* Axler, James : Oblivion Stone
(Gold Eagle 978-0-373-63867-3, $6.99, 316pp, mass market paperback, August 2010)
• Outlanders #54

Post-apocalyptic SF novel, 54th volume in the long-running "Outlanders" series set in a post-apocalyptic future run by mysterious barons and elite archons.
• Wikipedia's page for the series describes the background and lists most of the titles.
• The Axler website has this list of titles, with this page for the current title, actually written by Rik Hoskin.

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+ Chadbourn, Mark : The Hounds of Avalon
(Pyr 978-1-61614-203-2, $16, 325pp, trade paperback, July 2010, cover illustration John Picacio)
• Dark Age #3

Fantasy novel, third in the "Dark Age" trilogy following The Devil in Green (2010) and The Queen of Sinister (2010), set in the same magical Britain of the "Age of Misrule" novels (World's End, Darkest Hour, and Always Forever).
• In this book five chosen heroes try to recruit the Celtic gods, as the British government contemplates a nuclear strike.
• Pyr's website has this description.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Chadbourn nicely portrays the struggles of people given an opportunity for greatness for reasons outside of their control, but the abrupt ending to their story does little to improve this conglomeration of mysticism and quantum physics wrapped in a fluffy New Age coating."

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* Finch, Paul : Stronghold
(Abaddon Books 978-1-907519-10-9, $9.99, 331pp, trade paperback, August 2010, cover by Nick Percival)
• Tomes of the Dead #12

Horror novel in the "Tomes of the Dead" series, which explores "the zombie genre in new and thrilling ways".
• This book is set in medieval Wales, as a young English knight tries to recapture Grogen Castle from Welsh rebels.
• This is apparently the 12th volumes 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 (though, like Amazon, it doesn't display the actual final cover).
• The US edition is listed here; also received, the UK edition (with the same ISBN), which puts the Cemetery Dance blurb near the bottom of the cover instead of near the top.

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* Huso, Anthony : The Last Page
(Tor 978-0-7653-2516-7, $25.99, 430pp, hardcover, August 2010, jacket art Phil Holland)
• Last Page #1

Epic fantasy novel, the author's first novel and first book in a two-volume series, about Caliph Howl, young king of the Duchy of Stonehold, who faces impending civil war and the return of an old lover, a woman trained by the Shradnae witchocracy in the art of magical equations.
• Tor's site has this description with blurbs and quotes from reviews.
• Amazon's "Look Inside" function includes an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly called it a "strong debut" and concluded, "Huso adroitly mixes technology and fantasy elements in a twisty story that will appeal to fans of thorough world-building and sneaky surprises."

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* Kane, Stacia : City of Ghosts
(Del Rey 978-0-345-51559-9, $7.99, 408pp, mass market paperback, August 2010)
• Downside Ghosts #3

Urban fantasy novel, third in a trilogy following Unholy Ghosts (June 2010) and Unholy Magic (July 2010), about a claims adjustor for the Church of Real Truth, which compensates citizens bothered by ghosts of the living dead.
• Del Rey's site has this description with a preview function.
• The author's site has this page with a description and an excerpt.
• Carolyn Cushman reviewed the first book in the May issue of Locus Magazine: "[The protagonist is] not your usual heroic protagonist, and this isn't one of your humorous urban fantasies, but rather a lively thriller, full of action and ghostly encounters."

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* Monk, Devon : A Cup of Normal
(Fairwood 978-0-9820730-9-4, $16.99, 260pp, trade paperback, September 2010, cover art Michaela Eaves)

Collection of 22 stories, most of them first published from 1998 to 2009, with four stories original to this book. Sources include Realms of Fantasy and Talebones magazines.
• The publisher's site has this description, with the Publishers Weekly review and quotes from other reviews.
• The PW review concludes, "Featuring quirky, well-developed protagonists whose decisions have significant moral consequences, these stories also show a strong sense of place. Sometimes funny, sometimes dark, often both, they are varied in form and invariably rewarding."

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* Moody, Rick : The Four Fingers of Death
(Little, Brown 978-0-316-11891-0, $25.99, 727pp, hardcover, July 2010)

Literary SF novel (by the author of The Ice Storm and Demonology) about a writer's novelization of a 2025 remake of the 1963 horror film The Crawling Hand, which covers a NASA mission to Mars and the sole survivor's severed arm back on Earth.
• The publisher's site has this description with an excerpt function.
• Reactions to the book are varied (especially considering its length); Publishers Weekly called it a "distressingly impertinent exercise in bafflement", while Booklist judged that "The novel may prove to be an exhausting experience for fans of Moody's early books; instead, it reads like the giddy creation of the bastard child of the two Toms -- that would be Robbins and Pynchon."
• The handful of reader reviews on Amazon all give it five stars.
• Charlie Jane Anders first promoted the book back in June on io9 with this review, which includes a YouTube link to the entire original movie; Anders concludes, "It's really only when you get to the end that you can see what this has all been about, and the sometimes rambling epic feels utterly worthwhile, in the final analysis. It's not just a fitting tribute to Vonnegut, but a great love letter to science fiction..."

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* Norman, Lisanne : Shades of Gray
(DAW 978-0-7564-0199-3, $7.99, 702pp, mass market paperback, August 2010, cover art Chris Moore)
• Sholan Alliance #8

SF novel, eighth book in the "Sholan Alliance" series about human alliance with cat-like aliens called the Sholans, that began with Turning Point (1993).
• In this book the humans and Sholans attempt to restore the rightful heir of the Valtegan Primes on their home planet.
• The author's site has descriptions of the various species in the series, and descriptions of all the books.
• Amazon has several 5-star reader reviews.

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* Patterson, William H., Jr. : Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century
(Tor 978-0-7653-1960-9, $29.99, 622pp, hardcover, August 2010)

Authorized biography of SF author Robert A. Heinlein, 1907-1988, who is frequently regarded as the greatest science fiction writer of the 20th century.
• This is the first volume of two, covering the year 1907 to 1948. The book includes 16 pages of black and white photos, 100 pages of Notes, and a 26-page index.
• Tor's site has this description. Amazon's "Look Inside" function includes an excerpt. The author's site has a description, blurbs and links to reviews, and links to various Heinlein resources.
• Washington Post ran a review by Michael Dirda: "Today, most readers regard the 1940s stories and the juveniles and short novels of the 1950s as Heinlein's best work. If you're a fan of these, you'll want to read Patterson's biography."
• Cory Doctorow reviews it for Boing Boing, and in turn links to John Clute's Strange Horizons review.

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* Reeve, Laura : Pathfinder
(Roc 978-0-451-46344-9, $7.99, 325pp, mass market paperback, July 2010)
• Ariane Kedros #3

Military SF novel, third Major Ariane Kedros novel following Peacekeeper (2008) and Vigilante (2009), about a former N-space pilot who becomes an undercover agent.
• In this book Kedris undertakes a dangerous mission for the alien Minoans.
• The author's site has this description, with pages about the series' characters and places and things.

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* Renier, Aaron : The Unsinkable Walker Bean
(First Second 978-1596434530, $13.99, 192pp, trade paperback, August 2010)

Young adult graphic novel about a boy drawn into various pirate adventures as he tries to rescue his grandfather, cursed by a menacing skull.
• The publisher's site has this description, which says that author/illustrator Renier draws on souces including Tintin, Treasure Island, and Harry Potter, and several pages of excerpts.
• The Publishers Weekly review said, "Renier's dynamic drawings are rich in detail; readers will get lost in the winding streets of colonial towns, island hideaways, natural history collections, exuberant panoramas of action."
• Amazon has Booklist's starred review: "Though a smidgen light on characterization, this comic really is just about everything you want from a rip-roaring adventure: exciting, deep, funny, and scary, with tremendous villains and valor galore."

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* Resnick, Laura : Unsympathetic Magic
(DAW 978-0-7564-0635-6, $7.99, 392pp, mass market paperback, August 2010, cover art Dan Dos Santos)
• Esther Diamon #3

Urban fantasy novel, third in the "Esther Diamond" (or "Manhattan Magic") series following Disappearing Nightly (2005) and Doppelgangster (2010), about a struggling actress in New York City working as a singing waitress.
• In this book Esther lands a guest role on a controversial TV drama.
• The author's site has this page about the sseries, with an excerpt and links to fun facts about voodoo and photos from her research trip.
• Amazon has a couple reader reviews.

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* Shears, Bill : Kite: A Novel in Earth Orbit
(InfinityBound 978-1-60145-932-9, $14.95, 234pp, trade paperback, September 2009)

SF novel set aboard a space station devoted to clearing orbital debris, involving spacejackers, a virtual companion with an enhanced free will module, and a digital revolution by the station's computer control systems.
• The publisher's site has this description with an excerpt.
• Amazon has several positive reader reviews.

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* Smith-Ready, Jeri : Bring On the Night
(Pocket 978-1-4391-6348-1, $7.99, 399pp, mass market paperback, August 2010, cover illustration Don Sipley)
• WVMP Radio Series #3

Humorous urban fantasy novel, third in a series following Wicked Game (2008) and Bad to the Bone (2009), about vampire DJs who run a Maryland radio station.
• This book is about Ciara Griffin, a former con artist working at WVMP.
• The author's site has this description and an excerpt.
• Amazon has several positive reader reviews.

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* Van Name, Mark L. : Children No More
(Baen 978-1-4391-3365-1, $22, 393pp, hardcover, August 2010, cover art Stephen Hickman)
• Jon & Lobo #5

Military SF novel, fourth novel in a series following One Jump Ahead (2007), Slanted Jack (2008), and Overthrowing Heaven (2009), about nano-enhanced warrior Jon Moore and his assault vehicle Lobo. (There was also omnibus/collection Jump Gate Twist, published last month.)
• In this book Jon and Lobo try to rescue a group of children turned into soldiers by rebels on another planet.
• Baen's site has this description, with links to several chapters.
• A dedicated site for this book, Children No More home, describes the author's intent to donate all proceeds from this book to Falling Whistles, to help rehabilitate and reintegrate child soldiers.

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