New Books : 18 June 2019

New titles this week are by Doug Dandridge, Jackson Ford, Max Gladstone, Mark Haddon, Alexis Hall, Greg Keyes, Reed King, James S. Murray & Darren Wearmouth, Nnedi Okorafor, Karl Schroeder, Emily Tesh, Ren Warom, and Michelle West.

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* Dandridge, Doug : Kinship War: Contact
(Arc Manor/Phoenix Pick 978-1612423876, $14.99, 310pp, trade paperback, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Sat 15 Jun 2019
• Kinship War #1

Military SF novel, first in a series, about the rivalry between human colonists and natives on a planet where a rare mineral is discovered.
• Series site http://www.kinshipwars.com/ has PDF drafts of the first three chapters.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Ford, Jackson : The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with Her Mind
(Orbit 978-0-316-51915-1, $15.99, 496pp, trade paperback, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 18 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316519168
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549148972

SF novel about a telekinetic young woman carrying out secret missions for the government who’s implicated in a crime only she could have committed.
• Orbit’s site has this excerpt.
• Hachette’s site has this description with an excerpt. The site notes that “Jackson Ford is a pseudonym for a critically acclaimed science fiction author.”
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Ford’s strengths are evident in the taut action sequences and suspenseful pacing, which tie the book’s central mystery together. This one is purely for undemanding fans of adrenaline rushes.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Gladstone, Max : Empress of Forever
(Tor 978-0-7653-9581-8, $18.99, 480pp, trade paperback, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 18 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780765395832

SF space opera novel about a contemporary industry titan who is thrust into a far future ruled by a powerful Empress.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt and blurbs from Peter Straub, John Chu, and others.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Gladstone’s writing is delicate and precise, crafting a dense novel that introduces one mind-blowing concept after another, capitalizing on the concept of personal power while candidly addressing personal failure.”
• Liz Bourke reviewed it in the April issue of Locus Magazine: “Empress of Forever is tense and vast, complex and twisty, a space opera epic that’s a lot faster on the draw than Star Wars or Star Trek ever dreamed of being. But at its core, it’s an epic about the value of empathy and the importance of compassion.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Haddon, Mark : The Porpoise
(Doubleday 978-0-385-54431-3, $27.95, 320pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 18 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780385544320
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781984891419

Fantasy novel about a man obsessed with protecting his adult daughter, and the man who tries to rescue her, whose life morphs into that of Pericles in a mythic world.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Haddon’s ambitious tale captures the ethos of tragic Shakespearean vibrations and the tangle of lives that magically intersect. The prose is exquisite and elevates this story that blends reality and mythology to great effect.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Hall, Alexis : The Affair of the Mysterious Letter
(Ace 978-0-440-00133-1, $16, 352pp, trade paperback, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 18 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780440001348
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781984890627

Fantasy novel paying homage to Sherlock Holmes, as a Captain John Wyndham takes up lodging with consulting sorceress Ms. Shaharazad Haas.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “This is a fun riff on canonical works of fantasy and detection.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Keyes, Greg : Kingdoms of the Cursed
(Night Shade Books 978-1597809955, $14.99, 360pp, trade paperback, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 18 Jun 2019
• The High and Faraway #2

Fantasy novel, second in a series following The Reign of the Departed (2018), about a man who has returned to his own body after temporary reincarnation in a wooden automaton.
• Night Shade’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* King, Reed : FKA USA
(Flatiron 978-1-250-10889-0, $27.99, 480pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 18 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250108906
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250224484

SF novel set in a future fragmented US about a factory worker assigned to deliver a talking goat across the continent.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt, and notes that “Reed King is the pseudonym of a New York Times bestselling author and TV writer.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Murray, James S., & Darren Wearmouth : The Brink
(Harper Voyager 978-0062868961, $25.99, 240pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 18 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062868985
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062932136

Supernatural thriller, sequel to Awakened (2018), about a new subway line in New York City that unearths ancient horrors.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• Publishers Weekly said of the first book, “Aliens meets The Taking of Pelham 123 in this fast-moving science fiction thriller that mostly keeps the reader’s disbelief suspended.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Okorafor, Nnedi : Broken Places & Outer Spaces: Finding Creativity in the Unexpected
(TED Books 978-1-5011-9547-1, $16.99, 112pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 18 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781501195488
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781508278603

Memoir about the author’s paralysis following an operation for scoliosis.
• Simon & Schuster’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “While recovering, Okorafor, on a whim during an arts-and-crafts class, makes a clay figurine that becomes the inspiration for her first novel. Also included is Okorafor’s wonderful analysis of how personal tragedy affected the careers of Frida Kahlo and Mary Shelley. Okorafor’s gripping account of her recovery will inspire any reader.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Schroeder, Karl : Stealing Worlds
(Tor 978-0-7653-9998-4, $29.99, 320pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 18 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780765399977

SF novel about a woman in a mid-21st century total surveillance society who escapes her past in the alternate reality of LARP game worlds.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt and blurbs from Cory Doctorow, David Brin, and Kim Stanley Robinson.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “…Schroeder makes intriguing use of Sura as a lens to explore how utopia might come to bloom out of radicalism and intolerance. Readers looking for a little optimism mixed in with grim predictions will find a good balance here.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Tesh, Emily : Silver in the Wood
(Tor.com 978-1-250-22979-3, $11.99, 110pp, trade paperback, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 18 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250229786

Fantasy novella about a Wild Man in the woods forced to confront his past when a new owner arrives in town.
• Macmillan’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Tesh’s characters and mythology are exquisitely crafted… This fresh, evocative short novel heralds a welcome new voice in fantasy.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Warom, Ren : Coil
(Apex Publications 978-9370009-79-3, $16.95, 330pp, trade paperback, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 18 Jun 2019

SF/horror novel about a mortician studying bodies left by a serial killer that are twisted into grotesque works of art.
• The publisher’s site has this description

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* West, Michelle : War
(DAW 978-0756410117, $27, 560pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 18 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780698161788
• House War #8

Fantasy novel, eighth and final book in “The House War” series following The Hidden City (2008), City of Night (2009), House Name (2011), Skirmish (2012), Battle (2013), Oracle (2015), and Firstborn (Feb. 2019), about a city besieged by worshipers of the Lord of the Hells.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.

• 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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