Locus Online: Classic Reprints: October 2005

Butler, Octavia E. : Bloodchild and Other Stories, Second Edition
(Seven Stories Press 1-58322-698-2, $14, 214pp, trade paperback, October 2005)
(First edition: Four Walls Eight Windows, September 1995)

Collection of 7 stories and 2 essays, collecting all of Butler's short fiction to date. This edition is expanded from the original 1995 edition, adding two recent stories, "Amnesty" and "The Book of Martha" (both from Sci Fiction in 2003). The original contents include the title story, which won both the Hugo and Nebula, and the Hugo award-winning "Speech Sounds".
• The publisher's site has this description, which notes that the two additional stories appear "in print for the first time".
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal reviews of the original edition.

(Wed 5 Oct 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

Effinger, George Alec : When Gravity Fails
(Orb 0-765-31358-8, $13.95, 284pp, trade paperback, November 2005, cover art Craig Mullins, cover design Howard Grossman/12E Design)
(First edition: Arbor House, January 1987)

Cyberpunk SF novel set in a corrupt Arab ghetto called the Budayeen; a noir detective thriller about bootlegged personality cartridges.
• It's Effinger's best-remembered and most acclaimed novel. It barely lost the Hugo Award in 1988, was also a Nebula nominee, and it placed second in that year's Locus Poll for best SF novel. It spawned two sequels, A Fire in the Sun (1989, also a Hugo nominee), and The Exile Kiss (1991), as well as a posthumous collection of associated stories, Budayeen Nights (2003, reviewed by Claude Lalumière).
• Amazon has numerous cover blurbs, plus its 'search inside' feature including an excerpt.
• SFSignal just posted this five-star review.

(Fri 28 Oct 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

+ Harrison, M. John : Viriconium
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-38315-9, $16, 14+462pp, trade paperback, November 2005, cover design Jamie S. Warren Youll) First US edition (UK: Millennium, July 2000)

Omnibus of fantasy novels and stories set in the imagined city of Viriconium, first published as The Pastel City (1971), A Storm of Wings (1980), In Viriconium (1982), and the collection Viriconium Nights (the 1985 Gollancz edition).
• The volume adds to the 2000 omnibus a new introduction by Neil Gaiman.
• Bantam's site has a description and an excerpt (the opening of The Pastel City).
• Amazon has a Booklist review -- "Harrison creates an epic history of a captivating and strange metropolis full of bravos and dancers, intrigue and romance." -- and a couple lengthy reader reviews.

(Fri 28 Oct 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

* Hodgson, William Hope, edited by Douglas A. Anderson : Adrift on the Haunted Seas: The Best Short Stories of William Hope Hodgson
(Cold Spring Press 1593600496, $11, 243pp, trade paperback, September 2005, cover art Daniel Govar)

Collection of 22 stories and poems, most first published from 1905 to 1926, by an author (who lived from 1877 to 1918) who spent years as a merchant seaman and became known especially for sea stories.
• The book is edited and has an introduction by Douglas A. Anderson. Source notes about the stories are included at the end.
• Locus Magazine selected the book for its New & Notable Book in its November 2005 issue.

(Fri 28 Oct 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

Matheson, Richard : Noir: Three Novels of Suspense
(Forge 0-765-31140-2, $14.95, 385pp, trade paperback, October 2005)
(First edition: G&G Books, 1997)

Omnibus of three 1950's thrillers from early in Matheson's career: Someone Is Bleeding (1953), Fury on Sunday (1953), and Ride the Nightmare (1959).
• This volume has an introduction by Matthew R. Bradley. There's also a hardcover edition available.
• Amazon has the Booklist review: "In delivering high-tension suspense, Matheson displays an uncanny knack for showing the physical toll fear and desperation take on his characters, grounding them in grim, sweaty-palmed reality even as they face often-outlandish situations."

(Wed 12 Oct 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

Vinge, Joan D. : The Snow Queen
(SFBC 0-7394-5907-4, $12.99, 447pp, hardcover, September 2005, jacket art Bruce Jensen)
(First edition: Dial, 1980)

Far future SF novel, inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen story, about an ocean planet whose ruling Snow Queen faces disposition as the closing of a nearby Stargate cuts the planet off from other worlds.
• The novel won the Hugo and Locus awards in 1981, and inspired several sequels, including World's End (1984) and The Summer Queen (1991).
• A reader review on Amazon cites a common comparison: "Imagine if 'Dune' had been written by a female anthropologist."
• This is a special SF Book Club edition, one of the club's 50th anniversary collection. The club's site has this description with reader reviews.

(Thu 6 Oct 2005) • (Directory Entry)

Williamson, Jack : Wonder's Child: My Life in Science Fiction
(BenBella Books 1-932100-57-1, $14.95, 10+356pp, trade paperback, September 2005, cover design Laura Watkins)
(First edition: Bluejay, August 1984)

Nonfiction, autobiography of the SF grandmaster born in 1908 and still writing. The 1984 first edition won the 1985 Hugo Award as best nonfiction book; this updated edition adds over 60 pages of new material, with chapters about the death of his wife Blanche, trips to China, Yugoslavia, and Russia, the Williamson lectureships, and the aftermath of 9/11.
• The book has an introduction by Mike Resnick, and an appendix of excerpts from Williamson's 1945 diary while stationed in the southwest Pacific.
• BenBella's order page has a brief description.
• Amazon has a review from School Library Journal of the original edition.
• Locus Magazine lists the book among its New and Notable Books for October.

(Thu 13 Oct 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

Wilson, Colin : The Mind Parasites
(Monkfish 0974935999, $14.95, 192pp, trade paperback, October 2005)
(First edition: Arkham House, 1967)

Supernatural thriller about aliens who took control of human consciousness 200 years ago. This edition has a new afterword by Wilson, and a preface by Gary Lachman.
• The publisher's description says "Wilson has blended H.P. Lovecraft's dark vision with his own revolutionary philosophy and unique narrative powers to produce a stunning high-tension novel of vaulting imagination."
• The Colin Wilson Page has an extensive bibliography. Guardian published this 2004 interview with Wilson.
• David Pringle's Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction gives the book only one star: "A vaguely science fictional horror story which doesn't live up to the author's reputation gained in other fields."

(Fri 28 Oct 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon | BookSense • (Directory Entry)

* Wrede, Patricia C. : The Enchanted Forest Chronicles
(SFBC 0-7394-5906-6, $14.99, 617pp, hardcover, October 2005, jacket art Gary Lippincott)

Omnibus of four humorous YA fantasy novels: Dealing with Dragons (1990), Searching for Dragons (1991), Calling on Dragons (1993), and Talking to Dragons (1985). They're about a young princess, Cimorene, who's bored by lessons and etiquette and who thwarts her parents' plans for betrothal.
• This edition is available exclusively from the Science Fiction Book Club, whose page for the book has a description and reader reviews.
• Amazon's page for a different edition of the same four books has numerous five star reader reviews.

(Thu 6 Oct 2005) • (Directory Entry)

	MONITOR September Douglas A. Anderson Ray Bradbury Octavia E. Butler Philip K. Dick Paul F. Ford Delos W. Lovelace Richard A. Lupoff August Brian Aldiss Charles de Lint David Eddings Hamilton & Brackett Laurell K. Hamilton H.P. Lovecraft Robin McKinley Lawrence Sutin 2005 Monitor Archive 2005 Directory Classic Reprints Advertisement KEY This page compiles selected classic and otherwise-notable SFFH works newly available in any edition, hardcover or paperback. For recent books just reprinted in paperback, see New in Paperback. These lists are compiled independently of Locus Magazine's Books Received listings; publishers may send review copies to the Locus Online address on this page. 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		Books seen October 2005 posted 27 November 2005 Butler, Octavia E. : Bloodchild and Other Stories, Second Edition (Seven Stories Press 1-58322-698-2, $14, 214pp, trade paperback, October 2005) (First edition: Four Walls Eight Windows, September 1995) Collection of 7 stories and 2 essays, collecting all of Butler's short fiction to date. This edition is expanded from the original 1995 edition, adding two recent stories, "Amnesty" and "The Book of Martha" (both from Sci Fiction in 2003). The original contents include the title story, which won both the Hugo and Nebula, and the Hugo award-winning "Speech Sounds". • The publisher's site has this description, which notes that the two additional stories appear "in print for the first time". • Amazon has the Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal reviews of the original edition. (Wed 5 Oct 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| BookSense • (Directory Entry) \| Effinger, George Alec : When Gravity Fails (Orb 0-765-31358-8, $13.95, 284pp, trade paperback, November 2005, cover art Craig Mullins, cover design Howard Grossman/12E Design) (First edition: Arbor House, January 1987) Cyberpunk SF novel set in a corrupt Arab ghetto called the Budayeen; a noir detective thriller about bootlegged personality cartridges. • It's Effinger's best-remembered and most acclaimed novel. It barely lost the Hugo Award in 1988, was also a Nebula nominee, and it placed second in that year's Locus Poll for best SF novel. It spawned two sequels, A Fire in the Sun (1989, also a Hugo nominee), and The Exile Kiss (1991), as well as a posthumous collection of associated stories, Budayeen Nights (2003, reviewed by Claude Lalumière). • Amazon has numerous cover blurbs, plus its 'search inside' feature including an excerpt. • SFSignal just posted this five-star review. (Fri 28 Oct 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| BookSense • (Directory Entry) \| + Harrison, M. John : Viriconium (Bantam Spectra 0-553-38315-9, $16, 14+462pp, trade paperback, November 2005, cover design Jamie S. Warren Youll) First US edition (UK: Millennium, July 2000) Omnibus of fantasy novels and stories set in the imagined city of Viriconium, first published as The Pastel City (1971), A Storm of Wings (1980), In Viriconium (1982), and the collection Viriconium Nights (the 1985 Gollancz edition). • The volume adds to the 2000 omnibus a new introduction by Neil Gaiman. • Bantam's site has a description and an excerpt (the opening of The Pastel City). • Amazon has a Booklist review -- "Harrison creates an epic history of a captivating and strange metropolis full of bravos and dancers, intrigue and romance." -- and a couple lengthy reader reviews. (Fri 28 Oct 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| BookSense • (Directory Entry) \| * Hodgson, William Hope, edited by Douglas A. Anderson : Adrift on the Haunted Seas: The Best Short Stories of William Hope Hodgson (Cold Spring Press 1593600496, $11, 243pp, trade paperback, September 2005, cover art Daniel Govar) Collection of 22 stories and poems, most first published from 1905 to 1926, by an author (who lived from 1877 to 1918) who spent years as a merchant seaman and became known especially for sea stories. • The book is edited and has an introduction by Douglas A. Anderson. Source notes about the stories are included at the end. • Locus Magazine selected the book for its New & Notable Book in its November 2005 issue. (Fri 28 Oct 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| BookSense • (Directory Entry) \| Matheson, Richard : Noir: Three Novels of Suspense (Forge 0-765-31140-2, $14.95, 385pp, trade paperback, October 2005) (First edition: G&G Books, 1997) Omnibus of three 1950's thrillers from early in Matheson's career: Someone Is Bleeding (1953), Fury on Sunday (1953), and Ride the Nightmare (1959). • This volume has an introduction by Matthew R. Bradley. There's also a hardcover edition available. • Amazon has the Booklist review: "In delivering high-tension suspense, Matheson displays an uncanny knack for showing the physical toll fear and desperation take on his characters, grounding them in grim, sweaty-palmed reality even as they face often-outlandish situations." (Wed 12 Oct 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| BookSense • (Directory Entry) \| Vinge, Joan D. : The Snow Queen (SFBC 0-7394-5907-4, $12.99, 447pp, hardcover, September 2005, jacket art Bruce Jensen) (First edition: Dial, 1980) Far future SF novel, inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen story, about an ocean planet whose ruling Snow Queen faces disposition as the closing of a nearby Stargate cuts the planet off from other worlds. • The novel won the Hugo and Locus awards in 1981, and inspired several sequels, including World's End (1984) and The Summer Queen (1991). • A reader review on Amazon cites a common comparison: "Imagine if 'Dune' had been written by a female anthropologist." • This is a special SF Book Club edition, one of the club's 50th anniversary collection. The club's site has this description with reader reviews. (Thu 6 Oct 2005) • (Directory Entry) \| Williamson, Jack : Wonder's Child: My Life in Science Fiction (BenBella Books 1-932100-57-1, $14.95, 10+356pp, trade paperback, September 2005, cover design Laura Watkins) (First edition: Bluejay, August 1984) Nonfiction, autobiography of the SF grandmaster born in 1908 and still writing. The 1984 first edition won the 1985 Hugo Award as best nonfiction book; this updated edition adds over 60 pages of new material, with chapters about the death of his wife Blanche, trips to China, Yugoslavia, and Russia, the Williamson lectureships, and the aftermath of 9/11. • The book has an introduction by Mike Resnick, and an appendix of excerpts from Williamson's 1945 diary while stationed in the southwest Pacific. • BenBella's order page has a brief description. • Amazon has a review from School Library Journal of the original edition. • Locus Magazine lists the book among its New and Notable Books for October. (Thu 13 Oct 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| BookSense • (Directory Entry) \| Wilson, Colin : The Mind Parasites (Monkfish 0974935999, $14.95, 192pp, trade paperback, October 2005) (First edition: Arkham House, 1967) Supernatural thriller about aliens who took control of human consciousness 200 years ago. This edition has a new afterword by Wilson, and a preface by Gary Lachman. • The publisher's description says "Wilson has blended H.P. Lovecraft's dark vision with his own revolutionary philosophy and unique narrative powers to produce a stunning high-tension novel of vaulting imagination." • The Colin Wilson Page has an extensive bibliography. Guardian published this 2004 interview with Wilson. • David Pringle's Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction gives the book only one star: "A vaguely science fictional horror story which doesn't live up to the author's reputation gained in other fields." (Fri 28 Oct 2005) • Purchase this book from Amazon \| BookSense • (Directory Entry) \| * Wrede, Patricia C. : The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (SFBC 0-7394-5906-6, $14.99, 617pp, hardcover, October 2005, jacket art Gary Lippincott) Omnibus of four humorous YA fantasy novels: Dealing with Dragons (1990), Searching for Dragons (1991), Calling on Dragons (1993), and Talking to Dragons (1985). They're about a young princess, Cimorene, who's bored by lessons and etiquette and who thwarts her parents' plans for betrothal. • This edition is available exclusively from the Science Fiction Book Club, whose page for the book has a description and reader reviews. • Amazon's page for a different edition of the same four books has numerous five star reader reviews. (Thu 6 Oct 2005) • (Directory Entry) \| Opening lines: Chiriga's nightclub was right in the middle of the Budayeen, eight blocks from the eastern gate, eight blocks from the cemetery. It was handy to have the graveyard so close-at-hand. The Budayeen was a dangerous place and everyone knew it. That's why there was a wall around three sides. Travelers were warned away from the Budayeen, but they came anyway. Opening lines: The door swung shut silently behind them, cutting off the light, music, and wild celebration of the ballroom. The sudden loss of sight and hearing made him claustrophobic. He tightened his hands over the instrument kit he carried beneath his cloak. Opening lines: tegeus-Cromis, sometime soldier and sophisticate of Viriconium, the Pastel City, who now dwelt quite alone in a tower by the sea and imagined himself a better poet than swordsman, stood at early morning on the sand dunes that lay between his tall home and the grey line of the surf. Like swift and tattered scraps of rag, black gulls sped and fought over his downcast head. It was a catastrophe that had driven him from his tower, something that he had witnessed from its topmost room during the night. Opening lines: It was a pretty brisk day, as I recall. Sky a little overhung, the Palisades greyish behind the mist. I suppose that's why the beach wasn't too crowded. Then again, it was a weekday and school hadn't let out yet. June. Put them together and what have you got? A long stretch of beach with just her and me. Previous Classic Reprints: September
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