* Allen, Mike : Disturbing Muses
(Prime Books 0-8095-5604-9, $10, 60pp, chapbook, September 2005, cover by Giorgio de Chirico)

Collection of 11 poems inspired by modernist painters such as Picasso, Chagall, O'Keefe, and Tanguy. Six poems appear to be original to this book.
• There's an introduction by Theodora Goss, and an afterword by the author in which he names many of the paintings that served as inspirations.
• Allen's website has an image of the entire cover, a description, the table of contents, and links to three of the poems whose texts are online.
• Available directly from the publisher or from Amazon (click on cover image at right).

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+ Banks, Iain M. : The Algebraist
(Night Shade Books 1-59780-026-0, $24.95, 434pp, hardcover, September 2005, jacket art Lee Moyer) First US edition (UK: Time Warner UK/Orbit, October 2004)

First US edition of Banks' Hugo-nominated novel, a far future space opera set on a remote gas giant planet awaiting its wormhole connection to the rest of galactic civilization.
• The Night Shade Books site has this description -- "As complex, turbulent, flamboyant and spectacular as the gas giant on which it is set, the new science fiction novel from Iain M. Banks is space opera on a truly epic scale." Night Shade also offers a limited, signed, leather-bound edition, limited to 250 copies, for $49.
• Banks' website has the same description, and a link to an excerpt.
• Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review -- "This is an enormously enjoyable book, full of wonderful aliens, a sense of wonder and subtle political commentary on current events." -- and mixed reader reviews.

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* Bradfield, Scott : Hot Animal Love: Tales of Modern Romance
(Carroll & Graf 0-7867-1576-6, $13.95, 213pp, trade paperback, September 2005, cover design Michael Fusco)

Collection of 13 allegorical stories about animals, most of them first published in genre magazines or anthologies, including "Angry Duck", "Dazzle Redux", "Doggy Love", The Reflection Once Removed", and "Goldilocks Tells All".
• The publisher's site has this description, including an excerpt from "Penguins for Lunch".
• Amazon's search inside feature include an excerpt. The Amazon page has reviews from PW and Booklist; the latter concludes "Bradfield's wily use of animal characters casts light on the absurdities of human existence, as long as his misanthropy doesn't overwhelm his wit."

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* Carroll, Jonathan : Glass Soup
(Tor 0-765-31179-8, $24.95, 317pp, hardcover, October 2005, jacket art Rafal Olbinski)

Surrealistic fantasy novel concerning a pair of lovers (Vincent and Isabelle, who starred in previous novel White Apples) and a metaphysical battle between God and Chaos for the fate of Isabelle's unborn child.
• The book has its own website, glasssoup.com, with a description, copies of reviews, a message board, and two PDF excerpts.
• Amazon has reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist; the former concludes "In-jokes abound, as do barbs thrown at George W. Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger, rap music, Austrian traffic problems and even chocolate pudding. This is a marvelous comic feast, but logic, consistency and plausibility are not on the menu."

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+ Courtenay Grimwood, Jon : Effendi
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-58744-7, 412pp, trade paperback, September 2005, cover illustration Bob Larkin) First US edition (UK: Simon & Schuster/Earthlight, April 2002)

SF, second in the 'Arabesk' trilogy following Pashazade (UK 2001) and preceding Felaheen (UK 2003), set in an alternate-world Alexandria and concerning detective Ashraf Bey.
• The author's site has this description. US publisher Bantam has this page of description, and an excerpt
• Amazon has the PW review: "Less of a classic whodunit than its predecessor, this unique blend of mystery, speculative fiction and political intrigue should attract readers across several genres."
• Locus Magazine included it on its New and Notable Books list for October 2005.

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* Denning, Troy : Star Wars: Dark Nest, Book II: The Unseen Queen
(Del Rey 0-345-46303-x, $6.99, 333pp, mass market paperback, October 2005, cover art Cliff Nielsen)

Media-related novel, second in the "Dark Nest" trilogy following The Joiner King (which has been on bestseller lists lately) and to be followed in January by The Swarm War. The books concern the New Jedi Order's confrontation with a monstrous evil, and follows Luke, Han, Leia, and their families five years after the earlier "New Jedi Order" novels.
• The book includes a Dramatis Personae, and a Timeline of all the Star Wars novels to date, placing them in relation to the original, first Star Wars movie.

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* Dutcher, Roger, & Mike Allen, eds. : The Alchemy of Stars
(Science Fiction Poetry Association 0-8095-1162-2, $15, 170pp, trade paperback, 2005, cover art and design Tim Mullins)

Anthology of 62 poems comprising all the winners of the annual Rhysling Awards for SF poetry since their inception in 1978. Contents are arranged by year and then by category.
• Authors include Gene Wolfe, Ursula K. Le Guin, Michael Bishop, Robert Frazier, Joe Haldeman, Bruce Boston, Lucius Shepard, W. Gregory Stewart, David Lunde, Jane Yolen, Geoffrey A. Landis, Lawrence Schimel, Theodora Goss, and Roger Dutcher, among many others.
• There's a Foreword by Roger Dutcher (which mentions that one winning poem, Tom Disch's "On Science Fiction", was unable to be included in the book), an Introduction by Jane Yolen, a "Rhysling primer" by Robert Frazier, and an Afterword by Suzette Haden Elgin, who founded the Science Fiction Poetry Association that sponsors the awards.
• Available from the SFPA site or from Amazon.

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+ Gemmell, David : Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow
(Ballantine Del Rey 0-345-45835-4, $24.95, 476pp, hardcover, October 2005, jacket illustration Craig Howell, jacket design David Stevenson) First US edition (UK: Transworld/Bantam UK, September 2005)

Historical fantasy novel, first of a trilogy, that re-imagines the Trojan War centered on the character Aeneas aka Helikaon aka the Golden One, the hero of Virgil's Aeneid.
• Del Rey's site has a description with quotes from reviews and an excerpt.
• Amazon has Publishers Weekly's starred review, as well as the review from Booklist by Roland Green; the latter concludes "Gemmell is a master of fast pacing and original, not to say offbeat, takes on legendary and mythical characters. The alternate Iliad he launches here does honor to his reputation and promises to lift it higher while adding notably to readers' pleasure."
• SFRevu recently interviewed Gemmell about this book.

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* MacLeod, Ken : Learning the World
(UK: Time Warner UK/Orbit 1-84149-343-0, £17.99, 338pp, hardcover, August 2005, cover illustration Lee Gibbons)

SF novel, subtitled "a novel of first contact", about a generation starship that detects electronic signals from their planetary destination.
• This is a stand-alone novel, separate from any of the author's previous books.
• The publisher's site has this description. The US edition from Tor (whose subtitle has apparently been changed to "A Scientific Romance") is due in November.
• Cheryl Morgan reviewed the book for Emerald City: "MacLeod has clearly been thinking about the Prime Directive and has some argument with one of its basic assumptions. ... Along the way, Leaning the World is entertaining, easy to read and often funny."

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* Maguire, Gregory : Son of a Witch
(HarperCollins/ReganBooks 0-06-054893-2, $26.95, 337pp, hardcover, October 2005, jacket illustration Douglas Smith)

Fantasy novel, sequel to Wicked (1995), perpetual bestseller and basis for the Broadway play, concerning the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. In this book, the aftermath of the witch's death leads to the discover of a boy rumored to be her son.
• Parent publisher HarperCollins' site has this description and an excerpt.
• The author's site has descriptions of this and earlier books.
• Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review, from its July 18th issue, which calls it a "masterfully imaginative sequel"; "Tucked into Maguire's enchanting fable are carefully calibrated object lessons in forgiveness, retribution, love, loss and the art of moving on despite tragic circumstances."

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+ Morgan, Richard K. : Woken Furies
(Ballantine Del Rey 0-345-47971-8, $24.95, 450pp, hardcover, October 2005, jacket illustration Christian McGrath, jacket design David Stevenson) First US edition (UK: Gollancz, March 2005)

SF novel, third in the author's series of noir SF adventures starring Takeshi Kovacs, following Altered Carbon (2002) and Broken Angels (2003). The UK first edition appeared in May.
• Del Rey's site has a description, an author Q&A, and an excerpt.
• Amazon has the PW review and the starred Booklist review by Elliott Swanson, who says "Unlike [William] Gibson, however, Morgan combines the cyberpunk style with a fast-paced, first-person narrative that is as evocative of classic hard-boiled detective fiction as it is of cutting-edge science fiction. ... Highly recommended for followers of the series, cyberpunk devotees, and hard-boiled detective fans not averse to a little genre-bending."

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* Rucker, Rudy : The Lifebox, the Seashell, and the Soul
(Thunder's Mouth Press 1-56025-722-9, $35, 10+564pp, hardcover, October 2005)

Associational nonfiction, part memoir, part examination of the nature of the universe, subtitled "What Gnarly Computation Taught Me About Ultimate Reality, the Meaning of Life, and How to Be Happy".
• It's 468 pages of text with illustrations and tables, followed by an additional 96 pages of technical appendix, glossary, notes, credits, and index.
• The publisher's site has this description (the front and back jacket copy).
• Rucker's website has this section about the book, with a PDF sample, 'reader help', and software downloads of various programs that generate cellular automata, fractals, etc.
• Kathryn Cramer is excited by the book's publication.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which describes the book as "part memoir of a life spent teaching mathematical logic, part history of computer science, but mostly a long, strange quest for the meaning of life".

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* Saknussemm, Kris : Zanesville
(Villard 0-8129-7416-6, $14.95, 10+485pp, trade paperback, October 2005, cover design Christopher Sergio)

Satiric SF novel, the author's first novel, about a man, Elijah Clearfeather, who wakes in Central Park with no memory, and who embarks on a quest for his identify across the US. It's first in a series called "The Lodemania Testament".
• The publisher's site has this description -- "WHO IS ELIJAH CLEARFATHER? Futuristic bioweapon or good old-fashioned messiah? Reincarnated ex-porn star or mutant information-age revolutionary? The man who awakens in New York City's Central Park with no memory of his identity and the enigmatic message FATHER FORGIVE THEM F carved into the flesh of his back may be all of these things and more." -- and an excerpt.
• Amazon has the PW review.
• Faren Miller reviews it in the October issue of Locus Magazine, commenting on the "more ambitious, allusive aspect of the novel" in contrast to the obvious satire, and concluding "Saknussemm leaves this till awfully late, and the book might have been better for some paring, but the conclusion does work as a combination of SF, fantasy and catharsis."

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* Scheerer, Terry D. : Dreams of Darkness, Dreams of Night
(Gateway Press 0-9770940-0-6, $13, 113pp, trade paperback, August 2005, cover art David Guillory, cover design Johnny Joe Salaiz)

Collection of 19 poems and 6 stories, most previously unpublished, spanning some 30 years.
• The book has its own website, www.dreamsofdarknessdreamsofnight.com, with an introduction, story excerpts, author background, and ordering information.
• Order from website above, or Gateway Press, 16604 Verde St, Hesperia CA 92345.

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* Smith, Dean Wesley : All Eve's Hallows: A City Knights Novel
(Phobos Impact 0972002669, $13.95, 251pp, trade paperback, September 2005)

Fantasy novel in which the secret City Knights protect the general populace from awareness that goblins, dragons, etc. really exist.
• Smith's website has this brief description: "Men in Black done as fantasy is the basic concept."
• This is the second of two inagural books from Phobos Impact, a new line edited by John J. Ordover, formerly the editor of Pocket's line of Star Trek books. The imprint has no website yet.
• Amazon has a review by Harriet Klausner, who calls it "delightful tongue in cheek fantasy".

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* Sneed, Vincent, ed. : Dark Furies
(Die Monster Die! Books 0-9759904-1-1, $14.95, 261pp, trade paperback, August 2005, cover art Scott Lewis)

Anthology of 15 original fantasy/horror stories, subtitled "Weird Tales of Beauties & Beasts". Authors include Jan Rukh, Adam P. Knave, Laszlo Q.V. St-J.Xalieri, Ed Hickcox, Rose Fox, and C.J. Henderson.
• The publisher's site still discusses this as an upcoming book. A description and table of contents was found on this Shocklines.com page.

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* Taaffe, Sonya : The Dybbuk in Love
(Prime Books 0-8095-5077-6, $8, 45pp, chapbook, 2005, cover painting Alselm Feuerbach)

Novelette published in chapbook form, about 19th and 21st century spirits.
• The publisher's page has an excerpt and description.

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* Taaffe, Sonya : Postcards from the Province of Hyphens
(Prime Books 0-8095-4487-3, $15, 111pp, trade paperback, May 2005, cover painting Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema)

Collection of 48 poems, all but 3 previously published.
• Order from the publisher or Amazon.
• Amazon has a reader review.

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* Taaffe, Sonya : Singing Innocence and Experience
(Prime Books 0-8095-4479-2, $17.95, 272pp, trade paperback, July 2005, cover illustration John William Waterhouse)

Collection of 23 stories and poems. Introduction by Tim Pratt. The author provides story notes.
• The publisher's page has a brief excerpt and description.

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* Westfahl, Gary, ed. : Science Fiction Quotations: From the Inner Mind to the Outer Limits
(Yale University Press 0-300-10800-1, $25, 21+461pp, trade paperback, November 2005)

Nonfiction compilation of over 2900 quotations from science fiction novels, stories, nonfiction works, and dramatic works (though quotes from films and TV are in the minority), grouped into 129 categories across 419 pages, and chronologically within each category. Categories range from 'Actions' to 'Work' and include Aliens, Apocalypse, Books, Clothing and Nudity, Computers, Death, Evil, Folly and Stupidity, God, Immortality, The Laws of Science Fiction, Mathematics, Old Age, Psychic Powers, Religion, Scientists, Sex, Space, Spaceships, Time, Truth, Utopia, and Wisdom.
• There's a 3-page foreword by Arthur C. Clarke, an introduction by the editor, a 15-page index of authors, and a 25-page index of titles.
• The publisher's site has this description.
• A scan of the author index shows the most quoted authors (5 or more rows of page references) are Douglas Adams, J.G. Ballard, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, Robert A. Heinlein, Ursula K. Le Guin, Walter M. Miller Jr., Terry Pratchett, Kim Stanley Robinson, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Yevgeny Zamiatin.
• Gary K. Wolfe's review in the October issue of Locus Magazine says the book is "a hoot, and the sort of book that many SF readers will want to have in their libraries, not only for browsing purposes - and perhaps to argue with Westfahl's choices and categories - but as a carefully researched source for many of the field's familiar but often undocumented or misattributed statements."

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