Locus Online: New Books, 3rd week May 2005

* Allende, Isabel : Forest of the Pygmies
(HarperCollins 0-06-076196-2, $19.99, 296pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket illustration Cliff Nielsen)

Young-adult fantasy novel, third in the trilogy following City of the Beasts (2002) and Kingdom of the Golden Dragon (2004), about a teenage boy who accompanies his grandmother on an expedition to Kenya.
• The HarperCollins site has this description, with a chapter excerpt and a (PDF) reading guide.
• Amazon has the Booklist review.

(Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Bell, Hilari : Rise of a Hero
(Simon & Schuster 0-689-85415-3, $16.95, 462pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket illustration Steve Stone)

Young-adult fantasy novel, second in the Farsala trilogy following Fall of a Kingdom (aka Flame), about a land whose legends foretell a warrior to save it from domination by an enemy. The series has also been called "The Book of Sorahb", and is based on ancient Persian myth.
• The author's site has this description; the same description is on the publisher's site, which also has this excerpt.
• The Amazon page also has the chapter one excerpt, as well as reader reviews, including one from Tamora Pierce: "I liked RISE OF A HERO even more than FALL OF THE KINGDOM, and that's saying a lot!"

(Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Colfer, Eoin : Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception
(Hyperion/Miramax 0-7868-5289-5, $16.95, 342pp, hardcover, April 2005, jacket art Ellice M. Lee)

Young-adult fantasy novel, fourth in the popular series about a young criminal genius. The first was Artemis Fowl in 2001. In this book Artemis' enemy Opal Koboi escapes prison, by cloning herself and leaving the double behind, and seeks revenge.
• Series site www.artemisfowl.com has a description, a decoder game, an audio excerpt, an interview with the main character, and more. Much the same content is on the publisher's site.

(Thu 19 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Eco, Umberto : The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
(Harcourt 0-15-101140-0, $28, 469pp, hardcover, June 2005)

Associational novel about a man who suffers a stroke and loses his memory except for everything he has read -- and who tries to reconstruct his life by reviewing books and artifacts from his childhood and later life. Translated from the Italian by Geoffrey Brock.
• The PW review on the Amazon page comments "The setup allows semiotician and novelist Eco (The Name of the Rose, etc.) to indulge his passion for pulp materials by reproducing such objects as movie posters, song lyrics and a graphic novella rendering the Book of Revelation as a Flash Gordon melodrama, with intriguing asides on cognitive psychology and philosophy of mind thrown in." Amazon also has its own review by Regina Marler.
• Harcourt's site has this description, and an excerpt.
• The nearest to an author's homepage appears to be this page at The Modern Word, which has an interview with translator Geoff Brock.

(Tue 17 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Gardner, James Alan : Gravity Wells
(HarperCollins/Eos 0-06-008770-6, $15.95, 19+344pp, trade paperback, May 2005, cover illustration Fred Gambino)

Collection of 14 stories, subtitled "Speculative Fiction Stories", plus an introduction. It's the author's first short story collection. Stories include Hugo and Nebula nominee (and Aurora Award winner) "Three Hearings on the Existence of Snakes in the Human Bloodstream", and Aurora Award winner "Muffin Explains Teleology to the World at Large".
• The publisher's site has this description, and an excerpt (from "Muffin Explains...").
• Author's website.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which calls it the author's "highly intelligent first story collection".

(Tue 17 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

+ Hanley, Victoria : The Light of the Oracle
(Random House/Fickling 0-385-75086-2, $15.95, 312pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket illustration Greg Spalenka) First US edition (UK: David Fickling Books, August 2004)

Young-adult fantasy novel about the daughter of a stone-cutter who's taken away to become a student at the Temple of the Oracle.
• The publisher's site has a brief description and an excerpt.
• The author's website has her background, excerpts from reviews, and cover images.

(Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Harris, Charlaine : Dead as a Doornail
(Ace 0-441-01279-5, $22.95, 295pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket illustration Lisa Desimini)

Fantasy/mystery novel, fifth in the Southern Vampire series about Sookie Stackhouse, following Dead to the World (2004). This one concerns a sniper in the small Louisiana town who's targeting shapeshifters.
• The author's website has this excerpt.
• Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review, from its April 4th issue: "Harris does an admirable job of creating a heroine who's not only interesting but completely believable in a world of the strange and the different. ...Natural and humorous dialogue and a nicely paced plot that doesn't dwell so much on Sookie's old boyfriends help make this entry the best yet in the series."
• Carolyn Cushman reviewed it in the April issue of Locus Magazine: "Ulterior motives, a battle for werewolf packmaster, and arson at Sookie's house just add to the complications which keep Sookie hopping in this fun, if somewhat frustrating (for Sookie, at least), installment in this thoroughly engaging series."

(Tue 17 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Hughes, Kerrie, & Martin H. Greenberg, eds. : Maiden, Matron and Crone
(DAW 0-756-40284-0, $7.99, 311pp, mass market paperback, May 2005)

Anthology of 13 original stories about "the three aspects of the Triple Goddess" as represented in various cultures and myths. Authors include Tanya Huff, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Charles de Lint, Jean Rabe, and Jane Lindskold.

(Tue 17 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

+ Jones, Diana Wynne : Conrad's Fate
(HarperCollins/Greenwillow 0-06-074743-7, $16.99, 375pp, hardcover, April 2005, jacket art Jon Foster) First US edition (UK: Collins, March 2005)

Young-adult fantasy novel, sixth in the Chrestomanci series, introducing teenager Conrad Tesdinic, who takes a job as a servant in a big mansion in order to learn the identity of a villain, and who shares a room with Christopher Chant, a character from the earlier books.
• The publisher's site has a description and chapter excerpt.
• The author's website has a section about the series, with descriptions and excerpts of the five earlier books and a trivia quiz.
• Amazon has its own review by Patty Campbell -- "With Wynne Jones' characteristic skill at plotting, the finale is a whirlwind of revealed alter-identities and just desserts for villains, ending with as many satisfying romantic pairings as a Shakespeare comedy." -- as well as the School Library Journal review: "This witty, satisfying story can be read on its own, but is much richer when read as part of the series."

(Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

+ Larke, Glenda : The Aware
(Ace 0-441-01277-9, $6.99, 318pp, mass market paperback, April 2005, cover art Scott Grimando) First US edition (Australia: Voyager, 2003)

Fantasy novel, first book in the Isles of Glory series, about a woman born citizenless in an archipelago of eleven nations about to be discovered by outsiders.
• The author's website has a description along with extracts from reviews and an excerpt. The second book, Gilfeather, will be out from Ace in November.
• Cheryl Morgan's Emerald City review says "The good news is that Larke has made a conscious effort not to write a formula fantasy novel. ...if you have come to The Aware looking for comfort reading then you have come to the wrong place."

(Tue 17 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Martinez, A. Lee : Gil's All Fright Diner
(Tor 0-765-31471-1, $12.95, 268pp, trade paperback, May 2005, cover art Jeff Soto)

Humorous horror/fantasy novel about a werewolf and a vampire who stop at a diner besieged by a zombie attack. Also available in hardcover.
• Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review, from its March 21st issue: "Fans of Douglas Adams and Joe R. Lansdale, who supplies a blurb, will happily sink their teeth into this combo platter of raunchy laughs and ectoplasmic ecstasy."
• The Agony Column's Rick Kleffel posted this review: "Martinez is clearly taking a page from Joe R. Lansdale's 'Drive In' books here. Monsters, gore, humor, Texas. How do you know the end of the world is approaching? Well, perhaps you know it's well on its way -- perhaps has already come to pass -- when Tor is publishing silly horror novels in hardcover."

(Tue 17 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Mosley, Walter : 47
(Little Brown 0-316-11035-3, $16.99, 232pp, hardcover, May 2005)

Young-adult novel about a boy who recalls his life as a slave called '47' on a Georgia plantation in 1832, where he meets 'Tall John', a spirit who talks of magic and freedom.
• Mosley's publisher-hosted website has a brief description and an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly's starred review, from its May 16th issue [not on Amazon], said "This thought-provoking, genre-bending account of one slave's emancipation, Mosley's (Fear Itself) first book for young adults, makes for harrowing reading. ... Equal parts history and tall tale, this engaging story related by an endearing narrator is so full of dramatic tension that few readers will realize they're learning something, too."

(Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Patterson, James : Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
(Little, Brown 0-316-15556-X, $16.99, 422pp, hardcover, April 2005, jacket art Kamil Vojnar)

Young-adult SF thriller about genetically altered kids with wings, first in a series by an author well known for bestselling adult thrillers.
• The author's website links to this specific book site, maximumride.com, with a blog, an audio excerpt, and a chapter excerpt.
• Amazon has mixed reader reviews, and reproduced reviews from School Library Journal and Booklist; the former compares the book to David Lubar and Ann Halam, the latter to Gertrude Chandler Warner and Marvel Comics.

(Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

	MONITOR New Books May #2 Fiona Avery Steve Aylett Clamp Sara Douglass Mary Gentle Michel Houellebecq Tim Lucas Norton & Rabe Harry Turtledove Kaaron Warren Yolen & Nielsen Hayden New Books May #1 (p2) Mary Hoffman Mercedes Lackey Ian R. MacLeod Richard Morgan John Ringo Angie Sage Brandon Sanderson Linnea Sinclair Steve Stanton Steph Swainston Eldon Thompson Glenn Yeffeth 2005 Archive Advertisement KEY 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. * = first edition + = first US edition Date with publisher info is official publication month; Date in parentheses at paragraph end is date seen or received. LINKS Links Portal Bookseller Links Your purchase of books through Amazon.com and Amazon UK links (click on titles or covers) helps support Locus Online Publisher Links E-mail Locus Online		New SF, Fantasy, and Horror books seen : 3rd Week May 2005 posted 26 May 2005 * Allende, Isabel : Forest of the Pygmies (HarperCollins 0-06-076196-2, $19.99, 296pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket illustration Cliff Nielsen) Young-adult fantasy novel, third in the trilogy following City of the Beasts (2002) and Kingdom of the Golden Dragon (2004), about a teenage boy who accompanies his grandmother on an expedition to Kenya. • The HarperCollins site has this description, with a chapter excerpt and a (PDF) reading guide. • Amazon has the Booklist review. (Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Bell, Hilari : Rise of a Hero (Simon & Schuster 0-689-85415-3, $16.95, 462pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket illustration Steve Stone) Young-adult fantasy novel, second in the Farsala trilogy following Fall of a Kingdom (aka Flame), about a land whose legends foretell a warrior to save it from domination by an enemy. The series has also been called "The Book of Sorahb", and is based on ancient Persian myth. • The author's site has this description; the same description is on the publisher's site, which also has this excerpt. • The Amazon page also has the chapter one excerpt, as well as reader reviews, including one from Tamora Pierce: "I liked RISE OF A HERO even more than FALL OF THE KINGDOM, and that's saying a lot!" (Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Colfer, Eoin : Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception (Hyperion/Miramax 0-7868-5289-5, $16.95, 342pp, hardcover, April 2005, jacket art Ellice M. Lee) Young-adult fantasy novel, fourth in the popular series about a young criminal genius. The first was Artemis Fowl in 2001. In this book Artemis' enemy Opal Koboi escapes prison, by cloning herself and leaving the double behind, and seeks revenge. • Series site www.artemisfowl.com has a description, a decoder game, an audio excerpt, an interview with the main character, and more. Much the same content is on the publisher's site. (Thu 19 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Eco, Umberto : The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana (Harcourt 0-15-101140-0, $28, 469pp, hardcover, June 2005) Associational novel about a man who suffers a stroke and loses his memory except for everything he has read -- and who tries to reconstruct his life by reviewing books and artifacts from his childhood and later life. Translated from the Italian by Geoffrey Brock. • The PW review on the Amazon page comments "The setup allows semiotician and novelist Eco (The Name of the Rose, etc.) to indulge his passion for pulp materials by reproducing such objects as movie posters, song lyrics and a graphic novella rendering the Book of Revelation as a Flash Gordon melodrama, with intriguing asides on cognitive psychology and philosophy of mind thrown in." Amazon also has its own review by Regina Marler. • Harcourt's site has this description, and an excerpt. • The nearest to an author's homepage appears to be this page at The Modern Word, which has an interview with translator Geoff Brock. (Tue 17 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Gardner, James Alan : Gravity Wells (HarperCollins/Eos 0-06-008770-6, $15.95, 19+344pp, trade paperback, May 2005, cover illustration Fred Gambino) Collection of 14 stories, subtitled "Speculative Fiction Stories", plus an introduction. It's the author's first short story collection. Stories include Hugo and Nebula nominee (and Aurora Award winner) "Three Hearings on the Existence of Snakes in the Human Bloodstream", and Aurora Award winner "Muffin Explains Teleology to the World at Large". • The publisher's site has this description, and an excerpt (from "Muffin Explains..."). • Author's website. • Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which calls it the author's "highly intelligent first story collection". (Tue 17 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| + Hanley, Victoria : The Light of the Oracle (Random House/Fickling 0-385-75086-2, $15.95, 312pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket illustration Greg Spalenka) First US edition (UK: David Fickling Books, August 2004) Young-adult fantasy novel about the daughter of a stone-cutter who's taken away to become a student at the Temple of the Oracle. • The publisher's site has a brief description and an excerpt. • The author's website has her background, excerpts from reviews, and cover images. (Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Harris, Charlaine : Dead as a Doornail (Ace 0-441-01279-5, $22.95, 295pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket illustration Lisa Desimini) Fantasy/mystery novel, fifth in the Southern Vampire series about Sookie Stackhouse, following Dead to the World (2004). This one concerns a sniper in the small Louisiana town who's targeting shapeshifters. • The author's website has this excerpt. • Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review, from its April 4th issue: "Harris does an admirable job of creating a heroine who's not only interesting but completely believable in a world of the strange and the different. ...Natural and humorous dialogue and a nicely paced plot that doesn't dwell so much on Sookie's old boyfriends help make this entry the best yet in the series." • Carolyn Cushman reviewed it in the April issue of Locus Magazine: "Ulterior motives, a battle for werewolf packmaster, and arson at Sookie's house just add to the complications which keep Sookie hopping in this fun, if somewhat frustrating (for Sookie, at least), installment in this thoroughly engaging series." (Tue 17 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Hughes, Kerrie, & Martin H. Greenberg, eds. : Maiden, Matron and Crone (DAW 0-756-40284-0, $7.99, 311pp, mass market paperback, May 2005) Anthology of 13 original stories about "the three aspects of the Triple Goddess" as represented in various cultures and myths. Authors include Tanya Huff, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Charles de Lint, Jean Rabe, and Jane Lindskold. (Tue 17 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| + Jones, Diana Wynne : Conrad's Fate (HarperCollins/Greenwillow 0-06-074743-7, $16.99, 375pp, hardcover, April 2005, jacket art Jon Foster) First US edition (UK: Collins, March 2005) Young-adult fantasy novel, sixth in the Chrestomanci series, introducing teenager Conrad Tesdinic, who takes a job as a servant in a big mansion in order to learn the identity of a villain, and who shares a room with Christopher Chant, a character from the earlier books. • The publisher's site has a description and chapter excerpt. • The author's website has a section about the series, with descriptions and excerpts of the five earlier books and a trivia quiz. • Amazon has its own review by Patty Campbell -- "With Wynne Jones' characteristic skill at plotting, the finale is a whirlwind of revealed alter-identities and just desserts for villains, ending with as many satisfying romantic pairings as a Shakespeare comedy." -- as well as the School Library Journal review: "This witty, satisfying story can be read on its own, but is much richer when read as part of the series." (Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| + Larke, Glenda : The Aware (Ace 0-441-01277-9, $6.99, 318pp, mass market paperback, April 2005, cover art Scott Grimando) First US edition (Australia: Voyager, 2003) Fantasy novel, first book in the Isles of Glory series, about a woman born citizenless in an archipelago of eleven nations about to be discovered by outsiders. • The author's website has a description along with extracts from reviews and an excerpt. The second book, Gilfeather, will be out from Ace in November. • Cheryl Morgan's Emerald City review says "The good news is that Larke has made a conscious effort not to write a formula fantasy novel. ...if you have come to The Aware looking for comfort reading then you have come to the wrong place." (Tue 17 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Martinez, A. Lee : Gil's All Fright Diner (Tor 0-765-31471-1, $12.95, 268pp, trade paperback, May 2005, cover art Jeff Soto) Humorous horror/fantasy novel about a werewolf and a vampire who stop at a diner besieged by a zombie attack. Also available in hardcover. • Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review, from its March 21st issue: "Fans of Douglas Adams and Joe R. Lansdale, who supplies a blurb, will happily sink their teeth into this combo platter of raunchy laughs and ectoplasmic ecstasy." • The Agony Column's Rick Kleffel posted this review: "Martinez is clearly taking a page from Joe R. Lansdale's 'Drive In' books here. Monsters, gore, humor, Texas. How do you know the end of the world is approaching? Well, perhaps you know it's well on its way -- perhaps has already come to pass -- when Tor is publishing silly horror novels in hardcover." (Tue 17 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Mosley, Walter : 47 (Little Brown 0-316-11035-3, $16.99, 232pp, hardcover, May 2005) Young-adult novel about a boy who recalls his life as a slave called '47' on a Georgia plantation in 1832, where he meets 'Tall John', a spirit who talks of magic and freedom. • Mosley's publisher-hosted website has a brief description and an excerpt. • Publishers Weekly's starred review, from its May 16th issue [not on Amazon], said "This thought-provoking, genre-bending account of one slave's emancipation, Mosley's (Fear Itself) first book for young adults, makes for harrowing reading. ... Equal parts history and tall tale, this engaging story related by an endearing narrator is so full of dramatic tension that few readers will realize they're learning something, too." (Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Patterson, James : Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (Little, Brown 0-316-15556-X, $16.99, 422pp, hardcover, April 2005, jacket art Kamil Vojnar) Young-adult SF thriller about genetically altered kids with wings, first in a series by an author well known for bestselling adult thrillers. • The author's website links to this specific book site, maximumride.com, with a blog, an audio excerpt, and a chapter excerpt. • Amazon has mixed reader reviews, and reproduced reviews from School Library Journal and Booklist; the former compares the book to David Lubar and Ann Halam, the latter to Gertrude Chandler Warner and Marvel Comics. (Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| Opening lines: The funny thing about facing imminent death is that it really snaps everything else into perspective. Take right now, for instance. Opening lines: When I was small, I always thought Stallery Mansion was some kind of fairy-tale castle. I could see it from my bedroom window, high in the mountains above Stallchester, flashing with glass and gold when the sun struck it. When I got to the place at last, it wasn't exactly like a fairy tale. Opening lines: "And what's your name?" "Wait, it's on the tip of my tongue." That is how it all began. Previous New Books: 2nd week May
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