* Armstrong, Kelley : The Calling
(HarperCollins 978-0-06-179705-7, $17.99, 336pp, hardcover, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Apr 2012
• Darkness Rising #2

Young adult fantasy novel, second in a trilogy following The Gathering (2011).
• The author’s site has this description, with a link to an excerpt of the first seven chapters.

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* Birmingham, John : Angels of Vengeance
(Del Rey 978-0-345-50293-3, $26, 560pp, hardcover, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Apr 2012
• Without Warning #3

Alternate history novel, third in of a trilogy following Without Warning (2009) and After America (2010), about an apocalypse in which most of the world’s population disappears.
• The publisher’s site has this description with a preview function and a text excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review calls it a “a seamless fusion of alternate history, postapocalyptic fiction, and espionage-fueled thriller.”

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* Delany, Samuel R. : Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders
(Magnus Books 978-1-936833-14-6, $21.95, 804pp, trade paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 17 Apr 2012

SF novel, long-awaited, about a gay couple who meet in 2007 and their life over the subsequent 60 years, as they work as garbage men, run a rural movie theater, and become handymen for a lesbian art colony.
• The publisher’s site has this description.
• The front cover has a blurb from Junot Díaz: “A deeply affecting chronicle of a lifelong partnership, Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders is by turns generous, unsparing and bursting with life (and sex) in all its difficult, rousing, prismatic splender. A truly staggering achievement, this moving, comic novel underscores why Delany remains essential reading and why American letters would be the poorer without him.”
• Portions of the book have been previously published, including “In the Valley of the Nest of Spiders” in Black Clock 7, 2007, edited by Steve Erickson.
• Wikipedia has this this page for the book with a plot summary and description of themes, citing its homage to an Italo Calvino novel and its relatinship to Delany’s previous novel Dark Reflections.
• Fan Kevin Donaker-Ring, who compiles Delany errata, has posted this page of corrections to this first printing, most very minor, except for a missing chapter 90 [PDF].
• Paul Di Filippo will review the book for Locus Online later this month.

(Fri 6 Apr 2012)
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* Dellamonica, A. M. : Blue Magic
(Tor 978-0-7653-1948-7, $14.99, 352pp, trade paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Apr 2012
• Blue Magic #2

Fantasy novel, sequel to the author’s first novel Indigo Springs, about a woman who discovers a source of in a magical stream of blue liquid that enchants everyday objects.
• Tor’s website has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “While the first novel was a tight book focusing on a small group of people, this volume is more ambitious…”

(Tue 3 Apr 2012)
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* Evenson, Brian : Immobility
(Tor 978-0-7653-3096-3, $24.99, 256pp, hardcover, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Apr 2012

Horror/apocalyptic SF novel about a man who awakes, paralyzed, in a world following some catastrophe he cannot remember.
• Tor’s website has this description with an excerpt and blurbs from Peter Straub and others.
• Amazon’s Omnivoracious has this interview with Evenson about the novel’s status as ‘hypothetical’…
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Prose honed to a razor sharpness carries him through a broken landscape of menace and despair that never brightens. Grim and unrelenting, this compelling book will darken the mood of even the most lighthearted readers as Evenson (The Open Curtain) drives it toward an inevitable but still surprising ending.”

(Tue 3 Apr 2012)
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* Gilman, Carolyn Ives : Ison of the Isles
(ChiZine Publications 978-1926851563, $15.95, 320pp, trade paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Apr 2012
• Isles #2

Fantasy novel, sequel to Isles of the Forsaken (2011), about an island nation that needs a leader to unite them again invaders.
• ChiZine’s site has this description, with a PDF preview and a blurb by Karen Joy Fowler for the first book.

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* Grahame-Smith, Seth : Unholy Night
(Grand Central 978-0-446-56309-3, $24.99, 320pp, hardcover, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Apr 2012

Humorous historical fantasy novel, by the author of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2010) and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2009), about the three kings of the nativity.
• The publisher’s site has this description with a link to an excerpt.
• Entertainment Weekly‘s review gives it an A: “After establishing his turn-of-A.D. bona fides, Grahame-Smith bids history adieu, with the nativity gang pursued at various points by a black-magic sorcerer, a young Pontius Pilate’s Roman legion, and a mob of Egyptian zombies…”

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* Johnson, Alaya : Wicked City
(St. Martin’s 978-0-312-56548-0, $25.99, 320pp, hardcover, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Apr 2012
• Zephyr Hollis #2

Alternate history fantasy novel, second of a series after Moonshine (2010), about vampires and social struggles in a parallel 1920s New York.
• The publisher’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “Her sleuthing is engaging enough, but the real fun lies in the little details of Johnson’s imagined world…”

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* Johnson, Suzanne : Royal Street
(Tor 978-0-7653-2779-6, $14.99, 336pp, trade paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Apr 2012
• Sentinels of New Orleans #1

Paranormal fantasy novel, the author’s first novel and first of a series, about a junior wizard in New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina strikes the city.
• Tor’s website has this description with an excerpt and blurbs.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Sympathetic, entertaining DJ is the perfect narrator for a lively tale jam-packed with action, magic, and intriguing plot twists.”

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* Kowal, Mary Robinette : Glamour in Glass
(Tor 978-0-7653-2557-0, $24.99, 336pp, hardcover, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Apr 2012
• Shades #2

Fantasy novel, sequel to the author’s first novel Shades of Milk and Honey (2010), set in a Regency England where the manipulation of glamour is considered essential for a lady of quality.
• Tor’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The author’s site has this page for the book with links to a sample chapter and images from the book.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “While Kowal’s focus shifts somewhat abruptly from magical-scientific exploration to espionage adventure, the setting and the intricate techniques of glamour manipulation continue to intrigue, and the thoughtful portrayal of the difficulties of Jane and Vincent’s affectionately nontraditional partnership is thoroughly engaging.”

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* Maberry, Jonathan : Assassin’s Code
(Pocket 978-0-312-55220-6, $14.99, 464pp, trade paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Apr 2012
• Joe Ledger #4

Horror thriller, fourth in a series following following Patient Zero (2009), The Dragon Factory (2010), and The King of Plagues (2011), about a Baltimore detective recruited by the US Department of Military Sciences to fight various terrorist threats. In this book a hunt for missing nuclear devices uncovers a centuries-long conspiracy.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Maberry delivers plenty of action, intrigue, and navel-gazing in a messy but fun story.”

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+ Nicholls, Stan : Orcs: Inferno
(Orbit 978-0-316-03371-8, $15.99, 400pp, trade paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Apr 2012
• Orcs: Bad Blood #3

First US edition (UK: Gollancz, December 2011)

Fantasy novel, third volume in the author’s second “Orcs” trilogy following Orcs: Bad Blood I: Weapons of Magical Destruction (2008) and Orcs: Bad Blood II: Army of Shadows (2009), and earlier “Orcs: First Blood” trilogy.
• The author’s Wikipedia page has lists of titles.

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* Slattery, Brian Francis : Lost Everything
(Tor 978-0-7653-2912-7, $14.99, 304pp, trade paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Apr 2012

Post-apocalyptic SF novel, about a man who takes a trip up the Susquehanna River through a ravaged landscape.
• Tor’s website has this description with an excerpt and blurbs for the author’s previous books.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function also provides a preview.
• Faren Miller reviews the book in the April issue of Locus Magazine: “Moving between flashbacks, dreams and glimpses of current action, among a varied cast, Lost Everything turns the horrors of national and cultural collapse into something far more intimate, lacking easy definitions and beyond the scope of most dystopian SF.”

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* Youers, Rio : Westlake Soul
(ChiZine Publications 978-1-926851-55-6, $15.99, 250pp, trade paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Apr 2012

Fantasy novel about a 23-year-old former surfing champion trapped in a permanent vegetative state but able to think and read the minds of those around him.
• ChiZine’s site has this description with a book trailer and a PDF excerpt, and blurbs from Peter Straub and others.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Youers deftly captures the voice and raw emotion of a young man struggling to delay the inevitable.”

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