* Anders, Lou, ed. : Sideways in Crime
(Solaris 978-1-84416-566-7, $15, 363pp, trade paperback, June 2008, cover illustration Bob Eggleton)

Anthology of 15 original alternate history stories -- the title page calls it an "Alternate Mystery Anthology". Authors include Kage Baker, Stephen Baxter, Paul Park, Paul Di Filippo, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Pat Cadigan, Mike Resnick & Eric Flint, and Chris Roberson.
• The publisher's site has this page about the book with the table of contents.
• Amazon has several posts by the editor.
• The Publishers Weekly review calls it a "high-quality anthology" and notes that "The standouts are S.M. Stirling's 'A Murder in Eddsford,' which could be at home in a collection of English cozies, and Mary Rosenblum's 'Sacrifice,' which marries a vision of advanced Aztec civilization to an intricate plot."
• Sci Fi Wire has this article by John Joseph Adams about the inspirations for the book. SFX has this review on its website.

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* David, Peter : Tigerheart
(Ballantine Del Rey 978-0-345-50159-2, $22, 294pp, hardcover, June 2008, jacket illustration Scott McKowen)

Fantasy novel retelling of Peter Pan, about a London boy named Paul Dear who encounters magical creatures in Kensington Gardens and another boy in his mirror who lures him to adventure.
• Del Rey's site has this description, an author Q&A, and an excerpt. The book has blurbs from R.A. Salvatore, Jeff Smith, Bill Mumy, and George Takei.
• Sci Fi Weekly has this review by Paul Di Filippo, which gives it an A: "Pulling off a new adventure with one of the most beloved characters in fantasy literature is like walking a greased tightrope over a shark pool... But Peter David has the chops -- and the sensitivity and vision -- to bring off such a feat with hardly a single misstep."

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* Dockery, Kevin, & Douglas Niles : Starstrike: Operation Orion
(Ballantine Del Rey 978-0-345-49042-1, $7.99, 280pp, mass market paperback, April 2008, cover art Stephan Martiniere)

Military SF novel, second in the series that began with Starstrike: Task Force Mars (2007), about Navy SEALS -- for Sea, Air, Land, and Space. This book concerns Earth's participation in a summit meeting between three aliens races vying for control of the galaxy.
• Del Rey's site has this description with an excerpt.
• Dockery is a military historian, according to Del Rey's site; Douglas Niles has written over 30 Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms gaming-related novels.

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* Hartwell, David G., & Kathryn Cramer, eds. : Year's Best Fantasy 8
(Tachyon Publications 978-1-892391-76-6, $14.95, 375pp, trade paperback, June 2008, cover illustration David M. Bowers)

Anthology of 23 fantasy stories first published in 2007. Authors include Holly Black, Michael Moorcock, Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Hand, Andy Duncan, Nalo Hopkinson, Garth Nix, and Theodora Goss.
• The editors provide an introduction to the book, and introductions to each of the stories.
• Tachyon's site has this page for the book, with the complete table of contents.
• Publishers Weekly calls it "an enjoyable anthology" and cites as standouts the stories by Daryl Gregory and Laird Barron, though its dismissal of Elizabeth Hand's story is misinformed -- Cramer discusses that matter here.

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* Helfers, John, & Martin H. Greenberg : Future Americas
(DAW 978-0-7564-0508-3, $7.99, 312pp, mass market paperback, June 2008)

Anthology of 17 original stories about possible Americas to come. Authors include George Zebrowski, Pamela Sargent, Brian Stableford, Theodore Judson, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Mike Resnick & Linda Donohue, and Peter Crowther.
• The publisher's site has this description.

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* Kincaid, Paul : What It Is We Do When We Read Science Fiction
(UK: Beccon 978-1-870824-54-5, £15, 5+365pp, trade paperback, March 2008)

Nonfiction essay collection about the theory and practice of science fiction, with sections devoted to Christopher Priest, British SF, and Gene Wolfe.
• Includes an introduction by David Langford, plus notes, sources, a bilbliography, and index.
• The publisher's site has this description, with the detailed table of contents.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviewed the book in the March issue of Locus Magazine: "Kincaid is an astute and knowledgeable reader, and his first two essays alone, in a section called 'Theory', would seem to make this collection worth the attention of any serious SF student." Wolfe concludes "Kincaid, like [Farah] Mendlesohn, is a critic fully engaged with the literature as it is lived, eminently sensible, and having these pieces together rather than scattered in often ephemeral venues gives us a chance to get to know a significant critical voice that we've too often just heard from the wings."

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* Matheson, Richard : Button, Button: Uncanny Stories
(Tor 978-0-765-31257-0, $12.95, 205pp, trade paperback, April 2008, cover art Brad Holland)

Collection of 12 stories, first published from 1950 to 1970, with a new introduction by the author.
• The book is published as a movie tie-in to film The Box, based on the title story to this collection, starring Cameron Diaz and written and directed by Richard Kelly (of Donnie Darko fame), though not due for release until September 2009.
• Several of the other stories in the book were the bases for films or TV shows. Tor's website has this description.
• SciFiDimensions has this review of the book by Sheila Merritt.

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* Morse, Drew, ed. : The 2008 Rhysling Anthology
(Science Fiction Poetry Association 978-0-8095-7349-3, $12.95, 175pp, trade paperback, June 2008)

Anthology, subtitled "The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Poetry of 2007", of 96 poems first published last year and eligible for this year's Rhysling Awards as selected by the Science Fiction Poetry Association.
• Contents are grouped into "short poems" and "long poems". Authors include Margaret Atwood, Bruce Boston, Yoon Ha Lee, Mary Turzillo, Ruth Berman, Albert Goldbarth, Theodora Goss, Sonya Taaffe, JoSelle Vanderhooft, and Erzebet YellowBoy.
• The publisher's site has the front/back cover image and the complete table of contents with sources.

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* Shiner, Lewis : Black & White
(Subterranean Press 978-1-59606-171-2, $25, 367pp, hardcover, June 2008)

Associational novel with possible fantasy elements, about a man who returns to North Carolina in 2004 to visit his dying father, whose past involves voodoo and the South's once most prosperous black community.
• The publisher's site has this description, which notes the book is "rooted in the true story of the US government's urban renewal policy and its disastrous aftermath", and an excerpt.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which calls it "powerful and affecting"; "Shiner weaves Michael's, Robert's and Ruth's stories into a stunning tapestry that captures the hopes, dreams, greed, bigotry, ambitions and betrayals that shaped their destinies and those of our country. While the crime plot builds to a conventional resolution, Michael's poignant discovery of his parents' roots and the splendid depiction of Durham's changing social fabric more than compensate."
• The author's Fiction Liberation Front site has made the text of this novel and many past works available online for free.

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