Bill Congreve & Michelle Marquardt, eds., Year's Best Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy Volume One (MirrorDanse Books Aug 2005)

Writers from down under now have their own year’s best anthology; this first volume covers 2004 with 11 stories by authors including Margo Lanagan, Terry Dowling, Cat Sparks, and Damien Broderick.

Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Effendi (Bantam Spectra Sep 2005)

The second book of the acclaimed Arabesk trilogy, originally published in the UK by Earthlight in 2002, is finally available in the US.

Michael Cunningham, Specimen Days (Farrar, Straus and Giroux Jun 2005)

Ghosts, terrorists, and aliens afflict Manhattan past, present, and future in this three-part literary novel which has garnered considerable critical attention.

Stephen Dedman, Never Seen By Waking Eyes (infrapress Aug 2005)

Australian author Dedman displays his unusual style in this first collection of 24 dark stories, one original, several only previously published in Australia.

Thomas M. Disch, On SF (University of Michigan Press Aug 2005)

Noted author Disch expounds on SF in this provocative collection of 41 essays on such topics as ‘‘The Embarrassments of Science Fiction’’.

Gardner Dozois, ed., Galileo's Children: Tales of Science vs. Superstition (Pyr Books Aug 2005)

Science battles superstition through the ages in these 13 stories by a stellar roster of authors including Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Silverberg, and James Tiptree, Jr.; selected by celebrated editor Dozois.

Jeffrey Ford, The Girl in the Glass (HarperCollins/Dark Alley Aug 2005)

Fraudulent - or maybe not - psychics in Depression-era New York search for a missing child in this haunting historical mystery touched with the dark fantastic.

Joe Haldeman, Old Twentieth (Ace Aug 2005)

Nostalgia for the 20th century drives a virtual reality craze for near-immortals of the far future - until users start to die. An evocative SF novel by a master.

Edmond Hamilton & Leigh Brackett, Stark and the Star Kings (Haffner Press Aug 2005)

Classic SF adventure returns as Hamilton’s Star Kings meet Brackett’s Eric John Stark in this collection of two novels by Hamilton, three stories by Brackett, and one original cross-series collaboration.

Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson, The Road to Dune (Tor Sep 2005)

Fans of the original Dune won’t want to miss this collection, particularly the correspondence and unpublished works by Frank Herbert, which include deleted chapters and alternate endings from Dune and Dune Messiah. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson also provide four stories and a short novel from a Frank Herbert outline.

Robin Hobb, Shaman's Crossing (HarperCollins/Eos Sep 2005)

A young man trains to become a soldier in this compelling fantasy novel, a rousing mix of frontier adventure and military academy story, the first book of the epic Soldier Son trilogy.

China Miéville, Looking for Jake (Ballantine Del Rey Sep 2005)

Miéville’s first collection of 14 stories features all his shorter fiction, including four original pieces. ‘‘A powerful assemblage, easily among the best collections of the year.’’ [Nick Gevers]

Sarah Monette, Mélusine (Ace Aug 2005)

A complex, character-driven fantasy of a decadent city and a wizard and a thief linked by a shocking secret from their past. An impressive first novel. ‘‘If Mélusine weren’t 400-plus pages long, I might have tried to finish it in one gulp - it’s that good.’’ [Faren Miller]

Kit Reed, The Dogs of Truth (Tor Sep 2005)

Reed leans towards horror in this impressive collection of 17 stories, three original, from the last five years.

Lucius Shepard, Eternity and Other Stories (Thunder's Mouth Press Sep 2005)

Seven recent stories from a master of the short form. Previously published in the UK by PS Publishing as part of the collection Trujillo.

Lucy Sussex, A Tour Guide in Utopia (MirrorDanse Books Aug 2005)

Twelve stories, including three award winners, from the last 15 years by one of Australia’s most noted authors of speculative fiction.

Scott Westerfeld, Peeps (Penguin/Razorbill Sep 2005)

Parasites cause vampirism in this darkly funny, creepy contemporary YA novel of a carrier who has to track down the ex-girlfriends he accidentally infected.

Kate Wilhelm, Storyteller: Writing Lessons and More from 27 Years of the Clarion Writers’ Workshop (Small Beer Press Aug 2005)

The award-winning author, co-founder of the celebrated workshop, tells stories and gives advice gleaned over the years.

Jack Williamson, Wonder’s Child: My Life in Science Fiction (BenBella Books Sep 2005)

Williamson’s Hugo-winning 1984 autobiography returns, updated to cover the last 20 years.