* Adams, John Joseph, ed. : Federations
(Prime Books 978-1-6070-1201-6, $14.95, 379pp, trade paperback, May 2009, cover art Serjoe + James Thew)

Anthology of 23 stories about interstellar societies. Nine of the stories are reprints; 14 are original to this book.
• Authors include Orson Scott Card, Lois McMaster Bujold, George R.R. Martin & George Guthridge, Alastair Reynolds, Robert Silverberg, and Robert J. Sawyer with reprints; L.E. Modesitt Jr., John C. Wright, Yoon Ha Lee, Mary Rosenblum, Allen Steele, and Catherynne M. Valente with originals.
• The publisher's site has this page for the book with a listing of the table of contents.
• Adams' site has this description with links to interviews with the authors of the original stories and to several free stories.
• Rich Horton and Gardner Dozois both review it in the May issue of Locus Magazine. Dozois likes John C. Wright's "Twilight of the Gods" the best -- it "performs the trick of writing valid science fiction that reads like epic fantasy as well as anyone has ever done it".

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* Aguirre, Ann : Blue Diablo
(Roc 978-0-451-46264-0, $6.99, 316pp, mass market paperback, April 2009)

Urban fantasy novel, subtitled "a Corine Solomon novel", about a woman with the ability to touch an object and perceive its history and future.
• The author's website has this page for the book with a YouTube video, blurg, and excerpt.
• Amazon's page has posts from the author and reader reviews.

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* Andrews, Ilona : Magic Strikes
(Ace 978-0-441-01702-7, $7.99, 310pp, mass market paperback, April 2009, cover art Chad Michael Ward)

Urban fantasy novel, third in the "Kate Daniels" series following Magic Bites and Magic Burns, about a female mercenary in a magical Atlanta.
• The author's site has this description and excerpt.
• Carolyn Cushman reviews it in the May issue of Locus Magazine, who notes that the book includes a revelation that's "a big payoff for fans, but one guaranteed to lead to more trouble in forthcoming volumes of this entertaining series."

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* Bova, Ben : The Immortality Factor
(Tor 978-0-7653-0525-1, $25.95, 480pp, hardcover, April 2009)

Medical thriller about two brothers on opposite sides of a controversy over a medical breakthrough in organ regeneration.
• Tor's website has this description.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review -- which notes that this book is an "uncut version" of Bova's 1996 novel Brothers -- and the Booklist review, which concludes "Bova masterfully presents the subtleties of all sides of both personal and scientific issues in a movie-like presentation of court testimony interspersed with chapters of backstory. Guaranteed riveting reading."

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* Datlow, Ellen, & Terri Windling, eds. : Troll's Eye View
(Viking 978-0-670-06141-9, $16.99, 200pp, hardcover, April 2009, jacket illustration Esao Andrews)

Young adult anthology, subtitled "A Book of Villainous Tales", of 15 original stories.
• Authors include Delia Sherman, Garth Nix, Peter S. Beagle, Ellen Kushner, Nancy Farmer, Neil Gaiman, and Kelly Link.
• Parent publisher Penguin has this description.
• Online reviews include this Blogcritics Books review by Richard Marcus, and Kestrell Rath's review at Green Man Review.

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* Enge, James : Blood of Ambrose
(Pyr 978-1-59102-736-2, $15.98, 401pp, trade paperback, April 2009, cover illustration Dominic Harman)

Fantasy novel, the author's debut, about the protector of a young king who plots to take command of the empire.
• Pyr's site has this page about the book with quotes from reviews and sample chapters.
• The author's website has a blog and online fiction and reviews.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review -- "Though the characters are more fascinating than lovable, Enge's precise and elegant language and some darkly harrowing scenes are sure to tug on readers' heartstrings..." -- and several posts by the author, about the recent Nebula Awards winners among other things.

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* Garcia, Eric : The Repossession Mambo
(Harper 978-0-06-180283-6, $7.99, 328pp, mass market paperback, April 2009)

SF novel about a bio-repo man, who takes back artificial organs from those who fall behind on their payments.
• The publisher's site has this description, with its "browse inside" function including an excerpt.
• The author has published several previous novels, including Matchstick Men, made into a film by Ridley Scott, and a film version of this book is due later this year, starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker.
• Amazon's "Look Inside" feature also has an excerpt.

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* Kenyon, Kay : City Without End
(Pyr 978-1-59102-698-3, $25, 465pp, hardcover, February 2009, cover illustration Stephan Martiniere)

Far-future SF novel, third book of "The Entire and the Rose" series following Bright of the Sky (2007) and A World Too Near (2008), set in a parallel universe in which a former star pilot from Earth faces the destruction of the great engine of Ahnenhoon, built to sustain the Entire, but which would destroy Earth's own universe.
• Pyr's site has a description and sample chapters.
• The author's site has this page about the universe. The series has one more book to go, Prince of Storms, due in 2010.
• Amazon has 5-star reader reviews from Louise Marley and others.

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* Le Guin, Ursula K. : Cheek by Jowl: Essays
(Aqueduct Press 978-1-933500-27-0, $16, 149pp, trade paperback, April 2009)

Collection of eight essays about "how and why fantasy matters". Several were previously published or were presented as lectures; title essay "Cheek by Jowl: Animals in Children's Literature" is expanded from her Arbuthnot Lecture of 2004.
• The publisher's site has this description on its Current Publications page.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviewed the book in the April '09 issue of Locus Magazine: "This rather modest collection from Aqueduct Press isn't as imposing as her earlier nonfiction books, but it's nevertheless of considerable interest, bringing together lectures, breakfast talks, and essays from the past few years, only one of which has appeared in an earlier collection. Its centerpiece, taking up about half the length of the volume, is the title essay 'Cheek by Jowl: Animals in Children's Literature', originally delivered as the Arbuthnot lecture at the ALA in 2004 and expanded here..."

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* Mendlesohn, Farah, ed. : On Joanna Russ
(Wesleyan University Press 978-0-8195-6902-8, $29.95, 11+285pp, trade paperback, May 2009, cover illustration James Gurney)

Nonfiction anthology of 16 essays about Joanna Russ, feminist author of The Female Man, And Chaos Died, and other works.
• Contributors include Gary K. Wolfe, Edward James, Samuel R. Delany, and Graham Sleight. The editor provides an introduction. There are listings of notes and works cited, and an index.
• The publisher's site has this description (from the back cover) and the complete table of contents.
• Amazon's "Look Inside" feature includes the first few pages of Gary K. Wolfe's essay.

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* Roberts, Adam : Yellow Blue Tibia
(UK: Gollancz 978-0-575-08356-1, £18.99, 326pp, hardcover, January 2009)

Alternate (or secret) history SF novel about a panel of writers summoned by Stalin in 1946 to invent an extraterrestrial enemy.
• The publisher's website has this description with a PDF extract.
• Adrienne Martini's review from the April issue of Locus Magazine is posted here; she writes "Taken in terms of plot, Yellow Blue Tibia is a thrill ride, if only because of Roberts's wit and snappy pacing. Skvorecky's mix of bitterness and heart makes him an engaging character. The mystery of what is actually going on is a pleasure to noodle around with while you read. Roberts, who has twice previously been shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, is a confident writer who appears to be having buckets of fun telling this story."

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* Rusch, Kristine Kathryn : Duplicate Effort
(Roc 978-0-451-46260-2, $7.99, 371pp, mass market paperback, February 2009)

Mystery/SF novel, seventh in the 'Retrieval Artist' series following The Disappeared (2002), Extremes (2003), Consequences (2004), Buried Deep (2005), Paloma (2006), and Recovery Man (2007). This one concerns a corrupt law firm and Miles Flint's daughter's pursuit of her five clones.
• Roc's site has this brief description.

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* Stross, Charles : The Revolution Business
(Tor 978-0-7653-1672-1, $24.95, 320pp, hardcover, April 2009, jacket art Paul Youll)

Fantasy novel, fifth in The Merchant Princes series following The Family Trade (2004), The Hidden Family (2005), The Clan Corporate (2006), and The Merchants' War (2007), about a Boston biotech journalist who learns she is heiress in a family who trades across parallel universes.
• Tor's website has this description.
• Amazon's "Look Inside" function includes an except, and the Publishers Weekly review notes that "Stross pays heartfelt homage to Roger Zelazny and Lois McMaster Bujold..."
• Russell Letson reviewed the book in the April issue of Locus Magazine, aware that there's one book yet to go: "Stross has a fine eye for intrigue, for bad behavior driven by understandable (if deplorable) motives and personality traits, for the lengths to which people will go to have things their own way, and he has wound up the spring of this plot-machine about as tight as one could want. Presently it will strike and we'll see what time it really is."

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