623pp, pb, 9781416555674. Science fiction collection.
In a far-flung future, planoforming ships knit together a galaxy ruled from Earth by the ruthless benevolence of the mysterious Lords of the Instrumentality, who presided over a utopia without death, danger—or freedom. The Underpeople, humanlike beings created from animals to do the work of utopia, had no rights, and could be disposed of at the whim of a human. But they had become more humanlike than their creators, and their leader, the cat woman C’Mell, had a plan for gaining their freedom—which made her much too dangerous a person to be permitted to live.
Elsewhere in the galaxy, the planet Norstrilia had power of its own, for it was the only source of stroon, the drug which arrested aging and made humans immortal. Its inhabitants were wealthy beyond comprehension, and one of them, a boy named Rod McBan, with the help of his computer, had manipulated the galactic economy until he completely owned the planet Earth—which made him much too dangerous a person to be permitted to live.
But when Rod came to Earth and joined forces with C’Mell and the Underpeople, the petrified utopia of the Instrumentality began to crack and fall apart as freedom was reborn in the galaxy.…
Together for the first time in one volume—the classic novel Nostrilia, plus all the other stories of the Underpeople’s struggle for freedom. A unique vision of the future by one of the most honored and original writers in science fiction.
[Contents: “Introduction” by Robert Silverberg; “The Dead Lady of Clown Town”; “Under Old Earth”; “Mother Hitton’s Littul Kittons”; “Alpha Ralpha Boulevard”; “The Ballad of Lost C’mell”; and Nostrilia.]
Tears of Everro by David A. Stuhler
Rosedog, $19.00, 175pp, tp, 9781434990037.
At the creation of Planet Palestus, the old gods determined that in order for it to flourish, humans would require guidance from beyond this world. Learning to cherish all of the diversities in nature was not natural to man. It was decreed that a solar system planetary alignment would occur every five hundred years and a calling of the Council of the Elders would be sent forth to bring diverse beings to Palestus.
Never in the history of this world had a calling been influenced by the evils and there was a hatred some of the old gods had for the humans. The half-mad Sylakian King Zaghar and Krebolus, the Lord of the Dead, had tried to prevent the council from bringing this being into the world. The sages had foretold this calling would bring to Palestus an inndividual who was far different from any in memory.
A quiet student teacher from Planet Earth seemed to meet all of the genetic criteria. Jeff D’Afoe’s soul was chosen. The essence of his being was pulled through the void of time and space to Palestus, a small feudal planet in the Odea Galaxy. The voyages through the unnatural laws of the void transformed him physically and mentally. This is Jedaf’s story as his name translates—his new life and that of a small band of followers he encounters on his quests to make right ancient wrongs and contain evil once more.
Fallout by C.L. Talmadge
(Green Stone of Healing Series, Book Two), Healing Stone, $16.95, 248pp, tp, 9780980053746. Fantasy.
She can keep her legs shut, but not her lips…
She is Lt. Helen Andros, outspoken heroine of Fallout, second book in the Green Stone of Healing epic fantasy series.
Fallout continues the tale of Helen—opinionated, tough-minded, and yet vulnerable. Still unaware of her gem’s potentials, she clashes repeatedly with her powerful newfound parent, while both of them face growing danger from the state-sanctioned Temple of Kronos.
The Green Stone of Healing series explores how government backing for exclusionary religious practice leads to the complete destruction of an island nation called Azgard. Four generations of strong female characters inherit a mysterious green jewel that mends broken bones and broken hearts, protects against missiles, and renders its wearers invisible. They use it to offer a healing, inclusive alternative to a government that persecutes those who do not look like or share the religious beliefs of its leaders.
The Scorpions Strike by C.L. Talmadge
(Green Stone of Healing Series, Book Three), Healing Stone, $16.95, 264pp, tp, 9780980053757. Fantasy.
Some people just need killing…
Will outspoken heroine Helen Andros and her newly reconciled father be the ones to die?
At the outset of The Scorpions Strike, the two endure proscription and savage punishment by the powerful Temple of Kronos. Although both evade death for the time being, their struggles and dangers only grow worse.
Helen, under a Temple death mark, learns the basics of energy manipulation from Maguari the Mist-Weaver and, for the first time, uses her green stone to heal others. Meanwhile, her father’s political enemies hound him relentlessly, and a treacherous ally plots his demise.
The Green Stone of Healing epic fantasy series chronicles four generations of strong-willed female characters and how government backing for exclusionary religious practices leads to the obliteration of an island nation called Azgard.
The Vision by C.L. Talmadge
(Green Stone of Healing Series, Book One), Healing Stone, $16.95, 232pp, tp, 9780980053730. Fantasy.
When politics and piety collide…
Green Stone of Healing series is epic fantasy packed with romance and intrigue that chronicles how state backing for exclusionary religious practice leads to the complete destruction of a mighty island nation called Azgard.
The Vision launches a multigenerational tale with Lt. Helen Andros, an opinionated, tough-minded military physician who is also vulnerable, an illegitimate orphan in a nation divided by race and rank. Caught in theocratic machinations that almost cost her life, Helen learns her father’s true identity as one of the country’s most powerful Toltec lords.
The vision that impelled Helen’s Turanian mother to bear a despised half-breed comes to light thanks to the otherworldly Mist-Weavers. These ancient, secretive beings, appearing and dissolving at will, know of the stone’s potentials.
Targeted for death by the Temple of Kronos, Helen is unable to reconcile with her newfound parent. She must learn to make full use of the stone and a special kind of energy called kura to survive and fulfill her spiritual destiny.
Dororo, Volume 3 by Osamu Tezuka
Vertical, $13.95, 272pp, tp, 9781934287187. Graphic novel/manga.
While summer winds down, things are heating up at Vertical with the conclusion of Osamu Tezuka’s three volume action-packed adventure series, Dororo. Our dueling hero discovers a treasure map on Dororo’s back, and the pair set off in search of the riches Dororo’s father hid away. Hyakkimaru and Dororo do not get far before they run into trouble, and the duo must battle evil men and festering spirits alike on their quest.
Dororo sparked a cult following with its original serialization in 1967 and 1968. It was soon adapted to a successful anime series and, later, a PlayStation videogame, Blood Will Tell (2004). In 2007, a live-action film was released in Japan making $30 million at the box office; the DVD will be released in America this September. Vertical has released Dororo in a three-volume format.
Saint Antony’s Fire by Steve White
Baen, $24.00, 320pp, hc, 9781416555988. Science fiction. On-sale date: November 2008.
In our universe, Ponce de León is remembered for his fruitless search for the mythical fountain of youth. But, in an alternate universe, his quest found something very different—and very dangerous. After his return to Spain, bizarre rumors flew about what he had found there, and what had come back with him.
Eighty-five years later, Spain sent a fleet of ships against England. The English were confident that they could repel the threat—but England’s fleet was annihilated by weapons shooting beams of fiery light, weapons which seemed to employ the blackest of sorcery, even if they were wielded by odd-looking beings in monk’s garb.
The Queen herself was forced to flee to the New World on Captain Thomas Winslow’s ship, Heron, accompanied by her advisor Dr. Dee, whom some called a sorcerer, and an odd fellow named Shakespeare, hoping there to find the source of Spain’s powerful weapons. But they would find far stranger matters there than they had expected, such as a grown woman who had been only an infant a year before, and eerie tales of a gate to another world with beings who were not human…
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed by Sean Williams (based on a story by Haden Blackman)
Del Rey, $26.00, 336pp, hc, 9780345499028. Science fiction.
In Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the overthrow of the Republic is complete. The Separatist forces have been smashed, the Jedi Council nearly decimated, and the rest of the Order all but destroyed. Now absolute power rests in the iron fist of Darth Sidious—the cunning Sith lord better known as former Senator, now Emperor, Palpatine. But more remains to be done. Pockets of resistancec in the galaxy must still be defeated and missing Jedi accounted for… and dealt with. These crucial tasks fall to the Emperor’s ruthless enforcer, Darth Vader. In turn, the Dark Lord has groomed a lethal appentice entrusted with a top-secret mission: to comb the galaxy and dispatch the last of his masters’ enemies, thereby punctuating the dark side’s victory with the Jedi’s doom.
Since childhood, Vader’s nameless agent has known only the cold, mercenary creed of the Sith. His past is a void; his present, the carrying out of his deadly orders. But his future beckons like a glistening black jewel with the ultimate promise: to stand beside the only father he has ever known, with the galaxy at their feet. It is a destiny he can realize only by rising to the greatest challenge of his discipleship: destroying Emperor Palpatine.
The apprentice’s journeys will take him across the far reaches of the galaxy, from the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk to the junkyard planet of Raxus Prime. On these missions, the young Sith acolyte will be tested as never before—by shattering revelations that strike at the very heart of all he believes and stir within him long-forgotten hopes of reclaiming his name…and changing his destiny.
It Takes a Thief by Liz Wolfe
Medallion, $7.95, 428pp, pb, 9781934755068. Suspense. On-sale date: February 2009.
The CIA is trying to recruit Zeke Alexander, a world-reknowned thief, to infiltrate the Dominion Order for them. But his daughter, Zoe, can’t let that happen because she knows he isn’t up to it. The only way she can prevent his participation is to offer her own.
All she has to do is what comes naturally—for the enemy—and report back to the CIA. Before she finishes the job, she’ll have to reconcile her feelings about the mother she thought dead, and the father she was never good enough for. And in the end her skill as a thief is the only thing that can save the president and his cabinet from a horrible death.