* Anderson, Barth : The Magician and the Fool
(Bantam Spectra 978-0-553-38359-1, $13, 290pp, trade paperback, April 2008)

Contemporary thriller about a former academic pursuing a mystery surrounding the earliest known tarot deck.
• Bantam's site has this description with a chapter one excerpt.
• The author's site has this page for the book which includes a cut chapter.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Those willing to surrender themselves to this talented author's compelling vision will find a fevered dream universe where understanding in the normal sense is probably not possible, nor even necessary."

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* Clare, Cassandra : City of Ashes
(Simon & Schuster/McElderry 978-1-4169-1429-7, $17.99, 453pp, hardcover, March 2008, jacket illustration Cliff Nielsen)

Young adult fantasy novel, second in the "Mortal Instruments" trilogy following City of Bones (2007), about a teenaged girl who's become a demon-slaying Shadowhunter.
• The publisher's site has this description and an excerpt.
• Amazon has posts by the author from her latest signing tour.
• Faren Miller reviews it in the current, April, issue of Locus Magazine, saying that this book "pays more attention to the young characters' inner lives"; "the climactic scenes are more than just cinematic action sequences crammed with special effects; the emotional relationships between the young protagonists only deepen as the dangers and challenges grow."

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* Elliott, Kate : Shadow Gate
(Tor 978-0-7653-1056-9, $25.95, 475pp, hardcover, April 2008, jacket art Michael Kaluta)

Fantasy novel, second book in "Crossroads" series following Spirit Gate (2006), about the nine Guardians who watch over a land called the Hundred.
• Tor's website has this description and an excerpt.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which calls it a "many-layered second installment in the Crossroads fantasy series" and concludes "The cosmology and politics may confuse newcomers, but the human dilemmas grip the reader right through to the abrupt final cliffhanger."

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+ Freeman, Pamela : Blood Ties
(Orbit 978-0-316-03040-3, $12.99, 461pp, trade paperback, April 2008)

Fantasy novel, first in the "Castings" trilogy, set in the Eleven Domains.
• Series website www.castingstrilogy.com has this page for the first novel (which was originally published last year in Australia), with a PDF excerpt and a bonus story about two of the characters. There are also descriptions of the next two books in the series, links to reviews, etc.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Freeman shies away from simplistic morality, building elegantly well-rounded characters -- most notably Bramble, who manages to be tough but not hard, a loner but not unsympathetic and sexual but not obsessed with romance -- and interwoven stories that at times draw too heavily on George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire novels for inspiration."

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* Golden, Christopher : The Lost Ones: Book Three of the Veil
(Bantam Spectra 978-0-553-38328-7, $12, 427pp, trade paperback, April 2008)

Dark fantasy novel, conclusion of "The Veil" trilogy following The Myth Hunters (2006) and The Borderkind (2007), in which humanity's myths and legends struggle for survival against those who hunt them.
• Bantam's site has this description and an excerpt.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review.

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* Judson, Theodore : The Martian General's Daughter
(Pyr 978-1591026433, $15, 253pp, trade paperback, April 2008, cover illustration Sparth)

SF novel set in a future modeled after Imperial Rome, about a general who remains loyal to a disintigrating empire.
• Pyr's site has this description with excerpts from reviews and sample chapters.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Despite its pulpish title, this erudite and intriguing novel is more in the tradition of Robert Graves than Edgar Rice Burroughs. ... the parallels it draws between Roman and American cultures are both perceptive and disquieting."

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* Kane, Stacia : Personal Demons
(Juno 978-0-8095-7255-7, $6.99, 335pp, mass market paperback, April 2008, cover art Dmitry Koksharov)

Urban fantasy novel, first of a series, about a radio talk show host who promises to slay her listeners' "personal demons".
• Juno's site has this description with an author Q&A, an excerpt from this book, an excerpt from the sequel, and a recipe for demon-pleasing meat pie.
• The author has website www.staciakane.com and a blog.

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* Kittredge, Caitlin : Night Life
(St. Martin's 978-0-312-94829-0, $6.99, 329pp, mass market paperback, March 2008)

Supernatural mystery/romance novel, first in a series, about a police detective and werewolf who's the only woman in her family who's not a witch.
• The publisher's site has this description with quotes from reviews, and an excerpt.
• Carolyn Cushman reviewed the book in the March issue of Locus Magazine: "The writing could be more polished, but overall this is a fun new entry in the 'tough girls' paranormal ranks."

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* Kratman, Tom : Caliphate
(Baen 978-1416555452, $24, 385pp, hardcover, April 2008, cover by Kurt Miller)

SF novel set in an Islam-dominated 22nd century Europe in which non-Muslims are assigned second-class citizenship.
• Baen's site has a description and links to several chapters.
• Amazon has numerous mostly very positive reader reviews.

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* Pratt, T. A. : Poison Sleep
(Bantam Spectra 978-0-553-58999-3, $6.99, 321pp, mass market paperback, April 2008, cover art Daniel Dos Santos)

Urban fantasy novel, second in the Marla Mason series following Blood Engines (2007), about the guardian witch of the East Coast city of Felport.
• Bantam's site has this description and an excerpt.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Pratt keeps the action lively in this wonderfully whimsical urban fantasy as the adventure of Genevieve takes some wonderfully imaginative twists and turns."
• Faren Miller reviews the book in the April issue of Locus Magazine, saying the book "blends elements of fantasy, mystery and horror, plus bits of our modern world, to create something more than a facile hybrid or even a page-turner."

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* Pullman, Philip : Once Upon a Time in the North
(Knopf 978-0-375-84510-9, $12.99, 96pp, hardcover, April 2008)

Short novel set in the "His Dark Materials" universe, a prequel to the trilogy, about Texan Lee Scoresby, here 24 years old, who sails a hot-air balloon north and discovers a plot to control an Arctic island.
• The book cloth-bound with no dust jacket, and includes a board game, "Peril of the Pole", inside an envelope inside the back cover.
• The publisher's site has this description of the book, which is also available as an audio CD or audio download.
• Guardian has an exclusive excerpt.

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* Sage, Angie : Septimus Heap, Book Four: Queste
(HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books 978-0060882075, $17.99, 596pp, hardcover, April 2008, jacket art Mark Zug)

Young adult fantasy novel, fourth in the Septimus Heap series following Magyk, Flyte, and Physick, about a boy who becomes an apprentice wizard. The book has illustrations by Mark Zug.
• Amazon has the book's description, and reader reviews.
• The series' website, septimusheap.com, has information about the author, games, excerpts, etc.

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* Thomas, Jeffrey : Blue War
(Solaris US 978-1844165322, $7.99, 407pp, mass market paperback, March 2008, jacket art Stephan Martiniere)

Science fiction novel set in Punktown, a crime-ridden colony city and setting of the author's previous novel Deadstock. In this book private investigator Jeremy Stake explores a threat to the peace between humans and the alien Ha Jiin.
• Solaris' website has this description and a PDF sample chapter.
• Jeff VanderMeer reviewed the book for Sci Fi Weekly.

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