Anderson, Kevin J. : The Saga of Seven Suns, Book 3: Horizon Storms
(Warner Aspect 0-446-61059-3, $6.99, 29+624pp, mass market paperback, June 2005, cover illustration Steve Youll)
(First edition: Warner Aspect, July 2004)

SF novel, third in the "Saga of Seven Suns" series after 2002's Hidden Empire and 2003's A Forest of Stars, about an interstellar conflict between humans, aliens who live in the cores of gas-giant planets, and creatures who live within stars. Book 4, Scattered Suns, is due in hardcover in July.
• The author's website, www.wordfire.com, has this description. The publisher's website has this description and an excerpt.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Crackling with energy and buzzing with action, this hot summer read bodes well for future nail-biting episodes."

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Fallon, Jennifer : Treason Keep
(Tor 0-765-34867-5, $7.99, 523pp, mass market paperback, June 2005, cover art Paul Youll)
(First edition: Australia: Voyager, 2001)

Fantasy novel, book two of the Hythrun Chronicles, following Medalon (Australia 2000; US April 2004). This is a reprint of Tor's 2004 1st US edition. The next volume, Harshini, is due from Tor next month in hardcover.
• The author's site has companion to the series, with maps, a glossary, descriptions of each book, and an extract.
• Tor's site has this page about the author.

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Gingrich, Newt, & William R. Forstchen : Grant Comes East
(St. Martin's Griffin 0-312-30938-4, $14.95, 404pp, trade paperback, June 2005)
(First edition: St. Martin's/Thomas Dunne, June 2004)

Alternate history novel, subtitled "A novel of the Civil War", follow-up to Gettysburg (2003). The next volume, Never Call Retreat, was just released in hardcover.
• The publisher's site has this page describing the book, with quotes from reviews. Newt.org has this description of the first book.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "This is one of the best novels of the Civil War to appear in recent years."

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Harlan, Thomas : House of Reeds
(Tor 0-765-34114-X, $7.99, 516pp, mass market paperback, June 2005, cover art Chris Moore)
(First edition: Tor, February 2004)

Far future alternate history novel, sequel to Wasteland of Flint (2003), involving a xenoarchaeologist in a future where Japanese and Aztec cultures reign. The next book, Land of the Dead, is still in progress.
• The author's website, www.throneworld.com, has this page about the series, including a wiki Concordance, and this excerpt.

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Jordan, Robert : New Spring
(Tor 0-765-34545-5, $6.99, 359pp, mass market paperback, June 2005, cover art Darrell K. Sweet)
(First edition: Tor, January 2004)

Fantasy novel, a prequel to the popular "Wheel of Time" series, and an expansion of a novella that appeared in Robert Silverberg's 1998 Legends anthology.
• Tor's Robert Jordan section has a description, links to reviews, and a chapter 1 excerpt.
• Amazon has the PW review, which says the book "more than lives up to its high expectations". Carolyn Cushman's review for Locus recommended it as "a good book for new readers, curious about the series".

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Lansdale, Joe R. : Bumper Crop
(Golden Gryphon Press 1-93084-633-9, $15.95, 199pp, trade paperback, June 2005)
(First edition: Golden Gryphon Press, April 2004)

Collection of 26 fantasy and horror stories, first published from 1982 to 2003, described on the cover as comprising, along with previous collection High Cotton, the author's "definitive volumes" of short work.
• The publisher's site has this description (the cover copy) and links to reviews from Publishers Weekly, Paul Guran, and others.
• The author's website has a Hot Stuff news log and some free stories.

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Marks, Laurie J. : Earth Logic
(Tor 0-765-34838-1, $7.99, 436pp, mass market paperback, June 2005, cover art Julie Bell)
(First edition: Tor, March 2004)

Fantasy novel, second in the Elemental Logic series after Fire Logic (2002), set in a world where those born with magic talent are known as elementals, aligned with earth, air, fire, or water.
• Amazon's 'search inside' feature includes an excerpt. The Amazon page reproduces reviews from PW and Booklist; the latter concludes "The powerful but subtle writing glows with intelligence, and the passionate, fierce, articulate, strong, and vital characters are among the most memorable in contemporary fantasy, though not for the faint of heart. Definitely for the thinking reader."

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Marley, Louise : The Child Goddess
(Ace 0-441-01212-4, $6.99, 342pp, mass market paperback, June 2005, cover art John Jude Palencar)
(First edition: Ace, May 2004)

SF novel about a Roman Catholic order of women priests from 23rd century Earth who discover a fountain of Eden on the planet Virimund.
• Marley's website has a description with quotes from reviews, and some background on the book on this page.
• Strange Horizons ran this interview with Marley last month.
• Amazon has the reviews from PW and Booklist; the former concludes "the book treats feminism's central issues gently, skirting the strident swamps of passion and the fatal abyss of sentimentality, with tender insights into love and sacrifice all too rare today."

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Oppel, Kenneth : Airborn
(HarperCollins/Eos 0-06-053182-7, $6.99, 500pp, mass market paperback, June 2005, cover art Danilo Ducak)
(First edition: Canada: HarperCollins, February 2004)

Young-adult alternate history novel set in an early 20th century, where a cabin boy on a luxury airship becomes involved in a quest to find a new species of flying mammal.
• The author's site, www.kennethoppel.ca, links to a separate site for the book, www.airborn.ca with a flash introduction, description, an excerpt, etc.
• This paperback edition has several pages of 'extras' at the end. The next book in the series, Skybreaker, is due out in the UK in August and in the US from Eos in December.
• Faren Miller's review in Locus Magazine last year noted that "if the plot is fairly simple the prose is grand."

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Pratchett, Terry : A Hat Full of Sky
(HarperTrophy 0-06-058662-1, $6.99, 407pp, mass market paperback, June 2005)
(First edition: UK: Transworld/Doubleday, April 2004)

YA fantasy novel in the Discworld series, the second concerning Tiffany Aching following 2003's The Wee Free Men.
• The Amazon page reproduces the Booklist review by Sally Estes, and also a long review from the Washington Post.
• Carolyn Cushman's review in Locus Magazine last year called it "a wonderful, hilarious, and ultimately touching romp for all ages."
• The book is currently a Locus Award finalist.

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Reed, Kit : Thinner than Thou
(Tor 0-765-31195-X, $13.95, 334pp, trade paperback, June 2005, cover art Shelley Eshkar)
(First edition: Tor, June 2004)

Satirical SF novel set in an America where physical perfection is the new religion.
• The author's website, www.kitreed.com, points to her Publishers Weekly interview, an Infinity Plus extract, and to this SF Weekly review by Pamela Sargent.
• Amazon reproduces the starred review from Publishers Weekly, which calls it a "stinging and mordantly witty satire" and concludes "With this sharp-eyed look at America's obsession with image, Reed provides much food for thought and reaffirms her position as one of our brightest cultural commentators."

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Reynolds, Alastair : Absolution Gap
(Ace 0-441-01291-4, $8.5, 756pp, mass market paperback, June 2005, cover art Chris Moore)
(First edition: UK: Gollancz, November 2003)

SF novel, third in the trilogy of far-future space operas that began with Revelation Space (2000) and Redemption Ark (2002) (with 2001's British SF Association award-winner Chasm City being set in the same future history, but not part of the trilogy).
• The Amazon UK page for this book has a review by David Langford, which concludes "Alastair Reynolds makes his huge story compellingly readable, with characters we care about, and gives impressive descriptions of beauty and cataclysm. This is very superior space opera."
• The US Amazon page has the Publishers Weekly review: "A landmark in hard SF space opera."
• Nick Gevers review in Locus Magazine called it "one of the most impressive serial space operas of recent times."
• The novel was shortlisted for this year's British SF Association Awards.

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Sarrantonio, Al, ed. : Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy
(Penguin/Roc 0-451-46036-7, $16, 578pp, trade paperback, June 2005, cover art Steve Stone)
(First edition: Roc, June 2004)

Anthology of 30 original fantasy stories, a follow-up to the editor's earlier anthologies 999 (horror) and Redshift (SF). Contributors include Joyce Carol Oates, Orson Scott Card, Larry Niven, Gene Wolfe, Neil Gaiman, and Charles de Lint.
• Locus Magazine's 2004 Recommended Reading List includes stories from this book by Gene Wolfe, Elizabeth A. Lynn, Tim Powers, and Elizabeth Hand; Gene Wolfe's story is a Locus Award finalist.
• The Amazon page has the reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist.

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Stephenson, Neal : The Confusion
(HarperCollins/Perennial 0-06-073335-7, $15.95, 815pp, trade paperback, August 2005)
(First edition: HarperCollins/Morrow, April 2004)

Historical science novel, second in "The Baroque Cycle" following Quicksilver (2003) and followed later in 2004 by The System of the World. This trade paper edition has 16 pages of 'extras' at the end.
• The publisher's site has this description and excerpt.
• The author's website has descriptions and excerpts of this and other books.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which calls it "vast, splendid and absorbing".
• This novel, with its successor The System of the World, is currently a Locus Award finalist.

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