The Books We Are Expecting in 2011

[Jon Sprunk]

Book 2 of the Shadow Saga by Jon Sprunk . . . will be 2011 releases, I imagine.

Yessir. Don't quote me, but I'm guessing the U.S. release will be right around this time next year.

Thanks for the mention.

[Werthead]

James S. A. Corey's debut novel Leviathan Wakes: Book One of the Expanse Series is coming out in May 2011:

http://www.littlebro...e/9781841499888

Amazon says:

Abraham mentions the book in his blog:

http://bram452.livej....com/71760.html

Cool, sounds a bit like the computer game StarLancer, which was excellent (if a bit too heavily "The Pacific War in SPAAAACE,").

I like the synopsis of that one, it sounds less far future than some other kinds of space opera I see a lot of, which can be good in their own right, but I am looking for something that sees humanity progress in stages, rather than already being all interstellar already.

Alastair Reynolds' new work, the 11K Trilogy, is supposed to do something like that. Book 1 is set in the near-future with colonisation of the Solar system ongoing, Book 2 a couple of millennia hence with interstellar exploration just beginning via generation ships and Book 3 11,000 years in the future when humanity has become supremely powerful and discovered FTL (I think).

Kim Stanley Robinson's new book is also supposed to be set in a near-future, Solar system-restricted setting, although that's still likely a few years away. He probably has less explosions as well ;)

Given the sheer, insane size of the Solar system by itself and the myriad moons and planets to be colonsied, I'm surprised there isn't more SF just restricted to the Solar system.

[Peadar]

Given the sheer, insane size of the Solar system by itself and the myriad moons and planets to be colonsied, I'm surprised there isn't more SF just restricted to the Solar system.

When you're that far out, you might as well just go all the way :)

I loved the Mars Trilogy, so it would be cool to see KSR's approach to colonising the solar system. :bowdown:

[Calibandar]

Another one that looks interesting to me, Tim Lebbon & Christopher Golden collaborate along with the excellent artists Greg Ruth on Secret Journeys of Jack London, due in March.

[Jussi]

The tentative publication date for Blake Charlton's Spellbound is July 2011:

http://www.blakecharlton.com/2010/07/tentative-publication-dates-readercon-schedule/

Robin Hobb's upcoming collection The Inheritance can be now found in publisher's site with a short synopsis:

http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/Titles/40211/the-inheritance-robin-hobb-9780007273775

A collection of novellas and stories from one of the most critically acclaimed authors in the fantasy genre, Robin Hobb. Including work written under her pseudonym, Megan Lindholm.

Travel from the Six Duchies, to Bingtown and on to undiscovered worlds in this anthology of novellas and stories woven from the imagination of internationally best-selling fantasy author, Robin Hobb.

The deadline for Hobb's next Rain Wilds novel is December 2010, but the book will be published in May 2012!

http://robinhobb.com/2010/05/frequently-asked-questions/

[Bastard of Godsgrace]

Amazon.co.uk has a blurb for Pearlant by M. John Harrison:

PEARLANT is a space adventure. We begin with the following dream: An alien research tool the size of a brown dwarf star hangs in the middle of nowhere, as a result of an attempt to place it equidistant from everything else in every possible universe. Somewhere in the fractal labyrinth beneath its surface, a woman lies on an allotropic carbon deck, a white paste of nanomachines oozing from the corner of her mouth. She is neither conscious nor unconscious, dead nor alive. There is something wrong with her cheekbones. At first you think she is changing from one thing into another -- perhaps it's a cat, perhaps it's something that only looks like one -- then you see that she is actually trying to be both things at once. She is waiting for you, she has been waiting for you for perhaps 10,000 years. She comes from the past, she comes from the future. She is about to speak-- PEARLANT is a sequel to LIGHT and NOVA SWING, three strands presented in alternating chapters which will work their way separately back to this image of frozen transformation.

[oneeye]

Looking forward to the new Abercrombie and Lynch if they make it out in 2011.

[Werthead]

Updated with latest news, plus the title change of M.D. Lachlan's Wolfsbane to Fenrir.

[Jussi]

New blurbs from Gollancz:

Rise of the Taigethan by James Barclay

The Elves have been driven out of their capital. The invading forces of Mankind, backed by the terrifying power of their mages have taken hundreds of elves as hostages and have now begun to plunder the sacred jungles of Calaius. The remaining free Elves have gathered, under the leadership of the Taigethan warrior Auum, in the jungles around the city and have begun a hopeless guerilla war to harass the invading forces.

But for every man killed dozens of captured Elves are slaughtered. There seems to be no hope. Even Takaar, Lord of the Taigethan, returned from self-imposed exile seems overwhelmed by madness. But perhaps salvation lies with him afterall.

James Barclay's Elves are lethal warriors, skilled in bushcraft, mystically linked to nature. But now they face their sternest test: a magic that breaks all of natures rules. A magic that mankind uses without fear or discretion. Is this the end for the Elven race?

Bronze Summer by Stephen Baxter

Centuries have passed. The wall that Ana's people built has long outlasted her and history has been changed. The British Isles are still one with the European mainland and Doggerland has become a vibrant and rich land. So rich that it has drawn the attention of the Greeks. An invasion is mounted and soon Greek Biremes are grinding ashore on a coastline we never knew and the world will be changed for ever.

Stephen Baxter's new series catapults forward from pre-history into the ancient world and charts a new and wonderful story for our world. This is a superb example of Baxter's belief that anything is possible for mankind – even making a new world.

Fenrir by M.D. Lachlan

The Vikings are laying siege to Paris. As the houses on the banks of the Seine burn a debate rages in the Cathedral on the walled island of the city proper. The situation is hopeless. The Vikings want the King's daughter, in return they will spare the rest of the city. Can the king call himself a king if he doesn't do everything he can to save his people? Can he call himself a man if he doesn't do everything he can to save his daughter?

His conscience demands one thing, the demands of state another. And the Church has its own agenda, in this fight against the godless Northmen. But the Vikings have their own gods. And outside their camp a terrifying brother and sister, priests of Odin have their own agenda. An agenda of darkness and madness. And in the shadows a wolfman lurks. And a wolf too.

M.D. Lachlan's stunning epic of mad Gods, Viking and the myth of Fenrir, the wolf destined to kill Odin at Ragnorok powers forward into a new territories of bloody horror, unlikely heroism, dangerous religion and breathtaking action.

Beggar's Banquet by Adam Roberts

In a world where we have been genetically engineered so that we can photosynthesise sunlight with our hair hunger is a thing of the past, food an indulgence. The poor grow their hair, the rich affect baldness and flaunt their wealth by still eating. But other hungers remain...

The young daughter of an affluent New York family is kidnapped. The ransom dermands are refused. Years later a young women arrives at the family home claiming to be their long lost daughter. She has changed so much, she has lived on light, can anyone be sure that she has come home?

Adam Roberts' new novel is yet another amazing melding of startling ideas and beautiful prose. Set in a New York of the future it nevertheless has echoes of a Fitzgeraldesque affluence and art-deco style. It charts his further progress as one of the most important writers of his generation.

[Jussi]

Gavin Smith's War in Heaven, a sequel to Veteran, will be published in July 2011.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Heaven-Gavin-G-Smith/dp/0575094710/ref=ed_oe_p

Alastair Reynolds' next novel has been pushed back to June 2011.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Untitled-Reynolds-1-10-Alastair/dp/0575088273/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280351916&sr=1-1

[Jussi]

Alan Campbell's new book, Sea of Ghosts, will be released in April 2011:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sea-Ghosts-Alan-Campbell/dp/0230742947/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280915011&sr=1-14

When the last of the Gravediggers, an elite imperial infiltration unit, are disbanded and hunted down by the emperor they once served, munitions expert Colonel Thomas Granger takes refuge in the unlikeliest of places. He becomes a jailer in Ethugra – a prison city of poison-flooded streets and gaols in which a million enemies of the empire are held captive. But when Granger takes possession of two new prisoners, he realises that he can’t escape his past so readily.

Ianthe is a young girl with an extraordinary psychic talent. A gift that makes her unique in a world held to ransom by the powerful Haurstaf – the sisterhood of telepaths who are all that stand between the Empire and the threat of the Unmer, the powerful civilization of entropic sorcerers and dragon-mounted warriors. In this war-torn land, she promises to make Granger an extremely wealthy man, if he can only keep her safe from harm.

This is what Granger is best at. But when other factions learn about Ianthe's unique ability, even Granger's skills of warfare are tested to their limits. While, Ianthe struggles to control the powers that are growing in ways no-one thought were possible. Another threat is surfacing: out there, beyond the bitter seas, an old and familiar enemy is rising – one who, if not stopped, will drown the world and all of humanity with it...

[Calibandar]

Sounds fairly interesting. I might give Campbell another shot when that comes out.

[Calibandar]

Couple of other releases from Tor for the first quarter of 2011.

Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson, the final part of the Spin trilogy. Spin was a big hit, many people thought "Axis" was a disappointment, the third promises big revelations.

Deathless by Catherynne Valente, due in April, which is, according to her site, "A retelling of the Marya Morevna and Koschei the Deathless fairy tales, set in Stalinist Russia".

The Lost Gate by Orscon Scott Card in January, the much delayed opening novel of his new epic Fantasy series.

Also in January, Home Fires by Gene Wolfe. No Synopsis as yet. Another book that is receiving some favourable advance word is Jo Walton's Among Others.

And then finally there is also a new series by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson, perhaps rather aply titled "The Hell Hole Trilogy". People will think this is a joke but this is for real:

http://www.amazon.com/Hellhole-Hell-Trilogy-Brian-Herbert/dp/0765322692/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281188538&sr=1-14

Oh and the Crippled God by Steven Erikson comes out in February in the US.

[Cuchulain]

And then finally there is also a new series by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson, perhaps rather aply titled "The Hell Hole Trilogy". People will think this is a joke but this is for real:

http://www.amazon.com/Hellhole-Hell-Trilogy-Brian-Herbert/dp/0765322692/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281188538&sr=1-14

:lmao:

[Samalander]

Alan Campbell's new book, Sea of Ghosts, will be released in April 2011:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sea-Ghosts-Alan-Campbell/dp/0230742947/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280915011&sr=1-14

Is this a stand-alone or the beginning of a new series?

[Jussi]

I believe it's the first book in a new series.

Tor Winter 2011 catalog has been revealed:

http://us.macmillan.com/CMS400/uploadedFiles/MacmillanSite/Non-Menu_Items/bookseller_services/Tor%20Winter%202011%20noMP.pdf

Lots of black-and-white cover art and interesting blurbs for new books.

Peter Orullian's debut novel The Unremembered is coming out in April:

The gods, makers of worlds, seek to create balance — between matter and energy; and between mortals who strive toward the transcendent, and the natural perils they must tame or overcome. But one of the gods fashions a world filled with hellish creatures far too powerful to allow balance; he is condemned to live for eternity with his most hateful creations in that world’s distant Bourne, restrained by a magical veil kept vital by the power of song.

Millennia pass, awareness of the hidden danger fades to legend, and both song and veil weaken. And the most remote cities are laid waste by fell, nightmarish troops escaped from the Bourne. Some people dismiss the attacks as mere rumor. Instead of standing against the real threat, they persecute those with the knowledge, magic and power to fight these abominations, denying the inevitability of war and annihilation. And the evil from the Bourne swells…

The troubles of the world seem far from the Hollows where Tahn Junell struggles to remember his lost childhood and to understand words he feels compelled to utter each time he draws his bow. Trouble arrives when two strangers — an enigmatic man wearing the sigil of the feared Order of Sheason and a beautiful woman of the legendary Far — come, to take Tahn, his sister and his two best friends on a dangerous, secret journey. Tahn knows neither why nor where they will go. He knows only that terrible forces have been unleashed upon mankind and he has been called to stand up and face that which most daunts him — his own forgotten secrets and the darkness that would destroy him and his world.

Wolfe's Home Fires is a science fiction novel:

Gene Wolfe takes us to a future North America at once familiar and utterly strange. A young man and woman, Skip and Chelle, fall in love in college and marry, but she is enlisted in the military, there is a war on, and she must serve her tour of duty before they can settle down. But the military is fighting a war with aliens in distant solar systems, and her months in the service will be years in relative time on Earth. Chelle returns to recuperate from severe injuries, after months of service, still a young woman but not necessarily the same person — while Skip is in his forties and a wealthy businessman, but eager for her return.

Still in love (somewhat to his surprise and delight), they go on a Caribbean cruise to resume their marriage. Their vacation rapidly becomes a complex series of challenges, not the least of which are spies, aliens, and battles with pirates who capture the ship for ransom. There is no writer in SF like Gene Wolfe and no SF novel like Home Fires.

Blurb for Brust's next Vlad Taltos book, Tiassa:

Once, Vlad Taltos knew his trade: he killed people for a living. That skill got him his foothold in House Jhereg, running the rackets for a chunk of urban Adrilankha.

Later, things happened, leaving Vlad a changed man, on the run from the Jhereg, and frequently involved in the affairs of Dragonlords, Empresses, and even Jenoine. Far more involved than the average short-lived human.

Meanwhile, in the very distant past, one of the gods fashioned an artifact — a silver tiassa. To Devera the Wanderer, it’s a pretty toy to play with. To Vlad, it’s a handy prop for a con he’s running. To the Empire, it’s a tool to be used against the Jenoine. And to the Jhereg, it’s a trap to kill Vlad.

As it happens, however, the silver tiassa has its own agenda.

Tiassa covers over ten years of the remarkable life of Vlad Taltos — and, to the delight of longtime fans, brings him together with Khaavren, from The Phoenix Guards and its sequels. And Khaavren may be Vlad’s best friend—or his most terrible enemy.

Steven Brust’s novels of Vlad Taltos have been appearing for over 25 years, and each new one is an event. But Tiassa will be particularly irresistible for devotees and casual fans alike.

[Calibandar]

I found of interest as well...

Deathless by Valente:

Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what demons or wicked witches are to European culture: a menacing, evil figure; the villain of countless tales which have been passed on through storytelling and text for generations. But Koschei has

never before been seen through the eyes of Catherynne M.

Valente, who brings the action to modern times, spanning

many of the great developments of Russian history in the

twentieth century.

Deathless is no dry, historical tome: it lights up like fire as the young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever child of the revolution, to Koschei’s beautiful bride, to his eventual undoing.

Along the way there are Stalinist house elves, magical quests, secrecy and bureaucracy, and games of lust and power. All told, Deathless is a collision of magical history and actual history, of revolution and mythology, of love and death, that will bring

Russian myth to life in a stunning new incarnation.

Other Kingdoms, a new novel by Richard Matheson

1918. A young American soldier, recently wounded in the Great War, Alex White comes to Gatford to escape his troubled past.

The pastoral English village seems the perfect spot to heal his wounded body and soul. True, the neighboring woods are said to be haunted by capricious, even malevolent spirits, but surely those are just old wives’ tales.

Aren’t they?

A frightening encounter in the forest leads Alex into the arms

of Magda Variel, an alluring red-haired widow rumored to be a

witch. She warns him to steer clear of the wood and the perilous

faerie kingdom it borders, but Alex cannot help himself. Drawn

to its verdant mysteries, he finds love, danger…and wonders

that will forever change his view of the world.

[Bastard of Godsgrace]

Rule 34 by Charles Stross is listed at Amazon.co.uk:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rule-34-Charles-Stross/dp/1841497738/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281432663&sr=1-1

[Jussi]

Book two of Paul Hoffman's Left Hand of God trilogy, The Last Four Things, will be published in January 2011.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Four-Things-Paul-Hoffman/dp/0718155211/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282050341&sr=1-1

[Jussi]

Amazon is now saying that Sapkowski's Times of Contempt is coming out in May 2012!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Times-Contempt-Andrzej-Sapkowski/dp/0575084952/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282080809&sr=1-14