* Carter, Stephen L. : The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln
(Knopf 978-0-307-27263-8, $26.95, 528pp, hardcover, July 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Jul 2012

Alternate history novel in which Lincoln survives his assassination attempt in 1865, then faces impeachment two years later.
• The author’s site has a description and a blog post about writing the book.
• The publisher’s site has a description and an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review is mixed: “… The pace picks up in the much better second half, when Lincoln is finally on trial and the author (a Yale Law professor) gets to trot out some enjoyable courtroom shenanigans.”

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

* D’Amato, Brian : The Sacrifice Game
(Dutton 978-0-525-95241-1, $29.95, 656pp, hardcover, July 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Thu 5 Jul 2012
• Sacrifice Game Trilogy #2

SF/fantasy novel, second in a trilogy following In the Courts of the Sun (2009), about a man who travels in time to try to prevent the end of the world in 2012.
• Penguin’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review notes that “While explicit descriptions of mutilation and cannibalism highlight the cultural differences between the Mayan civilization and our own, some readers may feel less would have been more.”

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

* Harkness, Deborah : Shadow of Night
(Viking 978-0-670-02348-6, $28.95, 592pp, hardcover, July 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Jul 2012
• All Souls Trilogy #2

Literary fantasy novel, sequel to A Discovery of Witches (2011), about an Oxford scholar and a lost manuscript about the origins of supernatural species.
• Penguin’s site has this description with a link to an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review calls it “energetic if chaotic”, and concludes “This tale of a feminist Yankee in Queen Elizabeth’s court charms amid the tumult, as the gifted heroine and her groom fight for generations and another sequel to come in order to protect the magical world that’s all around us.”

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

+ Joyce, Graham : Some Kind of Fairy Tale
(Doubleday 978-0-385-53578-6, $24.95, 310pp, hardcover, July 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Jul 2012

First US edition (UK: Gollancz, June 2012)

Fantasy novel, subtitled “A Tale of Enchantment”, about a woman who returns to her family after a mysterious 20 year disappearance.
• The publisher’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Though Joyce envisions an intriguing realm nestled against our own, what’s most compelling are his characters’ chaotic emotions and reconnections as they struggle to cope with what they can’t understand.”
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews it in the July issue of Locus Magazine, calling it “haunting, brilliant”, and comments “Some Kind of Fairytale will likely invite comparisons to everyone from Carter to Robert Holdstock (there’s a distinctly enchanted wood), but you have to reach a bit further to appreciate the subtlety and complexity of Joyce at the top of his form, which he clearly is here.”

(Tue 3 Jul 2012)
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

* McCaffrey, Anne, & Todd McCaffrey : Sky Dragons
(Ballantine Del Rey 978-0-345-50091-5, $28, 368pp, hardcover, July 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 26 Jun 2012
• Dragonriders of Pern/Todd #5

SF novel in the Pern series, the authors’ fifth collaboration following Dragon’s Kin (2003), Dragon’s Fire (2006), and Dragon Harper (2007), and Dragon’s Time (2011), and the last book that will feature Anne McCaffrey name.
• The Random House/Del Rey site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “While minimal backstory will make it difficult for new readers to find their way into this chapter of the Pern story, longtime fans will enjoy the latest adventures of the cheerful dragonriders and their colorful mounts.”

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

* Neumeier, Rachel : House of Shadows
(Orbit 978-0-316-07277-9, $14.99, 352pp, trade paperback, July 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Jul 2012

Fantasy novel, a stand-alone but with a sequel contemplated, about two sisters and a foreign bard to their city.
• The author’s website has this page about the book
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides an excerpt.

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

* Polster, James : The Prankster
(Amazon/47North 978-1612183633, $9.95, mass market paperback, July 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Jul 2012

SF novella about a time-traveling alien whose pranks on humanity — e.g. the pyramids — has made his reality show the most popular on his planet.
• The author is also a movie producer and screenwriter, with three previous novels to his credit.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.

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

* Powell, Megan : No Peace for the Damned
(Amazon/47North 978-1612183602, $14.95, 266pp, trade paperback, July 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Jul 2012
• Damned #1

Urban fantasy novel, the author’s first novel and first of a series, about a young woman who flees her abusive family, joins a secret organization that fights supernatural criminals, and discovers her first assignment is her own family.
• The author’s site has this description with the title of the second book.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.

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

* Reid, Rob : Year Zero
(Del Rey 978-0-345-53441-5, $25, 384pp, hardcover, July 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Jul 2012

SF satire about aliens who’ve been listening to human music since 1977 and realize they owe huge back fees and penalities.
• The publisher’s site has this description, though no excerpt.
• Bad Astronomer Phil Plait has this review — “Funny, smart, silly… three things I also happen to admire in a novel.” — with the book’s trailer.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “…anyone frustrated by the labyrinthine and often Machiavellian machinations of the RIAA and similar groups will get plenty of laughs, and the comedy more than covers for the relatively thin characters.”

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

* Williams, Tad : A Stark and Wormy Knight
(Subterranean 978-1-59606-461-4, $40, 440pp, hardcover, July 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Sat 30 Jun 2012

Collection of 11 stories, with an introduction.
• Subterranean’s site has this description and order page, with the table of contents.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Readers only familiar with Williams’s lengthy sagas will find a pleasant surprise in his ability to handle short work in different genres, while new readers can give him a try without committing to an epic series.”

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

* Winters, Ben H. : The Last Policeman
(Quirk Books 9781594745768, $14.95, 288pp, trade paperback, July 2012)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Jul 2012
• Last Policeman #1

Pre-apocalyptic novel, first of a trilogy, about a police detective’s work six months before an asteroid is due to hit Earth, prompting a rash of suicides.
• The publisher’s site has this description with links to excerpts.
• Amazon has a video trailer and names it Best Book of the Month for July, with a short review by Neal Thompson.

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