* Ashley, Mike, ed. : Steampunk Prime
(Nonstop Press 978-1933065-18-2, $15.95, 238pp, trade paperback, July 2010)

Anthology of 14 stories of "vintage steampunk" -- stories first published in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, from 1897 to 1916.
• Authors include Henry A. Hering, George Griffith, Owen Oliver, George C. Wallis, and George Allan England.
• Paul di Filippo contributes a foreword. The editor provides a detailed introduction to each story. There are also illustrations by Luis Ortiz.
• The publisher's site has this description with a full cover scan.
• Locus Magazine included it on its September issue New and Notable Books list: "This 'vintage steampunk primer' collects 14 stories of Victorian and Edwardian-era early SF from 1880-1914, with tales of mechanical men, flying cars, vast tunnels, and cataclysms by Fred C. Smale, George Davey, George C. Wallace, and others."

|

* Beagle, Peter S., ed. : The Secret History of Fantasy
(Tachyon Publications 978-1-892391-99-5, $15.95, 379pp, trade paperback, September 2010)

Anthology of 19 fantasy stories, first published from 1981 (Robert Holdstock's "Mythago Wood") to 2009 (the editor's "Sleight of Hand").
• Other authors include Maureen F. McHugh, Stephen King, Terry Bisson, Neil Gaiman, Jeffrey Ford, Michael Swanwick, Jonathan Lethem, Susanna Clarke, and Octavia E. Butler. There are also two essays, by Ursula K. Le Guin and David G. Hartwell.
• The publisher's site has this description with a couple quotes from reviews.
• Amazon provides an excerpt via its "Look Inside" function, and the Publishers Weekly review, which gives it a star: "Disparaging the commodification of fantasy, Beagle uses 19 stories and two essays to demonstrate that unique works of imagination are still appearing on both sides of the ostensible 'separation of fantasy from actual literature.' "
• Gardner Dozois reviewed the book in the September issue of Locus Magazine: "This is a good collection, but although there's a dragon on the cover, it leans heavily toward the slipstream end of the fantasy spectrum. It would have been nice to see some other types of fantasy as well, some more Secondary World stuff, or perhaps even some sword & sorcery. Nevertheless, there's a lot of good work here."

|

* Brown, Eric : Engineman
(Solaris 978-1-907519-43-7, $7.99, 637pp, mass market paperback, September 2010, cover art Dominic Harman)

Omnibus of novel Engineman (1994) and nine short stories set in the same universe, where access to the Nada-continuum bring planets light years distant only steps away.
• The Solaris site has this description, with a link to the Amazon UK page for the UK edition of this book, which is trade paperback sized and just 510 pages.
• Neither edition indicates the earlier publication of the novel, nor includes a table of contents for the stories. Acknowledgement pages at the end give publication credits of the stories, first published from 1987 to 1991.

|

* Easton, Thomas A., & Judith K. Dial, eds. : Visions of Tomorrow: Science Fiction Predictions That Came True
(Skyhorse 978-1-60239-998-3, $12.95, 22+318pp, trade paperback, July 2010)

Anthology of 15 stories containing predictions that came true, or may someday.
• Contents include H.G. Wells' "The Land Ironclads" (about military tanks), Cleve Cartmill's "Deadline" (atomic weapons), and Robert Sheckley's "The Prize of Peril" (reality tv), and stories by Gregory Benford, Charles Sheffield, and Vonda N. McIntyre.
• Robert Silverberg provides an introduction.
• The publisher's site has this description.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Identity theft, computer viruses, performance-enhancing drugs, and space elevators are just some of the innovations found in this intriguing anthology."

|

* Greenberg, Martin H., ed. : The End of the World: Stories of the Apocalypse
(Skyhorse 9781-60239-967-9, $12.95, 7+328pp, trade paperback, July 2010)

Anthology of 19 stories.
• Authors include Norman Spinrad, George R.R. Martin, Nancy Kress, Orson Scott Card, Neil Gaiman, and Arthur C. Clarke.
• Robert Silverberg provides an introduction.
• The publisher's site has this description.
• Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review -- "Even longtime SF fans who know many of these classic stories will be thrilled to have them all in one place, a moving and powerful reminder of humanity's capacity for self-destruction and powerful will to survive." -- and a couple harsh reader reviews.

|

Kay, Guy Gavriel : Sailing to Sarantium
(Roc 978-0451463517, $16, 433pp, trade paperback, September 2010, cover art Larry Rostant)
(First edition: Canada: Viking Canada, September 1998)

Historical fantasy novel of an alternate Byzantium, volume one of "The Sarantine Mosaic", followed by Lord of Emperors (to be reissued by Roc in October).
• The author's site has this page about the books, with links to background information, excerpts, and a map.
• The novel was a World Fantasy Award finalist in 1999.

|

* Kearney, Paul : Century of the Soldier
(UK: Solaris 978-1-907519-08-6, £8.99, 813pp, mass market paperback, September 2010, cover art Andrew, & Pye Parr Evans)

Omnibus of three novels: The Iron Wars (1999), The Second Empire (2000), and Ships from the West (2002), respectively the third, fourth, and fifth novels in the author's "Monarchies of God" series.
• Earlier novels were Hawkwood's Voyage and The Heretic Kings.
• Solaris' site has this description.
• Also seen is the US edition, which is mass market paperback sized and 813 pages; Amazon's "Look Inside" function provides an excerpt.

|

* Sutter, James L. : Before They Were Giants: First Works from Science Fiction Greats
(Paizo/Planet Stories 978-1-60125-266-1, $15.99, 227pp, trade paperback, August 2010, cover painting Kieran Yanner)

Anthology of 15 stories, each the first-published story by its now well-known author. Each story is followed by a profile and interview with the author about the story.
• Writers include Piers Anthony, Greg Bear, Cory Doctorow, William Gibson, Joe Haldeman, China Miéville, Charles Stross, and Michael Swanwick.
• The publisher's site has this description with the complete table of contents.
• There have been analogous anthologies published of author's first stories, including Damon Knight's First Flight (aka Now Begins Tomorrow, 1963) expanded as First Voyages (1981, with Martin H. Greenberg and Joseph D. Olander), and more recently Steven H Silver & Martin H. Greenberg's Wondrous Beginnings (2003). There doesn't appear to be any overlap in contents between those books and this new one.

|