de Camp, L. Sprague, Lin Carter, & Björn Nyberg Conan the Swordsman
(Tor 0-765-30069-9, $23.95, 255pp, December 2002, jacket art Vladimir Nenov, jacket design Carol Russo Design)
Collection of 7 stories based on Robert E. Howard's barbarian swordsman, variously cowritten by Carter, de Camp, and Nyberg, plus an introduction by de Camp about the Conan Saga, a lengthy (nearly 60 pages) appendix of Hyborian Names, and a map of Conan's world.
• First published in 1978
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Dick, Philip K. Counter-Clock World
(Vintage 0-375-71933-4, $11, 218pp, trade paperback, November 2002)
Three more novels by the now culturally-sanctified author of The Man in the High Castle, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and many other novels; these are relatively low in the PKD canon, as if Vintage Books is determined to preserve even his most minor titles. Time runs backward in the first; a rebel disrupts a reactive society in the second; and the third satirizes the arms race. Worthy for PKD completists, but for those new to this prolific author, there are 15 or 20 others novels to read before getting to these three.
• First published in 1967
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Dick, Philip K. The Man Who Japed
(Vintage 0-375-71935-0, $11, 168pp, trade paperback, November 2002)
• First published in 1956
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Dick, Philip K. The Zap Gun
(Vintage 0-375-71936-9, $12, 252pp, trade paperback, November 2002)
• First published in 1967
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* Dickson, Gordon, & Ben Bova Hour of the Gremlins
(Baen 0743435699, $14, 407pp, trade paperback, December 2002, cover art Csanad Novak)
Omnibus of three humorous SF novels: Hour of the Horde by Dickson (1970); Wolfling by Dickson (1969); and Gremlins Go Home by Dickson & Bova (1974). Not directly related, except by the theme of aliens vs. humans, according to Baen's page about the book, which links several excerpts.
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Gibson, William Idoru
(Berkley 0-425-19045-5, $13.95, 10+308pp, trade paperback, January 2003)
SF novel set in 21st-century Tokyo, about a singer who falls in love with a virtual woman who seems more like a ghost. It placed 6th in the Locus Poll for best SF novel of its year, but missed being nominated for any more significant awards. It's republication now seems timed as a teaser for Gibson's next new novel, Pattern Recognition, due in February. The website http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/ has this description and excerpt, and now hosts, since Jan. 6th, Gibson's blog.
• First published in 1996
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Jones, Diana Wynne Deep Secret
(Tor 0-765-34247-2, $5.99, 375pp, trade paperback, November 2002, cover art Charles Vess)
Fantasy novel, November's title from Tor's Starscape line of classic books for young adults. This is about a junior magician responsible for Earth who's faced with finding a replacement for his boss--and goes searching at a science fiction convention. Reviews on the Amazon page include one from Rich Horton. Jones is an author insiders like to point out as unfairly neglected in the shadow of J.K. Rowling.
• First published in 1997
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Lee, Tanith Black Unicorn
(iBooks 0-7434-4512-0, $12, 138pp, trade paperback, December 2002, cover art Heather Cooper)
Short fantasy novel, illustrated by Heather Cooper, about a young girl’s relationship with a unicorn. The Amazon page has several 5-star reader reviews.
• First published in 1991
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Lem, Stanislaw Solaris
(Harcourt 0-15-602760-7, $13, 204pp, trade paperback, December 2002)
SF novel, the basis for the recent Steven Soderbergh film starring George Clooney, and before that for a 1972 film by Andrei Tarkovsky. Lem's novel was first published in Polish in 1961, and translated into English in 1970; it was English readers' first exposure to Lem, and Solaris is still Lem's best-known book. The book's lavish descriptions of mysterious artifacts generated by the 'intelligent ocean' on the planet's surface were ignored by Soderbergh's film in favor of focus on the love story. Gary Westfahl's review of the film is here.
• First published (in English) in 1970
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Rotsler, William Patron of the Arts
(ibooks 0-7434-4517-1, $12, 6+218pp, trade paperback, December 2002, cover art Joerg Maurer, cover design j. vita)
SF novel about a new artform called the sensatron, and a billionaire's use of it to turn a beautiful woman into a work of art. Rotsler was long-known as a fan artist of humorous cartoons when he wrote the novelette version "Patron of the Arts" in 1972; it was a Hugo and Nebula nominee, and expanded into this novel in 1974. He wrote a few more novels subsequently, including one in collaboration with Gregory Benford, but this remains his best-known work. This edition has an introduction by Harlan Ellison.
• First published in 1974
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Russell, Eric Frank Next of Kin
(Dobson 0575072407, 181pp, trade paperback, September 2002)
Humorous SF novel about a clever human outwitting dim-witted aliens -- a familiar Russell theme (as in Wasp), but especially well-done here, according to David Pringle ("one of this sprightly author's most engaging space adventure comedies") and several reader reviews on Amazon, including Alan Dean Foster: "The funniest SF story ever written". Earlier version were "Plus-X", a 1957 Astouding novella, and The Space Willies (Ace, 1958).
• First published in 1959
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Springer, Nancy I Am Mordred
(Firebird 0-698-11841-3, $5.99, 184pp, 2002, cover illustration Cliff Nielsen)
YA fantasy novel, subtitled "A Tale from Camelot", about Arthur's son Mordred trying to escape his destiny to kill his father. Amazon has a review by Patty Campbell, and several enthusiastic reader reviews.
• First published in 1998
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Wrede, Patricia C. The Magician's Ward
(Starscape 0-765-34248-0, $5.99, 310pp, trade paperback, September 2002, cover art Jim Madsen)
YA fantasy novel set in medieval London, sequel to Mairelon the Magician (1991), about the magician's apprentice Kim trying to solve a mystery involving the disappearance of Mairelon's magic. Amazon has a review, and reader reviews.
• First published in 1997
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