New Books : 3 September 2019

New titles this week are by Rachel Caine, Becky Chamber, Richard Chizmar, Neil Enock, Eric Flint & Iver P. Cooper, Deborah Hewitt, Dave Hutchinson, Les Johnson & Robert E. Hampson, Michael Kelly, David Koepp, Jay Kristoff, Michael Laurence, Michail Libling, Alex London, Juliet Marrilier, Seanan McGuire, Kassandra Montag, Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe, Bob Proehl, Salman Rushdie, Rebecca Schaeffer, and Victoria Schwab.

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* Caine, Rachel : Sword and Pen
(Berkley 978-0-451-48924-1, $17.99, 368pp, hardcover, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780451489258

Fantasy novel, fifth in a series following Ink and Bone (2015), Paper and Fire (2016), Ash and Quill (2017), and Smoke and Iron (2018), in which the Great Library of Alexandria has survived, the knowledge from its books distributed to the masses via alchemy.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “Caine’s multi-threaded plot of uneven loyalties and hidden schemes is tense and tightly written.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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+ Chambers, Becky : To Be Taught, If Fortunate
(Harper Voyager 978-0-06-293601-1, $12.99, 176pp, trade paperback, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062936028
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062959041

Short stand-alone SF novel about a team of astronauts who survive hostile environments via ‘somaforming’ exploring a nearby exoplanet.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• The UK edition, in hardcover, appeared last month.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Using precise language to paint awe-inspiring pictures of the unknown, Chambers offers a troubling, beckoning glimpse into the future of humankind.”
• Liz Bourke reviews it in the September issue of Locus Magazine: “Still, Chambers on an off day writes a lovely, gentle, uncompromisingly character-centred piece of work that’s better than some writers do at their best, so To Be Taught, If Fortunate is entirely worth a read.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Chizmar, Richard : The Girl on the Porch
(Subterranean Press 978-1596069152, $35, 152pp, hardcover, August 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Sat 31 Aug 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1596069169

Short horror novel about a mysterious, frightened woman who rings doorbells late at night at homes throughout a neighborhood.
• Subterranean’s site has this description with quotes from reviews and an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Chizmar successfully builds a nice sense of creepiness.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Enock, Neil, ed. : Fantastic Trains: An Anthology of Phantasmagorical Engines and Rail Riders
(Edge Science Fiction And Fantasy 978-1770532014, $14.95, 236pp, trade paperback, August 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Sun 1 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781770532007

Anthology of 18 original stories about trains.
• Authors include Jason Lane, David Worsick, Liam Hogan, Christine Hanolsy, and Gavin Bradley.
• The publisher’s site has this description with the table of contents and links to contributor bios.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Flint, Eric, & Iver P. Cooper : 1636: The China Venture
(Baen 978-1-4814-8423-7, $25, 464pp, hardcover, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-734-6
• Ring of Fire #27

Alternate history novel in the “Ring of Fire” series that began with Flint’s 1632 (2000), concerning 17th century European history as affected by West Virginians from the 20th century.
• Baen’s site has this description with a link to a page of samples.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Hewitt, Deborah : The Nightjar
(Tor 978-1-250-23982-2, $18.99, 480pp, trade paperback, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250239815
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250243591

Fantasy novel, the author’s first novel, about a woman who discovers a magical, alternate London.
• Macmillan’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Hewitt makes it easy to picture the 1930s-infused Rookery, where magic comes as naturally as breathing, and readers will be fascinated by the story’s magic, largely based in Finnish lore. It’s a delight to explore the Rookery alongside Alice as she discovers her unusual powers and races to save her friend. The wildly imaginative Hewitt is a writer to watch.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Hutchinson, Dave : The Return of the Incredible Exploding Man
(Solaris 978-1781085844, $9.99, 336pp, trade paperback, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• UK edition: 978-1781085844 (Thu 5 Sep 2019)

SF novel about an accident at the Sioux Crossing Supercollider.
• Simon & Schuster’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Johnson, Les, & Robert E. Hampson, eds. : Stellaris: People of the Stars
(Baen 978-1-4814-8425-1, $16, trade paperback, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-735-3

Anthology of original stories and essays about interstellar travel.
• Contributors include Kevin J. Anderson, Todd McCaffrey, Sarah A. Hoyt, Sir Martin Rees, and Mark Shelhamer.
• Baen’s site has this description with a link to several samples.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “The compilation of futuristic tales and science-backed essays spans an array of speculative topics around what human life among the stars might look like.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Kelly, Michael : All the Things We Never See
(Undertow 978-1-988964-14-0, $17.99, 250pp, trade paperback, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: B07TBT2DMH

Collection of 28 reprint and 3 original stories.
• Undertow’s site has this description with blurbs from Brian Evenson, Paul Tremblay, and others.
• There’s a simultaneous hardcover edition (978-1988964157).
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “…at the heart of Kelly’s fiction is a deep mistrust of reality. His ability to upend the reader’s sense of expectation is truly top notch, and fans of weird fiction will delight in every word.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Koepp, David : Cold Storage
(Ecco 978-0062916433, $27.99, 320pp, hardcover, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062916457
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062956514

SF thriller, the first novel by the screenwriter of Jurassic Park, about a destructive, mutated organism that has broken out of cold storage.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with blurbs from Douglas Preston, Scott Smith, and others.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Breakneck pacing and nonstop action compensate for the predictable story line and the occasional contrivance. Michael Crichton fans won’t want to miss this one.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Kristoff, Jay : Darkdawn
(St. Martin’s 978-1-250-07304-4, $28.99, 512pp, hardcover, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781466885059
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250299956
• Nevernight #3

Epic fantasy novel, third in a series following Nevernight (2016) and Godsgrave (2017), set in a land where three suns almost never set.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Kristoff effortlessly draws together multiple threads from the first two volumes and packs in plenty of wickedly sharp, beautifully choreographed, and gloriously bloody fight scenes while offering humor, heartbreak, and a few jaw-dropping surprises. This is a poignant and exhilarating finale to a superb fantasy series.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Laurence, Michael : The Extinction Agenda
(St. Martin’s 978-1-250-15848-2, $27.99, 400pp, hardcover, August 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250158505
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250223432

SF thriller, the author’s first novel, in which the FBI battles an unknown adversary who possesses a deadly virus.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Libling, Michael : Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels
(ChiZine Publications 978-1-77148-490-9, $17.99, 360pp, trade paperback, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781771484916

Fantasy novel, expanded from the World Fantasy nominated novella, about three people obsessed with pop culture and unexplained events in a 1960s Ontario town.
• ChiZine’s site has this description with links to interviews and blurbs from Sheila Williams, Barry Malzberg, and others.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The leisurely telling belies the hint of evil simmering just below the town’s almost aggressively mundane surface, and there are a few surprises in store. Fans of Stand by Me and the like will find much to enjoy.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* London, Alex : Red Skies Falling
(Farrar, Straus, Giroux 978-0374306847, $18.99, 480pp, hardcover, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780374306861
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250232878
• The Skybound Saga #2

Young adult fantasy novel, second in a series following Black Wings Beating (2018), about twins fighting on opposite sides of a war.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Marillier, Juliet : The Harp of Kings
(Ace 978-0-451-49278-4, $16, 464pp, trade paperback, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780451492791
• Warrior Birds #1

Historical fantasy novel, first in a series, about an 18-year-old girl singer who’s assigned an undercover mission to recover a missing harp.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Fantasy fans will savor Marillier’s unerring knack for characterization; even the animals, such as dogs Storm and Bryn and fairy creature Moth-Weed, feel real. Most satisfying is her ability to weave multiple strands of narrative into a brilliant tapestry. This lush fantasy is sure to win Marillier many new fans.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* McGuire, Seanan : The Unkindest Tide
(DAW 978-0-7564-1507-5, $26, 368pp, hardcover, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780756412555
• October Daye #13

Urban fantasy novel, thirteenth in a series about October (Toby) Daye, a half-human, half-faerie private investigator in San Francisco, following the author’s debut novel Rosemary and Rue (2009), A Local Habitation (2010), An Artificial Night (2010), Late Eclipses (March 2011), One Salt Sea (2011), Ashes of Honor (2012), Chimes of Midnight (2013), The Winter Long (2014), A Red Rose Chain (2015), Once Broken Faith (2106), The Brightest Fell (2017), and Night and Silence (2018). This book includes an additional novella, “Hope Is Swift.”
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Carolyn Cushman reviewed it in the August issue of Locus Magazine: “Some very interesting new Firstborn turn up, and new aspects of Undersea life are explored (with a long sub-plot about an attempt to take over the Undersea near San Francisco), but mostly Toby’s just facing a big, tense, and unpleasantly emotional mess, because it’s ultimately all about family…”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Montag, Kassandra : After the Flood
(Morrow 978-0062889362, $27.99, 432pp, hardcover, August 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062889393
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062889409

SF novel, the author’s first novel, about a woman in search of her daughter in a future ravaged by climate change and rising seas.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Readers who enjoy postapocalyptic fiction and strong female heroes will appreciate Myra, a super-survivalist who combines Wonder Woman’s physical prowess and the unsinkable Molly Brown’s resilience. … [T[his is a promising debut that will generally please fans of climate apocalypse stories.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Parisien, Dominik, & Navah Wolfe, eds. : The Mythic Dream
(Saga Press/Gallery 978-1-4814-6239-6, $24.99, 368pp, hardcover, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781481462402
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781797100708

Anthology of 18 original stories that retell classic myths.
• Authors include Seanan McGuire, Ann Leckie, Naomi Novik, John Chu, Jeffrey Ford, and others.
• Simon & Schuster’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “This eclectic, often subversive collection will appeal to fairy tale fans who want something new and different.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Proehl, Bob : The Nobody People
(Del Rey 978-1-52479-895-6, $27, 496pp, hardcover, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781524798963
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780593148730

Fantasy novel, first of a duology, about isolated people with superheroic powers who band together to fight prejudice and social injustice.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “What distinguishes this effort by Proehl from myriad other takes on this age-old trope is the book’s sharp, even uncomfortable awareness of the ways in which factors such as race, religion, and queerness would complicate and compound the bigotry such individuals face. …[T]he book builds effectively to a brutally realistic, deeply tense, and worrying climax and leaves the reader eagerly awaiting the next installment.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Rushdie, Salman : Quichotte
(Random House 978-0-593-13298-2, $28, 416pp, hardcover, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780593132999
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780593162620

Literary fantasy novel inspired by Don Quixote, about a thriller writer who creates a character to travel across America and prove his love for a TV star.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Rushdie’s uproarious comedy, which talks to itself while packing a good deal of historical and political freight, is a brilliant rendition of the cheesy, sleazy, scary pandemonium of life in modern times.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Schaeffer, Rebecca : Only Ashes Remain
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 978-1328863553, $17.99, 432pp, hardcover, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• Market of Monsters #2

Young adult fantasy novel, sequel to Sunburst finalist Not Even Bones (2018), about a girl with the ability to self-heal out to take revenge on the boy who sold her to kidnappers.
• The publisher’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly said of the first book, “Occasionally graphic and frequently featuring unthinkable conflicts, the narrative spotlights the importance of bodily autonomy and offers readers a glimpse into a murderous us-vs.-them mindset. The thrilling plot proves thought-provoking, and it concludes with more questions than answers.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Schwab, Victoria : Tunnel of Bones
(Scholastic Press 978-1338111040, $17.99, 304pp, hardcover, September 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Sep 2019
• City of Ghosts #2

Middle-grade fantasy novel, second in a series following City of Ghosts (2018), about a girl who communicates with spirits visiting Paris with her parents.
• Scholastic’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Publishers Weekly gave the first book a starred review: “This atmospheric ghost story from Schwab chills and charms while challenging readers to face their fears. Courageous, quick-witted Cassidy inspires, her relationship with Jacob is tender, and the thrilling conclusion is sure to gratify.”

• 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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