The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction
© Solaris Books
Battle of the ‘Star’ Series: Star Wars, Star Trek, & Starship Troopers
By: Pat FerraraDate: Tuesday, January 30, 2007
A screw-you-Pat amount of books came out this week with a little something for everyone: several anthologies for the SF reader, new fantasy / horror stand-alone novels and series installments, and even a widely neglected, early novel from George R.R. Martin.
Happy Tuesday everyone! I don’t have enough time or space to give a proper introduction to all the books coming out so be sure to give the list a good read through (preferably in periodic doses).
John Birmingham concludes his Axis of Time Trilogy with High Impact on paperback following 2004’s Weapons of Choice and 2005’s Designated Targets and Penguin Classics brings some throwback science fiction and fantasy with the paperback re-releases of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars and Charlotte Brontë’s last five novelettes in the Tales of Angria collection.
Bram Stoker Award winner Christopher Golden debuts The Veil series with The Myth Hunters on paperback today through Bantam Books. Author of the bestselling novel The Boys Are Back In Town (2004), Golden’s new mythical horror novel featuring an attorney-at-law turned multi-dimensional adventurer precludes the second installment, The Borderkind, coming out this March.
George R.R. Martin’s The Armageddon Rag is a very different glimpse into the author’s writing prowess outside the uber cool A Song of Ice and Fire series (HBO don’t mess this one up!). Originally published in 1983, this novel tells the story of an underground journalist who is drawn back to the radical ideals of his unsettled youth when investigating a new rock icon that may lead to the apocalypse. For the big Martin fans out there you’ll know this book was a longtime coming in its trek back to the bookshelves but finally the waiting is over and now you have a little something to keep you busy until A Dance with Dragons is finished.
For fans of fantasy romance novels Cecilia Tan, publisher of erotica in both Ms. and Penthouse magazine (not to mention science fiction in Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine) is the editor of Best Fantastic Erotica, a collection of the industry’s best on paperback. For a more involved, single serving check out Patricia Briggs’ Blood Bound, the sequel to 2006’s Moon Called featuring shape shifting female mechanic Mercy Thompson.
The big kahunas in science fiction, Star Wars and Star Trek, each get a bit of new universe-building fiction this Tuesday. Timothy Zahn pens a new tale in the Star Wars universe with the hardcover Star Wars: Allegiance and Kevin Ryan completes the second installment of the Star Trek: Demands of Honor series with the paperback release of Errand of Fury. If that wasn’t enough the two mega franchises are pitted head to head in a docubook audio discussion in Request Audiobooks’ Century of Science Fiction. Speaking of audiobooks, Robert Heinlein’s masterpiece Starship Troopers gets the recorded treatment under Blackstone Audio, Inc. Even if you didn’t particularly care for the film or thought it was a bit too campy for your tastes, there’s no denying the sheer greatness of the book. Okay so it’s not really series, but it does offer one of the most well-written and insightful visions of a militaristic, totalitarian future I’ve ever read.
Other books to check out: Shame, Bedlam’s Edge, The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction 2007, Old Soldiers
New in Hardcover:
The Thousandfold Night of The Prince of Nothing Trilogy © Penguin Group USA
The Darkness That Comes Before (2004), R. Scott Bakker's magnificent debut, drew thunderous acclaim from reviewers and fellow fantasy authors. Readers were invited into a darkly threatening, thrillingly imaginative universe as fully realized as that of any in modern fantasy and introduced to one of the genre's great characters: the powerful warrior-philosopher Kelhus, on whom the fate of a violently apocalyptic Holy War rests. Bakker's follow up to The Darkness That Comes Before, The Warrior Prophet (2005) enticed readers further into the richly imagined world of myth, violence, and sorcery. The startling and far-reaching answers to these questions are brought into thrilling focus in The Thousandfold Thought, the conclusion to The Prince of Nothing Trilogy. Casting into question all the action that has taken place before, twisting readers' intuitions in unforeseen directions, remolding the fantasy genre to broaden the scope of intricacy and meaning, R. Scott Bakker has once again written a fantasy novel that defies all expectations and rewards the reader with an experience unlike any to be had in the canon of fantasy literature.
A March Into Darkness, Robert Newcomb (Random House Publishing Group)
The defeat and death of the evil Wulfgar should inspire a time of rejoicing throughout Eutracia. But Prince Tristan grieves. Not only is his beloved wife dead, but across the Sea of Whispers, in the island fortress known as the Citadel, Wulfgar’s bride, the sorceress Serena, plots to continue her husband’s nefarious plans, aided by the Scroll of the Vagaries and the advice of the otherworldly Heretics. Although the ranks of Tristan’s faithful soldiers were decimated in recent battle, the prince nevertheless plans a bold surprise attack. But on the eve of the mission, disaster strikes. From behind the towering azure wall of magical energy in the forbidding face of the massive Tolenka Mountains comes Xanthus, a powerful warrior dispatched by the Heretics to bring Tristan into their mysterious realm. A master of a mystical martial art against which even the great swordsman Tristan is helpless, Xanthus launches a reign of terror against Eutracia’s innocent subjects, compelling Tristan to journey behind the azure wall. There, in a magical land as beautiful as it is violent, Tristan will learn the shocking truth about the destiny he and Shailiha, his sister, will share. In Tristan’s absence, Shailiha must lead the fleet of Black Ships against the Citadel, accompanied by the wizards Faegan and Wigg and the beautiful pirate queen Tyranny. But unknown to them, Serena has prepared a deadly trap with hellish creatures summoned by the Heretics. And as Shailiha’s troops sail blindly into danger, Serena is preparing a spell unlike anything the world has ever seen–a spell powerful enough to defeat death itself. Book two of The Destinies of Blood and Stone series following 2005’s Savage Messiah.
The Jack Vance Treasury, Jack Vance (Subterranean Press)
Nebula and World Fantasy Grand Master Jack Vance is one of the most admired and cherished writers of science fiction and fantasy in the world, and is one of the truly important and influential storytellers of the 20th century. From his first published story "The World Thinker” in 1945 to his final novel Lurulu in 2004, Vance has shown an astonishing range of inventiveness, versatility and sheer storytelling power, as well as a gift for language and world-building second to none. Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy and Edgar Awards, his acclaimed first book The Dying Earth and its sequels helped shape the face of modern heroic fantasy for generations of readers and writers! In more than sixty novels, he has done more than any other author to define science fantasy and its preeminent form: the planetary adventure. Now, at last, the very best of Vance's mid-length and shorter work has been collected in a single landmark volume. With a preface by Vance himself and a foreword by long-time Vance reader George R.R. Martin, it stands as the capstone to a splendid career and makes the perfect introduction to a very special writer. Edited by Terry Dowling and Jonathan Straham.
Deep Storm, Lincoln Child (Doubleday Publishing)
Former naval doctor Peter Crane is urgently summoned to a remote oil platform in the north Atlantic to help diagnose a bizarre medical condition spreading through the rig. But when he arrives Crane learns that the real trouble lies far below-on "Deep Storm," a stunningly advanced science research facility built two miles beneath the surface on the ocean floor. The top-secret structure has been designed for one purpose: to excavate a recently discovered undersea site that may hold the answers to a mystery steeped in centuries of myth and speculation. Sworn to secrecy, Peter Crane descends to Deep Storm. A year earlier, he is told, routine drilling uncovered the remains of mankind's most sophisticated ancient civilization: the legendary Atlantis. But now that the site is being excavated, a series of disturbing illnesses has begun to affect the operation. Scientists and technicians are experiencing a bizarre array of symptoms from fatigue to paralysis to violent psychotic episodes. As Crane is indoctrinated into the strange world of Deep Storm, he attempts to discover the cause… but he begins to suspect that the covert facility conceals something far more complicated than a medical mystery. The discovery of Atlantis might, in fact, be a cover for something far more sinister... and deadly. Like Lincoln Child's spectacular bestsellers coauthored with Douglas Preston (The Book of the Dead, Relic), Deep Storm melds scientific detail and gripping adventure in a superbly imagined, chillingly real journey into unknown territory.
Star Wars: Allegiance, Timothy Zahn (Random House Publishing Group)
Set in the interim between STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, this high-spirited original novel features the young Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, and Chewbacca. Hugo Award winner author and old Star Wars hand Timothy Zahn manages to capture this transitional period while serving up an appetizing plot about a quintet of idealistic storm troopers who just can't take it any more. Storm troopers with multidimensionality and depth? Craaaazy!
New in Paperback:
Best Fantastic Erotica © Circlet Press
The best erotic science fiction and fantasy as determined by the annual contest run by Circlet Press. Rewarding originality and positive sensuality, the contest inspires well-known and unknown writers alike to excel in this provocative genre. Erotic SF/F combines erotic and sexual themes with magic, futurism, high fantasy, cyberpunk, space opera, magic realism, and all the many other sub-genres. The 2006 winner is a multi-genre writer from Canada Arinn Dembo, whose Monsoon draws on the mythic tradition of India. Second and third place went to two well-known erotica authors, both of whom have published with Circlet Press before, Thomas S. Roche for The Night the New Hog Croaked and Jason Rubis for Circe House. Over 400 manuscripts were submitted and only 20 were chosen for this publication. Cecilia Tan has edited 40+ anthologies of erotic science fiction and fantasy for Circlet, Masquerade Books, Thunder’s Mouth Press, and Blue Moon. Her own work regularly appears in Best American Erotica, Best Women’s Erotica, and other markets.
Unshapely Things, Mark del Franco (Penguin Group USA)
In the alleys of the decrepit Boston neighborhood known as the Weird, fairy prostitutes are turning up dead. The crime scenes show signs of residual magic, but the Guild, which polices the fey, has more "important" crimes to investigate and dumps the case on human law enforcement. Boston police call in Connor Grey, a druid and former hotshot Guild investigator-whose magical abilities were crippled after a run-in with a radical environmentalist elf. As Connor battles red tape and his own shortcomings, he realizes that the murders are not random, but part of an ancient magical ritual. And if Connor can't figure out the killer's M.O., the culmination of the spell might just bring about a worldwide cataclysm.
Tales of Angria, Charlotte Brontë (Penguin Classics)
In 1834, Charlotte Brontë, together with her brother Branwell, created the imaginary kingdom of Angria, about which she was to write prolifically for the next five years. The five “novelettes” in this volume are the last of her Angrian tales. Written from the viewpoint of the cynical, gossipy Charles Townshend, they offer an ironic portrait of the intrigues, scandals, and passions of an aristocratic beau monde. With their varied cast of characters, the stories provide a fascinating glimpse into the mind and creative processes of the young writer who was to become one of the world’s greatest novelists. Edited by Heather Glen.
The Summoner, Gail Martin (Solaris Books)
The comfortable world of Martris Drayke, second son of King Bricen of Margolan, is shattered when his older half-brother, Jared, and Jared’s dark mage, Foor Arontala, kill the king and seize the throne. Tris is the only surviving member of the royal family aside from Jared the traitor. Tris flees with three friends: Soterius, captain of the guard; Carroway, the court’s master bard; and Harrtuck, a member of the royal guard. Tris harbors a deep secret. In a land where spirits walk openly and influence the affairs of the living, he suspects he may be the mage heir to the power of his grandmother, Bava K’aa, once the greatest sorceress of her age. Such magic would make Tris a Summoner, the rarest of magic gifts, capable of arbitrating between the living and the dead. Book one in The Chronicles of the Necromancer series.
Shame, Alan Russell (Dorchester Publishing Company, Inc.)
Russell reveals what lives in the heart of a monster. Here, the monster is Gray Parker. His execution was major news and his story even became a bestselling book. For his son, Caleb, there was no sanctuary. As soon as he was old enough, Caleb moved away to start his life over. Even though Caleb has always hidden the hideous truth about who his father was, when he looks in the mirror, what he sees there makes him fear that some part of his father's evil might live on in him. Now, though, it's as if his secret has escaped into the world. Bodies have started turning up, marked in the same way that his father once marked them. And when all the evidence points toward him, the only thing Caleb can think to do is run far and fast. The one person who believes in his innocence is the only woman ever to survive one of his father's attacks – Mary Elizabeth Line. She's the same woman who became a celebrity for telling his father's story. These two must become unlikely allies to answer two soul-searing questions: Who is doing this and why? And who is Caleb, really, when you cut through the shame?
Sons Of Fenris of the Warhammer Space Wolves Series © Games Workshop Publishing
Ragnar and the Wolfblade are sent to investigate reports of Chaos attacks on the planet Hyades. When the Space Wolves come up against a squad of Dark Angels, the situation quickly escalates out of control, as both Chapters call in reinforcements. Unless these two ancient rivals start working together, the forces of Chaos will surely triumph - can the heroic Ragnar save the day?
Sacrifice of the Widow, Lisa Smedman (Wizards of the Coast Publishing)
Halisstra Melarn, convert to the cause of the goddess Eilistraee, was sent to the deepest depths of the Outer Planes to kill the demon goddess she once worshiped, but instead was transformed into a hideous creature bent to the vengeful will of her former mistress. For the Queen of the Demonweb Pits not only survived her Silence but evolved into something greater than she was before—something that no longer needs to share the domain she calls her own. Could it be that the War of the Spider Queen has just begun? Book one of the Forgotten Realms: Lady Penitent series.
A Princess of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs (Penguin Classics)
The first published book by the creator of Tarzan of the Apes (1912). To years before Edgar Rice Burroughs became a worldwide celebrity with the publication of Tarzan of the Apes and its twenty-two sequels, which together have sold more than 30 million copies, he published A Princess of Mars. A futuristic sci-fi fantasy romance, A Princess of Mars tells the story of John Carter, a Civil War veteran who inexplicably finds himself held prisoner on the planet Mars by the Green Men of Thark. Together with Dejah Thoris, the princess of another clan on Mars, the unlikely pair must fight for their freedom and save the entire planet from destruction as the life-sustaining Atmosphere Factory slowly grinds to a halt.
Night of the Daemon of the Daemon Gates Trilogy © Games Workshop Publishing
After their adventures in Day of the Daemon (2006), Alaric and Dietz head south to the Border Princes, the wild, lawless land south of the Empire. Narrowly escaping the clutches of a liche lord, their quest leads them to a citadel full of Chaos cultists. Against such impossible odds, how can our heroes and their new ally get in to defeat the daemon this time? Book two in the Warhammer: Daemon Gates Trilogy.
The Armageddon Rag, George R.R. Martin (Bantam Books)
Onetime underground journalist Sandy Blair has traveled far from his radical roots in the ’60s—until the bizarre and brutal murder of a millionaire rock promoter draws him back. As Sandy sets out to investigate the crime, he finds himself on a magical mystery tour of the pent-up passions of his generation. For a new messiah has resurrected the once legendary rock band Nazgûl—but with an apocalyptic new beat that is a requiem of demonism, mind control, and death only Sandy may be able to change in time…
The Myth Hunters, Christopher Golden (Bantam Books)
In this enthralling new tale from bestselling author Christopher Golden, one man is drawn into a realm just across the veil from our own, where every captivating myth and fairy tale is true, the vanished exist-and every fear is founded.... Yielding to his father's wishes, Oliver Bascombe abandoned his dream of being an actor and joined the family law firm. Now he will marry a lovely young woman bearing the Bascombe stamp of approval. But on the eve of his wedding, a blizzard sweeps in, bringing with it an icy legend who calls into question everything Oliver believes about the world and his place in it... Pursued by a murderous creature who heeds no boundaries, Jack Frost needs Oliver's help to save both himself and his world-an alternate reality slowly being displaced by our own. To help him, Oliver Bascombe, attorney-at-law, will have to become Oliver Bascombe, adventurer, hero and hunted. So begins a magnificent journey where he straddles two realities... and where, even amid danger, Oliver finds freedom for the very first time. The first book in The Veil series.
Living Shadows: A Collection, John Shirley (Wildside Press)
One of the darkest, edgiest, boldest writers around, John Shirley lays down an adrenalized yet artful prose that fairly skids across the page, dragging the reader along into shadowed corners of terror and desire. Yet while it's thrilling, there's psychological depth, too, as Shirley bores into the brains of his characters, revealing the motivations of those who walk on the wild side. Many writers extrapolate from peripheral observation and research, but John Shirley's stories come from personal experience with extreme people and extreme mental states, and his struggle with the seductions of addiction. On the streets, in the midst of darkest suburbia, or just beyond consensus reality - Shirley brings the shadows to vivid life.
Kissing Sin, Keri Arthur (Dell Publishing)
From Melbourne’s gleaming skyscrapers to its throbbing nightclubs, Riley Jenson’s world is raging with danger and desire. A drop-dead-gorgeous werewolf–with a touch of vamp coursing in her blood–Riley works for an organization created to police the supernatural races. But when she wakes up naked and bruised in a barren alley, she knows only that she must run for her life. Within moments Riley collides with the sexiest man she’s ever seen: steely, seductive Kade, who is fighting a life-and-death battle of his own. With old lovers and enemies gathering around her, Riley knows she is being pursued by a new kind of criminal. Because in Riley’s blood is a secret that could create the ultimate warrior–if only she can survive her own dangerous desires… Book two of the Riley Jensen series.
Final Impact of the Axis of Time Trilogy © Random House
In the year 2021 a multinational fleet–experimenting with untested weapons technology–pitched through time, crash-landing in 1942. The world is thrown into chaos as Roosevelt, Hitler, Churchill, Tojo, and Stalin scramble to adapt to new, high-tech killing tools, and twenty-first-century ways of war. For “uptimers” like Britain’s Prince Harry and the men and women who serve aboard the supercarrier USS Hillary Clinton, war is a constant struggle with their own downtime allies, who are mired in ignorance and bigotry. As the Allies counter the Nazi assault and set off for the coast of France, Japan begins to buckle, soon every battle will be played out in a lethal dance of might and intelligence, unholy alliances and desperate gambles, and each clash will be fought with the ultimate weapon; knowledge from the future. Thanks to the historical records, all sides know that two superpowers will emerge, while the losers will be pounded into submission. But time has shifted on its axis, so none know who will survive, or how peace will take hold in a world turned upside down. These are the questions that John Birmingham brilliantly answers in his critically acclaimed adventure of war and imagination. Book three of the Axis of Time Trilogy.
Blood Bound © Penguin Group USA
Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places, and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind. But this new vampire is hardly ordinary… and neither is the demon inside of him. The sequel to 2006’s Moon Called, great reviews back up Briggs’ latest; this might be worth looking into if you’re a horror / romance fan and I mean, come on, look at that hottie on the front cover.
Errand of Fury, Kevin Ryan (Star Trek Books)
The United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire stand on the brink of war. Captain James T. Kirk and the Starship Enterprise™ are sent back to System 7348—site of a previous skirmish with the Klingons—for a confrontation with the I.K.S. D'k Tahg under the command of Captain Koloth. Even as the two great ships face each other, trouble is brewing among their crews. On the Enterprise, Lieutenant Leslie Parrish is pregnant with a half-Klingon child and must face a critical decision about her future, while Section Chief Michael Fuller still carries the wounds of the twenty-five-year-old Battle of Donatu V, of which he was one of the few survivors… not to mention his grief over the death of his son, recently killed in battle against the Klingons. On the D'k Tahg, First Officer Karel finds himself trapped between the scheming, dishonorable Councillor Duras and his commanding officer, Koloth. While the stakes only seem to be the possession of a single star system, the ramifications may spread throughout the Klingon Empire, as they find themselves at a crossroads between conquest and honor! Book two of the Demands of Honor series.
Bedlam’s Edge, Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill (Baen Books)
Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill are the biggest names in the urban fantasy subgenre, where elves, banshees, trolls, and even stranger creatures walk modern city streets, their presence, and even their existence unsuspected by the human inhabitants. Now these two present a volume of all new urban fantasy, with a stellar lineup of the best new fantasy writers, such as Roberta Gellis, Dave Freer and Eric Flint, Diana Paxton, and more including two new stories and an after word by Mercedes Lackey herself, as well as a story by Rosemary Edghill. This is an indispensable volume for fans of urban fantasy in general, and the thousands of fans of Mercedes Lackey in particular.
Voice of the Gods, Trudi Canavan (Eos Books)
Unable to avoid being drawn into the terrible conflict, Auraya, now protector of the Siyee, fears she will be unable to meet the conditions of the all-powerful gods she once served. And an offer from a mysterious woman may be impossible for Auraya to refuse, but, if revealed, would brand her an enemy of the gods. Now, the immortal Wilds will not be deterred in their quest for powerful, long-buried secrets. But they have deadly adversaries who also seek the world-shattering truth… and it may appear in a form that no one anticipates. Book three of the Age of the Five Trilogy.
Fearless, Jack Campbell (Penguin Group USA)
Captain John "Black Jack" Geary tries a desperate gamble to lead the Alliance Fleet home-through enemy-occupied space-only to lose half the Fleet to an unexpected mutiny. Book two of the Lost Fleet series.
Engaging the Enemy, Elizabeth Moon (Random House Publishing Group)
The brilliantly unorthodox Kylara Vatta, black-sheep scion of Vatta Transport Ltd., one of the galaxy's wealthiest merchant houses, is a heroine like no other, blessed with a killer instinct for business and for battle. Now, in the aftermath of cold-blooded assassinations that have left her parents dead and the Vatta shipping empire shattered, Kylara faces her greatest challenge yet. Placing her cousin Stella in command of the trading vessel Gary Tobai, Ky embarks aboard the captured pirate ship Fair Kaleen on a twofold mission: to salvage the family business and to punish those responsible for the killings… before they strike again. Since the network providing instantaneous communication between star systems has been sabotaged, news is hard to come by and available information impossible to trust. But as she travels from system to system, with Stella a step behind, Ky pieces together the clues and discovers a conspiracy of terrifying scope, breathtaking audacity, and utter ruthlessness. The only hope the independent systems and merchants have against this powerful enemy is to band together. Unfortunately, because she commands a ship known to belong to a notorious pirate, her own relative Osman Vatta, whom she killed for his part in her parents' deaths, Ky is met with suspicion, if not outright hostility. Meanwhile, the conspiracy Ky hunts is hunting her in turn, with agents insinuated into every space station, every planetary government, every arm of the military, and every merchant house… including her own. Before she can take the fight to the enemy, Kylara must survive a deadly minefield of deception and betrayal.
The Scarlet Trefoil, L.A. Kelly (Baker Publishing Group)
The Trilett family and friends prepare for the joyous celebration of Tahn and Netta's wedding. Returning from a party in her honor, Netta is kidnapped, and her coachman and escorts are found murdered. It looks like the work of bandits, but Tahn is secretly sent a message that Netta will be released if he will present himself in trade. Tahn believes that his murderously jealous cousin, Baron Lionel Trent, is responsible for the villainy. The baron would surely kill Tahn given the chance, just to eliminate the possibility of a rival heir. But Tahn chooses to go to the assigned meeting place anyway, alone as ordered, in hopes of securing Netta's release. Will he succeed in rescuing his bride? Or will Tahn and Netta forever miss their chance at happiness?
The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction © Solaris Books
An eclectic collection of all-original science fiction stories from some of the foremost luminaries in the genre. Featuring new tales of far future murder, first contact, love and war from such well-regarded and award winning authors as Peter F. Hamilton, Stephen Baxter, Adam Roberts, Jeffrey Thomas, Eric Brown, Paul Di Filippo, Neal Asher, Jay Lake and Ian Watson, this collection is sure to delight all fans of good science fiction.
Protector of the Flight, Robin D. Owens (Luna Books)
If horses could fly… Then Calli Torcher might ride again. But a devastating accident left her in such pain, she thought the chimes and chanting in her ears were a hallucination… until she found herself transported to another world, and met the Llandranans who had Summoned her. Llandrana was a parallel, magical earth filled with exotic creatures, noble humans and magic—all threatened by an encroaching evil. And when the mighty volarans stopped obeying the Chevaliers, the flying horses' unexpected rebellion had thrown Llandrana into an uproar. In desperation, the sorcerers had sought help from afar—and gotten Calli. If she could fulfill this mission, perhaps she would also finally find all she had longed for—a mate, a home, a family. But against this great darkness, she had no battle experience, no strategy plans. She had only a bond with horses…
Star Marines, Ian Douglas (Eos Books)
With the planet's fighting men and women deployed across the galaxy—battling in the noble cause of enslaved humanity—the insidious Xul have reached across space to devastate the unsuspecting Earth with asteroid fire. Without warning, a once majestic world is reduced to near-rubble—and the very future of humankind is in dire jeopardy. Interplanetary leaders are on the brink of abandoning Earth and its colonies to an overwhelming enemy. But Brigadier General Garroway of the Marine Interstellar Expeditionary Unit is unwilling to concede defeat—not as long as there's a single marine willing to give his or her life in defense of their embattled homeworld. The ultimate battle is about to be waged—with breathtaking new attack technology, an ancient code of courage, and the help of an ally race that once inhabited the Earth—in a war that will alter the universe forever… Book three of The Legacy Trilogy.
Nimuar’s Loss, Camille Gabor (Wildside Press)
Ninianee and Erianthee, the daughters of Nimuar, Duz of Vildecaz, possess quite different magical talents. Pretty, charming Eri can craft entertainments out of thin air; captivating and energetic Nini can communicate with fur-bearing animals. Erianthee is bound for Court and the attentions of official and unofficial suitors while Ninianee must star near Vildecaz Castle and its surrounding forests. But during the visit of Yulko Bihn - a powerful magician to whom Duz Nimuar lost a magical battle twenty years before that cost him the knowledge of Agnith's Treasure - mysterious events change everyone's plans. Book one of the Vildecaz Talents series.
Jack Knife, Virginia Baker (Penguin Group USA)
Whitechapel, London, 1888: For Inspector Jonas Robb, each night brings new terror. But this night is different. It's brought two strangers, David and Sara, who have arrived in London seemingly with no past. What they do have is incredible knowledge about the Whitechapel fiend known as Jack the Ripper. Because David and Sara do have a past. It just happens to be in the future. Sent back in time, they're in pursuit of a 21st-century madman whose purpose is to change history. As the body count rises, Sara and David realize that their quarry and Robb's have become linked in a way that threatens not only Victorian London, but the very fabric of time.
Mystic Empire, Tracy and Laura Hickman (Warner Books, Inc.)
Thrice upon a time, three worlds fought to survive... Eighty years have passed since the Mystics founded Calsandria, and now their nation is mired in politics and bloodlines. A woman with no magic, Theona Conlan leads the desperate search for the missing Prince of House Arvad. In the faery realm, Dwynwyn learns that slave creatures are mastering a magic that threatens the fragile peace between the faeries and their enemies. And while the goblin Lunid builds a device to reach across worlds, her masters plot to use it for their own dark ends. But unknown to them all, the gates between realities are about to burst open and plunge humans, faeries, and goblins into a war that can be won only with an undiscovered magic... One that will unite, or destroy, three worlds. Book three of the Bronze Canticles series.
Fifty Degrees Below, Kim Stanley Robinson (Bantam Books)
When the storm got bad, scientist Frank Vanderwal was at work, formalizing his return to the National Science Foundation for another year. He'd left the building just in time to help sandbag at Arlington Cemetery. Now that the torrent was over, large chunks of San Diego had eroded into the sea, and D.C. was underwater. Shallow lakes occupied the most famous parts of the city. Reagan Airport was awash and the Potomac had spilled beyond its banks. Rescue boats dotted the saturated cityscape. Everything Frank and his colleagues in the halls of science and politics feared had culminated in this massive disaster. And now the world looked to them to fix it. Whatever Frank can do, now that he is homeless, he'll have to do from his car. He's not averse to sleeping outdoors. Years of research have made him hyperaware of his status as just another primate. That, plus his encounter with a Tibetan Buddhist, has left him resolved to live a more authentic life. Hopefully, this will prepare him for whatever is to come... For even as D.C. bails out from the flood, a more extreme climate change looms. With the melting of the polar ice caps shutting down the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, another Ice Age could be imminent. The last time it happened, eleven thousand year's ago, it took just three years to start.
Old Soldiers, David Webber (Baen Books)
Captain Maneka Trevor was the sole human survivor of the Dinochrome Brigade's 39th Battalion… but she hadn't wanted to be one. The Bolo known as "Lazarus"—Unit 28/G-179-LAZ—was the 39th's sole surviving Bolo… but he hadn't been hers. The doctors and the Bolo techs have put them both back together again, yet there are wounds no doctor or technician can heal. And now Maneka and Lazarus must serve together once again, in a war whose stakes are literally the survival or extermination of the human race. They are all that stand between a desperate, secret colony of humanity and destruction: a Bolo commander torn by survivor's guilt and a Bolo whose very existence reminds her of all she has lost. The odds against them are heavy, the stakes are huge, and surrender is not an option. The Dinochrome Brigade is used to that, but can Maneka and Lazarus survive their own shared past to defend the present?
A Mortal Glamour, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (Wildside Press)
Amidst the many calamities of the late 14th century something sinister is at work among the sisters of la Tres Saunte Annunciacion, a force the women and the men around them seem powerless to fight. What is overwhelming both the holy and the damned? The true horrors of a dark age combine with ingenious imagination for a tumultuous tale of tragic love and disastrous desire.
Audio Books:
Fangland © Tantor Media
An acclaimed novelist and former 60 Minutes producer grandly reinvents the Dracula legend in the halls of a certain television news magazine. 14 unabridged hours on 12 CDs.
The Time Machine, H.G. Wells (Request Audiobooks Unabridged)
Published in 1895, The Time Machine was the first novel to suggest the theme of time travel by machine, and along with other books by Wells, it was a forerunner of the contemporary science fiction genre, then known as “scientific romances.” Wells wrote mainly speculative fiction concerned with the contemporary problems of human society and its possible futures. While his works express a hope in human technology and progress, this is tempered by a realization of the possible extinction of humanity through the very same technology and the predilections of human nature. There is a strong ethical component to his work and this relates to the ambivalence that he often expressed about the potentialities of human nature. One of the central issues that concerned him was the disparity between the elite and the masses. The Time Machine explores these concerns in a setting 800,000 years into the future. Produced by Stefan Rudnicki.
Century of Science Fiction, Ed. by Ted Scott (Request Audiobooks)
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to dig up much info on this release, aside from the fact that it’s produced by Stefan Rudnicki and features a title discussion on Star Wars vs. Star Trek. I’m definitely interested. Abridged.
Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein (Blackstone Audio, Inc.)
In one of Robert Heinlein's most controversial bestsellers, a recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the Universe - and into battle with the Terran Mobile infantry against mankind's most alarming enemy! Narrated by Lloyd James. Yeah this is definitely one of Heinlein’s greatest masterpieces that translated, in my opinion, pretty awesomely to the big screen. If recent buzz around Casper Van Dien is any indication, this franchise may be getting a much needed jumpstart. I hope Lloyd James has a rough, no-nonsense voice to do this unabridged novel justice!
The correct title is Star Trek: Errand of Fury, Book 2: Demands of Honor; Errand of Fury is the trilogy title, not the individual book title.