* Arnason, Eleanor : Ordinary People
(Aqueduct Press 0-9746559-0-2, $9, 113pp, trade paperback, April 2005)

Collection of 1 poem, 6 stories, and a speech, all but the last previously published. Stories include 1974 Nebula nominee "The Warlord of Saturn's Moons", 1994 Tiptree finalist "The Lovers", and 1999 World Fantasy Award finalist "The Grammarian's Five Daughters". The speech is "Writing Science Fiction during the Third World War", the guest of honor speech from WisCon in 2004.
• The publisher has a description on its page for the Conversation Pieces series -- scroll down.
• Not available from Amazon; order from Aqueduct Press.

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* Blessing, Kimberly A., & Paul J. Tudico, eds. : Movies and the Meaning of Life: Philosophers Take On Hollywood
(Open Court 0-8126-9575-5, $17.95, 16+302pp, trade paperback, April 2005)

Nonfiction anthology of 19 essays by academic authors on various movies that address philosophical topics, with at least 8 of them focusing on genre films. Themes include "Are You For Real?" (The Truman Show, Contact); "Who Am I?" (Fight Club, Being John Malkovich); and "How Should I Live My Life?" (Pleasantville, Spider-Man, Minority Report, Groundhog Day). Other films covered include Memento, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Kill Bill, and Pulp Fiction.
• The publisher's site has this description.
• Amazon has approximately the same description, and a reader review.

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* Bujold, Lois McMaster : The Hallowed Hunt
(Eos 0-06-057462-3, $24.95, 470pp, hardcover, June 2005, jacket illustration David Bowers)

Fantasy novel, third in the Chalion series following The Curse of Chalion (Hugo and World Fantasy Award nominee) and Paladin of Souls (Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Award winner). In this book Prince Boleso has been slain by Lady Ijada, whose soul is now inhabited by an animal spirit.
• The publisher's site has a description and chapter excerpt, while the author note page has links to additional excerpts.
• Bujold's site has a Chalion page with sample chapters, a dictionary, a map, etc.
• Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review, from its May 2nd issue: "Bujold's ability to sustain a breathless pace of action while preserving a heady sense of verisimilitude in a world of malignant wonders makes this big novel occasionally brilliant-and not a word too long."
• Carolyn Cushman reviewed the book in the March issue of Locus Magazine: "...between the gods, the intrigues, and the unusual animal magics, there's more than enough meat to make this truly compelling reading."

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* Flint, Eric : The Rivers of War
(Ballantine Del Rey 0-345-46567-9, $25.95, 15+489pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket illustration Gene Mollica)

Alternate history novel, first of a planned two-volume series, about the Cherokees involvement in the War of 1812. It's the author's first alternate history novel without an SF or fantasy element.
• Del Rey's site has a description, an author Q&A, and an excerpt.
• Amazon has Publishers Weekly's starred review, from its April 25th issue -- "Fans will cheer even louder if this outstanding start turns out to be the first of a long saga." -- an enthusiastic Booklist review by Frieda Murray: "Flint has thoroughly mastered storytelling, and his characterization is masterly. His characters, historical and invented, are plausible for the time and place, and he makes neither an icon nor a demon of anyone."

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* Frost, Gregory : Attack of the Jazz Giants and Other Stories
(Golden Gryphon Press 1-930846-34-7, $25.95, 10+344pp, hardcover, June 2005, jacket painting Jason Van Hollander)

Collection of 14 stories, with illustrations by Jason Van Hollander. Titles include "Madonna of the Maquiladora", a Nebula, Sturgeon, Tiptree, Locus, and Asimov's Reader Poll finalist; "How Meersh the Bedevler Lost His Toes", a Sturgeon finalist; "A Day in the Life of Justin Argento Morrell"; and previously unpublished novella "The Road to Recovery". There's an introduction by Karen Joy Fowler, and an afterword by John Kessel.
• Golden Gryphon's site has a description, with links to reviews, including those by Faren Miller and Nick Gevers from Locus Magazine.
• Amazon has Publishers Weekly's starred review, from its May 16th issue, which says that Frost "demonstrates his mastery of the short story form in what will surely rank as one of the best fantasy collections of the year."

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* Hanlon, Michael : The Science of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
(UK: Macmillan 1403945772, $24.95, 195pp, hardcover, June 2005)

Nonfiction survey of science themes inspired by Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, including space travel, parallel universes, artificial intelligence, etc.
• The publisher's site has this description and quotes from reviews. The author put together an exhibit at London's Science Museum about the book, online at www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/hitchhikers.
• The book is listed by some bookseller sites as scheduled for July or September; apparently actual publication of the book was moved up to coincide with the release of the film based on Adams' book.

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* Jones, Gwyneth : Band of Gypsies
(UK: Orion/Gollancz 0-575-07043-9, £17.99, 297pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket illustration Anne Sudworth)

Contemporary fantasy novel, latest in the Bold as Love sequence following Arthur C. Clarke Award winner Bold as Love (2001), Castles Made of Sand (2002), and Midnight Lamp (2003), about politics and rock music.
• The author's BOGDefinitive! site has various pages of background material, character sketches, etc., as well as a blog.
• Cheryl Morgan's review suggests the flavor of the book. Infinity Plus has this interview with Jones which focuses on the series.

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* Jones, William : Horrors Beyond
(Elder Signs Press 0-9759229-2-0, $15.95, 281pp, trade paperback, April 2005, cover art Dave Carson)

Anthology of 18 original stories, subtitled "Tales of Terrifying Realities". Authors include Richard A. Lupoff, Gerard Houarner, Tim Curran, Ann K. Schwader, Cody Goodfellow, and William Jones.
• The publisher's site has this description with a complete table of contents. The book is also available in hardcover.

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* Koontz, Dean : Velocity
(Bantam 0-553-80415-4, $27, 400pp, hardcover, June 2005)

Suspense thriller, apparently non-supernatural, about a serial killer who forces a bartender in a small California town to decide which of two potential victims will be murdered next.
• Koontz's publisher-hosted site has this description, and an excerpt.
• Amazon has the starred PW review: "Graphic, fast-paced action, well-developed characters and relentless, nail-biting scenes show Koontz at the top of his game."

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* Kritzer, Naomi : Freedom's Apprentice
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-58674-2, $6.99, 356pp, mass market paperback, May 2005, cover illustration Stephen Youll)

Fantasy novel, second in the Dead Rivers trilogy following Freedom's Gate (2004), set in a magical world resembling the empire of Alexander the Great, and concerning a former military aide trying to learn sorcery in order to help free slaves.
• The publisher's site has this description and an excerpt.
• Amazon has the PW review: "The tale's special strength lies in its psychological twists; the stealth missions require the heroines to free captives' minds from enslavement before even attempting physical rescues, and the resulting uncertain fine lines between friend and foe give this story considerably more depth, complexity and suspense than most sword-and-sorcery plots."

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* Lindskold, Jane : Child of a Rainless Year
(Tor 0-765-30937-8, $14.95, 400pp, trade paperback, May 2005, cover art Gary Kelley)

Contemporary fantasy novel about a woman who returns to her home in Las Vegas, New Mexico, where her mother disappeared years before, and discovers magical qualities in their mirror-filled house.
• The author's site has this page describing the background and motivation for writing the book, and a sample chapter.
• Tor's site has this profile of the author.
• Amazon has the PW review and the starred Booklist review by Regina Schroeder: "Neither an explosive story nor an edge-of-the-seat-thriller, the novel's strength lies in the unfolding of Mira's character."
• Carolyn Cushman reviewed the book in the April issue of Locus Magazine: "Lindskold also devotes considerable time to local history, the notion of liminal spaces, the significance of colors, and kaleidoscopes, building a web of interrelated information that ultimately offers some moving revelations."

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* Love, Rosaleen : The Traveling Tide
(Aqueduct Press 0-9746559-9-6, $9, 97pp, trade paperback, April 2005)

Collection of 7 stories, one of them a story/essay, "Ursula K. Le Guin and Therolinguistics", on environmental or ecological themes, by an Australian writer.
• The author has this website, with information about this and her other books.
• The publisher has a description on its page for the Conversation Pieces series -- scroll down.
• Not available from Amazon; order from Aqueduct Press.

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* Mesta, Gabriel : The Martian War: A Thrilling Eyewitness Account of the Recent Alien Invasion as Reported by Mr. H.G. Wells
(Pocket 0-7434-4639-9, $23, 256pp, hardcover, May 2005, jacket illustration Bob Eggleton)

Alternate history SF novel in which H.G. Wells, T.H. Huxley, and various characters from Wells' books join forces to defeat invaders from Mars.
• Mesta is a pseudonym for Kevin J. Anderson.
• The publisher's site has this description and an excerpt.
• Amazon has reviews from PW and Booklist; the former concludes "Mesta smoothly mixes Victorian sober rationalism with the fast pace of the period's boys' adventure yarns. The result is a thoughtful pastiche of Wells's groundbreaking "scientific romances" that should intrigue both historical/literary SF readers and action-adventure SF fans."

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* Morse, Drew, ed. : The 2005 Rhysling Anthology
(The Science Fiction Poetry Association/Dark Regions Press 1-888993-51-0, $9.95, 104pp, trade paperback, May 2005, cover art Tim Mullins)

Anthology of 61 SF, fantasy, and horror poems published in 2004 and nominated for this year's Rhysling Award, selected by the Science Fiction Poetry Association. Contents are grouped by the award's two categories: short poems and long poems.
• Authors include Mike Allen, Ruth Berman, Bruce Boston, G.O. Clark, Roger Dutcher, Marge Simon, Ian Watson, Jane Yolen, Tim Pratt, Heather Shaw, and many others. The full contents are shown here.
• There's an introduction giving the history of the award, and an appendix listing past winners.
• Order from Amazon or this page on the SFPA site to order the current book.

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* Sheldon, Anne : The Adventures of the Faithful Counselor
(Aqueduct Press 0-9746559-8-8, $9, 79pp, trade paperback, April 2005)

Chapbook-length narrative poem that (according to the publisher's description) "relates a series of stories about the ancient gods Inanna and Gilgamesh from the point of view of Inanna's lover and sidekick, Ninshibur, the Faithful Counselor."
• The publisher has a description on its page for the Conversation Pieces series -- scroll down.
• Not available from Amazon; order from Aqueduct Press.

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