Alex Bledsoe, Burn Me Deadly (Tor Nov 2009)

Hardboiled sword-for-hire Eddie LaCrosse returns in his second medieval fantasy mystery, sequel to The Sword-Edged Blonde. The thrilling plot involves a half-naked blonde in need of rescue and a dangerous cult, but character development and Eddie’s observations, backed with his hard-won wisdom, give this series an unusual depth.

Mark Chadbourn, The Silver Skull (Pyr Nov 2009)

Celebrated Elizabethan adventurer, scholar, and spy Will Swyft uses his notoriety to cover his real work — opposing the darker forces of Faerie — in this swashbuckling dark fantasy novel, the first in the Swords of Albion series. "The Silver Skull has such an array of complex characters, deeply involved in their interesting times and guarding so many painful memories and secrets, there’s something here for anyone...." [Faren Miller]

Fred Chappell, Ancestors and Others: New and Selected Stories (St. Martin's Nov 2009)

The latest collection from an author noted as a Southern writer, but whose works span many genres, from humor to horror, SF, and fantasy — all represented here in 21 stories, four new. "Chappell shows no sign of losing the powers he acquired over a decades-long career." [Faren Miller]

Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois, eds., The Dragon Book (Berkley Nov 2009)

The daring editorial duo assembles another impressive roster of writers for their latest fantasy anthology, a selection of 19 all-new stories about dragons. Authors include Naomi Novik, Peter S. Beagle, Garth Nix, Diana Wynne Jones, and Gregory Maguire.

Alan DeNiro, Total Oblivion, More or Less (Ballantine Spectra Dec 2009)

A teen does her best to cope when contemporary middle America is mysteriously plunged into a new Dark Age, transformed by the breakdown of technology, invasions of ancient Scythians, talking dogs, plague, and more. A wonderfully surreal, often satiric first novel that "offers more than just an antic apocalypse or a non-SF writer’s sidelong approach to dystopia... beneath all the madness there’s something to be gained, something that endures." [Faren Miller]

Cathy Fenner & Arnie Fenner, eds., Spectrum 16: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art (Underwood Books Nov 2009)

The annual juried showcase of fantastic art returns with over 400 works from 2008, by more than 300 artists, including some of the biggest names in the field, in categories including book covers, comics, advertising, and unpublished works. A sumptuous selection of works in a dazzling range of styles plus Arnie Fenner’s "The Year in Review" make this, as ever, a top pick for those hoping to keep abreast of the latest in fantastic art.

Daryl Gregory, The Devil's Alphabet (Ballantine Del Rey Dec 2009)

The second novel from Crawford Award-winning author Gregory presents a young man returning to his Tennessee hometown, where ten years before a retrovirus strangely transformed the inhabitants, and now a friend has died. A fascinating mix of regional homecoming tale, murder mystery, biological SF, and more. "Daryl Gregory continues to be amongst the most interesting of the newer writers to emerge in the past decade, and he’s rapidly becoming one of the most unpredictable." [Gary K. Wolfe]

Stephen King, Under the Dome (Scribner Nov 2009)

The master of horror presents his own take on a venerable SF trope, the suddenly isolated community. One of King’s most ambitious works in years, the novel’s massive cast and multiple points of view paint a complex picture of the people and politics in a small Maine town trapped under an impenetrable dome.

Juliet Marillier, Heart's Blood (Roc Nov 2009)

A female scribe in medieval Ireland comes to a cursed fortress inhabited by revenants as well as mortals and helps the moody chieftain search for a cure in this occasionally dark fantasy novel. Marillier portrays "a complicated array of human (and not quite human) relationships in this rich tale... a fine mix." [Faren Miller] Originally published in Australia by Pan Macmillan (9/09).

Jack McDevitt, Time Travelers Never Die (Ace Nov 2009)

McDevitt expands on his award-nominated 1996 novella in this SF novel, following a couple of non-scientists searching for one’s missing physicist father, who left behind some time machines that let the duo search through time, play temporal tourist, and do a bit of philosophical musing on the topic of mortality.

Barbara Roden, Northwest Passages (Prime Books Nov 2009)

This first collection features ten stories, two original, in which the noted editor of ghost stories and other short horror demonstrates she not only knows how to pick the good stuff, but also write it. "Readers with a taste for deftly executed tales of subtle horror will welcome Roden’s fine debut story collection." [Publishers Weekly]

Delia Sherman & Christopher Barzak, eds., Interfictions 2: An Anthology of Interstitial Writing (Small Beer Press/Interstitial Arts Foundation Nov 2009)

The second volume in an anthology series dedicated to breaking literary boundaries, this presents 21 original and unusual stories by authors including Alan DeNiro, Jeffrey Ford, Amelia Beamer, Thodora Goss, and Lavie Tidhar.

Gahan Wilson, Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons (Fantagraphics Books Jan 2010)

This beautifully packaged three-volume slipcased set presents every cartoon Wilson did for Playboy, each loving reproduced as a full page, in color where appropriate. Five prose stories by Wilson, introductions by Hugh Heffner and Neal Gaiman, and an appreciation and biography by Gary Groth add appeal, but for those interested in the the artistic process the real treat is the interview with Wilson on his experience working with Heffner, accompanied by numerous rough sketches with Heff’s handwritten comments, and notes by Wilson on his response for each.