* Britain, Kristen : The High King's Tomb
(DAW 978-0-7564-0266-2, $25.95, 679pp, hardcover, November 2007, jacket painting Donato)

Fantasy novel, third in the series that began with The Green Rider (1998) and continued with First Rider's Call (2003), about a kingdom protected by a magical wall from outside evil.
• The author's website has this description and a FAQ page.
• The Publishers Weekly review, from its Oct. 22nd issue, concluded "Britain keeps the excitement high from beginning to end, balancing epic magical battles with the humor and camaraderie of Karigan and her fellow riders."
• Carolyn Cushman reviewed it in the November issue of Locus Magazine: "The intermittant sense of foreboding is offset by a healthy dose of old fashioned adventure ...that provides a satisfying temporary conclusion despite this being very much a middle novel with serious nastiness still looming."

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* Butler, S. C. : Queen Ferris
(Tor 978-0-7653-1478-9, $27.95, 495pp, hardcover, November 2007, jacket art Daniel Dos Santos)

Young-adult SF novel, second in the "Stoneways Trilogy" following Reiffen's Choice (2006), about a 12-year-old heir to two thrones.
• Series website valingstoneways.com has a map, an excerpt, news, cover art, and reviews.
• Tor's website has this page for the book, calling it "A stunning novel in the tradition of Eragon and Artemis Fowl", and an excerpt.

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* Card, Orson Scott : A War of Gifts
(Macmillan Audio 978-1-59397-631-6, $19.95, cdrom, October 2007)

Audiobook edition of an "Ender" novella set during Ender's stay at Battle School and concerning a conflict over celebrating religious holidays.
• Macmillan Audio's site has this order page with a link to an audio clip.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review of the print version, which concludes "Exploring themes of tolerance and compassion, this story about stuffing stockings is, fittingly, a perfect stocking stuffer for science fiction fans of all ages."

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* Duey, Kathleen : Skin Hunger
(Atheneum 978-0-689-84093-7, $17.99, 357pp, hardcover, July 2007, jacket illustration David Ho)

Young adult fantasy novel, first volume of the "Resurrection of Magic" trilogy, set in a world where magic, once banned, has been restored but remains under the control of a wizardly academy.
• The publisher's site has this description.
• The book was a finalist for this year's National Book Awards; the award's site has this description of the book and author.
• The author's website has this excerpt and links to reviews. The author blogs at http://kathleenduey.blogspot.com/.
• Amazon has the Booklist review, which calls it a "darkly atmospheric fantasy" and concludes "The pacing in this page-turner accelerates as the stories progress and links between them emerge, moving toward a cliffhanger ending that will leave readers anxious for future installments."

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* Frank, Jane, ed. : Paint or Pixel: The Digital Divide in Illustration Art
(NonStop Press 978-1-933065-10-6, $29.95, 160pp, trade paperback, September 2007)

Anthology of essays and art about the revolution in SF and fantasy art brought by the use of computers.
• Contributors who "do it with paint" include Chris Moore, Les Edwards, Don Maitz, John Berkey, Bob Eggleton, and Donato Giancola; those who "do it with pixels" include Dave Seeley, Frank Wu, David Hardy, Jim Burns, and Alan M. Clark; others who are "witnesses to changes" include Jerry Weist, Doug Ellis, Susan Shwartz, and Robert Weinberg.
• Foreword is by Arnie Fenner; introduction by Jane Frank.
• The publisher's site has quotes and a complete list of contributors.

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* Goodkind, Terry : Confessor
(Tor 978-0-765-31523-6, $29.95, 603pp, hardcover, November 2007, jacket painting Keith Parkinson)

Fantasy novel, eleventh in the "Sword of Truth" series that began with Wizard's First Rule (1994), and the concluding volume in the "Chainfire" trilogy that began Chainfire and Phantom.
• Tor's site has this page for the book.
• The author's website has this preview page for the book with an audio clip from the author.

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* Hoeg, Peter : The Quiet Girl
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux 978-0-374-26369-0, $26, 408pp, hardcover, November 2007)

Contemporary thriller, set in near-future Copenhagen, about the disappearance of one of a group of children with mystical powers.
• The publisher's site has this description from the book's dust jacket.
• The book has been widely reviewed, e.g. by Salon, Guardian, and The New York Times; the last also has a first chapter excerpt.
• Amazon has reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist; the latter comments "On one level, the novel is a forward-thrusting, suspenseful thriller, but on another, it asks confounding questions about the nature of reality and the possibility of love in a world devoid of innocence."

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* Jacques, Brian : Eulalia!
(Philomel 978-0399242090, $23.99, 389pp, hardcover, October 2007, jacket art Troy Howell)

Young adult fantasy novel, latest in the long-running Redwall animal fantasy series, about a prophesied new Badger Lord.
• The publisher's website has this description.
• Amazon has the Booklist review, which says the book "as usual, is filled with colorful characters and high adventure."

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* Meluch, R. M. : The Sagittarius Command
(DAW 978-0-7564-0457-4, $23.95, 357pp, hardcover, November 2007, jacket painting Stephan Martiniere)

Military SF novel, third in a series following The Myriad (2005) and Wolf Star (2006), about 25th century American and Roman interstellar empires battling an alien threat called the Hive.
• The author's website provides this excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review, from its Oct. 8th issue, said "Nostalgia-minded readers who yearn for the days of 'Doc' Smith's Lensman books will enjoy the third installment of Meluch's barely modernized space opera series..."

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* Moorcock, Michael : The Metatemporal Detective
(Pyr 978-1-59102-596-2, $25, 327pp, hardcover, October 2007, jacket painting John Picacio)

Collection of 11 stories, one original to this book, about Sir Seaton Begg of the Metatemporal Investigation Department investigating crimes across a range of alternate worlds.
• Pyr's site has this page with a description and extracts from reviews.
• Amazon has reviews from Publishers Weekly and several readers, including one from Chris Roberson: "This collection represent nothing more or less than a grand master of fantasy working in top form, writing the kinds of stories it amuses him to write. Highly recommended."

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* Murphy, C. E. : Heart of Stone
(Luna 978-0-373-80292-0, $14.95, 438pp, trade paperback, November 2007)

Paranormal romancen ovel, first in the "Negotiator Trilogy", about a New York City lawyer whose Central Park encounter with a murder suspect leads to her discovery of several Old Races who live among humans in the modern world.
• Luna's site has this description with a link to a pop-up excerpt.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which says the author "has created a refreshing addition to the urban fantasy landscape."
• Carolyn Cushman reviewed the book in the September issue of Locus Magazine: "Tired of vampires and werewolf romances? Try gargoyles, the specied for whom 'rock-hard abs' isn't hyperbole..."

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+ Parker, K. J. : Evil for Evil
(Orbit US 978-0-316-00339-1, $12.99, 684pp, trade paperback, November 2007)

SF novel, second in the "Engineers" trilogy (between Devices and Desires and The Escapement, already published in the UK), about an engineer sentenced to death who uses his ingenuity to plan revenge against his enemies. The previous volume was described here.
• Amazon has the book description.
• Faren Miller reviews the book in the December issue of Locus Magazine, saying that now that she's read all three volumes of the trilogy, her reservations about the first book are "gone. The whole thing is brilliant -- disturbingly so, since these fantasies (without a whit of magic) explore the human condition and reveal it all, brain, heart, guts and bowels, with a startling precision."

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+ Robson, Justina : Selling Out
(Pyr 978-1-59102-597-9, $15, 363pp, trade paperback, October 2007, cover illustration Larry Rostant) First US edition (UK: Gollancz, May 2007)

Fantasy/SF novel, second in the "Quantum Gravity" series, following Keeping It Real, about cyborg secret agent Lila Black in a future when the Quantum Bomb has made elves and elementals part of everyday life.
• Pyr's site has this description with quotes from reviews, and an excerpt from the first five chapters.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which concludes "Robson's mix of magical and technological elements, intrigue and action should be just the thing for paranormal and fantasy adventure readers."

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* Sedia, Ekaterina : The Secret History of Moscow
(Prime Books 978-0-8095-7223-6, $12.95, 303pp, trade paperback, November 2007, cover art Frederic Cayet)

Urban fantasy novel set in Moscow in the 1990s, about the discovery of an underground world beneath the city.
• The author's website has a description on its homepage.
• Amazon's "search inside" feature includes an excerpt. Amazon also has the Publishers Weekly review: "On the whole, this wholeheartedly Russian tale is most compelling as social commentary."
• Gary K. Wolfe's review will appear in the January '08 issue of Locus Magazine.

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* Shinn, Sharon : Reader and Raelynx
(Ace 978-0-441-01469-9, $24.95, 420pp, hardcover, November 2007, jacket illustration Donato Giancola)

Fantasy novel, fourth in the "Twelve Houses" series following Mystic and Rider (2005), The Thirteenth House (2006), and Dark Moon Defender (2006).
• The author has a slick new website, though it has nothing yet about this book.
• Amazon has the book's description, plus the Puublishers Weekly review: "Intrigue, love and magic weave into Shinn's hallmark romantic, happy-ever-after ending." Amazon also offers a Kindle Edition for its new wireless reading device.
• Carolyn Cushman reviewed the book in the November issue of Locus Magazine: "There's an overall predictability that diminishes some of the tension as the series' major conflicts finally come to a head, but it's fun to see how it all works out, with plenty of action and entertaining character interaction that adds up to an involving read."

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* Swanwick, Michael : The Dog Said Bow-Wow
(Tachyon Publications 978-1-892391-52-0, $14.95, 13+296pp, trade paperback, September 2007)

Collection of 16 stories, including original novelette "The Skysailor's Tale".
• Contents include three Hugo Award winners: "The Dog Said Bow-Wow" (2001), "Slow Life" (2002), and "Legions in Time" (2003).
• The publisher's site has this description and order page; a limited hardcover edition of 26 copies numbered A to Z is available for $100.
• Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review, from its July 30th issue: "In addition to their individual quality, the 16 stories in this rollicking collection amply demonstrate Hugo-winner Swanwick's impressive versatility. ... Readers tired of conventional fantasy and SF will find this collection of intriguing characters and lovingly told stories deeply refreshing."
• Nick Gevers reviewed the book in the August issue of Locus Magazine: "Michael Swanwick is one of the finest short fiction writers of the last quarter century, and his long-awaited new collection...is surpassingly brilliant...the leading contender for best collection of 2007."

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* Waddell, Patricia : True Deception
(Tor Paranormal Romance 978-0-7653-5465-5, $6.99, 294pp, mass market paperback, November 2007, cover art Christian McGrath)

Paranormal romance novel, second in a series following True Blood (2006), about a League of Planets investigator's romance with a man who lost his family when pirates exploded a space freighter.
• Tor's website has this description with quotes from reviews of the first book, and this author profile: "A firm believer that life can never have too many happy endings, Pat enjoys creating strong, outspoken characters with a touch of humor and a sprinkling of the unexpected."

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* Williamson, Michael Z. : Better to Beg Forgiveness
(Baen 978-1416555087, $24, 424pp, hardcover, November 2007, cover art Kurt Miller)

Military SF novel about mercenaries on a planet undergoing political turmoil.
• Baen's site has this description with links to several chapter excerpts.
• The author's site also has a description: "it's time for the elite mercs of Ripple Creek Security to toss out the restrictive rulebook forced on them by Earth's state department, reach for the Composition G, and show the locals how the big boys make war. Short answer: they blow things up. They blow them up in detail."
• Amazon has reader reviews.

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