* Ajvaz, Michal, translated by Andrew Oakland : The Golden Age
(Dalkey Archive 978-1-56478-578-7, $14.95, 239pp, trade paperback, April 2010)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 20 Apr 2010

Fantasy novel, first published by the Czech author in 2001, in which a traveler writes a book about a civilization on an Atlantic island whose culture is centered around a collective novel called "The Book".
• The publisher's site has this description, with an excerpt.
• Amazon's "Look Inside" also provides an excerpt.
• The book is ranked #1 on Amazon.com's Top 10 Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2010, and appears on Locus Magazine's 2010 Recommended Reading List (to be posted shortly).

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* Bear, Elizabeth : Bone and Jewel Creatures
(Subterranean Press 978-1-59606-274-0, $20, 133pp, hardcover, April 2010, jacket illustration Mauizio Manzieri)
• Nominal Publication Date: Wed 31 Mar 2010

Short fantasy novel about a wizard, Bijou the Artificer, who faces an old enemy as a plague sweeps through the city of Messaline.
• Subterranean's site has this description, with quotes from reviews.
• Amazon has the Booklist review: "Into a slim volume Bear packs the kind of intrigue, detailed world building, and passionate characters found in her longer books."
• Paul Witcover reviewed in in the May 2010 issue of Locus Magazine, calling it a "gem-studded wonder" and concluding, "It's an impressive achievement from Bear, one of the most talented writers of her generation, whose range continues to grow by leaps and bounds."

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* Benford, Gregory, & George Zebrowski, eds. : Sentinels In Honor of Arthur C. Clarke
(Hadley Rille 978-0982514078, $29.95, 399pp, hardcover, August 2010)
• Nominal Publication Date: Fri 6 Aug 2010

Anthology of 24 stories, essays, and tributes honoring Sir Arthur C. Clarke.
• The publisher's site has this order page for the book with a list of contributors.
• The site also links to this SF Signal podcast, which includes an interview wit the editors about the book.
• SF Signal also has the table of contents.

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* Conn, Brian : The Fixed Stars
(FC2 978-1-57366-153-9, $19.95, 311pp, trade paperback, March 2010)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 16 Mar 2010

Surrealistic novel, subtitled "Thirty-Seven Emblems for the Perilous Season", the author's debut novel, that describes the citizens of a community affected by a plague.
• The publisher's site has this description, with blurbs from Brian Evenson and Jedediah Berry.
• The book is ranked #9 on Amazon.com's Top 10 Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2010.
• Amazon's page for the book has diverse reader reviews.

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+ Cornish, D. M. : Factotum
(Putnam 978-0-399-24640-1, 684pp, hardcover, November 2010, jacket art Jaime Jones)
• Nominal Publication Date: Thu 11 Nov 2010
• Monster Blood Tattoo #3

Young adult fantasy novel, third in the "Monster Blood Tattoo" trilogy following Foundling (2006) and Lamplighter (2008), set in the world of Half-Continent, about an orphan boy named Rossamund.
• The publisher's site has this description.
• Faren Miller reviewed it in the December 2010 issue of Locus Magazine: "Factotum ends the trilogy with a wealth of fabulous inventions, strong action scenes (occasionally gory), and further insights into Rossamnd's nature and origins, leading to one last startling plot twist. Then, as in previous volumes, there's more: almost 80 pages of Appendices that are actually worth the reading, especially the long Glossary..."

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* de Lint, Charles : The Painted Boy
(Viking 978-0-670-01191-9, 431pp, hardcover, November 2010)
• Nominal Publication Date: Thu 11 Nov 2010

Young adult fantasy novel about a high school boy, part human and part dragon, whose quest takes him to a town in the Arizona desert.
• De Lint's site has this description.
• Amazon has reviews from School Library Journal and Booklist.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes that the author "is a dependable performer, and this multicultural fusion of a gritty, modern setting with mythological elements should find fans."

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+ Hand, Elizabeth : Illyria
(Viking 978-0-670-01212-1, $15.99, 135pp, hardcover, May 2010)
• Nominal Publication Date: Thu 13 May 2010 First US edition (UK: PS Publishing, January 2007)

First US edition of the short novel about two 14-year-old cousins who are in love and who discover a toy theater in the attic of their theatrical family's mansion.
• The original 2007 UK edition won the World Fantasy Award.
• Amazon has the starred Booklist review: "The subtlety and raw ache of the prose, and the realistic portrayal of artistic lives, triumphantly heralds Hand's arrival into youth fiction."
• Publishers Weekly also gave it a starred review: "The edgy subject matter, explicit but not gratuitous, relegates this novel to mature readers, but it's beautifully written, rich in theatrical detail and intensely realized characters."

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* Krilanovich, Grace : The Orange Eats Creeps
(Two Dollar Radio 978-0-9820151-8-6, $16, 172pp, trade paperback, September 2010)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Sep 2010

Fantasy novel, the author's debut novel, set in 1990s Pacific Northwest, involving hobo vampire junkies, a girl with drug-induced ESP, and more.
• The publisher's site has this description, with a chapter 1 excerpt and quotes from numerous reviews.
• The book is ranked #6 on Amazon.com's Top 10 Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2010.
• Amazon has mostly positive reader reviews.

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* Lamplighter, L. Jagi : Prospero in Hell
(Tor 978-0-7653-1930-2, $25.99, 347pp, hardcover, August 2010, cover by Sam Weber)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 17 Aug 2010
• Prospero #2

Fantasy novel, second in a series following Prospero Lost, about the long-lived daughter of the sorcerer Prospero from Shakespeare's "The Tempest".
• Tor's site has this description.
• Publishers Weekly gave this book, like its predecessor, a starred review: "The story is convoluted and occasionally overwrought, but the rich imagery, fast pace, and masterful use of mythology make this a real page-turner."

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* Niven, Larry : Stars and Gods
(Tor 978-0765308641, $25.99, 365pp, hardcover, August 2010)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 17 Aug 2010

Collection of stories, novel excerpts, interviews, and nonfiction, similar to Niven's previous collection Scatterbrain (2003).
• Tor's site has this description.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "This is an excellent primer for readers wanting to learn more about Niven's work, though novices might find themselves lost by the setting and technical language of the Ringworld excerpts and stories."

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* Silverberg, Robert : The Last Song of Orpheus
(Subterranean Press 978-1-59606-310-5, $25, 132pp, hardcover, October 2010, jacket illustration Alexander Preuss)
• Nominal Publication Date: Thu 30 Sep 2010

Fantasy novella retelling the myth of Orpheus. It's Silverberg's longest work in a decade.
• Subterranean's site has this description and order page, with quotes from reviews.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which concludes "Silverberg hews closely to the source material, with language elevated in the manner of a good translation of Homer. Though it's not the literary SF that has won Silverberg much of his fame, readers who love ancient myths will find much to admire."

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* Straub, Peter : A Special Place: The Heart of a Dark Matter
(Pegasus 978-1-60598-102-4, $12.95, 136pp, trade paperback, July 2010)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 20 Jul 2010

Horror novella that provides the backstory for a key character is the author's 2010 novel A Dark Matter. It's extracted from the earlier, longer, limited-edition novel The Skylark. (Both novels reviewed here.
• Amazon's "Look Inside" function provides an excerpt.
• Amazon has both the Booklist review by Ray Olson, and the starred Publishers Weekly review: "Vivid but never overly graphic or grotesque, Straub's words paint horrific pictures of two depraved men. The violence is minimal, but understood in the most subtle of ways. This beautifully horrifying, delightfully disturbing tale of a family tree of evil will stay with the reader long after the last page is done."
• It was one of five SF/Fantasy/Horror titles on Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2010 list: "Straub drags the reader into the dark interstices of a deeply troubled mind, where brutality and murder seem only natural and right."

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