New Books : 24 March 2020

There’s royalty on this week’s list of new books with A BROKEN QUEEN, THE POET KING, and THE EMPRESS OF SALT AND FORTUNE.

New titles this week are by David Dalglish, Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor, Rachel Harrison, Robert A. Heinlein, N.K. Jemisin, Zack Jordan, Sarah Kozloff, Paul McAuley, Ilana C. Myer, and Nghi Vo.


* Dalglish, David : Ravencaller
(Orbit 978-0-316-41669-6, $16.99, 576pp, trade paperback, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 17 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316416672
Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549156946
The Keepers #2

Fantasy novel, second in a series following Soulkeeper (2019), about a warrior priest who must protect the world from monsters when ancient magic returns to the land.
• Orbit’s site has an excerpt.
• Hachette’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Dalglish weaves a complex political web, raising moral questions about war, religion, and land rights and eschewing easy answers. The philosophical strains are tempered with plentiful action sequences and sweet romance, keeping the pace up and the pages turning. This smart epic fantasy promises more good things from the series to come.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Fink, Joseph, & Jeffrey Cranor : The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home
(Harper Perennial 978-0-06-288900-3, $21.99, 352pp, hardcover, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062889027
Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062956613
Welcome to Night Vale #3

Fantasy novel, third in a series following Welcome to Night Vale (2015) and It Devours! (2017) based on a popular podcast, telling the origin story of one of the desert town’s strangest residents.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “With this tightly plotted adventure, Fink and Cranor successfully expand their universe beyond Night Vale’s desert setting. … Newcomers need not be familiar with the Night Vale podcast to enjoy this standout tale.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Harrison, Rachel : The Return
(Berkley 978-0-593-09866-0, $26, 304pp, hardcover, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780593098684
Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780593165645

Horror novel, the author’s first novel, about a group of friends who reunite after one of them has returned from a mysterious disappearance two years before.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The tension and nuance of Harrison’s complicated female friendships add depth to an already delicious, chilling debut.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Heinlein, Robert A. : The Pursuit of the Pankera
(Arc Manor/Caezik SF & Fantasy 978-1-64710-001-8, $29.99, 503pp, hardcover, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-64710-002-5

SF novel, subtitled “A Parallel Novel About Parallel Universes,” a recently discovered alternate version of Heinlein’s 1980 novel The Number of the Beast. It follows that novel for about the first third, then diverges from it.
• The book has an introduction by David Weber.
• The publisher’s site has a description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides a preview.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Jemisin, N. K. : The City We Became
(Orbit 978-0-316-50984-8, $28, 448pp, hardcover, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316509855
Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549119736
The Great Cities Trilogy #1

Fantasy novel, first of a trilogy, in which New York City, on the verge of coming alive, is threatened by an enemy that has killed other cities.
• Orbit’s site has this description.
• Hachette’s site has this description with an excerpt.
Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Jemisin’s earthy, vibrant New York is mirrored in her dynamic, multicultural cast. Blending the concept of the multiverse with New York City arcana, this novel works as both a wry adventure and an incisive look at a changing city. Readers will be thrilled.”
• Gary K. Wolfe reviewed it in the February issue of Locus Magazine: “As the inaugural volume of what promises to be a wildly original fantasy trilogy, quite unlike anything else Jemisin has written, it completely takes command of the very notion of urban fantasy, and it leaves us exactly where we need to be – wanting the next volume now.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Jordan, Zack : The Last Human
(Del Rey 978-0-451-49981-3, $27, 448pp, hardcover, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780451499837
Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780593167861

SF novel, the author’s first novel, about a young woman, apparently the last human in the universe, whose encounters with aliens and androids give her a chance to learn the truth.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Throughout, Jordan plays with the concept of choice, leaving both Sarya and the reader questioning whether the decisions she makes are truly her own or whether some other entity is pulling the strings. Jordan’s deeply considered treatment of various levels of extraterrestrial intelligence will put readers in mind of the work of Neal Asher and appeal to fans of big-idea science fiction.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Kozloff, Sarah : A Broken Queen
(Tor 978-1250168665, $16.99, 448pp, trade paperback, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250168658
Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250243560
The Nine Realms #3

Fantasy novel, third novel of a quartet following A Queen in Hiding (Jan. 2020) and The Queen of Raiders (Feb. 2020), about an orphaned, exiled princess.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Liz Bourke reviewed all four books in the quartet in the February issue of Locus Magazine: “This is your reasonably standard monarchist usurpation-restoration narrative with added gods, destinies, and god-prompted invasions, save that unlike most narratives of usurpation and restoration, the legitimacy and right to rule of the usurped monarch is never in question or even contested by her enemies….”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* McAuley, Paul : War of the Maps
(Gollancz 978-1473217348, £14.99, 432pp, hardcover, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Thu 19 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781473217362

SF novel about a keeper of the peace on a giant artificial world.
• It’s listed here on Amazon.com, though the Amazon UK page shows a publication date of January 2021.
• Orion’s site has this description.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews it in the March issue of Locus Magazine.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Myer, Ilana C. : The Poet King
(Tor 978-0-7653-7834-7, $29.99, 320pp, hardcover, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781466861053
The Harp and Ring Sequence #3

Fantasy novel, third in a series following Last Song Before Night (2015) and Fire Dance (2018), about a woman trying to prevent the loss of her world’s magic.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Myer’s intricately braided plot strands culminate in a clash of supernatural Otherworld powers. Those new to the series will have no trouble connecting with the well-drawn protagonists but may struggle to untangle the history of this rich universe which draws from a welter of world mythologies. Still, readers will be blown away by the lush, lyrical prose and epic scale of this novel.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Vo, Nghi : The Empress of Salt and Fortune
(Tor.com 978-1-2507-5030-3, $12.99, 122pp, trade paperback, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 24 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250750297

Fantasy novella about a young royal sent for political marriage in a land inspired by Imperial China.
• Macmillan’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “The subtlety and nuance of Vo’s evocative storytelling lend the novella an epic, timeless feel. Equal parts love and rage, this masterfully told story is sure to impress.”

• 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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