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Aguirre, Ann :
Grimspace
(Ace 978-0441015993, $7.99, 312pp, mass market paperback, March 2008, cover art Scott M. Fischer)
SF romance novel about a woman with the rare ability to jump ships through grimspace, who's the sole survivor of a crash-landing.
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The author's website has this description and excerpt.
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There's also a page for the next book in the series, Wanderlust, due from Ace in September.
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Banks, Iain M. :
Matter
(Orbit US 978-0-316-00536-4, $25.99, 593pp, hardcover, March 2008, jacket illustration Debra Lill)
Far future SF novel set in the author's Culture, concerning the two sons and the daughter, the last trained by the Culture, of an assassinated king.
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Orbit's website has this blog post with several links to reviews and commentary about the book, plus the book's prologue.
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Banks' new website has this description with quotes from numerous reviews.
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Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review, from its January 21st issue: "Beautifully written and filled with memorable characters and startling technology, this tale of intricate politics and interstellar warfare ably demonstrates that Banks is still at the height of his powers."
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Graham Sleight reviews the book in the March issue of Locus Magazine: "It's huge fun, enormously readable, and endlessly inventive. ...a hugely welcome return to the field."
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Barnes, Jonathan :
The Somnambulist
(Morrow 978-0061375385, $23.95, 353pp, hardcover, February 2008)
Literary fantasy novel, a historical thriller set in Victorian London, about a professional magician named Edward Moon and his mysterious, silent assistant.
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The publisher's site has this description with its "browse inside" feature. The book was first published last year in the UK.
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Strange Horizons has this review by David Soyka: "Indeed it has no literary value, it is implausible, the characters are unconvincing, and it does get ridiculous. The prose is okay, though. What isn't mentioned is that it is quite a bit of fun, if you like this sort of thing."
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Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review: "[T]his superb debut from British author Barnes raises the bar for historical thrillers, starting with its curious opening line: Be warned. This book has no literary merit whatsoever."
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Del Franco, Mark :
Unquiet Dreams
(Ace 978-0-441-01569-6, $7.99, 292pp, mass market paperback, February 2008, cover art Jaime DeJesus)
Urban fantasy novel, second in the series about Druid detective Connor Gray following the author's first novel Unshapely Things (2007), about a battle between Celtic fairies and Teutonic elves that threatens the city of Boston.
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The author's website has a description with a link to a PDF excerpt.
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Carolyn Cushman reviewed the book in the February issue of Locus Magazine, saying that Connor Gray is "rapidly becoming one of my favorite fantasy detectives."
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Farrell, S. L. :
A Magic of Twilight
(DAW 978-0-7564-0466-6, $24.95, 546pp, hardcover, February 2008, jacket painting Todd Lockwood)
Fantasy novel, first book in the Nessantico Cycle, about a power struggle to succeed an aging ruler.
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The author, who also writes as Stephen Leigh and Matthew Farrell, has this description of the book with sample chapters and a page about the character Sergei; there are also pages about A Magic of Nightfall, in progress, and A Magic of Dawn.
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Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Farrell easily wields an immense cast of characters, many of whom take narrative turns. Readers who appreciate intricate world building, intrigue and action will immerse themselves effortlessly in this rich and complex story."
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Green, Chris Marie :
Midnight Reign: Vampire Babylon, Book Two
(Ace 978-0-441-01560-3, $14, 326pp, trade paperback, February 2008, cover art Larry Rostant)
Vampire novel, second in the Vampire Babylon series following Night Rising (2007), about a Hollywood stuntwoman battling L.A. vampires, who may have killed her parents.
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Series website http://www.vampirebabylon.com/ has a video trailer and an excerpt.
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Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review.
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Greenberg, Martin H., & Kerrie Hughes, eds. :
Fellowship Fantastic
(DAW 978-0756404659, $7.99, 320pp, mass market paperback, January 2008)
Anthology of 13 original stories about "the bonds of friendship and fellowship".
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Authors include Paul Genese, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Alan Dean Foster, S. Andrew Swann, and Alexander B. Potter.
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The publisher's site has this description.
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Hayashi, Heather :
The Forgotten Past
(Synergy Books 978-1-933538-77-8, $19.95, 199pp, hardcover, September 2007)
Fantasy novel, second book in "The Arkha Chronicles" following To Save the World (2006), about a 16-year-old girl, her mother and best friend, stranded on the planet Arkha, while her brother and another boy set out to save them.
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The series website dragonwriter.com has descriptions and links.
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The press release describes how these books satisfy readers of the new "Sci-Fi Chick-Lit" genre.
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Kirkpatrick, Russell :
In the Earth Abides the Flame
(Orbit US 978-0316003421, $7.99, 654pp, mass market paperback, February 2008)
First US edition (UK: Time Warner UK/Orbit, November 2006)
Fantasy novel, second book in the "Fire of Heaven" trilogy (and first published in Australia by Voyager in 2005) following Across the Face of the World.
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The author's site has this page about an earlier edition, with a description, plus links to essays, a glossary, and maps and diagrams.
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Lucke, Margaret :
House of Whispers
(Juno 978-0-8095-7158-1, $6.99, 303pp, mass market paperback, March 2008, cover art Timothy Lantz)
Supernatural fantasy novel about a real estate agent trying to sell a house that was the site of a mass murder.
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The publisher's site has this description and an excerpt.
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Amazon has a description.
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Peters, S. M. :
Whitechapel Gods
(Roc 978-0451461933, $6.99, 374pp, mass market paperback, February 2008)
Steampunk fantasy, the author's first novel, set in a Victorian London in which Whitechapel is ruled by two mechanical gods.
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The publisher's site has this description.
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Fantasy Book Critic has this enthusiastic review: "Told over the course of two days and through multiple point-of-views, 'Whitechapel Gods' moves along at a vigorous pace that feels very much like watching a movie or playing a videogame. In fact, 'Whitechapel Gods' shares many similarities -- both positive and negative -- with such visual mediums including comic books."
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Sands, Lynsay :
Vampires Are Forever
(Avon 978-0-06-122969-5, $6.99, 361pp, mass market paperback, February 2008)
Paranormal romance novel, 8th book in the Argeneau Vampires series. This book concerns vampire Thomas Argeneau and his beautiful new business associate Inez Urso.
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The publisher's site has this description with a "browse inside" feature.
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The author's site has this page for the book with an excerpt.
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Carolyn Cushman reviewed this book and two others in the series in the December '07 issue of Locus Magazine, noting that the vampires are "actually Atlantean immortals transformed by ancient nanotech" and says that this book "feels more like a thriller". She concludes "I prefer the lighter novels in the series, but Sands' tight-knit family of immortals are an amusing bunch even at their most serious, well worth checking out by paranormal buffs."
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Van Name, Mark L., & T. K. F. Weisskopf :
Transhuman
(Baen 978-1416555230, $22, 287pp, hardcover, February 2008, cover art Dave Seeley)
Anthology of 11 original stories about life beyond the singularity, "a point at which all the rules change and everything we assume about what it means to be human may no longer apply".
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Authors include Wil McCarthy, Paul Chafe, Esther M. Friesner, James P. Hogan, David D. Levine, Dave Freer, and Wen Spencer.
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Baen's site has this description with links to the introduction and three of the stories.
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West, Michelle :
The Hidden City
(DAW 978-0756404703, $24.95, 615pp, hardcover, March 2008, jacket painting Jody Lee)
Fantasy novel, first in "The House Wars", related to the author's earlier series beginning with Hunter's Oath (1995) and the six books ending with Sun Sword (2004), about the formation of Jewel's Den.
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The author also writes books as Michelle Sagara; her website has a detailed bibliography, including her book review columns for F&SF. She blogs at Trying to Catch Up.
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Amazon has a breif description, and reader reviews.
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