New Books : 2 July 2019
Apocalypses aplenty for your Fourth of July week! Find them in THE HEART OF HELL; a skin-sealing epidemic; IMMUNITY from contagion; TYGER BURNING; a post-apocalyptic landscape called the Misery; zombies; ALPHA AND OMEGA; and a sleepwalking epidemic.
New titles this week are by Wayne Barlowe, Bradley P. Beaulieu, Naomi Booth, Erin Bowman, Neil Clarke, Jennifer Estep, Charles E. Gannon, Duncan M. Hamilton, Marko Kloos, T.C. McCarthy, Ed McDonald, Peter McLean, Sam J. Miller, Howard Norman, John Ringo & Mike Massa, Paul Tremblay, Harry Turtledove, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, and Chuck Wendig.
* Barlowe, Wayne : The Heart of Hell
(Tor 978-0-7653-2456-6, $27.99, 320pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781429988360
Epic fantasy novel, sequel to God’s Demon (2007), about three demons battling for control in Hell.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Those who haven’t read God’s Demon will struggle to follow or appreciate this installment, but series fans will savor voyaging with these characters through an ugly, gory, brilliantly written hell.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Beaulieu, Bradley P. : Beneath the Twisted Trees
(DAW 978-0756414597, $28, 608pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780756414610
• The Song of Shattered Sands #4
Fantasy novel, fourth book in a series following Twelve Kings of Sharakhai (2015), Of Sand and Malice Made (2016), and A Veil of Spears (2018), set in a great desert city ruled by twelve immortal kings.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Beaulieu richly imagines several multifaceted societies, a variety of arcane systems, and a host of supernatural entities. Series fans will delight in these passionate characters and their continued fight to liberate their city.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
+ Booth, Naomi : Sealed
(Titan 978-1-78909-124-3, $14.95, 240pp, trade paperback, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
Horror novel, the author’s first novel, about a pregnant couple who flee to a remote mountain house to escape a skin-sealing epidemic in the city.
• The UK edition appeared in October 2017.
• Titan’s site has this description.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Readers looking for an all-too-real dystopian scare will find this subtle, intense, deeply unnerving novel makes their skin crawl in the best way.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Bowman, Erin : Immunity
(HarperTeen 978-0062574176, $17.99, 448pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062574213
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062913999
• Contagion #2
Young adult SF novel, sequel to Contagion (2018), about survivors of a deadly outbreak on the planet Achlys.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• Publishers Weekly gave the first book a starred review: “Bowman’s plot is intricate and action-packed, her worldbuilding is impressive yet economical, and the book climaxes in a gripping cliffhanger that sets up the sequel.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Clarke, Neil, ed. : The Best Science Fiction of the Year, Volume 4
(Night Shade Books 978-1-59780-988-7, $34.99, 624pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
Anthology of 29 stories first published in 2018.
• Authors include Ian McDonald, Linda Nagata, Lavie Tidhar, Robert Reed, Elizabeth Bear, Ken Liu, and Rich Larson. Amazon’s page has the complete table of contents, and its “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “The care with which [Clarke] has drawn from both print and online sources makes this a year’s-best that truly lives up to its title.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Estep, Jennifer : Protect the Prince
(Harper Voyager 978-0-06-279764-3, $16.99, 448pp, trade paperback, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062797650
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062931528
• A Crown of Shards #2
Epic fantasy novel, second in a series following Kill the Queen (2018), about a royal woman who becomes a warrior to avenge her family and save her kingdom.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Perhaps in the next book, readers will get to see more of fun characters such as Sullivan’s charming niece, Gemma, and her gargoyle, Grimley. Nonetheless, a satisfying finale neatly sets up Queen Evie’s next chapter.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Gannon, Charles E. : Marque of Caine
(Baen 978-1481484091, $16, 512pp, trade paperback, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Caine Riordan #5
Military SF novel, fifth in a series following Fire with Fire (2013), Trial by Fire (2014), Raising Caine (2015), and Caine’s Mutiny (2017), about an intelligence operative battling superior aliens and traitorous corporations.
• Baen’s site has this description with a link to several samples.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Hamilton, Duncan M. : Dragonslayer
(Tor 978-1-250-30673-9, $27.99, 304pp, trade paperback, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250306715
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250318985
• The Dragonslayer #1
Fantasy novel, first in a trilogy, about a dragonslayer in a kingdom where all dragons are believed to be dead.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Hamilton successfully mixes swords, sorcery, and skullduggery with complex characters. Dumas fans will especially appreciate the faux-French setting. This is pure adventure fun with plenty for epic fantasy readers to enjoy.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Kloos, Marko : Aftershocks
(Amazon/47North 978-1542043557, $24.95, 288pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: B07GJK4C5D
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 978-1721356775
• The Palladium Wars #1
SF novel, first in a series, about an Earthlike planet in the wake of an interplanetary war.
• Amazon’s page has a description, and its “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• There’s a simultaneous trade paperback edition (978-1542043533).
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* McCarthy, T. C. : Tyger Burning
(Baen 978-1-4814-8410-7, $16, 336pp, trade paperback, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
Military SF novel about aliens who wrecked the solar system and who plan to return after 100 years.
• Baen’s site has this description with a link to several samples.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* McDonald, Ed : Crowfall
(Ace 978-0399587856, $18, 416pp, trade paperback, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780399587863
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780525498483
• Raven’s Mark #3
Fantasy novel, third in a series following Blackwing (2017) and Ravencry (2018), about a bounty hunter in a post-apocalyptic landscape called the Misery.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* McLean, Peter : Priest of Lies
(Ace 978-0451490230, $16, 368pp, trade paperback, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780451490247
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781984890795
• War for the Rose Throne #2
Fantasy novel, second in a series following Priest of Bones (2018), about the head of a crime empire returned home from war.
• The simultaneous UK edition, from Jo Fletcher, is in hardcover.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Miller, Sam J. : Destroy All Monsters
(HarperTeen 978-0-06-245674-8, $17.99, 400pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062456762
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062913937
Young adult fantasy novel about a girl who tries to help her friend Solomon from retreating into a fantasy world.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews the book in the July issue of Locus Magazine: “…Miller has a keen eye for the harsh realities that these kids have to live with, and he makes the kids themselves rewardingly complex, conflicted, and utterly real.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Norman, Howard : The Ghost Clause
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 978-0544987296, $27, 256pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
Literary fantasy novel about a Vermont man who becomes a ghost haunting his farmhouse after it’s sold to a newlywed couple.
• The publisher’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Throughout, Simon infuses sharp observations with insightful ruminations about the joys of living, which are particularly heartrending coming from one who can no longer experience them. This is an astute, beautifully written novel.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Ringo, John, & Mike Massa : River of Night
(Baen 978-1-4814-8421-3, $25, 384pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Black Tide Rising #7
SF/horror novel, seventh book in a series following Under a Graveyard Sky (2013), To Sail a Darkling Sea (2014), Islands of Rage and Hope (2014), Strands of Sorrow (2015), the anthology Black Tide Rising (2017), and The Valley of Shadows (2018), about a zombie apocalypse brought about by an airborne plague.
• Baen’s site has this description with a link to several samples.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Tremblay, Paul : Growing Things and Other Stories
(William Morrow 978-0062679130, $25.99, 352pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062679147
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062934185
Collection of 19 suspense and horror stories.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” preview includes the table of contents.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Turtledove, Harry : Alpha and Omega
(Del Rey 978-0-399-18149-8, $28.99, 480pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780399181504
Fantasy novel about a secular archaeologist in Jerusalem who witnesses signs that the End of Days prophecy is coming true.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with a preview function.
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* VanderMeer, Ann, & Jeff VanderMeer, eds. : The Big Book of Classic Fantasy
(Vintage 978-0-525-43556-3, $25, 848pp, trade paperback, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780525435570
Anthology of 90 stories first published from the early 1800s up to World War II.
• Authors include Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Mary Shelley, Robert E. Howard, and J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as Edith Wharton, Leo Tolstoy, Willa Cather, Zora Neale Hurston, Vladimir Nabokov, and Hermann Hesse.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with a preview function that includes the complete table of contents.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Though clearly meant more for academic use than for cover-to-cover pleasure-reading, this sweeping panorama of fantasy is a must-have for those interested in the roots of modern fantasy, and it gives a welcome introduction to many unexpected delights.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Wendig, Chuck : Wanderers
(Del Rey 978-0-399-18210-5, $28.99, 800pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 2 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780399182112
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781984891747
Fantasy novel about an epidemic of sleepwalking that brings about the collapse of American society.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with a preview function.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Wendig challenges readers with twists and revelations that probe issues of faith and free will while crafting a fast-paced narrative with deeply real characters. His politics are unabashed—characters include a populist president brought to power by neo-Nazis, as well as murderous religious zealots—but not simplistic, and he tackles many moral questions while eschewing easy answers.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
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.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep the site paywall free, but WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT to continue quality coverage of the science fiction and fantasy field.