New books published today include Down and Out in Purgatory: The Collected Stories of Tim Powers, Neil Clarke’s anthology More Human Than Human, Tim Pratt’s novel The Wrong Stars, and titles by K.C. Alexander, Richard Baker, Levi Black, Chris Brookmyre, Beth Cato, David Dalglish, Matthew de Abaitua, David Drake, James Alan Gardner, Jim C. Hines, Cat Jordan, William Ledbetter, Fonda Lee, Leena Likitalo, Michael Livingston, Irene Radford, Alexander Gordon Smith, J.R.R. Tolkien, James Van Pelt, Matt Wallace, and Joe Zieja.

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* Alexander, K. C. : Nanoshock
(Angry Robot 978-0857666277, $7.99, 432pp, mass market paperback, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780857666284
• UK edition: 9780857666260 (Thu 2 Nov 2017)
• SINless #2

Cyberpunk novel, second in a series following Necrotech (2016), about a mercenary involved in a conspiracy to change the human condition.
• Angry Robot’s site has this description.

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* Baker, Richard : Valiant Dust
(Tor 978-0-7653-9072-1, $25.99, 352pp, hardcover, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780765390745
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781427290694
• Breaker of Empires #1

Military SF novel, first in a series, about a gunnery officer aboard a starship summoned to deal with a planetary uprising.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “Baker has built his writing career primarily in the Forgotten Realms gaming franchise, and the hand of the dungeon master is heavy in this military SF swashbuckler with clunky racial politics.”

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* Black, Levi : Black Goat Blues
(Tor 978-0765382504, $25.99, 288pp, hardcover, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781466887619
• The Mythos War #2

Lovecraftian fantasy novel, second in a series following Red Right Hand (2016), about a woman out to destroy the Elder God who recruited her as his acolyte.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.

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* Brookmyre, Chris : Places in the Darkness
(Orbit 978-0316435260, $15.99, 448pp, trade paperback, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316435253
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781478948261
• UK edition: 978-0356506241 (Thu 9 Nov 2017)

SF novel about a series of murders aboard an idealistic space station plagued by bootlegging and prostitution.
• The UK edition, linked above, is a hardcover.
• Hachette’s site has this description with an excerpt.

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* Cato, Beth : Red Dust and Dancing Horses and Other Stories
(Fairwood Press 978-1-933846-68-2, $17.99, 366pp, trade paperback, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017

Collection of 28 stories and 6 poems.
• Fairwood’s site has this description with blurbs from Lawrence M. Schoen and others.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Cato hits her intended targets with compassion and insight, and her work is suitable for YA and adult audiences alike.”

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* Clarke, Neil, ed. : More Human than Human
(Night Shade Books 978-1-59780-914-6, $17.99, 672pp, trade paperback, November 2017, cover art Donato Giancola)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017

Anthology of 27 stories, subtitled “Stories of Androids, Robots, and Manufactured Humanity.”
• Authors include Elizabeth Bear, Ian McDonald, JY Yang, Jeff VanderMeer, Xia Jia, Paul McAuley, Cory Doctorow, and Charles Stross.
• Night Shade’s site has this description with the table of contents.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The weakest stories are those that lean toward didacticism, but even those are enjoyable and detract little from the overall high quality of this anthology.”

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* Dalglish, David : Shadowborn
(Orbit 978-0316302777, $16.99, 496pp, trade paperback, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316302760
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781478988380
• UK edition: 978-0356506531 (Thu 9 Nov 2017)
• Seraphim #3

Fantasy novel, third in a series following Skyborn (2015) and Fireborn (2016), in which the remnants of humanity live on six islands floating above an endless ocean.
• Hachette’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly said of the previous book, “There’s a heavy focus on action-packed aerial combat, and the chaos and conflict escalate with every page, but this fantastical futuristic epic doesn’t skimp on plot development and character moments.”

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+ de Abaitua, Matthew : The Red Men
(Angry Robot 978-0857667557, $7.99, 368pp, mass market paperback, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780857667564

First US edition (UK: Snowbooks, October 2007)

SF novel about a new technology that enables digital simulations of rich and powerful people called Red Men.
• This is the first US edition of a 2007 UK novel that was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2008.
• Angry Robot’s site has this description with a blurb from Will Self.

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* Drake, David : The Spark
(Baen 978-1-4814-8276-9, $25, 432pp, hardcover, November 2017, cover art Todd Lockwood)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-615-8

Far future SF novel about a Leader who wields weapons of the Ancients to reintegrate mankind against the threat of inhuman monsters.
• Baen’s site has this description with links to several chapters.
• The Publishers Weekly review calls it an “entertaining tale combining the feel of Arthurian legend with nifty far-future super science…”
• Carolyn Cushman reviews it in the November issue of Locus Magazine: “…the mix of high technology (so advanced it might as well be magic) and Arthurian themes works beautifully against the tantalizingly unexplained past.”

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* Gardner, James Alan : All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault
(Tor 978-0-7653-9263-3, $17.99, 384pp, trade paperback, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780765392657

Humorous superhero novel about four college students who are transformed into ‘Sparks’ in a never-ending war between Light and Dark.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The themes of identity and self-discovery are strong but not overwhelming, and Gardner elevates this enjoyable urban fantasy with an appealing cast and well-crafted prose.”

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* Hines, Jim C. : Terminal Alliance
(DAW 978-0-7564-1274-6, $26, 368pp, hardcover, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780756412760
• Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse #1

Humorous military SF novel, first in a series, about a crew of space janitors.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with a preview function.
• Carolyn Cushman reviews it in the November issue of Locus Magazine: “Action keeps the plot moving nicely, while plumbing and zombie jokes, lots of team banter, and alien misinterpretations of Earth culture provide considerable humor, for a lively start to what promises to be a highly entertaining series.”

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* Jordan, Cat : Eight Days on Planet Earth
(HarperTeen 978-0-06-257173-1, $17.99, 320pp, hardcover, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062571755

Young adult SF romance novel about a boy who meets a girl who claims she’s waiting for her spaceship to pick her up.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.

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* Ledbetter , William, ed. : The Jim Baen Memorial Award: The First Decade
(Baen 978-1-4814-8281-3, $16, 320pp, trade paperback, November 2017, cover art Bob Eggleton)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-617-2

Anthologies of 16 stories, most first published at Baen.com, including winners and runners-up for the Jim Baen Memorial Award, which promotes forward-thinking, positive science fiction.
• Authors include Nancy Fulda, David D. Levine, Martin L. Shoemaker, Jennifer Brozek, and Brad R. Torgersen.
• Baen’s site has this description with links to several samples.

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* Lee, Fonda : Jade City
(Orbit 978-0-316-44086-8, $26, 512pp, hardcover, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316440899
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781478993858
• The Green Bone Saga #1

Fantasy novel, first in a series by an author previously known for YA, about magic and kungfu in an Asian-inspired metropolis.
• Hachette’s site has this description.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “This is an engaging blend of crime drama and Asian martial arts film tropes. At times, the modern elements—cars, televisions, guns—feel out of place in such a strongly envisioned world, but this remains an intense, satisfying experience.”

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* Likitalo, Leena : The Sisters of the Crescent Empress
(Tor.com Publishing 978-0-7653-9545-0, $17.99, 320pp, trade paperback, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780765395443
• The Waning Moon #2

Historical fantasy novel, second book of a duology following The Five Daughters of the Moon (July 2017), inspired by the 1917 Russian revolution and the last days of the Romanov sisters.
• Macmillan’s site has this description.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Likitalo’s emotional and lyrical dark fairy tale will give readers plenty to think about.”

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* Livingston, Michael : The Realms of God
(Tor 978-0765380357, $28.99, 352pp, hardcover, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781466873339
• The Shards of Heaven #3

Historical fantasy novel, third in a series following The Shards of Heaven (2015) and The Gates of Hell (2016), about two sons of Caesar searching for legendary divine artifacts.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly said of the first book, “This multipronged tale is dense with action and incident; it’s grounded in history, mythology, and religion, but not weighed down by them.”

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* Powers, Tim : Down and Out in Purgatory: The Collected Stories of Tim Powers
(Baen 978-1-4814-8279-0, $25, 496pp, hardcover, November 2017, cover art Adam Burn)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-616-5
• SF Encyclopedia: Tim Powers

Collection of 20 stories, first published from 1982 to 2017.
• Baen’s site has this description with the table of contents and links to several stories.
• Paul Di Filippo will have a review for Locus Online later this month.

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* Pratt, Tim : The Wrong Stars
(Angry Robot 978-0857667090, $7.99, 400pp, mass market paperback, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780857667106
• UK edition: 9780857667083 (Thu 2 Nov 2017)
• Axiom #1

SF novel, first in a series, about a crew of humans and posthumans who discover alien technology.
• Angry Robot’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The author has a Big Idea post today on John Scalzi’s blog.
• Liz Bourke reviews it in the November issue of Locus Magazine: “Bloody hell, but The Wrong Stars is an amazingly good, extremely fun, very satisfying novel.”

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* Radford, Irene : A Spoonful of Magic
(DAW 978-0756412913, $7.99, 352pp, mass market paperback, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780756412920

Urban fantasy novel about a suburban mother and coffee shop owner who discovers that her husband is a wizard.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with a preview function.

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* Smith, Alexander Gordon : The Devil’s Engine: Hellwalkers
(Farrar, Straus And Giroux 978-0374301743, $18.99, 320pp, hardcover, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780374301750
• The Devil’s Engine #3

Young adult horror novel, third in a trilogy following Hellraisers (2015) and Hellfighters (2016), about two kids trapped in Hell.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly called the first book “a page-turning adventure.”

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* Tolkien, J. R.R., edited by Verlyn Flieger : The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 978-1328834546, $24, 128pp, hardcover, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781328834515

Collection of poems. The title poem was published 70 years ago in the Welsh Review and has been out of print since then. Here it is collected with two “Corrigan Poems” and supporting material by the editor and by Christopher Tolkien.
• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.

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* Van Pelt, James : The Experience Arcade and Other Stories
(Fairwood Press 978-1933846699, $17.99, trade paperback, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017

Collection of 24 stories, drawn from the 35 Van Pelt sold during a write-a-story-a-week challenge in 2015.
• Fairwood’s site has this description with blurbs from Louise Marley, John O’Neill, and others.

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* Wallace, Matt : Gluttony Bay
(Tor.com Publishing 978-0-7653-9321-0, $15.99, 192pp, trade paperback, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780765393210
• A Sin du Jour Affair #6

Fantasy novel, sixth in a series following Envy of Angels (2015), Lustlocked (Jan. 2016), Pride’s Spell (Jun. 2016), Idle Ingredients (Feb. 2017), and Greedy Pigs (May 2017), about a New York catering firm for the supernatural community.
• Macmillan’s site has this description.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “This novella is a gem to be savored, much like the delicacies that Sin du Jour serves up to its very strange clientèle.”

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* Zieja, Joe : Communication Failure
(Saga Press 978-1481486910, $27.99, 336pp, hardcover, November 2017)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Nov 2017
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781481486927
• Epic Failure #2

Humorous military SF novel, second in a series following Mechanical Failure (2016), about an ex-sergeant who has inadvertantly become acting admiral of the fleet.
• Simon & Schuster’s site has this description with a Google Preview.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Slapstick timing and dry wit round out this adventure as it sets things up for the final entry.”

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