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Author: John ONeill

Future Treasures: Spectacle, Book 2 of The Menagerie by Rachel Vincent

Future Treasures: Spectacle, Book 2 of The Menagerie by Rachel Vincent

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Rachel Vincent Menagerie-small Rachel Vincent Spectacle-small

Rachel Vincent is the author of the bestselling Shifters series, an urban fantasy series about a female werecat, and the Unbound trilogy, about a paranormal tracker. Her YA Soul Screamer series, featuring a high school girl who discovers she’s a banshee, has grown to an impressive 8 novels.

Her new adult fantasy series about carnival magic debuted with Menagerie in October 2015. The second volume, Spectacle, arrives in trade paperback on May 30. Here’s the description for the first volume.

When Delilah Marlow visits a famous traveling carnival, Metzger’s Menagerie, she is an ordinary woman in a not-quite-ordinary world. But under the macabre circus big-top, she discovers a fierce, sharp-clawed creature lurking just beneath her human veneer. Captured and put on exhibition, Delilah is stripped of her worldly possessions, including her own name, as she’s forced to “perform” in town after town.

But there is breathtaking beauty behind the seamy and grotesque reality of the carnival. Gallagher, her handler, is as kind as he is cryptic and strong. The other “attractions” — mermaids, minotaurs, griffins and kelpies — are strange, yes, but they share a bond forged by the brutal realities of captivity. And as Delilah struggles for her freedom, and for her fellow menagerie, she’ll discover a strength and a purpose she never knew existed.

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io9 on 20 Amazing New SF and Fantasy Books in May

io9 on 20 Amazing New SF and Fantasy Books in May

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Wicked Wonders Ellen Klages-small Thick as Thieves Megan Whalen Turner-small River of Teeth-small

Over at io9, Cheryl Eddy takes a look at 20 of the most intriguing titles arriving this month, including a whole bunch of novels, collections and anthologies we haven’t gotten around to yet. Her list features titles from Robin Hobb, Haruki Murakami, Timothy Zahn, M.R. Carey, Foz Meadows, Martha Wells, Robert Jackson Bennett, Marie Brennan, Kit Reed, and others.

The list includes the latest collection from Black Gate author Ellen Klages, Wicked Wonders.

The author of The Green Glass Sea presents her second short-story collection of “lyrical stories with vintage flair” (topics include: life on Mars, gambling with fairies), with an introduction by Karen Joy Fowler.

Wicked Wonders was published by Tachyon Publications on May 9. It is 240 pages, priced at $15.95 in trade paperback and $9.99 for the digital edition.

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New Treasures: Mars One by Jonathan Maberry

New Treasures: Mars One by Jonathan Maberry

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Mars One Jonathan Maberry-smallWait a minute — didn’t I just write about a new Jonathan Maberry novel last month? As a matter of fact I did — his new Joe Ledger novel, Dogs of War. And here he is again with Mars One, a brand new SF novel about a teen and his family colonizing Mars. You can say one thing about Maberry… the guy clearly doesn’t waste his time resting.

Go on the adventure of a lifetime with a teen and his family after they are selected to colonize Mars in this thrilling new novel from multiple Bram Stoker Award–winning author Jonathan Maberry.

Tristan has known that he and his family were going to be on the first mission to colonize Mars since he was twelve years old, and he has been training ever since. However, knowing that he would be leaving for Mars with no plan to return didn’t stop him from falling in love with Izzy.

But now, at sixteen, it’s time to leave Earth, and he’s forced to face what he must leave behind in exchange for an uncertain future. When the news hits that another ship is already headed to colonize Mars, and the NeoLuddite terrorist group begins threatening the Mars One project, the mission’s purpose is called into question. Is this all worth it?

Our previous coverage of Jonathan Maberry includes:

Deadlands: Ghostwalkers
Dogs of War
Aliens: Bug Hunt edited by Jonathan Maberry
The Top Ten Books I Read in 2016 by Brandon Crilly

Mars One was published by Simon & Schuster on April 4th. It is 435 pages, priced at $17.99 in trade paperback and $10.99 for the digital edition. The cover was designed by Laurent Linn.
See all of our coverage of the best in new fantasy here.

A Tale of Two Covers: Neal Asher’s Infinity Engine

A Tale of Two Covers: Neal Asher’s Infinity Engine

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Neal Asher Infinity Engine-small Neal Asher Infinity Engine UK-small

Last year we talked about War Factory, the second novel in Neal Asher’s Transformation series. So I kept my eye out for the third volume, Infinity Engine, which arrived in hardcover in March.

Infinity Engine was simultaneously published in the US by Night Shade (above left; cover by Adam Burn) and in the UK by Tor (above right, cover by Steve Stone). Over at Worlds in Ink, KJ Mulder expresses his enthusiasm for the US version.

I’m a huge fan of Neal Asher’s work and the covers for his novels are always something special. The covers for Infinity Engine, the conclusion to the Transformation trilogy, [are] no exception. This time round the folks at Night Shade Books have pulled out all the stops for the US edition that simply blows their UK counterpart out of the water. The artwork by Adam Burn is absolutely stunning. I think he might have just dethroned Jon Sullivan as my favourite cover artist.

With all due respect to my South African colleague Mulder, I think he’s way off base here. The Adam Burn’s cover, with its cataclysmic energy and vibrant yellows, is certainly eye-catching. But if these two books were side by side in Barnes & Noble, it would be Steve Stone’s cover, depicting a starship plunging at full speed into the churning, cold blue maelstrom of deep space, that I would reach for.

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May 2017 Clarkesworld Now Available

May 2017 Clarkesworld Now Available

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Clarkesworld May 2017-smallThe longest story in the May Clarkesworld is Kelly Robson’s novelette “We Who Live in the Heart.” Here’s a snippet from Quick Sip Reviews.

The story centers [on] a character who has fled from human civilization belowground, a place where cooperation is king and time is heavily monitored and monitzed. The alternative, though, is to go up to the surface and try to live inside the body of whale-like creatures that seem about the only thing that can handle the extreme conditions. It’s a decision that the narrator was one of the first to make, to go out and try to create something in this waste, to survive where people didn’t think possible. And it’s a decision that Ricci is just making as the story opens, escaping a string of bad situations… We as humans are all different and the story does a lovely job of showing what that can mean, how people can still find value in each other and in their relative seclusion, forming loose bonds that perhaps don’t offer as much cohesion but don’t bind, either. That exist to be supportive and caring without suffocating. And I like how the story establishes that with the crew of Mama, how the main character comes to stand for this voice of freedom even as they do yearn for relationships and company… It’s a story with a great sense of wonder and fun, and it’s an amazing read!

The May Clarkesworld contains original fiction from Nick Wolven, Kelly Robson, E. Catherine Tobler, and Tang Fei, plus reprints from Kage Baker and James Tiptree Jr.

The cover, “Darkess,” is by Julie Dillon.

Here’s the complete Table of Contents.

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Buck Rogers meets Lovecraftian Horror: The Weird Space Novels by Eric Brown and Una McCormack

Buck Rogers meets Lovecraftian Horror: The Weird Space Novels by Eric Brown and Una McCormack

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Weird Space The Devil's Nebula-small Weird Space Satan's Reach-small Weird Space The Baba Yaga-small Weird Space The Star of the Sea-small

Shared worlds are chiefly a fantasy phenomenon — Thieves’ World, Liavek, Merovingen Nights, Heroes in Hell, Wild Cards — but not exclusively. In 2012, bestselling author Eric Brown created Weird Space, a shared world for Abaddon Books. Here’s an excerpt from the original press release.

This thrilling space-opera series will begin with the release of The Devil’s Nebula. Brown will introduce readers to the human smugglers, veterans and ne’erdowells who are part of the Expansion – and their uneasy neighbors, the Vetch Empire. When an evil race threatens not only the Expansion, but the Vetch too — an evil from another dimension which infests humans and Vetch alike and bends individuals to do their hideous bidding, only cooperation between them means the difference between a chance of survival and no chance at all.

Four novels have been written so far:

The Devil’s Nebula by Eric Brown (350 pages, May 29, 2012)
Satan’s Reach by Eric Brown (281 pages, July 30, 2013)
The Baba Yaga by Eric Brown and Una McCormack (332 pages, July 1, 2015)
The Star of the Sea by Una McCormack (297 pages, October 25, 2016)

All four were published by Abaddon, priced at $7.99 in paperback, and $5.99 for the digital editions. The covers are by Adam Tredowski.

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2017 Locus Awards Finalists Announced

2017 Locus Awards Finalists Announced

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Babylon’s Ashes James S.A. Corey-small Fellside-by-M-R-Carey-small Vigil Angela Slatter-small

The Locus Awards, voted on by readers in an open online poll, have been presented every year since 1971. (A quarter century before there was such a thing as an online poll. Back in the day, we used to send ballots through the mail. Ask your parents what that means.) The final ballot lists ten finalists in each category, including Science Fiction Novel, Fantasy Novel, Horror Novel, Young Adult Book, First Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story, Anthology, Collection, Magazine, Publisher, Editor, Artist, Non-Fiction, and Art Book. The winners will be announced at the Locus Awards Weekend on June 23-25, 2017.

Even if you didn’t vote in the awards, the list of Finalists makes a terrific Recommended Reading list. Jonathan Strahan posted the following on his Facebook feed this morning, and I agree completely.

Here’s a thought, fellow SF readers. Locus has just announced its long list for the Locus Awards. Forget that it’s an awards list for a moment, though. It’s a reading list.

So why not look down the list below for Best First Novel. and try something new? Pick a book from the list below. Buy a copy, borrow a copy, go to the library and grab a copy. Track one down, and try something new…. I can recommend the Lee, Shawl and Slatter books very highly. Some of the others look really interesting.

You can find the complete list of finalists at Locus Online, and last year’s winners here.

Future Treasures: Dark Cities, edited by Christopher Golden

Future Treasures: Dark Cities, edited by Christopher Golden

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Dark Cities Christopher Golden-smallThe prolific Christopher Golden (who’s produced, by my count, over a hundred novels in the last 20 years) has edited several noteworthy anthologies recently, including zombie anthologies The New Dead (2010) and 21st Century Dead (2012), The Monster’s Corner (2011), and vampire collection Seize the Night (2015). He turns his attention to urban horror in Dark Cities, coming in hardcover next week from Titan.

For you puritans who don’t like to mix your horror genres, the Titan website notes “The book won’t include zombies, vampires, or anything apocalyptic.” But it does contain original non-apocalyptic, non-zombie-vampire fiction by Scott Smith, Tim Lebbon, Helen Marshall, M.R. Carey, Cherie Priest, Jonathan Maberry, Paul Tremblay, Nathan Ballingrud, Ramsey Campbell, Seanan McGuire, and many others.

In shadowy back alleys, crumbling brownstones, and gleaming skyscrapers, cities harbor unique forms of terror. Here lie malicious ghosts, cursed buildings, malignant deities, and personal demons of every kind.

Twenty of today’s most talented writers bend their skills toward the darkness, creating brand-new tales guaranteed to keep you awake at night — especially if you live in the dark cities.

Far worse than mythical creatures such as vampires and werewolves, these are horrors that lurk in the places you go every day — where you would never expect to find them. But they are there, and now that you know, you’ll never again walk the streets alone.

Dark Cities will be published by Titan Books on May 16, 2017. It is 400 pages, priced at $22.95 in hardcover and $7.99 for the digital edition. Here’s the complete Table of Contents.

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Black Gate Online Fiction: Pirates in Hell, edited by Janet Morris and Chris Morris

Black Gate Online Fiction: Pirates in Hell, edited by Janet Morris and Chris Morris

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Pirates in Hell-small Pirates in Hell-back-small

Black Gate is very pleased to offer our readers an exclusive excerpt from Pirates in Hell, the newest anthology from Janet & Chris Morris. “Goat-Beard the Pirate, Part 2: Evil Angel” is a 4,000-word free-standing excerpt from a 3-part tale. It is written by Janet Morris and Chris Morris.

Rearing high above the combers, it towered, a tidal beast that arched itself, then plunged upon the Argo, swallowing ship and sailors whole. One baleful orb of blackest ice blinked like an eye. Rising anew, its mouth dripped chunks of seafarers and splinters of the Argo’s hull.

The leviathan swept its head from side to side, as if browsing. Its maw gaped wide. Its neck arced down, obscuring the entire ridge with inky shadow. A thundery roar like the sea enraged came from that throat and stunned those yet standing. All tried to flee, the four strangers and Medea in the lead. Some screamed. Some dropped their puny weapons to the ground and crawled the turf.

But the leviathan gaped once more, as if it would eat the ridge entire and all upon it. That maw from the Deep quested, then snapped shut, swallowing Jason and his crew with weapons bristling, the fire-pit, the Colchian standard, and nearly the sorceress as well.

The complete catalog of Black Gate Online Fiction, including stories by Mark Rigney, John Fultz, Jon Sprunk, Tara Cardinal and Alex Bledsoe, E.E. Knight, Vaughn Heppner,  Howard Andrew Jones, David Evan Harris, John C. Hocking, Michael Shea, Aaron Bradford Starr, Martha Wells, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, C.S.E. Cooney, and many others, is here.

Pirates in Hell in the 20th volume of the Heroes in Hell series. It was published by Perseid Press on April 12, 2017.

Read an exclusive excerpt from Pirates in Hell here.

New Treasures: The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

New Treasures: The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

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The Black Witch-small The Black Witch-back-small

Is there anything as delightful as a debut fantasy novel that comes out of nowhere and gets rave reviews? (Never mind, it’s a rhetorical question). The latest example to cross my desk is The Black Witch by Laurie Forest, a 600-page fat fantasy that Kirkus calls “A massive page-turner that leaves readers longing for more,” and that Publishers Weekly praises with “Exquisite character work, an elaborate mythology, and a spectacularly rendered universe make this a noteworthy debut.” It arrived in hardcover and digital formats on May 1st.

A new Black Witch will rise… her powers vast beyond imagining.

Elloren Gardner is the granddaughter of the last prophesied Black Witch, Carnissa Gardner, who drove back the enemy forces and saved the Gardnerian people during the Realm War. But while she is the absolute spitting image of her famous grandmother, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above all else.

When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren joins her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University to embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother’s legacy. But she soon realizes that the university, which admits all manner of people — including the fire-wielding, winged Icarals, the sworn enemies of all Gardnerians — is a treacherous place for the granddaughter of the Black Witch.

As evil looms on the horizon and the pressure to live up to her heritage builds, everything Elloren thought she knew will be challenged and torn away. Her best hope of survival may be among the most unlikely band of misfits… if only she can find the courage to trust those she’s been taught to hate and fear.

The Black Witch was published by Harlequin Teen on May 1, 2017. It is 601 pages, priced at $19.99 in hardcover and $9.99 for the digital edition. The cover was designed by Mary Luna. Read an excerpt at Entertainment Weekly.