* Barker, Clive : Clive Barker: Visions of Heaven and Hell
(Rizzoli 0847827372, $50, 352pp, hardcover, October 2005, cover art Clive Barker)

Coffee table art book of over 300 color paintings by Barker, divided into several thematic sections each with a brief text introduction.
• The publisher's site has this description; "Illuminated with new writings by Barker, this artwork renders with expressionist fervor some of our most primal passions-good, evil, and all that's between. From the graphically terrifying to the ecstatically sensual, Visions of Heaven and Hell takes the reader on a journey through unexplored and forbidden realms."
• Amazon has the same description. Its page has links to a couple different 2006 calendars with artwork by Barker.
• Locus Magazine's November issue ran a long review of the book by Karen Haber, who commented "Barker obviously has ability and unique sensibility. The art itself is intriguing, passionate, mischievous, and idiosyncratic, often compelling, sometimes bizarre and disturbing." and concludes "This huge and expensive book invites the viewer to leap in, sink or swim. No doubt Barker's legions of fans will eagerly do just that."

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* Bisson, Terry : Greetings and Other Stories
(Tachyon Publications 1-892391-24-4, $24.95, 384pp, hardcover, October 2005, cover illustration and design John Picacio)

Collection of 10 stories. Titles include "I Saw the Light", "Super 8", "The Old Rugged Cross", and novellas "Greetings" and "Dear Abbey". There's a brief afterword by the author about the inspirations for the stories.
• The publisher's page for the book has a description and quotes from reviews.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly and Booklist reviews; the latter concludes "Bisson's distinctive minimalist style leaves plenty of room for disarming social satire that keeps one amused and pleasantly provoked."
• Locus Magazine ran reviews of the book by Faren Miller in its September issue and Gary K. Wolfe in its October issue. Wolfe concludes "Like many ironists and satirists, Bisson is often drawn towards themes that invite sentimentality -- there's always been a kind of tragic, redemptive edge to his writing -- but his control of tone and voice is so assured by now that he never loses the reins; even when he goes over the top (as in 'The Old Rugged Cross') he knows the purpose of restraint. We could hardly be in the hands of a more able storyteller."

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* Delany, Samuel R. : About Writing
(Wesleyan University Press 0-8195-6716-7, $24.95, 12+419pp, trade paperback, December 2005)

Collection of nonfiction pieces, subtitled "Seven Essays, Four Letters, and Five Interviews", directed at creative writers.
• The essays and interviews have been previously published, from 1971 through 2004. The 60-page introduction, "Emblems of Talent", just appeared, apparently in its entirety, in the October issue of The New York Review of Science Fiction. The letters -- actual letters sent to various writers, comprising about 50 pages -- are apparently original to this book, as is a 45-page appendix of advice on the mechanics of writing, "Nits, Nips, Tucks, and Tips".
• The publisher's page for the book has the table of contents.

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* Howison, Del, & Jeff Gelb, eds. : Dark Delicacies: Original Stories of the Macabre from Today's Greatest Horror Writers
(Carroll & Graf 0-7867-1676-2, $15.95, 13+274pp, trade paperback, October 2005)

Anthology of 19 original horror stories, whose co-editor Howison is founder of the southern California horror bookshop Dark Delicacies.
• Story authors include Ray Bradbury, Whitley Strieber, Brian Lumley, Ramsey Campbell, Gahan Wilson, and Clive Barker.
• The bookstore's page for the book has the complete table of contents; the site also has photos from the launch party in September.
• Amazon has reviews from PW and Booklist; the latter concludes "Two standouts, Lisa Morton's story of a solitary abalone forager stumbling across a mass murderer, and Playboy cartoonist Gahan Wilson's about a macabre artist whose grim subjects may be all too real, sell the volume all on their own. Indispensable for both horror fans and, of course, Dark Delicacies' patrons."
• Tim Pratt reviewed the book in the September issue of Locus Magazine.

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* Jameson, Fredric : Archaeologies of the Future: The Desire Called Utopia and Other Science Fictions
(Verso 1-84467-033-3, $35, 16+431pp, hardcover, October 2005)

Nonfiction study of utopias and science fiction, by the renowned Marxist scholar and literary critic. There's particular attention to the works of Philip K. Dick, Ursula K. Le Guin, William Gibson, Brian Aldiss, and Kim Stanley Robinson. Eleven of the 12 essays in the second half of the book were previously published, from 1973 to 2003.
• This is the third book in Jameson's project six-volume series on the "Poetics of Social Forms".
• The publisher's site has this description -- "In an age of globalization characterized by the dizzying technologies of the First World, and the social disintegration of the Third, is the concept of utopia still meaningful?" -- with quotes from reviews of his earlier works.
• Rick Kleffel posted this review; "When I suggest that 'Archaeologies of the Future' is difficult, I mean that it will prove difficult for just about any serious reader to put this book down. It's positively mesmerizing. Jameson is a serious critic, and he's awesomely well read, both in and out of genre fiction..."

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+ Jubert, Herve, translated by Anthea Bell : Dance of the Assassins
(Eos 0-06-077717-6, $16.99, 396pp, hardcover, September 2005, jacket art Cliff Nielsen) First US edition (UK: Hodder Children's Books, February 2004)

YA fantasy novel, first in the "Devil's Dances" trilogy, about a witch called on to solve murders in a future virtual-reality London.
• This is a translation by Anthea Bell of the French Quadrille des assassins (Editions Albin Michel 2002).
• HarperCollins has this page for the book, with a description and a chapter excerpt.
• Farah Mendlesohn has posted this review of sequel Devil's Tango, already published in the UK.
• San Francisco Chronicle reviewer Michael Berry reviewed it in September: "Morgenstern and Martineau are an appealing pair of detectives, and Jubert devises a colorful chase full of cliffhangers for them..."

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+ Larke, Glenda : Gilfeather
(Ace 0-441-01348-1, $7.99, 418pp, mass market paperback, November 2005, cover art Scott Grimando) First US edition (Australia: Australia, 2004)

Fantasy novel, second book in the "Isles of Glory" trilogy following The Aware, set in an archipelago of eleven nations.
• The author's website has a description with a link to an excerpt.
• Amazon has a reader review.

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+ Martin, George R. R. : A Feast for Crows
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-80150-3, $28, 755pp, hardcover, November 2005, jacket illustration Stephen Youll) First US edition (UK: HarperCollins Voyager, October 2005)

Fantasy novel, fourth book in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series that began with A Game of Thrones in 1996.
• Martin announced back in May that he'd finished this book, even though it meant deferring half the characters and story lines to the next book, A Dance with Dragons.
• Martin's website currently has this news about the release of the book, which debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list the week after it was published.
• Bantam's website has this page about the book, with a description, quotes from reviews, and an excerpt.
• Cheryl Morgan's review concludes "Dear George, we know this is hard, and we really appreciate the quality when books arrive. But please, do not make us wait so long again."
• Amazon has (as of this moment) 219 reader reviews, averaging 3 1/2 stars.
• Lisa Goldstein reviewed the book for the November issue of Locus Magazine: "Martin's world is a real place, filled with vivid complexity, a true journey into another realm. A place you can almost feel you're visiting, at least for the duration of the novel. We're about halfway through the series now, far enough to see what a breathtaking achievement it all is, what a grand canvas Martin is working on. We're lucky enough to be at the birth of a classic, something that will be read and reread for years to come."

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* Priest, Cherie : Four and Twenty Blackbirds
(Tor 0-765-31308-1, $13.95, 285pp, trade paperback, October 2005, cover art John Jude Palencar)

Southern Gothic fantasy novel about a young woman investigating her origins. It's the author's first novel, expanded here from an earlier edition published in 2003 by Marietta.
• The author posts this blog, with pages for author background and FAQ and review blurbs.
• Amazon has reviews from PW and Booklist; the former comments "Priest adds little new to the gothic canon, but makes neo-goth chick Eden spunky enough to deal with a variety of clich‚ menaces-a scheming family matriarch, a brooding Poe-esque mansion and a genealogy greatly confused with inbreeding-that would have sent the genre's traditional wilting violets into hysterics."
• Other reviews online include Cheryl Morgan's and San Francisco Chronicle's Michael Berry, who fills in some background: "Much has been made in the online community about how an early draft of 'Four and Twenty Blackbirds' was published on Priest's personal blog before being spotted by an interested editor. Whatever its genesis, this expanded version is a remarkably assured debut..."

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* Showers, Brian J. : Tigh an Bhreithimh
(Ireland: Swan River Press , $6, 36pp, chapbook, October 2005)

Chapbook ghost story, illustrated by Duane Spurlock, in a limited edition of 300 copies.
• This and two previous chapbooks by the author, The Old Tailor & the Gaunt Man and The Snow Came Softly Down, are availble from Swan River Press or directly from the author at 10 Leinster Road, Flat 3, Rathmines, Dublin 6, Ireland. Price includes international postage.

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* Wakely, Mark : An Audience for Einstein
(Mundania Press 1-59426-096-6, $12, 172pp, trade paperback, January 2005)

YA novel about a homeless boy who agrees to be the recipient of a dying astrophysicist's memories and knowledge.
• The publisher has this page for the book, with a description, background on the author, quotes from reviews, and an excerpt.
• Amazon has a remarkable 47 reader reviews.

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* Woodworth, Stephen : In Golden Blood
(Dell 0-440-24252-5, $6.99, 303pp, mass market paperback, November 2005)

Supernatural thriller, third in the "Violet Eyes" series following Through Violet Eyes and With Red Hands, about people with violet eyes who can channel the dead. In this book, Violet Natalie Lindstrom takes a job in Peru to try to channel those who died at an ancient Incan site.
• The official Violet Eyes website has descriptions, reviews, and links to excerpts posted on various websites.
• Amazon has a description and reader reviews.
• Carolyn Cushman reviewed it in the November issue of Locus Magazine: "It makes a nice change from the previous serial killer plots, but I keep hoping Woodworth won't settle for formula, and go on to explore more of the Violets' fascinating world..."

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* Wright, John C. : Orphans of Chaos
(Tor 0-765-31131-3, $24.95, 317pp, hardcover, November 2005, jacket art Scott M. Fischer)

Fantasy novel, first in the "Chronicles of Chaos" series, about five orphans with supernatural powers at a British boarding school.
• The author's website has this page about the book, with excerpts from various reviews.
• Locus Magazine ran reviews by Damien Broderick in October and Nick Gevers in November; Gevers wrote "We already know that [Wright] is formidably erudite, a stylist capable of moving prose poetry and hilarious rodomontade and many measures between, a master of exceedingly complex plotting, and astonishingly fecund of ideas. These qualities are abundantly present in Orphans of Chaos, part one of Wright's new fantasy diptych..."

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