New Books and ARCs, 12/16/16
Posted on December 16, 2016 Posted by John Scalzi 24 Comments
An economy-sized collection of new books and ARCs for your delight this Friday, with many fine authors and books. What calls to you here? Tell us in the comments!
I would certainly at the very least pick up and look at a book titled “The Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories.”
The Tad Williams book. (I have good luck with requesting that my library purchase things, but I also know that their acquisitions budget is rather slim. ::wanders off to ask them to get this one::)
I really enjoy that AM Dellamonica series. Looking forward to reading that third book soon.
The Tad Williams book is a must, I’ve been a huge fan of his for about 27 years now so it’s a fairly obvious choice. Is “The Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories.” by ‘the’ Penelope Lively? I haven’t read anything by her for a very long time. That and the intriguing title make for a strong second choice.
Is that black-city demon or black city-demon. I mean – is it the demon or the city that’s black? I need to know!
Parallel Lines looks interesting. And the Tad Williams.
The Purple Swamp Hen, hhhmmmm. Sounds funky.
The Penelope Lively, the Tad Williams and the John Joseph Adams for me, I’d say.
A quick question – are you able to actually read all of the books and ARC’s that come your way?! You must be a speed reader extraordinaire if so!
glwilson, if your library doesn’t pick up the Tad Williams, use this magic phrase: Interlibrary Loan. Good luck! (I will be ordering it for my library system, for sure.)
As for me, I think I would like to try the Penelope Lively.
Definitely The Nature of a Pirate. The first Stormwrack book was my favorite read in 2015, the second was quite enjoyable, I’ve been looking forward to the third.
The Tad Williams book’s title definitely speaks to me. It beautifully encapsulates what I want to write about the last year or so.
Parallel Lines
Star’s End (alternate name for Trantor)
Cosmic Powers
Firebird
Sinners!! My hope is to see a Scalzi short story in the MHI universe. After all, we did get a very good zombie story!!
I love PNR so I can’t wait to read Blood Vow.
My wife is a huge fan of J.R. Ward so that one is it,
Firebrand – March still feels like a very long way away for that one
jeez is Eric Flint still plowing that field? Will I live to see “1636”?
Hi there Eight Hats
On a scale of: –
A – Re-readable and recommendable
B – Readable, and
C – Can be Putdown unfinished without feeling any guilt
I’d rate Parcel of Rogues a B.
Haven’t read Wars of the Rhine yet.
Yeah, maybe the series should just fade away.
Although I will give it one piece of praise: – it has introduced some new authors that maybe otherwise wouldn’t have made it..
Monica McAbee Yeah, I’ve had good luck with ILL; it’s also fascinating to see how far some of those books travel to get to me. (Most recent: a Mary Stewart novella I didn’t even know *existed* until someone mentioned it on Facebook, and Mary Renault’s earliest novels, before she started making ancient Greece – and then Alexander – extremely real for me.) (Also, earlier on, the Jack Vance Treasury, because that’d use up half a year’s book-buying budget for me, but oh, did I need to read it. :) )
[Deleted because we’re not here to say bad things about other writers — JS]
Phantom Pains – the first in the series was very good and quite original. The Annie Bellet series is good basic urban fantasy with a mildly entertaining RPG trope running through it (although this is a compilation volume of previously published ebooks I’ve read already). The Uncommoners looks worth checking out for my third grader. I’m curious what Penelope Lively is doing in this pile. And I’m wondering if that’s a deliberate reference to Foundation in Cassandra Rose Clarke’s title, or accidental?
Well of course the Tad Williams is a must, though I am shocked to see how thin a volume that is. Are we sure that’s REALLY Tad?
The 1635 books intrigue of course, though I am so lost in the massive tangle that is that series that I have no idea whether or not I should be looking for them yet.