New Books : 23 July 2019

New titles this week are by C.S.E. Cooney, Emily Devenport, Suzette Haden Elgin, Fonda Lee, H.G. Parry, Anthony Ryan, J. Michael Straczynski, Tricia Sullivan, and David Wellington.

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* Cooney, C.S.E. : Desdemona and the Deep
(Tor.com 978-1-250-22983-0, $14.99, 224pp, trade paperback, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250229823

Fantasy novel about the daughter of a wealthy mining family and a polluted planet run by a Goblin King.
• Macmillan’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “…newcomers will still find Cooney’s glittering narrative skills and vivid worldbuilding addictive, her diverse characters intriguing, and her message of justice and freedom stirring. This remarkable and richly detailed adventure is worth savoring.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Devenport, Emily : Medusa in the Graveyard
(Tor 978-1250169365, $18.99, 304pp, trade paperback, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250169358
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250227904
• The Medusa Cycle #2

SF novel, second in a series following Medusa Uploaded (2018), about an insurgent aboard a generation starship.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gave the first bookt a starred review: “Devenport … cleverly reveals the underworld of the typical shiny starships of fiction. She has an admirable willingness to spread out the action and allow her main character to be fallible, which adds depth to the work and prevents the story from devolving into a ‘chosen one’ narrative.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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Elgin, Suzette Haden : Native Tongue
(The Feminist Press at CUNY 978-1-936932-62-7, $17.95, 400pp, trade paperback, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Jul 2019
• Native Tongue Trilogy #1

(First edition: DAW, August 1984)

New edition of Elgin’s classic 1984 SF novel in which the 19th Amendment has been repealed and women are bred to be intergalactic translators. The second and third volumes are published simultaneously: The Judas Rose and Earthsong.
• The publisher’s site has this description with quotes from reviews and a blurb by Ursula K. Le Guin.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Elgin (1936–2015) held a doctorate in linguistics and published a Láadan grammar and dictionary alongside her novel and its sequels; the depth of her knowledge is evident, but never gets in the way of the story. She explores the power of speech, agency, and subversion in a work that is as gripping, troubling, and meaningful today as it has ever been.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Lee, Fonda : Jade War
(Orbit 978-0-316-44092-9, $26, 608pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316440936
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549126765
• The Green Bone Saga #2

Fantasy novel, second in a series following World Fantasy Award winner Jade City (2017), about rival clans in an Asian-inspired metropolis.
• Hachette’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Lee’s story is sweeping, leisurely, and epic, and combines political intrigue with sharply choreographed action scenes, but it’s a character-driven family drama at its heart.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Parry, H.G. : The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep
(Orbit/Redhook 978-0316452717, $26, 464pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316452724
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549183089

Fantasy novel about a young scholar who has the power to bring literary characters into the real world.
• Hachette’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Ryan, Anthony : The Wolf’s Call
(Ace 978-0-451-49251-7, $28, 432pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780451492531
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781984890818
• Raven’s Blade #1

Epic fantasy novel, first in a new series following the “Raven’s Shadow” trilogy Blood Song (2013), Tower Lord (2014), and Queen of Fire (2015), about the Sixth Order, a band of warriors who defend their realm and its faith.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Unseasoned fantasy readers may get lost in a complicated web of action, verbose imagery, and multitudinous characters, but those familiar with Ryan’s work will find this installment immersive as well as highly technical.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Straczynski, J. Michael : Becoming Superman: My Journey From Poverty to Hollywood
(Harper Voyager 978-0-06-285784-2, $28.99, 480pp, hardcover, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062857859
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062932297

Memoir by the comics, TV, and film writer, notably for the TV series Babylon 5.
• The book has an introduction by Neil Gaiman.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “Though Straczynski’s anger (at his father, most notably) comes across as still raw, he balances it with heartfelt appreciations of colleagues such as Harlan Ellison, who, ‘despite his reputation for crankiness,’ was ‘one of the most gracious souls I have ever known.'”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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+ Sullivan, Tricia : Sweet Dreams
(Titan 978-1785658006, $14.95, 320pp, trade paperback, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1785658013

First US edition (UK: Gollancz, October 2018)

First US edition of an SF novel about a dreamhacker, who can enter and mold other people’s dreams.
• Titan’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Wellington, David : The Last Astronaut
(Orbit 978-0-316-41957-4, $15.99, 400pp, trade paperback, July 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 23 Jul 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316419550
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549175695

SF novel about a retired astronaut called back to duty to contact an alien object entering the solar system.
• Hachette’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Wellington creates a gripping story that reveals its horrors one inexorable, plausible detail at a time. Readers will be riveted—and will want to keep all the lights on.”

• 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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