7 December 2004

Humorous fantasy novel, by an author so far best known for a series of stories and novels about time travel, about a retired assassin who takes a job as a caravan master.
• The author's site, http://www.kagebaker.com/, has this page about the book, and an excerpt.
• Nick Gevers' review in the November '03 Locus Magazine said "Baker takes a great breath of pure creative air, and exhales a fine, witty, ultimately very profound first fantasy novel.
(Thu 2 Dec 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF novel, first in the "Destiny's Children", alternately set in ancient Rome and in the present day, where a man discovers family ties to a Roman cult.
• The second volume, Exultant, is just out in hardcover in the US, a couple months after the earlier UK edition.
• The publisher's site has this page about the book, with an excerpt.
• Cheryl Morgan has a review in Emerald City. Nick Gevers' review in the November '03 Locus said the book "reveals a new side to Baxter's vast talent, only hinted at in his earlier steampunk novels: a fine knack for well-researched historical scene-setting..."
• It was shortlisted for the 2003 Arthur C. Clarke Award, and chosen by Claude Lalumière for his Best SF and Fantasy Books of 2003.
(Wed 24 Nov 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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Fantasy novel, third book in the "Tawny Man" trilogy, and "ninth and concluding volume of the Fitzchivalry Farseer saga, one of the best high-fantasy series of the turn of the millennium", according to Cynthia Ward's Amazon.com review.
• The author's site, www.robinhobb.com, lists all previous books, with summaries, and has this excerpt.
• Faren Miller praised the book in the February '04 Locus, commenting "Hobb is able to forge the familiar elements of epic fantasy into something very much her own, creating a sense of intimacy and naturalism where the cynical reader would expect only artifice."
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SF novel, a stand-alone though set in the same universe as The Parafaith War, two centuries later.
• The Publishers Weekly review on Amazon calls it a "fast-paced stand-alone [that] offers a traditional space-adventure hero and heavy doses of philosophy laced with ethical issues."
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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 brief description, essays on hard SF, cyberpunk, etc., and the title of the sequel: Spin Control, due Fall 2005.
• The publisher's site has this page, with links to an excerpt and an author Q&A.
• Alyx Dellamonica's review in the July '03 Locus said the book "is a novel with countless virtues -- a vividly created far-future setting solidly foreshadowed by present-day political issues, a brilliant hard-SF concept, a complex detective story and crackling suspense."
• The original edition (a trade paperback) was a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award, and appeared on best of the year lists from Amazon and Locus Online's Cynthia Ward.
(Wed 24 Nov 2004) • 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.
• Russell Letson's review in the December '03 Locus praised the book, remarking on "timescales and settings so vast and characters so far removed from common humanity in mentality and powers that maintaining an empathic connection with them is a significant accomplishment of art and craft."
(Thu 2 Dec 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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SF/fantasy novel set in a near-future Pittsburgh, by the 2003 winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.
• The author's site has this description and excerpt, while Baen's site has this page and excerpts.
• Strange Horizons published this review by Tee Morris.
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Fantasy novel about conflict between two theocratic societies.
• The publisher has this description, and an excerpt. The author has a webpage with a description, excerpts from reviews, links to excerpts and background information, and a deleted scene.
• Carolyn Cushman's review in the February 2004 Locus: "A complex background of history, culture, and religion gives unusual depth to this powerful fantasy of faith and oppression."
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Alternate history novel about Jews and Nazis after World War II, based on a novelette of a same title from the January 1992 Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.
• Amazon has PW and Booklist reviews, and mixed reader reviews.
• SF Weekly ran this review by Adam-Troy Castro, giving the book an A-.
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Fantasy novel, described on the author's site as "a novel of manners in which all the characters are dragons and eat each other". The site also has a FAQ and an excerpt.
• The book won the World Fantasy Award as best novel in October, 2004.
• Faren Miller's reaction to the book's sentimental Victorian novel with dragons premise, in the the January '04 Locus, was "It takes a bold writer to even think of such a thing, and a masterful one to pull it off so well."
(Thu 2 Dec 2004) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense

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