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Here's a list of what's coming out in the US this month in
Science Fiction and Fantasy. If we missed something or you have a title coming
out in the future, email us at news@sfrevu.com
This month we're bringing you up to speed with some
August releases as well as September. If you went away for vacation, you've got
some reading to catch up on! - Ern
 In August Ace brought out in hardcover Empty
Cities of the Full Moon by Howard V.Hentrix highly thought of by Library
Journal as a “thoughtful and surprising tale of transformation and
reclamation” blends philosophical and scientific speculation with memorable
characters. Ace’s September release, Deathday by William C.
Dietz an alien-invasion tale in the vein of Battlefield Earth, has
received more mixed reviews. Publishers
Weekly was not kind, but the New York Times reviewer and others seemed more
positive about this first in a series.
 Out in hardcover from Avon/EOS Books in August was Lois
McMaster Bujold’s The Curse of Chalion . The author of the popular Vorkosigan series who
was very much in evidence recently at Worldcon changes tracks in this fantasy
blend of politics and dark magic.
 For those interested in Military SF Baen featured in August
March to the Sea by David Weber and
John Ringo, a sequel to March Upcountry. There's more cybertank action with Bolo Strike by William H.
Keith,Jr which is a follow up to Bolo Brigade (reviewed by Ernest in
June-97) and Bolo Rising. Also out from this publisher was Star Soldiers a hardcover republication of two early SFWA Grand
Master Andre Norton SF classics - Star Guard (1955) and Star Rangers
(1953). The novels are
characteristic blends of action and appealing characterizations presenting
mankind at either end of a 4,000 year drive for interstellar expansion. Paperback releases from Baen included The Time
Traders the updated version of Norton’s Time Traders (1958) and Galactic
Derelict (1959),
 Ballentine/Del Rey hardcover August releases included the
initial volume in Harry Turtledove’s latest saga, American Empire: Blood and Iron continuing the postwar life and
challenges of a variety of characters introduced in The Great War
trilogy. Galactic Phrase Book &
Travel Guide: Beeps. Bleats, Boska, and Other Common Intergalactic Verbiage, a
guide for galactic travelers by Star Wars expert, Ben Burtt the Academy
Award winning Sound Editor and vibrantly illustrated by Sergio Aragones was
released in a trade edition. Other
paperback releases included the second volume of the Star Wars: The New Jedi
Order series Edge of Victory II: Rebirth by J. Gregory Keyes.
 A
September hardcover release with be Antrax : The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 2 by Terry Brooks, part of the epic tale started over two
decades ago with The Sword of Shannara.
At the end of August Bantam Books released the second
volume in the prequel trilogy to Frank Herbert’s classic, Dune: House
Harkonnen by Brian Herbert (son of Frank) and Kevin Anderson, a follow up to
last year’s Dune: House Atreides.
 In August Daw brought out in hardcover The Beasts of
Barakai, the first volume of a new fantasy series by Mickey Zucker Reichert,
while in September a new fantasy adventure saga by Curt Benjamin will open with The
Prince of Shadow: Seven Brothers. In
September they will release in paperback The Complete Ivory by Doris Egan
an omnibus edition of the complete Ivory trilogy including Gate of Ivory,
Two-Bit Heroes and Guilt Edged Ivory.
A collection of all-new original stories Creature Fantastic edited
by Denise Little featuring stories of Dragons, unicorns and other creatures real
and imagined by Jody Lynn Nye, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Josepha Sherman, Rosemary
Edghill and others.
 Four Walls Eight Windows will bring out in September in
hardcover Visions of Spaceflight: Images from the Ordway Collection, a
full color collection of astronautic and rocketry images - pictures, painting
and diagrams spanning more than four
centuries by Frederick I. Ordway III with a foreword by Arthur C. Clarke..
 Griffin released several trade editions in August including
Planet of the Apes Revisited: The ‘Behind-the-Scenes’ story of the
Classic Science Fiction Saga by Joe Russo, Larry Landsman, Edward Gross and
Charlton Heston and The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: 14th
Annual Collection edited by
Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling a collection of 44 short stories and eight
poems, many of the best of year 2000 from John Crowley, Harlan Ellison, Charles
de Lint, Tanith Lee, and many others along with extensive summations of both
fields.
 Brought out in August in hardcover by Pocket Books was Look
to Windward set in British SF author Iain M. Banks’ far-future
interstellar Culture civilization. The
novel concerning an act of revenge for an eight-centuries-old act of war was
highly recommended by our reviewer John Berlyne when published in Britain last year
calling it "space opera on a grand scale, full of ingenious concepts and
inventions". Out in paperback were
two novels from the ever-prolific Star Trek franchise, One
Small Step by Susan Wright which is a continuation of the storyline
introduced in the TV episode from the original series, “That Which Survives”
and, the second volume in the Gateways series, Chainmail by Diane
Carey. This is the Challenger (a
new ship and crew introduced in the New Earth series book#6) installment
of this series which is centered around the portals providing doorways to
unknown regions that were left by a thought-to-be extinct interstellar
civilization . Pocket Books September releases include in hardcover Heresy:
Aquasilva Trilogy Book One by a new young writer, Anselm Audley and in
paperback two more Star Trek novels, Gateways volumes 3 & 4, Doors
Into Chaos by Bob Greenberger the Next Generation segment dealing
with the return of the ancient Iconian race and Demons Of Air and Darkness
by Keith R.A. DeCandido featuring DS9’s Colonel Kira Nerys and her
crew. Although recommended by
readers of the series and fans of Star Trek a number of complaints have
recently surfaced regarding the endless, never-ending multi-book series set in
the Star Trek universe.
  In August Tor released a diverse selection of novels.
In hardcover were a number of fantasy including Destiny:
Child of the Sky by Elizabeth Haydon, combining elements of romance and
suspense in the final volume of the trilogy featuring magic generated from
music, a concept fans of L.E. Modesitt’s Spellsong Cycle should find
appealing. Tor also brought out the
paperback edition of book two, Prophecy: Child of Earth.
Other hardcover fantasy novels released in August were God of the
Golden Fleece - Book of the Gods,
Volume 4 by Fred Saberhagen who has been inventively re-working Greek myths
- this one based on Jason and the Argonauts, is a follow-up to last year’s The
Arms of Hercules; Book 3 of Mick Farren’s Nosferatu chronicles
which has established an extensive vampire mythology in previous volumes,
More Than Mortal; Through Wolf’s Eyes a well received blend of
magic, action and human and animal social behavior by Jane Lindskold who has
collaborated with Roger Zelazny in the past; and two YA
 oriented releases –
The
Free Lunch by Spider Robinson set in a 2023 amusement theme park Dreamworld
where its young hero has taken refuge from the xxx of life but strange things
happen when the park closes and a rollicking adventure tale, The Rover by
Mel Odom which pays homage to Tolkien and other epic fantasy authors and
features a mild-mannered Third Level Librarian as its hero.
Works in a different vein included a military space opera by Susan
Schwartz, Second Chances with allusions to Conrad’s Lord Jim
with its themes of guilt and redemption, The Chronoliths by Robert
Charles Wilson a unique manifestation of time travel and, in hardcover for the
first time In the Country of the Blind the re-publication of Michael
Flynn’s secret history/alternate history first novel (1990) slightly revised
including an afterword by the author. Tor
also published two related Ken MacLeod novels - in hardcover the first book in
his SF political thriller future history series set in 2040 London, The Star
Fraction (first released in Britain in 1995), and in paperback the Hugo
nominated fourth book, The Sky Road (released in hardcover by Tor in
2000).
 Out in September from Tor in hardcover are Angelmass
by Timothy Zahn, Ashling: Obernewtyn Chronicles, Book 3 by Isobelle
Carmody, David Drake’s Mistress of the Catacombs
and Mother Ocean, Daughter Sea a debut novel by Diana Marcellas
that Publishers Weekly calls lyrical and spellbinding.
Finally, Tor also released Mother of Kings, a blend of historical
fiction and fantasy set in 10th century Norway huge in scope,
spanning events across time by the recently deceased great Poul Anderson.
 Warner Aspect published in August in hardcover Kingdom
of Cages by Sarah Zettel and in paperback Fool Me Twice a satirical
far future sequel to Matthew Hughes’s debut novel Fools Errant.
In September they are releasing paperback editions of a number of Arthur
C. Clarke classics including several pairings: The City and the Stars/The
Sands of Mars, The Ghost from the Grand Banks/The Deep Range and on
its own, The Fountains of Paradise.
Wizards of the Coast’s Elminster
in Hell by Ed Greenwood is a new hardcover published in August set in the
Forgotten Realms universe, the fourth Elminster book that has come out.
The
publisher also released in paperback Brother
of the Dragon: The Barbarian, Volume 2 by
Paul B. Thompson and Tonya C. Cook which provides back story to the Weis &
Hickman Dragonlance novels. September’s
offerings include in paperback Baldur’s Gate II:Throne of Bhaal by Drew
Karpyshyn a novelization of the interactive video game and Bertrem’s
Guide to the War of Souls, Volume 1 by Jeff
Crook providing insights into the daily lives of the Dragonlance War of Souls trilogy
characters. For collectors and fans
of the Forgotten Realms this publisher is also releasing The Dark Elf
Trilogy Gift Set a three-book set enclosed in a slipcover including R.A.
Salvatore’s Homeland, Exile and Sojourn. And in the same
format for those interested in an introduction to Dragonlance, Chronicles
Trilogy Gift Set by Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman featuring Dragons of
Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night and Dragons of Spring
Dawning.
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