Harry Potter, Night Watch, Baxter & more

We've got loads of good stuff hittin' the shelves

By Pat Ferrara     July 25, 2006

Tor books and its parent company Random House Publishing wrapped up a few series this week with the releases of When Darkness Falls, The Grapple, and Transcendent. Fans of these series shouldn't be so sad though, for every door closed is another door opened. After only a 12 month hiatus author Brandon Sanderson returns to the scene with the first novel of his new Mistborn Series. This writer proves he hasn't been idle with his pen and pad, releasing a solid foundation for a fantasy world that has Elantris enthusiasts riled up.

Sergei Lukyanenko, a Russian native, makes his stateside debut of Night Watch: A Novel with impressive cult followings in Europe (as well as here in America) to bolster already mounting hype. The gritty, Moscow-based series of ancient "Others" wielding incredible magics is soon to become a supernatural horror flick with all the trimmings. Moscow, supernatural, gritty... I can't help thinking of the bangin' cliffhanger conclusion to the first Blade.

For those Harry Potter fans that have had amnesia for the past 12 months, Scholastic, Inc. unleashed the sixth volume of the powerhouse wizard-in-training series on paperback today. Winner of the 2005 Book of the Year and best Children's Chapter Book/Middle Grade Awards, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince delivers as much excitement as it does foreboding menace. While Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is busy getting its silver screen makeover under the direction of David Yates, fans can sink their teeth into this mass market edition of the most recent installment in the seven-book series.

New in Hardcover:

When Darkness Falls, Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory, Tor Books

Following 2003's The Outstretched Shadow and 2004's To Light a Candle Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory return with their eagerly anticipated conclusion to the Obsidian Trilogy Series. Knight-Mage Kellen is put in charge of fortifying a new refuge out of an old Elven mine after the Demon Queen Savilla has gone on a vicious offense to pave the way for the summoned return of He Who Is. Kellen and his lover the half-human, half-demon healer Vestakia scramble to stay one step ahead of the demon forces while simultaneously trying to gain the allegiance of the mistrustful Mage Council in this fast-paced finale.

Settling Accounts: The Grapple, Harry Turtledove, Random House Publishing

War takes center stage in this jarring, action-packed alternative history thriller, the third and final novel of the Settling Accounts Trilogy. Preceded by 2004's Return Engagement and 2005's Drive to the East, Turtledove returns to the splintered and war-torn countryside of North America during WWII. The USA tries to oust a Mormon rebellion in Utah, Negroes narrowly avoid Confederacy concentration camps, and Canadians fight occupying US troops to a deadlock as the tattered remains of a once-unified government seek victory in the form of nuclear weapons development. A variety of perspectives and gruesomely detailed battle scenes make this conclusion not only entertaining but hauntingly realistic as well.

The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson, Tor Books

Author of the critically acclaimed instant fantasy classic Elantris (2005), Brandon Sanderson returns with the first novel of his new Mistborn Series. After 1,000 years of oppression the memory of hope has all but faded in a mist-haunted, dust-ridden world where powerful Great Houses rule the serf-like Skaa with a cruel, bourgeois hand. In one of the Lord Ruler's hellish prisons, however, Kelsier discovers he is one of the Mistborn, a select group of individuals with impressive, metallurgic powers. Together with a band of elite, cutthroat criminals Kel wrenches his way upwards to stage a coup of unprecedented proportions, but are his powers alone enough to topple the immortal dictator known as the "Sliver of Infinity"? Staunch fans of Elantris no longer have to defend their new favorite fantasy author; with a riveting opener to an intriguing new series Sanderson is here to stay. Be sure to check this book out.

Sword of Fire, William R. McGrath, Ibooks, Inc.

Little is known about this new story of a young prince trying to live up to his family's name during a time of violent succession. Mysterious deaths mar the land as hellishly ruthless and expertly organized forces try to usurp the throne the prince's family has ruled for eons. The prince must choose between the will of his people, his own aspirations, and his ancestor's legacy in this new fantasy tale from Ibooks, Inc.

New in Paperback:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, Inc.

The impending return of Lord Voldemort has lead the Ministry of Magic to tighten security everywhere, sobering the moods of both teachers and students and giving Hogwart's a very grim feel as Harry and the gang enter their sixth year. Dumbledore begins giving Harry private lessons to prepare him for what's to come and reveals many secrets about Voldemort's life before he became He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Yet it may take discovering the identity of the half-blood prince, who once owned a powerful potions textbook that Harry now possesses, to give the young wizard an edge. Chockfull of eerie suspense, grounded teenage tribulations, and a horrific web of sinister subplots and intrigue, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince weaves a rip-roaring, coming-of-age tale that far surpasses the "Children's Book" genre. I don't know what's worse: waiting for book 7's release or realizing the series is soon to be finished.

Idolon, Mark Budz, Bantam Books

Mark Budz paints a dark future where America's trends in fashion and technology are extrapolated to the extreme. Pelayo, a human guinea pig for new electronic skin and philm technology, is one of the masses who test hazardous cinemateque products that alter his shape and appearance. When his cousin Marta goes missing after meeting Nadice, an indentured worker smuggling illegal ware for an exclusive resort, he begins his own search. Pelayo's amateur sleuthing soon coincides with San Francisco police detective Van Dijk's formal investigation and together they stumble upon the tip of a sinister plot to deliver an unwilling humanity into a new age of information. For a mind bending view of trendy, consumer materialism run dangerously amok, Idolon is the joint for you.

Transcendent, Stephen Baxter, Random House Publishing

Completing the Destiny's Children Trilogy, Transcendent follows 2003's Coalescent and 2004's Exultant as the final installment in a millennia-spanning epic analyzing possible evolutionary paths of the human race. Able to stand on its own two feet, Transcendent weaves the stories of Alia, an adolescent born on a starship half a million years into the future, and Michael Poole, a mid-21st Century engineer combating a degrading Earth biosphere due to global warming. Sounds pretty trippy, huh? Alia has been chosen to become a Transcendent, a near immortal "post human" who govern all of humankind, and must complete her training by viewing and understanding the mistakes of her brethren in the distant past. While she is analyzing Poole and his personal issues of coping with the death of his wife and the near death of his only son the reader gets to analyze Alia herself and the many facets of a very realistic humanity evolved almost beyond recognition. Baxter is infamous for his philosophical approach to science fiction and his precise, layered narrative that can elicit more ideas in one page than most sci fi novels can in 500. Transcendent is no exception. If you're looking for a great, original story and a stimulating (yet user-friendly) read then get out there and pick this bad boy up... you won't be disappointed.

The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner, Bantam Books

Ellen Kushner returns to the enchanting Riverside world first conceived in 1987 with Swordpoint to bring another romantic tale of high fantasy. Lady Katherine's easy life quickly gets complicated when her father sends her off to live with her uncle, the Mad Duke of Tremontaine, amidst an unfamiliar world of open eroticism and high political intrigue. Riddled with sophisticated swordplay, unexpected plot turns, and heated emotional confrontations, Lady Kate's coming-of-age story The Privilege of the Sword is sure to be a raucous good read.

Olympos, Dan Simmons, HarperCollins Publishers

The second and final installment of the Homeric Duology, Olympos continues where Ilium (2003) left off during the heated Trojan War. This isn't the war you learned about in your high school ancient history class, however, as Dan Simmons recreates the Greek and Trojan epic with biomechanical robots, post humans, Olympian gods, and the familiar heroes of ancient Troy. Spanning theatres of war on both Earth and Mars, Simmons propels his ambitious science fiction and alternate history epic to a startling conclusion that is as much astonishing as it is satisfying.

Night Watch: A Novel, Sergei Lukyanenko, Miramax Books

An unprecedented smash hit in Russia, Night Watch: A Novel has gained a huge fan base since its release and even more so now that Fox Searchlight announced in 2005 that it acquired the movie rights for an American film adaptation by the same title. Set in modern day Moscow, Nightwatch spins a rich, detailed story about the "Others," an ancient race of humans with supernatural powers, and their uneasy truce between the Light and Dark foils of their people. Although they have coexisted unsteadily for centuries, an old prophecy proclaiming the rise of a supreme Other inflames the cold city streets when a young boy turns up with remarkable, unheard of powers. Now it's a race between the Light and Dark forces to see who can sway the boy first... and humanity is caught in the middle. Check out this superb Andrew Bromfield translation to read the chilling story for yourself. I guarantee you'll hear more about it soon as the movie release nears.

That's the weekly buzz in book news. Thanks for staying tuned and if you have any questions or comments feel free to get at me. Until next week, read your sci fi and fantasy and be sure to make fun of someone who doesn't. PFerrara.cinescape@gmail.com