Brunner, John : Stand on Zanzibar
(Orb 978-0-765-32678-2, $19.99, 576pp, trade paperback, August 2011)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 16 Aug 2011

SF novel set in an overpopulated future, blending several story lines in a collage structure famously modeled on John Dos Passos’ “U.S.A.” trilogy.
• Bruce Sterling provides an introduction.
• The publisher’s site has this description with a PDF excerpt.
• The novel won the Hugo, British SF Association, and Apollo awards.

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* Chandler, A. Bertram : First Command
(Baen 978-1439134573, $12, 736pp, trade paperback, August 2011)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Aug 2011

Collection of six stories about space merchant John Grimes, second volume in Baen’s series of Grimes collections following To the Galactic Rim (March 2011).
• Baen’s site has this description — “Classic Star Trek meets the high seas” — with three dozen links to chapter excerpts.

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Cook, Glen : Introducing Garrett, P.I.
(Roc 978-0-451-46397-5, $16, 704pp, trade paperback, August 2011)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Aug 2011

Omnibus volume of the first three novels about a private investigator who deals with supernatural cases.
• The novels are Sweet Silver Blues (1987), Bitter Gold Hearts (1988), and Cold Copper Tears (1988).
• A reader review on Amazon points out that the same three titles were collected by the Science Fiction Book Club as The Garrett Files in 1988.

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Gibson, William, & Bruce Sterling : The Difference Engine
(Ballantine Spectra 978-0-440-42362-1, $16, 512pp, trade paperback, August 2011)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 26 Jul 2011
(First edition: UK: Gollancz, September 1990)

20th anniversary edition of the seminal steampunk novel, in which early computers called ‘engines’ have been developed in 1855 London.
• This edition has an introduction by Cory Doctorow.
• Del Rey’s site has this blog post about the novel and its history and impact.
• The novel was a Nebula Award finalist and placed 2nd for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award.

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* Howard, Robert E. : Conan the Barbarian
(Ballantine Del Rey 978-0-345-53123-0, $7.99, 304pp, mass market paperback, August 2011)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 26 Jul 2011

Collection of 6 stories first published from 1932 to 1936 in Weird Tales magazine.
• This appears to be an original collection of Conan stories; it’s not a reprint of the 1950 Gnome edition of this title, which had five different stories.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature provides the table of contents and excerpts.
• This is packaged as a movie tie-in edition to the 2011 film released August 24th.

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Vinge, Vernor : A Fire Upon the Deep
(Tor 978-0-765-32982-0, $14.99, 432pp, trade paperback, August 2011)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 16 Aug 2011
• Zones of Thought #1
(First edition: Tor, April 1992)

Hard science fiction novel set in a galaxy divided into Zones where different physical laws apply.
• The book won the Hugo Award in 1993 and was followed by sequel A Deepness in the Sky in 1999. The next book, The Children of the Sky, will be published October 11.
• Tor’s site has this description with an audio excerpt and a text excerpt.

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Yolen, Jane : Sister Light, Sister Dark
(Tor Teen 978-0-765-36756-3, $9.99, 256pp, trade paperback, August 2011)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Aug 2011
• Alta #1

Young adult fantasy novel, first book of the Alta trilogy, about an orphaned girl, taken in by warrior women, who’s able to contact a dark version of herself in another realm.
• Tor’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The novel was a 1990 Nebula Award finalist.

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