Anthony, Piers : Well-Tempered Clavicle
(Tor 978-0-7653-6686-3, $7.99, 304pp, mass market paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 28 Aug 2012
• Xanth #35

(First edition: Tor, October 2011)

Humorous fantasy novel, 35th in the popular, pun-filled “Xanth” series, following Knott Gneiss (2010).
• Tor’s website has this description of the book with a link to a PDF excerpt.

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Buehlman, Christopher : Those Across the River
(Ace 978-0425256510, $15, 352pp, trade paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Sep 2012

(First edition: Ace, September 2011)

Literary horror novel, the author’s first novel, about a Great War veteran who investigates a ruined plantation in a small Southern town.
• The author’s site has this page with a synopsis and an excerpt.
• The book is currently a finalist for this year’s World Fantasy Awards.

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Buettner, Robert : Undercurrents
(Baen 978-1451638288, $7.99, 432pp, mass market paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 28 Aug 2012
• Orphan’s Legacy #2

(First edition: Baen, July 2011)

Military SF novel, second of a series following Overkill (2011), about a former soldier, Jazen Parker, who becomes a mercenary.
• In this book he faces local Nazis on a planet called Paleozoic.
• Baen’s site has this description with links to several chapters.

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Charlton, Blake : Spellbound
(Tor 978-0-7653-5659-8, $7.99, 512pp, mass market paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 28 Aug 2012
• Spellwright Trilogy #2

(First edition: UK: Harper Voyager, August 2011)

Epic fantasy novel, second in a trilogy following Spellwright (2010), about a young wizard whose dyslexia threatens his ability in a world where spells must be written out in text.
• Tor’s site has this description, with an excerpt.

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Cook, Glen : A Path to Coldness of Heart
(Night Shade Books 978-1597803311, $15.99, 429pp, trade paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Sun 26 Aug 2012
• Dread Empire #3

(First edition: Night Shade Books, January 2012)

Fantasy novel in the author’s Dread Empire series, the long-awaited final volume following Reap the East Wind (1987) and An Ill Fate Marshalling (1988).
• Night Shade Books’ site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Readers familiar with the Dread Empire will appreciate the final chapters, which arrive with a rush of events and information that pull together for a spellbinding conclusion, but a more careful introduction to the villains would assist those new to the series.”

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Doctorow, Cory : For the Win
(Tor Teen 978-0-7653-3384-1, $10.99, 496pp, trade paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Sep 2012

(First edition: Tor Teen, May 2010)

Young adult SF novel about gamers and the shadow economy behind them, concerning a plan to unionize teens working in sweatshops around the world.
• Tor’s website has this description. The author’s page for the book has video interviews and a download page.
• Adrienne Martini’s review last year in Locus Magazine acknowledged she might not be among the target audience for the book: “The last third of For the Win is a mighty force, one that sweeps up everything in its path and rearranges it in new and interesting ways. But, for me, the means to this dynamic end are hard to engage with.”

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Elliott, Kate : Cold Fire
(Orbit 978-0-316-08098-9, $7.99, 672pp, mass market paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 28 Aug 2012
• Spiritwalker #2

(First edition: Orbit, September 2011)

Fantasy novel, second book in the “Spiritwalker” trilogy following Cold Magic, set in a pseudo-Victorian Europe where an orphan is forced on a dangerous journey with a cold mage.
• The author’s website has this page for the book, with a link to a bonus chapter.

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Friedman, C. S. : Legacy of Kings
(DAW 9780-7564-0748-3, $7.99, 512pp, mass market paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Sep 2012
• Magister #3

(First edition: DAW, September 2011)

Fantasy novel, third in the “Magister” trilogy following Feast of Souls (2008) and Wings of Wrath (2009).
• The author’s website has this page about the series.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.

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Gibson, William : Distrust That Particular Flavor
(Berkley 978-0-425-25299-4, $16, 272pp, trade paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Sep 2012

(First edition: Penguin/Putnam, January 2012)

Nonfiction collection of articles and essays, the author’s first nonfiction book.
• The publisher’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviewed the book earlier this year in Locus Magazine: “…we repeatedly get to share in the sense of wonder and discovery that Gibson himself seems to feel when first encountering everything from Zombies of the Stratosphere (in a fascinating piece on cyborgs that also somehow segues into Vannevar Bush, whose 1945 article describing what amounts to a personal computer is one of Gibson’s more fascinating discoveries) to eBay (in an account of his former obsession with watch-collecting) to the myriad fascinations that contemporary Japan holds for him.”

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Gilman, Laura Anne : The Shattered Vine
(Pocket 978-1451671841, $9.99, 432pp, mass market paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 28 Aug 2012
• The Vineart War #3

(First edition: Simon & Schuster/Gallery, October 2011)

Fantasy novel, third book of “The Vineart War” following Flesh and Fire (2009) and Weight of Stone (2010), set in a world where magic is created from wine.
• The publisher’s site has this description, with a “browse inside” function.

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Slonczewski, Joan : The Highest Frontier
(Tor 978-0-7653-6772-3, $7.99, 496pp, mass market paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 28 Aug 2012

(First edition: Tor, September 2011)

Hard science fiction novel in which a descendant of the Kennedy clan attends orbiting Frontera College as an invasive alien species threatens Earth’s remaining ecosystem.
• Tor’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.
• The book is co-winner of this year’s John W. Campbell Memorial Award.

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Smith, Sherwood : Blood Spirits
(DAW 978-0-7564-0747-6, $7.99, 496pp, mass market paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Sep 2012
• Coronets #2

(First edition: DAW, September 2011)

Fantasy novel, second book in a series, following Coronets and Steel (2010), about an L.A. grad student who yearns for older, more romantic times.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” provides a preview.

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Stirling, S. M. : The Tears of the Sun
(Roc 978-0-451-46443-9, $9.99, 688pp, mass market paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Sep 2012
• Emberverse #5

(First edition: Roc, September 2011)

Alternate history SF novel, fifth in the “Change” or “Emberverse” series following The Sunrise Lands (2007), The Scourge of God (2008), The Sword of the Lady (2009), and The High King of Montival (2010).
• Stirling’s official website has this description with links to sample chapters and a map.

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Weber, David : A Beautiful Friendship
(Baen 978-1-451-63826-4, $9.99, 384pp, mass market paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Sep 2012
• Stephenie Harrington #1

(First edition: Baen, October 2011)

Young adult science fiction novel, first in a series, about a young woman, anxious to become a forest ranger, who moves with her parents to a new planet.
• Baen’s site has this description with links to several chapters.
• Carolyn Cushman reviewed it last year in Locus Magazine: “Stephanie’s adventures are fun, and should make a nicely accessible introduction to the Honorverse for young-adult readers.”
• The book was co-winner of a Golden Duck Award this year.

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Ziegler, Rob : Seed
(Night Shade Books 978-1597803250, $15.99, 341pp, trade paperback, September 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Sun 26 Aug 2012

(First edition: Night Shade Books, November 2011)

SF novel, the author’s first novel, set in a ravaged 22nd century in which the US government is overshadowed by a huge city-coporation that distributes genetically engineered seed to the world.
• Night Shade’s site has this description.
• The novel was a finalist for this year’s John W. Campbell Memorial Award.

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