Just Arrived, 4/11/10
Posted on April 11, 2010 Posted by John Scalzi 16 Comments
Well, they didn’t arrive today. It’s Sunday. The mail doesn’t work. But they did come in the last week or so:
* How it Ends: From You to the Universe, by Chris Impey (Norton): This pop-sci book does what it says on the cover: It tells you how everything from you to the whole damn cosmos will one day wink out of existence (so far as we know at this point). I’m reading it now, and for a book whose subject is, essentially “we’re all doomed,” it’s surprisingly entertaining, probably because the end of all things really is a very long time away; long enough that I’ll probably make it through the year. and that’s reassuring. Out April 19.
* Deceiver, by C.J. Cherryh (DAW): The latest installment of the “Foreigner” series. The civil war of the previous books has ended — but that doesn’t mean the danger is over. Out May 4.
* The Devil in Green, by Mark Chadbourn (Pyr): Chadbourn follows the success of his “Age of Misrule” series with a new series in the same world called “The Dark Age”; this is the first book, in which the Knights Templar rise again! You know you were waiting for that to happen. Out May 25.
* Blood of the Mantis, by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Pyr): Pyr keeps the books of the military fantasy series “Shadows of the Apt” coming hard and fast; this third installment features an action-filled struggle for “The Shadow Box,” which, if it falls into the hands of the Wasp Emperor, spells doom. Not, wait: DOOOOOOOOOOM. There, that’s better. Out May 25.
* Swords and Dark Magic, edited by Jonathan Strahan and Lou Anders (Eos): An anthology of stories which feature, presumably, swords and dark magic, either singly or combined. A strong lineup of writers includes some greats going back to their favorite worlds and characters: There’s a new Majipoor tale from Robert Silverberg and a new Elric novella from Michael Moorcock. Plus a Black Company story from Glen Cook, and new stuff from hot new writers like Joe Abercrombie and Scott Lynch. Out in July.
* Stories, edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio (William Morrow): A collection of imaginative fiction from folks lie Chuck Palahniuk, Joyce Carol Oates, Lawrence Block, Walter Mosley, Joe Hill, and Jodi Picoult, and no, the last one is not a joke. Hey, don’t be hatin’ on Picoult. I’ve got a little crush on her. Can’t explain it myself, but there it is. Out in June.
* Going in Circles, by Pamela Ribon (Downtown Press): Ooooh. My friend Pamie, who is one of the funniest humans I know, is back with her third novel, this one about life, love, and roller derby. Sold, man, sold. Pamie’s going to be here on April 20 to talk about this one in a Big Idea. Can’t wait.
* The Buccaneer’s Apprentice (Flux): Bet you didn’t know you could apprentice for a buccaneer, did you? The entrance exam is a lot of keelhauling and arrrrrrghing. I just made that last part up. This book actually follows the adventures of a 17-year-old who finds himself plotting to take over a pirate ship. First in a series; the second book in the series will be featured in a Big Idea piece later this week. Out now.
* Dreams of Sex and Stage Diving, by Martin Millar (Soft Skull Press): Hey, I have those dreams too! Set in the 90s, this is a tale of sex and revenge and music and delusion and a little bit of fantasy thrown in for good measure. Out May 4.
* The Bloodstained Man, by Christopher Rowley (Tor): The second book in the Tor/Heavy Metal retro-pulp series, featuring the same protagonist, Detective Rook Venner, who is trying to keep the dangerous sex clone Plesur alive, and then somewhere along the line there are gladiatorial games, as there so often are in times like these. A book for when you’re not getting enough “lurid” in your diet. And are you? You look a little pale, man. Out in June.
There were lots of interesting words here, but then they got drowned out by Plus a Black Company story from Glen Cook. (!!!)
Oooo, new story for Mark Chadborne. I greatly enjoyed the Age of Misrule series. I’ll pass that news onto my son as I know he’ll use allowance money to buy the book…then I can read it when he is done with it.
1, I love Pamie, she’s hilarious and 2, ooh tell me how awesome the joe hill story is in Stories because I am sure Neil wouldn’t put it at the end if it wasn’t amazing but I need external confirmation
i have been waiting for stories and am excited. anything by neil gaiman is a must read in this house. written by, edited by, whatever – he is definitely in the top ten.
i just finished house rules by jodi picoult and really liked it. i’ve read almost all of her books and she seems to be one of the few writers who can touch a very human, and sometimes frightening, part of us without writing the same story over and over again.
joe hill is fast becoming a must read as well. i read 20th century ghosts in one sitting in a barnes and noble because pop art caught my eye when i was reading the contents page. after i read it, i bought three copies (one to keep, one to mail to a friend out of town and one for a friend in town – yeah i was that impressed). i thought heart-shaped box was pretty good but horns was really excellent. i listened to the audio of that one before reading it and wow.
i’m a big fan of short stories and can’t wait for this collection. oh, did i mention that already?
I really hate books where the author really couldn’t figure out what to do next, so waves their hands and says ‘and then a miracle happens! the end!’, which is why I have no interest in reading anything by Jodi Picoult ever again.
Very keen to see what Lawrence Block wrote, though.
We all seem to be looking forward to different books. I’m a huge C J Cherryh fan, so Deceiver will be first on my list.
Hey, don’t be hatin’ on Picoult.
Easiest request for a long time. I can’t stand Picoult’s Oprah-ready topically facile chick-lit, but there are a few people whose judgement I respect that say what she does she does well. There’s not a lot of sense in bitching a writer for not achieving what they weren’t trying to do in the first place.
I’m glad the Martin Millar is being reprinted here. His stuff is great!
Craig @7, is it permissible to be hatin’ on a writer if, in one’s opinion from having read his or her works, they don’t in fact write all that well?
I love the cover art for STORIES.
i preorder all gaiman books
Don’t worry, if we all wink out of existence, there are many more of us who don’t. It’s the multi-diversification of the multiverse, after all.
I love Millar beyond all reason.
(Well, ok, his writing. I’m sure I’d find him a very nice person if I ever met him, but in the interests of accuracy, it is his books I love…:-D)
Filing under “Things That Make You Go GAAAAAAAAHR”
Mark Chadbourn’s stuff looks interesting, so I went to the Kindle store to grab his Misrule trilogy. You can get books 2 and 3, but not book 1.
Sigh. Yes, it’s the same publisher.
Do the publishers just not *want* to sell ebooks?
Well, of course we knew about apprenticing to buccaneers. After all, what was the Dread Pirate Roberts but a series of apprentices?
Having seen pictures of Ms. Picoult, I don’t blame you ;)