[bksvol-discuss] Fw: Fantasy January 2008
- From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:30:23 -0500
New and Recently Released!
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2007: 20th Annual Collection - edited by
Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link, and Gavin J. Grant
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/1/2007
ISBN: 9780312369439
ISBN-10: 0312369433
Anthology. The 20th annual round-up of the year's best fantasy (chosen by
authors Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant) and horror stories (selected by
well-known
editor Ellen Datlow) also includes poems, essays, and obituaries. But, as it
should be, the focus is mainly on the chosen stories: you'll likely discover
authors you may not have read before (Ellen Klages, Margo Lanagan) as well as
tales by authors you probably have (Joyce Carol Oates, Gene Wolfe). Readers
will certainly want to check out the fantasy stories and will likely want to
read the horror tales as well (after all, they've been declared the "best,"
and the lines between the genres aren't so well defined nowadays).
Table of Contents
Servant: The Awakening - by L.L. Foster
Publisher: Berkley Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/2/2007
ISBN: 9780425218747
ISBN-10: 0425218740
Urban Fantasy. This 1st in a new series (written pseudonymously by romance
author Lori Foster) features a strong, independent heroine who's also an
anti-social
demon hunter doing work for God. Gabrielle Cody, who was raised by a priest
after her mother died giving birth to her, gets headaches whenever evil is
about. But evil doesn't always look evil and she has to be careful that she
isn't caught and accused of murder--especially when she meets her match in
Detective Luther Cross. In a starred review, Booklist says the novel "unfolds,
scene by scene, like a graphic novel."
Reserved for the Cat - by Mercedes Lackey
Publisher: DAW Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/2/2007
ISBN: 9780756403621
ISBN-10: 0756403626
Historical Fantasy. Ninette Dupond goes from being an obscure ballerina at the
Paris Opera to an acclaimed talent to an unemployed dancer after the prima
ballerina becomes jealous of her. Penniless and with the rent due, Ninette
desperately follows the advice of a cat named Thomas, who's an elemental master
and can speak to her mind-to-mind. She travels to Blackpool, England--where
there are other elemental masters--and impersonates a missing Russian ballerina.
But the Russian dancer isn't so much missing as being possessed by an evil
being. If you enjoy tales set in Victorian England, you'll certainly want to
check out Reserved for the Cat, the 6th book in the Elemental Masters series.
Heart of Stone - by C.E. Murphy
Publisher: Luna
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 11/1/2007
ISBN: 9780373802920
ISBN-10: 0373802927
Urban Fantasy. Gargoyles, djinns, vampires, selkies, and dragons, oh my! These
five old races walk among us and, as Manhattan Legal Aid lawyer Margrit Knight
finds out, sometimes they need lawyerly assistance. In Heart of Stone, the 1st
book in the Negotiator Trilogy, a gargoyle named Alban is suspected of killing
women in Central Park--but he says he didn't do it and needs Margrit's help to
prove his innocence. Readers looking for a smart (well, other than her penchant
for jogging through the park in the dark) heroine who wants to do the right
thing and help those in need will enjoy this new series; the next, House of
Cards, is due out in March.
First Chapter
Reader and Raelynx - by Sharon Shinn
Publisher: Ace Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 11/6/2007
ISBN: 9780441014699
ISBN-10: 0441014690
Romantic Fantasy. In Reader and Raelynx, the last of the Twelve Houses books,
King Baryn opens the doors to possible suitors for his daughter, Princess
Amalie, amid rumblings of political upheaval. In order to make sure Amalie
marries a worthy man and succeeds her father, Baryn hires the mystic Cammon
to read the suitors to make sure they don't have evil intentions. But Amalie
may find love closer to home. If you haven't read the earlier novels in this
series (Mystic and Rider, The Thirteenth House, and Dark Moon Defender), you
might want to try them before picking up this enchanting fairy-tale-esque
story.
In the Cities of Coin and Spice - by Catherynne M. Valente
Publisher: Bantam Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/30/2007
ISBN: 9780553384048
ISBN-10: 055338404X
Fantasy. Author Catherynne M. Valente concludes her wonderful duology with a
book that's just as good as the first one, In the Night Garden (which was a
World Fantasy Award nominee and a James Tiptree, Jr. Award winner). Like the
first book, In the Cities of Coin and Spice is a novel of interconnected short
stories reminiscent of Arabian Nights, with a storyteller who is a young girl
with eyelids covered in tattooed tales. She lives alone in a sultan's palace
garden, her only company a boy who comes to hear her stories. This "masterpiece
of imagery and sensual detail" (Library Journal) will especially please
you if you love complex fantasies that come together to form an absorbing whole.
First Chapter
Feathered Flights of Fantasy
Pet Peeve - by Piers Anthony
Publisher: Tor
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/3/2006
ISBN: 9780765343116
ISBN-10: 0765343118
Humorous Fantasy. Where would modern fantasy be without the beloved Xanth
novels? Not nearly as punny, that's for sure. In Piers Anthony's 29th novel set
in the Florida-shaped land, Goody Goblin must find a suitable home for a
foul-tempered bird who speaks only in insults...using the voice of the person
he's with. Goody's quest inadvertently triggers some robots to plot to take
over Xanth, forcing Goody to enlist the aid of the various peoples and creatures
of Xanth. Pick up any of these novels if you like puns and need a good laugh.
And if you like Pet Peeve, he plays a large role in next book in the series,
Stork Naked, too.
The Priest of Blood - by Douglas Clegg
Publisher: Berkley Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 8/29/2006
ISBN: 9780441013746
ISBN-10: 0441013740
Historical Fantasy. If you're a vampire-fiction addict, you must pick up this
1st book in the outstanding Vampyricon trilogy (the next two are The Lady
of Serpents and The Queen of Wolves). In The Priest of Blood, a bastard son of
a prostitute has an affinity for birds that gets him a job as a falconer
for local baron. But after an ill-fated relationship with a girl above his
station, he is conscripted as a soldier in the Crusades where he comes
face-to-face
with a vampire...and his own future. Readers who like historic elements will be
happy to know that the "evocative, vivid medieval setting is every bit
as appealing as the vampire lore" (Booklist).
The Fortress of Glass: The First Volume of the Crown of the Isles - by David
Drake
Publisher: Tor
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 4/18/2006
ISBN: 9780765312594
ISBN-10: 076531259X
Heroic Fantasy. Prince Garric and his companions journey to various kingdoms of
the Isles in order to help solidify his succession to the throne. But in
the land of First Atara, the Prince is separated from his companions and his
kingdoms when he is literally taken to another world...one where he meets
up with a mysterious and powerful creature called The Bird. Adding to Garric's
troubles are a king who comes back from the dead and the supernatural Green
Woman. The Fortress of Glass is the 1st in a trilogy and 7th in the Lord of the
Isles series (though readers needn't have read the first six books to enjoy
this one).
Talon of the Silver Hawk: Conclave of Shadows, Book 1 - by Raymond E. Feist
Publisher: HarperTorch
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 4/1/2004
ISBN: 9780380803248
ISBN-10: 0380803240
Fantasy. Kieli is a young boy from a peaceful land that has been mercilessly
destroyed. Facing death himself, Kieli is saved by rescuers and takes the name
Talon of the Silver Hawk in honor of the bird that visited him when he was near
death. With his family massacred, Talon sets out to seek both his destiny
and revenge. Shedding his innocence with the help of several strangers, he soon
learns about fighting, women, and spying. This smoothly written and taut
story takes place in Midkemia, where Feist has set numerous other books, but
newcomers can easily start here. If you've read all the Tolkien books and
are looking for something else, try the Conclave of Shadows series, of which
this is the 1st.
In the Forests of Serre - by Patricia A. McKillip
Publisher: Ace Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 6/1/2004
ISBN: 9780441011575
ISBN-10: 0441011578
Fairy Tale Fantasy. Shattered by the loss of his wife and infant, a grieving
Prince Ronan of Serre unsuccessfully tries to get himself killed in battle.
Now, traveling home, his horse tramples a white hen in the road--which is a bit
of a problem since the hen was the favorite bird of a powerful witch who
retaliates by cursing him. Once back at the castle, Ronan learns that due to
political reasons he is to be married in just a few days time to Sidonie,
a princess from a magical kingdom. But before the nuptials can occur, Ronan
sees a mysterious firebird from a window and sets off in pursuit of it through
the forests of Serre. Based on a Russian folk story, this is a "hauntingly
beautiful tale" (Booklist).
One for Sorrow, Two for Joy - by Clive Woodall
Publisher: Berkley Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 12/26/2006
ISBN: 9780441014637
ISBN-10: 0441014631
Fantasy. In the land of Birddom, the malevolent magpie Slyekin leads the others
of his species, as well as the crows, in a war against smaller birds--resulting
in a devastating and incredibly violent genocide-like war. Kirrick, possibly
the only robin left in the realm, speaks with a learned old owl who hatches
a plan requiring the brave little robin to go on several dangerous quests
around the country in order to prevent more innocent avian deaths. Library
Journal
says that this debut novel, written by a British supermarket employee for his
sons, "offers a bird's-eye view of courage and sacrifice."
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