Welcome to the April 2008 edition of Fantasy Book Critic’s monthly SPOTLIGHT. Previous spotlights for the year 2007 (June-December) can be visited HERE and for 2008 (January-March) HERE. Not sure if it was because I was more vigilant this time or there was just that many new books coming out, but April 2008 is by far the biggest spotlight that I’ve done so far, and I hope you enjoy this month’s diverse offering :) Of course, if you want to know about even more books, then be sure to check out Urban Fantasy Land's April Roundup HERE, which has a few titles I missed ;) (NOTE: Unless stated otherwise, all release dates are for the US):
“Lonely Werewolf Girl” by Martin Millar. Release Date: April 1, 2008. “Lonely Werewolf Girl” by award-winning author Martin Millar (Thraxas fantasy series) is an expansive urban fantasy tale of werewolves in the modern world—elegant werewolves, troubled teenage werewolves, friendly werewolves, homicidal werewolves, fashion designers, warriors, punks, cross-dressers, musicians—an entire Clan of Werewolves, getting in trouble from the Scottish Highlands to London, and in several dimensions beyond...
Official Martin Millar Website
Official Martin Millar Blog
Order “Lonely Werewolf Girl” HERE
Read Extracts HERE
“Small Favor” by Jim Butcher. Release Date: April 1, 2008. No one's tried to kill Harry Dresden for almost an entire year, and for once the future looks fairly bright. But the past casts one hell of a long shadow for Mab—monarch of the Winter Court of the Sidhe and the Queen of Air & Darkness—is calling in an old marker that Harry can’t refuse. A small favor that will trap the wizard-detective between a nightmarish foe and an equally deadly ally while straining his skills—and loyalties—to their very limits…
“Lonely Werewolf Girl” by Martin Millar. Release Date: April 1, 2008. “Lonely Werewolf Girl” by award-winning author Martin Millar (Thraxas fantasy series) is an expansive urban fantasy tale of werewolves in the modern world—elegant werewolves, troubled teenage werewolves, friendly werewolves, homicidal werewolves, fashion designers, warriors, punks, cross-dressers, musicians—an entire Clan of Werewolves, getting in trouble from the Scottish Highlands to London, and in several dimensions beyond...Official Martin Millar Website
Official Martin Millar Blog
Order “Lonely Werewolf Girl” HERE
Read Extracts HERE
“Small Favor” by Jim Butcher. Release Date: April 1, 2008. No one's tried to kill Harry Dresden for almost an entire year, and for once the future looks fairly bright. But the past casts one hell of a long shadow for Mab—monarch of the Winter Court of the Sidhe and the Queen of Air & Darkness—is calling in an old marker that Harry can’t refuse. A small favor that will trap the wizard-detective between a nightmarish foe and an equally deadly ally while straining his skills—and loyalties—to their very limits…Official Jim Butcher Website
Order “Small Favor” HERE
Read Sample Chapters HERE
Read Reviews of “Small Favor” via FantasyBookSpot, Flames Rising + Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review
“Infected” by Scott Sigler. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Across America a mysterious disease is turning ordinary people into raving, paranoid murderers who inflict brutal horrors on strangers, themselves, and even their own families. Find out the terrible truth behind this deadly disease in Scott Sigler’s hardcover debut “Infected”, a cinematic, relentlessly paced novel that mixes and matches genres, combining horror, techno-thriller, and suspense in a heady mix that is equal parts Chuck Palahniuk, Michael Crichton and Stephen King…
Official Scott Sigler Website
Official Infected Novel Website
Order “Infected” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Watch the “Infected” Promo Video HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s REVIEW of “Infected”
“The Houses of Time” by Jamil Nasir. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Over eight years after his last book was released, critically acclaimed writer Jamil Nasir—best known for “Tower of Dreams” which was awarded the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire—is back with his fifth novel “The Houses of Time”, a thought-provoking story of a man gifted with the ability to manipulate reality and dreams. A talent that is being exploited by the Caucasus Synod Western Orthodox Church to bring their prayers to the Divine Presence in the universe…
Order “The Houses of Time” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Armageddon in Retrospect” by Kurt Vonnegut. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Imbued with Kurt Vonnegut’s trademark rueful humor, “Armageddon in Retrospect” is a collection of twelve new and unpublished writings on war and peace. Also included are Vonnegut’s last speech as well as an assortment of his artwork, and an introduction by the author’s son, Mark Vonnegut. “Armageddon in Retrospect” says as much about the times in which we live as it does about the genius of the writer…
Official Kurt Vonnegut Website
Order “Armageddon in Retrospect” HERE
Read A Conversation with Mark Vonnegut HERE
“Button, Button: Uncanny Stories” by Richard Matheson. Release Date: April 1, 2008. “Button, Button”—which inspired a memorable Twilight Zone episode and is soon to be a major motion picture starring Cameron Diaz—is just one of a dozen unforgettable tales in this new collection by Richard Matheson, the New York Times bestselling author of I Am Legend and What Dreams May Come. This volume contains a number of stories that were adapted for television, as well as a new introduction by Matheson himself…
Richard Matheson @ Wikipedia
Order “Button, Button: Uncanny Stories” HERE
“Galaxy Blues” by Allen Steele. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Two-time Hugo Award-winning and national bestselling author Allen Steele returns to the universe of his Coyote Trilogy, “Spindrift” and “The River Horses” novella with “Galaxy Blues”, a standalone novel that follows the entertaining story of Jules Truffant—disgraced and expelled from the Union Astronautica space fleet—as he embarks on a suicide mission that takes him to the middle of a black hole as it plows through an inhabited star system…
Official Allen Steele Website
Order “Galaxy Blues” HERE
Read Reviews of “Galaxy Blues” via SF Scope
“Empress” by Karen Miller. Release Date: April 1, 2008. In a family torn apart by poverty and violence, Hekat is no more than an unwanted mouth to feed, worth only a few coins from a passing slave trader. But Hekat was not born to be a slave. For her, a different path has been chosen. It is a path that will take her from stinking back alleys to the house of her God, from blood-drenched battlefields to the glittering palaces of Mijak. This is Hekat’s story, precious & beautiful… Book One of Karen Miller's Godspeaker Trilogy…
Official Karen Miller Website
Order “Empress” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Empress” via The Specusphere
“Implied Spaces” by Walter Jon Williams. Release Date: April 1, 2008. From Walter Jon Williams—the celebrated & influential author of “Hardwired”, “Voice of the Whirlwind” and “Angel Station”—comes “Implied Spaces”, a new novel of post-singularity action, pyrotechnics, and intrigue. Williams, whose name has long been synonymous with state-of-the-art SF, builds on the prophetic futurism of Vernor Vinge and Charles Stross, while adding his own brand of poetic prose, masterful plotting and engaging storytelling…
Official Walter Jon Williams Website
Order “Implied Spaces” HERE
“And Less Than Kind” by Mercedes Lackey & Roberta Gellis. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Continuing The Doubled Edge series—after “This Scepter’d Isle”, “Ill Met By Moonlight” and “By Slanderous Tongues”—which in turn is a prequel to the SERRAted Edge novels, “And Less Than Kind” deals with the death of Edward VI, Mary proclaimed as queen by the intervention of the evil elf-lord Vidal Dhu, Elizabeth ordered to marry and bear a child so that she might never reign, and the evil machinations of the Dark Court…
Official Mercedes Lackey Website
Official Roberta Gellis Website
Order “And Less Than Kind” HERE
Read Excerpts HERE
“Embrace the Night” by Karen Chance. Release Date: April 1, 2008. In the third book starring Cassandra Palmer, the recently named world’s chief clairvoyant wants to break the spell that binds her to the master vampire Mircea, but to do so she will need to find the Codex Merlini, an ancient grimoire that can only be found in the past. But Cassie soon realizes the Codex has been lost for a reason because while the book may be the key to freeing her, it also possesses the power to endanger the world…
Official Karen Chance Website
Order “Embrace the Night” HERE
Read Sample Chapters HERE
Watch the “Embrace the Night” Trailer HERE
Read Reviews of “Embrace the Night” via Darque Reviews
“Orphan’s Journey” by Robert Buettner. Release Date: April 1, 2008. In the years since the last Slug War, Jason Wander's command style hasn't made him any friends in the Army. Now, in an effort to keep him out of trouble, the Army has sent Jason to the vast, Earth-orbiting resort called New Moon. At the core of this enormous space station is a starship, a relic from the last war… Continues the series that began in “Orphanage” and “Orphan’s Destiny”, both of which have been re-released in support of “Orphan’s Journey”…
Order “Small Favor” HERE
Read Sample Chapters HERE
Read Reviews of “Small Favor” via FantasyBookSpot, Flames Rising + Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review
“Infected” by Scott Sigler. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Across America a mysterious disease is turning ordinary people into raving, paranoid murderers who inflict brutal horrors on strangers, themselves, and even their own families. Find out the terrible truth behind this deadly disease in Scott Sigler’s hardcover debut “Infected”, a cinematic, relentlessly paced novel that mixes and matches genres, combining horror, techno-thriller, and suspense in a heady mix that is equal parts Chuck Palahniuk, Michael Crichton and Stephen King…Official Scott Sigler Website
Official Infected Novel Website
Order “Infected” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Watch the “Infected” Promo Video HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s REVIEW of “Infected”
“The Houses of Time” by Jamil Nasir. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Over eight years after his last book was released, critically acclaimed writer Jamil Nasir—best known for “Tower of Dreams” which was awarded the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire—is back with his fifth novel “The Houses of Time”, a thought-provoking story of a man gifted with the ability to manipulate reality and dreams. A talent that is being exploited by the Caucasus Synod Western Orthodox Church to bring their prayers to the Divine Presence in the universe…Order “The Houses of Time” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Armageddon in Retrospect” by Kurt Vonnegut. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Imbued with Kurt Vonnegut’s trademark rueful humor, “Armageddon in Retrospect” is a collection of twelve new and unpublished writings on war and peace. Also included are Vonnegut’s last speech as well as an assortment of his artwork, and an introduction by the author’s son, Mark Vonnegut. “Armageddon in Retrospect” says as much about the times in which we live as it does about the genius of the writer…Official Kurt Vonnegut Website
Order “Armageddon in Retrospect” HERE
Read A Conversation with Mark Vonnegut HERE
“Button, Button: Uncanny Stories” by Richard Matheson. Release Date: April 1, 2008. “Button, Button”—which inspired a memorable Twilight Zone episode and is soon to be a major motion picture starring Cameron Diaz—is just one of a dozen unforgettable tales in this new collection by Richard Matheson, the New York Times bestselling author of I Am Legend and What Dreams May Come. This volume contains a number of stories that were adapted for television, as well as a new introduction by Matheson himself…Richard Matheson @ Wikipedia
Order “Button, Button: Uncanny Stories” HERE
“Galaxy Blues” by Allen Steele. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Two-time Hugo Award-winning and national bestselling author Allen Steele returns to the universe of his Coyote Trilogy, “Spindrift” and “The River Horses” novella with “Galaxy Blues”, a standalone novel that follows the entertaining story of Jules Truffant—disgraced and expelled from the Union Astronautica space fleet—as he embarks on a suicide mission that takes him to the middle of a black hole as it plows through an inhabited star system…Official Allen Steele Website
Order “Galaxy Blues” HERE
Read Reviews of “Galaxy Blues” via SF Scope
“Empress” by Karen Miller. Release Date: April 1, 2008. In a family torn apart by poverty and violence, Hekat is no more than an unwanted mouth to feed, worth only a few coins from a passing slave trader. But Hekat was not born to be a slave. For her, a different path has been chosen. It is a path that will take her from stinking back alleys to the house of her God, from blood-drenched battlefields to the glittering palaces of Mijak. This is Hekat’s story, precious & beautiful… Book One of Karen Miller's Godspeaker Trilogy…Official Karen Miller Website
Order “Empress” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Empress” via The Specusphere
“Implied Spaces” by Walter Jon Williams. Release Date: April 1, 2008. From Walter Jon Williams—the celebrated & influential author of “Hardwired”, “Voice of the Whirlwind” and “Angel Station”—comes “Implied Spaces”, a new novel of post-singularity action, pyrotechnics, and intrigue. Williams, whose name has long been synonymous with state-of-the-art SF, builds on the prophetic futurism of Vernor Vinge and Charles Stross, while adding his own brand of poetic prose, masterful plotting and engaging storytelling…Official Walter Jon Williams Website
Order “Implied Spaces” HERE
“And Less Than Kind” by Mercedes Lackey & Roberta Gellis. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Continuing The Doubled Edge series—after “This Scepter’d Isle”, “Ill Met By Moonlight” and “By Slanderous Tongues”—which in turn is a prequel to the SERRAted Edge novels, “And Less Than Kind” deals with the death of Edward VI, Mary proclaimed as queen by the intervention of the evil elf-lord Vidal Dhu, Elizabeth ordered to marry and bear a child so that she might never reign, and the evil machinations of the Dark Court…Official Mercedes Lackey Website
Official Roberta Gellis Website
Order “And Less Than Kind” HERE
Read Excerpts HERE
“Embrace the Night” by Karen Chance. Release Date: April 1, 2008. In the third book starring Cassandra Palmer, the recently named world’s chief clairvoyant wants to break the spell that binds her to the master vampire Mircea, but to do so she will need to find the Codex Merlini, an ancient grimoire that can only be found in the past. But Cassie soon realizes the Codex has been lost for a reason because while the book may be the key to freeing her, it also possesses the power to endanger the world…Official Karen Chance Website
Order “Embrace the Night” HERE
Read Sample Chapters HERE
Watch the “Embrace the Night” Trailer HERE
Read Reviews of “Embrace the Night” via Darque Reviews
“Orphan’s Journey” by Robert Buettner. Release Date: April 1, 2008. In the years since the last Slug War, Jason Wander's command style hasn't made him any friends in the Army. Now, in an effort to keep him out of trouble, the Army has sent Jason to the vast, Earth-orbiting resort called New Moon. At the core of this enormous space station is a starship, a relic from the last war… Continues the series that began in “Orphanage” and “Orphan’s Destiny”, both of which have been re-released in support of “Orphan’s Journey”…Official Robert Buettner Website
Order “Orphan’s Journey” HERE
“Magic Burns” by Ilona Andrews. Release Date: April 1, 2008. As a mercenary who cleans up after magic goes wrong, Kate Daniels—star of “Magic Bites”—understands how paranormal energy ebbs & flows across Atlanta. But once every seven years, a flare comes when magic runs rampant. During such a time, Kate retrieves a set of maps for the Pack which she quickly realizes is the opening gambit in an epic tug of war between two gods hoping for rebirth, and if Kate can't stop the showdown, the city may not survive…
Official Ilona Andrews Website
Order “Magic Burns” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Magic Burns” via Darque Reviews, Dear Author…, Scooper Speaks + Urban Fantasy Land
“Dragons Wild” by Robert Asprin. Release Date: April 1, 2008. First book in a brand new series from the New York Times bestselling creator of the Phule’s Company and MythAdventures novels, “Dragon’s Wild” introduces Griffen "Grifter" McCandles, a low-stakes con artist and killer poker player who graduated college fully expecting his wealthy family to have a job waiting for him. Instead, his mysterious Uncle Mal reveals a shocking family secret: Griffen and his sister Valerie are actually dragons…
Order “Dragons Wild” HERE
Read Reviews of “Dragons Wild” by Darque Reviews + The Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin’ Book Reviews
“Ravenous” by Ray Garton. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Something deadly has come to the coastal California town of Big Rock—something that’s leaving mangled and devoured bodies in its wake. At first, Sheriff Arlin Hurley refuses to believe the wild talk of werewolves, but when the evidence becomes impossible to ignore Sheriff Hurley and his men set out to stop the spreading terror. Unfortunately they soon learn that many of the old werewolf legends are nothing but myths and that the reality is far more terrifying…
Official Ray Garton Website
Order “Ravenous” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Varanger” by Cecelia Holland. Release Date: April 1, 2008. With vivid description and passionate characters, Cecelia Holland’s Viking novel “Varanger”—a follow-up to “The Soul Thief” and “The Witches' Kitchen”—takes the reader back to a time when heroes voyaged to the far corners of the known world, whether fighting the ice in a deep Russian winter, sailing down a great river in a dragon ship, or wandering the elegant streets of the Black Sea city of Chersonese. “Varanger” is historical fiction made real…
Official Cecelia Holland Website
Order “Varanger” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Stone Gods” by Jeanette Winterson. Release Date: April 1, 2008. For over twenty years Jeanette Winterson has consistently been one of our most brilliant writers and in her latest offering “The Stone Gods”, what begins as a witty, satirical futurist adventure deepens into a dazzling exploration of our relationship to environment, to power and technology, and to what defines us as humans. Lyrical, visionary, by turns funny and devastating, “The Stone Gods” is fiction at its most provocative…
Official Jeanette Winterson Website
Order “The Stone Gods” HERE
Read An Extract HERE
Read Reviews of “The Stone Gods” via the New York Times, Guardian, Times Online + Asylum
“The Martian General’s Daughter” by Theodore Judson. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Set over two hundred years from now in a world very much like Imperial Rome, “The Martian General's Daughter” is at once a stirring military adventure, a cautionary tale of repeating history, a cutting satire, and a heartbreaking examination of the joys & pain inherent in the love between a father and child. Destined to take its place in the canon of science fiction and sure to appeal to readers of Orson Scott Card and Walter M. Miller Jr…
Official Pyr Books Website
Order “The Martian General’s Daughter” HERE
“The Locktender’s House” by Steven Sherrill. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Janice finds her life upended after her boyfriend is killed and winds up in PA where she takes refuge in an abandoned house. After a while, she meets a sculptor with whom she forms a relationship; she encounters as well a strange woman who attracts her in unexpected ways. As the reality of Janice's inner & outer worlds—and the slippery border between—gradually becomes evident, the reader is drawn in and led to a satisfying close… —Publisher’s Weekly
Official Steven Sherrill Website
Order “The Locktender’s House” HERE
“Devil’s Cape” by Rob Rogers. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Nicknamed “Pirate Town” for the violence and blatant corruption that have marred the city since its founding, Devil’s Cape is the unforgettable setting of Rob Rogers' debut novel which blends together gritty crime noir with a heavy dose of the supernatural for a gripping tale of superhuman heroes & villains reminiscent of Alan Moore’s Watchmen or NBC’s mega-hit Heroes. Briskly written and highly readable, “Devil's Cape” will appeal to a wide audience…
Official Rob Rogers Website
Order “Devil’s Cape” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Devil’s Cape” via Horror Reader
“Paper Cities” edited by Ekaterina Sedia. Release Date: April 1, 2008. The city has always been a place of mystery, magic & wonder, and in the “Paper Cities” anthology, twenty-one original stories will takes readers on a trip through the urban fantastic including cities past, present, and future; in metropoli real and imagined; and with mutilated warrior-women, dead boys, mechanical dogs, and escape artists just some of the wonders and horrors explored in this bizarre assembly of works from voices new and old…
Official Senses Five Press Website
Official Ekaterina Sedia Website
Order “Paper Cities” HERE
Watch the "Paper Cities" Video HERE
“La Vida Vampire” by Nancy Haddock. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Trapped underground for over 200 years, vampire Francesca Marinelli is rediscovered during the renovation of a Victorian mansion and gets a job as an Old Ghost Town Tour guide. Unfortunately, when people in her tour group start turning up dead, Francesca is naturally suspected by the police and a squad of vampire hunters. Factor in a non-existent love life and Francesca is starting to wish she was dead. Or at least buried, where she was safe…
Official Nancy Haddock Website
Order “La Vida Vampire” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “La Vida Vampire” via Scooper Speaks
“Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet” by Joanne Proulx. Release Date: April 1, 2008. When 17-year-old Luke Hunter foretells the death of his friend with freakish accuracy, his life gets complicated especially when the premonitions keep happening. Terrified, Luke lurches through a personal minefield studded with unconsidered existential ponderings, Christian fundamentalists, and a dream girl who his dead friend left behind… Joanne’s debut is a darkly comic coming-of-age novel that nails contemporary youth culture…
Official Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet Website
Official Soho Press Website
Order “Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet” HERE
Enter a Giveaway HERE
“Caliphate” by Tom Kratman. Release Date: April 1, 2008. In the 22nd century, atheism in Europe has been exterminated; homosexuals are hanged, stoned or crucified; and such Christians as remain are relegated to dhimmitude, a form of second class citizenship where they are denied arms, civil rights and a voice, and specially taxed via the Koranic yizya. Into this world a German girl sold into prostitution at the age of nine to pay her family's yizya, dreams of escape to the magical place across the sea called America…
Official Tom Kratman Website
Order “Caliphate” HERE
Read Excerpts HERE
“Unholy Domain” by Dan Ronco. Release Date: April 1, 2008. A decade after a lethal computer virus called PeaceMaker roared across the internet leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead, a war is raging between science and religion, the world wallows in a global depression, and the United States government is paralyzed, unable to intervene. “Unholy Domain”, the follow-up to “PeaceMaker” is a fast-paced, techno thriller where religious terrorists and visionaries of technology fight for supreme power…
Official Dan Ronco Website
Order “Unholy Domain” HERE
Read Excerpts HERE + HERE
Watch the Unholy Domain Trailer HERE
Order “Orphan’s Journey” HERE
“Magic Burns” by Ilona Andrews. Release Date: April 1, 2008. As a mercenary who cleans up after magic goes wrong, Kate Daniels—star of “Magic Bites”—understands how paranormal energy ebbs & flows across Atlanta. But once every seven years, a flare comes when magic runs rampant. During such a time, Kate retrieves a set of maps for the Pack which she quickly realizes is the opening gambit in an epic tug of war between two gods hoping for rebirth, and if Kate can't stop the showdown, the city may not survive…Official Ilona Andrews Website
Order “Magic Burns” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Magic Burns” via Darque Reviews, Dear Author…, Scooper Speaks + Urban Fantasy Land
“Dragons Wild” by Robert Asprin. Release Date: April 1, 2008. First book in a brand new series from the New York Times bestselling creator of the Phule’s Company and MythAdventures novels, “Dragon’s Wild” introduces Griffen "Grifter" McCandles, a low-stakes con artist and killer poker player who graduated college fully expecting his wealthy family to have a job waiting for him. Instead, his mysterious Uncle Mal reveals a shocking family secret: Griffen and his sister Valerie are actually dragons…Order “Dragons Wild” HERE
Read Reviews of “Dragons Wild” by Darque Reviews + The Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin’ Book Reviews
“Ravenous” by Ray Garton. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Something deadly has come to the coastal California town of Big Rock—something that’s leaving mangled and devoured bodies in its wake. At first, Sheriff Arlin Hurley refuses to believe the wild talk of werewolves, but when the evidence becomes impossible to ignore Sheriff Hurley and his men set out to stop the spreading terror. Unfortunately they soon learn that many of the old werewolf legends are nothing but myths and that the reality is far more terrifying…Official Ray Garton Website
Order “Ravenous” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Varanger” by Cecelia Holland. Release Date: April 1, 2008. With vivid description and passionate characters, Cecelia Holland’s Viking novel “Varanger”—a follow-up to “The Soul Thief” and “The Witches' Kitchen”—takes the reader back to a time when heroes voyaged to the far corners of the known world, whether fighting the ice in a deep Russian winter, sailing down a great river in a dragon ship, or wandering the elegant streets of the Black Sea city of Chersonese. “Varanger” is historical fiction made real…Official Cecelia Holland Website
Order “Varanger” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Stone Gods” by Jeanette Winterson. Release Date: April 1, 2008. For over twenty years Jeanette Winterson has consistently been one of our most brilliant writers and in her latest offering “The Stone Gods”, what begins as a witty, satirical futurist adventure deepens into a dazzling exploration of our relationship to environment, to power and technology, and to what defines us as humans. Lyrical, visionary, by turns funny and devastating, “The Stone Gods” is fiction at its most provocative…Official Jeanette Winterson Website
Order “The Stone Gods” HERE
Read An Extract HERE
Read Reviews of “The Stone Gods” via the New York Times, Guardian, Times Online + Asylum
“The Martian General’s Daughter” by Theodore Judson. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Set over two hundred years from now in a world very much like Imperial Rome, “The Martian General's Daughter” is at once a stirring military adventure, a cautionary tale of repeating history, a cutting satire, and a heartbreaking examination of the joys & pain inherent in the love between a father and child. Destined to take its place in the canon of science fiction and sure to appeal to readers of Orson Scott Card and Walter M. Miller Jr…Official Pyr Books Website
Order “The Martian General’s Daughter” HERE
“The Locktender’s House” by Steven Sherrill. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Janice finds her life upended after her boyfriend is killed and winds up in PA where she takes refuge in an abandoned house. After a while, she meets a sculptor with whom she forms a relationship; she encounters as well a strange woman who attracts her in unexpected ways. As the reality of Janice's inner & outer worlds—and the slippery border between—gradually becomes evident, the reader is drawn in and led to a satisfying close… —Publisher’s WeeklyOfficial Steven Sherrill Website
Order “The Locktender’s House” HERE
“Devil’s Cape” by Rob Rogers. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Nicknamed “Pirate Town” for the violence and blatant corruption that have marred the city since its founding, Devil’s Cape is the unforgettable setting of Rob Rogers' debut novel which blends together gritty crime noir with a heavy dose of the supernatural for a gripping tale of superhuman heroes & villains reminiscent of Alan Moore’s Watchmen or NBC’s mega-hit Heroes. Briskly written and highly readable, “Devil's Cape” will appeal to a wide audience…Official Rob Rogers Website
Order “Devil’s Cape” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Devil’s Cape” via Horror Reader
“Paper Cities” edited by Ekaterina Sedia. Release Date: April 1, 2008. The city has always been a place of mystery, magic & wonder, and in the “Paper Cities” anthology, twenty-one original stories will takes readers on a trip through the urban fantastic including cities past, present, and future; in metropoli real and imagined; and with mutilated warrior-women, dead boys, mechanical dogs, and escape artists just some of the wonders and horrors explored in this bizarre assembly of works from voices new and old…Official Senses Five Press Website
Official Ekaterina Sedia Website
Order “Paper Cities” HERE
Watch the "Paper Cities" Video HERE
“La Vida Vampire” by Nancy Haddock. Release Date: April 1, 2008. Trapped underground for over 200 years, vampire Francesca Marinelli is rediscovered during the renovation of a Victorian mansion and gets a job as an Old Ghost Town Tour guide. Unfortunately, when people in her tour group start turning up dead, Francesca is naturally suspected by the police and a squad of vampire hunters. Factor in a non-existent love life and Francesca is starting to wish she was dead. Or at least buried, where she was safe…Official Nancy Haddock Website
Order “La Vida Vampire” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “La Vida Vampire” via Scooper Speaks
“Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet” by Joanne Proulx. Release Date: April 1, 2008. When 17-year-old Luke Hunter foretells the death of his friend with freakish accuracy, his life gets complicated especially when the premonitions keep happening. Terrified, Luke lurches through a personal minefield studded with unconsidered existential ponderings, Christian fundamentalists, and a dream girl who his dead friend left behind… Joanne’s debut is a darkly comic coming-of-age novel that nails contemporary youth culture…Official Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet Website
Official Soho Press Website
Order “Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet” HERE
Enter a Giveaway HERE
“Caliphate” by Tom Kratman. Release Date: April 1, 2008. In the 22nd century, atheism in Europe has been exterminated; homosexuals are hanged, stoned or crucified; and such Christians as remain are relegated to dhimmitude, a form of second class citizenship where they are denied arms, civil rights and a voice, and specially taxed via the Koranic yizya. Into this world a German girl sold into prostitution at the age of nine to pay her family's yizya, dreams of escape to the magical place across the sea called America…Official Tom Kratman Website
Order “Caliphate” HERE
Read Excerpts HERE
“Unholy Domain” by Dan Ronco. Release Date: April 1, 2008. A decade after a lethal computer virus called PeaceMaker roared across the internet leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead, a war is raging between science and religion, the world wallows in a global depression, and the United States government is paralyzed, unable to intervene. “Unholy Domain”, the follow-up to “PeaceMaker” is a fast-paced, techno thriller where religious terrorists and visionaries of technology fight for supreme power…Official Dan Ronco Website
Order “Unholy Domain” HERE
Read Excerpts HERE + HERE
Watch the Unholy Domain Trailer HERE
“The Unblemished” by Conrad Williams. UK Release Date: April 3, 2008. Originally released in limited edition by Earthling Publications in 2006, “The Unblemished”—winner of the International Horror Guild Award—is now making its mass market debut thanks to Virgin Books, giving new readers the opportunity to enter the mind of a serial killer who believes he is the rightful son and heir to an ancient dynasty of flesh-eaters… “The Unblemished” by Conrad Williams will be published in the US on June 10, 2008…
Official Conrad Williams Website
Order “The Unblemished” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Official Conrad Williams Website
Order “The Unblemished” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “The Unblemished” via Dark Devotee + Infinity Plus
“Line War” by Neal Asher. UK Release Date: April 4, 2008. In the fifth Ian Cormac novel from Neal Asher (Cowl, The Skinner), the Polity is under attack from Erebus—an AI entity melded with Jain technology—and it’s up to an unlikely group of individuals including Cormac who is struggling to control a new ability no human being should possess, the indefatigable brass killing machine Mr. Crane, the scientist and Dragon expert Mika, and a vastly-augmented haiman who herself controls Jain technology to stop the threat…
Official Neal Asher Blog
Order “Line War” HERE
“Blood Ties” by Pamela Freeman. Release Date: April 7, 2008. A thousand years ago, the Eleven Domains were invaded and the original inhabitants forced on the road as Travelers, belonging nowhere, welcomed by no-one. Now the Domains are governed with an iron fist by the Warlords, but there are wilder elements to the landscape which cannot be controlled and which may prove their undoing including three humans—Bramble, Ash, & Saker—whose lives are bound together by their past, their future, and their blood…
Official Pamela Freeman Website
Official Castings Trilogy Website
Order “Blood Ties” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Blood Ties” via Grasping For the Wind
Read Grasping For the Wind’s INTERVIEW with Pamela Freeman
“Once Upon a Time in the North” by Philip Pullman. Release Date: April 8, 2008. In this new prequel episode from Philip Pullman's popular His Dark Materials universe—an exquisite clothbound volume featuring the illustrations of John Lawrence and a removable board game (Peril of the Pole)—“Once Upon a Time in the North” introduces fans to the first friendship of two of the most beloved characters in the author’s trilogy: Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby and armored bear Iorek Byrnison…
Official Philip Pullman Website
Order “Once Upon a Time in the North” HERE
Read An Interview with Philip Pullman via Publishers Weekly
“The Resurrectionist” by Jack O’Connell. Release Date: April 8, 2008. Part classic noir thriller, part mind-bending fantasy, Jack O'Connell's “The Resurrectionist” is a wild ride into a territory where nothing is as it appears. It is the story of a father's love for his son, a journey driven by hope and anticipation, and by a belief that there had to be an answer. Gripping, startling, wildly original, and ultimately incredibly tender, “The Resurrectionist” is a masterpiece of invention that takes the familiar and makes it wholly new again…
Official “The Resurrectionist” Website
Order “The Resurrectionist” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “The Resurrectionist” via FantasyBookSpot
“Keeper of Dreams” by Orson Scott Card. Release Date: April 15, 2008. Featuring twenty-four short stories including new author introductions for each story and commentary on Orson Scott Card’s life and work, this huge new collection of one of science fiction’s most beloved and popular writers is sure to please his millions of fans. Like the earlier “Maps in A Mirror”, this collection is a definitive retrospective of the short fiction career of the writer that The Houston Post called “the best writer science fiction has to offer…”
Official Orson Scott Card Website
Order “Keeper of Dreams” HERE
“Shadow Gate” by Kate Elliott. Release Date: April 15, 2008. In the bestselling “Spirit Gate”, book one of the Crossroads series, readers were swept into the turbulent world of the Hundred, where the peace and order of life under the protection of the immortal Guardians had given way to chaos and violence. Now in the enthralling sequel, “Shadow Gate”, three new Guardians have emerged, beginning a struggle among the immortals with nothing less at stake than the future of the land and its gods…
Official Kate Elliott Website
Order “Shadow Gate” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Hidden World” by Paul Park. Release Date: April 15, 2008. “The Hidden World” is the fourth and concluding volume in Paul Park’s (The Starbridge Chronicles, Celestis) remarkable tale of Roumania—previous volumes include A Princess of Roumania, The Tourmaline and The White Tyger—an alternate historical fantasy world that is both more real and yet also more mysterious and magical than our own. Publishers Weekly claims that the novel “provides a fitting and triumphant conclusion to the series…”
Official Paul Park Website
Order “The Hidden World” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Crystal Skull” by Manda Scott. Release Date: April 15, 2008. British bestselling author Manda Scott has won critical acclaim and garnered honors on both sides of the Atlantic for her historical fiction about the life of Boudica and her novels of suspense (No Good Deed, Absolution). Now in “The Crystal Skull”—a spellbinding blend of history, myth, and science—Manda Scott unleashes a thriller that sweeps from the secrets of the Mayans to the court of a sixteenth-century queen to a shattering end-times prophecy…
Official Manda Scott Website
Order “The Crystal Skull” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “The Crystal Skull” via ReadingAdventures
“Lord of Lies” by David Zindell. Release Date: April 15, 2008. In “The Lightstone” and “The Silver Sword”, Valashu Elahad, noble warrior and prince of the royal house of Mesh, sought and found the mythical Lightstone in a quest to stop the dreaded Dark Angel Morjin from enslaving all of Ea. Unfortunately, fulfilling a quest doesn’t always mean peace & serenity. For now that the Lightstone has finally been found, Morjin will use all of his talents to get it back. Thus, Val's victory has only caused Morjin to declare war…
Official David Zindell Website
Order “Lord of Lies” HERE
“Cold Plague” by Daniel Kalla. Release Date: April 15, 2008. Pristine water—hidden for millions of years, untouched by pollution, and possessing natural healing powers—is found miles under Antarctic ice. While people around the world line up for a taste of the therapeutic water, a bout of mad cow disease explodes in a rural French province forcing a team from the World Health Organization to investigate who end up uncovering a global conspiracy and discover the water might hold the key to a microscopic Jurassic Park…
“Line War” by Neal Asher. UK Release Date: April 4, 2008. In the fifth Ian Cormac novel from Neal Asher (Cowl, The Skinner), the Polity is under attack from Erebus—an AI entity melded with Jain technology—and it’s up to an unlikely group of individuals including Cormac who is struggling to control a new ability no human being should possess, the indefatigable brass killing machine Mr. Crane, the scientist and Dragon expert Mika, and a vastly-augmented haiman who herself controls Jain technology to stop the threat…Official Neal Asher Blog
Order “Line War” HERE
“Blood Ties” by Pamela Freeman. Release Date: April 7, 2008. A thousand years ago, the Eleven Domains were invaded and the original inhabitants forced on the road as Travelers, belonging nowhere, welcomed by no-one. Now the Domains are governed with an iron fist by the Warlords, but there are wilder elements to the landscape which cannot be controlled and which may prove their undoing including three humans—Bramble, Ash, & Saker—whose lives are bound together by their past, their future, and their blood…Official Pamela Freeman Website
Official Castings Trilogy Website
Order “Blood Ties” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Blood Ties” via Grasping For the Wind
Read Grasping For the Wind’s INTERVIEW with Pamela Freeman
“Once Upon a Time in the North” by Philip Pullman. Release Date: April 8, 2008. In this new prequel episode from Philip Pullman's popular His Dark Materials universe—an exquisite clothbound volume featuring the illustrations of John Lawrence and a removable board game (Peril of the Pole)—“Once Upon a Time in the North” introduces fans to the first friendship of two of the most beloved characters in the author’s trilogy: Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby and armored bear Iorek Byrnison…Official Philip Pullman Website
Order “Once Upon a Time in the North” HERE
Read An Interview with Philip Pullman via Publishers Weekly
“The Resurrectionist” by Jack O’Connell. Release Date: April 8, 2008. Part classic noir thriller, part mind-bending fantasy, Jack O'Connell's “The Resurrectionist” is a wild ride into a territory where nothing is as it appears. It is the story of a father's love for his son, a journey driven by hope and anticipation, and by a belief that there had to be an answer. Gripping, startling, wildly original, and ultimately incredibly tender, “The Resurrectionist” is a masterpiece of invention that takes the familiar and makes it wholly new again…Official “The Resurrectionist” Website
Order “The Resurrectionist” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “The Resurrectionist” via FantasyBookSpot
“Keeper of Dreams” by Orson Scott Card. Release Date: April 15, 2008. Featuring twenty-four short stories including new author introductions for each story and commentary on Orson Scott Card’s life and work, this huge new collection of one of science fiction’s most beloved and popular writers is sure to please his millions of fans. Like the earlier “Maps in A Mirror”, this collection is a definitive retrospective of the short fiction career of the writer that The Houston Post called “the best writer science fiction has to offer…”Official Orson Scott Card Website
Order “Keeper of Dreams” HERE
“Shadow Gate” by Kate Elliott. Release Date: April 15, 2008. In the bestselling “Spirit Gate”, book one of the Crossroads series, readers were swept into the turbulent world of the Hundred, where the peace and order of life under the protection of the immortal Guardians had given way to chaos and violence. Now in the enthralling sequel, “Shadow Gate”, three new Guardians have emerged, beginning a struggle among the immortals with nothing less at stake than the future of the land and its gods…Official Kate Elliott Website
Order “Shadow Gate” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Hidden World” by Paul Park. Release Date: April 15, 2008. “The Hidden World” is the fourth and concluding volume in Paul Park’s (The Starbridge Chronicles, Celestis) remarkable tale of Roumania—previous volumes include A Princess of Roumania, The Tourmaline and The White Tyger—an alternate historical fantasy world that is both more real and yet also more mysterious and magical than our own. Publishers Weekly claims that the novel “provides a fitting and triumphant conclusion to the series…”Official Paul Park Website
Order “The Hidden World” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Crystal Skull” by Manda Scott. Release Date: April 15, 2008. British bestselling author Manda Scott has won critical acclaim and garnered honors on both sides of the Atlantic for her historical fiction about the life of Boudica and her novels of suspense (No Good Deed, Absolution). Now in “The Crystal Skull”—a spellbinding blend of history, myth, and science—Manda Scott unleashes a thriller that sweeps from the secrets of the Mayans to the court of a sixteenth-century queen to a shattering end-times prophecy…Official Manda Scott Website
Order “The Crystal Skull” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “The Crystal Skull” via ReadingAdventures
“Lord of Lies” by David Zindell. Release Date: April 15, 2008. In “The Lightstone” and “The Silver Sword”, Valashu Elahad, noble warrior and prince of the royal house of Mesh, sought and found the mythical Lightstone in a quest to stop the dreaded Dark Angel Morjin from enslaving all of Ea. Unfortunately, fulfilling a quest doesn’t always mean peace & serenity. For now that the Lightstone has finally been found, Morjin will use all of his talents to get it back. Thus, Val's victory has only caused Morjin to declare war…Official David Zindell Website
Order “Lord of Lies” HERE
“Cold Plague” by Daniel Kalla. Release Date: April 15, 2008. Pristine water—hidden for millions of years, untouched by pollution, and possessing natural healing powers—is found miles under Antarctic ice. While people around the world line up for a taste of the therapeutic water, a bout of mad cow disease explodes in a rural French province forcing a team from the World Health Organization to investigate who end up uncovering a global conspiracy and discover the water might hold the key to a microscopic Jurassic Park…Official Daniel Kalla Website
Order “Cold Plague” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Operation: Save the Innocent” by Tony Ruggiero. Release Date: April 15, 2008. Part of the Team of Darkness series, “Operation: Save the Innocent” finds Navy Commander John Reese recalled to active duty for a new mission. This time he’s ordered by a dark governmental group known as the Agency to recover two vampires that have escaped from the secure holding that Reese helped design, and in the process crosses paths with the dangerous Team of Darkness and a mysterious woman who harbors dark secrets…
Official Tony Ruggiero Website
Order “Operation: Save the Innocent” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“House of Suns” by Alastair Reynolds. UK Release Date: April 17, 2008. Six million years ago, at the dawn of the starfaring era, Abigail Gentian fractured herself into a thousand male and female clones—the shatterlings—who have been documenting the rise and fall of countless human empires. Now though, someone is trying to destroy the Gentians and the surviving shatterlings have to try to solve the mystery of who is persecuting them—and why—before their ancient line is wiped out of existence forever…
Official Alastair Reynolds Website
Order “House of Suns” HERE
Read Excerpts HERE + HERE
Read Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist’s Interview with Alastair Reynolds HERE
“The Burning Man” by Mark Chadbourn. UK Release Date: April 17, 2008. After a long journey across the ages, Jack Churchill has returned to the modern world, only to find it in the grip of the terrible Mundane Spell. With a small group of trusted allies, Jack sets out across the globe to find the two 'keys'—one person with the power of creation, the other of destruction—that can shatter the spell. Alas, ancient powers are stirring and the odds appear insurmountable, but the need is desperate. This is a time for heroes…
Official Mark Chadbourn Website
Official Jack Of Ravens Blog
Order “The Burning Man” HERE (Hardcover) + HERE (Paperback)
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Ninth Circle” by Alex Bell. UK Release Date: April 17, 2008. A man wakes up with no idea where, or who, he is. He can do extraordinary things but without a name, without a past, he's isolated from the rest of the world; a stranger to everyone, including himself. But as he pieces the clues together, everything points towards an astounding war between angels and demons...and a battle not just for the future of the world, but for the minds and souls of everyone in it. This is The Bourne Identity as if Neil Gaiman had written it...
Order “The Ninth Circle” HERE
Read Reviews of “The Ninth Circle” via HorrorScope
“Lavinia” by Ursula K. Le Guin. Release Date: April 21, 2008. In The Aeneid, Virgil’s hero fights to claim the king’s daughter, Lavinia, with whom he is destined to found an empire. Lavinia herself never speaks a word in the poem. Now, Ursula K. Le Guin gives Lavinia a voice in a novel that takes us to the half-wild world of ancient Italy, when Rome was a muddy village near seven hills. “Lavinia” is a book of love and war, generous and austerely beautiful, from a writer working at the height of her powers…
Order “Cold Plague” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Operation: Save the Innocent” by Tony Ruggiero. Release Date: April 15, 2008. Part of the Team of Darkness series, “Operation: Save the Innocent” finds Navy Commander John Reese recalled to active duty for a new mission. This time he’s ordered by a dark governmental group known as the Agency to recover two vampires that have escaped from the secure holding that Reese helped design, and in the process crosses paths with the dangerous Team of Darkness and a mysterious woman who harbors dark secrets…Official Tony Ruggiero Website
Order “Operation: Save the Innocent” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“House of Suns” by Alastair Reynolds. UK Release Date: April 17, 2008. Six million years ago, at the dawn of the starfaring era, Abigail Gentian fractured herself into a thousand male and female clones—the shatterlings—who have been documenting the rise and fall of countless human empires. Now though, someone is trying to destroy the Gentians and the surviving shatterlings have to try to solve the mystery of who is persecuting them—and why—before their ancient line is wiped out of existence forever…Official Alastair Reynolds Website
Order “House of Suns” HERE
Read Excerpts HERE + HERE
Read Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist’s Interview with Alastair Reynolds HERE
“The Burning Man” by Mark Chadbourn. UK Release Date: April 17, 2008. After a long journey across the ages, Jack Churchill has returned to the modern world, only to find it in the grip of the terrible Mundane Spell. With a small group of trusted allies, Jack sets out across the globe to find the two 'keys'—one person with the power of creation, the other of destruction—that can shatter the spell. Alas, ancient powers are stirring and the odds appear insurmountable, but the need is desperate. This is a time for heroes…Official Mark Chadbourn Website
Official Jack Of Ravens Blog
Order “The Burning Man” HERE (Hardcover) + HERE (Paperback)
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Ninth Circle” by Alex Bell. UK Release Date: April 17, 2008. A man wakes up with no idea where, or who, he is. He can do extraordinary things but without a name, without a past, he's isolated from the rest of the world; a stranger to everyone, including himself. But as he pieces the clues together, everything points towards an astounding war between angels and demons...and a battle not just for the future of the world, but for the minds and souls of everyone in it. This is The Bourne Identity as if Neil Gaiman had written it...Order “The Ninth Circle” HERE
Read Reviews of “The Ninth Circle” via HorrorScope
“Lavinia” by Ursula K. Le Guin. Release Date: April 21, 2008. In The Aeneid, Virgil’s hero fights to claim the king’s daughter, Lavinia, with whom he is destined to found an empire. Lavinia herself never speaks a word in the poem. Now, Ursula K. Le Guin gives Lavinia a voice in a novel that takes us to the half-wild world of ancient Italy, when Rome was a muddy village near seven hills. “Lavinia” is a book of love and war, generous and austerely beautiful, from a writer working at the height of her powers…Official Ursula K. Le Guin
Order “Lavinia” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Lavinia” HERE
“The Sharing Knife: Passage” by Lois McMaster Bujold. Release Date: April 22, 2008. Acclaimed science fiction and fantasy writer Lois McMaster Bujold—five-time winner of the Hugo Award—brings us the third installment in her New York Times-bestselling romantic fantasy The Sharing Knife, which continues the story of young Fawn Bluefield and soldier-sorcerer Dag Redwing Hickory as the couple leaves behind all they have known in order to find fresh solutions to the perilous split between their peoples…
Official Lois McMaster Bujold Website
Order “Lavinia” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Lavinia” HERE
“The Sharing Knife: Passage” by Lois McMaster Bujold. Release Date: April 22, 2008. Acclaimed science fiction and fantasy writer Lois McMaster Bujold—five-time winner of the Hugo Award—brings us the third installment in her New York Times-bestselling romantic fantasy The Sharing Knife, which continues the story of young Fawn Bluefield and soldier-sorcerer Dag Redwing Hickory as the couple leaves behind all they have known in order to find fresh solutions to the perilous split between their peoples…Official Lois McMaster Bujold Website
Order “The Sharing Knife: Passage” HERE
“The Rosetta Key” by William Dietrich. Release Date: April 22, 2008. Entertaining and vividly evocative, “The Rosetta Key”—which continues the adventures of Ethan Gage who was last seen in “Napoleon’s Pyramids”—is William Dietrich at his fast-paced, cliff-hanger best. For lovers of stirring historical adventure laden with intriguing mystery and puzzles galore, “The Rosetta Key” is a terrific thrill ride not to be missed as Gage must use an archaeological key to prevent dark powers from seizing control of the world…
Official William Dietrich Website
Order “The Rosetta Key” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Hakawati” by Rabih Alameddine. Release Date: April 22, 2008. Like a true hakawati, Rabih Alameddine (Koolaids: The Art of War, I, the Divine) has given us an Arabian Nights for this century—an astonishingly inventive, wonderfully exuberant novel that takes us from the shimmering dunes of ancient Egypt to the war-torn streets of twenty-first-century Lebanon. “The Hakawati” dazzles from its very first lines: “Listen. Let me take you on a journey beyond imagining. Let me tell you a story.”
Order “The Hakawati” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Found” by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Release Date: April 22, 2008. Thirteen-year-old Jonah has always known that he was adopted, and he's never thought it was any big deal. Then he and a new friend, who's also adopted, begin receiving mysterious letters that plunges them into a mysterious adventure where there lives are at stake… With “Found”, Margaret Peterson Haddix begins a new series that promises to be every bit as suspenseful and page-turning as her bestselling Shadow Children sequence…
Margaret Peterson Haddix @ Wikipedia
Order “Found” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Voice” by Bill Myers. Release Date: April 28, 2008. Charlie Madison is a burned out Special Forces Agent whose world is turned upside down when his thirteen-year-old niece barges into his reclusive life. Forced out of retirement to rescue her parents, Charlie soon realizes there is far more at stake than the lives of two people. For a computer Program has recorded the actual Voice of God, and if the Voice of God created reality, It can destroy it. If controlled, It would become a weapon of mass destruction…
Official Bill Myers Website
Order “The Voice” HERE
“The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy” edited by Ellen Datlow. Release Date: April 29, 2008. Joining two great names in speculative fiction—Del Rey and Ellen Datlow—this selection of sixteen never-before-published short stories presents some of the most powerful works of contemporary science fiction and fantasy including contributions by Jeffrey Ford, Elizabeth Bear, and Margo Lanagan. Here you will find slyly twisted alternate histories, fractured fairy tales, topical SF, and edgy urban fantasy…
Official Ellen Datlow Website
Order “The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy” HERE
Read Reviews via SF Scope
“In Milton Lumky Territory” by Philip K. Dick. Release Date: April 29, 2008. In “The Novels of Philip K. Dick”, Kim Stanley Robinson states that “In Milton Lumky Territory is probably the best of Dick's realist novels aside from Confessions of a Crap Artist,” and calls it a “bitter indictment of the effects of capitalism.” A compassionate and ironic portrayal of three characters enmeshed in a web of everyday events, in a tension between love & money, “In Milton Lumky Territory” stands out among Dick's early works…
Official Philip K. Dick Website
Order “In Milton Lumky Territory” HERE
“Little Brother” by Cory Doctorow. Release Date: April 29, 2008. Marcus is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works–-and how to work the system. But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves in the wrong place of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco and are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security. When the DHS finally releases them, they discover the city has become a police state and the only option left is to take down the DHS itself…
Official Cory Doctorow Website
Official Little Brother Myspace
Order “Little Brother” HERE
Listen To An Excerpt HERE
“Iron Angel” by Alan Campbell. Release Date: April 29, 2008. In this stunning follow-up to his epic fantasy debut, “Scar Night”, Alan Campbell returns to his captivating world of deities and demons, fallen angels and killers, and the ancient city of Deepgate which has been overtaken and finds itself at the center of converging powers and myriad plans for vengeance that range from the continent of Pandemeria to Heaven itself. “Iron Angel” is the story of a city battling for its own survival—and that of humankind…
Official Alan Campbell Website
Official Alan Campbell Blog
Order “Iron Angel” HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s Reviews of “Scar Night” + “Lye Street”
“Fallen” by Tim Lebbon. Release Date: April 29, 2008. From the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of some of the most provocative fantasy being written today comes this stunning new adventure set in the fascinating world of Noreela (Dusk, Dawn, After the War). Tim Lebbon’s “Fallen” is a harrowing tale of an epic journey that dares to cross the forbidden boundary separating us from all we fear—and desire—the most. It is a tale that may alter the very history of Noreela forever…
Official Tim Lebbon Website
Official Noreela Website
Order “Fallen” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s Review of the “Dusk/Dawn Duology” + “After the War”
“Death’s Head: Maximum Offense” by David Gunn. Release Date: April 29, 2008. With “Death’s Head”, David Gunn rocketed onto the scene in the most explosive and entertaining science fiction debut since Richard K. Morgan’s “Altered Carbon”. Now, Gunn is back with “Death’s Head: Maximum Offense”, a book just as brutal and unforgiving as it’s protagonist Lieutenant Sven Tveskoeg, an antisocial, antihero one-man killing spree whose best friend is an intelligent handgun with an attitude…
Official David Gunn Myspace
Order “Death’s Head: Maximum Offense” HERE
“The Rosetta Key” by William Dietrich. Release Date: April 22, 2008. Entertaining and vividly evocative, “The Rosetta Key”—which continues the adventures of Ethan Gage who was last seen in “Napoleon’s Pyramids”—is William Dietrich at his fast-paced, cliff-hanger best. For lovers of stirring historical adventure laden with intriguing mystery and puzzles galore, “The Rosetta Key” is a terrific thrill ride not to be missed as Gage must use an archaeological key to prevent dark powers from seizing control of the world…Official William Dietrich Website
Order “The Rosetta Key” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Hakawati” by Rabih Alameddine. Release Date: April 22, 2008. Like a true hakawati, Rabih Alameddine (Koolaids: The Art of War, I, the Divine) has given us an Arabian Nights for this century—an astonishingly inventive, wonderfully exuberant novel that takes us from the shimmering dunes of ancient Egypt to the war-torn streets of twenty-first-century Lebanon. “The Hakawati” dazzles from its very first lines: “Listen. Let me take you on a journey beyond imagining. Let me tell you a story.”Order “The Hakawati” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Found” by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Release Date: April 22, 2008. Thirteen-year-old Jonah has always known that he was adopted, and he's never thought it was any big deal. Then he and a new friend, who's also adopted, begin receiving mysterious letters that plunges them into a mysterious adventure where there lives are at stake… With “Found”, Margaret Peterson Haddix begins a new series that promises to be every bit as suspenseful and page-turning as her bestselling Shadow Children sequence…Margaret Peterson Haddix @ Wikipedia
Order “Found” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Voice” by Bill Myers. Release Date: April 28, 2008. Charlie Madison is a burned out Special Forces Agent whose world is turned upside down when his thirteen-year-old niece barges into his reclusive life. Forced out of retirement to rescue her parents, Charlie soon realizes there is far more at stake than the lives of two people. For a computer Program has recorded the actual Voice of God, and if the Voice of God created reality, It can destroy it. If controlled, It would become a weapon of mass destruction…Official Bill Myers Website
Order “The Voice” HERE
“The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy” edited by Ellen Datlow. Release Date: April 29, 2008. Joining two great names in speculative fiction—Del Rey and Ellen Datlow—this selection of sixteen never-before-published short stories presents some of the most powerful works of contemporary science fiction and fantasy including contributions by Jeffrey Ford, Elizabeth Bear, and Margo Lanagan. Here you will find slyly twisted alternate histories, fractured fairy tales, topical SF, and edgy urban fantasy…Official Ellen Datlow Website
Order “The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy” HERE
Read Reviews via SF Scope
“In Milton Lumky Territory” by Philip K. Dick. Release Date: April 29, 2008. In “The Novels of Philip K. Dick”, Kim Stanley Robinson states that “In Milton Lumky Territory is probably the best of Dick's realist novels aside from Confessions of a Crap Artist,” and calls it a “bitter indictment of the effects of capitalism.” A compassionate and ironic portrayal of three characters enmeshed in a web of everyday events, in a tension between love & money, “In Milton Lumky Territory” stands out among Dick's early works…Official Philip K. Dick Website
Order “In Milton Lumky Territory” HERE
“Little Brother” by Cory Doctorow. Release Date: April 29, 2008. Marcus is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works–-and how to work the system. But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves in the wrong place of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco and are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security. When the DHS finally releases them, they discover the city has become a police state and the only option left is to take down the DHS itself…Official Cory Doctorow Website
Official Little Brother Myspace
Order “Little Brother” HERE
Listen To An Excerpt HERE
“Iron Angel” by Alan Campbell. Release Date: April 29, 2008. In this stunning follow-up to his epic fantasy debut, “Scar Night”, Alan Campbell returns to his captivating world of deities and demons, fallen angels and killers, and the ancient city of Deepgate which has been overtaken and finds itself at the center of converging powers and myriad plans for vengeance that range from the continent of Pandemeria to Heaven itself. “Iron Angel” is the story of a city battling for its own survival—and that of humankind…Official Alan Campbell Website
Official Alan Campbell Blog
Order “Iron Angel” HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s Reviews of “Scar Night” + “Lye Street”
“Fallen” by Tim Lebbon. Release Date: April 29, 2008. From the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of some of the most provocative fantasy being written today comes this stunning new adventure set in the fascinating world of Noreela (Dusk, Dawn, After the War). Tim Lebbon’s “Fallen” is a harrowing tale of an epic journey that dares to cross the forbidden boundary separating us from all we fear—and desire—the most. It is a tale that may alter the very history of Noreela forever…Official Tim Lebbon Website
Official Noreela Website
Order “Fallen” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s Review of the “Dusk/Dawn Duology” + “After the War”
“Death’s Head: Maximum Offense” by David Gunn. Release Date: April 29, 2008. With “Death’s Head”, David Gunn rocketed onto the scene in the most explosive and entertaining science fiction debut since Richard K. Morgan’s “Altered Carbon”. Now, Gunn is back with “Death’s Head: Maximum Offense”, a book just as brutal and unforgiving as it’s protagonist Lieutenant Sven Tveskoeg, an antisocial, antihero one-man killing spree whose best friend is an intelligent handgun with an attitude…Official David Gunn Myspace
Order “Death’s Head: Maximum Offense” HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic's REVIEW of "Death's Head"
“The Queen’s Bastard” by C.E. Murphy. Release Date: April 29, 2008. Society’s fascination with the European Renaissance is evident in the wide span of books, movies and television shows that celebrate the machinations of the royal courts. Now, royal conspiracy meets sensual fantasy in C.E. Murphy’s (The Negotiator, The Walker Paper series) “The Queen’s Bastard”—Book One of the Inheritors' Cycle—an absorbing mix of historical detail, fantastical elements, and the carefully woven thread of human emotions…
Official C.E. Murphy Website
Order “The Queen’s Bastard” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Cold Spot” by Tom Piccirilli. Release Date: April 29, 2008. Chase was raised as a getaway driver by his grandfather, but when Jonah crosses the line and murders one of his own, Chase goes solo. Tragedy though forces him to turn to the one man he hates most in the world and even as the two men work together, Chase knows that their unresolved past will eventually lead them to a showdown of their own…”The Cold Spot” is the latest hardboiled crime thriller from the four-time Bram Stoker Award winner Tom Piccirilli…
Official Tom Piccirilli Website
Order “The Cold Spot” HERE
“Ink Exchange” by Melissa Marr. Release Date: April 29, 2008. Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance between the Faerie Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly-vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow. Thus continues Melissa’s tales of Faerie, a dark, ravishing story of temptation and consequences, and of heroism when least expected…
Official Melissa Marr Website
Order “Ink Exchange” HERE
Read Reviews of “Ink Exchange” HERE + via Darque Reviews
“One Foot in the Grave” by Jeaniene Frost. Release Date: April 29, 2008. Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She's still using everything Bones—her sexy and dangerous ex—taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind and this time he won’t let her get away... “One Foot in the Grave” is the second book in Jeaniene Frost's current Night Huntress series…
Official Jeaniene Frost Website
Order “One Foot in the Grave” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Armed and Magical” by Lisa Shearin. Release Date: April 29, 2008. “My name is Raine Benares. Until last week I was a seeker—a finder of things lost and people missing. Now I'm psychic roommates with the Saghred, an ancient stone with cataclysmic powers. Just me, the stone, and all the souls it's ingested over the centuries. Crowded doesn't even begin to describe it...” Armed and Magical continues the charming and imaginatively fun fantasy series that began in Lisa Shearin’s Magic Lost, Trouble Found…
Official Lisa Shearin Website
Order “Armed & Magical” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Armed & Magical” via The Toasted Scimitar
“The Darkest Kiss” by Keri Arthur. Release Date: April 29, 2008. Riley Jenson hunts evildoers and does it with a style all her own. With vamp blood coursing through her veins, and a werewolf’s uncanny instinct for danger, Riley wears snakeskin stilettos and pure, in-your-face attitude when she plunges into her latest case: Hunting down a killer whose victims are high-society strumpets and the rich and powerful men they’ve dated… “The Darkest Kiss” is the sixth volume in Keri Arthur’s (Spook Squad) Guardian series…
Official Keri Arthur Website
Order “The Darkest Kiss” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “The Darkest Kiss” via Scooper Speaks
“A Dog Among Diplomats” by J.F. Englert. Release Date: April 29, 2008. He reads Proust. Surfs the internet. Is the soul of diplomacy. And when it comes to solving crime, Labrador Randolph is the dog for the job. This time murder has come to Manhattan’s East Village and in this entertaining sequel to “A Dog About Town”, it will take all of Randolph’s considerable cunning to protect Harry, clear the name of his beloved mistress Imogen, solve the crime—and stay alive long enough to enjoy his upcoming birthday…
Official J.F. Englert Website
Order “A Dog Among Diplomats” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The 5th Witch” by Graham Masterton. Release Date: April 29, 2008. In Graham Masterton’s (Charnel House, Family Portrait) latest, a new and powerful crime alliance holds Los Angeles in a grip of terror. Anyone who opposes them suffers a horrible fate…but not by human hands. Bizarre accidents, sudden illnesses, inexplicable and gruesome deaths—it all leads back to four mysterious women who wield more power than the crime bosses could ever dream of. But at the heart of this nightmare lies the final puzzle, the secret of The 5th Witch…
Official Graham Masterton Website
Order “The 5th Witch” HERE
“Otherspace” by David Stahler Jr. Release Date: April 29, 2008. In this concluding volume to David Stahler Jr.’s Truesight young adult SF trilogy (Truesight, The Seer), danger is closing in. The stars are calling. And young Jacob Manford is restless. He's tried settling into life as a Seer, but he hasn't forgotten the ghostly boy who told him about a new colony—a colony for those who were once blind but can now see. A place for people like Jacob. Will Jacob finally find the life and peace that he’s been looking for…
“The Queen’s Bastard” by C.E. Murphy. Release Date: April 29, 2008. Society’s fascination with the European Renaissance is evident in the wide span of books, movies and television shows that celebrate the machinations of the royal courts. Now, royal conspiracy meets sensual fantasy in C.E. Murphy’s (The Negotiator, The Walker Paper series) “The Queen’s Bastard”—Book One of the Inheritors' Cycle—an absorbing mix of historical detail, fantastical elements, and the carefully woven thread of human emotions…Official C.E. Murphy Website
Order “The Queen’s Bastard” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Cold Spot” by Tom Piccirilli. Release Date: April 29, 2008. Chase was raised as a getaway driver by his grandfather, but when Jonah crosses the line and murders one of his own, Chase goes solo. Tragedy though forces him to turn to the one man he hates most in the world and even as the two men work together, Chase knows that their unresolved past will eventually lead them to a showdown of their own…”The Cold Spot” is the latest hardboiled crime thriller from the four-time Bram Stoker Award winner Tom Piccirilli…Official Tom Piccirilli Website
Order “The Cold Spot” HERE
“Ink Exchange” by Melissa Marr. Release Date: April 29, 2008. Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance between the Faerie Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly-vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow. Thus continues Melissa’s tales of Faerie, a dark, ravishing story of temptation and consequences, and of heroism when least expected…Official Melissa Marr Website
Order “Ink Exchange” HERE
Read Reviews of “Ink Exchange” HERE + via Darque Reviews
“One Foot in the Grave” by Jeaniene Frost. Release Date: April 29, 2008. Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She's still using everything Bones—her sexy and dangerous ex—taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind and this time he won’t let her get away... “One Foot in the Grave” is the second book in Jeaniene Frost's current Night Huntress series…Official Jeaniene Frost Website
Order “One Foot in the Grave” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Armed and Magical” by Lisa Shearin. Release Date: April 29, 2008. “My name is Raine Benares. Until last week I was a seeker—a finder of things lost and people missing. Now I'm psychic roommates with the Saghred, an ancient stone with cataclysmic powers. Just me, the stone, and all the souls it's ingested over the centuries. Crowded doesn't even begin to describe it...” Armed and Magical continues the charming and imaginatively fun fantasy series that began in Lisa Shearin’s Magic Lost, Trouble Found…Official Lisa Shearin Website
Order “Armed & Magical” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Armed & Magical” via The Toasted Scimitar
“The Darkest Kiss” by Keri Arthur. Release Date: April 29, 2008. Riley Jenson hunts evildoers and does it with a style all her own. With vamp blood coursing through her veins, and a werewolf’s uncanny instinct for danger, Riley wears snakeskin stilettos and pure, in-your-face attitude when she plunges into her latest case: Hunting down a killer whose victims are high-society strumpets and the rich and powerful men they’ve dated… “The Darkest Kiss” is the sixth volume in Keri Arthur’s (Spook Squad) Guardian series…Official Keri Arthur Website
Order “The Darkest Kiss” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “The Darkest Kiss” via Scooper Speaks
“A Dog Among Diplomats” by J.F. Englert. Release Date: April 29, 2008. He reads Proust. Surfs the internet. Is the soul of diplomacy. And when it comes to solving crime, Labrador Randolph is the dog for the job. This time murder has come to Manhattan’s East Village and in this entertaining sequel to “A Dog About Town”, it will take all of Randolph’s considerable cunning to protect Harry, clear the name of his beloved mistress Imogen, solve the crime—and stay alive long enough to enjoy his upcoming birthday…Official J.F. Englert Website
Order “A Dog Among Diplomats” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The 5th Witch” by Graham Masterton. Release Date: April 29, 2008. In Graham Masterton’s (Charnel House, Family Portrait) latest, a new and powerful crime alliance holds Los Angeles in a grip of terror. Anyone who opposes them suffers a horrible fate…but not by human hands. Bizarre accidents, sudden illnesses, inexplicable and gruesome deaths—it all leads back to four mysterious women who wield more power than the crime bosses could ever dream of. But at the heart of this nightmare lies the final puzzle, the secret of The 5th Witch…Official Graham Masterton Website
Order “The 5th Witch” HERE
“Otherspace” by David Stahler Jr. Release Date: April 29, 2008. In this concluding volume to David Stahler Jr.’s Truesight young adult SF trilogy (Truesight, The Seer), danger is closing in. The stars are calling. And young Jacob Manford is restless. He's tried settling into life as a Seer, but he hasn't forgotten the ghostly boy who told him about a new colony—a colony for those who were once blind but can now see. A place for people like Jacob. Will Jacob finally find the life and peace that he’s been looking for…Order “Otherspace” HERE
8:42 AM | 
Posted by
Robert |
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
.jpg)
11 comments:
That is the best comprehensive and descriptive list of books releasing that I've read anywhere. Usually I'll find one or two books with descriptions of releasing books or a list of books with no description. Thank you for taking the time to compile the books of April.
I love the spotlights dude!
I'm jacked about 4 or 5 of those.
Hope the fams doin well. : )
Wow, that's a lot of new releases and I've only gotten to a few of them so far! If there were only more hours in the day. *grin* Thanks so much for sharing the DR review links! :)
Stacy, thanks for the huge compliment! That really means a lot :) Also, I need to get your website linked to the blogroll. I've been meaning to forever...
Reanimanted, we're all doing well though Zane has a little cold. Thanks for asking!
Kimberly, I hear what you're saying. So many books, so little time... You're welcome for the links btw! They're a big help :)
Every time at the beginning of a month I'm more than happy to check your spotlight. It is an excellent work and it helps me a lot when I try to find books that will appear and that interest me.
Awesome. Love this list of up-coming books..
Alot of works goes into it, I'm sure, and want you to know how much it's appreciated!
Great list again; the one book I did not know about and interests me is the House of Time; it's already on my reserve list at the library as is Paper Cities
In the mail there are the 2 N. Asher books (Shadow of the Scorpion while technically May is available here and there)and the Judson book.
Bujold, Gunn, WJ Williams, S. Williams (Earth Ascendant - end April), Reynolds and Campbell are buy on publication.
I've already read Orphan 3 (Amazon April delivery - and of course the first 2 when published), Rosetta Key as an arc early in January and Caliphate and I put my impressions at sffworld in various threads.
Basically Orphan 3 is very enjoyable, Rosetta Key is fun but not as much as Napoleon's Pyramids which was one the most surprising entertaining reads for me, not since K. Neville's The Eight I have enjoyed a historical thriller so much, Caliphate is vintage Kratman and not for everyone, but if you enjoyed Carera 1 and 2, and you like to see Europe humbled and muj killed left and right, the book is for you
I have Stone Gods from the library on my desk, but I browsed it and it does not excite me that much
I may browse Galaxy Blues at some point, but Steele writes competent hard sf, nothing exciting and I am sort of bored with that - Spindrift and M. Brotherton' Spider Star were good examples of that, neither excited me to more than browse and fast read through...
Liviu
You definitely rocked my world with this list. Now that is for sure I will be having many books to read and some of them I have an idea exist. Hehehe.
Mihai, Mike and Harry, I'm glad you enjoy the list and your comments are much appreciated!
Liviu, thanks for sharing :) As usual, despite my best efforts I miss a book that should have been included like "Earth Ascendant". Perhaps I should be getting your input ;)
"Shadow of the Scorpion" is definitely set for next month's Spotlight--and I hope to get a copy of--and I've never read any Alastair Reynolds, but the new book sounds wonderful :)
hey this is doc from the itunes podcast: Heroes of Science Fiction and Fantasy, i thankyou for putting together this list. Many of these books look real good and i am always looking for interesting books to review for the show. I found this site thru a google alert. Again, thanks for taking time to do this, it makes it real easy on the rest of us. website www.heroesofsciencefictionandfantasy.com
Doc, thanks for stopping by and I'm glad the Spotlight is helpful to you :) That's what they are there for! Also, I appreciate you letting me know about your podcasts. I'll definitely be checking them out and in the meantime I've linked your website :)