* Cherryh, C.J. Hammerfall
(HarperCollins/Eos 0-06-105260-4, $25, 390pp, hc, July 2001, jacket art Bob Eggleton, jacket design Amy Halperin)
SF novel, first in a new "Gene Wars" series. Amazon has PW and Booklist reviews. Reviewed by Jonathan Strahan in the June Locus, who finds this book "something of a puzzle" but "as a reader who has followed Cherryh through most of her 50 novels, I'm inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt." (Wed 20 Jun 2001)
+ Constantine, Storm Stealing Sacred Fire
(Meisha Merlin 0-9658345-6-5, $16, 395pp, tpb, January 2001, jacket art Rick Berry, jacket design Rick Berry)
First US edition (UK: Penguin December 1997). Fantasy novel, third in the Grigori Trilogy, following Stalking Tender Prey and Scenting Hallowed Blood. The Amazon page reproduces the description from the book cover. The book has author and artist bibliographies. (Wed 20 Jun 2001)
* David, Peter Sir Apropos of Nothing
(Pocket 0-7434-1233-8, $23.95, 504pp, hc, July 2001)
Humorous fantasy novel about a young man seeking vengeance for the death of his mother who becomes squire to an inept knight named Sir Umbrage of the Flaming Nether Regions. David is best known for Star Trek and other media-tie novels; this is his first independent novel in many years. It got a starred review from Publishers Weekly (noted on this page), though that review isn't reprinted by Amazon as many PW reviews are. (Tue 26 Jun 2001)
* Gaiman, Neil American Gods
(HarperCollins/Morrow 0-380-97365-0, $26, 465pp, hc, June 2001, jacket design Russell Gordon)
Contemporary fantasy novel about old gods vs. new, staged as a road trip across modern America. Widely reviewed even in the mainstream press (see Field Inspections July and June), with reviews by Gary K. Wolfe and Jonathan Strahan in the June Locus. Amazon reprints reviews from PW, Booklist, and Library Journal, and has an admiring review from Amazon editor Therese Littleton. (Tue 19 Jun 2001)
+ McAuley, Paul J. The Secret of Life
(Tor 0-765-30080-X, $25.95, 413pp, hc, July 2001, jacket design Drive Communications, New York)
First US edition (UK: HarperCollins/Voyager January 2001). SF novel about Government conspiracies, a renegade scientist, incipient ecological disaster -- and an expedition to Mars. Reviewed by Jonathan Strahan in the April Locus, and Gary K. Wolfe in the May, who calls this "Exactly the sort of book you might want to hand someone who's just asked you what sorts of things SF writers are up to right now, in the first half of the year 2001." Amazon has PW and Booklist reviews. (Tue 26 Jun 2001)
Moorcock, Michael The Cornelius Quartet
(Four Walls Eight Windows 1-56858-183-1, $22, 855pp, tpb, May 2001, jacket design Julie Metz)
Reprint (Avon August 1977). Omnibus of four novels about Jerry Cornelius -- regarded as the first cyberpunk hero by Gibson, Sterling, and others, it says here on the back cover -- first published from 1969 to 1977: The Final Programme, A Cure for Cancer, The English Assassin, and The Condition of Muzak. This appears to have the same contents as the 1977 Avon edition, titled The Cornelius Chronicles, including three appendices and illustrations by Malcolm Dean, but lacking John Clute's '77 introduction. (Thu 28 Jun 2001)
+ Aldiss, Brian Supertoys Last All Summer Long and other stories of future time
(St. Martin's Griffin 0-312-28061-0, $13.95, 19+232pp, tpb, June 2001, jacket design Scott Levine)
First US edition (UK: Little Brown/Orbit January 2001). Collection of 15 stories including the title story, basis for the Kubrick/Spielberg film A.I., and two sequel stories Aldiss wrote to outline his conception of how a feature film might develop his original idea. Aldiss's Foreword, "Attempting to Please", describes his involvement with both Kubrick and Spielberg. The three "Supertoys" stories are reviewed by Mark R. Kelly in the May issue of Locus Magazine, and online, here. (Tue 12 Jun 2001)
* Carey, Jacqueline Kushiel's Dart
(Tor 0-312-87238-0, $25.95, 701pp, hc, June 2001, jacket art John Jude Palencar)
Fantasy novel, a first novel, about an "indentured servant – and unashamed masochist – trained as courtesan and spy" (Locus New & Notable Books, July 2001); reviewed by Faren Miller in the June 2001 Locus, who says "Carey dismantles standard notions of both magic and morality to produce a long, complex saga worthy of the field’s best...an astonishing debut." Amazon has the PW review, which calls it a "brilliant and daring debut", and several reader reviews. (Fri 8 Jun 2001)
* Frank, Jane The Art of Richard Powers
(US/UK: Paper Tiger 1-85585-890-8, $29.95, 128pp, hc, May 2001, jacket art Richard Powers)
Art book showcasing the great surrealist SF artist Richard Powers, whose work first appeared on Ballantine's paperbacks in the 1950s and whose career spanned over 4 decades. With text by Jane Frank, a foreword by Vincent Di Fate, a biographic sketch by son Richard Gid Powers, a previously unpublished interview with Powers, and a checklist of over 1000 book covers by Powers. (Thu 7 Jun 2001)
* Harlan, Thomas The Storm of Heaven
(Tor 0-312-86559-7, $27.95, 558pp, hc, June 2001, jacket art Stephen Hickman)
Alternate history fantasy novel, third in the epic ‘‘Oath of Empire’’ series, set in 624 AD as a three-way war pits Rome against Persia against desert tribes under Mohammed; a "New and Notable Book" (Locus July 2001). Amazon has the PW review and reader reviews. (Tue 12 Jun 2001)
* Hartwell, David G., ed Year's Best SF 6
(HarperCollins/Eos 0-06-102055-9, $7.5, 12+500pp, pb, June 2001)
Anthology of 27 of the best SF stories published in 2000, including several short-shorts from the series of vignettes run in Nature magazine, and longer works by Ted Chiang, Greg Egan, Paul J. McAuley, Ursula K. Le Guin, Robert Charles Wilson, and numerous others. (Fri 1 Jun 2001)
* Lupoff, Richard A. Claremont Tales
(Golden Gryphon Press 1-930846-00-2, $23.95, 15+290pp, hc, April 2001, jacket art Nicholas Jainschigg, jacket design Lynne Condellone)
Collection of 12 stories by one of those authors who is less well-known than he should be because his work varies over such a wide range, from Lovecraftian fantasy ("Discovery of the Ghooric Zone") to hard SF mystery ("Black Mist"). There are notes to each story by Lupoff, and interior illustrations by Nicholas Jainschigg. That's Lupoff on the cover, serving dinner to a variety of weird guests. (Thu 7 Jun 2001)
* Miller, Ron, & Frederick C. Durant III The Art of Chesley Bonestell
(UK: Paper Tiger 1-85585-884-3, $49.95, 256pp, hc, April 2001, jacket art Chesley Bonestell)
Art book showcasing the great astronomical artist's life and work, which covered the familiar and influential realistic depictions of Saturn's rings and interplanetary rockets, as well as movie work (The Fountainhead's skyscraper, p.38) and depictions of nuclear war for Collier's and other magazines in the late '40s/early '50s (with New York City a favorite target, p.73, 176). There's a short Foreword by Arthur C. Clarke. The same authors did a shorter Bonestell book back in 1983, a trade paperback published by Donning/Starblaze. Amazon has PW and Booklist and reader reviews. (Fri 1 Jun 2001)
* Pohl, Frederik, ed The SFWA Grand Masters, Volume 3
(Tor 0-312-86877-4, $25.95, 477pp, hc, June 2001, jacket design 12E Design)
Reprint anthology of work by recipients of SFWA's Grand Master Award, third in the series, with classic stories by Lester del Rey, Damon Knight, A.E. van Vogt, Jack Vance, and Frederik Pohl himself. Pohl provides introductions to the other four masters, while Elizabeth Anne Hull does the honors for him. The book is reviewed by Gary K. Wolfe in the June 2001 Locus Magazine. (Tue 12 Jun 2001)
+ Reynolds, Alastair Revelation Space
(Ace 0-441-00835-6, $23.95, 476pp, hc, June 2001, jacket art Chris Moore)
First US edition (UK: Gollancz March 2000). SF novel, the author's first, a well-received epic hard SF space opera set in Reynolds's future history. This US edition is physically smaller than the oversized UK edition last year, but has the same (almost) dust jacket, with the addition of the author's photo on the back flap. Amazon has David Langford's review from Amazon UK. (Thu 7 Jun 2001)
* Rusch, Kristine Kathryn Stories for an Enchanted Afternoon
(Golden Gryphon Press 1-930846-02-9, $24.95, 16+284pp, hc, May 2001, jacket art Thomas Canty, jacket design Lynne Condellone)
Collection of 11 SF and fantasy stories, including "Coolhunting", "Echea", Locus Award-winner "The Gallery of His Dreams", and current Hugo nominee "Millennium Babies". Rusch provides a new Introduction, and there's a Foreword by Kevin J. Anderson. (Thu 7 Jun 2001)
+ Silverberg, Robert The King of Dreams
(HarperCollins/Eos 0-06-105171-3, $25, 451pp, hc, June 2001, jacket art Jim Burns, jacket design Carl D. Galian)
First US edition (UK: HarperCollins/Voyager February 2001). Fantasy novel, third in the Prestimion Trilogy and concluding novel in the Majipoor cycle. This is the first hardcover edition; the earlier UK edition was a trade paperback. Amazon has PW and Booklist reviews, and a reader review from frequent contributor Gary S. Potter, who says this book "is Silverberg's most complex, brilliant, and fascinating 'Majipoor' novel to date". (Tue 12 Jun 2001)
