This page is updated as books are received throughout the month.
Demon Song by Cat Adams
(book three of the Blood Singer trilogy), Tor, $14.99, 384pp, tp, 9780765324962. Fantasy.
In Blood Song and Siren Song, author Cat Adams really put heroine and “Abomination” Celia Graves through the wringer. Celia has twice faced down a demon, fought a Siren Queen, and had her heart broken. What more can be done to her?
Plenty, it turns out. It’s starting to look like everything Celia has gone through was only the beginning. In Demon Song, the final book in the inaugural Blood Singer trilogy, an ancient rift between the demonic dimension and our own world—sealed during the destruction of Atlantis—starts to open. Once it does, demons will flood the world, intent on killing and enslaving humanity. Celia, as a part-human, part-vampire, part-siren Abomination, has the (hard-won) skills and abilities needed to close the rift, but she can’t do it alone. She’ll be forced to rely on people she no longer trusts, and will put those she loves in danger.
There’s more, however—after all, since when is Celia’s life ever so simple that she’s only dealing with one problem? Even with all her skills, allies, and tenacity, Celia may be doomed for failure due to the curse that was placed on her in childhood—the same curse that caused her sister’s death and the murder of her best friend. Not only that, but Celia’s love life continues to confuse her. Bruno is trying hard to apologize for what happened with Eirene, and Celia knows that she still loves him. Does she love him enough to forgive him? And will Bruno be able to work with John Creede, the powerful mage who’s made no secret of his attraction to Celia?
Cat Adams, a pseudonym for the USA Today bestselling writing team of C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp (the authors of the Sazi series), pulls out all the stops in Demon Song. Filled with action, danger, heartbreak, and hope, this is the book Adams’ fans have been waiting for.
Rise of the Terran Empire by Poul Anderson
Baen, $7.99, 672pp, pb, 9781439134245. Science fiction collection.
Nicholas van Rijn, the most flamboyant member of the Polesotechnic League of star traders, could see dark times ahead. Fellow league members were using tactics verging on outright piracy, and others were all too eager to sell starships and high-tech weapons to alien barbarians. A planet not previously known for interstellar commerce suddenly revealed a secret fleet of armed starships, and started building an empire. Even if van Rijn and his right-hand man David Falkayn could find a way to stop this blatant aggression, the glory days of the League were over.
Hereafter, for its own protection against well-armed alien marauders, the Earth must maintain a strong military fleet. One charismatic man would found an empire that would learn nothing of the lessons history taught of the fates of earlier empires as it began annexing other star systems, whether they wanted to join the Terran Empire or not…
This is the third volume in the first complete edition of Poul Anderson’ Technic Civilization saga.
[Contents: “Descent into Empire” by Hank Davis; “Mirkheim”; “Wingless”; “Rescue on Avalon”; “The Star Plunderer”; “Sargasso of Lost Starships”; “The People of the Wind”; and “Chronology of Technic Civilization” by Sandra Miesel.]
Daybreak Zero by John Barnes
(sequel to Directive 51), Ace, $26.95, 400pp, hc, 9780441019755. Science fiction. On-sale date: 1 March 2011.
It has been ten months since the mysteriously organized entity known as “Daybreak” began its assault on the “Big System.” For the most part, its attempts to knock humanity back in to the Stone Age have been largely successful, as plastic-eating biotes and metal-corroding nanoswarms have rendered most preexisting technology and equipment into sludge.
Several major nuclear attacks have also destroyed nearly all existing government officials, sending the few who are left scrambling to rebuild the country according to their own designs. While trying to avoid a second Civil War, the two centers of civilization in Olympia, WA and Athens, GA must also defend their citizens against the increasing aggression of the “tribals” who have reverted to anarchical barbarianism. The future is a harsh and terrifying place, where an unlikely few must fight not only for their lives but for the survival of the human race.
Shalador’s Lady by Anne Bishop
(a Black Jewels novel), Roc, $7.99, 464pp, pb, 9780451463487. Fantasy.
Return to New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop’s world of the Black Jewels—where a Queen has emerged from the shadows to bring hope to an impoverished people.…
For years the Shalador people suffered the cruelties of the corrupt Queens who ruled them, punishing those who dared show defiance and forcing many more into hiding. And even though the refugees have found sanctuary in Dena Nehele, they have never been able to call it home.
Now that Dena Nehele has been cleansed of tainted Blood, the Rose-Jeweled Queen, Lady Cassidy, knows that restoring the land will require all her heart and courage as she summons the untested power within her, a power capable of consuming her if she cannot control it.
And even if Lady Cassidy survives her trial by fire, other dangers await. For the Black Widows see within their tangled webs visions of something coming that will change the land—and Lady Cassidy—forever.
Hastur Lord by Marion Zimmer Bradley & Deborah J. Ross
(a novel of Darkover), DAW, $7.99, 482pp, pb, 9780756406493. Fantasy.
Regis Hastur was the heir to the most powerful domain on Darkover. When his grandfather died he would inherit the title Hastur of Hastur, Regent of Darkover—king in everything but name. But ironically, this mantle was the last thing Regis had ever wanted. For he dreamed of a different king of life—a life with the freedom to live and love like an ordinary man, without the expectations and responsibilities of his position.
Yet even Regis recognized Darkover’s desperate need for strong, rational leadership—leadership only he had been trained to provide. But now that his time was at hand, was Regis willing to make the personal sacrifices necessary to lead his world? Or would he turn away from his destiny and finally make his real dreams come true? For on his grandfather’s deathbed Regis learns that he has a brother—an older half-brother who could finally relieve Regis of the burden of title he had never wanted.… Would Regis finally let himself be free to be the man he had always dreamed of being?
River Marked by Patricia Briggs
(a Mercy Thompson novel), Ace, $26.95, 326pp, hc, 9780441019731. Urban fantasy.
Welcome to Patricia Briggs’s world, a place where “witches, vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters live beside ordinary people”. It takes a very unusual woman to call it home—and there’s no one quite like Mercy.
Coyote shifter Mercy Thompson knows that life with her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will never be boring, but even their wedding doesn’t go as planned. Nevertheless, a ten-day honeymoon camping on the banks of the Columbia River, alone, just the two of them, should make up for it. But the trip—and the pimped-out trailer they’re using—is courtesy of the fae. And nothing from the fae comes without strings attached…
Being a different breed of shapeshifter—a walker—Mercy can see ghosts, but the spirit of her long-gone father has never visited her. Until now. An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River—and innocent people are dying. As other walkers make their presence known to Mercy, she must reconnect with her heritage to exorcise the world of the legend known as the river devil…
Overkill by Robert Buettner
Baen, $14.00, 310pp, tp, 9781439134207. Science fiction.
Heroes have no job security
At twenty-three, Jazen Parker has completed his Legion hitch a hero. But in four months, he’ll have a price on his head. Worse, he’s lost his past, and he can’t find his future. Worst of all, he has to search for them on the deadliest planet known to mankind.
When he reluctantly hires on to a Trueborn Earthman tycoon’s safari to bag a deadly trophy, ex-mercenary Jazen finds himself shipped out to Downgraded Earthlike 476, the outpost at the end of the universe known to everyone except its tourism bureau as “Dead End.”
But the hunt goes terribly wrong, and Jazen must survive a tough, beautiful local guide who hates mercenaries; an eleven-ton beast that can crush main battle tanks with one claw tied behind its back, and the return of a nightmare that has haunted Jazen since birth. Then Jazen learns that the stakes are not merely his own life, but the fate of an entire alien race.
Changes by Jim Butcher
(a novel of the Dresden Files), Roc, $9.99, 549pp, pb, 9780451463470. Fantasy.
Long ago, Susan Rodriguez was Harry Dresden’s lover—until she was attacked by his enemies, leaving her caught between humanity and the relentless bloodlust of the vampiric Red Court. She disappeared to South America, where she could fight both her savage gift and those who cursed her with it. Now she needs Harry’s help more than ever.
For the vengeful Duchess of the Red Court has discovered a secret Susan has long kept from everyone—including Harry—and she plans to use it. To prevail, Harry may have to unleash the full fury of his untapped power—and he may have no choice but to embrace the darkness within himself.
Because this time, he’s fighting to save his child.
The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Dreadnaught by Jack Campbell
Ace, $25.95, 368pp, hc, 9780441020379. Science fiction. On-sale date: 26 April 2011.
New York Times bestselling author Jack Campbell delivers edge-of-your-seat combat in one of the most plausible visions of a future military—with one of the most starkly portrayed heroes in modern science fiction.
The Alliance woke Captain John “Black Jack” Geeary from cryogenic sleep to take command of the fleet in the century-long conflict with the Syndicate Worlds. Now Admiral Geary’s vicotry has earned him the adoration of the people—and the enmity of politicians convinced that a living hero can be a very inconvenient thing.
The war may be over, but Geary and his newly christened First Gleet have been ordered back into action to investigate the aliens occupying the far side of Syndic space and to determine how much of a threat they represent to the Alliance. And while the Syndicate Worlds are no longer united, individually they may be more dangerous than ever before.
Geary knows that members of the military high command and the government quesiton his loyalty to the Alliance and fear his staging a coup—so he can’t help but wonder if the fleet is being deliberately sent on a suicide mission…
To the Galactic Rim by A. Bertram Chandler
(The John Grimes Saga I), Baen, $12.00, 553pp, tp, 9781439134214. Science fiction.
A hero in the making…
John Grimes will one day command his own starship, and change the course of Galactic history, but right now he’s a wet-behind-the-ears junior officer who finds that he keeps running into problems which were never covered in his courses at the Academy.
The Road to the Rim—meet Lieutenant John Grimes of the Federation Survey Service; fresh out of the Academy—and as green as they come.
To Prime the Pump—El Dorado is a planet with a pressing problem: the men are infertile, cause unknown, and the women want someone to Do Something! Not quite the problem young John Grimes expected to deal with…
The Hard Way Up—seven tales of John Grimes’s adventures, meeting danger and winning glory out at the rim of the Galaxy.
The Broken Cycle—John Grimes never intended to get lost in space, let along being lost with a very attractive policewoman who’s all business. And he really never expected to run into an entity with godlike powers who has a garden of Eden ready and waiting for the pair.
Beginning the award-winning saga of starship Captain John Grimes, science fiction’s Horatio Hornblower
Alaska Republik by Stoney Compton
Baen, $7.99, 522pp, pb, 9781439134177. Science fiction.
Alaska has declared independence—but Russia wants it back
When Lieutenant Gerald Yamato of the Republc of California Air Force bailed out of his doomed fighter plane he had no idea he would land in a culture that would forever change his life.
The Dené thought they had won their independence and the war was over. Suddenly they face an advancing Russian army from one direction, a merciless band of mercenaries from another, as well as the remnants of a defeated, angry Russian army between the Dené and the rest of their people.
Despite assurances by distant, bland diplomats to the contrary, the new Dené Republik has a whole new war on their hands. But they are not alone. The Tlingit Nation shares their struggle, and the USA and the Republic of California vow all the aid they can muster.
They have a republic—if they can keep it…
Hard Magic by Larry Correia
(Book I of the Grimnoir Chronicles), Baen, $15.00, 412pp, tp, 9781439134344. Fantasy. On-sale date: May 2011.
Jake Sullivan is a war hero, a private eye—and an ex-con. He’s free because he has a magical talent, being able to alter the force of gravity in himself and objects in his vicinity, and the Bureau of Investigation calls on him when they need his help in apprehending criminals with their own magical talents. But the last operation he was sent along to help with went completely wrong, and Delilah Jones, the woman the G-men were after, who just happened to be an old friend of Jake’s in happier times, had a lot of magical muscle with her, too much muscle for the cops to handle, even with Jake’s help.
It got worse. Jake found out that the Feds had lied to him about Delilah being a murderer as well as a bank robber, and they had lied about this being his last job for them—he was too valuable for them to let him go. And things were even worse than Jake imagined. There was a secret war being waged by opposing forces of magic-users, and Jake had no idea that he had just attracted the attention of one side, whose ruthless leaders were of the opinion that Jake was far too dangerous to be permitted to live…
Star Carrier: Book Two: Center of Gravity by Ian Douglas
Harper Voyager, $7.99, 389pp, pb, 9780061840265. Science fiction.
The Second Book in the Epic Saga of Humankind’s War of Transcendence
In the evolution of every sentient race, there is a turning point when the species achieves transcendence through technology.
The warlike Sh’daar are determined that this monumental milestone will never be achieved by the creatures known as human.
On the far side of known human space, the Marines are under siege, battling the relentless servant races of the Sh’daar aggressor. With a task force stripped to the bone and the Terran Confederation of States racked by dissent, rogue Admiral Alexander Koenig must make the momentous decision that will seal his fate and the fate of humankind. A strong defensive posture is futile, so Keonig will seize the initiative and turn the gargantuan Star Carrier America toward the unknown. For the element of surprise is the only hope of stalling the Sh’daar assault on Earth’s solar system—and the war for humankind’s survival must be taken directly to the enemy.
Raziel by Kristina Douglas
(First of The Fallen series), Pocket, $7.99, 356pp, pb, 9781439191921. Paranormal romance.
Kristina Douglas’s sexy new series introduces a realm of fallen angels and ruthless demons, embroiled in an impending rebellion… and one unsuspecting woman that can change the fate of the Fallen forever.
She was just an ordinary mortal… until death threw her into a new life of danger and seduction.
Raziel is one of the Fallen, a group of fallen angels cursed to drink blood and ferry the dead to heaven and hell for all eternity. One thing they aren’t supposed to do though is interfere. But when Raziel rescues Allie Watson from hellfire at the last minute, he is severely injured and must rely on her for help. Raziel is unsure why he saved Allie against the last archangel, Uriel’s orders, but she stirs in him a longing he hasn’t felt in centuries. The Fallen spirit both Raziel and Allie off to their remote compound, inadvertently setting off a chain of events leading to a rebellion against Uriel, and his minions—an evil, flesh-eating sect of fallen angels called the Nephilim.
Allie wants nothing more than to go home and wash her hands of the Fallen, but she’s more deeply enthralled in their simultaneously fascinating and appalling world than she’d like to admit. And her fated role in the rebellion—not to mention her overwhelming attraction for Raziel—makes it impossible for her to leave. Now, Raziel and Allie must lead his brothers to restore the balance of power between the forces of good and evil—and only their love can save them. Facing impossible odds at every turn, Raziel must defend his spirited lover against the forces of darkness—because Allie may be the Fallen’s only salvation.
By These Ten Bones by Clare B. Dunkle
Square Fish, $9.99, 229pp, tp, 9780312659271. YA fantasy.
Clare B. Dunkle set her acclaimed novel By These Ten Bones in medieval Scotland—at a time “when fantasy was reality,” Ms. Dunkle says on her website. “[Highlanders] believed that ghosts, witches, monsters, angels, and demons walked the earth every day.”
It is with this backdrop that Dunkle creates a chilling romance that features a mysterious young man who comes to a small Highland town and the weaver’s daughter who falls in love with him—despite the hints of evil that follow him there.
Storm of Reckoning by Doranna Durgin
Tor, $7.99, 368pp, pb, 9780765361653. Paranormal romance.
Garrie and Trevarr are back! Still recuperating from the events of The Reckoners, Garrie and her team of ghost hunters were planning on lying low for a while—but the world has other plans for them. In Storm of Reckoning, Garrie and her team are summoned to Sedona, where a friend says strange things are happening. Sure enough, upon arrival in Sedona, Garrie discovers that the ethereal breezes are completely silent—there’s zero paranormal activity. Which isn’t normal.
On top of the eerie silence, Garrie and Trevarr keep sensing odd surges of power that don’t “taste” like our world. Are they from Trevarr’s world? Or a new, different world? It’s up to Garrie and the team to find out what’s going on, even as the danger level quickly rises and people start disappearing.
Meanwhile, Trevarr is trying to deal with his slow recovery. The wounds he received may be fading, but he has now been exiled from his homeworld. To make matters worse, his not-cat bond-partner is being even more mysterious than usual, hinting at dire dangers just around the corner. Is it referring to the strange events in Sedona? Or is it something worse, something from Trevarr’s world that wants to hunt Garrie’s team?
Full of action and intrigue, snark and romance, and events both para and normal, Storm of Reckoning is a ghost-filled good time sure to delight any paranormal romance fan.
Dark Prince by Christine Feehan
(Author’s Cut Special Edition), William Morrow, $19.99, 484pp, hc, 9780062009623. Fantasy.
Enormously talented, bestselling author Christine Feehan’s first Carpathian novel is finally being released in the original form it was intended to take. A revised and expanded version of the book that propelled Feehan’s phenomenal career, Dark Prince goes on sale 8 March 2011. For the first time in hardcover, with 100 extra pages of never-before-seen-material, this special edition “Author’s Cut” is a must-have for fans of Feehan’s bestselling Dark series, and anyone who loves an enthralling paranormal read.
Mikhail Dubrinsky is the Dark Prince: he came to Raven Whitney in the night, a predator—strength and power chiseled his features. The seduction was deep and elemental; he affected her soul. His need. His darkness. His terrible haunting loneliness. Her senses aroused, she craved the dangerous force of his body. Burned for him. And he had only touched her with his mind.
Raven came to him at dawn, his bleakest hour. As the beast raged inside Mikhail, threatening to consume him, he vented his centuries-old despair in an anguished cry that filled the waning night. And she answered, a ray of light, piercing his darkness. A beautiful angel. Her compassion, courage, and innocence awakened in him an exquisite longing and tenderness. He knew he must possess her, for only she could tame his savage side and lift the dark shadow from his soul. Apart they were desolate, bereft. Intertwined physically and spiritually, they could heal one another and experience an eternity of nights filled with love.
A Kingdom Besieged by Raymond E. Feist
(Book One of the Chaoswar Saga), Harper Voyager, $27.99, 368pp, hc, 9780061468391. Fantasy. On-sale date: April 2011.
The fifth and final Riftwar—the Chaoswar—begins in the New York Times bestselling author’s epic Riftwar Cycle
Raymond E. Feist burst onto the fantasy scene in 1982 with his first novel, Magician, an enthralling tale about an orphan boy named Pug who travels to the mystical Kingdom of the Isles to study wizardry under the Master Magician Kulgan. Magician introduced one of the most enthralling fantasy worlds in the genre and marked the beginning of an enduring, best-selling career. Today, after nearly thirty years and more than two dozen novels, Feist’s Riftwar Cycle is regarded as one of the most beloved, iconic, and enduring sagas in modern fantasy.
The riftwars—including the original Riftwar, the Serpentwar, the Darkwar, and the Demonwar—were epic battles between Good and Evil whose ramifications have echoed through generations. This new entry to the epic, A Kingdom Besieged< ushers in the most fearsome threat the kingdom has yet faced—the Chaoswar—a major cataclysm involving a magic apocalypse that will force Pug, now the most powerful magician in all of Midkemia, to question everything he's ever held true and dear… including the loyalty and desires of his beloved son Magnus.
Relic Master: The Dark City by Catherine Fisher
Dial, $16.99, 384pp, hc, 9780803736733. YA fantasy. On-sale date: May 2011.
Join us for the epic adventure of Catherine Fisher’s Relic Master. Fisher will pull you into the dark and perilous world of Anara. Deeply detailed and richly imagined, this is a world crumbling to devastation, where ancient relics are all that’s left of a time long forgotten.
The only hope lies in Galen, a follower of the old Order—a revered group of scholars hunted down by the Watch—and his sixteen-year-old scholar Raffi. Together they journey to gather the only relic that can put their world back together. Will they survive? Who can they trust? Readers will be anxiously flipping the pages to find out.
And the best part? No waiting. With four straight months of new installments, Relic Master will rule the summer. In addition each book features a piece of the Relic Master Kingdom. Collect all four to create the complete map of Anara.
Grantville Gazette V edited and created by Eric Flint
Baen, $7.99, 664pp, pb, 9781439134221. Science fiction anthology.
The new, improved seventeenth century…
When an inexplicable cosmic disturbance hurls your town from twentieth century West Virginia back to seventeenth century Europe—and into the middle of the Thirty Years War—you’d better be adaptable to survive. And the natives of that time period, faced with modern American technology and politics, need to be equally adaptable. Here’s a generous helping of more stories of Grantville, the American town lost in time, and its impact on the people and societies of a tumultuous age.
* Cardinal Richelieu, France’s insidious power behind the throne, learns of his role Dumas’ not-yet-written novel The Three Musketeers and orders a search for the “real” D’Artagnan.
* Grantville radio technicians are wit’s end, trying to reproduce “primitive” early twentieth century broadcasting eqiupment by trial and error—until a trained library researcher shows up in town.
* The Dalai Lama of the seventeenth century receives an image of the Buddha which glows by a strange mystical force called “electricity.”
And much more, in the latest installment of this best-selling alternate history series.
[Contributors: Eric Flint, Douglas W. Jones, Philip Schillawski & John Rigby, Anette Pederson, Barry Swift, Victor Klimov, Rick Boatright, Terry Howard, Iver P. Cooper, John Zeek, Chris Racciato, Jose J. Clavell, Kim Mackey, Richard Evans, Kerryn Offord, David Carrico, Bradley H. Sinor, Aamund Breivik, Karen Bergstralh, Russ Rittgers, Peter Hobson, Gorg Huff & Paula Goodlett, Jay Robison, Virginia DeMarce, and Mark Huston.]
Xombies: Apocalypso by Walter Greatshell
Ace, $7.99, 292pp, pb, 9780441020133. Science fiction.
Epidemic.
The Agent X plague infected women first, turning mothers, daughters, and sisters into mindless killers intent on spreading their disease—and creating an army of “Xombies”…
Lulu Pangloss and the Xombified crew of the USS No-Name are wandering the seas on a mission of “mercy”: converting every mortal human they find into an immortal Xombie—the better to survive the coming cataclysm.
But there is hope—for human and Xombie alike. A group of women who are immune to Agent X is being gathered. And if they can be kept safe, the secret of their immunity may provide a cure. That is, if Lulu and crew don’t find them first…
For Heaven’s Eyes Only by Simon R. Green
(a Secret Histories novel), Roc, $25.95, 368pp, hc, 9780451463951. Fantasy. On-sale date: 7 June 2011.
I’m Eddie Drood, aka Shaman Bond, a member of the Drood family. We Droods have been holding back the forces of darkness for generations. It’s a hell of a job—and we’re good at it.
But right at this moment, the Droods have hit a bad patch, what with the death of our Matriarch and the discovery that she was killed by one of our own. It’s left us in more than a bit of disarray, I can tell you. And it goes without saying that those forces of darkness are wasting no time in taking advantage of the situation. There’s a Satanic Conspiracy brewing, one that could throw humanity directly into the clutches of the biggest of the big bads—forever.
Things are looking grim—and here I am, not able to be of any help. On account of I’m dead.
Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb
(Volume Two of the Rain Wilds Chronicles), Harper Voyager, $7.99, 508pp, pb, 9780061931550. Fantasy.
Fifteen dragons have set off on a dangerous trek up the Rain Wild River, in hopes of rediscovering their lost haven, the ancient city of Kelsingra. Accompanying them are a disparate group of rejects from Rain Wild society, including strong and defiant young Thymara; wealthy dragon scholar and Trader’s wife Alise; and her companion, the urbane Sedric. These human keepers yearn also to create a new home where they can decide their own fate. But is Kelsingra real or merely a fragment of a glorified past buried deep in the dragons’ shared memories?
As they forge ever-deeper into uncharted wilderness, starvation, flashfloods, and predators imperil them all. But as dragons and humans alike soon learn, the most savage threats come from within their own company…
The Endlands edited by Vincent Hobbes
Hobbes End, $11.99, 318pp, tp, 9780976351047. Fantasy anthology.
Do you believe in a place outside human knowledge—a place where myth and legend collide—where the unthinkable is the mundane?
There is a thin veil between reality and make believe. When you take a moment, and push the veil aside, perhaps you will see this place, a place not of the imagination. Everything you see here is real.
Nothing is what it seems—noises are not always what you think. Nothing is off limits—no place is safe.
You might find yourself lost in the past, or trapped in the future—amidst vampires and werewolves—or in a most peculiar lost and found department.
This is where unimaginable creatures roam wild—where humanity is absent, and dreams turn into nightmares. If you are looking for refuge, this is not the place to stop.
Welcome to The Endlands.
Writer Vincent Hobbes has joined with eleven other authors in this collection of short stories, sure to tantalize and frighten. Filled with tales of the bizarre, kooky, unexplainable, and outright insane, The Endlands will be sure to have you leaving a light on tonight.
[Contributors: Jordan Benoit, Jennifer Chapman, Christina Estabrook, Janelle Garcia, Patrick Greene, Vincent Hobbes, Cristin Martin, Nathan Palmer, Jairus Reddy, David Stubblefield, Craig Wessel, and Tamara Wilhite.]
On Blazing Wings by L. Ron Hubbard
Galaxy, $9.95, 114pp, tp, 9781592122943. Fantasy.
No one ever counted his air victories and David Duane never said, seeming to hold their number as evidence of his own guilt. But it is certain that he broke the lances and heads of more than half a hundred sky warriors before his own, in turn, was broken.
There is a photograph of him upon the wall of a cafe situated on the Seine’s Left Bank, a place frequented by men of the air. It shows him in mufti, a thin and graceful figure whose half-smiling, sardonic mouth is in contrastto his wondering, dreaming eyes.
There is an inscription written there in a careless hand, a note jotted down so that men who have been flying afar may know without asking. It reads:
David Duane
Born USA Sept. 10, 1908
Killed in service of Finland, February 20, 1940
Grave unknown.…
A Song of Awakening by Roby James
Norilana, $39.95, 586pp, hc, 9781607620853. Fantasy.
Norilana Books is proud to present a monumental, richly romantic historical with a subtle touch of fantasy, A Song of Awakening by Roby James.
Born into the 13th century’s turmoil and warfare, Briana of Flint is a lady of legend. Myrrdin, the greatest bard in Wales, prophesied at her birth that she would “rise from fetters and bring freedom with her.”
In the struggle of the Welsh against the ruthless King Edward I of England, Briana loses almost everything she loves—her family, her home, and her liberty. But three extraordinary men offer her ways to discover the ultimate, unanticipated truth of Myrrdin’s prophecy.
Ine, a lesser bard, has no idea why he has been chosen to inherit the Welsh bardic tradition…
Rees, the King’s nephew, experiences a near death on Crusade, an event that transforms him more than anyone guesses…
Owen Glyn, the last of the Welsh rebels, gathers to himself in the fastness of Snowdonia all that remains of Prince Llewelyn’s dream of freedom for Wales…
Ranging from the deep valleys and high mountains of Wales to the English court at Windsor and Westminster, with stops in France and the Holy Land, this intricate story of music, swordplay, loss, and redemption follows exceptional men and women trying to live in an age with values different from their own—an age of awakening.
Thirteen Years Later by Jasper Kent
Pyr, $17.00, 512pp, tp, 9781616142537. Fantasy.
Aleksandr made a silent promise to the Lord, God would deliver him—would deliver Russia—and he would make Russia into the country that the Almighty wanted it to be. He would be delivered from the destruction that wasteth at noonday, and from the pestilence that walketh in darkness—the terror by night.…
1825, Europe—and Russia—have been at peace for ten years. Bonaparte is long dead and the threat of invasion is no more. For Colonel Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov, life is peaceful. Not only have the French been defeated but so have the twelve monstrous creatures he once fought alongside, and then against, ten or more years ago. His duty is still to serve and to protect his tsar, Aleksandr I, but now the enemy is human.
However, the tsar knows that he can never be at peace. Of course, he is aware of the uprising fermenting within the Russian army—among his supposedly oyal officers. No, what troubles himis something that threatens to bring damnation down upon him, his family, and his country. The tsar has been reminded of a promise: a promise born of blood… a promise that was broken a hundred years before.
Now the one who was betrayed by the Romanovs has returned to exact revenge for what has been denied him. And for Aleksei, knowing this chills his very soul. For it seems the vile pestilence that once threatened all he believed in and all he held dear has returned, thirteen years later.…
Invasion by Mercedes Lackey with Steve Libbey, Cody Martin, and Dennis Lee
(Book One of the Secret World Chronicle), Baen, $26.00, 405pp, hc, 9781439134191. Science fiction.
Super-powered metahumans defend Earth from killer Nazi war machines
The world had become used to the metahumans—people with special powers, some of whom appear perfectly ordinary, while others look quite extraordinary. Those with the strongest abilities worked with their governments as high-powered peace officers, fighting crime, and sometimes fighting rogue metahumans who had become super-criminals.
Then that comfortable world ended in just one terrifying day.
Suddenly, across the globe, governments are simultaneously attacked by soldiers in giant mecha robotic suits… suits with the swastika symbol of the Third Reich on their impenetrable metal skins.
If the invaders are Nazis, where have they been hiding since the end of World War II? And where have they gotten armor and weapons far in advance of anything on the planet? Weapons against which even the metahuman heroes seem to be helpless…
Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire
(an October Daye novel), DAW, $7.99, 384pp, pb, 9780756406660. Fantasy.
Two years ago, October “Toby” Daye believed she could leave the world of Faerie behind. She was wrong. Now she finds herself in the service of Duke Sylvester Torquill, sharing an apartment with her Fetch, and maintaining an odd truce with Tybalt, the local King of Cats. It’s a delicate balance—one that’s shattered when she learns that an old friend is in dire trouble. Lily, Lady of the Tea Gardens, has been struck down by a mysterious, seemingly impossible illness, leaving her fiefdom unfdefended.
Struggling to find a way to save Lily and her subjects, Toby must confront her own past as an enemy she thought was gone forever raises her head once more: Oleander de Merelands, one of the two people responsible for her fourteen-year exile. But if Oleander’s back, what’s her game? Where is she hiding? And what part does Toby’s mother, Amandine, have to play?
Time is growing short and the stakes are getting higher. For the Queen of the Mists has her own agenda, and there are more players in this game than Toby can guess. With everything on the line, she will have to take the ultimate risk to save herself and the people she loves most—because if she can’t find the missing pieces of the puzzle in time, Toby will be forced to make the one choice she never thought she’d have to face again.…
Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh
Night Shade, $14.99, 256pp, tp, 9781597802765. Science fiction. On-sale date: April 2011.
What happens when resources become scarce and society starts to crumble? As the competition for resources pulls America’s previously stable society apart, the “New Normal” is a Soft Apocalypse. This is how our world ends; with a whimper instead of a bang.
“It’s so hard to believe,” Colin said as we crossed the steaming, empty parking lot toward the bowling alley.
“What?”
“That we’re poor. That we’re homeless.”
“I know.”
“I mean, we have college degrees,” he said.
“I know,” I said.
There was an ancient miniature golf course choked in weeds alongside the bowling alley. The astroturf had competely rotted away in places. The windmill had one spoke. We looked it over for a minute (both of us had once been avid mini golfers), then continued toward the door. “By the way,” I added. “We’re not homeless, we’re nomads. Keep your labels straight.”
New social structures and tribal connections spring up across America, as the previous social structures begin to dissolve. Soft apocalypse follows the journey across the South East of a tribe of formerly middle class Americans as they struggle to find a place for themselves and their children in a new, dangerous world that still carries the ghostly echoes of their previous lives.
Troubletwisters by Garth Nix and Sean Williams
Scholastic, $17.99, 304pp, hc, 9780545258975. Middle-grade Fantasy. On-sale date: May 2011.
New York Times bestselling authors Garth Nix and Sean Williams join together for Troubletwisters, a spectacular new middle-grade fantasy series. Troubletwisters is the amazing adventure of thirteen-year-old twins Jaide and Jack Shields and their incredible powers.
Jaide and Jack Shield’s lives are changing in a very, very strange way. The weather is turning against them. Magical disasters occur when they’re around. And a mysterious explosion has just destroyed their house… from the inside.
Without knowing why, the twins are sent away to live with Grandma X—a relative they’ve never met. At Grandma X’s house, things get even stranger. Weather vanes point in the opposite direction of the wind. Doors appear and disappear. Cats talk.
Jaide and Jack don’t know the reasons behind all the strangeness. They don’t know that they’re troubletwisters, and they must defend the world against a dark, evil force that’s getting stronger each day. The time has come for them to discover the truth—and the powers that come with it. Are they ready?
After Hours: Tales from the Ur-Bar edited by Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray
DAW, $7.99, 310pp, pb, 9780756406592. Fantasy anthology.
The first bar, created by the Sumerians after they were given the gift of beer by the gods, was known as the Ur-Bar. Although it has since been destroyed, its spirit lives on. In each age there is one bar that captures the essence of the original Ur-Bar, where drinks are mixed with magic and served with a side of destiny and intrigue.
Science fiction and fantasy readers have long shown an affinity for a good “bar story.” From Tales from Gavagan’s Bar and Tales from the White Hart to the Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon stories, bars and imaginative accounts just seem to go together.
Now some of today’s most inventive scrivener’s have decided to belly up to the Ur-Bar and tell their own tall tales—from an alewife’s attempt to transfer the gods’ curse to Gilgamesh, to Odin’s decision to introduce Vikings to the Ur-Bar… from the Holy Roman Emperor’s barroom bargain, to a demon hunter who may just have met his match in the ultimate magic bar, to a bouncer who discovers you should never let anyone in after hours in a world terrorized by zombies.…
[Contributors: Benjamin Tate, S.C. Butler, Jennifer Dunne, Barbara Ashford, Maria V. Snyder, Kary Sperring, D.B. Jackson, Patricia Bray, Seanan McGuire, Juliet E. McKenna, Laura Anne Gilman, Ian Tregillis, Avery Shade, Jackie Kessler, and Anton Strout.]
A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang
Pocket, $7.99, 344pp, pb, 9781439198322. Urban fantasy.
The man of her dreams might be the cause of her nightmares…
Six months ago, Abby Sinclair was struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Now, she has an enchanted iPod, a miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer, and a magical marketplace to manage. But despite her growing knowledge of the OtherWorld, Abby isn’t at all prepared for Brystion, the dark, mysterious, and sexy-as-sin incubus searching for his sister, convinced Abby has the key to the succubus’s whereabouts. Abby has enough problems without having this seductive shape-shifter literally invade her dreams to get information.
But when her Faery boss and some of her friends vanish as well, Abby and Brystion must form an uneasy alliance to save them all. As Abby is sucked deeper and deeper into this dangerous world of angels, daemons, and faeries—she realizes her life is in as much danger as her heart—and there’s no one she can trust to save her.
Etched in Bone by Adrian Phoenix
(Book Four of The Maker’s Song), Pocket, $7.99, 382pp, pb, 9781439137307. Urban Fantasy.
Etched in Boneis the fourth book of Adrian Phoenix’s The Maker’s Song series. More beautiful and powerful than any creature the world has ever seen, Dante Baptiste has become the supreme target of the three worlds that spawned him. The moral agents of the Shadow Branch have tried to control his mind through psychological torture. The vampire elders who guide nightkind society have plotted to use him in their bloodthirsty bid for power. And the Fallen have waited for millennia for Dante to claim his birthright as their Maker. But Dante belongs to no one—except for the woman he loves…
Determined to face the Fallen and the world on his own terms, Dante hopes to piece together his shattered past and claim his future, with FBI agent Heather Wallace at his side. But in Heather’s human family awaits an unexpected enemy. One who could rip Heather from Dante’s heart and fill the holes with bullets. One who could force Dante to choose his darkest destiny—as the world’s Great Destroyer.…
The River of Shadows by Robert V.S. Redick
Del Rey, $16.00, 592pp, tp, 9780345523822. Fantasy. On-sale date: 19 April 2011.
For fans of George R.R. Martin and Philip Pullman, the third epic adventure in Redick’s widely acclaimed high-seas fantasy series.
After a harrowing escape from their first landfall in the southern lands and worse disasters in the city where they seek refuge, the crew of the Chathrand discover that the worst imaginable thing has happened: Arunis has stolen the Nilstone. Now our heroes face a terrible choice. They can flee with the crew, and leave Arunis to do what he will&8212;or they can pursue him into the wild, abandoning all but the slimmest chance of ever returning home, and travel the River of Shadows, waterway rumored to be connected to the spirit realm. They are running out of time before Arunis masters the Nilstone—and unleashes the Swarm of Night into the world.
The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
(The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day Two), DAW, $29.95, 928pp, hc, 9780756404734. Fantasy.
“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”
My name is Kvothe.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.
So begins the tale of a hero told from his own point of view—a story unequaled in fantasy literature. Now in The Wise Man’s Fear, Day Two of The Kingkiller Chronicle, an escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to leave the University and seek his fortune abroad. Adrift, penniless, and alone, he travels to Vintas, where he quickly becomes entangled in the politics of courtly society. While attempting to curry favor with a powerful noble, Kvothe uncovers an assassination attempt, comes into conflict with a rival arcanist, and leads a group of mercenaries into the wild, in an attempt to solve the mystery of who (or what) is waylaying travelers on the King’s Road.
All the while, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, is forced to reclaim the honor of the Edema Ruh, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived… until Kvothe.
In The Wise Man’s Fear, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.
Storm Runners by Roland Smith
Scholastic, $16.99, 160pp, tp, 9780545081757. Middle-grade action-adventure.
Animal specialist Roland Smith first worked with animals as a zookeeper at the Portland Zoo, and has been involved in animal rescues and conservation work around the world for more than twenty years.
In his new middle-grade action-adventure trilogy, Chase, a thirteen-year-old boy, and his father are “storm runners,” traveling across the country chasing hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. Anywhere the weather channel is concentrated, they aren’t far behind. When disasters strike, Chase’s dad heads toward them with the intention of offering his services and expertise in reconstruction… and sometimes makes a buck along the way.
It’s an exciting life for Chase and certainly beats sitting in a classroom. But in the aftermath of the hurricane of the century, Chase realizes his “disaster hunter” dad isn’t quite the hero he makes himself out to be. It’s up to Chase to do the right thing… and perhaps rescue his father in the process.
Revolution World by Katy Stauber
Night Shade, $14.99, 300pp, tp, 9781597802338. Science ficiton.
Set in a near-future, post-ecological and post-economic collapse, Revolution World chronicles the romance between rogue genetic engineer Clio Somata, and martial artist computer programmer Seth Boucher. Sadly, the road of love is never easy… in this case, an overreaching US military establishment and an evil multi-national bioengineering firm has decided that they want what Clio and her family has—cutting edge bio-technology. The conflict between the Somata clan and the US government ends up being the catalyst that drives a bunch of libertarian Texan gamers to declare a revolt against the oppressive US government, kicking off a new Texas Revolution!
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume Five edited by Jonathan Strahan
Night Shade, $19.99, 500pp, tp, 9781597801720. Science ficiton anthology.
A poet and a bear journey toward the ruins of a city in search of answers; a dimunitve man seeks satisfaction within a secluded mountain cave; an elderly widow enjoys the company of a collection of robotic cowboys; the Boy Who Never Grew Up becomes an agent of Her Majesty’s Secret Service; a werewolf girl joins the cast of a musical revue; a group of hardened mercenaries takes on a foolish job; a young man learns the ways of the world in the arms of a Sylvanian maiden; a teenage girl attempts to escape her domineering mother’s influence aboard a cargo spaceship; an impossible flying machine departs on its maiden voyage…
The depth and breadth of science fiction and fantasy fiction continues to change with every passing year. The twenty-nine stories chosen for this book by award-winning anthologist Jonathan Strahan carefully map this evolution, giving readers a captivating and always-entertaining look at the very best the genre has to offer.
[Contributors: Hannu Rajaniemi, Neil Gaiman, Sandra McDonald, Sarah Rees Brennan, Holly Black, Damien Broderick, Joe Abercrombie, Robert Reed, Kij Johnson, Theodora Goss, James Patrick Kelly, Ellen Kushner, Cory Doctorow, Elizabeth Hand, Margo Lanagan, Pat Cadigan, Bruce Sterling, Christopher Barzak, Maureen McHugh, Sara Genge, Geoffrey A. Landis, John Kessel, Diana Peterfreund, Lavie Tidhar, Ian Tregillis, K.J. Parker, Peter Watts, Genevieve Valentine, and Rachel Swirsky.]
The Griffin’s War by K.J. Taylor
(The Fallen Moon, book three), Ace, $7.99, 434pp, pb, 9780441020102. Fantasy.
The war has begun
Although he has been imprisoned by his enemies from the South and sentenced to execution, Arren—now known by his true name, Arenadd Taranisaii—is a man with nothing to fear from death. After promising his allegiance to the Nighit God, Arenadd escapes his fate for the second time and vows to free his people—the Northerners, who have been oppressed and enslaved for generations.
With the dark griffin Skandar by his side, Arenadd begins to gather an army and prepare for war using the power gifted to him by the Night God to move through the shadows. But even as Arenadd’s strength grows, his nemesis sets out for the Island of the Sun, seeking the one weapon that can truly kill Arenadd, the man without a heart#8230;
The Scarab Path by Adrian Tchaikovsky
(Shadows of the Apt, Book 5), Pyr, $16.00, 498pp, tp, 9781616143619. Fantasy. On-sale date: April 2011.
The war with the Wasp Empire has ended in a bitter stalemate, and Collegium has nothing to show for it but wounded veterans. Cheerwell Maker finds herself crippled in ways no doctor can mend, haunted by ghosts of the past that she cannot appease, seeking for meaning in a city that no longer seems like home.
The Empress Seda is regaining control over those imperial cities who refused to bow the knee to her, but she draws her power for something more sinister than mere armies and war machines. Only her consort, the former spymaster Thalric, knows the truth, and now the assassins are coming and he finds his life and his loyalties under threat yet again.
Out past the desert of the Nem the ancient city of Khanaphes awaits them both, with a terrible secret entombed beneath its stones…
Blackout by Rob Thurman
(a Cal Leandros novel), Roc, $7.99, 336pp, pb, 9780451463869. Fantasy.
I was alone, and I was lost. I didn’t know where I was; I didn’t know who I was. It doesn’t get more lost than that. Knowing what I knew and not knowing anything else at all, why would I want to be in the darkness where monsters hide?
Because killers hide there too…
Half-human Cal Leandros has always walked a bloody line between keeping his mortal soul free and clear (sort of) and unleashing the horror of his otherworldly heritage. The one thing that’s always saved him is the memory of his brother, Niko, his friends, and those he loves. Until now.
Cal wakes up on a beach littered with the recently slaughtered remains of a variety of hideous creatures that were obviously looking for trouble. The fact that he is the one who did the slaughtering doesn’t bother him. The fact that he feels like a natural-born killer doesn’t either. What bothers Cal is that he doesn’t remember Cal anymore… and he’s not sure he cares.
Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon
Broadway, $14.00, 244pp, tp, 9780307589972. Fantasy.
Everyone knows the story of The Little Mermaid, if not through Hans Christian Andersen’s original story, then through Walt Disney’s version. In Carolyn Turgeon’s mystical retelling, Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale, she spins the original story in a beautifully written, compulsively readable novel that will make you think twice about the fairy tale you heard as a child.
When Lenia, a young mermaid princess, rescues a man from a shipwreck and carries him to shore, her selfless act is witnessed by Princess Magrethe, who is staying at a convent nearby for protection from the war her father is fighting against another kingdom. The shipwrecked young man’s name is Christopher, and in the weeks that he’s nursed back to health at the convent, he and Margrethe fall in love—but it’s not until after he leaves that Margrethe discovers he’s the prince from the kingdom her family is at war with.
Meanwhile, in the sea Lenia is suffering; she fell in love with Christopher in the moments she carried him to shore, so she makes a deal with the sea witch: in exchange for her voice and tongue she receives a potion that changes her into human form. Margrethe comes up with a plan of her own: she’ll be offered in marriage to Christopher, thus uniting the kingdoms and putting an end to the years of conflict between the two lands. But when Margrethe arrives, ready to win and wed her prince, she finds him enraptured with a beautiful woman who looks very familiar. Margrethe is sure she’s seen her before.…
With lush imagery and beautiful prose, Mermaid is sure to enchant and delight all readers. Carolyn Turgeon’s evocative writing transports the reader to medieval Scandinavia and seamlessly entwines the stories of the mermaid and the princess, and will keep readers in suspense until the last, captivating pages.
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells
Night Shade, $14.99, 300pp, tp, 9781597802161. Fantasy.
Moon has spent his life hiding what he is—a shapeshifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again discovered and cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself… someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community.
What this stranger doesn’t tell Moon is that his presence will tip the balance of power… that his extraordinary lineage is crucial to the colony’s survival… and that his people face extinction at the hands of the dreaded Fell.
Moon must overcome a lifetime of conditioning in order to save himself… and his newfound kin.
Extremis by Steve White & Charles E. Gannon
Baen, $14.00, 640pp, tp, 9781439134337. Science fiction. On-sale date: May 2011.
Once before, the sentient races in the known part of the galaxy—humans, Orions, Ophiuchi and Gorm—had united to defeat alien invaders. Decades later, the member planets of the alliance had grown complacent—until a huge fleet of ships, each ship larger than a city, arrived, fleeing the loss of their home planet when their star went nova.
They have traveled for centuries, slower than light, and now that they have arrived at the world they intend to make their new home. They regard the fact that the planet is already colonized by humans as a mere inconvenience, the more so since their mode of communication is so different from anything humans use that they do not consider humans and their allies to be truly intelligent. And the arriving aliens know—or, at least, they believe—that when they die they will be reincarnated, so they do not hesitate to attack humans and their allies with suicidal fury. And, if necessary, they will exterminate all humans and their allies, if that’s what it takes to occupy the planet.
That was their attitude on arrival, but the conquerors have learned from human technology. They now know all about reactionless drives, so much more efficient than rocket engines. And they have learned about the jump points which make faster-than-light travel possible. With that knowledge, they plan to conquer the entire inhabited region of the galaxy—unless the old alliance of humans and other beings can stop them.…
Rogue Oracle by Alayna Williams
Pocket/Juno, $7.99, 368pp, pb, 9781439182819. Urban Fantasy.
The more you know about the future, the more there may be to fear…
Tara Sheridan is the best criminal profiler around—and the most unconventional. Trained as a forensic psychologist, Tara also specializes in Tarot card reading. but she doesn’t need her divination skills to realize that the new assignment from her friend and sometime lover, Agent Harry Li, is a dangerous proposition in every way.
Former Cold War operatives, all linked to a top-secret operation tracking the disposal of nuclear weapons in Russia, are disappearing. There are no bodies, and no clues to their whereabouts. Harry suspects a conspiracy to sell arms to the highest bidder. The cards—and Tara’s increasingly ominous dreams—suggest something darker. Even as Tara sorts through her feelings for Harry and her fractured relationship with the mysterious order known as Delphi’s Daughters, a killer is growing more ruthless by the day. And a nightmare that began decades ago in Chernobyl will reach a terrifying endgame that not even Tara could have foreseen.…
Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding
Spectra, $16.00, 480pp, tp, 9780345522511. Fantasy. On-sale date: 26 April 2011.
Popular YA author Chris Wooding makes his US adult genre debut with this action-packed, sky pirate adventure!
Retribution Falls is a fast and fun romp with an airship crew that has no business succeeding but somehow always seems to… sort of. When Captain Frey takes on a job, of course it goes terribly wrong, and Frey finds himself being pursued by not only the Coalition Navy but also by Trinica Dracken, a merciless pirate—and his ex-fiancee. Ultimately, with the help of some fancy flying, fast talking, a surprisingly loyal crew, and a mechanical golem named Bess, the Ketty Jay finds itself immersed in something far deeper than the smuggling it’s used to, leading the airship to the fabled haven known as Retribution Falls, where fortunes can be made… if they aren’t killed first.
An Embarrassment of Riches by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
(a novel of the Count Saint-Germain), Tor, $29.99, 384pp, hc, 9780765331038. Fantasy.
The Saint-Germain series is the longest continually running vampire series ever written. Author Chelsea Quinn Yarbro began the series in 1978 with Hotel Transylvania, introducing the world to her hero, the smooth and intelligent vampire Rakoczy Feransci, otherwise known as the Count Saint-Germain. Now, more than two decades and twenty books later, Saint-Germain is still traveling the world, and, according to RT Book Reviews, is “still a compelling hero.”
Now, Yarbro presents another adventure in Saint-Germain’s life: An Embarrassment of Riches. This time, Saint-Germain finds himself a virtual prisoner in the court of Queen Kunigunde in Bohemia in the eleventh century. Saint-Germain hoped to pass the time at the court making jewels to delight the Queen and stepping lightly around courtly intrigues. In this, he fails, as his apparent wealth, good looks, and lack of a wife catch the attention of an ambitious young lady-in-waiting, Rosza.
Has Rosza discovered the Count’s secret? Will she denounce him to the priests, leading to his True Death on a burning pyre? Despite all his care, the vampire has made more than one enemy at court, and in An Embarrassment of Riches, there may be only one road to freedom… through death.