SF/Fantasy

The four-stacker destroyer, USS Walker, played a part in World War II. Here, as Lt. Commander Matthew Patrick Reddy's first command ship, the destroyer plies the waters of the South Pacific in search of Japanese submarines. When a particularly vicious battle forces Reddy to retreat, the enemy pursues the ship through a heavy squall. Surviving the storm, the crew finds itself in strange waters, filled with monstrous fish. Likewise, dinosaurs stalk the lands known as Borneo and Madagascar. Two sentient races have evolved enough to war against each other: the catlike Lemurians and the raptorlike Grik. Reddy and his crew must choose which group to side with. Anderson's alternate history debut combines a love for military history with a keen eye for natural science. Reddy is a likable protagonist, epitomizing the best of the wartime American military. This series opener belongs in larger libraries and will appeal to fans of military sf.

Fawn Bluefield and her Lakewalker husband, Dag Redwing Hickory, travel to see Fawn's family and receive a reception only slightly less hostile than that given by Dag's family. Deciding to set out on their own, the couple begin a long riverboat journey, accompanied by Dag's seemingly hopeless brother, Whit, and are soon joined by others drawn to the couple's vision and to Dag's growing magical powers. The third installment (after The Sharing Knife: Beguilement and The Sharing Knife: Legacy) in Bujold's latest multivolume saga takes her characters into uncharted lands that test both their talents and their loyalty. The creator of the popular Miles Vorkosigan series writes with skill and insight, making her foray into fantasy a good selection for most libraries, particularly those in which she has a following.

Now that he has fulfilled his vow to avenge the death of his wife and unborn son, Imriel nó Montrév de la Courcel returns to Terre d'Ange to be with his true love, Sidonie, the daughter and heir of Queen Ysandre. Despite his determination to be faithful to the will of the god Elua, whose "love as thou wilt" he denied in order to quell the rumors that he coveted the throne of Terre d'Ange like his traitorous mother, Imriel finds that major obstacles lie in the path of his desire to wed Sidonie. To prove his loyalty, he agrees to undertake a dangerous journey to find his fugitive mother and bring her to justice. With unexpected plot twists, Carey concludes her second trilogy (Kushiel's Scion; Kushiel's Justice), set in an alternate Renaissance world of subtle yet powerful magic. Sensual prose and graphic eroticism make this fantasy saga particularly appealing to fans of Terry Goodkind and Storm Constantine. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ3/1/08.]

When a hanging goes awry, leaving the condemned man very much alive, the prisoner claims he is Cayal, the immortal prince, one of the mythical Tide Lords who supposedly created the half-human/half-beast slave race, the Crasii. Investigating his claim, Arkady Desean, wife of the Duke of Lebec and a researcher of the Tide Lord Tarot and its legends, finds herself believing him and in the disturbing likelihood that the Tide Lords may be returning to an earth they nearly destroyed. Fallon ("Hythrun Chronicles") launches a projected four-book series set in a land of broken dreams, hidden histories, and changing beliefs. Intriguing characters and a rich mythology make this a strong addition to most fantasy collections.

Ten years after the world ends, insurance salesman Mortimer Tate emerges from his well-stocked mountain hideout to find a desolate land populated by bandits, savages, cannibals, and a lone cowboy named Buffalo Bill, who becomes his sidekick in danger and exploration. Joined by Sheila and Tyler, two women who have made their own paths to survival, the group discovers the glue that holds a fragile civilization together—a franchise of strip clubs called Joey Armageddon's Sassy-a-Go-Go. Gischler (Gun Monkeys; The Pistol Poets; Suicide Squeeze; Shotgun Opera) specializes in morbid humor, dark sarcasm, and comic noir, complete with violence and mayhem. Eccentric seriocomic sf in the tradition of Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams, this postapocalyptic adventure is recommended for most mature sf readers.

Raised by her mother and a group of mysterious "Uncles," Jazz (Jasmine) grew up always looking over her shoulder and expecting disaster. When the day finally comes and she witnesses her mother's death, she flees and stumbles into the heretofore hidden world of underground London. Taken in by a kindly man named Harry and his group of self-sufficient runaways, Jazz begins sorting out the puzzle of her life, her relationship to her Uncles, and the strange ghosts of an older London that haunt her waking dreams. Coauthors Golden (Straight on 'til Morning; Strangewood) and Lebbon (Desolation; Berserk) have written a dark urban fantasy that posits a world of multiple Londons, some real and some ghostly, an ancient legacy of magic, and a secret war between those who seek power to control it and those who seek to free it. Jazz is an engaging heroine; her passion to do right and her wary reluctance to trust add depth to her character. Filled with action yet much more than a simple adventure, this tale of the clash between the worlds of magic and science is a standout for adult and YA fantasy collections. Highly recommended.

Now that he has exposed the darkness at the heart of his ancient family (as outlined in The Man with the Golden Torc), modern-day shaman Eddie Drood stands as its head—yet the bargain once made with supernatural creatures, the Loathly Ones, still holds sway over some of his relations. With the help of his witch friend, Molly, Eddie must sort through his family while saving the world from destruction by these daemons. The author of the "Deathstalker" series and other fantasies continues the adventures of supernatural secret agent Edwin Drood as he seeks to purge the world's darkest corners in this second entry in his new noir urban fantasy trilogy. Gently spoofing the consummate action/adventure hero James Bond (note the punning title), Green supplies some much needed tongue-in-cheek humor to a genre that often takes itself too seriously. A good choice for larger libraries.

At the moment of victory in Volstov's battle over the rival Ke-Han, disaster strikes, crippling the elite Dragon Corps and its crew of reckless riders. Only an exiled mage, a newly arrived farm boy with a love for reading, a harried professor, and the troubled and troublesome ace dragon rider have a chance to use their combined talents to solve the puzzle that could save their country—provided they don't kill one another first. Debut coauthors Jones and Bennett have created a freshly imagined fantasy universe with magically powered metal dragons, a hard-living, tough-talking crew of dragon riders, and tales of hidden identities, long-kept secrets, and loves that prove stronger than magic. Fans of dragon-oriented fantasy may enjoy this unusual take on dragons, which belongs in most fantasy collections.

Sold into slavery by her father, the girl-child Hekat discovers a world unlike the small confines of her rural village. The slaver Abajai treats Hekat differently from his other purchases because he sees something in her that marks her as chosen by the god for bigger things. The author of The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage launches a new series set in an exotic desert culture and featuring a fierce young heroine. A good addition to most fantasy collections

Following the birth of a palomino foal, 12-year-old Meagan names the young horse Promise, and an uncommon bond forms between the two. Told by an elderly woman that Promise is one of the legendary Great Horses, Meagan flees with Promise through time after she discovers that others want Promise for themselves. Veteran horseman Royce combines history and myth with action and adventure to create a fast-paced, well-informed tale of a flying horse and the young girl who loves her. This series opener should appeal to fans of equestrian novels as well as historic fantasy and belongs in most libraries' adult and YA collections.

After rescuing a teenage sorceress on the run from a trio of supernatural beings, Richard Oort, an Albuquerque police officer, gets caught up in a mystical struggle between proponents of magic, supporters of godlike beings known as the Old Ones, and an order of individuals dedicated to science and the liberation of the human spirit from superstition and slavery. Joining with the young girl and a homeless god with many personas, Oort must save the world from the monsters just outside its perception. Snodgrass (Final Circuit; Circuit Breaker) turns the sf thriller into a chilling encounter with dark gods and hidden conspiracies. Oort is a fascinating hero—one of the few humans born without magic yet called upon to fight it at every turn. This fast-paced cross-genre adventure belongs in most libraries.

The discovery of an ancient gold bear hidden in the walls of a St. Petersburg bathhouse brings researchers Daniel St. Clair and Em Hayward to verify its age. On their way to the university in Arkhangelsk, however, they lose their way; maps become useless, and they have no choice but to venture on—and into an unfamiliar, strange Russia. Seeking Daniel, his lost love Rosa ventures forth into her own mystical journey, confronting her past in an attempt to save Daniel's—and possibly the world's—future. The Australian author of The Autumn Castle again blends dark urban fantasy with adventure/intrigue in a story that combines Russian myth and modern sensibilities. For most libraries.

In the 22nd century, Earth enjoys a tentative peace thanks to a treaty between the United States and the Eurasian Coalition. The hallmark of this new world is the Phoenix Space Elevator, enabling quicker transport from Earth to near-Earth orbit. When saboteurs destroy the Elevator, the authorities activate their top counterintelligence agents, Claire Haskell and Jason Marlowe, to unravel the mystery of who has broken the peace. Williams's first novel delivers a powerful, rapid-fire sf adventure/intrigue story with echoes of cyberpunk. This stellar hard sf debut with hopes of sequels belongs in most sf collections.

In a distant future where artificial intelligences care for humans' needs and death is curable, computer scientist-turned-swordsman Aristide, along with his talking AI cat, Bitsy, explores the pocket universes created by machine intelligences, searching for the implied spaces—pieces of sculpted reality created out of necessity to support these worlds' architecture. On a primitive pocket world called Midgarth, he encounters evidence of a plot that could destroy civilization, and his travels suddenly take on a desperate importance. The versatile author of Voice of the Whirlwind and other hard sf and cyberpunk novels now uses the trappings of fantasy to explore some of science's most sophisticated ideas. Ever surprising, ever provocative, Williams's latest sf adventure belongs in most sf collections.