New Books : 15 September 2020
Get lost in these new books: there’s a labyrinth in PIRANESI, “a labyrinth of new dimensions” in THE MOONLIT WORLD, a wilderness of deadly plants in THE TRIALS OF KOLI, and much more on this week’s list!
New books this week are by Joe Abercrombie, M.R. Carey, Susanna Clarke, S.A. Hunt, Christopher Paolini, Erin K. Wagner, Edward Willett, and Sheila Williams.
* Abercrombie, Joe : The Trouble with Peace
(Orbit 978-0-316-18718-3, $28, 512pp, hardcover, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 15 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316341899
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781478916604
• The Age of Madness #2
Fantasy novel, second in a trilogy following A Little Hatred (2019), set in universe of the author’s First Law series.
• Hachette’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The large cast, which takes over four pages to list in a helpful appendix, becomes overwhelming at times, and newcomers to the series will have a hard time untangling the complex backstory, but Abercrombie’s satisfying plotting and expert subversion of genre expectations are sure to please. Readers will be gripped.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Carey, M. R. : The Trials of Koli
(Orbit 978-0316458689, $16.99, 496pp, trade paperback, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 15 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316458665
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549186233
• The Rampart Trilogy #2
Post-apocalyptic SF novel, second in a trilogy following The Book of Koli (Apr 2020), about a would-be protector of a small village who is exiled into a wilderness of deadly plants, now searching for London.
• Hachette’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “New readers will have no trouble jumping in here, and fans of postapocalyptic science fiction will find plenty to hold their attention.”
• Katharine Coldiron reviews the book in the September issue of Locus Magazine: “In short: if you loved M.R. Carey’s The Book of Koli, you will love The Trials of Koli just as much, if not more.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Clarke, Susanna : Piranesi
(Bloomsbury 978-1-63557-563-7, $27, 272pp, hardcover, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 15 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781635575644
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: B084NVNFBH
Fantasy novel about a man who lives in a house that’s an infinite labyrinth and who is visited twice a week by another man for help with A Great and Secret Knowledge.
• Bloomsbury’s site has this description with quotes from numerous reviews.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “With great subtlety, Clarke gradually elaborates an explanatory backstory to her tale’s events and reveals sinister occult machinations that build to a crescendo of genuine horror. This superbly told tale is sure to be recognized as one of the year’s most inventive novels.”
• Gary K. Wolfe reviewed it in the August issue of Locus Magazine: “Piranesi may not be exactly what Clarke’s readers were expecting, but it’s an astonishing narrative performance that, instead, offers them something just as new and intriguing as those 19th-century magicians seemed way back in 2004.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Hunt, S. A. : The Hellion
(Tor 978-1-250-30650-0, $30.99, 400pp, hardcover, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 15 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250306494
• Malus Domestica #3
Fantasy/horror novel, third in a series following Burn the Dark (Jan. 2020) and I Come with Knives (July 2020), about a punk YouTuber on a mission to bring down witches.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt. There’s also a trade paperback edition (9781250306517).
• The Publishers Weekly review begins, “Hunt returns to form in the exhilarating third Malus Domestica fantasy (after I Come with Knives), which reignites the series’s fire with intense action sequences and surprising twists and turns.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Paolini, Christopher : To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
(Tor 978-1-250-76284-9, $29.99, 880pp, hardcover, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 15 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250762900
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250767554
SF novel about the discovery of an alien artifact on an uninhabited planet that leads to interstellar war.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “…Paolini builds to a thrilling finale that more than makes up for the predictable midsection. The high-stakes quest and developing bonds of found family make for a fun epic grounded in an earnest exploration of human consciousness.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Wagner, Erin K. : An Unnatural Life
(Tor.com 978-1-250-75209-3, $14.99, 190pp, trade paperback, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 15 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250752086
SF novel about a cybernetic organism on trial for murdering a human worker.
• Macmillan’s site has this description.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Fans of AI-centric sci-fi will make quick work of this, but wish for a fresher angle on a familiar idea.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Willett, Edward : The Moonlit World
(DAW 978-0-7564-1714-7, $16.99, trade paperback, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 15 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780756417154
Fantasy novel, third in a series following Worldshaper (2018) and Masters of the World (2019), about a woman who discovers a portal into a labyrinth of new dimensions.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “Willett continues to use his innovative worldbuilding to play with genre tropes; there’s a tongue-in-cheek self-awareness to this desolate world that will please fans of dark fiction.”
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
– – –
* Williams, Sheila, ed. : Entanglements: Tomorrow’s Lovers, Families, and Friends
(MIT 978-0-26253-925-8, $19.95, 240pp, trade paperback, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Fri 25 Sep 2020
Anthology of 12 original stories, this year’s volume in MIT’s series of “Twelve Tomorrows” anthologies.
• Authors include Ken Liu, James Patrick Kelly, Nancy Kress, Annalee Newitz, and Sam J. Miller.
• The publisher’s site has this description
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Pairing scientific precision with emotional insight, this accessible anthology makes a powerful case for featured author Nancy Kress’s assertion that ‘stories are made out of and for people.’ Readers will be captivated.”
• 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.
