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Barry, Brunonia :
The Lace Reader
(Morrow 978-0-06-162476-6, $24.95, 390pp, hardcover, August 2008)
Contemporary fantasy novel about a family of women in Salem, Massachusetts, who can read the future in patterns of lace.
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It's the author's first novel, and was first self-published before being picked up by Morrow, as discussed in an NPR interview.
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The book's website has background on the author and the setting, and a lace pattern with various hidden links to secrets from the book.
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The publisher's page has an audio excerpt and a "search inside" feature.
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Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review, which concludes "Barry excels at capturing the feel of smalltown life, and balances action with close looks at the characters' inner worlds. Her pacing and use of different perspectives show tremendous skill and will keep readers captivated all the way through."
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Brooks, Terry :
The Gypsy Morph
(Ballantine Del Rey 978-0-345-48414-7, $27, 402pp, hardcover, September 2008, jacket illustration Steve Stone)
Fantasy novel, third in the "Genesis of Shannara" series following Armageddon's Children and The Elves of Cintra, set on a plague-ridden future Earth besieged by demons attempting to exterminate humanity.
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Del Rey's site has a description with a author Q&A and an excerpt.
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Buckell, Tobias S. :
Sly Mongoose
(Tor 978-0-7653-1920-3, $26.95, 320pp, hardcover, August 2008, jacket art Todd Lockwood)
SF novel set in a floating city high in the atmosphere of Chilo, a Venus-like planet, concerning a 14-year-old boy and strange invaders seeking secrets in the planet's depths.
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It's set in the same universe as Buckell's first two novels, Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin.
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Tor's page for the book has a description, a video trailer, and an audio discussion by the author of the background of the book, inspired by a Geoffrey Landis lecture.
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The author's page for the book has links to related short fiction, and link stubs for excerpts, deleted scenes, etc.
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Amazon's 'search inside' feature includes an excertp. Amazon also has the Publishers Weekly review: "Buckell delivers double helpings of action and violence in a plot-driven story worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster."
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Doctorow, Cory :
Content: Selected Essays on Technology, Creativity, Copyright, and the Future of the Future
(Tachyon Publications 978-1-892391-81-0, $14.95, 22+213pp, trade paperback, September 2008)
Collection of 28 essays that first apeared from 2001 to 2007 in publications such as InformationWeek, Forbes, The Guardian, and Locus.
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There's an original introduction by John Perry Barlow.
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Tachyon's website has this description with an excerpt from the "Microsoft DRM Talk".
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Amazon has has the book's description.
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Horton, Rich, ed. :
Fantasy: The Best of the Year: 2008 Edition
(Prime Books 978-0-8095-7251-9, $13.95, 384pp, trade paperback, June 2008)
Anthology of 19 fantasy stories, first published in 2007. Contents include Daryl Gregory's "Unpossible", Daniel Abraham's "The Cambist and Lord Iron", and Ian R. MacLeod's "The Master Miller's Tale".
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Horton provides an introduction to the book, summarizing the year's fantasy publications and listing outstanding stories he wasn't able to use for the book.
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John Joseph Adams posted the table of contents for this and Horton's science fiction volume -- with the addition of the Daniel Abraham story, apparently not finalized when the list was posted.
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Kearney, Paul :
The Ten Thousand
(UK: Solaris 978-1-84416-647-3, £7.99, 473pp, mass market paperback, September 2008, cover art Chris McGrath)
Fantasy novel set on the world of Kuf, where a force of ten thousand mercenaries are left unemployed when their leader is killed. It's a retelling of Xenophon's Anabasis.
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Solaris' site has this description with a PDF sample chapter.
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Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, and mixed reader reviews.
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Little, Denise, ed. :
Enchantment Place
(DAW 978-0-7564-0510-6, $7.99, 338pp, mass market paperback, August 2008)
Anthology of 17 original stories about an enchanted mall were magical creatures go shopping.
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Authors include Mary Jo Putney, Esther M. Friesner, Sarah J. Hoyt, Laura Resnick, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Peter Morwood, and Diane Duane.
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Amazon has a review by Harriet Klausner.
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Miller, Karen :
The Riven Kingdom
(Orbit 978-0-316-00836-5, $7.99, 744pp, mass market paperback, September 2008, cover illustration Julia Denos)
Fantasy novel, second book in the "Godspeaker Trilogy" trilogy following Empress (April 2008, Empress Of Mijak in its 2007 Australian publication).
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It's about the daughter of the king of Ethrea, who is poised to inherit the throne despite the church tradition that no woman should have dominion over a man.
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This book was first published in Australia and New Zealand in 2007. Miller's website has this page for the book with an extract.
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The publisher's site has this page for the book.
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Murphy, C. E. :
Hands of Flame
(Luna 978-0-373-80270-8, $14.95, 409pp, trade paperback, September 2008)
Paranormal romance novel, third in the "Negotiator Trilogy" following Heart of Stone and House of Cards, about a lawyer who served members of the Old Races who live in a New York City.
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In this book, Margrit tries to negotiate peace among the five Old Races.
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Luna's site has this description with a link to a pop-up excerpt.
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Amazon has an excerpt on its site, as well as two 5-star reader reviews.
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Nevins, Thomas :
The Age of the Conglomerates
(Ballantine 978-0-375-50391-7, $14, 297pp, trade paperback, 2008)
Near-future SF novel, subtitled "A Novel of the Future", about a political party called the Conglomerates that attempts to enforce economic martial law.
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The publisher's site has this description and an excerpt. The author is currently a sales representative for Random House.
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Sci Fi Wire has this article by John Joseph Adams about Nevins and his novel.
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Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Nevins's debut reads like the novelization of a film adaptation of a Philip K. Dick novel. It's 2048, and the U.S. government is run by the Conglomerates, a political party controlled by the chairman, whose regime has transformed the demographics of the country: Coots, or those over 80, have been relocated to retirement communities, while problematic youth, or Dyscards, live in city subways...." It concludes, "Readers willing to pardon the oversimplification of good versus evil may enjoy the slick presentation and Hollywood-like setup."
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