Mike Allen, ed., Clockwork Phoenix (Norilana Books Jul 2008)

A new annual anthology series debuts with this volume of 18 fantasy "tales of beauty and strangeness" by authors including John Grant, Catherynne M. Valente, Tanith Lee, and Laird Barron. "Established writers and new names all are in good form here.... a series of great promise." [Nick Gevers]

Lou Anders, ed., Fast Forward 2 (Pyr Oct 2008)

The second volume in this annual anthology series features 14 all-new stories by authors including Nancy Kress, Jack McDevitt, Paul McAuley, and Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow.

Poul Anderson, The Van Rijn Method (Baen Sep 2008)

The early adventures of Anderson's popular character, the notorious Polesotechnic League merchant Nicholas van Rijn, are gathered in this collection of ten stories and novel The Man Who Counts.

Kristin Cashore, Graceling (Harcourt Oct 2008)

A king's young niece, forced to use her magic talent to kill to intimidate enemies, secretly works for justice in this involving young-adult fantasy adventure, a highly promising first novel.

Jack Dann, ed., Dreaming Again: Thirty-Five New Stories Celebrating the Wild Side of Australian Fiction (Eos Oct 2008)

In this follow-up to the landmark World Fantasy Award-winning anthology Dreaming Down-Under (edited by Dann & Janeen Webb), Dann checks back in on the state of Australian genre and finds it flourishing. Offerings by Australian authors include a previously unpublished Grimes story by A. Bertram Chandler, plus works by Garth Nix, Terry Dowling, Sean McMullen, Lucy Sussex, and Margo Lanagan. First published 8/08 by HarperCollins Australia.

Michael Flynn, January Dancer (Tor Oct 2008)

Various forces pursue a legendary pre-human artifact in this far-future space opera set in the Periphery, where many worlds are warped reconstructions of aspects of lost Earth. "Composed with structural brilliance, invested with authentic human feeling, and redolent not only of its SF precursors but of archetypal myths that echo timelessly through life and art, The January Dancer is a masterpiece." [Paul Witcover]

Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book (HarperCollins Oct 2008)

The Jungle Book gets a delightfully gothic twist in this episodic tale of an orphaned boy raised by the dead in a graveyard. Illustrated by Gaiman's popular co-conspirator Dave McKean. "One of the best Neil Gaiman novels, and certainly the most characteristic...." [Gary K. Wolfe]

Nick Gevers, ed., Extraordinary Engines: The Definitive Steampunk Anthology (Solaris Oct 2008)

This "definitive steampunk anthology" gathers 12 original stories by a stellar roster of writers including Kage Baker, Ian R. MacLeod, Margo Lanagan, Jeffrey Ford, and Jay Lake. "Quite fun... this is a first-rate anthology in a year full of them." [Rich Horton]

Margo Lanagan, Tender Morsels (Knopf Oct 2008)

The fairy tale "Snow White and Rose Red" gets a drastic revisioning in this powerful young-adult fantasy about an abused young woman who magically creates her own "heaven," a sheltered world in which to raise her daughters, who then must struggle to survive when the real world intrudes. "Lanagan shows little interest in pulling punches in the interest of perceived sensibility... a brilliant realization of a brilliant premise, and a profoundly moving tale." [Gary K. Wolfe]

Patricia A. McKillip, The Bell at Sealey Head (Ace Sep 2008)

The latest lyrical fantasy novel from one of the field's most acclaimed authors, this is set in a small seaside town haunted by the sound of a bell no one can see, where a house has doors that sometimes open onto a castle with knights and princesses.

Robin McKinley, Chalice (Putnam Sep 2008)

Beekeeper Mirasol must become the new Chalice and bind the land with the help of the new Master, a fire priest who is no longer quite human. A sweet young-adult fantasy from an author known for her "ability to blend a sense of timeworn legend with sharp new details...." [Faren Miller]

Richard Parks, The Long Look (Five Star Sep 2008)

Fantasy conventions get explored and subverted in this fantasy about an "evil" mage who foresees tragedies, but only makes things worse when he tries to stop them. An impressive first novel. "For all this book's wonderful, often perilous and magic-haunted adventures... its archetypes keep giving way to individuals, familiar tropes to something unexpected. A ‘dissident fairy tale' indeed!" [Faren Miller]

Terry Pratchett, Nation (HarperCollins Oct 2008)

A young English noblewoman and a native boy are left stranded on a remote island after a massive tidal wave in this charming adventure mixing ghosts, cannibals, and gods.

Justina Robson, Going Under (Pyr Sep 2008)

Special Agent Lila Black is on a mission to the dangerous world of the fae in this third volume of Quantum Gravity, a series where the Quantum Bomb of 2015 mixed magic into the world.

Neal Stephenson, Anathem (Morrow Sep 2008)

This alternate-future SF novel mixes a hefty dose of alternate-world philosophy with old-fashioned space opera. "The full-bore SF tale which Stephenson readers have been anticipating, or perhaps more than they've been anticipating...its brilliance is undeniable." [Gary K. Wolfe] "Mind-bogglingly ambitious... one of the most thought-provoking novels I've ever read, and also one of the most engaging." [Paul Witcover]

Jo Walton, Half a Crown (Tor Oct 2008)

The alternate-history trilogy begun in Farthing, set in an independent Fascist England in a world where Hitler still rules the Continent, now moves into the 1960s, as activism rises and government control slips. Inspector Carmichael, still secretly gay, is in charge of the British secret police when a peace conference brings things to a head.

Gene Wolfe, An Evil Guest (Tor Sep 2008)

Celebrated author Wolfe moves into Lovecraft territory with this "Loving, deceptively frivolous homage to the detective, horror, and science fiction of the Weird Tales era...." [Paul Witcover] A near-future tale of an actress caught up in a mystery involving a rich man suspected of treason, and a detective who teaches at Miskatonic University.