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2002 Archive

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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.

Key:
* = 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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Notable new SF, Fantasy, and Horror books seen : November-December


* Allen, Roger MacBride : The Shores of Tomorrow
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-58365-4, $6.5, 493pp, mass market paperback, December 2003, cover art Gregory Bridges)

SF novel, third in the "Chronicles of Solace" series begun in The Depths of Time and The Ocean of Years. The author's webpage has background on the earlier titles. Spectra's site has this description and an excerpt.
(Fri 5 Dec 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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(Tor 0-765-30852-5, $24.95, 351pp, hardcover, December 2003)

Original novel based on the last film, released this month on DVD, by California's new governor. It's about John Connor and Kate Brewster in 2029, when they head the Resistance against the machines. Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which calls it a "rock-'em sock-'em riff on the characters and settings of last summer's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines." The author's site, http://www.aaronallston.com/, has information about his works.
(Tue 2 Dec 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Altman, Steven-Elliot : Deprivers
(Ace 0-441-01093-8, $13, 359pp, trade paperback, December 2003)

Thriller about victims of Sensory Deprivation Syndrome. Amazon has PW and Booklist reviews. http://www.deprivers.com/ is the official site for the book, and has this excerpt. Horror site Really Scary has this interview with Altman.
(Fri 5 Dec 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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+ Baxter, Stephen : Coalescent
(Ballantine Del Rey 0-345-45785-4, $25.95, 485pp, hardcover, December 2003, jacket illustration David Stevenson)
First US edition (UK: Gollancz, October 2003).

SF novel, first in the "Destiny's Children", alternately set in ancient Rome and in the present day, where a man discovers family ties to a Roman cult. Amazon has PW and Booklist reviews. The publisher's site has this page about the book, with an excerpt. Reviews by Nick Gevers and Gary K. Wolfe appeared in the November Locus Magazine; Gevers said the book "reveals a new side to Baxter's vast talent, only hinted at in his earlier steampunk novels: a fine knack for well-researched historical scene-setting..."
(Fri 5 Dec 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Budz, Mark : Clade
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-58658-0, $6.99, 372pp, mass market paperback, December 2003, cover art Stephen Youll)

Near-future thriller concerning a politicorp's project to build a colony on a comet. A first novel. Spectra's site has this description, an author interview, and an excerpt.
(Fri 5 Dec 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Clark, Simon, & Tim Lebbon : Exorcising Angels
(Earthling Publications 0-9721518-9-3, $175, 87pp, hardcover, October 2003, cover art Edward Miller)

Collection of three stories: a collaborative novella and a solo story from each author, plus an introduction by Lebbon and a postscript by Clark. This is a signed, limited edition of 750; a traycased lettered edition of 26 is also available. Lebbon's website has this profile of the book, and this extract. Cover artist Edward Miller (AKA Les Edwards) has this wallpaper-sized image of the cover. Order directly from the publisher.
(Wed 26 Nov 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Clarke, Arthur C., & C. S. Lewis; edited by Ryder W. Miller : From Narnia to A Space Odyssey
(ibooks 0-7434-7518-6, $21, 176pp, hardcover, October 2003, cover design j. vita)

Collection of letters, stories, and essays by Clarke and Lewis, subtitled "The War of Ideas Between Arthur C. Clarke and C.S. Lewis". It's centerpieced by the letters, correspondence between the two that ran from 1943 to 1954, though which fill only 18 pages of this book. The balance is filled by an introduction and essays on both men by editor Miller, a preface by Clarke, and various other pieces: two stories and one essay by Lewis, six stories and one essay by Clarke. Clarke's stories include "A Meeting with Medusa", "Jupiter Five", "The Nine Billion Names of God", and "The Star". The publisher's site has this description (with a rejected cover proposal, apparently). Amazon has reader reviews.
(Fri 5 Dec 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Di Filippo, Paul : Fuzzy Dice
(UK: PS Publishing 1-902880-66-8, 296pp, hardcover, July 2003, cover art Todd Schorr)

SF novel about a failed writer given the chance to travel through quantum wormholes to alternate earths, courtesy an odd alien. The publisher's website has this description. Jonathan Strahan's review in the September 2003 issue of Locus said "it's like Tom Robbins's college classic Even Cowgirls Get the Blues recast in the hands of gonzo mathematician Rudy Rucker as a kind of ontological day trip."
(Sat 1 Nov 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon

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* Fischer, P. J. : Julia and the Dream Maker
(Traitor Dachshund Books 0-9744287-0-1, $13.95, 290pp, trade paperback, 2003)

SF novel, first of a series, about a chain reaction that changes the pattern of human evolution. The Amazon page has a description and comments from the author. The book's website, http://www.juliaandthedreammaker.com/, has sample pages, a reading guide, etc.
(Wed 3 Dec 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Heinlein, Robert A. : For Us, the Living
(Scribner 0-7432-5998-x, $25, 17+263pp, hardcover, January 2004, jacket illustration Mark Stutzman, jacket design John Fulbrook III)

SF novel subtitled "A Comedy of Customs", first publication of a recently discovered early manuscript by Heinlein. It's about a man in a car accident in 1939 who wakes up in the year 2086. Highly anticipated by Heinlein fans, though commentators, including the PW reviewer, note that Heinlein mined ideas from this book for his later ones, and this one is likely best appreciated in the context of those other works. Though nominally a January 2004 book, copies were in bookstores the first week of December. The Heinlein Society website has this background article by Deb Houdek Rule. The book has an introduction by Spider Robinson, and an afterword by Robert James. Reviews by Gary K. Wolfe and Russell Letson will appear in the January 2004 issue of Locus.
(Fri 5 Dec 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Hopkinson, Nalo : The Salt Roads
(Warner 0-446-53302-5, $22.95, 394pp, hardcover, November 2003, jacket illustration Christian Clayton, jacket design Don Puckey)

Mainstream magical realism novel about how the African goddess of love interacts with the lives of three women. A review by Cynthia Ward appears on the Amazon page. The author's website has this page of quotes, with links to excerpts. The publisher's site has this description and excerpt. Gary K. Wolfe's review in the November issue of Locus said the book "succeeds impressively as a powerful and passionate meditation on myth and survival."
(Mon 1 Dec 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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(Red Deer Press 0-88995-280-9, $9.95, 14+112pp, trade paperback, October 2003, cover art Vaclav Vaca)

Speculative poetry anthology of 42 works, many by Canadian authors. Contributors include Phyllis Gotlieb, Carolyn Clink, Eileen Kernaghan, Yves Meynard, Jason Taniguchi, non-Canadians Bruce Boston and Patrick O'Leary, and others. There's an introduction by Phyllis Gotlieb, and an afterword by James Morrow. Available from Amazon or Amazon Canada, though neither has a description or reviews.
(Wed 26 Nov 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Klaw, Rick : Geek Confidential
(MonkeyBrain Books 1-932265-06-6, $18.95, 255pp, trade paperback, 2003, cover illustration John Picacio, cover design ad)

Collection of essays, subtitled "Echoes from the 21st Century", many of which originally appeared in the author's column "Geeks with Books" at SF Site. (Here's the latest.) Topics include bookselling, movies, graphic novels. Introduction by Michael Moorcock. The publisher's site has this page with the press release and a sample essay, Death Threats, Banned Books, and Other Facts of Life.
(Fri 5 Dec 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Maxey, James : Nobody Gets the Girl
(Phobos Books 0-9720026-2-6, $14.95, 16+244pp, trade paperback, 2003, cover art Bob Wiacek & JayJay Jackson, cover design James Shooter)

SF novel subtitled "A Comic Book Novel", about a scientist who wakes up in an alternate reality that doesn't include him. The author was a winner in last year's Phobos anthology Empire of Dreams and Miracles. The publisher's site has this description and author profile, plus a profile of Jim Shooter, who provides an introduction to the book.
(Fri 5 Dec 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Resnick, Mike, ed. : New Voices in Science Fiction
(DAW 0-7564-0168-2, $6.99, 351pp, mass market paperback, December 2003, cover art G-Force Design)

Anthology of 20 stories by "rising stars". One story, David D. Levine's "Nucleon", won the 2001 James White Award and was subsequently published in Interzone; the other stories are originals. Authors include Janis Ian, Kage Baker, Shane Tourtellotte, Cory Doctorow & Charles Stross, David Barr Kirtley, Michael Burstein, etc. Note that there's no precise connection between this book and the series of George R.R. Martin-edited "New Voices in SF" anthologies from the '80s -- those anthologies published works by nominees of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer -- though Resnick acknowledges that award as one source for contributors to this book. Amazon has a Booklist review by Regina Schroeder
(Fri 5 Dec 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Smith, Michael Marshall : More Tomorrow & Other Stories
(Earthling Publications 0-9744203-0-1, $40, 487pp, hardcover, October 2003, cover art and design John Picacio)

Collection of 30 stories, four original to this book, plus an introduction by Stephen Jones and an afterword by the author. This is a signed, limited edition of 1000; a traycased lettered edition of 26 signed by Smith, Jones, and Picacio with an additional original piece by Smith (-1-X, $250.00) is also available. Smith's website has details, while the publisher's page lists the table of contents. Not available from Amazon; order directly from the publisher.
(Wed 26 Nov 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Stroud, Jonathan : The Amulet of Samarkand
(Miramax 078681859X, $17.95, 462pp, hardcover, September 2003)

Young adult fantasy novel about a boy magician-in-training set in an alternate London, first in the "Bartimaeus Trilogy". The Amazon page has a review by Karin Snelson, who calls it "A sophisticated, suspenseful, brilliantly crafted, dead-funny book that will leave readers anxious for more." Carolyn Cushman'sl review will appear in the January 2004 issue of Locus.
(Fri 5 Dec 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Thomson, Amy : Storyteller
(Ace 0-441-01094-6, $14, 372pp, trade paperback, December 2003, cover illustration Tim O'Brian)

SF novel about a boy's coming of age on an alien planet. Amazon has reviews from PW and Booklist and from reader Harriet Klausner.
(Fri 5 Dec 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Opening lines:
"Look out!" The cry broke involuntarily from Perry Nelson's lips as he twisted the steering wheel. But the driver of the green sedan either did not hear him or did not act. ...
Opening lines:
It's late, almost dusk, when Rigo finally gets off work, grabs a quick bite to eat at Salmon Ella's, and catches the Bay to Bay shuttle from Monterey to visit his ailing mother in San Jose.
Opening lines:
The city took the hammer blows with the fortitude only a two thousand-year-old city can. On the walk up here to the London village of Highgate he'd heard a taxi driver call out to a policeman, "It's a bit lively out tonight." It was gallows humour, and he recognised it well.



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