Elizabeth Bear, Steles of the Sky
(Tor Apr 2014)

Bear delivers the thematic complexity, deft worldbuilding, and compelling storytelling we’ve come to expect in this concluding volume of the Eternal Sky trilogy, set in a world inspired by 13th-century Asia and The Arabian Nights.

 




Gregory Benford & Larry Niven, Shipstar
(Tor Apr 2014)

Two masters of hard SF once more join forces to conclude the duology they began in Bowl of Heaven, set on an unimaginably vast ship that moves through space powered by a captive star. Combining deep consideration of engineering problems, wondrous spectacle, and the adventure of chase and pursuit, this is “full of surprises, perspective shifts, and trapdoors.” [Russell Letson]

 




Karen Burnham, Greg Egan
(University of Illinois Press Apr 2014)

This installment in the Modern Masters of Science Fiction series provides a critical overview of Egan’s ouevre, with Burnham’s background in physics and engineering making her particularly qualified to examine work by this ambitious and often challenging hard SF writer. Includes an illuminating interview with Egan.

 




Rjurik Davidson, Unwrapped Sky
(Tor Apr 2014)

This debut novel by the acclaimed story writer mingles fantasy, steampunk, and the New Weird in a tale of rebels trying to overthrow the oppressive rulers of the ancient city Caeli-Amur. “In this tough urban setting, influenced by noir mysteries as well as steampunk, heroes plot and carry out atrocities, while villains cling to dreams that could offer redemption beyond the scope of a single human life.” [Faren Miller]

 




Charles de Lint, Jack in the Green
(Subterranean Press May 2014)

This novella is a modern, magical reinvention of Robin Hood set among drug cartels in the barrio. First published as an e-book in 2012, it appears in print for the first time as a lavish volume illustrated by Charles Vess.

 




Gardner Dozois & William K. Schafer, eds., The Book of Silverberg
(Subterranean Press Apr 2014)

This original anthology includes nine stories by Kage Baker, Elizabeth Bear, Connie Willis, and others in honor of Robert Silverberg, some set in his worlds, with a tribute by Greg Bear and an appreciation by Barry Malzberg. The “contributors… wrestle and argue with the ideas and conclusions of Silverberg’s original stories… All fine work. But the prize here is Elizabeth Bear’s ‘The Hand is Quicker’, one of the best 2014 stories I’ve seen to date.” [Rich Horton]

 




Felix Gilman, The Revolutions
(Tor Apr 2014)

One of the most innovative voices in modern fantasy moves away from the imaginary worlds of his previous volumes for a historical science fantasy set among warring occult societies in 1890s London – and also in the vicinity of Mars.

 




Christopher Moore, The Serpent of Venice
(HarperCollins/Morrow Apr 2014)

The audacious fantasy humorist once again sets his sights on the Bard of Stratford with this sequel to Fool, a rollicking adventure-comedy set in Venice “a really long time ago,” populated by a cast of Shakespeare’s best-known characters engaging in acts their original author never intended.

 




Robin Riopelle, Deadroads
(Skyhorse/Night Shade Books Apr 2014)

This dark fantasy concerns a trio of siblings raised in a tradition of occult knowledge, who reunite as adults to track down the devil that killed their father. “A Novel of Supernatural Suspense with elements of the Western’s quest, showdown, and vengeance…. Riopelle knows what she’s doing.” [Faren Miller]

 




Jonathan Strahan, ed., The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume Eight
(Solaris May 2014)

The latest installment in the annual genre-sprawling anthology gathers 28 of the best works of short fiction from 2013, with work by Charlie Jane Anders, Greg Egan, Neil Gaiman, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Sofia Samatar, E. Lily Yu, and many others, with an introduction by Strahan, “a reliably eclectic editor whose tastes run toward the literary and who is willing to test genre boundaries. “ [Gary K. Wolfe]

 




Shaun Tan, Rules of Summer
(Scholastic/Levine May 2014)

A new book by this beloved artist/author is always cause for delight, and this surreal and whimsical picture book about what a boy learned from his older brother over the summer is no exception. “Tan’s ability to show the magical and the sinister simultaneously gives depth and weight to his work…. He reminds us of the terrors and routine magic of childhood.” [Karen Haber]

 




Laini Taylor, Dreams of Gods & Monsters
(Little, Brown Apr 2014)

The third volume in the acclaimed dark fantasy Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy brings the epic, worlds-spanning struggle among humans, chimaera, and angels to a conclusion.

 




Jack Vance, edited by Terry Dowling & Jonathan Strahan, Minding the Stars: The Early Jack Vance, Volume Four
(Subterranean Press Mar 2014)

The newest volume in the ambitious series collecting the late SF Grand Master’s early stories includes eight works from 1952-67, selected by editors Terry Dowling and Jonathan Strahan. Includes an introduction by the editors.

 




Dave Wolverton, ed., L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 30
(Galaxy May 2014)

The 30th anniversary volume in this venerable series presents 14 original stories by the newest winners of the Writers of the Future contest, as selected by an all-star panel of judges, with illustrations by winners of the Illustrators of the Future competition. Also includes essays on writing and art, plus reprint stories by Orson Scott Card, L. Ron Hubbard, and Mike Resnick.