Tuesday 31 July 2007

Sci-Fi Fan Letter Issue 12

World’s Biggest Bookstore’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Newsletter Issue 12 August 2007

Perdido Street Station
By: China Mieville
For fans of Neil Gaiman, Perdido Street Station offers a mix of dark fantasy with an industrial sense of ambiguity and decay all wrapped up in the chilling story of a rogue theoretical physicist who, unwittingly releases a terrible evil on the bloated city of New Crobuzon. Mieville crafts this city into a character itself alongside insectile artists, Demonic ambassadors, humans twisted into abominations for the sake of justice, science, profit and many others. Followed by The Scar and The Iron Council, Perdido Street Station is a rich if morbid book in an intoxicating setting.
-Leeman (Yonge & Eglinton Chapters)
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One Jump Ahead
By: Mark L. Van Name
Think a military version of James Bond answering to no one but himself, with a sneaky AI attack ship in the role if ‘Q’ and you’ll have a decent idea of what to expect in One Jump Ahead.
Jon Moore accepts a job against his better judgement. And while the job comes off without a hitch, it comes back to haunt him as things in his life suddenly start going wrong and becoming more complicated.
Plenty of action, nifty gadgets and intelligent characters makes this a great read.
-Jessica Strider
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Gardens of the Moon
By: Steven Erikson
The first book in one of the best fantasy series I have ever read. A fantasy book for those readers who are tired of the "by the numbers" fantasy book template. Similar to George R.R. Martin's books only in that the author continuously breaks with convention. Full of power, military might and magic, as well as a list of unforgettable characters who will get under your skin and force you to care about what happens to them. Highly recommended, the series continues to get better as you finish book after book...
-Frank (Yorkdale Indigo)
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Transformation
By: Carol Berg
Seyonne was once a Warden, a man with the magic and knowledge to fight demons - and win. For the past 16 years he has been a slave, his magic ability removed by the Derzhi, the race who conquered his people.
As the novel opens Seyonne is bought by Aleksander, prince of the Derzhi, an arrogant and seemingly unprincipled young man. This surprisingly humoruos novel traces the odd friendship that develops between master and slave. A friendship destined to change both of them.
Carol Berg writes with a facility for dealing with strong emotion that forces you to not just read about her character’s lives but experience them as though you were living the events yourself.
This is a touching tale of power, friendship and what it takes to be a man in a difficult world.
- Jessica Strider
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Metropolis
By: Thea Von Harbou
How did such an amazing piece of literature become so forgotten that it required the re-release of the silent, black and white film, for me to hear about it?
Thea Von Harbou’s exquisite use of repetition creates a novel that reads more like poetry, or a prayer, than a story. Yet it is the story of the young privileged son of Metropolis’s creator that makes the book memorable. Watching Freder learn about the plight of the working man and seeing his obsession with the beautiful Maria bloom into love culminates in the double message propounded by the author.
Furthermore, the description of the machines that run Metropolis, and their desire for ‘human food’, as well as their effect on the people who run them, makes this a look at the future that rivals the works of Wells, Verne and Orwell.
This is a book you’ll have to read more than once.
- Jessica Strider

Coming in September: Hardcover:
House of the Stag - Kage Baker
Queen of the Wolves - Douglas Clegg
Reap the Wild Wind - Julie Czerneda
Vorpal Blade - Eric Flint & Travis Taylor
Moon in the Mirror - P.R. Frost Dark Lord - Ed Greenwood
Palladian Mask - Tappan King
A Desert Called Peace - Tom Kratman
Feral Sapiens - M.I. Lake
Fleet of the Worlds - Larry Niven & Edward Lerner
Fathom - Cherie Priest
Forgotten Realms: Orc King - R.A. Salvatore
Return of the Sorcerer - Clark Ashton Smith
Sunrise Lands - S.M. Stirling
All About Elfland - Freda Warrington
Quadrail Sequel - Timothy Zahn

Trade Paperback:
Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie
Divine by Blood - P.C. Cast
Inferno - Ellen Datlow
Guards of Heaven - Simon R. Green
Darkness of the Gods - Amber Hayward
Ravenloft: Scholar of Decay - Tanya Huff
River of Gods - Ian McDonald
City of the Beast - Michael Moorcock
Splinter - Adam Roberts
Winterbirth - Brian Ruckley
When the People Fell - Cordwainer Smith
Electric Church - Jeff Somers

Mass Market Paperback:
War Hammer: Lord of Ruin - Dan Abnett & Mike Lee
Slan Hunter - Kevin J. Anderson
Class Dis-Mythed - Robert Asprin & Jody Lynn Nye
Vlad Novel - Steven Brust
Territory - Emma Bull
Destiny’s Forge - Paul Chafe
Spellwright - Blake Charlton
Lady of Serpents - Douglas Clegg
Man-kzin Wars XI - Hal Cole batch & Matthew Harrington
Dragon Lance: Destiny - Tonya Cook & Paul Thompson
Crossroads - Kate Elliott
Toll the Hounds - Steven Erikson
Worlds of Making - David Forbes
Hounding the Moon - P.R. Frost
Heroes in Training - Martin Greenberg & Jim Hines
The Two Worlds - James Hogan
Royal Destiny - Morgan Howell
Diablo: Veiled Prophet - Richard Knaak
30 Days of Night - Tim Lebbon
Music to my Sorrow - Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edgehill
Innocent Mage - Karen Miller
Diamond Isle - Stan Nicholls
Empire of Ivory - Naomi Novik
Battle at the Moons of Hell - Graham Sharp Paul
Birth of the Pack - Petru Popescu
War Hammer: Dark Apostle - Anthony Reynolds
Princess of Wands - John Ringo
Devil’s Right Hand - Lilith Saintcrow
Dragon Lance: Stolen Sun - Jeff Sampson
Star Trek: Captain’s Glory - William Shatner, Garfield Reeves-Stevens & Judith Reeves-Stevens
Genesis - Ken Shufeldt
Forgotten Realms: Heirs of Prophecy - Lisa Smedman
A Meeting at Corvallis - S.M. Stirling
At All Costs - David Weber

Monday 30 July 2007

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Bookstore Event

At midnight on July 21st Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out. I, along with several thousand other people, eagerly awaited its release. In anticipation of the event, our store set up decorations and staff put on costumes. We had a sorting hat, tarot readings, interesting critter and potions lessons. Here's the result:

Disclaimer

Now that all the back issues are up, it seems like a good time to explain what this blog is and is not. Each issue of the Newsletter tries to mix science fiction and fantasy, new authors and established authors. Using a mix of publishers websites and the Chapters/Indigo website I compile a list of books coming out each month. This list is not comprehensive (though I am constantly improving its accuracy) as there are always new publishing companies and self-published books I will not discover before they are published. And while I state that books will be released in a given month, due to the nature of the publishing industry those dates may become defunct.
Also, while the reviews on this blog are contributed by several people the site is maintained by one individual and therefore the ideas and opinions contained herein are those of that individual alone and not those of the World's Biggest Bookstore, or its parent company, Indigo.
Please feel free to comment or give me any suggestions you may have about this blog or the newsletter.

-Jessica Strider

Sci-Fi Fan Letter Issue 11

World’s Biggest Bookstore’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Newsletter Issue 11 July 2007

The Alchemyst
By: Michael Scott
The Alchemyst is the first in a six book series. It focuses on the true legend of Nicholas Flamel, who is rumoured to know the secret of eternal life, or what is called the Philosopher’s Stone. The story takes place in San Francisco, where twins, Sophie and Josh Newman, are staying the summer with a relative. Josh gets a job at a bookstore which is owned by Flamel and his wife, but things are not as they seem. Dr. John Dee comes to the bookstore to steal a book, known as the Book of Abraham the Mage, which holds secrets that are so powerful that in the wrong hands they could destroy the world.
Sophie and Josh come to Nicholas’s rescue but Dr. Dee gets the book minus the last two pages. While Dr. Dee hunts down the twins for the pages, the twins learn that they are mentioned in a prophecy in the book and are the only ones that can save the world. But first their powers must be awakened.
This is a great novel which intertwines legend and fantasy with ease. If you’re looking for a book that provides excitement and thrills at every turn (and don’t mind crows attacking cars on the Golden Gate Bridge and cats turning half human) this is a book for you.
- Sheila
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Transformers: The Movie Adaptation
Writer: Kris Oprisko
Artist: Alex Milne
As a lead-up to the much-anticipated Transformers feature film, Transformers: The Movie Adaptation generates as much excitement as any movie trailer. Kris Oprisko’s quick pacing keeps the reader engrossed while his quick dialogue keeps the reader smiling. Alex Milne’s art is dynamic and is a great mix of realistically rendered people and manga influenced vehicles and, of course, the Autobots and Decepticons. However, the best part of the comic is the constant sense of suspense waiting for the next reference to the classic 1980s cartoon show. There are several moments that will have fans of the old school Transformers excited, particularly the formal introduction of the heroic Autobots. It is this nostalgia that makes Transformers: The Movie Adaptation a fun read.
- Chud
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Marked
By P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
You know what can get on my nerves at times? A review written on the front cover of a book where the reviewer is telling me how they could not put the book down. Okay. Fine. You couldn’t put the book down. Do I care? Let me tell you, I read this book and I did put it down all of two times because I had to go back to work. So there! They were so wrong. J Now, on with the review.
Nobody fully understands how people become vampyres. Zoey Redbird certainly doesn’t. All she knows is that one day she was at school, complaining about her mother and step-father to her best friend and trying to fight the beginnings of a nasty cold, when she was summoned by the Tracker: “Night has chosen thee; thy death will by thy birth. Night calls to thee; hearken to Her sweet voice.”
Now Zoey is Marked—Marked for death, Marked to become a vampyre if she can survive the change.
But that’s not all.
She has been Marked in a special way, by the hand of the Goddess Nyx no less, to fulfill a destiny that has been long in the making.
Welcome, Zoey Redbird, to the House of Night. For fans of “Twilight” and “New Moon”, this is definitely a good book to read as you are waiting for the third instalment of the series. Just be sure to start it at the beginning of the day so that there’s no reason for you to put it down because, trust me, it’s hard to.
- Mel
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The Summoner
By: Gail Martin
Looking for a story that breathes new life into epic fantasy? Then look no further.
When Prince Martris Drayke accidentally witnesses his half-brother, Jared, murder their father, he is unexpectedly turned into the fugitive blamed for that death. Hunted by soldiers and Jared’s Firedan mage, Foor Arontala, Tris must make his way to Dhasson and the aid of his uncle.
But Jared’s plans are more varied than Tris believes, and if Tris wants to revenge himself on his brother and reclaim his country he will have to learn the magic of his grandmother and become a summoner.
Filled with ghosts, slavers, fights and a touch of romance, this novel has something for everyone.
- Jessica Strider
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Coming in August

Hardcover:
A Betrayal in Winter - Daniel Abraham
Aftermath - Ben Bova
Elves of Cintra - Terry Brooks
Warlord - Jennifer Fallon
Pyramid Power - Eric Flint & Dave Freer
Sandworms of Dune - Brian Herbert
Radio Freefall - Matthew Jarpe
Red Seas under Red Skies - Scott Lynch
Ravens of Avalon - Diana Paxson & Marion Zimmer Bradley
Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson
Queen of Cadesce - Karl Schroeder
Fox - Sherwood Smith

Trade Paperback:
War Hammer: Saint - Dan Abnett
Trouble with Humans - Christopher Anvil
As Fate Decrees - Denyse Bridger
Infinity Plus - Keith Brooke & Nick Gevers
Miles, Mutants & Microbes - Lois McMaster Bujold
Ilario: The Stone Golem - Mary Gentle
Anubis Murders - Gary Gygax
Almuric - Robert Howard
Sleeping God - Violette Malan
Blade of Fortriu - Juliet Marillier
N-Space - Larry Niven
Ivory - Mike Resnick
Set the Seas on Fire - Chris Roberson
Cast in Secret - Michelle Sagara

Mass Market Paperback:
Embraced by Darkness - Keri Arthur
Machine’s Child - Kage Baker
Undertow - Elizabeth Bear
Door Through Space - Marion Zimmer Bradley
Sea Change - Patricia Bray
Straken - Terry Brooks
Tanequil - Terry Brooks
Till Human Voices Wake Us - Mark Budz
Widdershins - Charles De Lint
Star Wars: Inferno - Troy Denning
Star Trek: Resistance - J.M. Dillard
Midnight Tides - Steven Erikson
Star Trek: Death in Winter - Michael Jan Friedman
Pandora’s Closet - Martin Greenberg & Jean Rabe
Eberron: Storm Dragon - Ed Greenwood
Forgotten Realms: Black Wolf - Dave Gross
Death of a Darklord - Laurell Hamilton
War Hammer: Star of Damocles - Andy Hoare
The Two Worlds - James Hogan
Ultimates: Against All Enemies - Alex Irvine
Forgotten Realms: Shadow storm - Paul Kemp
Music to My Sorrow - Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edgehill
Mirror Prince - Violette Malan
Magic The Gathering: Lorwyn - Scott McGough & Cory Herndon
Man-Kzin Wars XI - Larry Niven
Dragon Lance: Rebellion - Jean Rabe
Spellbinder - Melanie Rawn
War Craft: Tides of Darkness - Aaron Rosenberg
Slaine the Defiler - Steven Savile
Thraxas & the Dance of Death - Martin Scott
Forgotten Realms: Storm of the Dead - Lisa Smedman
Inda - Sherwood Smith
Dervish Daughter - Sheri Tepper
Hallowmere: In the Serpent’s Coils - Tiffany Trent
Farthing - Jo Walton
Spriggan Mirror - Lawrence Watt-Evans
In Fury Born - David Weber
War Hammer: The Place of the Plague Lord - C.L. Werner
Blood of the Heroes - Steve White

Sci-Fi Fan Letter Issue 10

World’s Biggest Bookstore’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Newsletter Issue 10 June 2007

Bright of the Sky
By: Kay Kenyan
A brilliantly detailed science fiction novel. The story follows Titus Quinn, a former shuttle pilot who disappeared after his ship blew up. Six months later he was found, an impossible distance away, mostly amnesiac and babbling about having lived ten years on another world. A world he claimed was connected with, but invisible to, our own. A world where his wife and daughter were still trapped. His company, Minerva, thought him insane, until, two years later, they discover evidence that this world exists.
Now Quinn is being sent back, to find out if travelling through this alien world could be a safe short cut to planets in our galaxy. But Quinn has his own objectives for this mission, and not even Minerva’s threats against his family on earth will make him forget that he has closer family on this other world.
The alien Entire, with its strange technologies, original creatures and ‘borrowed’ cultures, show that Kay Kenyan is a true mistress of her craft.
-Jessica Strider
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Batman: The Long Halloween
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Tim Sale
Building on the foundation laid by Frank Miller's classic Batman: Year One, The Long Halloween focuses on the budding career of a young Batman. Jeph Loeb crafts a gripping murder mystery that is accessible for any reader. However, it is especially appealing for long time fans of the Dark Knight, who will enjoy a lot of the nuances of the story. A particular treat will be Tim Sale's dark and moody art work which is perfect for the subject matter. Sale's penciling evokes the work of Bill Finger -- the legendary Batman artist of the 1940s.
The Long Halloween is a rare treat: a sequel that is stronger then the original and a must-read for any fan of Batman.
-Chud
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Nightlife
By Rob Thurman
Monsters are real. Cal Leandros has grown up believing that because he’s one of them. Well, half to be precise. His father is an Auphe, or “elf”, one of the scariest beings there are. They are so frightening that other monsters and things that go bump in the night don’t even want mess with them. Cal and his half brother Nick—who is also his self-appointed protector—would love nothing more than to avoid them as well. As if things would be that simple. The Auphe have been watching Cal for most of his life and now they want to arrange a little family reunion. They want him. And they will not stop hunting him until they get what they want: the secret hidden inside his DNA…
The first thing that attracted me to this book was its awesome cover. What kept me reading was the author’s engaging writing style and the relationship between Cal and his half brother Nick. I honestly could not put this book down and would encourage people who have not read it to give it a try. You won’t regret it.
-Mel
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Paladin of Souls
By: Lois McMaster Bujold
Read on its own or as a very loose sequel to the Curse of Chalion, Paladin of Souls is phenomenal. It is refreshing to find a middle aged female protagonist, and the feisty, once mad, Dowager Royina has such a compelling history that once you start reading you simply can’t stop. She decides to ‘escape’ her confinement to an out of the way castle by taking an extended pilgrimage, which has the misfortune of encountering enemy soldiers on the way. Rescued, Ista finds herself in a castle where a mystery involving a death, a demon and a god is underway. Reminiscent of her troubled youth when she was god-touched, Ista has no desire to re-enter the realm of the uncanny, yet re-enter it she must if she wishes to survive what’s coming.
It’s easy to see how this book won the Hugo award for best novel.
- Jessica Strider

Coming in July

Hardcover:
Sons of Heaven - Kage Baker
Wanderer’s Tale - David Bilsborough
High King’s Tomb - Kristen Britain
Territory - Emma Bull
Shift - Chris Dolley
Mirror of Worlds - David Drake
Distant Magic - M.J. Putney
A Deeper Blue - John Ringer
Deepwood - Jennifer Roberson
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
Slan Hunter - A.E. Van Vogt
Dragon Lance: Dragons of the High Lord Skies - Margaret Weis

Trade Paperback:

Ilario: The Lion’s Eye - Mary Gentle
Space Opera Renaissance - David Hartwell
Bone Key - Sarah Monette
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 10 - Dean Wesley Smith

Mass Market:
A Shadow in Summer - Daniel Abraham
Exit Strategy - Kelly Armstrong
Daemon Eyes - Camille Bacon-Smith
Armageddon’s Children - Terry Brooks
Gangster Conspiracy - Chris Bunch
Forgotten Realms: Shattered Mask - Richard Lee Byers
Plague Year - Jeff Carlson
Fortress of Ice - C.J. Cherryh
Weatherwitch - Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Eberon: Left Hand of Death - Parker DeWolf
Dance of Time - Eric Flint
Candle of Distant Earth - Alan Dean Foster
Man vs. Machine - Martin Greenberg & John Helfes
Separate War & Other Stories - Joe Haldeman
King’s Property - Morgan Howell
Eunich’s Heir - Elaine Isaak
Forgotten Realms: Howling Delve - Jaleigh Johnson
Valentine’s Exile - E.E. Knight
War Hammer: Invasion! - Mike Lee
Bitterwood - James Maxey
Sorcerer’s Moon - Julian May
Second Wave - Anne McCaffrey & Elizabeth Scarborough
War Hammer: Fulgrim - Graham McNeill
Virtu - Sarah Monette
Star Trek: Fearful Symmetry - Leanna Morrow
Mask of the Outcasts - Andre Norton
War Hammer: Rebel Winter - Steve Parker
Four Forged - Jenna Rhodes
Forgotten Realms: Road of the Patriarch - R.A. Salvatore
Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
Sun of Suns - Karl Schroeder
Dragon Lance: Queen of the Sea - Ree Soesbee
Bridge of the Separator - Harry Turtledove
Slan - A.E. Van Vogt

Sci-Fi Fan Letter Issue 9

World’s Biggest Bookstore’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Newsletter Issue 9 May 2007

For a Few Demons More
By Kim Harrison
What can be worse than waking up with a demon possessing you? Well, how about calling up another demon to get rid of it, for one? Or trying to figure out if the recent were’ suicides is your fault? Or how about dealing with the fact that the vampire you put in jail has been pardoned and can’t wait to sink his fangs into your jugular?
What’s a witch to do?
This is the fifth Rachel Morgan book by Kim Harrison and it doesn’t fail to deliver from beginning to end. Warning: prepare yourself for a surprise ending.
-Mel
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Goblin Quest
By: Jim Hines
Meet Jig. He’s a goblin runt. He’s about to have a really bad day. As if muck duty weren’t enough, his pet fire spider has burned off all his hair and the bullying captain Porak has sent him ahead on patrol while the rest of the goblin guard gambles. Things might have turned out ok if only Jig hadn’t run into that group of adventurers…
Meet the adventurers. Prince Barius is the warrior, his brother Ryslind is the magician. They’ve got a dwarf too, Darnak, who keeps them from killing each other. And don’t forget the elven thief crouching over there in the corner. They’re about to kill Porak’s goblin patrol because, well, goblins are evil and that’s what adventurers do, right? They’re looking for the Rod of Creation and no monster, not even the ‘rightful’ owner of the rod will stand in their way.
And Jig? Jig’s about to become their guide. If only he knew where the Rod of Creation was…
Taken from the goblin’s rather unique perspective, this well plotted quest has you questioning your beliefs about heroes and the honour that they kill by. A wonderful first novel.
-Jessica Strider
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Dragons of the Dwarven Depths
By: Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
In this new series, Weis and Hickman go back to the beginning of the DragonLance series, the Chronicles, and fill in some missing areas between the novels. This first book starts the story after saving the refugees of Pax Tharkas and trying to find a safe place from the forces of the Dragon Army and their Queen. The heroes of the lance, Tanis, Caramon, Raistlin, Sturm, Flint, Riverwind, Goldmoon and Tasslehoff face new dangers and adventures. One major dilemma they deal with is the belief in whether or not the Gods have returned to help them against the evil Queen.
Dragons of the Dwarven Depths tells the story of the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin and how it was lost after the Chaos War and how it will be found. Tanis and Flint set off to find the entrance to the lost kingdom with Flint trying to deal with his feelings towards the dwarves that locked the hill dwarves out during the Chaos War. Flint also deals with his feelings on how he can become a true hero to his people. Raistlin deals with memories of a dead wizard and how he seems to know all the answers the heroes need to find the lost kingdom. Unfortunately he cannot convince the others that his is the right way. Meanwhile, the Dragon Army is getting ready to eliminate the refugees because they no longer need their services because they found others willing to help within the depths of the long forgotten dwarven nation.
This book gives answers to the questions left over from the Chronicles and adds another dimension to the characters and how they dealt with the inner struggles that always seemed to tear them apart.
-Sheila
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Only Forward
By: Michael Marshall Smith
Imagine you were narrating your life story. Would you tell it all? Would you stick to the truth?
Stark doesn’t. Oh, he’ll tell you what you need to know. What he thinks you need to know at any rate, in order to understand him. But he won’t tell you everything. And that makes his story all the more compelling.
Think F. Paul Wilson’s Repairman Jack in a futuristic world where Neighbourhoods are organized according to certain criteria: Sound (dedicated to silence), the Centre (dedicated to industry), Natsci (to technology), Stable (to keeping the outside world OUT).
Stark is ‘hired’ by executives at the Centre to find a kidnapped VIP, a quest that requires Stark to call in favours from various friends. But the more he learns the more he realizes that he is not the only one telling his story using less than the whole truth.
-Jessica Strider
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Coming in June
Hardcover:
War Hammer: Brothers of the Snake - Dan Abnett
Alton Gift - Marion Bradley
Ragamuffin - Tobias Buckell
Sharing Knife: Legacy - Lois McMaster Bujold
Kushiel’s Justice - Jaquelilne Carey
Darkness of the Light - Peter David
Interworld - Neil Gaiman
Man with the Golden Torc - Simon R. Green
Wasteland - Shannon Hale
Harlequin - Laurell K. Hamilton
Kop - Warren Hammond
Heart of Valor - Tanya Huff
Mainspring - Jay Lake
Year of the Grey Wolf - Andre Norton
Unexpected Apprentice - Jody Lynn Nye
Shelter - Susan Palwick
WH: Priests of the Old World - Green Ronin
Star Fist: Firestorm - David Sherman
Dead Easy - Wm. Mark Simmons
One Jump Ahead - Mark L. Van Name

Trade Paperback:
Fire Opal - Catherine Asaro
Ravenloft: The Covenant - Elaine Bergstrom
Widdershins - Charles De Lint
USR Bin Good - Cory Doctorow
Reaper’s Gale - Steven Erikson
Night of Knives - Ian Esslemont
Burning Bridges - Lauren Gilman
Strange Candy - Laurell K. Hamilton
Harsh Cry of the Heron - Lian Hearn
Greener Shore - Morgan Llywelyn
The Spider: Robot Titans of Gotham - Norvell Page
Settling Accounts: The Grapple - Harry Turtledove
Wraith - Phaedra Weldon

Mass Market:
BSI: Starside: Death Sentence - Roger Macbride Allen
Forgotten Realms: Scream of Stone - Philip Athens
Star Trek: Buried Age - Christopher Bennett
Helix - Eric Brown
War Hammer: Enemy Within - Richard Byers
Chanur’s Endgame - C.J. Cherryh
Weatherwitch - Cecelia Dart-Thornton
Battlestar Galactica: Sagittarius is Bleeding - Peter David
Fantastic Four: What Lies Between - Peter David
Honored Enemy - Raymond E. Feist
Dance of Time - Eric Flint & David Drake
Warrior - Jennifer Fallon
Phantom - Terry Goodkind
Forgotten Realms: Swords of Eveningstar - Ed Greenwood
Smoke & Ashes - Tanya Huff
Star Wars: Path of Destruction - Drew Karpyshyn
Retief’s Peace - William Keith Jr.
Hidden Worlds - Kristin Landon
Cadmian’s Choice - L.E. Modesitt
Masks of the Outcasts - Andre Norton
Hellgate: London - Mel Odom
Dragon Lance: Shadow of the Flame - Chris Pierson
Kildar - John Ringo
Firebird - R. Garcian Y Robertson
Perfect Dark: Second Front - Greg Rucka
Magic Lost, Trouble Found - Lisa Shearin
Blood Drive - Jeanne Stein
Glasshouse - Charles Stross
Disunited States of America - Harry Turtledove

Anne Bishop Event

Sunday April 29th the World's Biggest Bookstore had the pleasure of having Anne Bishop in store for a reading from her new book Belladonna. Sequel to Sebastian, Belladonna completes the Ephemera duology.





Sci-Fi Fan Letter Issue 8

World’s Biggest Bookstore’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Newsletter Issue 8 April 2007

Sebastian
By: Anne Bishop
Ephemera is a land where the desires of the heart determine your world and your place in that world. Crossing a bridge may take you to the other side or to another land entirely.
Sebastian is an incubus, disenchanted by his life in the Den of Iniquity. In his longing for change, he touches the mind of Lynnea, a woman unloved, and calls to her. When she arrives in the Den, Sebastian knows she does not belong. He wants her to stay but knows she should leave.
Meanwhile, Sebastian contacts his cousin, Belladonna, a landscaper in charge of maintaining the structure of the world and long since declared rogue, about a series of strange murders. She discovers that the Eater of the World, has escaped Its imprisonment and must find a way to recapture it.
A fascinating world filled with interesting people.
-Jessica Strider

***Meet Anne Bishop in store Sunday April 29th at 4pm.***
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Star Wars: Allegiance
By: Timothy Zahn
Another masterful Star Wars novel by Timothy Zahn, Allegiance takes place sometime between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Zahn reveals a little more about Admiral Ozzel, and how Han Solo found himself allied with the Rebels, including his budding relationship with Princess Leia.
Most exciting of all, Zahn brings Mara Jade right into the mix of things, exposing more of her history as the Emperor’s Hand, and showing us a different side of the woman who would be tasked with killing Luke Skywalker. With the introduction of a handful of storm troopers who begin to see the Empire differently after the destruction of the second Death Star, Allegiance brings Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker tantalizingly close to meeting before Heir to the Empire.
As always, Zahn wraps action, conspiracy, intelligence and emotion up into a great book, with the voices of George Lucas’s creations rising from the pages. And, yes, of course Darth Vader graces the reader with his ominous presence.
A must-read for Star Wars fans who want something that takes them back to the movies, as opposed to the New Jedi Order.
-Kat
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Shadowplay
By: Tad Williams
For all those who read Shadowmarch and waited the year and a half for the sequal, you will not be disappointed in this book. In fact, you will want to know the end as soon as possible.
Shadowplay brings the fairy people from the fairy realm to stand in front of castle Shadowmarch waiting for their final assault on the sunlanders. Meanwhile Barrick is beyond the shadowline, while his twin sister Briony is somewhere south. They have many adventures and face different dangers, but quickly realize that their fate is not in their own hands and that the mysterious things that are happening to them have to do with their blood line. Each feels that they left their kingdom in great danger and are trying to figure out how they can help the March Kingdoms win a war they never expected.
Tad Williams weaves a tale of intrigue and suspense with numerous twists and turns. When you finish this book you will be hoping it does not take another year and a half for the next book in the series to come out.
-Sheila
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Summers at Castle Auburn
By: Sharon Shinn
Known best for her Archangel series, Sharon Shinn is the author of several one-shot fantasy and science fiction books as well.
Summers at Castle Auburn is told from the point of view of Coriel Halsing, the bastard daughter of a deceased nobleman. Less a coming of age story than a loss of innocence tale, the story details Coriel’s life at court at ages 14, 17 and 18.
We see her first as a precocious girl in love with prince Bryan, her sister’s betrothed. As she grows up she learns that life is not as simple as she always thought, learning lessons that are as painful as they are necessary.
Beautifully written, the novel makes you think about happiness, duty and most importantly, love.
-Jessica Strider
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Coming in May
Hardcover:
Mistress of Winter - Giles Carwyn & Todd Fahnestock
Wizards - Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois
Serpent Bride - Sara Douglass
Mother of Lies - Dave Duncan
Broken Kings - Robert Holdstock
All Together Dead - Charlaine Harris
Spirit Store - Katharine Kerr
Lucy’s Blade - John Lambshead
Well of Shades - Juliet Marillier
Margarets - Sheri Tepper
Star Wars: Sacrifice - Karen Traviss
The Gladiator - Harry Turtledove
Ninth Talisman - Lawrence Watt-Evans
1634: Baltic War - David Weber & Eric Flint
Dragon and Judge - Timothy Zahn
Silver Sword - David Zindell

Trade Paperback:
Moving Mars - Greg Bear
At Twilight’s Fall - Elizabeth Forrest
Seraphs - Faith Hunter
Logorrhea - John Klima
Blade of Fortriu - Juliet Marillier
A Nameless Witch - A. Lee Martinez
Coyote Dreams - C.E. Murphy
From the Sea to the Stars - Andre Norton
Star Trek: Twist of Fate - S.D. Perry +
Awakened City - Victoria Strauss

Mass Market Paperback:
Rifkind’s Challenge - Lynn Abbey
Betrayal - Aaron Allston
War Hammer: Murder in Marienburg - David Bishop
Helix - Eric Brown
Crystal Rain - Tobias Buckell
Secret Story - Ramsey Campbell
Eberron: Night of the Long Shadows - Paul Crilley
Forgotten Realms: Best of the Realms III - Elaine Cunningham
Resonance - Chris Dolley
Druid’s Sword - Sara Douglass
Way to Glory - David Drake
Heart of the Stars - Kate Forsyth
Star Craft: Firstborn - Christie Golden
Phantom - Terry Goodkind
Light - M. John Harrison
Year’s Best SF #12 - David Hartwell
Goblin Hero - Jim Hines
Mass Effect: Revelation - Drew Karpyshyn
Retief’s Peace - William Keith
The Gold Falcon - Katharine Kerr
Blood Knight - Greg Keyes
When Darkness Falls - Mercedes Lackey
Star Trek: Reap the Whirlwind - David Mack
Army of the Fantastic - John Marco & John Helfers
Second Wave - Anne McCaffrey
Once Upon an Autumn Eve - Dennis McKiernan
War Hammer: Hero of the Imperium - Sandy Mitchell
Cadman’s Choice - L.E. Modesitt
Beast Master’s Quest - Andre Norton
Forgotten Realms: Gossamer Plain - Thomas Reid
Kildar - John Ringo
Perfect Dark: Secret Front - Greg Rucka
Ardneh’s Sword - Fred Saberhagen
Ghost Brigades - John Scalzi
Thraxas and the Sorcerers - Martin Scott
Habeas Corpses - Wm Mark Simmons
Dragon Lance: Warrior’s Blood - Stephen Sullivan
Jinian Star-eye - Sheri Tepper
Farthing - Jo Walton
Dragon Lance: Dragons in the Dwarven Depths - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
Dragon and Herdsman - Timothy Zahn

Sci-Fi Fan Letter Issue 7

World’s Biggest Bookstore’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Newsletter Issue 7 March 2007

Battle Royale
By: Koushun Takami
Shuuya Nanahara has just become a contestant of Battle Royale, game of the 1984 style fascist Japan. Shuuya’s task: to kill every single person of his second year high school class without crossing into a forbidden zone or being killed in turn. Unlike two of his classmates, Shuuya is not a psychopath. And winning the game is not necessarily a prize worth killing for.
Unavoidably graphic, the book is designed to make you question your basic beliefs about humanity and the price of living at the expense of someone else’s life. Battle Royale ends in a revelation more devastatingly thought provoking, for its truth, than the idea that Big Brother is watching.
Rated 16+
-Jessica Strider
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Civil War
By: Marvel Comics
Greeting true believers!
Now that the gang at Marvel Comics has completed this year’s latest (and most fantastic) epic “Civil War”, we fan-boys and girls alike will be able to take our individual 7 part series issues and place them in cellophane -never again to be touched by human hands- and replace them with the collector’s hard cover this spring! But, for those who missed out; what is Civil War?
After a horrible accident involving superheroes and destruction in suburban America, average citizens have come to no longer trust the meta-humans they once idolized. With the government wanting all heroes to belong to the Super Human Registration Act (requiring all masked crime fighters to reveal their identities) an unsealable rift forms between some of Marvel’s heaviest hitters as they face off and take sides.
Should our undecided heroes join Iron Man and sign this new bill? Or follow Captain America in his quest for individual freedom behind the mask?
In creating this new platform, Marvel has completely revamped the universe we’ve come to know and love and it seems as though things will never be the same for any of our beloved characters!
Full of bonus features, the collected hard cover promises to be one of this year’s greatest collections. And don’t forget. Bags and boards are always free at WBB!
-James Duncan
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The Silver Bough
By: Lisa Tuttle
A wonderful fantasy set in a small seaside town in Scotland. A quiet place. A nothing-ever-happens-here place. Well things are starting to happen in sleepy little Appleton. I blame the magic apple. Magic apples are always trouble. Just ask Snow White. Well you know the story. In this story, there are three wonderful heroines, a magic apple, romance, humour, an enchanted library, intrigue and, my personal favourite, mermaids. Just a lovely read and did I mention the mermaids?
-Sandra B
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Burn Dive
By: Karin Lowachee
This is the second book in a completed trilogy of coming of age stories set in deep space during a war with the alien Striviirc-na.
Burn Dive tells the story of Ryan Azarcon, son of the ‘rogue’ captain spearheading the peace talks. But not everyone wants peace and Ryan has become a target. Taken aboard his father’s ship, Macedon, for his protection, Ryan must come to terms with the demons of his own past in order to understand his father’s, or the next assassination attempt will cost more than just his life.
A well realized world in a novel interspersed with unexpected humour.
-Jessica Strider
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Coming in April

Hardcover:

White Night - Jim Butcher
City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
Russian America - Stoney Compton
Outback Stars - Sandra McDonald
Yellow Eyes - John Ringo & Tom Kratman
Last Colony - John Scalzi
Star Trek: Epiphany - Josepha Sherman


Trade Paperback:
Freedom & Necessity - Steven Brust
Borderland - Christopher Golden
Battle Star Galactica: Unity - Steven Harper
Breakfast in the Ruins - Barry Malzberg
Dreaming the Hound - Maranda Scott
Chains of Darkness, Chains of Light - Michelle Sagara West

Mass Market Paperback:
Armies of Memory - John Barnes
Daughter of Independence - Simon Brown
Claimed by Shadow - Karen Chance
War Hammer: Chapter War - Ben Counter
Widdershins - Charles De Lint
Fortress of Glass - David Drake
The Way to Glory - David Drake
War Hammer: Tales of the Old World - Marc Gascoigne & Christian Dunn
Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Marvel Comics
Lasgun Wedding - Will McDermott
Triad - Terry McGarry
Voidfarer - Sean McMullen
Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller
Dark Companion - Andre Norton
Quag Keep - Andre Norton
Halo: Ghosts of Onyx - Eric Nylund
Taste of the Night - Vicki Petterson
Into the Looking Glass - John Ringo
X-Men: The Return - Chris Roberson
Karavans - Jennifer Roberson
Secret History of Vampires - Darrell Schweitzer
Thraxas & the Sorcerers - Martin Scott
Truth Teller’s Tale - Sharon Shinn
Habeas Corpses - Wm. Mark Simmons
Kitty Takes a Holiday - Carrie Vaughn
Rainbow’s End - Vernor Vinge
Eberron: Forge of the Mind Slayers - Tim Waggoner
Wizard Lord - Lawrence Watt-Evans
The Weapon - Michael Z. Williamson

Sunday 29 July 2007

Sci-Fi Fan Letter Issue 6

World’s Biggest Bookstore’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Newsletter Issue 6 February 2007

Something From the Nightside
By Simon R. Green
If you are going to lose something, like say your keys, do not lose them in The Nightside. If they were the keys to your car, get another car. Keys to your apartment you say? Get another place to live. Still need to go to The Nightside? Fine. Be that way. To enter Simon R. Green’s world, you will have to follow our hero, John Taylor. He is a London detective who is very good at finding things. Finding them even when these things are hidden somewhere in The Nightside. In the first story of the series, a girl is missing and John (against his better judgment) takes the girl’s mother to The Nightside to solve the case. Along the way he runs into some of his, shall we say, more colourful friends. Delightful people with names like Razor Eddy and Suzie Shooter. Green has created a strange dark world with some human and some not so human characters. A great, dark and funny read!
-Sandra B
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The Assassin King
By: Elizabeth Haydon
The Assassin King continues the story of Rhapsody’s adventures. After she has given birth, she is saved from a vengeful dragon by Llauron. But doing so may have changed how the dragons control the way the earth and dragon lore develop. The dragons go to a far off home so they can work out what has been lost. War is on the way, the dragon that attacked Rhapsody survived and is still out for revenge, and her best friend Achmed is being hunted, what could be worse?
A living stone statue has sided with a man who wants power and control of the land and is willing to destroy all in order to get it. This could cause the sleeping child to wake and the great worm to destroy everything as we know it.
In The Assassin King, Elizabeth Haydon gives new insight to characters and how they help change the course of events in a time where hope is needed more than anything. She leaves us wanting the next book to see how Rhapsody’s child will affect the timeline in this world.
-Sheila
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Vampire Knight Volume 1
By: Matsuri Hino
Cross Academy is not your typical private school. For one thing, there are two types of classes there: the Day Class and the Night Class. For another, Day Class students are never allowed to be outside of their dorms after sunset, the time when the Night Class students emerge from their own separate dorm to go to classes.
Yuki Cross and her partner Zero Kiryu are part of Cross Academy’s Disciplinary Committee. Their job: to maintain order between the two types of students, to protect the students of the Day Class and to prevent them from knowing Cross Academy’s biggest secret: the Night Class is full of vampires.
Matsuri Hino is at her best in this piece. This is a brilliant series full of great plot twists and plenty of bishounen (yum). I highly recommend it. Be on the look out for the rest of this four volume series.
-Mel
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Poison Study
By: Maria V. Snyder
Don’t be fooled by the Luna insignia on the spine, Poison Study is not a romance thinly disguised as a fantasy novel.
When Yelena, a convicted murderer, is given a stay of execution in return for becoming the Commander’s new food taster, she has no idea how complicated her life is about to become.
Yelena faces death from all sides, from the General whose son she killed, the southern magicians who fear her uncontrolled hidden magic, and the poison in her body, used as a means of keeping her from escaping.
Her frantic attempts to survive, told in Snyder’s entertaining first person narration, will keep you turning pages and leave you reaching for the sequel.
-Jessica Strider
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Coming in March
Hardcover:
Belladonna - Anne Bishop
War Hammer: Ravenor Rogue - Dan Abnett
The Silver Ship and the Sea - Brenda Cooper
Antagonist - Gordon Dickson & David Wixon
Into a Dark Realm - Raymond Feist
Future Weapons of War - Joe Haldeman & Martin Greenberg
For a Few Demons More - Kim Harrison
Fortune’s Fool - Mercedes Lackey
Web of the Trident - Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Wolf’s Blood - Jane Lindskold
The Quest for the Trilogy - Mel Odom
60 Days and Counting - Kim Stanley Robinson
Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
Hell Hath No Fury - David Weber & Linda Evans
Shadowplay - Tad Williams
Sword of the Deceiver - Sarah Zettel

Trade Paperback:
To Outlive Eternity - Poul Anderson
Serpent and the Rose - Kathleen Bryan
Star Trek: Obsidian Alliances - Peter David, Keith DeCondido & Sarah Shaw
Alchemist’s Apprentice - Dave Duncan
Cygnet - Patricia McKillip
Psion - Joan Vinge

Mass Market Paperback:
Ill Wind - Kevin Anderson & Doug Beason
Dragon Lance: Great White Wyrm - Peter Archer
Sebastian - Anne Bishop
Titan - Ben Bova
Ravenloft: To Sleep With Evil - Andria Cardarelle
War Hammer: Chapter War - Ben Counter
Regeneration - Julie Czerneda
Star Trek: Command and Conquer - Keith DeCandido
House of Chains - Steven Erikson
A Mankind Witch - Dave Freer
Battle Star Galactica: Cylons’ Secret - Craig Gardner
Hellboy: Dragon Pool - Christopher Golden
If I Were an Evil Overlord - Martin Greenberg & Russell Davis
Judas Unchained - Peter Hamilton
Poisoned Crown - Amanda Hemingway
In the Eye of Heaven - David Keck
Diablo: Scales of the Serpent - Richard Knaak
Dark Mirror - Juliet Marillier
Crystal Soldier - Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Dark Companion - Andre Norton
Scent of Shadows - Vicki Patterson
Watch on the Rhine - John Ringo & Tom Kratman
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
Dragon Lance: Ebony Eye - Jeff Sampson
War Hammer: Retribution - Steve Savile
Forgotten Realms: Depths of Magic - Erik Scott de Bie
Flashfire - David Sherman
13th House - Sharon Shinn
Games of Command - Linnea Sinclair
War Hammer: Flight of the Eisenstein - James Swallow
Blood and Rust - S.A. Swiniarski
Moonshine - Rob Thurman
Alternate Generals III - Harry Turtledove
Eberron: Forge of the Mind Slayers - Tim Waggoner
The Weapon - Michael Williamson

Sci-Fi Fan Letter Issue 5

World’s Biggest Bookstore’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Newsletter Issue 5 January 2007

Feature Article
“Marvelous! I enjoyed every moment of it.” This is the endorsement Frank Herbert, author of Dune, gave the Sword of Shannara. Have you ever wondered whether authors actually read the books they endorse? Are they like sports figures and actors, paid for saying something good about the book whether they like it or not?
I asked Terry Brooks whether he reads every book he endorses. His answer, yes. Nor does he endorse every book that comes his way. He has a set of criteria it must meet before he will put his name to it. The book must appeal to the audience that reads his novels. It must not include things his readers would not like to see in his books (excessive swearing or graphic sex or violence). Because he is in demand as a famous author he only endorses published books (so don’t send him your manuscript hoping for a foot in the publishing door that way). However, he does do endorsements for new authors to help them get along in the business, realizing that there’s as much luck involved in publishing as everything else, and that we often create our own luck.
So the next time you see a blurb on a book with your favourite author’s name on the bottom, pay attention to it. It’s their honest opinion of the book in question.
-Jessica Strider
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Star Wars Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
By: Drew Karpyshyn
A longer time ago in a galaxy far away the Sith Wars raged. There were not two Sith at this time but legions of them were spread across the galaxy intent on destroying the Jedi. Out of the conflict comes Darth Bane, a Sith whose power has grown immensely in a short amount of time.
Intent on destroying the Brotherhood of Darkness, which he sees as an abomination of the Sith order, Bane believes that there should only ever be two Sith, one to embody the power and the other to crave it.
Path of Destruction contains a quest for Sith holocrons, lightsaber duels, and treachery at a level that has rarely been seen in previous Star Wars novels.
-DG-88
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Beka Cooper: Terrier
By: Tamora Pierce
In a time where wealth had the power and the under privileged did not matter, one girl arose to take a stand and use everything in her power to help those who were forgotten. Beka Cooper is a young cadet in the Provost’s Guard with a secret ability that helps her communicate with the lost souls of those who have died.
Beka is paired with Mattes and Clary, famed veterans of the Provost Guard within the Lower City, the most dangerous part of town. Mattes and Clary discover Beka’s ability, and through listening to the lost souls of the Lower City they uncover a big mystery that not even the Provost Guard could stop. Through Beka’s communications with the lost souls, she is able to help the Provost Guard solve the worst crimes that have happened.
Tamora Pierce uses a first person perspective and a journal style that makes Beka’s adventures realistic and enduring.
-Sheila
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Plague of Memory
By: S. L. Viehl
Fans of Viehl’s Stardoc space opera series will be glad to know that book 7 has arrived. Heavily dependent on the other books, the story continues where Rebel Ice left off, with Jarn now ‘inhabiting’ Cherijo’s body. (And if you can’t remember what an ensleg is, you should review Rebel Ice before picking up this book.)
The real joy of Plague of Memory is discovering more of what happened in the earlier books from Reever’s point of view, finally showing his motivations for his actions. Maggie also makes a reappearance as Jarn is called to the Hsktskt home world to stop a plague that is making them suicidal. She joins forces with her Hsktskt namesake ChoVa, to discover a cure before the plague, or rebels intent on bringing down the Hsktskt government, destroy everything.
A fun foray into the further reaches of space.
-Jessica Strider
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Dhampir
By: Barb and J.C. Hendee
Aptly described as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets The Lord of the Rings, Barb and J.C. Hendee’s Noble Dead series is drawing lots of attention.
Magiere and Leesil, two opportunistic ‘vampire hunters’ who don’t believe in the existence of vampires, decide to retire and run a seaside inn. Unfortunately for them, the city is home to a trio of vampires who have been warned that the hunters are coming, and who refuse to become prey.
As they battle the noble dead, they discover that Magiere is a Dhampir. If only they knew what that meant.
A well realized fantasy world, intelligent characters and smart writing make this an excellent read.
-Jessica Strider
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Coming in February
Hardcover:

Deliverer - C.J. Cherryh
Weavers of War - David B. Coe
Lord of the Silent Kingdom - Glen Cook
Echoes of an Alien Sky - James P. Hogan
New Moon’s Arms - Nalo Hopkinson
By Slanderous Tongues - Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis
Elysium Commission - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Command Decision - Elizabeth Moon
Beyond the Gap - Harry Turtledove

Trade Paperback:
War Hammer: The Founding - Dan Abnett
Star Trek: Obsidian Alliances - Peter David +
Memory and Dream - Charles de Lint
Ink: the book of all hours - Hal Duncan
Night Rising - Chris Marie Green
Fair Folk - Marvin Kaye
Space Wolf - William King
Long Twilight - Keith Laumer
Plot to Save Socrates - Paul Levinson
Grania - Morgan Llywelyn
Star Trek: Glass Empires - David Mack
Armageddon Rag - George Martin
Every Inch a King - Harry Turtledove
Lurulu - Jack Vance
Pound of Flesh - Susan Wright

Mass Market:
War Hammer: Warpsword - Dan Abnett
Star Wars: Exile - Aaron Allston
Forgotten Realms: Halls of Stormweather - Ed. Philip Athens
Mechwarrior: Dragon Rising - Ilsa J. Bick
Blood Bound - Patricia Briggs
Shapers of Darkness - David B. Coe
Shadows in the Starlight - Elaine Cunningham
Under Cover of Darkness - Julie Czerneda
Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace - MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi
Unshapely Things - Mark Del Franco
Crusader - Sara Douglass
Children of Chaos - Dave Duncan
A Mankind Witch - Dave Freer
Myth Hunters - Christopher Golden
War Hammer: Eldar Prophecy - C.S. Goto
Dark fall - Dean Koontz
Bedlam’s Edge - Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edgehill
Moonstruck - Edward M. Lerner
Star Trek: The Good that Men Do - Andy Mangels and Michael Martin
Robotech: Invid Invasion - Jack McKinney
Robotech: Southern Cross - Jack McKinney
Scent of Shadows - Vicki Petterson
Batman: Fear Itself - Michael Reaves
Well of Stars - Robert Reed
Watch on the Rhine - John Ringo and Tom Kratman
Night of the Daemon - Aaron Rosenberg
Sacrifice of the Widow - Lisa Smedman
King’s Blood - Judith Tarr
Obsidian Key - Eldon Thompson
Alternate Generals III - Harry Tutledove
In High Places - Harry Turtledove
Blue Noon - Scott Westerfeld
To Serve and Submit - Susan Wright
Eberron: Flight of the Dying Sun - Rich Wulf

World's Biggest Bookstore's Science Fiction and Fantasy Newsletter Issue 4

December 2006

Editor’s Note:
Here we are at issue four of a much anticipated (by staff) newsletter devoted to science fiction and fantasy. The newsletter is designed to give you advanced warning as to when your favourite authors’ next books will be out as well as introduce you to new authors and classics you may have overlooked.
The newsletter is still growing and adapting, so if there is something you would like to see added or changed, please talk to one of the fiction staff members or make a comment on this site.
Jessica Strider
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Hogfather
By: Terry Pratchett
A jolly fat man in red and a log white beard flies through the air in a wonderful sleigh drawn by magical… pigs?
Welcome to the Discworld. It’s Hogswatch and the Hogfather is preparing to visit all the boys and girls.
Except this year his grin is a lot more fixed.
The Hogfather is missing and it’s up to everybody’s favourite anthropomorphic manifestation, Death, to take up the beard and save Hogswatch. Meanwhile, his granddaughter, Susan, has some questions. Who would want to hurt the lovable minor deity? How are tooth fairies involved? And since when has there been a God of Hangovers anyway?
It’s another brilliant foray into Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. Be careful what you believe in. It might just be real.
Rose Day

If you like the Discworld, try one of these:
Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul - Douglas Adams
Job - Robert Heinlein
Phule’s Company - Ro
bert Asprin
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Ill Wind
By: Rachel Caine
Today’s weather calls for lightning, hurricanes, and…dark storm clouds that follow you unerringly as you travel?
Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden, able to control water and wind with just one thought. And for the foreseeable future, Joanne is going to need every ounce of her power as she and her purple mustang Delilah try to outrun the Warden Council who are looking to question her about the death of their comrade. She says self-defence; they say murder. Now all Joanne can do is try to find the one person who can help her, but there’s one problem: how can she find him when he’s also on the run from the Warden Council?
Shouldn’t be too hard.
What can I say about Rachel Caine’s Ill Wind? It is a book that will attract people who love cars, the weather channel, and a good read.
Mel

Other great reads are: Moon Called - Patricia Briggs
Doppelganger - Marie Brennan
Urban Shaman - C. E. Murphy

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Night Watch
By: Sergei Lukyanenko
First in a series by a Russian author, Night Watch deals with ‘Others’, those with special abilities, who affect humans by following either the Light or the Dark. Centuries ago the two sides formed a treaty, now patrolled by the Night Watch (Light) and the Day Watch (Dark).
Anton, a young night watch agent, is on his first field mission, assigned to stop a rogue vampire. On the way, he tries to help a woman under a deadly curse, irrevocably altering both of their destinies.
The book is riddled with philosophic monologues designed to be thought provoking rather than preachy.
Concluding with a revelation that makes you re-evaluate several characters’ actions, Night Watch leaves you reaching for book two of the series.
Jessica Strider

Suggested Reading: Dhampir - Barb & J. C. Hendee
Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkein
Son of Avonar - Carol Berg

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DMZ: On the Ground
By: Brian Wood & Riccardo Burchielli
DMZ: On the Ground pulls together the first five issues of a superb meditation of war and the American psyche. Set in the near future, the United States has been divided by the seccessionist impulses of a number of middle-American states. New York has become a battleground, with the residents of Manhattan Island stuck in the middle, as a glorified demilitarized zone.
The graphic novel follows the experiences of Matty Roth, an inexperienced photojournalism intern who finds himself stuck alone in the DMZ without much more than some recording equipment and his journalistic credentials.
On the Ground does an excellent job of introducing the fascinating world that Wood and Burchielli have created, as well as the many colourful characters that inhabit it. This volume is guaranteed to leave you eagerly anticipating the next instalment.
Gord

Want war? How about: Homeland - Paul William Roberts
Pride of Baghdad - Brian K. Vaughan
Ghost - John Ringo

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Robotech the Macross Saga: Battlecry & Doomsday
By: Jack McKinney
Written in the late 80s, the Robotech Macross Saga is a non-stop, action packed series about the Earth and its wars - a civil war, and a war with the Zentraedi, an alien species that suddenly attacks Earth in 1999. Putting aside their own squabbles, the people of Earth must unite or be destroyed, leading to the development of the Robotech Defense Force. Using the aliens’ own technology, the soldiers of the RDF must fight back with planes that transform into giant robots, and a super dimensional fortress that can “fold-jump” to the other side of the solar system.
Robotech is a thrilling story, with characters that are so real you’ll experience their heartache as well as their happiness. An excellent mix of science fiction and military lore.
Kat

Take a look at these: Halo Ghosts of Onyx - Eric Nyland
Neon Genesis Evangelion - Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Gundam Seed - Masatsugu Iwase

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Coming in January:

Hardcover:
Gods as Pawns - Kage Baker
Scar Night - Alan Campbell
Voices from the Street - Philip K. Dick
Rebel Fey - Barb & J.C. Hendee
Maelstrom - Anne McCaffrey & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
March into Darkness - Robert Newcomb
Off Armageddon Reef - David Weber
Exodus - Steve White & Shirley Meier
Star Wars: Allegiance - Timothy Zahn

Trade Paperback:
Day Watch - Sergei Lukyanenko
Hero & the Crown - Robin McKinley
Counting Heads - David Merusek
Diamond Isle - Stan Nicholls
Perfect Dark: Second Front - Greg Rucko
Silver Bough - Lisa Tuttle
Oath of Swords - David Weber

Mass Market:
Federation of Humanity - Christopher Anvil
Full Moon Rising - Keri Arthur
Garden of Iden - Kage Baker
Capacity - Tony Ballantyne
Faerie Wars - Herbie Brennan
Voice of the Gods - Trudi Canavan
Ghost Rider - Greg Cox
Star Marines - Ian Douglas
Bridgehead - David Drake
Crown of Stars - Kate Elliott
Threshold - Caitlin R. Kiernan
Shadows of Destiny - Rachel Lee
Moonstruck - Edward M. Lerner
Sons of Fenris - Lee Lightner
Wolf Hunting - Jane Lindskold
Planar Chaos - Scott McGough & Timothy Sanders
Engaging the Enemy - Elizabeth Moon
Wolf Star - R. M. Mulch
The Measure & the Truth - Douglas Niles
Three Hands for Scorpio - Andre Norton
Time Twisters - Jean Rabe & Martin H. Greenberg
Demands of Honor - Kevin Ryan
Earthseed - Pamela Sargent
Old Man’s War - John Scalzi
Sins of the Father - Mitchell Scanlon
Pillar of Flame - Ree Soesbee
Quantum Connection - Travis S. Taylor
Jinian Footseer - Sheri Tepper
Plague of Memory - S. L. Viehl
Old Soldiers - David Weber
Star Wars: Outbound Flight - Timothy Zahn