New Books : 1 October 2019

New titles this week are by David Boop, Patricia Cornwell, Charlotte Nicole Davis, Julie C. Day, Tess Gerritsen, Christopher Golden & Rachel Autumn Deering, Theodora Goss, A.J. Hackwith, Joe Hill, Raymond Khoury, T. Kingfisher, Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill, Carmen Maria Machado & John Joseph Adams, Wil McCarthy, Jessie Mihalik, Kass Morgan, Garth Nix, Veronica Roth, Michael Rowe, Greg van Eekhout, and Jeanette Winterson.

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* Boop, David, ed. : Straight Outta Deadwood
(Baen 978-1-4814-8432-9, $16, 288pp, trade paperback, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-739-1

Anthology of 17 original stories set in the weird Wild West.
• Authors include Mike Resnick, Steve Rasnic Tem, Jane Lindskold, and Charlaine Harris.
• Baen’s site has this description with a link to several samples.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Cross-genre fans will find this anthology enjoyable but not spectacular.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Cornwell, Patricia : Quantum
(Amazon/Thomas & Mercer 978-1542094061, $28.99, 338pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: B07BN2WGGJ
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: B07RWFBM9P
• Captain Chase #1

SF thriller, first in a series, about a NASA pilot who detects clues to a conspiracy that may implicate her twin sister.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments about the main character: “Her prodigious gifts enable her to dominate every conversation and handle cyanide, surveillance, and hazmat suits with equal aplomb.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Davis, Charlotte Nicole : The Good Luck Girls
(Tor Teen 978-1-250-29970-3, $17.99, 352pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250299710
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250243362

Young adult fantasy novel, the author’s first novel, about five girls with special talents held captive in the country of Arketta.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review calls it an “ambitious, uneven debut” but concludes, “Davis creates institutions, systems, and power dynamics with real-world echoes, making the themes timely and resonant.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Day, Julie C. : The Rampant
(Aqueduct 978-1-61976-169-8, $12, 154pp, trade paperback, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Sun 15 Sep 2019

Fantasy novella set ten years after ancient Sumerian gods have arrived in southern Indiana to bring about the end of the world.
• Aqueduct’s site has this description with a PDF sample, quotes from reviews, and blurbs from Victor LaValle, James Patrick Kelly, and others.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “This clever and surprisingly fun take on the rapture is the perfect theological horror story.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Gerritsen, Tess : The Shape of Night
(Ballantine 978-1984820952, $28, 288pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781984820969

Psychological thriller about a woman who flees tragedy in Boston to rent a mansion in seaside Maine that she discovers is haunted by a sea captain.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “This magnetic haunted house story will keep readers riveted from the very first page.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Golden, Christopher, & Rachel Autumn Deering, eds. : Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery
(Titan 978-1-78909-034-5, $24.95, 384pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: B07M75G7P8

Anthology of 18 original stories by female authors.
• Contributors include Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, Theodora Goss, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Angela Slatter.
• Titan’s site has this description.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Though the selections vary widely in theme, women and their power are always at the heart. Nothing here really wows, but fans of witches will find the anthology a pleasant diversion.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Goss, Theodora : The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl
(Saga Press 978-1-5344-2787-7, $24.99, 448pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781534427891
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781508280316
• The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club #3

Alternate history fantasy novel, third in a trilogy following The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter (2017) and European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman (2018), about Mary Jekyll and other daughters of literary mad scientists.
• Simon & Schuster’s site has this description with an audio preview.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Topicality and tenacity, in the person of the self-effacing but determined Alice, bring the series satisfyingly home. Fans of the first two novels will find this one a solid capstone.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Hackwith, A. J. : The Library of the Unwritten
(Ace 978-1984806376, $16, 384pp, trade paperback, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781984806383
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780593151532
• A Novel from Hell’s Library #1

Fantasy novel, first in a series, about a library of books unfinished by their authors and a librarian responsible for characters that emerge from such books.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Hackwith builds her world and characters with loving detail, creating a delightful addition to the corpus of library-based and heaven vs. hell fantasies. This novel and its promised sequels will find a wide audience.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Hill, Joe : Full Throttle: Stories
(Morrow 978-0-06-220067-9, $27.99, 496pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062200686
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062956651

Collection of 13 stories, two in collaboration with Stephen King, and two stories original to this book.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Hill tackles his dark subjects with humanity and empathy, and his complex, fully realized characters leap into the imagination. This collection cements Hill’s reputation as a versatile master of scares both subtle and shocking.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Khoury, Raymond : Empire of Lies
(Forge 978-1-250-21096-8, $27.99, 448pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250210951
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250243508

Alternate history novel in which an intervention in 1683 Istanbul leads to an Ottoman ruled Paris in 1917.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Alternate histories don’t get much better than this thought-provoking mind bender… Superior and plausible worldbuilding matches an ingeniously imaginative conceit. This ranks as a classic of the genre.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Kingfisher, T. : The Twisted Ones
(Saga Press 978-1-5344-2957-4, $24.99, 400pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781534429581
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781508297475

Horror novel about a young woman cleaning out her dead grandmother’s house and finding evidence of strange beings in the woods.
• Simon & Schuster’s site has this description with an audio preview.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “Kingfisher neatly combines modern elements into a combined folktale and horror story that is rich in atmosphere and characterization… This occult thriller with heart boasts genuine scares.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Lackey, Mercedes, & Rosemary Edghill : The Waters and the Wild
(Baen 978-1-4814-8430-5, $25, 240pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-737-7

Urban fantasy novel, tenth in a series by Lackey and others that began with Born to Run (by Lackey and Larry Dixon, 1992), about something sinister at the Adirondack resort camp of Lake Endor.
• Baen’s site has this description with a link to samples.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Machado, Carmen María, & John Joseph Adams, eds. : The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Mariner 978-1-328-60437-8, $15.99, 432pp, trade paperback, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-328-60406-4

Anthology of 20 stories first published in 2018; the fifth volume in the series led by John Joseph Adams with a different guest editor each year.
• Authors include Adam-Troy Castro, Seanan McGuire, N.K. Jemisin, and Sofia Samatar.
• Houghton Mifflin’s site has this description.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “As Machado says in her introduction, ‘Here you will find an undeniable bias towards the use of formal constraints, vibrant and muscular prose, ambitious weirdness.’ In exploring the potential of the genre and challenging expectations, this anthology isn’t for everyone, but it’s a masterful showcase of what’s possible.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* McCarthy, Wil : Antediluvian
(Baen 978-1-4814-8431-2, $25, 320pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-738-4

SF novel in which two experimenters discover that human DNA contains ancestral memories.
• Baen’s site has this description with a link to samples.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “The science fiction elements are solid but primarily provide a frame story for the deep historical pieces, which are the meat of the book. The first tale, a worldwide cataclysm, is the most gripping and most grounded in archaeology.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Mihalik, Jessie : Aurora Blazing
(Harper Voyager 978-0062802415, $16.99, 400pp, trade paperback, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062802460
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062959089
• The Consortium Rebellion #2

SF novel, second in a series following Polaris Rising (Feb. 2019), about a space princess on the run who takes up with an outlaw soldier.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Morgan, Kass : Supernova
(Little, Brown 978-0316510516, $18.99, 368pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316510493
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549124143
• Light Years #2

Young adult SF novel, second in a series following Light Years (2018), about four cadets in the Quatra Fleet as it faces impending interstellar war with the specters.
• Hachette’s site has this description.
• Publishers Weekly said of the first book, “Morgan offers smooth, easy prose, clever wit, and excellent character-building, but the novel’s secondary characters, planetary jargon, and complex social dynamics can make the story confusing. The school setting, complete with competition, parties, and romance, is a much-needed tether in this ultimately promising interplanetary tale.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Nix, Garth : Angel Mage
(Katherine Tegen Books 978-0-06-268322-9, $19.99, 560pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062683243

Young-adult fantasy novel about four young people secretly used by the angel Liliath on her ancient quest.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Readers familiar with The Three Musketeers will see echoes of it here: a chance meeting among the four friends, an intrigue with some jewelry, and Liliath in the role of the mysterious female foe. A unique magical system based on angel summoning and icons, deft characterization—including male and female protagonists and LGBTQ representation—and an affectionate rendering of Dumas’s style will delight teen and adult fans of swashbuckling romance.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Roth, Veronica : The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future
(Katherine Tegen Books 978-0062796523, $18.99, 272pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062796547
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062958112

Collection of six stories.
• HarperCollins’ site has this desription.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Mostly standalone save for the last two, they serve as an introduction to Roth’s work and a showcase of her versatility, though existing fans will get the most out of these offerings.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Rowe, Michael : October
(ChiZine Publications 978-1771485012, $15.99, 192pp, trade paperback, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781771484480

Horror novel about an outcast boy in a rural town who summons dark forces to take revenge on his abusers.
• ChiZine’s site has this description with blurbs from Vince Liaguno, Lee Thomas, and others.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* van Eekhout, Greg : Cog
(HarperCollins 978-0062686077, $16.99, 208pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062686046
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062965301

Middle grade SF novel about five robots on a mission to rescue their inventor.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Beneath the entertaining, madcap shenanigans, van Eekhout’s story raises intriguing questions about free will, fulfilling one’s life purpose, and hard-won judgment.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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+ Winterson, Jeanette : Frankissstein
(Grove Atlantic/Atlantic 978-0-8021-2949-9, $27, 352pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 1 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-0-8021-2950-5
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 978-1094024318

SF novel that blends the story of Mary Shelley in 1816 with modern-day stories about AI, sex dolls, and transhumanism.
• Grove Atlantic’s site has this description with blurbs and quotes from reviews.
• The UK edition was published in May 2019.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “This vividly imagined and gorgeously constructed novel will have readers laughing out loud—and then pondering their personhood and mortality on the next page.”

• 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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