New Scifi & Fantasy Releases: Week of May 1st

If you've been trying to cut back on your book buying then I suggest you avoid reading this post because there are some really awesome books here, and you might be unable to avoid the temptation..

I was actually surprised to see that Charlaine Harris's newest Sookie Stackhouse book is already out this week, and even more surprised at how eager I am to read it, despite my disappointment with the last few books. I guess Sookie has a stronger hold on me than I realized.

Leanna Renee Hieber's much anticipated addition to her Strangely Beautiful series,
The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess, is also out this week, and that one is definitely high on my To-Read list

There is also a new Garth Nix books for kids entitled Troubletwisters, as well as a new Rick Riordan book, Throne of Fire.

One book that has caught my attention, and which I only just discovered, is Jeff VanderMeer's steampunk anthology The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists & Strange Literature, which I would love to get my hands on. It looks like it is probably a really beautiful book with some wonderful images. If any of you do manage to get a hold of this one I'd love to hear more about it from you.

Hope you have a great reading week!

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Ascension (A Dark Breed Novel)
Sable Grace
Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: May 1

The gates of hell have opened, and one woman will stand in the crossfire as the Dark Breed -- vampyre, demons, shape shifters -- and mankind fight their last battle for survival.

Kyana is half Vampyre, half Lychen...and the last of her kind. Determined, dangerous, and damned, she has no love for the mortals who have imprisoned and misused her. But when the Order of Ancients entrusts her with a mission -- to find the key that will send the Dark Breed back into Hell for eternity -- Kyana has no choice but to accept.

She is furious to learn her assignment comes with an escort. . . Ryker, a demigod and fierce warriour who long ago found a way under her skin and stayed there. In a shaky alliance, they discover an ancient cult with dangerous motives and a god who seeks to destroy all others. And as Kyana begins to feel the heat that threatens to bind her to Ryker, she knows she has to resist. For it could only mean the undoing of them both. . .

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The Cellar
A. J. Whitten
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release Date: May 2

Meredith Willis is suspicious of Adrien, the new guy next door. When she dares to sneak a look into the windows of his house, she sees something in the cellar that makes her believe that Adrien might be more than just a creep—he may be an actual monster.

But her sister, Heather, doesn't share Meredith's repulsion. Heather believes Adrien is the only guy who really understands her. In fact, she may be falling in love with him. When Adrien and Heather are cast as the leads in the school production of Romeo and Juliet, to Heather, it feels like fate. To Meredith, it feels like a bad omen. But if she tries to tear the couple apart, she could end up in the last place she'd ever want to be: the cellar. Can Meredith convince her sister that she's dating the living dead before it's too late for both of them?

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The Council of Shadows (A Novel of the Shadowspawn)
S. M. Stirling
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: May 3

Adrian Brézé defied his own dark heritage as a near-purebred Shadowspawn for years, until his power-hungry sister Adrienne kidnapped his human lover Ellen.

Now, Adrienne is dead, and the Council of Shadows is gathering its strength. To stop the Council from launching an apocalypse, Adrian and Ellen must ally with the Brotherhood, a resistance group dedicated to breaking the Council's hold on humankind...by any means necessary.

In the coming confrontation, Adrian must fight not only the members of the Council but also his own nature-and, as he will come to suspect, traitors within the Brotherhood itself...

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Dark Mist Rising
Anna Kendall
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Gollancz
Release Date: May 5

Whether it's a curse or a blessing the fact remains: whenever Roger is in enough pain he can cross over to the Land of the Dead and speak to the people there. It's an unexpected gift - and one that, throughout Roger's life, has been taken advantage of; by his violent uncle, by the mysterious, malign Soulviners performing their dark magic on Soulvine Moor, and even by a Queen, fighting for her queendom with every possible weapon she can find. But not anymore. The dangerous life of Queen's Fool is behind him, young Princess Stephanie sits on the throne, and Roger is living a life of his choosing. He, Maggie and Jee have a small, out of the way, increasingly prosperous inn, supported by their hard work. It's a simple, industrious life . . . and it's about to be destroyed. The war is not over. The savage invaders are back. And they're looking for the boy who killed their leader. They're looking for Roger.

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Daughter of Destiny
Tracy Fobes
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Pocket
Release Date: May 3

The power of druidism flows strong in Lady Georgiana Darleigh?s veins. Born of two Welsh druids whose mystical talents exceeded all others in their time, she possesses the ability to create illusions. But fate has worked against her. Georgiana remains unaware of the power she commands, and is trapped in a marriage of convenience to Brock, Lord Darleigh. She is also a marked woman, the target of the Arch Druid who will see her dead before she fufills her destiny.
Raised in a society that favors ancestry and fortune over love, Brock married Georgiana for her money and, in so doing, secured her wrath. During the next two years he watched her bloom into a seductive and firtatious beauty. Now, he has grown desperate to have her at his side, and knows he must court her to win her back. But first Brock must erase the mistakes of the past and protect Georgiana from a treacherous destiny that only their love can overcome...

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Dead Is Not an Option
Marlene Perez
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release Date: May 2


It’s springtime of senior year, and psychic sleuth Daisy Giordano is preparing to say goodbye to Nightshade High. But no college acceptance letters have arrived yet, and she’s beginning to worry about where she’ll end up come fall—and if it will be anywhere near her boyfriend, Ryan. But that’s not the only uncertainty Daisy’s dealing with. There’s a vamps-versus-shifters war going on in Nightshade, and things are so tense that there is talk of canceling the prom. The conflict is carrying over to the Giordano home, since Rose and Daisy are both dating werewolves and Poppy’s new boyfriend is a vampire.

Can the paranormal community in Nightshade finally find peace? And will Daisy and her friends survive graduation? All of these questions and more are answered in the explosive final installment in the Dead Is series.

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Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse, Bk 11)
Charlaine Harris
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: May 3

With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his "child" Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows...
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The Demon Left Behind
Marie Jakober
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: EDGE
Release Date: May 1

A contemporary novel set in North America. Where the "demons", a spirit life-form inhabiting an "otherworld," co-exists with our own. Not to be confused with devil-demons, these invisible demons interact with humans simply to keep an eye on earthly matters (after all they live here too)! As the world's current global crisis develops, the demons send out a special research team to embody themselves as humans to study the "situation". At the end of the mission, the demon team discovers that one their own had failed to return and so they must go back to the world of the "visies" (their term for humanity) to try to find him. Along the way they must deal with a pair of inept bank robbers, a stand-up comic with a knack for getting into trouble, and a private militia gearing up for the end of the world.
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Dragon Avenger (The Age of Fire, Bk 2)
E.E. Knight
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: May 3

The last of a dying breed, Wistala and her dragon siblings were born in the safety of a mountain cave. But when her home is attacked, she finds herself forced into independence-and cut off from her family. Now Wistala must overcome her grief and fear to find others of her kind, and bring her wrath to those who would destroy them.

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Ember and Ash
Pamela Freeman
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: May 1

The old ones will have their revenge.

Two peoples have been fighting over the same land for a thousand years. Invaders crushed the original inhabitants, and ancient powers have reluctantly given way to newer magics. But Ember was to change all this with a wedding to bind these warring people together - until her future goes up in flames.

Ember's husband-to-be is murdered by a vengeful elemental god, who sees peace as a breach of faith. Set on retribution, she enlists the help of Ash, son of a seer. Together they will pit themselves against elementals of fire and ice in a last attempt to end the conflicts that have scarred their past. They must look to the present, as old furies are waking to violence and are eager to reclaim their people.

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Extremis (Starfire)
Steve White and Charles E. Gannon
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Baen
Release Date: May 3

Once before, the sentient races in the known part of the galaxy—humans, Orions, Ophiuchi and Gorm—had united to defeat alien invaders. Decades later, the member planets of the alliance had grown complacent—until a huge fleet of ships, each ship larger than a city, arrived, fleeing the loss of their home planet when their star went nova.

They have traveled for centuries, slower than light, and now that they have arrived at the world they intend to make their new home. They regard the fact that the planet is already colonized by humans as a mere inconvenience, the more so since their mode of communication is so different from anything humans use that they do not consider humans and their allies to be truly intelligent. And the arriving aliens know—or, at least, they believe—that when they die they will be reincarnated, so they do not hesitate to attack humans and their allies with suicidal fury. And, if necessary, they will exterminate all humans and their allies, if that's what it takes to occupy the planet.

That was their attitude on arrival, but the conquerors have learned from human technology. They now know all about reactionless drives, so much more efficient than rocket engines. And they have learned about the jump points which make faster-than-light travel possible. With that knowledge, they plan to conquer the entire inhabited region of the galaxy—unless the old alliance of humans and other being can stop them . . . .

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The Hot Gate (Troy Rising III)
John Ringo
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Baen
Release Date: May 3

The fight to free the Earth from alien domination began in Live Free or Die, and continued in Citadel. Now Tyler Vernon, and his troops aboard the gigantic battle station , face a desperate battle with the forces of galactic tyranny. And the very survival of the Earth and its people is not all that is at stake. The galaxy itself must choose to live free or die—and if the tyrants win this battle, darkness will fall across the galaxy for millennia to come.

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Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires, Bk 4)
Chloe Neill
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: NAL
Release Date: May 3

Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals--and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are ... tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else.

Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society--a world full of vampires who seem too ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands..

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Hounded
Kevin Hearne
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Del Ray
Release Date: May 3

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.
Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

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The Inheritance and Other Stories
Robin Hobb
Genre: Anthology
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: May 3

Before she became an acclaimed New York Times bestselling author, Robin Hobb received resounding critical praise for work written under the name Megan Lindholm. Though they spring from the same imagination, Hobb and Lindholm are separate, diverse identities, each with her own unique style and perspective.
The Inheritance celebrates the boundless vision of Hobb and Lindholm, bringing together for the first time classic and new short works from both names. The collection is comprised of three generous offerings from Robin Hobb, including the title story, which makes its U.S. debut here, and a brand-new tale, "Cat's Meat." Megan Lindholm contributes her Hugo and Nebula Award finalist "A Touch of Lavender" and Nebula finalist "Silver Lady and the Fortyish Man," as well as several classic and new gems.

Each piece is prefaced by a brief yet informative author's note, offering insight into each story's genesis. Fascinating, compelling, and wonderfully entertaining, The Inheritance reveals the full spectrum of skill and talent of one of the world's finest fantasy writers.

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Korval's Game (Part of Liaden Universe)
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Baen
Release Date: May 3

The Liaden Universe® series has enthralled thousands of readers, and now two of its most exciting space adventure novels are combined in one popularly-priced Omni-trade volume.

Plan B: Val Con yos'Phelium is a fugitive. The heir of Clan Korval is wanted by the covert Liaden agency known as the Department of the Interior, whose rulers have declared unofficial war against the entire clan. With only his love, Miri Robertson, by his side, Val Con plans a desperate gamble by forming an alliance with Clan Erob on the planet where Miri was born.

But Val Con's cousin, Shan yos'Galan, can't wait for help that may never arrive. With enemy agents closing in, he invokes Plan B—setting in motion a series of events that will have dire consequences, not only for him and his life-mate, Priscilla Mendoza, but all of Liad . . .

I Dare: On the run from the agents of the Department of the Interior, Val Con has been separated from Miri. Shan, Val Con's cousin, and Shan's life-mate Priscilla, continue to search for him, believing that he's the Clan's last hope for survival.

But the DOI is attacking Clan Korval in a more subtle fashion. Pat Rin yos'Phelium—Val's ne'er-do-well, nearly identical cousin, gambler and shooter—is offered control of the clan. The DOI believes they can manipulate him into serving their agenda.

They're wrong . . .

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Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy
edited by Ellen Datlow
Genre: Urban Fantasy Antology
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin,
Release Date: May 7

In this thrilling collection of original stories some of today’s hottest paranormal authors delight, thrill and captivate readers with otherworldly tales of magic and mischief. InJim Butcher’s ”Curses” Harry Dresden investigates how to lift a curse laid by the Fair Folk on the Chicago Cubs. In Patricia Briggs’ “Fairy Gifts,” a vampire is called home by magic to save the Fae who freed him from a dark curse. In Melissa Marr’s “Guns for the Dead,” the newly dead Frankie Lee seeks a job in the afterlife on the wrong side of the law. In Holly Black’s “Noble Rot,” a dying rock star discovers that the young woman who brings him food every day has some strange appetites of her own.


Featuring original stories from 20 authors, this dark, captivating, fabulous and fantastical collection is not to be missed!
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Night Mares in the Hamptons
A Willow Tate Novel
Celia Jerome
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: May 3


Graphic novelist Willow Tate is a Visualizer, able to draw images of beings from the realm of Faerie, bringing them from their world to ours in the process. After a ten-foot-tall red troll follows her from Manhattan to Paumanok Harbor in the Hamptons, Willow realizes that many of her relatives and their neighbors possess psychic talents-truth- knowing, scrying, weaving wishes, picking lucky numbers, and more.

So when magic and mayhem return to Paumanok Harbor, and Willow is called upon to rescue the town, she enlists the local talent. Three magical mares are searching the Long Island village for a missing colt, and their distress is causing sleeping nights, bad tempers, and dangerous brawls among the gifted but peculiar residents.

Though the Department of Unexplained Events sends Willow a world-famous horse whisperer, Texan Ty Farraday seems more interested in whispering in her ear than in rescuing the kidnapped colt whose terror only Willy can feel. Even with help, she still has to struggle with snakes, drug dealers, tourists, hidden caves, a mad scientist-and the almost overwhelming distraction of that sexy cowboy...

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The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess
Leanna Renee Hieber
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Dorchester Publishing
Release Date: May 3

The goddess Persephone begins her quest to be reincarnated with her true love, and more secrets of The Guard are revealed




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Phoenix Rising ( Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, Bk 1)
Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris
Genre: Steampunk
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: May 1


These are dark days indeed in Victoria's England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences-- the Crown's clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling -- will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her bulletproof corset and a disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest. . .and she's prepared to drag her timorous new partner, Wellington Books, along with her into the perilous fray.

For a malevolent brotherhood is operating in the deepening London shadows, intent upon the enslavement of all Britons. And Brooks and Braun -- he with his encyclopedic brain and she with her remarkable devices -- must get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot . . .or see England fall to the Phoenix!

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The Ritual
Adam Nevill
Genre:
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Release Date: May 6

And on the third day things did not get better. The rain fell hard and cold, the white sun never broke through the low grey cloud, and they were lost. But it was the dead thing they found hanging from a tree that changed the trip beyond recognition. When four old University friends set off into the Scandinavian wilderness of the Arctic Circle, they aim to briefly escape the problems of their lives and reconnect with one another. But when Luke, the only man still single and living a precarious existence, finds he has little left in common with his well-heeled friends, tensions rise. With limited fitness and experience between them, a shortcut meant to ease their hike turns into a nightmare scenario that could cost them their lives. Lost, hungry, and surrounded by forest untouched for millennia, Luke figures things couldn't possibly get any worse. But then they stumble across an old habitation. Ancient artefacts decorate the walls and there are bones scattered upon the dry floors. The residue of old rites and pagan sacrifice for something that still exists in the forest. Something responsible for the bestial presence that follows their every step. And as the four friends stagger in the direction of salvation, they learn that death doesn't come easy among these ancient trees...

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Shadow Raiders (the Dragon Brigade, Bk 1)
Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: May 3

A new epic military fantasy series-by New York Times bestselling author Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes.

The known world floats upon the Breath of God, a thick gas similar to Earth's oceans, with land masses accessible by airship. The largest of these land masses are ruled by the rival empires of Freya and Rosia. Magic is intrinsic to the functioning of these societies, and is even incorporated into their technological devices. But now a crucial scientific discovery has occurred that could destroy the balance of power-and change the empires forever.

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Seven Sorcerers
Caro King
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Aladdin
Release Date: May 3

Nin had never liked Wednesdays, but this one took the cake. On this Wednesday she woke up to find that it was raining buckets and that her little brother had ceased to exist."

Nin Redfern wakes up one Wednesday to discover that her little brother, Toby, has vanished and no one -- not her mother, not her grandparents -- can remember him. Only Nin can, and she's going to get him back. But when Bogeyman Skerridge (who always gets his child) comes for Nin too, she realizes that finding Toby is going to be a lot harder then she thought. Toby is trapped in the House of Strood, which is located in another land called The Drift, and Skerridge can't -- or won't -- help her find him. Left with no choice, Nin heads into The Drift with her new friend Jonas. The Drift is filled with the fabulous and the terrible, but a plague is slowly killing all the magical things. The Seven Sorcerers who ruled there might have been able to prevent it, but in the end, even they have succumbed. Can Nin find Toby before he falls victim to a terrible fate in the House of Strood and before the plague makes it impossible for them to get home? Can she and Jonas avoid the tombfolk, mud men, and various creatures who want to stop them? And what is the secret of the Seven Sorcerers?

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Shift (Shade, Bk 2)
Jeri Smith-Ready
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: May 3

Aura's life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can't deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she's not sure that she wants to.

Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.

As Aura's search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.

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Spellcast
Barbara Ashford
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: May 3

When Maggie Graham lost her job and her apartment fell to pieces, she decided to flee New York City for a while and hide in Vermont, at the Crossroads Theatre. She hadn't planned to audition, yet soon found herself part of the summer stock cast. But her previous acting experiences couldn't prepare her for the theater's unusual staff-and its handsome, almost otherworldly director.

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The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists & Strange Literature
Jeff VanderMeer
Genre: Anthology
Publisher: Abrams Image
Release Date: May 1

Steampunk—a grafting of Victorian aesthetic and punk rock attitude onto various forms of science-fiction culture—is a phenomenon that has come to influence film, literature, art, music, fashion, and more. The Steampunk Bible is the first compendium about the movement, tracing its roots in the works of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells through its most recent expression in movies such as Sherlock Holmes. Its adherents celebrate the inventor as an artist and hero, re-envisioning and crafting retro technologies including antiquated airships and robots. A burgeoning DIY community has brought a distinctive Victorian-fantasy style to their crafts and art. Steampunk evokes a sense of adventure and discovery, and embraces extinct technologies as a way of talking about the future. This ultimate manual will appeal to aficionados and novices alike as author Jeff VanderMeer takes the reader on a wild ride through the clockwork corridors of Steampunk history.

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Troubletwisters
Garth Nix & Sean Williams
Genre: Middle- grade Fantasy
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: May 1

A spectacular new middle-grade fantasy series from NYT bestselling authors Garth Nix and Sean Williams, in which two twins find that they must act as wards against a threatening evil.
The Evil has been trying to break into our dimension and dominate the earth for centuries. Unbeknownst to most of us, there are Wardens all over the globe, who protect humanity from the Evil that asserts itself at the Portals, which are the only places through which the Evil may pass into our world.

Jaide and Jack Shield don't know that the world is under attack. They don't know that their dad and their Grandma X, who they move in with, are Wardens, or that they themselves are troubletwisters, young Wardens just coming into their powers.

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Throne of Fire
Rick Riordan
Genre: Middle- Grade Fantasy
Publisher: Hyperion.
Release Date: May 3

In this exciting second installment of the three-book series, Carter and Sadie, offspring of the brilliant Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane, embark on a worldwide search for the Book of Ra, but the House of Life and the gods of chaos are determined to stop them.


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Vampire Warlords
Andy Remic
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Angry Robot
Release Date: May 5 (UK)

Legendary warrior Kell must choose to flee the conquered land of Falanor, or fight for its people. Even now it may be too late, that all is lost... for the Vachine invaders have called upon their ancient rulers, semi-immortal bloodsuckers who dwell on the edges between life and death. The vampire warlords have returned, and they will feed.

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Saturday Snapshots

Saturday Snapshots
Hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books

Last week I had visited the open-air food market in Jerusalem (aka, the Shuk) where I found strawberries being sold for only 3 shekel a kilo (that's about 75 cents for 2 lbs). Excitedly I bought as many strawberries as I could carry and when I got home I proceeded to do something that I have being dreaming about for years - I made my own strawberry jam. And I really have no idea why I waited so long to do so because it was really quite easy and the results were delicious, perfect for eating on matzo, which was pretty much all we had to snack on for the week of Passover.

While my kids are not usually that excited about jelly (they eat their peanut butter sandwiches plain) they were eager to help me prepare the strawberries by washing and cutting them, and then they kept on visiting me in the kitchen to check on the progress of the jam on the stove-top.





When the jam was finished I poured it into a special jar that I had bought just for this occasion and then I invited the whole family to come and admire it, which they did. I then proceeded to serve it at every meal (it's amazing the things that you can eat strawberry jam with) and to my surprise my kids were just as enthusiastic about eating it as they were about making it (at least for the first few days.)

Bumped by Megan Mccafferty

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. Girls sport fake baby bumps and the school cafeteria stocks folic-acid-infused food.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and have never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Up to now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend, Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in Goodside, a religious community, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to convince Melody that pregging for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.



Since early childhood, Melody has been groomed by her parents to be the perfect surrogate. She is beautiful, smart, athletic and popular, and it was no surprise that her agent managed to get her a six-figure deal with the Jaydens, a wealthy, childless couple. Now all Melody has to do is wait for the Jaydens to pick a boy who meets their high expectations, for Melody to reproduce with. In the meantime all of Melody’s friends are getting pregnant and giving birth, as Melody impatiently waits in the sidelines for her turn to come.

But when Melody discovers that she has an identical twin sister, all of her plans are suddenly at risk. If the Jaydens find out that Melody is not as unique as they had been led to believe, they might not be as interested in her anymore. Though it seems like a safe bet that this secret will remain hidden because Melody’s twin lives on a secluded religious commune, and it is unlikely that her and Melody will ever meet. Until she shows up one day on Melody’s doorstep.

Harmony was ecstatic at discovering that she has a twin sister and now she wants nothing more than to help her sister find G-d, and to bring her back to Goodside with her. But when Harmony encounters the gorgeous guy that the Jaydons have netted to breed with Melody, she suddenly finds herself distracted from her mission by desires that she didn’t even know she had.


YA dystopian books are all the rage now and Megan McCafferty is making her contribution by examining a future in which teenager girls have become breeders for the adult population who are no longer able to conceive.

The concept here is an interesting one though Bumped is so light and frothy that the seriousness of the book’s topic doesn’t really come across or provoke readers to examine it in depth. In the story, teenage pregnancy is extolled so much by society that teenagers will do anything to get pregnant, and can think of little else. A pregnant stomach becomes a status symbol which every girl dreams of acquiring. But only once in the book do we get a look at the other side of the coin, at what happens when a pregnancy or labor goes wrong, and this was hardly enough to make a convincing argument as to why the current situation might be problematic.

Although Bumped was relatively entertaining, I had a bit of trouble getting into it in the beginning due to all of the made-up slang terms and “futuristic” phrases that liberally pepper the dialogue, but are not explained. For some reason it’s not until a phrase is used several times that the author clarifies what it means, and in some cases it’s not until the very end that an explanation was provided. And so for the first few chapters I had no idea what the characters were talking about. It doesn’t help that the slang is pretty ridiculous, deriving from the characters’ obsession with sex and pregnancy. “Bumped” means to become pregnant, “fertilicious” is attractive and ”nubie-pubies” are preteens. I’m still guessing what the frequently used term “anythingbut” is supposed to mean, since sometimes it was used as a noun and other times as a verb. But I’m not losing too much sleep over it.

I also had trouble with the fact that the narration switches too frequently between the POVs making it difficult to get to know either of the protagonists, or to get involved in their individual stories. It wasn’t until I was halfway through the book that the story finally caught hold of me, once I had a grasp of the strange terminology and had adjusted to the format of the narration.


While Bumped raises some interesting issues I didn’t find that it really explored them in a way that challenged me to think about them, as my favorite dystopian books have done. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to read Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale but from what I know of it, it sounds like Bumped is a lighter version of the book, for a younger readership. It was entertaining enough, but not particularly thought provoking.

The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt

I’ve been feeling kind of restless lately in my reading, unable to settle down with any one book for more than a chapter or two. After returning to my bookshelves once again, hoping to find the right book to get me out of my reading funk, I came across a slim volume that I had never noticed before, The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt. While the childish cover didn’t particularly impress me the blurb on the back cover did tempt me to crack the book open, and to my delight I was immediately swept up by the charmingly fanciful tale within its pages.

When the Prime Minister goes to show the king the progress he has made on his dictionary, the king is pleased. ‘Affectionate is your dog’ meets his approval as does ‘Bulky is a big bag of boxes.’ But when the Prime Minister shows the king the D section, a problem arises. The king does not agree that ‘Delicious is fried fish, ’ because he does not care for fried fish. And so the king insists the definition be changed to apples. The queen, who is standing nearby, disagrees. She thinks Delicious is a Christmas Pudding. Soon the whole court is up in arms, heatedly debating what the true definition of Delicious is.

In order to put the matter to rest the Prime Minister sends his young assistant, Gaylen, to travel across the kingdom and question each person as to what their favorite food is. Whichever food item received the most votes will be included in the dictionary. Gaylen is excited at this opportunity for adventure but his enthusiasm quickly fades when his simple question is met with aggression and hostility in each of the towns that he visits. Who knew that Delicious was such a controversial word? But there is another source for the brewing trouble. The queen’s sinister brother, who thinks Delicious is nuts, has taken this opportunity to try to bring down the king.

How will Gaylen finish his task with the country gearing up to a civil war? Perhaps the mermaid, Ardis, might hold the key to solving this problem, if only Geylen knew how and where to find her.


Told in the style of a folk tale, The Search for Delicious is a delightful, magical story that was just so much fun to read. While intended as a children's story it is also humorous and intelligent, making it a book that can be enjoyed just as much by adults. I have no idea how I had managed to overlook this book before but I’m glad I discovered it just when I really needed it, since it helped bring an end my reading slump. I’m also pretty sure that my kids will enjoy it as well and I plan on sharing it with them soon.

After finishing The Search for Delicious I flipped to the front of the book to see what else this author had written and was pleasantly surprised to see that Natalie Babbit had authored on old favorite of mine, Tuck Everlasting (from before the days when I actually cared about things like remembering authors’ names). It made me feel a new connection to the book, knowing that I was already familiar with the author, and from now on it will get the recognition it deserves- at least in my household.

New Scifi & Fantasy Releases: Week of April 25

Wow, these past few weeks have been so incredibly busy, with all of the preparations for Passover and the celebration of the holiday, that I just haven't had much time to put into blogging. So I apologize to anyone who was disappointed by the lack of a New Releases post last week and I hope to make it up to you with all of the new and exciting titles that I have for you this week.

I'm pretty excited to get a hold of The Alchemist in the Shadows, which looks really good, as well as Retribution Falls, which had already come out in the UK a while ago but which I still haven't read.

I will be posting within the next few days a review of Bumped by Megan McCafferty, which comes out this week, and is a YA dystopian novel focused on the subject of teenage pregnancy, so look out for that.

And make sure to check out my fascinating interview with David Halperin, which is just one post down, and enter to win a copy of his book Journal of a UFO Investigator.

Hope you have a great reading week!

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Abandon
Meg Cabot
Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: April 25

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

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The Alchemist in the Shadows
Pierre Pevel
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Pyr
Release Date: April 26

Welcome to Paris, in 1633, where dragons menace the realm. Cardinal Richelieu, the most powerful and most feared man in France, is on his guard. He knows France is under threat, and that a secret society known as the Black Claw is conspiring against him from the heart of the greatest courts in Europe. They will strike from the shadows, and when they do the blow will be both terrible and deadly. To counter the threat, Richelieu has put his most trusted men into play: the Cardinal's Blades, led by Captain la Fargue. Six men and a woman, all of exceptional abilities and all ready to risk their lives on his command. They have saved France before, and the Cardinal is relying on them to do it again.

So when la Fargue hears from a beautiful, infamous, deadly Italian spy claiming to have valuable information, he has to listen ...and when La Donna demands Cardinal Richelieu's protection before she will talk, la Fargue is even prepared to consider it. Because La Donna can name their enemy. It's a man as elusive as he is manipulative, as subtle as Richelieu himself, an exceptionally dangerous adversary: the Alchemist in the shadows ...

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Ascension (Dark Breed, Bk 1)
Sable Grace
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: April 25

The gates of hell have opened, and one woman will stand in the crossfire as the Dark Breed—vampyre, demons, shape shifters—and mankind fight their last battle for survival.

Kyana is half Vampyre, half Lychen . . . and the last of her kind. Determined, dangerous, and damned, she has no love for the mortals who have imprisoned and misused her. But when the Order of Ancients entrusts her with a mission—to find the key that will send the Dark Breed back into Hell for eternity—Kyana has no choice but to accept.

She is furious to learn her assignment comes with an escort . . . Ryker, a demigod and fierce warrior who long ago found a way under her skin and stayed there. In a shaky alliance, they discover an ancient cult with dangerous motive and a god who seeks to destroy all others. And as Kyana begins to feel the heat that threatens to bind her to Ryker, she knows she has to resist. For it could only mean the undoing of them both . . .

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As You Wish
Gabi Stevens
Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: April 25

Born into a magical family, Reggie Scott is content to live out her life as a normal human until the moment she’s informed that she’s a newly appointed fairy godmother. Left struggling to deal with powers the never thought she’d have, Reggie faces a curse, a plot to overthrow the Arcani, and an entirely too enthusiastic mother—all in a matter of days.

Jonathan Bastion is a man of power and wealth—and a dangerous secret. He desperately hopes that Reggie's new powers will hold the answer to his problem and he isn't above using her to achieve his goals. What he doesn't expect is how much Reggie will affect him. Her honor, her honesty, and her strength quickly make cracks in his ruthless exterior.

As danger from the Arcani swirls around them both, Jonathan realizes that what was once a ploy to get Reggie to assist him has become a battle to keep her safe and protected…in his arms.

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Born of Shadows (The League, Bk 4)
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher:
Release Date: April 26

Just when you think you have it all figured out, life belts you to the ground. And when Caillen discovers a truth he'd never suspected about himself, everything in his life is turned on its head.

Desideria has a secret of her own- one that could end her life if anyone ever learns it. The last thing she expects is to meet a criminal in her sheltered world never mind find herself marooned on a hostile colony with him while his enemies try to kill them both.

And as they struggle to survive, her father's favorite curse resonates. "May you get exactly what you want and live long enough to regret it."

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Bumped
Megan McCafferty
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction/ Dystopia
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: April 26

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

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Burn Down the Sky
James Jaros
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Harper Voyager.
Release Date: April 26

After the destruction of nature and the death of the world . . .

After the Wicca virus drove billions to madness and suicide, replacing order and reason with violence and terror . . .

In the parched ruins of what once was civilization, one commodity is far more valuable than all others combined: female children.

When well-armed marauders roll in at dusk to brutally attack a fiercely defended compound of survivors, Jessie is unable to halt the slaughter—and she can do nothing to prevent the ruthless abduction of innocents, including her youngest child. Now, along with her outraged teenage daughter, Bliss, Jessie must set out on a journey across a blasted landscape—joining up with the desperate, the broken, the half-mad, on an impossible mission: to storm the fortress of a dark and twisted religion and bring the children home.

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Camera Obscura
Lavie Tidhar
Genre: Steampunk
Publisher: Angry Robot
Release Date: April 26

CAN'T FIND A RATIONAL EXPLANATION TO A MYSTERY?
CALL IN THE QUIET COUNCIL.

The mysterious and glamorous Lady De Winter is one of their most valuable agents. A despicable murder inside a locked and bolted room on the Rue Morgue in Paris is just the start. This whirlwind adventure will take Milady to the highest and lowest parts of that great city - and cause her to question the very nature of reality itself.

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The Dark Zone
Dom Testa
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: April 26

When the tail of the comet Bhaktul flicks through the Earth’s atmosphere, deadly particles are left in its wake, and mankind is confronted with a virus that devastates the adult population. A renowned scientist proposes a bold plan: to build a ship that will carry a crew of 251 teenagers to a home in a distant solar system. Two years later, Galahad and its crew is launched. If their mission fails, it will be the end of the human race…

With the help of the mysterious alien force known as The Cassini, the teenage crew of Galahad has managed to navigate safely through the minefield of the Kuiper Belt. But just as they exit the belt, they are confronted by their next challenge: a group of incredibly fast and maneuverable organisms waiting in their path—like vultures. With no way of knowing if the organisms are friends or foes, Triana and her Council decide to push forward, setting into motion a chain of events that will lead to the opening of a wormhole (a shortcut across space and time), and the first death aboard Galahad….

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Demon Hunting in Dixie
Lexi George
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Kensington
Release Date: April 26

A warrior, a demon, and the girl next door. . .

Looking For Trouble

Addy Corwin is a florist with an attitude. A bad attitude, or so her mama says, 'cause she's not looking for a man. Mama's wrong. Addy has looked. There's just not much to choose from in Hannah, her small Alabama hometown. Until Brand Dalvahni shows up, a supernaturally sexy, breathtakingly well-built hunk of a warrior from—well, not from around here, that's for sure. Mama thinks he might be European or maybe even a Yankee. Brand says he's from another dimension.

Addy couldn't care less where he's from. He's gorgeous. Serious muscles. Disturbing green eyes. Brand really gets her going. Too bad he's a whack job. Says he's come to rescue her from a demon. Puh-lease. But right after Brand shows up, strange things start to happen. Dogs talk and reanimated corpses stalk the quite streets of Hannah. Her mortal enemy Meredith, otherwise known as the Death Starr, breaks out in a severe and inexplicable case of butt boils. Addy might not know what's going on, but she definitely wants a certain sexy demon hunter by her side when it all goes down. . .

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Embedded
Dan Abnett
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Angry Robot
Release Date: April 28 (UK)

HE'D DO ANYTHING TO GET A STORY.

When journalist Lex Falk gets himself chipped into the brain of a combat soldier, he thinks he has the ultimate scoop - a report from the forbidden front line of a distant planetary war, live to the living rooms of Earth. When the soldier is killed, however, Lex has to take over the body and somehow get himself back to safety once more... broadcasting all the way.

Heart-stopping combat science fiction from the million-selling Warhammer 40,000 author.

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Ember & Ash
Pamela Freeman
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: April 26

The old ones will have their revenge.

Two peoples have been fighting over the same land for a thousand years. Invaders crushed the original inhabitants, and ancient powers have reluctantly given way to newer magics. But Ember was to change all this with a wedding to bind these warring people together - until her future goes up in flames.

Ember's husband-to-be is murdered by a vengeful elemental god, who sees peace as a breach of faith. Set on retribution, she enlists the help of Ash, son of a seer. Together they will pit themselves against elementals of fire and ice in a last attempt to end the conflicts that have scarred their past. They must look to the present, as old furies are waking to violence and are eager to reclaim their people.

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Future Imperfect
K. Ryer Breese
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin.
Release Date: April 26

Ade Patience can see the future and it's destroying his life. When the seventeen-year-old Mantlo High School student knocks himself unconscious, he can see days and decades into his own future. Ade's the best of Denver's "divination" underground and eager to join the heralded Mantlo Diviners, a group of similarly enabled teens. Yet, unlike the Diviners, Ade Patience doesn't see the future out of curiosity or good will; Ade gives himself concussions because he's addicted to the high, the Buzz, he gets when he breaks the laws of physics. And while there have been visions he's wanted to change, Ade knows the Rule: You can't change the future, no matter how hard you try.

His memory is failing, his grades are in a death spiral, and both Ade's best friend and his shrink are begging him to stop before he kills himself. Ade knows he needs to straighten-out. Luckily, the stunning Vauxhall Rodolfo has just transferred to Mantlo and, as Ade has seen her in a vision two years previously, they're going to fall in love. It's just the motivation Ade needs to kick his habit. Only things are a bit more complicated. Vauxhall has an addiction of her own, and, after a a vision in which he sees Vauxhall's close friend, Jimmy, drown while he looks on seemingly too wasted to move, Ade realizes that he must break the one rule he's been told he can't.

The pair must overcome their addictions and embrace their love for each other in order to do the impossible: change the future.
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Hamlet’s Father
Orson Scott Card
Genre: Science Fiction novella
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Release Date: April 29

We all know Shakespeare's classic ghost story--the young prince Hamlet's dead father appears to him, demanding vengeance upon Hamlet's uncle Claudius, who has usurped the throne and, to add insult to injury, married Hamlet's mother.

Hamlet dithers and delays, coming up with reason after reason to postpone his vengeance. But it's not for the reason Shakespeare told us. It's because Hamlet keeps discovering evidence that things are not quite what they seem in the Kingdom of Denmark--and never have been, throughout Hamlet's entire life.

Once you've read Orson Scott Card s revelatory version of the Hamlet story, Shakespeare's play will be much more fun to watch--because now you'll know what's really going on.

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Human Tales
Jennifer Brozek
Genre: Anthology
Publisher: Dark Quest
Release Date: April 25

Be Wary and Beware.... There are tales that every parent knows and must pass on to their child... Tales of warning and terror...of those who break their vows and kill for no reason other than malice. Tales of saving the lovely princess from a prince that is much less than charming...and what it takes to bring her home, of rescuing babes from parents not fit to raise them, and the reason no supernatural can truly win a bargain with such vile creatures. These are Human Tales. Tales by: Ivan Ewert, Matthew McFarland, Seanan McGuire, Ari Marmell, Chuck Wendig, Sara M. Harvey, Spencer Ellsworth, Ryan Macklin, Jess Hartley, Shannon Page, Dylan Birtolo, Deborah Brannon, Alma Alexander, Renee Stern, David Lee Summers, James Sutter, Nathan Crowder.

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Hush
Cherry Adair
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Pocket Star
Release Date: April 26

A reckless adventure in a deadly paradise.

Thrill seekers Zakary and Gideon Stark travel the globe in search of extreme adventure, but a trip to Venezuela to jump off the world’s highest falls catapults them into a perilous game of life or death—where they don’t know the rules.

A one-night stand that will change his life forever.

Kidnapped with a woman Zak knows nothing about, the brothers are held prisoner deep in the jungle. A risky, deathdefying escape separates them and nearly claims Zak’s life . . . until his recovery reveals a baffling new sixth sense.

An unexpected diversion with lethal consequences.

Now, to find his missing brother, Zak and the mysterious Acadia Gray will have to out-smart, out-gun, and out-maneuver not just the brutal kidnappers but also a new player who joins the adrenaline game: a ruthless opponent who wants the Stark brothers dead—at any cost.

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The Great Night: A Novel
Chris Adrian
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: April 26

Acclaimed as a “gifted, courageous writer”(The New York Times), Chris Adrian brings all his extraordinary talents to bear in The Great Night—a brilliant and mesmerizing retelling of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

On Midsummer Eve 2008, three people, each on the run from a failed relationship, become trapped in San Francisco’s Buena Vista Park, the secret home of Titania, Oberon, and their court. On this night, something awful is happening in the faerie kingdom: in a fit of sadness over the end of her marriage, which broke up in the wake of the death of her adopted son, Titania has set loose an ancient menace, and the chaos that ensues will threaten the lives of immortals and mortals alike.

Selected by The New Yorker as one the best young writers in America, Adrian has created a singularly playful, heartbreaking, and humorous novel—a story that charts the borders between reality and dreams, love and magic, and mortality and immortality.

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Gods & Monsters (shadows & Inquiries, Bk 3)
Lyn Benedict
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: April 26

Sylvie Lightner is no ordinary P.I. She specializes in cases involving the unusual and unbelievable. When she finds the bodies of five women in the Florida Everglades, Sylvie believes them to be the work of a serial killer and passes the buck. But when the bodies wake and shift shape, killing the police, Sylvie finds herself at the head of a potentially lethal investigation.

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Heaven's Needle
Liane Merciel
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Pocket Star Books
Release Date: April 26

The mountain fortress of Duradh Mal was mysteriously destroyed centuries ago. And now, in its shadow, evil stirs. . . .

Unaware of the danger, two inexperienced Illuminers set out for the village of Carden Vale, at the foot of Duradh Mal, to minister to the people. The warrior Asharre, her face scarred with runes, her heart scarred by loss, is assigned to protect the young clerics. But in Carden Vale they find unspeakable horrors—the first hint of a terrifying ghost story come true.

The Sun Knight Kelland has been set free by the woman he loves, the archer Bitharn, but at the cost of undertaking a mission only he can fulfill. Joined by a Thornlord steeped in the magic of pain, they too make their way to Duradh Mal. There lies the truth behind the rumors of the dead come back to life, flesh ripped from bones, and creatures destroying themselves in a violent frenzy. And if Kelland cannot contain the black magic that has been unleashed after six hundred years, an entire world will fall victim to a Mad God’s malevolent plague. . . .

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The Hidden Goddess
M.K. Hobson
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Spectra
Release Date: April 26

In a brilliant mix of magic, history, and romance, M. K. Hobson moves her feisty young Witch, Emily Edwards, from the Old West of 1876 to turn-of-the-nineteenth-century New York City, whose polished surfaces conceal as much danger as anything west of the Rockies.

Like it or not, Emily has fallen in love with Dreadnought Stanton, a New York Warlock as irresistible as he is insufferable. Newly engaged, she now must brave Dreadnought’s family and the magical elite of the nation’s wealthiest city. Not everyone is pleased with the impending nuptials, especially Emily’s future mother-in-law, a sociopathic socialite. But there are greater challenges still: confining couture, sinister Russian scientists, and a deathless Aztec goddess who dreams of plunging the world into apocalypse. With all they must confront, do Emily and Dreadnought have any hope of a happily-ever-after?

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Infernal Devices
K.W. Jeter
Genre: Steampunk
Publisher: Angry Robot
Release Date: April 26

HE INHERITED A WATCHMAKER'S STORE - AND A WHOLE HEAP OF TROUBLE. But idle sometime-musician George has little talent for clockwork. And when a shadowy figure tries to steal an old device from the premises, George finds himself embroiled in a mystery of time travel, music and sexual intrigue. A genuine lost classic, a steampunk original whose time has come.

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The Last Four Things (Thomas Cale, Bk 2)
Paul Hoffman
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Michael Joseph.
Release Date: April 28

Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell. These are the Last Four Things. Now there are Five. Meet Thomas Cale. Returning to the Sanctuary of the Redeemers, Thomas Cale is told by the Lord Militant that the destruction of mankind is necessary; the only way to undo God's greatest mistake. Cale seemingly accepts his role in the ending of the world: fate has painted him as the Left Hand of God, the Angel of Death. Absolute power is within his grasp, the terrifying zeal and military might of the Redeemers a weapon for him to handle as simply as he once used a knife. But perhaps not even the grim power that the Redeemers hold over Cale is enough - the boy who turns from love to poisonous hatred in a heartbeat, the boy who switches between kindness and sheer violence in the blink of an eye. The annihilation that the Redeemers seek may well be in Cale's hands - but his soul is far stranger than they could ever know.

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The Legions of Fire
David Drake
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: April 26

In this novel of magical menace to the survival of all humanity, David Drake introduces a new fantasy world, Carce, based on Europe during the later Roman Empire.

Far in the north, a group of magicians perform a strange dance on a volcanic island intended to open a gateway for supernatural creatures that will allow them to devastate the whole Earth and destroy all life. Not knowing the cause, two young men, Corylus and Varus, and two women, Hedia and Alphena, each separately pursue the answer to mysterious and threatening happenings that prefigure disaster in the great city of Carce, the center of civilization. Through magical voyages in other realities where fantastic creatures, and even gods, help or hinder them, each of them must succeed or not just the city but the world will end in fire.

The Legions of Fire is the first of a fantasy quartet set in the world of the city of Carce.

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Theories of Flight
Simon Morden
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: April 26

Theorem: Petrovitch has a lot of secrets.

Proof: Secrets like how to make anti-gravity for one. For another, he's keeping a sentient computer program on a secret server farm - the same program that nearly destroyed the Metrozone a few months back.

Theorem: The city is broken.

Proof: The people of the OutZone want what citizens of the Metrozone have. And then burn it to the ground. Now, with the heart of the city destroyed by the New Machine Jihad, the Outies finally see their chance.

Theorem: These events are not unconnected.

Proof: Someone is trying to kill Petrovitch and they're willing to sink the whole city to do it.

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Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti
Genevieve Valentine
Genre: Steampunk
Publisher: Prime Books
Release Date: April 25

The Mechanical Circus Tresaulti travels the landscape of a ruined country under the spectre of war, but when two of its performers become locked in a battle of wills, the circus's own past may be the biggest threat of all.



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The Noise Revealed
Ian Whates
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Solaris
Release Date: April 26

A time flux, a time of change. While mankind is adjusting to its first ever encounter with an alien civilisation - the Bryzaens - black-ops specialist Jim Leyton reluctantly allies himself with a mysterious visitation in order to rescue the woman he loves. This brings him into direct conflict with former employers: the United League of Allied Worlds. Scientist and businessman Philip Kaufman is fast discovering there is more to the virtual world than he ever realised, but it soon becomes clear that all is not well within the realm of Virtuality. Truth is hidden beneath lies and there are games being played, deadly games with far reaching consequences. Both men begin to suspect that the much heralded 'First Contact' is anything but first contact, and that a sinister con is being perpetrated with the whole of humankind as the victim. Now all they have to do is prove it


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Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel
Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris
Genre: Steam Punk
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: April 26

Evil is most assuredly afoot—and Britain’s fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade . . . and a librarian.

These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences—the Crown’s clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling—will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her bulletproof corset and a disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest . . . and she’s prepared to drag her timorous new partner, Wellington Books, along with her into the perilous fray.

For a malevolent brotherhood is operating in the deepening London shadows, intent upon the enslavement of all Britons. And Books and Braun—he with his encyclopedic brain and she with her remarkable devices—must get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot . . . or see England fall to the Phoenix!

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