Bear, Greg : Quantico
(Vanguard Press 978-1593154738, $7.99, 478pp, mass market paperback, March 2008)
(First edition: UK: HarperCollins UK, November 2005)

Contemporary SF thriller about three FBI agents, graduates of the academy in Quantico, Virginia, and their involvement in a new round of terrorist attacks against the US and international targets.
• The book was originally published in 2005 with no near-simultaneous US edition. The SF Book Club published the first US edition (described here) in March 2006. This paperback edition is a reprint of the 2007 hardcover from Vanguard Press.
• The publisher's website has this description of the hardcover edition.
• Gary K. Wolfe's review in Locus Magazine said "Quantico is by far the most stripped-down and linear of Bear's near-future thrillers, and the one most willing to play with the clich‚s and conventions of the genre..."

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Bova, Ben : The Aftermath
(Tor 978-0765343161, $7.99, 396pp, mass market paperback, April 2008)
(First edition: Tor, August 2007)

SF novel, fourth in the "Asteroid Wars" series following The Precipice (2001), The Rock Rats (2002), and The Silent War (2004). It's about an ore-carrier captain who becomes involved in a military attack.
• Tor's website has this description and an excerpt.
• Amazon's 'search inside' feature includes an excerpt.

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Flint, Eric, & Andrew Dennis : 1635: The Cannon Law
(Baen 978-1416555360, $7.99, 580pp, mass market paperback, April 2008)
(First edition: Baen, October 2006)

SF time travel novel, fourth in the series following Flint's 1632 (2000), Flint & David Weber's 1633 (2002), and Flint & Dennis' 1634: The Galileo Affair (2004), about modern Americans from Gransville, West Virginia, trapped in Renaissance Italy.
• Baen's Webscription site has this blurb and links to several chapters.
• Amazon has the starred Booklist review by Roland Green, who says "this is probably the strongest book in this magnificent saga since the opening volume, 1632 (2000)".

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Friedman, David D. : Harald
(Baen 978-1416555377, $7.99, 407pp, mass market paperback, April 2008)
(First edition: Baen, April 2006)

Fantasy novel, the author's first novel, about a farmer, storyteller, and sometime army commander who steps forward when the old king dies to protect his land from a threatening empire.
• The author, an "anarchist-anachronist-economist" according to his webpage, is the son of economist Milton Friedman (according to Baen's site). He has a blog and a webpage for the book with a description and background information.
• Baen's site has a description and links to several chapters.
• Amazon has the Booklist review by Frieda Murray: "Respectable, standard action fantasy that will please the respectable, very diverse readership of such."

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Hill, Joe : Heart-Shaped Box
(Harper 978-0-06-114794-4, $7.99, 354pp, mass market paperback, April 2008)
(First edition: Morrow, February 2007)

Horror novel, the author's first novel, about an aging rock star, collector of morbid curiosities, who buys a suit haunted by its dead owner.
• This is the first novel by the author whose acclaimed collection 20th Century Ghosts has won the Stoker, British Fantasy, International Horror Guild, and Crawford awards. The novel is currently a Locus Award finalist for best first novel of 2007.
• Author's website http://www.joehillfiction.com/ includes a blog.
• Amazon has guest reviews from Scott Smith and Harlan Coben, as well as Publishers Weekly's starred review: "[Hill's] subtle and skillful treatment of horrors that could easily have exploded over the top and out of control helps make this a truly memorable debut."
• Faren Miller's review from Locus Magazine is posted here online.

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McIntosh, Fiona : Odalisque
(Eos 978-0-06-089911-0, $7.99, 463pp, mass market paperback, April 2008)
(First edition: Eos, March 2007)

Fantasy novel, first in the "Percheron Sage", set in a world inspired by the Constantinople of the Ottoman Empire, about a slave named Lazar who fights his way to commander of the royal guard.
• The second novel in the series, Emissary, was published last October.
• The HarperCollins site has this description and a 'browse inside' link showing the first few pages of maps and text.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "A magnificent setting distinguishes this first of a new fantasy trilogy ..." and concluding "strong characters and an enticing plot bode well for future installments."

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Rothfuss, Patrick : The Name of the Wind
(DAW 978-0756404741, $7.99, 722pp, mass market paperback, April 2008)
(First edition: DAW, April 2007)

Fantasy novel, first of a series and the author's debut novel, about a wizard in hiding who tells his life story.
• The novel is currently a Locus Award finalist for best First Novel of 2007.
• The author's official site has background on the author, an excerpt, quotes from reviews, a map of the world, and a blog.
• The next book, The Wise Man's Fear is due in April 2009.
• Faren Miller's review from Locus Magazine, posted online, concludes "Writers like George R.R. Martin and Gene Wolfe are old hands at revitalizing old tropes, giving fantasy the depth and humanity of the great literary novels, but Rothfuss sets out to retell what should be the most familiar tale of all, in the most familiar mode (the triple-decker). Remarkably, he does make it fresh again in this opening book, complete with an interesting take on magic that adds both emotional impact and intellectual excitement. So bring on volume two!"

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Steele, Allen : Spindrift
(Ace 978-0-441-01582-5, $7.99, 288pp, mass market paperback, April 2008)
(First edition: Ace, April 2007)

SF novel, set in the universe of the author's Coyote trilogy, about astronauts, presumed lost nearly 60 years ago, who return from investigating an alien artifact and report having made contact with an extraterrestrial race.
• The publisher's site has this description.
• Amazon has the starred Publishers Weekly review: "Though readers of the trilogy already know the basic story -- and the novel's opening also gives away most of the outcome -- Steele delivers a gripping saga of humanity on the verge of exploring the larger universe."
• Steele's interview in the January '07 issue of Locus Magazine, excerpted here, discusses the book.

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Turtledove, Harry : Beyond the Gap
(Tor 978-0-765-35638-3, $7.99, 421pp, mass market paperback, April 2008)
(First edition: Tor, February 2007)

Alternate history novel, first in a new series, about the Bronze Age Raumsdalian Empire, whose explorations beyond a gap in a glacier lead to an encounter with mammoth-riding warriors.
• Tor's website has this description and an excerpt.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review, which concludes "A vivid setting and strong characterization bode well for future installments."

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Zettel, Sarah : Sword of the Deceiver
(Tor 978-0-765-34320-8, $7.99, 434pp, mass market paperback, April 2008)
(First edition: Tor, March 2007)

Fantasy novel, conclusion of the Isavalta series following trilogy A Sorcerer's Treason (2002), The Usurper's Crown (2002), and The Firebird's Vengeance (2004).
• Tor's website has this description and an excerpt.
• Amazon has the Publishers Weekly review: "The fast-paced, complex story works well as a stand-alone and is sure to appeal to fans of both epic fantasy and romance."

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Zindell, David : The Silver Sword
(Tor 978-0-765-35592-8, $7.99, 364pp, mass market paperback, April 2008)

Fantasy novel, second volume in the "Ea" series following The Lightstone (US 2006) -- both volumes derived and revised from the original version of The Lightstone published in the UK in 2001. It's already been followed in Britain by The Lord of Lies (2003), Black Jade (2005), and The Diamond Warriors (2007). The series concerns the champion destined to lead a decadent colonial civilization back to greatness, via a grail called the Lightstone.
• Just published in hardcover is the US edition of Lord of Lies, from Tor.
• Tor's website has this description and an excerpt.
• Excerpts from Locus Magazine's 2000 interview with Zindell discuss the premise of this series.

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