New Books, 14 January
* Bledsoe, Alex : He Drank, and Saw the Spider
(Tor 978-0-7653-3414-5, $24.99, 320pp, hardcover, January 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 14 Jan 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781466808270
• Eddie LaCrosse #5
Sword-and-sorcery detective novel, fifth in a series following The Sword-Edged Blonde (2007), Burn Me Deadly (2009), Dark Jenny (2011), and Wake of the Bloody Angel (2012), about detective Eddie LaCrosse.
• Macmillan’s website has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Plausible action scenes and a rough but good-hearted lead make this another winner.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)
* Costello, Matthew, & Rick Hautala : Star Road
(St. Martin’s/Dunne 978-1-250-01322-4, $25.99, 304pp, hardcover, January 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 14 Jan 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250013361
SF space opera novel about a rebel leader assigned by the World Council to carry out a secret mission on the planet Omega IX.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt and quotes from reviews.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The emphasis on the unexplored evokes the vision of classic science fiction, neatly packaging this espionage novel in a speculative wrapper.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)
* Dalglish, David, & Robert J. Duperre : Dawn of Swords
(Amazon/47north 9781477809792, $14.95, trade paperback, January 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 14 Jan 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: B00CL0FAR0
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 978-1480544345
• Breaking World #1
Fantasy novel, first in a series, about two brother gods who recreate mankind on the young world of Dezrel.
• Amazon, and a page on the author’s site, have a description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)
+ Pinborough, Sarah : Mayhem
(Quercus/Jo Fletcher 978-1-62365-086-5, $24.95, 400pp, hardcover, January 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 14 Jan 2014
First US edition (UK: Quercus/Jo Fletcher, May 2013)
First US edition of horror thriller about a second killer stalking London women at the time of Jack the Ripper.
• The publisher’s site has this description.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: ” In this chilling exploration of madness and evil, Pinborough excels at summoning up the bleak spirit of Victorian London’s mean streets and those forced to fight for survival there.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)
* Riggs, Ransom : Hollow City
(Quirk Books 978-1-59474-612-3, $17.99, 352pp, hardcover, January 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 14 Jan 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-59474-620-8
• Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children #2
Young adult fantasy novel, sequel to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2011), about a boy’s search for his grandfather’s childhood home, as inspired by vintage photographs.
• The publisher’s site has this page for the book, with quotes from reviews and links to an excerpt and a book trailer.
• There’s no PW review (since this is a sequel), but PW does have this article about the book.
• The Los Angeles Times has this profile of the author and his wife, who also writes YA novels.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)
* Staveley, Brian : The Emperor’s Blades
(Tor 978-0-7653-3640-8, $27.99, 480pp, hardcover, January 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 14 Jan 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781466828438
• Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne #1
Fantasy novel, first book in a series and the author’s first novel, about the daughter and two sons of a slain emperor.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Staveley puts his protagonists to the test and is wise enough to allow them shortcomings even as they develop extraordinary abilities. While the background material and the system of magic are complicated, enough details are leaked to help the reader cope.”
• Faren Miller reviews the book in the January issue of Locus Magazine, concluding, “Spicing it all with memorable sidekicks and intriguing ideas, while increasing the pace with assured skill, Stavely takes this initial stage of his tale to a climax where the amount of double-dealing and quick changes dazzles, even as it prompts absolute paranoia. Viewed with the reviewer’s coldest eye, his final chapters might seem a little too perfectly thought-out (up to and including the last-minute cliffhanger), but none of that kept me from wanting more.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)