New Release Tuesday in the Realms of Sci-Fi and Fantasy

Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In this sequel to 2009's Naamah's Kiss, Moirin, the devoted servant of a sex goddess, journeys across half of a fantasy version of Asia in search of her soulmate, Bao. In Tatar territory, she finds Bao... and his wife. His father-in-law, the Great Khan, is willing to go to great extremes to keep Bao and Moirin apart. Captured by the fanatic Patriarch of Riva, Moirin escapes to find that Bao has vanished again, this time headed toward the distant lair of the Spider Queen and her army of assassins. The romantic tale is marred by Moirin's narcissistic awareness that she is destined for a glorious fate that lesser mortals like Bao's jealous wife may only envy. Carey's storytelling ability is top-notch, however, and readers will applaud her willingness to resolve major plot threads in the middle book of a trilogy. (June)


Stories: All-New Tales by Neil Gaiman, Al Sarrantonio
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
This collection of 27 never-before published stories from an impressive cast—Roddy Doyle, Joyce Carol Oates, and Stuart O'Nan, among others—sets out to shift genre paradigms. The overarching theme is fantastic fiction, or fiction of the imagination, with fantasy being used in the most broad-sweeping sense rather than signaling the familiar commercial staples of elves, ghouls, and robots. Consequently, the collection's offerings run a wide gamut. In Joe Hill's Devil on the Staircase, an Italian boy commits a crime of passion and subsequently meets an emissary of Satan. In Jodi Picoult's Weights and Measures, a young couple who have just lost their daughter struggle to hold their marriage together as they both start noticing strange changes taking place. Chuck Palahniuk's The Loser features a college kid on acid as a contestant on a game show, and in Kurt Andersen's Human Intelligence, a geologist meets an explorer from another planet who has been studying humans for the past 1,600 years. The range of voices and subjects practically guarantees something for any reader, but the overall quality is frustratingly variable: most stories are good, some aren't, and few are exceptional. (June)

New Release Tuesday from the Realms of SciFi and Fantasy

Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
Historical fantasist Kay (Ysabel) delivers an exquisitely detailed vision of Kitan, a land much like Tang Dynasty China.
EDITORIAL REVIEW:
It begins simply. Shen Tai, son of an illustrious general serving the Emperor of Kitai, has spent two years honoring the memory of his late father by burying the bones of the dead from both armies at the site of one of his father's last great battles. In recognition of his labors and his filial piety, an unlikely source has sent him a dangerous gift: 250 Sardian horses. You give a man one of the famed Sardian horses to reward him greatly. You give him four or five to exalt him above his fellows, propel him towards rank, and earn him jealousy, possibly mortal jealousy. Two hundred and fifty is an unthinkable gift, a gift to overwhelm an emperor. Wisely, the gift comes with the stipulation that Tai must claim the horses in person. Otherwise he would probably be dead already...


Instructions by Neil Gaiman, Charles Vess

Trust Dreams.Trust your heart, and trust your story. That about sums it up for this latest offering from Neil Gaiman. A renowned storyteller whose words have transported readers to magical realms and an acclaimed illustrator of lushly imagined fairy-tale landscapes guide a traveler safely through lands unknown and yet strangely familiar . . .
. . . and home again.

What an amazing duo – can’t wait to get my hands on this one!

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New Release Tuesday in the Realms of SciFi and Fantasy

Okay - I can see now my Christmas wish list is going to be ridiculously long with suggestions like these:

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett (Author)

I love Terry Pratchett’s work and can’t wait for this one!

Product Description
The wizards at Ankh-Morpork's Unseen University are renowned for many things—wisdom, magic, and their love of teatime—but athletics is most assuredly not on the list. And so when Lord Ventinari, the city's benevolent tyrant, strongly suggests to Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully that the university revive an erstwhile tradition and once again put forth a football team composed of faculty, students, and staff, the wizards of UU find themselves in a quandary. To begin with, they have to figure out just what it is that makes this sport—soccer with a bit of rugby thrown in—so popular with Ankh-Morporkians of all ages and social strata. Then they have to learn how to play it. Oh, and on top of that, they must win a football match without using magic.

Meanwhile, Trev (a handsome street urchin and a right good kicker) falls hard for kitchen maid Juliet (beautiful, dim, and perhaps the greatest fashion model there ever was), and Juliet's best pal, UU night cook Glenda (homely, sensible, and a baker of jolly good pies) befriends the mysterious Mr. Nutt (about whom no one knows very much, including Mr. Nutt, which is worrisome . . .). As the big match approaches, these four lives are entangled and changed forever. Because the thing about football—the most important thing about football­—is that it is never just about football.

Marvel 1602 Premiere HC by Neil Gaiman (Author), Andy Kubert (Author

Marvel Universe and Neil Gaiman – what a perfect combination!

Product Description:

Neil Gaiman's vision of the Marvel Universe in the year 1602! The year is 1602, and strange things are stirring in England. In the service of Queen Elizabeth, court magician Dr. Stephen Strange senses that the bizarre weather plaguing the skies above is not of natural origin. Her majesty's premier spy, Sir Nicholas Fury, fends off an assassination attempt on the Queen by winged warriors rumored to be in service to a mad despot named Doom. News is spreading of "witchbreed" sightings - young men bearing fantastic superhuman powers and abilities. And in the center of the rising chaos is Virginia Dare, a young girl newly arrived from the New World, guarded by a towering Indian warrior. Can Fury and his allies find a connection to these unusual happenings before the whole world ends? Collects Marvel 1602 #1-8.

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New Release Tuesday

This week's offerings offer a nostalgic feel - new tales emerge from Gotham City with a new adventure for Batman presented by the very talented Neil Gaiman and a Star Wars Roleplaying Game. I grew up on both of these series and can't wait to check them out!

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? (Deluxe Edition) by Neil Gaiman

Amazon.com ReviewBook Description
This book looks awesome! Acclaimed best-selling author Neil Gaiman (The Sandman) joins a “who’s who” of talented artists in lending his unique voice to the Batman lore for this not to be missed Deluxe Edition hardcover collectible! Focusing on the story "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" from Batman #685 and Detective Comics #852, Gaiman joins artist Andy Kubert and inker Scott Williams for a story that shines a new light on the Batman saga. Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? also collects Gaiman stories from Secret Origins #36, Secret Origins Special #1, and Batman Black And White #2. This anthology is not to be missed!

In true Batman tradition, Gotham City is plagued with crime and corruption, but one man has taken a stand against evil of all forms: the dark avenger known as Batman. But now the Dark Knight is dead; apparently fallen at the hands of dying god Darkseid.

I can’t wait to check out “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader”. It is said to be the “likes of which Batman and his friends have never experienced before.” This promises to be an exciting and thrilling tale!

Rebellion Era Campaign Guide (Star Wars Roleplaying Game) by Rodney Thompson (Author), Sterling Hershey (Author), Owen K.C. Stephens (Author), JD Wiker (Author)

Product DescriptionClassic Star Wars game-play...The Rebellion Era Campaign Guide brings the Saga Edition rules to the time when tyranny and oppression mark the reign of the Galactic Empire, threatening to extinguish the last flames of freedom. In this dark time emerges an alliance of rebellious heroes intent on overthrowing the Emperor and restoring the glory of the Old Republic.This book covers the clasic Star Wars films: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. It also includes material from the Expanded Universe, as featured in novels and comic books. For players, it provides new character options for Rebel and fringe heroes. For Gamemasters, it offers adventure hooks, campaign seeds, and ready-to-use villains, creatures, droids, and vehicles.

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