Locus Online: New Books, 1st week May 2005

+ Alexander, Alma : The Hidden Queen
(HarperCollins/Eos 0-06-076570-4, $6.99, 389pp, mass market paperback, May 2005) First US edition (New Zealand: HarperCollins/Voyager, 2001)

Fantasy novel, first of two parts, about an exiled child-queen who develops the power of Sight.
• It was originally published under the author's real name, Alma Hromic, in New Zealand as Changer of Days, Volume One. The second part (originally Changer of Days, Volume Two) will be published by Eos next month as Changer of Days.
• The publisher's site has this description.
• The author's website has information on her other books, including the covers of the earlier editions of these books.

(Fri 6 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Asher, Neal : Brass Man
(UK: Macmillan/Tor UK 1-4050-0138-0, £17.99, 485pp, hardcover, April 2005, jacket illustration Steve Rawlings)

SF adventure novel, sequel to Gridlinked and The Line of Polity, about Polity agent Ian Cormac, a resurrected killing machine (from the first book), dragon-hunters, a remote planet roamed by insectile monsters, A.I., and more.
• The author's official site has a description, with links to reviews.
• SFCrowsnest ran this interview last year, in which Asher talks about this and his other books.
• Rick Kleffel reviewed the book: "it's a grand science fiction adventure, bristling with ideas, action, excitement and wit."

(Mon 2 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

+ Asher, Neal : Cowl
(Tor 0-765-31512-2, $14.95, 320pp, trade paperback, May 2005, cover art Bruce Jensen) First US edition (UK: Tor UK, March 2004)

SF time travel novel in which enemies of the 4th millennium Dominion have escaped into the past.
• The recently redesigned website nealasher.com has this description of the earlier UK edition; Asher's own site has a description (scroll down) and excerpts from reviews.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review of this US edition, comparing Asher's work to Kage Baker's: "But where Baker tends toward the literary and satirical, Asher prefers over-the-top violence and pyrotechnic super-science. ... Overall, this is an excellent read and should increase the author's growing reputation."
• Russell Letson's review in the March 2004 issue of Locus Magazine described Asher's approach to adventure: "pump it full of performance-enhancing substances and send it crashing through a gigantically expanded version of its traditional milieu, exploding the big sets and sending body-parts flying in all directions..."

(Mon 2 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

+ Bova, Ben : Mercury
(Tor 0-765-30412-0, $24.95, 319pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket art John Harris) First US edition (UK: Hodder & Stoughton, February 2005)

Latest on Bova's ongoing series about human exploration of the solar system (following novels about Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn), concerning an ambitious scheme to build a staging area on Mercury for lauching ships into deep space, with a love triangle and a revenge plot adding human interest.
• The new work page on Bova's site quotes a passage from the book.
• Amazon has reviews from PW and from Booklist's Roland Green, who concludes "this superior entry in one of the classic hard-sf sagas going is pretty much a guaranteed crowd-pleaser."

(Fri 6 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Butcher, Jim : Dead Beat
(Penguin/Roc 0-451-46027-8, $23.95, 396pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket art Chris McGrath)

Fantasy novel, seventh in the "Dresden Chronicles" about a crime-solving wizard in Chicago, and the first of the series to appear in hardcover. This time Harry Dresden is being blackmailed by a vampire he thought he'd killed.
• The author's website has this page about the book, with links to three sample chapters. Elsewhere on the site the author warns readers about the Publishers Weekly review, which he says contains too many spoilers.
• Carolyn Cushman reviewed the book in the April issue of Locus Magazine: "The plot is all over the place, including sub-plots involving a demon, the Wild Hunt, and the ongoing war between the vampires and the White Council, but it's a fun romp, with a rousing final battle that shouldn't be missed."

(Fri 6 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

Carman, Patrick : The Dark Hills Divide
(Scholastic 0-439-70093-0, $11.95, 253pp, hardcover, February 2005, cover art Brad Weinman)
(First edition: Amped Media, 2003)

Young adult fantasy novel, first book in "The Land of Elyon" series, about a 12-year-old girl who yearns to escape the walled villages where she lives.
• The book was self-published by the author in 2003 (though this isn't referenced in the Scholastic edition), and the author's website includes a page of pointers for identifying the true first edition, as well as the first chapter, a map, photo gallery, etc.
• Amazon has some "exclusive content" character descriptions and sketches, and its own review by Daphne Durham: "The Dark Hills Divide is so compulsively readable that kids (and their parents) will be clamoring for the second book in the proposed trilogy..."

(Wed 20 Apr 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Cook, Glen : Whispering Nickel Idols
(Penguin/Roc 0-451-45974-1, $6.99, 359pp, mass market paperback, May 2005, cover art Alan Pollack)

Fantasy novel, latest in the series about detective P.I. Garrett, whose most recent volumes were Petty Pewter Gods (1995), Faded Steel Heat (1999), and Angry Lead Skies (2002). This one finds Garrett in a city of gorgeous women, according to the brief description on the publisher's site.
• The most extensive discussion of Cook on the web seems to be this page of discussion of his works on Great Science-Fiction & Fantasy Works.

(Fri 6 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Cutter, Leah R. : The Jaguar and the Wolf
(Penguin/Roc 0-451-46026-X, $6.99, 309pp, mass market paperback, May 2005)

Alternate history novel in which the Vikings pass North America and come into contact with the Mayans.
• The author's website has this page about the book, explaining her inspiration for writing it, with a link to an extensive bibliography.

(Fri 6 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Czerneda, Julie E. : Migration
(DAW 0-7564-0260-3, $24.95, 453pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket painting Luis Royo)

SF novel, second in the "Species Imperative" sequence following last year's Survival. This one concerns human biologist Mackenzie "Mac" Connor trying to prevent a conflict between the Interspecies Union and the alien Dhyrn.
• The author's website notes that the book's launch part is this Saturday, May 14, at Bakka-Phoenix in Toronto.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Czerneda's characterizations, both human and alien, are as intricate and entertaining as the twisty plot."
• Reviewed by Carolyn Cushman in the upcoming June issue of Locus: "Fascinating characters, including some delightfully wacky aliens, mix with thrilling action make this an exciting read."

(Mon 2 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Drake, David : The Way to Glory
(Baen 0-7434-9882-8, $25, 402pp, hardcover, May 2005, cover art Stephen Hickman)

Military SF novel, fourth in the "RCN Series" about Lt. Leary following With the Lightnings (1998), Lt. Leary, Commanding (2000), and The Far Side of the Stars (2003), in which Lt. Leary and Signals Officer Adele Mundy battle to preserve the independence of the Republic of Cinnabar against threats from the tyrannical Alliance.
• Baen's site has this description, with links to the Acknowledgements, in which Drake cites the 19th century precedents of the novel's plot elements, and to several chapters.

(Fri 6 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Gaiman, Neil, & Dave McKean : MirrorMask
(HarperCollins/Morrow 0-06-079875-0, $34.95, 331pp, hardcover, May 2005)

Subtitled "The Illustrated Film Script of the Motion Picture from The Jim Henson Company", this is the script for the forthcoming film directed by Dave McKean from Columbia Pictures, with no release date yet established, about a 15-year-old girl in a circus family who wishes she could run away and join the real world. The story is by Gaiman & McKean, the screenplay is by Gaiman.
• The book has storyboard sketches (by McKean) on every page of the script, plus 32 pages of color plates. There's an introduction by Gaiman, and four appendices: one about the origins of the story, one about McKean by Gaiman, one about Gaiman by McKean, and one containing the lyrics to "The Apology Song".
• Gaiman's website has this announcement from last October. www.mirrormask.com has a trailer, synopsis, etc. (Links to Jim Henson's website seem to be dead.)
• The IMDb entry for the film has reports from the film's debut at the Sundance Film Festival.

(Tue 3 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Grody, Leathel : Faith of the Unforgotten
(Lethal Publishing 1-59787-000-5, $21.95, 286pp, hardcover, April 2005, cover art Leathal Grody)

Fantasy novel, first of the "Foundations of Hope" trilogy, to be followed by Into the Darkness and Dawn of a New Hope in yearly increments. It's about Great Pulse Storms that, 400 years in the future, make it impossible for electricity to exist, set civilization back to medieval times, and cause the return of ancient species of dragons and lizards.
• Amazon has a longer book description, and reader reviews, including a note from the author.
• The series has its own website, Foundations of Hope, with links to chapter excerpts and illustrations.

(Fri 29 Apr 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

	MONITOR New Books April #4 Kim Antieau Ramsey Campbell L. Timmel Duchamp George Alec Effinger Carol Emshwiller Andreas Eschbach Kevin Guilfoile John G. Hemry Tracy & Laura Hickman Jan Lars Jensen Jerry Oltion Sean Williams New Books April #3 Bruce Boston Damien Broderick Simon Brown Dan Chernenko Christopher Golden Laurell K. Hamilton Karin Lowachee Julian May Dennis L. McKiernan John Moore Andre Norton Sam Weller Glenn Yeffeth 2005 Archive Advertisement KEY This page lists selected newly published SFFH books seen by Locus Online (independently from the listings compiled by Locus Magazine). Review copies received will be listed (though reprints and reissues are on other pages), but not galleys or advance reading copies. Selections, some based only on bookstore sightings, are at the discretion of Locus Online. * = first edition + = first US edition Date with publisher info is official publication month; Date in parentheses at paragraph end is date seen or received. LINKS Links Portal Bookseller Links Your purchase of books through Amazon.com and Amazon UK links (click on titles or covers) helps support Locus Online Publisher Links E-mail Locus Online		New SF, Fantasy, and Horror books seen : 1st Week May 2005 posted 10 May 2005 + Alexander, Alma : The Hidden Queen (HarperCollins/Eos 0-06-076570-4, $6.99, 389pp, mass market paperback, May 2005) First US edition (New Zealand: HarperCollins/Voyager, 2001) Fantasy novel, first of two parts, about an exiled child-queen who develops the power of Sight. • It was originally published under the author's real name, Alma Hromic, in New Zealand as Changer of Days, Volume One. The second part (originally Changer of Days, Volume Two) will be published by Eos next month as Changer of Days. • The publisher's site has this description. • The author's website has information on her other books, including the covers of the earlier editions of these books. (Fri 6 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Asher, Neal : Brass Man (UK: Macmillan/Tor UK 1-4050-0138-0, £17.99, 485pp, hardcover, April 2005, jacket illustration Steve Rawlings) SF adventure novel, sequel to Gridlinked and The Line of Polity, about Polity agent Ian Cormac, a resurrected killing machine (from the first book), dragon-hunters, a remote planet roamed by insectile monsters, A.I., and more. • The author's official site has a description, with links to reviews. • SFCrowsnest ran this interview last year, in which Asher talks about this and his other books. • Rick Kleffel reviewed the book: "it's a grand science fiction adventure, bristling with ideas, action, excitement and wit." (Mon 2 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| + Asher, Neal : Cowl (Tor 0-765-31512-2, $14.95, 320pp, trade paperback, May 2005, cover art Bruce Jensen) First US edition (UK: Tor UK, March 2004) SF time travel novel in which enemies of the 4th millennium Dominion have escaped into the past. • The recently redesigned website nealasher.com has this description of the earlier UK edition; Asher's own site has a description (scroll down) and excerpts from reviews. • Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review of this US edition, comparing Asher's work to Kage Baker's: "But where Baker tends toward the literary and satirical, Asher prefers over-the-top violence and pyrotechnic super-science. ... Overall, this is an excellent read and should increase the author's growing reputation." • Russell Letson's review in the March 2004 issue of Locus Magazine described Asher's approach to adventure: "pump it full of performance-enhancing substances and send it crashing through a gigantically expanded version of its traditional milieu, exploding the big sets and sending body-parts flying in all directions..." (Mon 2 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| + Bova, Ben : Mercury (Tor 0-765-30412-0, $24.95, 319pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket art John Harris) First US edition (UK: Hodder & Stoughton, February 2005) Latest on Bova's ongoing series about human exploration of the solar system (following novels about Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn), concerning an ambitious scheme to build a staging area on Mercury for lauching ships into deep space, with a love triangle and a revenge plot adding human interest. • The new work page on Bova's site quotes a passage from the book. • Amazon has reviews from PW and from Booklist's Roland Green, who concludes "this superior entry in one of the classic hard-sf sagas going is pretty much a guaranteed crowd-pleaser." (Fri 6 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Butcher, Jim : Dead Beat (Penguin/Roc 0-451-46027-8, $23.95, 396pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket art Chris McGrath) Fantasy novel, seventh in the "Dresden Chronicles" about a crime-solving wizard in Chicago, and the first of the series to appear in hardcover. This time Harry Dresden is being blackmailed by a vampire he thought he'd killed. • The author's website has this page about the book, with links to three sample chapters. Elsewhere on the site the author warns readers about the Publishers Weekly review, which he says contains too many spoilers. • Carolyn Cushman reviewed the book in the April issue of Locus Magazine: "The plot is all over the place, including sub-plots involving a demon, the Wild Hunt, and the ongoing war between the vampires and the White Council, but it's a fun romp, with a rousing final battle that shouldn't be missed." (Fri 6 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| Carman, Patrick : The Dark Hills Divide (Scholastic 0-439-70093-0, $11.95, 253pp, hardcover, February 2005, cover art Brad Weinman) (First edition: Amped Media, 2003) Young adult fantasy novel, first book in "The Land of Elyon" series, about a 12-year-old girl who yearns to escape the walled villages where she lives. • The book was self-published by the author in 2003 (though this isn't referenced in the Scholastic edition), and the author's website includes a page of pointers for identifying the true first edition, as well as the first chapter, a map, photo gallery, etc. • Amazon has some "exclusive content" character descriptions and sketches, and its own review by Daphne Durham: "The Dark Hills Divide is so compulsively readable that kids (and their parents) will be clamoring for the second book in the proposed trilogy..." (Wed 20 Apr 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Cook, Glen : Whispering Nickel Idols (Penguin/Roc 0-451-45974-1, $6.99, 359pp, mass market paperback, May 2005, cover art Alan Pollack) Fantasy novel, latest in the series about detective P.I. Garrett, whose most recent volumes were Petty Pewter Gods (1995), Faded Steel Heat (1999), and Angry Lead Skies (2002). This one finds Garrett in a city of gorgeous women, according to the brief description on the publisher's site. • The most extensive discussion of Cook on the web seems to be this page of discussion of his works on Great Science-Fiction & Fantasy Works. (Fri 6 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Cutter, Leah R. : The Jaguar and the Wolf (Penguin/Roc 0-451-46026-X, $6.99, 309pp, mass market paperback, May 2005) Alternate history novel in which the Vikings pass North America and come into contact with the Mayans. • The author's website has this page about the book, explaining her inspiration for writing it, with a link to an extensive bibliography. (Fri 6 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Czerneda, Julie E. : Migration (DAW 0-7564-0260-3, $24.95, 453pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket painting Luis Royo) SF novel, second in the "Species Imperative" sequence following last year's Survival. This one concerns human biologist Mackenzie "Mac" Connor trying to prevent a conflict between the Interspecies Union and the alien Dhyrn. • The author's website notes that the book's launch part is this Saturday, May 14, at Bakka-Phoenix in Toronto. • Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Czerneda's characterizations, both human and alien, are as intricate and entertaining as the twisty plot." • Reviewed by Carolyn Cushman in the upcoming June issue of Locus: "Fascinating characters, including some delightfully wacky aliens, mix with thrilling action make this an exciting read." (Mon 2 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Drake, David : The Way to Glory (Baen 0-7434-9882-8, $25, 402pp, hardcover, May 2005, cover art Stephen Hickman) Military SF novel, fourth in the "RCN Series" about Lt. Leary following With the Lightnings (1998), Lt. Leary, Commanding (2000), and The Far Side of the Stars (2003), in which Lt. Leary and Signals Officer Adele Mundy battle to preserve the independence of the Republic of Cinnabar against threats from the tyrannical Alliance. • Baen's site has this description, with links to the Acknowledgements, in which Drake cites the 19th century precedents of the novel's plot elements, and to several chapters. (Fri 6 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Gaiman, Neil, & Dave McKean : MirrorMask (HarperCollins/Morrow 0-06-079875-0, $34.95, 331pp, hardcover, May 2005) Subtitled "The Illustrated Film Script of the Motion Picture from The Jim Henson Company", this is the script for the forthcoming film directed by Dave McKean from Columbia Pictures, with no release date yet established, about a 15-year-old girl in a circus family who wishes she could run away and join the real world. The story is by Gaiman & McKean, the screenplay is by Gaiman. • The book has storyboard sketches (by McKean) on every page of the script, plus 32 pages of color plates. There's an introduction by Gaiman, and four appendices: one about the origins of the story, one about McKean by Gaiman, one about Gaiman by McKean, and one containing the lyrics to "The Apology Song". • Gaiman's website has this announcement from last October. www.mirrormask.com has a trailer, synopsis, etc. (Links to Jim Henson's website seem to be dead.) • The IMDb entry for the film has reports from the film's debut at the Sundance Film Festival. (Tue 3 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Grody, Leathel : Faith of the Unforgotten (Lethal Publishing 1-59787-000-5, $21.95, 286pp, hardcover, April 2005, cover art Leathal Grody) Fantasy novel, first of the "Foundations of Hope" trilogy, to be followed by Into the Darkness and Dawn of a New Hope in yearly increments. It's about Great Pulse Storms that, 400 years in the future, make it impossible for electricity to exist, set civilization back to medieval times, and cause the return of ancient species of dragons and lizards. • Amazon has a longer book description, and reader reviews, including a note from the author. • The series has its own website, Foundations of Hope, with links to chapter excerpts and illustrations. (Fri 29 Apr 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| Opening lines: As this new face of the asteroid turned into view, Salvor swore when he realized the titanium and platinum readings he was picking up were not from some large deposit in the object itself, but from the wreckage strewn on its surface. However, upping the magnification of the image on his main screen dispelled his disappointment. There was something intact down there, something that looked like the head of a giant thistle made out of golden metal. Perhaps he wasn't wasting his time here after all. Opening lines: "Stop that chattering or we�ll have to go back and sit by the fire," said my companion. He removed his large, thick cape and draped it over my shoulders. I had to hold it up to keep it from dragging on the street, but it felt good, and my last few shivers quietly subsided. Opening lines: I am the queen of everything in this part of town, I am queen of the city and queen of the towers and queen of the little wiggly things, and everybody who looks at me says oh, she is such a wonderful queen, and she is so normal and not ever embarrassing at all and she goes to a school and stays in one place forever and has nothing to worry about except... Previous New Books: 4th week April
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