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New Books Feb #4
Mario Acevedo
L.A. Banks
Kevin Brooks
Peter Dingus
Hal Duncan
Eliot Fintushel
Otis V. Goodwin III
Mercedes Lackey
Juliet Marillier
Elizabeth Moon
Garth Nix
Kim Stanley Robinson
Howard Waldrop
K.J. Wolf

New Books Feb #3
JC Capote
David B. Coe
Glen Cook
Gabriel McKee
L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Rebecca Ore
Michael Palmer
Rabe & Greenberg
Lorelei Shannon
Shaun Tan
Harry Turtledove
Mark London Williams

2007 Archive

2007 Books Directories

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This page lists selected newly published SFFH books seen by Locus Online (independently from the listings compiled by Locus Magazine).

Review copies received will be listed (though reprints and reissues are on other pages), but not galleys or advance reading copies. Selections, some based only on bookstore sightings, are at the discretion of Locus Online.

* = first edition
+ = first US edition
Date with publisher info is official publication month;
Date in parentheses at paragraph end is date seen or received.

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New SF, Fantasy, and Horror books seen : first week March 2007
posted 12 March 2007

* Armstrong, Jon : Grey
(Night Shade Books 1-59780-065-1, $14.95, 240pp, trade paperback, February 2007, cover art Jeremy Geddes)

Science fiction novel, the author's first novel, set in a future dominated by high fashion and celebrity culture, concerning a marriage to unite two powerful families that is interrupted by an assassination attempt on the groom.
• The publisher's site has this description with blurbs from Michael Chabon, James Morrow, and others.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly and Booklist reviews; the former says "This routine romance plot is virtually secondary to the giddy elaboration of a future world so saturated with advertising and fashion imagery that its most public transactions are orchestrated like runway walks", while the latter's Regina Schroeder concludes "the novel makes frequently strange reading, but Michael's enlightenment and the bizarre family secrets he discovers make it worthwhile reading, too."
• Tim Pratt reviewed it in the January issue of Locus Magazine: "Jon Armstrong's debut novel puts a fresh suit of stylish clothes on the beloved body of cyberpunk, skewering high fashion, consumerism, and -- especially -- the public fascination with celebrities, be they actors, rock stars, or royalty. It's a dazzling trip through a world alternately glamorous and grimy, set in a crumbling but media-saturated future, with eyeball-kicks galore."

(Wed 7 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

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* Ayers, Jeff : Voyages of Imagination: The Star Trek Fiction Companion
(Pocket Books 1-4265-0349-8, $21, 13+782pp, trade paperback, November 2006)

Nonfiction compendium, cataloguing and summarizing the hundreds of Star Trek fiction books published over the past 40 years, ranging from the earliest novelizations of TV episodes by James Blish and Alan Dean Foster, to the numbered and unnumbered novels for each of the various TV series, and anthologies, YA fiction, etc.
• The book includes a 70-page timeline placing every item in chronological sequence, and an index.
• Many of the summaries are supplemented by comments from the original authors or editors, who include David Gerrold, Joe Haldeman, Frederik Pohl, Greg Bear, D.C. Fontana, and many others.
• The publisher's page for the book has the same description available on Amazon, as well as this page about Star Trek's 40th anniversary, with details of reissues of classic works, and art by John Picacio.

(Wed 7 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

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* Bishop, Anne : Belladonna
(Roc 978-0-451-46126-1, $23.95, 436pp, hardcover, March 2007, jacket art Larry Rostant)

Fantasy novel, sequel to Sebastian (2006), in which the world of Ephemera is threatened by the corrupting Eater of the World, and only Glorianna Belladonna can halt its influence.
• The author's site has this page about the book, with front and back cover copy, links to reviews, and an excerpt.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly's review: "Readers encountering Ephemera for the first time may be confused by the complicated, fantastical world, but fans of the preceding installment will revel in Bishop's imaginative powers."

(Wed 7 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

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+ Browne, N. M. : Silverboy
(Bloomsbury 978-1-58234-780-6, $16.95, 298pp, hardcover, March 2007, jacket art Jeff Nentrup) First US edition (UK: Bloomsbury, February 2007)

Young adult fantasy novel about an apprentice grinder of magical spellstones who runs away to escape the spellstones' deadly effects.
• The publisher's site has this description.
• Amazon has the Booklist review: "Browne has invested this original fantasy with plenty of mystery and magic, including characters possessing untapped powers, complex relationships, and spellstone forces that unleash evil. Particularly intriguing is the imprisoned Gildea, who conceives a plan to save his world by distributing pieces of his own soul among the birds..."
• Carolyn Cushman reviews it in the March issue of Locus Magazine, calling it a "grim young-adult fantasy of repression and rebellion."

(Wed 7 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

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* Bryan, Kathleen : The Serpent and the Rose
(Tor 978-0-765-31328-7, $14.95, 316pp, trade paperback, March 2007, cover art Donato Giancola)

Fantasy novel, first book of "The War of the Rose", about a young mage summoned by her father as an ancient war between a god and an evil serpent resumes.
• Tor's website has this description.
• The book is copyright by Judith Tarr, who explains her reasons for using pseudonyms (this one and Caitlin Brennan) in this Amazon post from March 2006.
• Amazon's page for the book has the Publishers Weekly review, which begins "Strong, elegant writing lifts Bryan's fantasy debut" and concludes "In the crowded epic fantasy field, Bryan's series opener stands out with its intriguing characters and a vivid story rich with potential."

(Wed 7 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

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* Duncan, Dave : The Alchemist's Apprentice
(Ace 0-441-01479-8, $14, 313pp, trade paperback, March 2007, cover art Jim Griffin)

Fantasy novel, first in a new series about an alchemist and astrologer named Maestro Nostradamus in an alternate 17th-century Venice. The story is a whodunit about the murder of a man whose death Nostradamus had foretold.
• The publisher's description is also on the Amazon page, which has the Publishers Weekly review, which calls it a "charming farce, which comments lightly on class prejudice, political chicanery and occult tomfoolery."
• Faren Miller reviewed the book in the February issue of Locus Magazine: "While he certainly can skewer pompous characters and find other ways to make the reader laugh, Dave Duncan's wit shows a distinctive intelligence, a clear-eyed vision that's both irreverent and astute."

(Wed 7 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

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* Emshwiller, Carol : The Secret City
(Tachyon Publications 978-1-892391-44-5, $14.95, 209pp, trade paperback, March 2007, cover illustration Ed Emshwiller)

Science fiction novel about a hidden city in the western US where a group of aliens stranded on Earth live, until a belated rescue party forces them to make difficult choices.
• Tachyon's website has this description, with quotes from reviews.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which says the book "avoids human-alien first contact clichés" and concludes "This carefully crafted, ambivalent story depicts alien and human alike struggling just to get by."

(Sat 3 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

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* Irving, Christopher, & Eric Nolen-Weathington : Modern Masters Volume 11: Charles Vess
(TwoMorrows Publishing 978-1-893905-69-6, $14.95, 117pp, trade paperback, February 2007, cover art Charles Vess)

SF art book featuring samples of Vess' art and a lengthy interview of Vess by the editors. There's an introduction by Michael Kaluta, a section on Vess' influences, and 8 pages of color art.
• The publisher's site has this description, with a link to a preview on the Newsarama.com site.
• The author's website, greenmanpress.com, includes a blog.

(Mon 5 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

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* Jones, Diana Wynne : The Game
(Firebird 978-0-14-240718-9, $11.99, 179pp, hardcover, March 2007, jacket art Rick Berry)

Fantasy novella, one of a series of original hardcover novellas being published by Firebird in celebration of its fifth anniversary, about a young girl sent to Ireland to stay with her cousins, who play a fantastic game in the mythosphere.
• Both Jones' official site and the Firebird Books site are somewhat out of date.
• Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review, from its March 5th issue, which calls it an "inventive novella" and concludes "Readers less familiar with classical mythology will be helped (and may well find their interest piqued) by a note at story's end that clearly links the original Greco-Roman characters with their modern-day avatars. A sparkling treat."
• Carolyn Cushman reviews it in the March issue of Locus Magazine: "It's a light, fun adventure full of myths and archetypes come to life in some amusing ways."

(Wed 7 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

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* Palwick, Susan : The Fate of Mice
(Tachyon Publications 978-1-892391-42-1, $14.95, 16+218pp, trade paperback, February 2007)

Collection of 11 stories, three of them original to this book. Stories include title story "The Fate of Mice", Sturgeon Award runner-up "Elephant", and World Fantasy Award novella finalist "GI Jesus".
• The book has an introduction by Paul Di Filippo.
• Tachyon's site has this page quoting various reviews of the book.
• Amazon (and Tachyon) has the Publishers Weekly starred review, from its January 22nd issue: "Palwick's genre-bending short fiction defies categorization and blends humor with pathos."
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews the book in the March issue of Locus Magazine: "what becomes increasingly apparent -- and this is consistent with Palwick's novels -- is that she uses genre materials as means rather than ends. Few of the stories go quite where we expect them to, and when we're done we often realize that the true engine of the story was not the fantastic device or setting so much as the relationships that she uses these devices, for the most part rather sparingly, to unpack."

(Sat 3 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

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* Peck, Dale : The Lost Cities: A Drift House Voyage
(Bloomsbury 1582348596, $16.95, 392pp, hardcover, March 2007, jacket art Martin Hargreaves)

Young adult fantasy novel, second in the "Drift House" series after 2006's Drift House: The First Voyage, about siblings whose uncle's house floats on the sea of time. In this book a time squall triggers a wave that carries the house out to sea.
• This series has its own website, www.drifthouse.com, with information about the first book, though neither this site, nor the author's namesake site, nor Bloomsbury's site has anything about this second book.
• Amazon has a brief description: "...From the coast of Newfoundland, to the rocky shores of medieval Greenland, to the tumbling tower of Babel, Charles and Susan are in for much more of an adventure than they could have imagined, and whether or not they get home again is out of their control."

(Wed 7 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

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* Rhodes, Natasha : Dante's Girl
(UK: Solaris 978-1-84416-666-4, £7.99, 495pp, mass market paperback, March 2007)

Supernatural fantasy novel, first in a series, about department store worker Kayla Steele, who battles supernatural entities stalking L.A. while just wanting to spend some time with her dead boyfriend.
• This and the Jeffrey Thomas title listed below are the first releases from new UK/US venture Solaris Books, whose website has this description, which notes "Dante's Girl marks the beginning of a fantastic series of contemporay supernatural adventures in the vein of Laurel K Hamilton's Anita Blake sequence and Kelly Armstrong's Bitten", and a PDF sample chapter.
• The Solaris website also has this author profile.

(Mon 5 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon • (Directory Entry)

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* Sinclair, Linnea : Games of Command
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-58963-6, $6.99, 525pp, mass market paperback, March 2007, cover art Stephen Youll)

Space opera romance novel about a ship captain who treats an injured mercenary with knowledge of secrets of her past.
• This is the fourth Sinclair novel to be published by Bantam, and like the others is revised from earlier works published by small presses -- this one a rewrite of out-of-print Command Performance and its never-published sequel Command Decision, as explained by the author on this FAQ page.
• The author's website has a description, a book video, and an excerpt.
• Amazon has several reader reviews.

(Wed 7 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

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* Thomas, Jeffrey : Deadstock
(UK: Solaris 978-1-84416-447-9, £7.99, 414pp, mass market paperback, March 2007)

Science fiction novel set in Punktown, a crime-ridden colony city and setting of previous works by the author including Stoker Award finalist Monstrocity (2003) and titular collection Punktown (2000). This story concerns a private eye assigned to find a missing bio-doll.
• Solaris' website has this description and a PDF sample chapter.
• Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review, from its February 19th issue: "When describing the intricacies of Punktown's macabre culture, Thomas's prose sizzles, but the setup proves largely superfluous to the narrative, propelled by splatter-happy action and firefight climaxes, along with occasionally stilted exposition regarding extradimensional deities. ... For a wild ride, however, readers will be hard-pressed to find a better vehicle than Thomas's bizarre multiverse; fans of cyberpunk noir and Lovecraftian horror will find much to enjoy in this messy, bravura hybrid."

(Mon 5 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon • (Directory Entry)

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* Thurman, Rob : Moonshine
(Roc 0-451-46139-8, $6.99, 338pp, mass market paperback, March 2007)

Urban fantasy novel, follow-up to the author's first novel Nightlife (2006), set in a New York City inhabited by various preternatural beings, concerning half-human Cal and his half-brother Niko going undercover for the werewolf Mafia.
• Parent publisher Penguin's website has this description.
• The author's website has an excerpt.

(Wed 7 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

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* Williams, Tad : Shadowplay
(DAW 978-0-7564-0358-4, $26.95, 656pp, hardcover, March 2007, jacket painting Todd Lockwood)

Fantasy novel, second of a trilogy following Shadowmarch (2004), about conflict between humans and a race of fairy folk called the Qar.
• The author's website has this description, while website www.shadowmarch.com has background about the world, a message board, and excerpts from the first book.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "While juggling a complex epic fantasy plot may be child's play for veteran word-wizard Williams (Otherland), the bewildered star players of the fine second volume in his Shadowmarch trilogy must deal with a very adult world being transformed by war, magic, secrets and a weird, powerful scrying-mirror. ... Though the pace lags at times, bestseller Williams once again delivers a sweeping spellbinder full of mystical wonder."

(Wed 7 Mar 2007) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

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