New Books : 4 August 2020

New books this week are by Ben Bova & Doug Beason, Hank Davis & Christopher Ruocchio, Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan, Eric Flint & Walter H. Hunt, Micaiah Johnson, Tom Kratman, Laura Lem & Elizabeth May, Stephanie Meyer, Tamsyn Muir, Anthony Ryan, Sam Sykes, Carrie Vaughn, and Alex White.

---

* Bova, Ben, & Doug Beason : Space Station Down
(Tor 978-1-250-30743-9, $26.99, 352pp, hardcover, August 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Aug 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250307446

SF novel about a tourist venture to the International Space Station that turns into a terrorist threat to destroy New York City.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Davis, Hank, & Christopher Ruocchio, eds. : Cosmic Corsairs
(Baen 978-1-9821-2478-6, $16, 336pp, trade paperback, August 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Aug 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-779-7

Anthology of 15 new and reprinted stories about space pirates.
• Authors include Larry Niven, Fritz Leiber, Gregory Benford, James Blish, and Robert Silverberg.
• Baen’s site has this description and this page with links to several samples.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* del Toro, Guillermo, & Chuck Hogan : The Hollow Ones
(Grand Central 978-1-5387-6174-8, $28, 336pp, hardcover, August 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Aug 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781538761731
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781478999379
• Blackwood Tapes #1

Horror novel, first in a series, about the aftermath of an FBI shooting that leads to the discovery of a supernatural entity.
• Hachette’s site has this description (scroll down).
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “The authors keep the tension high throughout. Fans of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s Pendergast books will be enthralled.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Flint, Eric, & Walter H. Hunt : 1636: The Atlantic Encounter
(Baen 978-1-9821-2475-5, $25, 352pp, hardcover, August 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Aug 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-776-6
• ring of fire #28

Alternate history novel in the “Ring of Fire” series that began with Flint’s 1632 (2000), concerning 17th century European history as affected by West Virginians from the 20th century.
• Baen’s site has this description and this page with links to several samples.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Johnson, Micaiah : The Space Between Worlds
(Del Rey 978-0-593-13505-1, $28, 336pp, hardcover, August 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Aug 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780593135068
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780593213780

SF novel, the author’s first novel, about a woman who can access alternate worlds in the multiverse, but only those worlds where the version of herself there has already died.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Despite occasional melodramatics and some hazy political structures, this immersive, original adventure is sure to please readers looking for smart, diverse science fiction. Johnson is a writer to watch.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Kratman, Tom : Days of Burning, Days of Wrath
(Baen 978-1-9821-2476-2, $25, 400pp, hardcover, August 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Aug 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-62579-777-3
• Carerra #8

Military SF novel, eighth in a series following A Desert Called Peace (2007), Carnifex (2007), The Lotus Eaters (2010), The Amazon Legion (2011), Come and Take Them (2013), The Rods and the Axe (2014), and A Pillar of Fire by Night (2018), about military leader Carrera and her battles against Islamic terrorists and other threats on the world of Terra Nova.
• Baen’s site has this description and this page with links to several samples.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Lam, Laura, & Elizabeth May : Seven Devils
(DAW 978-0-7564-1580-8, $26, 464pp, hardcover, August 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Aug 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780756415815

SF novel, first in a feminist space opera duology, about resistance fighters battling the Tholosian empire.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “This epic, if occasionally bumpy, voyage will appeal to fans of underdog stories and bombastic feminist sci-fi.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Meyer, Stephanie : Midnight Sun
(Little, Brown 978-0316707046, $27.99, 672pp, hardcover, August 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Aug 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316592253
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549134654
• Twilight #5

Young adult vampire novel, fifth book in the popular series following Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.
• Hachette’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Muir, Tamsyn : Harrow the Ninth
(Tor.com 978-1-250-31-322-5, $26.99, 512pp, hardcover, August 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Aug 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250313201
• The Locked Tomb Trilogy #2

Fantasy novel, second in a series following Gideon the Ninth (2019), about a lesbian necromancer trapped aboard an emperor’s haunted space station.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it, as it did the first book, a starred review: “Ending on a heart-stopping cliffhanger sure to have readers clamoring for the next installment, this dark, bloody puzzle box of a sequel is a knockout.”
• Liz Bourke reviewed it in the July issue of Locus Magazine: “Harrow the Ninth is a fun read. Its voice is strong. It’s an entertaining mess, and I enjoyed it. But it’s still a mess…”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

+ Ryan, Anthony : The Black Song
(Ace 978-0-451-49254-8, $28, 448pp, hardcover, August 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Aug 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780451492562
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780593214596
• Raven’s Blade #2

Epic fantasy novel, second in a series following The Wolf’s Call (2019), about a warrior facing a near-god.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Both returning readers and those new to the series will be drawn in by the expert worldbuilding, crackling dialogue, gripping action, and subtle shifts of the political chessboard.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Sykes, Sam : Ten Arrows of Iron
(Orbit 978-0-316-36347-1, $17.99, 720pp, trade paperback, August 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Aug 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316363464
• The Grave of Empires #2

Fantasy novel, second in a series following Seven Blades in Black (2019), about an outcast mage caught between two warring empires.
• Hachette’s site has this description.
• Publishers Weekly gives it, as it did the first book, a starred review: “Despite the novel’s epic scope, Sal’s relationship with her beloved, Liette, remains personal, intimate, and heartbreakingly human throughout. This an unforgettable epic fantasy.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Vaughn, Carrie : The Heirs of Locksley
(Tor.com 978-1-250-75662-6, $13.99, 128pp, trade paperback, August 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 4 Aug 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250756619
• The Robin Hood Stories #2

Fantasy novella, second in a series following The Ghosts of Sherwood (June), about the children of Robin Hood and Marian.
• Macmillan’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Readers won’t have to know much about the Robin Hood legends to be swept up in this quick, entertaining tale.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* White, Alex : The Worst of All Possible Worlds
(Orbit 978-0-316-41214-8, $16.99, 528pp, trade paperback, July 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 28 Jul 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316412131
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549151514
• The Salvagers #3

SF novel, third in a trilogy following A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe and A Bad Deal for the Whole Galaxy (both 2018), about a starship crew this time searching for humanity’s first colony ship.
• Hachette’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “White’s tale of justice and vengeance sends the series out on a high note with electrifying action sequences, depth, and darkness. This thrilling finale will have readers on the edges of their seats.”
• Liz Bourke reviewed it in the July issue of Locus Magazine: “The Worst of All Possible Worlds is an action-packed hustle of a novel, with a sense of humour and a keen eye for the ridiculous. It’s not deep or terribly meaningful, but it is cracking good fun.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

---

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.

---

While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep the site paywall free, but WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT to continue quality coverage of the science fiction and fantasy field.