New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

Recent new arrivals at the SF Site office include new works by Elizabeth Haydon, Judith Tarr and Harry Turtledove, Isobelle Carmody, Jonathan Carroll, Hal Clement, and Sarah Isidore, as well as a few classic reprints, most notably A.E. van Vogt's Rull works, and some intriguing compilations, most notably Forrest J. Ackerman's Stories that Morphed into Movies and SFF Net's second Darkfire collection.

Books are listed alphabetically by author. Only books received are noted. Where available, links to SF Site reviews and book excerpts are provided. Click on the thumbnail image to get a closer look at the cover.

New Arrivals: September 15^th - October 15^th

Science-Fiction Classics: The Stories that Morphed into Movies
Compiled by Forrest J. Ackerman
TV Books (trade paperback, 448 pages, $15.95 US/$23.50 Can)
Publication date: 30 August 1999
Hugo award-winning author, Forrest J. Ackerman, has compiled this collection of 15 classic SF stories which were later turned into classic SF movies. Judging this book by its cover, I'd say it's gotta be full of some fun stuff. Glancing inside, I see stories by the likes of Stanley Weinbaum, Ray Bradbury, John W. Campbell, Jr. and others -- including a few I've never heard of. Looks like it's all stories, with minimal editorial blather.

Chris Moore

Iris
William Barton and Michael Capobianco
Avon Eos (paperback, 436 pages, $6.99 US/$8.99 Can)
Publication date: September 1999
From the authors of White Light, comes a tale of alien civilization. "A small, disaffected group of artists, scientists, and software developers en route to Titan, the crew of Deepstar was seeking escape, isolation, and refuge when Iris wandered into the solar system. Now curiosity and wonder are drawing the star travellers to the mysterious gas giant and its hospitable moons -- for here lies their long-sought dream of a new home and future. But an alien space-going vessel -- unimaginably ancient yet astonishingly still operational -- has been left behind on the surface of one of Iris's orbiting satellites by a strange and unknown culture. And the extraordinary artifact is pointing the colonists toward an even more remarkable discover awaiting them on Iris itself..."

Donato

Obernewtyn
Isobelle Carmody
Tor (hardcover, 253 pages, $22.95 US/$32.95 Can)
Publication date: September 1999
Book One of The Obernewtyn Chronicles opens the "saga of a world struggling back from the brink of apocalypse -- and one young girl who holds the key to its salvation." Elspeth Gordie is a Misfit, i.e., someone with enhanced mental abilities, resulting from the fallout from the Great White. By association with this holocaust, Misfits are burned by the Council. Naturally, Elspeth tries to keep her abilities a secret.

Thomas Canty

The Marriage of Sticks
Jonathan Carroll
Tor (hardcover, 270 pages, $23.95 US/$34.95 Can)
Publication date: September 1999
This novel is told in first person by Miranda, a rare book dealer, who delights in finding that one book her customers can't live without. She's a popular, attractive woman who loves her lucrative career which allows her to travel a good part of the year. But like any Carroll character, there is a particular hollowness to her; something she's lost, she's missing, she has yet to find.

Review by Rodger Turner.

The Chopping Block

Half Life
Hal Clement
Tor (hardcover, 252 pages, $23.95 US/$34.95 Can)
Publication date: September 1999
At times, this novel feels like exercising long-unused muscles. But the end result is worth it, a fine reminder of why hard SF resides at the very core of our genre -- that part of our diet that really forces us to think, and think hard, about the big questions -- such as life, death, and the fragile chemical barriers between the two.

Review by John O'Neill.

Hal Just

The Gilded Chain: A Tale of the King's Blades
Dave Duncan
Avon Eos (paperback, 420 pages, $6.99 US/$8.99 Can)
Publication date: September 1999
Never one to tell a simple tale when a more complex one would be even better, Duncan has taken what could have been an uninspired rehash of every sword-swinging hero and molded it into a tale that draws more from the characters and the depth of the story line than it does from bloodshed and swordplay.

Review by Wayne MacLaurin.

Jim Burns

Asimov's Science Fiction: October/November 1999
Edited by Gardner Dozois
(magazine, 240 pages, $5.50 US/$6.95 Can)
Special double issue, packed full fiction, poetry and articles by the likes of Kim Stanley Robinson, Connie Willis, Mike Resnick, Michael Swanwick, Walter Jon Williams, Robert Silverberg, Jack Williamson, Norman Spinrad and, yes, others. Several others. It's a full issue for sure.

The Chopping Block

The Best From Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Fiftieth Anniversary Anthology
Edited by Edward L. Ferman and Gordon Van Gelder
Tor (hardcover, 384 pages, $24.95 US/$35.95 Can)
Publication date: 7 October 1999
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, its current and one of its past editors have put together an outstanding selection of some of the best works to appear recently in that magazine. This collection includes Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning works from a lengthy list of notable names.

Royo

Rhapsody
Elizabeth Haydon
Tor (hardcover, 479 pages, $24.95 US/$35.95 Can)
Publication date: September 1999
"Rhapsody is a woman, a Singer of some talent, who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won't take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half-breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage, one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world." Could this be the hottest new voice of the fat fantasy form?

Dune: House Atreides
Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
Bantam Spectra (hardcover, 604 pages, $27.50 US/$39.95 Can)
Publication date: 12 October 1999
The prequel to one of the most revered novels in the history of SF, from Frank Herbert's son Brian, author of Prisoners of Arionn and Race for God, and Kevin J. Anderson, author of Star Wars: Darksaber and X-Files: Ground Zero.

Review by Greg L. Johnson.

Rowena

The Daughters of Bast: The Hidden Land
Sarah Isidore
Avon Eos (paperback, 373 pages, $6.50 US/$8.50 Can)
Publication date: 7 September 1999
Now here's an interesting mix: "Celtic-inspired and Egyptian-themed." Not only is this book Isidore's fantasy debut, it's also the first in her Daughters of Bast trilogy. "A deadly plague rips across the Celtic lands, and to appease the gods a rare black cat must be sacrificed. But Veleda, loyal servant of the Celtic gods, releases the cat, a magical creature named Mau, and follows it to the magical temple of Bast, the ancient cat-headed goddess of Egypt. Bast and Mau bestow magical gifts upon Veleda and send her on a mission to heal her land and lead her people against the Roman legions protected and assisted by bloodthirsty lion-headed goddess Sekhmet, Bast's dark sister."

The River's Gift
Mercedes Lackey
Roc (hardcover, 122 pages, $14.95/$20.99 Can)
Publication date: 11 October 1999
Third offering in Roc's hardcover novella series. "A new novel from Mercedes Lackey is always a special event. Now, for the first time, this fantasy legend has contributed a brand-new novella for Roc's fantasy hardcover line -- a deluxe showcase for major talents such as Anne McCaffrey and Marion Zimmer Bradley. In The River's Gift, a young woman uses her healing gifts to help a magical horse-like creature -- and receives, in return, the greatest gift of all..."

Review by Jeri Wright.

The Krilov Continuum: The Guardians, Book 1
J.M.H. Lovegrove
TV Books (trade paperback, 351 pages, $9.95 US/$14.50 Can)
Publication date: 1 September 1999
First book in a trilogy. Anyone care for a dose of paranoia? "Thousands of years ago, beings from another dimension gave vast scientific knowledge to humans which they used to build a magnificent island city called Atlantis. In an uncontrolled explosion of human nature, they abused their power and were blown back to the Stone Age. The knowledge they had enjoyed was lost forever, as was the rubble of Atlantis. Their 'gods' backed away in disgust to develop a new plan for mankind. Now, humanity is groping its way up the evolutionary ladder under the invisible supervision of the Guardians, a covert group of men and women chosen by the paraterrestrial beings to prevent us from annihilating ourselves. Their job is to restrain scientific advancement until our maturity catches up with our enthusiasm... but not everyone is happy with enforced restraint. Some humans want to blast open the doors of human achievement, while factions in the alien government are eager to give humans whatever we need to destroy ourselves."

The King of Vinland's Saga
Stuart W. Mirsky
Xlibris (637 pages, trade paperback, $18 US/hardcover $25 US)
Publication date: 1998
"An historical adventure in the heady tradition of Sir Walter Scott, James Fenimore Cooper, and H. Rider Haggard, this book sweeps the reader back to a time when bold men hazarded rough and unknown seas in search of treasure and glory. Denied his birthright at home, Sigtrygg Thorgilsson, orphaned grandson of Leif Eiriksson, must seek his due overseas -- in Leif's half-forgotten land-claim of nearly 50 years before on the shores of the New World -- despite the opposition of greedy and unforgiving kinsmen who would keep his inheritance from him."

Steve Ratzlaff

The Age of Reason: Stories for a New Millennium
Edited by Kurt Roth
SFF Net (trade paperback, 268 pages, $14.95 US)
Publication date: August 1999
This is the second in the Darkfire series from SFF Net; the first was Between the Darkness and the Fire, and there are 3 more in the works. Genres range from faerie stories, to horror, to hard SF. This volume includes 19 stories from old hands and distinguished newcomers, including Geoffrey A. Landis, Lois Tilton, K.D. Wentworth, Paul Levinson, Melisa Michaels, Dave Smeds, Timons Esaias, Lisa S. Silverthorne, Brian Plante, and others. "Welcome to the Next Age. Discover ancient spirits on alien worlds. Escape the Internet or die trying. Search for the next Holy Grail. Meet the new Messiah. These adventures and more await you beyond the turn of the Millennium..."

Lisa DuMond's review of Between the Darkness and the Fire.

Kim Poor

Analog: November 1999
Edited by Stanley Schmidt
(magazine, 144 pages, $3.50 US/$4.95 Can)
Stories by Michael A. Burstein, F. Alexander Brejcha, Pete D. Manison, Ron Goulart, Brian Plante, Shane Tourtellotte, J.W. Donnelly, and Grey Rollins. An interesting article by Stephen L. Gillett, offering some radical views on terraforming Venus -- and more.

Mysteries and Magic
John and Anne Spencer
TV Books (trade paperback, 317 pages, $12.95 US/$19 Can)
Publication date: August 1999
Part of the True Life Encounter Series, this book takes a detailed look at "the origins and explanation behind the Freemasons, the Cabala, Enochian rituals, white and black magic, voodoo, witchcraft, astrology, I-Ching, and tarot cards." Plus a whole lot of other stuff about "the bizarre and the occult -- objectively investigated and reported." (I particularly like the part about the origins of Santa Claus being linked to Shamanic use of hallucinogenic drugs.)

Cynthia von Buhler

Household Gods
Judith Tarr and Harry Turtledove
Tor (hardcover, 508 pages, $27.95 US/$39.95 Can)
Publication date: September 1999
A young woman, modern, professional, and somewhat overwrought, wakes up one morning to find herself in the Roman frontier town of Carnuntum around 170 AD. (And you though learning Latin was a waste of time.) "Delighted at first to be away from corrupt, sexist modern America, she quickly begins to realize that her new world is as complicated as her old one. Violence, dirt, and pain are everywhere -- and yet many of the people she comes to know are as happy as those she knew in 20th century Los Angeles. Slavery is commonplace, gladiators kill for sport, and drunkenness is taken for granted -- but everyday people somehow manage to face life with humour and good will."

Chesley Bonestell

Fantasy & Science Fiction: October/November 1999
Edited by Gordon Van Gelder
(magazine, 320 pages, $5.95 US/$5.95 Can)
This special 50th anniversary issue is special indeed. There's so much material in here that I'm only going to list the contributors whose names don't appear on the cover: Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Curiosities), Charles de Lint (reviews), Paul Di Filippo (an amusing piece on "The History of Snivelization"), Robert K.J. Killheffer (on books), Harold Waldrop (fiction) and Carol Emshwiller (fiction). There are a whole host of others listed on the cover, so no slouching in this issue.

Mark Rogers

The War Against the Rull
A.E. van Vogt
Orb, Tor (trade paperback, 288 pages, $13.95 US/$19.95 Can)
Publication date: August 1999
"When A.E. van Vogt wrote several of his classic stories of The Rull into a novel, he created a work of enduring popularity in the science fiction field. Now back in print for the first time in the 1990s, this Tor edition includes 'The First Rull,' a story that postdates the novel and makes this book the first complete edition of the saga of the war between humanity and alien shapechangers."

Dee Prutsman

The Thirteenth Magician
Patrick Welch
Dark Star (e-book, 210 pages)
Publication date: 1999
This first novel is a dark fantasy about the adventures of Daasek, "a helpless pawn in the battle of the 'gods' over his planet, Horea. He has to find some way to survive while recovering his most precious possession, his very soul." As an e-book, it's available for download from the publisher and on floppy or CD.

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