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Buckner, M. M. :
Watermind
(Tor 978-0-7653-2024-7, $24.95, 301pp, hardcover, November 2008)
Near-future SF novel about a self-organized neural net, the Watermind, that forms in a Louisiana delta.
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This is the author's first hardcover, after several paperback originals, including Philip K. Dick Award winner War Surf.
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Tor's site has this description, with blurbs from Ben Bova, Gregory Benford, and Mike Resnick.
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The author's site has a synopsis with additional blurbs.
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Amazon's page has its "look inside" feature with an excerpt, and the Publishers Weekly review.
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Butcher, Jim :
Backup
(Subterranean Press 978-1-59606-182-8, $20, 70pp, hardcover, October 2008, jacket art Mike Mignola)
Novelette set in the world of the author's Harry Dresden series, concerning Dresden's incubus half-brother Thomas Raith.
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Subterranean's site has this description which indicates all editions sold out.
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Amazon has it in stock; its page has reader reviews and the Publishers Weekly review: "Butcher clearly demonstrates that Raith, usually seen more as Dresden's sidekick, is more than capable of sustaining a story on his own."
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Campbell, Ramsey :
Inconsequential Tales
(Hippocampus 978-0-9793806-6-2, $15, 249pp, trade paperback, November 2008, cover art Jason C. Eckhardt)
Collection of 25 stories never collected in earlier collections, including two previously unpublished stories. The 23 reprints were first published from 1966 to 2002.
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The author provides a long introduction with background on the stories.
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The publisher's site has this description along with draft artworks by Jason C. Eckhardt.
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Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "Though far from his best work, these 25 tales run the gamut from gothic horror to new wave SF and are notable for their crafty prose and absence of most genre clichés. ... at their best, they can stand proudly with most modern tales of their type."
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Cook, Matthew :
Nights of Sin
(Juno 978-0-8095-7282-3, $6.99, 376pp, mass market paperback, September 2008, cover art Timothy Lantz)
Fantasy novel, sequel to Blood Magic (2007), about a necromancer and a noblewoman whose pledge to foreswear blood magic is challenged by a threat to the Imperial City.
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Juno's site has this description, with an excerpt.
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Amazon has reader reviews.
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Duncan, Dave :
Ill Met in the Arena
(Tor 978-0-7653-1687-5, $24.95, 285pp, hardcover, August 2008, jacket art E. M. Gist)
Fantasy novel set in a land where children are bred for psychic abilities, and young noblemen compete in psychic gladitorial combat for the privilege of marrying high-ranking women.
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Tor's site has this description, an excerpt, and Google preview.
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Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, and reader reviews.
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Francis, Diana Pharaoh :
The Black Ship
(Roc 978-0-451-46242-8, $7.99, 403pp, mass market paperback, November 2008)
Fantasy novel, second book in the "Crosspointe" series following The Cipher (2007), set in a port city.
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This book concerns a member of the Pilots' Guild who is kidnapped and forced to serve aboard a rogue ship.
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The author's website has this page for the book with another page for the third book, Cursed by Sylveth.
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Amazon has several posts by the author, and reader reviews.
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Hoyt, Sarah A. :
Gentleman Takes a Chance
(Baen 978-1-4165-5593-3, $23, 324pp, hardcover, October 2008, cover art Tom Kidd)
Urban fantasy novel, second in a series following Draw One in the Dark (2006), about two shapeshifters who run a Colorado diner.
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This book concerns an ancient feud among the shifters.
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Baen's site has this description and links to several chapter excerpts.
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Carolyn Cushman reviewed the book in the October issue of Locus Magazine, saying the book "assumes readers will remember previous events better than I did, but it's still a fun, if somewhat chaotic, contemporary fantasy with some nice touches of romance, mystery, and humor."
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Hoyt, Sarah A. :
Heart and Soul
(Bantam Spectra 978-0-553-58968-9, $6.99, 452pp, mass market paperback, November 2008, cover art Steve Stone)
Alternate history fantasy novel, third in the "Magical British Empire" series following Heart of Light (March 2008) and Soul of Fire (August 2008).
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In this book British nobleman Peter Farewell tries to return two valuable gems to their shrine in Africa.
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Bantam's site has this description with an excerpt and a preview function.
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Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review.
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Johanson, Paula :
Tower in the Crooked Wood
(Canada: Bundoran Press 978-0-9782052-1-8, $11.95, 149pp, trade paperback, November 2008, cover art Erich Schreiner)
Fantasy novel about an island tribeswoman who seeks a Tower in order to free dying slaves.
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The publisher's site has this order page and a PDF excerpt of the first two chapters.
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The release is also announced from SF Canada Members' News.
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Lerner, Edward M. :
Fools' Experiments
(Tor 978-0-7653-1901-2, $25.95, 447pp, hardcover, November 2008, jacket art Denis Chapoullie)
SF novel about a cybernetic lifeform, developed by military researchers, that gets loose on the internet.
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Tor's site has this description. The author's site has this page with a description and numerous quotes from reviews.
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Amazon has its "look inside" function including an excerpt, several posts by the author, and the Publishers Weekly review: "Though warnings against invasive, malicious machine intelligences are nothing new, good science and entertaining writing make this a fast, fascinating read."
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Lima, Maria :
Blood Bargain
(Juno 978-0-8095-7305-9, $7.99, 346pp, mass market paperback, November 2008)
Fantasy/paranormal/mystery novel, second in the Blood Lines series following Matters of the Blood (2007), about a woman from a paranormal family in Texas.
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In this book Keira Kelly and her vampire lover deal with weird events at Wild Moon Ranch.
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The publisher's site has this description and an excerpt.
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Monk, Devon :
Magic to the Bone
(Roc 978-0-451-46240-4, $6.99, 355pp, mass market paperback, November 2008)
Fantasy novel, the author's first novel, about a "Hound", a woman who can trace a magic spell back to whoever cast it, whose father is killed by someone disguised as herself.
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The publisher's site has this description, plus an essay by the author about how she came to write the book.
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Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review, from its Sept. 22nd issue, which calls it a "clever and compulsively readable debut". The review concludes "Allie's internal and external struggles are brilliantly and tightly written, creating a multifaceted character who will surprise, amuse, amaze and absorb readers."
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Remic, Andy :
BioHell
(Solaris 978-1-84416-590-2, $15, 355pp, trade paperback, November 2008, cover art Dave Seeley)
Military SF novel in the Combat-K series following last year's War Machine.
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In this book the Combat-K squad deals with zombies created by hackers who've broken the Biomod Human Upgrade code.
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Solaris' site has description.
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The author's website has an excerpt on this page.
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Rossetti, Denise :
The Flame and the Shadow
(Ace 978-0-441-01634-1, $15, 387pp, trade paperback, November 2008, cover art Jim Griffin)
Fantasy romance novel, first book in the Four-Sided Pentacle series, about a mercenary who seeks his soul's redemption when he's hired to kidnap a fire witch.
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The author's site has this page with a description and excerpt, plus excerpts from reviews.
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The publisher's site also has a description and excerpt.
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Amazon has reader reviews.
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