* Andrews, Scott : Children's Crusade
(Abaddon Books 978-1-906735-81-4, $9.99, 290pp, trade paperback, July 2010, cover by Mark Harrison)
• Afterblight Chronicles #9

Post-apocalyptic SF novel in the "Afterblight Chronicles" series in which everyone has died but those whose blood type is O-negative.
• This is at least the ninth volume in the series, which are written by various authors and have been published since 2006. The publisher's site has a description of the series on its book titles page.
• Parent publisher Simon & Schuster's site has this description.

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* Berman, Steve, ed. : Wilde Stories 2010
(Lethe Press 978-1-59021-301-8, $15, 227pp, trade paperback, July 2010)

Anthology of 12 stories first published in 2009, subtitled "The Year's Best Gay Speculative Fiction".
• Authors include Laird Barron, Elizabeth Hand, Joel Lane, Tom Cardamone, Rhys Hughes, and Tanith Lee (writing as Judas Garbah).
• The publisher's site has this description.
• Amazon's page quotes Cynthia Ward's review for Fantasy Magazine: "... All the stories are superior choices. And, in and of itself, Richard Bowes s is-it-fantasy-or-is-it-mainstream novelette, 'I Needs Must Part, the Policeman Said,' is worth the price of admission; and the same is true of Elizabeth Hand's re-envisioned fairy tale, 'The Far Shore.' Wilde Stories 2010 is a worthwhile volume for anyone who enjoys literary speculative fiction."

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* Bernobich, Beth : A Handful of Pearls & Other Stories
(Lethe Press 978-1-59021-010-9, $15, 244pp, trade paperback, June 2010, cover illustration Vincent Chong)

Collection of nine stories, eight of them first published from 2001 to 2008, with one story, "Jump to Zion", original to this book.
• James Patrick Kelly provides an introduction.
• The publisher's site has this description.
• The Publishers Weekly review noted that the book "include[es] tales geared towards the gay/lesbian and erotica markets", and concludes, "Bernobich's lush prose focuses on scent, touch, and word building, and despite a few flat endings and loose narrative threads, it's clear she's a writer to watch."

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* Daniells, Rowena Cory : The King's Bastard
(Solaris 978-1-907519-01-7, $7.99, 640pp, mass market paperback, July 2010, cover art Clint Langley)
• King Rolen's Kin #1

Fantasy novel, first of the "King Rolen's Kin" trilogy, set in a kingdom where those afflicted with "Affinity" must serve in the royal abbey.
• Solaris' site has this description with an author bio. The next two volumes, The Uncrowned King and The Usurper, will be published at monthly intervals.
• Series site http://king-rolens-kin.com/ has blog posts by the author, and a book trailer.
• The UK edition, also received, has the same page count but uses heavier paper; it's a fatter book.

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* Dozois, Gardner, ed. : The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Seventh Annual Collection
(St. Martin's Griffin 978-0-312-60898-9, $21.99, 42+642pp, trade paperback, July 2010, cover illustration Slawek Wojtowicz)
• Year's Best SF #27

Anthology of 32 stories first published in 2009, with a 42-page "Summation: 2009", and 10 pages of 'honorable mentions' at the end.
• Contents include several of this year's Hugo Awards nominees -- Nancy Kress' "Act One", Ian McDonald's "Vishnu at the Cat Circus", Nicola Griffith's "It Takes Two", Peter Watts' "The Island", and Paul Cornell's "One of Our Bastards is Missing" -- plus stories by John Kessel, Robert Charles Wilson, Bruce Sterling, Jay Lake, Geoff Ryman, Jo Walton, Adam Roberts, Robert Reed, and others.
• Amazon's "Look Inside" function provides the table of contents and Dozois' introduction.
• The Publishers Weekly review said, "This smorgasbord of thought-provoking fiction ensures that any reader will likely find something appealing."
• Gary K. Wolfe's review of the book will appear in the August issue of Locus Magazine.

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+ Fallon, Jennifer : The Palace of Impossible Dreams
(Tor 978-0-7653-1684-4, $27.99, 461pp, hardcover, June 2010, jacket art Cliff Nielsen)
• Tide Lords #3

Fantasy novel, third in "The Tide Lords" series following The Immortal Prince and The Gods of Amyrantha.
• Tor's website has this description.
• The author's site has this page for the book, which was first published in Australia in 2008, and an extract.
• Amazon has a couple 4-star reader reviews.

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* Kyokogu, Natsuhiko : Loups-Garous
(Haikusoru 978-1421532332, $16.99, 458pp, trade paperback, May 2010)

SF novel, first published in Japanese in 2001, about a serial killer loose in a totalitarian society in which physical interaction is proscribed and adults communicate only through monitors.
• Haikusoru's site has this description with links to blog posts about the book, an excerpt, and an editorial recommendation for fans of Twilight.

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* Lake, Jay : The Specific Gravity of Grief
(Fairwood Press 978-0-9820730-7-0, $25, 100pp, hardcover, June 2010, jacket design and illustration Patrick Swenson)

Associational novella about a man undergoing cancer treatment, fictionalized but based on the author's own cancer therapy.
• The book is a limited edition of 250 signed copies, available only from the publisher, whose site has this description and order page, including reviews by Wired.com's John Booth and Critical Mass' Don D'Ammassa, who writes, "There is some reference to cancer as a kind of entity in itself, but much of it borders on the surreal and although the book is labeled a dark fantasy, it seems to me much more of a mainstream story. Whatever the category, the feel of the story is genuine and moving and it's one of the more impressive pieces I've read by the author."

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* Mackenzie, Kasey : Red Hot Fury
(Ace 978-0-441-01892-5, $7.99, 341pp, mass market paperback, July 2010, cover art Judy York)
• Shades of Fury #1

Urban fantasy novel, first in the "Shades of Fury" series, about "Riss" Holloway, a modern-day Greek Fury fighting magical crimes in Boston.
• The author's website has a description with quotes from reviews, and a chapter one excerpt.
• Amazon has rather mixed reader reviews, but Publishers Weekly gave it a star: "Riss is the perfect urban fantasy heroine -- fresh, sassy, smart, and determined -- and a cavalcade of fully developed side characters keep this twisty tale moving quickly."

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* Mak, Derwin, & Eric Choi, eds. : The Dragon and the Stars
(DAW 978-0-7564-0618-9, $7.99, 312pp, mass market paperback, May 2010)

Anthology of 18 original science fiction stories inspired by Chinese culture.
• Authors include Tony Pi, Charles Tan, William F. Wu, Emery Huang, Eugie Foster, and Ken Liu.
• Eric Choi's site has this page about the book with brief descriptions of each story and links to the authors' websites.

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* McCullough, Kelly : SpellCrash
(Ace 978-0-441-01888-8, $7.99, 292pp, mass market paperback, June 2010, cover art Christian McGrath)
• Ravirn #5

Fantasy/cyberpunk novel, fifth in the "Ravirn" series following WebMage (2006), Cybermancy (2007), CodeSpell (2008), and MythOS (2009), about a hacker descended from the three Fates.
• The author's web page includes this chapter one excerpt of this book.
• Amazon has a couple enthusiastic reader reviews.

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+ Mills, K. E. : The Wizard Squared
(Orbit 978-0316035439, $7.99, 529pp, mass market paperback, July 2010, cover illustration Steve Stone)
• Rogue Agent #3

Fantasy novel, second in the Rogue Agent trilogy following The Accidental Sorcerer and Witches Incorporated, about three witches who set up an agency to solve magical problems.
• In this book the witches deal with a thaumaturgical war in a parallel world.
• Mills is a pseudonym for Karen Miller, whose website has this page about the series, though no details yet about this book, which was first published by HarperCollins Australia in February.
• Carolyn Cushman reviews it in the July issue of Locus Magazine: "The third book of the Rogue Agent series trades much of the series' humor for grim thrills..."

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* Mitchell, David : The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
(Random House 978-1-4000-6545-5, $26, 479pp, hardcover, July 2010)

Literary novel with fantasy elements, about a Dutch official in 19th-century Japan.
• The official book site has the flap description, quotes from many reviews, and an excerpt, as well as sections about Mitchell's earlier books, including Cloud Atlas.
• Amazon has its own "Best Books of the Month, July 2010" review by Tom Nissley -- "David Mitchell reinvents himself with each book, and it's thrilling to watch."; Publishers Weekly's starred review -- "Mitchell's talent still shines through, particularly in the novel's riveting final act, a pressure-cooker of tension, character work, and gorgeous set pieces. It's certainly no Cloud Atlas, but it is a dense and satisfying historical with literary brawn and stylistic panache."; and mostly positive reader reviews.
• Ron Charles' Washington Post review alludes to the fantastic element: "What unspeakable evil festers behind the holy rituals of this sanctuary high in snow-capped mountains? I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Brave men will give their lives to find out during 120 pages of peril at the center of the book -- a legendary rescue attempt in a setting so exotic that it reaches into the realm of fantasy."

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* O'Neal, James : The Double Human
(Tor 978-0-7653-2015-5, $24.99, 334pp, hardcover, June 2010)
• Human Disguise #2

SF novel, near-future thriller sequel to The Human Disguise (2009), about a police detective in a ravaged Florida.
• In this book detective Tom Winer deals with a serial killer who may not be human.
• Tor's website has this page for the book; the description is on Amazon's page.
• Publishers Weekly calls it "enticing"; its review concludes, "Barely-explored subplots related to an approaching space ship and the godlike humanoids already living on earth will have readers anxiously awaiting the next installment of this audaciously entertaining SF series."
• Amazon has several 5-star reader reviews.

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* Peeler, Nicole : Tracking the Tempest
(Orbit 978-0316-05657-1, $7.99, 350pp, mass market paperback, July 2010, cover illustration Sharon Tancredi)
• Jane True #2

Paranormal romance novel, second in the series following Tempest Rising (2009), about half-selkie Jane True.
• In this book Jane travels to Boston with her vampire boyfriend Ryu.
• The author's site has this description, with quotes from reveiws.
• Amazon has the enthusiastic Publishers Weekly review: "Peeler's chick lit tone adds sparkle to the most spine-tingling scenes with a style that never strikes a false note, and the seamless plot weaves together Jane's paranormal and personal growth while linking both to the swelling suspense."

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* Phoenix, Adrian : Black Dust Mambo
(Pocket Books 978-1-4391-6787-8, $7.99, 368pp, mass market paperback, July 2010, cover illustration Steve Stone)
• Black Dust Mambo #1

Urban fantasy novel, first in a new series, about a Cajun hoodoo apprentice who encounters trouble at a Hecatean Alliance carnival in New Orleans.
• The author's website has this page about the book with a PDF chapter one excerpt.
• Amazon has several positive reader reviews.

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* Robertson, Linda : Fatal Circle
(Pocket Books/Juno 978-1-4391-5680-3, $7.99, 358pp, mass market paperback, July 2010)
• Persephone Alcmedi #3

Urban fantasy novel, third in a series about witch Persephone (Seph) Alcmedi, following Vicious Circle (2009) and Hallowed Circle (2010).
• In this book the faeries demand the destruction of the ancient vampire Menessos, to whom Seph is magically bonded.
• The publisher's site has this description with links to an excerpt and information about the author.

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* Sinclair, Alison : Lightborn
(Roc 978-0-451-46329-6, $15, 340pp, trade paperback, June 2010, cover art Melanie Delon)
• Darkborn #2

Romantic fantasy novel, second of a trilogy following Darkborn (2009), set in a world inhabited by the Darkborn, who can't survive light, and the Lightborn, who need it to survive.
• In this book the two groups face the mysterious Shadowborn.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which concludes, "Sinclair's sometimes stiff Regency prose style and large cast can be a struggle for readers, but the promise of an exciting confrontation will encourage them to persevere through the trilogy's conclusion."
• Faren Miller reviewed it in the June issue of Locus Magazine: "Reviewing Alison Sinclair's Darkborn last May, I said it transcended the limitations of its proclaimed subgenre 'Regency-flavored' romantic fantasy; and despite some similarities, there are no vampires here."

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* Strahan, Jonathan, & Lou Anders, eds. : Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery
(Eos 978-0-06-172381-0, $15.99, 18+522pp, trade paperback, July 2010, cover illustration Benjamin Carré)

Anthology of 17 original sword and sorcery stories.
• Authors include Gene Wolfe, Robert Silverberg, Glen Cook, Michael Moorcock, K.J. Parker, Steven Erikson, and Michael Shea.
• The publisher's site has this description with a "Read Now" function.
• Amazon's "Look Inside" function includes the table of contents and the beginning of Steven Erikson's story.
• Amazon also has the Publishers Weekly review says the stories "recall the classic works of Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber."
• Locus Magazine short fiction reviewers Rich Horton and Gardner Dozois covered it in the July and May issues respectively; Horton especially recommended Gene Wolfe's "Bloodsport". Dozois wrote, "So what's new about the new Sword and Sorcery? ... The new S&S is grittier, tougher-minded, more politically and psychologically cynical, and more realistic (as far as a genre featuring men fighting fantasy monsters with swords can be said to be 'realistic' in the first place)... [T]here is really nothing here that isn't entertaining in one way or the other, and I'd have to judge the book to be a resounding success overall."

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* Weber, David : Mission of Honor
(Baen 978-1-4391-3361-3, $27, 600pp, hardcover, July 2010, cover by David Mattingly)
• Honor Harrington #12

SF space opera novel, 12th volume in the Honor Harrington series, the first since 2005's At All Costs.
• In this book Honor leads a delegation from the Manticore Empire to negotiate peace with the Republic of Haven.
• Baen's site has this description with links to several chapters.
• Wikipedia has entries on Honor Harrington and this book, with a lengthy plot summary.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly and Booklist reviews, and mostly positive reader reviews. PW writes, "Weber (Storm from the Shadows) combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection and a deep understanding of military bureaucracy in the long-awaited 12th Honor Harrington novel..."

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