New Books : 12 March 2019

New titles this week are by Asja Bakic, Zen Cho, Kate Hope Day, Patrick Edwards, George R.R. Martin & Raya Golden, Farah Mendlesohn, K.K. Pérez, Nisi Shawl, Dan Stout, Tade Thompson, and G. Willow Wilson.

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* Bakic, Asja : Mars
(The Feminist Press 978-1-936-93248-1, $16.95, 144pp, trade paperback, March 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 Mar 2019

Collection of 10 stories by a Bosnian author, translated by Jennifer Zoble.
• The publisher’s site has this description with quotes from reviews and blurbs by Jeff VanderMeer and others.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Told in a straightforward manner that transports speculative fiction into almost realist territory, Bakic’s collection imaginatively and strikingly examines sci-fi tropes from not only the point of view of women, but also from the voice of an effortlessly gifted writer whose future is much brighter than that of those depicted in her stories.”
• Ian Mond reviewed the book in the February issue of Locus Magazine: “Although these stories were published a few years ago, there’s an immediacy to Bakic’s offbeat worldview, sometimes strange and surreal, sometimes terrifying and upsetting, that pairs perfectly with the madness of the current political moment.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Cho, Zen : The True Queen
(Ace 978-0-425-28341-7, $15, 384pp, trade paperback, March 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 Mar 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780698409514
• Sorcerer to the Crown #2

Fantasy novel, second book in a series following Sorcerer to the Crown (2015), about two sisters in Regency England who have been cursed by an unknown enchanter.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews it in the March issue of Locus Magazine: “The True Queen is a lot of fun, ingeniously and carefully plotted, with some engaging and moving examples of the value of friendship and the moral dilemmas of power.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Day, Kate Hope : If, Then
(Random House 978-0525511229, $26, 272pp, hardcover, March 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 Mar 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780525511236
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781984841193

Literary fantasy novel, the author’s first novel, about residents of a small town who become aware of alternate reality versions of themselves.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with a preview function.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Effortlessly meshing the dreamlike and the realistic, Day’s well-crafted mix of literary and speculative fiction is an enthralling meditation on the interconnectedness of all things.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Edwards, Patrick : Ruin’s Wake
(Titan 978-1785658792, $14.95, 416pp, trade paperback, March 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 Mar 2019

SF novel, the author’s first novel, set in a totalitarian society where several characters’ fates converge.
• Titan’s site has this description.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Martin, George R. R., & Raya Golden : Starport
(Bantam 978-1101965047, $28, 272pp, hardcover, March 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 Mar 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781101965054

Graphic novel adaptation by Golden of an unproduced TV script by Martin, in which an interstellar collective of alien species has established a Starport in Chicago.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Mendlesohn, Farah : The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein
(Unbound 978-1-78352-678-9, £25, 463pp, hardcover, March 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Thu 7 Mar 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-78352-680-2

Nonfiction, a critical study of the works of Robert A. Heinlein.
• The publisher’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function also provides excerpts.
• Alec Nevala-Lee reviews the book in the March issue of Locus Magazine: “This willingness to view a writer through the lens of the critic’s own time is just what we ought to expect from a serious evaluation of a figure in the main line of American literature, which is precisely how Heinlein is regarded by his fans. The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein pays him the compliment of holding him to his own high standards.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Pérez, K. K. : The Tesla Legacy
(Tor Teen 978-1-250-08489-7, $18.99, 368pp, hardcover, March 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 Mar 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250084903

Young adult SF novel about a young scientist who discovers she possesses alchemical electrical powers.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Colleen Mondor reviews the book in the March issue of Locus Magazine: “The Tesla Legacy is an irresistible and entirely addictive ride.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Shawl, Nisi, ed. : New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color
(Solaris 978-1781085783, $15.99, 384pp, trade paperback, March 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 Mar 2019

Anthology of 17 original stories.
• Authors include Tobias S. Buckell, Steven Barnes, E. Lily Yu, Andrea Hairston, and Rebecca Roanhorse.
• Simon & Schuster’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “This book’s wide range of stories is its greatest strength; though no reader will love them all, every reader will find something worth rereading.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Stout, Dan : Titanshade
(DAW 978-0-7564-1486-3, $26, 416pp, hardcover, March 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 Mar 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780756414887
• The Carter Archives #1

Fantasy novel, first in a series and the author’s first novel, about murder in an oil boomtown where the investors are amphibians known as Squibs.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Stout handles this complex mystery with ease, invoking the best elements of classic noir mysteries, while fearlessly making this world, with its retro style and multilayered mythology, all his own.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Thompson, Tade : The Rosewater Insurrection
(Orbit 978-0-316-44908-3, $15.99, 416pp, trade paperback, March 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 Mar 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316449069
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549175541
• Wormwood Trilogy #2

SF novel, second in a trilogy following Rosewater (2016), about an alien invasion in Nigeria.
• Orbit’s site has an excerpt.
• Hachette’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The slow pacing and numerous moving parts make this ambitious tale somewhat dense and difficult at first, but the exciting second half and intriguing ending set the stage for what promises to be a fascinating conclusion.”
• Ian Mond and Gary K. Wolfe both review it in the March issue of Locus Magazine. Mond concludes, “Thompson’s willingness to push himself as a writer, to not just rely on his strengths – the zippy dialogue, the sharp story-telling – is the reason I will continue to follow his career, why I will read whatever he writes.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Wilson, G. Willow : The Bird King
(Grove Press 978-0-8021-2903-1, $26, 440pp, hardcover, March 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 12 Mar 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-0-8021-4684-7

Fantasy novel about a concubine in the royal court of Granada during the time of the Spanish Inquisition.
• Grove Atlantic’s site has this description with blurbs and quotes from reviews.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Though marketed as literary fiction, this book is pure fantasy, and teen readers especially will relish suspending their disbelief as Fatima and Hassam careen from one violent fray to the next.”
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews it in the March issue of Locus Magazine: “While The Bird King will easily satisfy most readers with its fabulous adventures and intriguing characters – I wouldn’t mind meeting Vikram again sometime – it’s also a deeply thoughtful novel about how the world is what our perspectives make it.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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These listings are based on publisher schedules and availability on Amazon (rather than on confirmation of physical publication via purchase, review copies, or sightings in bookstores). Titles are listed only once they are published (with rare exception). We do not list galleys or advance reading copies. Page counts are based on publisher or Amazon listings, and typically only approximate the bibliographic page counts of finished books. * = 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.

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