|
Autumn 2024
Forthcoming SF Books
Fortress Sol by Stephen Baxter, Gollancz, £16.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61462-7.
Humans have transformed the Solar System into a single, defensive fortress – a fortress built around ancient sacred geometries. Elinor toils on the innermost planet, Mercury, exploited as a vast mine of metals and minerals. This is a life of enslavement, of hard physical labour. But now she has a baby son, Alfa. But as it turns out, labourers are going to be in more demand when Alfa is ready to start work. And as he grows, Alfa comes to suspect that Fortress Sol is built on lies, inside as well as outside.
World Walkers by Neal Asher, Tor, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-03798-8.
He can jump between worlds. But can he save his own? As a totalitarian Inspectorate tightens its grip, one man discovers the power to slip through the gaps and traverse alternate universes. World Walkers by Neal Asher is an exhilarating standalone novel set within the Owner universe. Ottanger is a rebel and mutant on an Earth governed by a ruthless Committee. But after its Inspectorate experiments on him, Ottanger realizes the mutation allows him to reach alternate worlds. The multiverse is revealed in all its glory and terror – and he understands that he can finally flee his timeline. Then Ottanger meets the Fenris, an evolved human, visiting his Earth from the far future. He’d engineered the original world-walking mutation, so those altered could escape the Committee’s nightmarish regime. Yet this only worked for a few, and millions continued to suffer. And Ottanger sees that the Committee will become unstoppable if not destroyed. However, the Fenris has drawn yet another threat to Ottanger’s Earth. With the power of its trillion linked minds, it craves world-walking biotech and will do anything to get it. As conflict looms at home, and war threatens the multiverse – the Fenris, Ottanger and his companions must prepare for a galaxy-altering battle.
The Last Gifts of the Universe by Riley August, Del Rey, £14.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-152-9-93489-2.
When the home worlds finally achieved the technology to venture out into the stars, they found a graveyard of dead civilisations. What befell them is unknown. All home knows is that they are the last ones left – and whatever came for the others will one day come for them. Scout is an Archivist who scours the dead worlds of the cosmos for their last gifts: interesting technology, cultural rituals – anything left behind that might be useful to home and their survival. During an excavation on a lifeless planet, Scout unearths something unbelievable: a surviving message from an alien who witnessed the world-ending entity thousands of years ago. Now Scout, their brother and their sometimes fearless, space-faring cat, Pumpkin, must race to save what matters most.
Minecraft: The Village by Max Brooks, Penguin, £7.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94713-5.
The final book in Max Brooks’s official Minecraft trilogy! It details the story of two stranded heroes whose block-breaking expedition lands them squarely in the middle of a conflict which only they can resolve.
Deep Black by Miles Cameron, Gollancz, £16.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61504-4.
Marca Nbaro had always dreamed of serving aboard the Greatships. They are the lifeblood of human-occupied space, transporting an unimaginable volume – and value – of goods from City, all the way to tradepoint of the universe, to trade for xenoglas with an unknowable alien species.Out in space, something is targeting the Greatships. Nbaro and her friends are close to locating their enemy, but they are running out of time – and their allies are running out of patience.
Doctor Who: Ruby Red (2024) Georgia Cook, BBC Books, £14.99 / Can$31.99 / US$20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-785-94899-2.
April 1242 and the Doctor and Ruby answer a distress cal sent from Medieval Russia. The signal's sender is an alien girl forced to take part in a barbaric conflict between the armies of Estonia and Novgorod on the frozen surface of Lake Peipus…
Bellevue by Robin Cook, Macmillan, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-05097-0.
Twenty-four-year-old Michael “Mitt” Fuller starts his surgical residency with great anticipation at the nearly 300-year-old, iconic Bellevue hospital, following in the footsteps of four previous, celebrated Fuller generations. The pressure is on for this newly minted doctor, and to his advantage he’s always had a secret sixth sense, a sensitivity to the nonphysical which gradually plays a progressive role, especially as one patient after another assigned to his care begin to die from mysterious causes. As he struggles to find out why these people are dying while simultaneously having to deal with the unreasonable demands of being first-year resident, things rapidly spiral out of control.
Mercy of the Gods by James S. A. Corey, Orbit, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-356-51779-7.
The start of a new trilogy from the authors (Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) who were behind The Expanse novels that became a hit TV series. This is a space opera set in a future where humanity is threatened by the hive-mind species, the Carryx… (Click on the previous link for news of the trilogy.)
Eruption by Michael Crichton & James Patterson, Century, £22 / US$32, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-90749-0.
This is based on an incomplete manuscript of Michael Crichton's discovered after his death. James Patterson has completed the novel. A history-making eruption is about to destroy the Big Island of Hawaii. But a secret held for decades by the US military is far more terrifying than any volcano. There may be a Spielberg cinematic adaptation in the offing(?).
Extremophile by Ian Green, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-54584-3.
In the hothouse of climate collapse London, punk biohackers are hired by eco-terrorists to rob, murder, and save the world - and hopefully play some tight shows on the way. Extremophile is a near-future biopunk thriller for fans of Neuromancer. The year is 2043 and the world is split into Green, Blue, and Black – those fighting to stave the climate apocalypse, those willing to let the tides rise in the name of profit, and those facing the inevitability of failure. Parker is Green, Charlie is Black. When a group of dissident Greens hire the pair to work on the science of an audacious experiment that could have profound consequences for all life on Earth, they must ask how far they are willing to go. Do they have the right to save the world? Is it even worth saving?
Exodus: The Archimedes Engine by Peter F. Hamilton, Tor, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-07370-6.
In a past age, humanity fled a dying Earth in massive ark ships. These searched the galaxy to find a new home. Then one fleet found Centauri, a dense cluster of stars teeming with habitable planets. Now, thousands of years later, Centauri’s settlers have evolved into advanced beings known as Celestials – and their great houses rule vast star systems. As they vie for supremacy, Earth’s ark ships continue to arrive, and humans must serve these repressive masters. But is there a better life beyond the empire? Finn is a Centauri-born human and yearns for a brighter future. So when another ark ship arrives, Finn seizes the chance to become a Traveller. These heroes explore the vast unknowns of distant space, dedicated to humanity’s survival. And they hope – one day – to find freedom.
On Vicious Worlds by Bethany Jacobs, Orbit, £8.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52008-7-7.
Sequel to the Philip K. Dick Award winner These Burning Stars – the author’s space-opera debut.
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-03-590957-5.
1967: Ye Wenjie witnesses Red Guards beat her father to death during China's Cultural Revolution. This singular event will shape not only the rest of her life but also the future of mankind. Four decades later, Beijing police ask nanotech engineer Wang Miao to infiltrate a secretive cabal of scientists after a spate of inexplicable suicides. Wang's investigation will lead him to a mysterious online game and immerse him in a virtual world ruled by the intractable and unpredictable interaction of its three suns. .This is the Three-Body Problem and it is the key to everything: the key to the scientists' deaths, the key to a conspiracy that spans light-years and the key to the extinction-level threat humanity now faces. This reprint is timed to coincide with the release of the Netflix TV series. Click on the title link for a standalone review.
The Three-Body Problem manga box set by Cixin Liu, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £100, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-91242-1.
The 10-volume, 1,924-page graphic novel adaptation of the novel.
Doctor Who: Caged (2024) Una McCormack, BBC Books, £16.99 / Can$35.99 / US$22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-785-94918-0.
When the Doctor and Ruby arrive on a remote and nameless world, they meet a gentle local who is certain that she has been taken for study by creatures from the stars. The Doctor is concerned by mysterious meteors in the skies, while strange robotic creatures crowd the forests, watching everything and waiting for… what?
The Wilding by Ian McDonald, Gollancz, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61147-3.
A rewilding experiment brings back something much older – and much much wilder – than anyone could ever have imagined. Strange things have been happening at Lough Carrow, a vast rewilding project on the site of a former commercial peat bog. As Lisa and a group of children plan to spend the night in the wilding, the camp is attacked. A teacher is dragged away. Lisa’s group is marooned in the wild. It is night, the four remaining kids are terrifi ed, they need to leave, but the wilderness seems to be playing with time and distance and something is out there. Something hungry and hunting…
Basilisk by Graham Masterton, Head of Zeus, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-90966-7.
Nathan Underhill is right out at the cutting edge of stem-cell research: attempting to recreate mythological creatures in order to cure medical conditions like Alzheimer's and MS. After five years of research, however, his latest experiment fails, and he loses his funding. But when his wife Grace loses an elderly patient in unusual circumstances, Nathan suspects that somebody else has succeeded in breeding mythical hybrids… The couple discover that Doctor Zauber, owner of the local care home, has brought to life one of the most dangerous creatures of medieval times: the basilisk, which could reputedly kill any living thing with a single stare. After Grace narrowly escapes being killed and is put into a coma, Nathan is faced with an impossible dilemma: lose Grace for ever, or enter into an unholy alliance with Zauber to breed more mythological beasts, at the cost of many more human lives.
Petrified by Graham Masterton, Head of Zeus, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-837-93198-9.
Braydon Harris and Suki, his little girl, are leaving her grandparent's house when a huge
truck jack-knifes in front of their car. Suki is thrown from the vehicle and winds up in
hospital suffering with terrible burns. Luckily, cryptozoology professor Nathan Underhill is working on a perfect cure. Underhill breeds mythological beasts, and lately he's been working with the legendary phoenix – whose cells he believes might hold exceptional healing properties against burns. Despite the treatment, Suki finds that the pain from the burns and this remedy only exacerbates a terrible nightmare she's had for years – one that's becoming realer by the minute, about scary things flying through the sky… and now they’re headed straight for
her…
Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini, Tor, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-00113-2.
First contact story. Click on the title link for a standalone review.
Angel of Vengeance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, Head of Zeus, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-91303-9.
Having travelled back in time, Constance Greene confronts Manhattan’s most dangerous serial killer, Dr. Enoch Leng – but she is betrayed and turned away empty-handed, incandescent with rage. As Agent Pendergast focuses on assisting Constance in her fanatical quest for vengeance, his brother Diogenes unexpectedly offers to help. Diogenes establishes himself in Victorian-era New York's notorious Five Points slum, watching Leng’s every move, and awaiting his chance to strike. But Constance strikes out on her own, to rescue her beloved siblings from a tragic fate and take savage retribution on Leng. Can she and Pendergast outwit the wily killer... or will he emerge triumphant once more?
Darkome by Hannu Rajaniemi, Gollancz, £18.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-473-20332-7.
Bio-tech has arrived. It could pave the way to a greater future for humanity. It could also tear the human race apart. Before the bio-terror attack, Darkome was a place where DIY genetics enthusiasts could communicate in peace. After the attack, they were pushed deep underground by a brutal government response. The perpetrators are on Darkome, and the biohacker community is simply too dangerous to be allowed to exist. Unfortunately, that community is the very thing David Adler needs. His daughter Inara is dying and, through Darkome, he might just be able to save her. But the bioterrorists are out there and David’s quest to save his daughter may put him right in their path.
Lake of Darkness by Adam Roberts, Gollancz, £16.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61768-0.
One afternoon, the Starship Sα Niro and the Starship Sβ Oubliette were in orbit around a black hole… by the end of the day, the crews of both starships were dead, victims of a single killer: Captain Alpha Raine.Raine claims he’s acting under the command of a voice emanating from the black hole: Mr Modo. No one believes him. But it becomes increasingly undeniable that there’s something inside that black hole… and it’s found a way out… Billed by the publisher as Event Horizon meets Brave New World.
Starter Villain by John Scalzi, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-509-83541-6.
Inheriting a family business is never easy – and this one includes a hidden volcano lair, minions, talking cats and supervillains. Click on the title link for a standalone review.
The Last Man by Mary Shelly, Penguin Classics, £12.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-143-13790-0.
A welcome reprint and a first outing for Penguin Classics for this landmark SF and climate fiction novel.
Vigilance by Allen Stroud, Flame Tree Press, £9.95 /Can$12.95 / US$14.95, pbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58939-1.
A war in the depths of space to determine the future of humanity, Vigilance concludes the journey of Captain Ellisa Shann.
Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-01376-0.
When xeno-biologist Arton Daghdev is exiled to an alien planet, he journeys through a dangerous and hostile wilderness. Yet on his expedition, he uncovers lost alien ruins – and the mysterious builders who abandoned them.
Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Tor, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-04566-2.
Billed by the publisher as The Murderbot Diaries meets In the Lives of Puppets. To fix the world they must first break it - further. Humanity is a dying breed, utterly reliant on artificial labour and service. When a domesticated robot gets a nasty little idea downloaded into its core programming, they murder their owner. The robot discovers they can also do something else they never did before: they can run away. Fleeing the household they enter a wider world they never knew existed, where the age-old hierarchy of humans at the top is disintegrating into ruins and an entire robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is having to find a new purpose. Sometimes all it takes is a nudge to overcome the limits of your programming….
Nomad Land by Francesco Verso, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 /Can$21.95 / US$16.95, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58926-1.
Following the creation of their community in The Roamers, the pulldogs leave Rome to shape a new challenging lifestyle: wandering around the world as neo-nomads to spread their solar-punk way of living and to embark on a never-ending mission to save endangered human cultures with nanites.
Solarpunk edited by Francesco Verso, Flame Tree Press, £16.99 / Can$34.99 / US$26.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-17935-2.
In this near-future anthology, Solarpunk explores the many ways individuals and resilient groups can fight gentrification, expropriation, abuse and loss of identity, starting within local communities, ultimately to embrace the whole world. Solarpunk traces a path, rough and tortuous, towards a change that is now perceived by many as a necessity. “Nobody will give us the future” – seem to say these short stories edited by Future Fictions’ Francesco Verso.
Spiral by Cameron Ward, Michael Joseph, £8.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-405-95819-6.
Ten hours into a routine flight from London to LA, a planes engines die and it goes into a spiral dive. You, and everybody onboard dies. Then you wake up and it is one hour before the crash… And the events repeat again and again…
Revenant-X by David Wellington, Orbit, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52143-5.
The second novel, following Paradise-1, in the 'Red Space' series – a survival horror adventure in deep space, where the crew of the Artemis must uncover the fate of Earth’s first deep-space colony.
Road to Roswell by Connie Willis, Gollancz, £18.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-62416-9.
Imagine the worst wedding you’ve ever been to. Then add aliensFrancie is a reluctant maid of honour, for several reasons. The wedding is being held in New Mexico. In Roswell. During the UFO festival. After a series of travel disasters the alien abduction is actually a high point of Francie’s day. Bundled by an alien into an SUV, which she is forced to drive, what follows is a chaotic road trip, picking up other waifs and strays, hotwiring an RV, and desperately trying to work out what their alien captor actually wants…
The First Murder on Mars by Sam Wilson, Orion, £14.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-40-919918-2.
This is the story of the first human born on Mars – she saw a better future and gave her life to build it. It is a story about a woman who grew up in the frontier of human existence and misses it every single day.It’s a story about a man who went missing, and the man who wants to find out what he knew. It’s a story about what makes us human.This is the story of the first murder on Mars. Billed by the publisher as perfect for fans of The Martian and The Expanse.
|
|
Autumn 2024
Forthcoming Fantasy Books
The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch, Orion, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-473-22440-7.
The brand-new novella in 'Rivers of London' series. New York City .Meet Augustus Berrycloth-Young – fop, flâneur and Englishman abroad – as he chronicles the Jazz Age from his perch atop the city that never sleeps. That is, until his old friend Thomas Nightingale arrives, pursuing a rather mysterious affair concerning an old saxophone – which will take Gussie from his warm bed, to the cold shores of Long Island, and down to the jazz clubs where music, magic and madness haunt the shadows…
Arabian Folk and Fairy Tales edited by anonymous, Flame Tree Press, £10.99 /Can$19.99 / US$14.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-17805-8.
'The Book of the Seven Vizirs', 'The Tale of the Four Dervishes', the famous stories of Sinbad, and the tales of Scheherazade, are brought together as a magical thread of love and adventure, invoking the mysteries of the night and the mirages of the desert.
Chinese Myths and Legends edited by anonymous, Flame Tree Press, £10.99 /Can$19.99 / US$14.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-17806-5.
Tales of Chinese mythology reflect the vast landscapes of Asia, where distant mountains, and long, winding rivers dominated the sight-lines of ancient peoples. History, religion, philosophy and mythology were intertwined in the observations of immortal tricksters and spirits who dwell in clouds dealing the magical acts of kindness and chaos.
Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-02738-5.
Romantasy.
Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-90863-9.
Navola is a city built on trade. And presiding over it all, the Regulai family. In just three generations they have risen far from their humble origins: now princes beg an invitation to dine at their table. The di Regulai say they are not political, but their wealth buys cities and topples kingdoms. Soon, Davico di Regulai will be expected to take the reins of power. Although not well suited for his role, he is inextricably tangled in fate’s net and his doubts can only summon ruin. In the shade of Navola’s colonnaded porticoes, his family’s enemies plot. In the shadows of its deep catacombs, assassins sharpen their stiletto knives. In the kingdoms of Cerulean Peninsula, princes and despots muster their armies. Davico’s only hope rests in a girl whose own family was destroyed by the di Regulai, and in a crystalline orb said to be the eye of a long-dead dragon.
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-00737-0.
When an injury throws a young, battle-hungry orc off her expected path, she may find that what we need isn’t always what we seek.
The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen, Orbit, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52192-3.
Fantasy romance with dragons. The small town of Eternity was shocked when widowed, middle-aged Twyla Banneker partnered up with her neighbour and best friend Frank Ellis to join the Tanrian Marshals. Thankfully, patrolling the magical wilderness of Tanria is a mostly uneventful job these days, but when a footprint that can only be described as dragon-sized is discovered near the body of a dead marshall, the job suddenly becomes a lot more interesting. Quill, a handsome dracologist, is called in from the university to help them investigate, and for the first time since her husband died, Twyla finds herself the flattering focus of an appropriately-aged man’s attraction – something that seems to be bothering her long-time best friend, Frank. Why on Earth that should bother Frank, she doesn’t know – but her long-time partner sure doesn’t seem to care for Quill. As Twyla and Frank’s investigation becomes more complicated, so does their easy friendship. And Twyla starts to realise that her true soul-mate might just be the person who has lived next door all along…
October by Gregory Bastianelli, Flame Tree Press, £12.95 /Can$21.95 / US$16.95, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58926-1.
An aged magician arrives in a small New England town in 1970 to recreate a magic trick that had tragic results years prior. When he accidentally opens a doorway to sinister evil just in time for the Halloween season, four boys on the cusp of becoming teenagers and a reclusive horror writer attempt to save the town from unimaginable horrors.
Januaries by Olivie Blake, Tor, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-03957-9.
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, the spirit tethered to a magical bridge rapidly approaches burnout - and craves her freedom. Elsewhere, Congress enacts a complex auditing system designed to un-waste your youth. We also follow a banished fairy, as she answers a Craigslist ad. And we meet a Victorian orphan, who gains literacy for her occult situationship. In another time and place, a multiverse assassin contemplates the one who got away. Escape the slow trudge of mortality with these magical ruminations on life, death and the love (or revenge) that outlasts both. This collection also features modified fairy tales, contemporary heists, absurdist poetry and at least one set of actual wedding vows. Januaries is a collection of new and existing short stories.
Masters of Death by Olivie Blake, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-01154-4.
When Viola Marek, real estate agent and vampire, discovers the house she’s trying to sell is haunted, she enlists the help of a medium to exorcise the ghost. But Fox D’Mora is a fraud – even if he is the godson of Death.
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brenan, Orbit, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52249-4.
First adult fantasy from a YA author. When her whole life collapsed, Rae still had books. Dying, she seizes a second chance at living: a magical bargain that lets her enter the world of her favourite fantasy series. She wakes in a castle on the edge of a hellish chasm, in a kingdom on the brink of war. Home to dangerous monsters, scheming courtiers and her favourite fictional character: the Once and Forever Emperor. In this fantasy world, she discovers she’s not the heroine, but the villainess in the Emperor’s tale. So be it. The wicked are better dressed, with better one-liners, even if they’re doomed to bad ends. She assembles the wildly disparate villains of the story under her evil leadership, plotting to change their fate. But as the body count rises and the Emperor’s fury increases, it seems Rae and her allies may not survive to see the final page.
The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent, Tor, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-04096-4.
The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent, Bramble, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-04098-8.
Love is a sacrifice at the altar of power. In the wake of the bloody tournament known as the Kejari, Oraya is now a prisoner in her own kingdom and grieving the only family she ever had. She’s left with only one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn, the vampire who betrayed her. The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood has dug their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside. When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom – and seeking her revenge against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness an ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets. With enemies closing in on all sides, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power – and the devastating love that could be her downfall. Billed by the publisher as The Hunger Games with vampires.
Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent, Bramble, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-05176-2.
A short, romantasy novel set in the same world as The Serpent and the Wings of Night. Six roses. Six vials of blood. Six visits to a vampire who could be her Salvation… or her damnation. Lilith has been dying since the day she was born. But although she came to terms with her own imminent death long ago, the deaths of everyone she loves is an entirely different matter. As her town slowly withers in the clutches of a mysterious god-cursed illness, she takes matters into her own hands. Desperate to find a cure, Lilith strikes a bargain with the only thing the gods hate even more than her village: a vampire, Vale. She offers him six roses in exchange for six vials of vampire blood – the only hope for her town’s salvation. But what begins as a simple transaction gradually becomes something more. Lilith is faced with a terrifying realization: it’s dangerous to wander into the clutches of a vampire… and, in a place already suffering the wrath of a god, more dangerous still to fall in love with one.
The Songbird and the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent, Bramble, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-05071-0.
Mische lost everything when she was forcibly Turned into a vampire – her home, her humanity and most devastating of all, the love of the sun god to whom she had devoted her life. Now, sentenced to death for murdering the vampire prince who Turned her, redemption feels impossible. But when Mische is saved by Asar, the bastard prince of the House of Shadow with a past as brutal as his scars, she’s forced into a mission worse than execution: a journey to the underworld to resurrect the god of death himself. Yet, Mische’s punishment may be the key to her salvation. In a secret meeting, her sun god commands her to help Asar in his mission, only to betray him… by killing the god of death. Mische and Asar must travel the treacherous path to the underworld, facing trials, beasts and the vengeful ghosts of their pasts. Yet, most dangerous of all is the alluring call of the darkness – and her forbidden attraction to Asar, a burgeoning bond that risks invoking the wrath of gods. As her betrayal looms, the underworld closes in and angry gods are growing restless. Mische will be forced to choose between the redemption of the sun or the damnation of the darkness.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-04095-7.
Billed by the publisher as The Hunger Games with vampires.
Breaking Hel by Miles Cameron, Gollancz, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-473-23257-0.
In an age of bronze and stone, when centaurs and dragons roamed the earth and Gods bickered in the heavens, ordinary lives were destroyed by the cruel, divine politics and games. Until a scribe, a warlord, a dancer and a child were set on a path to challenge the gods . . . and sparked a war that has encompassed the world…
The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso, Orbit, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52525-9.
Kembral Thorne is spending a few hours away from her newborn, and she’s determined to enjoy the party no matter what. But when the guests start dropping dead, Kem has no choice but to get to work. She’s a member of the Guild of Hounds, after all, and she can’t help picking up the scent of trouble. She’s not the only one. Her professional and personal nemesis, notorious burglar Rika Nonesuch, is on the prowl. They quickly identify what’s causing the mayhem: a mysterious grandfather clock that sends them down an Echo every time it chimes. In each strange new layer of reality, time resets and a sinister figure appears to perform a blood-soaked ritual. As Kem and Rika fall into increasingly macabre versions of their city, they’ll need to rely on their wits – and each other – to unravel the secret of the clock and save their city.
What if… Marc Spector was Host to Venom? by Mike Chen, Del Rey hrdbk, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-91425-2.
The third in a multi-book What If series, based on the iconic comic ‘What If…?’ line. With each instalment focused on a different twist on a superhero’s origin story, this original novel is centred on the two Marvel characters: Moon Knight and Venom.
Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-00140-2.
A boy is born to rule a divided city. A girl is destined to return lost magic to the world. And a prince will betray his people to win a crown.
Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-01566-5.
Fantasy collection of shorts. Nineteen stories mostly related to fantasy, folklore, some horror, some with an SFnal riff. Contains the Hugo Award winning 'If you don't first succeed…' Two stories translated from Chinese original publication.
Elusive by Genevieve Cogman, Tor, £18.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-08377-4.
Elusive by Genevieve Cogman, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-08379-8.
Revolutionary France is full of blood and bite as vampires plot for power. Eleanor, once a lowly English maid, is now a member of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, known for their daring deeds and rescuing aristocratic vampires from the guillotine. This time, Eleanor and the League are investigating the disappearance of Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, the notorious French statesman and diplomat. But they soon uncover two vampire parties feuding for power and learn Talleyrand’s disappearance is part of a bigger, more dangerous scheme that will throw France into bloody chaos.
The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke, Bloomsbury, £9.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-526-67521-7.
An exquisitely illustrated Christmas short story. Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scott is an unusual girl. She can talk to animals and trees – and she is only ever happy when she is walking in the woods. One snowy afternoon, out with her dogs and Apple the pig, Merowdis encounters a blackbird and a fox. As darkness falls, a strange figure enters in their midst – and the path of her life is changed forever.
Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien de Castell, Quercus, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43702-7.
Dumas meets Deadpool in this swashbuckling fantasy. A mortally wounded magistrate faces his deadliest trial inside an ancient abbey where the monks are going mad and the
gods themselves may be to blame. The thrilling prequel to the brand-new 'Court of Shadows' series. Click on the title link for a standalone review.
Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell, Quercus, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-787-47145-0.
On the run from a deadly swordswoman, Damelas Chademantaigne tricks his way into a company of actors to hide – but the theatre troupe has secrets of its own…
The First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-01821-5.
Billed by the publisher as The Night Circus meets The Greatest Showman as three magically gifted women try to build a circus – and home – in the ruins of the First World War. But great danger lies ahead…
A Curse of Crows by Lauren Dedroog, Gollancz, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61612-6.
Throughout her life Diana has worshipped and offered to the gods. But when she finds herself in a desperate situation and prays to the God of Malice, she becomes entangled in a dangerous deal. Yet Keres isn’t the villain she’d been taught to avoid. It’s not Hell she should be wary of, but the realm of the gods, where thorns hide beneath spoken words and vows. While Diana learns her place in this game of thorns, she finds herself tested again and again. But everyone has their limit…
Tales of a Monsterous Heart by Jennifer Delaney, Gollancz, £14.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61598-3.
A love letter to the Brontë sisters; a gothic, dark fantasy story fi lled with magic, monsters and forbidden romance Katherine Woodrow is fey, and all she wants is to graduate. But when her position is threatened, she is left with only one option: accept a Mage Partnership with Lord Blackthorn. Emrys Blackthorn is a riddle Kat is fearful of solving. What she does know is that she is irresistibly drawn to him… no matter how forbidden it might be. When dark magic returns, Kat and Emrys are thrown into a world that wishes nothing more than to see them burn.
Once a Monster: A reimagining of the legend of the Minotaur by Robert Dinsdale, Pan, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-09739-9.
A retelling of the legend of the Minotaur; a tale of found family and friendship, loss and redemption.
Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy, Orbit, £19.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52398-9.
Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics. He can summon butterflies with a song or turn someone’s hair pink by snapping his fingers. Such minor charms don’t earn him much admiration from other sorcerers (or his father), but anything more elaborate always blows up in his face. Which is why Leo vowed years ago to never again write powerful magic. That is, until a mix-up involving a forbidden spell binds Leo to obey the commands of his long-time nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo’s complete opposite – respected, exceptionally talented, and an absolutely insufferable curmudgeon. The only thing they agree on is that getting caught using forbidden magic would mean the end of their careers. They need a counter-spell, and fast. Chasing rumours of a powerful sorcerer with a knack for undoing curses, Leo and Grimm enter the Unquiet Wood, a forest infested with murderous monsters and dangerous outlaws. To dissolve the curse, they’ll have to uncover the true depths of Leo’s magic, set aside their long-standing rivalry, and – much to their horror – work together. Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them.
Ice by Jacek Dukaj, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-786-69728-8.
A rare translation of a Polish fantasy. An odyssey through a frozen realm, through political, criminal, scientific, philosophical and amorous intrigues to stand face-to-face with something utterly alien. 14th July 1924. It should be high summer but Warsaw is buried under feet of snow and Benyedikt, a dissolute young Polish mathematician, is about to be roused from his bed by two officials from Russia’s Ministry of Winter. Russia and Europe are being devoured by the ever-westward march of a supernatural winter. Agriculture has collapsed and people have flocked to cities seeking protection from the deadly cold. But out there, on the ice, there is an incredible new wealth to be had. In winter’s wake, ‘black physics’ transmutes matter into strange and valuable forms, allowing new technologies, industries and economies to prosper. At the heart of it all lies Siberia – the ‘Wild East’ – a magnet for all the political, religious and scientific fevers shaking the world. And that is where Benyedikt, once he has been woken, will be sent. And he will have to decide whether to embrace the ice, or to destroy it…
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, Tor, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-04232-6.
Every home needs a little magic… Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to. She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, Kiela and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. But to her dismay, in addition to a nosy – and very handsome – neighbour, she finds the town in disarray. The empire has slowly been draining power from the island, and now Kiela is determined to make things right. But opening up her own spellshop comes with its own risks – the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela starts to make a place for herself among the townspeople, she realizes she must break down the walls she has kept so high…
Until We Shatter by Kate Dylan, Hodderscape, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-399-72873-7
Action fantasy heist. A desperate thief, an impossible heist. Survive or shatter. Wherever she goes Cemmy's life is under threat, The Church would see her killed for having any magic, the Council of shades wants here dead for not having enough. When her mother falls ill, Cemmy has no choice but to turn thief. The catch? Cemmy will n have top work with Chase – beautiful, dangerous and full of secrets – to steal a powerful relic the Church has hidden within the deadly realm of shadows.
Mistress Of Lies by K. M. Enright, Orbit, £18.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52470-2.
Romantic fantasy. The daughter of a powerful but disgraced Bloodworker, Shan LeClaire has spent her entire life perfecting her blood magic, building her network of spies, and gathering every scrap of power she could. Now, to protect her brother, she assassinates their father and takes her place at the head of the family. And that is only the start of her revenge. Samuel Hutchinson is a bastard with a terrible gift. When he stumbles upon the first victim of a magical serial killer, he’s drawn into the world of magic and intrigue he’s worked so hard to avoid – and is pulled deeply into the ravenous and bloodthirsty court of the vampire king. Tasked by the Eternal King to discover the identity of the killer cutting a bloody swath through the city, Samuel, Shan and mysterious Royal Bloodworker Isaac find themselves growing ever closer to each other. But Shan’s plans are treacherous, and as she lures Samuel into her complicated web of desire, treason and vengeance, he must decide if the good of their nation is worth the cost of his soul.
Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi, Del Rey, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-929591.
Dina spends her days running her café in Bloomsbury, trying not to think about the curse that will hurt anyone who falls in love with her. But when she meets museumcurator Scott and the pair are made maid of honour and best man at their friends’ wedding, sparks begin to fly. Can Dina break the spell before it breaks both their hearts..? Nadia El-Fassi is the pseudonym of Nadia Saward, who is a Commissioning Editor at Orbit Books UK.
A Reign of Rose: The Sacred Stones Book 3 by Kate Golden, Arcadia, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43410-1.
Two kingdoms. One chance to save everything. Arwen Valondale began life as no one, as nothing. But now she’s risen to unimaginable heights, done astonishing deeds, and fallen in love… with her arch-nemesis, the compelling Kane Ravenwood. Kane stands for everything Arwen hates: confusion, uncertainty, darkness and fear. And yet, she can’t seem to leave him behind – she’s journeyed to the highest peaks, the most distant lands, even the depths of the seas in her quest to save her people, and Kane has always been there with her.
Discontinue if Death Ensues: Tales from the tipping point edited by Carol Gyzander & Anna Taborska, Flame Tree Press, £16.99 /Can$34.99 / US$26.96, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-17937-6.
Horror stories about women, written by women. This anthology focuses on the strength of women faced with adversity. It explores many ways in which societal structures and personal action – including mistreatment of the environment and other people, particularly women – can reach a tipping point, creating unexpected changes, empowering women around the world. Fifteen interlaced stories and five poems from five authors, all women who were nominated for the 2021 HWA Bram Stoker Award.
Dogs and Monsters by Mark Haddon, Vintage, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-784-74555-4.
Eight mesmerising stories moving between Greek myth and the near-future to explore what, ultimately, makes us human. This retells classic myths such as Tithonus, Actaeon and The Minotaur and pairs these ancient tales with futuristic and dystopian stories. The lover of a goddess, Tithonus is gifted eternal life, but without eternal youth he must stare into a future of endless old age. The myth of the Minotaur in his labyrinth is turned into a wrenching parable of maternal love for a damaged child – and of the more real monstrosities of patriarchy. Actaeon, changed into a stag after glimpsing the naked Diana and torn to pieces by his hunting dogs, becomes a visceral metaphor about how humans use and misuse animals. From genetic engineering to the eternal complications of family, from fear of the future to the cruel world of the English boarding school, Haddon showcases how we are subject to the same elemental forces that obsessed the Greeks. Whether describing Laika the Soviet space-dog on her fateful orbit, or St Anthony wrestling with loneliness in the desert, his powers of observation illuminate the thin line between human and animal. Billed by the publisher as perfect for fans of Kazuo Ishiguro and Susanna Clarke.
Confounding Oaths by Alexis Hall, Gollancz, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-399-60895-4.
Fantasy romance. A nobleman must work with a dashing soldier to save his sister from a mystical bargain gone wrong, diving into a world of malicious fey, enigmatic cults and treacherous magic.
The Moonlight Market by Joanne Harris, Gollancz, £14.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-60475-8.
Follow a young photographer through the secret layers of London as he discovers an entire world captured in the negativesTom is a photographer and a dreamer, capturing snapshots of the city around him, always searching for something he knows is missing but can never quite grasp.As he develops the negatives he begins to glimpse the deeply magical, exquisitely hidden world. For deep in those negatives is the clue he needs to continue his search: a midnight, moonlit market in the secret heart of London, where everything is for sale and anything is possible . . . even true love.
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-06114-7.
Opal has spent her life obsessed with the mysterious Starling House – but when its reclusive heir offers her a job, she discovers there may be monsters lurking within. This is just the start for this Gothic fairy tale…
A Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire by Sarah Hawley, Gollancz, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-399-60895-4.
Ben Rosewood never meant to be bound to a vampire, but he has to admit, there are some fang-tastic perks… Werewolf Ben Rosewood is happy with his life. But after drunkenly bidding on and winning a supposedly possessed crystal on eBay one night, he finds himself face to face with a beautiful yet angry vampire. Eleonore Bettencourt-Devereux is a rare breed – a vampire succubus. Thanks to an evil witch, she’s been stuck in a crystal since she was thirty. Eleonore and Ben soon realise they can help each other with both vengeful and less hostile needs. And why not have a little fun along the way?
The Return of the Dwarves Book 2 by Markus Heitz, Arcadia, £12.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-42489-8.
The hero Tungdil Goldhand vanished years ago. Until the gem-carver Goïmron discovers Tungdil’s diary… and finds that the last entries are terrifyingly recent. Goimron gathers a small band of trusted companions, and they set off to find Tungdil and save Girdlegard from the mysterious Albae. But the story’s only half-over. Brabandor’s on the trail of something extraordinary; Rodana is trying to change her fate, and Klaey remains an unknown quantity: his lust for power is unparalleled, and he’ll do anything to get it. And the most worrying question of all… will their quest change Goimron himself?
The Legacy of Arniston House by T. L. Huchu, Tor, £18.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-09777-1.
Ghoststalker Ropa Moyo learns a shocking truth about her family. But after she confronts her grandmother with the revelation, Gran is murdered – and, on top of dealing with her loss, Ropa is now the prime suspect. Ropa races to uncover the real murderer, and soon finds a connection to an old magical cult. They are trying to take control of Scotland by resurrecting an army of the dead, led by a dark lord. She’ll have to use all her magic and hard-won skills in her biggest challenge yet.
Bittershore by V. V. James, Gollancz, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-473-22576-3.
The only thing stronger than a witch’s promise is a mother’s vengeance… Sarah loved and trusted no one in her close-knit coven more than her oldest friend, Abigail. But when Abigail’s son is found dead at a party and Sarah’s daughter accused of murdering him, the pair are vilifi ed in the town’s witch hunt. They fled to the storm-wracked coastal reserve of Bittershore for refuge, but now the past is catching up with them and the secrets they have kept not only from each other, but from the entire world, are set to be unleashed at last…
Goldfinch by Raven Kennedy, Michael Joseph, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-24169581-4.
Fantasy romance. The final in the 'Plated Prisoner' series.
Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim, Orbit, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52506-8.
With power derived from the corpses of sorcerers, the Empire has brought peace to the world. But for some that peace is nothing more than a lie. Loran’s family were killed by the Imperials. Now she seeks revenge – but how can a lone swordswoman take
down an Empire? Cain has survived in the Imperial City by staying one step ahead of the law. When a close friend is murdered, he vows to find those responsible – no matter the cost. Arienne is a sorcerer, condemned to power the Empire’s machines even in death. Yet when a long-dead necromancer speaks to her, she realises she can choose a different path – if she’s brave enough. When peace is a lie, there is power in truth – and as Loran, Cain, and Arienne pursue their own quests, any one of them could ignite the fire that brings the Empire down.
Brothersong by T. J. Klune, Tor, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-00225-2.
In the ruins of Caswell, Maine, Carter Bennett glimpsed the truth of what had been right in front of him the entire time. And then it was ripped away from him. Desperate for answers, Carter takes to the road, leaving family and the safety of his pack behind. But therein lies the danger: wolves are pack animals, and the longer Carter is on his own, the more his mind slips toward the endless void of Omega insanity. Relentless, he pushes on, following the trail left by the feral wolf he tracks: Gavin, the son of Robert Livingstone. The half brother of Gordo Livingstone. What Carter finds will change the course of the pack forever. Gavin’s history with the Bennett family goes back further than anyone knows. And it includes a secret kept hidden by Carter’s father, Thomas Bennett. But uncovering this knowledge will come at a price: for the sins of the fathers shall rest on the shoulders of their sons.
Heartsong by T. J. Klune, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-00223-8.
When Robbie Fontaine receives a critical mission from his Alpha, he seizes the chance to finally belong to a pack. But there are rumours of a traitor in their midst – including the wolf who may be his mate.
Ravensong by T. J. Klune, Tor, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-00219-1.
After his pack betrayed him, Gordo swore to never again deal with wolves. But some ties are hard to sever, and the return of an old flame will test his resolve. This is the second book in the Green Creek series.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T. J. Klune, Tor, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-00937-4.
A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything. Arthur Parnassus has built a good life on the ashes of a bad one. He’s headmaster at an orphanage for magical children, on a peculiar island, assisted by love-of-his-life Linus Baker. And together, they’ll do anything to protect their extraordinary and powerful charges. However, when Arthur is forced to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself fighting for those under his care. It’s also a fight for the better future that all magical people deserve. Then when a new magical child joins their island home, Arthur knows they’ve reached breaking point. The child finds power in calling himself a monster, a name Arthur has tried so hard to banish to protect his children. Challenged from within and without, their volatile family might grow stronger. Or everything Arthur loves could fall apart.
The Land of the Living and the Dead by Shauna Lawless, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-803-28272-5.
The old world will die in flames… Ireland, 1011 AD. Gormflaith, queen of Brian Boru, instructs their son in his heritage – but only on his mother’s side. For Gormflaith is a Fomorian, a magically skilled immortal. She intends to finally defeat her hated foes, the Descendants, and establish Fomorian control over Ireland. And if King Brian stands in her way... so much the worse for him. Fódla, a Descendant hiding in the mortal world, must protect her magically powerful nephew from their leader, Tomas, who schemes to see the Descendants rule Ireland once more. Fódla must tread carefully, for she has broken a sacred rule of her kind: she is in love with a mortal. As dark plots come to fruition, the only possible outcome is war. Ireland has bled red and often… but the coming clash will change her future forever.
The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow, Orbit, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52349-1.
Romantic fantasy. Debut. Talking cats, scheming demons and cut-throat priests…. A dark, heart-thumping political epic fantasy by debut author Amy Leow – full of scheming demons, morally
grey heroines, talking cats and cut-throat priests, this delicious tale of power and corruption. Binsa is a ‘living goddess’, chosen by the gods to dispense both mercy and punishment from her place on the Scarlet Throne. But her reign hides a deadly secret. Rather than channelling the wisdom of an immortal deity, she harbours a demon. But now her priests are growing suspicious. When a new girl, Medha, is selected to take over her position, Binsa and her demon strike a deal: to magnify his power and help her wrest control from the priests, she will sacrifice human lives. She’ll do anything not to end up back on the streets, forgotten and alone. But how much of her humanity is she willing to trade in her quest for power? Deals with demons are rarely so simple.
A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang, Tor, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-05039-0.
Her beauty hides a deadly purpose. Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue – convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighbouring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king and weaken them from within. Trained by Fanli in everything from classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods. Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors, while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks; she knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the further she and Fanli have to fall – and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.
The Wren in the Holly Library by K. A. Linde, Tor, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-04485-6.
Romantasy. Set in an alternate day New York filled with monsters. She stole from a monster… now she must pay the price. Street thief Kierse should have known something wasn’t right. Now she’s trapped in a library – with a monster. She can’t run. She can’t hide. And this man – this being, filled with terrible power and darkness – is well within his rights to kill her. By trespassing, Kierse has broken the fragile peace treaty between monsters and humans. But instead of killing her, Graves does the unexpected: he offers her a job. A chance to find out who she really is. Kierse has always known she’s different. That she can do things a little better, a little faster. And there’s that sense she has when danger is only a breath away. But if the old tales are true, there are worse things in the world than monsters.
Seaborn by Michael Livingston, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-90575-1.
The seven houses of the matriarchal Seaborn have plied the seas of the Fair Isles for centuries, trading among the islands and fending off the attacks by the fearsome Bone Pirate. But suddenly, out of the night sky, a common enemy appears – the Windborn, who come without warning to raid, burn, and kill. Hoping to turn the tide, Shae - the Bone Pirate’s first mate - enacts a daring plan to fight her way aboard a Windborn vessel. The raid yields a prize - the airship’s captain who is, to Shae’s shock, a man. Together with a reluctant heroine, Bela, they learn the truth of the shared history between the Windborn and the Seaborn. Now, these unlikely allies must make a desperate journey to confront the secrets of the past – and stop the dark magick at its source.
The Silverblood Promise by James Logan, Quercus, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43278-7.
When Lukan discovers his father has been murdered, he vows to find his killers. Lukan’s search for answers leads him to the fabled merchant city of Saphrona, where even the truth comes with a deadly price attached.
The Half King by Melissa Landers, Transworld, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-857-50666-5.
In a world where birth order determines your fate, what if everything you believed about yourself was a lie? Like all second-born daughters of the realm, Cerise Solon has never ventured beyond the temple grounds where she lives in service to the goddess. But unlike her peers, Cerise is a complete failure as an oracle. Her inability to foretell a single tragedy has brought shame upon her family, something she sees reflected in their eyes during their rare visits. Everything changes when the head seer offers Cerise an opportunity to serve the Half King – a young man who rules by day and turns to shadow at sunset. As a firstborn son, the king bears his bloodline’s curse, destined to vanish completely upon his twenty-first birthday. While searching for a way to restore him, Cerise finds a kindred spirit in the mysterious young ruler, and with his help discovers a startling revelation about herself that unlocks a powerful set of gifts. But the truth comes with a price. For she is no oracle, but instead the product of a union so forbidden its discovery would sentence her to death.
My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine, Century, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94542-1.
Amelia Collins is tired of constant questions about her nonexistent dating life, so she decides to get everyone off her back once and for all by finding someone – anyone – to pose as her date to a family wedding. If he’s annoying, or embarrassing, so much the better. Coincidentally, Reginald Cleaves has centuries of experience at being rude, infuriatingly arrogant and a fashion eyesore. Amelia keeps running into this peculiar man by accident, and it takes less than five minutes for her to realise he’s perfect for her purposes. Because as handsome as Reggie is, no one could possibly want to marry him… right? As Amelia and Reggie practise their fauxmance and more of Reggie’s centuries-old secrets come to light, Amelia is surprised to find her first impressions could not have been more wrong, and that Reggie’s bark might be worse than his bite…
Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin, Tor, £18.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-01126-1.
In 1930s Shanghai, danger wears many faces… Jingwen spends her nights as a showgirl at the Paramount, one of the most lavish clubs in Shanghai, competing ruthlessly to charm wealthy patrons. To cap off her shifts, she runs money for her grandmother, the exclusive surgeon to the most powerful gang in the city. A position her grandmother is pressuring her to inherit… When a series of cabaret dancers are targeted—the attacker stealing their Faces – Jingwen fears she could be next. And as the faces of the dancers start appearing on wealthy foreign socialites, she realizes Shanghai's glittering mirage of carefree luxury comes at a terrible price. Fighting not just for her own safety but that of the other dancers – women who have simultaneously been her bitterest rivals and only friends – Jingwen has no choice but to delve into the city's underworld. In this treacherous realm of tangled alliances and ancient grudges, silver-armed gangsters haunt every alley, foreign playboys broker deals in exclusive back rooms, and the power of gods is wielded and traded like yuan. Jingwen will have to become something far stranger and more dangerous than her grandmother ever imagined if she hopes to survive the forces waiting to sell Shanghai's bones.
The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons, Tor, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-04857-1.
Anahrod lives only for survival, forging her way through the harsh jungles of the Deep with her titan drake by her side. Even when an adventuring party saves her from capture by a local warlord, she is eager to return to her solitary life. But this is no ordinary rescue. It’s Anahrod’s past catching up with her. These cunning misfits – and their frustratingly appealing dragonrider ringleader – intend to spirit her away to the sky cities, where they need her help to steal from a dragon’s hoard. There’s just one problem: the hoard in question belongs to the current regent, Neveranimas – and she wants Anahrod dead.
Whispers Most Foul by Emma MacDonald, Michael Joseph, hrdbk, £16.99, ISBN 978-0241-71524-6.
Welcome to Dunhollow Academy where magic and status mean the world and death lurks in every corridor. Rose prefers to keep her noes in books but when her classmates go missing, she finds she can see their ghosts. Worlds, Rose's latest ghostly vision is her greatest academic rival and the two must work together to uncover Dunhollow's deadly secret.
The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean, Gollancz, £14.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-61656-0.
This is set in a zoo of mythical creatures. With the world watching and the threat of poachers looming, Aila’s success is no longer a matter of keeping her job… She is the keeper of the phoenix, and the future of a species now rests on her shoulders.There’s just one thing she has to remember: she is also not alone. Against an epic fantasy backdrop, The Phoenix Keeper combines the fierce joy of cosy fantasy kings TJ Klune and Travis Baldree with the soul-restoring romance
A Rose By Any Other Name by Mary McMyne, Orbit, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-356-51772-8.
England, 1603. Rose Rushe’s passion for life runs deep – she laughs too loudly, meddles with astrology and music, and pays no heed to her mother’s warnings to guard her reputation. When Rose’s father dies and a noble accuses her and her best friend Cecely of witchcraft, they flee to London and make their way as occultists, secretly selling love charms and astrological advice. Their thriving underground business leads them to young noble Henry and playwright Will Shakespeare, and so begins a brief, tempestuous, and powerful romance – one filled with secret longings and deep betrayals.
Between Dragons And Their Wrath by David Madson, Orbit, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-356-51824-4.
The old kingdom of Paicha has been split into city states, but there are those who seek to reunite the shattered realm – by force if necessary. Amidst the turmoil there are three who will find their destinies inextricably tangled. Tesha is a glassblower’s apprentice who becomes a tribute bride when her city is conquered by the south. In the enemy’s court, she is perfectly placed to sabotage them, but her heart has other plans. Naili is a laundress in the house of an eccentric alchemist who is awakening to strange new powers. When radicals approach her, she faces a choice between keeping her magic to herself and using it to change the world.
Goblin by Josh Malerman, Orion, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-398-71156-3.
Horror. Goblin seems like any other ordinary small town. But with the master storyteller Josh Malerman as your tour guide, you’ll discover the secrets that hide behind its closed doors. These six novellas tell the story of a place where the rain is always falling, night-time is always near, and your darkest fears and desires await. Welcome to Goblin.
A Power Unbound by Freya Marske, Tor, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-08100-8.
It's a race against time as the magicians try to solve the Last Contract before their enemies. But to succeed, Lord Hawthorn must accept help from reluctant ally Alan Ross.
Swordcrossed by Freya Marske, Tor, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-03928-9.
Mattinesh Jay, dutiful heir to his struggling family business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as best man for his arranged marriage. Sword-challenge at the ceremony could destroy all hope of restoring his family’s wealth, something that Matti has been trying – and failing – to do for the past ten years. What he can afford, unfortunately, is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere. Luca, for his part, is trying to reinvent himself in a new city. All he wants to do is make some easy money and try to forget the crime he committed in his home town. He didn’t plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsible – and inconveniently handsome – wool merchant like Matti. However, neither Matti’s business troubles nor Luca himself are quite what – or who – they seem. As the days to Matti’s wedding count down, the two of them become entangled in the intrigue and sabotage that have brought Matti’s house to the brink of ruin. And when Luca’s secrets threaten to drive a blade through their growing alliance, both Matti and Luca will have to answer the question: how many lies are you prepared to strip away when the truth could mean losing everything you want?
Bringer of Dust by J. M. Miro, Bloomsbury, £20 hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-526-65108-2.
1883. Agrigento, Sicily. A city of spires, broken hopes and bodies… With the orsine destroyed, Cairndale lies in ruins, and Marlowe has vanished. His only chance of rescue lies in a second orsine which might not even exist. But when a body is discovered in the Cairndale, the Talents realize there is even more at stake than they'd feared. For a new drughr has arisen – and it is not alone. A malevolent figure, known as the Abbess, desires the dust for herself. And deep in the world of the dead, a terrible evil stirs - an evil which the corrupted dust just might hold the secret to reviving, or destroying life forever. Against bone witches, mud glyphics, and a netherworldly house of twilight, the Talents must work together – if they are to have any hope of staving off the world of the dead, and saving their long-lost friend.
The Great When by Alan Moore, Bloomsbury, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-526-64322-3.
A dark and beguiling tour through the streets of a magical London by
a legend of modern fantasy. The year is 1949, the city London. Dennis Knuckleyard is a hapless eighteen-year-old who works and lives in a second-hand bookstore. One day, on an errand to retrieve rare books, Dennis discovers that one of them does not exist. It is a fictitious book, yet it is physically there in his hands nonetheless. How? It comes from the Great When, a dark and magical version of the city that is beyond time. There, epochs blend and realities and unrealities blur. If Dennis does not take this book back to the other London, he will be killed. So begins a journey delving deep into the city's occult underbelly and tarrying with an eccentric cast of sorcerers, gangsters, and murderers, many of whom have their own nefarious intentions. Soon Dennis finds himself at the centre of an explosive series of events that may alter and endanger both Londons.
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Jo Fletcher Books, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-41801-9.
See the title link for a stand alone review of the hardback.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Quercus, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-42709-7.
Upon receiving an urgent plea for help from her beloved cousin, socialite Noemi Taboada rushes to her side at the remote manor High Place. But Noemi’s cousin may not be the only one in need of saving.
The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Arcadia, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43100-1.
Golden Age Hollywood – a city overflowing with gossip, scandal, and intrigue. Every actress wants to play Salome, the star-making role in a big-budget movie about the legendary temptress. So when the film’s mercurial director casts Vera Larios, an unknown Mexican ingénue, in the role, she quickly becomes the talk of the town. Vera also becomes an object of envy for Nancy Hartley, a bit player whose career has stalled and who will do anything to win the fame she believes she richly deserves. As Vera navigates the glitz and gilded glamour of her new city, Nancy follows silently behind, trying to take everything she believes Vera has been unfairly handed. But this is the tale of three women, for it is also the story of the princess Salome herself. Consumed with desire for the fiery prophet who foretells the doom of her stepfather, Salome is a woman torn between the decree of duty and the yearning of her heart. And tragedy is waiting in the wings… for all three.
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Jo Fletcher Books, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-41806-4.
An intoxicating meld of Hollywood glamour, Mexican horror movies and ancient curses. Montserrat has always been overlooked. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys’ club running the film industry in ‘90s Mexico City. And she’s all but invisible to her best friend Tristán, a charming if faded soap opera star, even though she’s been in love with him since childhood. Then Tristán discovers his new neighbour is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legendary auteur claims he has a way to change their lives – even if his tales of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock sounds like sheer fantasy. The magic film was never finished, which is why, Urueta swears, his career vanished overnight. He is cursed. Now the director wants Montserrat and Tristán to help him shoot the missing scene and lift the curse. But Montserrat and Tristán might find out that sorcerers and magic are not only the stuff of films…. Click on the title link for a standalone review.
Elemental Forces edited by Mark Morris, Flame Tree Press, £9.95 / Can$21.95 / US$16.95, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-787-58866-0.
The fifth volume in the ABC of Horror, a non-themed series of original stories, showcasing the very best short fiction the genre has to offer, and edited by Mark Morris.
The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami, Vintage, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-787-30447-5.
A novel about the porous boundary between the real and shadow worlds. After losing his beloved as a teenager, the narrator finds his way to the Town, a mysterious place where he finds work as a Dream Reader in the library. Back in the real world as an adult he tries to recapture his time in the Town by taking a job as a librarian in a remote location in Fukushima province, where he takes over the job from a ghost. When a boy, M, who visits the library every day, vanishes, the boundaries between spatial and temporal realities, and between individuals, seems to have been breached.
Buried Deep by Naomi Novik, Del Rey, £18.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-91621-8.
An anthology of thirteen short stories, including two brand-new works. From the dragon-filled Temeraire series and the gothic, magical halls of the Scholomance trilogy, through the realms next door to Spinning Silver and Uprooted, this stunning collection takes us from fairy tale to fantasy, myth to history, and mystery to science fiction as we travel through Naomi Novik’s most beloved stories. Though the stories are vastly different, there is a unifying theme: wrestling with destiny, and the lengths some will go to find their own and fulfil its promise…
Mama Day by Gloria Naylor, Virago, £19.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-349-01615-3.
Between Georgia and South Carolina is an island you won't find on any map. Only a single bridge connects it to the mainland. In Willow Springs people still honour their ancestors, who arrived as slaves back in the time of Sapphira Wade, the ‘true conjure woman’ who set them all free. It is said that Mama Day has inherited Sapphira’s power. She is a healer whose hands have delivered almost every soul on the island – and rumour has it that she can summon lightning storms. When Cocoa, her greatniece, returns to Willow Springs from New York, she brings her husband, George. But can Mama Day save them from the island’s darker powers?
The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H. G. Parry, Orbit, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52032-2.
All they needed to break the world was a door, and someone to open it.
1921. Years after a botched spell lets loose a faerie into our world, killing hundreds, the study of faerie magic is banned. But for those who survived, their wounds cannot be fixed by bandages and bed rest. A magical curse requires a magical solution. Clover is determined to find a way to save her brother, Matthew – one of the few survivors of the faerie attack. At Camford, England’s premier magical academy, she’s nobody, just a scholarship witch with no lineage and no connections. But when she catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that had been previously closed to her are flung open, and she finds herself enmeshed in the glittering and seductive world of the country’s magical aristocrats. The summer she spends in Alden’s orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed. Years later, when the faerie seals break again, Clover knows it’s because of what they did. And she knows that she must seek the help of people she once called friends if there’s to be any hope of saving the world as they know it.
The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson, Bramble, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-05401-5.
Romantasy. After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small, quiet town of Bowskeep. When Bristol begins to receive letters from an 'aunt' she’s never heard of, who promises to help, she reluctantly agrees to meet her – and discovers that everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie. Her father might even still be alive, not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures and taken to another realm – the one he is from. Desperate to save her father and find the truth, Bristol journeys to a land of gods, fae and monsters. Pulled into a dangerous world of magic and intrigue, she makes a deadly bargain with the fae king, Tyghan. But what she doesn't know is that he's the one who drove her parents to live a life on the run. And he is just as determined as she is to find her father – dead or alive…
The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen, Orbit, 9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52218-0.
A spine-tingling, queer gothic horror debut where two men are drawn into an otherworldly
spiral, and a journey that will only end when they reach the darkest part of the human soul, billed by the publisher as perfect for fans of The Historian and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. John Sackville will soon be dead. Shadows writhe in the corners of his cell as he mourns the death of his secret lover and the gnawing hunger inside him grows impossible to ignore. He must write his last testament before it is too late. It is a story steeped in history and myth – a journey from stone circles in Scotland, to the barren wilderness of Ukraine where otherworldly creatures stalk the night, ending in the icy peaks of Tibet and Mongolia, where an ancient evil stirs.
The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch, Del Rey, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-95152-1.
Nicholas ‘Coal’ Claus used to love Christmas. Until his father, the reigning Santa, turned it into a PR facade. Coal will do anything to escape the spectacle, including getting tangled in a drunken, supremely hot make-out session with a beautiful man behind a seedy bar one night. But the heir to Christmas is soon commanded to do his duty: he will marry his best friend, Iris, the Easter Princess and his brother’s not-so-secret crush. A situation that has disaster written all over it. Things go from bad to worse when a rival arrives to challenge Coal for the princess’s hand… . and Coal comes face-to-face with his mysterious behind-the-bar hottie: Hex, the Prince of Halloween. It’s a fake competition between two holiday princes who can’t keep their hands off each other, and a marriage of convenience that no one wants, leading to one of the sweetest, messiest, most delightfully unforgettable love stories of the year.
Blood on the Tide by Katee Robert, Penguin, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94747-0.
Sail the high seas with this fantasy romance.
Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland, Tor, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-09970-6.
Avra Helvaçi, former field agent of the Arashti Ministry of Intelligence, has accidentally stolen the single most expensive secret in the world – and the only place to flee with a secret that big is the open sea. To find a buyer with deep enough pockets, Avra must ask for help from his on-again, off-again ex, the pirate Captain Teveri az-Haffar. They are far from happy to see him but, together, they hatch a plan: take the information to the isolated pirate republic of the Isles of Lost Souls; fence it; profit. The only things in their way? A calculating new Arashti ambassador to the Isles of Lost Souls who’s got his eyes on Avra’s every move; Brother Julian, a beautiful, mysterious new member of the crew with secrets of his own and a frankly inconvenient vow of celibacy; and the fact that they’re sailing straight into sea serpent breeding season and almost certain doom. But if they can find a way to survive and sell the secret on the black market, they’ll all be as wealthy as kings – and, more importantly, they’ll be legends.
What If… Loki Was Worthy? by Madeleine Roux, Penguin, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94658-9.
Loki and Valkyrie seek redemption in the first adventure of an epic new multiversal series that re-imagines the origins of iconic Marvel heroes. So many worlds, so little time. Infinite possibilities, creating infinite realities. Long have we watched the trickster god sow chaos. But… what if Loki saved Asgard from Tony Stark’s revenge?
A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan, Orbit, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52280-7.
This is the start of a new blockbuster epic fantasy series with a Norse flavour. Billed by the publisher as perfect for fans of John Gwynne’s 'Bloodsworn' series. The land of Ascarlia, a fabled realm of bloodied steel and epic sagas, has been ruled by the Sister Queens for centuries. No one has dared question their rule. Until now. Whispers speak of longships of mysterious tattooed warriors, sailing under the banners of a murderous cult of oath-breakers long thought extinct. A tide of black steel that threatens to vanquish all in its path. Thera of the Blackspear, favoured servant of the Sister Queens, is ordered to uncover the truth. As Thera sails north, her reviled brother, Felnir, sets out on his own adventure. He hopes to find the Vault of the Altvar – the treasure room of the gods – and win the Sister Queens’ favour at his sister’s expense. Both siblings – along with a brilliant young scribe and a prisoner with a terrifying, primal power – will play a part in the coming storm. The Age of Wrath has begun.
This Cursed House by Del Sandeen, Michael Joseph, hrdbk, £18.99, ISBN 978-0-241-71451-5.
A young black woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago, desperate to leave behind the spirits she has always been able to see. She receives a job offer by the Dichon family in New Orleans. But discovers that they are not what they seem to be. Their tenuous hold on reality extends to all their eccentric clan…
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer, Arcadia, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43631-0.
A Narnia-inspired fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobe doors… you know, just in case. Fifteen years ago, two boys went missing at a state park in West Virginia. Six months later, they mysteriously reappeared, unable to tell anyone where they had been. Now adults, Jeremy is a missing persons investigator with an uncanny ability to find lost girls. Meanwhile, Rafe has become an artist unable to stop creating fantastical paintings and sculptures he shows to no one. He has no memory of the six months he spent missing. When Emilie goes to Jeremy, seeking help for her older sister who was kidnapped eighteen years earlier, he recognizes her as the girl he’s been questing for all these years. Emilie is the lost princess of Shanandoah, and her sister is the queen of the fantasy world where he and Rafe spent those six magical months when they were missing. But an old foe of Rafe’s is determined to keep the three from returning to Shanandoah. The only chance they have lies in Rafe’s ability to remember who he was. But there’s a very, very good reason he can’t.
Stay in the Light by A.M. Shine, Head of Zeus, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-54793-9.
After her terrifying experience at the hands of the Watchers, Mina has escaped to a remote Irish cottage. She obsessively researches the Watchers, desperate to protect humankind. One day Mina discovers her elderly landlords have disappeared. But someone – something – is inhabiting their home. Knowing the Watchers' power is growing, Mina flees for her life... but when she reports her fears, she finds her sanity questioned. Mina must convince staff at the psychiatric hospital where she is taken that her stories of malevolent beings are true – but that soon proves the least of her troubles... This is billed by the publisher as a chilling modern twist on the Gothic horror novel.
Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone, Orbit, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52060-5.
It’s time to rage, drink and fight like a barbarian! Red Sonja, the iconic She-Devil with a
Sword, will meet a new generation of readers in this fantasy by the comic book writer Gail Simone, making her novel-writing debut. Hot-headed, charismatic and always unapologetically herself, Red Sonja, the ferocious she-devil and barbarian of Hyrkania, has never concerned herself with the consequences of her actions. She’s pursued all her desires, from treasure, to drink, to the companionship of bedfellows. She’s fought those who deserve it (and sometimes those who didn’t). And she’s never looked back. But when rumours start bubbling up from her homeland – rumours of unknown horrors emerging from the ground and pulling their unsuspecting victims to their deaths – she realises she may have to return to the country that abandoned her. Sonja must finally do the only thing that ever scared her: confront her past.
Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh, Gollancz, £16.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-60461-1.
Fantasy. Auden Scott’s memories are terrifyingly blank. The only thing she knows for certain is that she must protect her unborn baby.Remi Denier is a man driven by the primal instinct to protect. Protect his pack, protect his allies . . . and protect the mysterious woman who has become a most unlikely neighbour. Then Auden asks Remi to help her shatter the wall of secrets that is the Scott bloodline. What they unearth will reveal a nightmare beyond imagination. This time, the battle is to the death.
The Gods Below by Andrea Stuart, Orbit, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-356-52067-4.
A new, epic fantasy series from Andrea Stewart, where gemstones contain magical power, and two sisters find themselves on opposite sides of a war between gods…. After a divine war shattered the world, humanity struck a pact with the god Kluehnn: in return for regular tribute of magical gems, Kluehnn would restore the world to its former glory. But the pact carries a heavy price. With each land restored, its people are physically altered – and not always for the better. When Hakara’s homeland is set to be restored, she flees for the border with her sister Rasha. Escaping into the neighbouring kingdom is the only way they can save their humanity. But tragedy strikes when they’re separated and Hakara is forced to go on alone. Taking on a mining job to survive, she discovers she’s able to channel the magical power of the gems she’s pulling from the earth. Soon she’s contacted by a secret society dedicated to overthrowing the God Pact, who want her to join their clandestine war against Kluehnn. Hakara refuses their advances, until they make a startling claim. They know where Rasha is. And they can help Hakara rescue her.
But only if she joins them.
Endless Terrors by K. J. Sutton, Penguin, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-94487-5.
To protect the ones she loves, Fortuna has left everything behind. She can’t let down her guard. She can’t rest. She can’t stop moving. Not if she doesn’t want her ever-growing abilities to be used as a catalyst for a monster’s entrance into the world. Fortuna thought she knew death. She believed herself well acquainted with betrayal. But now she stumbles upon one more secret. One more answer to a question she’s been asking for over a decade. One more truth that might shatter her completely.
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennett, Witch by Melinda Taub, Jo Fletcher Books, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-42624-3.
A witchy reimagining of Pride and Prejudice, told from the perspective of the – according to her – much-maligned youngest Bennet sister, Lydia. Miss Lydia Bennet may be the youngest, but what she lacks in maturity and responsibility, she more than makes up for in energy, fun – and magic. But Lydia suffers from other concerns, as well: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat, and Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would you expect from a demon? And if you think Mr. Darcy was uptight about dancing etiquette, wait till you see how he reacts to witchcraft. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that when you’re a witch, promises have power. Click on the title link for a standalone review.
Days of Shattered Faith by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Ad Astra – Head of Zeus, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-03590152-4.
Welcome to Alkhalend, Jewel of the Waters, capital of Usmai, greatest of the Successor States, inheritor to the necromantic dominion that was the Moeribandi Empire and tomorrow’s frontline in the Palleseen’s relentless march to bring Perfection and Correctness to an imperfect world. Loret is fresh off the boat, and just in time. As Cohort-Invigilator of Correct Appreciation, Outreach department, she’s here as aide to the Palleseen Resident, Sage-Invigilator Angilly. And Sage-Invigilator Angilly – Gil to her friends – needs a second in the spectacularly illegal, culturally offensive and diplomatically inadvisable duel she must fight at midnight. As a succession crisis looms, as a long-forgotten feat of necromantic engineering nears fruition, as pirate kings, lizard armies and demons gather, as old gods wane and new gods wax, sooner or later Gil and Loret will have to settle their ledger. Just as well they are both very, very good with a blade…
Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne, Tor, £20, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-03099-6.
Reyna and Kianthe dream of opening a friendly book shop together, serving the very best tea and cakes. Worn wooden floors, plants on every table, firelight drifting between the rafters – all complemented by love and good company. But Reyna is an elite bodyguard to a vengeful queen, and Kianthe is the most powerful mage in existence. Leaving their lives behind seems… impossible. Yet they flee to Tawney, a town nestled in the icy peaks of dragoncountry. There, they open the bookstore they'd always wanted. What follows is a tale of mishaps, mysteries, dragons, and a murderous queen throwing the realm’s biggest temper tantrum. And two women will discover what they mean to each other – and their world.
A Pirate's Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne, Tor, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-03109-2.
Queer pirates will discover if enemies actually can become lovers in this heart-warming sequel to Can't Spell Treason Without Tea. Billed by the publisher as for fans of Bookshops & Bonedust and Our Flag Means Death. Kianthe and Reyna are desperately hunting for dragon eggs to save their hometown. Unfortunately, in order to secure their prize, they must strike a deal with a local lord. The mission? To capture Serina, a notorious river pirate and scourge of the lord’s supply chains. Begrudgingly, the couple joins forces with Bobbie, one of the lord’sconstables. She is determined to capture the troublesome pirate - but it turns out that lawmaker and lawbreaker have a complicated history and it could jeopardize everything. As Kianthe and Reyna watch this relationship-wreck from afar, it quickly becomes apparent that the pair need all the help they can get. Luckily, matchmaking is Reyna’s favourite pastime. The dragon eggs may have to wait…
Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs, Penguin, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-15943-1.
This follows a family tasked with guarding a trove of magical but deadly books, and the shadowy organisation that will do anything to get them back… even murder.
A Dawn of Gods and Fury by K. A. Tucker, Penguin, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-804-95113-2.
Fates will collide in the final book in the 'Fate & Flame' series.
Fallen Gods by Rachel Van Dyken, Bramble, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-05074-1.
Romantasy. Billed by the publisher as American Gods meets 365 Days. Liv Olson has been drawn to Norse Mythology her entire life. After earning her degree and working as a curator at one of New York’s most prestigious museums, she gets an unexpected offer for her dream job in Norway – the same place her brother disappeared months ago – after a cryptic message about finding their long-lost father. She finds herself surrounded by superstitious townspeople who refuse to even look at the water. Liv soon realizes that the small town of Vonn is nothing like it seems. Shops close before dark, and things she’s only read about seem to suddenly exist. To top it off, her new boss, Tristan, is insultingly mean and engagingly beautiful – and, as part of the job, she must live with him in his mansion. As her life quickly unravels into chaos, she’s left wondering who’s pulling the strings in this mysterious place where nothing makes sense, yet everything feels familiar. Her studies have always told her the gods are who you trust. But what happens when the man who’s destined to kill you… is your saviour?
The Doors of Midnight by R.R. Virdi, Gollancz, £18.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-473-23404-8.
All tales have a price. And every debt must be paid.I killed three men as a child and earned myself the name Bloodletter. Then I set fi re to the fabled Ashram. I’ve been a bird and robbed a merchant king of a ransom of gold. And I have crossed desert sands and cut-throat alleys to repay my debt. And most recently of all, I have killed a prince, though the stories say I have killed more than one.
Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang, Del Rey, hrdbk, £16.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-93551-6.
Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia. But there is always a cost. Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fuelled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a highmage, however, her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant. What neither Sciona nor her peers realise is that her taciturn assistant, Thomil, was once a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran’s magical barrier. And through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever – but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilisation in the balance?
We Shall Be Monsters by Alyssa Wees, Del Rey hrdbk, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-90098-9.
A dark, lyrical fantasy blending the world of the Fae with the stories mothers tell to keep their daughters safe – and the consequences of disregarding the truth, no matter how sinister. Gemma knows she’s not supposed to go into the woods – her mother Virginia has warned her multiple times about the monsters that lurk there – and yet defiantly, curiously, she goes anyway. Virginia understands her daughter’s defiance. She knows the lure of the woods all too well. Her own mother warned her about the monsters that resided there, and she also did not listen. Until a witch cursed her true love, Ash – Gemma’s father – into the form of a beast in the days before Gemma’s birth. And if Virginia cannot break the curse before her daughter turns fifteen, Ash will eat Virginia’s heart and Gemma will belong to the witch. But everything changes when Gemma gets too close to the truth, and the witch steals Virginia away instead. Now it is up to Gemma to venture deep into Fae lands to try and rescue her mother and break the curse.
Lucy Undying: A Dracula Novel by Kiersten White, Del Rey, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-91768-0.
Her name was written in the pages of someone else’s story: Lucy Westenra was one of Dracula’s first victims. But her death was only the beginning. Lucy rose from the grave a vampire, and has spent her immortal life trying to discover who she really is and what she truly wants. Her undead life takes an unexpected turn when, in twenty-first-century London, she meets another woman who is also yearning to break free from her past. Lucy has long believed she would never love again. But their connection is threatened by forces from without. Iris’s mother won’t let go of her without a fight, and Lucy’s past still has fangs: Dracula is on the prowl again. Can she find the strength to destroy Dracula once and for all, or will her heart once again be her undoing? Dracula changed her. Love will transform her... The author is a Bram Stoker Award winner.
Cross Bones by Tracy Whitwell, Pan, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-08758-1.
Tanz, the accidental medium who, with the help of the dead, has become an unwilling crime-solver. There’s a queue at her door, and not all of them are living… When Tanz, the accidental medium, is asked to help in the search for a missing woman, she finds herself at the Cross Bones Graveyard in London’s Southwark. From the outset it’s obvious there is unrest among the spirits who call this place their home, and now Tanz is right in the middle of it. What’s more, she now finds her ‘so-called gift’ is even stronger than it was and the dead really want to talk! Couple this with performing a play that could wreck her acting career for good, and a growing attraction to a police officer who happens to be a lot younger than her, and life is very complicated. But when the dead become restless Tanz can’t ignore them, and a mystery needs solving. So is she strong enough to come out the other side?
All the Devils by Catelyn Wilson, Michael Joseph, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-241-68394-1.
Dark academia meets horror. Mourning the sudden death of her sister, Andy knows she must come to terms with life without Violet. But on the day of her funeral, she discovers that the body in the casket is not Violet. Convinced her sister's elite boarding school is covering the truth she enrols at Ravenswood Academy… Soon she realises that the price she must pay for getting her sister back is darker and more dangerous than she could ever imagine.
Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell, Quercus, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43137-7.
Shapeshifter Shesheshen has made a fatal mistake for a monster: she’s fallen in love with a human. But human Homily has problems of her own: her family is out to kill the monster who has cursed them. A monster is named… Shesheshen.
Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood, Macmillan, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-04545-7.
Belladonna Blackthorn hasn’t lost her magical spark, but she hasn’t seen it in a while either. Balancing work at her beloved Lunar Books with protecting it from her toxic boss, all while concealing her witchcraft from those around her – Belle is burnt out. Perfecting the potential of her magic is the last thing on her mind. But, when her thirtieth birthday brings a summons from her coven and a trial that tests her worthiness as a witch, Belle risks losing her magic for ever. With the month of October to fix things and signs that dark forces may be working against her, Belle will need all the help she can get – from the women in her life, from an unlikely mentor figure and even from an (infuriating) watchman who’s sworn to protect her…
The Coven by Harper L. Woods, Transworld, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-857-50625-2.
Billed by the publisher as The Vampire Diaries meets Shadow and Bone. Willow Madizza never thought she’d accept a place at Hollow’s Grove University, the secret and prestigious institution where the best and brightest of her fellow witches learn to wield their magic. But Willow has reasons for being at Hollow’s Grove beyond the education it offers. Raised to be a weapon against the Coven that presides over the University, she must find the bones of her ancestors in order to reclaim the magic that is her destiny. Her only obstacle is Alaric Grayson Thorne, the University’s beautiful and infuriating Headmaster. Gray is ruthless, manipulative, dangerous – he represents everything Willow has been taught to despise. But despite their mutual loathing, Gray understands Willow better than anyone, and he might just be the key to unlocking her full power…
The Cursed by Harper L. Woods, Transworld, £16.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-857-50627-6.
He was the deception waiting in the night; the truth I never saw coming. After a lifetime of manipulation, I finally learned the truth. I was his puppet — even if I never saw my strings. Even knowing how deep his betrayal runs, I can’t shake the undeniable connection between Gray and I — the way a single glance from him sets my soul on fire. We are not the same. We’re enemies, poised to battle for the future of the very thing I’d wanted to destroy. With the Covenant gone, the revenge I thought I wanted is no longer my priority. The witches that remain played no role in my aunt’s death, and the only person standing in the way of righting those wrongs is the very man determined to keep me in his bed. But the remaining members of the Coven will never forgive me for the role I played in their demise and subjugation, and the worst part of all is that I can’t even blame them for it. I’d been naive, believing my own delusions of grandeur when destiny clearly had other plans for me. Plans that had been set in motion centuries before my birth. But even that had been a lie, and now it is my duty to do everything in my power to undo it.
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young, Quercus, £9.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43365-4.
June Farrow has been waiting for fate to find her. And after her grandmother's death, a series of clues lead June to a mysterious door. Upon crossing the threshold, she embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but entangle her fate and her heart in a star-crossed love.
|
|
Autumn 2024
Forthcoming Non-Fiction SF &
Popular Science Books
The Greatest Nobodies of History by Adrian Bliss, Century, £18.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-90745-2.
Was Caesar really kidnapped by pirates? Who ate the last dodo? Did anything even happen in the Dark Ages? For centuries, the world’s smartest minds have pondered these big questions. And they were all wrong (perhaps?). Now for the first time, world-leading (allegedly) historian Adrian Bliss has gathered together the real story of humanity’s defining moments as recorded by history’s forgotten heroes. Featuring hitherto undocumented accounts from Ancient Greece to the frontlines of the Great Emu War and everything in between, this is history as you’ve never seen it before.
The Human Body by Sarah Brewer, Greenfinch, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43840-6.
The author is a clinician. A spectacular visual explanation of the human body and how it works, using stunning CGI images. Over 350 cutting-edge anatomical images depict the body in extraordinary detail, from exceptional views of the heart, liver, and lungs, to meticulous cross sections of the eye and other sense organs to a strikingly intricate degree.
An Atlas of Endangered Alphabets by Tim Brookes, Quercus, £30, pbk, ISBN 978-1-529-40824-9.
A global exploration of writing systems that are vanishing, and the stories and cultures they carry with them. When a culture is forced to abandon its traditional
script, the collective experience, wisdom and identity
of a people is lost. This atlas tells the story of these vanishing writing
systems, and the people who are trying to save them. From the holy alphabets of the Middle East to newly created African alphabets: this book offers glimpses of worlds unknown to us and ways of saving them from vanishing entirely.
Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte, Greenfinch, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-438390-0.
From the fearsome Tyrannosaurus to the staggeringly huge sauropods Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus, Steve Brusatte comprehensively describes each species–here they lived, what they looked like, what they ate, how they lived, fought and died–to provide a spectacular overview of one of the greatest stories ever told: the origin, evolution, and demise of the dinosaurs. Over 170 computer-generated reconstructions based on the latest research and technology, show these animals in stunning detail like never before. The author is a palaeontologist who acted as consultant on the BBC series Walking with Dinosaurs.
Pub Signs by Arthur Chappell, Amberley Publishing, £14.71, pbk, ISBN 978-1-398-11572-9.
SF book orientated conventions in Great Britain are commonly associated with beer and many local SF groups, from the London SF Circle and Birmingham SF to Reading SF and the Northumberland Heath SF Society, meet in pubs. So a book about pub signs is not entirely genre-irrelevant. Many inn names and signs are quite literal. If you hear of a pub called The Dog and Duck you might expect to see a sign depicting a dog and duck – but sometimes the meaning is less obvious. Is The Black Bull really a farmer’s bull? Is The Old Cock really agricultural? Was there a Blind Beggar in Bethnal Green? Whether you quaff the ale or just want to admire a beautiful outdoor art gallery that covers the whole of the country, this is the book for you. Be warned, the signs can be as intoxicating as the alcohol. You may find a whole new exciting hobby here. Expect the unexpected. The truth is out there… This is Arthur's second pub sign book. His first was devoted to pubs whose names relate to science fiction: Watch The Signs! Watch The Signs! from Shoreline of Infinity, ISBN 978-1-999-33310-1.
Space Oddities: The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding of the Universe by Harry Cliff, Picador, £18.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-09286-8.
An accessible account of the latest as yet unexplained phenomena of the universe that are new to science, space oddities that question science’s picture of the universe and could transform our understanding of the fundamental nature of reality. Something strange is going on in the cosmos. Scientists are uncovering a catalogue of weird phenomena that simply can’t be explained by our long-established theories of the universe. Particles with unbelievable energies are bursting from beneath the Antarctic ice. Unknown forces seem to be tugging on the basic building blocks of matter. Stars are flying away from us far faster than anyone can explain. After decades of fruitless searching, could we finally be catching glimpses of a profound new view of our physical world? Or are we being fooled by cruel tricks of the data? The author is a particle physicist based at the University of Cambridge and carries out research with the LHCb experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider.
The Genetic Book of the Dead by Richard Dawkins, Head of Zeus, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-804-54808-0.
An exploration of the power of DNA and what it can reveal about the deepest patterns of evolution. In the future, a zoologist presented with an unknown animal will be able to read its body and its genes as detailed descriptions of the world its ancestors inhabited. This ‘book of the dead’ would uncover the remarkable yet often similar ways in which animals have overcome obstacles and adapted to their environments. What biologists call ‘convergent evolution’, the way in which species separated by vast stretches of time have evolved surprisingly recognisable forms and functions, is one of the most powerful and least understood forces driving life on Earth.
After the Flying Saucers Came: A Global History of the UFO Phenomenon by Greg Eghigian, Oxford University Press, £22.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-190-86987-8.
A comprehensive account of the stories, the people, and the strange events that went into making the fascination with UFOs and aliens a worldwide phenomenon among believers, sceptics, and the simply curious.
British SF Conventions Volume 2: 1952-1957 edited by Rob Hansen, Ansible Editions, £12.50, pbk, ISBN 978-1-916-50824-8.
This is chronologically the second volume in Rob Hansen’s history of the early UK conventions, though the fourth to be published. As in other such fan-historical compilations, the story is told in the participants’ and observers’ own words, with explanatory and bridging commentary by Rob Hansen himself. 1952-1957 was a particularly lively time for British conventions, with wild parties, zap-gun (water pistol) battles, tour-de-force auctioneering performances by E. C. (Ted) Tubb and much witty reporting by Vin¢ Clarke, Chuck Harris, Walt Willis and others.
Ocean: A History of the Atlantic Before Columbus by John Haywood, Head of Zeus, £30, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-80-110990-1.
A history of the pre-Columbian Atlantic Ocean, a story that begins with the formation of the mid-Atlantic ridge some 200 million years ago and ends with the Castilian conquest of the Canary Islands in the fifteenth century. John Haywood argues that the pre-Columbian history of the Atlantic is the story of how Europeans learned to master the oceans. It is, therefore, key to understanding why it was Europeans, and not any of the world’s other seafaring peoples, who ‘discovered’ the world. Informed by the author’s extensive travels in and around the Atlantic Ocean, making landfall at locations as diverse as Vinland, Greenland, the Faroes and the Cape Verde Islands, and populated by a heterogeneous and multi-ethnic cast of seafarers, fishermen, merchants and dreamers, Ocean is an in-depth history of a neglected subject, fusing geology, geography, mythology, cosmology, maritime technologies and the early history of exploration to narrate the story.
Saints: A new legendary of heroes, humans and magic by Amy Jeffs, Riverrun, £30, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-41661-9.
Saints’ legends suffused medieval European culture. Their heroes’ suffering and wonder-working shaped landscapes, rituals and folk beliefs. Their tales spoke of men raised by wolves, women communing with flocks of birds and severed heads calling from between bristling paws. In Saints, Amy Jeffs retells legends born of the medieval cult of saints. She draws on ‘official’ lives, vernacular romances, artworks and obscene poetry, all spanning from the fourth to the sixteenth centuries. The legends’ heroes originate from as far east as Turkey and North Africa and as far west as Britain and Ireland. Saints includes such enduring super saints as Brigid, George, Patrick and Michael, as well as some whose legends are less well known (Scoithín, Euphrosyne and Ia) or else couched in prejudice (William of Norwich).
Designing Terry Pratchett’s: Discworld by Paul Kidby, Transworld, £30, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-857-52948-0.
This shines a light on the influences and inspirations behind some of the Discworld’s most iconic imagery, the collaboration between author and artist, and shows how real-world art, music, and culture fed into and became part of the world of this beloved, internationally bestselling series. The compiler started working with Terry in 1993 and has designed the Discworld book jackets since 2002 following the death of artist Josh Kirby.
The Long History of the Future: Why tomorrow's technology still isn't here by Nicole Kobie, Bloomsbury, £18.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-399-40310-8.
We love to imagine dramatic future technology, but why is it always just around the corner and never a reality? For decades we’ve dreamt about a sci-fi utopia, from flying cars and bionic humans to hoverboards. And why not? Building a better world is a worthy dream, and given the pace of technological change, nothing seems impossible anymore. But why are these innovations always out of reach? Delving into the remarkable history of technology, The Long History of the Future also looks at what lies ahead, providing insight into how technology might realistically evolve. You may never be able to buy a fully driverless car, but automated braking and steering could slash collision rates. Smart cities won’t perfect city life, but they could help bins be emptied on time. Hyperloops may never arrive, but superfast trains could fill the gap. Looking to the future, Nicole Kobie demonstrates how despite our belief that current technology is the best it could ever be, there is much to look forward to.
Enchanted CreaturesOur Monsters and Their Meanings by Natalie Lawrence, Weidenfeld & Nicholson, £14.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-474-61902-8.
An exploration of the monstrous creatures we have created, and what they can tell us about who we are. A history of humanity without a history of our imaginations is only a partial one… We have always made and destroyed monsters. They reveal our fears and anxieties. They give form to what we don’t know or don’t understand, our inner demons and irrational terrors. Understanding our monsters allows us to understand ourselves. Enchanted Creatures delves into the variety of monstrous creatures we have created over 15,000 years of history: from Palaeolithic cave carvings to hybrid snake-women to deep-sea leviathans.
Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About The End of the World by Dorian Lynskey, Picador, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-09593-7.
An exploration of one of the central concerns of our times: fantasies and nightmares of the end of the world, from Mary Shelley’s The Last Man to the Manic Street Preachers’ Everything Must Go. Human beings have been imagining the end of the world from the Book of Revelation to Avengers: The Age of Ultron. Every generation imagines that its visions of the end times are new. The author investigates our fantasies of the end, across both high and popular culture, from the Reformation to the present.
Wizurdle: 100 fiendishly fantastical puzzles involving dragons, magic, swords and spells by Gareth Moore & Laura Jayne Ayres, Pan, £14.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-035-05587-6.
Pit your wits against dangerous dragons, deceitful sorcerers, malevolent witches and greedy goblins in this fantastically clever collection of 100 original puzzles. In Fable you will join Miralda and Orien on their epic quest as they journey to the fabled kingdom of Ellamir, and attempt to take back what's rightfully theirs. Along the way, you'll be dodging hostile weapon-forgers by moonlight, navigating mystical mazes, cracking cryptic encantations and much more besides. These brain-teasers include logic, word and number puzzles.
Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT and the Race that will Change the World by Parmy Olson, Macmillan, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-03822-0.
It took Facebook four years to reach 100 million users. ChatGPT, released in November 2022, did it in two months. The simple text box was unlike anything experienced before. It could craft poems, write screenplays or letters of condolence, and tell jokes. It told one writer that it was in love with him and another that it had spied on Microsoft’s programmers through their webcams. But this is just the beginning. Things are going to get much, much worse as Google and Microsoft compete to monetize this rapidly evolving technology. The danger isn’t that humanity is going to be eliminated as in Terminator or The Matrix. No, the danger is that these untested automations will undermine our way of life more insidiously, sucking value out of our economy, replacing high-level creative jobs and enabling a new, terrifying era of disinformation. It was never meant to be this way. The founders of the two companies behind the most advanced AIs in existence – San Francisco-based OpenAI and London-based DeepMind – started their journeys determined to solve humanity’s greatest problems. But they couldn’t develop their technologies
without huge amounts of money, and that much money comes with obligations – the kind that Google and Microsoft plan to make back a hundred-fold. Supremacy is the untold, behind-the-scenes story of the battle between these two AI companies, their struggles to use their tech for good, and the dangerous direction that they’re now going in. It's a story of manipulation, exploitation, secrecy and perhaps the greatest invention in technological history - but, above all, it's a story of ruthless, relentless human progress and how it will impact all of us for years to come.
Harry Potter: The Official Book of Crochet Amigurumi by Jody Revenson & Juli Anne, Greenfinch, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-44087-4.
A comprehensive, officially licensed guide to crocheting amigurumi from the Wizarding World, this book includes designs for every skill level and a wide range of stitches and techniques featuring yarn expertly matched to the colours used in the films. Also included are behind-the-scenes facts and quotes and stills from the films.
The Myths of Geography: Eight ways we get the world wrong by Paul Richardson, The Bridge Street Press, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-0-349-13631-8.
Our maps may no longer by stalked by dragons and monsters, but our perceptions of the world are still shaped by geographic myths. Myths like Europe being the centre of the world. Or that borders deter rather than encourage migration. Or that Russia under Putin has always been aggressive to its neighbours. In his punchy and authoritative new book, Paul Richardson challenges recent popular accounts of geographical determinism and shows that how we see the world represented often isn't how it really is – that the map is not the territory. Along the way we visit some remarkable places: Iceland’s Thingvellir National Park, where you can swim between two continents; Bir Tawil in North Africa, and the direct train line set up in 2017 between Yiwu in east China and Barking in east London…
Artificial Intelligence: 10 Things You Should Know by Tim Rocktäschel, Seven Dials, £10.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-62652-1.
Discover the ten things we all should know about artifi cial intelligence in this compelling collection of short essays. In ten short and informative essays, Professor Tim Rocktäschel reveals everything we need to know about artificial intelligence. From what the future holds for AI and why it continues to improve with more data, to how superhuman AI is attainable and why we still have to fold our own laundry, discover all of this and much more! Artificial Intelligence: 10 Things You Should Know is a guide to the most important area of technology today.
The Science Museum Puzzle Book by The Science Museum, Seven Dials, £14.99, trdpbk, ISBN 978-1-399-62389-6.
Solve over 100 puzzles and journey into space with the fi rst official puzzle book from the Science Museum. Prepare to lift off to a world of knowledge and mystery with your passport to a thrilling exploration of space. Venture into the heart of scientific wonders as you traverse through exhilarating puzzles inspired by the exhibits of the Science Museum on your very own adventure. Learn about the history of space exploration and the pioneers who led us there; embark on the astronaut training program; engineer your own rocket and blast off to explore other planets and make your own discoveries.
The Lewis Carroll Puzzle Book by Brian Sibley & with art by John Tenniel, Macmillan, £14.99, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-035-05735-1.
Lewis Carroll was a mathematician who loved puzzles of all kinds, invented the word ladder, delighted in acrostics and riddles and posed twisty maths and logic questions. In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass he used mathematical logic when creating his whimsical world - and for nearly 160 years children (and adults) have delighted in his clever creation. In this celebratory collection of puzzles, Chair of the Lewis Carroll Society, Brian Sibley, uses his expert knowledge to take readers inside the inimitable mind of Carroll with a beautiful introduction and annotations throughout. Mind-bending and utterly charming, the puzzles and games include delights such as Doublets (word ladders) and Syzygies (a more elaborate form of the word ladder), Mirror Writing, Arithmetical Croquet and many more Carroll classics. Enough to keep even the most seasoned of puzzlers entertained for hours. As well as being beautifully designed with full colour illustrations from Carroll’s original and iconic illustrator, John Tenniel, a top mathematician and Carroll enthusiast will also provide explanations for the logic underpinning the games and will specially create new puzzles in the style of Lewis Carroll.
How Herbs Healed The World: And Other Stories of Remarkable Plants by Connor Smith, Greenfinch, £22, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43053-0.
Herbs are wonderful things. Without them so much would not be possible. With the advance of science over the last two hundred years these once mystical plants have changed and saved countless lives, vastly improving our standard of living while providing us all with a much richer, healthier diet. Today, we take for granted a world full of life-saving drugs, luxury cosmetics and exotic foods. How Herbs Healed the World tells the origin stories of remarkable herbs and their impact on our lives: revealing how poisons such as deadly nightshade were deployed to dispatch opponents in ancient Rome but are a vital ingredient in modern medicine, or how herbs such as yarrow are still being used to treat wounds today, just as they were thousands of years ago. The author is the head of Europe’s largest rock garden at the Utrecht University Botanic Gardens in The Netherlands.
J. R. R. Tolkien… A Very Short Introduction by Matthew Townend, oxford University Press , £8.99, pbk, ISBN 978-0-192-88204-2.
An accessible and authoritative guide to Tolkien’s works, and it places The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in the context of his full body of writings.
Harry Potter: Official Wizarding World Cookbook by Sarah Walker Caron & Jody Revenson, Greenfinch, £25, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-529-43503-0.
Spellbinding meals from New York to Hogwarts and beyond! Create a scrumptious feast inspired by the Wizarding World with more than 80 Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts-themed recipes. With recipes ranging from ‘Hogwarts Start of Term Feast’ to ‘Queenie’s Apple Strudel’, as well as stunning full colour photography and behind-the-scenes facts from the world-famous franchise, this cookbook offers step-by-step instructions on creating a magical, memorable feast.
The New World on Mars: What We Can Create on the Red Planet by Robert Zubrin, Penguin, £10.99, pbk, ISBN 978-1-802-06700-2/
Within a few years, humans will be able to voyage to Mars. SpaceX is at the forefront of companies already building fleets of spaceships to make interplanetary travel as affordable as Old-World passage to America. We will settle the red planet, transforming its raw materials into resources and tackling the challenges that await us, creating a new frontier for humankind. This explains how populous Martian city states will emerge, producing their own air, water, food, power and more. How they must be beautiful to attract settlers, and what that might look like. How the primary exports are unlikely to be material goods but intellectual products. Zubrin even predicts the red planet’s customs, social relations and government that will overcome traditional forms of oppression to draw talented Earth immigrants.
|
|
Autumn 2024
Rest In Peace
The last season saw the science and science fiction communities sadly lose…
Bill Anders, the US astronaut, has died aged 90 in a tragic air crash. The Apollo 8 lunar module pilot took the iconic 'Earthrise' photograph. Taken in 1968 it was the first picture of the Earth taken by a craft coming around from the far side of the Moon. Shortly after Anders said: "We came all this way to explore the Moon, and the most important thing that we discovered was the Earth." The picture is said to have inspired the creation of the annual 'Earth Day'. He also served as US Ambassador to Norway for a year in the 1970s. The plane he was flying crashed into the sea.
Paul Auster , the US translator and writer, has died aged 77. His early work included detective novels with a psychological element that makes them at least genre-adjacent if not fantastical. His early, clearly fantasy novels include Mr. Vertigo (1994) and Timbuktu (1999).
Allen Joseph Bard, the US electrochemist, has died aged 90. He redefined electrochemistry (often described as its 'father') through his work, which spanned: electrode reactions, chemiluminescence, semiconductor electrodes, single-molecule electrochemistry, and innovative instrumentation. He has garnered the Priestley Medal in 2002, the Welch Award (2004), the Wolf Prize (2008), the National Medal of Science (2013), the Enrico Fermi Award (2014) and the King Faisal International Prize (2019).
Roger Bozzetto, the French SF critic and academic, has died aged 86. He was Professor Emeritus of general and comparative literature at the University of Provence. He was also a member of the CERLI (Centre d’Études et de Recherches sur les Littératures de l’Imaginaire/Center for Studies and Research on the Literatures of the Imagination) academic collective.
Mark D. Bright, the US comics artist, has died aged 68. His credit name was 'Doc Bright' (a play on his initials). He worked for both Marvel and DC Comics including on Iron Man and The Green Lantern among many other superhero characters. In recent years he moved into storyboarding for commercials, and live-action television and feature films, notably including M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender film but still drawing for comics. He is also noted for the Predator 2 comic adaptation of the film.
Carolyn Caughey, the Canadian born, British resident publisher, has died. Her early editorial work was with New English Library which was then taken over by Hodder & Stoughton where she published crime (including Dorothy L. Sayers) and SF/F. In later years, she divided her time between London and Canada. She left Hodder in the early 2000s but continued to work with several authors on a freelance basis. She was a notable feature of British SF/F publishing.
Kenneth Cope, the British actor, has died aged 93. His most famous genre role was that of the ghost detective, Marty, in the TV series Randell & Hopkirk (Deceased).
Lyn Conway, the US computer scientist, has died aged 86. She is best known in computing for initiating the design of what would become the Mead–Conway VLSI (Very Large-Scale Integrated) microchip chip design revolution of the 1980s. (These chips are the modern chips of today with RAM, ROM, and CPU functions all on one chip and not separately.) Before then she had been recruited by IBM in 1964 but was fired (1968) following her coming out with her desire to gender transition. (In 2020, IBM apologised for dismissing her.) She went on to work at Memorex (1969-1972) and then Xerox PARC (from 1973). She co-authored, with Carver Mead, Introduction to VLSI Systems (1980) became a standard university text. In the early 1980s, Conway left Xerox to join DARPA, where she was a key architect of the Defense Department's Strategic Computing Initiative. In 1985 she became a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan. From 1999 she came out as having transitioned and went on to be involved in transgender activism. In 2014, Time Magazine cited her as one of "21 Transgender People Who Influenced American Culture". Among her many awards are the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award and being inducted into the Electronic Design Hall of Fame.
Roger Corman, the US film director, has died aged 98. He was known for his low-budget genre films and for arranging the distribution of non-US films. Some are cult, and some – it has to be said – are right turkeys. He was the director (55 films) and/or producer (385+) of a total of over 400 films. The genre films he directed include (among many others): Day the World Ended (1955); It Conquered the World (1956); Not of This Earth (1957); Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957); The Undead (1957); Teenage Caveman (1958); Last Woman on Earth (1960); The Little Shop of Horrors (1960); Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961); The Pit and the Pendulum (1961); The Raven (1963); X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963); The Masque of the Red Death (1964) and Frankenstein Unbound (1990). The films he produced, but did not direct, among much else, included: Monster from the Ocean Floor (1954); Night of the Blood Beast (1958); Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965); The Dunwich Horror (1970); Death Race 2000 (1975); Battle Beyond the Stars (1980); Galaxy of Terror (1980); Forbidden World (1982); Space Raiders (1983); Masque of the Red Death (1989 remake); Dracula Rising (1993); The Fantastic Four (1994); Raptor (2001); Dinocroc (2004); Supergator (2007) and Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader (2012); Death Race 2050 (2017).
Ray Daley, the British writer, has died aged 84. His work was at first self-published before he became professionally published. His work includes cyberpunk SF.
Frans de Waal, the Dutch primatologist, has died aged 75. He initially worked for the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center in 1981 before moving to Emory University in 1991, where he was a professor in the Department of Psychology. He was the author of 15 books mainly on the topic of animal sentience. he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2007. In 2012, he won an Ig Nobel Prize for a paper he co-authored showing that chimpanzees could match familiar individuals’ faces with their posteriors, suggesting that they had mental representations of their group mates.
Roger Dicken, the British special effects expert, has died aged 84. His genre work, among much else, includes that on Scars of Dracula (1974), The Land That Time Forgot (1974),Warlords of Atlantis (1978) and Q: The Winged Serpent (1982). Unfortunately, he is not credited for his work on 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). He is noted for his work on Alien (1979): the chest-burster effects. He was co-short-listed (with Jim Danforth) for a special-effects Oscar for When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1971).
Shelley Duvall , the US actress, has died aged 75. She had aspirations to be a scientist and majored in nutrition and diet therapy. A chance encounter with the director Robert Altman which led to her having a role in Brewster McCloud (1970). Her genre roles on television included seven episodes of Faerie Tale Theatre (1982-'86). But in films, and in genre terms, she is best known for co-starring in The Shining (1980) -- trailer here -- and Popeye (1980) -- trailer here as well as appearing in The Time Bandits (1981) as an awkward lover in different time periods. The awards she garnered included a Peabody Award (1984) for Faerie Tale Theatre.
Akira Endo, the Japanese biochemist, has died aged 90. His work looked at the relationship between fungi and cholesterol biosynthesis led to the development of statin, cholesterol lowering drugs. His work garnered him the Japan Prize (2006), the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award (2008), the Canada Gairdner International Award (2017) and the European Society of Cardiology Gold Medal Award (2021). However, he never derived financial benefit from his discovery, despite statins being among the most widely prescribed medications. Some have opined that he should have been a candidate for the Nobel Prize.
Joe Engle, the US test pilot, has died aged 91. He was the first to touch the edge of space and later to go beyond it in two different aircraft, an X-15 and a space shuttle. He was part of the support crew for Apollo 10 in May 1969, two months before the first moon landing by Apollo 11. He went on to train as the backup lunar module pilot for Apollo 14 in 1971 and was assigned to the crew of Apollo 17 in December 1972 but was replaced by geologist Harrison Schmitt
M. J. Engh, the US author, has died aged 91. She also wrote as Jane Beauclerk and Mary Jane Engh. She wrote four SF books, from Arslan (1976) for which she is best known, to Rainbow Man (1993). She was a librarian and teacher with an interest in Roman times. She also wrote non-fiction including Femina Habilis: A Biographical Dictionary of Active Women in the Ancient Roman World from Earliest Times to 527 CE co-authored with Kathryn E. Meyer. In 2009 she was named 'Author emerita' by the SFWA.
H. Bruce Franklin, the US cultural and historical scholar, has died aged 90. He was notable for receiving top awards for his lifetime scholarship in fields as diverse as American studies, prison literature and marine ecology. He wrote or edited twenty books. Of genre relevance was his work on science fiction. He was the author of Future Perfect: American Science Fiction of the 19th Century (1966, revised 1995), War Stars: The Superweapon in the American Imagination (1988, revised 2008)Star Trek and History (2013). He had a lifelong passion for SF and had been a guest curator on topics about Star Trek and Star Wars. He edited the SF short story anthology Future Perfect: American Science Fiction of the Nineteenth Century (1966 to 1995 in four successively expanded editions). He received the Pilgrim Award in 1983. He won the Science Fiction Research Association’s Pioneer Award for his article 'The Vietnam War as American SF and Fantasy' (1990).
Ray Garton Jnr., the US horror writer, has died aged 61. He is the author of over 50 books. His novel Live Girls was short-listed for a Bram Stoker Award. In 2006 he was cited as a World Horror
Convention Grand Master. Many of his shorts appear in two collections Methods of Madness (1990) and Pieces of Hate (1996).
Alasdair Geddes OBE, the British clinician, has died aged 89. His early work concerned research on antibiotics. He then became Professor of Infection at the University of Birmingham Medical School. In 1973, the UK's Department of Health assigned him as a visiting fellow with the World Health Organization (WHO) smallpox eradication effort in Bangladesh. He diagnosed Janet Parker, a fellow smallpox researcher, with smallpox. She later died on 11th September 1978 and became the last reported smallpox fatality. He later, early in the 21st century, became an adviser on bioterrorism for the UK's Department of Health, his chief role being in the national smallpox plan and in bio-defence training. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1996 New Year Honours for services to Medicine.
Ivan Geisler, the US fan, has died aged 80. He was a longstanding member of the Denver Area Science Fiction Association. He was also an amateur astronomer.
Ian Gelder, the British actor, has died aged 74. His genre credits include: 12 episodes as Kevan Lannister in Game of Thrones, five episodes of Torchwood, and two episodes (voice only) of Doctor Who.
Richard Goldstein, the US radar astronomer, has died aged 97. He was the first to obtain radar echoes from Venus, and measured its retrograde rotation, and Mars. He was also the first to obtain a radar echo from an asteroid (Icarus) and the moons of Jupiter. In the 1990s he used radar to detect space junk. In 2000 he garnered the NASA Honors Award for Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal.
Sharon Green, the US author, has died aged 79. She wrote science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and romance. Her early works were marketed as similar to John Norman's 'Gor' series but actually were meant to counter them with powerful female characters. She is known for a number of series of books including: Jalav: Amazon Warrior series (1982-1986), the 'Terrilian' series (1982-1987), the 'Diana Santee, Spaceways Agent' series (1984-1985), the 'Far Side of Forever series (1987-1989), the 'Hidden Realms series' (1993-1996), 'The Blending' series (1996-1999) and the 'Blending Enthroned series' (200-2002). Her standalone novels include: Rebel Prince (1986) and Enchanting (1994).
Jon Haward, the British comics artist, has died aged 58. His artwork includes for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Biker Mice from Mars and, for 2000AD, Judge Dredd and Sinister Dexter, a couple of Tharg's Future Shocks stories among others. In 2009 his Macbeth (with John McDonald) won the Bronze Medal "Graphic Novel/Drawn Book – Drama/Documentary" category of the Independent Publisher Book Award.
Yamamoto Hiroshi, the Japanese author, has died aged 68. In addition to SF, he wrote books debunking pseudoscience. In the late 1970s, he was one of the founding members of the Role Playing Game collective 'Syntax Error', later known as 'Group SNE'. His first novel was Laplace no Ma [Laplace's Demon] in 1978, which tied into the Ghost Hunter computer game. His Kyonen wa Ii-nen ni Naru Daro [Last Year Should Be a Good Year garnered his a Seiun [Nebula] Award in 2011.
James Earl Jones, the US actor, has died aged 93. He made his film debut in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove (1964). SFnally most famous for voicing Star Wars Darth Veder, and in fantasy for voicing Mufasa in The Lion King (1994). He also guest starred as a version of himself in an episode of The Big Bang Theory.
Craig Jordan, the US-British pharmacologist, has died aged 76. Born in Texas (US), he moved to England with his family as a child to Cheshire. He went to the University of Leeds where he undertook undergraduate and postgraduate studies in pharmacology with the latter focussing on anti-estrogens. He was the first to discover the breast cancer prevention properties of tamoxifen. He later worked on developing a new Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for post-menopausal women that prevents breast cancer. In the late 1980s he found that raloxifene protected rats, whose ovaries had been removed from, osteoporosis. This finding was at first rejected by all the osteoporosis journals but which was a discovery vindicated by a large-scale trial in 1991. he also had a sense of duty and was volunteer training to be an officer when a student at Leeds and took courses in nuclear, biological and chemical warfare. Before completing his doctorate, he was recruited into the UK Intelligence Corps becoming the youngest captain in the service. He became a reservist in the UK Special Air Service responsible for advising the UK and US armies on biological and chemical defence. In 1993 he garnered the Gaddum Memorial Award from the British Pharmacological Society. In 2019 he was given an Order of the British Empire (OBE) and in 2019 was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG).
Daniel Kahneman, the Israeli-American author, psychologist, and economist, has died aged 90. He survived World War II in occupied France, before moving to what would become Israel. His early psychology career was as a lecture at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1969 he began a lengthy collaboration with Amos Tversky on judgement and decision making, developing an early version of 'prospect theory'. The two then also teamed with Paul Slovic to edit a compilation entitled Judgement Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases (1982) that was a summary of their work and of other recent advances. Daniel Kahneman was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 2002 "for having integrated insights from psychological research into economic science, especially concerning human judgment and decision-making under uncertainty". In 2015, The Economist listed him as the seventh most influential economist in the world. He also made contributions to the following areas of psychology: the base rate fallacy, cognitive bias; loss aversion; optimism bias, reference class forecasting and status quo bias. Much is covered in his 2015 book Thinking, Fast and Slow. His central message might be summed up as that human reason, left to its own devices, is apt to engage in a number of fallacies and systematic errors. So if we want to make better decisions in our personal lives and as a society, we ought to be aware of these biases and seek workarounds.
Deborah Kolodji, the US poet, has died aged 64. She is known for her SF and fantasy themed poetry, especially the haiku form. She edited or co-edited several anthologies of English-language haiku. Her haiku collection Highway of Sleeping Towns garnered a 2016 Touchstone Distinguished Books Award. She was president of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association in the US for half a decade up to 2011. In her professional life she was a maths graduate working in computer science.
Olga Larionova, the Russian SF author, has died aged 88. 'Larionova' was the pen name of Olga Nikolayevna Tideman who began writing in the Soviet era with A Leopard from the top of Kilimanjaro (1965). Her awards include the Aelita Prize (1987), Bronze Snail Awards (1992, 1997) and the Wanderer award (2001).
Tsung-Dao Lee, the Chinese American physicist, has died aged 97. He left China in 1946 for the US. In 1957, at the age of 30, Lee won the Nobel Prize in Physics with Chen Ning Yang for their work on the violation of the parity law in weak interactions. He remains the youngest Nobel laureate in the science fields after World War II. He is the thirdyoungest Nobel laureate in sciences. He also helped develop super computers in 1998 and 2001: 1 teraflop and 10 teraflop capability respectively. In 2008, he was one of a score of US Nobel winners to lobby President George W. Bush to restore US basic research investment. He also worked on the physics of white dwarfs.
Doug Lewis, the US book dealer and publisher has died aged 69. With his now late wife Toni, he ran the Little Bookshop of Horror/Roadkill Press in Arvada, Colorado, US. It was especially noted for its The Night Voices series of readings by SF/F authors. This led to the creation of Roadkill Press which produced high-quality chap books of readings. Both the shop and the imprint garnered a World Fantasy Award in the Nonprofessional category.
Michael Linaker, the British SF author, has died aged 84. His 'Scorpion' duology, comprised of Scorpion (1981) and Scorpion: Second Generation (1982), were both both Horror SF. He is also known for his near-future police procedurals 'Cade' sequence beginning with Cade #1: Darksiders (1992) written under the pseudonym Mike Linaker.
Mike Lynch MA, PhD, FRS, FREng, OBE, DL., the British tech entrepreneur, has died aged 59. A science graduate from Cambridge University, his first company was Lynett Systems Ltd that made synthesisrs and sound samplers, before founding Cambridge Neurodynamics, which specialised in computer-based fingerprint recognition. The three resulting spin-out companies from this included the Autonomy Corporation, a search software company. This he sold for more than US$11 billion (£8.6 billion) to the US firm Hewlett-Packard. Hewlett-Packard quickly decided they did not like the deal due to purportive accounting irregularities and took Lynch to court in Britain to recoup some of the money. The allegations were investigated by the UK Serious Fraud but the investigation was closed when they could not find sufficient evidence. Lynch was indicted for fraud in the US along with
Stephen Chamberlain, former vice president of finance at Autonomy. Earlier in 2018 Sushovan Hussain, Autonomy's former finance chief officer, had been found guilty of fraud in the US and sentenced to five years in prison. In 2019, Hewlett-Packard brought a civil action for fraud in the High Court in London and won. Lynch was then extradited to the US but he had prepared his defence assuming Hewlett-Packard would use the same arguments they had in the British case. So Lynch's team recruited members of the public and rehearsed their defence arguments again and again until they had a form of defence that was understandable to lay people. Lynch's team won their case. Lynch celebrated his US acquittal in the with a cruise on the family superyacht, Bayesian. The yacht sank off the coast of Sicily in a storm, drown Lynch, his daughter, four guests and a member of the crew: there were 15 survivors including Lynch's wife. Some consider had not the tech entrepreneur been mired in investigations and court cases for around a decade, he would have made a major contribution to the artificial intelligence revolution.
Carol MacLeod, has died aged 72. She was the wife of SF author Ken MacLeod who was a Guest of Honour at this year's Worldcon in Glasgow. She sadly passed a few days after the convention. Sincere condolences to Ken.
Sandy (Sanford) Meschkow, the US fan, has died aged 83. He was active in the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and served a term as its President. An engineer outside of fandom, he spent a spell in the 1960s working for NASA.
Nick Mills, the British fan, has died aged 67. He joined fandom in his first year at university when several members of the Warwick University SF Society attended Novacon 7 (1977). At university, he was heavily into Dungeons & Dragons. Following university, he was on the committee of a number of Novacons beginning with Novacon 16 (1986) and also a couple of Eastercons: Illumination (1992) and Paragon (2001). He was a longstanding member of the Sheffield SF Society. He also appeared on a number of television and radio quiz shows including University Challenge and Brain of Britain.
Michael Mosley, the British clinician turned broadcaster, has died aged 67. Disillusioned with psychiatry, he joined the BBC as a producer in 1985. He moved to the front of the camera in 2007 and went on to make at least one documentary most years, mainly for the BBC but also Channel 4 (which is a self-funded, publicly owned channel). From 2021, he wrote and presented the BBC Radio 4 programme Just One Thing, that gave examples of one thing you can do to improve your health. He also regularly appeared on day-time TV magazine shows discussing health issues. He is known for popularising the 5:2 diet whereby two days a week are those of very low calorie intake. This enabled him to lose weight and reverse the type 2 diabetes with which he had been diagnosed. He died of sunstroke when out for a lengthy walk on the Greek island of Symi while on holiday with his wife. He was nominated as Medical Journalist of the Year (1995) by the British Medical Association. In 2002, he was nominated for an Emmy as an executive producer for The Human Face along with John Cleese.
Bob Newhart, the US comedian, has died aged 94. A much loved comedian whose principal genre contribution was playing Arthur Jeffries / Professor Proton in The Big Bang Theory for which he won a Primetime Emmy in 2013.
Lyubomir Nikolov, the Bulgarian SF writer, has died aged 74. Also known as 'Narvi', he is the award-winning author of the novels The Mole, A Worm Under the Autumn Wind and The Grey Road. He also was responsible for translating J. R. R. Tolkien into Bulgarian as well as the works of other authors including Stephen King and Robert Sheckley.
Priscilla Olson , the US fan, had died aged 77. She and husband Mark, were involved in the NESFA Press to bring back neglected SF works. She was a member of a member of Binghamton Fandom. She was a member of the New England Science Fiction Association and served a term as its Vice-President. She is noted for her conrunning and she chaired Boskone 29 (1992), Boskone 38 (2001), Boskone 42 (2005), and Boskone 48 (2011). She was fan Guest of Honour at: Minicon 34 (1999); ConCertino '03 (2003) and WindyCon 33 (2006).
Don Perlin, the US comics artist, has died aged 94. He is best known for Marvel Comics' Werewolf by Night, Moon Knight (which he co-created), The Defenders and Ghost Rider. In the 1990s, he worked for Valiant Comics, both as artist and editor, where he co-created Bloodshot. Of particular genre note, he drew Robur the Conqueror, an adaptation of a Jules Verne novel about a power-mad genius and his 'flying apparatus', for The Gilberton Company's Classics Illustrated #162. he also worked on issues of Thor, Spider-Man, and the Sub-Mariner. He garnered the 1997 National Cartoonists Society Comic Books Award.
David T. Redd, the Welsh author, has died aged 78. He wrote short fiction with some three dozen stories to his name. He was occasionally involved in British fandom in the 1960s. Many of his stories have appeared in Collected Stories (2018).
John M. Roberts, the US author, has died aged 77. His first SF novel was The Strayed Sheep of Charun (1977). He is noted for the 'young adult' 'Spacer' series of novels and also fantasy novels set in Robert E. Howard's Conan universe.
William Russell (real name William Russell Enoch), the British actor, has died aged 99. He starred in the title role of the television series The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956–1957). His genre roles included a Kryptonian elder in Superman (1978). However, he is famously known for playing the school science teacher Ian Chesterton in Doctor Who from its first episode in 1963 to 1965. He returned as Ian for a 2022 cameo in 'The Power of the Doctor', 57 years after the character left, which garnered him a Guinness World Record for the longest gap between TV appearances.
Rhondi Ann Salsitz, the US author, has died aged 75. She wrote under the names Sara Hanover, Emily Drake, Anne Knight, Elizabeth Forrest, Charles Ingrid, Rhondi Greening, Rhondi Vilott Salsitz, Jenna Rhodes, R.A.V. Salsitz, and Rhondi Vilott. She wrote mainly fantasy and penned over a score of novels. She is known for the 'Elven Ways' series written under the pen name Jenna Rhodes and the space opera 'Sand Wars' books.
Richard Sherman, the US songwriter, has died aged 95. With his brother Robert, he is credited for more film picture musical songscores than any other song-writing team in film history. A number of these were genre related including: Mary Poppins (1964), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), The Sword in the Stone (1963), The Jungle Book (1967), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Snoopy Come Home (1972) and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977), among others. In 1958, Sherman's brother Robert founded the music publishing company, Music World Corporation, which later worked with Disney's BMI publishing arm, Wonderland Music Company. The brothers garnered earned 9 Academy Award nominations, 2 Grammy Awards, 4 Grammy Award nominations and 23 gold and platinum albums. He also was a music consultant for Mary Poppins Returns.
Pat Sims, the US fan, has died aged 87. She entered fandom in the 1960s participating in the University of Chicago Science Fiction Club. She met her to be husband Roger Sims at Midwestcon. They were active in Detroit fandom for many years, then in Cincinnati and then Florida. They co-chaired Ditto 10 (1997), Ditto 17 (2004) and FanHistoriCon 9 (1999). They were DUFF (Down Under Fan Fund) delegates in 1995. In 2002 she garnered a Worldcon Big Heart Award.
Maxine Singer, the US molecular biologist, has died aged 93. She made significant contributions to the biloogy of Recombinant DNA and the ethics of such work and applications. In the 1980s she was the Chief of the
Laboratory of Biochemistry at the National Cancer Institute. She received the National Medal of Science in 1992 "for her outstanding scientific accomplishments and her deep concern for the societal responsibility of the scientist" and the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal (2007). She wrote over 100 science papers, and also published several books with co-author Paul Berg intended to help the public have a better understanding of molecular genetics.
Fran Skene, the Canadian fan, has died aged 86. She chaired the 1977 Westercon, held in Vancouver, and three of the city’s annual V-CON (1978, 1981 & 1986). Her fanzine, Love Makes the World Go Awry ran for half a decade to 1983. In real life she was a librarian at the Greater Vancouver Public Library.
Carl-Eddy Skovgaard, the Danish fan, has died aged 73. He was a conrunner and active in both the Danish Fan Association and Science Fiction Cirklen for which he edited over 150 books.
Elena Steier, the US comics creator and art teacher, has died age 66. Her creations include: 'The Ramp Rats' (for the Detroit Metropolitan News and The Airport News), 'The Goth Scouts' (for The South Shore Monthly Newspaper) and 'The Vampire Bed and Breakfast' (a self-published comic book). She was a long-time member of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.
Edward Stone, the US physicist, has died aged 88. His early post-doc work was on cosmic rays. In 1972, he became project scientist for the Voyager missions to the outer Solar System. He was also the principal investigator for the Cosmic Ray System experiment on both Voyager spacecraft. As the spokesman for the Voyager science team, he became known to the public. Subsequently he was the principal investigator on nine NASA missions. He then was the director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena (1991 -2001). During that time key projects were: the Mars Pathfinder and its Sojourner rover; the Mars Global Surveyor; the Deep Space 1; the TOPEX/Poseidon; the NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT); and the launches of Cassini, Stardust, and 2001 Mars Odyssey. In 2022, owing to declining health, he retired as Voyager project scientist and became emeritus professor at Caltech. His many awards include: Carl Sagan Memorial Award (1999) and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal (2013). The minor planet, 5841 Stone is named after him.
Sheila Strickland, the US fan, has died. She was based in Louisiana.
Lubert Stryer, the US physiologist and clinician, has died aged 86. He was born in China of a German father and Russian mother, before they moved to the US when ten years old. His work focused on large biomolecules' interactions with light. His undergraduate textbook, Biochemistry has, over the years, had ten editions of which he wrote the first four single handedly. In the course of his career, he pioneered fluorescence methods for measuring distances within macromolecules, elucidated the visual signal transduction cascade, and helped develop DNA microarrays. In 2007 he received the National Medal of Science from President Bush.
Donald Sutherland, the Canadian actor, has died aged 88. He had a long and prolific career. His genre offerings include: Castle of the Living Dead (1964); Doctor Terror's House of Horror (1965); Billion Dollar Brain (1967); Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978); Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992); The Lifeforce Experiment (1994); Outbreak (1995); Virus (1999) – an SF horror, firm favourite with that year's Festival of Fantastic Films; Space Cowboys (2000); Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001); An American Haunting (2005); The Hunger Games (2012); The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013); The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay – Part 1 (2013); The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay – Part 2 (2015); Ad Astra (2019); Moonfall (2015); and Ad Astra (2022). He also appeared in a few genre television series including The Avengers (1967); and The Champions (1969).
Robert Towne, the US screenwriter and director, has died aged 89. His genre credits include: directing and starring in Last Woman on Earth (1960), directing Creature from the Haunted Sea, scriptwriting pseudonymously Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) which was short-listed for an Oscar, writing and directing Tequila Sunrise (1988) and writing for episodes of The Outer Limits and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. He also collaborated with Tom Cruise on the first two instalments of the Mission: Impossible franchise (1996, 2000).
John G. Trimble, the US fan, has died aged 87. He was a long-time Los Angeles fan, con-runner, fanzine publisher. He and his wife, Bjo, were the 2002 Worldcon fan guests of honour. The couple are best known for organising in the 1960s a write-in campaign to NBC to save Star Trek, and this is said to have led to the show's third season. It arguably gave the show enough episodes for it to go into syndication and these repeats proved popular, keeping interest I the show alive. In 2016, both John and Bjo were brought on stage at Star Trek Las Vegas in celebration of the 50th anniversary, and the Star Trek franchise team surprised and honoured them with a painted portrait of them by artist J. K. Woodward.
Brian Trueman, the actor and scriptwriter, has died aged 92. He was best known for his work with animation company Cosgrove Hall Films, particularly Danger Mouse (from 1981) and Count Duckula. His other genre shows included Jamie and the Magic Torch, The Wind in the Willows and The Reluctant Dragon.
Gudrun Ure, the Scot's British actress, has died aged 98. She had a full acting career but in genre terms is best known as portraying Super Gran in the series of the same name based on the books by Forrest Wilson. The series concerned Granny Smith, who gains superpowers after accidentally being hit by an inventor's 'magic' ray. She then uses her powers to protect the residents of Chiselton from a series of villains – most notably the scheming Scunner Campbell played by Scottish actor Iain Cuthbertson. The programme was hugely popular and was sold abroad to around 60 other countries. In 1985 it won an International Emmy award in the Children and Young People category. You can see the show's first episode here.
Jennifer (Jenny) Vaughan OBE, the British medical doctor, has died aged 55. She specialised in neurology and disorders that affected movement, especially on the genetics of early-onset Parkinson's disease. She co-led the "Learn Not Blame” campaign, a Doctors' Association UK campaign to end blame culture within the National Health Service (NHS). (She was a leading light in the Doctors' Association UK.) This successfully contributed to there being reform the law on gross negligence, so that doctors would learn from mistakes and not fear blame. She also noticed that trials arising out of negligence accusations affected a high proportion of doctors from ethnic backgrounds. Much is covered in her 2022 TEDxNHS talk on reconnecting with hope when things go wrong. During the CoVID-19 pandemic she campaigned to get proper personal protective equipment and legal protection for healthcare staff. She was awarded with an OBE in 2023. This spring she lost her battle with cancer.
Leane Verhulst, the US fan, has died aged 54. She was an active conrunner and chaired Capricon 28 in 2008. She was also a part of the US Science Fiction Outreach Program that donates books to those in need. Out side of fandom she was a computer programmer.
Vladimir Veverka, the Czech fan, has died aged 65. In 1984 he was the founding editor of the newszine Interkom.
Diana Wall, the environmental scientist, has died aged 80. Her doctorate was on plant pathology. She then moved on to soil science. From 1989, her research looked at the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys and its Wall Valley was named after her. She served terms as president of the American Institute of Biological Sciences, the Ecological Society of America, the Association of Ecosystem Research Centers, and the Society of Nematologists. She also co-chaired the Millennium Development Goals Committee of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. She garnered the Tyler Prize (sometimes described as the Nobel for environmental scientists).
Jeff Warner, the US conrunner, has died. He is noted for co-founding the I-CON series of conventions.
Taral Wayne, the Canadian fan artist, has died aged 71. He joined fandom in 1971 and was a longstanding member of the Ontario Science Fiction Club. He co-edited the newszine DNQ with Victoria Vayne in 1978–'84 but was involved with well over a score of others. He also drew comics professionally. He was short-listed for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist eleven times in 1987–1990, 2000, 2001 and 2008–2011. He had not been well following a stroke in 2017.
George Wells, the US fan, has died aged 81. He joined fandom in 1958 and was active in New York fandom.
Ruth Westheimer, the German borne, US psychologist, has died aged 96. She escaped Germany aged ten leaving her parents who were then murdered by the Nazis in the holocaust. She studied psychology and, moving to the US in 1956, sociology before obtaining a doctorate in education. She became well-know for her work in seΧeducation and became a postdoctoral researcher at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. She had a high-profile media career promoting contraception and was a supporter for research into AIDS. By 1983 her show was the top-rated radio show in the US and her TV work made her a household name. She also had an SFnal moment with an appearance as herself in 'Dr. Ruth', a 1993 episode of Quantum Leap. She authored well over a score of books. She was made a non-physician Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and was added to the Bronx Walk of Fame. She also received the American Academy of Clinical SeΧology Medal of SeΧology and the Yale Mental Health Research Advocacy Award among a number of others.
Heather Wood, the US publisher, has died aged 79. she was assistant to Tor’s (US) President and Publisher Tom Doherty, and a consulting editor for Tor (US) Books. She was also a professional folk singer and contributed to the World Fantasy Convention’s “Musical Interlude”.
|
