New Books: August 29 2023
List below video!
Arndt, Skyla: Together We Rot
(Penguin Random House/Viking 9780593526279, $18.99, 272pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audio, 08/29/2023)
Young-adult horror/thriller/romance novel. Wil Greene’s mom has been missing for over a year, and the police are ready to call the case closed — they claim she skipped town and you can’t find a woman who wants to disappear, but she knows her mom wouldn’t just leave. Meanwhile, Wil’s former best friend Elwood Clarke is preparing for his 18th birthday when he discovers that his upcoming “dedication” is not putting him on the path to succeed his father the pastor—he’s meant to be a sacrifice. Wil and Elwood form a reluctant partnership, digging into the secret of Elwood’s father’s cult and how it relates to Wil’s missing mother.
Bray, Patricia & Palmatier, Joshua, eds.: Solar Flare
(Zombies Need Brains 9781940709543, $17.99, 241pp, formats: trade paperback, ebook, 07/15/2023)
Original anthology of 17 solarpunk stories looking at ways to mitigate or even reverse the disastrous effects of climate change. Authors include Chaz Brenchley, S.C. Butler, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, and Rhondi Salsitz. Funded through Kickstarter.
Howell, Delvin: Children of the Gulf
(Beyond Publishing Caribbean 9789769590274, $14.99, 364pp, formats: trade paperback, hardcover, ebook, 08/31/2023)
On the Caribbean island of Bimshire, miracles are sold every day. The problem is, each one comes with a burdensome debt. Kyle Harding’s mother was an obeah witch, and built a massive debt which was passed on to her sons upon her death. Now Gulfsyde, a duo of brutal assassins notorious for leaving carnage in their wake, has come to collect.
Kadrey, Richard: The Secrets of Insects
(Subterranean Press 9781645241287, $45, 286pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 08/31/2023)
Kadrey’s first short story collection, with sixteen stories. The Subterranean Press release is a signed, limited edition.
Künsken, Derek: The House of Saints
(Rebellion/Solaris UK 9781781088670, $27.99, 600pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audio, 08/29/2023)
After finding a mysterious artefact on the surface of Venus, George-Étienne and his children have formed The House of Styx. With the discovery comes great risk, not only from a planet that kills with its very touch but also from the banks and powers of old Earth, who will stop at nothing to claim this new technology for themselves.
Leichter, Hilary: Terrace Story
(HarperCollins/Ecco 9780063265813, $28, 208pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audio, 08/29/2023)
Literary fantasy novel, based on an award-winning short story. Annie, Edward, and their young daughter, Rose, live in a cramped apartment. One night, without warning, they find a beautiful terrace hidden in their closet. It wasn’t there before, and it seems to only appear when their friend Stephanie visits. A city dweller’s dream come true! But every extra bit of space has a hidden cost, and the terrace sets off a seismic chain of events, forever changing the shape of their tiny home, and the shape of the world.
Len, Vanessa: Never a Hero
(HarperTeen 9780063024694, $19.99, 528pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audio, 08/29/2023)
Young-adult fantasy novel, the second in the Monsters trilogy. Despite the odds, Joan reset the timeline, saved her family – and destroyed the hero, Nick. Now she alone remembers what happened. Aaron, her hard-won friend — and maybe more — is an enemy, trying to kill her. Nick, the boy she loved, is a stranger who doesn’t even know her name. Only Joan remembers that a more dangerous enemy is still out there.
Lim, Elizabeth: Her Radiant Curse
(Penguin Random House/Knopf 9780593300992, $19.99, 432pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audio, 08/29/2023)
Fantasy novel, set in the world of Six Crimson Cranes and inspired by Southeast Asian folklore and the story of Helen of Troy. Cursed with a serpent’s face, Channi is the exact opposite of her beautiful sister, Vanna—the only person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn’t see a monster. Now seventeen, Vanna is to be married off in a vulgar contest that will enrich the coffers of the village leaders. Only Channi, who’s had to rely on her strength and cunning all these years, can defend her sister against the cruelest of the suitors. But in doing so, she becomes the target of his wrath.
Lord, Karen: The Blue, Beautiful World
(Penguin Random House/Del Rey 9780593598436, $28, 256pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audio, 08/29/2023)
SF novel. Alien observers are ready to make contact with Earth, which has been radically transformed by climate change. A group of influential visionaries, including a genius inventor, a celebrity icon, a youth leader, and an unnaturally charismatic pop star vie to prepare mankind for first contact.
Maberry, Jonathan: Cave 13
(St. Martin’s Griffin 9781250619327, $19, 528pp, formats: trade paperback, ebook, audio, 08/29/2023)
Horror/dark fantasy novel, the third in the Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International series, a spin-off to the main Joe Ledger series. A new cave filled with Dead Sea Scrolls is found, with magic books among them, setting off a new arms race — but everyone who goes near those scrolls goes insane. Is this the result of ancient magic, or is it a new bioweapon that fractures the mind of anyone exposed?
Montalban, Vanessa: A Tall Dark Trouble
(Zando 9781638930129, $19.99, 384pp, formats: trade paperback, ebook, 08/29/2023)
Young-adult fantasy novel. In contemporary Miami, twins Delfi and Lela are haunted by a family curse that poisons any chance at romantic love. When Lela and Delfi receive premonitions of a mysterious killer targeting brujas, the sisters must use their emerging powers to save innocent lives. Meanwhile, in 1980s Cuba, Anita de Armas whispers to the spirits for mercy ― not for herself, but for the victims of her mother’s cult. As Anita’s cult initiation draws near she’s desperate to rid herself of her power, which manifests as inky shadows and an ability to speak to the dead.
Page, Shelley & Brown, Alex: Night of the Living Queers
(St. Martin’s/Wednesday Books 9781250892980, $24, 304pp, formats: hardcover, trade paperback, ebook, 08/29/2023)
Young-adult original anthology of 13 horror stories by queer authors of color putting fresh spins on classic tropes. Authors include Kalynn Bayron, Em X. Liu, and Tara Sim.
Rambo, Cat: Devil’s Gun
(Tor 9781250269355, $26.99, 288pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audio, 08/29/2023)
SF novel, sequel to You Sexy Thing. When Niko and rest of You Sexy Thing’s crew find that the intergalactic Gate they’re planning on escaping through is out of commission, they make the most of it, creating a pop-up restaurant to serve the dozens of other stranded ships. Then an archaeologist shows up claiming to be able to fix the problem, and Niko smells something suspicious cooking. Nonetheless, they allow Farren to take them to an ancient site. There, in one of the most dangerous places in the Known Universe, each of them will face ghosts from their past. Meanwhile, You Sexy Thing continues to figure out what it wants from life ― which may not be the same desire as Niko and the rest of the crew.
Sinn, R.A.: A Second Chance for Yesterday
(Rebellion/Solaris UK 9781786188274, $24.99, 320pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, audio, 08/31/2023)
Near-future SF time travel novel. Nev Bourne is a programmer for SavePoint, the brain implant that rewinds the seconds of all our most embarrassing moments. She’s been working non-stop on the next rollout to make SavePoint 2.0. But when she tests it, she wakes up the next day only to discover it’s yesterday. She’s falling backwards in time, one day at a time. As things spiral out of control, a long-lost friend from college reappears in her life claiming they know how to save her. With time running out, and the whole world of SavePoint users at stake, Nev must learn what it will take to set things right, and what it will cost.
Valdes, Valerie: Where Peace Is Lost
(Harper Voyager US 9780063085930, $19.99, 400pp, formats: trade paperback, ebook, audio, 08/29/2023)
Space fantasy novel. Kel Garda hides from her past as a refugee in an isolated star system, until a a long-dormant Pale war machine, suddenly reactivates. If the massive automaton isn’t stopped, at best it will carve a swath of devastation that displaces thousands of people. At worst, it will kill every sentient creature on the planet. Two strangers offer to deactivate the machine for a price, so Kel and a young friend agree to serve as their guides. The journey through swamps infested with predators and bandits is bad enough, but can they survive more nefarious dangers along the way? And will Kel’s fear of revealing her secrets doom the very people she’s trying to protect?
Verma, Aparna: The Phoenix King
(Orbit US 9780316522779, $18.99, 512pp, formats: trade paperback, ebook, audio, 08/29/2023)
Fantasy novel, the first in a trilogy inspired by Indian lore. Elena Aadya is the heir to the throne—and the only member of the ruling family who cannot wield the legendary magic which grants them power. As her coronation approaches, she strives to prove herself a worthy successor to her revered father. Then a notorious assassin shows up, pledging his loyalty to the throne. Her father may trust the man, but Elena is sure he is hiding something.
Wolfe, Gene: The Dead Man and Other Horror Stories
(Subterranean Press 9781645241201, $50, 400pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, 08/31/2023)
Collection of 28 darker stories from Wolfe, a chronological retrospective including six tales never previously collected. The hardcover is a limited edition of 1,000.
