Just Arrived 3/25/11
Posted on March 25, 2011 Posted by John Scalzi 17 Comments
Look! Books! Here’s some of what’s been sent to me recently:
* The Physics of the Future, by Michio Kaku (Doubleday): The subtitle to this pop science book proclaims “How science will shape human destiny and our daily lives by 2100.” Finally! Someone will tell me when I get my flying car! No, really, there’s a flying car on the cover. There had to be. It’s like, a law. Out now.
* Crucified Dreams: Tales of Urban Horror, edited by Joe R. Lansdale (Tachyon): Urban horror anthology featuring stories by Harlan Ellison, Jonathan Letham, Ellen Klages, Charlie Huston and some dude named Stephen King. I think he’ll be big. Out now.
* The Demon Left Behind, by Marie Jakober (Edge): Demons studying humans have to let a mortal into their ranks when one of their own goes missing. Interesting idea, I think. Book is out in May.
* Minding Frankie, by Maeve Binchy (Knopf): A ne’er-do-well tries to walk the straight and narrow when he discovers that he’s about to be a father, and the mom-to-be is, alas, terminally ill. Yes, I get sent Maeve Binchy books. I like it when that happens. So there. Out now.
* A Kingdom Besieged, by Raymond E. Feist (Harper Voyager): Hey, Riftwar fans, you have a new Riftwar — the Chaoswar! — and this book is the first in the series detailing it, throwing the wizard Pug right back into the middle of all sorts of magic mess. Dig it, friends. Out on April 12.
* Betrayer, by C.J. Cherryh (DAW): The latest book in the Foreigner series (this is number 12, I believe) has our human heroes in the middle of a alien siege — and possibly being used as pawns in a power struggle. Out in April.
* The Dragon’s Path, by Daniel Abraham (Orbit): Abraham starts a new epic fantasy series with this book, in which several characters from all walks of life get swept up into a war that promises to shatter the world. The book got a starred review in Publishers Weekly and is out on April 7.
* Soft Apocalypse, by Will McIntosh (Night Shade Books): McIntosh won a Hugo last year for short fiction and branches into novel territory with this tale of survival when the world… just sort of runs down. Yeah, you’re thinking about gas prices now, aren’t you? This one’s out next week.
* Okay For Now, by Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion Books): Schmidt follows up his Newberry Honor book The Wednesday Wars with the continuing adventures of Doug Sweiteck, growing up in 1968 and the days of Vietnam and the Apollo missions. Out April 5.
* Touch of a Thief, by Mia Marlowe (Brava): This story about a talented jewel thief becomes complicated by the fact that her bare skin touching the jewels sends terrifying visions into her brain — and by the fact that she’s been caught by a man who a very special mission for her. Personally, when I touch jewels, they speak to me, mostly the words “you can’t afford me.” sigh. This book is out April 26.
Today, among other things, I got City of Ruin by Kris Rusch. I do love this job!
I also like Maeve Binchy. She does a great job of characterizations. You feel like you’ve met some of these people.
I’ll ship about 15 tons of bacon to you in exchange for that Daniel Abraham book and throw in a cat that makes Ghlaghghee look like a street urchin.
Mmmmmm. Books. They sound delicious.
TK Kenyon
Oh, many thanks for the reminder about The Physics of the Future. Can’t wait to read it.
You’ll get your flying car, but will the robot overlords let you drive it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1SCu9yiBlo
adult language warning
Mr John, it is Jonathan Lethem’s short story Access Fantasy in Crucified Dreams. I thought you would wish to know; before he showed up at your place with Mr. Lansdale and Mr. Ellison in tow…
*Another Riftwar book?! Cthulhu, I’m never going to get caught up on that series…
You always make your new acquisitions sound interesting, but I have only so much time….
Of course the C J Cherryh book gets priority for me.
I’ll trade you-my mom sent me 9 boxes of junk from her garage.
Maeve Binchy writes psychological fiction just like many sf writers. Her’s is just set in the here and now. She rocks, just like RAH.
Ah…more to go on my Amazon wishlist. I’ve been eyeing Kaku’s book for quite a while, now. My brother in law loaned me his Feist books over Christmas, and I was swept away. Now more to read!
Must work more hours to fund book habit. ;)
You know they’re working on that flying car thing, right?
(Reserve your “Transition” today!)
That thing on the cover looks like one of Moller’s incantations of his flying car ideas. He’s been a a few years away from going into production for about 40 years now.
http://www.downside.com/scams/moller/
The problem I have with Michio Kaku is that I think he thinks we’re all going to leave the earth in our flying cars, and thereby globalize Los Angeles at rush hour, while the meteor/comet/flaming sword of the Archangel Gabriel arcs toward us through space while we watch it coming through our windshields, sipping lattes.
The problem I have with Michio Kaku is that he makes competent physicists and astronomers look bad. I wouldn’t trade one Brian Cox for a thousand copies of him, plus the Very Bad Astronomer and Neil Tyson.