* Anders, Lou, ed. : Futureshocks
(Penguin/Roc 0-451-46065-0, $14.95, 307pp, trade paperback, January 2006, cover by John Picacio)

Anthology of 16 original stories about "the dark side of tomorrow", in the words of PW's review. Authors include Robert Charles Wilson, Mike Resnick & Harry Turtledove, Paul Di Filippo, Alex Irvine, Robert J. Sawyer, John Meaney, and Louise Marley.
• Editor Lou Anders' website has this page about the book, with excerpts from various reviews.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review -- "These writers stress human potential for bad choices. Evidently, we are the scariest aspect of the future. Read in short stretches, this volume offers a worthwhile assortment of jolting warnings." -- as well as an 'Amazon blog' entry from Anders.
• Nick Gevers reviews the book in the January issue of Locus Magazine -- "Futureshocks does everything the great SF anthologies of old did, stunning the reader with novelty, making the future seem like a cornucopia again..." -- especially recommending Robert Charles Wilson's "The Cartesian Theater", "one of the finest parables of robotics since the heyday of Isaac Asimov."

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+ Courtenay Grimwood, Jon : Felaheen
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-38378-7, $12, 357pp, trade paperback, January 2006, cover illustration Bob Larkin) First US edition (UK: Simon & Schuster/Earthlight, May 2003)

SF novel set in an alternate-history in which The Ottoman Empire never fell and Germany won World War I, third in the "Arabesk" series featuring investigator Ashraf Bey, following Pashazade and Effendi, first published in the UK in 2001 and 2002, and in the US by Bantam Spectra in March and September of 2005.
• Bantam's site has this description and a Chapter 1 excerpt.
• Locus Online has this exclusive Chapter 3 excerpt.
• Amazon has the PW review, which says the book "skillfully blends a hard-boiled whodunit with SF and alternate history", and concludes "The plotting may be a tad convoluted for some, but Grimwood makes his imagined world feel real, while the ambiguity of the ending leaves room for more sequels. The author supplies Bey's backstory in a way that makes this reader-friendly for newcomers."
• Before the books were published in the US, Locus reviewer Gary K. Wolfe in 2003 called them "perhaps the most important SF trilogy of the past decade to remain unpublished in the United States".

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* Falbe, Tracy : Union of Renegades
(Brave Luck Books 0-9762235-2-x, $14.95, 325pp, trade paperback, January 2006, cover art Darryl Petrucci)

Fantasy novel, subtitled "The Rys Chronicles Book 1", about a group of outcasts who join together to challenge the rule of Queen Onja.
• The second volume, The Goddess Queen, has also just been published.
• The publisher's site has this page about the series, along with descriptions of the characters. The novels are also available as e-books.

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* Hemry, John G. : Against All Enemies
(Ace 0-441-01382-1, $7.99, 336pp, mass market paperback, January 2006, cover art Michael Herring)

Military SF legal thriller featuring Lt. Paul Sinclair, fourth in the series following A Just Determination, Burden of Proof, and Rule of Evidence. In this book Sinclair unwillingly participates in an investigation into possible espionage aboard a Navy vessel.
• Hemry's webpage has descriptions and excerpts from the earlier books.

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* Kelly, L. A. : Return to Alastair
(Revell 0-8007-3116-6, $12.99, 363pp, trade paperback, January 2006)

Fantasy novel, follow-up to Tahn (2005), about mercenary Tahn Dorn, who in this book returns to his birthplace Alastair.
• The author has written several historical novels under her real name, Leisha Kelly.
• The publisher's site has this description [with an extremely long URL]... "Once a feared mercenary, Tahn Dorn has abandoned his old ways and is building a new life. But his heart is still heavy. Though he has made peace with God, he is not fully at peace with himself."
• Amazon has a review by Harriet Klausner.

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* Lackey, Mercedes, ed. : Mapping the World of Harry Potter
(BenBella Books 1-932100-59-8, $14.95, 195pp, trade paperback, January 2006)

Nonfiction anthology of 14 essays about Harry Potter. Authors include David Gerrold, James Gunn, Richard Garfinkle, Susan Matthews, and Lawrence Watt-Evans.
• The publisher's Smart Pop Books : Fantasy page includes a brief description: "Topics range from feminism, fascism and the moral life of children to the true ownership of Severus Snape, Harry Potter as Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."
• Amazon has reader reviews.

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* Lickiss, Rebecca : Remember Me?
(Five Star 1-59414-313-7, $25.95, 255pp, hardcover, December 2005, jacket illustration Thorsten Grambow)

Humorous fantasy novel about a pair of human/faery twins separated as children and accidentally reunited as adults.
• The publisher's description also appears on the Amazon page.
• Amazon's Harriet Klausner describes the book as "Taking a classic Abbott and Costello routine co-starring Martha Raye and [..] placing it inside a contemporary fantasy."
• Carolyn Cushman's review in the December '05 issue of Locus Magazine compared it to Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors; "The basic plot, like its Shakespearean model, is full of way too many coincidences and silly complications, and the mixed human-fairy world is only sketchily developed, but it's a fun, if slight, romp."

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* Meyer, Kai, translated by Elizabeth D. Crawford : The Water Mirror
(S&S/McElderry 0-689-87787-0, $15.95, 250pp, hardcover, October 2005, jacket illustration Jonathan Weiner)

Young adult fantasy novel, first of a trilogy, set in a fantastical version of medieval Venice, where an orphaned girl discovers a conspiracy to betray the city to Egyptian attackers.
• This edition was translated from the original German by Elizabeth D. Crawford.
• The publisher's site has this description, and a Chapter 4 excerpt.
• Amazon has a review by Patty Campbell, who compares the book to Cornelia Funke and Neil Gaiman, concluding "Kai Meyer has planted enough backstory, hints, foreshadowings, and unanswered questions to fuel several sequels."
• Carolyn Cushman's review in the January issue of Locus concludes "The larger plot has its predictable elements, but many unusual little twists help keep the magic wondrous and the sense of danger sharp-edged, for an engaging YA adventure."

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* Palmatier, Joshua : The Skewed Throne
(DAW 0-7564-0331-6, $23.95, 338pp, hardcover, January 2006, jacket painting Steve Stone)

Fantasy novel, the author's first novel, about a young girl with supernatural ability in the decadent city of Amenkor.
• The author's site notes that two sequels are forthcoming, and has this description and this excerpt.
• The author has this Journal.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Palmatier succeeds admirably in passionate, if simplistic, prose to sketch a heartfelt portrait of Varis, a girl gifted with the supernatural ability ... This solid, earnest effort will especially appeal to young adults."
• Carolyn Cushman reviews the book in the January issue of Locus Magazine: "Certain aspects of the plot are predictable and cliché; it's no surprise that Varis has a great destiny ahead of her, but watching her survive and rise from the slums makes for compelling reading in this highly promising first novel."

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* Sinclair, Linnea : An Accidental Goddess
(Bantam Spectra 0-553-58799-4, $6.99, 434pp, mass market paperback, January 2006, cover illustration Dave Seeley)

Space opera romance novel about a space captain who wakes up to discover 300 years have passed, during which she's been ordained a goddess.
• The is the third Sinclair novel by to be published by Bantam, and like the earlier ones seems to be reprinted and revised from an earlier edition published under the name Megan Sybil Baker, this novel from Ltdbooks in 2002.
• Bantam's site has this description and an excerpt.
• Amazon has a review by Harriet Klausner.

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* Troop, Alan F. : A Host of Dragons
(Roc 0-451-46061-8, $7.99, 340pp, mass market paperback, January 2006)

Fantasy novel, fourth in the author's "Dragon DelaSangre" series, about a family living on a private island off Miami and their encounters with a race of sea-going dragons, following The Dragon DelaSangre, Dragon Moon, and The Seadragon's Daughter.
• The author's website, www.dragonnovels.com, has descriptions and excerpts from these and his other books.
• Amazon has a review by Harriet Klausner.

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* Wood, Brian, ed. : The Art of George R. R. Martin's A Song Of Ice And Fire
(Fantasy Flight Games 1-58994-218-3, $29.95, 187pp, hardcover, October 2005, cover by Michael Komarck)

Art book anthology of illustrations by various artists for George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, whose fourth volume, A Feast for Crows, was published in November.
• Artists include Jim Burns, John Howe, Charles Vess, Stephen Youll, Martina Pilcerova, Jean Pierre Targete, Donato Giancola, and Don Maitz.
• The publisher's site has this description. Also available is a deluxe Collector's Edition for $99.95.
• Amazon has reader reviews.
• Karen Haber reviews the book in the January '06 issue of Locus Magazine: "The paintings have been produced for the most part for book covers and special editions, comic books, card and board games, concept and fan art, all carefully selected by Martin ... Although the quality level, and size, of the images varies, the engagement of the artist with the image, and of Martin with the art, is unmistakable."

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