New in Paperback : October 2018

Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Warrior, Sam J. Miller’s Blackfish City, James S.A. Corey’s Persepolis Rising, and titles by Pierce Brown, Orson Scott Card, Rae Carson, Susan Dennard, Mercedes Lackey, Sarah J. Maas, L.E. Modesitt Jr., Garth Nix & Sean Williams, and Michael Z. Williamson

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Brown, Pierce : Iron Gold
(Del Rey 978-0425285930, $17, 624pp, trade paperback, October 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Oct 2018
• Red Rising #4

(First edition: Del Rey, January 2018)

SF novel, fourth in a series following Red Rising (2014), Golden Son (2015), and Morning Star, about a color-coded caste society on Mars.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with a preview and a video.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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Card, Orson Scott : Children of the Fleet
(Tor 978-0765377050, $8.99, 384pp, mass market paperback, October 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 25 Sep 2018
• Fleet School #1

(First edition: Tor, October 2017)

SF novel, first in a new series that parallels the Ender, Ender’s Shadow, and First Formic War series, about a school that recruits smart kids for training as leaders of colony ships and colonies.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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Carson, Rae : Into the Bright Unknown
(Greenwillow 978-0062242983, $9.99, 368pp, trade paperback, October 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 9 Oct 2018
• Gold Seer #3

(First edition: HarperCollins/Greenwillow, October 2017)

Young adult fantasy novel, third book in a trilogy following Walk on Earth a Stranger (2015) and Like a River Glorious (2016), about a girl with magical powers in 1849 California.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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Corey, James S. A. : Persepolis Rising
(Orbit 978-0316332859, $16.99, 592pp, trade paperback, October 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 9 Oct 2018
• The Expanse #7

(First edition: Orbit, December 2017)

Space opera novel, seventh book of “The Expanse” following Leviathan’s Deep (2011), Caliban’s War (2012), Abaddon’s Gate (2013), Cibola Burn (2014), Nemesis Games (2015), and Babylon’s Ashes (2016).
• James S.A. Corey is a pseudonym for authors Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham.
• Hachette’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The book placed 7th in this year’s Locus Poll for Best SF Novel.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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Dennard, Susan : Windwitch
(Tor Teen 978-0765379313, $10.99, 400pp, trade paperback, October 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 16 Oct 2018
• Witchlands #2

(First edition: Tor Teen, January 2017)

Young adult fantasy novel, second of a series following Truthwitch (2016), about a a Truthwitch and a Threadwitch in a land facing war.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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Lackey, Mercedes : A Scandal in Battersea
(DAW 978-0756411633, $7.99, 320pp, mass market paperback, September 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 25 Sep 2018
• Elemental Masters #12

(First edition: DAW, October 2017)

Fantasy novel, twelfth book in the Elemental Masters series, following Fire Rose, Gates of Sleep, Serpent’s Shadow, Phoenix and Ashes, The Wizard of London, Reserved for the Cat, Unnatural Issue (2011), Elemental Magic (2012), Steadfast (2013), Blood Red (2014), From a High Tower (2015), and A Study in Sable (2016), about Sherlock Holmes in an alternate 20th-century England.
• Penguin Random House’s site this description with a preview function.
• The 13th book, The Bartered Brides, just came out in hardcover.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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Maas, Sarah J. : Tower of Dawn
(Bloomsbury 978-1681199221, $11.99, 688pp, trade paperback, October 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Oct 2018
• Throne of Glass #6

(First edition: Bloomsbury, September 2017)

Young-adult fantasy novel, sixth in a series following Throne of Glass (2012), Crown of Midnight (2013), Heir of Fire (2014), Queen of Shadows (2015), and Empire of Storms (2016), about a teenaged assassin inspired by Cinderella.
• Bloomsbury’s site has this description.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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Miller, Sam J. : Blackfish City
(Ecco 978-0062684875, $14.99, 336pp, trade paperback, October 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Oct 2018

(First edition: Ecco, April 2018)

SF novel about a floating city constructed in the Arctic Circle following climate wars.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviewed it in the April issue of Locus Magazine: “Blackfish City is expansive, ambitious, violent, rich in invention, and populated by a range of colorful figures whose characteristics sometimes seem drawn from sources as diverse as The Godfather, classic urban noir, a few familiar SF tropes, Samurai movies, and even superhero comics…”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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Modesitt, L. E., Jr. : The Mongrel Mage
(Tor 978-0765394699, $9.99, 768pp, mass market paperback, October 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Mon 24 Sep 2018
• Saga of Recluce #19

(First edition: Tor, October 2017)

Fantasy novel, 19th book in the Saga of Recluce following Arms-Commander (2010), Cyador’s Heirs (May 2014), and Heritage of Cyador (Nov. 2014), set a generation after the fall of Cyador.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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Nix, Garth, & Sean Williams : Have Sword, Will Travel
(Scholastic Press 978-0545259071, $7.99, 288pp, trade paperback, September 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 25 Sep 2018
• Have Sword, Will Travel #1

(First edition: Scholastic Press, October 2017)

Middle-grade fantasy novel about a boy and a girl who find a talking sword.
• Scholastic’s site has this description.
• The second book in the series, Let Sleeping Dragons Lie, is due October 30th.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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Okorafor, Nnedi : Akata Warrior
(Speak 978-0142425855, $11.99, 512pp, trade paperback, October 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 16 Oct 2018
• Akata #2

(First edition: Viking Books for Young Reader, November 2017)

Young adult fantasy novel, sequel to Akata Witch (2011), about Sunny, a 12-year-old albino Nigerian girl with magic powers.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description.
• The book won this year’s Locus Award in the Young Adult Book category.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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Williamson, Michael Z., ed. : Forged in Blood
(Baen 978-1481483537, $7.99, 528pp, mass market paperback, October 2018)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 25 Sep 2018

(First edition: Baen, September 2017)

Anthology of 16 original stories set in the editor’s “Freehold” universe of novels including most recently When Diplomacy Fails (2012).
• Authors include Larry Correia, Rob Reed, Tom Kratman, Tony Daniel, and Zachary Hill.
• Baen’s site has this description with links to several chapter excerpts.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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Monitor listings are based on publisher schedules and availability on Amazon, rather than on confirmation of physical publication (i.e. via purchase, review copies, or sightings in bookstores). With occasional exceptions, titles are listed only once they are published, and we do not list galleys or advance reading copies.

* = first edition
+ = first US edition

Date with publisher info is official publication month.

‘Nominal Publication Date’ is the day of publication, typically as indicated by Amazon.com.

If physical copies have been seen or received, that date is given following the book description.

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