New Books : 4 June 2019

New titles this week are by John Joseph Adams, David Afsharirad, Kevin J. Anderson, Callie Bates, James Brogden, Robert Buettner, Ann Dávila Cardinal, Cassandra Clare (et al), Samuel R. Delany, David Drake, Sarah Gailey, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Karen Lord, Dorian Lynskey, Rowenna Miller, Neal Stephenson, and Fran Wilde.

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* Adams, John Joseph, ed. : Wastelands: The New Apocalypse
(Titan 978-1785658952, $14.95, 528pp, trade paperback, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019

Anthology of 34 original and reprint stories, third in a series following Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse (2008) and Wastelands II: More Stories of the Apocalypse (2015).
• Authors include Elizabeth Bear, Carrie Vaughn, Charlie Jane Anders, Ken Liu, Maureen F. McHugh, Nisi Shawl, and Seanan McGuire.
• Titan’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews, including the table of contents.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Afsharirad, David, ed. : The Year’s Best Military & Adventure SF, Volume 5
(Baen 978-1-4814-8406-0, $16, 336pp, trade paperback, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-719-3

Anthology of 12 stories first published in 2018.
• Authors include Suzanne Palmer, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Michael Z. Williamson
• Baen’s site has this description with a link to several samples.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Anderson, Kevin J. : Spine of the Dragon
(Tor 978-1-250-30210-6, $26.99, 528pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250302113
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250227935
• Wake the Dragon #1

Epic fantasy novel, first in a series, about two warring nations facing a common enemy.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “This epic fantasy takes readers on a sometimes brutal, often enthralling journey through marvelously detailed lands with intriguing characters, and Anderson does an impressive job of juggling numerous points of view and levels of story.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Bates, Callie : The Soul of Power
(Del Rey 978-0-399-17744-6, $28, 480pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780399177453
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781984890283
• The Waking Land #3

Fantasy novel, third in a trilogy following The Waking Land (2017) and The Memory of Fire (2018), set in an empire where magic is a crime.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Bates handles the characters’ personal conflicts convincingly and skillfully works the strands of magic into their experience. This is a fresh, confident, powerful accomplishment.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Brogden, James : The Plague Stones
(Titan 978-1785659959, $14.95, 432pp, trade paperback, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019

Fantasy novel about two Londoners in a small village bounded by ancient stones used in the Great Plague.
• Titan’s site has this description.
• The UK edition (same ISBN) was released May 14th.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Buettner, Robert : My Enemy’s Enemy
(Baen 978-1481484053, $16, 448pp, trade paperback, June 2019, cover art Kurt Miller)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-718-6

Military SF novel about a secret Nazi weapon in 1939 and a modern day terrorist targeting the destruction of an American city.
• Baen’s site has this description with a link to several samples.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Cardinal, Ann Dávila : Five Midnights
(Tor Teen 978-1250296078, $17, 288pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250296085
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250227966

Young adult fantasy novel about a series of murders in Puerto Rico tied to the realm of myths and legends.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The spirit of Puerto Rico is infused throughout Cardinal’s solo debut, which is peppered with accessible Spanglish and a peek into Puerto Rican cuisine and barrios. A gripping horror read.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Clare , Cassandra, et al. : Ghosts of the Shadow Market
(Simon & Schuster/McElderry 978-1534433625, $24.99, 624pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781534433649
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781508278696

Collection of stories set in the author’s various series, with coauthors Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Kelly Link, and Robin Wasserman. The stories were previously released as ebooks.
• Simon & Schuster’s site has this description.
• Publishers Weekly has this article about the creation of the project.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Delany, Samuel R. : Letters from Amherst: Five Narrative Letters
(Wesleyan University Press 978-0-8195-7820-4, $45, 160pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780819578211

Collection of five letters written from 1989 to 1991 while the author lived and taught in Amherst, Massachusetts.
• The publisher’s site has this description. There’s a simultaneous trade paperback edition (9780819578518).
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Delany’s legion of fans will relish this book’s many insights into his personal life.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Drake, David : To Clear Away the Shadows
(Baen 978-1-4814-8402-2, $25, 256pp, hardcover, June 2019, cover art Stephen Hickman)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-712-4
• RCN #13

Military SF novel, 13th in the “RCN” series following With the Lightnings, Lt. Leary, Commanding, The Far Side of the Stars, The Way to Glory, Some Golden Harbor, and When the Tide Rises, In the Stormy Red Sky (2009), What Distant Deeps (2010), The Road of Danger (2013), The Sea Without a Shore (2014), Death’s Bright Day (2016), and Though Hell Should Bar the Way (2018).
• Baen’s site has this description with a link to several samples.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Gailey, Sarah : Magic for Liars
(Tor 978-1-250-17461-1, $25.99, 336pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250174604
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250227867

Fantasy novel about a detective investigating a murder at a magical academy, where her estranged sister is a teacher.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Petty, petulant Ivy is hard to like, but her story is a wonderfully quirky mystery filled with inviting characters and gripping surprise twists.”
• Adrienne Martini reviews it in the June issue of Locus Magazine: “…Gailey’s voice, which burns brightly in her American Hippo stories, carries the action well. It feels like this book could kick off a new series, which would be a welcome addition to the magic schools universe.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Lee, Sharon, & Steve Miller : A Liaden Universe Constellation, Volume 4
(Baen 978-1-4814-8404-6, $16, 336pp, trade paperback, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-717-9

Collection of 8 stories set in the authors’ Liaden universe, following volumes published in 2013, 2014, and 2015.
• Baen’s site has this description with a link to several samples.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Lord, Karen : Unraveling
(DAW 978-0-7564-1520-4, $26, 304pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780756415211

Standalone fantasy novel about a forensic therapist whose investigation into seven unusual murders leads to the spirit world.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “The language is lush and beautiful, but the novel’s mazelike narrative can be hard to follow, and it starts to drag in its final third.”
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews it in the June issue of Locus Magazine: “Drawing on mystery, fantasy, myth, and family drama, Unraveled finally pays off in satisfying, surprisingly humane, and moving ways.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Lynskey, Dorian : The Ministry of Truth: The Biography of George Orwell’s 1984
(Doubleday 978-0385544054, $28.95, 368pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780385544061
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781984891600

Nonfiction history of George Orwell’s famous 1949 novel.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review calls it “entertaining but scattershot” and concludes, “Lysnkey is strongest, by far, in his analysis of the novel’s influence on rock musicians, especially David Bowie. While his book offers some intriguing insights, one longs for a stronger and more intense focus on 1984 itself.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Miller, Rowenna : Fray
(Orbit 978-0316478632, $15.99, 496pp, trade paperback, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316478649
• The Unraveled Kingdom #2

Fantasy novel, second in a series following Torn (2018), about a seamstress who sews magic into clothing.
• Hachette’s site has this description with an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Stephenson, Neal : Fall; or, Dodge in Hell
(Morrow 978-0062458711, $35, 880pp, hardcover, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062458735

SF novel about a gaming billionaire who dies and is resurrected as a digital soul.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews it in the June issue of Locus Magazine: “The novel as a whole is a kind of sequel to Reamde, following the later and posthumous fortunes of several members of the extended Forthrast clan from that novel, focusing in particular on Richard Forthrast (or ‘‘Dodge’’), his niece Zula, and Zula’s daughter Sophia. But the relatively straightforward Reamde, with one of Stephenson’s more linear thriller plots, is quickly left behind in favor of – well, a series of fascinating side galleries, including what appear to be Stephenson’s own versions of a geek Genesis, Paradise Lost, classical mythology, and quest fantasy.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Wilde, Fran : The Fire Opal Mechanism
(Tor.com 978-1-250-19654-5, $14.99, 200pp, trade paperback, June 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Jun 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250196538
• The Jewel Series #2

Fantasy novel, sequel to The Jewel and Her Lapidary (2016), about kingdom protected by people bound to singing gemstones.
• Macmillan’s site has this description.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “Wilde’s lean storytelling never missteps throughout Ania and Jorit’s dangerous chronological jumps, with each era fleshed out despite the sections’ frenetic brevity.”
• Liz Bourke reviewed it in the May issue of Locus Magazine: “The Fire Opal Mechanism is less a traditional narrative arc than a mood, a movement, an argument on the nature and purpose of knowledge and responsibility. It’s compelling, but at times opaque. I pretty much love 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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