Dick, Philip K. :
A Scanner Darkly
(Vintage Books 1-4000-9690-1, $12.95, 278pp, trade paperback, May 2006)
Near-future SF novel about an addictive drug called Substance D, and a narcotics agent whose investigations involve portraying a dealer of the drug and spying on dealers of the drug -- including himself.
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Vintage Books first published its edition in 1991; this reprint has a new cover to tie in with the upcoming film version directed by Richard Linklater and starring Keanu Reeves, opening July 7th.
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Amazon has a review of the book by David Langford, and a Publishers Weekly review of a graphic novel version [click through] based on the film, to be published July 4th.
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The official Philip K. Dick site has this description of the book, and this page of news about the film.
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McCaffrey, Anne :
Dragonriders' Dawn
(SFBC 0-7394-6685-8, $13.99, 599pp, hardcover, May 2006, jacket art Les Edwards)
Omnibus of two books in McCaffrey's "Pern" series about a planet where colonists learn to breed dragons to protect themselves against 'thread' spores that fall from the sky. The books are novel Dragonsdawn (first published 1988) and collection The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall (1993), both depicting the earliest years of Pernese history.
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This edition is available exclusively from the Science Fiction Book Club, whose website has this description with a 'club review' (the dust jacket flap copy) and a member review.
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Miller, Walter M., Jr. :
A Canticle for Leibowitz
(HarperCollins/Eos 0-06-089299-4, $13.95, 13+334pp, trade paperback, May 2006, cover by John Picacio)
(First edition: Lippincott, October 1959)
SF novel set centuries after a nuclear holocaust, about monks whose discovery of an ancient relic -- reading "Pound pastrami, can kraut, six bagels--bring home for Emma" -- leads to a rebuilding of technological civilization, and an inevitable replay of history.
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It won the 1961 Hugo Award for best novel. David Pringle's Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction says this "witty and profound novel is the greatest of all post-bomb stories."
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This Eos edition has cover art by John Picacio, which can be viewed via his gallery.
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This edition has an introduction by Mary Doria Russell.
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Amazon has a review by Paul Hughes, saying "the funny but bleak Canticle tackles the sociological and religious implications of the cyclical rise and fall of civilization, questioning whether humanity can hope for more than repeating its own history." Amazon's "look inside" feature has an excerpt.
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Norton, Andre :
Quag Keep
(Tor 0-765-31302-2, $13.95, 270pp, trade paperback, May 2006, cover by Justin Sweet)
Fantasy novel, first published in 1978, the first novel to be based on the popular role-playing game "Dungeons & Dragons".
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Amazon's "search inside" feature includes an excerpt.
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A Google search turns up this Quag Keep Chronology and Notes.
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Norton, Andre, & Jean Rabe :
Quag Keep & Return to Quag Keep
(SFBC 0-7394-6418-3, $12.99, 435pp, hardcover, February 2006, jacket art J.P. Targete)
Omnibus of two novels based on the "Dungeons & Dragons" role-playing game popular in the 1970s. The first, Quag Keep (1978) was written by Norton alone; the second, Return to Quag Keep (just published in January) was a collaboration between Norton and Jean Rabe.
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This edition is exclusive to the Science Fiction Book Club, whose site has this description with reader reviews.
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Verne, Jules :
Journey to the Center of the Earth
(Bantam 0-553-21397-0, $3.95, 16+211pp, mass market paperback, May 2006)
SF novel about an expedition, via a volcano in Iceland, to the depths of the Earth.
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First published in French in 1864; this edition follows the 1876 translation, and is listed here for its new introduction by Kim Stanley Robinson.
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Amazon's "search inside" feature includes an excerpt.
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