The Gospel According to Star Wars
© Westminster John Knox Press

Related Links

0

Malazan Builds Momentum

Anne Bishop jumpstarts the Ephemera series, Craig Gardner delves into Battlestar Galactica, and Star Wars’ theological motifs get the Gospel treatment in this week’s edition of the Buzz. 

Goodday to all you Maniacs and glad to see you here on this book-bustin’ Tuesday. Its weeks like these that get me truly excited to be a self-confessed genre bookworm, for we’ve got a ton of new novels debuting today with a little something for everyone. Keep in mind though that these books highlighted here are only the tip of the iceberg, so take some time to digest the full release schedule. 

UK novelist Tad Williams debuts the second installment of the Shadowmarch series today with the hardback release of Shadowplay while Anne Bishop releases her first Ephemera novel Sebastian on paperback as well as the newest installment, Belladonna, on hardcover. 

David Weber and Linda Evans continue their all-out-war saga between the technologically advanced and magic-riddled universes in Hell Hath No Fury on hardcover and Vicki Pettersson debuts the first paperback in her Zodiac series, The Scent of Shadows: The First Sign of the Zodiac. Don’t confuse this novel with David Fincher’s current box office thriller… but don’t slight it either: Pettersson paints a gory and graphic tale that’s a superhero, paranormal romance, and fantasy story all rolled into one. 

Can’t get enough directed “Cyclon” plot action in the Battlestar Galactica television series? Check out Craig Shaw Gardner’s The Cyclons’ Secret on paperback through Tor Books. Or are you in the mood for some great genre collections? If so critically-acclaimed editor Martin Greenberg co-edits two very unique anthologies being released today: the hard SF Future Weapons of War collection and the more light-hearted If I Were an Evil Overlord paperback anthology. 

John C. McDowell, a Lecturer in Systematic Theology at the University of Edinburgh, explores the religious undercurrents in the Star Wars saga in The Gospel According to Star Wars, which is sure to please any Star Wars fan interested in the more philosophical aspects of the Force. 

Last but not least this Weekly Book Buzz calls attention to an awesome fantasy series that has been surprisingly overlooked since its release. Whether it’s from Maniacs e-mailing me about their favorite series or fellow authors like Don Bassingthwaite offering praise, Steven Erickson’s epic Malazan Book of the Fallen series has been creating buzz in the fantasy community since the first book’s release in 1999. Completed in the early ‘90s, Garden of the Moon evolved initially from a movie script based in the Malazan role-playing setting. After repeated failures to sell the novel, Bantam UK picked up the book in ’99 and bought the rights to the 10-book series for a whopping million bucks. 

If you’re into fantasy epics with colorful characters, layered plots, and simply fantastic writing, check out Erickson’s engrossing Malazan world and get caught up with the series before the seventh novel, Reaper’s Gale, hits shelves late April. I for one can’t wait to crack into this series (*hint *hint Tor or Bantam, drop me an e-mail), but be sure to pick these up on Amazon.com, for they are still tragically elusive in most bookstores.  

Other Books to Check Out: House of Chains, In the Forest of Forgetting, The Necessary Beggar, Blood and Rust, & Nebulae Awards Showcase 2007 
 
 

New in Hardcover: 
 

Shadowplay of the Shadowmarch Series

© Penguin Group USA

Darkness has fallen on the lands of the sun as an army of misshapen fey spill out from beyond the Shadowline. At their head is Yasammez, dark creature of nightmare. A furtive bargain was struck at the gates of Southmarch and the castle was spared, but centuries of enmity will not be so easily appeased. Meanwhile Barrick, heir to Southmarch and cursed with madness, has crossed the Shadowline into the realm of his people's ancient enemy. There are stranger things than death here… stranger and older. Much further south, shadow is also falling over the reign of the Autarch, god-king, and supreme ruler. Qinnitan, junior wife, must flee the royal household or die, her greatest secret as yet hidden even from herself. Ancient blood flows through her veins and she will become a unique weapon in the fight against her greatest terror. And beyond the ken of all but a chosen few, the gods are awakening and the world is changing. Volume two of the Shadowmarch series. 
 

Future Weapons of War, Ed. by Joe Haldeman & Martin Greenberg (Baen Books) 

A volume of visions of future wars, fought with weapons out of nightmare, by today’s top writers of military science fiction, as well as some writers who are not usually associated with military SF, such as best-selling writer Gregory Benford and award-winning author Kristine Katherine Rusch. Also present are Michael Z. Williamson, author of the strong selling novels Freehold and The Weapon, award-winning author of Bolo Strike, William H. Keith, and more. Through the centuries, weapons have changed radically, but the soldier has remained much the same. But in the future soldiers, too, may undergo radical changes. As editor Joe Haldeman puts it, “Weapons are an extension of the soldier, and also an extension of the culture or species that produced the soldier. And they are sometimes more dangerous to the soldier than the enemy…” 
 

The Poison Diaries, Duchess of Northumberland Jane (Harry N. Abrams, Inc.) 

This truly gothic tale—a “facsimile” of Weed’s journal found at Alnwick Castle, in England—is not only a story of the battle between good and evil, but an educational parable of the curative and lethal properties of plants. Weed—an orphan boy who apprentices with an evil old apothecary—is both used and abused. His journal is part botanical workbook and part diary of his own relationship with poisonous plants. Weed discovers that he is one of the few people whom the plants talk to, and they try to persuade him that, with their help, his master can easily be disposed of. Although he refuses at first, after Weed’s first love, Marigold, experiments with the poisons and dies, he is pushed over the edge and plots to kill his master with a taste of his own evil medicine. Each chapter of the story begins with Weed’s botanical notes: a plant’s appearance and properties, where it is found, how it should be cared for, the most poisonous parts, and how poison is extracted and administered. Accompanied by Weed’s sketches of the plants in their natural form, his diary also reveals the “real” personalities of the plants. Illustrated by Colin Stimpson. 
 

The Mabinogion, Authors Unknown (Oxford University Press) 

Celtic mythology, Arthurian romance, and an intriguing interpretation of British history: these are just some of the themes embraced by the anonymous authors of the eleven tales that make up the Welsh medieval masterpiece known as the Mabinogion. They tell of Gwydion the shape-shifter, who can create a woman out of flowers; of Math the magician whose feet must lie in the lap of a virgin; of hanging a pregnant mouse and hunting a magical boar. Dragons, witches, and giants live alongside kings and heroes, and quests of honour, revenge, and love are set against the backdrop of a country struggling to retain its independence. This new translation by Sioned Davies, the first for thirty years, recreates the storytelling world of medieval Wales and re-invests the tales with the power of performance. 
 

Fortune’s Fool, Mercedes Lackey (Luna Books) 

In the Five Hundred Kingdoms, never believe what your eyes are telling you… As the seventh daughter of the Sea King, Ekaterina had a wonderful life—but also a lot of responsibility. Her special gift for moving around on land made her the perfect emissary from her father to check out interesting happenings on the surface. In short, she became the family spy. On one such reconnaissance mission, she encounters Sasha—the seventh son of the king of Belrus. Though everyone sees his talent at music, they also consider him a fool. Ekaterina suspects something more powerful lies behind his facade. But before she can find out what, Ekaterina is kidnapped! Carried off by a whirlwind and trapped in a castle with other kidnapped princesses at the mercy of a possessive Jinn, Ekaterina knows her chances of being found are slim. Which means that fortune, a fool and a paper bird are the only things she can count on. Oh, and of course her own clever mind and manipulative abilities… 
 

The Gospel According to Star Wars

© Westminster John Knox Press

Star Wars is one of the most beloved movie series of all time, and in this book John McDowell explores the many spiritual themes that weave throughout the six films. From the Force to the dark side, the issues discussed in the films have a moral and spiritual complexity that, if paid attention to, can help us better understand our place in the world and our relation to others and to God. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, did not intend for his films to be mere entertainment, McDowell argues. Rather, he hoped his films would be used as a vehicle for moral education. Chapters in this engaging book include: “A New Myth: The Truthfulness of Star Wars,” “The Force of the Divine,” “Evil Strikes Back,” “Beware the Dark Side Within: The Tragedy of Anakin Skywalker,” “The Politics of Evil,” “Rebelling against Evil,” “Feeling the Force: The Ethics of the Good Life,” and “A New Hope: Redemption in Star Wars.” 
 

Belladonna, Anne Bishop (Penguin Group USA) 

The thrilling follow-up to Sebastian. The Eater of the World continues to spread its dark influence across the realm of Ephemera, corrupting people's souls with doubts and fears. Only Glorianna Belladonna possesses the ability to thwart the Eater's plans. But she has been branded a rogue, and must stand alone against the encroaching entity. But she is not alone. In dreams, a call has traveled throughout Ephemera-"Heart's hope lies within Belladonna"-and reached Michael, a man with mysterious powers of his own. It awakens a fierce hunger within him to find the dark-haired sorceress he's dreamt of… a beautiful woman named Belladonna. Together, they may be Ephemera's only hope. Book two in the Ephemera series. 
 

Hell Hath No Fury, David Weber & Linda Evans (Baen Books) 

It began with two men. They came from very different worlds, entirely different universes, in fact, and they met in a virgin forest on a duplicate planet Earth. Neither of them had expected it, both of them realized how important the first contact with any other trans-universal human civilization might be. But something went wrong. Neither side knows who shot first. But both the magic-using civilization of Arcana and the steel-and-steam age Sharona, with its psionic Talents, think it was the other side. And it doesn't really matter now, because the original incident has snowballed. Both sides have additional dead to mourn; both sides have additional wrongs to avenge. Both sides have additional military forces moving towards the front. War between the universes is the last thing responsible leaders on either side want. But the fury of their respective populations, xenophobic fear of the unknown, and cries for "justice" (or vengeance), are all driving both sides towards the brink. The actions of local military commanders and diplomats may well determine the final outcome, and unscrupulous, power-hungry men, Arcana and Sharona alike, have agendas of their own. The fuse has been lit and a war stretching across the universes, across an endless succession of identical Earths, fought between dragons, spells, crossbows, repeating rifles, machine guns, and artillery is about to begin in white-hot rage and fury. Where it will end, and how, no one knows. The second installment in the Multiverse series. 
 

The Mysterious Benedict Society

© Brown Little & Co.

Dozens of children respond to this peculiar ad in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests, which readers take along with them. Only four children, two boys and two girls, succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and inventive children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. But what they'll find in the hidden underground tunnels of the school is more than your average school supplies. So if you're gifted, creative, or happen to know Morse Code, they could probably use your help. Illustrated by Carson Ellis. 
 
 

New in Paperback: 
 

The Scent of Shadows of the Signs of the Zodiac Series

© Eos Books

When she was sixteen, Joanna Archer was brutally assaulted and left to die in the Nevada desert.

By rights, she should be dead. Now a photographer by day, she prowls a different Las Vegas after sunset—a grim, secret Sin City where Light battles Shadow—seeking answers to whom or what she really is… and revenge for the horrors she was forced to endure. But the nightmare is just beginning—for the demons are hunting Joanna, and the powerful shadows want her for their own… 
 

House of Chains, Steven Erikson (Tor Books) 

In Northern Genabackis, a raiding party of savage tribal warriors descends from the mountains into the southern flatlands. Their intention is to wreak havoc amongst the despised lowlanders, but for the one named Karsa Orlong it marks the beginning of what will prove to be an extraordinary destiny. Some years later, it is the aftermath of the Chain of Dogs. Tavore, the Adjunct to the Empress, has arrived in the last remaining Malazan stronghold of Seven Cities. New to command, she must hone twelve thousand soldiers, mostly raw recruits but for a handful of veterans of Coltaine's legendary march, into a force capable of challenging the massed hordes of Sha'ik's Whirlwind who lie in wait in the heart of the Holy Desert. But waiting is never easy. The seer's warlords are locked into a power struggle that threatens the very soul of the rebellion, while Sha'ik herself suffers, haunted by the knowledge of her nemesis: her own sister, Tavore. And so begins this awesome fourth chapter in Steven Erikson's acclaimed Malazan Book of the Fallen series… 
 

The Return from Troy, Lindsay Clarke (HarperCollins UK) 

In this sequel The War at Troy (2004), Whitbread Award-winning novelist Lindsay Clarke brings to bear his trademark lyricism, lucidity, and mythic power in a novel that offers a timely interpretation of one of the world's great stories. After ten years of war, Troy has fallen, yet the gods have turned against the victorious Argives… and their ordeals have only just begun. Agamemnon sails back to Mycenae, where Clytaemnestra has nursed a vengeful fury over his sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenaia. Meanwhile, Menelaus must decide the fate of Helen, over whose incomparable beauty the war was fought. Odysseus, traumatized by the slaughter of his own ingenuity unleashed, no longer believes himself fit to return to his wife and son. Driven both by tempests and torment, he embarks on a voyage that will take him to the margins of the world and deep into the shadows of his own heart. 
 

Poison Study, Maria V. Snyder (Luna Books) 

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have a room in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia. And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison. As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear... A true classic from Maria Snyder. Those interested should take comfort in the plentiful, and unanimous, positive feedback for this novel. 
 

Odalisque, Fiona McIntosh (HarperCollins) 

Captured by slave traders in the inhospitable desert, Lazar fought his way to freedom, earning the coveted position of Spur of Percheron. Charged with protecting his adopted city from enemies on both sides of its walls, he has led a charmed life as confidant to and protector of Zar Joreb for many years. But now Joreb is dead… Though Joreb's well-intentioned fifteen-year-old heir, Boaz, will take the title of Zar, the balance of power lies in the hands of his beautiful and cruelly ambitious mother, a former harem slave who rose to power by the Zar's favor. Aside from Lazar, whom Boaz trusts and respects, the young Zar's only friend is Pez, the court jester, a misshapen dwarf whose tricks and diversions are accepted only because he is known to be mad. When a stunning young girl is brought to the palace to fill a space in Boaz's harem, both Boaz and Lazar are surprised by their unexpectedly strong reactions to her. But Ana, the odalisque, finds the closeted world of the harem stifling and unbearable. And unbeknownst to all, the gods themselves are beginning to rise in a cyclical battle that is just beginning, and will enmesh everyone in the palace in a struggle for the very soul of Percheron. Book One in the Percheron Saga. 
 

Dark Rain, Conor Corderoy (Macmillan UK) 

Man has destroyed his environment. Earth is dying, and the rain is continuous. They said there would be huge domed towns for everyone, but now just one percent—the super-rich Domers—live in dry, crime-free luxury. The rest live out in the rain. This is the new order. But then the unthinkable happens. There is a murder in one of the Domes. When Inspector O'Neil probes too deeply, he's fired from his job. And then the truth begins to emerge… 
 

If I Were An Evil Overlord, Ed. by Martin Greenberg & Russell Davis (Penguin Group USA) 

Fourteen original short stories that are perfect for everyone… because let’s face it: Who hasn’t dreamed of being an evil overlord? Today's finest fantasy authors have delivered fourteen tales that run the gamut from humorous to serious, fantasy to science fiction. Certain to appeal to role-playing gamers, fantasy lovers, and megalomaniacs who want to rule the world.  
 

The Obsidian Key, Eldon Thompson (Eos Books) 

The Age of Man, so quickly heralded, is already under siege. Shaken by the catastrophic war with the Demon Queen Spithaera, Pentania wrestles with a new world of possibility and potential disaster: creatures of wonder and nightmare are returning. And humanity will never be the same.  In his epic battle with the Demon Queen, young Jarom became Torin, King of Alson. Now, with bitter foes on all sides, he must forge his kingdom from the ruins of an empire and begin anew. But it is too soon to forget the past entirely. For in recklessly reclaiming the Crimson Sword of Asahiel, Torin reopened a dimensional realm no longer sealed by the power of the Obsidian Key. And now from history's darkest hour pour the terrifying Illysp, foul spirits who possess the bodies and enslave the souls of men. As the enemy advances, Torin must undertake a dangerous voyage to reveal the secrets of an ancient lost people who once overcame these powerful marauders. But both enemies of old and the unknown have different plans for king and country, and even if Torin can return, it may already be too late. Book two of the Legend of Asahiel series. 
 

Sebastian, Anne Bishop (Penguin Group USA) 

Long ago, Ephemera was split into a dizzying number of magical lands, connected only by bridges that may take you where you truly belong, rather than where you had intended to go. In one such land, where night reigns and demons dwell, the half-incubus Sebastian revels in dark delights. But in dreams she calls to him: a woman who wants only to be safe and loved… a woman he hungers for while knowing he may destroy her. And an even more devastating destiny awaits him, for an ancient evil is stirring-and Sebastian's realm may be the first to fall. Book one in the Ephemera series. 
 

The Cloud, Ray Hammond (Macmillan UK) 

2033. The first alien radio transmissions have been received on Earth—a torrent of encrypted information that no human or computer can crack. But the decision to reply is made, and messages of goodwill are beamed into deep space. Thirty years later, just as humankind is expecting a reply from the aliens, the signals disappear. Then scientists detect a space cloud approaching the solar system at high speed. Immense in size, immeasurable in power, this blazing storm of energy is on a collision course with Earth. As one man desperately struggles to decode the original transmissions, Earth prepares to launch a nuclear attack against a seemingly unstoppable foe. As the cloud rages through the solar system, the alien code is finally broken—and mankind realizes that the enemy is far closer than they knew… 
 

The Legend of the Firefish

© Trophy Chase Trilogy

Packer Throme, a failed seminarian turned master swordsman, sets out on a great quest, but not in search of fame. He hopes to honor God by stowing away on (former) pirate Scatter Wilkins's ship “Trophy Chase”, convincing its captain and crew to seek the legendary firefish—a feat that could raise Packers fishing village from poverty and win the heart of his longtime love, the beautiful Panna Seline. Book one in the Trophy Chase Trilogy. 
 

Titan, Ben Bova (Tor Books) 

Ben Bova takes readers to one of the most intriguing destinations in near space: the extraordinary moon of Saturn which made international headlines last year when the Huygens probe sent back remarkable images of its strange landscapes. 2095. After long months of travel, the gigantic colony ship Goddard has at last made orbit around Saturn, carrying a population of more than 10,000 dissidents, rebels, extremists, and visionaries seeking a new life. Among Goddard’s missions is the study of Titan, which offers the tantalizing possibility that life may exist amid its windswept islands and chill black seas. When the exploration vessel Titan Alpha mysteriously fails after reaching the moon’s surface, long buried tensions surface among the colonists. Eduoard Urbain, the mission’s chief scientist, is wracked with anxiety and despair as he sees his life’s work unravel. Malcolm Eberly, Goddard’s chief administrator, takes ruthless measures to hold onto power as a rash of suspicious incidents threaten to undermine his authority. Holly Lane, the colony’s human-resources director, must confront the station’s powerful leaders to protect the lives of its people. And retired astronaut Manuel Gaeta is forced to risk his life in a last, desperate attempt to salvage the lost probe. Torn by intrigue, sabotage, and an awesome discovery that could threaten human space exploration, a handful of courageous men and women must fight for the survival of their colony, and for the destiny of the human race. 
 

For A Few Demons More, Kim Harrison (Eos Books) 

Despite dating one vampire and living with another, Rachel Morgan has always managed to stay just ahead of trouble… until now. A fiendish serial killer stalks the Hollows, claiming victims across society, and the resulting terror ignites a vicious Inderland gang war. And while the ancient artifact Rachel is hiding may be the key to stopping the murderer, revealing it could also create a battle to the death among the numerous supernatural races that live in and around Cincinnati. For every action has its price, and when the vampire master Piscary is set free and the demonic Algaliarept dares to walk openly under the sun, even Rachel Morgan can't hide forever. 
 

Fabulous Creatures and Other Magical Beings, Joel Levy (Carroll & Brown Publishers) 

Discover the world of Cryptozoology in this fabulous field guide to the denizens of the supernatural realm from gnomes, fairies, and elves to unicorns, dragons, and minotaurs. Featuring more than 600 color illustrations, this is a treasure trove of fun and fascination for the entire family.  
 

In The Forest of Forgetting

© Prime Books

In a Britain that never existed, Princess Alice climbs the tower stairs to keep an appointment with a witch – and a spinning wheel. In a small Southern town, the violinist Johann Wilhelm builds a glider that will take him to the floating city of Orillion. A student named Péter watches as Budapest is conquered by the mythical city of Sorrow, whose weapons are snow and silence. In the Forest of Forgetting, a children's book author who seems to have lost everything, even her name, searches for her lost identity. In her New York apartment, the ballerina Ervina Kóvacs waits to die, until she is invited to a final pas de deux. Philippa wonders if her mother's stories were real, and if she should open the door that may, or may not, lead to fairyland. And in a garden in Washington, under falling maple leaves, two girls reminisce about their childhoods, when they took lessons in witchcraft with the mysterious Miss Gray. In this collection of sixteen stories, including "The Wings of Meister Wilhelm" (nominated for a World Fantasy Award), Theodora Goss takes us to countries that are both imaginary and as real as those on a map. She introduces us to characters like ourselves, who are searching for love, meaning, and the elusive magic at the heart of the ordinary. 
 

The Necessary Beggar, Susan Palwick (Tor Books) 

Praised as "a deeply felt, deeply moving tale… chilling and finely tuned" (Publishers Weekly), Susan Palwick's first novel Flying in Place (2005) won widespread acclaim for its haunting exploration of a troubled childhood. Now, after a decade, Palwick returns with the powerful tale of a family cast out of an idyllic realm, learning to live in our own troubled world—an exciting and insightful examination of humanity in the spirit of Ursula Le Guin's The Disposessed and Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. Lémabantunk, the Glorious City, is a place of peace and plenty. But it is also a land of swift and severe justice. Young Darroti has been accused of the murder of a highborn woman who had chosen the life of a Mendicant, a holy beggar whose blessing brings forgiveness. Now his entire family must share his shame, and his punishment—exile to an unknown world. Grieving for the life they have left behind, Darroti and his family find themselves in a hostile land, an all-too-familiar American future, a country under attack in a world torn by hatred and war. There, each tries to cope in their own way. Some will surrender to despair. Some will strive to preserve the old ways. Some will be lured by the new world's temptations. And some, sustained by extraordinary love, will find a way to heal the family's grief and give them hope. 
 

King of Odessa: A Novel of Isaac Babel, Robert A. Rosenstone (Northwestern University Press) 

An offbeat and brilliant imagining of a "lost novel" by Isaac Babel. A celebrated writer returns to his hometown of Odessa, pondering a deal with the secret police, pining for a daughter living abroad, and hoping to pen one last homage to his own past. Isaac Babel, the world famous spinner of tales about Cossacks and gangsters, arrives in Odessa to be treated for asthma-and perhaps help a condemned prisoner to escape. Or is it Babel who intends to escape? For six decades our only record of Babel's visit has been the contents of letters and postcards sent abroad to his mother and sister. In King of Odessa, Robert A. Rosenstone imagines a version of this visit and the novel Babel wrote during those weeks. Babel himself is concerned with more than literary plots as he considers an escape just as he starts an affair with an actress who may be a police spy. He also ruminates on his past-his childhood as a sickly Jewish boy, the horrifying 1905 pogrom, the famous rides with the Cossacks that inspired Red Calvary, and above all his complicated relationships with women. Throughout the novel Rosenstone captures Babel's lively wit, his exhaustion with fame and the Soviet system, and his infectious charm. This would prove to be Babel's last visit to Odessa. Three years later, he was arrested as a spy and executed. Rosenstone, the acclaimed biographer of writer and activist John Reed, mixes historical facts and fiction with the talent of a gifted storyteller. The result is a captivating exploration of a great writer surrounded by history and on the brink of falling out of it forever. 
 

Moonshine, Rob Thurman (Penguin Group USA) 

After saving the world from his fiendish father's side of the family, Cal Leandros and his stalwart half-brother Niko have settled down with new digs and a new gig-bodyguard and detective work. And in New York City, where preternatural beings stalk the streets just like normal folk, business is good. Their latest case has them going undercover for the Kin: the werewolf Mafia. A low-level Kin boss thinks a rival is setting him up for a fall, and wants proof. The place to start is the back room of Moonshine, a gambling club for non-humans. Cal thinks it's a simple in-and-out job. But Cal is very, very wrong. Cal and Niko are being set up themselves, and the people behind it have a bite much worse than their bark... 
 

Secret Fantasy, Cheryl Holt (St. Martin’s Press) 

Orphaned at a young age and sent to live with selfish relatives, Margaret Gray has no dowry and no chance of ever marrying. When her aunt invites Jordan Prescott for a visit, hoping to entice him into offering for Margaret’s spoiled cousin, the dashing war hero instead tempts Margaret into a truly decadent decision. If Margaret cannot have a husband, perhaps she dares, just once, to taste the pleasures of the flesh? Now that she’s awakened to her own desires and sensations, she is drawn body and soul into a rapturous clandestine liaison. Since his dissolute father squandered the family fortune, Jordan is required to marry an heiress in order to provide for his half-siblings. Yet no woman has ever aroused him as much as Margaret. Her sedate exterior belies a bold, curious spirit and tantalizing sexuality. A single illicit tryst becomes a month-long journey in carnal abandon, but with Jordan’s visit drawing to a close, can their passion survive the dangerous scheming that threatens to keep them apart? 
 

In The Eye of Heaven, David Keck (Tor Books) 

From a strong new voice in epic fantasy comes the fiercely original tale of Durand, a good squire trying to become a good knight in a harsh and unforgiving world. Set to inherit the lordship of a small village in his father's barony because the knight of that village has been bereaved of his own son, Durand must leave when the son unexpectedly turns up alive. First he falls in with a band of knights working for a duke's vicious son and ends up participating in the murder of the duke's adulterous wife. Fleeing, he comes into the service of another duke's disgraced second son, Lamoric, who is carrying out a complex subterfuge to try to restore his honor in the eyes of his father, family, and king. But greater conspiracies are afoot—dark plots that could break the oaths which bind the kingdom and the duchies together and keep the Banished at bay. It may fall to Durand to save the world of Man… Authentic and spellbinding, In the Eye of Heaven weaves together the gritty authenticity of a Glen Cook with the high-medieval flair epitomized by Gene Wolfe's The Knight, to begin an epic multi-volume tale that will take the fantasy world by storm. 
 

Cygnet, Patricia A. McKillip (Penguin Group USA) 

In the realm of fantasy, one name stands out from the crowd. For many years, Patricia A. McKillip has charmed readers with her "unique brand of prose magic" (Locus). Now, for the first time in one volume, she offers two of her classic tales-The Sorceress and the Cygnet and The Cygnet and the Firebird-which delve into the fate of the Ro family and an otherworld rich in myth and mayhem, magic and adventure. 
 

Burning Bright, Janine Ashbless (Virgin Books) 

Two lovers, brought together by a forbidden passion, are on the run from their pasts. Veraine was once a commander in the Imperial army; Myrna the divine priestess he seduced and stole from her desert temple. Traveling through a jungle kingdom, they fall prey to slavers and are separated. Myrna is taken to the city of Tiger Lords: inhuman tyrants with a taste for human flesh. Myrna still has faith that Veraine will find her… but, left for dead, he has forgotten everything. Still he journeys through a fevered landscape of promise and supernatural danger to find the unknown woman he longs for. 
 

Blood and Rust: Two Novels of the Cleveland Undead, S.A. Swiniarski (Penguin Group USA) 

Finally back in print and in a single volume: two novels featuring vampires in Cleveland! Raven and The Flesh, The Blood, and The Fire are two boundary-breaking novels set in Cleveland, Ohio… but is this an average American city with hardworking families striving to fulfill the American dream, or the kind of town where death is anything but final and one's neighbors may not be as normal as they seem? 
 

The Cyclons’ Secret, Craig Shaw Gardner (Tor Books) 

Sometimes no news is bad news. It’s been twenty years since the end of the Cylon war. The twelve human colony worlds are rebuilding, and the Cylons . . . the Cylons have been just too quiet. They are nowhere to be found. The robotic race that tried to obliterate their creators has gone to parts unknown in deep space. The aftermath of the war has created a new, illegal profession: scavenger. Tom Zarek is one, scouring the outer settlements for valuable Cylon technologies and artifacts and usually returning empty-handed. But now, he and the crew of the Cruiser Lightning have found the Omega Station, a scientific station shrouded in secrecy beyond the edge of charted space. This is it the big score, except something is wrong…the base is still occupied, not by humans, but by Cylons! The Battlestar Galactica, one of the oldest warships in the fleet, receives the Lightning’s distress call, a cryptic one-word message: “Cylons.” William Adama, newly promoted to second-in-command, is worried. Most of his crew are green, new recruits, not prepared for anything but the most routine missions. And, as Adama soon discovers, this mission is anything but routine. Omega is indeed full of Cylons, but also something much more disturbing…  
 

Nebulae Awards Showcase 2007, Ed. by Mike Resnick (Penguin Group USA) 

This annual publication as chosen by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America brings together the best of the year's stories, as well as essays and commentary on the current state of the genre and predictions of future science fiction and fantasy films, art, and more. This year's award-winning authors include Joe Haldeman (Novel), Kelly Link (Novella, Novelette), and Carol Emshwiller (Short Story). 
 

The Alchemist’s Apprentice, Dave Duncan (Penguin Group USA) 

To the legendary clairvoyant Maestro Nostradamus, the future is forever in motion. But for young swordsman Alfeo Zeno, his apprentice and protector, the present is hard enough to contend with. His days are spent poring over astrology charts and making calculations, his nights learning arcane magic or transcribing Nostradamus's nebulous prophecies. Until one night, when the Council of Ten arrives to take the seer into custody. It seems that a high-ranking friend of the prince died under mysterious circumstances after Nostradamus cast his horoscope, warning of danger… and rumors are swirling that the mystic poisoned the victim to enhance his own reputation. Alfeo is stunned when his master refuses to flee. Instead, Nostradamus charges Alfeo with the task of clearing his name. Now, Alfeo must unravel a web of magic and murder if he is to have any future of his own. 
 
 

Alright alright alright that does it for this Tuesday’s edition of the Buzz. Check back next week for all the latest news on current sci fi, fantasy, and horror book releases. Questions or Comments? Hit me up at PFerrara.mania@gmail.com.