[[[Battlegrond]]] by Terry A. Adams. DAW, $7.99, 501pp, pb, 9780756409326. Science fiction.
A World at War
Hanna Bassiano, formerly known as Lady H’ana ril-Koroth of D’neera, was, like all the people of the planet D’neera, a telepath. Mutated from true-human stock, the D’neerans had claimed a world of their own to escape persecution, and started a flourishing civilization there. Now, accepted by true-humans, some like Hanna had ventured out into the wider universe, using their talents to the benefit of all.
Hanna herself had become humanity’s expert in first contact with other sentient races. And though her very first mission had nearly ended in her death and could have resulted in a devastating interstellar war, both Hanna and humanity had survived. Several additional contacts had seen her firmly established as the person to spearhead this new first-contact mission. She and her handpicked team were now aboard alien contact ship Endeavor Three, following a centuries’ cold trail to a distant world that had sent its own expedition to the human colony world New Earth two hundred years ago.
Long before Endeavor reached the planet they came to know as Battleground, Hanna began to explore the starways with her mind, seeking contact with this legendary race. But when at last she managed to touch the minds she sought, Hanna could scarcely believe what she had found — a race that seemed to exist only to fight, to breed, and to die.
How could they survive for all these years? How had they come to be like this? And how would they respond to a peaceful expedition of humans arriving on their world?
[[[Four Summoner’s Tales]]] by Kelley Armstrong, Christopher Golden, David Liss, and Jonathan Maberry. Gallery, $16.00, 324pp, tp, 9781451696684. Fiction.
A strange visitor comes to town, offering to raise the townsfolk’s dearly departed from the dead — for a price…
Four bestselling authors. One hell raising premise. What if the dead could be summoned from their graves — for a price? What if a quartet of distinctive storytellers took a stab at this deceptively simple idea — on a dare? The answers lie here, in Four Summoner’s Tales, as these acclaimed writers accept the challenge and rise to the occasion — in four brilliantly chilling ways. It’s all in the execution…
“Suffer the Children” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong. A preacher and his adopted daughter must solve the mystery of the newcomers to their isolated 19th century village — men who are preying on residents’ overwhelming grief with promises to return loved ones from beyond the grave…
“Pipers” by New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden. Twenty-three people have already lost their lives to the ruthless cartel terrorizing their small Texas border town. But one man has a plan for revenge, if the town’s survivors will let him use their loved ones — to raise an army of othe undead.
“A Bad Season for Necromancy” by national bestselling author David Liss. In merry old England, a rascally con man stumbles upon a book for raising the dead. But instead of using it to make money reviving relatives for the rich, he’ll do just the opposite. Because some family skeletons need to stay buried.
“Alive Day” by New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry. In war-torn Afghanistan, a U.S. military operative and his team face off against an ancient horror during a harrowing off-the-books search-and-rescue mission.
[[[Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance]]] by Lois McMaster Bujold. Baen, $15.00, 426pp, tp, 9781451639155. Science fiction.
Good Intentions, Bad Intel…
Captain Ivan Vorpatril sometimes thinks that if not for his family, he might have no trouble at all — particularly his cousin, the hyperactive Miles Vorkosigan. But this time it was an undercover agent for Imperial Security who asked him to make the acquaintance of a young woman who’s in more danger than she realizes. It was but a short step down the road of good intentions to the tangle of Ivan’s life, in trouble with the Komarran cops, his military superiors, and with the lethal figures hunting the mysterious but lovely Tej and her exotic blue companion Rish. No good deed goes unpunished….
[[[1635: The Papal Stakes]]] by Eric Flint and Charles E. Gannon. Baen, $7.99, 929pp, pb, 9781451639209. Science fiction.
Infallible — But Not Bulleproof…
Springtime in the Eternal City, 1635, is 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. 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 from the United States of Europe 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…
But then everything goes wrong. Now, whether they are prisoners in Rome or beleaguered diplomats protecting a pope with a target on his back, 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.
[[[The Man Who Sold the Moon]]] and [[[Orphans of the Sky]]] by Robert A. Heinlein (afterword by Mark L. Van Name). Baen, $13.00, 372pp, tp, 9781451639223. Science fiction collection.
Today the Moon — Tomorrow the Stars
Two landmark volumes in Heinlein’s magnificent Future History series, together in one book for the first time.
The Man Who Sold the Moon
D.D. Harriman is a billionaire with a dream: the dream of Space for All Mankind. The method? Anything that works. Maybe, in fact, Harriman goes too far.
But he will give us the stars….
Orphans of the Sky
Hugh had been taught that, according to the sacred writings, the Ship was on a voyage to faraway Centaurus. But he also understood that this was allegory for a voyage to spiritual perfection. Indeed, how could the Ship move, since its miles and miles of metal corridors were all there was of creation. But then he discovered the truth….
[[[A Study in Silks]]] by Emma Jane Holloway. (Book #1 in the Baskerville Affair), Del Rey, $7.99, 349pp, pb, 9780345537188. Fantasy.
Evelina Cooper, the niece of the great Sherlock Holmes, is poised to enjoy her first Season in London Society. But there’s a murderer to deal with — not to mention missing automatons, a sorcerer, and a talking mouse.
In a Victorian era ruled by a council of ruthless steam barons, mechanical power is the real monarch and sorcery the demon enemy of the Empire. Nevertheless, the most coveted weapon is magic that can run machines — something Evelina has secretly mastered. But rather than making her fortune, her special talents could mean death or an eternity as a guest of Her Majesty’s secret laboratories. What’s a polite young lady to do but mind her manners and pray she’s never found out?
But then there’s that murder. As Sherlock Holmes’s niece, Evelina should be able to find the answers, but she has a lot to learn. And the first decision she has to make is whether to trust the handsome, clever rake who makes her breath come faster, or the dashing trick rider who would dare anything for her if she would only just ask.
[[[The Plague Forge]]] by Jason M. Hough. (The Dire Earth Cycle: Three), Del Rey, $9.99, 433pp, pb, 9780345537164. Science fiction.
The final installment of The Dire Earth Cycle, The Plague Forge delivers an unbeatable combination of knockout action and kick-ass characters as the secrets to the ultimate alien mystery from The Darwin Elevator and The Exodus Towers are about to be unraveled.
The hunt is on for the mysterious keys left by the alien Builders. While Skyler’s team of immune scavengers scatters around the disease-ravaged globe in search of artifacts, Skyler himself finds much more than he expected in the African desert, where he stumbles upon surprising Builder relics — and thousands of bloodthirsty subhumans. From the slums and fortresses of Darwin to the jungles of Brazil and beyond, Skyler and company are in for a wild ride, jam-packed with daunting challenges, run-and-gun adventure, and unexpected betrayals — all in a race against time to finally answer the great questions that have plagued humanity for decades: Who are the Builders, and what do they want with Earth?
The first two books in The Dire Earth Cycle, The Darwin Elevator and The Exodus Towers, have already been received to outstanding reviews and eager arms by the science fiction community. Now the trilogy is brought to a thrilling conclusion where questions are answered, bonds are tested, and the origin of the Builders is revealed.
[[[Dragon Ship]]] by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. Baen, $7.99, 504pp, pb, 9781451639186. Science fiction.
The Dragon Takes Wing
First Class courier pilot Theo Waitley was already known as a nexus of violence — and then she inherited the precarious captaincy of a mysterious self-aware ship designed to serve a long dead master. Now she has a trade route to run for Clan Korval while she convinces the near mythic ghost ship Bechimo — and herself — that she wants to commit herself as the human side to their immensely powerful symbiosis.
While her former lover battles a nano-virus that’s eating him alive, she’s challenged to rescue hundreds of stranded pilots and crewmen from an explosive situation in near orbit around a suddenly hostile planet. Lovers, enemies, an ex-roomie, and a jealous spaceship are all in peril as Theor wields power that no one in the universe is sure of — especially her.
[[[Tour of the Merrimack: Volume 1]]] by R.M. Meluch. DAW, $8.99, 650pp, pb, 9780756409548. Science fiction.
Who will be the victor when Earth’s Terran Empire and the Roman Palatine Empire vie for control of the galaxy?
The U.S.S. Merrimack was the finest battleship class spaceship in Earth’s fleet, able to stand up against the best the Palatine Empire could throw at it. The ship and crew had even survived an attack by the deadly swarms of the seemingly unstoppable Hive. Only Merrimack’s sister ship, the Monitor, was her equal. However, with the Palatine forces preparing a massive offensive, and the alien Hive targeting every living organism in the galaxy for destruction, even these two great battleships could fail — and with them the entire Terran Empire….
This omnibus edition includes the first two novels of R.M. Meluch’s acclaimed Tour of the Merrimack series, The Myriad and Wolf Star.
[[[The Undead Hordes of Kan-Gul]]] by Jon F. Merz. Baen, $15.00, 317pp, tp, 9781451639162. Fantasy.
Ninja vs. Zombies
In the fog-enshrouded peaks of the island of Nehon, Ran, a newly minted shadow warrior, is set loose on a shugyo, a wandering quest whereby he must travel alone and hone his skills. Journeying aboard a merchant vessel, Ran hears tales of a mysterious lord believed to have the dead for his servants.
Soon these tales prove all too real as Ran comes to the aid of Jysal, a beautiful sorceress, whose undeveloped power gives her the ability to heal a land — or destroy it. But the Lord Kan-Gul also covets Jysal’s power. And when Kan-Gul sends an army of the undead to take Jysal by force, Ran is faced with the ultimate warrior’s choice: save himself, or face down a horde of enemies that cannot be killed — for the simple reason that they are already dead.
[[[Under a Graveyard Sky]]] by John Ringo. Baen, $25.00, 367pp, hc, 9781451639193. Fantasy.
Zombies are real — and we made them
When an airborne “zombie” plague is released, bringing civilization to a grinding halt, the Smith family — Steven, Stacey, Sophia and Faith — activate Zombie Plan Charlie: buy a sailboat and take to the Atlantic to avoid the chaos. Their plan is to find a safe haven away from the anarchy of infected humanity, some gentle Eden in a world of misery and pain.
What they discover, instead, is a sea made of tears and a passion for bringing hope. Now it is up to the Smiths and a ragtag flotilla of civilian boats and boaters to not find but create that safe haven on an ocean of sorrow, to battle the infected night and day, to offer their lives and sanity in sacrifice that civilization might live.
With every continent a holocaust and every ship an abattoir, life is lived Under a Graveyard Sky.
[[[23 Years on Fire]]] by Joel Shepherd. (a Cassandra Kresnov novel), Pyr, $16.95, 435pp, tp, 9781616148096. Science fiction.
Commander Cassandra “Sandy” Kresnov has her hands full. She must lead an assault against the Federation world of Pyeongwha, where a terrible sociological phenomenon has unleashed hell against the civilian population. But she must also set her sights on a portion of League space known as New Torah, where a ruthless regime of corporations is building new synthetic soldiers and taking the technology in alarming directions. No one else is willing — or able — to stop them.
On the Torahn world of Pantala, Sandy encounters betrayal, crisis, and conspiracy on a scale even she had not previously imagined. Most challenging of all, she meets three young street kids who stir emotions in her that she didn’t think she could feel. Can the Federation’s most lethal killer afford unexpected sentiment? If she is forced to choose between them and her mission, what will the cost be — not only to her cause, but also to her soul?
[[[Supervolcano: Things Fall Apart]]] by Harry Turtledove. Roc, $26.95, 416pp, hc, 9780451465689. Science fiction. On-sale date: 3 December 2013.
An explosion of incalculable magnitude in Yellowstone Park propelled lava and ash across the landscape and into the atmosphere, forever altering the climate of the entire continent. Nothing grows from the tainted soil. Stalled and stilled machines function only as statuary.
People have been scraping by on the excess food and goods produced before the eruption. But supplies are running low. Natural resources are dwindling. And former police office Colin Ferguson knows that time is running out for his family — and for humanity….
[[[The Scroll of Years]]] by Chris Willrich. (a Gaunt and Bone novel), Pyr, $15.95, 288pp, tp, 9781616148133. Fantasy.
Persimmon Gaunt and Imago Bone are a romantic couple, and partners in crime. Persimmon is a poet from a well-to-do family, who found herself looking for adventure, while Imago is a thief in his ninth decade who is double-cursed, and his body has not aged in nearly seventy years. Together, their services and wanderlust have taken them into places better left unseen, and against odds best not spoken about. Now, they find themselves looking to get away, to the edge of the world, with Persimmon pregnant with their child, and the most feared duo of assassins hot on their trail. However, all is never what it seems, and a sordid adventure — complete with magic scrolls, gangs of thieves, and dragons both eastern and western — is at hand.