New Books : 8 September 2020

New books this week are by C.J. Cherryh, Tessa Gratton, Andrea Hairston, Dan Hanks, Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner, Chris Panatier, Rebecca Schaeffer, Andrea Stewart, Jonathan Strahan, Valerie Valdes, and Jin Yong.

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* Cherryh, C. J. : Divergence
(DAW 978-0-756-41430-6, $26, 352pp, hardcover, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780756414320
• Foreigner #21

SF novel, 21st volume in Cherryh’s long-running Foreigner series about humans and the alien atevi, following most recently Visitor (2016), Convergence (2017), Emergence (2018), and Resurgence (Jan. 2020).
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Russell Letson reviewed it in the Ajugust issue of Locus Magazine: “C.J. Cherryh’s Divergence is not a minor book, but after 20 previous entries in this long-running series, your faithful reviewer is reduced to recommending the entire Foreigner sequence yet again and assuring those already familiar with its pleasures that even after so many books, Cherryh’s hand has not lost its cunning and that there are still nooks and crannies and angles of view to explore in this close-textured world of human and non-human emotions, politics, and blind spots.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Gratton, Tessa : Night Shine
(Simon & Schuster/McElderry 978-1534460775, $19.99, 400pp, hardcover, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781534460799

Young adult fantasy novel about an orphan girl who lives in the shadows of a palace from which Prince Kirin, heir to the throne, is kidnapped.
• Simon & Schuster’s site has this description with an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Hairston, Andrea : Master of Poisons
(Tor.com 978-1-250-26054-3, $27.99, 512pp, hardcover, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250260550
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250772718

Fantasy novel based on African folktales about a poison desert sweeping across the world and the the emperor’s right-hand man attempting to stop it.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt. Note that on some of its books the publisher is now stylizing its name as Tordotcom.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Hairston weaves a rich tapestry of folklore and adventure, inviting readers into a well-developed, non-Western fantasy world, while navigating pressing issues of climate change and personal responsibility. This is an urgent, gorgeous work.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Hanks, Dan : Captain Moxley and the Embers of the Empire
(Angry Robot 978-0-85766-872-1, $9.99, 384pp, mass market paperback, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780857668738

Alternate history fantasy novel about a female spitfire pilot in 1952 fighting a shadowy government agency for the discovery of the secrets of Atlantis.
• Angry Robot’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Twists aplenty, dastardly villains, and bombastic fight scenes combine to make this perfect popcorn entertainment. Fans of old-fashioned pulp adventure are sure to enjoy.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Kaufman, Amie, & Meagan Spooner : The Other Side of the Sky
(Harper 978-0-06-289333-8, $19.99, 480pp, hardcover, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062893352
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780063033184
• Unearthed #1

Fantasy novel, first book of a duology, about a prince who lives in a city in the sky and a goddess who lives below on the surface.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Turbid worldbuilding abounds, but evocative prose, escalating intrigue, and charismatic, predominantly olive- and brown-skinned characters with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities keep the pages turning.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Panatier, Chris : The Phlebotomist
(Angry Robot 978-0-857-66861-5, $14.99, 344pp, trade paperback, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780857668622

SF novel about a post-war society segregated by blood type, where a worker for a blood contractor discovers an awful truth.
• Angry Robot’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Panatier’s powerful worldbuilding is driven by the utter focus on blood, but this focus also makes the eventual reveal of the forces secretly controlling the city too predictable. The story’s events are often tied together only loosely, but the fascinating characters are sure to keep the reader’s attention. This is a promising first outing.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Schaeffer, Rebecca : When Villains Rise
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 978-1328863560, $17.99, 384pp, hardcover, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: B081TV4RQV
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 978-1721340736
• Market of Monsters #3

Young adult fantasy novel, third in a series following Not Even Bones (2018) and Only Ashes Remain (2019), about a girl with the ability to self-heal determined to take down the black market that sold her to kidnappers.
• The publisher’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly said of the first book, “Occasionally graphic and frequently featuring unthinkable conflicts, the narrative spotlights the importance of bodily autonomy and offers readers a glimpse into a murderous us-vs.-them mindset. The thrilling plot proves thought-provoking, and it concludes with more questions than answers.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Stewart, Andrea : The Bone Shard Daughter
(Orbit 978-0-316-54142-8, $28, 448pp, hardcover, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316541442
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781549104695
• The Drowning Empire #1

Fantasy novel, the author’s first novel and first of a series, about an emperor’s daughter, refused recognition as the heir to the throne, determines to learn the forbidden art of bone shard magic.
• Hachette’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Katherine Coldiron reviews it in the September issue of Locus Magazine: “The Bone Shard Daughter is not a knock-your-socks-off book, but it is decidedly in the upper quarter of this year’s reading, and deserves as much attention as it can get.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Strahan, Jonathan, ed. : The Year’s Best Science Fiction Vol. 1: The Saga Anthology of Science Fiction 2020
(Saga Press 978-1534449596, $17.99, 608pp, trade paperback, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781534449619

Anthology of 28 SF stories first published in 2019.
• This is the first of a new series, focused solely on science fiction, following the editor’s 13-volume “The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year” for Night Shade Books and Solaris.
• Authors include Ted Chiang, Greg Egan, Ken Liu, Peter Watts, Charlie Jane Anders, Karin Tidbeck, and Caroline M. Yoachim.
• Simon & Schuster’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Strahan’s thoughtful selections offer a sometimes chilling, always fascinating look at the best of the genre.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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* Valdes, Valerie : Prime Deceptions
(Harper Voyager 978-0-06-287725-3, $16.99, 448pp, trade paperback, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062877277
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780063034242
• Chilling Effect #2

Humorous SF novel, second in a series following Chilling Effect (2019), about Captain Eva Innocente and the crew of La Sirena Negra.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description with a sample.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “Eva contends with cute robots with a sinister purpose, ancient technology, a tangled web of blackmail—and her Cuban family. While Eva’s personal growth and the found family aboard La Sirena Negra—including the crew’s psychic cats—will draw readers in and delight series fans…”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

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+ Yong, Jin : A Snake Lies Waiting
(St. Martin’s Griffin 978-1-25025-012-4, $18.99, 448pp, hardcover, September 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 8 Sep 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250220677
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250772527
• Legends of the Condor Heroes #3

Historical fantasy novel, first published in China in 1959 and here translated by Anna Holmwood and Gigi Chang, third in a series following A Hero Born (US 2019) and A Bond Undone (US March 2020).
• This translation for appeared in the UK in February.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt. The cover claims “300 million copies sold worldwide.” There’s also a hardcover edition for $30.99 (9781250220660).
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The story will feel slow for new readers, but fans of Yong’s previous Condor Heroes novels will appreciate the convergence of many separate subplots and the enthralling ending, which serves as a strong setup for the next in the series. This is a solid installment.”

• 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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