Amph SFF: Books New Releases

In the Eye of Heaven looks good. If I Were an Evil Overlord looks hilarious, but titles can be deciving, especally for anthologies

 

Another slow week...everything seems to be coming out next week.

Day Watch
by Sergei Lukyanenko (Author)
?Paperback: 336 pages
?Publisher: Miramax (March 21, 2007)
The morally ambiguous second volume in Lukyanenko's trilogy (after 2006's Night Watch, a major literary and cinematic success in Russia) portrays the epic supernatural struggle between good and evil from the point-of-view of the witch Alisa Donnikova. Lukyanenko imagines a parallel reality, where human history has been shaped by a centuries-old conflict between the Dark Ones and the Light Ones, magical beings whose existence is kept carefully hidden from humanity. After Alisa, a Dark One, loses her powers in a minor confrontation with some Light Ones, she heads to the Crimea to recuperate at a girls' camp, where she feeds on children's nightmares. There she falls in love with Igor, who turns out to be a Light magician. The plot centers on the ramifications of their romance and the theft of Fafnir's Talon, a powerful artifact whose provenance is linked to the legendary Ring of the Nibelungs. Though the artifact conceit is less well developed than that of the truth-telling instrument in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, the fast-paced story augurs well for the last installment.

Odalisque: Book One of the Percheron Saga
by Fiona McIntosh
?Format: Paperback, 463pp
?Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
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.


Forge of the Mind Slayers
by Tim Waggoner
?Format: Mass Market Paperback, 320pp
?Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Publishing
Living in the war-ravaged realm of Eberron, assassin-turned-priest Diran Bastiaan and his half-orc sidekick, Ghaji, make an unlikely pair. One looks like the stuff of nightmares, while the other is 'a conduit through which the holy force of Good could work its will in the physical world.' Together, they have traveled throughout the archipelagic Lhazaar Principalities sharing numerous wild adventures, but none were as dangerous as the one they currently face. When a gang of bloodthirsty pirates kidnaps Diran's former lover (a beautiful ex-mercenary killer named Makala), the priest of the Silver Flame and his half-breed wingman vow to get her -- and countless other abductees -- back no matter what the cost. But the seafaring raiders are no ordinary criminals; they're led by the infamous vampire Onkar, who in turn serves a being unfathomably more evil than himself....

 

The first one looks really good. The second one seems okay, but I wasn't impressed by her other books, so I don't know that I'll be trying it.

 

Dangerous Games
by Keri Arthur
?Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
?Publisher: Dell (March 27, 2007)
In Melbourne?s urban underworld, there?s a nightclub for every fantasy and desire. But for Riley Jenson, one such club has become an obsession. Riley, a rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, hasn?t come in pursuit of pleasure but of an unknown killer who?s been using the steamy nightspot as his hunting grounds.

Leave it to Riley to find the only ticket into the heavily guarded club: Jin, a deliciously hot-bodied bartender who might just provide the key to unmasking a killer unlike any other in the Directorate?s experience. Taunted by a former colleague turned rogue, distracted by an ex-lover?s attentions, Riley follows Jin into a realm of pleasure she could never have imagined. And as danger and passion ignite, a shocking mystery begins to unravel?one where Riley herself becomes the ultimate object of desire....


Danse Macabre
by Laurell K. Hamilton
?Paperback: 576 pages
-Publisher: Jove (March 27, 2007)

The uniquely complicated life of Anita Blake, the St. Louis?based necromancer, gets even more complicated when Anita discovers she may be pregnant in the 14th novel in bestseller Hamilton's vampire hunter series (Micah, etc.). Her sexual magic powers require multiple lovers, so there are six potential fathers. One possible dad, werewolf Richard, has trouble understanding that, baby or not, Anita's still a federal marshal who raises the dead and executes vampires. In addition, terrifying, life-threatening obstetrical challenges are involved, since the maybe-mommy has to deal with vampirism and several strains of lycanthropy coursing through her veins. That Anita has no detecting to do may disappoint some fans, but playing hostess to a gathering of North American vampire Masters of the City, ostensibly in town for a performance by a vampiric ballet troupe, keeps her plenty busy. When the vampire ballet takes the stage toward the end, several new plot elements emerge. The very lack of a finale suggests that there's no end in sight for this fabulously imagined series


The Flight of the Eisenstein (Horus Heresy)
by James Swallow
?Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
?Publisher: Games Workshop (March 27, 2007)
Having witnessed the events on Istvaan III, Deathguard Captain Garro seizes a ship and heads to Terra to warn the Emperor of Horus's treachery. But the fleeing Eisenstein is damaged by enemy fire, and becomes stranded in the warp. Can Garro and his men survive the depradations of Chaos and get his warning to Terra in time?


Into a Dark Realm: Book Two of the Darkwar Saga
by Raymond E. Feist
?Hardcover: 336 pages
?Publisher: Eos (March 27, 2007)
The Conclave of Shadows has smashed the Nighthawks' dread plot to destroy the Empire of Great Kesh through civil war, putting an end to the murderous brotherhood's reign of terror. But there is no time for the victors to celebrate, for the mad sorcerer, Leso Varen, has taken refuge with the Magicians of the Assembly on the world of Kelewan, and is lost among the most powerful men and women of that empire. And a devastating new threat looms on the horizon: hordes of the Dasati?the most vicious warriors in the known universe?are massing to overrun both Kelewan and Midkemia.
The great sorcerer Pug knows of no power that will vanquish the invaders. And he realizes he must now enter another realm of reality if his world is to survive?and make his way to the poisonous heart of the Dasati Empire to find the answers he needs to defeat the fearsome enem

 

Ally, by Karen Traviss, is also due to be released this week.

 

Thanks JediTrilobite! I think someone at Amazon was sleeping last week or the week before cuz I found tons of stuff that was released last week that they didn't have up there when I went looking.

Ally
by Karen Traviss
?Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
?Publisher: Eos (March 27, 2007)
The worlds orbiting Cavanagh's Star are in turmoil.
Civil war on Umeh?ignited by outsiders?threatens to annihilate the teeming masses of a grossly overpopulated planet. On Bezer'ej, the handful of native aquatic creatures who survived extermination must take extraordinary and terrible steps to ensure the future of their kind . . .
And the interlopers from a distant planet called Earth can only watch the chaos they helped, in part, to create?knowing their home world will be next to suffer.
The day of reckoning is rapidly approaching when the powerful Eqbas will remake the Earth at the expense of its dominant species. And Shan Frankland?once a police officer, once human, now something much more?must decide where her loyalties truly lie: among the gethes, on a planet she once called home, or here, where a dying species presents her with a new and unexpected crisis.


High Rhulain (Redwall)
by Brian Jacques
?Paperback: 336 pages
?Publisher: Ace (March 27, 2007)
Grade 6 Up?The Redwall saga continues with a book that can stand entirely on its own. Tiria is a young ottermaid with amazing skill with rock and sling. She lives in Redwall with her father and the entire cast of beloved characters from earlier novels. When she starts to dream of a place called Green Isle and Martin the Warrior, she realizes that she is destined to go on a quest and follow in the steps of the High Rhulain, an otter queen. The book alternates between Tiria's adventures, her friends working on word puzzles back home to help her, and the hardships of the otters who live on Green Isle where they are slaves to a group of cats. Jacques combines action, poetry, songs, courage, and vivid descriptions to create a unique style. His characterizations are complex and show multiple sides of both adult and younger personalities. The pacing is well handled, especially in a book with three story lines that entwine. As with the other volumes, there is sacrifice, death, and bloody battles galore. Readers familiar with the series will relish returning to the Abbey. Those new to the Redwall universe will be looking for the previous titles to learn more about Martin the Warrior and Salamandastron.


Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday
by Alan Dean Foster
?Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
?Publisher: Del Rey (March 27, 2007)
The first human-alien contact. The last word in galactic warfare. The story you must read?before Transformers rockets to the big screen!

A mammoth robotic being, clearly of alien origin, has been found beneath the Arctic ice. Its advanced engineering dwarfs known human technology, and unlocking its secrets will catapult American science eons into the future. In search of the mysterious artifact?s origin, a covert government agency sends the manned craft Ghost 1 on a perilous journey of discovery.

When a mishap maroons Ghost 1 in the far reaches of unknown space, the ship?s distress beacon reaches the very alien race Ghost 1?s crew has been seeking: the Autobots. The gigantic mechanized beings are also on a quest: to find the Allspark, a device crucial to the salvation of their home world, Cybertron. But they?re not alone. The Decepticons, the Autobots? brutal enemies, have their own sinister purposes in seeking the Allspark. As these adversaries are drawn together once more, the stage is set for a death-dealing new battle in which each is dri

 

Several of those look really good, especally the Gemmell one.

 

White Night (The Dresden Files, Book 9)
by Jim Butcher
?Hardcover: 416 pages
?Publisher: Roc Hardcover (April 3, 2007)
This time, when Harry Dresden gets a call from Murphy, it's off the record, because she has been demoted, things in SI are politically shaky, and the police have already declared a suicide. Once Harry gets a good look, though, the suicide is clearly a murder with magical intent. As he investigates, hoping as always to stop the killer before more die, evidence points to the worst possible suspect: his half brother. In another complicated case, there are a lot of very powerful players, and with the war between the White Council and the Red Court vampires, politics are played hard and fast. In tracking down the killer, Harry manages to catch the attention of the White Court vampires again, too. On top of all that, he is still teaching strong-willed, occasionally impulsive teenager Molly Carpenter, and the teacher-student dynamic is difficult for him. And oh, yes, Lasciel, the demon trapped in a coin Harry has secured under his summoning circle, is a lingering presence. As usual in the Dresden Files, of which this is volume 9, Butcher puts the characters in a lot of danger, creates appalling moral choices for them, and spins an excellent noirish detective yarn in a well-crafted, supernaturally charged setting. The supporting cast is again fantastic, and Harry's wit continues to fly in the face of a peril-fraught plot.



I have that on pre-order. Harry Dresden is good reading. I've read that there's some resolution to the Lasciel plotline, but we'll see...

 

I read the first book and a half, but I didn't get very attached. I just didn't connect with Harry.

 

I think I'm in love with Dresden. Those books totally draw me in. I love the humor he puts into the books as well.

Speaking of Dresden...I'm currently watching the tv show!

 

I started with book 5; I had been told that the books didn't really have to be read in order, as they were all stand-alone. That's partially true. In any case, I really enjoyed books five onwards; going back to book one, I didn't find that the earlier books were as good as the later ones. I think that the Dresden Files are definitely a case of the books getting better as the series progressed - that's a nice change from most long running fantasy series. Further, most fantasy series tend to get a ton of subplots and secondary characters that dilute the story as things go forward, and so subplots choke life out of the story. The Dresden Files does have a large number of long-running subplots, but Butcher has no problem with subplot choke - he has no problem having major characters simply not be part of a given story, only using the characters that are appropriate to the story he wants to tell, rather than try to manufacture a subplot just to get a character into the story.

It probably comes with his books being stand-alone and with having the series plotted out ahead of time. The format makes it hard to screw up the pre-plotted nature of the series. When he finishes his 20 casebooks, and gets to his magical war proper, then maybe he'll find that things extend. But until then, things seem fine, no bloat.

 

I totally agree with that. I was told that it didn't matter to read the books in order and started with one of the later ones. I however then went back and read the rest from the beginning. I think I'm more of a sequential person, so I like knowing everything. But the books do keep getting better and better.

 

*coughWheelofTimecough*

I didn't hear that, so I just started with the first one (plus, I go nuts if I don't read the first one first 20 books???

 

Claimed By Shadow
by Karen Chance
?Paperback: 384 pages
?Publisher: Roc (April 3, 2007)
Clairvoyant Cassie Plamer has inherited new magical powers-including the ability to travel through time. But it's a whole lot of responsibility she'd rather not have. Now she's the most popular girl in town, as an assortment of vamps, fey, and mages try to convince, force, or seduce her-and her magic-over to their side. But one particular master vampire didn't ask what Cassie wanted before putting a claim on her. He had a spell cast that binds her to him, and now she doesn't know if what she feels for him is real-or imagined...


Anyone heard anything about this book? It sounds similar to the Dresden/Anita Blake style of books. I really like those type of books and Anita Blake has gone off the deep end lately...so I was looking for a replacement.

 

QFT

Haven't heard of it, but it looks good and worthy enough to be checked out of the library.

 

WoT is the prime example, yep...


And yes, 20 books. 20 casebooks, and then a trilogy about what's essentially Armaggeddon picking up where book 20 leaves off. All plotted out in advance.


I'm going to give Karen Chance's books a, er, chance.

 

Let me know how it is!

 

I've only read the first two Dresden books, but I'm intending on picking up the rest. I have Dead Beat, but I'm thinking that I should read them in order...

Also, the Spiderman 3 novelization came out the other day.

 

Is it different from this one? I thought it was a comic book...

Spider-Man: Birth of Venomby Jim Shooter (Author), Tom DeFalco (Author), John Byrne (Author), Louise Simonson (Author), David Michelinie (Author), Mike Zeck (Author), Ron Frenz (Author), Rick Leonardi (Author), Greg LaRocque (Author), Todd McFarlane (Author)
Paperback: 344 pages
Publisher: Marvel Comics (April 4, 2007)

The Beyonder's Battleworld might seem a strange place to get new threads, but it's Spider-Man who becomes unraveled when his shape-changing costume attempts to darken his life as well as his fashion sense! But ridding himself of his riotous raiment proves an even greater mistake when its alien enmity bonds with mortal madness to form our hero's most dedicated decimator! Plus: the first appearances of Puma and the Rose! Mary Jane Watson's startling secret! And the debut of the battling...Bag-Man!? Guest-starring the Black Cat, the Fantastic Four and more!

Edit:

Barnes and Noble has this Spiderman book:

Spider-Man 3
by Peter David, Sam Raimi (Based On Work by), Ivan Raimi (Based On Work by), Alvin Sargent (Based On Work by)
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 355pp
Publisher: Pocket Books

How long can any man fight the darkness before he finds it in himself?

Peter Parker has finally managed to strike a balance between his devotion to M.J. and his duties as a Super Hero?. But there is a storm brewing on the horizon. When his suit suddenly changes, turning jet-black and enhancing his powers, it transforms Peter as well, bringing out the dark, vengeful side of his personality that he is struggling to control. Under the influence of the suit, Peter becomes overconfident and starts to neglect the people who care about him most. Forced to choose between the seductive power of the new suit and the compassionate hero he used to be, Peter must overcome his personal demons as two of the most feared villains yet -- Sandman and Venom -- gather unparalleled power

 

Yeah, the top one looks like a TPB Comic. The second one is what I was refering to.

 

*sniffles* All I will say about the novelization is that PAD does it again! *sniffles*

 

Night Life (Berkley Sensation)
by Elizabeth Guest
?Paperback: 304 pages
?Publisher: Berkley (April 3, 2007)

Ancient Egypt takes a bite out of modern-day Las Vegas.

Once a pharaoh, Adrian King has awakened thousands of years later-as a vampire. Now the owner of the Royal Palace in Vegas, he is falling for Egyptologist Christine Day. But others have awakened who will not rest until Adrian is destroyed again, even if it means taking the only true love he's ever known.


The Long Halloween (Absolute Batman) (Hardcover)
by Jeph Loeb (Author), Tim Sale (Illustrator), Christopher Nolan (Introduction)
?Hardcover: 400 pages
?Publisher: DC Comics (April 7, 2007)

Dragons of Time (Dragonlance Anthology
by Margaret Weis (Editor), Tracy Hickman (Editor)
?Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
?Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (April 10, 2007)


Grendel: Devil by the Deed
by Matt Wagner, Rich Rankin (Illustrator)
?Hardcover
?Pub. Date: April 2007


The Shooter
by Barry Sadler
?Format: Mass Market Paperback, 288pp
?Publisher: Tor Books
?Pub. Date: April 2007

It's been decades since the United States pulled their troops out of Vietnam--but many believe the POWs and soldiers listed as MIA still linger, prisoners of a maniacal regime who refuse to give up. Colonel Leonard Oates and Army Major turned magazine publisher, Robert Green, have made the extraction of these remaining POWs their lifelong mission. When solid evidence emerges that at least two American soldiers are still being tortured and held prisoner at a camp nestled among the borders of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, they will do anything, pay any price, to save these men.

Rossen and Tommy are two former Marine Sergeants who went into business for themselves--as assassins. They have contracted with every branch of the Armed Forces, but they have two requirements, the price has to be right, and their targets have to be bad--really bad. Heeding the call of the Colonel and the Major, Rossen and Tommy find themselves deep in the ruins of Angkor Wat, battling for their lives and hunting for this remote prison camp, but what they find is well beyond their worst nightmare. . . .


Triad
by Terry McGarry
?Format: Mass Market Paperback, 608pp
?Publisher: Tor Books
?Pub. Date: April 2007
The magic-steeped realm of Eiden Myr has come under attack from the outerlands. A new power has arisen that may be the key to winning the war of the coast. Is it the light of salvation--or of delusion?

To vanquish darkcraft, mages destroyed a warding that protected the realm for fifteen hundred years. Now the last ragged defenders battle horrors out of nightmare. Their blades are no match for the monstrous onslaught. The shield will fall.

It will take more than the golden light of mages, the copper shine of touches, and the silver glow of visants to stave off annihilation. More than delving the mystery of the bonefolk. More than the forging of an impossible blade. It will take a harrowing passage into realms beyond death, beyond human sight--a quest for the source of light itself.

A great triad will rise, more wondrous and terrible than any before conceived, and the world will be transformed past all imagining.

Shadowed by Wings: Book Two of the Dragon Temple Saga
by Janine Cross
?Format: Mass Market Paperback, 384pp
?Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
?Pub. Date: April 2007
"The Dragon Temple denies the role of dragonmaster to women,

 

Spindrift looks to be very interesting, because it's also set in Steele's Coyote universe, which is a fantastic bit of storytelling. I might pick that up when it hits paperback.

And ooh, it's going to explain some things that happened at the end of Coyote frontier. I'm certainly picking this up sometime.

 

Also, this list might be helpful in the future for upcoming books, from the Internet Speculative Fiction Database: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/fc.cgi