* Asprin, Robert, & Jody Lynn Nye : Class Dis-Mythed
(Meisha Merlin 1592220924, $14.95, 300pp, trade paperback, September 2005, cover art Phil Foglio)

Humorous fantasy novel, latest in the long-running "Myth Adventures" series that began with Another Fine Myth (by Asprin alone) in 1978. In this volume the mage Skeeve discovers several new students are preparing for a deadly magical game.
• The publisher's site has a description.
• Wikipedia's Robert Asprin entry has a listing of these and his other books.

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* Bisson, Terry : Numbers Don't Lie
(Tachyon Publications 1-892391-32-5, $14.95, 163pp, trade paperback, September 2005, cover illustration Cory & Catska Ench, cover design Ann Monn)

Humorous SF novel about quirky math genius Wilson Wu, consisting of three novellas that first appeared in Asimov's magazine: "The Hole in the Hole" (Feb. 1994), "The Edge of the Universe" (Aug 1996), and "Get Me to the Church on Time" (May 1998), the last of which was a Hugo nominee.
• There's a brief afterword by the author.
• Amazon has the book description: "Wu uses his eclectic skill set to prevent the imminent collapse of the universe, guarantee good weather for an Alabama wedding, and tow an abandoned lunar rover from the surface of the moon to a junkyard in Brooklyn. Irreverent and inventive, these adventures exemplify Bisson's smart, hilarious, and satirical style that has earned him Hugo and Nebula awards and comparisons to Mark Twain and Kurt Vonnegut."

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* Brennan, Caitlin : Song of Unmaking
(Luna 0-373-80232-3, $13.95, 488pp, trade paperback, October 2005)

Fantasy romance novel, second in a trilogy that began with The Mountain's Call (2004), set in the Aurelian Empire near the Mountain where the gods, in the form of white horses, live.
• The publisher's page has a description and excerpt.
• The author's site has some background on Lipizzan horses and an excerpt from the first book.
• Amazon has Harriet Klausner's review.

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* Dietz, William C. : Runner
(Ace 0-441-01326-0, $24.95, 424pp, hardcover, October 2005, jacket illustration Craig White)

SF novel about an interstellar courier involved with a future religious leader and a long-lost secret to interstellar travel. First of a series.
• The author's website has a description.
• Amazon has reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist; the former says "Known for his hard SF, Dietz (Legion of the Damned) changes pace with this engaging effort, whose philosophical themes evoke Isaac Asimov's classic Foundation series" while the latter's Roland Green says "Dietz's honorable addition to depictions of the far future, from Wells' Time Machine (1894) to Asimov's Pebble in the Sky (1950) to more recently the works of Clarke and Baxter, is distinguished by the brisk pacing and fleshed-out action scenes that have already made him a respected name in military sf."

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* Gabaldon, Diana : A Breath of Snow and Ashes
(Delacorte 0-385-32416-2, $28, 9+980pp, hardcover, October 2005)

Historical time-travel fantasy novel, sixth in the "Outlander" series, about 18th-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his 20th-century wife Claire. This volume takes place in 1772, on the eve of the American revolution.
• The publisher's site has this description and excerpt.
• Amazon has the Booklist review: "...readers will find every expectation fulfilled in the sixth book of the popular Outlander series. ... Gabaldon's ability to invoke the heroic and the harrowing writ large, while also creating moments where you dare not take a breath for fear of missing something tiny and fine, is her hallmark."
• Slate just published this article about Gabaldon: "The surest way to irk Diana Gabaldon... is to call her a romance writer."

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* Hogan, James P. : Mission to Minerva
(Baen 0-7434-9902-6, $26, 408pp, hardcover, May 2005, cover art Bob Eggleton)

SF novel, fifth in the "Giants" series that began with Hogan's first novel Inherit the Stars (1977), in which a 40,000-year-old spacesuit-clad human is found on the Moon. This volume concerns alternate realities that enable a mission to be sent back in time.
• Hogan's site has this title page for the book, with links to background, a summary, chapter excerpts, and reader reviews and comments.
• Baen's site has a description and numerous chapter excerpts.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Readers who like their science hard will find this one a diamond."
• Paul Di Filippo reviewed it for SF Weekly and gave it a B+.

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* Irvine, Alexander C. : The Narrows
(Ballantine Del Rey 0-345-46698-5, $13.95, 341pp, trade paperback, October 2005, cover design David Stevenson)

Historical fantasy novel set in Detroit during World War II, about a man working in a secret golem-making factory.
• Irvine site has a description. The publisher's site has a description and excerpt.
• Amazon has the PW review.
• Locus Magazine published reviews by both Nick Gevers and Gary K. Wolfe in its October issue. Gevers calls it "Irvine's third and best novel".

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* Jacques, Brian : High Rhulain
(Philomel 0-399-24208-2, $23.99, 340pp, hardcover, September 2005, jacket art Troy Howell)

YA fantasy novel, 18th in the "Redwall" series (though one review notes it can be read as a stand-alone novel). In this volume an ottermaid embarks on a quest to follow the path of the High Rhulain, an otter queen.
• The author's official site has this page with a description and cover images.
• Amazon has reviews from School Library Journal and Booklist; the former says "As with the other volumes, there is sacrifice, death, and bloody battles galore. Readers familiar with the series will relish returning to the Abbey."

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* Jensen, Erik : Orphan Mage
(Chicago Spectrum Press 1-58374-124-0, $19.95, 605pp, trade paperback, October 2005, cover art Willie Peppers)

Fantasy novel, first of a trilogy, about a young man on a quest to defeat the Forces of Darkness and an evil Sorceror.
• The book has its own website, www.orphanmage.com, with a description, excerpt, and author background -- Jensen, now 24, is serving a life sentence without parole in a Colorado prison for his role in a 1998 murder. Website www.teensintrouble.org tells about his Next Day Foundation to help keep young people out of trouble.
• Amazon also has a short description and author bio.

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* Jordan, Robert : Knife of Dreams
(Tor 0-312-87307-7, $29.95, 784pp, hardcover, October 2005, jacket art Darrell K. Sweet)

Fantasy novel, 11th volume in the popular "Wheel of Time" series and purportedly the penultimate volume.
• Tor's site has this page about the book, with links to pages for the earlier books, excerpts, etc. There's also a Knife of Dreams Internet Hunt, with a series of questions and answers derived from the books; the contest ends November 29.
• Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review, from its September 12th issue: "The breakneck pace, lyrical beauty and astonishing scope of the early Wheel of Time volumes established Jordan as one of the top writers in the Tolkien tradition. While more recent entries have maintained that beauty and scope, the pace has slowed to a crawl as the central characters dispersed in six directions. In contrast, the latest explodes with motion, as multiple plot lines either conclude or advance..."
• Carolyn Cushman reviews the book in the upcoming November issue of Locus Magazine: "This time out, a few sub-plots resolve, at least in part, but plenty of significant issues remain to be resolved before the Final Battle. I'm hoping for the best, but Jordan has left himself a lot of territory to cover if he's to bring this epic to a successful, much less a great, conclusion."

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* King, Stephen : The Colorado Kid
(Dorchester/Hard Case Crime 0-8439-5584-8, $5.99, 184pp, mass market paperback, October 2005, cover painting Glen Orbik)

Crime novel (not SF or fantasy), part of a new series of hard-boiled detective novel paperbacks designed to resemble books from the 1940s and '50s, about a murder on an island off the coast of Maine. This book marks the line's second year.
• The publisher's site has this page about the book, with links to a text excerpt and an audio excerpt.
• Amazon has the PW review -- "...it turns out to be rather arty - if by 'arty' you mean 'doesn't answer any important questions.' ... The real mystery: why would the editors publish a story that will only frustrate anyone looking for the kind of hard-boiled detective novel they're promised on the cover? Stephen King is a very good writer, so even when telling a non story at elaborate length he is quite readable. I would have enjoyed this piece in a magazine. It's the misleading presentation that will rankle." -- and mixed reader reviews.

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* LaShea, Riley : Bleeding Through Kingdoms: Cinderella's Rebellion
(Tattered Essence Publishing 0-9766130-1-8, $14.95, 246pp, trade paperback, March 2005, cover by Shawna Newman)

YA fantasy novel in which Cinderella upsets the balance of the Black Forest and encounters other fairy tale characters.
• The book's website has a description, a list of chapter titles, and an excerpt.
• The press release notes "Tired of seeing weak 'heroines' in the so-called 'happily ever after,' Riley LaShea borrowed some favorite characters, added a few of her own, and crafted a modern take on tradition, a genuine fairy tale about courage, friendship, freedom, and self-worth, with healthy doses of humor, mayhem, and, of course, magic."
• Amazon has descriptions and reader reviews.

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* Modesitt, L. E. Jr. : The Eternity Artifact
(Tor 0-765-31464-9, $25.95, 367pp, hardcover, October 2005, jacket art David Seeley)

SF novel set in a far future human populated galaxy, about an expedition sent to a newly discovered planet suggesting non-human intelligence.
• Amazon has the PW review: "The prolific Modesitt employs four different narrative perspectives in this slow-moving tale of far-future intergalactic human civilizations, with often compelling if sometimes repetitive results. ... Readers who like both hard science and realistic sociology will be rewarded."
• D. Douglas Fratz reviewed it for SF Weekly, giving it a B-.

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* Palwick, Susan : The Necessary Beggar
(Tor 0-765-31097-X, $24.95, 316pp, hardcover, October 2005, jacket art Stephan Martiniere)

Fantasy novel about a family of exiles from another dimension who arrive at a refugee camp in Nevada.
• This is Palwick's second novel; her first, Flying in Place, was reprinted earlier this year.
• Amazon has starred reviews from both PW and Booklist: "A triumphant testament to the transcendent power of love and tribute to what being a stranger in a strange land truly means" and "Graced with exceptionally intimate understanding of its characters, Palwick's beautifully crafted tale of exiles struggling to come to terms with a deeply troubled Earth is exquisite."
• John Clute reviewed it for SF Weekly. Faren Miller's review appeared in the October issue of Locus Magazine: "In works like this, any sense of 'happily ever after' can only be hard-won, and Palwick gets there through a fine combination of American ironies, plain Otherworld logic, lingering mystery, and raw, authentic emotions."

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* Sarrantonio, Al : Sebastian of Mars
(Ace 0-441-01337-6, $6.99, 214pp, mass market paperback, October 2005, cover art Matt Stawicki)

SF novel, second in a trilogy that began with Haydn of Mars (published last January), set on a far future Mars populated by sentient felines.
• Amazon has the very brief publisher's description.
• Paul Di Filippo reviewed the earlier book for SF Weekly, grading in an A, describing it as in the planetary romance tradition of Burroughs and Brackett, concluding "Dealing with eternal issues of duty and love, loyalty and sacrifice, intellectual thirst and love of one's homeland, Haydn of Mars is the cat's pajamas."

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* Tarr, Judith : King's Blood
(Roc 0-451-46045-6, $16, 376pp, trade paperback, October 2005)

Historical fantasy novel, sequel to Rite of Conquest (2004), in which Britain has withered under the reign of William the Conqueror's son, who rejected the use of magic.
• The publisher has a brief description.
• Amazon has the PW review: "Compelling characters and curious plot twists make this a page-turner."

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* Welch, Michelle M. : Chasing Fire
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-58823-0, $6.5, 403pp, mass market paperback, October 2005, cover art John Jude Palencar)

Fantasy novel, third in a "Five Countries" trilogy following Confidence Game (2003) and The Bright and the Dark (2004), set in a pseudo-17th century where magic is suspect.
• Bantam's site has a description and an excerpt.
• The author's site has this page about the book, with links to an excerpt and to 'special features' including discussion of music in the book.

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* Williams, Walter Jon : Dread Empire's Fall: Conventions of War
(HarperCollins/Eos 0-380-82022-6, $7.99, 677pp, mass market paperback, October 2005, cover art unidentified)

Far future space opera novel, third in the "Dread Empire's Fall" trilogy following The Praxis and The Sundering.
• The publisher's site has this description and excerpt.
• Note that while the UK editions of the first two books in the trilogy preceded the US editions from Eos, in this case the US edition precedes the UK edition, due in November, and so is the first edition of the book.
• The author's website has this excerpt, noting that two other excerpts have already appeared, in the April-May Asimov's and premiere issue of Aeon.
• There's also an Amazon Short, The Stickpin, a short story in the Dread Empire universe.

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