* Beckett, Chris : Mother of Eden
(Broadway 978-0-8041-3870-3, $15, 480pp, trade paperback, May 2015)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 May 2015
• Dark Eden #2

SF novel, sequel to Arthur C. Clarke Award-winner Dark Eden, about descendants of human settlers on the planet Eden.
• The Penguin Random House site has this description.
• The UK edition, in hardcover, is due June 5.

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* Dalglish, David : A Dance of Chaos
(Orbit 978-0316242578, $16, 512pp, trade paperback, May 2015)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 May 2015
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316242554
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781478985273
• Shadowdance #6

Fantasy novel, sixth volume of a series following A Dance of Cloaks (October 2013), A Dance of Blades (November 2013), A Dance of Mirrors (Dec. 2013), A Dance of Ghosts (2014) and A Dance of Shadows (2014).
• Hachette’s site has this description.

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* Danielewski, Mark Z. : The Familiar: One Rainy Day in May
(Random House/Pantheon 978-0375714948, $25, 880pp, trade paperback, May 2015)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 May 2015
• The Familiar #1

Experimental metafictional novel about nine characters in various countries, including a 12-year-old girl trying to find her dog on a rainy day, two scientists on the run, and a programmer with a powerful new game engine.
• Random House’s site has this description.
• The second volume is due October 27.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Danielewski’s interest is clearly not in storytelling, but in faux profundity; hence the book’s multitude of wise-sounding quotations, random punctuation, fake code, blank pages, cheap pop-cultural citations, and The Matrix–aping techno-clichés make for familiar reading indeed.”

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* Grimes, Linda : The Big Fix
(Tor 978-0765376381, $26.99, 320pp, hardcover, May 2015)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 May 2015
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781466851269
• Ciel Halligan #3

Urban fantasy novel, third in a series following In a Fix (2012) and The Quick Fix (2013), about a human chameleon who solves her clients’ problems by taking on their identities.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “A moment of ambiguity concerning identity and sexual consent provides the only slightly discordant note in an otherwise juicy tale that will thrill fans of romance, mystery, and the supernatural.”

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+ Hardinge, Frances : Cuckoo Song
(Abrams Amulet 978-1-4197-1480-1, $17.95, 416pp, hardcover, May 2015)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 May 2015

First US edition (UK: Macmillan Children’s Books UK, May 2014)

Young adult fantasy novel about a girl, Triss, who wakes after an accident and comes to realize she is literally not hereself.
• Abrams’ site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “In the guise of a gorgeously written and disconcerting fairy tale, Hardinge (A Face Like Glass) delves deeply into the darker side of family life, particularly sibling rivalry and the devastating effect war can have on those left at home.”

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+ Hogan, Edward : The Messengers
(Candlewick 978-0763671129, $16.99, 224pp, hardcover, May 2015)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 May 2015

Young adult horror novel about a 15-year-old girl who meets a strange man who tells her that they are both messengers, whose mission is to advise people of their impending deaths.
• Candlewick’s site has this description.
• Colleen Mondor reviews it in the May issue of Locus Magazine: “The Messengers presents not only a literary challenge to the definition of fate, but also poses the most basic of questions to ponder: how much would you do to change someone’s life and, further, what are you doing right now to change your own?”

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* Naam, Ramez : Apex
(Angry Robot 978-0857664013, $14.99, 608pp, trade paperback, May 2015)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 May 2015
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780857664020
• UK edition: 9780857664006 (Thu 7 May 2015)
• Nexus Arc #3

SF novel, third in a trilogy following Nexus and Crux (both 2013), about an experimental nano-drug.
• Angry Robot’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• John Scalzi’s blog posted this Big Idea background from the author.

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* Reed, Kit : Where
(Tor 978-0-7653-7982-5, $25.99, 240pp, hardcover, May 2015)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 May 2015
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781466870499

SF novel about a couple, David and Merrill, who are separated when everyone in their South Carolina town except David disappears.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The conclusion is extremely abrupt and ambiguous, but the brilliant writing and characterization make even the faltering ending worth getting to.”
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews it in the May issue of Locus Magazine: “Too much resolution can seem trite and facile (as in Stephen King’s Under the Dome), while too little can leave readers simply frustrated. Reed brings off the balancing act pretty well, but her main concern – as was King’s in his novel – lies in exploring the reactions of individual characters, and in particular in the relationship of the individual to the community.”

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* Strahan, Jonathan, ed. : The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume Nine
(Solaris 978-1781083093, $19.99, 624pp, trade paperback, May 2015)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 May 2015

Anthology of 28 science fiction and fantasy stories first published in 2014.
• Authors include Paolo Bacigalupi, Greg Egan, James Patrick Kelly, Ken Liu, Ellen Klages, Michael Swanwick, and Kai Ashante Wilson.
• Jonathan Strahan has this post listing the complete table of contents.

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* Sumner-Smith, Karina : Defiant
(Skyhorse/Talos 978-1-940456-26-3, $15.99, 400pp, trade paperback, May 2015)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 May 2015
• Towers Trilogy #2

Young adult fantasy novel, second in a trilogy following Radiant (2014), about a 15-year-old girl without magic in a divided society of floating Towers.
• The author’s site has this page for the book with a link to an excerpt and quotes from reviews.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes: “New readers will struggle to catch up, but returning fans will appreciate that Sumner-Smith has done a fine job of setting up the final good vs. evil, rich vs. poor magical showdown.”

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* Witcover, Paul : The Watchman of Eternity
(UK: Transworld/Bantam UK 978-0593070765, £18.99, 450pp, hardcover, May 2015)
• Nominal Publication Date: Thu 7 May 2015
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781448152506

Alternate history novel, second in a series following The Emperor of All Things (2013), about an 18th century war between England and France.
• Transworld’s site has this description with a preview function.
• Website Civilian Reader has an excerpt, and SFFWorld.com has an interview with the author.

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* Wrede, Patricia C., & Pamela Dean : Points of Departure: Liavek Stories
(Diversion 978-1-62681-555-1, $17.95, 360pp, trade paperback, May 2015)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 May 2015

Collection of 9 stories first published in the series of Liavek anthologies edited by Will Shetterly and Emma Bull beginning in the late 1980s.
• The publisher’s site has this description.
• Publishers Weekly gives this a starred review: “The city lives and breathes as many fantasy cities do not, and the repetition of basic information at the beginning of each story is easy to tolerate. This deeply enjoyable journey to Liavek will be of interest to longtime fans and newcomers alike.”

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