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Reviews in this month's Locus Magazine


Linked titles can be browsed (or ordered) from Amazon.com Books.

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New SF, fantasy, and horror books in October

* Altman, Steven-Elliot, & Patrick Merla [created by Altman; edited by Merla] The Touch
(ibooks 0-7434-0715-6, $14, 15+347pp, tpb, October 2000, jacket design Jason Vita)
Original anthology of 23 stories about an epidemic of sense-deprivation spread by touch. Authors include Tananarive Due, Kit Reed, Harry Turtledove, Janet Asimov, William F. Nolan, Sean Stewart. Introduction is by Katherine Dunn, and there are illustrations by Edward Gorey. The book is a "Write Aid" benefit for charities HEAL, Health Education AIDS Liaison, and F.A.C.T., Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Therapy. (Thu 12 Oct 2000)

* Anthony, Piers The Dastard
(Tor 0-312-86900-2, $24.95, 303pp, hc, October 2000, jacket art Darrell K. Sweet, jacket design Carol Russo Design)
Humorous fantasy novel, 24th in the Xanth series. (Tue 10 Oct 2000)

* Baker, Mike, & Martin H. Greenberg, eds My Favorite Horror Story
(DAW 0-88677-914-6, $6.99, 16+303pp, pb, October 2000, jacket art Koeveks)
Reprint anthology of 15 classic horror stories, each one chosen by a contemporary horror writer. This follows similar earlier volumes of SF and fantasy stories. Stephen King chooses Robert Bloch; Peter Straub chooses Robert Aickman; Joyce Carol Oates chooses Edgar Allan Poe; Harlan Ellison chooses Edogawa Rampo. (Tue 31 Oct 2000)

* Barlough, Jeffrey E. Dark Sleeper
(Ace 0-441-00730-9, $14.95, 484pp, tpb, September 2000, jacket art Jeff Barson)
Dark fantasy novel reminiscent of Tim Powers or James Blaylock, according to Jonathan Strahan's review in the October Locus; in the style of Dickens or Hardy, according to the description on Amazon.com. There was an earlier small press edition (c1998) but this is the first trade edition. (Mon 23 Oct 2000)

* Beagle, Peter S. A Dance for Emilia
(Roc 0-451-45800-1, $14.95, 87pp, hc, October 2000, jacket art Yvonne Gilbert, jacket design Ray Lundgren)
Fantasy novella about a dead man whose spirit returns in the body of a cat. Amazon has Booklist review. (Tue 17 Oct 2000)

* Benford, Gregory Worlds Vast and Various
(Eos 0-380-79054-8, $13.5, 312pp, tpb, October 2000, cover art Rick Sternbach)
Collection of 12 stories, including "Kollapse", "As Big as the Ritz", "High Abyss", "A Worm in the Well", etc., from the late '80s to present except for one early story, ''The Scarred Man'' (1970). The author's "Afterthoughts" section offers background and commentary. (Tue 3 Oct 2000)

* Bishop, Michael Blue Kansas Sky
(Golden Gryphon Press 0-9655901-0-0, $24.95, 15+263pp, hc, October 2000, jacket art Ron Walotsky, jacket design Lynne Condellone)
"Four Short Novels of Memory, Magic, Surmise & Estrangement". Three of these novellas are reprints: "Death and Designation Among the Asadi", one of Bishop's earliest stories, Hugo and Nebula nominee; "Apartheid, Superstrings, and Mordecai Thubana", World Fantasy and Nebula nominee; and "Cri de Coeur", Hugo and Sturgeon nominee. The fourth is original, "Blue Kansas Sky", a coming of age tale set in 1950s Kansas. Introduction by James Morrow. Reviewed by Jonathan Strahan in the October Locus. (Mon 23 Oct 2000)

* Boston, Bruce The Complete Accursed Wives
(Dark Regions/Talisman 1-888993-19-7, $9.95, 98pp, tpb, September 2000, jacket art Allen Koszowski)
Collection of 40 poems and short stories, expanded from Accursed Wives (1993), about the wives of various fantasy and SF figures: "Curse of the Alien's Wife", "Curse of the Demon's Wife", "Curse of the SF-Writer's Wife", etc. Order from Dark Regions Press, Box 6301, Concord CA 94524. (Tue 31 Oct 2000)

* Cadigan, Pat Dervish is Digital
(UK: Macmillan 0-333-77953-3, £9.99, 230pp, tpb, October 2000, jacket design DominicRouse/Image Bank)
SF novel about Doré Konstantin, Chief Officer in charge of TechnoCrime, Artificial Reality Division, and protagonist of previous Cadigan novel Tea from an Empty Cup. Amazon UK reprints the jacket copy. (Wed 25 Oct 2000)

* Crowley, John An Earthly Mother Sits and Sings
(DreamHaven Books 1-892058-04-9, $10, 14pp, chap, October 2000, jacket art Charles Vess, jacket design Robert T. Garcia)
Fantasy short story, with illustrations by Charles Vess, published for this year's World Fantasy Convention, where Crowley and Vess were Guests of Honor. Available from DreamHaven Publishing. (Sun 29 Oct 2000)

* Danielewski, Mark Z. The Whalestoe Letters
(Pantheon 0-375-71441-3, $8.95, 17+83pp, tpb, October 2000)
Extract from the author's House of Leaves published earlier this year; this volume collects a series of letters that appear throughout the original volume, with a few new ones. (Fri 13 Oct 2000)

* Davidson, Avram, (edited by Jack Dann & Grania Davidson Davis) Everybody Has Somebody in Heaven
(Devora Publishing 1-930143-10-9, $24.95, 285pp, hc, October 2000, jacket art Avi Katz)
Collection of "essential Jewish tales of the spirit", stories and poems, many reprinted from late 1940's and 1950's magazines Jewish Life and Commentary, and a few from SF sources: "The Golem", "Goslin Day", "Dr. Morris Goldpepper Returns"; and a couple originals, including the title story. Nonfiction sections introductions and comments are by Jack Dann, Grania Davidson Davis, Eileen Gunn (a biography), Peter S. Beagle, Richard A. Lupoff, Lisa Goldstein, Carol Carr, and Barry N. Malzberg. Reviewed by Jonathan Strahan in the December 2000 Locus. (Sun 29 Oct 2000)

* Duncan, Andy Beluthahatchie and Other Stories
(Golden Gryphon Press 0-9655901-1-9, $23.95, 16+288pp, hc, October 2000, jacket art Bob Eggleton, jacket design Lynne Condellone)
Collection of 11 stories, including "The Executioners' Guild" and the title story, and 2 originals, "Fenneman's Mouth" and "Lincoln in Frogmore". There's a foreword by Michael Bishop, an afterword by John Kessel, and 17 pages of author notes about the stories. Reviewed by Jonathan Strahan in the July 2000 Locus. Amazon has a reader review by Gary S. Potter, who also posted a reader review of Bishop's collection. (Mon 23 Oct 2000)

* Duncan, Dave Sky of Swords
(Eos 0-380-97462-2, $24, 358pp, hc, October 2000, jacket art Boris Zlotsky, jacket design Amy Halperin)
Fantasy novel, a "Tale of the King's Blades", third book following The Gilded Chain and Lord of the Fire Lands. Reviewed by Faren Miller in the September Locus. (Mon 23 Oct 2000)

+ Elliott, Kate Child of Flame
(DAW 0-88677-892-1, $24.95, 850pp, hc, October 2000, jacket art Jody Lee, jacket design G-Force Design)
First US edition (UK: Little Brown/Orbit September 2000). Fantasy novel, fourth volume in the ''Crown of Stars'' sequence. (Tue 10 Oct 2000)

* Grundy, Stephan Gilgamesh
(HarperCollins/Morrow 0-380-97574-2, $26, 575pp, hc, October 2000, jacket art Phil Singer)
Historical fantasy novel. Reviewed by Farren Miller in the November 2000 issues of Locus. Amazon's reader reviews apparently refer to different books with the same name. (Tue 3 Oct 2000)

* Hamilton, Laurell K. A Kiss of Shadows
(Ballantine 0-345-42339-9, $22.95, 435pp, hc, October 2000, jacket design David Stevenson)
Erotic dark fantasy mystery. Amazon has a review by Nona Vero, and lots of reader reviews. (Tue 3 Oct 2000)

* Harrison, M. John Travel Arrangements
(UK: Victor Gollancz 0-57506-831-0, £16.99, 262pp, hc, May 2000)
Collection of 14 stories, first published in sources ranging from F&SF and Interzone to Womens Journal and Times Literary Supplement, from 1983 to 2000. Amazon UK has a review from Burhan Tufail. Reviewed by Faren Miller in the December 2000 Locus. (Sat 28 Oct 2000)

+ Herbert, Brian, & Kevin J. Anderson Dune: House Harkonnen
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-11072-1, $27.5, 603pp, hc, October 2000, jacket art Stephen Youll, jacket design Jamie S. Warren-Youll)
First US edition (UK: Hodder & Stoughton September 2000). SF novel set in Frank Herbert's "Dune" universe, follow-up to last year's Dune: House Atreides. Amazon has Booklist review, and mixed reader reviews. (Tue 3 Oct 2000)

* Herter, David Ceres Storm
(Tor 0-312-87493-6, $22.95, 255pp, hc, November 2000, jacket art Alan Pollack, jacket design The Chopping Block)
SF adventure novel, a first novel. Amazon has a review by Therese Littleton, who has placed this book among Amazon's Top 10 SF books of 2000. (Tue 31 Oct 2000)

* Hogan, James P. The Legend that was Earth
(Baen 0-671-31945-0, $24, 349pp, hc, October 2000, jacket art Dru Blair, jacket design Carol Russo Design)
SF novel about too-helpful aliens. (Tue 3 Oct 2000)

Jünger, Ernst The Glass Bees
(New York Review Books 0-940322-55-2, $12.95, 12+209pp, tpb, October 2000, jacket design Katy Homans)
Reprint (Farrar, Straus and Giroux 1960). Utopian novel about robot bees first published in the German in 1957. This is a reprint of the 1960 English language edition, translated by Louise Bogan and Elizabeth Mayer. New is an introduction by Bruce Sterling, who praises Jünger's prescience -- "these microminiature, computerized, buglike automata are straight out of the MIT Media Lab and Wired magazine, circa 1994" -- and "the glossy sheen of Jünger's descriptions… It's a taut, compact, masterful book." (Mon 16 Oct 2000)

* Lansdale, Joe R. High Cotton: Selected Stories of Joe R. Lansdale
(Golden Gryphon Press 0-9655901-2-7, $23.95, 12+267pp, hc, September 2000, jacket art J.K. Potter, jacket design Lynne Condellone)
Collection of 21 stories, reviewed by Edward Bryant in the August 2000 issue of Locus. (Tue 3 Oct 2000)

+ Martin, George R.R. A Storm of Swords
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-10663-5, $26.95, 973pp, hc, November 2000, jacket art Stephen Youll, jacket design Jamie S. Warren Youll)
First US edition (UK: HarperCollins Voyager August 2000). Enormous third volume in Martin's ongoing fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire", following A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. Reviewed by Faren Miller in the November 2000 Locus Magazine. Amazon has a review by Paul Hughes, and [at the moment] 43 reader reviews averaging 5-stars. (Tue 31 Oct 2000)

* Mintz, Catherine First Light
(TomorrowSF 1-58776-048-7, $14, 136pp, tpb, August 2000, jacket design Paul McCall)
Collection of 10 stories, 1 (the title story) original; others are reprinted from Interzone, Tomorrow SF, Weird Tales, etc. (Thu 12 Oct 2000)

* Moorcock, Michael King of the City
(UK: Scribner 0-684-86143-7, £16.99, 421pp, hc, May 2000)
Slipstream (perhaps alternate history) novel about London, a thematic sequel to Moorcock's 1988 Whitbread nominee Mother London. Reviewed by Faren Miller in the August 2000 Locus. Amazon UK has a review by Barry Forshaw. (Fri 27 Oct 2000)

* Oltion, Jerry Abandon in Place
(Tor 0-312-87264-x, $24.95, 363pp, hc, November 2000, jacket art Vincent Di Fate)
SF novel, based on the author's Nebula Award-winning novella, about phantom Saturn V rockets that launch toward the moon following Neil Armstrong's death. (Tue 24 Oct 2000)

* Pullman, Philip His Dark Materials Book III: The Amber Spyglass
(Knopf 0-679-87926-9, $19.95, 518pp, hc, October 2000, jacket art Eric Rohmann)
Fantasy novel, Book III of ''His Dark Materials''. Reviewed by Carolyn Cushman in the November 2000 Locus. Amazon has long review by Kerry Fried, and enthusiastic reader reviews. (Tue 10 Oct 2000)

* Rice, Anne Merrick
(Random House/Knopf 0-679-45448-9, $26.95, 307pp, hc, October 2000)
Horror novel reuniting the vampires Lestat and Louise and the dead vampire child Claudia -- according to the Amazon.com review by Tim Appelo. No reader reviews yet. (Tue 17 Oct 2000)

* Roberts, Adam Salt
(UK: Victor Gollancz 0-57506-896-5, £16.99, 248pp, hc, July 2000, jacket art Chris Moore)
SF novel, a first novel, about human colonists arriving on an arid, bleak planet. Reviewed by Jonathan Strahan in the November 2000 Locus. Amazon UK has a review by David Langford. (Sat 28 Oct 2000)

* Salton, Catherine Raphael and the Noble Task
(HarperCollins 0-06-019675-0, $20, 157pp, hc, November 2000, jacket art David Weitzman, jacket design Jose Almaguer)
YA fantasy novel, a first novel, about a medieval cathedral, a guardian griffin, and human child left in its care. The jacket description says it is "destined to be cherished as an enduring Christmas classic". (Sun 29 Oct 2000)

* Salzman, Mark Lying Awake
(Knopf 0-375-40632-8, $21, 181pp, hc, September 2000, jacket design Chip Kidd)
Associational, literary novel about a nun in a Carmelite monastery whose spiritual visions, accompanied by powerful headaches, might be medically 'cured'. Amazon has a review by David Laskin. The book has appeared on some bestseller lists as of Oct. 15. (Tue 3 Oct 2000)

* Simmons, Dan Darwin's Blade
(Morrow 0-380-97369-3, $25, 368pp, hc, November 2000, jacket design Thomas Tafuri)
Suspense novel about an accident investigator reconstructing bizarre accidents; inspired by the Darwin Awards, which commemorate various stupid ways in which people kill themselves. Amazon has a review by Michael Hudson, and mixed reader reviews. Reviewed by Lance Caselman in the December 2000 Locus. (Sat 28 Oct 2000)

Slonczewski, Joan A Door Into Ocean
(Orb 0-312-87652-1, $15.95, 403pp, tpb, October 2000, cover art Alan Pollack, cover design apt13)
Reprint (Arbor House February 1986). Hard SF, feminist novel, winner of the 1987 John W. Campbell Memorial Award. (Tue 10 Oct 2000)

* Sterling, Bruce Zeitgeist
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-10493-4, $24.95, 293pp, hc, November 2000, jacket art Eric Dinyer, jacket design Jamie S. Warren Youll)
SF novel set in 1999 about Leggy Starlitz, hero of several earlier Sterling stories including "The Littlest Jackal" and "Are You For 86?". Something different from Sterling's previous two novels Distraction and Holy Fire; Amazon has two disappointed reader reviews. Reviewed and admired by Russell Letson in the November 2000 Locus. (Tue 31 Oct 2000)

* Sturgeon, Theodore A Saucer of Loneliness: The Complete Short Stories of Theodore Sturgeon, Vol. 7
(North Atlantic 1-55643-350-6, $30, 9+388pp, hc, October 2000)
Collection of 12 stories, latest volume in the ongoing series collecting all of Sturgeon's short fiction. This volume gathers stories from Sturgeon's prime, the early 1950s, including the title story, "The World Well Lost", "Mr. Costello, Hero", and "The Sillken-Swift". Foreword by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.; edited and with story notes by Paul Williams. (Tue 31 Oct 2000)

* Sturgeon, Theodore Selected Stories
(Vintage Books 0-375-70375-6, $14, 439pp, tpb, October 2000, jacket design Evan Gaffney)
Collection of 13 stories arranged chronologically, packaged in a handsome Vintage Books paperback, but lacking any sort of introduction, story notes, etc. The stories are (omitting quotes): Thunder and Roses; The Golden Helix; Mr. Costello, Hero; Bianca's Hands; The Skills of Xanadu; Killdozer!; Bright Segment; The Sex Opposite; The [Widget], the [Wadget], and Boff; It; A Way of Thinking; The Man Who Lost the Sea; Slow Sculpture. Amazon reproduces the cover blurbs by Vonnegut, Delany, and L'Engle. (Tue 24 Oct 2000)

* Volsky, Paula The Grand Ellipse
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-10804-2, $23.95, 549pp, hc, October 2000, jacket art Daniel Merrian, jacket design Jamie S. Warren Youll)
Fantasy novel, reviewed by Farren Miller in the September Locus. Amazon has a book description. (Tue 3 Oct 2000)

* Walton, Jo The King's Peace
(Tor 0-312-87229-1, $26.95, 416pp, hc, October 2000, jacket art Julie Bell)
Historical fantasy novel, a first novel. Amazon has description, and mixed reader reviews. (Tue 10 Oct 2000)

* Young, Janine Ellen The Bridge
(Warner Aspect 0-446-60799-1, $6.5, 348pp, pb, September 2000, cover art Victor Lee, cover design Don Puckey)
SF novel about an alien virus that kills billions of humans and leaves the survivors with an obsession to build a bridge to the stars. (Wed 4 Oct 2000)

* Zivkovic, Zoran Time Gifts
(Northwestern University Press 0-8101-1782-7, $14.95, 81pp, tpb, October 2000, jacket art John MacDonald)
Collection of four stories by the Serbian writer about a time traveler's philosophical encounters, first published (in English) last year by Polaris in Yugoslavia. One, "The Astronomer", was published in Interzone, June 1999. Translated by Alice Copple-Tosic. (Tue 31 Oct 2000)

This page lists selected new science fiction, fantasy, and horror books seen published this month, mostly via bookstores sightings (though all books received for review -- not including advance reading copies -- will be listed). For a comprehensive listing of new books published each month, see Locus Magazine. Its Books Received listings are accumulated as the online Locus Index.

Key: * = first edition, + = first US edition. Date with publisher info is official publication month; date in parentheses at paragraph end is date seen or received.

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