New Books : 8 October 2019

New titles this week are by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Julia Armfield, Leigh Bardugo, Kristen Berg & Tori Bosch, Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne, Dave Duncan, K. Eason, Christopher Hinz & Etan Ilfeld, John Horner Jacobs, Robert Jordan, Tim Pratt, Philip Pullman, Kate Racculia, Bogi Takács, and Gary Westfahl.

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* Armentrout, Jennifer L. : The Burning Shadow
(Tor Teen 978-1250175748, $18.99, 432pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250175755
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250243386
• Origin #2

Young adult SF novel, second in a series following The Darkest Star (2018), about a seventeen-year-old girl in the aftermath of humanity’s war with aliens.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Armfield, Julia : Salt Slow
(Flatiron 978-1-250-22477-4, $24.99, 208pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-250-22476-7
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250243041

Collection of nine stories exploring women’s experiences in contemporary society.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Razor-sharp, stylish, and imaginative, Armfield’s collection is a dazzling introduction to a talented writer.”
• Ian Mond reviews it in the October issue of Locus Magazine: “Salt Slow is a strong debut, only reinforcing that we are in a golden age of female-led and female-centric collections with a genre flavour.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Bardugo, Leigh : Ninth House
(Flatiron 978-1-250-31307-2, $27.99, 480pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250313089
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250238061

Fantasy novel, the author’s first adult novel, about a young woman given free admission to Yale in return for monitoring the university’s secret societies.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with blurbs from Stephen King, Lev Grossman, and others.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Much of the book’s white-knuckled tension comes from the increasingly horrific flashbacks revealing Alex’s past, which is still very present in her mind. Fantasy readers, particularly those who love ghosts, will hungrily devour this novel.”
• Adrienne Martini reviews it in the October issue of Locus Magazine: “Like the best moments by Grossman and Gaiman, Bardugo’s storytelling is full of life and crackles with energy. It’s one that you’ll read in great gulps but never want to see end.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Berg, Kirsten, & Tori Bosch, eds. : Future Tense Fiction
(The Unnamed Press 978-1944700959, $27, 256pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Wed 2 Oct 2019

Anthology of 14 stories developed through a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University.
• Authors include Charlie Jane Anders, Paolo Bacigalupi, Annalee Newitz, Carmen Maria Machado, Maureen McHugh, and others.
• The publisher’s site has this description.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “This dynamic, dud-free anthology of 14 short stories written by some of speculative fiction’s greats provides gripping, convincing glimpses into various near futures that explore the interrelated advancement of technology, society, and human nature.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Dawson, Delilah S., & Kevin Hearne : The Princess Beard
(Del Rey 978-1-5247-9780-5, $27, 384pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781524797812
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780525593706
• The Tales of Pell #3

Satirical fantasy novel, third in a series following Kill the Farm Boy (2018) and No Country for Old Gnomes (Apr. 2019).
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “The sheer quantity of sophomoric humor threatens to drown out an entertaining plot filled with callbacks to previous volumes and satisfying emotional journeys for the protagonists.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Duncan, Dave : Merlin Redux
(Night Shade Books 978-1-949102-03-1, $24.99, 288pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Oct 2019
• The Enchanter General #3

Historical fantasy novel, third in a series following Ironfoot (2017) and Trial by Treason (2018), about a young Saxon man, in Norman-ruled England, who is allowed to attend a school for magicians.
• Night Shade’s site has this description. There’s a simultaneous trade paperback edition (978-1-949102-04-8).

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Eason, K. : How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse
(DAW 978-0-7564-1529-7, $26, 416pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780756415303
• The Thorne Chronicles #1

Science fantasy novel, first in a duology, about a princess betrothed to the prince of a remote planet.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Katharine Coldiron reviews the book in the October issue of Locus Magazine: “How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse not-so-stealthily overturns the patriarchal undercurrent of most fairy tales, which is a delight to read.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Hinz, Christopher, & Etan Ilfeld : Duchamp Versus Einstein
(Angry Robot 978-0857668349, $6.99, 100pp, mass market paperback, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780857668356
• UK edition: 9780857668349 (Tue 8 Oct 2019)

SF novella about an alien time traveler meddling in events of the 20th century.
• Angry Robot’s site has this description with blurbs from Wesley Chu, Lavie Tidhar, and others.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Jacobs, John Hornor : A Lush and Seething Hell: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror
(Harper Voyager 978-0-06-288082-6, $19.99, 384pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062880840
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062959072

Collection of two short novels, the previously published “The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky” and the original “My Heart Struck Sorrow.”
• Chuck Wendig provides an introduction.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “In Jacobs’s work, the present is held in a manacled grip by the foolishness and horrors of the past. His writing is meticulous, detailed, and atmospheric, evoking a sense of place and suspense in equal turns.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Jordan, Robert : Warrior of the Altaii
(Tor 978-1250247650, $27.99, 352pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250247643
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250252517

Fantasy novel, Jordan’s first novel written some 40 years ago and unpublished until now. It prefigures themes of his Wheel of Time series.
• Macmillan’s site has this description.
• Publishers Weekly has this article from May about the origins of the book.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Pratt, Tim : The Forbidden Stars
(Angry Robot 978-0-85766-769-4, $8.99, 400pp, mass market paperback, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780857667700
• UK edition: 9780857667694 (Tue 8 Oct 2019)
• Axiom #3

SF novel, third in a series following The Wrong Stars (2017) and The Dreaming Stars (2018), about a crew of humans and posthumans battling ancient aliens, the Axion.
• Angry Robot’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Pratt’s high-tech universe of tangled alien half-truths and hidden motivations provides a fascinating setting for a gripping series that has plenty of room for future surprises.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Pullman, Philip : The Book of Dust, Volume Two: The Secret Commonwealth
(Knopf 978-0-553-51066-9, $22.99, 656pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Thu 3 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780553510683
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780593105184
• The Book of Dust #2

Fantasy novel, second book a trilogy following La Belle Sauvage (2017), set in the world of the author’s His Dark Materials trilogy. This book is set eight years after the original trilogy.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Through prodigious planning that is likely to set up the final volume, Pullman connects characters and moments from all the previous books. The sprawling, sometimes meandering narrative follows Lyra, Pan, and Malcolm on their journeys while exploring the power of transnational religious and corporate organizations, the plight of various marginalized groups, and the importance of a worldview that includes unprovable truths.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Racculia, Kate : Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 978-0358023937, $26, 368pp, hardcover, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-0358025405

Fantasy thriller about a woman who joins a city-wide hunt for the fortune of a dead billionaire who’s left clues inspired by Edgar Allan Poe.
• The publisher’s site has this descritpion.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “As suspenseful as the adrenaline-pumping race will prove, testing competitors in ways they never anticipated, the author, like Vincent, has a deeper design in mind, which only becomes apparent with the book’s immensely satisfying final bombshells.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Takács, Bogi : The Trans Space Octopus Congregation
(Lethe 978-1-59021-693-4, $20, 328pp, trade paperback, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Sat 5 Oct 2019

Collection of 23 stories of LGBTQ-focused speculative literature.
• Charlie Jane Anders provides an introduction.
• Lethe’s site has this description with the table of contents.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The dense and often depressing nature of this collection will make it a challenge for everyone except hardcore lovers of dark and weird fiction.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Westfahl, Gary : The Rise and Fall of American Science Fiction, from the 1920s to the 1960s
(McFarland 978-1-4766-7494-0, $45, 311pp, trade paperback, October 2019)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Oct 2019
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-4766-3851-5

Nonfiction study of 20th century science fiction, examining subjects including SF art, subgenres of space opera and hard SF, and SF anthologies, to show how the genre evolved to its current state. The book includes chapter notes, a bibliography, and an index.
• McFarland’s site has this description with the table of contents.

• 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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