+ Audley, Anselm Heresy
(Pocket 0-7434-2738-8, $25, 405pp, hc, September 2001, jacket art Jerry Vanderstelt)
First US edition (UK: Simon & Schuster/Earthlight June 2001). Fantasy novel, book 1 of new series by a 19-year-old author. Reviewed by Carolyn Cushman in the November Locus. Amazon has PW review, which warns against overhyping the young author. (Fri 9 Nov 2001)
* Ballard, J.G. The Complete Short Stories
(UK: HarperCollins/Flamingo 0-00-712405-8, £25, 1189pp, hc, November 2001)
Collection of 96 stories, combining stories from all previous Ballard collections plus 4 additional stories — every Ballard story to date, except, apparently, "The Dying Fall", from Interzone, April 1996. There is a new 1-page introduction, and a 3-page bibliography identifying the sources of all the stories, but otherwise no additional material. Still, a massive volume signifying Ballard's literary status (at least in the UK); the Amazon UK review by Jerry Brotton aligns him with Borges, Bradbury, and Poe. (Thu 15 Nov 2001)
* Barnes, John The Merchants of Souls
(Tor 0-312-89076-1, $25.95, 398pp, hc, November 2001, jacket art John Harris, jacket design Carol Russo Design)
SF novel, "a continuation of the interstellar epic begun in A Million Open Doors and Earth Made of Glass". (Fri 9 Nov 2001)
* Borchardt, Alice The Dragon Queen
(Del Rey 0-345-44399-3, $25, 473pp, hc, November 2001, jacket art Scott McKowen, jacket design David Stevenson)
Fantasy novel, first volume in a trilogy about Guinevere. (The author is Anne Rice's sister.) Amazon has the PW starred review. (Fri 9 Nov 2001)
* Bryant, Edward While She Was Out
(Wormhole Books 0-9709657-9-6, $13, 36pp, chapbook, November 2001, jacket art Joanna Erbach)
Short fiction chapbook reprinting a story from the first Pulphouse hardcover in 1988 (though this detail is missing from the present volume's copyright page); first in the publisher's Vintage Chapbooks series, in an edition of 750 chapbooks, 200 numbered hardbacks, 52 lettered editions, and 250 numbered chapbooks reserved for boxed gift sets. There's a new afterword by the author, and a biography of the author by Dawn Dunn. Order from the publisher. (Thu 8 Nov 2001)
* Bujold, Lois McMaster Miles, Mystery & Mayhem
(Baen 0-671-31858-6, $24, 505pp, hc, December 2001, jacket art Patrick Turner)
Omnibus volume of three Miles Vorkosigan stories: the novels Cetaganda (1996) and Ethan of Athos (1986), and the novella "Labyrinth" (1989). There's a new afterword by the author, and a timeline.(Tue 27 Nov 2001)
+ Burgess, Melvin Bloodtide
(Tor 0-765-30048-1, $24.95, 371pp, hc, November 2001, jacket art John Foster)
First US edition (UK: Andersen Press October 1999). Post-apocalyptic SF novel based on the 13th century Icelandic Volsunga Saga. Curiously, this was published in the UK as a YA novel; Gary K. Wolfe, in his November Locus review, notes its imagery is drawn from ultraviolent computer games. Also reviewed by Faren Miller in the December Locus. Amazon has the Booklist review (but not a cover graphic). (Fri 9 Nov 2001)
* Calder, Richard Impakto
(UK: Simon & Schuster/Earthlight 1-7434-0895-0, £6.99, 442pp, pb, September 2001, jacket art Jim Burns)
SF novel by the lyrical, surreal writer of exotic far-future SF; this is about "an aborted child who refused to die"; expanded from a story in Interzone, 1999. (Thu 15 Nov 2001)
* Card, Orson Scott, ed Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the Century
(Ace 0-441-00864-x, $24.95, 422pp, hc, November 2001, jacket art Pyrographx, jacket design Pyrographx)
Reprint anthology of 27 SF stories from the past century, from Edmond Hamilton's "Devolution" (1936) to George Alec Effinger's "One" (1995), with mostly famous stories in between from Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein, Bradbury, Blish, Sturgeon, Ellison, Silverberg, Pohl, etc. etc. The subtitle invites quibbling over what was included or excluded, but generally this is a good batch of stories, though Card does betray the increased attention he paid to short fiction in the mid-80s, when he edited Short Form--no less than 8 of these stories were first published in 1985 or 1986. There's a book introduction, and individual story introductions, by Card. Amazon has Booklist review by Roland Green. (Fri 9 Nov 2001)
* Cherryh, C.J. Defender
(DAW 0-88677-911-1, $23.95, 314pp, hc, November 2001, jacket art Stephen Youll, jacket design G-Force Design)
SF novel, latest in the multi-volume "Foreigner" series. Amazon has PW review. Reviewed by Jonathan Strahan in the November Locus, and by Russell Letson in the December. (Fri 9 Nov 2001)
* Clemens, James Wit'ch Gate
(Ballantine Del Rey 0-345-44244-x, $24.95, 13+523pp, hc, December 2001, jacket art Jon J. Muth, jacket design David Stevenson)
Fantasy novel, fourth in the "Banned and the Banished" cycle, and the first hardcover in the series. Amazon has the PW review. (Tue 27 Nov 2001)
* Dozois, Gardner, ed Worldmakers
(St. Martin's Griffin 0-312-27570-6, $17.95, 13+446pp, tpb, December 2001, jacket art Chesley Bonestell, jacket design Jerry Todd)
Reprint SF anthology of 20 stories, subtitled "SF adventures in terraforming." The contents are in chronological order, from Poul Anderson's "The Big Rain" (1955) to Laura Mixon's "At Tide's Turning" (2001 [Asimov's April]), with stories in between by Cordwainer Smith, Arthur C. Clarke, Roger Zelazny, John Varley, Joe Haldeman, Robert Reed, Kim Stanley Robinson, Bruce Sterling, etc. A review by Gary K. Wolfe will appear in the January 2002 issue of Locus. (Sun 25 Nov 2001)
* Ellison, Harlan Troublemakers
(ibooks 0-7434-2398-4, $12.95, 293pp, tpb, October 2001, jacket art John Ennis, jacket design j. vita)
Collection of 16 "classic stories", selected especially to "introduce new readers" to the writer. Some of the stories are classics--"Jeffty Is Five", "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman", maybe even "On the Downhill Side" and "Soldier"--but there are no less than 7 other stories from early in Ellison's career, 1956-57, including "Life Hutch", "Gnomebody", and "A Lot of Saucers". Classics? There's also a "newly revised and expanded" tale (provenance not indicated), "Never Send to Know For Whom the Lettuce Wilts". (Thu 1 Nov 2001)
* Fenner, Cathy, & Arnie Fenner, eds Spectrum 8: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art
(Underwood Books 1-887424-61-x, $27, 176pp, tpb, October 2001, jacket art Alan Pollack, jacket design Arnie Fenner)
Latest volume in the annual series of art anthologies presenting the winners and other contenders in various categories of an annual judged competition; this year the categories are advertising, books, comics, dimensional, editorial, institutional, and unpublished. This year's Grand Master is Jean Giraud. There's a 6-page Year in Review by Arnie Fenner. (The cover image on Amazon is not the actual cover; the scanned image here, is.) (Thu 15 Nov 2001)
Flynn, Michael In the Country of the Blind
(Tor 0-312-87444-8, $27.95, 428pp, hc, December 2001, jacket art Alan Pollack)
Reprint (Baen July 1990). Alternate history SF novel, the author's first, now reprinted in its first hardcover edition. The copyright page indicates this as published in August 2001, but it hasn't appeared until now. Amazon has a review by Cynthia Ward. (Sun 25 Nov 2001)
* Goodkind, Terry The Pillars of Creation
(Tor 0-765-30026-5, $29.95, 557pp, hc, November 2001, jacket art Keith Parkinson)
Fantasy novel, seventh in the "Sword of Truth" series. Amazon has description and reader reviews, as well as sample pages. (Tue 27 Nov 2001)
* Haber, Karen, ed Meditations on Middle-Earth
(St. Martin's 0-312-27536-6, $24.95, 16+235pp, hc, November 2001, illustrations by John Howe)
Nonfiction anthology of essays about Tolkien's influential fantasy novels, an unapologetic tie-in to the movie version of The Lord of the Rings opening next month, but focused on the original books. Illustrations are by John Howe. Contributors include Ursula K. Le Guin, Michael Swanwick, Orson Scott Card, and Lisa Goldstein. Amazon has the PW review. Gary K. Wolfe reviews the book in the December Locus. (Fri 9 Nov 2001)
* Hamilton, Peter F. Fallen Dragon
(UK: Macmillan UK 0-333-90065-0, £17.99, 634pp, hc, October 2001, jacket art Jim Burns)
SF novel, a stand-alone, unrelated to the massive, multi-volume epics of Hamilton's previous work. "[S]olid, meaty SF entertainment" according to David Langford's review on Amazon UK. (Thu 15 Nov 2001)
* Helfers, John, & Denise Little, eds The Valdemar Companion
(DAW 0-7564-0037-6, $24.95, 497pp, hc, December 2001, jacket art Jody A. Lee, jacket design G-Force Design)
Authorized reader's guide to the long-running fantasy series by Mercedes Lackey. (Tue 27 Nov 2001)
* Hogan, James P. Martian Knightlife
(Baen 0-671-31844-6, $22, 278pp, hc, October 2001, jacket art Clyde Caldwell, jacket design Carol Russo Design)
SF mystery set on 22nd century Mars, a "lightweight page-turner", according to the PW review posted on Amazon. (Fri 9 Nov 2001)
* Kingsbury, Donald Psychohistorical Crisis
(Tor 0-312-86102-8, $27.95, 511pp, hc, December 2001, jacket art Donato, jacket design The Chopping Block)
SF novel based on Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" series; expanded from a 1995 novella, "Historical Crisis". Amazon has PW and Booklist reviews. (Sat 24 Nov 2001)
* Lowder, James, ed The Book of All Flesh
(Eden Studios Inc. 1-891153-87-0, $15.95, 319pp, tpb, November 2001, jacket art George Vasilakos)
Original horror anthology of 25 stories, based on the "All Flesh Must Be Eaten" ™ role-playing game. Authors include Scott Edelman, Steve Eller, Tobias S. Buckell, Mark McLaughlin. Amazon adds a surcharge to order this "hard-to-find" title; but check the website www.allflesh.com. (Tue 27 Nov 2001)
* Murphy, Pat Adventures in Time and Space with Max Merriwell
(Tor 0-312-86643-7, $24.95, 287pp, hc, November 2001, jacket art Greg Spelenka)
SF novel set on a cruise ship in the Bermuda triangle, this is third of a metafictional trilogy in which Murphy writes under various pseudonyms, and in this book appears as a character. Previous titles were There and Back Again (1999) and Wild Angel (2000). Reviewed by Faren Miller in the November Locus. Amazon has PW and Booklist reviews. (Thu 1 Nov 2001)
* Hardy, David A., text by Chris Morgan Hardyware
(UK: Paper Tiger 1-85585-917-3, $29.95, 128pp, hc, August 2001)
Art book of work by the popular space artist, with text by Chris Morgan and an introduction by Stephen Baxter. Reviewed by Karen Haber in the November Locus. (Thu 1 Nov 2001)
* MacLeod, Ken Dark Light
(UK: Little Brown/Orbit 1-84149-069-5, £16.99, 292pp, hc, November 2001, jacket art Lee Gibbons)
SF novel, second in the "Engines of Light" sequence that began with Cosmonaut Keep. (Thu 15 Nov 2001)
* Mosley, Walter Futureland
(Warner Aspect 0-446-52954-0, $24.95, 356pp, hc, November 2001, jacket design Jon Valk)
SF collection, or linked story-cycle, set in a future cyberpunkish near-future, by the bestselling mystery writer (and author of one previous SF title, Blue Light). Amazon has sample pages, and a review by Cynthia Ward. Reviewed by both Gary K. Wolfe, and Faren Miller, in the November Locus. The December F&SF publishes one of these stories, "Little Brother". (Thu 15 Nov 2001)
* Pratchett, Terry The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
(HarperCollins 0-06-001233-1, $16.95, 241pp, hc, November 2001, jacket art Chris Gall, jacket design Hilary Zarycky)
YA fantasy novel in the Discworld series, about intelligent rats and a Pied Piper scam. Amazon has PW review. Reviewed by Carolyn Cushman in the November Locus: "basically this is classic Discworld adventure for fans of all ages…" -- and by Faren Miller in the December Locus: "hilarious, moving, scary, impishly vulgar and wickedly wise, sometimes all at once". (Thu 15 Nov 2001)
* Sarrantonio, Al, ed Redshift: Extreme Visions of Speculative Fiction
(Penguin/Roc 0-451-45859-1, $24.95, 14+544pp, hc, December 2001, jacket design Ray Lundgren)
SF original anthology of 30 stories, an ambitious "Dangerous Visions for the new millennium" according to the PW review (on Amazon). Authors include Dan Simmons, Ursula K. Le Guin, Michael Moorcock, Thomas M. Disch, Stephen Baxter, Gregory Benford, Elizabeth Hand, Larry Niven, Gene Wolfe. Reviewed by Gary K. Wolfe in the December Locus. (Sat 24 Nov 2001)
* Schmitz, James H. Agent of Vega & Other Stories
(Baen 0-671-31847-0, $7.99, 567pp, pb, November 2001, jacket art Bob Eggleton)
Collection of 11 stories first published in various magazines from the 1940s to the 1960s; four of them were collected as Agent of Vega in 1960 (Gnome Press); this volume adds 7 other stories, from 1943's "Greenface" to 1968's "The Custodians". Preface by Mercedes Lackey. This is the fifth volume in Baen Books recent collections of Schmitz's works. (Fri 9 Nov 2001)
* Stanton, Michael N. Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards
(Palgrave for St. Martin's Press 0-312-23826-6, $19.95, 12+192pp, hc, December 2001)
Nonfiction treatise on the Tolkien trilogy The Lord of the Rings, distilled from the author's course at the University of Vermont over the past quarter-century. Amazon has book description, and reader reviews. (Tue 13 Nov 2001)
* Tem, Steve Rasnic In These Final Days of Sales
(Wormhole Books 0-9709657-8-8, $13, 34pp, chapbook, November 2001, jacket art Joyce Abramson)
Short fiction chapbooks, fifth in the Wormhole Contemporary Chapbooks series of original works, with publication figures matching the Bryant item listed above. Afterword by the author. Order from the publisher. (Thu 8 Nov 2001)
* Vinge, Vernor The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge
(Tor 0-312-87373-5, $27.95, 464pp, hc, November 2001, jacket design Dutton & Sherman)
Collection of 17 stories, including an original 56-page novella "Fast Times at Fairmont High", which according to the dust jacket copy "will do for wearable computers what Vinge's True Names did for the Internet". Includes virtually every short work by Vinge to date, except for the short novel "True Names" and three works incorporated into his 1969 novel Grimm's World. Vinge adds a brief Foreword, plus individual story introductions (and occasionally afterwords). (Tue 6 Nov 2001)
* Wilkin, Karen, ed Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey
(Harcourt 0-15-100504-4, $35, 21+292pp, hc, October 2001)
Collection of interviews, selected and edited by Wilkin, who co-wrote The World of Edward Gorey (1996). Amazon has PW review. (Thu 1 Nov 2001)
* Zackey, Christopher A. Chandelier
(Christopher A. Zackey no isbn, $7.95, 66pp, chapbook, 1998)
Self-published collection of 7 stories, two of them previously published (in Lost Worlds 1993, and The Mythic Circle 1996). This and several other chapbooks are available free upon request (one at a time) from the author, PO Box 4916, Rome NY 13442-4916. (Mon 5 Nov 2001)
Last month: October
