Notable new SF, Fantasy, and Horror books seen, 15 - 23 January 2003

* Barnes, John A Princess of the Aerie
(Warner Aspect 0-446-61082-8, $6.99, 319pp, pb, January 2003, cover illustration Matt Stawicki)
SF novel, second in a series about a young secret agent of the solar system, following The Duke of Uranium, which was reviewed here by Rich Horton [see also Locus Online description]. This new book is reviewed by Harriet Klauser on the Amazon page; she gives it 5-stars (of course) and says Barnes "does a brilliant job satirizing space operas in general..." The publisher's page has this free chapter. (Thu 16 Jan 2003)
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* Doctorow, Cory Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
(Tor 0-765-30436-8, $22.95, 208pp, hc, February 2003, cover design Shelley Eshkar)
SF novel, the first novel by the winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2000 and the prolific Boing Boing blogger. It's set in a far future Disney World--"the greatest artistic achievement of the long-ago twentieth century"--that is now under attack. Lots of quotes in the Press Release, such as this from Bruce Sterling: "He sparkles! He fizzes! He does backflips and breaks the furniture! Science fiction needs Cory Doctorow." For more, see Doctorow's webpage with links to reviews, interviews, and a complete, free download of the book's text in a dozen different formats. Jonathan Strahan's review, in the December '02 Locus Magazine, is excerpted, along with many others, on Doctorow's reviews page. The PW review, on the Amazon page, calls it "a nicely understated dish: meringue laced with caffeine." (Wed 22 Jan 2003)
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* Drake, David Grimmer Than Hell
(Baen 0-7434-3590-7, $23, 373pp, hc, February 2003, cover art Stephen Hickman)
Collection of 14 stories in the military SF vein, published since 1977, with one story, "Coming Up Against It", original to this volume. Baen's website has this page with links to the Introduction, and several excerpts. Here's the author's webpage. (Thu 23 Jan 2003)
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* Keyes, Greg The Briar King
(Ballantine Del Rey 0-345-44066-8, $24.95, 552pp, hc, January 2003, jacket illustration Eric Peterson)
Fantasy novel, Book One of "The Kingdoms of Thorn & Bone", set on a world inhabited by humans who've been unwillingly transported there by aliens. The packaging and promotion and PR all position this as Keyes's breakout novel; there are cover blurbs by Charles de Lint, Robin Hobb, and others. (See the back cover ad on Locus's January issue.) Carolyn Cushman reviews it in the February '03 issue of Locus Magazine, noting that while "Keyes has gone to a lot of work in creating this rich world", "the story is really just getting started when this first volume ends". The publisher's website has this excerpt with links. The actual cover is more gold than the image reproduced here. Keyes' signing tour, mostly in the SE US, is listed here. (Tue 21 Jan 2003)
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* Milton, Walter R. Independence Day Testimony
(Xlibris 1-4010-6496-5, $22.94, 519pp, tpb, October 2002)
SF novel about an interstellar conflict. Available from Xlibris, which has an excerpt here. The author's website is here, with music by Albinoni. (Wed 15 Jan 2003)
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* Nix, Garth Abhorsen
(HarperCollins/Eos 0-06-027825-0, $17.99, 358pp, hc, January 2003, jacket art Leo & Diane Dillon, jacket design Lizzy Bromley)
YA Fantasy novel, third in the sequence following Sabriel and Lirael. Background details are in Nix's Locus interview in the January '02 issue, which is excerpted here. Nix's website has this page, with links to excerpts. The Amazon page has the PW review, and several 5-star reader reviews. Locus reviews are by Carolyn Cushman, in the December issue, and Faren Miller, in January. (Tue 21 Jan 2003)
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* Williams, Liz The Poison Master
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-58498-7, $5.99, 370pp, pb, January 2003, cover illustration Gary Ruddell)
SF novel, Williams's third, set on a planet called Latent Emanation. Nick Gevers' review in the January Locus traces influences from Gene Wolfe, John Crowley, and Jack Vance, calling it "agreeable and colorful"; Faren Miller, in the December issue, notes Williams's acknowledges to Jane Austen and Tanith Lee, among others. The author's webpage isn't up to date, but has some interesting biographical detail. Amazon has the PW review, and reader reviews (including Harriet Klausner's). (Fri 17 Jan 2003)
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* Zivkovic, Zoran Steps through the Mist
(Polaris no isbn, 133pp, pb, 2003)
Collection of 5 stories, concerning women facing traps of fate. Two of the stories, "Geese in the Mist" and "Hole in the Wall" have appeared in Interzone (Sept. and Nov/Dec '02 respectively); the other three will appear there in 2003, according to the author's website, which has this page about the new book, and mentions that it can be ordered through The Ministry of Whimsy. Zivkovic, a Serbian author, has gained increased attention in recent years mostly through publication in Interzone; Nick Gevers reviews several earlier Zivkovic volumes in the upcoming February issue of Locus Magazine. (Tue 21 Jan 2003)