* Bacigalupi, Paolo : The Drowned Cities
(Little, Brown 978-0-316-05624-3, $17.99, 437pp, hardcover, May 2012, cover illustration Neil Swaab)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012
• Ship Breaker #2

Young adult SF novel, a companion novel to Ship Breaker (2010), set in an apocalyptic future in which two kids, Mahlia and Mouse, escape the drowned city of Washington DC to the jungle outskirts ravaged by endless civil war fought by child soldiers.
• The publisher’s site has this description.
• The Kirkus review says, “Arguably, the novel’s greatest success lies in the creation of a world that is so real, the grit and decay of war and ruin will lay thick on the minds of readers long after the final page…. Breathtaking.”
• And Publishers Weekly’s starred review concludes, “Beautifully written, filled with high-octane action, and featuring badly damaged but fascinating and endearing characters, this fine novel tops its predecessor and can only increase the author’s already strong reputation.”

(Tue 24 Apr 2012)
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* Barron, Laird : The Croning
(Night Shade Books 978-1-59780-230-7, $24.99, 320pp, hardcover, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012

Horror novel, the author’s first novel, about a geologist whose anthropologist wife pursues clues about prehuman “little people”.
• Night Shade’s site has this description and order page.
• Publishers Weekly gives it starred review: “The narrative toggles back and forth from past to present, establishing a rhythm between disturbing events and their foreshadowing that reaches a terrifying climax. Barron (Occultation) has studied the work of his predecessors well; already acknowledged a master of the horror short story, he shows himself equally skilled at novel-length work.”
• Stefan Dziemianowicz reviews it in the May issue of Locus Magazine: “In his award-winning short stories, Barron has often effectively evoked that Lovecraftian sense of existential dread characters feel when they realize their insignificance compared to the awesome cosmic forces that shape their reality… To do so for such a sustained performance in this novel-length tale is quite an achievement.”

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* Caine, Rachel : Black Dawn
(NAL 978-0-451-23671-5, $17.99, 384pp, hardcover, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012
• Morganville Vampires #12

Vampire novel, 12th in the “Morganville Vampires” series following Bite Club (May 2011) and Last Breath (Nov. 2011)
• The series site has this description with a sample chapter.

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* Campbell, Jack : Invincible
(Ace 978-1937007454, $26.95, 400pp, hardcover, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012
• The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier #2

Military SF novel, second in the “Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier” series following Dreadnaught (2011) and six earlier books in the “Lost Fleet” series.
• The author is John G. Hemry writing as Jack Campbell. His new website has a description and a link to a an excerpt.

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* Cashore, Kristin : Bitterblue
(Dial 978-0803734739, $19.99, 576pp, hardcover, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012
• Graceling #3

Young adult fantasy novel, sequel to Graceling (2008) and companion to Fire (2009), set in a land where people with special talents are marked by differently-colored eyes.
• The author’s site has descriptions of the three novels.
• The publisher’s page for the books has an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Devotees of the earlier books and fans of Megan Whalen Turner’s intricate political fantasies will relish this novel of palace intrigue.”
• Gwenda Bond reviews it in the May issue of Locus Magazine: “The bottom line is: Bitterblue’s story – emotional and otherwise – is remarkable. This is a story that feels classic and new.”

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* Datlow, Ellen, ed. : Best Horror of the Year: Volume Four
(Night Shade Books 978-1-59780-399-1, $15.99, 430pp, trade paperback, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012

Anthology of 18 horror stories first published in 2011.
• Authors include Stephen King, Peter Straub, Laird Barron, Margo Lanagan, Glen Hirshberg, and John Langan.
• Night Shade’s site has this description with the complete table of contents.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The variety of concepts and styles on display, and Datlow’s comprehensive introduction, will please horror readers of all stripes.”

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* Gentle, Mary : The Black Opera
(Night Shade Books 978-1-59780-219-2, $15.99, 550pp, trade paperback, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012

Historical fantasy novel set in a 19th century Naples where sung music can bring about miracles, about a librettist who is hired to create a counteropera to the “black” opera that has triggered apocalyptic events.
• Night Shade’s site has this description and order page.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Gentle has created a fast-paced, intricate, swashbuckling tale…”
• Faren Miller reviews it in the May issue of Locus Magazine: “Readers with a genuine taste for opera should be in their element.”

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* Harper, Steven : The Impossible Cube
(Roc 978-0-451-46450-7, $7.99, 400pp, mass market paperback, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012
• Clockwork Empire #2

Steampunk SF novel, second “Novel of the Clockwork Empire” following The Doomsday Vault (2011).
• The publisher’s site has this description with a link to an excerpt.

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* Harris, Charlaine : Deadlocked
(Ace 978-1-937007–44-7, $27.95, 336pp, hardcover, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012
• Sookie Stackhouse #12

Humorous fantasy novel, 12th 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) and Dead Reckoning (2011).
• The author’s website has this excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review calls this the “penultimate” book in the series: “As loyalties realign and betrayals are unmasked, Harris ably sets the stage for the ensemble’s last hurrah.”

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* Jemisin, N. K. : The Killing Moon
(Orbit 978-0-316-18728-2, $14.99, 448pp, trade paperback, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012
• The Dreamblood #1

Fantasy novel, first of a series, set in a desert city where peace is the law and priest Gatherers harvest dreams of the citizens.
• The author’s site has this description with links to three chapter excerpts. The second book, The Shadowed Sun, will be published next month.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Rather than merely appropriating various details from Earth’s past and present, Jemisin has created a fully developed secondary world that is an organic whole.”

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* Jerome, Celia : Life Guards in the Hamptons
(DAW 978-0-7564-0725-4, $7.99, 320pp, mass market paperback, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012
• Willow Tate #4

Fantasy romance novel, fourth in a series following Trolls in the Hamptons (2010), Night Mares in the Hamptons (2011), and Fire Works in the Hamptons (2011), about a graphic novelist with the ability to bring her fantasy subjects to life.
• The Publishers Weekly review says, “Fans of Jerome’s Willow Tate, a cheerfully melodramatic writer and Visualizer, will find much to enjoy in her fourth adventure….”

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* Kenyon, Sherrilyn : Born of Silence
(Grand Central 978-0446573313, $25.99, 624pp, hardcover, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012
• The League #5

SF romance novel, fifth in a series following Born of Night, Born of Fire, Born of Ice (all 2009), and Born of Shadows (2011), set in the Ichidian Universe, where The League and their assassins have overthrown a tyrant but face internal corruption.
• The author’s site has this page about the series.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.

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* Nassise, Joseph : By the Blood of Heroes
(Harper Voyager 978-0-06-204875-2, $14.99, 352pp, trade paperback, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012
• The Great Undead War #1

Military zombie novel, first in a series, about an alternate World War I in which Germany employs a new chemical weapons that revives the dead.
• Harper’s site has this description with a preview function.
• The Publishers Weekly review says “Relentless pacing, nonstop action, and improbable but nifty-sounding military gadgetry power an unremittingly entertaining story line that with broad appeal for history buffs, horror aficionados, and fans of steampunk.”

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* Niven, Larry, ed. : Man-Kzin Wars XIII
(Baen 978-1451638165, $14, 384pp, trade paperback, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012

Anthology of original stories in the ongoing series about the feline Kzin warriors battling the ape-like humans — part of the ‘Known Space’ universe established by Niven’s stories and novels in the late 1960s.
• Authors credited on the cover are Jane Lindskold, Charles E. Gannon, Alex Hernandez, Hal Colebatch, and David Bartell.
• Baen’s site has this descrption with just one link to a sample story.

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* Radford, Irene : Chicory Up
(DAW 978-0-7564-0724-7, $7.99, 304pp, mass market paperback, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012
• Pixie Chronicles #2

Fantasy novel, second in a series following Thistle Down (2011), about a young girl’s friendship with pixies.
• The author’s homepage has a description (scroll down).

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* Sagara, Michelle : Silence
(DAW 978-0756407421, $17.99, 256pp, hardcover, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012
• The Queen of the Dead #1

Young adult urban fantasy novel, first in a series, about a girl who, following the death of her boyfriend, discovers she can contact the dead.
• Amazon has the publisher’s description and several reader reviews.

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* Salyards, Jeff : Scourge of the Betrayer
(Night Shade Books 978-1597804066, $24.99, 320pp, hardcover, May 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 May 2012
• Bloodsounder’s Arc #1

Military fantasy novel, the author’s first novel and first of a series, about a young scribe hired to chronicle the exploits of a band or warriors.
• Night Shade’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.
• The author’s site has a blurb from David Anthony Durham, an excerpt, and a blog.

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* Westfahl, Gary : The Spacesuit Film: A History, 1918-1969
(McFarland 978-0-7864-4267-6, $50, 361pp, trade paperback, April 2012)

Nonfiction survey of how spacesuits are depicted in films from Himmelskibet (A Trip to Mars) (1918) to 2001: A Space Odyssey and TV coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing (1969), covering over 100 film and TV series and episodes altogether, including films from the Soviet Union, Europe, Egypt, Mexico, Japan, and western Asia.
• Michael Cassutt provides a foreword. The book includes a filmography of spacesuit films, through 2011, chapter notes, a bibliography, and an index.
• McFarland’s site has this description, along with the complete table of contents, listing all titles covered.

(Wed 11 Apr 2012)
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