* Armstrong, Kelley : Broken
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-58818-4, $6.99, 444pp, mass market paperback, May 2006, cover illustration Franco Accornero)

Supernatural fantasy novel, sixth in the "Women of the Otherworld" series following Bitten, Stolen, Dime Store Magic, Industrial Magic, and Haunted. In this volume, a pregnant werewolf accidentally unleashes Jack-the-Ripper on the 21st century.
• Bantam's site has this description, and an excerpt.
• The author's website has this page about the book, with a description and links to excerpts. The site also has a journal, discussion board, an online fiction.

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* Bailey, Dale, & Jack Slay Jr : Sleeping Policemen
(Golden Gryphon Press 1-930846-41-x, $24.95, 198pp, hardcover, June 2006, jacket painting John Picacio)

Horror novel about four college friends who run down a pedestrian in the Smokey Mountains.
• The publisher's website has this page for the book, with the jacket description and blurbs.

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* Brenchley, Chaz : Bridge of Dreams
(Ace 0-441-01324-4, $24.95, 409pp, hardcover, May 2006, jacket illustration Eric Bowman)

Fantasy novel, first in a series, set in a city conquered via a magical bridge created from the dreams of children.
• The publisher's site has this description, and the series has its own website, Selling Water by the River, with an author introduction ("I've been calling it the Ottoman Empire fantasy...") and extract. Brenchley will be at the book's launch party this Wednesday, May 24th, in Newcastle at Lit & Phil at 7 p.m.
• Amazon has reviews from Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal.
• Cheryl Morgan reviewed the book in Emerald City: "The whole story is building slowly and inexorably, and so far you've only sampled one small limb. You will see that there must be more books and you will want them now, or preferably yesterday. Let's hope the wait for the next volume isn't too long."

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+ Canavan, Trudi : Last of the Wilds
(HarperCollins/Eos 0-06-081591-4, $7.99, 558pp, mass market paperback, May 2006)

Fantasy novel, second in the "Age of the Five" series following Priestess of the White. In this volume the priestess Auraya tries to reconcile with the outcast Dreamweavers.
• The publisher's site has this description and a Chapter One excerpt.
• The author's site has the prologue.
• Amazon has numerous reader reviews.

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* Czerneda, Julie E. : Regeneration
(DAW 0-7564-0345-6, $24.95, 543pp, hardcover, May 2006, jacket painting Luis Royo)

SF novel, third in the "Species Imperative" sequence following Survival and Migration, concerning the migration of an alien race called the Dhyrn who leave other species annihilated in their wake.
• The author's website has a Chapter 6 excerpt.
• Amazon has two rave reader reviews.

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* DuPrau, Jeanne : The Prophet of Yonwood
(Random House 0-375-97526-8, $17.99, 289pp, hardcover, April 2006)

Young adult SF novel, prequel to The City of Ember (2003) and The People of Sparks (2004), about refugees in an underground city. This book describes the world 50 years before Ember is settled.
• The publisher's site has this description, with an excerpt.
• The Amazon page has the same extract, and mixed reader reviews.

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* Flint, Eric, & Virginia DeMarce, eds. : 1634: The Ram Rebellion
(Baen 1-4165-2060-0, $25, 496pp, hardcover, May 2006, cover art Tom Kidd)

Anthology of 19 stories in the "1632" series following Flint's 1632 (2000), Flint & David Weber's 1633 (2002), and Flint & Andrew Dennis' 1634: The Galileo Affair (2004), and two Grantville Gazette anthologies; many of the stories were first published online.
• See Wikipedia's entry for details of the series thus far.
• Baen's site has this description with links to excerpts and the table of contents.
• Amazon has a description and reader reviews.

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* Francis, Diana Pharaoh : Path of Blood
(Roc 0-451-46082-0, $7.99, 452pp, mass market paperback, May 2006)

Fantasy novel, conclusion of the trilogy that began with Path of Fate (2003) and Path of Honor (2004), about chaos, plague, and war in the land of Kodu Riik.
• The author's website includes an excerpt and maps of Kodu Riik and other settings.
• Amazon has the Booklist review by Frieda Murray, and reader reviews.

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+ Hardinge, Frances : Fly by Night
(HarperCollins 0-06-087627-1, $16.99, 487pp, hardcover, May 2006, jacket art Brett Helquist) First US edition (UK: Macmillan, October 2005)

Young-adult fantasy novel, the author's first novel, about a 12-year-old girl in an alternate 18th century England where books are banned.
• HarperCollins' site has this description and an excerpt.
• The author's site has this description, along with stubs for author photos and biography.
• Amazon has several rave reader reviews.

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* Hendra, Tony : The Messiah of Morris Avenue
(Henry Holt 0-8050-7964-1, $24, 245pp, hardcover, April 2006)

Satirical novel set in a "not-so-distant" future America ruled by the Christian Right, about a skeptical reporter who's convinced an immigrant from the Bronx is the second coming of Jesus Christ.
• The publisher has this page for the book, with a description, and tour schedule, t-shirts and bumper stickers, and "Godcast" downloads.
• Amazon has reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist; the latter concludes "This is satire with a thoughtful heart, comedy with a serious message (several of them, in fact). Many of the author's sly allusions to contemporary society may elude younger readers, but adults of the right political persuasion will get a Swiftian kick out of it all."

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* Hoffman, Barry : Love Hurts
(Gauntlet Press 1-8873688-9-2, $9.95, 84pp, trade paperback, May 2006, jacket art Harry O. Morris)

Collection of 7 stories, all apparently original to this book.
• The publisher's site has this order page for the book, including titles and brief descriptions of the stories. A lettered edition for $75 is also available.

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* Lowry, Lois : Gossamer
(Houghton Mifflin/Lorraine 0-618-68550-2, $16, 140pp, hardcover, April 2006)

Young-adult fantasy novel about a trainee dream-giver and a foster child tormented by nightmares.
• The author's homepage has a description. She also has a blog.
• Amazon has School Library Journal and Booklist reviews; the latter comments "Lowry's plain, poetic words speak directly to children about the powerful, ordinary things in everyday life, such as the boy's memory of a baseball game ('the curved line of stitches on the ball and then the high thwacking sound of the hit'); the feel of his dog's silky, warm fur; and the thump of the dog's tail against the floor."
• New York Times ran this review by James Hynes last week: "Lowry's gifts as a writer -- her precise and evocative prose, her vivid characters, her ability to ratchet up suspense -- are displayed at full strength in this enormously entertaining and finally very moving novel."

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* Saberhagen, Fred : Ardneh's Sword
(Tor 0-765-31210-7, $24.95, 348pp, hardcover, May 2006, jacket art Raymond Swanland)

Fantasy novel in the "Empire of the East" that began with The Broken Lands (1968) with omnibus volume Empire of the East reprinted by Tor in 2003. This new volume, set 1000 years later, concerns a 15-year-old boy seeking artefacts of the godlike being Ardneh.
• Saberhagen's website, which notes that this book connects this series to his "Swords" series, has this page with a description and Chapter 1 excerpt.
• Amazon has the PWreview, which says "Simple prose and a straightforward plot make the latest entry in Saberhagen's Empire of the East saga perfect for younger fantasy fans.", and rave blurbs from Zelazny, Budrys, and others about the earlier books.

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* Tuttle, Lisa : The Silver Bough
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-38297-7, $22, 337pp, hardcover, May 2006, cover by John Taylor Dismukes)

Fantasy novel about three American women in a coastal Scottish town cut off from the rest of the world by a landslide.
• The publisher's site has this description and excerpt.
• Amazon has reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist, both starred; the former concludes "Full of delightful characters, engagingly fey imagery and well-researched Celtic lore, this superior fantasy provides a juicy denouement fit for a queen." while the latter finishes with "Tuttle seamlessly blends times past and present and adds Celtic magic to the mix in an utterly believable way. Beautifully done!"
• Green Man Review has this review by Faith J. Cormier.

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