Locus Online: New Books, 2nd week May 2005

* Avery, Fiona : The Crown Rose
(Prometheus/Pyr 1-59102-312-2, $25, 454pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket illustration Caniglia)

Historical fantasy novel set in 12th century France, following Isabelle, heir to the thrown.
• The publisher's site has this description with an author Q&A.
• The author has set up this site about the book, with author background and quotes from reviews.
• Amazon has reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist's Roland Green; the former calls it "a superior historical fantasy".
• Cheryl Morgan's Emerald City review offers mixed reactions.

(Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

+ Aylett, Steve : Lint
(Thunder's Mouth 1-56025-684-2, $14.95, 225pp, trade paperback, May 2005)

Meta-SF novel, a fictional biography of SF writer Jeff Lint, following his career from 1940s pulps through unsuccessful Star Trek scripts to Hollywood success in the 1990s.
• Thunder's Mouth Press has this description.
• The author's website has this page about the book, with blurbs from Alan Moore and Michael Moorcock.
• Amazon's page reproduces Publishers Weekly's review: "Informed SF readers, particularly Philip K. Dick fans, will enjoy British author Aylett's laugh-out-loud (mock) biography of (fictitious) cult writer Jeff Lint, though the dense prose, rife with odd word juxtapositions, can be daunting. ..."
• Rick Kleffel posted this review. Jeff VanderMeer in his blog last month enthused about the book and posed five questions to the author.

(Tue 10 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Clamp : Tsubasa: Volume 5
(Ballantine Del Rey 0-345-47792-8, $10.95, 192pp, trade paperback, May 2005)

Fifth volume of the manga series, translated from the 2004 Japanese edition, set in an alternate reality and concerning archaeological digs and mysterious powers. This series crosses over with the same authors' xxxHOLiC series.
• Del Rey's site has this description.

(Sun 1 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Douglass, Sara : Darkwitch Rising
(Tor 0-765-30542-9, $27.95, 607pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket art Royo)

Fantasy novel, third in the Troy Game series following Hades' Daughter (2003) and God's Concubine (2004). This volume is set in 17th century England.
• The author's website has this page describing the series and this page about this particular book, including a summary and links to various historical sites used in the book.
• Amazon has the PW review, which says the book "exhibits the same powerful imagination as its predecessors, but is not the place to start for newcomers".

(Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

+ Gentle, Mary : A Sundial in a Grave: 1610
(HarperCollins/Perennial 0-380-82041-2, $14.95, 16+672pp, trade paperback, May 2005, cover painting Giraudon) First US edition (UK: Gollancz, November 2003)

Fantasy/alternate history novel, about a plot to kill England's King James I.
• The original UK edition, titled slightly differently as 1610: A Sundial in a Grave, was described here, and was reviewed by John Clute.
• HarperCollins' site has this description, and a chapter excerpt.
• Damien Broderick reviews the book in the May issue of Locus Magazine, concluding "Describing in detail the plot, characters, or historical setting of this charming, affecting escapade would be pointless at best, and at worst would ruin the reader's pleasure in watching the inevitable unfold inevitably and, inevitably, fall apart in inevitably unexpected ways that mimic the tormented interplay between chaos and necessity. The book is a delight. Highly recommended. ..."

(Thu 12 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Houellebecq, Michel : H. P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life
(McSweeney's/Believer Books 1-932-41618-8, $18, 247pp, trade paperback, May 2005)

Nonfiction essay [about 100 pages] by the controversial French author, translated by Dorna Khazeni, supplemented by an introduction by Stephen King, two stories by Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu" and "The Whisperer in Darkness", a bibliography, and translator's notes.
• Amazon reproduces the Booklist review by Ray Olson: "Lovecraft was against life and the world because science and rationality told him they were meaningless and ephemeral. Yet what inspirationally disturbing and vivid fiction Lovecraft's beliefs animated. Without his example, would the fiction of Stephen King, who contributes an argumentative introduction here, and such superb movie shockers as Alien ever have existed?"
• Rick Kleffel reviewed it here.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews the book in the upcoming June issue of Locus Magazine, concluding that the book "makes for a persuasive tale of Lovecraft as one of the first great modern outsider artists, and offers a useful point of entry to his work."

(Thu 12 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Lucas, Tim : The Book of Renfield: A Gospel of Dracula
(Touchstone 0-7432-4354-4, $14, 403pp, trade paperback, June 2005)

Horror novel, a spin-off of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897), focusing on the character of "fly-gobbling, Scripture-quoting" R.M. Renfield.
• Amazon has the book description, and the Publishers Weekly review: "A superb storyteller, Lucas (Throat Sprockets) mimics Stoker's style so well that it's hard to distinguish his own writing from passages interpolated from Dracula..."
• The book's website has the cover image and several pages of excerpts.
• Online reviews include this review in The Agony Column, and Ellen Datlow's 1994 Reviews page which called Lucas' first novel "the best first novel of the year".

(Thu 12 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Norton, Andre, & Jean Rabe, eds. : Renaissance Faire
(DAW 0-7564-0281-6, $6.99, 306pp, mass market paperback, February 2005)

Anthology of 15 original stories about Renaissance faires. Authors include Joe Haldeman, Jayge Carr, Andre Norton, Esther M. Friesner, Michael A. Stackpole, and Brian A. Hopkins.

(Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Turtledove, Harry, ed. : The Enchanter Completed
(Baen 0-743-49904-2, $6.99, 387pp, mass market paperback, May 2005, cover art Tom Kidd)

Anthology 14 stories, 13 of them original, in honor of L. Sprague de Camp. Authors include Poul Anderson, Esther M. Friesner, Michael F. Flynn, David Drake, Judith Tarr, and Frederik Pohl (whose story "The Deadly Mission of P. Snodgrass" is from 1964).
• Turtledove provides an introduction, and there's an afterword by Robert Silverberg.
• Baen's site has a description, with links to the introduction and stories by Drake, Flynn, and Tarr.

(Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

* Warren, Kaaron : The Grinding House
(Australia: CSFG Publishing 0-958139-03-2, A$15.5, 217pp, trade paperback, April 2005, cover art Robyn Evans)

Collection of 19 stories by the Australian author. The book includes Aurealis Award-winning "A-Positive" and six other Aurealis Award nominated stories.
• The book is available from Australian Speculative Fiction (follow 'Book Store' link). Publisher CSFG has this page about the book, with a description and list of awards and nominations.
• Also available from Project Pulp, which has a description and brief excerpt.
• Tabula Rasa has this interview with the author

(Thu 12 May 2005)

* Yolen, Jane, & Patrick Nielsen Hayden, eds. : The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy for Teens
(Tor 0-765-31383-9, $17.95, 288pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket painting Donato)

First volume of a new annual best-of-the-year anthology, with 11 stories first published in 2004, aimed at teens and young adults. Stories are by Kelly Link ("The Faery Handbag"), S.M. Stirling, Lynette Aspey, Garth Nix, David Gerrold ("Dancer in the Dark"), Adam Stemple, Delia Sherman, Theodora Goss, Leah Bobet, and Bradley Denton ("Sergeant Chip") -- and Rudyard Kipling ("They"), a bonus story first published 100 years ago. There's a preface by Yolen, an honor roll, and notes on contributors.
• The Amazon page has a brief description of the book, several stories, and the editors.
• Boing Boing has this appreciation and review by Cory Doctorow.

(Thu 12 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon

	MONITOR New Books May #1 (p2) Mary Hoffman Mercedes Lackey Ian R. MacLeod Richard Morgan John Ringo Angie Sage Brandon Sanderson Linnea Sinclair Steve Stanton Steph Swainston Eldon Thompson Glenn Yeffeth New Books May #1 (p1)- Alma Alexander Neal Asher Neal Asher Ben Bova Jim Butcher Patrick Carman Glen Cook Leah R. Cutter Julie E. Czerneda David Drake Gaiman & McKean Leathel Grody 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 : 2nd Week May 2005 posted 20 May 2005 * Avery, Fiona : The Crown Rose (Prometheus/Pyr 1-59102-312-2, $25, 454pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket illustration Caniglia) Historical fantasy novel set in 12th century France, following Isabelle, heir to the thrown. • The publisher's site has this description with an author Q&A. • The author has set up this site about the book, with author background and quotes from reviews. • Amazon has reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist's Roland Green; the former calls it "a superior historical fantasy". • Cheryl Morgan's Emerald City review offers mixed reactions. (Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| + Aylett, Steve : Lint (Thunder's Mouth 1-56025-684-2, $14.95, 225pp, trade paperback, May 2005) Meta-SF novel, a fictional biography of SF writer Jeff Lint, following his career from 1940s pulps through unsuccessful Star Trek scripts to Hollywood success in the 1990s. • Thunder's Mouth Press has this description. • The author's website has this page about the book, with blurbs from Alan Moore and Michael Moorcock. • Amazon's page reproduces Publishers Weekly's review: "Informed SF readers, particularly Philip K. Dick fans, will enjoy British author Aylett's laugh-out-loud (mock) biography of (fictitious) cult writer Jeff Lint, though the dense prose, rife with odd word juxtapositions, can be daunting. ..." • Rick Kleffel posted this review. Jeff VanderMeer in his blog last month enthused about the book and posed five questions to the author. (Tue 10 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Clamp : Tsubasa: Volume 5 (Ballantine Del Rey 0-345-47792-8, $10.95, 192pp, trade paperback, May 2005) Fifth volume of the manga series, translated from the 2004 Japanese edition, set in an alternate reality and concerning archaeological digs and mysterious powers. This series crosses over with the same authors' xxxHOLiC series. • Del Rey's site has this description. (Sun 1 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Douglass, Sara : Darkwitch Rising (Tor 0-765-30542-9, $27.95, 607pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket art Royo) Fantasy novel, third in the Troy Game series following Hades' Daughter (2003) and God's Concubine (2004). This volume is set in 17th century England. • The author's website has this page describing the series and this page about this particular book, including a summary and links to various historical sites used in the book. • Amazon has the PW review, which says the book "exhibits the same powerful imagination as its predecessors, but is not the place to start for newcomers". (Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| + Gentle, Mary : A Sundial in a Grave: 1610 (HarperCollins/Perennial 0-380-82041-2, $14.95, 16+672pp, trade paperback, May 2005, cover painting Giraudon) First US edition (UK: Gollancz, November 2003) Fantasy/alternate history novel, about a plot to kill England's King James I. • The original UK edition, titled slightly differently as 1610: A Sundial in a Grave, was described here, and was reviewed by John Clute. • HarperCollins' site has this description, and a chapter excerpt. • Damien Broderick reviews the book in the May issue of Locus Magazine, concluding "Describing in detail the plot, characters, or historical setting of this charming, affecting escapade would be pointless at best, and at worst would ruin the reader's pleasure in watching the inevitable unfold inevitably and, inevitably, fall apart in inevitably unexpected ways that mimic the tormented interplay between chaos and necessity. The book is a delight. Highly recommended. ..." (Thu 12 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Houellebecq, Michel : H. P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life (McSweeney's/Believer Books 1-932-41618-8, $18, 247pp, trade paperback, May 2005) Nonfiction essay [about 100 pages] by the controversial French author, translated by Dorna Khazeni, supplemented by an introduction by Stephen King, two stories by Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu" and "The Whisperer in Darkness", a bibliography, and translator's notes. • Amazon reproduces the Booklist review by Ray Olson: "Lovecraft was against life and the world because science and rationality told him they were meaningless and ephemeral. Yet what inspirationally disturbing and vivid fiction Lovecraft's beliefs animated. Without his example, would the fiction of Stephen King, who contributes an argumentative introduction here, and such superb movie shockers as Alien ever have existed?" • Rick Kleffel reviewed it here. • Gary K. Wolfe reviews the book in the upcoming June issue of Locus Magazine, concluding that the book "makes for a persuasive tale of Lovecraft as one of the first great modern outsider artists, and offers a useful point of entry to his work." (Thu 12 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Lucas, Tim : The Book of Renfield: A Gospel of Dracula (Touchstone 0-7432-4354-4, $14, 403pp, trade paperback, June 2005) Horror novel, a spin-off of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897), focusing on the character of "fly-gobbling, Scripture-quoting" R.M. Renfield. • Amazon has the book description, and the Publishers Weekly review: "A superb storyteller, Lucas (Throat Sprockets) mimics Stoker's style so well that it's hard to distinguish his own writing from passages interpolated from Dracula..." • The book's website has the cover image and several pages of excerpts. • Online reviews include this review in The Agony Column, and Ellen Datlow's 1994 Reviews page which called Lucas' first novel "the best first novel of the year". (Thu 12 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Norton, Andre, & Jean Rabe, eds. : Renaissance Faire (DAW 0-7564-0281-6, $6.99, 306pp, mass market paperback, February 2005) Anthology of 15 original stories about Renaissance faires. Authors include Joe Haldeman, Jayge Carr, Andre Norton, Esther M. Friesner, Michael A. Stackpole, and Brian A. Hopkins. (Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Turtledove, Harry, ed. : The Enchanter Completed (Baen 0-743-49904-2, $6.99, 387pp, mass market paperback, May 2005, cover art Tom Kidd) Anthology 14 stories, 13 of them original, in honor of L. Sprague de Camp. Authors include Poul Anderson, Esther M. Friesner, Michael F. Flynn, David Drake, Judith Tarr, and Frederik Pohl (whose story "The Deadly Mission of P. Snodgrass" is from 1964). • Turtledove provides an introduction, and there's an afterword by Robert Silverberg. • Baen's site has a description, with links to the introduction and stories by Drake, Flynn, and Tarr. (Wed 11 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| * Warren, Kaaron : The Grinding House (Australia: CSFG Publishing 0-958139-03-2, A$15.5, 217pp, trade paperback, April 2005, cover art Robyn Evans) Collection of 19 stories by the Australian author. The book includes Aurealis Award-winning "A-Positive" and six other Aurealis Award nominated stories. • The book is available from Australian Speculative Fiction (follow 'Book Store' link). Publisher CSFG has this page about the book, with a description and list of awards and nominations. • Also available from Project Pulp, which has a description and brief excerpt. • Tabula Rasa has this interview with the author (Thu 12 May 2005) \| * Yolen, Jane, & Patrick Nielsen Hayden, eds. : The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy for Teens (Tor 0-765-31383-9, $17.95, 288pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket painting Donato) First volume of a new annual best-of-the-year anthology, with 11 stories first published in 2004, aimed at teens and young adults. Stories are by Kelly Link ("The Faery Handbag"), S.M. Stirling, Lynette Aspey, Garth Nix, David Gerrold ("Dancer in the Dark"), Adam Stemple, Delia Sherman, Theodora Goss, Leah Bobet, and Bradley Denton ("Sergeant Chip") -- and Rudyard Kipling ("They"), a bonus story first published 100 years ago. There's a preface by Yolen, an honor roll, and notes on contributors. • The Amazon page has a brief description of the book, several stories, and the editors. • Boing Boing has this appreciation and review by Cory Doctorow. (Thu 12 May 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| Opening lines: It is not every man who sets out to kill the King of France and begins by beating his own servant. "Messire Valentin!" Gabriel Santon protested, staring up at me from the floor as if Fate and Chance together had both kicked him in the stomach, rather than I. I can see I will have to do better than this. Opening lines: Life is painful and disappointing. It is useless, therefore, to write new realistic novels. We generally know where we stand in relation to reality and don't care to know any more. Humanity, such as it is, inspires only an attenuated curiosity in us. All those prodigiously refined "notations," "situations," anecdoes... All they do, once a book has been set aside, is reinforce the slight revulsion that is already adequately nourished by any one of our "real life" days. Opening lines: Pulp science fiction author Jeff Lint has loomed large as an influence on my own work since I found a scarred copy of I Blame Ferns in a Charing Cross basement, an apparently baffled chef staring from the cover. After that I hunted down all the Lint stuff I could find and became a connoisseur of the subtly varying blank stares of booksellers throughout the world. Previous New Books: 1st week May (page 2)
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