A New Project | Speculative Fiction 2012: The Year's Best Online Reviews & Commentary

Press release originally appeared on Pornokitsch: 

Jurassic London are pleased to announce Speculative Fiction 2012: The Year's Best Online Reviews & Commentary, capturing the best of 2012's blogs, websites and other digital publications.  

With the online reviewing community larger than ever before, Speculative Fiction aims to both capture and celebrate the best in genre non-fiction: the top book reviews, criticism and essays of the year. 

The collection will be edited by Justin Landon (Staffer's Book Review) and Jared Shurin (Pornokitsch).  

Speculative Fiction will be available February 2013. All proceeds will go to charity (partner TBA). 

The editors are currently seeking recommendations. Pieces must be longer than 500 words. This is a reprint anthology: work must have been first published online, in 2012 and not in a professional publication. 

Recommendations should be submitted here: Speculative Fiction 2012.

Payment will be on publication, at the reprint rate of one cent a word, plus a contributor copy.

***

Expect more announcements as we move through the process, but generally speaking, Jared and I both feel very strongly that this is an important project. The internet is an incredible place. Post something here and it's here forever. But, that's a blessing and a curse.

Years and years of reviews and commentary about genre fiction have occurred and been lost to memory, occasionally found in a Google search, but more often queried on Twitter, "Anyone know where to find that great post?" We want to help create a record, a snapshot in time of what was important today.

Give us a hand, huh?

Ask Me Anything - Debut Authorpalooza

Tonight at 7:00 PM CST, the ten authors from the Debut Authorpalooza event will be on Reddit for an Ask Me Anything! It should be a ton of fun, and I hope people will literally ask anything. Some examples might be...

• Curious where Mark Lawrence gets his clothes dry cleaned? ASK HIM

• Is Mazarkis Williams a descendant of the Invisible Man? ASK HIM.. er.. HER.. er.. HIM

• Teresa Frohock, does working in a library remove the urge to pee often brought on by the smell of books? ASK HER!

• Stina Leicht, did people tease you in middle school by called you Stina Licked? ASK HER, but duck.

• How do you balance a beer bottle on your head Kameron Hurley? ASK HER (and make her do it)

• Is Bradley Beaulieu a French spy? ASK HIM, but use a voice changer

• Is there any truth to the rumor that it was Doug Hulick inside the Chewbacca suit in Star Wars? RAWR!

• I read Whitefire Crossing, what's a scree? ASK HER

• Did Elspeth Cooper have to license Songs of the Earth from the Jack Vance anthology tribute Songs of a Dying Earth? ASK HER

• All these authors debuted in 2011, except you Anne Lyle, what do you have to say for yourself?! ASK HER

Link to the AMA: http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/wtjev/we_are_2011_debut_novelists_t_frohock_m_williams/

Debut Authorpalooza (2012)

I have two tenets I will not violate on this blog. First, every review is my honest opinion and I don't pull punches. Two, I'll never run an interview, giveaway, or guest post from an author that I can't personally endorse. It was with some trepidation then when I heard from Courtney Schafer, author of 2011 debut novel The Whitefire Crossing, that a group of recent debut authors wanted to do an event celebrating the completion of their second novel and they wanted me to host it. Given my self enforced rules, my first question was obviously, who?

Before I get to that, I should mention that I read a lot of debut authors (around 30 last year). I even went so far as to recognize Night Shade Books for their tremendous commitment to developing new voices in the field with my 2011 Juice Box Award for Best Editor. See, I love discovering new things. While it's phenomenal to get my hands on the new George R.R. Martin book or a the latest Joe Abercrombie, there's a special feeling that comes reading a new author. There's an allure in finding unexpected brilliance -- to be the first person to the party. I read for that feeling. It turns out each of the authors wanting to come to my blog gave me that feeling. When I saw the list, I accepted and immediately began trying to come with a ridiculous name for the event.

So what is Debut Authorpalooza?

For the next two weeks, starting on Monday July 16, I'm turning my blog over to ten of my favorite recent debut authors from 2011 (and one for 2012, we won't hold it against her). Every weekday for two weeks there will be a guest post in the morning, with the author discussing his or her experiences writing that dreaded second book. Every afternoon there will be an excerpt (most of them for the first time anywhere) from the forthcoming (or in two cases, recently released) novel in question.

Oh, did I mention that everyday we'll be giving away a bunch of signed books? At the end of the two weeks I'll be rolling all the individual entries from the two weeks (maximum of ten entries possible) into a grand prize giveaway that's going to knock someone's socks off (we're still adding up all the things that'll be in it). And just because this is such a great group, it looks like all the giveaways will be open worldwide. I'll be posting the rules for the giveaways as they come.

Without further ado, here are the authors I'm turning my blog over to:

Week 1:

7/16: Mark Lawrence - Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns (Forthcoming)
7/17: Kameron Hurley - God's War, Infidel, Rapture (Forthcoming)
7/18: Elspeth Cooper - Songs of the Earth, Trinity Rising (Forthcoming)
7/19: Courtney Schafer - The Whitefire Crossing, The Tainted City (Forthcoming)
7/20: Stina Leicht - Of Blood and Honey, And Blue Skies From Pain

Week 2:

7/23: Teresa Frohock - Miserere: An Autumn Tale, The Garden (Forthcoming)
7/24: Mazarkis Williams - The Emperor's Knife, Knifesworn (Forthcoming)
7/25: Bradley Beaulieu - The Winds of Khalakovo, The Straits of Galahesh
7/26: Anne Lyle - The Alchemist of Souls, Merchant of Dreams (Forthcoming)
7/27: Doug Hulick - Among Thieves, Sworn in Steel (Forthcoming)

I hope this is as fun for my readers as it was for me to put together. All ten authors will also be participating in a Reddit AMA on July 19 that I'll be helping with. If you have any questions for these brilliant writers be sure to show up for it. I'll be posting more about it next week.

Next up: Mark Lawrence!

Upcoming Night Shade, Angry Robot, Baen, Pyr and Releases - Fall/Winter

Now that we're at the halfway mark for the year, I thought it would appropriate to point out all the novels coming out from August-December that strike my fancy. I'll be breaking my posts down by publisher. Below are the novels coming this Fall and Winter from Night Shade, Angry Robot, Baen, and Pyr that will be must reads for me. I'll mention that there are likely some books from November and December here that aren't currently listed on the publisher's websites that I'll end up wanting (Anne Lyle's Merchant of Dreams is an example). Either way, I can't read them all. So I'll be looking forward to seeing what interests you.
Here's what caught my eye:

The Constantine Affliction by T. Aaron Payton (NSB - August)

1864. London is a city in transition. The Constantine Affliction–a strange malady that kills some of its victims and physically transforms others into the opposite sex–has spread scandal and upheaval throughout society. Scientific marvels and disasters, such as clockwork courtesans, the alchemical fires of Whitechapel, electric carriages, and acidic monsters lurking in the Thames, have forever altered the face of the city. 

Pembroke “Pimm” Hanover is an aristocrat with an interest in criminology, who uses his keen powers of observation to assist the police or private individuals–at least when he’s sober enough to do so. Ellie Skyler, who hides her gender behind the byline “E. Skye,” is an intrepid journalist driven by both passion and necessity to uncover the truth, no matter where it hides. 

When Pimm and Skye stumble onto a dark plot that links the city’s most notorious criminal overlord with the Queen’s new consort, famed scientist Sir Bertram Oswald, they soon find the forces of both high and low society arrayed against them. Can they save the city from the arcane machinations of one of history’s most monsters–and uncover the shocking origin of . . . THE CONSTANTINE AFFLICTION.

It seems like Victorian London is the new cat's pajamas. It's everywhere -- like herpes. What attracts me to this novel, and believe it or not it's not herpes, is the gender bending conceit. It just feels unique, something Night Shade has become adept at publishing.


The Tainted City by Courtney Schafer (NSB - October)

Dev is a desperate man. After narrowly surviving a smuggling job gone wrong, he’s now a prisoner of the Alathian Council, held hostage to ensure his friend Kiran — former apprentice to one of the most ruthless mages alive — does their bidding. 

But Kiran isn’t Dev’s only concern. Back in his home city of Ninavel, the child he once swore to protect faces a terrible fate if he can’t reach her in time, and the days are fast slipping away. So when the Council offers Dev freedom in exchange for his and Kiran’s assistance in a clandestine mission to Ninavel, he can’t refuse, no matter how much he distrusts their motives. 

Once in Ninavel the mission proves more treacherous than even Dev could have imagined. Betrayed by allies, forced to aid their enemies, he and Kiran must confront the darkest truths of their pasts if they hope to save those they love and survive their return to the Tainted City.

Schafer's debut novel, The Whitefire Crossing, was one of my favorite finds of last year. It came out of nowhere as one of the first novels released from Night Shade's New Voices Program. The story was a pretty straight forward travelogue from one city to another with the author's passion for mountaineering bleeding through on every page. I really can't wait to read this one.


Rapture by Kameron Hurley (NSB - November)

After years in exile, Nyxnissa so Dasheem is back in action in service to the bel dames, a sisterhood of elite government assassins tasked with eliminating deserters and traitors. The end of a centuries-long holy war between her country, Nasheen, and neighboring Chenja has flooded the streets of Nasheen with unemployed - and unemployable - soldiers whose frustrations have brought the nation to the brink of civil war.

Not everyone likes this tenuous and unpredictable "peace," however, and somebody has kidnapped a key politician whose death could trigger a bloody government takeover. With aliens in the sky and revolution on the ground, Nyx assembles a team of mad magicians, torturers, and mutant shape-shifters for an epic journey across a flesh-eating desert in search of a man she's not actually supposed to kill.
The only problem?

Killing is the only thing Nyx is good at. And she already left this man to die...

Kameron Hurley's first novel, God's War, has one of the more fascinating roads to publication. I won't go into it here, but the takeaway is that it's an incredibly difficult book to categorize and therefore to market. It's also fucking incredible. To quote a big-six fantasy author, the ideas in it are "China Miéville level". Sure, it suffered from some storytelling hiccups, but that wasn't enough to hold it back from being one of the best first novels of 2011 and maybe one of the best novels period.

Also released last year, was Hurley's second novel, Infidel, which I actually found even better than the first. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that I'm frothing to get my hands on Rapture. You should be too.

Knife Sworn by Mazarkis Williams (NSB - November)

After spending most of his life in captivity and solitude, Sarmin now sits upon the Petal Throne of Cerana. But his reign is an uneasy one. Ambitious generals and restless soldiers want war at any cost. An insidious foreign religion stirs fear among the people and the court. And the emperor’s own heart is torn between two very different women: Mesema, a Windreader princess of the northern plains, and Grada, a lowborn untouchable with whom Sarmin shares a unique bond. A natural-born mage, Sarmin also carries within him a throng of bodiless spirits whose conflicting memories and desires force him to wage a private battle for his sanity. 

In times past, a royal assassin known as the Emperor’s Knife served as the keen edge of justice, defending the throne from any and all menaces, but the last Knife has perished and his successor has yet to be named. For his own safety, and that of the empire, Sarmin must choose his own loyal death-dealer . . . .but upon whom can be he bestow the bloody burden of the Knife-Sworn?

Three sequels in a row from Night Shade! They really had a tremendous 2011. I haven't been as impressed with their 2012 debuts, a fact that should take nothing away from what they're doing as a publisher. Knife Sworn picks up where The Emperor's Knife left off.

In my read through of the first novel, I discovered that Mazarkis Williams writes an understated style that layers tension. My main criticism of it related to that subtleness in the lack of foreshadowing for the major reveal. I'm hoping Williams cranks up the volume a bit in this one.

*** 

Seven Wonders by Adam Christopher (AR - August)

Tony Prosdocimi lives in the bustling Metropolis of San Ventura – a city gripped in fear, a city under siege by the hooded supervillain, The Cowl. 

When Tony develops super-powers and acts to take down The Cowl, however, he finds that the local superhero team Seven Wonders aren’t as grateful as he assumed they’d be…

I didn't rave about Christopher's first novel, Empire State. It had some strong points, but really struggled to pull together a coherent conclusion. I'm hoping Seven Wonders has a clearer idea of where it's going. If so, Christopher's exceptional ability to work with setting and tone should make for a great read. 

Superheroes seem to be en vogue this year, with Prepare to Die! by Paul Tobin and Only Superhuman by Christopher Bennett also on the shelves.

The Corpse-Rat King by Lee Battersby (AR - August)

Marius dos Hellespont and his apprentice, Gerd, are professional looters of battlefields. When they stumble upon the corpse of the King of Scorby and Gerd is killed, Marius is mistaken for the monarch by one of the dead soldiers and is transported down to the Kingdom of the Dead. 

Just like the living citizens, the dead need a King — after all, the King is God’s representative, and someone needs to remind God where they are. 

And so it comes to pass that Marius is banished to the surface with one message: if he wants to recover his life he must find the dead a King. Which he fully intends to do.

Just as soon as he stops running away.

The blurb seems to be leaving some things out because immediately I'm asking, why don't they just keep the King they already have? I suppose it's possible Marius tells them he's not a King, but then why would he be able to find a King for them? I might be over analyzing this.

The idea of casting battlefield looters as main characters is great. These guys show up in every fantasy novel to one degree or another and it's time they got their due. I'm looking forward to seeing what Battersby does with it.

***

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen - November)

Captain Ivan Vorpatril is happy with his relatively uneventful bachelor’s life of a staff officer to a Barrayaran admiral. Ivan, cousin to Imperial troubleshooter Miles Vorkosigan, is not far down the hereditary list for the emperorship. Thankfully, new heirs have directed that headache elsewhere, leaving Ivan to enjoy his life on Komarr, far from the Byzantine court politics of his home system. But when an old friend in Barrayaran intelligence asks Ivan to protect an attractive young woman who may be on the hit list of a criminal syndicate, Ivan’s chivalrous nature takes over. It seems danger and adventure have once more found Captain Vorpatril. 

Tej Arqua and her half-sister and servant Rish are fleeing the violent overthrow of their clan on free-for-all planet Jackson’s Whole. Now it seems Tej may possess a hidden secret of which even she may not be aware. It’s a secret that could corrupt the heart of a highly regarded Barayarran family and provide the final advantage for the thugs who seek to overthrow Tej’s homeworld.

But none of Tej’s formidable adversaries have counted on Ivan Vorpatril. For behind Ivan’s facade of wry and self-effacing humor lies a true and cunning protector who will never leave a distressed lady in the lurch–up to and including making the ultimate sacrifice to keep her from harm: the treasured and hard-won freedom from his own fate as a scion of Barrayar.

My first, and only, Miles book was CryoBurn. I only read it because it was nominated for the Hugo. It impressed me with Bujold's deft use of drama and humor. Given the huge back story associated with Miles I've been hesitant to pick up any of the other books in the series. I'm excited that this new one appears to be departing from that main arc. Sign me up.

*** 

London Eye by Tim Lebbon (Pyr - October)

Two years after London is struck by a devastating terrorist attack, it is cut off from the world, protected by a military force known as Choppers. the rest of Britain believes that the city is now a toxic, uninhabited wasteland. 

But Jack and his friends—some of whom lost family on what has become known as Doomsday—know that the reality is very different. at great risk, they have been gathering evidence about what is really happening in London—and it is incredible. 
Because the handful of London’s survivors are changing. Developing strange, fantastic powers. Evolving. 

Upon discovering that his mother is still alive inside london, Jack, his sister, and their three friends sneak into a city in ruins. Vast swathes have been bombed flat. Choppers cruise the streets, looking for survivors to experiment upon. the toxic city is filled with wonders and dangers that will challenge Jack and his friends . . . and perhaps kill them. But Jack knows that the truth must be revealed to the outside world or every survivor will die.

Steven Erikson blurbed Lebbon's Echo City. That was enough for me to want to read him. Alas, I haven't gotten around to Echo City (for shame). I'm going to make sure I can't say the same about London Eye come next year. This is one of those books I'll be reading the second I get a copy.


The Creative Fire by Brenda Cooper (Pyr - November)

Nothing can match the power of a single voice. . . . 

Ruby Martin expects to spend her days repairing robots while avoiding the dangerous peacekeeping forces that roam the corridors of the generation ship the Creative Fire. The social structure of the ship is rigidly divided, with Ruby and her friends on the bottom. Then a shipwide accident gives Ruby a chance to fight for the freedom she craves. Her enemies are numerous, well armed, and knowledgeable. Her weapons are a fabulous voice, a quick mind, and a deep stubbornness. Complicating it all—an unreliable AI and an enigmatic man she met—and kissed—exactly once—who may hold the key to her success. If ruby can’t transform from a rebellious teen to the leader of a revolution, she and all her friends will lose all say in their future. 

Like the historical evita Peron, ruby rises from the dregs of society to hold incredible popularity and power. Her story is about love and lust and need and a thirst for knowledge and influence so deep that it burns.

I first encountered Brenda Cooper's work in Lou Anders's first Fast Forward anthology. From what I understand her fiction always connects to music in some way. It's an interesting point of view and something I'd like to explore a little bit more. I can't say for sure that I'm going to enjoy Creative Fire. It doesn't really seem like my bag, but I'm intrigued enough by the concept to find out.


The Lazarus Machine by Paul Crilley (Pyr - November)

An alternate 1895. . . a world where Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace perfected the Difference engine. Where steam and tesla-powered computers are everywhere. Where automatons powered by human souls venture out into the sprawling London streets. Where the Ministry, a secretive government agency, seeks to control everything in the name of the Queen. 

It is in this claustrophobic, paranoid city that seventeen-year-old Sebastian tweed and his conman father struggle to eke out a living. 

But all is not well. . .  

A murderous, masked gang has moved into London, spreading terror through the criminal ranks as they take over the underworld. as the gang carves up more and more of the city, a single name comes to be uttered in fearful whispers. 

Professor Moriarty.  

When tweed’s father is kidnapped by Moriarty, he is forced to team up with information broker Octavia Nightingale to track him down. But he soon realizes that his father’s disappearance is just a tiny piece of a political conspiracy that could destroy the British Empire and plunge the world into a horrific war.

What?! Victorian London, again? It seems like a combination of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Who, The Prestige, and Guy Fawkes. If it's solely a pastiche of those things, it can't be bad, right?

***

Anything catch your eye? Anything else from these imprints that I didn't mention for the second half of the year? 

Upcoming Tor Releases - Fall/Winter

Now that we're at the halfway mark for the year, I thought it would appropriate to point out all the novels coming out from August-December that strike my fancy. I'll be breaking my posts down by publisher. Below are the novels coming this Fall and Winter from Tor that will be must reads for me. The truth is though, I can't read them all. So I'll be looking forward to seeing what interests you.

Here's what caught my eye:

Black Bottle by Anthony Huso (August)

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 this 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.
Desparate 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.

I read Last Page, Huso's first novel, when it came out in 2010. I found it fascinating, but would have a hard time recommending it. If I were comparing it to another author I would say it was China Miéville level when it comes to ideas. Unfortunately, the plot was overly cryptic, which led to a great deal of confusion for me as a reader. That said, I have high hopes for Black Bottle. If Huso can get his narrative a little more under control, his work is going to really take off. I already have an early galley of this one and plan to get to it soon.


The Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson (September)

Steven Erikson entered the pantheon of great fantasy writers with his debut Gardens of the Moon. Now Erikson returns with a trilogy that takes place millennia before the events of the Malazan Book of the Fallen.The Forge of Darkness introduces readers to Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness, and tells an epic tale of a realm whose fate plays a crucial role in shaping the world of the Malazan Empire.

It's a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, the realm of Darkness, where Mother Dark reigns. But this ancient land was once home to many a power… and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners' great hero, Vatha Urusander, is being promoted by his followers to take Mother Dark's hand in marriage, but her Consort, Lord Draconus, stands in the way of such ambitions. The impending clash sends fissures throughout the realm, and as the rumors of civil war burn through the masses, an ancient power emerges from the long dead seas. Caught in the middle of it all are the First Sons of Darkness, Anomander, Andarist, and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold.

I would put anything Erikson writes, particularly in the Malazan universe, in the no-shit-I'm-reading-this category. I include it in this post because I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who haven't read Erikson yet who find the ten book Malazan Book of the Fallen series daunting. Forge of Darkness is a brand new series and I hope will be a nice place for people to start finding out what the hype is about.


The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi (September)

A physicist receives a mysterious paper. The ideas in it are far, far ahead of current thinking and quite, quite terrifying. In a city of “fast ones,” shadow players, and jinni, two sisters contemplate a revolution. 

And on the edges of reality a thief, helped by a sardonic ship, is trying to break into a Schrödinger box for his patron. In the box is his freedom. Or not. 

Jean de Flambeur is back. And he’s running out of time.

In Hannu Rajaniemi’s sparkling follow-up to the critically-acclaimed international sensation The Quantum Thief, he returns to his awe-inspiring vision of the universe…and we discover what the future held for Earth. 

Like Huso's Black Bottle, Fractal Prince is the sequel to a novel from 2010 (in the UK) that excelled for its vision. Quantum Thief was well received by some and loathed by others. Hard science fiction merged with detective noir, the whole plot was layered in murk. Time shifting, identity shifting, and gobs of neologisms make it a mind bending read. Damn me if I didn't love it. I'm looking forward to Rajaniemi's second book even if it doesn't cut through some of the crap. But, if it does... award winner.

Pirate Cinema by Cory Doctorow (October)

Trent McCauley is sixteen, brilliant, and obsessed with one thing: making movies on his computer by reassembling footage from popular films he downloads from the net. In the dystopian near-future Britain where Trent is growing up, this is more illegal than ever; the punishment for being caught three times is that your entire household’s access to the internet is cut off for a year, with no appeal. 

Trent's too clever for that too happen. Except it does, and it nearly destroys his family. Shamed and shattered, Trent runs away to London, where he slowly he learns the ways of staying alive on the streets. This brings him in touch with a demimonde of artists and activists who are trying to fight a new bill that will criminalize even more harmless internet creativity, making felons of millions of British citizens at a stroke.

Things look bad. Parliament is in power of a few wealthy media conglomerates. But the powers-that-be haven’t entirely reckoned with the power of a gripping movie to change people’s minds….

If I'm being honest, the only reason I'm interested in Pirate Cinema is because Doctorow wrote it. And I'm only interested in Doctorow because I've never read him. His books don't really make me want to read them, but a lot of people seem to love his work. As a blogger, I feel compelled to see what's going on behind the curtain, so to speak.


Only Superhuman by Christopher L. Bennett (October)

2107 AD: A generation ago, Earth and the cislunar colonies banned genetic and cybernetic modifications. But out in the Asteroid Belt, anything goes. Dozens of flourishing space habitats are spawning exotic new societies and strange new varieties of humans. It’s a volatile situation that threatens the peace and stability of the entire solar system. 

Emerald Blair is a Troubleshooter. Inspired by the classic superhero comics of the twentieth century, she’s joined with other mods to try to police the unruly Asteroid Belt. But her loyalties are tested when she finds herself torn between rival factions of superhumans with very different agendas. Emerald wants to put her special abilities to good use, but what do you do when you can’t tell the heroes from the villains? 

Only Superhuman is a rollicking hard-sf adventure set in a complex and fascinating future.

Bennett has written quite a few tie-in novels related to Star Trek and Marvel Comics. I've never read him or heard of him, but damn if this blurb and that cover don't tickle my fancy. With that cover I bet you were thinking I was going to say something else, didn't you?

Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone

A tale of intrigue, a murdered god, and the business of necromancy: an urban fantasy set in an alternate reality 

A god has died, and it’s up to Tara, first-year associate in the international necromantic firm of Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao, to bring Him back to life before His city falls apart. 

Her client is Kos, recently deceased fire god of the city of Alt Coulumb. Without Him, the metropolis’s steam generators will shut down, its trains will cease running, and its four million citizens will riot. 

Tara’s job: resurrect Kos before chaos sets in. Her only help: Abelard, a chain-smoking priest of the dead god, who’s having an understandable crisis of faith. 

When Tara and Abelard discover that Kos was murdered, they have to make a case in Alt Coulumb’s courts—and their quest for the truth endangers their partnership, their lives, and Alt Coulumb’s slim hope of survival. 

Set in a phenomenally built world in which justice is a collective force bestowed on a few, craftsmen fly on lightning bolts, and gargoyles can rule cities, Three Parts Dead introduces readers to an ethical landscape in which the line between right and wrong blurs.

This is probably my most anticipated debut of the year. The color is absolutely tremendous and not just the art. I love the type setting and the location of everything. It's perfect. Read that blurb too, it sounds like an acid trip of awesome ideas. I'm in.

Peace by Gene Wolfe

Originally published in 1975, Peace is a spellbinding, brilliant tour de force of the imagination. The melancholy memoir of Alden Dennis Weer, an embittered old man living out his last days in a small midwestern town, the novel reveals a miraculous dimension as the narrative unfolds. For Weer’s imagination has the power to obliterate time and reshape reality, transcending even death itself. Powerfully moving and uncompromisingly honest, Peace ranks alongside the finest literary works of our time. 

Hailed as “one of the literary giants of SF” by the Denver Post, Gene Wolfe has repeatedly won the field’s highest honors, including the Nebula, the Hugo, and the World Fantasy awards. Peace is Gene Wolfe’s first full-length novel, a work that shows the genius that later flourished in such acclaimed works as The Fifth Head of Cerberus and The Book of The New Sun.

I haven't read enough Gene Wolfe. Have you? Neil Gaiman also wrote a foreword for this addition.

***

Anything catch your eye? Anything else from the Penguin imprints that I didn't mention for the second half of the year?

Upcoming Ace/Roc, DAW Releases - Fall/Winter

Now that we're at the halfway mark for the year, I thought it would appropriate to point out all the novels coming out from August-December that strike my fancy. I'll be breaking my posts down by publisher. Below are the novels coming this Fall and Winter from Ace/Roc and DAW that will be must reads for me. The truth is though, I can't read them all. So I'll be looking forward to seeing what interests you.

Here's what caught my eye:


The King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence (August)

The Broken Empire burns with the fires of a hundred battles as lords and petty kings battle for the all-throne. The long road to avenge the slaughter of his mother and brother has shown Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath the hidden hands behind this endless war. He saw the game and vowed to sweep the board. First though he must gather his own pieces, learn the rules of play, and discover how to break them. 

A six nation army, twenty thousand strong, marches toward Jorg's gates, led by a champion beloved of the people. Every decent man prays this shining hero will unite the empire and heal its wounds. Every omen says he will. Every good king knows to bend the knee in the face of overwhelming odds, if only to save their people and their lands. But King Jorg is not a good king. 

Faced by an enemy many times his strength Jorg knows that he cannot win a fair fight. But playing fair was never part of Jorg’s game plan.

The truth is, I've already read this and it's amazing. Next!

Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines (August)

Isaac Vainio has spent the past two years working at the Copper River Library in northern Michigan, secretly cataloguing books for their magical potential, but forbidden from using that magic himself . . . except for emergencies. Emergencies like a trio of young vampires who believe Isaac has been killing their kind, and intend to return the favor. 

Isaac is a libriomancer, brilliant but undisciplined, with the ability to reach into books and create objects from their pages. And attacking a libriomancer in his own library is never a good idea. 

But vampires are only the beginning. This was merely the latest in a series of attacks against members of Die Zwelf Portenære, a secret organization founded five centuries ago by Johannes Gutenberg to protect the world from supernatural threats. But things are worse than Isaac imagined. An unknown killer of unimaginable power has been torturing and murdering humans and vampires alike. And Gutenberg, now more than six hundred years old, has disappeared. 

As Isaac searches for Gutenberg and the murderer, hoping they aren’t one and the same, he uncovers dark secrets about magic’s history and potential. Secrets which could destroy Die Zwelf Portenære and loose a magical war upon the world. If Isaac is to have any hope of preventing that war, he will have to truly master the magic of libriomancy.

I've wanted to read Hines for a while, but more because I wanted to read him than because I wanted to read his goblin novels. Not that I don't like goblins. They just don't grab me. 

Libriomancer on the other hand looks like a tremendously fun young adult urban fantasy novel. It couldn't come at a better time for Hines who received a Best Fan Writer Hugo nomination. Could this be a big coming out year for him? I'm pretty sure this book is waiting for me on my doorstep right now, so stay tuned!

Clean by Alex Hughes (September)

Adam used to work for the Telepath’s Guild before they kicked him out for a drug habit that wasn’t entirely his fault. Now he works for the cops, helping put killers behind bars. His ability to get inside the twisted minds of suspects makes him the best interrogator in the department. But the cops don’t trust the telepaths, the Guild doesn't trust Adam, a serial killer is stalking the city—and Adam is aching for a fix. But he needs to solve this case. Adam’s just had a vision of the future: he’s the next to die.

This falls into the 'I don't read urban fantasy, but try it sometimes' category. Clean has an intriguing conceit. For some reason anytime something talks about a Guild with a capital G, I get excited. Who knows why?


Slow Apocalypse by John Varley (September)

Despite wars with Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as 9/11, the United States’ dependence on foreign oil has kept the nation tied to the Middle East. A scientist has developed a cure for America’s addiction — a slow-acting virus that feeds on petroleum, turning it solid. But he didn’t consider that his contagion of an Iraqi oil field would spread to infect the fuel supply of the entire world... 

In Los Angeles, screenwriter Dave Marshall heard this scenario from a retired U.S. Marine and government insider who acted as a consultant on Dave’s last film. It sounded as implausible as many of his scripts, but the reality is much more frightening than anything he can envision. And now he must protect his wife and daughter from the coming apocalypse that will alter the future of Earth — and humanity...

Tom Clancy has called John Varley the best living American writer. While he's received some critical acclaim over the years, he's never quite broken through into the big bucks. He says on his website, "I will say to you that this novel is NOT like anything I've written before. I am so pleased to see my old friend George RR Martin raking in the dough; this is my attempt to reach a larger audience, like he has..." Sounds interesting to me.

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman (October)

In the year 1348, Thomas, a disgraced knight, comes upon an orphan of the Black Plague. An unnerving picture of innocence, she tells Thomas that the disease is only part of a greater, more significant cataclysm — that the fallen angels under Lucifer are rising in a second war on heaven. 

Is she really blessed? Or is it delirium? As hell unleashes its fury, as the true nature of the girl is revealed, Thomas will find himself in a macabre battleground of angels and demons, sinners and saints, and a damnable struggle for nothing less than the soul of man.

Buehlman gained some recognition last year with his debut novel, Those Across the River. More of a gothic horror novel, I'm not sure how much it resonated with the kind of folks who read this blog. It certainly didn't hold any interest to me. His second novel seems much more in-line with what I generally expect from Ace. It might bear some similarities to Teresa Frohock's Miserere: An Autumn Tale that I liked so well last year, perhaps?


The Cassandra Project by Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick (November)

Two science fiction masters—Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick — team up to deliver a classic thriller, in which one man uncovers the secret history of the U.S. space program... 

A half-century after the first moon landing, NASA is plagued with public disinterest and budget cuts. Still, public affairs director Jerry Culpepper does his job, trying to drum up interest in the legacy of the agency. Then a fifty-year old secret about the Apollo 11 mission is revealed, and he finds himself embroiled in the biggest controversy of the twenty-first century, one that will test his ability — and his willingness — to spin the truth about a conspiracy of reality-altering proportions...

I've never been a big fan of collaborations because they usually mean a big name author is sticking their name on it and the much less experienced author is doing the writing. See Tom Clancy or James Patterson. That isn't the case with The Cassandra Project as both McDevitt and Resnick are recognized at the top of their field. Either way, they had me at "secret history of the U.S. space program." God I love secret histories!

***

Anything catch your eye? Anything else from the Penguin imprints that I didn't mention for the second half of the year?

Find Me in Other Places on the Interweb

Aidan Moher, of genre super blog A Dribble of Ink, has invited me syndicate reviews on his site. The first one, my early review of Alastair Reynolds' Blue Remembered Earth, went live yesterday, coinciding with the novel's US release date.

As a prolific reviewer, something Aidan doesn't do as often as he'd like, I'm hoping to give his readers more frequent input on new releases and the occasional back list title. A Dribble of Ink will be running a few of my reviews every month, typically a week or two after they run here. For those who read me frequently, this won't impact a thing, but hopefully it exposes me to some new readers from among Aidan's legion.

***

In other news, last week while I was at Balticon, John Anealio of The Functional Nerds asked me to sit in on the podcast for an interview with Compton Crook Award Winner, T.C. McCarthy. How could I say no? I'm a huge fan of McCarthy's work, having hailed Germline as the best first novel of 2011. I don't talk much, but I throw in a few questions here and there.

Listen to the interview here!

***

Books I Want - Night Shade Books in May

My next two reviews (coming next week) are March releases from Night Shade Books -- Pillars of Hercules by David Constantine and Jane Carver of Waar by Nathan Long.  One thing NSB has been good about in the last 18 months is putting out great novels (for the most part).  What they haven't been very good about is keeping the community well informed about what's coming.  So, I guess I figured I'd bang the drum a bit for their May titles as I find all three rather intriguing.

Scourge of the Betrayer 

by Jeff Salyard

In a world where nothing is quite what it seems, a young scribe takes a job that will change his life forever. Arkamondos is hired to chronicle the activities of a band of mercenaries, led by an enigmatic foreign military commander, Captain Braylar Killcoin. But, what starts out as a secret mission escorting mysterious cargo quickly escalates into murder and sedition! Arkamondos must gain the trust of his employer — the secrets that Braylar and his soldiers are hiding could lead to death, or worse. At the same time, Arkamondos must learn the skills that will allow him to survive in the violent, unpredictable world he finds himself in. Unexpected allies from within the company reveal themselves and their intentions just as things become more dangerous for everybody.

From the sell sheet:
320 pages, Hardcover

Debut Novel and part of Night Shade's New Voices Program

Ship Date: 5/1/2012

Rights: World

Comparison Titles: The Blade Itself, Return of the Crimson Guard

###

The Black Opera

by Mary Gentle

Naples, the 19th Century. In the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, holy music has power. Under the auspices of the Church, the Sung Mass can bring about actual miracles like healing the sick or raising the dead. But some believe that the musicodramma of grand opera can also work magic by channeling powerful emotions into something sublime. Now the Prince's Men, a secret society, hope to stage their own black opera to empower the Devil himself — and change Creation for the better! Conrad Scalese is a struggling librettist whose latest opera has landed him in trouble with the Holy Office of the Inquisition. Rescued by King Ferdinand II, Conrad finds himself recruited to write and stage a counter opera that will, hopefully, cancel out the apocalyptic threat of the black opera, provided the Prince's Men, and their spies and saboteurs, don't get to him first. And he only has six weeks to do it...

From the sell sheet:
550 pages, Trade Paperback

Ship Date: 5/1/2012

Rights: Canada, Mexico, United States

Comparison Titles: Tigana, The Anubis Gates

###

The Croning

by Laird Baron

Strange things exist on the periphery of our existence, haunting us from the darkness looming beyond our firelight. Black magic, weird cults and worse things loom in the shadows. The Children of Old Leech have been with us from time immemorial. And they love us. Donald Miller, geologist and academic, has walked along the edge of a chasm for most of his nearly eighty years, leading a charmed life between endearing absent-mindedness and sanity-shattering realization. Now, all things must converge. Donald will discover the dark secrets along the edges, unearthing savage truths about his wife Michelle, their adult twins, and all he knows and trusts. For Donald is about to stumble on the secret...of The Croning.

From the sell sheet:
320 pages, Hardcover

First novel from award-winning short story author Laird Barron.

Ship Date: 5/1/2012

Rights: World

Comparison Titles: Heart Shaped Box, A Dark Matter

Books I Most Want to Read in Early 2012

Books you won't find on this list:  Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch, Red Country by Joe Abercrombie, A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, and all the other novels every red blooded fan is frothing at the mouth to read.  I'd also point out that four of my most anticipated novels have already been reviewed on this blog: Faith by John Love, Empire State by Adam Christopher, Seven Princes by John Fultz, and Control Point by Myke Cole.

Here are the 10 books I can't wait to crack open that I know will be out in 2012 (no speculation and mostly from the first half of the year):

#1: Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed (DAW)

Ahmed, already nominated the last two years for the John W. Campbell Award (for his short fiction), is an incredibly talented story teller.  His debut novel, set in a world of djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, Khalifs and killers, is about a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. It is up to a handful of heroes to learn the truth behind these killings.  I offered to duel Aidan (A Dribble of Ink) for his ARC... he declined pleading Canadianism.

#2: Exogene by T.C. McCarthy (Orbit)

I called Germline the best debut of 2011 because it was. I have high expectations for McCarthy's second novel. I've already got my hands on it, so expect a review before too long. This time around, the novel follows Catherine, a genetically engineered soldier. Fast, strong, lethal, she is the ultimate in military technology. She's a monster in the body of an eighteen year old girl. Bred by scientists, grown in vats, indoctrinated by the government, she and her sisters will win this war, no matter the cost. But, Catherine and her sisters can't shut off the part of them that wants more than war. She may have only known death, but she dreams of life.

#3: Heir of Novron by Michael J. Sullivan (Orbit)

I've read the previous five books twice now in ancitipation of Sullivan's final novel Percepliquis.  Released by Orbit in omnibus format, his six novels have been condensed into three with Heir of Novron including Wintertide and Percepliquis.  I've been holding my review until the series is complete and I'm biting my nails to find out what happens.  If you haven't started this series yet, you're missing out -- big time.

#4: The Troupe by Robert Jackson Bennett (Orbit)

The author is a funny guy, rivaling Sam Sykes for the most ridiculous tweets.  The Troupe is his third novel, none of which I've read yet.  But with Night Circus and Mechanique both being so well received last year I can't help but want to know what this one is all about.  George Carole ran away from home to join the Vaudeville circuit. Sixteen years old, uncommonly gifted at the piano, he falls in with a strange troupe -- even for Vaudeville.  Under the watchful eye of the enigmatic figure of Silenus, George comes to realize that the members of the troupe are more than they appear to be. And their travels have a purpose that runs deeper than entertainment.

#5: Year Zero by Rob Reid (Del Rey)

In the hilarious tradition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Rob Reid takes you on a headlong journey through the outer reaches of the universe—and the inner workings of the absurdly dysfunctional music industry.  Ever since what has come to be known as Year Zero—when the smooth stylings of 1970s TV theme songs first reached alien ears—the universe has been downloading Earth’s music. Now they've realized that, according to the Copyright Damages Improvement Act, every single download will cost $150,000 in fines—in other words, all the wealth in the universe and then some. It would be far cheaper just to destroy the Earth.  Ummm... they had me at hilarious.  This sounds amazing and silly and I'll be soliciting Del Rey like Hugh Grant to get a copy of it early.

#6: King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence (Ace)

One of the more heralded (and occasionally torpedoed) debuts of 2011, Prince of Thorns was all kinds of gutsy (to steal a phrase from Sam Sykes).  It's ugly, and dirty, and really interesting.  In the sequel, a six nation army, twenty thousand strong, marches toward Jorg’s gates, led by a champion beloved of the people.  Every decent man prays this shining hero will unite the empire and heal its wounds. Every omen says he will.  Every good king knows to bend the knee in the face of overwhelming odds, if only to save their people and their lands. But King Jorg is not a good king.

#7: The Straits of Galahesh by Bradley P. Beaulieu (Night Shade)

Pat over at the Hotlist put Beaulieu's debut, Winds of Khalakovo, in really rarefied air, calling it one of the 10 best novels he read this year.  I didn't go that far, but it was a tremendously ambitious novel.  Despite some flaws in execution, comparable to those in Steven Erikson's Garden's of the Moon, Winds was a brilliantly conceived package.  If Beaulieu can smooth out some of the storytelling hiccups in his second novel, he could be in for a Malazan Book of the Fallen like rise in popularity.

#8: Arctic Rising by Tobias Buckell (Tor)

If you look at the various catalogs out there from the major publishers you're going to see a lot of titles playing with global warming, resource depletion, and the like.  Arctic Rising is Tobias Buckell's newest novel and it stood out among the crowd of like-themed novels, largely because I haven't read Buckell yet and he's well regarded.  Global warming has transformed the Earth, and it's about to get even hotter.  Enter the Gaia Corporation.  Its two founders have come up with a plan to roll back global warming.  They plan to terraform Earth to save it from itself—but in doing so, they have created a superweapon the likes of which the world has never seen.

#9: The King's Blood (Dagger and the Coin #2) by Daniel Abraham (Orbit)

Everything Daniel Abraham touches kind of turns into gold.... or at least really shiny bronze.  The Long Price Quartet is one of my favorite fantasy series ever, and Leviathan Wakes was a very good space opera.  But, his most ambitious work may turn out to be the Dagger and Coin series that started in 2011 with The Dragon's Path.  In the sequel, the high and powerful will fall, the despised and broken will rise up, and everything will be remade. Beneath the notice of anyone a broken-hearted warrior and an apostate priest will begin a terrible journey with an impossible goal: destroy a Goddess before she eats the world.

#10: The Killing Moon (Dreamblood #1) by NK Jemisin (Orbit)

I was blown away by Jemisin's first published novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Not so much by the plot or world building, which were solid, but with the strength of her voice and her clever use of psychic distance. With her first series completed in 2011, she's sold a new duology to orbit called Dreamblood. The first installment, Killing Moon, is set in the ancient city-state of Gujaareh, peace is the only law. Upon its rooftops and amongst the shadows of its cobbled streets wait the Gatherers - the keepers of this peace. When a conspiracy blooms within Gujaareh's great temple, Ehiru - the most famous of the city's Gatherers - must question everything he knows.

             

I'm also really looking forward to Jon Sprunk's Shadow's Master and Douglas Hulick's Sworn in Steel, but I can't keep listing books forever.  So there you have it.  My 10 most anticipated novels that I haven't read yet or wasn't too tired to write another paragraph about.

What about you internets?  What are you looking forward to?  And if you say Republic of Thieves I'm going to send you to Sam Sykes's blog.

Upcoming reading

Since I read a lot of eBooks and eGalleys I don't have quite the same opportunity as some others bloggers do with those sweet "Books Received" posts.  Instead, I'm going to give a taste of what's in my Kindle and iPad and what will be reviewed on the blog in the coming weeks.

                     

Necropolis - Michael Dempsey

Paul Donner is a NYPD detective with a drinking problem and a marriage on the rocks. Then he and his wife get dead–shot to death in a “random” crime. 50 years later, Donner’s back – revived by the Shift, a process that reanimates dead DNA.

The Shift has turned the world upside down. This new “reborn” underclass is not only alive again, they’re growing younger.  In this retro-futurist world of flying Studebakers and plasma tommy guns, Donner searches for those responsible for the destruction of his life. His quest for retribution leads him to the heart of the mystery surrounding the Shift’s origin and up against those who would use it to control a terrified nation.

Due out October 4 from Night Shade Books

                     

The Emperor's Knife - Mazarkis Williams

There is a cancer at the heart of the mighty Cerani Empire: a plague that attacks young and old, rich and poor alike, marking each victim with a fragment of a greater pattern. Anyone showing the marks is put to death. That is Emperor Beyon's law.

As long-planned conspiracies boil over into open violence and rebellion, the enemy moves toward victory. Now only three people stand in his way: a lost prince, a world-weary killer, and a young girl from the steppes who once saw a path through a pattern, among the waving grasses.

Due out October 27 in the UK from Jo Fletcher Books or on December 6 in the US from Night Shade Books.

                     

Traitor's Daughter - Paula Brandon

On the Veiled Isles, ominous signs are apparent to those with the talent to read them. The polarity of magic is wavering at its source, heralding a vast upheaval poised to alter the very balance of nature. Blissfully unaware of the cataclysmic events to come, Jianna Belandor, the beautiful, privileged daughter of a powerful Faerlonnish overlord, has only one concern: the journey to meet her prospective husband. But revolution is stirring as her own conquered people rise up against their oppressors, and Jianna is kidnapped and held captive at a rebel stronghold, insurance against what are perceived as her father’s crimes.

The resistance movement opens Jianna’s eyes―and her heart. Despite her belief in her father’s innocence, she is fascinated by the bold and charming nomadic physician and rebel sympathizer, Falaste Rione—who offers Jianna her only sanctuary in a cold and calculating web of intrigue. As plague and chaos grip the land, Jianna is pushed to the limits of her courage and resourcefulness, while virulent enemies discover that alliance is their only hope to save the human race.

Due out October 4 from Spectra

                     

After the Apocalypse - Maureen F. McHugh

In her new collection, Story Prize finalist Maureen F. McHugh delves into the dark heart of contemporary life and life five minutes from now and how easy it is to mix up one with the other. Her stories are post-bird flu, in the middle of medical trials, wondering if our computers are smarter than us, wondering when our jobs are going to be outsourced overseas, wondering if we are who we say we are, and not sure what we'd do to survive the coming zombie plague.

Due out on October 11 from Small Beer Press.