Cover Unveiled for Earth Thirst by Mark Teppo

Mark Teppo--long-time friend of the blog--should be familiar to readers as we've covered his first two novels Lightbreaker and Heartland, interviewed him, and he's even stopped by to share some knowledge. So I couldn't pass up the chance to showoff the awesome cover for his next novel Earth Thirst--his take on Post-Apocalyptic Vampires. The art is by Cody Tilson who did my favorite cover of 2011, Seed. Knowing Teppo's work as I do I'm expecting an original take and I had a chance to get the lowdown on the project and the cover from him directly:

I've had the idea for Earth Thirst rattling around my head for a year or so now, but my schedule really hasn't been open enough to write it. After World Fantasy Convention last year, I realized that I probably wouldn't have a clear opening for another year or two and the idea behind the book did have some timeliness. If I waited and then tried to sell it--and then waited another year before it came out--I might miss the best opportunity.

So I sent Jeremy Lassen the pitch and a couple of chapters, explaining that I wasn't sure when I would have time to write it, but that I was very excited about their new books and their marketing efforts. I thought that they would know how to sell Earth Thirst and would get it in front of the right readers.

Jeremy emailed me back later that afternoon and said, "Yes, please, and how soon can I have it?"

I said, "Well, like I said, I'm super busy and . . . "

He replied, "Bla bla bla, writer's excuses, whining, not really listening. How about you get it to me as soon as you can and we'll put it in the schedule?"

(This is somewhat paraphrased, of course, but he and I had recently come to an understanding that the best way to get something on my schedule was to cram it on there and make me figure out how to solve the resultant time management problem.)

I meekly agree. Oh, who am kidding? I was thrilled.

A couple months later, I get a call that they're very excited about the premise of the book, they have a plan for marketing (which is exactly the sort of three word pitch I had been hoping to hear), and they're going to get Cody Tilson to do the cover.

"The guy who did the cover for Seed?" I ask after doing a quick Google search. "The guy who just won a Spectrum Award for Art Direction?"

"That's the one. You good with that?"

"Yeah, yeah, that'll be fine." All calm on the outside, jumping up and down on the inside.

Last week, they send me the cover. I'm still jumping up and down. Now I'm thrilled people will get a hint of what I'm talking about when I say I'm writing an eco-thriller with vampires.

Earth Thirst will be out January 8th from Night Shade Books. Here's the official blurb:

The Earth is dying. Humanity--over-breeding, over-consuming—is destroying the very planet they call home. Multinational corporations despoil the environment, market genetically modified crops to control the food supply, and use their wealth and influence and private armies to crush anything, and anyone, that gets in the way of their profits. Nothing human can stop them.

Once they did not fear the sun. Once they could breathe the air and sleep where they chose. But now they can rest only within the uncontaminated soil of Mother Earth—and the time has come for them to fight back against the ruthless corporations that threaten their immortal existence.

They are the last guardians of paradise, more than human but less than angels. They call themselves the Arcadians.

We know them as vampires. . . .

A Vampire Eco-Thriller? Count me in!

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Cover Unveil for Railsea by China Mieville

I'm a bit late in getting this up, but hey, I'm on Thanksgiving break.

China Mieville's next release is Railsea, for which very little is known, but much is inferred. Most say it is his next YA release, which feels right given the price and cover. It definitely seems to be in the vein of Paolo Bacigalupi's work, which would be fine by me. What is know is that Railsea will be out in May, which shows again Mieville is keeping up the year a book schedule. Even though I thought Mieville's last release Embassytown showed brilliance I still felt it lacked something, but even his most disappointing work kept me with him until the end and his first YA novel Un Lun Dun, while not as deep as his other works hit the mark with me.

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Cover Unveiled for Black Bottle by Anthony Huso

One of my favorite books of 2010 was Anthony Huso's debut The Last Page. It was dark, weird, and all together beautiful. Truly one of the most accomplished novels I read last year amid myriad good novels and quickly established Huso as a an author to watch. The Last Page though is a duology so we've only seen half the story. The second half Black Bottle will be released in August, which can't get here soon enough for me.  I'm not as enamored with the cover for Black Bottle as I was with The Last Page, but it does beautifully depict the city-state of Sandren. Here is the description for Black Bottle:

Tabloids sold in the Duchy of Stonehold claim that the High King, Caliph Howl, has been raised from the dead. His consort, Sena Iilool, both blamed and celebrated for this act, finds that a macabre cult has sprung up around her.

As the news spreads, Stonehold—long considered unimportant—comes to the attention of the emperors in the southern countries. They have learned that the seed of Sena’s immense power lies in an occult book, and they are eager to claim it for their own.

Desperate to protect his people from the southern threat, Caliph is drawn into a summit of the world’s leaders despite the knowledge that it is a trap. As Sena’s bizarre actions threaten to unravel the summit, Caliph watches her slip through his fingers into madness.

But is it really madness? Sena is playing a dangerous game of strategy and deceit as she attempts to outwit a force that has spent millennia preparing for this day. Caliph is the only connection left to her former life, but it’s his blood that Sena needs to see her plans through to their explosive finish.

Dark and rich, epic in scope, Anthony Huso has crafted a fantasy like no other, teeming with unthinkable horrors and stylish wonders.

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Cover Unveiled for Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines

Jim C. Hine's new series Magic Ex Libris begins with Libriomancer. It involves magic and books so you just know that is up my alley. The cover above is not the final design, but the art seems to be. The art is by Gene Mollica who is know for his photo realistic covers used a lot in the Urban Fantasy area, but he is also behind Brian Ruckley's gorgeous Godless Trilogy. The art seems fitting, but I'm not a fan of the title font or coloring. Just seems off to me. A description for Libriomancer hasn't been released but Hines did make the opening paragraph's available:

Some people would say it’s a bad idea to bring a fire-spider into a public library. They would probably be right, but it was better than leaving him alone in the house for nine hours straight. Smudge was a neurotic little arachnid, but as long as he had company, he usually refrained from setting everything alight.

The four-inch spider was a memento of what I had left behind, one last piece of that other life. If magic were alcohol, Smudge would be both sobriety medallion and the one whiskey bottle I kept around as a reminder…

So, yes everyone's favorite fire spider from the Jig the Goblin books is making the cross over. Libriomancer will be out in August from Daw and marks Hines' first hardcover release. Also of note is that the Jig the Goblin books are being released in omnibus format. The collection will be called The Legend of Jig Dragonslayer and will be out in July.

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Cover Unveiled for Redshirts by John Scalzi

A new John Scalzi is always something to look forward to.  Few authors can mix humor and just good old fashion storytelling as well as he does.  And sometime next year (probably June) we'll be treated to a new standalone Sci-Fi novel called Redshirts.  The cover is perfect to convey just what is in store for us.  Over at Tor.com there is a post by Irene Gallo showcasing some of the alternative covers and while I like the 3rd option the final above works much better.

Some will bemoan the fact that it isn't a new Old Man's War book or another Fuzzy novel, but my favorite Scalzi is still The Android's Dream and given the Star Trek references that will abound I have no doubt Redshirts will be awesome.  Here is the blurb:

Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship’s Xenobiology laboratory. Life couldn’t be better...until Andrew begins to pick up on the fact that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces, (2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations, and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed. Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy belowdecks is expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely transforms his and his colleagues’ understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is...and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.

Can you feel the warp factor?

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New Cover Unveiled for Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

As my gushing review a couple months back intimated I'm a huge fan of Ernest Cline's debut Ready Player One. It is simply one of the most enjoyable books I've read in the last 10 years and pushed all the right geek buttons. For the paperback release Cline's publisher has decided to not use the pac-man cover, except for the basic type. But the kicker is that they've illustrated the trailer stacks the protagonist Wade Watts lives in, which amount to a future slum. So for those of you who didn't bite for the hardcover release (really, just ask for it for Christmas, you won't regret it) will have the cheaper paperback version out in April.


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Cover Unveiled for Perfect Shadow by Brent Weeks

Wow. That is all that really comes to mind when I sit here and stare at Raymond Swanland's latest piece done for the Subterranean Press limited edition of Perfect Shadow. Perfect Shadow is Brent Weeks' novella prequel to the Night Angel series that I've mention a couple times prior and Sub Press certainly did it justice.

I have had the opportunity to read the story as it is out in eBook form through Orbit books (it's great for fans of the trilogy), but I've been negligent in reviewing it as I'm waiting for my hardcopy to show up, which it appears is getting closer. To those collectors out there you'll want to get your pre-order in soon as the Publisher is anticipating Perfect Shadow being sold out upon publication. Luckily I got my order in months ago.

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A Few New Orbit Covers

Orbit's Spring/Summer releases have been making their way out in the Internet ether and many are looking quite good.  Some of these covers are not completely final, but should be close to the end product.

2313 is Kim Stanley Robinson's first book since Galileo's Dream and is the start of him working with Orbit.  Originally 2312 was slated to be released in February, but got pushed back to May.

The year is 2313. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. Earth is no longer humanity’s only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, 2312, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future.

The first event takes place on Mercury, on the city of Terminator, itself a miracle of engineering on an unprecedented scale. It is an unexpected death, but one that might have been foreseen. For Swan Er Hong, it is an event that will change her life. Swan was once a woman who designed worlds. Now she will be led into a plot to destroy them.

Caliban's War is the sequel to Leviathan Wakes, which was quite the start to a series so I'm eager to see where Franck and Abraham take it from here. The second book in the Expanse series should be out June 2012.

We are not alone.

The alien protomolecule is clear evidence of an intelligence beyond human reckoning. No one knows what exactly is being built on Venus, but whatever it is, it is vast, powerful, and terrifying.

When a creature of unknown origin and seemingly impossible physiology attacks soldiers on Ganymede, the fragile balance of power in the Solar System shatters. Now, the race is on to discover if the protomolecule has escaped Venus, or if someone is building an army of super-soldiers.

Jim Holden is the center of it all. In spite of everything, he’s still the best man for the job to find out what happened on Ganymede. Either way, the protomolecule is loose and Holden must find a way to stop it before war engulfs the entire system.

The King's Blood is Abraham's next Epic Fantasy following in the footsteps of The Dragon's Path, which I just loved this year and proves there is plenty more to explore in the genre.  The Dagger and the Coin series continues in May.

War casts its shadow over the lands that the dragons once ruled. Only the courage of a young woman with the mind of a gambler and loyalty to no one stands between hope and universal darkness.

The high and powerful will fall, the despised and broken shall rise up, and everything will be remade. And quietly, almost beneath the notice of anyone, an old, broken-hearted warrior and an apostate priest will begin a terrible journey with an impossible goal: destroy a Goddess before she eats the world.

Orbit has plenty more and is still pushing out plenty of omnibuses as they have The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks and King Maker, King Breaker by Karen Miller planned for next year.

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Cover Unveiled for The Games by Ted Kosmatka

This week we are treated to the cover for the Nebula award nominee Ted Kosmatka's debut The Games, which sounds a little like The Hunger Games crossed with Splice. Originally titled The Helix Game the title was shortened to just The Games so it would probably cast a wider net with readership as the story is a Thriller in addition to being hard Sci-Fi. I like the helix type in the title, but besides that I'm not a big fan of this, but I love me some debut action and I've enjoyed a couple Kosmatka shorts so I'll be there for it.  Here is the blurb:

...a riveting tale of science cut loose from ethics. Set in an amoral future where genetically engineered monstrosities fight each other to the death in an Olympic event, The Games envisions a harrowing world that may arrive sooner than you think.

Silas Williams is the brilliant geneticist in charge of preparing the U.S. entry into the Olympic Gladiator competition, an internationally sanctioned bloodsport with only one rule: no human DNA is permitted in the design of the entrants. Silas lives and breathes genetics; his designs have led the United States to the gold in every previous event. But the other countries are catching up. Now, desperate for an edge in the upcoming Games, Silas’s boss engages an experimental supercomputer to design the genetic code for a gladiator that cannot be beaten.

The result is a highly specialized killing machine, its genome never before seen on earth. Not even Silas, with all his genius and experience, can understand the horror he had a hand in making. And no one, he fears, can anticipate the consequences of entrusting the act of creation to a computer’s cold logic.

Now Silas races to understand what the computer has wrought, aided by a beautiful xenobiologist, Vidonia Joao. Yet as the fast-growing gladiator demonstrates preternatural strength, speed, and—most disquietingly—intelligence, Silas and Vidonia find their scientific curiosity giving way to a most unexpected emotion: sheer terror.

The Games will be released March 13 from Del Rey. For those unfamiliar with Ted Kosmatka check out "Diving Light" for free here, "Deadnauts" here, or "The Ascendant" here.  Also, I've got to give it up for a man who wears a swank hat like this..

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Cover Unveiled for In the Mouth of the Whale by Paul McAuley 
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Cover Unveiled for In the Mouth of the Whale by Paul McAuley

Paul McAuley's next book, In the Mouth of the Whale, was announced awhile back, but more info is starting to appear. Firstly, the UK cover has been released, which follows the style of his recent releases from Gollancz. It certainly works well enough for the Space Opera crowd, although I prefer Pyr's arts for his books in general.

Author Adam Roberts pointed out the title is a reference to the constellation Fomalhaut, which means "the mouth of the [southern] fish" according to Wikipedia. That Wiki piece is worth a read as that area in space sounds like great fodder for McAuley to work with. The latest novel takes place more than a millenia in the future of the universe he created with The Quiet War and Gardens of the Sun and concerns one of the main characters from the earlier books. In fact here is McAuley's blurb on In the Mouth of the Whale:

It’s a stand-alone novel that’s set 1500 years after The Quiet War and Gardens of the Sun and picks up the story of one of the players in the old drama: Sri Hong-Owen, a gene wizard who is her own greatest experimental subject.

Sri wants to live forever. After a treatment that went badly wrong left her confined to a vat, she created a strange family from her own flesh and set off for the star Fomalhaut, to found her own empire in its great planetary ring. But history has overtaken her, as history always overtakes people who live too long. Her starship was damaged; she died; those of her children who survived have rebooted her by recreating her childhood.

Meanwhile, a posthuman group, the Quick, has reached Fomalhaut ahead of Sri and founded a new civilisation which fell to another group, the fierce and largely unmodified True, who enslaved the Quick and set up their own empire. And now, as Sri’s starship approaches Fomalhaut, the True are fighting interlopers from another interstellar colony for control of the gas giant Cthuga, whose core may be the home of a vast strange intellect.

What else? There’s an outcast librarian who, with the help of his Quick servant, fights demons in fragments of a vast data base. The disappearance of one of the scions of a powerful family. Thistledown cities and an archipelago of engineered worldlets. A big dumb object floating in atmosphere of a gas giant planet, probing for signs of life. War in the air. A vivid dream of childhood that begins to unravel. A secret hidden in the cityscapes of a virtual library. The termitarial mindset of a cult that’s lasted 1500 years. Visions of cul-de-sacs in human evolution. The utility of intelligence. The cost of longevity, and that perennial problem of what to do for the rest of your life after you die . . .

And here is the official blurb:

Fomalhaut was first colonised by the posthuman Quick, who established an archipelago of thistledown cities and edenic worldlets within the star's vast dust belt. Their peaceful, decadent civilisation was swiftly conquered by a band of ruthless, aggressive, unreconstructed humans who call themselves the True, then, a century before, the True beat back an advance party of Ghosts, a posthuman cult which colonised the nearby system of Beta Hydri after being driven from the Solar System a thousand years ago. Now the Ghosts have returned to Fomalhaut, to begin their end game: the conquest of its single gas giant planet, a captured interstellar wanderer far older than the rest of Fomalhaut's system. At its core is a sphere of hot metallic hydrogen with strange and powerful properties based on exotic quantum physics. The Quick believe it is inhabited by an ancient alien Mind; the True believe it can be developed into a weapon, and the Ghosts believe it can be transformed into a computational system so powerful it can reach into their past, collapse timelines, and fulfil the ancient prophecies of their founder.

In the Mouth of the Whale is scheduled for a January release in the UK from Gollancz. No US date has been announced, but hopefully Pyr will continue their relationship with McAuley and release it sometime in 2012.

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Cover Unveiled for The Black Prism by Brent Weeks (French Edition)

Art by Miguel Coimbra

Brent Weeks' The Black Prism (reviewed here) hits shelves in mass market form this week for those like their books cheap, but fat.  But coming in October from Bragelonne will be the French debut of The Black Prism and they have gone a different route than Orbit's version of the cover.  The art is by Miguel Coimbra whoso far has best captured the look of the magic from the world of the Lightbringer Trilogy . Bragelonne rarely disappoints me with their art selection and this is no exception.

For those longing for the next volume The Blinding Knife you'll have to wait until around September 2012. Weeks has put up the first 3 sample chapters on his site for those who want a taste now. And while I'm at it here is the trailer for The Black Prism, which is one of the best book trailers I've ever seen.




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MISHMASH | NPR Top List, Dread Empire Covers, & GoT Parody

Publisher's Marketplace is reporting the sale of A Game of Thrones parody novel.

George R.R. Costanza's A GAME OF GROANS, a parody of George R.R. Martin's bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire series, set in a world where seasons can last decades (and comparisons to Tolkien a lifetime), the warmth is returning, and in the thawing tundra to the North of Summerseve, the future of the Bark family, their BFFs, and their enemies dangles in the balance, to Thomas Dunne Books.

Clearly it was only a matter of time before this happened. Many on twitter wonder when the Porn Parody will happen. Probably sooner than we all expect. No release date is available for A Game of Groans, but I'd be surprised if you saw it any later than around the premiere of season two of Game of Thrones. I'm sure we're in store for lots of bad midget jokes.

^(;,;)^

NPR has released their survey of the Top 100 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels.  It is a very expected list as it is based off popularity over quality. No real surprises, but it does serve as a good beginners list. I've read about 45 from those listed (they combined series books so it is actually more) and many of those would make it into my own top 100 including Lord of the Rings perched at number 1. LofR wouldn't be my number 1, but it would probably make the top 30. The list also leaves out Urban Fantasy instead choosing to put those in their own survey for a later date, which is a little baffling.

^(;,;)^

A brief study claims that knowing spoilers about a book can improve the experience for them. I don't buy into it especially since only several dozen people were involved in the testing and they were all of college age. Also, I hate spoilers, so there.

^(;,;)^

Seen above are the new covers from Orbit for the trade paperback versions of Joe Abercrombie's last two novels, which again go a completely different way from all his other covers with the company. They are okay, but nothing to jump up and down about.  Now the next set of covers is something to jump up and down about.

Come on you know you want to click on each to embiggen them. Do it.

Night Shade has announced they are releasing the final three volumes of Glen Cook's Dread Empire series, which includes the never before released A Path to Coldness of Heart along with An Ill Fate Marshalling and Reap the East Wind. Now I'm not the biggest fan of Cook, but I am a huge Raymond Swanland fan who has does all of the covers for the series along with the omnibuses for The Black Company series.

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Cover Unveiled for Empire State by Adam Christopher

Art by Will Staehle

Empire State is Adam Christopher's debut novel coming from Angry Robot, which is part of a two book deal for two Superhero influenced novels. The art for Empire State certainly seems fitting with its art deco style given the story is placed in 1930 America. Very Batman and original Sandman-esque. Here is the official blurb, which is short, but traditional for Angry Robot with their should be patented categories:

It was the last great science hero fight, but the energy blast ripped a hole in reality, and birthed the Empire State - a young, twisted parallel prohibition-era New York.

When the rift starts to close, both worlds are threatened, and both must fight for the right to exist.

File Under: Science Fiction [ Pocket Universe | Heroes or Villains | Speak Easy | Loyalties Divided ]

In an interview conducted by Amanda from Floor to Ceiling Books the author described the book a bit more indepth:

The first book is called Empire State, and it’s sort of a science fiction-detective-noir. Private detective Rad Bradbury, who lives in this dreary, fog-bound city called the Empire State, is called to investigate a gruesome murder, only to find himself being chased not only by a superhero who is supposed to be dead, but by a couple of masked agents who seem to know an awful lot about him. His investigations reveal an alarming secret about the Empire State and its connection with another place called New York, and he gets caught up in a conspiracy that threatens both worlds.

Empire State will hit the shelves at the end of December in the States and the first week of January in the UK.  Christopher looks to be an author to watch if you're a fan of Superheros as he has a standalone sequel titled Seven Wonders that will be out in the latter half of 2012.

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Covers Unveiled for Ian's Tregillis' The Coldest War & Bitter Seeds

Ian Tregillis' debut Bitter Seeds garnered quite a bit of praise when it was released last year quickly making him a new voice in Alternative History Fiction melding dark forces, strange science, and the events of WWII into a gripping narrative.  It was only a few months ago that it was unclear what was happening with Ian Tregillis' Milkweed Triptych as there was no sight of the sequel The Coldest War. Word soon came that they landed with a new editor and a new cover approach would happen for the mass market release of Bitter Seeds to match the change in direction for The Coldest War in hopes of striking a different cord and widening the audience. Now feast your eyes on the new cover for Bitter Seeds.

The artist chosen for the new look is none other than Chis McGrath, who has been the fix-it man for Tor the past couple years coming in for the new look behind Ken Scholes' The Psalms of Isaak series as well. And here is the first look for The Coldest War.

Both designs are quite eye catching showcasing the action aspects of the series with The Coldest War particularly grabbing me with its Military Sci-Fi flare. And best of all I don't feel like I've seen these Chris McGrath pieces as I have with some of his other work.

The mass market of Bitter Seeds will hit shelves next year sometime in early May. No official date has been released for The Coldest War, but Tor's traditional schedule calls for a new series hardcover to follow a mass market release by a month or two, so hopefully we'll be seeing it in June or July.

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Covers Unveiled for The Riyria Revelations series by Michael J. Sullivan

Art by Larry Rostant

The Riyria Revelations series was originally self-published and received many accolades online after a grassroots effort on the part of Michael J. Sullivan and his wife. After the books took off Sullivan decided to try the traditional route again and got major interest from Orbit Books who are releasing the six book series as 3 omnibuses including the never before published sixth volume. The first omnibus Theft of Swords will be out in November with the other two volumes following a month separately.

Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles – until they are hired to steal a famed sword from the palace of the king and find themselves caught up in a conspiracy to overthrow the empire. Sentenced to death, they have only one way out, to get involved in the plots of the nobles and save the kingdom from itself.


Can one thief and his master swordsman of a friend keep their heads above water long enough to survive? Much less solve the mystery that threatens to topple the crown itself?


…and so begins this epic tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.

For the series Orbit has created a very commercial yet appeal design. The clocks don't bother me at all on these and I especially like the icons above the author's name, which is a nice nod to the GRRM style while not being too overbearing. It is also interesting to see these after the working versions that Yeti showed off during his recent interview with Sullivan, which gave a more action oriented feel while these give more of a Epic feel. At least to me.  I already picked up the first volume at BEA so expect to hear more about these in the coming months and feast your eyes on the rest of the series Rise of Empire and Heir of Novron.

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ART | A New Look to GRRM's A Song of Ice & Fire

I'm always surprised at the level of fan art out there for Fantasy works, but rarely am I disappointed with the outcome. That is the case with Matt Roeser's fabulous take on A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. Most of these books have already had half a dozen covers in English already let alone the further dozens for the translated editions. But what is new that can be done? Well feast your eyes below.

A Game of Thrones

Roeser on his blog mentioned his inspiration for the look on the series:

For my covers, I wanted to showcase the idea of these feuding medieval families that are constantly vying for power, but didn’t want to have knights on horses, epic battle scenes and the other visuals that are usually on these types of fantasy novels. So instead, I depicted the idea of house crests and the importance the author puts in each of the families and gave each of the 5 books a distinct color.

A Clash of Kings

A Storm of Swords

A Feast for Crows

A Dance With Dragons

Roeser certainly brought his "A" game and I hope his work on reimagining other master works leads to more professional cover design work. I'd certainly welcome editions with his versions of A Song of Ice and Fire on my permanent shelf.

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Covers Unveiled for Ganymede by Cherie Priest & All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen

Cherie Priest next Clockwork Century novel Ganymede finally has a cover. And it looks to be by Jon Foster who has done all the other books in the series so far. Strong heroines are still in effect. I'm going to guess the large device in the background in the sub-like Ganymede mentioned in the blurb.

The air pirate Andan Cly is going straight. Well, straighter. Although he’s happy to run alcohol and guns wherever the money’s good, he’s not sure the world needs more sap, or its increasingly ugly side effects. But reforming is easier said than done: the captain’s first legal gig will be paid for by sap money, because the Seattle Underground is in dire need of supplies.

New Orleans is not Cly’s first pick for a shopping run. He loved the Big Easy once, back when he likewise loved a beautiful mixed-race prostitute named Josephine Early, but that was a decade ago. He’s still on Jo’s mind, he learns when she sends him a telegram about a peculiar piloting job. It’s a chance to complete two lucrative jobs at once. He sends his old paramour a note and heads for New Orleans, with no idea of what he’s in for—or what she wants him to fly.

But he won’t be flying. Not exactly. Hidden at the bottom of Lake Pontchartrain lurks an astonishing war machine, an immense submersible called the Ganymede. This prototype could end the war, if only anyone had the faintest idea of how to operate it….if only they could sneak it past the Southern forces at the mouth of the Mississippi River….if only it hadn’t killed most of the men who’d ever set foot inside it.

Now the only question is whether Cly and his crew will end up in the history books, or at the bottom of the ocean.

The end of September is always a big time of year for Steampunk titles and Tor is releasing Lev AC Rosen's debut All Men of Genius the same day as Priest's latest.  All the gears to make it scream Steampunk, but I'm getting a big Kage Baker/Company vibe. This makes a bit of sense since it has a large historical bent based on its influences.

A steampunk retelling of Twelfth Night and The Importance of Being Earnest from an exciting young talent.

Inspired by two of the most beloved works by literary masters, All Men of Genius takes place in an alternate Steampunk Victorian London, where science makes the impossible possible.

Violet Adams wants to attend Illyria College, a widely renowned school for the most brilliant up-and-coming scientific minds, founded by the late Duke Illyria, the greatest scientist of the Victorian Age. The school is run by his son, Ernest, who has held to his father’s policy that the small, exclusive college remain male-only. Violet sees her opportunity when her father departs for America. She disguises herself as her twin brother, Ashton, and gains entry.

But keeping the secret of her sex won’t be easy, not with her friend Jack’s constant habit of pulling pranks, and especially not when the duke’s young ward, Cecily, starts to develop feelings for Violet’s alter ego, “Ashton.” Not to mention blackmail, mysterious killer automata, and the way Violet’s pulse quickens whenever the young duke, Ernest (who has a secret past of his own), speaks to her. She soon realizes that it’s not just keeping her secret until the end of the year faire she has to worry about: it’s surviving that long.

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Tor UK planned a big launch for China Mieville's latest novel Embassytown in addition to repackaging his complete backlist with a uniform look.  Tor tried to capture China's theme of blurring worlds and did a rather decent job.  Perdido Street Station and Kraken especially caught by eye although Un Lun Dun doesn't feel right especially since it is a Young Adult novel. Embassytown itself leaves me a bit confused at the moment, but hopefully it will make more sense once I've read it.  Which catches your fancy? 

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A Gerbil Book Wheel for Humans

via Neatorama

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ART | A Fun Map for Tome of the Undergates by Sam Sykes

This just in from Sam Sykes author of the fun dark Fantasy adventure Tome of the Undergates.

Art by Michael Lee Lunsford

The best part is the shark and little asides.  It certainly shows off the dark humor Sykes uses in Tome of the Undergates.  This map was made to go along with the German edition of Tome.

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