Notable new SF, Fantasy, and Horror books seen : September-October

SF thriller, sequel to The Forge of Mars (2002), concerning aliens and alien technology discovered on the red planet. The author's website, http://www.brucebalfour.com/, leads to book site http://www.thedigitaldead.com/ with an excerpt, gallery of photographic references, etc. Amazon has a couple enthusiastic reader reviews.
(Thu 4 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF novel by an author better known for fantasy and historical fiction, about an amnesiac executive for R&D firm Stellar Research, according to Harriet Klausner's review on the Amazon page. First published in 2000 by Severn House. The author's site has a short description and cover image of the original hardcover edition.
(Fri 26 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Fantasy novel, "The Third Book of Outremer" in the US sequence of what will be six books, originally published in the UK as three long books, loosely based on the historical Crusader Kingdoms. Earlier US titles were The Devil in the Dust and Tower of the King's Daughter. The author's site, Northern Gothic, leads to series site http://www.outremer.co.uk/, which details each volume of the original trilogy, and sorts out how the US editions relate to the UK ones, here, here, and here.
(Fri 26 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Fantasy novel, sequel to The Curse of Chalion (2001; Mythopoeic Award winner, Hugo and World Fantasy Award nominee). The Amazon page has enthusiastic reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and readers. Faren Miller reviewed it in the August issue of Locus Magazine, and Carolyn Cushman reviewed it in September. Bujold's homepage includes this Chalion Index of links about the two books, including a pre-publication excerpt of this one. The publisher's site has this page, with excerpts from several chapters.
(Fri 26 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Military SF novel, follow-up to Star Risk, Ltd. (2002), about a group of space mercenaries. The Amazon page as a Booklist review by Frieda Murray, and Harriet's review.
(Wed 13 Aug 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF novel, a military/political thriller according to the PW review on the Amazon page, about a far future foreign legion. The Amazon page has a reader review from Harriet Klausner, whose reviews also appear at The Best Reviews and AllSciFi.com, where reviews like this one include detailed categorization of each book in various aspects of plot, character, theme, structure, etc.
(Wed 8 Oct 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Fantasy novel, about a glassworker slave on a world dominated by a mathematics-based religion. First published by HarperCollins Australia in 1997. The Amazon page has reviews from PW and Booklist. Carolyn Cushman's review for Locus Magazine will appear in the November 2003 issue. The author's website has this page about the book, on which the author says it "is my favourite among all my books", and provides this excerpt.
(Mon 15 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Horror novel set in a small Northern town, concerning a haunted house under a deadly curse, according to Cynthia Ward's review on the Amazon page, which also has PW, Booklist, and reader reviews. The author's website has this page with an excerpt and a Q&A about writing the book. Reviewed by Gary K. Wolfe in the October issue of Locus, who concludes "[T]here's enough visceral terror in The Good House to count it as one of the year's leading horror stories, and enough real grief in it to suggest that Due knows perfectly well where real horror lies."
(Fri 26 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Fantasy novel, first book in a new four part series. The Amazon page has unenthusiastic reviews from Jeremy Pugh and PW, and a more optimistic one from Booklist's Roland Green. The publisher's site has this description, and a free chapter.
(Sat 4 Oct 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Novel about taxi-driving vampire in New Orleans who weighs 350 pounds. The Amazon page has mixed reviews from PW, Booklist, and readers. The author's website (with this cute homepage) has this page of review quotes and links to an excerpt on the Random House site and to James Sallis's F&SF review. Faren Miller reviewed it in the June issue of Locus.
(Fri 26 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Fantasy novel set in medieval Japan, sequel to last year's Across the Nightingale Floor, and second in the Tales of the Otori. (The third, Brilliance of the Moon, is due next year.) Hearn is a pseudonym for Gillian Rubenstein, Australian author of several young adult SF and fantasy novels, though neither her site nor the website for this series acknowledge this; the series site has a statement by the author, excerpts, a list of clans, FAQ, a bulletin board, etc. Amazon has a review by Jeremy Pugh, plus reviews from PW, etc.
(Tue 23 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF novel, second book following The Butlerian Jihad in the second prequel trilogy by these writers set 10,000 years before Frank Herbert's Dune series. Amazon has mixed readers reviews, and reviews from Booklist and PW, which calls it "bloated but occasionally brilliant". The Official Dune Website has this page about the book, along with a Dune timeline, a blog from the authors' current signing tour, etc.
(Tue 16 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Long-awaited third in an SF series set in a quasi-medieval world, following The Steerswoman and The Outskirter's Secret published in 1989 and 1992 and just reissued in omnibus The Steerswoman's Road. Carolyn Cushman reviewed the book in the September issue of Locus. The Amazon page has enthusiastic reviews from PW, Booklist, and readers. Webzine SFRevu recently ran this interview with Kirstein, in which she discusses forthcoming volumes in the series.
(Tue 16 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Horror novel set in Tucson, about people pressured to purchase bizarre insurance policies. The Amazon page has the PW review, and mostly positive reader reviews. This fan site has a description of the book, along with much else about the author.
(Fri 26 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF novel, follow-up to Warchild, winner of the Aspect first novel contest and a Philip K. Dick Award nominee, while Lowachee was nominated this year for the John W. Campbell Award for New Writer. Karin Lowachee.com has pages about both books, this excerpt, news, a forum, etc. The publisher's site has this page, with an excerpt.
(Sat 4 Oct 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Fantasy novel, the second book of the "Corean Chronicles" following Legacies (2002). The Amazon page has PW, Booklist, and reader reviews. Recluce, the author's official site, has this description.
(Thu 4 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF novel, first in a new series about the daughter of a wealthy interstellar shipping family. Amazon has reviews from the usual places, while the author's site has this description. Reviewed by Carolyn Cushman in the September 2003 issue of Locus Magazine. The publisher's site has this excerpt.
(Wed 8 Oct 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Hard SF novel, the author's first, described by PW (on the Amazon page) as a "highly atmospheric debut, a hefty far-future exploration of AI, human cloning, class conflict and plain old-fashioned murder." The author's website, http://www.chrismoriarty.com/, has a sample chapter, plus essays on hard SF, cyberpunk, chickpunk, writing, etc. The publisher's site has this page, with links to an excerpt and an author Q&A. Alyx Dellamonica reviewed it in the July issue of Locus. The book's cover copy and 'About the Author' avoid pronouns, but there's nothing evasive in the author's photo on her website. The book includes a 6-page 'Further Reading' bibliography about quantum physics, quantum information theory, etc.
(Fri 26 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Fantasy novel, latest in Pratchett's popular long-running Discworld series. Faren Miller, Jonathan Strahan, and Carolyn Cushman all reviewed it in the September 2003 issue of Locus. Reviews in the general press include those at New York Times and Washington Post. Pratchett's website The L-Space Web recently posted a Discworld story, Death and What Comes Next, originally written for a game website, while HarperCollins' site http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/ has this description and excerpt.
(Fri 26 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF novel with a grandiose interstellar setting, concerning cloned Families with godlike powers. It comprises five novellas first published in Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: "Sister Alice" (1993), "Brother Perfect" ('95), "Mother Death" ('98), "Baby's Fire" ('99), and "Father to the Man" ('00). The Robert Reed page on the site of Lincoln, Nebraska's SF club Star Base Andromeda has an up-to-date bibliography, and links to reviews. The book was first published earlier this year, in paperback, by Orbit (UK).
(Tue 7 Oct 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Fantasy novel in which a young scientist discovers his sexual fantasies come to life--he can bring into being anyone from history (including his younger self) to have sex with. Faren Miller reviews it in the September 2003 issue of Locus Magazine, concluding that the book "achieves that paradoxical form of realism to be found in some of the best genre work: a sense that we're looking at the stuff of life itself.."; and it was a favorite novel from that year of Locus Online editor Mark R. Kelly, who admired the rigorous scientific-method approach the protagonist takes to his newly discovered power, despite where it leads. The Amazon UK page has a review by Roz Kaveney. Ryman is the author of online-published novel 253, but doesn't seem to have a personal website. This US edition is the first hardcover (the UK first edition was a trade paperback) and has the subtitle "or No Harm Done" -- not "Four letters. Infinite possibilities." as on the Amazon page, which seems to be only a cover blurb. The publisher's site has this description.
(Thu 9 Oct 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Omnibus of two fantasy novels about a portly private eye in the magical city of Thraxas, first published in the UK as Thraxas (1999) and Thraxas and the Warrior Monks (1999). The first won a World Fantasy Award as best novel. The Baen site has this description, with links to excerpts. Several more volumes have already been published in the UK, most recently Thraxas at War. Martin Scott is a pseudonym for Martin Millar, who has a website at http://www.martinmillar.com/, and a Thraxas site at http://www.thraxas.com/, where there are descriptions of the books, a list of characters, etc.
(Fri 26 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Horror novel about a family coming together after a suicide, a serial killer, and an abandoned house. It brings together characters from several earlier Straub novels. The Publishers Weekly review calls it "one of his finest books to date." Faren Miller and Gary K. Wolfe both reviewed it in the October 2003 issue of Locus Magazine; Wolfe says "it's not only a terrifically satisfying, and often moving, suspense tale, but one of the year's most eminently discussable novels." Straub's official website has this description, as well as a biography, links to reviews, and an interesting set of Putney's Observations about various Straub books (not yet including this one). The publisher's site has a description and excerpt.
(Wed 8 Oct 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF novel about a woman who escapes an overcrowded Earth with several dogs to help investigate the inhabitants of the planet Moss. Amazon has reviews from the usual sources, while Gary K. Wolfe's review appeared in the September issue of Locus. The publisher's site has this description and excerpt.
(Fri 5 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF novel, a standalone set in the universe of the "StarDoc" series. Amazon has reviews from PW and readers. The author's site includes an excerpt. Reviewed by Carolyn Cushman in the August issue of Locus.
(Wed 13 Aug 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF novel, first in a new series set in Weber's "Honor Harrington" universe. The PW reviewer (on Amazon) is impressed: "This outstanding effort transcends the label 'space opera' and truly is a novel of ideas." Baen's site has a description and links to several excerpts.
(Fri 26 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Fantasy novel, concluding volume of the "Sovereign Stone" trilogy after Well of Darkness and Guardians of the Lost. PW's review calls it "highly satisfying". The publisher's site has a description and excerpt.
(Fri 26 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF novel, "Book Two of Succession" following The Risen Empire earlier this year; concluding volume of a well-received far future space opera. The Amazon page has reviews from PW and Booklist. Gary K. Wolfe reviews the book in the October 2003 issue of Locus Magazine, considering it the second half of a single novel, calling it "a superior space adventure yarn filled with romance, betrayal, and terrific ordnance, but which is, in the most respectable sense of the term, entirely normal."
(Thu 9 Oct 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF novel, an ambitious space opera published in hardcover (as The Praxis) last year in the UK being issued in the US in mass market paperback. The publisher's site has a description and excerpt. Reviewed by Faren Miller in the November 2002 issue of Locus, and by Russell Letson in the December '02 issue. The author's website has this page with quotes from reviews, and an excerpt.
(Fri 26 Sep 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Vampire novel, 16th in the Saint-Germain series, this one set in the 1930s, according to PW's review on the Amazon page. The publisher's site has a description and chapter excerpt. The author's site has a list of earlier titles in the series.
(Sat 4 Oct 2003) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Nancy Underhill’s death had been unexpected, abrupt — a death like a slap in the face. Tim, her husband’s older brother, knew nothing more. He could scarcely be said really to have known Nancy. On examination, Timothy Underhill’s memories of his sister-in-law shrank into a tiny collection of snapshots. Here was Nancy’s dark, fragile smile as she knelt beside her two-year-old son, Mark, in 1990; here she was, in another moment from that same visit, snatching up little Mark, both of them in tears, from his baby seat and rushing from the dim unadorned dining room. Philip, whose morose carping had driven his wife from the room, sat glaring at the dried-out pot roast, deliberately ignoring his brother’s presence. When at last he looked up, Philip said, "What?"

Ryan Azarcon went to meet his dealer in Austro Station's richest, busiest shopping district, known to its younger patrons as the Market—but not for the many tech, clothing, and jewelry shops available. Here in the Market you could buy anything, or anyone, if you knew where to look or who to kiss.

Zelana of the West had grown weary of the brutish man-creatures of her Domain. She found them repulsive, and their endless complaints and demands irritated her beyond measure. They seemed to believe that she lived only to serve them, and that offended her.

And so it was that she turned her back on them and sojourned for several eons on the Isle of Thurn, which lies off the coast of her Domain. And there she communed with Mother Sea and entertained herself by composing music and creating poetry.

Michael was happy. It was the first day of his research project. His team waited for him outside the gates of the lab, in the March chill. Ebru, Emilio and Hugh all smiled when they saw him.

It was a new lab, in rooms within arches under a railway. Michael had the keys, leading his team into one beautiful new room after another. They moved their desks and wired up their computers. They arranged staplers, pens and envelopes in drawers, determined that everything would stay tidy.

They cold-shipped her out, flash-frozen, body still bruised from last minute upgrades.

Later she remembered only pieces of the raid. The touch of a hand. The crack of rifle fire. A face flashing bright as a fish’s rise in dark water. And what she did remember she couldn’t talk about, or the psychtechs would know she’d been hacking her own memory.

But that was later. After the court martial. After jump fade and the rehab tanks had stolen it from her. Before that the memory was still crisp and clear and unedited. Still hers.

After all, she’d been there.