New Books: 28 February 2023

Barnhill, Kelly The Crane Husband (Tordotcom 978-1-250-85097-3, $19.99, 128pp, hardcover, ebook)

This is a feminist fantasy novella doing a contemporary retelling of “The Crane Wife” by the Newbery Medal-winning author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon: one fiercely pragmatic teen forced to grow up faster than was fair will do whatever it takes to protect her family.

 

Brown, Diane Marie Black Candle Women (Harlequin/Graydon House 978-1-5258-9991-1, $28.99, 368pp, hardcover, ebook, audio)

Fantasy novel about four generations of magical Montrose women who live with a curse: anyone they fall in love with dies.

 

Chakraborty, Shannon The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Harper Voyager US 978-0-06-296350-5, $32.00, 496pp, hardcover, ebook, paperback, audio)

Pirate fantasy novel, the first in a trilogy mixing Sinbad the Sailor and Ocean’s 11. The author also writes as S.A. Chakraborty.

 

CJ, Piper The Sun and Its Shade (Bloom Books 978-1728270739, $18.99, 544pp, trade paperback, ebook)

Fantasy novel, sequel to The Night and Its Moon. Bestselling author Piper CJ redefines love and trust through a fantastical portrayal of queer experiences and found family.

 

DeCandido, Keith R.A. Phoenix Precinct (eSpec Books 978-1-956463170, $15.95, 210pp, trade paperback, ebook,  cover by Mike McPhail)

Fantasy mystery novel, sixth in the series begun in Dragon Precinct, featuring the Cliff’s End Castle Guard. The new precinct formed to deal with refugees from neighboring Barlin has to deal with anti-immigrant violence and an unexpectedly complicated murder.

 

Finlayson, A.B. The Book and the Blade (Parliament House Press 978-1-956136-53-1, $15.99, 262pp, trade paperback, ebook)

Humorous fantasy novel, the first in the Arthur Crazy series. Arthur Crazy gets drunk and discovers he can see ghosts — and they all want help with unfinished business. A first novel.

 

Gong, Chloe Last Violent (Hodder & Stoughton UK 9781399712521, 280pp, hardcover, trade paperback, ebook, audio)

Young-adult original collection of two novellas in the Foul Lady Fortune series: A Foul Thing and This Foul Murder.

 

Hambly, Barbara The Iron Princess (Open Road 978-1-5040-7902-0, $18.99, 360pp, trade paperback, ebook)

Fantasy adventure novel. As the world’s magic fails and monsters attack, Clea Stylachos suspects the Crystal Mages of plotting to keep her people enslaved.

 

Hay, David Scott NSFW (Whiskey Tit 9781952600265, $20.00, 464pp, trade paperback)

Experimental speculative/SF/horror novel about newly hired social media moderators trying to survive viewing offensive images for 90 days to qualify for health care and a mystery bonus — a device radically transforming the world.

 

Kumagai, Clara Catfish Rolling (Bloomsbury UK/Head of Zeus/Zephyr 978-1-803288048, $19.99, 432pp, hardcover, trade paperback, ebook)

Young-adult fantasy novel inspired by Japanese myth. Sora, whose mother died in an earthquake, searches for her in the zones where time runs faster or slower than normal.

 

Lycette, JL The Algorithm Will See You Now (Black Rose Writing 978-1-68513-149-4, $21.95, 274pp, trade paperback, ebook)

Near-future SF debut novel of AI-based medical treatment, and a conspiracy to cover up a fatal flaw.

 

Novoa, Gabe Cole The Wicked Bargain (Random House 978-0-593-37801-4, $18.99, 368pp, hardcover, ebook, audio)

Young-adult historical pirate fantasy novel. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice. But their magic isn’t enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father, and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar’s father and the entire crew of their ship.

 

Parry, H.G. The Magician’s Daughter (Orbit US/Redhook 978-0-316-38370-7, $18.99, 401pp, trade paperback. ebook, audio)

In this historical fantasy set in the early 1900s, a young woman is caught between the magical island she grew up on and the greater world in a  tale of miracles, magic, and the adventure of a lifetime.

 

Sambury, Liselle Delicious Monsters (Simon & Schuster/McElderry 978-1665903493, $21.99, 512pp, hardcover, ebook, audio, cover by Thea Harvey)

Young-adult about two teens, ten years apart, one who sees dead people, investigating a mysterious mansion.

 

Shannon, Samantha A Day of Fallen Night (Bloomsbury USA 978-1-63557-792-1, $35.00, 880pp, hardcover, trade paperback, ebook, audio, cover by Ivan Belikov)

Fantasy novel in the Roots of Chaos series, a standalone prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree, a feminist reimagining of the story of Saint George and the Dragon. Illustrated by Emily Faccini. Special/exclusive editions for Barnes & Noble (978-1-63973-167-1, -168-8 signed hc), Indigo (978-1-63973-180-0), and “indie bookstores” (978-1-63973-180-0) were announced but not seen. Simultaneous with the UK (Bloomsbury Circus) edition.

 

Song, Han Hospital (Amazon Crossing 978-1-5420-3947-5, $28.99, 414pp, hardcover, trade paperback, ebook, audio)

Absurdist/surreal dark satire/dystopian novel about a business traveller, struck by a mysterious illness then stuck in the byzantine bureaucracy of a hospital system. The author’s English-language debut, translated by Michael Berry.

 

Stage, Zoje Mothered (Amazon/Thomas & Mercer 978-1662506239, $28.99, hardcover, trade paperback, ebook, audio)

Associational horror novel about a woman who starts having trouble telling dreams from reality after her mother moves in during an unspecified pandemic.

 

Wexler, Django Emperor of Ruin (Orbit US 978-0-316-51966-3, $18.99, 512pp, hardcover, trade paperback, ebook, cover by Scott Fischer)

Fantasy novel, third and final in the Burningblade and Silvereye trilogy. Simultaneous with the UK (Head of Zeus/Ad Astra) edition. Ebook also available.