Cover Unveiled for John Scalzi's Lock In

Fresh off his Hugo win for Redshirts and the commercial success of The Human Division, John Scalzi is coming back with what looks to be another standalone. And it is also his second near-future novel, if you could Agent to the Stars, which I do. Lock In explores a virus that is running rampant and for the most part it is manageable, but for some it turns them into virtually living statues. I'm definitely interested to see how Scalzi's trademark snark work into such a story.  Here's the teaser description:

Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. 95% of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. Four percent suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And one percent find themselves “locked in”—fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus.

One per cent doesn't seem like a lot. But in the United States, that's 1.7 million people “locked in”...including the President's wife and daughter.

Spurred by grief and the sheer magnitude of the suffering, America undertakes a massive scientific initiative. Nothing can restore the ability to control their own bodies to the locked in. But then two new technologies emerge. One is a virtual-reality environment, “The Agora,” in which the locked-in can interact with other humans, both locked-in and not. The other is the discovery that a few rare individuals have brains that are receptive to being controlled by others, meaning that from time to time, those who are locked in can “ride” these people and use their bodies as if they were their own.

This skill is quickly regulated, licensed, bonded, and controlled. Nothing can go wrong. Certainly nobody would be tempted to misuse it, for murder, for political power, or worse....

I'm not sure if the cover is final, but currently it seems a little bland for a Scalzi cover though it moves him into the clean look that has become so popular for many best-selling authors. Lock In should be out in late August, but it should be noted Scalzi is still currently writing the manuscript.

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New Procurements (Including Book Expo Swag)

My summer is already off to a busy start, but you know it is getting to be that season when Book Expo hits. I managed to spend a good chunk of Thursday and most of Friday at the Javits Center seeing what's on deck for the book industry for the next six months. I was a bit pickier than in years past in terms of the galley grabbing, but there was plenty to be had. I did have to back away from a couple giveaways as you don't want to get in the middle of a frothing mad librarian-bookseller galley grab fight. Trust me, you don't.

The biggest hit for me is that little number at the top which is Neil Gaiman's Fortunately, the Milk. My wife actually nabbed it and lo and behold it is signed. This indebted me to my wife, but I was able to balance the scales the next day by getting her a copy of Elizabeth Gilbert's new novel The Signature of All Things. I only managed to go two signings the first of which was for Paolo Bacigalupi's Zombie Baseball Beatdown and managed to run into Jim C. Hines while leaving the line. The Bacigalupi's is his first middle grade novel which I'll give a read and pass on to my nephew who I got it signed to. Also, Bacigalupi's next adult novel The Water Knife has a finished second draft so we should see that pop-up in the next year or so. Paolo said they don't have a US publisher yet, but given his rise over the years I doubt he'll have a problem finding one here.

The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence is a coming of age story I've had my eye on and it is, I believe, the second release from the newest Hachette imprint Redhook. A couple years ago Alan Weisman's The World Without Us blew me away so I was quite glad to get a copy of Countdown, which is the flip side sequel exploring what humanity would need to do to survive on the planet long term. From Orbit I got Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson, his sort of historical novel about life 30,000 years ago and Mira Grant's Parasite, which is a start to a new series about parasitic symbyotes that cure all diseases, but want to be free. Necessary Errors by Caleb Crain is a debut about young expatriates in newly democratic Prague circa 1990. I already owned One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper, but since he was there singing I couldn't pass up getting a copy. My last grab was The Incrementalists by Steven Brust and Skyler White which is about a shadowy group that has been around for a very longtime slowly changing the future in small ways. All in all a nice haul. The pile of books waiting for me at home wasn't bad either.

The first three in this stack were purchases. The Gist by Michael Marshall Smith is a lovely novella, which is  an interesting experiment. There is the original story then a French translation followed by a retranslation into English. Before you decry me for not having read The Princess Bride by William Goldman please know I have, just not in a very long time. But when I learned my wife had never read it I made it a point to get a copy for our library. I think I'll give it a read this summer as it is one of the most enchanting stories ever, in any form. I also had to get a copy of Martha Wells'Emile & the Hollow World. Had to I tell you. In the review copy department I received Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh, which I'm already devouring. It is fabulous so far and also one of the most beautiful packaging jobs I've seen this year. It is a paperback with a rice paper cover slipped over so the image bleeds through. Brilliantly done. Ecko Rising by Danie Ware is a cross genre novel not on my radar until I received the copy, but it sounds quite interesting:

In a futuristic London where technological body modification is the norm, Ecko stands alone as a testament to the extreme capabilities of his society. Driven half mad by the systems running his body, Ecko is a criminal for hire. No job is too dangerous or insane.

When a mission goes wrong and Ecko finds himself catapulted across dimensions into a peaceful and unadvanced society living in fear of 'magic', he must confront his own perceptions of reality and his place within it.

A thrilling debut, Ecko Rising explores the massive range of the sci-fi and fantasy genres, and the possible implications of pitting them against one another.

Joyland is Stephen King much anticipated carnie themed mystery set in the 70's. I haven't read a King story in a few years, but just may dip into this one. Last, but certainly not least is Shift by Hugh Howey. I must admit for having fallen hard for Wool, but this prequel is making me a bit trepidacious as it could ruin everything that was setup. Still I can't help myself.

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New Procurements

Lot of good books have made it into the house. So many that I had to donate 4 bags of books to my local library this weekend. I'm sadly at the point where I have to make tough decisions every month about what books to keep, both old and new just to keep up with the flow. It is in a way a nice problem to have since when I was young I barely had any books to call my own that weren't school related. I was a library hound for many years so it is wonderful to have an amazing selection at hand. Anyway on with the new. Rather than discuss each book I'm just going to point out the ones I'm likely to read sooner than later. Also, if it is pictured here, but not mentioned don't take that as me not being interested. I want to read them I just know it won't be any time soon. Books I receive that I'm not very interested in go in the donation pile and don't get pictured.

The first 8 above are buys starting with the much lauded The Dog Stars by Peter Heller followed by the Demon Cycle mini-collection The Great Bazaar and Brayan's Gold by Peter V. Brett. The Brett collection is a UK only release, but the stories are available as eBooks readily in the US. Starslip Crisis Vol 1. I picked up signed by Kris Straub at PAX East this year. While at the comic shop I nabbed Manhattan Projects Vol 2. and Elric: The Balance Lost Vol 3. You is the sophomore novel from Austin Grossman, which is his love letter to video games and the people who make them.

The above are all review copies. Carniepunk started as a joke online that quickly tumbled into a full-blown theme anthology anchored by Urban Fantasy stars Kevin Hearne, Seanan McGuire, and Rachel Caine. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson is one I've been looking forward to for a couple years now and is his YA debut. Two Serpents Rise is Max Gladstone's sequel to Three Parts Dead, which was one of my favorite debuts last year. Red Planet Blues is Robert J. Sawyer's detective noir on Mars. Max Barry's Lexicon will be read quite soon as well Zachary Jernigan's debut No Return. The Thousand Names by Django Wexler's debut and another read soon, but not officially out until June. I wasn't aware of Jeff Noon before I received these UK review copies, but his books sound too bonkers to pass by. Ari Marmell is the first to take on the Iron Kingdoms setting in novel form with In Thunder Forged. Iron Kingdoms is an RPG setting I've been interested in for a while as it combines magic and machines and epic battles. That's a recipe for fun.


I just finished reading The Great Bazaar by Peter Brett which was a nice treat and I'm now making my way through Iain M. Banks' Consider Phlebas, which is my firs Culture novel. So far it is slower and more brutal than I thought it would be, but it contains one of the best Prologue's in Space Opera I've ever read.

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New Procurements

It is new book time!

To start us off we have two purchases. American Elsewhere is Robert Jackson Bennett's just released novel, which seems to channel a bit of Bradbury and King in small town America. I can't wait to dive in. Next is the first volume of The Manhattan Projects by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra, a twisted history of the secret program filled with one messed up Oppenheimer, an off Einstein, sadistic Von Braun, and a very vain Feynman. All in all  gorgeous art with a story that slants history towards the darker side. Bad Science indeed.

The rest of the stack are review copies including one of my most anticipated debuts Promise of Blood coming from Sanderson student Brian McClellan. It is a Flintlock Fantasy, which seems to be an up-and-coming area.  Next is a reissue of the classic The Iron King by Maurice Druon that is being heavily pitched as the direct inspiration for A Game of Thrones including a foreword by GRRM. Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill has been receiving a lot of early praise comparing it to Neverwhere and The Magicians. I'll have to see if it lives up to that.

Reviver is Seth Patrick's debut where the protagonist can bring back the dead for a short time period. It reminds me a bit of Mike Carey's Felix Castor novels, which is a good thing in my book. A few Sub Press novellas showed up including one I preordered called The Gist by Michael Marshall Smith, which has had an interesting journey. The book is comprised of 3 versions of the story with the original in English, a French Translation, then an English translation of the French version. Best of all the story focuses on a mysterious book. Next is The Last Fullmeasure by Lost Fleet author Jack Campbell. I must confess at never having read Campbell before so I might give this a go. Last in the novellas is The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz by Dan Simmons, which I read a few years ago when it was released as part of the Vance tribute Songs of Dying Earth. Blood Pride is Evie Manieri's US debut that has gotten a decent reaction so far. Gillian Philip's Firebrand has been out for over a year in the UK to much acclaim. At the bottom of the stack is the sequel to Doctorow's Little Brother, Homeland. Maybe a double feature is in order since I haven't read the first book and it seems to be his most universally acclaimed.

So many books....

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New Procurements and Update

Yes, I've been quiet unless you follow me on twitter. It's that time of year where I'm running in 3 directions. I will even be traveling again right before Christmas so it will be relatively quiet until the new year. Have no fear though as I am working on a few things I hope to have up soon including a new interview and even though I have posted it I have been keeping up with my reading log. Might even get around to posting it before the end of the year so that I can post my favorites at the start of 2013. In the meantime to catch you all up on the latest additions to my collection. The first photo are my latest purchases while the 2nd are the review copies that have come my way.

Becalmed is a novella from Kristine Kathryn Rusch's Diving Universe with this one filling in what I see as an important hole about why a certain Dignity vessel was on the run. Next is the second volume of the graphic novel Super Dinosaur that I'll pass on to my niece and nephew after I have my fun with it. Nine Kinds of Naked by Tony Vigorito is one I've been meaning to get for myself since I read his absurdist debut Just a Couple of Days. Also filling a hole in my collection is Delany's Dhalgren, which has been on my to read list for over a decade. Maybe next year it will finally get checked off.  The Fantastic Pulps is an anthology originally released in the 70's comprised of stories published in the late 1800's to the 1930's with some greats including Jack London, E.R. Burroughs, Ray Bradbury, Dashiell Hammett, and Robert Bloch. Appropriately last in the stack is Zoran Zivkovic's The Last Book.

London Falling is Doctor Who scribe Paul Cornell's first novel outside of the Whoverse in almost a decade. This one definitely seems aimed at the Felix Castor audience, which means I'm game. The Apes of Wrath is the anthology idea I wish I always came up with. It goes pretty deep in the canons of Weird too with stories by Franz Kafka, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard all the way to modern scribes  Mary Robinette Kowal and Karen Joy Fowler. The next, Star Wars: Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn is a Han and Chewie focused caper ala Oceans 11, which means I'm reading it right now. This is the type of story Disney should try before going right for Episode 7 showcasing the rich universe available. One of my favorite anthologies of 2011, Brave New Worlds (reviewed here) edited by John Joseph Adams,  is getting a new edition with 2 new stories. If you missed it the first time around grab it now. River Road is Suzanne Johnson's sophmore novel continuing her New Orleans focused Urban Fantasy series. Cyberpunk is an anthology coming out next March with an all-star collection of authors.

The Rise of Ransom City is Felix Gilman's sequel to one of the Weirdest Westerns I've ever read, The Half-Made World (reviewed here). The big number next is the final Wheel of Time novel. Since I'm woefully behind on the series I'm not sure what to do with it. I'm open to ideas. Closing out the pile is King of the Dead by Joseph Nassie and Malice by John Gwynne.


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New Procurements

Due to travel and the hurricane I'm a bit behind with updating. My house is fine, but we were without power for over a week, which definitely put a damper on things technologically speaking though I was complaining losts on twitter as my phone was my only outlet. This batch is from the last few weeks with the first stack from Uncle Hugos or as I call it Sci-Fi Book Nerd Mecca, while I was off on a work trip in Minnesota. I'd love to go back to Hugos to do a lot more damage.

I read the first of David Brin's Uplift trilogy for the first time while in Minnesota so I, of course had to pick up the next volume Startide Rising. The copy of Snodgrass's The Edge of Reason is signed. And after much hemming and hawing along with the the award wins I finally picked up Walton's Among Others. I had been meaning to get The Imago Sequence for awhile now as well. This Book is Full of Spiders is David Wong's sequel to the very enjoyable John Dies at the End. In the next picture is Rapture by Kameron Hurley which I also bought at Hugos though it turns out another copy was waiting for me at home. I already gobbled it up as I couldn't hold back and Hurley closed Nyx's story superbly.

Now on to the review copies. Yep, that is the next Dresden Files, Cold Days, sitting at the top. Given the problems I had with Ghost Story I'm not rushing to this as quickly as I would have in the past, but I will probably read it over my upcoming Thanksgiving break. Fingers crossed that I'll fall in love with it again, but I'm trying not to get my hopes too high.  Priest's The Inexplicables is one that I'll be reading very soon though. The Red Knight is Mile Cameron's debut coming out in January that's being pitched as a gritty Fantasy, so you know I've got to try that out. The Best of Joe Haldeman should be a nice career retrospective collection if I can find the time. This year hasn't been the best for me in regards to reading short fiction except for some novellas. Speaking of novellas, I Travel by Night by Robert McCammon looks like fun what with a vampire adventurer placed in the 19th century. Definitely might try to squeeze that one in.

I received Valente and Hobbs' latest novellas coming from Sub Press next year. Six-Gun Snow White looks especially promising. The white one, which is difficult to read is A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan, which is one of the books I've most been looking forward to for 2012. Still love that cover. Diverse Energies edited by Tobias S. Buckell and Joe Monti contains stories by Paolo Bacigalupi, Ursula K. Le Guin, Ken Liu, and Daniel H. Wilson among many others with a focus on YA appropriate culturally diverse Sci-Fi stories. Swords of Waar is Nathan Long's second Jane Carver book, which I still want to get to. Krampus would be my first Brom book, but it looks like a fun and holiday appropriate one to start with what with Krampus taking his revenge on Santa and all. Death's Apprentice is by K. W. Jeter and Gareth Jefferson Jones, which combines Grimm style fair tales with a noir detective bent.

Quantum Coin is Myers' sequel to Fair Coin, which I never bought, but it is on my long list as I've heard good things. London Eye by Tim Lebbon is the first in his YA trilogy of post-apocalyptic stories featuring mutants with powers of one stripe or another. I've always had a thing for thieves and forgeries so The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro might find itself in my hands soon.

So quite a pile to wade through... Should be fun doing it.

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Cover Unveiled for You by Austin Grossman

A few years back Austin Grossman's Soon I Will Be Invincible flipped the superhero story giving it from the point of view of the villain. You, Grossman's latest book looks to give us the videogame experience from the side of the programmers. The cover itself doesn't do much for me as the color is a bit bland, but it does give a sense of the content at least. Here's the blurb:

A novel of mystery, videogames, and the people who create them, by the bestselling author of Soon I Will Be Invincible, Austin Grossman.

When Russell joins Black Arts games, the hottest studio in the game industry, he meets an eccentric crew of nerds hacking the frontiers of both technology and entertainment. But when their revolutionary next-gen game is threatened by a mysterious software glitch, Russell finds himself in a race to save both his job and the people he has grown to care about.

The bug is the first clue in a mystery leading back twenty years through real and virtual worlds, corporate boardrooms and high school computer camp, to a secret that changed a friendship and the history of gaming. YOU is a thrilling, hilarious, authentic portrait of the world of professional game makers; and the story of how learning to play can save your life.

Could this be Snow Crash with a funny angle? I sure hope so. You will be out March 26th, 2013. Mark that another as one to watch for next year.

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New Procurements

This past weekend I went through my stacks and donated more than 70 books to the local library. But does the fact that I am always running out of space stop books from showing up? Not in the Hatter household. Starting this weeks' newest additions is the slipcase version of American Science Fiction: Nine Classic Novels of the 1950s edited by Gary K. Wolfe that I pre-ordered months ago. It is a beautiful package all around. Even with bound-in ribbon bookmarks!

Of the nine novels I only own the Bester. Here's the content's:
Frederik Pohl & C. M. Kornbluth / The Space Merchants
Theodore Sturgeon / More Than Human
Leigh Brackett / The Long Tomorrow
Richard Matheson / The Shrinking Man
Robert Heinlein / Double Star
Alfred Bester / The Stars My Destination
James Blish / A Case of Conscience
Algis Budrys / Who?
Fritz Leiber / The Big Time

I also finally bought Caliban's War as I feel a Sci-Fi kick coming on. I missed out on Libba Bray's The Diviners at Book Expo this year despite several attempts at nabbing a copy so when I finally spotted it at a bookstore I had to buy it.

In the review copy department quite a few interesting reads caught my eye. Topping is the next Hap and Leonard novella, Dead Aim, from Joe R. Lansdale's. A couple debuts I've had my eye on showed up: Max Gladstone's Legal Magic Thriller Three Parts Dead and Christopher Bennett's Only Superhuman, featuring enhanced humans in space. Lockhart's second Lovecraft inspired anthology The Book of Cthulhu II looks just as good as the first, which I still have to finish. The Tainted City is Country Shafer's sequel to The Whitefire Crossing, which I missed last year, but I just nabbed it for free from Amazon. Grab it now as it is only free for a short time. Another debut, Ironskin by Tina Connolly closes things out. This might be one my wife will try at first as it is influenced by Jane Eyre.

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New Procurements

Yes, it is that time again. The first shot is of books I purchased and the second books sent for potential review. Lots of big name books in the second.

The Islanders by Christopher Priest made quite a splash across the pond, but thus far is available only by import in the US. I had to order it used and what came in the mail but an ex-library copy. Still it is in good condition. The new few were bought on my vacation. Roadside Picnic by Arkady & Boris Strugatsky is a new translation of a classic first contact story. The Haunting Of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding I nabbed just because it is Wooding who has not disappointed me yet. Stephenson's Reamde was sitting on the discount shelf for under $7, which was a sign that it was time I should scoop it up, but it will be a while before I get to the this hefty tome.

The first few here will be gobbled up very, very soon with hopes to of doing reviews close to their release dates this Fal. That's right I've got Sanderson's The Emerpor's Soul, which is placed on the same word as Elantris.   The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books is Walter Moers' latest Zamonia novel and it looks to be back in the fantastic city of a much changed Bookholm. The much anticipated The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi is the sequel to The Quantum Thief, which I liked quite a bit a couple years back. Mark Hodder's A Red Sun Also Rises looks to be an odd Sword & Planet that could be a lot of fun as well.

The Rapture of the Nerds is a Doctorow and Stross collaboration. Is that too much concentrated nerd in one package? Alchemystic is Anton Strout's start to a new Urban Fantasy series featuring gargoyles, which just might be a good light read. Daugther of the Sword is Steve Bein's debut and I've already heard a few good things that make me think I'll like it. Salvage Demolition is Tim Powers' latest novella from Sub Pres. The Hunter from the Woods is by Robert McCammon who I've heard loads about, but never tried before. This just might be the one. And lastly is James Cain's long lost novel The Cocktail Waitress.

Quite a nice stack I must say!

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New Procurements

I'm pressed for time at the moment so let me just throw out a dignified *squee* up about The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks and call it a day. Expect a quiet week here.

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A Bad Cover Update and New Procurements

I'll willing to admit a mistake when it happens. A short time ago I posted a piece about a very poorly done cover. Not able to hold myself back I ordered a used copy because I'm the curious type. In this case one part because of the bad cover and one part because van Vogt was a big name back in the day, but I've never read any of his work. Well after holding it in my hands it was poorly done, but my little conversation wasn't quite right it turns out. The cover in question isn't just grey, but done in complete silver metallic. I'm not sure this photo does it justice. But just imagine the shimmer. Also, Scott Lynch recently talked about van Vogt and the piece is worth a look.

Anyway here are the other books that have shown up on my stoop the last couple of weeks. Quite a few I've been wanting and others I hadn't even heard of before.

I've already gone over A.E van Vogt's Mission to the Stars so let's move right along to Kage Baker's Nell Gwynne’s At Land and On Sea, which is a posthumous novella finished by the late author's sister Kathleen Bartholomew also a sequel to The Women of Nell Gwynne’s. A Fantasy Medley 2 contains stories by Seanan McGuire, Jasper Kent, Tanya Huff, and Amanda Downum. I'm most interested in the McGuire story as it takes place in world of October Daye albeit hundreds of years from the present time. Jack Glass is Adam Roberts latest novel, but the first I've ever bought of his. The cover simply grabbed me on this one and still hasn't let go. Joe Hill fans join in rejoicing me about the release of the 5th volume of Locke & Key, which is perhaps the best graphic novel series currently going. The Troupe is Robert Jackson Bennett's latest novel and one I'll be getting to soon.

And because I'm losing steam I'll just mention a couple others. The Constantine Affliction by T. Aaron Payton is the latest Steampunk-y offering from Night Shade Books, which involved a disease that changes the sex of the person infection, if it doesn't kill them. The name is a pseudonym of an author who has written a couple books that will be revealing themselves soon.   I've been a fan of Kelly Link's work for a long time, so receiving a galley of her Stranger Things Happen collection coming from Sub Press gave me a smile. I also want to check out Sub Press's humongous Best of collection from Robert Silverberg I didn't even know was in the works. I really need to get into Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet series, but this latest seems to be a spin off series so I'm not sure if it is a good place to start.

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New Procurements

It is that time again. Yes, it means the piles of new books have to be shelved before they tip over and threaten to leave a hole in my floor. This batch includes loads of review copies and pile of purchases. First up  some review copies.

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks eluded me at Book Expo this year so I've very glad to have gotten a review copy. Albert of Adelaide by Howard Anderson has a platypus for a protagonist. Nuff' said. Other Worlds Than These is edited by John Joseph Adams who has never disappointed me with his anthology selections. Spin the Sky is Katy Stauber sophomore effort, which I hope to dip into soon. I received two copies of The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer so expect a giveaway at some point. Containing original stories by Ted Chiang, Garth Nix, and Alan Moore this is something I'm already thumbing through. The Hollow City by Dan Wells is his latest Thriller and this time instead of a serial killer it stars an insane man whose delusions might be realer than he imagined. Assignment in Eternity by Robert A. Heinlein is a reissue of some of the master's older works and given they're new to me I may just dip in, but I have been meaning to read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress so we'll see which wins out. The Monster Hunters is an omnibus of the first 3 books in the series of the same name by Larry Correia, which I've heard is a very good pop corn read. Elfhome by Wen Spencer is the second Tinker book.

Next bunch are my purchases with the first three bought in used shops on a trip to Philly. The first The Forerunner Foray by Andre Norton I scooped up since I LOVED Forerunner. The Gunseller by Hugh Laurie is one I keep meaning to pick-up so I finally did. The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson is one my wife and I have both wanted to get after hear very good things when it first came out. THe next two are UK releases I ordered. The first Dark Eden by Chris Beckett sounds all kinds of screwed up.

You live in Eden. You are a member of the Family, one of 532 descendants of Angela and Tommy. You shelter beneath the light and warmth of the Forest's lantern trees, hunting woollybuck and harvesting tree candy. Beyond the forest lie the treeless mountains of the Snowy Dark and a cold so bitter and a night so profound that no man has ever crossed it. The Oldest among you recount legends of a world where light came from the sky, where men and women made boats that could cross between worlds. One day, the Oldest say, they will come back for you. You live in Eden. You are a member of the Family, one of 532 descendants of two marooned explorers. You huddle, slowly starving, beneath the light and warmth of geothermal trees, confined to one barely habitable valley of a startlingly alien, sunless world. After 163 years and six generations of incestuous inbreeding, the Family is riddled with deformity and feeblemindedness. Your culture is a infantile stew of half-remembered fact and devolved ritual that stifles innovation and punishes independent thought. You are John Redlantern. You will break the laws of Eden, shatter the Family and change history. You will be the first to abandon hope, the first to abandon the old ways, the first to kill another, the first to venture in to the Dark, and the first to discover the truth about Eden.

The Broken Isles by Mark Charan Newton finishes of the Legends of the Red Sun series. I quite enjoyed City of Ruin and Nights of Villjamur so I'm eager to see how all the threads are finally connected. It will probably be my next read. I went a bit mad on comics recently. I'm still keeping up with Eric Powell's The Goon, as all of you should be with volume 11 The Deformed of Body and Devious of Mind, which explores a backwater circus and sees the Goon laying into sparkly vampires. I also picked up the first volume of Incorruptable by Mark Waid, which runs concurrently with Irredeemable that I've also been devouring. Chris Roberson's Elric: The Balance Lost volume 2 snuck up an me. It is great seeing all of Moorcock's big guns coming together.  Last, is Mike Norton's Battlepug. How could I resist a Sword & Sorcery story where the hero rides around on a gigantic pug? You can check out the webcomic here.

And because I'm behind in posting here are even more review copes with many sequels. Be My Enemy is Ian McDonald's second Enverness novel after Planesrunner. King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence is his sophmore novel. I had mixed feelings about Prince of Thorns, but I was left with enough questions that I want answers to to check this one out. I've heard more than one review who called Thieftaker by D.B. Jackson a revolutionary war era  Dresden Files. *Ears piqued* Next are a few books from 47North, which is Amazon's Sci-Fi/Fantasy imprint. The Prankster by James Polster seems like it will be a fun time travel novella and I've been itching for a new time travel story. Next is The Mongoliad: Book 2 from Stephenson, Bear, Teppo, and company. The last in the bunch is the Sci-Fi novel Containment by Christian Cantrell.

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New Procurements (Short Story Heavy Edition)

I went on a slight buying binge last week as I somehow found my self in a used bookstore and a couple orders showed up. Some fine review copies came as well and between the two piles 4 anthologies and 2 short story collections entered my stacks. First up the purchases.

I partook of Apex's pre-order promo for The Apex Book of World SF 2 with getting the first volume for an additional 5 bucks. After hearing many reviewers call Bear's Range of Ghosts one of the best books of the year I ordered a copy. The next 3 are from the used store visit. Slam is the only Hornby I didn't already own, although I still have to read Juliet, Naked. Paul Auster's The New York Trilogy has been on my reading bucket list for years and it was high time I at least had a copy. I'm not very familiar with Kate Wilhelm's work, but I read her short "The Funeral" in John Joseph Adams' awesome Brave New Worlds  so finding her older collection Infinity Box seemed like serendipity. The cover was also shiny.

In the review copy pile things started with a finished copy of Charles Yu's Sorry Please Thank You. The spine is pretty neat, but I stand by my earlier thoughts about the understated cover. Year Zero is Rob Reid's debut and from what little I've heard (all good things) it  as if Douglas Adams wrote a story concerning the music industry. I'm excited about The Kingmakers as the first two books in the Vampire Empire were solid showings so I'm eager to see how the Griffith's close things out. Lastly, is 21st Century Dead, the zombie anthology sequel of sorts to Christopher Golden's The New Dead. Containing original stories by Simon R. Green, Duane Swiercyznski, Caitlin Kittredge, and Dan Chaon will most likely see me getting to it sooner than later.

Not pictured is the Ray Bradbury tribute anthology Shadow Show that I mentioned awhile ago and given recent events I'll be reading it post-haste. I already stuffed it in my bag for a trip I'm on as this goes live.

All in all a very nice haul.

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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 Unveiled for Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells Edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

Art by Allen Williams

The all-original anthology Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells by the super editing duo of Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling is coming early next year. The theme is Gaslamp Fantasy, which falls along the lines of Steampunk only with more of a focus on magic instead of tech. The line-up looks quite impressive as does the cover. Love the white-glow-y hair.

“The Fairy Enterprise” by Jeffrey Ford

“From the Catalogue of the Pavilion of the Uncanny and Marvelous, Scheduled for Premiere at the Great Exhibition (Before the Fire)” by Genevieve Valentine

“The Memory Book” by Maureen McHugh

“Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells” by Delia Sherman

“La Reine D’Enfer” by Kathe Koja

“Briar Rose” by Elizabeth Wein

“The Governess” by Elizabeth Bear

“Smithfield” by James P. Blaylock

“The Unwanted Women of Surrey” by Kaaron Warren

“Charged” by Leanna Renee Hieber

“Mr. Splitfoot” by Dale Bailey

“Phosphorus” by Veronica Schanoes

“We Without Us Were Shadows” by Catherynne M. Valente

“The Vital Importance of the Superficial” by Ellen Kushner and Caroline Stevermer

“The Jewel in the Toad Queen’s Crown” by Jane Yolen

“A Few Twigs He Left Behind” by Gregory Maguire

“Their Monstrous Minds” by Tanith Lee

“Estella Saves the Village” by Theodora Goss

Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells will be released in March from Tor simultaneously in both hardcover and trade paperback. Another noteworthy anthology coming this October from Datlow and Windling is After comprised of all-original dystopian/apocalyptic stories.

Also here is the art unadulterated.

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New Procurements

A pretty steady group of review copy packages showed up while I was at BEA. A stack so large it nearly rivaled the pile I got from BEA, which is rather saying a lot.

Cannibal Reign by Thomas Koloniar might work for when I'm in a darker moon.  Then I got a galley of Jay Kristoff's debut Stormdancer, which falls in the category of "Books I Can't Wait For" since I first heard the basic pitch of Japan meets Steampunk. It comes out in September so I'll be reviewing it around then. And its US cover is pretty awesome. The Light is the Darkness by Laird Barron is a purchase and one I mentioned not too long ago. Existence is David Brin's first new novel in quite awhile and looks to be part of the Kiln Books universe, but looks o standalone well. I might dip in soon although I might finally read the first Uplift novel (I know). Then a bit of surprise is a Doctor Who novel Shada by none other than Douglas Adams and Gareth Roberts. I've become a big Whovian the last few years so I may try this out. Heaven's War by Goyer and Cassutt is their second in a Sci-Fi series I still haven't checked out. At the bottom is Charles Stross's The Apocalypse Codex and given I'm woefully behind on the Laundry series it will be awhile before I get to it.

Lots of coolness in this stack. Going Interstellar is the latest anthology from Baen with a mixture of essays from scientists on space travel and stories about the same. The Boolean Gate by Walter Jon Williams is his new novella for Subterranean Press. The next two galley are highly anticipated novels, by me at least. Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines is one I've mentioned before and I still love the concept. And this copy just so happens to be signed! Sam Sykes is closing out his debut trilogy with The Skybound Sea, a series I've enjoyed quite a bit.

This Dark Earth is John Hornor Jacobs's sophomore effort that looks all kinds of bad-ass. No Going Back is Mark L. Van Name's latest hardcover. I've heard good things about Van Name before, but I'm not sure if this is where I should jump in. Any opinions? Love the cover.  I also bought the first volume of Mark Waid's Irredeemable on Stefan's recommendation. Peter F. Hamilton's Great North Road is a hugely anticipated novel in the Sci-Fi community and will be my first of his to try since it seems to be standalone. I do have the first of the Void trilogy kicking around here somewhere though. Next is the second volume of the graphic novel adaptation to The Eye of the World. I haven't seen the first, but I'll probably check it out as the art looked great on flip through. The last two are from Edge Publishing with Paradox Resolution about fixing time travel devices by K.A. Bedford who I'm not familiar with and Dave Duncan's Wildcatter who I do know a bit and his is about prospectors in space, which does intrigue me. I love a good story about discovery and greed.

So what caught your eye this week? Out of everything the Sykes, Kristoff, Hines, Jacobs, and Hamilton will hopefully be read and reviewed around their release dates.  But I also want to get to Jacobs and Brin. If only I had all the time in the world to read and review...

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More Laird Barron is Always a Good Thing

While not a Horror aficionado I have been known to dip my toe in the area every now and again. One Horror author's work who I've found myself dipping into at regular intervals is Laird Barron. The man has won or been nominated for nearly every award he's been eligible, most notable winning the Shirley Jackson Award twice. His debut The Croning (released just last month) novel pretty much blew me away. It is a masterwork nailing the sense of dread combing folklore and Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror.

Around the same time The Croning was released I found out Barron was publishing a very limited (and expensive) edition of his long novella The Light is the Darkness and at over $200 it was out of my range. It is quite a beautiful edition that I found my mouse hovering over more than once. There's a couple photos of the lettered edition here. I held off knowing he'd probably include it in a future collection. I've just learned that there will be a trade paper release the middle of June for under $20 from Arcane Wisdom Press available through Miskatonic Books and other places like Barnes & Noble.

The blurb is below, but it is Barron. Just go and order it already and if you haven't gotten his collections Occultation or The Imago Sequence or novel The Croning get thee to a bookstore.

Conrad Navarro is a champion of the Pageant, a gruesome modern day gladiatorial exhibition held in secret arenas across the globe. Indentured by a cabal of ultra-rich patrons, his world is one of blood and mayhem, an existence where savagery reigns supreme while mercy leads to annihilation.

Conrad’s sister has vanished while traveling in Mexico. Imogene, a decorated special agent for the FBI, was hot on the trail of a legendary scientist whose vile eugenics experiments landed him on an international most-wanted list. Imogene left behind a sequence of bizarre clues that indicate she uncovered evidence of a Byzantine occult conspiracy against civilization itself — a threat so vast and terrible, its ultimate fruition would herald an event more inimical to all terrestrial life than mere extinction.

Now, Conrad is on the hunt, searching for his missing sister while malign forces seek to manipulate and destroy him by turns. It is an odyssey that will send this man of war from the lush jungles of South America, to the debauched court of an Aegean Prince, to the blasted moonscape of the American desert as he becomes inexorably enmeshed within a web of primordial evil that stretches back unto prehistory. All the while struggling to maintain a vestige of humanity; for Conrad has gazed into an abyss where the light is the darkness, and he has begun the metamorphosis into something more than human.

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Brandon Sanderson is Still the Hardest Working Man in Fantasy

Brandon Sanderson has been regarded for a long time as one of the most consistent writers in Fantasy. Since his debut novel Elantris, came out in 2005 a year has not gone by without at least one novel being released. In some years as many as 3 have been published if you count his books for younger readers, which we really should. The man has been the work horse of Fantasy even taking on the Wheel of Time and writing them quicker than Jordan ever did. And Sanderson is not slowing down a bit.  True there is no full length novel coming out this year, but the last Wheel of Time will be out at the beginning of 2013. And get this: Sanderson is publishing two novellas before the end of the year.

Art by Jon Foster

First we have Legion which looks to be his longest Sci-Fi related work to date with the exception of The Alloy of Law. This is from a post by Sanderson on Fantasy Faction, which sums up the book pretty well:

Called Legion, it is the story of a man with a very interesting brain. He is a genius, and can master any topic of study in a very short time--however, the knowledge he gains manifests as a person only he can see, who acts as an adviser on that topic. Someone invents a camera that can take pictures of the past, and our hero--along with his band of genius delusions--must recover it after it is stolen.

Legion is coming out from Subterranean Press in late summer, but Sanderson is also self-publishing the eBook version. But wait there's more!

Coming from Tachyon Press in November is another novella titled The Emperor's Soul, which is definitely part of the Hoidverse and placed on the same world as Elantris. Here's the official blurb:

Shai is a Forger, a foreigner who can flawlessly copy and re-create any item by rewriting its history with skillful magic. Though condemned to death after trying to steal the emperor’s scepter, she is given one opportunity to save herself. Despite the fact that her skill as a Forger is considered an abomination by her captors, Shai will attempt to create a new soul for the emperor, who is almost dead from the attack of assassins.

Delving deeply into his life, she discovers Emperor Ashravan’s truest nature—and the opportunity to exploit it. Her only possible ally is one who is truly loyal to the emperor, but councilor Gaotona must overcome his prejudices to understand that her forgery is as much artistry as it is deception.

Skillfully deducing the machinations of her captors, Shai needs a perfect plan to escape. The fate of the kingdom lies in one impossible task. Is it possible to create a forgery of a soul so convincing that it is better than the soul itself?

Sanderson will also be self-publishing the eBook version.  Between his huge novels and recent attempts at short stories Sanderson is embracing the new age of publishing mixing with big publishers, small presses, and self publishing. Brandon Sanderson I salute you!

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New Procurements

Lots of pretties have shown up or been purchased the last couple of weeks. Let's begin, as usual, at the top.

A quick trip to the comic shop got me a copy of Elric: The Balance Lost by Chris Roberson. I had read the first issue last year and liked it, but waited for the trade. See the firs volume shows Roberson has some very grand plans to bring together many of Moorcock's Multiverse characters, and I'll be damned if I'm going to miss it. The next 2 were also purchases. Ex-Patriots by Peter Clines is the sequel to the superhero/zombie mash-up Ex-Heroes that blew my expectations away. The Ghostwriter by Zoran Zivkovic is his latest novella release from PS Publisher. I've been amassing quite a Zivkovic collection over the past year.

Now on to review copies of which I've already devoured the first. Coming in June is Scalzi's Redshirts which skewers early Star Trek quite well and then it goes off into some truly meta lands. Wake of the Bloody Angel is Alex Bledsoe's latest Eddie LaCross novel, which I've been a devotee since the awesome The Sword-Edged Blonde [reviewed here]. The new couple are from Night Shade who is still batting strong numbers. First is Laird Barron's debut novel The Croning another I gobbled up soon after receiving. I' making an early call marking this as the Horror debut of the year. Next is Ellen Datlow's annual The Year's Best Horror 4 that I'll probably dip into between other things. Then we have Mary Gentle's The Black Opera mixing secret societies in Italy and the opera in a bid to empower the Devil. Last in this stack is the gargantuan The Weird edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer. I hope to tackle this in some fashion over the next 2 months. Maybe as a few separate posts examine groups of stories.

Alif the Unseen by debut author G. Willow Wilson intrigues me great as it marries hacking and the secrets book of the djinn. Another debut I've been looking forward to is Jeff Salyard's dark military fantasy Scourge of the Betrayer. A lot of comparisons to the Black Company novels are abounding. Next is the group novel The Mongoliad, which I'll be dipping into quite soon. Then we have Jacqueline Carey's Dark Currents, which starts a new Urban Fantasy series. I've never read a Carey book, but have heard good things about a lot of her work.  Song of the Serpent by Hugh Matthews is the latest Pathfinder novel. This one is going right to a friend who runs a Pathfinder game. I'm hoping he'll do a short review for us. The Battle of Blood and Ink is a Steampunk graphic novel that I'll definitely reading soon. It should hit stores soon as well. Next are a couple buys from my new local bookstore, which had a surprisingly good selection for its size. Agatha H and the Clockwork Princess by the Foglios keeps me current with the graphic novel series turned prose series and Maureen McHugh's short story collection After the Apocalypse is one I've been meaning to get for months.

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