This page is updated as books are received throughout the month.
Magic’s Design by Cat Adams
Tor, $6.99, 384pp, pb, 9780765359636. Paranormal fantasy.
USA Today bestselling author C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp have captivated paranormal romance readers for years. Now, writing as Cat Adams, they up the ante with Magic’s Design, a fantastical tale set in an all-new world of magic. When two people discover that they are destined to save the world from an ancient evil, will their love prove strong enough to defend us all?
Talos is a magic wielder, born into the mage guild of firecrafters. An agent of the Overworld Police, he has come from a secret land to protect Earth from magicians intent on enslaving humanity.
Mila has always had the gift of healing. But this very modern woman never realized that her skill was born of an ancient magic that only firecraft can fully unlock.
A woman who does not believe in magic and a man from a land where magic is everything make for an odd pair. But together, Tal and Mila discover that the source of their powers is in glorious, harmonious unity. If they fail to defend the Sacred Tree of Life, however, and all the magic in the world is extinguished, will their newly discovered powers of love matter?
Cat Adams is off to an incredible start with this truly unique look at magic and love. Magic’s Design is sure to enchant new readers and satisfy the legion of Clamp and Adams fans who look forward to every new romance from this award-winning team.
A Flash of Hex by Jes Battis
(an Osi novel), Ace, $7.99, 384pp, pb, 9780441017232. Fantasy. On-sale date: 26 May 2009.
Jes Battis’ A Flash of Hex is the second book in a terrific urban fantasy series that follows the adventures of Tess Corday, a CSI for paranormal and occult crimes.
Even the most hardened and experienced investigators lose sleep when they are confronted with a serial killer. And when that killer deserves the attention of the Occult Special Investigations unit, the stakes are even higher. Tess Corday, who thought she has seen the worst of all disturbing crime cases, is shaken to her core at the crime scene she encounters—a ritual killing, casually brutal and carefully staged—involving dead teens of powerful mage families. As Tess tracks down the killers, she realizes that much more is at stake than she had originally anticipated and that she must break many rules to get to the bottom of the murders. The question is… how far is she willing to go?
Sins & Shadows by Lyn Benedict
(a
Shadows Inquiries novel), Ace, $7.99, 368pp, pb, 9780441017119. Fantasy. On-sale date: April 2009.
Lyn Benedict’s Sins & Shadows is the first installment in a fantastic and dark urban fantasy series that follows the story of Sylvie Lightner, an unlicensed PI working out of South Miami Beach who specializes in supernatural cases.
After one of her employees is murdered, Sylvie decides to close up shop, unwilling to lose anyone else to the Magicus Mundi. But when an uncanny case rolls up, she cannot turn it down. A god’s lover has gone missing, and if Sylvie refuses to look into the mystery, her family, friends, and the world are in danger. As Sylvie investigates, she is drawn into the path of Maudit sorcerers, the Furies, government agents, and the enigmatic sphinx. Sylvie will uncover the dark secret of her own history, but before she can save everyone she loves, she’ll have to save herself.
Death’s Daughter by Amber Benson
(a Calliope Reaper-Jones novel), Ace, $7.99, 368pp, pb, 9780441016945. Fantasy.
Best known for her role as fan-favorite Tara Maclay on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Amber Benson is also a novelist. Amber’s first novel in an exciting new urban fantasy series, Death’s Daughter, is sure to delight fans and keep readers enthralled. With the kick-butt Calliope Reaper-Jones as the novel’s protagonist, readers won’t be able to put the book down!
Torn between an immortal life helping her father run Death, Inc., and a normal human existence, Calliope chooses to leave the trappings of the Afterlife behind in order to pursue a career in high fashion. Callie is stuck in the monotony of a dead-end job, when suddenly her very existence is sent into a tailspin. She is informed that someone has kidnapped the President and CEO of Death, Inc., (aka Callie’s father) along with Callie’s older sister, Thalia. Now, it’s up to Callie to find her missing family, while trying to keep the family business running smoothly at the same time.
Death’s Daughter is an action-packed adventure that demonstrates Amber Benson’s colorful imagination and wit. Not only is she a talented actress and a wonderful writer, she also produces and directs her own work! She co-created, co-wrote, and directed the animated supernatural web-series Ghosts of Albion with Christopher Golden, followed by a series of novels including Witchery and Accursed, and the novella Astray. Benson and Golden also co-authored the novella The Seven Whistlers. As an actress, she has appeared in dozens of roles in feature films, TV movies, and television series, including the fan favorite role of Tara Maclay on three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Benson wrote, produced, and directed the feature films Chance and Lovers, Liars, and Lunatics.
The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop
(a Black Jewels novel), Roc, $24.95, 429pp, hc, 9780451462541. Fantasy.
Award-winning author Anne Bishop returns with The Shadow Queen, the second title in her darkly romantic Black Jewels series. This book brings readers back to a violently passionate world of witches, warlocks, and magical jewels.
In a land decimated by its past, Theran Grayhaven, the last of his line, must work to re-establish the Old Ways of the Blood. Desperate to find the key that reveals a treasure great enough to restore the land of Dena Nehele, he must first search for a queen who can rule according to protocols. Will Queen Cassidy be able to prove to both Gray and herself that wounds can heal?
The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett
Del Rey, $25.00, 421pp, hc, 9780345503800. Fantasy.
It’s not difficult for many of us to imagine a long, daily commute to the office. If you take public transportation, that gives you a bit of free time to read, listen to music, or… to write your first novel. All Peter Brett needed to write his first novel on the daily subway commute was his BlackBerry. And that’s exaqctly what he used to pen ninety percent of The Warded Man.
In The Warded Man, as darkness falls each night, the corelings rise—demons who well up from the ground like hellish steam, taking on fearsome form. Sand demons. Wood demons. Wind demons. Flame demons. And gigantic rock demons. They possess supernatural strength and powers and burn with a consuming hatred of humanity. For hundreds of years the demons have terrorized the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards—symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and mystery, and whose protection is terrifyingly fragile.
It was not always this way. Once, men and women battled the corelings on equal terms. But those days are gone. The fighting wards are lost. Night by night the demons grow stronger, while human numbers dwindle under their relentless assault. Now, with hope for the future fading, three young survivors of vicious demon attacks will dare the impossible, stepping beyond the crumbling safety of the wards to risk everything in a desperate quest to regain the secrets of the past. Together, they will stand against the night.
Veteran fantasy writer Terry Brooks says: “There is much to admie in Peter Brett’s writing, and his concept is brilliant, with action and suspense all the way.” Not bad for a first novel written on a PDA.
Punctuation Celebration by Elsa Knight Bruno, illustrated by Jenny Whitehead
Henry Holt, $16.95, 32pp, hc, 9780805079739.
Punctuation marks come alive in this clever picture book featuring fourteen playful poems. Periods stop sentences in a baker’s shop, commas help a train slow down, quotation marks tell people what to do, and colons stubbornly introduce lists. This appealing primer is a surefire way to make punctuation both accessible and fun for kids.
Turn Coat by Jim Butcher
(a novel of the Dresden Files), Roc, $25.95, 432pp, hc, 9780451462565. Fantasy. On-sale date: 7 April 2009.
Bestselling author Jim Butcher has entranced fans with, not one, but two bestselling series: The epic classic fantasy of The Codex Alera series and the urban noir fantasy of the Dresden Files. Now Jim Butcher’s famous wizard private investigator, Harry Dresden, is back in the latest installment of the Dresden Files.
Harry Dresden, as a professional wizard, has done his best to keep his nose clean where the White Council of Wizards is concerned. Now Dresden finds himself faced with a nightmarish dilemma: Morgan, formerly his chief persecutor among the Wardens, has been wrongly accused of treason against the White Council—and has come to Harry for help. Dresden faces a daunting task: clear Morgan’s name while simultaneously hiding him from the Wardens and the supernatural bounty hunters sent to find him, discovering the identity of the true turncoat and, of course, avoiding accusations of treachery of his own. A single mistake may mean that heads—quite literally—will roll. And one of them could be his own…
Big, Bigger, Biggest! by Nancy Coffelt
Henry Holt, $16.95, 32pp, hc, 9780805080896.
How would you describe a hippopotamus? Big might be the first word that comes to mind. What about a whale? Gigantic? Immense? How about enormous! What if you had to find a word for the biggest animal of them all—a dinosaur. Mammoth? Humongous? Colossal!
With its bright pictures of animals in all shapes and sizes, this terrific read-aloud introduces young children to the language of comparisons, synonyms, and antonyms.
Ages of Wonder edited by Julie E. Czerneda & Robn St. Martin
DAW, $7.99, 320pp, pb, 9780756405434. Fantasy anthology.
From the mists of antiquity to the star fields of tomorrow…
Fantasy—the very word conjures infinite possibilities. And yet far too often, writers limit themselves to a few well-mined areas of the vast fantasy realms. Whether inspired by Greek and Roman mythology, the European Renaissance, the lore of the British Isles, or drawn to modern urban settings, writers have created environments and characters that are truly their own. But the history of our world offers many cultures and areas rich in lore and legend that have barely been explored.
And so we have Ages of Wonder. The nineteen tales included here take us from the Age of Antiquity to the Age of Sails, the Colonial Age, the Age of Pioneers, the Pre-Modern Age, and the Age Ahead. Join these adventurers as they explore all that fantasy has to offer in stories ranging from a Roman slave forced to seek a witch’s curse to aid his master… to an elemental trapped in a mortal’s body unable to reach for the power of the wind… to a family of tree-people hoping to find a new life in America… to a Native American tribe’s search for a new hunting ground and the one girl whose power could prove the difference between life and death… to the impact of technology on those who live by magic… and the Age that may await when sciencce and magic combine into something new.
[Contributors: Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Caitlin Sweet, Urania Fung, Karina Sumner-Smith, natalie Millman, Ika Vanderkoeck, Brad Carson, Jana Paniccia, Ceri Young, Liz Holliday, Sandra Tayler, Kristen Bonn, Linda A.B. Davis, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, Jennifer Crow, Tony Pi, Queenie Tirone, K.J. Gould, and Costi Gurgu.]
Amberville by Tim Davys
Harper, $19.99, 352pp, hc, 9780061625121. Fantasy.
What does it mean to be evil? Novelist Tim Davys tackles this fundamental question in Amberville, an intellectually provocative, dazzlingly audacious tale set in a foreign yet familiar world of stuffed animals, indelible characters as multifaceted, deeply conflicted and fully realized as any in recent memory.
When first seen in Amberville, Eric Bear is a high-powered executive at Mollisan Town’s most influential advertising agency, having buried his dissolute past, a reckless time of drugs, drinking, crime and gambling, to become a well-respected, socially ambitious civic leader and a besotted husband. Then suddenly Nicholas Dove, Eric’s ex-employer and a chillingly ruthless mob boss, comes charging back into his life flanked by two murderous gorilla enforcers.
The dangerous Dove controls most of the underworld activity in the area but something extraordinary has happened to scare this hardened gangster. Through an informant, Dove has heard that he is on the Death List, an annual register of those marked for extinction, and he wants the politically connected, ethically flexible Eric to save him. So after twenty years, he shows up at the Bear apartment to collect on an outstanding debt. Not many know who composes the list, who carries it out, how someone gets removed from it or if there really is a list, but Eric has no choice but to find out: Dove warns that if he dies, Emma Rabbit, Eric’s beloved artist wife, will die too.
Although he has heard whispered rumors about the Death List since childhood, Eric has always dismissed the talk as utter nonsense. Of course he is aware of the universally feared Chauffeurs who drive a red pickup truck and collect animals at the end of their lives for a one-way trip… somewhere. But could there possibly be a link between these ostensibly natural events and the cruel calculations of a Death List?
He is not sure how long he has for his seemingly impossible task but this middle-aged bear realizes that he can’t go it alone. With promises and threats, Eric re-assembles his former crew—the amiable but intermittently violent Tom-Tom Crow, the gleefully brutal prostitute Sam Gazelle and the bitter, scheming Snake Marek—and vows to do whatever it takes to keep Emma alive, even as he desperately contemplates her fate if they don’t succeed.
As they embark on their hunt for the notorious list, chasing down leads and racing against the clock, the increasingly hazardous mission takes the gang on a trek from Mollisan Town’s seedy underbelly to its most elite circles, forcing a grimly determined Eric to unravel a convoluted web of alliances, secrets, loyalties, lies and betrayals.
What he discovers, as he struggles to make sense of hazy illusions and inescapable truths and Amberville moves towards a stunning final reveal, is that ultimately few animals are as they appear to be—and even fewer can be trusted. With this knockout debut, Tim Davys establishes himself as a formidable writer of astonishing skill and wondrous imagination, leaving readers eagerly anticipating Lanceheim, the next installment in the Mollisan Town Quartet.
Time Davys is a pseudonym, and the author lives in Sweden.
In the Stormy Red Sky by David Drake
Baen, $25.00, 400pp, hc, 9781416591597. Science fiction. On-sale date: May 2009.
Daniel leary is Cinnabar’s most successful space captain; his friend, Lady Adele Mundy, is its most efficient spy—but they’ve got their hands full this time as they face:
* A Cinnabar Senator furious at losing an election—and still powerful enough to make her anger deadly.
* The boy ruler of a star cluster who thinks he;s a godand who can sign the death warrants of even Cinnabar officials if a mad whimsy tells him to.
* A world of slaves and escaped slaves, where the most savage beasts in the jungle used to be human.
* An enemy base that could shrug off attack by powerful battlefleets—but which must fall to a single cruiser if Cinnabar is to survive.
From palace to reeking jungle, from gunfights in grimy hangars to the flagship’s bridge during a sprawling space battle, Leary and Mundy are in the thick of it again. Watch the galaxy explode—In the Stormy Red Sky.
The Alchemist’s Pursuit by Dave Duncan
(sequel to The Alchemist’s Code), Ace, $14.00, 311pp, tp, 9780441016785. Fantasy.
The sequel to The Alchemist’s Code, The Alchemist’s Pursuit is the third book inDave Duncan’s witty and gripping fantasy series, featuring the apprentice to Nostradamus in an alternate historical Venice.
Maestro Nostradamus, the celebrated physician and astrologer who dabbles in alchemy, magic, and, ocasionally, demonology is in no condition to grant favors or run about looking for trouble. But when Alfeo’s mistress asks him to investigate the murder of her beloved courtesan mentor—and promises a fortune in payment—he changes his mind. And when Nostradamus and Alfeo come to the end of their intertwined paths—there may by hell to pay…
A Magic of Nightfall by S.L. Farrell
(a novel of the Nessantico Cycle), DAW, $24.95, 576pp, hc, 9780756405397. Fantasy.
S.L. Farrell began his new fantasy series—The Nessantico Cycle—last year with A Magic of Twilight. The series is an epic tale of murder and magic, deception and betrayal, Machiavellian politics, star-crossed lovers, and a world on the brink of devastating war. Now the series continues with A Magic of Nightfall.
Farrell, best known for his “absorbing” (Locus) and “exciting” (Midwest Book Review) Cloudmages trilogy, takes readers into the city of Nessantico. Over the centuries, Nessantico slowly spread its influence in all directions and gathered to itself all that was intellectual, all that was rich, and all that was powerful. There was no city in the world that could rival it. A Magic of Nightfall is set twenty-five years later. A boy king rules Nessantico under the tutelage of Sergei ca’Rudka, but the boy is ill and there are those who are waiting impatiently for the Sun Throne to become vacant again. The continent spanning empire of the Holdings has broken in half, with Firenzcia and neighboring countries to the east creating a rival alliance. The Concenzia Faith has also been sundered, with Archigos Ana Ca’Seranta ruling in Nessantico while another Brezno claims the same title. In Firenzcia, Allesandrea ca’Vorl plots against the Holdings, and for Semini ca’Cellibrecca, the Archigos of Brezno, the acceptance of the Numetodo heretics in the Holdings makes him quake with fury. In the far west, there is war with the Tehuantin, the people of the Hellins. In Nessantico herself, in the warrens of Oldtown, agents of the Tehuantin are waiting.
Belisarius II: Storm at Noontide by Eric Flint and David Drake
(contains Destiny’s Sheild and Fortune’s Stroke), Baen, $23.00, 859pp, hc, 9781416591481. Science fiction.
Continuing the popular Belisarius saga, with two full-length novels in one volume.
Destiny’s Shield: Evil from beyond time: The Malwa Empire squats like a toad across sixth century India, commanded by ruthless men with depraved appetites. But the thing from the distant future that commands them is far worse. Those who oppose the purulent Hell the Malwa will make of Earth have sent a crystal, Aide, to halt their advance. Aide holds all human knowledge—but cannot act by himself. That requires Count Belisarius, the greatest general of the age and perhaps of all ages, who must outwit the evil empire—and then, when there is no longer room to maneuver, to meet it sword-edge to sword-edge, lest evil beyond human conception rules the world forever.
Fortune’s Stroke: Link, the supercomputer from a future that should not, must not exist has used terror and gunpowder weapons to forge the Malwa Empire on the Indian subcontinent. Aide and Belisarius have led the armies of Byzantium and blunted the first assault of the Malwa hordes. Now he and his allies from all the world face overwhelming numbers in a ring that tightens about them. The armies of Good and Evil gathered on the fertile plains of Mesopotamia will decide the fate of the world—and the fate of all the future.
The Stranger by Max Frei
(The Labyrinths of Echo, Book One), Overlook, $29.95, 560pp, hc, 9781590200650. Science fiction/Fantasy. On-sale date: April 2009.
Russian literary sensation Max Frei makes his English language debut in The Stranger, a highly philosophical comic fantasy infused with extraordinary wit, a voice that is beyond unique, and a complex web of clues that keeps the pages turning. A bestseller in Europe for years, this astonishing story is the fantasy epic for a new century.
Once a self-described “classic loser” who, if it weren’t for bad luck, wouldn’t have any luck at all, Max is an insomniac who sleeps all day, a night owl in a world of larks, a social outcast and a glutton with nothing to show for himself but empty cigarette packs. At twenty-something, Max is never the early bird and he never gets the worm. Then one day he suddenly finds himself transplanted into an alternate dream universe in the city of Echo, summoned by the chief of the Secret Police. In this world, he is deemed a species of magical secret agent, is made a member of the Department of Absolute Order, and must solve unimaginably extravagant cases with his exceptional new powers. Fate smiles on Max in the city of Echo, where everything that happens to him happens for a reason, and the one-time slacker is known reverently as the “unequalled Sir Max.” As Max learns how to navigate through his bizarre new reality, he takes readers on the journey of a lifetime punctuated by incredible events and a cast of unforgettable characters.
In an additional twist of fantasy, the true author behind the endearing narrator of The Labyrinths of Echo series is revealed in reality as Russian writer Svetlana Martynchik. In the hands of this literary ventriloquist, Max Frei comes alive in the tradition of Sergei Lukyanenko’s internationally bestselling Night Watch trilogy. Similarly sprawling, inventive, and destined for success, The Stranger is soon to become a favorite fixture in bookshelves all over the world.
A Drop of Red by Chris Marie Green
(Vampire Babylon, book four), Ace, $14.00, 325pp, tp, 9780441016815. Fantasy.
A Drop of Red, by dynamic talent Chris Marie Green is the fourth book in the Vampire Babylon series. It begins a new story arc and moves the action from Los Angeles to London. This exciting vampire tale will leave readers at the edge of their seats.
After managing to wipe out the Los Angeles Vampire Underground, Hollywood stuntwoman-turned-vampire-hunter Dawn Madison is determined to find the next vampire lair, thinking it will help her to resolve the uncertainties in her life. When a new Underground is found in England, Dawn and a crack vampire-fighting team are dispatched to carry the fight to the streets of London. Dawn learns quickly that it’s not only the beautiful people of Hollywood who are willing to bargain with evil…
White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison
Eos, $25.95, 504pp, hc, 9780061138010. Fantasy.
Acclaimed and accomplished author Kim Harrison’s most recent novel, The Outlaw Demon Wails debuted on bestseller lists nationwide last year, as thousands of new fans joined those who have long been following the supernatural adventures of her alluring, crafty—and if necessary, dangerous—protagonist Rachel Morgan, full-time witch and independent bounty hunter.
In Kim Harrison’s newest novel, White Witch, Black Curse, Rachel finds herself in a deadly game of vengeance—a game where she is both hunter, and hunted.
Rachel has taken her fair share of hits over the years as she has tracked down the supernatural threats to those around her, breaking lines she swore she would never cross, suffering scars that will never fade, even after they finally heal. When her lover was murdered, it left a deeper wound than she ever imagined it would; and now she knows she can’t rest until his death is solved, and avenged, no matter the cost.
But the road to both heaven and hell is paved with good intentions, and so when a new predator ascends to the apex of the supernatural food chain, preparing for an attack against which it will be hard for her to defend, Rachel’s past comes back to haunt her. Literally.
Hayate X Blade: Volume 2 by Shizuru Hayashiya
Tor/Seven Seas, $9.99, 208pp, tp, 9780765321824. Older teen manga.
High-octane swordplay meets light yuri romance in this action-packed manga!
New to Tor Books is the highly anticipated second installment in one of Japan’s most popular manga action series. Hayate X Blade: Volume 2 is a sword-swinging, action-packed adventure that will surprise and enrapture manga readers! Shizuru Hayashiya, writer and artist of the Hayate X Blade franchise, brings a hip and talented voice to the long running series.
In this high-energy, light yuri romance, Hayate makes her explosive return to Tenchi Academy with her new spunky sister-in-arms, Ayana. No longer under the guise of her injured twin sister, Nagi, Hayate must prove her sword-wielding abilities in a grueling succession of girl-on-girl battles. Not only must Hayate fight to stay in school, she is also put to the task of saving the orphanage she grew up in from an irreversible debt before the yakuza return to collect.
With brand new obstacles to face, secret enemies lurking in the shadows, and untrustworthy friends, this will be Hayate’s most tortuous journey yet. So join Hayate as she duels her way through another school year in this exciting, battle-ridden comedy. Hayate X Blade: Volume 2 is filled to the brim with so much back to back action and bloodshed, that it’s nearly impossible to stop the pages from turning!
The Rolling Stones by Robert A. Heinlein (Introduction by William H. Patterson, Jr.; Afterword: “The Endless Frontier” by Steve A. Hughes)
Baen, $13.99, 229pp, tp, 9781416591498. Science fiction.
The rollicking adventures of the Stone family on a tour of the Solar System. It all started when the twins, Castor and Pollux Stone, decided that life on the Lunar colony was too dull and decided to buy their own spaceship and go into business for themselves. Their father thought that was a fine idea, except that he and Grandma Hazel bought the spaceship and the whole Stone family were on their way out into the far reaches of the Solar System, with stops on Mars (where the twins got a lesson in the interplanetary economics of bicycles and the adorable little critters called flatcats who, it turned out, bred like rabbits; or, perhaps, Tribbles…), out to the asteroids, where Mrs. Stone, an M.D., was needed to treat a dangerous outbreak of disease, and even further out, to Titan and beyond.
Unforgettable Heinlein characters on an unforgettable adventure.
Riversend by Sylvia Kelso
(sequel to Amberlight), Juno, $14.95, 362pp, tp, 9780809573296. Fantasy.
Fighting doubt and convention, beset with great challenge and facing profound change, Tellurith leads her displaced House to a new beginning and a different life in Iskarda—a life that includes men and women as equals. But the traditionalist Iskardans are outraged by Tellurith’s policies and appalled by her love for two husbands: Alkhes—the rough, dark Outlander who brought Amberlight its doom—and golden Sarth, epitome of the urbane men of the Amberlight Towers. To achieve Tellurith’s dream, both must re-shape their lives. To preserve the dream, all three must journey to Dhasdein’s imperial capital of Riversend and face deadly menace and perilous machination.
City Without End by Kay Kenyon
(Book Three of The Entire and the Rose), Pyr, $25.00, 465pp, hc, 9781591026983. Science fiction.
In this series Kay Kenyon has created her most vivid and compelling society yet, the universe Entire. Reviewers have called this “a grand world,” “an enormous stage,” and “a bravura concept.
On this stage unfolds a mighty struggle for dominance between two universes. Titus Quinn has forged an unstable peace with the Tarig lords. The ruinous capability of the nanotech surge weapon he possesses ensures détente. But it is a sham. In what the godwoman Zhiya calls “a fit of moral goodness,” he’s thrown the weapon into the space-folding waters of the Nigh. This clears the way for an enemy he could have never foreseen: the people of the Rose. A small cadre led by Helice Maki is determined to take the Entire for itself and leave the earth in ruins. The transform of earth will begin deep in a western desert and will sweep over the lives of ordinary people, entangling Quinn’s sister-in-law Caitlin in a deepening and ultimate conspiracy.
In the Entire, Quinn stalks Helice to the fabled Rim City, encircling the heart of the Entire. Here he at last finds his daugher, now called Sen Ni, in the Chalin style. Outside of earth-based time, she has grown to adulthood. He hardly knows her, and finds her the mistress of a remarkable dream-time insurgency against the Tarig lords—and more, a woman risen high in the Entire’s meritocracy. Quinn needs his daughter’s help against the woman who would destroy the earth. But Sen Ni has her own plans and allies, among them a boy-navitar unlike any other pilot of the River Nigh—a navitar willing and supremely able to break his vows and bend the world.
Quinn casts his fate with the beautiful and resourceful Ji Anzi who—sent on a journey to other realms—holds the key to Quinn’s heart and his overarching mission. But as he approaches the innermost sanctuary of the Tarig, he is alone. Waiting for him are powerful adversaries, including a lady who both hates and loves him, the high prefect of the dragon court, and Quinn’s most implacable enemy, a warrior whose chaotic mind will soon be roused from an eternal slumber.
Hamlet and the Tales of Sniggery Woods by Maggie Kneen
Henry Holt, $16.95, 80pp, hc, 9780805077014.
Young Hamlet loves to cook, but so far he’s only dabbled with dishes like Invisible Worm Tart with dandelion cream. As luck would have it, Hamlet inherits a café from his uncle Alf. Heralding the advice of King Heron—To Bake the Best Biscuit, A Young Pig Should Risk It—Hamlet takes the plunge and becomes the new owner of Hamlet’s Pantry. Together, his friends help him prepare the menu and get ready for opening day. Set in the enchanting world of Sniggery Woods, these three winning tales bring to life the adventures of an imaginative pig destined to follow his dream.
Duainfey by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Baen, $7.99, 488pp, hc, 9781416591672. Fantasy.
Rebecca Beauvelley is a ruined woman.
In a moment of girlish folly, she allowed a high-flying young man to take her up in his phaeton, not realizing that he was drunk. When he dropped the ribbons, she recovered them, but not in time to avoid disaster. The young man was killed in the accident. Rebecca survived, with a withered arm to remind her of the wages of folly, and a reputation in tatters.
Against all expectation, her father has found someone, an elderly rogue, who will marry her. Rebecca’s life seems set, and she resigned to it, when Altimere, a Fey, appears and uses his magic to show her two futures: In the first, she is abused and neglected as the dutiful wife; in the second, she is dressed and bejeweled like a princess. Rebecca chooses the second future and elopes with Altimere.
Unfortunately, Altimere has an agenda of his own.
The first of a two-book series. Watch for the sequel, Longeye, coming April 2009.
Machines Go to Work by William Low
Henry Holt, $14.95, 42pp, hc, 9780805087598.
Toddlers love machines and things that go, and this book gives them everything they want, from a cement mixer to a helicopter to a backhoe. Six interactive gatefolds extend the original pictures to three pages, revealing something new about each situation. The final double gatefold opens into a very long train and shows all the machines at work!
The last spread provides additional information about each machine for young readers to pore over again and again. William Low’s classically trained artist’s eye adds a new layer to this genre—both parents and children will appreciate the beautiful illustrations, the attention to detail, and the clever situational twists revealed by lifting the flaps.
Cyberabad Days by Ian McDonald
Pyr, $15.00, 280pp, tp, 9781591026990. Science fiction collection.
Ian McDonald’s River of Gods—called a “masterpiece” by Asimov’s Science Fiction and praised by the Washington Post as “a major achievement from a writer who is becoming one of the best SF novelists of our time”—painted a vivid picture of a near future India, 100 years after independence. It revolutionized SF for a new generation by taking a perspective that was not European or American. Nominated for the Hugo Award and the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and winning the BSFA Award, the rich world of the novel has inspired McDonald to revisit its milieu in a series of short stories, all set in the world of River of Gods.
Cyberabad Days is a triumphant return to the India of 2047, a new, muscular superpower of one and a half billion people in an age of artificial intelligences, climate-change induced drought, water wars, strange new genders, genetically improved children that age at half the rate of baseline humanity, and a population where males outnumber females four to one. India herself has fractured into a dozen states from Kerala to the headwaters of the Ganges in the Himalayas. Cyberabad Days is a collection of seven stories, one Hugo nominee and one Hugo winner among them, as well as a thirty-one thousand word original novella. As with everything Ian McDonald does, it is sure to be one of the most talked about books of the year.
[Contents: “Sanjeev and Robotwallah”, “Kyle meets the River”, “The Dust Assassin”, “An Eligible Boy”, “The Little Goddess”, “The Djinn’s Wife”, and “Vishnu at the Cat Circus”.]
Imager by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
(The first book of the Imager Portfolio), Tor, $25.95, 432pp, hc, 9780765320346. Fantasy.
Bestselling author L.E. Modesitt, Jr., has thrilled fans with his internationally acclaimed and extremely popular fantasy series, taking readers to worlds full of magic and destiny. Tor is proud to present the launch of an all-new series, sure to become a classic, with Imager.
Imager is the innovative and enchanting beginning of an involving new fantasy story, set in an entirely new world of magic that will satisfy Modesitt’s longtime fans and create new devotees. Although Rhennthyl is the son of a leading wool merchant in L’Excelsis, the capital of Solidar, the most powerful nation on Terahnar, he has never felt like the path his father took was right for him. Rhenn works hard as a journeyman artist and is skilled and diligent enough to be considered for the status of master artisan—in another two years. Then, in a single moment, his entire life is transformed when his master patron is killed in a flash fire, and Rhenn discovers he is an Imager—one of the few in the entire world who can visualize things and make them real.
He must leave his family and join the Collegium of Imagisle. Imagers live serparately from the rest of society because of the danger that may result from their abilities (they can do accidental magic even while asleep), and because they are both feared and vulnerable. In this new life, Rhenn discovers that all too many of the “truths” he knew were nothing of the sort. Every day brings a new threat to his life. He makes a powerful enemy while righting a wrong, and begins to learn to do magic in secret.
Longtime fans of L.E. Modesitt, Jr., know that his books are always full of adventure, magic, and heroism. He brings these elements once again in Imager, showing the reason he is world-renowned for his craft.
Corambis by Sarah Monette
Ace, $24.95, 432pp, hc, 9780441015964. Fantasy.
At last, Sarah Monette presents the spellbinding conclusion to her brilliant fantasy series featuring the unforgettable wizard Felix and his half brother, Mildmay, the thief.
Exiled from Mélusine for the crime of heresy, the once-powerful Cabaline wizard Felix Harrowgate and his half brother, Mildmay, former cat burglar and assassin, journey to the land of Corambis to face judgment from a ruling body of wizards. Both brothers carry memories, regrets, and—hidden deep in their hearts—hope.
Corambis, however, is a land plagued by civil strife. Kay Brightmore, the Margrave of Rothmarlin, is part of an insurrection to restore the monarchy in the southern half of the country. The rebels are losing badly, and in desperation Kay and his liege seek out the engine of Summerdown, an ancient magical device rumored to have terrible powers.
When Felix and Mildmay arrive, they encounter Kay and are drawn into the dark mystery of the engine of Summerdown. It has been awakened by the rebels, and only a powerful wizard can stop its awesome potential for destruction. Now Felix and Mildmay will take on their greatest challenge—and discover their ultimate destiny…
Magic in the Blood by Devon Monk
(sequel to Magic to the Bone), Roc, $6.99, 368pp, pb, 9780451462671. Fantasy. On-sale date: May 2009.
For Allison Beckstrom, the protagonist of Magic in the Blood, magic comes with a price. Working as a Hound, tracing illegal spells back to their casters, she has experienced migraines and memory loss. When the criminal magic enforcement division asks Allison to consult on a missing persons case, things seem to be looking up. But when the job leads her into the dark underworld of criminals, ghosts, and blood magic, Allison must do what it takes to survive.
Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow
Tachyon, $14.95, 170pp, tp, 9781892391841. Science fiction.
It is 1945. Inspired by the U.S. Army’s intention to build an atomic bomb, the Navy plans its own dramatic ending to World War II, the Knickerbocker Project. The goal is to produce the ultimate biological weapon—giant Godzilla-esque fire-breathing iguanas with a penchant for total destruction.
Enter the reluctant Syms Thorley, a B-movie star whose patriotic duty is to don a lizard suit and portray Gorgantis, the fearsome lizard who, following the Navy’s script, must convincingly raze a scale-model Japanese metropolis. The weapon’s developers believe that if Thorley can act with convincing ferocity, the enemy will surrender unconditionally.
Syms Thorley must give the performance of his life—but is he equal to the challenge?
In the dual traditions of Godzilla as a playful monster and as a symbol of the dawn of the nuclear era, Shambling Towards Hiroshima blends the destruction of World War II with the halcyon pleasure of monster movies. An entertainingly thought-provoking novel, you’ve never read anything quite like it.
End of the Century by Chris Roberson
Pyr, $15.00, 485pp, tp, 9781591026976. Fantasy.
At the eve of the new millennium, teenager Alice Fell is alone on the streets of a strange city, friendless and without a pound to her name. She is not sure whether she’s losing her mind, or whether she is called by inescapable visions to some special destiny. Along with a strange man named Stillman Waters, a retired occultist and spy—or so he claims—she finds herself pursued by strange creatures, and driven to steal the priceless “vanishing gem” that may contain the answers to the mysteries that plague her.
A century earlier, consulting detective Sandford Blank, accompanied by his companion Roxanne Bonaventure, is called upon to solve a string of brutal murders on the eve of Queen Victoria’s Diamon Jubilee. The police believe that Jack the Ripper is back on the streets, but Blank believes that this is a new killer, one whose mostive is not violence or mayhem, but the discovery of the Holy Grail itself. And what of the corpse-white Huntsman and his unearthly hounds, who stalks the gaslit streets of London?
And in the sixth century, Galaad, a young man driven by strange dreams of a lady in white and a tower of glass, travels to the court of the high king Artor in Londinium, abandoned stronghold of the Roman Empire in Britain. With Galaad’s bizarre dreams as their only guide, Artor and his loyal captains journey west to the Summerlands, there to face a threat that could spell the end of the new-forged kingdom of Britain.
These three adventures—Dark Ages fantasy, gaslit mystery, and modern-day jewel heist—alternate until the barriers between the different times begin to break down, and our heroes confront the secrets that connect the Grail, the Glass Tower, and the vanishing gem. And lurking behind it all, the entity known only as Omega.
Three Little Kittens, and Other Favorite Nursery Rhymes selected and illustrated by Tony Ross
Henry Holt, $16.95, 96pp, hc, 9780805088854.
This wide-ranging collection of favorite nursery rhymes is selected and illustrated by the award-winning artist Tony Ross. Every child needs a good nursery rhyme book, and parents will be thrilled with the comical art in this one. Ross’s inimitable illustrations portray these classic rhymes with a contemporary edge and more than a touch of gleeful wit. Perfect for reading together, this humorous book is one to be treasured for many years to come.
The Black Mirror & Other Stories: An Anthology of Science Fiction from Germany and Austria edited by Franz Rottensteiner (translated by Mike Mitchell)
Wesleyan, $27.95, 432pp, tp, 9780819568311. Science fiction anthology/German studies.
In The Black Mirror & Other Stories: An Anthology of Science Fiction from Germany and Austria, editor Franz Rottensteiner offers a diverse overview of German-language science fiction spanning from the 1870s to today. Rottensteiner has carefully selected engaging stories from such authors as Kurd Lasswitz—who is known as the “German father of science fiction,” eccentric fantasist Paul Scheerbart, and popular writers from the past, such as Otto Willi Gail and Hans Dominik. Modern authors such as Wolfgang Jeschke, Herbert W. Franke, Andreas Eschbach and Carl Amery are also represented, as are some from the “other” Germany—the late German Democratic Republic, where a distinct style of science fiction developed.
In addition to the thrilling stories (twenty-five in all) in The Black Mirror, Rottensteiner’s introduction gives a succinct history of German-language science fiction. There are also selected bibliographies of primary texts, writings on German science fiction, and internet resources, as well as insightful editor’s notes.
General readers as well as scholars will embrace this groundbreaking anthology—a truly one-of-a-kind compilation of German-language science fiction in English. The breadth of the material is remarkable, as is the translation work done by award-winning translator Mike Mitchell.
[Contributors: Kurd Lasswitz, Ludwig Hevesi, Carl Grunert, Paul Scheerbart, Otto Willi Gail, Egon Friedell, Hans Dominik, Herbert W. Franke, Ernst Vlcek, Carl Amery, Horst Pukallus, Johanna Braun & Günter Braun, Erik Simon, Angela Steinmüller & KarlheinzSteinmüller, Peter Schattschneider, Wolfgang Jeschke, Michael Marrak, Thorsten Küper, Michael K. Iwoleit, Oliver Henkel, Helmuth W. Mommers, and Andreas Eschbach.]
Private Midnight by Kris Saknussemm
Overlook, $24.95, 336pp, hc, 9781590201763. Crime noir. On-sale date: April 2009.
From the author of the mind-bending sci-fi satire Zanesville comes a noir mystery that takes us into a gritty underworld, where shadows play tricks and secrets betray. Private Midnight is the story of the ultimate antihero, lured down the rabbit-hole by a provocative woman with the kind of secrets that most people would be too scared to call fantasies.
Detective Birch Ritter is a man on the edge—of himself. His past is filled with secrets, shadows, guilt, and ghosts. Then a dubious police buddy he hasn’t seen in a year introduces him to a mysterious woman who says her business is shadows. She claims to know the mysteries that lie between the darkness and light inside men. But that space between holds more than Ritter may want to find out, and much more than he can resist uncovering. To try to forget is to try to conceal, and concealing evidence is a crime. But maybe revelation is another kind of crime—against nature.
With sharp dialogue and deft prose, Saknussemm’s detective struggles to find his way through a twisted hall of mirrors. Funny, dark, and curiously perverse, Private Midnight takes noir to the limits of the genre, into a world where even the sunlight is shadowy and deviance is the norm. A journey into the seedy, sexy underbelly of life, this is crime noir for a new generation.
Calculuating God by Robert J. Sawyer
Tor, $14.95, 336pp, tp, 9780765322890. Science fiction.
An alien shuttle craft lands outside the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. A six-legged, two-armed alien emerges and says, in perfect English, “Take me to a paleontologist.” Robert J. Sawyer presents a challenging and exciting work of science fiction, now available for the first time in trade paperback: Calculating God.
In the distant past, Earth, the alien’s home planet, and the home planet of another alien species, all experienced the same five cataclysmic events at the same time (one example: the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs). Both alien races believe this proves the existence of God: i.e., he’s obviously been playing with the evolution of life on each of these planets. From this provocative launch point, Sawyer tells a fast-paced, morally and intellectually challenging story of ambitious scope and touching humanity. Calculating God is SF on a grand scale.
Lamentation by Ken Scholes
Tor, $24.95, 367pp, hc, 9780765321275. Fantasy.
This winter, Tor will publish one of the most highly anticipated debuts of 2009, Ken Scholes’ unforgettable novel, Lamentation. Already celebrated as one of the best new voices to emerge in the new millennium, Ken Scholes was recently hailed by Booklist for his “rare gift for inventive storytelling that invites comparisons with the genre’s leading practitioners.”
Bookstores across the nation and key publishing bloggers are also marking the on-sale date on their calendars as pre-orders come in, and bestselling authors such as Jonathan Strahan are affirming the novel as “intelligent epic fantasy done right.”
Says Beth Meacham, Executive Editor at Tor, of her decision to buy the novel: “It was a combination of things—an original and fascinating story, and a writer with a very bold and skilled story-telling ability. It literally made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. You just don’t come across books like Lamentation very often—maybe once or twice in a career.”
When the city of Windwir is destroyed and the Androfrancine religious order is decimated, a vacuum of knowledge is created. Suddenly new suspicions arise among old friends, alliances are challenged, hidden plots are uncovered, and soon all the kingdoms of the named lands are marching to war…
Lamentation is the tale of a city devastated in an instant and a young boy who knows it was his error that sent his father into the flames; a world where magic is commonplace but great areas of the planet are still impassable wastes; and a place where an old priest is called to action while a young woman who has always used relationships for power… now struggles against love.
Scholes calls these characters to life, exploring love, loss, knowledge, and power in a way that breaks down traditional genre conventions and utterly captivates the reader.
The Trouble with Demons by Lisa Shearin
Ace, $7.99, 384pp, pb, 9780441017126. Fantasy. On-sale date: April 2009.
Following Magic Lost, Trouble Found, The Trouble with Demons is the third book in a clever, romantic fantasy series that began with Armed & Magical. Lisa Shearin’s series is written in a wry, first-person voice, but set in a traditional fantasy world. The terrific voice, interesting world, and fun love story is great for readers of both fantasy and romance.
Raine Benares, the protagonist of The Trouble with Demons, is a finder of things lost and people missing. When she is accidentally linked to the Saghred, an ancient soul-stealing stone with the limitless power to destroy, she starts developing innumerable powers. In an attempt to separate herself from the omnipotent Saghred, Raine travels to the Isle of Mid, as well as the Conclave. Upon arrival, she realizes that the island is infested with demons that have an agenda of their own. Will Raine be able to stop them before it’s too late?
Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith-Ready
Pocket, $15.00, 384pp, tp, 9781416551782. Fantasy. On-sale date: May 2009.
Turn on. Tune in. Drop Dead.
Jeri Smith-Ready’s Bad to the Bone is the sassy and sexy sequel to her acclaimed urban fantasy Wicked Game. Con-artist-turned-station-owner Ciara Griffin continues to manage radio station WVMP, “The Lifeblood of Rock ‘n Roll.” The on-air staff of DJs—including her new boyfriend Shane McAllister—really sink their teeth into the music of their “Life Time” (the era in which they became vampires). It’s Ciara’s job to keep the undead rocking, the ratings rolling, and the fan base alive—without missing a beat.
At midnight on Halloween, WVMP’s broadcast is preempted by a Scripture-quoting sermon on the evils of the occult. Ciara and her colleagues track down the illegal transmitter and find it guarded by a monstrous black dog. And behind it all is a group of self-righteous radicals who think vampires suck (and are willing to stake their lives on it.)
Ciara must protect the station while struggling with her own relationship issues and figuring out the nature of her mysterious anti-holy powers—which could even land her a more exciting job (if that’s possible)…
Living with Ghosts by Kari Sperring
DAW, $7.99, 484pp, pb, 9780756405427. Fantasy.
This highly original, darkly atmospheric fantasy novel immerses readers in a world where ghosts and other malevolent spirits seek entry into mortal realms—invisible to all but those who are not entirely human themselves. Drawn into the ancient city of Merafi, yet barred from entering by an ancient pact sealed in blood, these hungry haunts await their opportunity to break through the magical border and wreak havoc on the city’s innocent denizens.
And as a priestess and prince weave a sorcerous plot to shatter the pact and bring ruin on Merafi, only a failed assassin-priest who is now a courtesan, a noble lord married into the ruling family of Merafi, an officer of the city guard, a woman warrior who was the former lover of a now-dead lord, and the ghost of that lord himself stand between Merafi and the tidal wave of magic that may soon destroy the city.
Coyote Horizon by Allen Steele
Ace, $24.95, 357pp, hc, 9780441016822. Science fiction.
Best-selling author and two-time Hugo Award-winner Allen Steele returns to his most successful series with a new novel set on the world called Coyote. Coyote Horizon is page-turning science fiction; a space tale filled with adventure that will leave readers wanting more.
Since the discovery of Coyote 50 years ago, nearly 100,000 people now inhabit the planet, along with more arriving daily seeking refuge from Earth’s environmental collapse. The planet of Coyote has become the last, best hope of humankind, but it has also become the principal point of contact with the hjadd, the alien race encountered by a European starship many years earlier. Although the hjadd have built an embassy near the original colony, they remain a mystery. As the colonists make preparations to explore the rest of the new world, ex-convict Hawk Thompson discovers more about the hjadd than anyone has learned before—and his knowledge will change human history…
Deader Still by Anton Strout
(sequel to Dead to Me), Ace, $7.99, 305pp, pb, 9780441016914. Fantasy.
Deader Still is the second title of Anton Strout’s fresh and funny urban fantasy series starring Simon Canderous, the protagonist that successfully defeats evil on a limited budget. Perfect for fans of Jim Butcher!
Simon Canderous, the lone psychometrist of the woefully under-funded Department of Extraordinary Affairs, hopes that New York City’s paranormal scene will stay quiet for a while. He has spoken too soon; a Hudson River booze cruise sails into port full of dead bodies drained of blood and Simon senses another vampire incursion. Girlfriend troubles and an art heist only complicate Simon’s already hectic life. Oubliettes, living statues, Illinois gypsies, more zombies than you can shake a retractable steel bat at… it’s all just another day at the office for Simon Canderous.
Prophets by S. Andrew Swann
(Apotheosis: Book One), DAW, $7.99, 340pp, pb, 9780756405410. Science fiction.
At the edge of human space—
It is nearly two hundred years since the collapse of the Confederacy, the last government to claim sovereignty over all of humanity’s far-flung interstellar colonies. The void has been filled by many different powers, ranging from the Eridani Caliphate to the Roman Catholic Church. When strange transmissions are received from beyond the fringes of human space, they reveal the existence of human settlements lost since the demise of the Confederacy, colonies that could shift the balance of power should they be claimed by the Caliphate. Thus begins a race between the most advanced ships in the Caliphate fleet and an expedition of mercenaries and scientists recruited by an AI who has a long history with the Confederacy. But when they reach the source of the transmission, Xi Virginis, they will uncover a threat far beyond the scope of any one human government.…
One Day on Mars by Travis S. Taylor
Baen, $7.99, 453pp, pb, 9781416591573. Science fiction.
It’s 24 on Mars: a nonstop futuristic thrill-ride, all in one day, through the critical events which were the breaking point for the underclass of Martian citizens and precipitated a revolution to break the Martian colonists free from the formidable Sol System government. The formerly red planet—now in danger of again becoming red, blood red—would never be the same, nor would the human race. It was one day that changed the course of history for the Solar System, raging from hand-to-hand combat to piloted armored mecha suits clashing to an enormous space battle, with dedicated heroes on both sides of the conflict wondering if they were doing the right thing—and if they would live to see another day. And wondering, as well, if the spark of this new war, that would eventually reach across whole star systems, would bring them peace One Day on Mars.
Deathwish by Rob Thurman
Roc, $7.99, 338pp, pb, 9780451462626. Fantasy.
The half-human protagonist, Cal Leandros, is at it again in Deathwish. Rob Thurman’s hugely entertaining book is the next title in a clever, kick-butt series that started with Nightlife.
Cal and his brother Niko run their own investigative agency in New York City; it tends to have preternatural beings on its radar. But when the vampire Seamus turns to Cal and Niko for help things get fatal. As Cal and Niko struggle to unravel a mysterious death, they must also contend with the vampire Promise’s beautiful daughter and stay one step ahead of Cal’s bloodthirsty relatives…
Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon
Three Rivers, $13.95, 279pp, tp, 9780307407993. Fantasy.
Cinderella is one of the most loved and best known fairytales and has enchanted people around the world for centuries. However, the back-story to the fairy godmother has been an untouched secret, until now.
Carolyn Turgeon, author of the acclaimed debut novel Rain Village, provides readers with a captivating retelling of the Cinderella story that reveals the true background of that most celebrated fairy. Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story is a dark and enchanting novel with a surprising twist at the end.
When Godmother first opens, we’re introduced to Lil, the Godmother, who has been banished from the fairy world to New York City for an unthinkable act. She spends her mornings binding her fairy wings, her days working in a tiny Manhattan bookstore, and her nights seeking redemption. In a flashback, we learn that the beautiful woman who showed up the magical evening of the ball and danced with the prince was not Cinderella but Lil, in human form. Having committed the gravest of sins by falling in love with the prince herself, she went to the ball in Cinderella’s place. Because of that choice, Lil was banished from the fairy world, stripped of her beauty, and forced to live out her days on earth as an old woman.
Now, centuries later, Lil is living a lonely existence, but there is hope. She sees several signs that make her believe forgiveness is possible—perhaps if she can commit a selfless act, she can go back to her own world and rejoin her fairy sisters. When a beautiful young woman named Veronica comes into the bookshop and is friendly to Lil, Lil realizes that redemption is possible for her through another match: Veronica’s destiny is George, the sweet and lonely owner of the bookshop, who just happens to need a date for an upcoming ball at the Pierre Hotel. Throughout Godmother, the story of that long-ago night and Lil’s fall from grace are woven in with the modern story of her attempt to change her future… by going back to her past.
Godmother is an intricate, magical novel and the surprise ending will take your breath away.
Overthrowing Heaven by Mark L. Van Name
Baen, $25.00, 416pp, hc, 9781439132678. Science fiction. On-sale date: June 2009.
It began as a favor to a woman trying to get away from abusive husband.
Jon Moore grew up in a prison laboratory. When he escaped with nothing but his body’s nanotech enhancements and more anger than even a long lifetime could wash away, an entire planet died behind him. Memories of the things he’d done still haunted him; because of them, he often ended up helping those in need.
His kindnesses frequently didn’t work out well. This one really didn’t work out well. It hurled Jon and Lobo, the intelligent assault vehicle and Jon’s only friend, down an accelerating, ever more dangerous spiral involving:
* Private armies and government covert ops teams
* A courtesan who always seems a step ahead of him
* Rival superpowers that define Good in terms of their own advantage and Ethics as whatever doesn’t get in the way of their Good
* And a brilliant, amoral scientist to whom human beings are just more experimental animals—and who might be Lobo’s creator.
Jon and Lobo take the reader on a headlong rush through armed enemies and untrustworthy allies and encounter what just might be the worst danger their partnership will face: the truth.
Storm from the Shadows by David Weber
(The new Honorverse novel), Baen, $27.00, 755pp, hc, 9781416591474. Science fiction.
Rear Admiral Michelle Henke was commanding one of the ships in a force led by Honor Harrington in an all-out space battle. The odds were against the Star Kingdom forces, and they had to run. But Michelle’s ship was crippled, and had to be destroyed to prevent superior Manticoran technology from falling into Havenite hands, and she and her surviving crew were taken prisoner. Much to her surprise, she was repatriated to Manticore, carrying a request for a summit conference between the leaders of the two sides which might end the war. But a condition of her return was that she gave her parole not to fight against the forces of the Republic of Haven until she had been officially exchanged for a Havenite prisoner of war, so she was given a command far away from the war’s battle lines. What she didn’t realize was that she would find herself on a collision course, not with a hostile government, but with the interstellar syndicate of criminals known as Manpower. And Manpower had its own plans for eliminating Manticore as a possible threat to its lucrative slave trade, deadly plans which remain hidden in the shadows.
The Hidden City by Michelle West
(The House Wards, Book One), DAW, $7.99, 754pp, pb, 9780756405403. Fantasy.
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 in search of artifacts and treasure. Nursing Jay back to health is an unusual act for a man who renounced his own family long ago, and the situation becomes 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 deadly and ruthless beings.
Better to Beg Forgiveness… by Michael Z. Williamson
Baen, $7.99, 631pp, pb, 9781416591511. Science fiction.
Celadon, a poor nation on a poor planet, engaged in civil war and a haven for every type of villainy in space, is ripe for cleanup. The military could pacify it handily, but it would take a statesman to fix it. But some statesmen have ethics, which politicians and megacorps find inconvenient. President Bishwanath compounded the sin by being astute, ambitious and capable. Something had to be done, because a working nation isn’t much use for pork and graft.
When the word comes down that he is dead, the politicians move on with a new plan, re-allocating resources, and finding a new, more pliable president to put in place.
There are three problems with this solution. Bishwanath is not dead. His mercenary bodyguards are more loyal than the politicians. And if they’re not on contract, there are no rules.
Dandelion Fire by N.D. Wilson
(Book 2 of the 100 Cupboards), Random House, $16.99, 480pp, hc, 9780375838835. Middle grades fantasy.
Random House Children’s Books is proud to announce the publication of Danelion Fire: Book 2 of the 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson. In the action-packed sequel to 100 Cupboards, Henry York sees the world as it truly is and realizes that only he can save it. Selected by Borders as the Original Voice Pick and named the Book Sense Spring 2008 Children’s Pick, The Washington Post raves, “this will be a must-read series.”
In 100 Cupboards, overcautious twelve-year-old Henry York was sent to live with his estranged aunt, uncle, and nosey cousins in Henry, Kansas, but he had no idea of the adventure that awaited him. Behind a sheet of plaster in his attic room, henry and his cousin discovered a wall covered with cupboard doors—100 cupboards to be exact, of all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Their grandfather’s diary told them that these were not mere cupboards, but portals to another world, linked by threads of time and space and devised by their grandfather who was part-genius, part-madman. Now, in Dandelion Fire, Henry learns that not only did he come from a world within the cupboards, but he has the gift of second sight. Dandelion Fire courses through his veins. Now, to rescue his adopted family and uncover his real one, Henry must again go into the cupboards. But much deeper this time, and with much higher stakes. For not only will he encounter Faeren and wizards, but the evil witch of Endor and her minions await his arrival…