New and Notable Books
Kristen Pederson Chew, ed., The Bakka Anthology
(Bakka Books Dec 2002)
The noted Canadian SF bookstore celebrates its 30th anniversary with eight stories by current and former employees, including Robert J. Sawyer, Nalo Hopkinson, Cory Doctorow, and Michelle Sagara West.
Samuel R. Delany, Aye, and Gomorrah: Stories
(Vintage Apr 2003)
This collection gathers 15 of Delany’s greatest stories, available for the first time in the US in one volume. A fine collection from one of the brightest figures of SF’s New Wave.
ElizaBeth Gilligan, Magic’s Silken Snare
(DAW Apr 2003)
A gypsy duchess uses her magics to fight an evil necromancer in this rich fantasy first novel set in an alternate Renaissance Europe, where the land of Tyrrhia (Sicily) provides a haven for gypsies, Jews, and others looking for tolerance and shelter from the Inquisition.
Laurell K. Hamilton, Cerulean Sins
(Berkley Apr 2003)
The sex turns up a notch even as a sadistic representative of the Council of Vampires arrives to give Anita and her vampire friends trouble in this hot new installment in the "Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter" series.
Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Time Travelers, Ghosts, and Other Visitors
(Five Star Apr 2003)
A compelling collection from a writer noted for her distinctive brand of dark fantasy - often funny and touching - this combines one new story and eight of Hoffman’s best from the last 13 years.
Diana Wynne Jones, The Merlin Conspiracy
(HarperCollins/Greenwillow Apr 2003)
A refreshing young-adult fantasy set in the same multi-dimensional setting as Deep Secret. Kids from different worlds must somehow unite to fight a magical conspiracy against the king of Blest.
Deborah Layne, ed., Polyphony: Volume 2
(Wheatland Press Apr 2003)
This notable slipstream anthology series returns with 16 original stories by a mix of new and old authors including Michael Bishop, Lucius Shepard, Carol Emshwiller, and Kit Reed. "Polyphony 2 will likely be counted among the foremost anthologies of 2003." [Nick Gevers]
Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men
(HarperCollins May 2003)
The feisty little blue pictsies help a girl with witchy potential rescue her brother from fairies in this rousing new young-adult Discworld novel.
Robert Silverberg & Karen Haber, eds., Fantasy: The Best of 2002
(ibooks May 2003)
The editors make their picks for 2002 in this annual year’s-best anthology, with 11 stories by authors including Brian Stableford, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Paul Di Filippo.
Brian Stableford, Year Zero
(Five Star Apr 2003)
Stableford’s humorous millennial novel makes it to the US a few years late, but still manages to entertain with its lively satire of pop culture that mixes Elvis, aliens, angels, and faeries.
Alice K. Turner & Michael Andre-Driussi, Snake’s-Hands: The Fiction of John Crowley
(Cosmos Books May 2003)
The works of noted author John Crowley get some well-deserved attention in this in-depth collection of 27 critical essays exploring his works, by authors including John Clute, Brian Attebery, and Thomas M. Disch. Added interest comes from bibliographies of Crowley’s fiction, non-fiction, and screenwriting.
Gary Turner & Marty Halpern, eds., The Silver Gryphon
(Golden Gryphon Press May 2003)
The 25th book from the critically acclaimed Golden Gryphon line, this "Silver Anniversary" anthology presents 20 stories from the authors of the previous 24 books, including such notable names as Michael Bishop, Paul Di Filippo, Lucius Shepard, and Howard Waldrop.
Jeff VanderMeer, ed., Album Zutique
(Ministry of Whimsy Press May 2003)
VanderMeer, himself a master of the surreal, presents this new anthology, the first in a planned series focusing on magic realism, Surrealism, and Decadent fantasy. This volume presents 15 original stories by authors including Elizabeth Hand, Stepan Chapman, and Jeffrey Ford.
John Varley, Red Thunder
(Ace Apr 2003)
Varley gives a nod to Robert A. Heinlein’s young-adult classic Rocket Ship Galileo in this updated, exuberant tale of a group of American misfits determined to build a backyard spaceship and beat the Chinese to Mars.
John C. Wright, The Phoenix Exultant
(Tor Apr 2003)
"The Golden Age" trilogy continues its far-future excursion through a strangely transformed solar system in this second volume. The Vancean high romance of the first volume occasionally turns to hilarious low humor as this novel follows a dissident through the underworld of this seeming utopia.
