SF/Fantasy

Leader of the Machi family, the Khai Machi is dying, and the battle for succession begins with the murder of his oldest son. According to tradition, the surviving son inherits his father's title, but outside influences from the Galt empire have entered the fray as well. Exiled son Otah Machi returns in time to find himself the scapegoat for murder and worse. Following the events of A Shadow in Summer, Abraham continues a tale of family loves and hates set in an exotic world of magic, poison, and politics. A good selection for larger fantasy collections.

On a magical island ruled by a cruel king whose stone skin protects him from all physical harm, the young slave girl Aolia discovers her true identity as the Esiren Firechild, the one person whose magic can defeat the tyrant. Constantly pursued by those who would kill her, including a man she thought she loved and the brother who promised to save her, Aolia discovers other Firechildren. The author of Psalm of the Desert Lion brings a crispness and directness to his storytelling that propels his novel to its inevitable, though at times unexpected, conclusion. Intriguing characterizations of both heroes and villains make this a good choice for most fantasy collections.

When the ore-carrier Syracuse inadvertently gets involved in a military action, owner Victor Zacharias uses an escape pod to divert attention from his wife and family, who continue without him into deep space. Until he can reunite with them, Zacharias must accede to the wishes of his seductive rescuer, Cheena Madagascar. When a series of events brings Zacharias together with a pair of survivors of the Asteroid Wars, sculptor Elverda Apacheta and the cyborg known as Dorn, and with industrialist Martin Humphries, the stage is set for a world-transforming encounter. Award-winning sf veteran Bova continues his future history with another installment of space battles and human drama. Solid science and masterly storytelling make this a good addition to most sf collections.

Private investigator Sandor Dyle's vacation aboard the starship Helen on her maiden voyage becomes a "working holiday" when the ship's artificial intelligence ceases to function, leading to suspicions of sabotage. The murder of a passenger, a notorious galactic tyrant, complicates matters and provides Dyle and his friend Marym Dunnis with a dangerous challenge. The second Dyle mystery-adventure (after Scarab) establishes the P.I. as a low-key tech with an orderly mind and a sharp wit. Libraries owning Scarab should consider adding the sequel to their sf collections.

On Halloween night, 1973, in the town of Newford, Jilly Coppercorn (Widdershins) meets an old friend from her days in the Home for Wayward Girls. Like Jilly, Donna has put her life back together and is eager to show Jilly her rockabilly band and her new home. With the ease of walking through the door of a club on All Hallows Eve, Jilly finds herself in a strange "between world" where the lines between the dead and the living are blurred and the temptation to stay is almost more than she can handle. Returning to one of his most beloved characters, de Lint brings to light another tale of enchantment and mystery, one that explores the choices people make and the promises they choose to keep. Some libraries may find the price prohibitive, but larger libraries or libraries where the author has a significant readership should consider adding this urban fantasy fable to their collection.

Khorii, the independent-minded daughter of the legendary Acorna, takes to the stars along with her newfound twin sister Ariin, determined to find the source of the plague that has devastated the universe. Partnering at times with the shape-shifting Grimalkin, formerly trapped in the body of a small cat, the sisters embark on a journey through time and space in pursuit of their goal. Collaborators McCaffrey ("Dragonriders of Pern" series) and Scarborough (The Healer's War) bring the popular "Acorna's Children" series to a close with their characteristic humor and storytelling expertise while leaving room for further excursions into the world of the ever-intriguing unicorn-people. For most sf collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/07.]

As Mercenary Brothers, sworn partners until death, Parno Lionsmane and Dhulyn Wolfshead travel the land, hiring out their swords. When they arrive in the port city of Navra, they're just in time to save a family of "Finders" (people "marked" with the ability to find missing objects or people) from an angry crowd. They also learn of a cult of New Believers, led by a priest who claims that the Marked are conspiring to awaken the Sleeping God to destroy the world. Parno and Dhulyn set out on another mission to avoid the trouble in town only to find greater trials awaiting them. The author of The Mirror Prince launches a new series of high fantasy and adventure with a hero and heroine cursed with secrets and blessed with natural and magical talents, wit, and bravery. Libraries interested in series sf may want to get in on the ground floor and add this title to their fantasy collections.

More than 500 years ago, a gentle race of aliens, the Citizens, gave refuge to the unborn descendants of an abandoned starship. Raised to think of themselves as Colonists, the humans born from freeze-dried embryos now assist the Citizens in their interstellar explorations. Then Kirsten Quinn-Kovacs, a math whiz and navigator of the research vessel Explorer, uncovers information that leads to the discovery of a disturbing body of lost knowledge. The relationship between Citizens and Colonists enters a new phase—just in time to make contact with the "wild" humans fleeing Earth's imminent destruction. Coauthors Niven ("Ringworld" series; "Puppeteer" series) and Lerner (Probe; Moonstruck) create a far-future sf mystery/adventure set two centuries before the discovery of the Ringworld by humans. Intriguing human and alien characters and lucid scientific detail make this Sci Fi ESSENTIAL book a good addition to most sf collections.

Educated by the Druids on the Isle of Avalon, the Princess Boudica forms a lifelong friendship with her mentor, the priestess Lhiannon, even as the two women forge separate destinies. Lhiannon remains with the Druids, watching as the Romans make stronger incursions into Britain, while Boudica marries Prasutagos, widowed king of the Iceni, and, with him, attempts to make peace with Rome until imperial demands push the British tribes to the breaking point. Based on the wishes of the late author of the Mists of Avalon, fantasy veteran Paxson's latest addition to the Avalon story cycle brings to life the tale of the legendary queen who defied the greatest power in the ancient world. Solid storytelling and memorable characters add to the appeal of this smooth blend of ancient history, fable, and magic. Highly recommended for all fantasy collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/07.]

In the distant future, long after Earth has been scoured clean of life, Duncan Rojas, researcher for Braxton's Records of Big Game, is commissioned by the last of the Masai to search his records for the current location of a pair of ivory tusks once part of the legendary giant Kilimanjaro elephant. The catch: the tusks have been missing for 3000 years. This latest from five-time Hugo winner Resnick (Kirinyaga, New Dreams for Old) plays to his greatest strengths—as a raconteur without peer, capable of weaving together a series of linked stories into a seamless whole, and as a compassionate and thoughtful observer of the human condition. Peopled with gamblers, warlords, artists, and politicians and overseen by the shadow of the enormous creature who once ruled the grasslands of Africa, his latest work is highly recommended for all sf collections.

Hector Junior returns from Europe to visit his father, who has become the leader of a bizarre cult that believes the world will soon be destroyed by a sentient asteroid. When his father's predictions come to pass, Hector and a chosen few face a new existence on a preserved splinter of Earth. Roberts (Salt; Gradsil) pays homage to Jules Verne's Off on a Comet in a fast-moving story that is partly a belated coming-of-age saga, partly a surrealistic tall tale, and partly a commentary on the persistence of belief. This volume will appeal especially to fans of literary sf and speculative fiction; suitable for large sf collections.

In the very near future, two influential and maladjusted individuals initiate a radical transformation of the world through the use of sentient nanotechnology—only to have their plans foiled by Chu, the autistic son of two scientists engaged in nanotechnology research. The persistence of money and politics, however, creates a strange new world in which humans become telepaths and can travel to other worlds in the quantum universe; finally, gigantic visitors from another place entirely arrive to sort things out. Rucker (Frek and the Elixir) excels in mind-bending premises and thought-stretching stories peopled with appealingly flawed characters that resonate with familiarity despite their eccentricities. A Sci Fi ESSENTIAL title, this quantum romp belongs in most sf collections.

Corp. Kaylin Neya, a Hawk working for the Halls of Law in the Imperial City of Elantra, investigates what she hopes is a routine theft until she and her partner realize that the stolen object is a magical artifact that seems to be tied to some unreported cases of missing children. Still not reconciled to her magical powers, Kaylin struggles to find a balance between her desire to enforce the laws of her city and the temptations that come with the possession of magic. Sagara's latest addition to "The Cast" series (Cast in Shadows; Cast in Courtlight) expands on the rich variety of characters living in the sprawling fantasy city of Elantra, home to a number of human and nonhuman races and presided over by a Dragon Emperor. Fans of Tanya Huff's "Vicki Nelson" series and Glen Cook's "Garrett Files" should enjoy this blend of fantasy adventure and urban detective fiction. For most fantasy collections.

From an encounter with the alien Swarm set in his Shaper/Mechanist universe ("Swarm"), first published in 1982 to a dreamlike cautionary fable set in Earth's Crusader period ("The Blemmye's Stratagem), published in 2005, the 23 tales collected in this roughly chronological anthology range over three decades of Sterling's head-turning, exuberant storytelling. Always alive to the moment, always accepting the headlong rush of the future, Sterling's short fiction deserves a place in every library's sf or short story collection. Highly recommended.

When Lucifer proposes yet another wager to test the worth of humankind, God chooses Joby Peterson, a stellar nine-year-old enthralled with the stories of King Arthur, as his champion. The stakes: nothing less than all creation. The duration: until Joby turns 40. The devil may do as he will, but God agrees not to aid Joby and commands those who serve Him—chiefly the archangels Michael and Gabriel and the half-divine sorcerer Merlin—not to interfere. We follow Joby's troubled life as he falls from grade-school golden boy to high school nerd to college dropout who can't hold a job. When he finally reaches Taubolt, a Northern California coastal town imbued with real magic, Joby gets some respite before he faces his final showdown with Satan and discovers his true identity. This crossing of the Bible's book of Job and Arthurian legend is a thoughtful but overambitious first novel; Joby's trials are repetitive, and the writing is rather pedestrian. For large fantasy collections. [Library marketing campaign.—Ed.]—Nancy H. Fontaine, Dartmouth Coll., Hanover, NH

In this anthology, 13 talented writers have found clever ways to intertwine two seemingly disparate themes, vampires and birthdays. Christopher Golden's "The Mournful Cry of Owls" tells of a mother who, on her daughter's birthday, must explain the strange truth of the girl's ancestry. In Kelley Armstrong's mesmerizing "Twilight," the rebirth date of the vampire Cassandra has arrived. Now she has one unpleasant task to perform. And in "Fire and Ice and Linguini for Two," Tate Halloway writes a funny, romantic piece about the vampire Sebastian reluctantly celebrating his birthday, although he believes it cursed. Some stories are better than others, but all are entertaining and worth reading. This excellent collection will appeal to the growing legion of paranormal fans. Recommended for public libraries.—Patricia Altner, BiblioInfo.com , Columbia, MD