New Books, 23 September
* Brennan, Sarah Rees : Unmade
(Random House 978-0-375-87043-9, $17.99, 384pp, hardcover, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Sep 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-0-375-97996-5
• Lynburn Legacy #3
Young adult fantasy novel, third in a series following Unspoken (2012) and Untold (2013), about a girl detective in the English village of Sorry-in-the-Vale.
• Random House’s site has this description with a preview function.
• Publishers Weekly said of of the first book, identifying gothic and manga influences, “A promising launch with a dark cliffhanger of an ending.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)
* Clarke, Neil, ed. : Upgraded
(Wyrm Publishing 978-1890464301, $16.95, 368pp, trade paperback, September 2014, cover art Julie Dillon)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Sep 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: B00MQGNM10
Anthology of 26 original stories about cyborgs.
• Authors include Greg Egan, Elizabeth Bear, Ken Liu, Robert Reed, and Peter Watts.
• The publisher’s site has this description with the table of contents.
• Lois Tilton reviewed the book for Locus Online here, especially recommending stories by Robert Reed and Ken Liu.
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* Grant, Michael : Messenger of Fear
(HarperCollins/Tegen Books 978-0062207401, $17.99, 272pp, hardcover, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Sep 2014
Young adult fantasy/horror novel, about a girl who becomes an apprentice to a magical boy who dispenses justice to the world.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a preview function and several blurbs and quotes from reviews.
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* James, Elliott : Daring
(Orbit 978-0316253406, $15, 400pp, trade paperback, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Sep 2014
• Pax Arcana #2
Urban fantasy novel, second in series following Charming (2013), about a cursed prince named John Charming.
• Hachette’s site has this description for the previous book, but site searches today turn up nothing for this book, or even for “Elliott James”.
• Publishers Weekly said of the first book, “James’s debut delivers a solid though sometimes familiar-feeling tale.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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+ Jones, Stephen, ed. : Fearie Tales
(Quercus/Jo Fletcher 978-1623658069, $24.99, 480pp, hardcover, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Sep 2014
First US edition (UK: Quercus/Jo Fletcher, September 2013)
US edition of an anthology of 15 original stories, subtitled “Stories of the Grimm and Gruesome”, based on tales by the Brothers Grimm.
• Authors include Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix, Michael Marshall Smith, Peter Crowther, and Ramsey Campbell.
• Quercus’ site has this description for the 2013 UK edition.
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* Pratchett, Terry : A Slip of the Keyboard: Collected Nonfiction
(Random House/Doubleday 978-0385538305, $26.95, 336pp, hardcover, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Sep 2014
• UK edition: Transworld/Doubleday UK 978-0857521224 (Thu 25 Sep 2014)
Nonfiction collection of articles and essays, about Discworld and about causes including Alzheimer’s and animal rights.
• Neil Gaiman provides a forword.
• The UK edition has a hyphen in “non-fiction”; the US edition does not.
• Random House’s site has this description with the table of contents.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Spalenka, Greg : The Art of Greg Spalenka
(UK: Titan 978-1781168844, $34.95, 160pp, hardcover, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Sep 2014
Art book by the artist who has won two Gold Spectrum Awards.
• Titan’s site has this description.
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* Sumner-Smith, Karina : Radiant
(Skyhorse/Talos 978-1-940456-10-2, $15.99, 400pp, trade paperback, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Sep 2014
• Towers Trilogy #1
Young adult fantasy novel, the author’s first novel and first of a trilogy, about a 15-year-old girl without magic in a divided society of floating Towers.
• Skyhorse’s site has a page for the next book, Defiant, due May 2015, but no page for this book.
• Publishers Weekly gives this a starred review: “Inequality, economics, and postapocalyptic necromancy combine persuasively in Sumner-Smith’s ingenious, insightful debut.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Waugh, Sandra : Lark Rising
(Random House 978-0-449-81748-3, $17.99, 384pp, hardcover, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Sep 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-0-449-81750-6
• Guardians of Tarnec #1
Young adult fantasy novel, first of a series and the author’s first novel, about a 16-year-old girl trying to save her people.
• Random House’s site has this description with a preview function.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “As Lark’s story unfolds, her self-confidence becomes the key to unlocking her potential and overcoming her own uncertainty. As the king and others remind her, “Trust that you will know what to do.” Ages 12–up.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
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* Weis, Margaret, & Robert Krammes : The Seventh Sigil
(Tor 978-0-7653-3350-6, $27.99, 528pp, hardcover, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Sep 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781466801820
Epic military fantasy novel, final book of a trilogy following Shadow Raiders (2011) and Storm Riders (2013), set in a world connected by airships where two rival empires vie for an invention that could revolutionize warfare.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “This hefty excursion into a complex world of spymasters, derring-do captains, sorceresses, maturing heroes and heroines, and benevolent and sinister monks and nuns often reads like a hasty transcript of an interminably breathless role-playing game, but it fitfully comes to life with the help of enormous dragons, who provide an engaging extra dimension to this predictable would-be epic.”
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• (Directory Entry)
* Zahn, Timothy : Soulminder
(Open Road 978-1-4976-4620-9, $14.99, 238pp, trade paperback, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Sep 2014
SF novel about a technology to capture a dying person’s soul.
• Open Road’s site has this description.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “…those who enjoy deep philosophical questions will appreciate being left with much to ponder.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)