The Books We're Expecting in 2008

[Larry.]

I'll make a point to read that "bridge" Sapkowski book...even though it means I'll be spending a fortune in import fees. And since Amazon hasn't listed Zafón's upcoming release (it's coming out on the 17th in Spain), looks like next month I'll put aside $40-50 for the books and $40-50 for the import fees...

And yes, the Spanish-language release of Carlos Ruiz Zafón's El juego de Ãngel needs to be listed here, considering how popular his The Shadow of the Wind was a couple of years ago.

[Zparanoid]

Another update:

...

Scott Bakker: The Judging Eye (early 2009)

Formerly The Great Ordeal, Book 1 of The Aspect-Emperor. Retitled and pushed back until early 2009, although we know now that the book is finished and Bakker is already writing the sequel.

...

Wow, awesome. Based on what I saw on this board, I picked up The Darkness about a month ago and loved it. Bought the other 2 books and finished them pretty quickly aswell, definitely looking forward to anything related to Earwa. I might also get Neuropath but I'm not sure.

Random question: Are Lynch's books anything like Bakker/Martin? Should I read his Gentleman Bastard series, what about Abercrombie?

[Guinevere Seaworth]

Paul Kearney: The Ten Thousand (September 2008)

I have a partial draft of this and it is absolutely superb. With any luck, it will finally put Kearney up in the first tier of epic fantasy where he belongs.

This one looks intriguing. Amazon.ca has a tiny synopsis on this and I was wondering if this is a take or allegory on Battle of Thermopylae or it has nothing to do with actual historical events?

[OverHill]

This one looks intriguing. Amazon.ca has a tiny synopsis on this and I was wondering if this is a take or allegory on Battle of Thermopylae or it has nothing to do with actual historical events?

Most likely based upon the Persian Expedition (Anabasis) by Xenophon. An excellent book itself.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Persian-Expedition...2478&sr=1-8

[Calibandar]

Specifically:

Daniel Abraham: An Autumn War (late 2008)

Comes out in July.

Scott Bakker: Neuropath (15 May 2008)

Still on track.

Oddly the UK edition is no longer listed on Amazon UK. Only Amazon Canada is selling the Penguin edition.

Patrick Rothfuss: The Wise Man's Fear (June 2009)

This one is set for April 2009.

[Jussi]

Tad Williams: Shadowrise (2009)

Highly improbable for 2008. Williams hasn't even mentioned working on this on his website recently.

From the official Williams message board: (17.3.)

I'm hoping to get this finished, revised, and delivered in the next six-seven months -- I had to take most of a year off it, for various reasons, almost all having to do with other work -- and then seeing it published as soon thereafter as possible, but it will still take several months of production.

Link

[back_packn]

Random question: Are Lynch's books anything like Bakker/Martin? Should I read his Gentleman Bastard series, what about Abercrombie?

Lynch's books are much more comedic, and definately not as heavy as Bakker. However, to answer your question, yes you should definately read Lynch and Abercrombie both. Both are great reads.

[Werthead]

This one looks intriguing. Amazon.ca has a tiny synopsis on this and I was wondering if this is a take or allegory on Battle of Thermopylae or it has nothing to do with actual historical events?

Someone else answered this. It's based on a military expedition by a bunch of Greek-like mercenaries to the heart of a Persian-like empire and them having to extricate themselves after the shit hits the fan.

From the official Williams message board: (17.3.)

Link

Arse. My web-fu is low. So that puts it in as a 2009 release, then.

[Fantasy Book Critic]

Daniel Abraham: An Autumn War (late 2008)

Still on track, I believe.

Comes out July 22, 2008 (US) to be exact. ARCs are currently available...

Alan Campbell: Penny Devil (2 May 2008)

The sequel to Scar Night and the second novel in The Deepgate Codex.

Is actually being called "Iron Angel" for both the US and UK markets. US release is April 29, 2008. An amazing book btw. Much better than the debut...

Jacqueline Carey: Kushiel's Mercy (Late 2008)

The conclusion to The Imriel Trilogy.

This one is slated for June 12, 2008 (US). Author is already working on a new Kushiel trilogy

Tom Lloyd: The Grave Thief (17 July 2008)

Still on track, I believe.

According to the author, this book probably won't see publication until early 2009. You can ask him yourself for confirmation

[gyrehead]

Comes out July 22, 2008 (US) to be exact. ARCs are currently available...

Got a really sweet promo pack through Jim Frenckel. I might have spoken too soon about The Steel Remains being my favorite read.

Is actually being called "Iron Angel" for both the US and UK markets. US release is April 29, 2008. An amazing book btw. Much better than the debut...

I'd say it is about the same as the debut. Slightly less tedious special affect type world building but a lot less plot. So it reads quicker and seems a bit faster in pace to me, but it also came off much slighter overall. Light weight. If people liked the first one I suspect they will like the second one. Not sure how confident I would be to predict the reverse though.

This one is slated for June 12, 2008 (US). Author is already working on a new Kushiel trilogy

Carey has written at least one non-Kushiel book (I suspect two from an email I got from her). One is a vampire book she will have published under a pseudonym (or maybe not depending on Grand Central's hope to cash in on their currently best selling fantasy author). So there is a chance that while a new Kushiel series (totally new characters I believe) is in the workd. it might be a couple of books out in being published. Unbound galleys and now arcs of Kushiel's Mercy are also out and about and Grand Central is known for shipping weeks early. So brick and mortar stores may well see the book on shelves by the beginning of June as there is not a street date limitation on it.

According to the author, this book probably won't see publication until early 2009. You can ask him yourself for confirmation

Last word I heard (about the time that Gollancz had pushed back Lynch to 2009) the Lloyd manuscript was still pending initial turn in. And I think Lloyd once said he likes to submit a very rough draft and then a strong editorial presence in the re-write to avoid restructuring in slight but numerous ways later on.

Philip Pullman: The Book of Dust (2009)

Apparently a new, small 'bonus' book (similar to Lyra's Oxford) is coming out before the end of 2008, focusing on Scorbie. Presumably that pushes even the remotest, vaguest chance of Dust coming out back to next year.

I'm not holding my breath for this one. The Book of Dust has been delayed almost as much as Captal's Tower. As for the small bonus book, it is already out and is entitled Once Upon a Time in the North

Oddly the UK edition (of Neuropath) is no longer listed on Amazon UK

Perhaps even more bizarre the title search refuses to spit anything out but the author search still shows the mass market for sale in May of '09. The removal makes me wonder if Orion is retitling the book? I'll see what I can find out.

Oddly the UK edition is no longer listed on Amazon UK.

[Agulla]

Perhaps even more bizarre the title search refuses to spit anything out but the author search still shows the mass market for sale in May of '09. The removal makes me wonder if Orion is retitling the book? I'll see what I can find out.

Oddly the UK edition is no longer listed on Amazon UK

I'm worried now, let's hope that it's just a mistake and at least one of this year expected books is not delayed.

[Werthead]

Orion are still listing it for the intended release date, so I'm still hopeful.

[Fantasy Book Critic]

Got a really sweet promo pack through Jim Frenckel. I might have spoken too soon about The Steel Remains being my favorite read.

Lucky you! I just got the ARC. Won't read it for a while, but your comment has me really excited

I'd say it is about the same as the debut. Slightly less tedious special affect type world building but a lot less plot. So it reads quicker and seems a bit faster in pace to me, but it also came off much slighter overall. Light weight. If people liked the first one I suspect they will like the second one. Not sure how confident I would be to predict the reverse though.

Well I'm in the middle of trying to write a review of the book right now, so my thoughts are all muddled, but I enjoyed the new book much more than the first one. To me, "Scar Night" was a decent debut...great concept and imagination, but the inconsistent writing really weakened the book. In "Iron Angel", the writing is much more consistent, the story much vaster in scope, and Alan's imagination was just off the charts! It seemed like every page there was some new concept being introduced

Carey has written at least one non-Kushiel book (I suspect two from an email I got from her). One is a vampire book she will have published under a pseudonym (or maybe not depending on Grand Central's hope to cash in on their currently best selling fantasy author). So there is a chance that while a new Kushiel series (totally new characters I believe) is in the workd. it might be a couple of books out in being published. Unbound galleys and now arcs of Kushiel's Mercy are also out and about and Grand Central is known for shipping weeks early. So brick and mortar stores may well see the book on shelves by the beginning of June as there is not a street date limitation on it.

I have a little interview with the author that will be posted when I review "Kushiel's Mercy" so she talks a bit about the new Kushiel series and the standalone novel she wrote. I don't know if 'Santa Olivia" is the standalone you're talking about, but according to her, that's slated for Spring/Summer 2009 under the pseudonym Madalon Easton. She has an idea for a sequel, but I'm not sure if she's already written it.

As far as the new Kushiel series, the working title for the first book is “Naamah’s Blessing†and she's over halfway done with it...

[diabloblanco18]

This one is slated for June 12, 2008 (US). Author is already working on a new Kushiel trilogy

Goddammit. As someone who loved her Sundering duology, but wasn't too impressed by Kushiel's Dart, I really wish she would start writing something else.

[Maid of Tarth]

Goddammit. As someone who loved her Sundering duology, but wasn't too impressed by Kushiel's Dart, I really wish she would start writing something else.

Haven't read the Sundering duology- I really liked Kushiel's Dart, and enjoyed Kushiel's Chosen and Kushiel's Avatar. Haven't read any of the others yet, I have to wonder if the series will grow stale with the further sequels (though I'll try them at some point).

This year I'm most looking forward to The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, coming September 30. And A Dance With Dragons, of course. If it does indeed materialize.

[Amras]

I'm getting a little worried about 2008. We've got some really good books coming out in the fall or summer, but there doesn't seem like there are any real contenders for 'The Big Debut' spot yet...? Where is the new Rothfuss, the new Scott Lynch?

Okay, so here are the books I know I'll be getting this year:

'Toll the Hounds' by Steven Erikson

'Neuropath' by Scott Bakker

'Zoe's Tale' by John Scalzi

'The Graveyard Book' by Neil Gaiman

'The Return of the Crimson Guard' by ICE

'Listener' by Warren Ellis

'Blood of Elves' by Sapkowski

'The Steel Remains' by R. Morgan

'The Deserter' by Peadar O Guilin

And I'm thinking of splashing out for this one:

The Gone Away World

(2008)

A novel by

Nick Harkaway

A wildly entertaining debut novel, introducing a bold new voice that combines antic humor (think Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut) with a stunning futuristic vision (� la A Clockwork Orange and 1984, with a little Mad Max thrown in) to give us an electrifyingly original tale of love, friendship, and the apocalypse.

There couldn't be a fire along the Jorgmund Pipe. It was the last thing the world needed. But there it was, burning bright on national television. The Pipe was what kept the Livable Zone safe from the bandits, monsters, and nightmares the Go-Away War had left in its wake. The fire was a very big problem.

Enter Gonzo Lubitsch and his friends, the Haulage & HazMat Emergency Civil Freebooting Company, a team of master troubleshooters who roll into action when things get particularly hot. They helped build the Pipe. Now they have to preserve it—and save humanity yet again. But this job is not all it seems. It will touch more closely on Gonzo's life—and that of his best friend—than either of them can imagine. And it will decide the fate of the Gone-Away World.

Equal parts raucous adventure, comic odyssey, geek nirvana, and ultra-cool epic, The Gone-Away World is a story of—among other things—love, pirates, mimes, greed, and ninjas. But it is also the story of a world, not unlike our own, in desperate need of heroes—however unlikely they may seem.

Maybe Peadar could tell us something more about it? What's Harkaway's writing style like?

[Peadar]

Maybe Peadar could tell us something more about it? What's Harkaway's writing style like?

Very like Neal Stephenson with the humour levels turned up a few more notches, but not so much as to rob excitement from what is an excellent plot. I highly, highly recommend it.

[Deedles]

Bumpety bump. If I whistle tunelessly and hold my arms behind my back as I saunter away, no-one will remember a thing.

So. Where are we at now?

Neal Stephenson is releasing in September. WOOT.

GRRM, yeah, really not looking good.

Neuropath came out.

Iron Angel is out.

Kushiels Mercy is out.

What else are we looking at? Being pushed back? Unexpectedly announced?

[Werthead]

Bumpety bump. If I whistle tunelessly and hold my arms behind my back as I saunter away, no-one will remember a thing.

So. Where are we at now?

Neal Stephenson is releasing in September. WOOT.

GRRM, yeah, really not looking good.

Neuropath came out.

Iron Angel is out.

Kushiels Mercy is out.

What else are we looking at? Being pushed back? Unexpectedly announced?

Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson should be out more or less now.

The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway is out now. It's not very good, IMO, but Peadar liked it, so it may be worth a shot.

City at the End of Time by Greg Bear, allegedly his big new 'return to form' epic SF novel, is out in mid-July. I have an ARC and will be giving it a look next month.

Return of the Crimson Guard by Ian Cameron Esslemont in mid-August.

The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan at the end of August.

Anathem by Neal Stephenson in September.

The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney at the start of September.

Nation, the big non-Discworld book by Terry Pratchett is due in mid-September.

Blood of the Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski in mid-September.

An Evil Guest by Gene Wolfe in September.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman in October.

The Temporal Void by Peter F. Hamilton in October.

Mistborn: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson in October.

The Monarchies of God: Hawkwood and the Kings by Paul Kearney in October.

The Monarchies of God: Century of the Soldier by Paul Kearney in November.

The Gabble and Other Stories by Neal Asher in November.

The Judging Eye by R. Scott Bakker is apparently set for January but may be pushed back.

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch is set for February.

Rides a Dread Legion by Raymond E. Feist is set for March.

Traitor's Gate by Kate Elliott in February.

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss is set for April, which is also the new tentative date for ADWD (in the UK anyway).

That's about it for the big forthcoming releases.

[Larry.]

Forgot a few:

Gregory Frost, Lord Tophet - July 29, 2008

Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl, The Last Theorem - August 5, 2008

Thomas Nevins, The Age of the Conglomerates - August 19, 2008

Terry Brooks, The Gypsy Morph - August 26, 2008

The Bear book will be released in the US on August 12, 2008

Ekaterina Sedia, The Alchemy of Stone - July 2008

Tobias Buckell, Sly Mongoose - August 2008

John Scalzi, Zoe's Tale - August 2008

Kage Baker, The House of the Stag - September 2008

Andre Norton and Sasha Miller, The Knight of the Red Beard - October 2008

Piers Anthony, Two to the Fifth - October 2008

Plus there are a few anthologies coming out in the coming months, including a pirate anthology that Jeff and Ann VanderMeer have edited, and I believe the various year's best for 2007 will be hitting stories between now and November.