Neal Asher, The Skinner
(Tor May 2004)
Worldbuilding, unpleasant aliens, AIs, near-immortal humans, and adventure combine in this high-tension SF novel set on the waterworld Spatterjay. ‘‘An exhilarating tour through one of the most ingeniously, elaborately deadly worlds since Harry Harrison invented Deathworld’’ [Russell Letson]
Mike Ashley & Robert A. W. Lowndes, The Gernsback Days: A Study of the Evolution of Modern Science Fiction from 1911 to 1936
(Wildside Jul 2004)
Gernsback’s contribution to contemporary SF is evaluated in this in-depth examination of his life and the magazines he published. Lowndes provides an extensive survey of the SF appearing in those magazines from 1926-36.
Greg Bear, Dead Lines
(Ballantine Del Rey Jun 2004)
Bear tackles a new genre with this near-future SF/horror/ghost story, in which the search for more bandwidth accidentally taps into the frequency of the beyond.
Thomas Berger, Adventures of the Artificial Woman
(Simon & Schuster May 2004)
An animatronics technician builds what he hopes will be his ideal woman, but she has ambitions of her own in this satirical SF novel by a noted mainstream author.
Julie E. Czerneda, Survival
(DAW May 2004)
Humor and thrills mix in this fascinating tale of alien contact, the first book in the ‘‘Species Imperative’’ series. An Earth biologist with no interest in other worlds is persuaded against her will to help an odd alien investigate strange disappearances on several planets.
Steven Erikson, Gardens of the Moon
(Tor Jun 2004)
Erikson’s much-acclaimed epic fantasy series, the ‘‘Malazan Book of the Fallen’’, makes its debut in the US with this first volume, a gritty, sweeping account of fascinating characters caught up in the neverending wars and intrigues of the complex Empire of Malazan.
Diana Wynne Jones, Unexpected Magic: Collected Stories
(HarperCollins/Greenwillow May 2004)
This substantial collection gathers sixteen enchanting stories from a versatile fantasy writer who appeals to all age groups.
Ian R. MacLeod, Breathmoss and Other Exhalations
(Golden Gryphon Press Jun 2004)
The seven stories in this collection show MacLeod’s breathtaking range, from SF to fantasy and horror, with ‘‘storylines romantically, elementally, simple….A brilliant book.’’ [Nick Gevers]
Ken MacLeod, Newton’s Wake
(Tor Jun 2004)
Sweeping space opera by a noted author of hard SF. The people of the colony world Eurydice discover they’re unfortunately not the last remnants of humanity – at the same time some old horrors from Eurydice’s distant past are waking.
Sarah Micklem, Firethorn
(Scribner Jun 2004)
Medieval fantasy novel, the first in a new trilogy following a spirited young woman who survives no matter what, whether alone in the woods, on the battlefield, or in love. A powerful and poignant first novel.
Kenneth Oppel, Airborn
(Eos Jun 2004)
A rousing young-adult fantasy of airships and pirates, shipwrecks, mysterious tropical islands, and two young people determined to prove themselves. An old-fashioned adventure for all ages.
Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
(HarperCollins Jun 2004)
Pratchett’s third young-adult Discworld novel, a sequel to The Wee Free Men, brings back novice witch Tiffany Aching and the belligerent Pictsies – and introduces them to the wider world of witchcraft, from Goth-style poseurs to Granny Weatherwax herself, with hilarious results.
Kim Stanley Robinson, Forty Signs of Rain
(Bantam Jun 2004)
Global warming and the threat of ecological disaster are very real in this compelling and complex near-future SF novel of politics and new technology, the first in a trilogy.
Steph Swainston, The Year of Our War
(Orion/Gollancz Apr 2004)
Even before this first novel was published, Swainston was being hailed as one of the leaders of the ‘‘New Weird’’. A heady, sometimes surreal tale of a winged human immortal, ordered by his emperor to investigate the source of the Insect hordes that threaten mankind.
Harry Turtledove & Noreen Doyle, eds., The First Heroes: New Tales of the Bronze Age
(Tor May 2004)
Alternate history gets an inspiring fantasy twist in this commanding anthology of 14 original stories by authors including Gene Wolfe, Gregory Feeley, Noreen Doyle, and Poul Anderson.
Jeff VanderMeer, Secret Life
(Golden Gryphon Press Jun 2004)
Works by America’s new master of the fantastic and surreal are showcased in this collection of 23 stories, three originals. Five stories, including one original, are set in VanderMeer’s marvelously strange world of Ambergris.
Gene Wolfe, Innocents Aboard
(Tor Jun 2004)
The latest collection from one of the field’s acknowledged literary masters of the short form gathers 22 fantasy and horror stories from the past 15 years, none previously collected.
