Barnes, John : Mother of Storms
(Tor 978-0-7653-3251-6, $17.99, 432pp, trade paperback, June 2012)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 5 Jun 2012

(First edition: Tor, July 1994)

Near-future SF catastrophe novel, set in 2028, about a nuclear strike in the arctic that triggers the largest hurricane in human history.
•Tor’s site has this description.
•The novel was a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke awards, and placed 4th in that year’s Locus Poll for Best SF Novel.
•Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.

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* Farmer, Philip José, & Christopher Paul Carey : Gods of Opar: Tales of Lost Khokarsa
(Subterranean Press 978-1-59606-471-3, $45, 576pp, hardcover, June 2012, cover art Bob Eggleton)
Nominal Publication Date: Sat 30 Jun 2012

Omnibus of two novels written by Farmer in homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs, Hadon of Ancient Opar (1974) and Flight to Opar (1976), plus a third novel by Christopher Paul Carey based on an outline by Farmer for a third novel, The Song of Kwasin.
•Subterranean’s website has this description and order page.
Publishers Weekly gives it this review: “Fans of Farmer’s original series will appreciate this repackaging and enjoy the finale, both in tone and because of the closure it provides. Likewise, fans of Burroughs, H. Rider Haggard, and other pulp authors will find the entire collection an accessible and enjoyable throwback.”

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Jordan, Robert : The Great Hunt
(Tor 978-0-7653-3434-3, $15.99, 656pp, trade paperback, June 2012, cover art Kekai Kotaki)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 5 Jun 2012

(First edition: Tor, December 1990)

New edition of the second volume of Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” fantasy series, following The Eye of the World (1990).
•Tor’s site has this description.
•Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.

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Moorcock, Michael : Byzantium Endures
(PM Press 978-1-60486-491-5, $22, 400pp, trade paperback, June 2012)
Nominal Publication Date: Fri 1 Jun 2012
Pyat #1

Historical novel with ties to the author’s Cornelius stories, first volume of a quartet about Colonel Pyatt, which was followed by The Laughter of Carthage (1984), Jerusalem Commands (1992), and The Vengeance of Rome (2006).
•PM Press’ site has this description with quotes from reviews.
•Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.

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* Shepard, Lucius : The Dragon Griaule
(Subterranean 978-1-59606-456-0, $45, 432pp, hardcover, June 2012)
Nominal Publication Date: Thu 31 May 2012

Collection of six stories set in a world dominated by a huge, 6000-foot-long paralyzed dragon named Griaule.
•The first story, “The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule” (1984), was a Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award nominee, and placed 2nd in that year’s Locus Poll for Best Novelette.
•Subsequent stories include “The Scalehunter’s Beautiful Daughter” — also a Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy finalist, and which won that year’s Locus Poll for Best Novella — and “The Father of Stones” (again, Hugo and World Fantasy finalist, Locus Poll winner).
•This volume includes an original 40,000 novella, “The Skull”.
•Subterranean’s site has this description and order page.
•The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “These six stories explore ground far from the high fantasy with which dragons are frequently associated. Fans of Shepard’s unusual and often powerful Griaule tales will be delighted to have them all in one place.”

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* Strugatsky, Arkady and Boris, translated by Olena Bormashenko : Roadside Picnic
(Chicago Review Press 978-1-61374-341-6, $15.95, 9+209pp, trade paperback, May 2012)
Nominal Publication Date: Mon 28 May 2012

New translation of a 1972 Russian novel about a zone of artifacts left by alien visitors, and the ‘stalkers’ who are compelled to explore the zone.
•The earlier English language translation, by Antoniana W. Bouis, was published by Macmillan in 1977 in omnibus volume Roadside Picnic/Tale of the Troika. As the new edition notes, it was the inspiration for the 1979 film Stalker and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. video games.
•The new volume has a foreword by Ursula K. Le Guin and an afterword by Boris Strugatsky.
•The publisher’s site has this description.
•Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.
Publishers Weekly gives this new edition a starred review: “Boris Strugatsky’s afterword describes how uneasy the manuscript made myopic Soviet bureaucrats; it has survived triumphantly as a classic because it expresses humanity’s inarticulate rage and wonder at life’s frustrations and promises.”

(Tue 29 May 2012)
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