Locus Online
MONITOR
2004 Archive

New Books Nov. #1
Kelley Armstrong
Alison Baird
John Barnes
Algis Budrys
Robert Buettner
Dennis Foon
Esther M. Friesner
Shannon Hale
James A. Hetley
Michael Hoeye
Matthew Hughes
Jack McDevitt
John Pelan
Stanley C. Sargent
Tad Williams
George Zebrowski

New Books Oct. #4
Baggett & Klein
Bruce Balfour
L.G. Burbank
Clamp
Fowler, Murphy, et al
Madeline Howard
Michael Lawrence
R.A. Salvatore
Lucius Shepard
Ruth A. Souther
Peter Straub
Judith Tarr
G.P. Taylor
Karen Traviss
Harry Turtledove
David Weber
Jack Williamson


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This page lists selected newly published SFFH books seen by Locus Online (independently from the listings compiled by Locus Magazine).

Review copies received will be listed (though reprints and reissues are on other pages), but not galleys or advance reading copies. Selections, some based only on bookstore sightings, are at the discretion of Locus Online.

Key:
* = first edition
+ = first US edition
Date with publisher info is official publication month;
Date in parentheses at paragraph end is date seen or received.


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Notable new SF, Fantasy, and Horror books seen : November 2004 Week #2


* Carey, Jacqueline : Banewreaker
(Tor 0-765-30521-6, $27.95, 431pp, hardcover, November 2004, jacket art Donato)

Fantasy novel, first in duology "The Sundering", about seven gods waging war for control of the universe.
• The author previously wrote the "Kushiel" series, beginning with Kushiel's Dart, winner of the Locus Award for best first novel.
• The author's website has a description and a sample chapter, and notes that the second volume, Godslayer, is due to be published next August.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which concludes "Perhaps nowhere in fiction is a dragon described as remarkably or as lovingly, a creature of unbelievable power yet also of gentle tenderness. This is a memorable beginning to what should be another strong series."
• Faren Miller reviews it in the November issue of Locus Magazine.
(Wed 10 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* DeCandido, Keith R. A. : Dragon Precinct
(Pocket Star 0-7434-6770-1, $6.99, 262pp, mass market paperback, August 2004, cover illustration Romas Kukalis)

Fantasy novel, a police procedural in a world where humans live with trolls, elves, etc. It's the author's first original novel (after numerous media tie-ins).
• The author's site has this background about how the book came to be written, and an excerpt.
• Amazon has the review from Booklist, which concludes "it's worth a try even for readers who usually take either their procedurals or their fantasies unadulterated." SF Site has a review by Michael M Jones.
(Wed 10 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Drake, David : Master of the Cauldron
(Tor 0-312-87496-0, $25.95, 428pp, hardcover, November 2004, jacket art Donato)

Fantasy novel, sixth volume in the "Lord of the Isles" saga.
• Drake's website isn't up-to-date about this book, but includes a bibliography of past works.
• Though the publisher of this book is Tor, Baen's website has a description page with links to excerpts.
• Amazon has the Booklist review by Roland Green, which concludes "The audience for this kind of fantasy saga should prove large and ongoing, and for this volume, at least, it will be well deserved."
(Wed 10 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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+ Eddings, David, & Leigh Eddings : The Treasured One
(Warner Aspect 0-446-53226-6, $25.95, 473pp, hardcover, October 2004, jacket illustration Matt Stawicki)

Fantasy novel, volume two of the "Dreamers" series after last year's The Elder Gods.
• The publisher's site has this description and an excerpt.
• Amazon has the PW review.
(Wed 10 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Flint, Eric, ed. : The Grantville Gazette
(Baen 0-7434-8860-1, $6.99, 361pp, mass market paperback, November 2004, cover art Thomas Kidd)

Alternate history anthology of 5 stories set in the universe of Flint's 1632 and sequels, plus 3 nonfiction articles on the world.
• Baen's site has a description with links to excerpts.
• The stories were first published online via Baen's WebScriptions, which has volumes 2 and 3 already available.
(Wed 10 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Jones, Tamara Siler : Ghosts in the Snow
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-58709-9, $6.99, 488pp, mass market paperback, November 2004, cover art Les Edwards)

Fantasy novel, a police procedural set in a medieval castle where a series of killings are apparently being committed by a ghost. The author's first novel.
• The publisher's site has this description.
• The author's website has an excerpt, and notes about the second Dubric Byerly Mystery to be called Threads of Malice.
(Wed 10 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* McGann, Oisin : The Gods and their Machines
(Tor 0-765-31159-3, $19.95, 235pp, hardcover, November 2004, jacket art Daniel Dos Santos)

YA SF/fantasy novel set in a world analogous to the Middle East with its conflict between Israel and Palestine. Described on the cover as "in the tradition of Ender's Game".
• It's the Irish author and illustrator's first genre novel, though he's published two other YA books previously.
• The author's website advises that the first name is pronounced "uh-sheen", and provides an excerpt.
(Thu 11 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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(HarperCollins/Morrow 0-06-059025-4, $14.95, 275pp, hardcover, December 2004)

Satirical fantasy novel about an angel who descends to a small California town at Christmastime and begins reanimating the dead. It's a semi-sequel to Lamb : The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, featuring Archangel Raziel.
• The author's website has a description with links to an excerpt and reading guide (coming soon). The publisher's site also has the description, and an excerpt, and links to an audio interview and an audio excerpt.
• Amazon has the PW review: "This little slice of perverse Christmas cheer is enough to make even the most cynical Scrooge guffaw."
• Faren Miller reviews it in the upcoming December issue of Locus: "It's thoroughly silly, and a lot of fun."
(Thu 11 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Rabe, Jean : The Finest Creation
(Tor 0-765-30820-7, $24.95, 318pp, hardcover, November 2004, jacket art Romas)

YA fantasy novel, first of a trilogy, about intelligent equines who taken care of "fallen" humans. The cover description compares it to Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series and C.S.Lewis's Narnia.
• Amazon has the PW review.
• The author's webpage lists her works, displays photos, and plays music.
(Wed 10 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Richards, Leigh : Califia's Daughters
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-58667-X, $6.99, 489pp, mass market paperback, August 2004, cover illustration Stephen Youll)

Post-apocalypse SF novel about warrior women who guard the world's few surviving men.
• Leigh Richards is a pseudonym for mystery writer Laurie R. King.
• The publisher's site has a description and excerpt.
• Amazon has the Booklist review, by Whitney Scott. SF Weekly posted a review by A.M. Dellamonica, who gave it an A: "Complex and satisfying, Califia's Daughters delivers both as an action-adventure novel and a triumph of world-building."
(Wed 10 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Rosenberg, Joel : Paladins
(Baen 0-7434-8851-2, $24, 455pp, hardcover, September 2004, cover art Gary Ruddell)

Alternate history fantasy novel, first of a new series, set in a 17th century in which magic works.
• Baen's site has a description and links to excerpts.
• The author's homepage is under construction.
• Amazon has the Booklist review by Roland Green: "Classic Rosenberg, which is to say outstanding."
(Wed 10 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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(ibooks 0-7434-9801-1, $15.95, 623pp, trade paperback, October 2004, cover art Michael Whelan)

Collection of 23 stories spanning 6 decades of the author's career, from the 1950s to the 2000s, including numerous awards winners and nominees.
• This is a reprint of the Subterranean Press edition, published in May. It had a different subtitle: "Stories from Six Decades". That edition was described here.
• Amazon has the PW review: "One of the great rewards of this generous book is the journey of discovery, watching his growth from stories capably told but still in debt to their pulp antecedents to high-quality fiction that is indubitably Silverberg's own."
• Paul Di Filippo reviewed it for SF Weekly. Tim Pratt's review appeared in the July issue of Locus.
(Wed 10 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Smedman, Lisa : The Apparition Trail
(Tesseract Books 1894063228, $14.95, 266pp, trade paperback, August 2004)

Alternate history fantasy novel set in Canada, about an elite unit of paranormal Mounties.
• The publisher's site has this description, with links to and quotes from reviews, and an excerpt.
• The author has a Made in Canada (MiC) page, and also this site with information about her novels and game design.
The Alien Online has this review by Terry Baker: "one of the most compulsively readable novels I've enjoyed in a long time. I loved everything about it." SF Site has this review by Donna McMahon.
(Wed 10 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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* Wolfe, Gene : The Wizard
(Tor 0-765-31201-8, $25.95, 477pp, hardcover, November 2004, jacket art Gregory Manchess)

Fantasy novel, second volume of The Wizard Knight following The Knight, published in January and described here. It's about a teenaged boy who enters a realm containing seven levels of reality, where he has many adventures and becomes a knight, and then a wizard.
• The two books are one long novel published in two volumes, not two independent novels, or one novel and its sequel, and Locus will list the books as The Wizard Knight on its Recommended Reading List for 2004.
• Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review, from its Oct 11th issue, which says "This second volume satisfactorily supplies many answers to the riddles and allusions of its tantalizing predecessor, but posits new mysteries as well.", and also curiously notes "The novel stands alone and might even be best if read before The Knight, but will surely drive readers to the first as well.", and concludes "This is fantasy at its best: revelatory and inspirational."
• There is no official Gene Wolfe website, though several fan sites exist, among them Lupine Nuncio, Ultan's Library, and URTH (homepage for an email discussion group about Wolfe's works).
• Borders has online this interview with Wolfe by Neil Gaiman, which focuses on these books. And Nick Gevers' interview with Wolfe is at Infinity Plus.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews the complete novel in the November issue of Locus, commenting "I can't imagine how anyone can fail to revel in the sheer profligacy of invention and the exhilaration of the prose". Nick Gevers review, to appear in the December issue, calls it "an authentic masterpiece".
(Wed 10 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Opening lines:
Some of this part I saw myself, Ben. But not much of it. Mostly it is what various people told me. I am not going to stop all the time to say who told what, since you can figure it out as fast as you read. Mostly, it was Toug.
Opening lines:
Christmas crept into Pine Cove like a creeping Christmas thing: dragging garland, ribbon, and sleigh bells, oozing eggnog, reeking of pine, and threatening festive doom like a cold sore under the mistletoe.
Opening lines:
From a distance, there was nothing on the hillside, nothing but the dry grasses of late summer and a smattering of scrub bushes beneath the skeleton of a long-dead tree. From a distance, no unaided human eye could have picked out the dun and dusty figures from the grass around them; nonetheless, they were there, one long, slim human and two massive dogs. They had been on the hillside since morning, and they moved little.
Opening lines:
I awoke with a start, my heart pounding, certain that I’d heard someone shout my name. Yet all was silent in the darkened barracks. Outside in the night, I heard an owl hoot softly, followed by measured footsteps on the boardwalk that surrounded the parade square: the constable on night picquet making his rounds. His footsteps passed the barracks door, then faded into the night as he walked in the direction of the stables.
Opening lines:
The smell of dead fish, salt water, and sweat combined to cheer Horran as he walked along the Docklands of Cliff's End. For the first time in years, he was back on day patrol.



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