New Books : 17 March 2020

New books this week include an anthology Chinese SF and titles by Patricia Briggs, Jennifer Estep, TJ Klune, Eddie Robson, Matt Ruff, Jonathan Strahan, and Carrie Vaughn.

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* Anonymous, ed. : That We May Live: Speculative Chinese Fiction
(Two Lines 978-1-949641-00-4, $16.95, 112pp, trade paperback, March 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 10 Mar 2020

Anthology of seven Chinese SF stories, by various authors and translated by various translators.
• Authors include Dorothy Tse, Enoch Tam, and Zhu Hui.
• The publisher’s site has this description.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “This provocative sampler of Chinese fiction is both challenging and rewarding.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Briggs, Patricia : Smoke Bitten
(Ace 978-0440001553, $28, 352pp, hardcover, March 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 17 Mar 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780440001560
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780593165768
• Mercy Thompson #12

Fantasy novel, twelfth in a series about Mercy Thompson, a coyote shapeshifter who’s also a car mechanic, following Moon Called (2006), Blood Bound (2007), Iron Kissed (2008), Bone Crossed (2009), Silver Borne (2010), River Marked (2011), Frost Burned (2013), Night Broken (2014), Fire Touched (2016), Silence Fallen (2017), and Storm Cursed (2019).
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Estep, Jennifer : Crush the King
(Harper Voyager 978-0062797698, $17.99, 432pp, trade paperback, March 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 17 Mar 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062797667
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062988546
• A Crown of Shards #3

Epic fantasy novel, third in a series following Kill the Queen (2018) and Protect the Prince (2019), about a royal woman who becomes a warrior to avenge her family and save her kingdom.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Klune, TJ : The House in the Cerulean Sea
(Tor 978-1-250-21728-8, $26.99, 400pp, hardcover, March 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 17 Mar 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250217325
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250264299

Fantasy novel about six magical children who may bring about the end of the world.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Quirk and charm give way to a serious exploration of the dangers of complacency in this delightful, thought-provoking Orwellian fantasy…”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Robson, Eddie : Hearts of Oak
(Tor.com 978-1-250-26053-6, $14.99, 266pp, trade paperback, March 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 17 Mar 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250260529

SF novel about four people in an enclosed city who gradually realize the truth of their surroundings.
• Macmillan’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Clever, emotional, and thematically rich, this is sure to please fans of classic science fiction.”
• Ian Mond reviews it in the March issue of Locus Magazine: “It’s books like Hearts of Oak, stories that instil a sense of wonder, a thrill for the strange and the outlandish, that brought many of us to the genre in the first place. I loved it, and so will you.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Ruff, Matt : 88 Names
(Harper 978-0-06-285467-4, $27.99, 320pp, hardcover, March 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 17 Mar 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062854698
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062990167

SF novel about a “sherpa” guide through online role-playing games who worries that his latest client may be Kim Jong-un.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The many pop culture SF references make this adventure pure geek gold. Ruff remains on a winning streak with this seamless genre hybrid.”
• Ian Mond reviews it in the March issue of Locus Magazine: “Although I did expect something a little more chewy and thoughtful from the author of Lovecraft Country, I also recognise that for Matt Ruff 88 Names is a heartfelt love letter to role-playing games, and to that extent the book is a success.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Strahan, Jonathan, ed. : Made to Order: Robots and Revolution
(Solaris 978-1781087879, $11.99, 400pp, trade paperback, March 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 17 Mar 2020

Anthology of 16 original stories about robots; the book is being published on the 100th anniversary of the word “robot.”
• Authors include Ken Liu, Peter F. Hamilton, Sarah Pinsker, Peter Watts, and Alastair Reynolds.
• Simon & Schuster’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews the book in the March issue of Locus Magazine: “Overall, Made to Order is a pretty useful guide to how some of our best SF writers are reshaping a classic theme as it moves closer to our own reality.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Vaughn, Carrie : The Immortal Conquistador
(Tachyon Publications 978-1-61696-321-7, $15.95, 196pp, trade paperback, March 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Fri 13 Mar 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-61696-322-4

Collection of four novellas about Ricardo de Avila, ally of Kitty Norville, werewolf radio talk show host subject of the fourteen book series that ended with Kitty Saves the World (2015).
• Tachyon’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Carolyn Cushman reviews it in the March issue of Locus Magazine: “This tale of a good-guy vampire almost holds up on its own, right up to the conflict with Dux Bellorum, at which point the background from the series is essential, but there’s ultimately a sense of joy that makes a piquant contrast to Rick’s usual undercurrent of existential despair.”

• 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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