* Adams, Guy : The Clown Service
(UK: Random House/Ebury/Del Rey UK 978-0091953140, £12.99, 320pp, hardcover, September 2013)
• Nominal Publication Date: Thu 19 Sep 2013
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1448175529
• The Clown Service #1

Supernatural thriller, first of a series, about an MI6 agent reassigned to a unit that fights preternatural threats.
• Del Rey’s site has this description.
• The author’s site has some background.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.

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* Baxter, Stephen : Proxima
(UK: Gollancz 978-0-575-11683-2, £20, 464pp, hardcover, September 2013)
• Nominal Publication Date: Thu 19 Sep 2013
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-0575116863
• Proxima #1

SF novel, first of a duology, about a 27th century colonization of a planet circling Proxima Centauri.
• Orion’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Tor.com has a review by Niall Alexander: “Make no mistake: Proxima is immensely entertaining and eminently accessible science fiction which builds towards a catastrophic, cold war of the worlds conclusion that is both breathtaking and bone-chilling.”

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* Brust, Steven, & Skyler White : The Incrementalists
(Tor 978-0-7653-3422-0, $24.99, 304pp, hardcover, September 2013)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Sep 2013
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781466809314

Urban fantasy novel about a secret society whose members have worked for 40,000 years to make the world better.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt, video trailer, and blurbs from John Scalzi, Neil Gaiman, and others.
• The Publishers Weekly review says “Fans of cerebral fantasy will enjoy the layered mystery, innovative concept, and fast-moving plot”.
• Faren Miller and Tom Whitmore both review the book in the September issue of Locus Magazine; Whitmore writes, “This is a book that I devoured in two sittings. I cared about the characters, I cared about the world, and I cared about who would survive.”

(Fri 20 Sep 2013)
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* Holloway, Emma Jane : A Study in Silks
(Del Rey 978-0-345-53718-8, $7.99, 560pp, mass market paperback, September 2013)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Sep 2013
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-0-345-54564-0
• The Baskerville Affair #1

Steampunk novel set in Victorian London about Evelina Cooper, the niece of Sherlock Holmes.
• This is the first of three novels about this character, to be published at monthly intervals.
• Random House’s site has this synopsis
• The Publishers Weekly review says, “Holloway stuffs her adventure with an abundance of characters and ideas and fills her heroine with talents and graces, all within a fun, brisk narrative.”

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* James, Elliott : Charming
(Orbit 978-0-316-25339-0, $15, 400pp, trade paperback, September 2013)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Sep 2013
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316253383
• Pax Arcana #1

Urban fantasy novel, the author’s first novel and first of a series, about a cursed prince named John Charming.
• Hachette’s site has this description with an OpenBook excerpt. Orbit is also publishing several digital short stories about the character; the first was published August 15th.
• The Publishers Weekly review says, “James’s debut delivers a solid though sometimes familiar-feeling tale.”

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* King, Stephen : Doctor Sleep
(Simon & Schuster/Scribner 978-1-4767-2765-3, $30, 544pp, hardcover, September 2013)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Sep 2013
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781476727660
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781442362383
• UK edition: Hodder & Stoughton 978-1444761160 (Tue 24 Sep 2013)
• The Shining #2


Horror novel, sequel to The Shining (1977), about now-adult Danny Torrance, an alcoholic working at a nursing home in a New Hampshire town.
• Simon & Schuster’s site has this description with a video trailer and an audio excerpt.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Less terrifying than its famous predecessor, perhaps because of the author’s obvious affection for even the most repellant characters, King’s latest is still a gripping, taut read that provides a satisfying conclusion to Danny Torrance’s story.”
• Links to other reviews are compiled in this Blinks post.

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+ Littlewood, Alison : A Cold Season
(Quercus/Jo Fletcher 978-1-62365-022-3, $22.95, 304pp, hardcover, September 2013)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Sep 2013

Horror novel, the author’s first novel, about the widow of an Afghanistan soldier who retires with her son to a bucolic small town.
• This appears to be a US hardcover release of a title first published by Jo Fletcher in paperback in the UK in January 2012.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Amazon has the Booklist review, which concludes ” Littlewood’s story isn’t perfect, and some themes are overdone, but it certainly hits some very high and scary notes.”

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* Mansbach, Adam : The Dead Run
(Harper Voyager 978-0-06-219965-2, $25.99, 304pp, hardcover, September 2013)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Sep 2013
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062199676
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062263315

Fantasy thriller about an American man on a mission to deliver the beating heart of a young girl across the border from Mexico to a cult leader in Texas, a task that may bring about the end of the world.
• Mansbach is best known for children’s book Go the F**k to Sleep.
• Harper’s site has this description with a Read Now function.
• Amazon has both the Publishers Weekly and Booklist reviews; the latter concludes “Both surreal and grounded in harsh reality, the novel is ambitiously plotted and powerfully written.”

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* Sanderson, Brandon : Steelheart
(Random House/Delacorte 978-0-385-74356-3, $18.99, 400pp, hardcover, September 2013)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Sep 2013
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-0-449-81839-8
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 978-1480569379
• Epics #1

Young adult novel, first of a series, about a group of corrupt superbeings called Epics, and the ordinary human Reckoners who fight them.
• Random House’s site has this description with a preview function.
• The Publishers Weekly review calls it an “ultraviolent yet playful entry into the superhero genre” and concludes, “Although readers may not be surprised at the twists that arise, the near-constant action, Sanderson’s whiz-bang imaginings, and a fully realized sense of danger (the brutal opening scene alone will hook many) make this an absolute page-turner.”

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* Schwab, V. E. : Vicious
(Tor 978-0-7653-3534-0, $24.99, 364pp, hardcover, September 2013, jacket art Victo Ngai)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Sep 2013
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781466822177

Fantasy novel about two roommates who experiment with superpowers in college, and later in life become nemeses.
• It’s the author’s first adult book after two YA novels.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt and video trailer.
• Publishers Weekly gives this a starred review: “In a genre that tends toward the flippant or pretentious, this is a rare superhero novel as epic and gripping as any classic comic. Schwab’s tale of betrayal, self-hatred, and survival will resonate with superhero fans as well as readers who have never heard of Charles Xavier or Victor von Doom.”

(Fri 20 Sep 2013)
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* Siegel, Jan : The Devil’s Apprentice
(Rebellion/Ravenstone 978-1-78108-147-1, $9.99, 384pp, trade paperback, September 2013)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Sep 2013
• UK edition: 978-1781081464 (Thu 10 Oct 2013)
• The Devil’s Apprentice #1

Young adult fantasy novel, first of a series, about three teenagers exploring a mysterious London house with no doors who learn they are in the running to be the Devil’s successor.
• This is one of the first titles from Rebellion’s new children’s imprint Ravenstone, whose website is not quite up and running.
• The Publishers Weekly review calls it “a somewhat tongue-in-cheek tale spanning time and space” and concludes, “The numerous elements and fluctuating tone keep the overall story from truly coming together, but it’s still a fascinating, ambitious beginning—one that may yet reach its potential.”

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* Willrich, Chris : The Scroll of Years
(Pyr 978-1-61614-813-3, $15.95, 270pp, trade paperback, September 2013, cover illustration Kerem Beyit)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Sep 2013
• Gaunt and Bone #1

Fantasy novel, the author’s first novel and first of a series, about Persimmon Gaunt and Imago Bone, a poet and a thief, fleeing assassins. The characters have been subjects of the author’s short stories since 2000.
• Pyr’s site has this description with blurbs by Saladin Ahmed and others.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “This fantastical quest story contains witty narration, well-drawn characters, and a fast-moving plot, but its portrayal of Qiangguo as stagnating in isolation and desperately in need of outside saviors will put off some readers, especially those familiar with Chinese history and culture.”
• Faren Miller reviews the book in the September issue of Locus Magazine: “You won’t mistake this for a straightforward narrative of conflict, survival, and romance.”

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* Wooding, Chris : The Ace of Skulls
(UK: Gollancz 9780575098107, £20, 496pp, hardcover, September 2013)
• Nominal Publication Date: Thu 19 Sep 2013
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780575098138
• Tales of the Ketty Jay #4

Fantasy steampunk novel, fourth in a series following Retribution Falls (UK 2009, US 2011), The Black Lung Captain (UK 2010, US 2011), and The Iron Jackal (UK 2011; US 2012), about sky pirates.
• Orion’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides an excerpt.

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