* Aldiss, Brian : Cultural Breaks
(Tachyon Publications 1-892391-26-0, $24.95, 16+236pp, hardcover, September 2005, cover illustration and design John Picacio)

Collection of 12 stories, with an introduction by Andy Duncan. Three of the stories are originals; most of the reprints are relatively recent, except for two of Aldiss' classic earlier stories, "Total Environment" from 1968 and "A Chinese Perspective" from 1978.
• The news page on brianwaldiss.com lists the table of contents.
• The publisher's forthcoming page indicates the book is being published to coincide with Aldiss' 80th birthday.

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* Bassham, Gregory, & Jerry L. Walls, ed. : The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy
(Open Court 0812695887, $17.95, 16+302pp, trade paperback, October 2005)

Nonfiction anthology of 22 essays about C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, the first volume of which, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, is being released as a big-budget film this December.
• The contributors are philosophy professors or instructors at various universities. The book is one of Open Court's Popular Culture and Philosophy series, whose earlier volumes have covered The Simpsons, The Matrix, Woody Allen, Harry Potter, etc.
• The publisher has this description with blurbs.

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* Bender, Aimee : Willful Creatures: Stories
(Doubleday 0-385-50113-7, $22.95, 208pp, hardcover, September 2005)

Collection of 15 stories, 2 of them original, many of them fantastic or surrealistic.
• The publisher has this description -- "singular mix of surrealism, musical prose, and keenly felt emotions" -- and an excerpt.
• Rick Kleffel interviewed Bender and reviewed the book.

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* Brom : The Plucker
(Abrams 0-8109-5792-2, $24.95, 145pp, hardcover, October 2005, cover by Brom)

Illustrated novella about a group of abandoned toys who struggle to save the boy who left them behind.
• The book has its own website, www.theplucker.com, with samples of art, an interview, and goodies for sale.
• Amazon has the publisher's description, and reader reviews.
• Karen Haber's review will appear in the November issue of Locus Magazine: "Brom engages all of his considerable technical artistic skills here, producing images of powerful and frightening intensity. ... But parents, be warned. The 'ick factor' is high here..."

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* Czerneda, Julie E., ed. : Fantastic Companions
(Fitzhenry & Whiteside 1-55041-863-7, $16.95, 8+406pp, trade paperback, April 2005, cover by Heather Bruton)

Anthology of 19 original YA fantasy stories about humans and non-humans. Contributors include Jay Lake, Wen Spencer, K.D. Wentworth, Wen Spencer, and Janny Wurts.
• The editor's site has this description with a complete list of contributors.
• Quill And Quire has this review -- "Although many of the writers are new or little-known (Janny Wurts probably has the highest profile), there's not a single dud in the collection. In fact, it's among the strongest anthologies of fantasy fiction in recent memory."

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* Dann, Jack, & et al : The Fiction Factory
(Golden Gryphon Press 1-930846-36-3, $24.95, 17+310pp, hardcover, October 2005, jacket painting J. K. Potter, jacket design Lynne Condellone)

Collection of 18 stories by Dann in collaboration with other authors -- Gardner Dozois, Michael Swanwick, Gregory Frost, Barry N. Malzberg, Susan Casper, George Zebrowski, Jack C. Haldeman II, and Janeen Webb. Titles include "The Gods of Mars", "High Steel", "Down Among the Dead Men", "Afternoon at Schrafft's", "Blues and the Abstact Truth".
• The co-authors provide introductory notes to each story.
• The publisher's page has a description, the complete table of contents, and links to reviews, including Nick Gevers' review from the September issue of Locus Magazine: "a strong collection, and additionally provides invaluable technical insights into the storytelling process."
• Amazon has PW's review: "Classic science fiction themes of estrangement, other worlds and time travel satisfyingly inform recurring themes of the Jewish experience, love relationships, sex and childhood."

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* Freedman, Carl, ed. : Conversations with Isaac Asimov
(University Press of Mississippi 1-57806-737-5, $20, 170pp, trade paperback, June 2005)

Anthology of previously published interviews, first published from 1968 through 1990. Interviewers include James Gunn and Bill Moyers.
• The book includes an introduction, a chronology of Asimov's life, a list of books by Asimov, and an index.
• The publisher's site has this description of Asimov. There's also a hardcover (1-57806-738-3) edition available for $50.
• Amazon reproduces the Booklist review by Carl Hays: "Topics range from Asimov's perspective on his classic novels to the state of contemporary sf to his insights on technology's precarious future. An indispensable addition to every Asimov collection."

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* Gaiman, Neil, & Dave McKean : MirrorMask
(HarperCollins 0-06-082110-8, $16.99, 80pp, hardcover, October 2005)

Novella-length "children's version" of the script from the recent film, with text by Gaiman and art by McKean and images from the film.
• A larger, full-length illustrated script was published back in May.
• The HarperCollins site has a description and excerpt.

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* Pelan, John, ed. : Lost on the Darkside: Voices from the Edge of Horror
(Roc 0-451-46043-X, $7.99, 387pp, mass market paperback, September 2005)

Anthology of 15 original horror stories, fourth anthology in the "Darkside" series. Authors include David B. Silva, Ramsey Campbell, Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Michael Laimo, Jeffrey Thomas, Gerard Houarner, and David Niall Wilson.
• Amazon has a reader review that lists the entire table of contents.

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* Reed, Robert : The Cuckoo's Boys
(Golden Gryphon Press 1-930846-37-1, $24.95, 315pp, hardcover, November 2005, jacket painting Edward Miller, jacket design Lynne Condellone)

Collection of 12 stories, first published from 1996 to 2004, plus an afterword in which Reed provides notes about the origins of the stories. Titles include "Coelacanths", short listed for the Sturgeon award, and several others that were runners-up on Locus polls.
• Golden Gryphon's site has a description with the complete table of contents and the wraparound cover art.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Reed at his best ranks high in the SF firmament."
• November's Locus Magazine will have a review by Nick Gevers, who says the book "reaffirms SF's function as a thoughtful and paradigm-subverting literary form, able to interrogate the immediacies of life as fluently as theoretically more focused 'mundane' writing. Reed is not a comforting author, but the morals he draws are telling and necessary. In a somewhat stern manner, The Cuckoo's Boys is one of the strongest genre collections of the year."

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* Scalzi, John : The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies
(Rough Guides 1-84353-520-3, $14.99, 10+325pp, trade paperback, October 2005, cover design Peter Dyer)

Nonfiction guide to science fiction films. The core of the book is "The Canon", descriptions of 50 classic films. Surrounding it are sections on SF literature, the history of SF film, icons of SF films, related film genres, science, locations associated with SF films, and films from other countries (than the US and the UK); brief descriptions of several hundred films besides the canon are scattered throughout these sections as appropriate to the topics in the text.
• There's also an 'Information' section about associated TV shows, video games, conventions, websites, magazines, etc., and an Index.
• Scalzi's description of the book in his blog includes the list of his picks for the 50 canonical SF films (along with reader comments). The publisher's site has this description.

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* Schakel, Peter J. : The Way Into Narnia: A Reader's Guide
(Eerdmans 0-8028-2984-8, $14, 10+202pp, trade paperback, July 2005)

Nonfiction guide to C.S. Lewis' "Narnia" series, by an English professor and Lewis scholar, combining material from earlier books. It includes several chapters about each book in the series, followed by annotations, notes, further reading, and an index.
• The publisher's site has a description with an excerpt and the complete table of contents.
• Amazon has the PW review, which describes Schakel's approach: the "book is driven by Schakel's conviction that 'the best way to enter Narnia is to read the Chronicles as fairy tales,' and to that end, he offers an essay on how Lewis's notion of the fairy tale was profoundly shaped by his friend J.R.R. Tolkien's definitions of faeries and fantasy worlds. Schakel can be refreshingly opinionated, such as when he admonishes readers who try to read the Narnia series as a strict allegory..."

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* VanderMeer, Jeff : Veniss Underground
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-38356-6, $14, 278pp, trade paperback, October 2005, cover art Mike Dringengerg)

Collection of the title novel, first published in 2003, plus four stories set in the same universe: "The Sea, Mendeho, and Moonlight", "Detectives and Cadavers", "A Heart for Lucretia", and "Balzac's War".
• Bantam's site has a description and excerpt.
• Amazon has reviews of the original novel's publication, including PW's: "VanderMeer's eye for just the right gruesome detail brings his nightmarish landscapes and bizarre, partially human creatures alive in astonishing profusion. Not for the faint of heart, the story packs a strong emotional wallop."

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