New Books : 7 August 2018
Tim Powers’ novel Alternate Routes, Jo Walton’s An Informal History of the Hugos: A Personal Look Back at the Hugo Awards, 1953-2000, Martha Wells’ Rogue Protocol, Nebula Awards Showcase 2018 edited by Jane Yolen, and other titles by RJ Barker, John Dixon, Nicky Drayden, L. Timmel Duchamp, V.M. Escalada, Rachel Fellman, Eric Flint, Laurell K. Hamilton, Mercedes Lackey et al, Gerson Lodi-Ribeiro, Dale Lucas, Ari Marmell, Mary Anne Mohanraj & J.J. Pionke, Adam Roberts, Anna Smith Spark, Sonya Taaffe, Paul Tassi, Lauren C. Teffeau, Laura van den Berg, and Margaret Weis & Robert Krammes.
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* Barker, RJ : King of Assassins
(Orbit 978-0316466585, $15.99, 560pp, trade paperback, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316466592
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549115431
• UK edition: 978-0356508580 (Thu 9 Aug 2018)
• The Wounded Kingdom #3
Fantasy novel, third in a series following Age of Assassins (2017) and Blood of Assassins (Feb. 2018), about three kings battling for supremacy in a magical land.
• Hachette’s site has this description.
• Publishers Weekly said of the first book, “…readers will appreciate Barker’s complex mythology and smoothly flowing plot.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Dixon, John : The Point
(Del Rey 978-1-101-96756-0, $27, 320pp, hardcover, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781101967546
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780525624387
SF novel about posthumans with superhuman powers who are in training at a secret West Point unit.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with a preview function.
• The Publishers Weekly review begins, “More Than Human meets Dress Gray in Dixon’s rousing mash-up of military SF thriller and paranormal adventure.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Drayden, Nicky : Temper
(Harper Voyager 978-0-06-249305-7, $15.99, 400pp, trade paperback, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062493064
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062858795
SF/fantasy novel about twin brothers battling powerful forces in a land similar to South Africa.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Drayden takes speculative fiction in an exciting direction with a harrowing and impressive tale of twisted prophecy, identity, and cataclysmic change.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Duchamp, L. Timmel : Chercher La Femme
(Aqueduct Press 978-1-61976-147-6, $19, 320pp, trade paperback, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Wed 1 Aug 2018
SF novel about a mission to the planet La Femme, where an earlier crew reported the inhabitants are all female.
• Aqueduct’s site has this description with blurbs from Suzy McKee Charnas and Vonda N. McIntyre.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “Duchamp makes abundant challenges to gender norms and raises questions of what constitutes alienness, and the novel’s humanistic approach and unwavering commitment to Julia’s frank introspection go beautifully with a precisely detailed world.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Escalada, V. M. : A Gift of Griffins
(DAW 978-0756409340, $26, 352pp, hardcover, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780756414429
• Faraman Prophecy #2
Fantasy novel, second in a series after Halls of Law (2017), about the invasion of a military empire where lawgivers have magical talents.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with a preview function.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Fellman, Rachel : The Breath of the Sun
(Aqueduct Press 978-1-61976-138-4, $19, 244pp, trade paperback, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Wed 1 Aug 2018
Fantasy novel, the author’s first novel, about a mountain climber relating the story of how she climbed a mountain said to be the body of God.
• Aqueduct’s site has this description with a blurb by Sarah Tolmie.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Fellman’s riveting debut melds prophecy, postcolonial politics, and mountaineering in a nuanced secondary-world fantasy.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Flint, Eric : Worlds 2
(Baen 978-1-48148-341-4, $16, 544pp, trade paperback, August 2018, cover art Adam Burn)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-655-4
Collection of 13 stories, including several set in the author’s Ring of Fire alternate history.
• Baen’s site has this description with links to several excerpts.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Hamilton, Laurell K. : Serpentine
(Berkley 978-0-425-25568-1, $28, 496pp, hardcover, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780698146655
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780525632498
• Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #26
Erotic fantasy vampire novel, 26th in the bestselling series about Anita Blake, vampire hunter, that began with Guilty Pleasures (2002) and most recently included Kiss the Dead (2012), Affliction (2013), Jason (2014), Dead Ice (2015), and Crimson Death (2016).
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Hamilton is slowly shifting the focus away from Anita’s personal relationships and sexcapades and back toward mystery and action, but that shift won’t move fast enough to satisfy many longtime fans of the series, and it leaves this installment feeling disjointed.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Lackey, Mercedes, with Cody Martin, Dennis Lee & Veronica Giguere : Avalanche
(Baen 978-1-4814-8322-3, $25, 704pp, hardcover, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-654-7
• Secret World Chronicle #5
Alternate history thriller, fifth in a series following Invasion (2011), World Divided (2012), Revolution, and Collision (both 2014), about ‘meta-heroes’ during World War II.
• Baen’s site has this description with links to several chapters.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Lodi-Ribeiro, Gerson, ed. : Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World
(World Weaver 978-0-9987022-9-2, $14.9528, 284pp, trade paperback, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
Anthology of 9 stories, first published in Brazil in 2012, here translated by Fábio Fernandes.
• The publisher’s site has this description with the table of contents and an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review calls out the story by Roberta Spindler as a “thoughtful and bittersweet standout.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Lucas, Dale : Friendly Fire
(Orbit 978-0316469104, $15.99, 496pp, trade paperback, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316469081
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549115080
• UK edition: 978-0356509389 (Thu 9 Aug 2018)
• The Fifth Ward #2
Fantasy novel, second in a series following First Watch (2017), about a human cop in a city of elves and dwarves and mages.
• Hachette’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Marmell, Ari : In Truth and Claw
(Titan 978-1785658891, $14.95, 336pp, trade paperback, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Mick Oberon #4
Fantasy novel, fourth in a series following Hot Lead, Cold Iron (2014), Hallow Point (2015), and Dead to Rites (2016), about a supernatural detective in 1932 Chicago.
• Titan’s site has this description.
• Publishers Weekly gave the first book a starred review: “Marmell expertly maximizes the thrills, leaving the reader with a lingering desire for a magic wand and a glass of warm milk.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Mohanraj, Mary Anne, & J. J. Pionke, eds. : Survivor
(Lethe Press 978-1-59021-174-8, $22.5, 332pp, trade paperback, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Wed 1 Aug 2018
Anthology of 16 stories about people who have endured emotional and physical challenges.
• Lethe’s site has this description, with the table of contents.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Many of the tales take literary or experimental approaches, and both prose and content will challenge the reader, but each survivor’s struggle and triumph is worth the effort.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Powers, Tim : Alternate Routes
(Baen 978-1-4814-8340-7, $25, 288pp, hardcover, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-653-0
• SF Encyclopedia: Tim Powers
Urban fantasy novel set on Los Angeles freeways about a driver for a covert supernatural-evasion car service.
• Baen’s site has this description with links to several chapters.
• The Publishers Weekly review begins, “Powers continues his run of smashing expectations and then playing with the pieces in this entertaining urban fantasy.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Roberts, Adam : Haven
(Solaris 978-1781085660, $11.99, 320pp, trade paperback, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Tales of the Aftermath #2
SF novel, second in a series, after Shelter by Dave Hutchinson (June 2018), about a small English community in the aftermath of a rain of asteroids that has destroyed civilization.
• Simon & Schuster’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Paul Kincaid reviews the book in the August issue of Locus Magazine, commenting, “If Hutchinson’s novel presented the idea that the true catastrophe is the human propensity for violence, Roberts explores the necessary stubbornness and persistence that ordinary people need if they are to survive in such brutal times.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Spark, Anna Smith : The Tower of Living and Dying
(Orbit 978-0-316-51146-9, $15.99, trade paperback, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316511452
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549115417
• UK edition: 978-0008204082 (Thu 9 Aug 2018)
• Empires of Dust #2
Grimdark fantasy novel, second in a series following The Court of Broken Knives (2017), about an unconquered city in the world’s richest empire.
• Hachette’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Spark’s world is gritty and vivid, populated at every turn with richly drawn characters. With a plot that twists through serpentine intrigues, Spark’s series fascinates and entertains, showing no sign of middle-book sag as Marith and company careen toward a terrible destiny.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Taaffe, Sonya : Forget the Sleepless Shores
(Lethe Press 978-1-59021-210-3, $20, 294pp, trade paperback, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
Collection of 22 stories.
• Lethe’s site has this description with the table of contents.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Tassi, Paul : Herokiller
(Talos 978-1-945863-23-3, $15.99, trade paperback, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
SF novel about a billionnaire-sponsored gladatorial tournament anyone can enter, with the promise of unimaginable wealth, if the survive broadcast matches with medieval weaponry.
• Skyhorse’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Readers who can handle the explicit violence (and the contradiction of a book that showcases gory deaths while decrying media showcasing gory deaths) will enjoy this heart-pounding and ironically cinematic novel.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Teffeau, Lauren C. : Implanted
(Angry Robot 978-0857667991, $12.99, 400pp, trade paperback, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780857668004
• UK edition: 9780857667991 (Thu 2 Aug 2018)
SF novel, the author’s first novel, about a college student who is blackmailed into being a courier by carrying encoded data in her blood.
• Angry Robot’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* van den Berg, Laura : The Third Hotel
(Farrar, Straus And Giroux 978-0374168353, $26, 224pp, hardcover, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780374714970
Surreal fantasy novel about a widow in Havana who spots her late husband, and then follows him through the city streets.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Toying with horror tropes and conventions, and displaying shades of authors such as Julio Cortázar, van den Berg turns Clare’s journey into a dreamlike exploration of grief. This is a potent novel about life, death, and the afterlife.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Walton, Jo : An Informal History of the Hugos: A Personal Look Back at the Hugo Awards, 1953-2000
(Tor 978-0-7653-7908-5, $31.99, 576pp, hardcover, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781466865730
Nonfiction survey of the winners and finalists of the Hugo Awards, up to 2000, with discussion of selected titles (including some that weren’t nominated). The book is derived from a series of columns Walton wrote for the website Tor.com.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The result is an essential guide to 20th-century science fiction literature.”
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews it in the August issue of Locus Magazine: “What the book does demonstrate is that, even if the history of the Hugos is as much a history of fannish taste as of the growth of SF, arguing about them never gets old.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Weis, Margaret, & Robert Krammes : Privateer
(Tor 978-0765381095, $29.99, 528pp, hardcover, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781466877962
• The Dragon Corsairs #2
Fantasy novel, second in a series following Spymaster (2017), about the advetures of Captain Kate Fitzmaurice and Prince Tom.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Wells, Martha : Rogue Protocol
(Tor.com 978-1-250-19178-6, $17.99, 160pp, hardcover, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250185433
• The Murderbot Diaries #3
SF novel, third in a series after All Systems Red (2017, Hugo and Locus award winner) and Artificial Condition (2018), about a self-aware humanoid robot.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Wells once again knits combat, investigation, and rumination into a thoughtful, irresistible story.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Yolen, Jane, ed. : Nebula Awards Showcase 2018
(Pyr 978-1633885042, $18, 287pp, trade paperback, August 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Aug 2018
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781633885059
Anthology of stories and novel excerpts from winners and nominees of the Nebula Awards given in 2017 for works published in 2016.
• Contents include short fiction winners by Amal El-Mohtar and William Ledbetter, excerpts from the winning novella by Seanan McGuire, the novel by Charlie Jane Anders, and the Andre Norton winning YA novel by David D. Levine.
• Other stories are by Alyssa Wong, Barbara Krasnoff, Sam J. Miller, Caroline M. Yoachim, A. Merc Rustad, Brooke Bolander, Fran Wilde, Jason Sanford, Sarah Pinsker, and Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with a preview function.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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These listings are based on publisher schedules and availability on Amazon (rather than on confirmation of physical publication via purchase, review copies, or sightings in bookstores). Titles are listed only once they are published (with rare exception). We do not list galleys or advance reading copies.
Page counts are based on publisher or Amazon listings, and typically only approximate the bibliographic page counts of finished books.
* = first edition
+ = first US edition
Date with publisher info is official publication month.
‘Nominal Publication Date’ is the day of publication, typically as indicated by Amazon.com.
