Butcher, Jim : Ghost Story
(Roc 978-0-451-46407-1, $9.99, 608pp, mass market paperback, August 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2012
• Dresden Files #13

(First edition: Roc, August 2011)

Fantasy novel, thirteenth in the “Dresden Chronicles” about crime-solving wizard Harry Dresden in Chicago, following Changes (2010).
• The author’s website has this page about the book, with a video and links (in the drop down menus) to several chapter excerpts.
• The Publishers Weekly review said “The usual plot twists and high-stakes combat with an assortment of supernatural beings ought to hold Butcher’s fans for another year.”

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Carson, Rae : The Girl of Fire and Thorns
(Greenwillow 978-0-06-202650-7, $9.99, 448pp, trade paperback, August 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 21 Aug 2012
• Fire and Thorns #1

(First edition: Greenwillow, September 2011)

Young adult fantasy novel, the author’s first novel and first in a trilogy, about a princess who marries a neighboring king and is then kidnapped.
• Harper’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Gwenda Bond’s review last year in Locus Magazine is posted online; “With The Girl of Fire and Thorns, Carson joins the ranks of writers like Kristin Cashore, Megan Whalen Turner, and Tamora Pierce as one of YA’s best writers of high fantasy.”

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Egan, Greg : The Clockwork Rocket
(Night Shade Books 978-1597802925, $14.99, 344pp, trade paperback, August 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2012
• Orthogonal #1

(First edition: Night Shade Books, July 2011)

Hard science fiction novel, first of a trilogy, set in a universe with unusual physical laws (e.g. light has no universal speed and its creation generates energy), concerning a girl, Yalda, from her education to her leadership of an expedition to discover new science needed to save her world.
• Night Shade’s site has this description.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviewed it last year in Locus Magazine, writing that the plot eventually engages “all the classic issues of the generation-starship tale, which presumably will lead us into the next two novels in the series. Though perhaps a bit late getting started, this human dimension of the tale, from Yalda’s unstated love for Eusebio (who she must leave behind) to her growing reputation as a near-visionary leader, becomes solidly compelling and even unexpectedly moving. Egan has probably done as much as any SF writer to uncover a kind of chilly Euclidian beauty in the pure mathematics of space-time, but he can still surprise us with the comparatively far simpler story of a girl who became a hero.”
• The second volume, The Eternal Flame, will be published later this month.

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Goodkind, Terry : The Omen Machine
(Tor 978-0-7653-6619-1, $9.99, 512pp, mass market paperback, August 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 31 Jul 2012
• Sword of Truth #14

(First edition: Tor, August 2011)

Fantasy novel concerning two characters, Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell, from the author’s popular “Sword of Truth” series.
• Tor’s site has description without an excerpt.
• Amazon’s page has its “Look Inside” preview function.

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Goonan, Kathleen Ann : In War Times
(Tor 978-0-7653-3243-1, $15.99, 352pp, trade paperback, August 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 21 Aug 2012

(First edition: Tor, May 2007)

SF alternate history novel set in the years after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, about a young soldier/musician who acquires a “time machine” device that could save mankind from violence.
• Tor’s website has this description.
• Gary K. Wolfe’s review last year in Locus Magazine is posted here; he calls the novel “a provocative and at times intensely moving novel that treats its alternate World War II era premise with a sophistication comparable to that of Christopher Priest’s The Separation, but that balances its historical and scientific speculations (the latter which get a bit fuzzy) with an evidently joyful celebration of the birth, and meaning, of modern jazz. It’s almost certainly the most personal novel Goonan has written, and the most passionate.”

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King, Stephen : 11/22/63
(Simon & Schuster/Gallery 978-1451627299, $19.99, 849pp, trade paperback, July 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Jul 2012

(First edition: Scribner, November 2011)

Alternate history thriller about a man who goes back in time to try to prevent the assassination of President Kennedy.
• The author’s site has this promo page for the book.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly ran this long review by Peter Cannon — “Clearly inspired by Jack Finney’s classic Time and Again, King smoothly blends their romance into the main story line, setting up the bittersweet ending that’s as apt as it is surprising. He also does a fine job evoking the sights, sounds, and smells of the late ’50s and early ’60s.”
• The novel placed 2nd in this year’s Locus Poll for Best SF Novel.

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Lake, Jay : Endurance
(Tor 978-0-7653-2715-4, $15.99, 320pp, trade paperback, August 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 21 Aug 2012
• Green #2

(First edition: Tor, November 2011)

Fantasy novel, sequel to Green (2009), about an assassin and ex-courtesan in a world where the Gods meddle in human affairs.
• The publisher’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides an excerpt.
• The starred Publishers Weekly review commented, “Lake deftly weaves complicated, stubborn characters into a plot that reaches the grandest and most personal scales without ever straining credulity”.

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Lamplighter, L. Jagi : Prospero in Hell
(Tor 978-0-7653-5884-4, $7.99, 448pp, mass market paperback, August 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 31 Jul 2012
• Prospero #2

(First edition: Tor, August 2010)

Fantasy novel, second in a series following Prospero Lost, about the long-lived daughter of the sorcerer Prospero from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”.
• Tor’s site has this description.
• Publishers Weekly gave this book, like its predecessor, a starred review: “The story is convoluted and occasionally overwrought, but the rich imagery, fast pace, and masterful use of mythology make this a real page-turner.”
• The third book, Prospero Regained, was published last September in hardcover.

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Lawrence, Mark : Prince of Thorns
(Ace 978-1937007683, $7.99, 336pp, mass market paperback, August 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 31 Jul 2012
• The Broken Empire #1

(First edition: Ace, August 2011)

Fantasy novel, the author’s first novel and first of a trilogy, about a prince who becomes an outlaw following the murders of his mother and brother.
• Series site Prince of Thorns has a summary, map, descriptions of characters, a FAQ, and an author profile.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.
• The second book, King of Thorns, just appeared in hardcover.

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Lee, Sharon, & Steve Miller : Ghost Ship
(Baen 978-1-4516-3792-2, $7.99, 480pp, mass market paperback, August 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 31 Jul 2012
• Laiden #14

(First edition: Baen, August 2011)

SF novel in the authors’ long-running Liaden Universe series, and sequel to 2010’s Saltation.
• In this book Theo Waitley has graduated the Academy and become an ace starship pilot.
• Baen’s site has this description (click ‘back’ if the description doesn’t come up) with links to several chapters.
• The novel won the SF Site readers poll.

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Moreno-Garcia, Silvia, & Paula Stiles, eds. : Future Lovecraft
(Prime Books 978-1607013532, $15.95, 336pp, trade paperback, August 2012, cover illustration Markus Vogt)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 31 Jul 2012

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Anthology of 39 stories and poems inspired by H.P. Lovecraft.
• The hardcover edition was published by Innsmouth Free Press in December 2011.
• Prime Books’ site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.

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Rawn, Melanie : The Diviner
(DAW 978-0-7564-0741-4, $7.99, 448pp, mass market paperback, August 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Thu 2 Aug 2012
• Golden Key Universe #1

(First edition: DAW, August 2011)

Fantasy novel, prequel to the author’s 1996 novel The Golden Key (written with Kate Elliott and Jennifer Roberson), about the survivor of a royal family massacre who dedicates himself to vengeance.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review said, “Rawn weaves a rich tapestry of war, magic, and relationships”.

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Weber, David : How Firm a Foundation
(Tor 978-0-7653-6125-7, $8.99, 768pp, mass market paperback, August 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 31 Jul 2012
• Safehold #5

(First edition: Tor, September 2011)

Far future SF novel, fifth in the Safehold series following Off Armageddon Reef (2007), By Schism Rent Asunder (2008), By Heresies Distressed (2009), and A Mighty Fortress (2010), in which the Church of God Awaiting has suppressed technology on the planet Safehold.
• Tor’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The sixth (of 11) volume in the series, Midst Toil and Tribulation, is due in September.

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