Black, Holly, & Justine Larbalestier, eds. : Zombies vs. Unicorns
(Simon & Schuster/McElderry 978-1-4169-8954-7, $9.99, 415pp, trade paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Apr 2012

(First edition: McElderry, September 2010)

Young adult anthology of 12 original stories, addressing the question of which is better, zombies or unicorns, with six writers defending each side.
• Authors include Scott Westerfeld, Cassandra Clare, Margo Lanagan, Naomi Novik, and Garth Nix.
• The publisher’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly‘s starred review concludes, “Without a clunker in the bunch, this anthology more than lives up to the potential its concept suggests. Zombies or unicorns? There’s no clear winner, unless it’s readers.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

Brust, Steven : Tiassa
(Tor 978-0-7653-3306-3, $13.99, 336pp, trade paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Apr 2012
• Vlad Taltos #13

(First edition: Tor, April 2011)

Fantasy novel, 13th in the series about Vlad Taltos, following Jhegaala (2007) and Iorich (2010).
• This book brings Vlad back together with Khaavren from The Phoenix Guards.
• Tor’s website has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

Buckell, Tobias S. : Sly Mongoose
(Tor 978-0-7653-5872-1, $7.99, 384pp, mass market paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 27 Mar 2012

(First edition: Tor, August 2008)

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.
• It’s set in the same universe as Buckell’s first two novels, Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin.
• 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.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

Canavan, Trudi : The Rogue
(Orbit 978-0-316-03784-6, $7.99, 560pp, mass market paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Sun 1 Apr 2012
• Traitor Spy #2

(First edition: Orbit, May 2011)

Fantasy novel, second in the “Traitor Spy” trilogy following The Ambassador’s Mission (2010).
• The author’s site has this description plus an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

Flint, Eric : 1636: The Saxon Uprising
(Baen 978-1-4516-3821-9, $7.99, 608pp, mass market paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 27 Mar 2012
• Ring of Fire #18

(First edition: Baen, April 2011)

Alternate history novel in the “Ring of Fire” series that began with Flint’s 1632 (2000), concerning 17th century European history as affected by West Virginians from the 20th century.
• See Wikipedia’s entry for details of the series thus far.
• Baen’s site has this description with links to maps and several chapters.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

Harris, Charlaine : Dead Reckoning
(Ace 978-1937007355, $7.99, 368pp, mass market paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 27 Mar 2012
• Sookie Stackhouse #11

(First edition: Ace, May 2011)

Humorous fantasy novel, eleventh in the popular Southern Vampire series about Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse that began with Dead Until Dark (2001) and included most recently Dead in the Family (2010).
• The author’s website has this excerpt.
• Amazon has over 800 mixed reviews.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

Jemisin, N. K. : The Kingdom of Gods
(Orbit Us 978-0-316-04394-6, $7.99, 592pp, mass market paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Sun 1 Apr 2012
• Inheritance Trilogy #3

(First edition: Orbit, October 2011)

Fantasy novel, third in a trilogy following The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Feb. 2010) and The Broken Kingdoms (Nov. 2010).
• The author’s site has a description with links to three chapters.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Jemisin is as talented as ever, and the focus on desperate longing lends the series thematic unity despite being a bit of a drag. There is room for sequels but no need for them, allowing Jemisin to move on to new frontiers.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

Modesitt, L. E., Jr. : Lady-Protector
(Tor 978-0-7653-6639-9, $7.99, 512pp, mass market paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 27 Mar 2012
• Corean #8

(First edition: Tor, March 2011)

Fantasy novel, eighth book in the author’s Corean Chronicles following Legacies (2002), Darknesses (2003), Scepters (2004), Alector’s Choice (2005), Cadmian’s Choice (2006), and The Lord-Protector’s Daughter (2008).
• It concerns Mykella, the daughter of the Lord-Protector introduced in the previous book.
• Tor’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

Patton, Fiona : The Shining City
(DAW 978-0-7564-0717-9, $7.99, 400pp, mass market paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Apr 2012
• Warriors of Estavia #3

ERROR — 1st edition not found

Fantasy novel, third in a series following The Silver Lake (2005) and The Golden Tower (2008), about three children of prophecy in Anavatan, the city of the Silver Lake.
• The hardcover first edition appeared from DAW in April 2011.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

Sawyer, Robert J. : WWW: Wonder
(Ace 978-1937007362, $7.99, 320pp, mass market paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 27 Mar 2012
• WWW #3

(First edition: Ace, April 2011)

SF novel, third of a trilogy following WWW: Wake (2009) and WWW: Watch (2010), about the emerging consciousness of the World Wide Web.
• Sawyer’s site has this page about the book, with the opening chapters, links to reviews and interviews, and to Penguin Canada’s official site for the trilogy.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

Scalzi, John : Fuzzy Nation
(Tor 978-0-7653-6703-7, $7.99, 368pp, mass market paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 27 Mar 2012

(First edition: Tor, May 2011)

SF novel updating and re-imagining H. Beam Piper’s 1962 Little Fuzzy, about miners on a planet whose cute native bipeds may be intelligent.
• The publisher’s site has this description.
• The author’s site includes this post answering questions about the project, and explaining why this is a “reboot” of Piper’s book, not a sequel.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides an excerpt.
• The starred Publishers Weekly review concluded, “A perfectly executed plot clicks its way to a stunning courtroom showdown in a cathartic finish that will thrill Fuzzy fans old and new.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

Wells, Dan : Mr. Monster
(Tor 978-0-7653-6237-7, $7.99, 320pp, mass market paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 27 Mar 2012
• John Cleaver #2

(First edition: UK: Hodder Headline, February 2010)

Horror novel, sequel to the author’s debut novel I Am Not a Serial Killer (March 2010), about a psychopath who targets serial killers.
• Tor’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

Yolen, Jane, & Midori Snyder : Except the Queen
(Roc 978-0-451-46457-6, $7.99, 384pp, mass market paperback, April 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Apr 2012

(First edition: Roc, February 2010)

YA urban fantasy novel about two fairies who are stripped of their magic and banished to Earth, where they befriend a tattooed girl and a homeless boy.
• This is a mass market paperback edition; a trade paperback appeared in 2011.
• Yolen’s site has this background on the writing of the book, with quotes from reviews.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)