Clive Barker, The Scarlet Gospels
(St. Martin’s May 2015)

The much-anticipated new novel from Barker combines two of his popular characters, Pinhead and psychic detective Harry D’Amour – and sends them on a spectacular tour of Hell.

 




Quan Barry, She Weeps Each Time You’re Born
(Pantheon Feb 2015)

This mystical and poetic literary fantasy novel follows a girl born during the Vietnam War who can hear the dead, painting an unusual picture of Vietnam’s history before and after the war. A promising first novel.

 




Gardner Dozois, ed., The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Second Annual Collection
(St. Martin’s Griffin Jul 2015)

Acclaimed editor Dozois presents his pick of 36 of the year’s best stories plus his lengthy and informative summation of the year 2014 in SF. The stellar roster of authors includes Ian McDonald, Paolo Bacigalupi, Mi­chael Swanwick, and Elizabeth Bear.

 




Cathy Fenner, ed., Women of Wonder: Celebrating Women Creators of Fantastic Art
(Underwood Books May 2015)

Fenner offers up art by over 50 female artists, each with information about the artist and a large reproduction of a representative work. Lauren Panepinto provides an illustrated introduction with a quick look at a few of the female fantasy artists of the past.

 




Stina Leicht, Cold Iron
(Simon & Schuster/Saga Press Jul 2015)

Fan­tasy tropes get some interesting twists in the first book of the ‘‘flintlock fantasy’’ series, The Malorum Gates. War looms for the Kingdom of Eledor, and the ruling kainen with their magic are less concerned with protecting their country than maintaining their elegant lifestyles. The twin heirs to the throne, one an unsure boy and the other a young woman, find ways to help protect their country and prove their worth, in this epic adventure.

 




Jane Lindskold, Artemis Invaded
(Tor Jun 2015)

In this second book in the Artemis Awakening series, archaeologist Griffin Dane continues to search for a way to contact his orbiting spaceship, only to learn he has unintentionally left a trail to the lost pleasure planet, Artemis, and he’s all too familiar with the unpleasant people who have followed him.

 




Garth Nix, To Hold the Bridge
(HarperCollins Jun 2015)

This new collection from Nix offers 19 stories, one the title novella set in the world of the Old Kingdom, plus a varied mix of 18 more tales of SF, fantasy, mystery, and adventure. ‘‘There’s more than enough good tales here to satisfy either a good youthful reader or an adult who remembers what is best about children’s litera­ture.’’ [Tom Whitmore]

 




Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter, The Long Utopia
(Harper Jun 2015)

The fourth volume in in the series The Long Earth, about a chain of alternate Earths, this picks up some years after The Long Mars to find the long Earth threatened by alien cyborgs called ‘‘silver beetles,’’ determined to colonize our version of Earth.

 




Cherie Priest, I Am Princess X
(Scholastic/Levine May 2015)

Two girls invent a character called Princess X before Libby is killed in a car accident and May moves away. On a visit to her old neighborhood, May spots Princess X stickers all over, some­thing only Libby could have done. Comics-style illustrations by Kali Ciesemier help tell the story. ‘‘It’s a fun, oddly cheerful murder mystery that pushes against some of the restrictions of straight-up words on a page.’’ [Adrienne Martini]

 




Kim Stanley Robinson, Aurora
(Orbit Jul 2015)

A generation starship’s artificial intelligence tries to tell the story of its voyage (159 years into a 170-year-long trip) with instructions from the chief engineer. ‘‘Robinson takes on, with his characteristic critical eye, the indefatigable theme of the generation starship… and should remind all of us again that Robinson is among the premier literary figures in modern SF.’’ [Gary K. Wolfe]

 




Jo Walton, The Philosopher Kings
(Tor Jun 2015)

The Just City presented an experiment by the goddess Athena to bring Plato’s Republic to life. This sequel picks up 20 years later, and the splintered Just City has spread to become five cities around the Mediterranean, each based on a different philosophical concept, leading to conflicts between them, particularly art raids over works brought to the Just City by the time-traveling Athena.