New and Notable Books
Iain M. Banks, Look to Windward (Pocket 8/01) Death and loss haunt the people of the Culture living on the Masaq' Orbital as they prepare to view the last light of stars destroyed in a war 800 years earlier – but in addition to the solemn theme, there's enough humor, spectacle, and intrigue to make this a space opera on the grand scale.
Algis Budrys, ed., L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume XVII (Bridge 8/01) The latest winners of the highly successful contest for new writers and artists are showcased in this anthology of 18 stories.
Lois McMaster Bujold, The Curse of Chalion (Eos 8/01) Bujold's knack for adventure and engaging characters translates well to fantasy in this tale of an ex-soldier caught up in royal politics, a curse, and the unwanted interference of the gods.
Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, eds., The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fourteenth Annual Collection (St. Martin's Griffin 8/01) The big best-of-the-year anthology for those who want to keep up with what's happening in the fantasy and horror fields, with 44 stories, eight poems, and commentary on the year in fantasy.
Gardner Dozois, ed. The Year's Best Science Fiction: Eighteenth Annual Collection (St. Martin's Griffin 7/01) The latest volume in the award-winning anthology series brings together 23 of the best SF stories of 2000.
Harlan Ellison, The Essential Ellison: A 50-Year Retrospective (Morpheus International 5/01) A major Ellison collection, substantially revised and expanded from the 1987 Nemo Press edition, with 17 added items and a new preface by Ellison at his vitriolic best.
Fred Gambino, Ground Zero (Paper Tiger/Sterling 9/01) Gambino's beautifully reproduced cover art is enhanced by his discussion of technical considerations involved in each piece, including his groundbreaking digital techniques.
Elizabeth Haydon, Destiny (Tor 8/01) Plots, prophecies, demon schemes, and complications from well-meant fabrications finally come to a head in this volume, as the epic ''Rhapsody'' trilogy comes to a triumphant conclusion.
Ian Irvine, A Shadow on the Glass (Warner Aspect 7/01) Australian author Irvine makes his impressive American debut with this powerful fantasy, the first volume in the four-book epic fantasy ''The View From the Mirror''. The rediscovery of a magical artifact may spark war between four races from different worlds.
Mindy L. Klasky, The Glasswright's Progress (Roc 7/01) Sequel to the notable first novel The Glasswright's Apprentice, this finds the would-be glasswright Rani a prisoner of an enemy king who is raising an army of children.
Rebecca Lickiss, Eccentric Circles (Ace 7/01) A writer inherits a house with a backdoor to another world – a fantasy world strongly influenced by creative works created in the real world. A charming first novel.
Ken MacLeod, The Star Fraction (Tor 8/01) MacLeod's remarkable first novel, published in the UK in 1995, finally makes it to the US, a witty and provocative installment in the ''Fall Revolution'' sequence.
Terry McGarry, Illumination (Tor 8/01) First novelist McGarry uses her short fiction experience to bring a distinctive touch to this heroic fantasy of a young mage with blocked powers, sent on a mission to trap a renegade Dark Mage.
Michael Moorcock, King of the City (Morrow 6/01) Moorcock returns to a slightly skewed version of London for this satirical sequel to Mother London, as Denny Dover works to block the latest plans of the ruthless John Barbican Begg for world domination.
Lucius Shepard, The Jaguar Hunter (Four Walls Eight Windows 5/01) This powerful collection of short fiction, originally published in 1987, returns with the added punch of Shepard's latest Locus Award-winning novella, ''Radiant Green Star''.
Jan Siegel, The Dragon Charmer (Del Rey 8/01) Siegel continues the fantasy adventure begun in Prospero's Children, her notable first novel. Twelve years later, Fern's attempts to deny her mystical powers are thwarted by the reawakening of an ancient evil.
Wen Spencer, Alien Taste (Roc 7/01) Murder, aliens, and a feral child turned detective combine in this thoroughly entertaining SF mystery, an impressive first novel.
Harry Turtledove, American Empire: Blood & Iron (Del Rey 8/01) The master of alternate history continues his account of an alternate America with this first volume in a new series set just after the ''Great War'' in Europe.
Robert Charles Wilson, The Chronoliths (Tor 8/01) The power of expectations, and the nature of causality are explored in this bold near-future SF novel. Huge stone monuments from the future appear around the world, causing chaos as people try to prepare themselves for the events commemorated by the monuments.
