UK SF Book News

Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong

About the Book: A brand new series from the author of the Women of the Otherworld series. "Nadia Stafford was a great cop - until she took things into her own hands and shot a child-killer. In desperation she becomes a hit woman, working for one small mafia family. The way she sees it, no one innocent is getting hurt..."

Conqueror by Stephen Baxter

About the Book: Book two in the Time's Tapestry series. "It begins with the death of the last Roman and ends with the crowning of a king, the birth of a new order. As the centuries between these two events pass, as Britain emerges from the ruins of Roman rule to become a vibrant, rich power in its own right, as invasions ebb and flow and Kings rule and die, a single thread is spun and stretched."

Navigator by Stephen Baxter

About the Book: "Navigator is the third in the Time's Tapestry series, and delves deep into the discovery of America. And the roots for this lie deep in the history of Spain and the middle east. Navigator unfurls over four centuries as the wars of conquest and oppression between Christian and Moor sweep back and fourth and a prophecy is passed down through the ages."

The Novice by Trudi Canavan

About the Book: "Sonea knew the other novices in the Magicians' Guild all came from noble families and that, as a former slum-dweller, she could expect to be treated as an outsider, but she little realised the level of animosity she would face from her fellow students. The sons and daughters of the most powerful families in the realm, her classmates seem determined to see her fail - even if they have to engineer her failure themselves."

Command & Conquer: Tiberium Wars by Keith R.A. Candido

About the Book: Novelisation of the X-Box 360 shoot-'em-up.

Interzone #211 ed. by Andy Cox

About the Book: The latest issue of the UK's longest running short science fiction magazine's latest issue is a Michael Moorcock special (interview, novel extract, memoir extract and short story), and also features fiction from Carlos Hernandez, Aliette de Bodard, Ahmed A. Khan and Grace Dugan, plus the usual eclectic mix of articles and reviews.

Whispers of Wickedness issue 15 by D

About the Magazine: The latest issue of D-Press's Whispers of Wickedness features fiction, non-fiction and poetry from R.J. Barker, Sean Parker, Charles A. Muir, Stephen Bacon, Dan McNeil, Aliya Whiteley, Gary McMahon, Greg Schwarz, J.R. Salling, Bob Lock and Colin Ingram.

Promised Land by Jack Dann

About the Book: "In new collection Promised Land, Jack Dann returns to the alternate America of his acclaimed 2004 novel The Rebel: An Imagined Life of James Dean. In that book, Dean, the most promising actor of his time, survived his car crash in 1955, and lived on, making great movies and interacting with some of the foremost personalities of the Fifties and Sixties while drifting towards a strange political destiny in lockstep with Robert Kennedy. Now, Promised Land expands on that premise, offering brilliant insights into Dean, the Kennedys, and others, both as they were and as they might have been."

Fatal Revenant by Stephen Donaldson (UK Proof)

About the Book: "Fatal Revenant, Book Two of The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, begins where The Runes of the Earth ended: Linden Avery watches from a balcony while Thomas Covenant and her adopted son, Jeremiah, ride desperately toward Revelstone. But their reunion has vast consequences which she could not have foreseen."

Sons of the Oak by David Farland

About the Book: "The Earth King, Gaborn Val Orden, has roamed to the ends of the known world to preserve his people, but the life-draining powers he has embraced have finally taken their toll. His death leaves his young son Fallion at the mercy of his enemies. But Fallion is no ordinary prince, with no ordinary enemies, but is a reincarnation of an immensely powerful immortal. Known as the torch-bearer, Fallion is fated to engage with an ancient evil across the many ages of his existence."

Patrimony by Alan Dean Foster (US Proof)

About the Book: The thirteenth and penultimate volume in the long-running Pip and Flinx adventure series.

Fat by Rob Grant

About the Book: "It's unclear precisely when it became illegal to be fat. Of course, technically, it's not, even in this day and age. Even with the blatant persecution of all tubbies, there's no official legislation on any statute book that comes right out and says fatness is against the law. But it is."

Soon I Will Be Invincible: A Novel of Heroes by Austin Grossman (UK Proof)

About the Book: "A wildly entertaining novel, featuring a cast of superheroes and supervillains who inhabit a world strangely similar to our own..."

The Dreaming Void by Peter F Hamilton

About the Book: The brand new epic space opera from master of the form Peter F Hamilton. Set in the same Commonwealth Saga universe as his two previous novels, Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained.

Blue Moon by Lori Handeland

About the Book: "Miniwa, Wisconsin, is under siege, but not by the usual summer tourists. The area's normally shy of wolf population has begun stalking human prey, and their victims have been disappearing... or worse. Something is happening in the woods. Something no on can explain..."

Heaven's Net is Wide by Lian Hearn (UK Proof)

About the Book: Prequel to the Tales of the Otori. "Lord Shigeru, heir to the Otori clan, faces hostility from the shrewdly ambitious Iida family in the East and base treachery at home from his uncles. His noble education and training as a warrior have prepared him for leadership and combat, but fate and Shigeru's youthful determination bring the Three Countries to war, and he must endure terrible and tragic defeat at the battle of Yaegahara... and its brutal consequences."

The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt

About the Book: "When Molly Templar witnesses a brutal murder at the brothel she has just been apprenticed to, her first instinct is to return to the poorhouse where she grew up. But there she finds her fellow orphans butchered, and it slowly dawns on her that she was in fact the real target of the attack. For Molly carries a secret deep in her blood, a secret that marks her out for destruction by enemies of the state."

Unmarked Graves by Shaun Hutson

About the Book: "When investigative telejournalist Nick Pearson is sent to Darworth in Hertfordshire, he finds a community divided. A steady influx of foreign immigrants has led to racial tension and open hostility and violence. The African newcomers are particularly targeted, regular victims of vandalism and even fire-bombing. The Africans seem unwilling to fight back, until the arrival of a mysterious, powerful man who many of them know - and fear..."

Dying Words by Shaun Hutson

About the Book: "Can it be true that God demands a terrible price of those He has gifted with great creativity? Giacomo Cassano, little known mentor of Dante, thought so. He held other beliefs too - beliefs that the Church found so abhorrent they had Cassano blinded and his tongue cut out to silence him forever. Bestselling biographer Megan Hunter's new book about Cassano looks set to be as successful as her previous biographies of Caravaggio and Dante. As she embarks on a publicity tour, Megan finds her book attracting attention for the wrong reasons when her editor is found horrifically murdered..."

Omnibus #1 - Shadows and Nemesis by Shaun Hutson

About the Book: Omnibus edition of two re-issued novels by British horror author Shaun Hutson.

The Waking by T.M. Jenkins

About the Book: Futuristic techno-thriller / murder-mystery, described as "Tess Gerritsen meets Philip K. Dick". A man is casually murdered, his remains cryogenically stored and sixty-four years later he is resurrected to a media storm and questions about his death so many years before.

Heart of the Mirage by Glenda Larke

About the Book: "This is a story of treachery: my treachery and the treachery of those who betrayed me. It is the story of mirages, and of those who made them. It is my story."

The Stormcaller by Tom Lloyd

About the Book: First part of the Twilight Reign series. "Isaak is a white-eye, born bigger, more charismatic and more powerful than normal mew... but with that power comes an unpredictable temper and an inner rage. Feared and despised by those around him, he dreams of a place in the army and a chance to live his own life..."

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

About the Book: The sequel to The Lies of Locke Lamora, the incredibly well-received debut by fantasy author Scott Lynch. "Thief and con-man extraordinaire, Locke Lamora, and the ever lethal Jean Tannen have fled their home city and the wreckage of their lives. But they can't run forever and when they stop they decide to head for the richest, and most difficult, target on the horizon..."

Something Borrowed by Paul Magrs (UK Proof)

About the Book: "Brenda must face her demons, but first she needs to get to the bottom of the sinister goings-on that threaten to overcome an all-too-quiet seaside town. When poison pen letters start flying around the quiet lanes of Whitby, trouble is in store for Brenda and Effie. And with Jessie the Zombie Womanzee, trips down memory lane and amorous ghoul hunting, literary minded and strangely youthful professors of Icelandic history, as well as a terrifying encounter with bamboo wickerwork gods from the dawn of time, even Brenda's ample cup is running over. But her most challenging battle is the one she must fight with herself - or, at least, parts of herself!"

Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

About the Book: "For everyone who fell under the Wicked spell... Back in the land of Oz, Gregory Maguire introduces us to Liir, an adolescent boy last seen hiding in the shadows of the castle after Dorothy did in the Witch. Bruised, comatose, and left for dead, Liir is tended to at the Cloister of Saint Glinda by a silent novice called Candle, who wills him back to life with her musical gifts. What dark force left Liir in this condition? Is he really Elphaba's son? He has her broom and her cape - but what of her powers? In an Oz that, since the Wizard's departure, is under new and dangerous management, can Liir keep his head down long enough to grow up?"

Cowboy Angels by Paul McAuley (UK Proof)

About the Book: "America, 1984 - not our version of America, but an America that calls itself the Real, an America in which the invention of Turing Gates has allowed it access to sheaves of alternate histories. For ten years, in the name of democracy, the Real has been waging clandestine wars and fomenting revolution, freeing versions of America from communist or fascist rule, and extending its influence across a wide variety of alternate realities..."

Odalisque by Fiona McIntosh

About the Book: "Fifteen-year-old Boaz is the new Zar, freshly ascended to his throne. In the turmoil following the old Zar's death, courtiers jostle and conspire to secure their positions - not least his scheming mother, the new Valide. It seems his only genuine friends are his late father's mad jester; Spur Lazar, head of Percheron's security; and a golden beauty - a new odalisque purchased in the foothills as a slave for the harem. But can a madman, a soldier and a concubine be trusted to keep him safe from the Byzantine manoeuvres of his father's ambitious entourage?"

The Shell Magicians by Kai Meyer

About the Book: "The pirates are back! And the fate of the world is at stake... In Aelenium, the mysterious coral city, Jolly and Munk - the only two polliwiggles left - find out just why they are so important. Together, they must seal the Rift in the sea-bed, or the Maelstrom will break through and destroy the world. To do this, they are trained in shell magic, and in breathing underwater - a vital polliwiggle ability."

Lamb by Christopher Moore

About the Book: "The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth birthday. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years - except Biff, the Messiah's best bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story in this divinely hilarious, yet heartfelt work."

Evil for Evil by K.J. Parker

About the Book: "The engineer Ziani Vaatzes designed and built a war. Thousands died as a consequence of his elaborate plan. The civil servant Manuo Psellus took the decision that started the war. The very foundations of his world are now threatened. The ruler Duke Valens brought the war on himself. Now he must decide whether to sacrifice his country to save his people. They embarked on the war for their own reasons, but as it takes on a life of its own they find they've become components in their own machine. And the machine, it seems, has one purpose: to render evil for evil."

The Da-Da-De-Da-Da Code by Robert Rankin

About the Book: "Robert Rankin, the world's Master of Far Fetched Fiction, takes us on a roller coaster ride in his brand-new bestseller, which focuses on the biggest conspiracy theory in the world, ever. Here, in the Da-Da-De-Da-Da Code, you will find the music of the angels - and the music of the devil. Aliens, flying saucers from hell, the Multiverse, the Illuminati: every wacky, way-out conspiracy theory you've ever heard..." Hardback comes complete with soundtrack CD!

The Toyminator by Robert Rankin

About the Book: "Things are not going well in Toy City. There have been outbreaks of STC - Spontaneous Toy Combustion - and strange signs and portents in the Heavens. Many believe the End Times, a Toy City Apocalypse, will soon come to pass. But can this possibly be true, or is there a simpler explanation - alien invasion, for instance?"

Jupiter XVII: Callirrhoe ed. by Ian Redman

About the Magazine: The latest issue of the quarterly print based magazine of Science Fiction stories and poetry features work by John Rogers, V.K. Valev, Gustavo Bondoni, Brian Koscienski & Chris Pisano, Kevin Kelliher, Lawrence R. Dagstine aand Carmelo Rafala.

Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley

About the Book: "An uneasy truce exists between the thanes of the True Bloods. Now, as another winter approaches, the armies of the Black Road march south, from their exile beyond the Vale of Stones. For some, war will bring a swift and violent death. Others will not hear the clash of swords or see the corpses strewn over the fields. They instead will see an opportunity to advance their own ambitions."

Was by Geoff Ryman

About the Book: "WAS is the story of Dorothy. Orphaned as a child in the 1870s, she goes to live in Kansas with her Aunty Em and Uncle Henry. They face drought and poverty. They face each other. Alone, abused, Dorothy meets an itinerant actor called Frank and inspires a masterpiece. From the settling of the West and the heyday of the Hollywood studios to the glittering megalopolis of modern Los Angeles, WAS is the story of all our childhoods."

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Steven Sivell

About the Book: "A catastrophe is about to close the book on the human race. Will it end with a bang, a whimper, or uncontrollable laughter?"

Doomsday Men by P.D. Smith

About the Book: "This is the gripping untold story of the doomsday bomb: the ultimate weapon of mass destruction that threatened our very existence... The story of the cobalt bomb is an unwritten chapter of the Cold War and is now told for the first time in Doomsday Men."

The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross

About the Book: "Bob Howard is a low-level techie working for a super-secret government agency. While his colleagues are out saving the world, Bob's under a desk restoring lost data. None of them receive any thanks for the jobs they do, but at least a techie doesn't risk getting shot or eaten in the line of duty. Bob's world is dull but safe, and that's the way it should have stayed; but then he went and got Noticed. Now, Bob Howard is up to his neck in spycraft, alternative universes, dimension-hopping nazis, Middle Eastern terrorists, damsels in distress, ancient Lovecraftian horror and the end of the world. Only one thing is certain: it will take more than control-alt-delete to sort this mess out..."

Hybrids by David Thorpe

About the Book: "A thrilling sci-fi novel set in a believable - and terrifying - near future...Hybrids is the winning entry to the HarperCollins nationwide new author competition with SAGA Magazine. Johnny Online and Kestrella are hybrids - victims of "Creep", a pandemic sweeping the country which causes sufferers to merge with items of technology when over-exposed to their use. Kestrella persuades a wary Johnny to help her find her missing mother, but the Gene Police have other plans for him..."

Warsworn by Elizabeth Vaughan

About the Book: "Lara is a daughter of kings, a city girl and a powerful healer ion her own right, but she is the Warprize and has sworn an oath of loyalty to Keir, the barbarian Warlord, and his people. As Keir and the tribe are making their way back to their homeland, they come across a village stricken down by plague - and though Lara has the tools to fight this scourge, the Warlord forbids her risking her own life. Both Lara and Kier are strong-willed and neither will bend easily, even for love..."

Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan

About the Book: "Xylara is a Daughter of Xy, brought up to do her duty to her country, her king and her people. Her father, the Warrior King Xyron, is dead and her incompetent half-brother Xymund is on the throne; she has chosen to serve her people as a healer, until she is needed to make a marriage of alliance."

Rainbow's End by Vernor Vinge

About the Book: "Robert Gu is a world-renowned poet and recovering Alzheimer's patient. The world that he remembers was much as we know it today. Now, as he regains his faculties through a new cure, he discovers that the world has changed. He is seventy-five years old, though by a medical miracle he looks much younger, and he's starting over, for the first time unsure of his poetic gifts."

The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

About the Book: "Strange things are happening: people going crazy in the streets, old friends disappearing, angels (or devils) clambering on the fire escapes of New York City. But for Pearl, Moz and Zahler, all that matters is their new band. As the city reels under a mysterious epidemic, the three combine their talents with a vampire lead signer and a drummer whose fractured mind can glimpse the coming darkness. Will their music stave off the end of the world? Or summon it?"

Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson (UK Proof)

About the Book: "This new world weighs a yatto-gram... On the airwaves, all the talk is of the new blue planet - pristine and habitable, like our own 65 million years ago, before we took it to the edge of destruction. And off the air, Billie and Spike are falling in love. What will happen when their story combines with the world's story, as they whirl towards Planet Blue, into the future? Will they - and we - ever find a safe landing place?"

Twelve Collections & The Teashop by Zoran Živković

About the Book: "What lies behind the human urge to collect things? What is the true psychology of the kleptomaniac? These questions bear on all of us; within every person there lurks a fanatical philatelist or a monomaniacal lepidopterist, just waiting to burst forth. In his new story cycle, Twelve Collections, Zoran Živković, the master of mind-bending surreal fantasy, applies his fertile mind to this problem."