Notable new SF, Fantasy, and Horror books seen, 4 - 15 April

Fantasy novel, the author's first novel, subtitled The Prince of Nothing, Book One; it's "the beginning of a large-scale, swords and magic fantasy trilogy" according to the review by Greg L. Johnson on the Amazon Canada site, by an author with a background in history, philosophy, and ancient languages. The back cover has blurbs by Steven Erikson, Eric McCormack, and John Marco. An essay by the author, Why Fantasy and Why Now?, appeared at sffworld, and a review of this book by Victoria Strauss has run at SF Site.
(Thu 3 Apr 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon

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SF novel, sequel to Nebula Award-winning Darwin's Radio (1999); about the generation of genetically-enhanced children born as the result of the SHEVA retrovirus discovered in the first book. Reviewed by Gary K. Wolfe in the February Locus (in a fascinating piece that contrasts Bear's novel and SF in general with the Crichton-style thriller--SF is about understanding; thrillers are about containment). Amazon.com has a review from Therese Littleton, who calls it "top-shelf science fiction, thrilling and intellectually charged", and the starred Publishers Weekly review, which calls it a "masterful sequel", and some subdued reader reviews. Bear's website has cover images, while Del Rey's site has this chapter excerpt.
(Wed 9 Apr 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Dark fantasy novel, a first novel by an Australian author, set in a devastated Copper Country where two people flee the ghosts of their pasts for the city of Ashamoil. Amazon reproduces the PW review, which cites Stephen King and China Mieville in comparison, and has a couple reader reviews including one from Jeff VanderMeer; the publisher's site has this description and author photo, with links to back cover quotes from Jeffrey Ford, Liz Williams, Sean McMullen, Jeffrey Thomas, and Zoran Zivkovic. The author's site also has these quotes, and a link to an excerpt at Fantastic Metropolis.
(Tue 15 Apr 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Fantasy novel, third and final volume in the erotic/BDSM trilogy that began with Kushiel's Dart (2001) and continued with Kushiel's Chosen (2002). Publishers Weekly interviewed Carey and gave the book a starred review, as noted in Field Inspections. Carey's website offers bookplates, and tattoos.
(Thu 3 Apr 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF novel by an Australian novelist and prolific short story writer, his first novel to be published in the US; it concerns a boy raised in space who crash-lands on an Earth returned to barbarism. The Amazon page has a Booklist review by Roland Green, noting its appeal to a youthful audience. The author's website has this description.
(Wed 9 Apr 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF novel, concerning an outdated space-sailing ship working as a tramp freighter; an update of "classic nautical tales" as noted in Locus's New and Notable Books list for May 2003. The Amazon page includes the book description ("This is a great science fiction novel, Flynn's best yet.") and reviews from PW ("fans of more cerebral SF will find [this book] thoroughly absorbing") and Booklist's Roland Green.
(Wed 9 Apr 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Collection of art by Anne Sudworth, with text by John Grant; fantastic art with unicorns, wizards, etc., but most of the paintings in the book are dominated by pastoral and woodland scenes, with frequent attention to sky and clouds. The artist's website, www.annesudworth.co.uk, has samples, news, etc.
(Sat 5 Apr 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon

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Far-future SF novel set in an alternate future ruled by the Aztecs; an "SF 'puzzle' novel highly sensitive to character and culture" according to the PW review on the Amazon site. Reviewed by Faren Miller in the upcoming May issue of Locus, who calls it "a fast-paced, thoroughly enjoyable book, first in a series featuring xeno-archaeologist Gretchen Andersson and other recurring characters". The author's site has this page about the book, which suggests it is but the first in a six-volume "In the Time of the Sixth Sun" series.
(Wed 9 Apr 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Biography, by the son of the author of Dune, with 26 pages of "Sources and Bibliography", an index, and 16 unpaginated pages of black and white photos. The Amazon page include Publishers Weekly's starred review from the 2/10/03 issue, and this interview with Brian. The Official Dune Website has this description and provisional excerpt.
(Wed 9 Apr 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Hard SF novel about a young woman's quest for a missing brother in a far future world beset by out-of-control technology. A Locus New and Notable book for May 2003. Reviewed by Gary K. Wolfe in the May issue of Locus, who says it "begins with the feel of a visionary fantasy, but with more than a few hints that the whole thing will eventually be resolved in more traditional SF terms" and concludes "it may be her strongest novel, in purely narrative terms, to date". Amazon has the book description.
(Wed 9 Apr 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Fantasy novel, fifth in the World War II "Darkness" series, following Into the Darkness, Darkness Descending, Through the Darkness, and Rulers of the Darkness. Amazon has the PW review, which calls it "the strongest yet in the series", and Roland Green's Booklist review, which warns it would "be hard for newcomers to deal with". Turtledove's website links to this Steven H Silver review.
(Wed 9 Apr 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Original anthology of six stories set in the "Honor Harrington" universe, by authors Jane Lindskold, Timothy Zahn, John Ringo, Victor Mitchell, Eric Flint, and David Weber. The Baen site has this page with links to excerpts.
(Wed 9 Apr 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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One cannot raise walls against what has been forgotten.

The citadel of Ishuäl succumbed during the height of the Apocalypse. But no army of inhuman Sranc had scaled its ramparts. No furnace-hearted dragon had pulled down its might gates. Ishuäl was the secret refuge of the Kuniuric HIgh Kings, and no one, not even the No-God, could besiege a secret.

There were no milestones in the Copper Country. Often a traveller could only measure the progress of a journey by the time it took to get from each spoiled or broken thing to the next: a half-day's walk from a dry well to the muzzle of a cannon poking out of a sand-slope, two hours to reach the skeletons of a man and a mule. The land was losing its battle with time. Ancient and exhausted, it visited decrepitude on everything within its bounds, as though out of spleen.