New Books : 31 March 2020

New titles this week are by Max Barry, James P. Blaylock, Theodora Goss, Alex Irvine, Julie Kagawa, Sarah Tarkoff, and Menna van Praag.


* Barry, Max : Providence
(Putnam 978-0593085172, $27, 320pp, hardcover, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 31 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780593085189
Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780593163504

SF novel about the four-person crew of a spaceship sent to confront a powerful alien menace.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Fans of Robert Heinlein open to more nuanced characterizations will be delighted.”
• Ian Mond reviews it in the March issue of Locus Magazine: “Providence’s greatest strength – apart from being terrifically entertaining – is its characters. … It’s Barry’s empathy for his characters, his willingness to dig deep into their foibles, that distinguishes Providence from most of the golden-age science fiction that inspired it.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Blaylock, James P. : The Gobblin’ Society
(Subterranean Press 978-1-59606-948-0, $40, 139pp, hardcover, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 31 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: B085F46X9C

Fantasy novel, latest in the author’s long-running series about Victorian adventurer Langdon St. Ives.
• Subterranean’s site has this description and order page with an excerpt. Note Amazon offers only the ebook edition.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Mystery, mesmerism, murder, and mayhem combine into a jolly good time. Blaylock’s fans will be gratified.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Goss, Theodora, ed. : Medusa’s Daughters: Magic and Monstrosity from Women Writers of the Fin-de-Siècle
(Lanternfish Press/Clockwork Editions 978-1941360361, $16, 301pp, trade paperback, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 31 Mar 2020

Anthology of stories and poems by Vernon Lee, Mary Coleridge, Rosamund Mariott Watson, and other women who revived gothic literature at the end of the 19th century.
• The publisher’s site has this description with blurbs by Fran Wilde and Barbara Barrow.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Irvine, Alex : Anthropocene Rag
(Tor.com 978-1-250-26927-0, $14.99, 256pp, trade paperback, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 31 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-250-26926-3

SF novel set in a future America where artificial intelligences recreate the myths and legends of their human creators.
• Macmillan’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Irvine’s imaginative landscape mixes the strange and the familiar, giving rise to both philosophical questions and nail-biting horror. This wondrous, playful, but still weighty science fiction odyssey will appeal to Irvine’s fans and serve as an excellent introduction to his work.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Kagawa, Julie : Night of the Dragon
(Harlequin/Inkyard Press 978-1335146786, $19.99, 368pp, hardcover, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 31 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781488056611
Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781488207655
Shadow of the Fox #3

Young adult fantasy novel, third in a Japanese-inspired trilogy following Shadow of the Fox and Soul of the Sword (2019).
• Harlequin’s site has this description with a preview.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Tarkoff, Sarah : Ruthless
(Harper Voyager 978-0062456427, $16.99, 368pp, trade paperback, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 31 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062456434
Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062989291
Eye of the Beholder #3

Dystopian SF novel, third in a series following Sinless (2018) and Fearless (2019), set in a society in which right and wrong are manifested by beauty and ugliness.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* van Praag, Menna : The Sisters Grimm
(Harper Voyager 978-0-0629-3246-4, $27.99, 448pp, hardcover, March 2020)
Nominal Publication Date: Tue 31 Mar 2020
Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062932488
Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062999252
The Sisters Grimm #1

Fantasy novel, first in a series, about four magical half-sisters, separate since age thirteen and now striving to reunite.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Through entrancing prose, van Praag spins a tale of sisterhood and female empowerment, though her message is slightly undermined by the inexplicable ease with which the sisters are duped by the deceitful men in their lives, from their father to their manipulative boyfriends. Still, readers will be drawn to these well-developed characters and their lush world.”

• 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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