New and Notable Books
Jack Dann, Jubilee (Tor 1/03)
This collection gathers 17 stories ‘‘often haunted by an awareness of mortality...nonetheless leavened by hope, faith, and an often devilish wit.’’ (Jonathan Strahan). Includes the Nebula Award-winning ‘‘Da Vinci Rising’’.
Charles Dickinson, A Shortcut in Time (Forge 1/03)
A magical footpath in a small-town Chicago suburb allows walkers to travel through time. Characters, community, and history come alive in this moving timeslip novel by a noted mainstream author.
Sara Douglass, Hades’ Daughter (Tor 1/03)
Dark forces compete to control the ancient power of the labyrinth in this first volume in ‘‘The Troy Game’’, a compelling fantasy of a prince of fallen Troy, determined to rebuild his kingdom in Britain at any cost - and the women who seek to love or control him.
Joe Haldeman, Guardian (Ace 12/02)
Haldeman strays from the hard SF fold in this compelling novel set in late 19th century Alaska, where an abused woman tries to make a new life for herself and her son; only towards the end does a cosmic tour of other - and alternate - worlds add the SF payoff.
Glen Hirshberg, The Snowman’s Children (Carroll & Graf 12/02)
A man returns to Detroit’s winter streets to confront memories of a childhood serial killer in this powerful first novel from a multiple World Fantasy Award nominee.
Robin Hobb, Golden Fool (Bantam Spectra 1/03)
The middle novel in the richly complex ‘‘Tawny Man’’ trilogy (itself a sequel to the ‘‘Farseer’’ trilogy), this fantasy sees little action but plenty of developments as FitzChivalry Farseer slowly recovers from the death of his bondmate wolf, secretly teaches the Prince to use his magic, and tries to keep court intrigues from turning deadly.
Naomi Kritzer, Turning the Storm (Bantam Spectra 1/03)
Not quite your typical fantasy, this enthralling tale of treacherous mages and the rebellion against them, sequel to Fires of the Faithful, follows Elianna, a student musician turned unlikely rebel leader, as she becomes a spy in the Imperial court.
Louise Marley, The Maquisarde (Ace 12/02)
A powerful near-future novel of government lies and rebellion. A classical musician turns rebel after her husband and child die in violence that reveals the deceptions and ruthlessness that keep the privileged world isolated from other regions’ poverty and despair.
Richard Matheson, Duel: Terror Stories by Richard Matheson (Tor 1/03)
Collection of 18 classic stories, most from the 1950s, many SF, from one of the masters of horror and suspense. Several stories inspired memorable episodes of The Twilight Zone.
Elizabeth Moon, The Speed of Dark (Ballantine 1/03)
Moon asks some difficult emotional and moral questions in this near-future novel that enters the mind of an autistic man pressured by his employers to try an experimental treatment that might make him ‘‘normal’’ - and could totally change who he is.
Garth Nix, Abhorsen (HarperCollins 1/03)
Nix plays some interesting variations on fantasy and horror themes in this thrilling conclusion to the adventures begun in YA fantasy Lirael. Lirael takes the role of Abhorsen-in-Waiting from young Prince Samael (much to his relief) as the duo race to save the world from an evil necromancer’s schemes.
Bruce Sterling, Tomorrow Now: Envisioning the Next Fifty Years (Random House 1/03)
Cyberpunk guru Sterling takes a non-fiction look at the future, where current science and trends may lead, in this ‘‘sharply reasoned, rhetorically balanced, and even cautious assessment...the kind of rare futurist handbook that may actually turn out to be useful.’’ (Gary K. Wolfe)
Maria Tatar, ed., The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales (Norton 10/02)
These 25 familiar fairy tales are not only retranslated and annotated, but also accompanied by numerous classic illustrations in color, by artists including Kay Nielsen, Arthur Rackham, and Edmund Dulac, often showing several artists’ interpretations of the same scene side-by-side for fascinating comparison.
Liz Williams, The Poison Master (Bantam Spectra 1/03)
A female alchemist on the planet Latent Emanation seeks to free her fellow humans from the nightmare rule of the demonic Lords of Night in this quirky, mystical SF novel that mixes elements of Jane Austen, Jack Vance, and the Kabbalah.
