New & Notable Books, April 2022
Daniel Abraham, Age of Ash (Orbit US & UK 2/22) A great, ancient city provides the backdrop for the new epic fantasy Kithamar trilogy by critically acclaimed author Abraham, who weaves together a tapestry of complex characters, intrigues, and mystery as it follows a thief who investigates her brother’s murder and digs up dangerous secrets.
Edward Ashton, Mickey7 (St. Martin’s 2/22; Solaris 2/22) In this darkly humorous SF thriller, an Expendable clone worker doing the worst jobs on a colony planet goes missing temporarily and comes back to find he’s been replaced by Mickey8, a copy of himself – and duplicate Expendables aren’t allowed to exist. “While this is a wild romp that brings very human problems to outer space, it’s also very smart science fiction.” [Gabino Iglesias]
S.A. Barnes, Dead Silence (Nightfire 2/22) Barnes, who also writes as Stacey Kade, offers new twists on SF horror in this atmostpheric tale of a salvage crew that finds itself facing horrors on a ghost ship in space, “a superb hybrid horror novel that brings together science fiction, extreme psychological horror with a healthy dose of gore, and elements of Gothic fiction.” [Gabino Iglesias]
Zoraida Córdova, ed., Reclaim the Stars (Wednesday Books 2/22) This young-adult original anthology of 17 SF and fantasy stories of the Latinx diaspora has been getting critical praise for its strong selection of tales by authors including Romina Garber, Anna-Marie McLemore, Daniel José Older, and Mark Oshiro. “What makes this anthology so compelling is not just the territory it covers but the voices doing the telling… sure to be a hit with teens and adults alike.” [Alex Brown]
Samuel R. Delany, Occasional Views, Volume 2: “The Gamble” and Other Essays (Wesleyan 12/21) SFWA Grand Master Delany returns with this collection of 26 non-fiction pieces, a mix of essays, talks, and interviews covering a wide range of topics including literature, art, sex and sexuality, race, and more, all discussed with Delany’s noted wit and style.
Gretchen Felker-Martin, Manhunt (Nightfire 2/22) Two trans women hunt feral men for their organs and battle TERFs bent on their destruction in this past-paced, fun, and gory post-apocalyptic horror novel set in a world where anyone with significant testosterone turns into a zombie-like beast. A first novel gaining considerable praise.
Rob Hart, The Paradox Hotel (Ballantine 2/22) Time travel and murder mystery mix in this rollercoater-ride of a novel set in a hotel for time-travelling tourists, a place haunted by ghosts and now murder as profiteers seek to take advantage of the impending privatization of time travel. “There’s a lot to enjoy here, especially if you just want to get swept up in a plot with no brakes, only gas.” [Adrienne Martini]
Jane Lindskold, Library of the Sapphire Wind (Baen 2/22) Three anthropomorphic student mages try to summon mentors, but end up with strange creatures they’ve never seen before: older human women, whose life experience and attitudes turn out to be surprisingly useful. An amusingly different portal fantasy, the first in the Over Where series.
Patrick O’Leary, 51 (Tachyon 2/22) The mystery of Area 51 gets a different, even more paranoid explanation in this offbeat SF novel, which brings serious twists and some amusing moments to a tale of government coverups and an unexpectedly rekindled friendship.
Tim Powers, Stolen Skies (Baen 1/22) The Southern California weirdness continues in this third volume in the Vickery and Castine urban fantasy series, which finds the duo on a frantic search for an ancient relic to summon aid after Vickery’s investigation into an alien invasion uncovers secrets US intelligence is desperate to cover up.
Cherie Priest, Holy Terror (Subterranean 1/22) Priest, best known for her fantasy and horror novels, demonstrates her versatility with shorter forms in her first collection of one poem and 14 stories, including two novellas and a new novelette.
Lucius Shepard, The Best of Lucius Shepard, Volume Two (Subterranean 12/21) A follow-up to Shepard’s 2008 “Best of”, this hefty new collection offers 14 stories, three not previously collected – all meticulously crafted and none second-string – from one of the field’s most respected authors of short fiction. “You will find nothing but quintessential Shepard wonders here.” [Paul Di Filippo]
From the April 2022 issue of Locus.
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