Welcome to the February 2008 edition of Fantasy Book Critic’s monthly SPOTLIGHT. Previous spotlights for the year 2007 (June-December) can be visited HERE and for January 2008 HERE. If anything, February looks to be an even busier (and better) month than January, dominated once again by urban fantasy, and also featuring a bunch of debut novels. Personally, February has so many books that I want, I’m a little overwhelmed… (NOTE: Unless stated otherwise, all release dates are for the US):
“The Red Wolf Conspiracy” by Robert V.S. Redick. UK Release Date: February 1, 2008. Part one of the Chathrand Voyage trilogy, Robert V.S. Redick’s fantasy debut follows the Great Ship Chathrand and her occupants on a diplomatic voyage to seal the peace between long-time enemies Arqual & Mzithrin. But there is treachery afoot. Behind the plans for peace lies the shadow of war and the fear that a dead king might live again. And now the six hundred year old Great Ship has gone missing. This is her story…
Official Robert V.S. Redick Website
Official The Red Wolf Conspiracy Website
Order “The Red Wolf Conspiracy” HERE (UK Release Only)
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “The Red Wolf Conspiracy” via Fantasy Book Critic, The Wertzone + Sandstorm Reviews
Read The Book Swede’s INTERVIEW with Robert V.S. Redick
“The Red Wolf Conspiracy” by Robert V.S. Redick. UK Release Date: February 1, 2008. Part one of the Chathrand Voyage trilogy, Robert V.S. Redick’s fantasy debut follows the Great Ship Chathrand and her occupants on a diplomatic voyage to seal the peace between long-time enemies Arqual & Mzithrin. But there is treachery afoot. Behind the plans for peace lies the shadow of war and the fear that a dead king might live again. And now the six hundred year old Great Ship has gone missing. This is her story…Official Robert V.S. Redick Website
Official The Red Wolf Conspiracy Website
Order “The Red Wolf Conspiracy” HERE (UK Release Only)
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “The Red Wolf Conspiracy” via Fantasy Book Critic, The Wertzone + Sandstorm Reviews
Read The Book Swede’s INTERVIEW with Robert V.S. Redick
“The New Weird” edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer. Release Date: February 1, 2008. This avant-garde anthology that presents and defines the New Weird—a hip, stylistic fiction that evokes the gritty exuberance of pulp novels and dime-store comic books—creates a new literature that is entirely unprecedented and utterly compelling. Includes contributions from Michael Moorcock, China Miéville, Clive Barker, Hal Duncan, Jeffrey Ford, Sarah Monette, Jay Lake, Conrad Williams, Steph Swainston, Felix Gilman, etc.
Official Jeff VanderMeer Website
Official Tachyon Publications Website
Order “The New Weird” HERE
Official Jeff VanderMeer Website
Official Tachyon Publications Website
Order “The New Weird” HERE
“After the War” by Tim Lebbon. Release Date: February 1, 2008. Set in Tim Lebbon's signature world of Noreela, “After the War” collects two novellas in 1) “Vale of Blood Roses”—follows a group of mercenaries who enter a valley that should not exist, see machines that should be dead, and interrupt something that should be left alone; and 2) “The Bajuman”—a detective noir fantasy starring Korrin who’s charged with finding a missing fodder (member of an ancient race originally bred for food) and the trouble that comes with it…Official Tim Lebbon Website
Official Tales of Noreela Website
Order “After the War” HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s REVIEW of “After the War”
“In the Earth Abides the Flame” by Russell Kirkpatrick. Release Date: February 1, 2008. In book one of the Fire of Heaven trilogy, the Company journeyed across the face of the world, but their quest is far from over. Battered & bruised, suffering grievous loss, the Company enters the city of Instruere to warn the Council of the Destroyer's threat—but they have no idea of the treachery that awaits them. Only the Jugom Ark can unite a land wracked with such political & religious tensions, but can it be found, or is it merely a legend…
Official Russell Kirkpatrick Website
Order “In the Earth Abides the Flame” HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s REVIEW of “Across the Face of the World”
“The Key To Rondo” by Emily Rodda. Release Date: February 1, 2008. “The old music box, with its strict rules and an astounding secret hidden beneath its gleaming black lid, has been carefully handed down through Leo's family for hundreds of years. Now it is Leo's music box, and although he respects the rules, his least favorite cousin, Mimi Langlander, does not. When the rules are broken, Leo's ordered life is changed forever as he and Mimi plunge together into a thrilling quest in the fantastic world of Rondo…”
Official Emily Rodda Website
Order “The Key To Rondo” HERE
Read An Extract HERE
“Strange Tales of Secret Lives” by Jeff VanderMeer. Release Date: February 1, 2008. In this new collection by World Fantasy Award-winner Jeff VanderMeer, the secret lives of librarians, doctors, lawyers, university students, bank tellers, sex shop clerks and dozens of others are revealed for the first time. Ordered by profession, these short-short stories range from the hilarious to the somber, the absurd to the revelatory. A luminous little book meant for dipping into one secret life at a time…
Official Jeff VanderMeer Website
Order “Strange Tales of Secret Lives” HERE
“The Somnambulist” by Jonathan Barnes. Release Date: February 5, 2008 (US Debut). Set in a richly evocative Victorian London, “The Somnambulist” follows the extraordinary tale of stage magician and detective Edward Moon, his silent sidekick the Somnambulist, and a devilish plot to re-create the apocalyptic prophecies of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Throw in secret societies, bizarre murders and a unique cast of characters for an amazingly addictive and brilliant debut from rising new star Jonathan Barnes…
Order “The Somnambulist” HERE
Read Reviews of “The Somnambulist” via Strange Horizons, Grasping For The Wind + SF Diplomat
“A Magic of Twilight” by S.L. Farrell. Release Date: February 5, 2008. From the author that brought readers the Cloudmages trilogy comes Book One in the new Nessantico Cycle fantasy series, an intricate tale of murder and magic, deception and betrayal, Machiavellian politics, star-crossed lovers, and a world on the brink of devastating war… S.L. Farrell is actually a pseudonym for Stephen Leigh who has contributed numerous stories to GRRM’s Wild Cards universe including the recently released “Inside Straight”…
Official S.L. Farrell Website
Order “A Magic of Twilight” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Whitechapel Gods” by S.M. Peters. Release Date: February 5, 2008. In Victorian London, the Whitechapel section is a mechanized, steam-driven hell, cut off and ruled by two mysterious, mechanical gods—Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock. Some years after the Great Uprising when humans rose up to fight against the machines, a few brave veterans have formed their own Resistance and are gathering for another attack. This time they have a secret weapon that may finally free them—or kill them all…
Order “Whitechapel Gods” HERE
Read Reviews of “Whitechapel Gods” via Don D’Ammasa
“The Monsters of Templeton” by Lauren Groff. Release Date: February 5, 2008. “The day I returned to Templeton steeped in disgrace, the fifty-foot corpse of a monster surfaced in Lake Glimmerglass.” So begins Lauren Groff’s “The Monsters of Templeton”, a spellbinding debut novel that spans two centuries and is part contemporary story of a girl’s search for her father, part historical novel, and part ghost story, while at its core is a tale of how one town holds the shocking truth about a family…
Official Lauren Groff Website
Official Monsters of Templeton Website
Order “The Monsters of Templeton” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Sins of the Assassin” by Robert Ferrigno. Release Date: February 5, 2008. In the second book of Robert Ferrigno's spectacular Assassin Trilogy (Prayers for the Assassin), Rakkim Epps battles radical fundamentalist forces in a futuristic America (yr 2043) that is now a divided blood-soaked dystopia. Will he survive? Can America ever be unified again? Colossal in concept, dazzlingly plotted, filled with vivid, jaw-dropping violence, “Sins of the Assassin” confirms Robert Ferrigno as the modern master of the futuristic thriller…
Official Robert Ferrigno Website
Order “Sins of the Assassin” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Last Dragon” by J.M. McDermott. Release Date: February 5, 2008. In the tradition of Gene Wolf and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, J.M. McDermott brings the fantasy genre to new literary heights with a remarkable first novel that weaves together an intricate web of stories to tell a tale of revenge, justice, ambition, and power that grows into something more. The latest release from the new WOTC Discoveries imprint, “Last Dragon” is the debut of a brilliant new voice that will leave critics and readers alike in stunned awe…
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s REVIEW of “After the War”
“In the Earth Abides the Flame” by Russell Kirkpatrick. Release Date: February 1, 2008. In book one of the Fire of Heaven trilogy, the Company journeyed across the face of the world, but their quest is far from over. Battered & bruised, suffering grievous loss, the Company enters the city of Instruere to warn the Council of the Destroyer's threat—but they have no idea of the treachery that awaits them. Only the Jugom Ark can unite a land wracked with such political & religious tensions, but can it be found, or is it merely a legend…Official Russell Kirkpatrick Website
Order “In the Earth Abides the Flame” HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s REVIEW of “Across the Face of the World”
“The Key To Rondo” by Emily Rodda. Release Date: February 1, 2008. “The old music box, with its strict rules and an astounding secret hidden beneath its gleaming black lid, has been carefully handed down through Leo's family for hundreds of years. Now it is Leo's music box, and although he respects the rules, his least favorite cousin, Mimi Langlander, does not. When the rules are broken, Leo's ordered life is changed forever as he and Mimi plunge together into a thrilling quest in the fantastic world of Rondo…”Official Emily Rodda Website
Order “The Key To Rondo” HERE
Read An Extract HERE
“Strange Tales of Secret Lives” by Jeff VanderMeer. Release Date: February 1, 2008. In this new collection by World Fantasy Award-winner Jeff VanderMeer, the secret lives of librarians, doctors, lawyers, university students, bank tellers, sex shop clerks and dozens of others are revealed for the first time. Ordered by profession, these short-short stories range from the hilarious to the somber, the absurd to the revelatory. A luminous little book meant for dipping into one secret life at a time…Official Jeff VanderMeer Website
Order “Strange Tales of Secret Lives” HERE
“The Somnambulist” by Jonathan Barnes. Release Date: February 5, 2008 (US Debut). Set in a richly evocative Victorian London, “The Somnambulist” follows the extraordinary tale of stage magician and detective Edward Moon, his silent sidekick the Somnambulist, and a devilish plot to re-create the apocalyptic prophecies of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Throw in secret societies, bizarre murders and a unique cast of characters for an amazingly addictive and brilliant debut from rising new star Jonathan Barnes…Order “The Somnambulist” HERE
Read Reviews of “The Somnambulist” via Strange Horizons, Grasping For The Wind + SF Diplomat
“A Magic of Twilight” by S.L. Farrell. Release Date: February 5, 2008. From the author that brought readers the Cloudmages trilogy comes Book One in the new Nessantico Cycle fantasy series, an intricate tale of murder and magic, deception and betrayal, Machiavellian politics, star-crossed lovers, and a world on the brink of devastating war… S.L. Farrell is actually a pseudonym for Stephen Leigh who has contributed numerous stories to GRRM’s Wild Cards universe including the recently released “Inside Straight”…Official S.L. Farrell Website
Order “A Magic of Twilight” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Whitechapel Gods” by S.M. Peters. Release Date: February 5, 2008. In Victorian London, the Whitechapel section is a mechanized, steam-driven hell, cut off and ruled by two mysterious, mechanical gods—Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock. Some years after the Great Uprising when humans rose up to fight against the machines, a few brave veterans have formed their own Resistance and are gathering for another attack. This time they have a secret weapon that may finally free them—or kill them all…Order “Whitechapel Gods” HERE
Read Reviews of “Whitechapel Gods” via Don D’Ammasa
“The Monsters of Templeton” by Lauren Groff. Release Date: February 5, 2008. “The day I returned to Templeton steeped in disgrace, the fifty-foot corpse of a monster surfaced in Lake Glimmerglass.” So begins Lauren Groff’s “The Monsters of Templeton”, a spellbinding debut novel that spans two centuries and is part contemporary story of a girl’s search for her father, part historical novel, and part ghost story, while at its core is a tale of how one town holds the shocking truth about a family…Official Lauren Groff Website
Official Monsters of Templeton Website
Order “The Monsters of Templeton” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Sins of the Assassin” by Robert Ferrigno. Release Date: February 5, 2008. In the second book of Robert Ferrigno's spectacular Assassin Trilogy (Prayers for the Assassin), Rakkim Epps battles radical fundamentalist forces in a futuristic America (yr 2043) that is now a divided blood-soaked dystopia. Will he survive? Can America ever be unified again? Colossal in concept, dazzlingly plotted, filled with vivid, jaw-dropping violence, “Sins of the Assassin” confirms Robert Ferrigno as the modern master of the futuristic thriller…Official Robert Ferrigno Website
Order “Sins of the Assassin” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Last Dragon” by J.M. McDermott. Release Date: February 5, 2008. In the tradition of Gene Wolf and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, J.M. McDermott brings the fantasy genre to new literary heights with a remarkable first novel that weaves together an intricate web of stories to tell a tale of revenge, justice, ambition, and power that grows into something more. The latest release from the new WOTC Discoveries imprint, “Last Dragon” is the debut of a brilliant new voice that will leave critics and readers alike in stunned awe…Official J.M. McDermott Blog
Order “Last Dragon” HERE
Review Reviews of “Last Dragon” via Jeff VanderMeer + Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist
“The Automatic Detective” by A. Lee Martinez. Release Date: February 5, 2008. Even in Empire City, a town where weird science is the hope for tomorrow, it’s hard for a robot to make his way. It’s even harder for a robot named Mack Megaton, a machine designed to enslave mankind. But Mack’s not interested in world domination. He’s just trying to prove that he isn’t just an automated smashing machine and to earn his citizenship in the process. It should be as easy as crushing a tank for Mack, but some bots just can’t catch a break…
Official A. Lee Martinez Website
Order “The Automatic Detective” HERE
“Singularity’s Ring” by Paul Melko. Release Date: February 5, 2008. In the debut novel from an exciting new voice in science fiction, Paul Melko explores what happens after ninety percent of humanity leaves Earth… “Singularity’s Ring is a distinctive vision of a post-singularity future where group minds and human singletons struggle to control the sinister consequence of a failed transcendence…Melko gives us an absorbing tour of a world where humanity isn’t what it used to be…” —Charles Stross (Glasshouse, Halting State)
Official Paul Melko Website
Official Paul Melko LiveJournal
Order “Singularity’s Ring” HERE
“Waking Brigid” by Francis Clark. Release Date: February 5, 2008. Into the dark and battered culture of haunting Savannah, Georgia following the Civil War comes Brigid Rourke, a young girl given up by her family into the service of the Church to ensure her survival. But in order to do that she had to reject her people's pagan ways. What follows is nothing less than an amazing clash between the forces of good and evil—dedicated white magicians versus entrenched devil worshippers—for the soul of a city…
Order “Waking Brigid” HERE
NOTE: “Waking Brigid” is Francis Clark’s debut novel. Unfortunately, the author passed away unexpectedly in the Spring of 2007.
“Marseguro” by Edward Willet. Release Date: February 5, 2008. After a worldwide disaster strikes Earth, the planet is taken over by a fanatical religious theocracy. Scientist Victor Hansen fled to Marseguro, a distant water world, with a group of unmodified humans and members of his newly created race. But their peace & freedom is threatened when a traitor calls forth a strike force from Earth and Victor's own grandson, Richard, is with them. What Richard discovers may alter not only his own destiny but that of Marseguro and Earth…
Official Edward Willet Website
Order “Marseguro” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Dream Chaser” by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Release Date: February 5, 2008. Continuing the spellbinding Dream-Hunter series from NYTs bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon, “Dream Chaser” follows Xypher who has been given one month on Earth as a human to redeem himself through one good deed or be condemned to eternal torture in Tartarus. But there’s one catch: the only way he can feel emotions is through the dreams of others, a punishment the gods inflicted upon him before he received his death sentence…
Order “Last Dragon” HERE
Review Reviews of “Last Dragon” via Jeff VanderMeer + Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist
“The Automatic Detective” by A. Lee Martinez. Release Date: February 5, 2008. Even in Empire City, a town where weird science is the hope for tomorrow, it’s hard for a robot to make his way. It’s even harder for a robot named Mack Megaton, a machine designed to enslave mankind. But Mack’s not interested in world domination. He’s just trying to prove that he isn’t just an automated smashing machine and to earn his citizenship in the process. It should be as easy as crushing a tank for Mack, but some bots just can’t catch a break…Official A. Lee Martinez Website
Order “The Automatic Detective” HERE
“Singularity’s Ring” by Paul Melko. Release Date: February 5, 2008. In the debut novel from an exciting new voice in science fiction, Paul Melko explores what happens after ninety percent of humanity leaves Earth… “Singularity’s Ring is a distinctive vision of a post-singularity future where group minds and human singletons struggle to control the sinister consequence of a failed transcendence…Melko gives us an absorbing tour of a world where humanity isn’t what it used to be…” —Charles Stross (Glasshouse, Halting State)Official Paul Melko Website
Official Paul Melko LiveJournal
Order “Singularity’s Ring” HERE
“Waking Brigid” by Francis Clark. Release Date: February 5, 2008. Into the dark and battered culture of haunting Savannah, Georgia following the Civil War comes Brigid Rourke, a young girl given up by her family into the service of the Church to ensure her survival. But in order to do that she had to reject her people's pagan ways. What follows is nothing less than an amazing clash between the forces of good and evil—dedicated white magicians versus entrenched devil worshippers—for the soul of a city…Order “Waking Brigid” HERE
NOTE: “Waking Brigid” is Francis Clark’s debut novel. Unfortunately, the author passed away unexpectedly in the Spring of 2007.
“Marseguro” by Edward Willet. Release Date: February 5, 2008. After a worldwide disaster strikes Earth, the planet is taken over by a fanatical religious theocracy. Scientist Victor Hansen fled to Marseguro, a distant water world, with a group of unmodified humans and members of his newly created race. But their peace & freedom is threatened when a traitor calls forth a strike force from Earth and Victor's own grandson, Richard, is with them. What Richard discovers may alter not only his own destiny but that of Marseguro and Earth…Official Edward Willet Website
Order “Marseguro” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Dream Chaser” by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Release Date: February 5, 2008. Continuing the spellbinding Dream-Hunter series from NYTs bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon, “Dream Chaser” follows Xypher who has been given one month on Earth as a human to redeem himself through one good deed or be condemned to eternal torture in Tartarus. But there’s one catch: the only way he can feel emotions is through the dreams of others, a punishment the gods inflicted upon him before he received his death sentence…Official Sherrilyn Kenyon Website
Order “Dream Chaser” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Midnight Reign” by Chris Marie Green. Release Date: February 5, 2008. “Night Rising”, book one in Chris Marie Green’s Vampire Babylon series, was only the beginning… Dawn Madison reluctantly came to Los Angeles in search of her missing father and found instead a world of murder and the living dead she never imagined existed. When a new vampire slaying lures Dawn deeper into the underground, her alliances in the sunlit world shift. Now she has only herself to trust and her newfound skills as a vampire slayer…
Official Vampire Babylon Website
Official Crystal Green/Chris Marie Green Website
Order “Midnight Reign” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Bleeding Dusk” by Colleen Gleason. Release Date: February 5, 2008. In the third installment of the Gardella Vampire Chronicles, “The Bleeding Dusk” pits vampire hunter Lady Victoria against the vampires of Rome as they race to unlock the secrets of a legendary alchemist behind his mysterious Magic Door. Complicating matters is her desire for Sebastian Vioget, while loyalty binds her to Maximilian Pesaro, but she can she trust either, especially when a seductive vampire begins luring her into the shadows...
Official Colleen Gleason Website
Order “The Bleeding Dusk” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Incognegro” by Mat Johnson. Release Date: February 6, 2008. Novelist Mat Johnson—winner of the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for fiction—constructs a fearless graphic novel that is both a page-turning mystery and a disturbing exploration of race & self-image in America, masterfully illustrated by Warren Pleece (Hellblazer). This tale, about forgotten heroes of the battle for racial justice, is not only a vital work of social commentary, it’s a blistering thriller that will leave you both exhilarated & outraged…
Official Mat Johnson Website
Order “Incognegro” HERE
Read a Preview HERE
“Biting the Bullet” by Jennifer Rardin. Release Date: February 11, 2008. “I’m Jaz Parks. This is a mission unlike anything my vampire boss, Vayl, and I have ever been on. It's not our usual take them out and run; it's an undercover mission that needs the whole gang: a psychic, an interpreter, and a weapons specialist. We're joining a Special Ops team to nail the Wizard, a major terrorist thorn in the military's side. We've never gone in with such heavy artillery before, but the more the merrier, right? Um . . . nope.”
Official Jennifer Rardin Website
Order “Biting the Bullet” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Soul Thief” by Charles Baxter. Release Date: February 12, 2008. In “The Soul Thief”, Charles Baxter has given us one of his most beautifully wrought and unexpected works of fiction: at once lyrical and eerie, acutely observant in its sensual and emotional detail and audaciously metaphysical in its underpinnings. It is a brilliant novel—one that is certain to expand both his already stellar reputation, and his readership. “…stunning, never predictable, glimmering fiction, full of mischief and insight…” —Los Angeles Times
Official Charles Baxter Website
Order “The Soul Thief” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Secret Scroll” by Ronald Cutler. Release Date: February 13, 2008. In “The Secret Scroll”, an original & exciting debut novel, visionary radio entrepreneur Ronald Cutler steeps readers in an unforgettable read that is equal parts modern-day thriller, historical mystery and love story. Set in Jerusalem, a city where ancient religious conflicts weigh as heavily as the desert sun, Cutler paints a rich & electric portrait of the city that safeguards both the ancient secrets and important holy sites of Jewish, Christian & Muslim worshippers…
Official The Secret Scroll Website
Order “The Secret Scroll” HERE
Watch the Book Trailer HERE
“The Burning Man” by Mark Chadbourn. UK Release Date: February 15, 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
“Secret Histories” by F. Paul Wilson. Release Date: February 15, 2008. F. Paul Wilson has been contracted to write a trilogy of YA novels based on the formative years of his popular character Repairman Jack. The first, “Secret Histories”, starts with Jack at the age fourteen and will be released through Tor in May 2008. Before then, you can order signed & numbered editions from Gauntlet Press. “Here is where it all starts, in mysterious Pine Barrens with a withered corpse and an ancient artifact carved with strange designs…”
Official F. Paul Wilson Website
Order “Secret Histories” (Limited Edition) HERE
“Elric: The Stealer of Souls” by Michael Moorcock. Release Date: February 19, 2008. Held out of print for years, Moorcock’s famous antihero Elric reemerges in this 480-page, illustrated collector's edition that includes such classics as “The Dreaming City”, “While the Gods Laugh,” “The Stealer of Souls”, “Kings in Darkness,” etc. In addition to these fantasy standards, the paperback original contains an introduction by Alan Moore, a foreword by Moorcock, several background essays & other additional material…
Official Michael Moorcock Website
Order “Elric: The Stealer of Souls” HERE
NOTE: “The Stealer of Souls” is the first volume in the Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné, so expect many more Elric stories to come back into print. Meanwhile, the cover artwork and interior illustrations are provided by the World Fantasy and International Horror Guild Award-winning John Picacio.
“Victory Conditions” by Elizabeth Moon. Release Date: February 19, 2008. With this fifth and final installment in Elizabeth Moon’s electrifying space opera, Vatta’s War, the Nebula Award-winning author launches her series into the same rarefied orbit occupied by greats Lois McMaster Bujold and David Weber. “Fans have been eager to know if Kylara Vatta can assemble enough force to vanquish her nemesis forever. And will she finally restore honor to her family name? This final installment answers it all…”
Official Elizabeth Moon Website
Order “Victory Conditions” HERE
“In A Time of Treason” by David Keck. Release Date: February 19, 2008. David Keck captivated readers with his debut novel “In the Eye of Heaven”. Now, in the gritty, brooding and epic sequel “In A Time of Treason”, the author continues the gripping story of Durand Col, a man at the heart of a nation divided: Can his loyalties survive his divided heart? Can the land of his birth survive the forces that tear it asunder? Can love and loyalty endure in a time of treason? There’s only one way to discover the answers…
Official David Keck Website
Order “In A Time of Treason” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Obedience” by Will Lavender. Release Date: February 19, 2008. When the students in Winchester’s Logic & Reasoning 204 arrive for their first day of class, they are greeted not with a syllabus or texts, but with a unique assignment: Find a hypothetical missing girl within six weeks—aided by a series of clues & details—or she will be murdered. At first the students are intrigued by the puzzle, but as they delve deeper into the mystery, they begin to wonder if something more sinister & dangerous is going on?
Official Will Lavender Website
Order “Obedience” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Seekers of the Chalice” by Brian Cullen. Release Date: February 19, 2008. In a time when gods & men walked the earth alongside demons, the Chalice of Fire maintained peace in the kingdom of Ulster—until the day it was stolen… An epic tale that brings to mind the works of Tolkien, Gemmell and Salvatore, Brian Cullen’s debut novel “Seekers of the Chalice” is the first book of a trilogy that blends Celtic mythology and fantasy, while exploring the ongoing battle between good and evil in a land that is teetering on darkness…
Order “Seekers of the Chalice” HERE
“Monster, 1959” by David Maine. Release Date: February 19, 2008. From the critically acclaimed author of “The Preservationist” and “The Book of Samson”, David Maine’s “Monster, 1959” is an extraordinary tale that is partly a twisted reimagining of the classic story of King Kong—in this case K, a forty-foot creature covered in fur & feathers, gifted with unusable butterfly wings and the mental capacity of a goldfish—and partly a commentary on 1950s America as it enters the most culturally upended decade of the century…
Official David Maine Blog
Order “Monster, 1959” HERE
“The Domino Men” by Jonathan Barnes. UK Release Date: February 21, 2008. In this standalone follow-up to “The Somnambulist”, Jonathan Barnes brings his invention, reality, grotesquerie and curiosities on an eye-popping literary odyssey around London as you have never seen it before; through a history you would never believe including every conspiracy theory you've ever heard about the royal family and the true story about the power of Number 10. And you may even meet a couple of old school friends again…
Order “The Domino Men” HERE
“Dark Blood” by John Meaney. UK Release Date: February 21, 2008. John Meaney's (To Hold Infinity, the Nulapeiron Sequence) triumphant invention of gothic SF continues from “Bone Song" with undead detective Donal Riordan discovering a terrifying conspiracy against the living. A plot that goes right to the top and anyone who gets in the way will be killed—again... John Meaney's new Tristopolis series is a superb melding of the science fiction and horror genres and is perfectly timed for the resurgence of the horror market…
Official John Meaney Website
Order “Dark Blood” HERE (Hardcover) + HERE (Paperback)
“Meat” by Joseph D'Lacey. UK Release Date: February 21, 2008. God is supreme. The flesh is sacred. From this all nourishment flows... Abyrne is a decaying town, trapped by an advancing wilderness. Its people depend on meat for survival. Meat is sanctified & precious, eaten with devout solemnity. A feud smolders between the religious & secular powers holding the town in thrall—whoever controls the food supply controls everything. Conflict is imminent. The townsfolk are hungry. The townsfolk must be fed…
Official Joseph D'Lacey Website
Order “Meat” HERE
Read Fatally Yours’ REVIEW of “Meat”
“Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter” by Nancy Atherton. Release Date: February 21, 2008. Lori Shepherd’s life in England couldn’t be more tranquil or more satisfying—except for one thing. Her five-year-old twins have started school, and Lori fears they’ll catch everything from the flu to fleas. What they come home with however, is far worse: a vampire lurking in the woods… The original paranormal detective returns in the latest and thirteenth installment of Nancy Atherton’s beloved and bestselling Aunt Dimity series…
Official Nancy Atherton Website
Order “Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter” HERE
“The Outlaw Demon Wails” by Kim Harrison. Release Date: February 26, 2008. To save the lives of her friends, bounty hunter and witch Rachel Morgan did the unthinkable: she willingly trafficked in forbidden demon magic. And now in the sixth entry to Kim Harrison’s sexy, supernatural and New York Times-bestselling Hollows series, Rachel’s sins are coming home to haunt her. Because when you dance with demons, you lay your soul on the line . . . and there are some lines that should never be crossed…
Official Kim Harrison Website
Order “The Outlaw Demon Wails” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Darque Reviews’ REVIEW of “The Outlaw Demon Wails”
“Bone Song” by John Meaney. Release Date: February 26, 2008 (US Debut). Hailed as “the first important new SF writer of the 21st century,” John Meaney (To Hold Infinity) delivers a darkly luminous new thriller in “Bone Song”—volume one in the Tristopolis series—that blends futuristic noir with gothic fantasy. Here, in a city of the dead where desire is very much alive and murder a pleasure for connoisseurs, an honest cop named Donal Riordan must face his own darkest impulses just to have a prayer…
Official John Meaney Website
Order “Bone Song” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Bone Song” via SFFWorld, Strange Horizons + SF Site
“Emissaries from the Dead” by Adam-Troy Castro. Release Date: February 26, 2008. Hiding dark secrets, Andrea Cort is sent to an artificial world to investigate an odd series of murders. But the artificial planet’s AI has its own secrets as well…ones that could lead into the tragedy of Andrea’s past as she fights to uncover the murderer and keep the peace between human and alien. “This is the one we’ve been waiting for…SF at its best…Silence of the Lambs as Larry Niven might have written it. Bravo!” —Robert J. Sawyer
Official Adam-Troy Castro Website
Order “Emissaries from the Dead” HERE
“Madhouse” by Rob Thurman. Release Date: February 26, 2008. In the follow-up to “Nightlife” and “Moonshine”, half-human Cal Leandros and his brother Niko aren’t exactly prospering with their preternatural detective agency. Who could guess that business would dry up in New York City where vampires, trolls and other creepy crawlies are all over the place? But now there’s a new baddie in the Big Apple and for Cal and Niko, this is one paycheck they’re going to have to earn…if they live long enough to collect it…
Official Rob Thurman Website
Order “Madhouse” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
”Heart of Light” by Sarah A. Hoyt. Release Date: February 26, 2008. Set in a magical Victorian British Empire that never was, this unique fantasy blends adventure, intrigue & romance as a newlywed couple travel to Cairo for their honeymoon and end up embarking on a dangerous quest involving demons, murderers & magic—and in the process discover their own heart’s desires… “Heart of Light” is the start of Sarah A. Hoyt’s new Magical British Empire series, which continues in “Soul of Fire” and “Heart and Soul”…
Official Sarah A. Hoyt Website
Order “Heart of Light” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume II” edited by George Mann. Release Date: February 26, 2008. Following the successful format established by The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, this brand new anthology brings together an eclectic selection of all-original stories by some of the genre's best-loved and most popular writers including Michael Moorcock, Karl Schroeder, Robert Reed, Kay Kenyon, David Louis Edelman, Peter Watts, Paul Di Filippo, Chris Roberson, Dan Abnett, Neal Asher, et cetera…
Official Solaris Books Website
Order “The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume II” HERE (US) + HERE (UK)
“Blue War” by Jeffrey Thomas. Release Date: February 26, 2008. Over a decade ago Earth's Colonial Forces battled in a bloody war against the blue-skinned Ha Jiin people. Now, the hard-won peace is about to crumble as the work of an Earth-owned biotech corporation goes disastrously wrong. It's up to private investigator Jeremy Stake (Deadstock)—the mutant with chameleon-like abilities—to uncover the truth behind the mysterious events, and prevent a new war from beginning before it’s too late…for everyone…
Official Jeffrey Thomas Website
Order “Blue War” HERE (US) + HERE (UK)
Read Reviews of “Blue War” HERE
“Birmingham, 35 Miles” by James Braziel. Release Date: February 26, 2008. When the ozone layer opened and the sun scorched the land, there was nothing left for Mat but to hope for a better life in Birmingham. Now, with the killing deserts on the move and the woman he loves gone, Mat has every reason to leave, but is torn between a new life and the one that isn’t ready to let him go… In this haunting & poignant debut, Braziel tells an unforgettable story of love, family & survival across a world that has begun to die…
Order “Birmingham, 35 Miles” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Grimspace” by Ann Aguirre. Release Date: February 26, 2008. As the carrier of a rare gene, Sirantha Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace—a special talent which makes her a highly prized commodity for the Corp. Then the ship she’s piloting crash lands, killing everyone on board and leaving Jax in a jail cell accused for murder with no memory of the crash. But her fun's not over. A group of rogue fighters free her...for a price—her help in overthrowing the Corp and establishing a new breed of jumper…
Official Ann Aguirre Website
Order “Grimspace” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Attack of the Fiend” by Joseph Delaney. Release Date: February 26, 2008. The Wardstone Chronicles—known as The Spooks in the UK—is titled The Last Apprentice here in America, with the fourth book renamed from “The Spook’s Battle” to “Attack of the Fiend”. This time, apprentice Thomas Ward must face a new danger as the three most powerful witches clans are uniting to conjure an unimaginable evil and the most powerful enemy Thomas has ever encountered…
Official Spooks Website
Order “Attack of the Fiend” HERE
NOTE: Film rights to “The Spook’s Apprentice” have been picked up by Warner Bros. with Tim Burton (Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands, Sweeny Todd) tapped to direct.
“Happy Hour of the Damned” by Mark Henry. Release Date: February 26, 2008. Getting used to the afterlife can be a daunting process. Advertising executive Amanda Feral has barely adjusted to being turned into a zombie, and now she’s trying to make her way through Seattle’s undead scene filled with bloodsuckers, shape-shifters, reapers, devils, etc. When one of Amanda’s undead friends disappears, she discovers that something very sinister is at hand, and this time, Amanda may meet a fate much worse than death…
Official Mark Henry Blog
Order “Happy Hour of the Damned” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Happy Hour of the Damned” via Darque Reviews + The Fantasy and Sci-Fi Lovin’ Blog
“Dead To Me” by Anton Strout. Release Date: February 26, 2008. Psychometry—the power to touch an object and divine information about its history—has meant a life of petty crime for Simon Canderous, but now he's gone over to the right side of the law. But is he prepared for a nefarious plot that involves politically correct cultists, a large wooden fish, a homicidal bookcase, and the forces of Darkness—which kind of have a crush on him… “Dead To Me” is the start of Anton Strout’s brand new urban fantasy series…
Official Anton Strout Website
Order “Dead To Me” HERE
“Matter” by Iain M. Banks. Release Date: February 27, 2008. The Culture—a human/machine symbiotic society—is a far-future civilization of seemingly limitless resources and infinite technological possibilities. Yet the Culture is far from perfect, and it is still subject to brutal wars, political upheaval, and intrusions from beyond the edges of known space. With extraordinary imaginative scope and storytelling prowess, Iain M. Banks’ “Matter” is one of the most highly anticipated SF novels of the year…
Official Iain M. Banks Website
Order “Matter” HERE (US) + HERE (UK)
Read An Extract HERE
Read SFFWorld’s REVIEW of “Matter”
“The Number 121 to Pennsylvania and Others” by Kealan Patrick Burke. Release Date: February 28, 2008. Kealan Patrick Burke's first collection “Ravenous Ghosts”, promptly sold out and now commands high prices on the secondary market. In the award-winning author’s follow-up collection, Cemetery Dance presents an ambitious gathering of nearly 550 pages of spine-chilling horror by one of the genre’s most popular young writers, including original novella “Saturday Night At Eddie's” and the screenplay “Mr. Goodnight”…
Official Kealan Patrick Burke Website
Order “Dream Chaser” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Midnight Reign” by Chris Marie Green. Release Date: February 5, 2008. “Night Rising”, book one in Chris Marie Green’s Vampire Babylon series, was only the beginning… Dawn Madison reluctantly came to Los Angeles in search of her missing father and found instead a world of murder and the living dead she never imagined existed. When a new vampire slaying lures Dawn deeper into the underground, her alliances in the sunlit world shift. Now she has only herself to trust and her newfound skills as a vampire slayer…Official Vampire Babylon Website
Official Crystal Green/Chris Marie Green Website
Order “Midnight Reign” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Bleeding Dusk” by Colleen Gleason. Release Date: February 5, 2008. In the third installment of the Gardella Vampire Chronicles, “The Bleeding Dusk” pits vampire hunter Lady Victoria against the vampires of Rome as they race to unlock the secrets of a legendary alchemist behind his mysterious Magic Door. Complicating matters is her desire for Sebastian Vioget, while loyalty binds her to Maximilian Pesaro, but she can she trust either, especially when a seductive vampire begins luring her into the shadows...Official Colleen Gleason Website
Order “The Bleeding Dusk” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Incognegro” by Mat Johnson. Release Date: February 6, 2008. Novelist Mat Johnson—winner of the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for fiction—constructs a fearless graphic novel that is both a page-turning mystery and a disturbing exploration of race & self-image in America, masterfully illustrated by Warren Pleece (Hellblazer). This tale, about forgotten heroes of the battle for racial justice, is not only a vital work of social commentary, it’s a blistering thriller that will leave you both exhilarated & outraged…Official Mat Johnson Website
Order “Incognegro” HERE
Read a Preview HERE
“Biting the Bullet” by Jennifer Rardin. Release Date: February 11, 2008. “I’m Jaz Parks. This is a mission unlike anything my vampire boss, Vayl, and I have ever been on. It's not our usual take them out and run; it's an undercover mission that needs the whole gang: a psychic, an interpreter, and a weapons specialist. We're joining a Special Ops team to nail the Wizard, a major terrorist thorn in the military's side. We've never gone in with such heavy artillery before, but the more the merrier, right? Um . . . nope.”Official Jennifer Rardin Website
Order “Biting the Bullet” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Soul Thief” by Charles Baxter. Release Date: February 12, 2008. In “The Soul Thief”, Charles Baxter has given us one of his most beautifully wrought and unexpected works of fiction: at once lyrical and eerie, acutely observant in its sensual and emotional detail and audaciously metaphysical in its underpinnings. It is a brilliant novel—one that is certain to expand both his already stellar reputation, and his readership. “…stunning, never predictable, glimmering fiction, full of mischief and insight…” —Los Angeles TimesOfficial Charles Baxter Website
Order “The Soul Thief” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Secret Scroll” by Ronald Cutler. Release Date: February 13, 2008. In “The Secret Scroll”, an original & exciting debut novel, visionary radio entrepreneur Ronald Cutler steeps readers in an unforgettable read that is equal parts modern-day thriller, historical mystery and love story. Set in Jerusalem, a city where ancient religious conflicts weigh as heavily as the desert sun, Cutler paints a rich & electric portrait of the city that safeguards both the ancient secrets and important holy sites of Jewish, Christian & Muslim worshippers…Official The Secret Scroll Website
Order “The Secret Scroll” HERE
Watch the Book Trailer HERE
“The Burning Man” by Mark Chadbourn. UK Release Date: February 15, 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
“Secret Histories” by F. Paul Wilson. Release Date: February 15, 2008. F. Paul Wilson has been contracted to write a trilogy of YA novels based on the formative years of his popular character Repairman Jack. The first, “Secret Histories”, starts with Jack at the age fourteen and will be released through Tor in May 2008. Before then, you can order signed & numbered editions from Gauntlet Press. “Here is where it all starts, in mysterious Pine Barrens with a withered corpse and an ancient artifact carved with strange designs…”Official F. Paul Wilson Website
Order “Secret Histories” (Limited Edition) HERE
“Elric: The Stealer of Souls” by Michael Moorcock. Release Date: February 19, 2008. Held out of print for years, Moorcock’s famous antihero Elric reemerges in this 480-page, illustrated collector's edition that includes such classics as “The Dreaming City”, “While the Gods Laugh,” “The Stealer of Souls”, “Kings in Darkness,” etc. In addition to these fantasy standards, the paperback original contains an introduction by Alan Moore, a foreword by Moorcock, several background essays & other additional material…Official Michael Moorcock Website
Order “Elric: The Stealer of Souls” HERE
NOTE: “The Stealer of Souls” is the first volume in the Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné, so expect many more Elric stories to come back into print. Meanwhile, the cover artwork and interior illustrations are provided by the World Fantasy and International Horror Guild Award-winning John Picacio.
“Victory Conditions” by Elizabeth Moon. Release Date: February 19, 2008. With this fifth and final installment in Elizabeth Moon’s electrifying space opera, Vatta’s War, the Nebula Award-winning author launches her series into the same rarefied orbit occupied by greats Lois McMaster Bujold and David Weber. “Fans have been eager to know if Kylara Vatta can assemble enough force to vanquish her nemesis forever. And will she finally restore honor to her family name? This final installment answers it all…”Official Elizabeth Moon Website
Order “Victory Conditions” HERE
“In A Time of Treason” by David Keck. Release Date: February 19, 2008. David Keck captivated readers with his debut novel “In the Eye of Heaven”. Now, in the gritty, brooding and epic sequel “In A Time of Treason”, the author continues the gripping story of Durand Col, a man at the heart of a nation divided: Can his loyalties survive his divided heart? Can the land of his birth survive the forces that tear it asunder? Can love and loyalty endure in a time of treason? There’s only one way to discover the answers…Official David Keck Website
Order “In A Time of Treason” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Obedience” by Will Lavender. Release Date: February 19, 2008. When the students in Winchester’s Logic & Reasoning 204 arrive for their first day of class, they are greeted not with a syllabus or texts, but with a unique assignment: Find a hypothetical missing girl within six weeks—aided by a series of clues & details—or she will be murdered. At first the students are intrigued by the puzzle, but as they delve deeper into the mystery, they begin to wonder if something more sinister & dangerous is going on?Official Will Lavender Website
Order “Obedience” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Seekers of the Chalice” by Brian Cullen. Release Date: February 19, 2008. In a time when gods & men walked the earth alongside demons, the Chalice of Fire maintained peace in the kingdom of Ulster—until the day it was stolen… An epic tale that brings to mind the works of Tolkien, Gemmell and Salvatore, Brian Cullen’s debut novel “Seekers of the Chalice” is the first book of a trilogy that blends Celtic mythology and fantasy, while exploring the ongoing battle between good and evil in a land that is teetering on darkness…Order “Seekers of the Chalice” HERE
“Monster, 1959” by David Maine. Release Date: February 19, 2008. From the critically acclaimed author of “The Preservationist” and “The Book of Samson”, David Maine’s “Monster, 1959” is an extraordinary tale that is partly a twisted reimagining of the classic story of King Kong—in this case K, a forty-foot creature covered in fur & feathers, gifted with unusable butterfly wings and the mental capacity of a goldfish—and partly a commentary on 1950s America as it enters the most culturally upended decade of the century…Official David Maine Blog
Order “Monster, 1959” HERE
“The Domino Men” by Jonathan Barnes. UK Release Date: February 21, 2008. In this standalone follow-up to “The Somnambulist”, Jonathan Barnes brings his invention, reality, grotesquerie and curiosities on an eye-popping literary odyssey around London as you have never seen it before; through a history you would never believe including every conspiracy theory you've ever heard about the royal family and the true story about the power of Number 10. And you may even meet a couple of old school friends again…Order “The Domino Men” HERE
“Dark Blood” by John Meaney. UK Release Date: February 21, 2008. John Meaney's (To Hold Infinity, the Nulapeiron Sequence) triumphant invention of gothic SF continues from “Bone Song" with undead detective Donal Riordan discovering a terrifying conspiracy against the living. A plot that goes right to the top and anyone who gets in the way will be killed—again... John Meaney's new Tristopolis series is a superb melding of the science fiction and horror genres and is perfectly timed for the resurgence of the horror market…Official John Meaney Website
Order “Dark Blood” HERE (Hardcover) + HERE (Paperback)
“Meat” by Joseph D'Lacey. UK Release Date: February 21, 2008. God is supreme. The flesh is sacred. From this all nourishment flows... Abyrne is a decaying town, trapped by an advancing wilderness. Its people depend on meat for survival. Meat is sanctified & precious, eaten with devout solemnity. A feud smolders between the religious & secular powers holding the town in thrall—whoever controls the food supply controls everything. Conflict is imminent. The townsfolk are hungry. The townsfolk must be fed…Official Joseph D'Lacey Website
Order “Meat” HERE
Read Fatally Yours’ REVIEW of “Meat”
“Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter” by Nancy Atherton. Release Date: February 21, 2008. Lori Shepherd’s life in England couldn’t be more tranquil or more satisfying—except for one thing. Her five-year-old twins have started school, and Lori fears they’ll catch everything from the flu to fleas. What they come home with however, is far worse: a vampire lurking in the woods… The original paranormal detective returns in the latest and thirteenth installment of Nancy Atherton’s beloved and bestselling Aunt Dimity series…Official Nancy Atherton Website
Order “Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter” HERE
“The Outlaw Demon Wails” by Kim Harrison. Release Date: February 26, 2008. To save the lives of her friends, bounty hunter and witch Rachel Morgan did the unthinkable: she willingly trafficked in forbidden demon magic. And now in the sixth entry to Kim Harrison’s sexy, supernatural and New York Times-bestselling Hollows series, Rachel’s sins are coming home to haunt her. Because when you dance with demons, you lay your soul on the line . . . and there are some lines that should never be crossed…Official Kim Harrison Website
Order “The Outlaw Demon Wails” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Darque Reviews’ REVIEW of “The Outlaw Demon Wails”
“Bone Song” by John Meaney. Release Date: February 26, 2008 (US Debut). Hailed as “the first important new SF writer of the 21st century,” John Meaney (To Hold Infinity) delivers a darkly luminous new thriller in “Bone Song”—volume one in the Tristopolis series—that blends futuristic noir with gothic fantasy. Here, in a city of the dead where desire is very much alive and murder a pleasure for connoisseurs, an honest cop named Donal Riordan must face his own darkest impulses just to have a prayer…Official John Meaney Website
Order “Bone Song” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Bone Song” via SFFWorld, Strange Horizons + SF Site
“Emissaries from the Dead” by Adam-Troy Castro. Release Date: February 26, 2008. Hiding dark secrets, Andrea Cort is sent to an artificial world to investigate an odd series of murders. But the artificial planet’s AI has its own secrets as well…ones that could lead into the tragedy of Andrea’s past as she fights to uncover the murderer and keep the peace between human and alien. “This is the one we’ve been waiting for…SF at its best…Silence of the Lambs as Larry Niven might have written it. Bravo!” —Robert J. SawyerOfficial Adam-Troy Castro Website
Order “Emissaries from the Dead” HERE
“Madhouse” by Rob Thurman. Release Date: February 26, 2008. In the follow-up to “Nightlife” and “Moonshine”, half-human Cal Leandros and his brother Niko aren’t exactly prospering with their preternatural detective agency. Who could guess that business would dry up in New York City where vampires, trolls and other creepy crawlies are all over the place? But now there’s a new baddie in the Big Apple and for Cal and Niko, this is one paycheck they’re going to have to earn…if they live long enough to collect it…Official Rob Thurman Website
Order “Madhouse” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
”Heart of Light” by Sarah A. Hoyt. Release Date: February 26, 2008. Set in a magical Victorian British Empire that never was, this unique fantasy blends adventure, intrigue & romance as a newlywed couple travel to Cairo for their honeymoon and end up embarking on a dangerous quest involving demons, murderers & magic—and in the process discover their own heart’s desires… “Heart of Light” is the start of Sarah A. Hoyt’s new Magical British Empire series, which continues in “Soul of Fire” and “Heart and Soul”…Official Sarah A. Hoyt Website
Order “Heart of Light” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume II” edited by George Mann. Release Date: February 26, 2008. Following the successful format established by The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, this brand new anthology brings together an eclectic selection of all-original stories by some of the genre's best-loved and most popular writers including Michael Moorcock, Karl Schroeder, Robert Reed, Kay Kenyon, David Louis Edelman, Peter Watts, Paul Di Filippo, Chris Roberson, Dan Abnett, Neal Asher, et cetera…Official Solaris Books Website
Order “The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume II” HERE (US) + HERE (UK)
“Blue War” by Jeffrey Thomas. Release Date: February 26, 2008. Over a decade ago Earth's Colonial Forces battled in a bloody war against the blue-skinned Ha Jiin people. Now, the hard-won peace is about to crumble as the work of an Earth-owned biotech corporation goes disastrously wrong. It's up to private investigator Jeremy Stake (Deadstock)—the mutant with chameleon-like abilities—to uncover the truth behind the mysterious events, and prevent a new war from beginning before it’s too late…for everyone…Official Jeffrey Thomas Website
Order “Blue War” HERE (US) + HERE (UK)
Read Reviews of “Blue War” HERE
“Birmingham, 35 Miles” by James Braziel. Release Date: February 26, 2008. When the ozone layer opened and the sun scorched the land, there was nothing left for Mat but to hope for a better life in Birmingham. Now, with the killing deserts on the move and the woman he loves gone, Mat has every reason to leave, but is torn between a new life and the one that isn’t ready to let him go… In this haunting & poignant debut, Braziel tells an unforgettable story of love, family & survival across a world that has begun to die…Order “Birmingham, 35 Miles” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Grimspace” by Ann Aguirre. Release Date: February 26, 2008. As the carrier of a rare gene, Sirantha Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace—a special talent which makes her a highly prized commodity for the Corp. Then the ship she’s piloting crash lands, killing everyone on board and leaving Jax in a jail cell accused for murder with no memory of the crash. But her fun's not over. A group of rogue fighters free her...for a price—her help in overthrowing the Corp and establishing a new breed of jumper…Official Ann Aguirre Website
Order “Grimspace” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
“Attack of the Fiend” by Joseph Delaney. Release Date: February 26, 2008. The Wardstone Chronicles—known as The Spooks in the UK—is titled The Last Apprentice here in America, with the fourth book renamed from “The Spook’s Battle” to “Attack of the Fiend”. This time, apprentice Thomas Ward must face a new danger as the three most powerful witches clans are uniting to conjure an unimaginable evil and the most powerful enemy Thomas has ever encountered…Official Spooks Website
Order “Attack of the Fiend” HERE
NOTE: Film rights to “The Spook’s Apprentice” have been picked up by Warner Bros. with Tim Burton (Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands, Sweeny Todd) tapped to direct.
“Happy Hour of the Damned” by Mark Henry. Release Date: February 26, 2008. Getting used to the afterlife can be a daunting process. Advertising executive Amanda Feral has barely adjusted to being turned into a zombie, and now she’s trying to make her way through Seattle’s undead scene filled with bloodsuckers, shape-shifters, reapers, devils, etc. When one of Amanda’s undead friends disappears, she discovers that something very sinister is at hand, and this time, Amanda may meet a fate much worse than death…Official Mark Henry Blog
Order “Happy Hour of the Damned” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Reviews of “Happy Hour of the Damned” via Darque Reviews + The Fantasy and Sci-Fi Lovin’ Blog
“Dead To Me” by Anton Strout. Release Date: February 26, 2008. Psychometry—the power to touch an object and divine information about its history—has meant a life of petty crime for Simon Canderous, but now he's gone over to the right side of the law. But is he prepared for a nefarious plot that involves politically correct cultists, a large wooden fish, a homicidal bookcase, and the forces of Darkness—which kind of have a crush on him… “Dead To Me” is the start of Anton Strout’s brand new urban fantasy series…Official Anton Strout Website
Order “Dead To Me” HERE
“Matter” by Iain M. Banks. Release Date: February 27, 2008. The Culture—a human/machine symbiotic society—is a far-future civilization of seemingly limitless resources and infinite technological possibilities. Yet the Culture is far from perfect, and it is still subject to brutal wars, political upheaval, and intrusions from beyond the edges of known space. With extraordinary imaginative scope and storytelling prowess, Iain M. Banks’ “Matter” is one of the most highly anticipated SF novels of the year…Official Iain M. Banks Website
Order “Matter” HERE (US) + HERE (UK)
Read An Extract HERE
Read SFFWorld’s REVIEW of “Matter”
“The Number 121 to Pennsylvania and Others” by Kealan Patrick Burke. Release Date: February 28, 2008. Kealan Patrick Burke's first collection “Ravenous Ghosts”, promptly sold out and now commands high prices on the secondary market. In the award-winning author’s follow-up collection, Cemetery Dance presents an ambitious gathering of nearly 550 pages of spine-chilling horror by one of the genre’s most popular young writers, including original novella “Saturday Night At Eddie's” and the screenplay “Mr. Goodnight”…Official Kealan Patrick Burke Website
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6 comments:
That is one hell of a line up! I feel quite dizzy having read through it and have no idea when I'd get time to actually *read* the number of books I now "need"! Congrats for pulling such a huge list together.
Oh! Oh! I know which book you should get!
Robert, thanks so much for including my latest release in your roundup.
Peta, thanks for the compliments! I appreciate it :)
Anton & Colleen, thanks for stopping by and good luck with your releases!!!
Thanks for including my collection in that esteemed lineup!
You're more than welcome Kealan :) Hope all is well!