Aldiss, Brian W. Helliconia Winter
(iBooks 0-7434-4516-3, $14, 281pp, trade paperback, December 2002, cover art Robert Zohrab, cover design j. vita)
SF novel, third in the trilogy that began with Helliconia Spring [first published 1982; ibooks.com info] and Helliconia Summer [1983; Amazon page]; conclusion of a grand epic set on a planet orbiting binary suns with a resultant 'great year' that is centuries-long in terms of human years, during which entire cultures are born, mature, and die. Highly recommended: one of SF's major achievements in world and culture building; each volume was nominated for several awards, and this volume won the 1986 British Science Fiction Association Award for best novel. These ibooks editions have additional material not found in the original editions--this one has Appendices 5 and 6, with details about places and populations. The author's website has an essay, Helliconia: How & Why, about the gestation and purpose of the series.
• First published in 1985
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Alexander, Lloyd The Kestrel
(Firebird 0-14-131069-3, $5.99, 244pp, June 2002, cover illustration Michel Bohbot, cover design Stefanie Rosenfeld)
Fantasy novel, 2nd volume in The Westmark Trilogy (preceded by Westmark and followed by The Beggar Queen); at least one reviewer consider this the best of the series (his review also appears on the Amazon page). The publisher's website has this excerpt.
• First published in 1982
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Anthony, Piers Xanth: The Quest for Magic
(Ballantine Del Rey 0-345-45328-x, $18.95, 8+774pp, trade paperback, November 2002)
Omnibus of the first three of Anthony's popular Xanth fantasy novels, A Spell for Chameleon (1977; it won a 1978 British Fantasy Award), The Source of Magic (1979), and Castle Roogna (1979), upon the series' 25th anniversary. There's a new introduction by the author. The author's website has this page about Xanth.
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Collodi, Carlo Pinocchio
(Starscape 0-765-34458-0, $5.99, 222pp, trade paperback, November 2002, cover illustration Gris Grimly)
Classic children's fantasy novel, with new illustrations by Gris Grimly; reissued to coincide with the upcoming release in December of Roberto Benigni's film version. Tor has also issued a hardcover edition; Karen Haber briefly reviews the book in the December issue of Locus Magazine.
• First published in 1883
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de Lint, Charles Angel of Darkness
(Orb 0312874006, $12.95, 240pp, trade paperback, November 2002, cover art Steven Kenny)
Dark fantasy novel, originally published in 1990 as by Samuel M. Key; this is the first of three originally-pseudonymous de Lint novels being republished under his own name by Tor/Orb. The Amazon page has a short Cynthia Ward review.
• First published in 1990
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Silverberg, Robert The Man in the Maze
(iBook 0-7434-5274-7, $12, 8+214pp, trade paperback, November 2002, cover art Michael Whelan)
SF novel, about a man who's isolated himself inside a bizarre, dangerous alien maze, and now must be found. This is an early entry from Silverberg's most influential period (1967-1975) of ambitious, literary novels. This edition has a new introduction by Neil Gaiman.
• First published in 1969
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Whittemore, Edward Quin's Shanghai Circus
(Old Earth Books 1-882968-21-2, $17.95, 30+311pp, trade paperback, October 2002)
Associational novel, an historical thiller with some fantastic elements; predecessor to the four-volume Jerusalem Quartet. All five books have just been reissued by Old Earth Books, and Locus Online has posted a Jeff VanderMeer essay celebrating the Quartet in particular. See this site for information and background about Whittemore.
• First published in 1974
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