Brian Aldiss, Cultural Breaks (Tachyon Publications Sep 2005)

A significant collection of 12 stories, three original, from one of SF’s Grand Masters.

Douglas A. Anderson, Seekers of Dreams: Masterpieces of Fantasy (Cold Spring Press Aug 2005)

This anthology provides an excellent fantasy sampler with its mix of light and dark fantasy in a selection of 22 classic stories by authors ranging from L. Frank Baum and Lord Dunsany to Jonathan Carroll and Thomas Ligotti.

Clive Barker, Clive Barker: Visions of Heaven and Hell (Rizzoli Oct 2005)

The multi-talented Barker’s color paintings are displayed in this elegant, oversized art book full of vivid, often disturbing, images ranging from the playful to horrific and erotic, with commentary on his inspirations by the artist.

Judith Berman, Bear Daughter (Ace Sep 2005)

A powerful first novel drawing on Native American myth. The daughter of the dead bear god is transformed from a cub into a 12-year-old girl and must travel through myth to find her place.

Octavia E. Butler, Fledgling (Seven Stories Press Oct 2005)

Butler, one of the field’s most celebrated authors, brings a new flavor to the vampire tale in this novel of an amnesiac who gradually discovers she’s a black vampire, genetically modified to withstand daylight, and the only survivor of a vicious attack on her family.

Jonathan Carroll, Glass Soup (Tor Oct 2005)

Carroll’s unique, disturbing style brings power to this tale of Chaos vs. Order, a sequel to White Apples. Isabelle seeks to protect her unborn child while Agents of Chaos try to lure her back to the surreal realm of the dead.

Hal Duncan, Vellum (Macmillan/Tor UK Aug 2005)

This stylish, ambitious debut fantasy, the first half of the Book of All Hours duet, explores myths, archetypes, and the nature of underlying reality in a wide-ranging story that travels from the Battle of the Somme, to a 21st-century trailer park, to points above and beyond. ‘‘The language... is gorgeous, as befits an epic.’’ [Lisa Goldstein]

Cathy Fenner & Arnie Fenner, eds., Spectrum 12: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art (Underwood Books Oct 2005)

The latest in the series of art yearbooks showcases the best of 2004, with over 400 works by almost 300 artists, reproduced in sumptuous color.

Neil Gaiman, Anansi Boys (HarperCollins/Morrow Sep 2005)

A man discovers he’s the son of the recently deceased trickster Anansi - and has a magical brother who’s a chip off the old block - in this mad mix of screwball comedy and stakes of mythic proportions. ‘‘Gaiman’s most assured, unified, and sheerly enjoyable adult novel to date.’’ [Gary K. Wolfe]

William Hope Hodgson, Adrift on the Haunted Seas: The Best Short Stories of William Hope Hodgson (Cold Spring Press Sep 2005)

This volume collects four poems and 18 pieces of short fiction, most sea stories, first published between 1905 and 1929, and provides a fine overview of short work by the weird fiction author best known for The House on the Borderland and The Night Land.

Alexander C. Irvine, The Narrows (Ballantine Del Rey Oct 2005)

Irvine’s latest novel is a richly detailed, vivid magical alternate history of 1940s Detroit, combining real local mythology and history with a version of WWII fought with factory-made golems and other magical ordnance. ‘‘The virtues of fantasy and the historical novel are not often thus fecundly combined.’’ [Nick Gevers]

Thomas Ligotti, The Shadow at the Bottom of the World (Cold Spring Press Sep 2005)

This best-of collection from one of horror’s most gifted modern practitioners gathers 16 of his finest stories from the ’80s, ’90s, and beyond, including the Bram Stoker Award-winning novelette ‘‘The Red Tower’’.

Ken MacLeod, Learning the World (Tor Nov 2005)

First-contact acquires a fascinating dual perspective in this novel about a generation starship approaching a planet inhabited by humanoid aliens who read their own version of SF. Originally published in the UK by Orbit. ‘‘…perhaps Ken MacLeod’s most frolicsome novel to date…blazingly intelligent…’’ [Damien Broderick]

Gregory Maguire, Son of a Witch (HarperCollins/ReganBooks Oct 2005)

Maguire’s twisted take on The Wizard of Oz continues in this sequel to Wicked, following the supposed son of the Wicked Witch of the West after she is melted by Dorothy.

Richard K. Morgan, Woken Furies (Ballantine Del Rey Oct 2005)

Takeshi Kovacs returns in his third thrill-packed SF noir adventure in the 25th century. Originally published in the UK by Gollancz.

Susan Palwick, The Necessary Beggar (Tor Oct 2005)

A family exiled from another world finds life difficult in xenophobic near-future America in this powerful exploration of refugees and cultural differences, full of irony and emotion.

Terry Pratchett, Thud! (HarperCollins Oct 2005)

The latest installment in Pratchett’s venerable Discworld series puts Watch Commander Samuel Vimes in an unpleasant position between Dwarfs and Trolls approaching the anniversary of their most violent battle... and it’s up to him to keep history from repeating itself. ‘‘Funny, poignant, complicated, and character driven... the early Discworld books could never have gone this deep and kept us laughing.’’ [Faren Miller]

Gary Westfahl, ed., Science Fiction Quotations: From the Inner Mind to the Outer Limits (Yale University Press Nov 2005)

Now SF has its own book of quotations, covering 128 topics from ‘‘Actions’’ to ‘‘Work’’, taken from sources including books, stories, and films. ‘‘Words can be like X-rays, if you use them properly - they’ll go through anything.’’ [Aldous Huxley, Brave New World]

Gary K. Wolfe, Soundings: Reviews 1992-1996 (Beccon Jul 2005)

Wolfe’s first review collection brings together most of his monthly Locus reviews from 1992 (when he began his regular column) to 1996, along with his ‘‘Year in Review’’ articles. These witty, insightful reviews provide a series of historical snapshots into the state of the field, as well as meditations on the nature of SF itself.