+ Bilsborough, David : A Fire in the North
(Tor 978-0-7653-1893-0, $25.95, 478pp, hardcover, June 2008, jacket art Fred Gambino) First US edition (UK: Macmillan/Tor UK, March 2008)

Fantasy novel, second in the "Annals of Lindormyn" following last year's The Wanderer's Tale, about evil forces in the land of Lindormyn. In this book a group of travelers faces evil in the land to the north.
• Tor's site has a description.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review.
• The author has no website; as he said is this SFFWorld interview last year, "I loathe the internet beyond all loathing and everything it stands for..."

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* Broderick, Damien, ed. : Year Million: Science at the Far Edge of Knowledge
(Atlas 978-1-934633-05-2, $40, 27+330pp, hardcover, May 2008)

Nonfiction anthology of essays speculating on humanity's future over the next million years. Contributors include Dougal Dixon, Catherine Asaro, Wil McCarthy, Rudy Rucker, Gregory Benford, and George Zebrowski.
• The publisher's site has this description and a PDF sample chapter.
• The book is described as a trade paperback original, but Amazon also sells the hardcover library edition linked here, which has no dustjacket.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which concludes that "Several chapters read more like science fiction than sound scientific speculation, and a few wander off topic, but it's all great fun."
• Greg Bear's guest review for Locus Magazine, from its June issue, is posted here: "Extreme sport of the intellectual variety - that's one way to characterize writing about the far future. In this innovative collection of new essays, Damien Broderick has marshaled some of the brightest minds in science fiction and futurist thinking, instructing them to climb very high mountains and tell us what might lie on the other side..."

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* Disch, Thomas M. : The Word of God: Or, Holy Writ Rewritten
(Tachyon Publications 978-1-892391-77-3, $14.95, 180pp, trade paperback, July 2008)

Satiric religious fantasy novel cast as the memoir of the author who, in 2005, becomes the Deity.
• The publisher's site has this description -- "His awful transformation and its awesome aftermath reveals, at long last, the hidden web that links Disch, Philip K. Dick, Western wear, the Leamington Hotel, and Eternity itself. Read it in fear and trembling. But read it, or else." -- with blurbs from Alice K. Turner, Karen Joy Fowler, Michael Moorcock, and others.
• Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review in its May 5th issue: "The careful reader will tease out many solid truths from the tangle of humor, history, surrealism and speculation. The density of ideas packed into this short book is as impressive as Disch's mastery of his craft."
• John Clute reviewed the book for Sci Fi Weekly: "In its 175 pages The Word of God constructs a more complex relationship between the reader and what is read, between the implied author and the real author and the implied reader and the real person with tired eyes staying awake and laughing hard, between reportage and fictionality, between text and pretext, than any book I can remember encountering."

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* Jones, Jaida, & Danielle Bennett : Havemercy
(Bantam Spectra 978-0-553-80696-0, $22, 388pp, hardcover, July 2008, jacket art Stephen Youll)

Fantasy novel, the authors' debut novel, about battle between two enemies fought with mechanical dragons.
• Bantam's site has this description and an excerpt.
• Amazon has blurbs from Peter S. Beagle, Ellen Kushner, and others. The Publishers Weekly review concluded "The insular corps culture of combative homoeroticism and masculine archetypes dominates the book, as female characters fade far into the background. Despite few surprises or original flourishes, Jones and Bennett credibly bring the decadent empire and its inhabitants to life."

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* Kenner, Julie : Deja Demon
(Berkley 978-0-425-22190-7, $14, 326pp, trade paperback, July 2008)

Suburban fantasy novel, fourth of the "Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom" following Carpe Demon (2005), California Demon, and Demons Are Forever.
• In this book Kate multitasks family life while facing the High Demon Goramesh, who's returned to San Diablo.
• The author's site has this page with the description, plus links to pages and excerpts of the earlier books.

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* Knight, E. E. : Fall Without Honor
(Roc 978-0-451-46210-7, $23.95, 327pp, hardcover, July 2008, jacket art Steve Stone)

SF novel about human resistance to alien invaders, seventh in the "Vampire Earth" series following Way of the Wolf (2003), Choice of the Cat (2004), Tales of the Thunderbolt (2005), Valentine's Rising (2005), Valentine's Exile (2006), and Valentine's Resolve (2007).
• In this book freedom fighter David Valentine organizes rebellion against the Kurian Occupation.
• The series website has background on the milieu and settings of the series.

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* Lake, Jay : Escapement
(Tor 978-0-7653-1709-4, $25.95, 384pp, hardcover, June 2008, jacket art Stephan Martiniere)

Science fantasy 'steampunk' novel set in a 19th century clockwork universe, sequel to last year's Mainspring.
• This book concerns an isolated genius, a university librarian, a court-martialed officer, and a plan to drive a tunnel through the 100-mile-high Wall that separates North from South.
• Tor's website has this description. Amazon's page has a "search inside" feature including an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review in its April 28th issue: "Lake effectively anneals steampunk with geo-mechanical magic in an allegorical matrix of empire building and Victorian natural science."
• Nick Gevers reviews the book in the June issue of Locus Magazine, noting that "There is excitement, novelty, and humor in the course of the quest, certainly; Lake is a skilful writer of picaresque adventure stories" but concludes that "A third volume is needed to justify this trek through the pages, and may it come soon."

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+ Pfeffer, Susan Beth : The Dead and the Gone
(Harcourt 978-0-15-206311-5, $17, 321pp, hardcover, June 2008)

Young adult fantasy novel, companion to 2006 Life as We Knew It, about the aftermath on Earth of an asteroid that collides with the moon. This book focuses on high school student Alex Morales, forced to care for his younger sisters as catastrophe sweeps over the Earth.
• The publisher's site has this description and an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review in its May 19th issue, calling it "As riveting as Life as We Knew It and even grittier... Once again Pfeffer creates tension not only through her protagonist's day-to-day struggles but also through chilling moral dilemmas: whether to rob the dead, who to save during a food riot, how long to preserve the hope that his parents might return."

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* Rosemoor, Patricia, & Marc Paoletti : The Last Vampire
(Ballantine Del Rey 978-0-345-50104-2, $7.99, 12+339pp, mass market paperback, July 2008, cover art Chris McGrath)

Fantasy novel, first in a new series, about a 500-year-old corpse whose DNA transforms people into superhumans, and a Black Ops captain faced with defeating an ancient resurrected vampire.
• Del Rey's site has this description and an excerpt.

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* Saintcrow, Lilith : Night Shift
(Orbit 978-0-316-00178-6, $6.99, 326pp, mass market paperback, July 2008)

Urban fantasy novel, first of a new series about Jill Kismet, a Hunter who tracks down hellbreeds.
• The author's blog has this post about the book's publication.
• Amazon has several blog posts by the author.
• The Publishers Weekly in May review noted that "With a past as a teenage prostitute, Jill is a much darker character than most fantasy heroines, and her grit is palpable. The realm of hellbreeds and Weres remains somewhat murky, but Saintcrow gives herself ample room to develop a world around the promising Jill."

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* Scott, Michael : The Magician
(Delacorte 978-0-385-73358-8, $16.99, 464pp, hardcover, June 2008, jacket illustration Michael Wagner)

Young adult fantasy novel, second in the "Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel" following last year's The Alchemyst, about twins Sophie and Josh and an ancient codex fought over by alchemists Nicholas Flamel and John Dee. In this book the twins have fled to Paris.
• The publisher's site has this description
• The series website has a description and excerpt, plus news, games, character summaries, etc.
• Amazon has half a dozen enthusiastic reader reviews.

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* Smith, Sherwood : King's Shield
(DAW 978-0-7564-0500-7, $25.95, 594pp, hardcover, July 2008, jacket art Matt Stawicki)

Fantasy novel, third in a series following Inda and The Fox, about a prince turned mercenary. In this book Inda returns home from exile to defend his kingdom.
• The author's site has a page about Inda's Story, with links to pages about the world, the ships, the characters, a timeline, and a pronunciation guide.

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* Stevenson, Jennifer : The Bearskin Rug
(Ballantine 978-0-345-50024-3, $6.99, 296pp, mass market paperback, July 2008)

Paranormal romance novel, third in the series about Chicago fraud investigator Jewel Heiss, after The Brass Bed and The Velvet Chair. In this book Jewel investigates happenings at an erotic film studio.
• Ballantine's site has this description.

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Note: Titles received as review copies, including proofs and Advance Reading Copies, are listed on this page only once books are officially published, as indicated by for-sale availability in bookstores or at Amazon.com. In such cases, the Date Seen indicates when such advance copies were received by Locus Online.