* Asaro, Catherine : The Ruby Dice
(Baen 978-1416555148, $23, 392pp, hardcover, January 2008, cover by Kurt Miller)

SF novel in the author's long-running Skolian Saga, about rival Eubian and Skolian emperors.
• Baen's site' has this description of the book, with links to several chapters.
• The author's site also has a brief description, with links to Baen's site.
• Amazon has reader reviews.

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+ Baxter, Stephen : Navigator
(Ace 978-0-441-01559-7, $24.95, 323pp, hardcover, January 2008, jacket illustration Chris Shamwana)

Historical SF novel, third in the "Time's Tapestry" saga, following Emperor and Conqueror, with one more book to follow, concerning mysterious prophecies that may be manipulating the course of history. This volume concerns war against Islam and the voyage of Christopher Columbus.
• The publisher's site has a description.
• Publishers Weekly's review concludes "Baxter understands how a craving for beauty and knowledge can become ghastly fanaticism, and he's also very good at showing his characters thinking within the limitations of their time."
• Locus Magazine ran reviews by Gary K. Wolfe in its October '07 issue and by Nick Gevers in July '07. Wolfe noted that "Whereas Asimov took the Roman Empire and neatly if unsubtly transformed it into SF, Baxter is taking SF and transforming it right back into the Roman Empire - or at least the long history of Roman and post-Roman Britain."

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* Bear, Elizabeth : Dust
(Bantam Spectra 978-0-553-59107-1, $6.99, 342pp, mass market paperback, January 2008, cover art Paul Youll)

SF novel about conflict in a feudal society aboard a disabled starship in orbit of a distant star.
• Bantam's site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly's review said "Bear proves there's still juice in one of science fiction's oldest tropes, the stranded generation ship, in this complex coming-of-age tale", and noted that "Bear breaks sexual taboos matter-of-factly: love in varied forms drives the characters without offering easy redemption."

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* Berg, Carol : Breath and Bone
(Roc 978-0-451-46186-5, $15, 449pp, trade paperback, January 2008)

Fantasy novel, second in the "Lighthouse Duet" after last year's Flesh and Spirit, about a sorcerer caught in a conflict between humans and
• The author's site has this page about the set, plus a glossary and an excerpt.
• Amazon has posts by the author. The Publishers Weekly review (not on Amazon) called it "emotionally intense" and noted "Although billed as an epic fantasy, this duology is more accurately an intimate, character-driven journey of redemption and self-discovery."

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* Briggs, Patricia : Iron Kissed
(Ace 978-0-441-01566-5, $7.99, 287pp, mass market paperback, January 2008, jacket art Daniel Dos Santos)

Fantasy novel, third in a series about Mercy Thompson, a coyote shapeshifter who's also a VW mechanic, following Moon Called (2006) and Blood Bound (2007). In this book Mercy's former boss and mentor is arrested for murder.
• The author's website has her comments, a sample chapter, and a map of the tri-cities area of Washington State where it takes place.
• Carolyn Cushman reviewed it in the December issue of Locus Magazine, calling it "a strong installment in a consistently entertaining series."

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* Campbell, Jack : The Lost Fleet: Courageous
(Ace 978-0441015672, $7.99, 299pp, mass market paperback, January 2008, cover art Peter Bollinger)

Military SF novel, third in the "Lost Fleet" series following Dauntless and Fearless, about an Alliance Fleet in enemy territory.
• The publisher's site has this brief description.
• The author is John G. Hemry writing as Jack Campbell.
• The author's site has a description and an excerpt.

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* Clarke, Arthur C., & Stephen Baxter : Firstborn
(Ballantine Del Rey 978-0-345-49157-2, $25.95, 364pp, hardcover, January 2008)

SF novel, third in the Time Odyssey sequence following Time's Eye (2004) and Sunstorm (2005), about powerful aliens (identified as the builder's of 2001's monolith) now seek to halt humanity's progress by bringing various kinds of havoc down upon Earth.
• Del Rey's site has this description and an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review noted that though this is "supposedly the last volume" of the series, it "ends with an astounding cliffhanger".
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews the book in the January issue of Locus, noting "Firstborn seems the most purely Clarkean volume in the Time's Eye trilogy, echoing his preoccupations and favorite inventions going all the way back to The Sands of Mars" and concluding "it may not break any new ground at all, but it reminds us of many of the stories that made us love SF in the first place."

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* Gilman, Felix : Thunderer
(Bantam Spectra 978-0-553-80676-2, $24, 437pp, hardcover, January 2008, jacket art Stephen Youll)

Epic fantasy novel, the author's first novel, about a mystical bird whose appearance over the vast city of Ararat triggers a man's efforts to map the city.
• Bantam's website has this description, an excerpt, and a YouTube video.
• The author's site has blurbs from Jeff VanderMeer and David Keck, and a blog.
• The Publishers Weekly review said "there's much to like in Gilman's first novel" and concluded that "strongly conveyed atmosphere and intriguing characters make this a distinctive debut."

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+ Martin, George R. R., Gardner Dozois & Daniel Abraham : Hunter's Run
(Eos 978-0-06-137329-9, $25.95, 303pp, hardcover, January 2008, jacket illustration Stephan Martiniere)

SF novel about a human colony on a planet unclaimed by other alien races, where a prospector is forced to flee into the wastelands.
• The publisher's site has this description with its "Browse Inside" function.
• The Publishers Weekly review concluded "This tightly written novel, with its memorable protagonist and intriguing extrapolation, delivers on all levels."
• Both Russell Letson and Nick Gevers review the book in the January issue of Locus Magazine, explaining its development -- a novella begun by Dozois, later reworked by Martin but set aside, then later reworked by Abraham and published as novella "Shadow Twin". That novella is now expanded into this book. Letson concludes "the novel's intertwined hunter-hunted and psychological-transformation tensions make for a compelling and satisfying read." Gevers notes that the book "is recognizably set in the same universe as [Dozois'] splendidly gloomy exogamist SF novel Strangers" and calls it "a pleasing work, if not quite a masterpiece."

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* Newcomb, Robert : Rise of the Blood Royal
(Ballantine Del Rey 978-0-345-47711-8, $26.95, 524pp, hardcover, January 2008, jacket illustration Todd Lockwood)

Fantasy novel, third book in the "Destinies of Blood and Stone" trilogy following Savage Messiah (2005) and March Into Darkness (2007>, about a War of Attrition between countries Rustannica and Shashida.
• Del Rey's site has this description and an excerpt.
• The author's site includes a page outlining the nine novels in three trilogies that will comprise the entire series, and this page for the book with links to several excerpts.
• The Publishers Weekly review called it a "chilling" conclusion to the trilogy; "Those who haven't read earlier installments and the preceding trilogy may feel a bit lost amid the intricate magical systems and large cast, but Newcomb juggles the various plots and people with aplomb."

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* Palmatier, Joshua : The Vacant Throne
(DAW 978-0-7564-0462-8, $24.95, 532pp, hardcover, January 2008, jacket painting Larry Rostant)

Fantasy novel, third in a series following The Skewed Throne and The Cracked Throne (both 2006), about a young girl with supernatural ability in the decadent city of Amenkor.
• The author's site has this dust jacket description with links to excerpts from the previous books.
• The Publishers Weekly review said the book "delivers plenty of action and intrigue. ... Palmatier's intriguing characters and complex setting continue to entertain in this deservedly successful fantasy series."

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* Peterson, Matthew : Paraworld Zero
(Blue Works 978-1-59092-491-4, $16.99, 251pp, trade paperback, January 2008, cover art Matthew Peterson)

Young adult fantasy novel, the author's first novel, about a 12-year-old boy with low self-esteem who is transported to a parallel world where he discovers he can perform magic.
• The book's website is www.paraworlds.com, with sample chapters, a glossary, background on the author, and much more.
• The press release indicates a $100,000 promotional budget, with ads in New York Times Book Review, F&SF, and Locus.
• Amazon has posts by the author, including a video book trailer, and review blurbs from Douglas Hill, Maria V. Snyder, and Diana Pharaoh Francis.

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* Swanwick, Michael : The Dragons of Babel
(Tor 978-0-7653-1950-0, $25.95, 318pp, hardcover, January 2008, jacket art Stephan Martiniere)

Fantasy novel, set in the same universe as the author's acclaimed The Iron Dragon's Daughter (1994), about a war-dragon of Babel that lands in the post-industrial world of Faerie.
• Tor's website has this description.
• The author has created blog Flogging Babel with various entries related to this book.
• The Publishers Weekly concluded "This is modern fantasy at its finest and should hold great appeal for fans of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys or China Miéville's novels."
• Locus Magazine ran reviews by Gary K. Wolfe in its December issue, and Russell Letson in its January issue. Wolfe called it a "shaggy, crazed, and wonderful novel"; Letson described Swanwick's writing as "elegant, erudite, slyly funny, hard-nosed, compassionate, propulsive, and capable of punching through overused conventions and sentimentalities and delivering the jolt that restores to the form its primal power."

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