This page is updated as books are received throughout the month.
Endgame by Ann Aguirre
(a Sirantha Jax novel), Ace, $7.99, 338pp, pb, 9781937007744. Science Fiction.
Regret nothing.
Sirantha Jax has the J-gene, which permits her to “jump” faster-than-light ships through grimspace. She loves nothing more than that rush, but the star roads have to wait…
Her final mission takes her to La’heng, a planet subjugated during first contact. Since then, the La’hengrin homeworld has been occupied by foreign conquerors.
All that’s about to change.
Now, as part of a grassroots resistance, Jax means to liberate the La’hengrin. But political intrigue and guerrilla warfare are new to her, and this will be the most dangerous game she’s ever played—involving spies and conspiracies, a war of weapons and hearts. And not everyone is guaranteed to make it out alive…
Star Wars Origami: 36 Amazing Paper-folding Projects from a Galaxy Far, Far Away.… by Chris Alexander
Workman, $16.95, 272pp, tp, 9780761169437. Crafts & Hobbies.
Every Star Wars fan dreams of swinging a lightsaber in battle, piloting an X-wing Starfighter and leading an army of clone troopers. Now you can do it all with Star Wars Origami: 36 Amazing Paper-folding Projects from a Galaxy Far, Far Away.… It’s a whole new spin on an ancient art by the Jedi Master of origami (and creator of the website starwarsorigami.com), Chris Alexander.
Here are 36 of the most iconic creatures, characters and starships from the Star Wars universe: Jabba the Hutt, Boba Fett, Yoda, R2-D2, the Millennium Falcon and more. At last, fans can make their own Death Star or stage a hand-crafted clone trooper attack, fold by fold. But what makes Star Wars Origami truly extraordinary are the 72 sheets of specially designed paper featuring original art that, once folded, bring each creation to life.
Every model is accompanied by full-color, detailed, fold-by-fold illustrations. Projects are labeled with one of four levels of difficulty on a scale from a galaxy far, far away: Youngling (easy), Padawan (medium), Jedi Knight (difficult) and Jedi Master (tricky). And between projects, Star Wars fans can test their knowledge with trivia questions, matching games and more.
New York Times bestselling author of The Strange Case of Oigami Yoda Tom Angleberger provided the foreword, expressing his enthusiasm for the eagerly anticipated book. He also assures paper-folding novices and experts alike that they are in good hands with Chris Alexander, comparing him to the greatest teacher in the galaxy, Yoda.
Kids will love creating their favorite galactic characters and no Star Wars collection will be complete without these exclusive models. There’s no denying that the Force is strong with Star Wars Origami. May the folds be with you!
Wrayth by Philippa Ballantine
(a Book of the Order), Ace, $7.99, 312pp, pb, 978193700751. Fantasy.
In the Empire of Arkaym, the Order of Deacons protects and shelters the citizens from attacks by the unliving. All are sworn to fight the evil forces of the geists—and to keep the world safe from the power of the Otherside…
Although she is one of the most powerful Deacons in the Order, Sorcha Faris is still unable to move or speak after her last battle. Even her partner, Merrick Chambers, cannot reach her through their shared Bond. Yet there are those who still fear Sorcha and the mystery of her hidden past.
Meanwhile, Merrick has been asked to investigate a new member of the Emperor’s Court. But when Sorcha is abducted by men seeking Raed Rossin, the shapeshifting rival to the throne, Merrick must choose where his loyalties lie.
Wards of Faerie: The Dark Legacy of Shannara by Terry Brooks
Del Rey, $28.00, 380pp, hc, 9780345523471. Fantasy.
Seven years after the conclusion of the High Druid of Shannara trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks at last revisits one of the most popular eras in the legendary epic fantasy series that has spellbound readers for more than three decades in Wards of Faerie: The Dark Legacy of Shannara.
When the world was young, and its name was Faerie, the power of magic ruled—and the Elfstones warded the race of Elves and their lands, keeping evil at bay. But when an Elven girl fell hopelessly in love with a Darkling boy of the Void, he carried away more than her heart.
Thousands of years later, tumultuous times are upon the world now known as the Four Lands. Users of magic are in conflict with proponents of science. Elves have distanced their society from the other races. The dwindling Druid order and its teachings are threatened with extinction. A sinister politician has used treachery and murder to rise as prime minister of the mighty Federation. Meanwhile, poring through a long-forgotten diary, the young Druid Aphenglow Elessedil has stumbled upon the secret account of an Elven girl’s heartbreak and the shocking truth about the vanished Elfstones. But never has a little knowledge been so very dangerous—as Aphenglow quickly learns when she’s set upon by assassins.
Yet there can be no turning back from the road to which fate has steered her. For whoever captures the Elfstones and their untold powers will surely hold the advantage in the devastating clash to come. But Aphenglow and her allies—Druids, Elves, and humans alike—remember the monstrous history of the Demon War, and they know that the Four Lands will never survive another reign of darkness. But whether they themselves can survive the attempt to stem that tide is another question entirely.
Bird & Squirrel on the Run by James Burks
Graphix,Scholastic, $8.99, 126pp, tp, 9780545312837. Children’s graphic novel.
Artist James Burks introduces readers to Bird and Squirrel as they try their best to outwit Cat, and maybe become best friends, in this zany road trip adventure.
Bird is a happy-go-lucky bundle of energy without a care in the world. Squirrel is a cautious collector of acorns, afraid of his own shadow. Cat wants to eat them both. Of course he’ll have to catch them first, and that’s not going to be easy.
When Squirrel loses his winter stash reluctantly saving Bird from Cat, the duo have to go where the weather is warm and food is plentiful! So it’s south or bust in this hilarious graphic novel about two unlikely friends.
The Lost Stars: Tarnished Knight by Jack Campbell
Ace, $26.95, 400pp, hc, 9781937077822. Science Fiction. On-sale date: 2 October 2012.
The authority of the Syndicate Worlds’ government is crumbling. Civil war and rebellion are breaking out in many star systems despite the Syndic government’s brutal attempts to suppress disorder. Midway is one of those star systems, and leaders there must decide whether to stay true to the old order or fight for something new.
CEO Artur Drakon has been betrayed. The Syndic government failed to protect its citizens from both the Alliance and the alien enigmas. With a cadre of reliable soldiers under his command, Drakon launches a battle for control of the Midway Star System—assisted by an ally he’s unsure he can trust…
CEO Gwen Iceni was exiled to Midway because she wasn’t ruthless enough in the eyes of her superiors. She’s made them regret their assessment by commandeering some of the warships at Midway and attacking the remaining ships still loyal to the Syndicate empire. Iceni declares independence for the Midway Star System on behalf of the people while staying in charge as “President.” But while she controls the mobile fleet, she has no choice but to rely on “General” Drakon’s ground forces to keep the peace planet-side.
If their coup is to succeed, Drakon and Iceni must put their differences aside to prevent the population of Midway from rising up in rebellion against them, to defend Midway from the alien threat of the enigma race#&8212;and to ferret out saboteurs determined to reestablish Syndic rule…
1635: The Papal Stakes by Eric Flint & Charles E. Gannon
Baen, $25.00, 672pp, hc, 9781451638394. Science Fiction. On-sale date: October 2012.
Number 15 in the multiple bestselling Ring of Fire Series.
It’s springtime in the Eternal City, 1635. But it’s no Roman holiday for uptimer Frank Stone and his pregnant downtime wife, Giovanna. They’re in the clutches of would-be Pope Cardinal Borgia, with the real Pope—Urban VII—on the run with the renegade embassy of uptime Ambassador Sharon Nichols and her swashbuckling downtime husband, Ruy Sanchez de Casador y Ortiz. Up to their necks in papal assassins, power politics, murder, and mayhem, the uptimers and their spouses need help and they need it quickly.
Special rescue teams—including Harry Lefferts and his infamous Wrecking Crew—converge on Rome to extract Frank and Gia. And an uptime airplane is on its way to spirit the Pope to safety before Borgia’s assassins can find him. It seems that everything is going to work out just fine in sunny Italy.
Until, that is, everything goes wrong. Now, whether they are prisoners in Rome or renegades protecting a pope on the run, it’s up to the rough and ready can-do attitude of Grantville natives to once again escape the clutches of aristocratic skullduggery and ring in freedom for a war-torn land.
Crackpot Palace: Stories by Jeffrey Ford
William Morrow, $14.99, 340pp, tp, 9780062122599. Fiction collection.
Jeffrey Ford’s writing has been favorably compared to that of Kafka, Dante, and Caleb Carr, and he certainly does not disappoint in this his fourth short story collection. Crackpot Palace: Stories, a new collection of short fiction by the Edgar Award-winning author of The Girl in the Glass and The Shadow Year is a tour de force of the imagination, a sumptuous feast of the unexpected, and an unforgettable journey to amazing places.
Welcome to Crackpot Palace… a house in which dream and memory become one in twenty different stories, including one written expressly for this book. In here you will find room upon room stuffed full of all manner of dark and fantastic treasure—a sword that turns enemies to coral, a bottled city, Native American legends, magical creatures, and, perhaps most disturbing of all, yourself. Crackpot Palace… Enter at your own risk.
Imaginative, provocative, mesmerizing, and always brilliant, Crackpot Palace is sure to please the most ardent Ford fans and gain a multitude more.
[Contents: Polka Dots and Moonbeams; Down Atsion Road; Sit the Dead; The Seventh Expression of the Robot General; 86 Deathdick Road; After Moreau; The Hag’s Peak Affair; The Coral Heart; The Double of My Double Is Not My Double; Daltharee; Ganesha; Every Richie There Is; The Dream of Reason; The War Between Heaven and Hell Wallpaper; Relic; Glass Eels; The Wish Head; Weiroot; Dr. Lash Remembers; and Daddy Longlegs of the Evening.]
Legacy of Kings by C.S. Friedman
(the stunning conclusion of The Magister Trilogy), DAW, $7.99, 500pp, pb, 9780756407483. Fantasy.
It has been forty generations since Souleaters last darkened the skies with their wings—ten centuries since the great creatures last fed upon the life-essence of mankind and brought down the First Age of Kings. Driven to the icy wastelands of the far north, bound there forever by a magical barrier called the Wrath of the Gods, they have become the stuff of legend, and some have even come to doubt that they ever really existed.
But now the Wrath is failing, and the creatures that once laid waste to the entire world have returned. And this time they have human allies to protect them, and a human queen to guide them. For Siderea Aminestas, once the mistress of Magisters—the most powerful and secretive of sorcerers—means to use the Souleaters in her quest for vengeance against those who betrayed her—and if the rest of mankind must be destroyed in the process, so be it.
But mankind is not without its own champions… and only if all of them can come together and devote themselves to a common cause will there be any hope of saving the Second Age of Kings from destruction.
Shadows Before the Sun by Kelly Gay
Pocket, $7.99, 337pp, pb, 9781451625486. Urban Fantasy.
The eagerly anticipated fourth installment in author Kelly Gay’s Madigan series, Shadows Before the Sun has finally arrived to satisfy fans!
Between life and death lies a chasm of pain beyond imagining…
Elysia may be a heavenly off-world destination, but beyond it, in the siren city of Fiallan, the Circe have punished Charlie Madigan’s partner, Hank, into a torturous state between life and death. With all the proper legal channels cleared, Charlie heads to Elysia, not knowing what she’ll find, or if she’ll ever see the siren again… while at home, jinn crime boss Grigori Tennin has begun an all-out hunt for the divine being Ahkneri. Tennin’s tactic’s set off a chain reaction that puts Charlie in the crosshairs of the shadowy creature known as Death, and stirs Ahkneri from her long sleep—and if Vengeance awakes, Atlanta will never be the same.
Shadows Before the Sun will have readers faithfully hanging on every word to see Charlie’s next step!
Fable: Edge of the World by Christie Golden
Del Rey, $18.00, 248pp, tp, 9780345539373. Fantasy.
The official prequel novel to the Xbox 360 videogame Fable: The Journey
It’s been almost a decade since the events of Fable 3, when the Hero vanquished the threat across the sea and claimed his throne. As king he led Albion to an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity. But on the night of his wedding to his new queen, ominous word arrives: The darkness has returned.
Beyond a harrowing mountain pass, the exotic desert country Samarkand has been overrun by shadowy forces. Within the walls of its capital city, a mysterious usurper known only as the Empress has seized control. To protect his realm, the king must lead his most trusted allies into a strange land unknown to outsiders. As they forge ahead along Samarkand’s ancient Great Road, populated by undead terrors and fantastic creatures once believed to be the stuff of legend, the king is drawn ever closer to his greatest challenge yet.
But soon Albion is engulfed in a war of its own. As the darkness spreads, town by town, a treacherous force has infiltrated the queen’s circle. Now the fate of all that is good rests with a faint flicker of hope… that somewhere, somehow, heroes still do exist.
Ghost of a Dream by Simon R. Green
(a Ghost Finders novel), Ace, $7.99, 296pp, pb, 9781937007737. Urban Fantasy.
Meet the operatives of the Carnacki Institute—JC Chance: the team leader, brave, charming, and almost unbearable arrogant; Melody Chambers: the science geek who keeps the antisupernatural equipment running; and Happy Jack Palmer: the terminally gloomy telepath. Their mission: Do Something About Ghosts. Lay them to rest, send them packing, or just kick their nasty ectoplasmic arses…
The Ghost Finders are investigating a haunting at the long-abandoned Haybarn Theatre, whicih is being renovated. But work has been thrown off schedule by some peculiar and unnatural activities. And after the potentially world-changing recent events of their previous assignment, the team thinks that a haunted theatre (aren’t they all?) will be a walk in the park.
Until they encounter the Phantom of the Haybarn—an ancient evil whose ability to alter reality itself will test the skills, science, and blind luck of the Ghost Finders to the limit.
Claws by Mike Grinti and Rachel Grinti
Chicken House/Scholastic, $16.99, 256pp, hc, 9780545433136. Middle grades fantasy.
A debut by husband and wife team Mike and Rachel Grinti, Claws is a unique fairytale filled with unexpected twists and revelations.
Emma’s sister is missing. Her parents have lost everything trying to find her. And now the family must live in a trailer park that’s home to down-and-out harpies, hags, trolls… and a one-eyed, smooth-talking cat. Jack becomes Emma’s best—her only—friend. Imagine Emma’s surprise when she discovers that she, too, has cat magic; that she has claws!
She’s going to need them to make her way through the enchanted forest. Because somewhere in there is her sister. To rescue her, Emma must face powerful faeries in their lair. Is her cat magic strong enough to best them? Is she brave enough for the fight? How can she know what’s real in this fantasy world? Hardest of all, how will Emma decide between her sister’s happiness and her own?
Dearly, Departed by Lisa Habel
Del Rey, $9.99, 496pp, tp, 9780345523327. Juvenile Fiction.
Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie? The first book in an addictive new young adult series, Dearly, Departed is a steampunk romance-meets-zombie thriller that spawns a madly imaginative novel of adventure and suspense, macabre comedy and star-crossed love.
The year is 2195. The place is New Vicotira—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.
But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble… and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.
In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, in a debut novel of rip-roaring adventure and spine-tingling suspense that forever redefines the concept of undying love.
Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton
Del Rey, $30.00, 976pp, hc, 9780345526663. Science Fiction. On-sale date: 26 December 2012.
A gripping new science fiction thriller form the New York Times bestselling author of The Evolutionary Void and many other epic science fiction novels. Thriller writer Ken Follett, author of Eye of the Needle and The Pillars of the Earth calls Peter F. Hamilton “the owner of the most powerful imagination in science fiction.”
On an unexplored planet, a killer stalks a scientific expedition stranded thousands of miles from civilization. Is the killer one of their own, or has the alien species they are searching for found them first? Hamilton offers a thriller that combines futuristic speculation, a murder mystery, and a desperate race through wilderness for the safety of civilization as an expedition’s members get picked off one by one.
Clean by Alex Hughes
(a Mindspace Investigations novel), Roc, $7.99, 341pp, pb, 9780451464750. Science Fiction.
A ruthless killer—out of sight, out of mind
I used to work for the Telepaths’ Guild before they kicked me out for a drug habit that wasn’t entirely my fault. Now I work for the cops, helping Homicide Detective Isabella Cherabino put killers behind bars.
My ability to get inside the twisted minds of suspects makes me the best interrogator in the department. But the normals keep me on a short leash. When the Tech Wars ripped the world apart, the Guild stepped up to save it. But they had to get scary to do it—real scary.
Now the cops don’t trust the telepaths, the Guild doesn’t trust me, a serial killer is stalking the city—and I’m aching for a fix. But I need to solve this case. Fast. I’ve just had a vision of the future: I’m the next to die.
Amulet, Book Five: Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibuishi
Graphix/Scholastic, $12.99, 200pp, tp, 9780545208895. Middle grades fantasy graphic novel.
Eisner nominated comic artist Kazu Kibuishi brings readers the fifth volume in his epic New York Times bestselling Amulet series—Amulet Book 5: Prince of the Elves.
Emily survived the chaos of the Guardian Academy, but Max Griffin has stolen the Mother Stone. With it, the Elf King forges new Amulets that will give him the power to invade and destroy 0the nation of Windsor. Emily and her friends lead the soldiers of the Cielis Guard in a fight to stop him, but Max stands in their way. And when she seeks information from the Voice of her Amulet, she discovers that the Voice is much more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
Reaper by K.D. McEntire
(sequel to Lightbringer), Pyr, $16.95, 342pp, hc, 9781616146320
After the death of her mother, Wendy is attempting to fill her mother’s shoes and discovering that the prospect is far more difficult than she ever imagined. Learning that she is part of a powerful and ancient family of Reapers that her mother had forsaken is just the first surprise—Wendy soon discovers that the San Francisco Bay Never is filled with political powers and factions both previously unknown and completely mysterious to Wendy. Since both her mother and Piotr gone, Wendy must struggle to maneuver between the machinations of the dead and the dark intentions of her living Reaper family.
Eventually betrayed and made sick unto death, the clock is ticking before Wendy will fall—she has only a matter of days to unravel the mysteries her mother left behind and to convince her wary family to accept her as one of their own.
Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire
(an October Daye novel), DAW, $7.99, 354pp, pb, 9780756407490. Fantasy.
It’s been almost a year since October “Toby” Daye averted a war, gave up a county, and suffered personal losses that have left her wishing for a good day’s sleep. She’s tried to focus on her responsibilities—training Quentin, upholding her position as Sylvester’s knight, and paying the bills—but she can’t help feeling like her world is crumbling around her, and her increasingly reckless behavior is beginning to worry even her staunchest supporters.
To make matters worse, Toby’s just been asked to find another missing child… only this time it’s the changeling daughter of her fellow knight, Etienne, who didn’t even know he was a father until the girl went missing. Her name is Chelsea. She’s a teleporter, like her father. She’s also the kind of changeling the old stories warn about, the ones with all the strength and none of the control. She’s opening doors that were never meant to be opened, releasing dangers that were sealed away centuries before—and there’s a good chance she could destroy Faerie if she isn’t stopped.
Now Toby must find Chelsea before time runs out, racing against an unknown deadline and through unknown worlds as she and her allies try to avert disaster. But danger is also stirring in the Court of Cats, and Tybalt may need Toby’s help with the biggest challenge he’s ever faced.
Toby thought the last year was bad. She has no idea.
Ice and Shadow by Andre Norton
Baen, $12.00, 500pp, tp, 9781451637915. Science Fiction.
Two Young Rebels—Each Pitted Against An Alien World
Two outstanding novels set in legendary storyteller Andre Norton’s Forerunner universe, in one volume for the first time.
Ice Crown: Roane, an archaeologist, makes planetfall on a previously off-limits world looking for artifacts of the mysterious Forerunners, a technologically advanced race which had spread through the galaxy, then vanished without a trace eons before humans had even harnessed fire. The planet’s human colonists have been cut off from the rest of the galaxy for centuries. Now Roane must fight to save the enslaved populace and her own inner essence by locating a powerful artifact—the Ice Crown—that could bring new freedom to a planet locked in slavery.
Brother to Shadow: Jofre, an initiate to the Brotherhood of Assassins in a far future world, is betrayed and cast out by a corrupt nemesis. To save himself himself, Jofre accepts employment by Zurzal, a reptilian alien scientist who has developed a device to view the past. But the time viewer uses forbidden and barely understood Forerunner technology, and the Patrol is waiting for an excuse to arrest the scientist and seize his device. Worse, the absolute ruler of a feudal world wants the device for dark reasons of his own. He wants the alien scientist unharmed to operate the time viewer, but Jofre is just a bodyguard with no understanding of high tech. The tyrant’s agents will ruthlessly eliminate him if he gets in their way—if the guild assassin following his trail doesn’t catch up with him first.
Super Grammar: Learn Grammar with Superheroes! written by Tony Preciado, illustrated by Rhode Montijo
Scholastic Reference, $8.99, 176pp, tp, 9780545425155.
Using word association, visual aids, and of course superpowers, Super Grammar gives kids a fun and memorable way to hone their grammar skills. Creators Tony Preciado and Rhode Montijo have personified all of the major elements of grammar with superhero or super villain identities. Readers won’t simply be told they shouldn’t use a double negative in a sentence; instead they will actually meet the sinister twin brothers, Double Negative, and learn how to avoid being tricked into falling for their double-talk. The book’s fun, full-color design looks like a mix between a reference book and a comic book. With Super Grammar readers will learn to defend and protect their sentences from mistakes and rid the world of bad grammar.
Tony Preciado and Rhode Montijo first met while working together on the stop-motion animated feature James and the Giant Peach, and they soon learned that they had a lot in common including a love of comic books. It only made sense that they join forces—so they did, to create Super Grammar and help kids everywhere learn great grammar skills!
Romeo Spikes by Joanne Reay
Gallery, $25.00, 408pp, hc, 9781451674446. Supernatural Thriller.
From Joanne Reay, the creator of the acclaimed BBC detective series Murder Rooms, comes the intense supernatural thriller Romeo Spikes. Readers will be fixated from start to finish as they chase Tormenta, the predator responsible for those who take their lives.
Working the homicide squad, Alexis Bianco believes she’s seen every way a life can be taken. Then she meets the mysterious Lola and finds out she’s wrong. More weapon than woman, Lola pursues a predator with a method of murder like no other. The Tormenta.
If you think you’ve never encountered Tormenta, think again. You’re friends with one. Have worked for one. Maybe even fallen in love with one. They walk among us—looking like us, talking like us. Coercing our subconscious with their actions.
Like the long-legged beauty who seduces the goofy geek only to break his heart, causing him to break his own neck in a noose. Or the rock star whose every song celebrates self-harm, inspiring his devoted fans to press knives to their own throats. The pusher who urges the addict toward one more hit, bringing him a high from which he’ll never come down. The tyrannical boss, crushing an assistant’s spirit until a bridge jump brings her low.
We call it suicide. Tormenta call it a score, their demonic powers allowing them to siphon off the unspent life span of those who harm themselves.
To Bianco, being a cop is about right and wrong. Working with Lola is about this world and the next… and maybe the one after that. Because everything is about to change. The coming of a mighty Tormenta is prophesied, a dark messiah known as the Mosca. To stop him, Bianco and Lola must fight their way through a cryptic web of secret societies and powerful legends and crack an ancient code that holds the only answer to the Mosca’s defeat. If this miscreant rises before they can unmask him, darkness will reign and mankind will fall in a storm of suicides. Nobody’s safe. Everyone’s a threat.
The Tormenta’s unfailing grip on their victims, alongside Bianco and Lola’s fight to crack the ancient code, will have readers loyal to Romeo Spikes from start to finish, hoping only for the Mosca’s end.
Queen of Wands by John Ringo
Baen, $25.00, 342pp, hc, 9781451637892. Fantasy.
Spreading love and faith, one dead demon at a time
Soccer mom and demon-fighter Barbara Everette is back in an intricately interwoven monster noir thriller, the sequel to best-selling Princess of Wands.
Barbara has a problem. It seems Janea, Barbara’s associate and one of the Foundation for Love and Universal Faith’s best field operatives, has been thrown into a coma by some very nasty magic she’s stirred up. Barbara must track down the perpetrators and break the spell or Janea’s soul will be forever lost on the astral plane. Oh, and if she can’t break the spell, zombies will destroy all mankind.
Meanwhile, Janea, a stripper and High Priestess of Freya when she isn’t fighting demons, must contend with a spiritual journey of her own. Where to locate one’s true inner essence? At a science fiction convention, of course. But when rescuers pursue Janea into her vision of a geeky alternate reality, we find this is one science fiction convention where the Guest of Honor could turn out to be Death Himself.
Blood Spirits by Sherwood Smith
DAW, $7.99, 482pp, pb, 9780756407476. Fantasy.
The Haunted Kingdom
Before last summer, I was just a normal grad student from California, but then I went to Europe to track down my grandmother’s family and my life changed forever.
Mistaken for Ruli, a runaway princess who, it turned out, was actually my cousin, I was drugged, abducted, and taken to Dobrenica, a tiny and very unusual little kingdom in Eastern Europe.
The handsome man who kidnapped me was Alec, Ruli’s fiance, the man who was slated to rule Dobrenica. Like so many things in this odd little kingdom, their marriage would have a magical component—for when certain members of two royal lines married at a particular point in time, Dobrenica… vanished.
The solution should have been simple, right? Find Ruli and bring her home. Except Ruli didn’t want to come home. Alec and Ruli disliked each other, and to complicate matters further, Alec and I… well, I’ve always been a romantic at heart.
In the end we all did the “right thing.” Brokenhearted yet resolute, I returned to America, but I just couldn’t seem to forget Alec or Dobrenica.
But then I learned that though Ruli and Alec had married, Dobrenica was still in our world. Still in my world. The magic had failed, and no one knew why.
So back I went, but my trip became even more dangerous than it was the first time. I expected personal conflict and politics, even sword fighting. I was also prepared for Dobrenica’s ever-present specters. But I was not prepared for murder, mystery, or the chillingly real presence of the undead!
Apollo’s Outcasts by Allen Steele
Pyr, $16.95, 312pp, hc, 9781616146863. YA Science Fiction. On-sale date: November 2012.
Jamey Barlowe has been crippled since childhood, the result of being born on the Moon. He lives his life in a wheelchair, only truly free when he is in the water. But then Jamey’s father sends him, along with five other kids, back to the Moon to escape a political coup d’etat that has occurred overnight in the United States. Moreover, one of the other five refugees is more than she appears.
Their destination is the mining colony, Apollo. Jamey will have to learn a whole new way to live, one that entails walking for the first time in his life. It won’t be easy and it won’t be safe. But Jamey is determined to make it as a member of Lunar Search and Rescue, also known as the Rangers. This job is always risky but could be even more dangerous if the new US president makes good on her threat to launch a military invasion. Soon Jamey is front and center in a political and military struggle stretching from the Earth to the Moon.
Lord of Mountains by S.M. Stirling
Roc, $26.95, 326pp, hc, 9780451464767. Science Fiction.
From blockbuster hits like I Am Legend to the recent post-apocalyptic thriller The Hunger Games, science fiction fans everywhere are consistently drawn to great stories. As these fans eagerly await for J.J. Abram’s new television show, Revolution, they can start the fall off right with New York Times bestselling author S.M. Stirling’s Novels of the Change and latest gripping novel, Lord of Mountains.
Stirling has captivated readers with his portrayal of a post-apocalyptic America where technology ceases to function. Those who survive must learn to adapt to a world without electricity or cell phones or fuel. Filled with non-stop action and adventure, this series will have readers at the edge of their seats!
With the release of The Sword of the Lady (2010), Stirling debuted at #13 on the New York Times bestseller list. The Tears of the Sun (2011) and The High King of Montival (2012) climbed their way to the #12 spots on the New York Times bestseller list. The series continues to grow in popularity with the release of each book as more fans are turning to post-apocalyptic novels to explore the dark and foreboding possibilities of our future.
Now with the release of Lord of Mountains, Stirling continues the saga of Rudi Mackenzie, a warrior who, after becoming the High King of Montival, must build a kingdom out of realms that had fought bitterly since the Change occurred—when technology stopped working. Day after day, as the struggle continues, Rudi is learning that while a small band of heroes can carry out a Quest, building a nation means that thousands must work with the Lord of Mountains.
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Graphix/Scholastic, $10.99, 240pp, tp, 9780545326995. Middle grades graphic novel.
Following the critical success of her graphic memoir Smile, Eisner Award-winning graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier introduces Drama, featuring a diverse set of characters based on her own real-life experiences on the theatre crew in school that humorously explores friendship, crushes, and all-around drama.
Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school’s production of Moon Over Mississippi, she’s a terrible singer. Instead she’s excited to be the set designer for the stage crew, and this year she’s determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can the show succeed when Callie doesn’t know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are cast.
Cardboard by Doug TenNaple
Graphix/Scholastic, $12.99, 286pp, tp, 9780545418737. Middle grades fantasy graphic novel.
Acclaimed artist and author Doug TenNapel mixes fast-paced adventure, outrageous fun, and emotional heart in his new full-color graphic novel Cardboard.
Cam’s down-and-out father gives him a cardboard box for his birthday, and he knows it’s the worst present ever. But making the best out of a bad situation, together father and son fashion it into a man—and to their astonishment, it comes magically to life. But things spin wildly out of control when the neighborhood bully, Marcus, steals a scrap of cardboard to create monstrous creatures that promptly disobey his orders and multiply into an unruly army. Before long, Cam and Marcus must put their differences behind them and work together to prevent a legion of cardboard monsters from taking over the whole town!
Slow Apocalypse by John Varley
Ace, $25.95, 438pp, hc, 9780441017577. Science Fiction.
From the Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author John Varley comes Slow Apocalypse, a chilling tale that explores the dangers of oil-dependence by imagining a near-future world in which our fuel supplies are no longer viable. Often compared to the great science-fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein, John Varley’s novel is perfect for fans of S.M. Stirling and Tom Clancy.
In this highly anticipated thriller, a scientist has developed a cure for America’s addiction—a slow-acting virus that feeds on petroleum, turning it solid, and therefore unusable. What he didn’t consider was that the contagion of an Iraqi oil field would spread to infect the fuel supply of the entire world.
Despite wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as 9/11, the United States’ dependence on foreign oil has kept the nation tied to the Middle East. In Los Angeles, screenwriter Dave Marshall hears about the contagion that is affecting the world’s oil supply from a government insider. It sounded as implausible as many of his scripts, but the reality is much more frightening than anything he can envision. And now he must protect his wife and daughter from the coming apocalypse that will alter the future of Earth and humanity… forever!
Midst Toil and Tribulation by David Weber
Tor, $27.99, 608pp, hc, 9780765321558. Science Fiction.
The hotly anticipated sixth volume in the New York Times bestselling Safehold series
After centuries of stasis, the island kingdom of Charis began to defy the edicts of the Church of God Awaiting—egged on, some say, by the mysterious warrior-monk Merlin Athrawes. Now, in the wars and intrigues that have cascaded from Charis’s declaration of independence, the populous Republic of Siddermark is sliding into chaos. Vicar Clyntahn of the Church of God Awaiting has engineered a rebellion against the Lord Protector—bringing civil war to the nation at harvest time. King Cayleb of Charis, his queen Sharleyan, and Merlin Athrawes will have their hands full trying to stave off wholesale starvation in Siddermark while at the same time shipping in enough land combat units to fend off the “volunteers” from the Church’s Temple Lands. And while Vicar Clyntahn is hailed in the Church for his boldness and audacity, there are those who remember how dependent Church power is on money from Siddermark… and who wonder what will happen if Siddermark starves.
Bursting with vivid invention and the sweep of lived history, Midst Toil and Tribulation will build this series’ audience to a new level.
The Dirty Streets of Heaven by Tad Williams
DAW, $26.95, 768pp, hc, 9780756407681. Fantasy.
DAW Books is thrilled to announce the start of a new series for New York Times bestselling author Tad Williams. The Dirty Streets of Heaven is a departure for Williams, whose most well-known books are favorites of the epic fantasy subgenre. With this new novel he makes his urban fantasy debut and also introduces the character of Bobby Dollar—an earthbound angel employed as an advocate for souls caught between Heaven and Hell.
Set in modern-day California, Bobby is wrestling with his own sins, as well as those of his clients, not to mention a mysterious she-demon known as Countess Cold Hands.
Bobby Dollar has a secret. Actually he’s got a ton of them. The most important one is that his real name’s Doloriel and he’s an angel. Not an important angel, maybe, but a rough-and-tumble guy who’s always done his part in the long cold war between Heaven and Hell. But now he’s stepped into the middle of something that’s got both sides very nervous—an unprecedented number of missing souls. And if that wasn’t enough, someone has summoned a truly unpleasant Babylonian demon that’s doing its best to track him down and rip him to pieces. Also, his opposite number on the case is arguably the world’s sexiest she-devil, and Bobby has feelings for her that Heaven definitely does not allow.
Bobby’s story is as dark and gritty as the setting and Tad Williams’ legions of fans will delight in seeing this new side of his writing.
When Diplomacy Fails… by Michael Z. Williamson
Baen, $24.00, 346pp, hc, 978145163790X. Science Fiction.
Lots of enemies = a target=rich environment
Alex Marlow and Ripple Creek Security’s best personal security detail return to action. This time, they really don’t like their principal, World Bureau Minster Joy Herman Highland—a highly placed bureaucrat with aspirations to elected office. Even worse, Highland’s assistant wants to publicize every movement for her boss’s pending campaign, which is anathema to good security.
With a person of this status, it’s not a case of someone wanting her dead. The only question is how many people want her dead, and what are they bringing to the fight?
The enemies are from without, within and all over. They have resources, funding and political cover. Ripple Creek needs to be cautious.
But the enemy also needs to worry. They’re going to be getting in each others’ way carrying out their plans. And Ripple Creek has no qualms about explosions on galactic news, so long as they are the ones causing the explosions.