* Brosgol, Vera : Anya's Ghost
(First Second 978-1-59643-552-0, $15.99, 221pp, trade paperback, June 2011)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Jun 2011

Graphic novel about a teenage girl who befriends a ghost she finds at the bottom of a well.
• Parent publisher Macmillan's site has a description with an excerpt and a video, and a blurb from Neil Gaiman, who calls it "a masterpiece".
• Amazon has three 5-star reader reviews.

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* DeMarco, Joseph R. G., ed. : A Study in Lavender: Queering Sherlock Holmes
(Lethe Press 978-1-59021-038-3, $20, trade paperback, June 2011)
• Nominal Publication Date: Sun 5 Jun 2011

Anthology of 11 original stories about Sherlock Holmes, imagining a relationship between Holmes and Watson or involving cases hidden from the norms of Victorian culture. Some stories may have explicit fantastic elements -- e.g. Michael G. Cornelius' "The Adventure of the Unidentified Flying Object".
• Other contributors include Stephen Osborne, Lyn C.A. Gardner, Elka Cloke, and the editor.
• Amazon has the description and blurbs from L.A. Fields and Erastes.

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* Green, Simon R. : For Heaven's Eyes Only
(Roc 978-0-451-46395-1, $25.95, 377pp, hardcover, June 2011, jacket painting Paul Young)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Jun 2011
• Secret Histories #5

Fantasy novel, fifth in the series about Shaman Bond, aka Eddie Drood, who protects humanity from the forces of darkness, following The Man with the Golden Torc (2007), Daemons Are Forever (2008), The Spy Who Haunted Me (2009), and From Hell with Love (2010).
• In this book Eddie and his witch girlfriend Molly deal with a Satanist conspiracy.
• The publisher's site has a brief description and an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes: "Clever world-building, madcap characters, cheeky one-liners, and a James Bond feel make this series stand out, and a surprise ending will have readers eagerly anticipating the next Eddie Drood adventure."

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* Hearne, Kevin : Hexed
(Del Rey 978-0-345-52249-8, $7.99, 296pp, mass market paperback, June 2011, cover illustration Gene Mollica)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Jun 2011
• Iron Druid Chronicles #2

Urban fantasy novel, second of a three-book series, about a 2000-year-old Druid living in Arizona.
• It follows Hounded and will be followed next month by Hammered.
• The publisher's site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gave the first book a starred review, and calls this one a "highly irreverent read".
• Amazon has half a dozen 5-star reader reviews.

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+ Hughes, Matthew : The Damned Busters
(Angry Robot US 978-0857661036, $7.99, 405pp, mass market paperback, June 2011, cover art Tom Gauld)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 31 May 2011
• To Hell and Back #1 First US edition (UK: Angry Robot, May 2011)

Humorous fantasy novel, first of a series, in which Chesney Anstruther's refusal to sell his soul leads to a strike in Hell.
• Angry Robot's site has this description with a preview feature and quotes from reviews.
• The author's site has a 10,000 word extract.

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* Koontz, Dean : Frankenstein: The Dead Town
(Bantam 978-0-553-59368-6, $9.99, 402pp, mass market paperback, May 2011)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 May 2011
• Frankenstein #5

Horror novel, fifth and final book in Koontz' Frankenstein series following Prodigal Son (2005, with Ed Gorman), City of Night (2006, with Kevin J. Anderson), Dead and Alive (2009), and Lost Souls (2010).
• In this book the war between humanity and Frankenstein's monsters comes to a head in Rainbow Falls, Montana.
• The author's site has this page about the book, with an excerpt.
• Amazon has mixed but more positive than not reviews.

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* Lackey, Mercedes : Unnatural Issue
(DAW 978-0-7564-0575-5, $25.95, 361pp, hardcover, June 2011, jacket painting Jody A. Lee)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Jun 2011
• Elemental Masters #7

Fantasy novel, about an Elemental Master who conceives a plan to use his daughter's body to bring back his deceased wife's spirit.
• It's the seventh book in the Elemental Masters series, following Fire Rose, Gates of Sleep, Serpent's Shadow, Phoenix and Ashes, The Wizard of London, and Reserved for the Cat.
• The author's website has this description.

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* Rucker, Rudy : Jim and the Flims
(Night Shade Books 978-1-59780-280-2, $24.99, 247pp, hardcover, June 2011, cover art Bill Carman, cover design Amy Popovich)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Jun 2011

Fantasy novel about a Santa Cruz man who ruptures the membrane between our world and the afterworld - AKA Flimsy.
• The publisher's site has this description.
• Rucker's site has this page for the book, with a summary, a link to a 4Mb PDF file of notes about the writing of the book, and descriptions of nine paintings the author did to help visualize certain scenes in the book.

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* Steele, Allen : Hex
(Ace 978-0-441-02036-2, $26.95, 331pp, hardcover, June 2011, jacket illustration Scott Grimando, jacket design Judith Lagerman)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Jun 2011
• Coyote #8

SF novel set in Steele's "Coyote" universe, in which humanity is referred by the alien danui to a habitable planet, which turns out to have been deconstructed to create an enormous sphere enclosing the entire system.
• The publisher's site has this description with an excerpt.
• John Scalzi just ran a "Big Idea" post about Steele and this book, in which he discusses the challenges of constructing a plausible Dyson sphere.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, "The writing is crisp, and Steele, as always, leaves readers wanting to learn more about the worlds he's created."

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* Wilson, Daniel H. : Robopocalypse
(Doubleday 978-0-385-53385-0, $25, 347pp, hardcover, June 2011)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Jun 2011

Science fiction thriller about a rebellion by humanity's robots, including everything -- cars, planes, phones -- run by them.
• The is the first novel by Wilson, who previously wrote How to Survive a Robot Uprising.
• The publisher's page (aka www.ArchosR14.com) has a description, excerpt, video, and blurbs.
• Amazon names it a Best Book of the Month for June, with a review by Kevin Nguyen: "Daniel H. Wilson certainly owes more to Terminator than he does to Asimov. ... Robopocalypse may not be the most unique tale about the war between man and machine, but it's certainly one of the most fun."
• Amazon also has a guest review by Robert Crais, comparing it favorably to works by Michael Crichton; "In lesser hands, the story could have been head-shot with pseudo-science technical jargon, overwrought explanation, and cartoonish characterizations. Instead, Wilson has given us a richly populated and thrilling novel that celebrates life and humanity, and the power of the human heart..."

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* Yang, Gene Luen, illustrated by Thien Pham : Level Up
(First Second 978-1-59643-235-2, $15.99, 160pp, trade paperback, June 2011)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 7 Jun 2011

Graphic novel about a boy who likes to play video games and his parents who want him to grow up and become a doctor.
• Parent publisher Macmillan's site has this description with an excerpt. There are also a reading group guide and a discussion guide.
• Tor.com has also posted an excerpt, an original comic strip by the same author and artist, and a review by Ron Hogan.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which concludes "A bravura storytelling and visual twist near the end brings together the plot's several strands. A minor work from Yang, but a welcome introduction to Pham, whose own upcoming First Second graphic novel, Sumo, looks promising."

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