Locus, August 2014
Page 17
Lord, Karen The Best of All Possible Worlds (Quercus/Jo Fletcher 978-1-78087-168-4, £8.99, 321pp, tp, cover by Ghost) Reprint (Jo Fletcher Books 2013) SF novel.
* Lotz, Sarah The Three (Hodder & Stoughton 978-1-444-77036-0, £14.99, 469pp, hc) Horror novel. Simultaneous with the US (Little, Brown) edition.
* Marmell, Ari Hot Lead, Cold Iron (Titan 978-1-7811-6822-6, £7.99, 311pp, tp) Fantasy detective novel, first in the Mick Oberon series.
Martin, George R.R., ed. Wild Cards: Aces Abroad (Orion/Gollancz 978-1-473-20513-0, £8.99, tp) Reprint (Bantam Spectra 1988) original anthology of superhero stories; this adds two new stories. [First UK edition].
Moon, Elizabeth Crown of Renewal (Little, Brown UK/Orbit 978-0-356-50130-7, £8.99, 501pp, tp, cover by Paul Young) Reprint (Del Rey 2014) fantasy novel. Fifth and final in the Paladin’s Legacy series. [First UK edition].
Moorcock, Michael Behold the Man (Orion/Gollancz 978-0-575-08099-7, £8.99, xviii+138pp, tp, cover by Geoff Taylor) Reprint (Allison & Busby 1969) SF novel. Edited by John Davey. The text is slightly revised/corrected. Introductory essay by John Clute.
* Ochse, Weston Grunt Life (Rebellion/Solaris 978-1-78108-200-3, £7.99, 380pp, tp, cover by Clint Langley) SF novel in the Task Force Ombra series. Simultaneous with the US (Solaris US) edition.
* Painter, Kristen House of the Rising Sun (Little, Brown UK/Orbit 978-0-356-50370-7, £8.99, 419pp, tp, cover by Melanie Delon) Fantasy novel, the first in a series. Simultaneous with the US (Orbit US) edition.
Paver, Michelle Gods and Warriors: The Burning Shadow (Puffin 978-0-141-33929-0, £6.99, 271pp, tp, cover by Alejandro Colucci) Reprint (Puffin 2013) young-adult fantasy novel, second in the series.
Pinborough, Sarah Poison (Orion/Gollancz 978-0-575-09299-0, £7.99, 200pp, tp) Reprint (Gollancz 2013) fantasy novel, a dark retelling of Snow White.
* Plichota, Anne & Cendrine Wolf Oksa Pollock: The Forest of Lost Souls (Pushkin Children’s 978-1-78269-031-3, £12.99, 388pp, hc, cover by the-parish) Young-adult fantasy novel, second in the Oksa Pollock series. Translated by Sue Rose from the French La Forêt des Egarés (XO Editions 2010).
Pratchett, Terry Interesting Times (Orion/Gollancz 978-1-473-20022-7, £9.99, 342pp, hc, cover by Joe McLaren) Reprint (Gollancz 1994) fantasy novel, 17th in the Discworld series. Issued without a dustjacket in illustrated boards as part of the Unseen University Collection.
Priest, Christopher The Adjacent (Orion/Gollancz 978-0-575-10538-6, £8.99, 419pp, tp) Reprint (Gollancz 2013) SF novel.
* Rawn, Melanie Thornlost (Titan 978-1-7811-6664-2, £7.99, 467pp, tp) Fantasy novel, third in the Glas Thorns series after Touchstone and Elsewhens. Simultaneous with the US (Tor) edition.
* Reinhart, Matthew & Michael Komarck Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide to Westeros (Transworld/Bantam UK 978-0-593-07345-2, £40.00, unpaginated, hc) Art book/reference, a pop-up book with ‘‘paper engineering’’ by Reinhart, illustrated by Kormack.
* Smith, L.J. & Aubrey Clark Vampire Diaries: The Salvation: Unmasked (Hodder Children’s Books 978-1-444-91651-5, £6.99, 203pp, tp) Young-adult horror novel, 13th in the series created by L.J. Smith, written by Aubrey Clark. Simultaneous with the US (47North) edition.
* Smythe, James No Harm Can Come to a Good Man (HarperCollins UK/The Borough Press 978-0-00-754190-4, £16.99, 374pp, hc) SF novel.
* Taylor, Laini Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Hodder & Stoughton 978-1-444-72272-7, £14.99, 613pp, hc) Fantasy novel, third and final in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy. Simultaneous with the US (Little, Brown) edition.
* Ward, J.R. The King (Little, Brown UK/Piatkus 978-0-7499-5958-6, £16.99, 573pp, hc) Paranormal romance novel, book 12 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Simultaneous with the US (NAL) edition.
* Whates, Ian, ed. La Femme (NewCon Press 978-1-907069-67-3, £9.99, 219pp, tp, cover by Pam Martin) Original anthology of 13 dark stories focusing on women. Authors include Frances Hardinge, Storm Constantine, and Jonathan Oliver. A print-on-demand edition; a hardcover edition (-66-6, £15.99) was announced but not seen. NewCon Press,
* Whates, Ian, ed. Noir (NewCon Press 978-1-907069-65-9, £9.99, 199pp, tp) Original anthology of 14 dark stories. Authors include Adam Roberts, Simon Morden, and Paul Kane. A print-on-demand edition; a hardcover edition (-64-2, £15.99) was announced but not seen. NewCon Press,
* Williamson, Neil The Moon King (NewCon Press 978-1-907069-62-8, £12.99, 336pp, tp, cover by Andy Bigwood) Fantasy novel. A print-on-demand edition; a signed, limited hardcover edition of 100 (-62-8, £24.99) and e-book also available. NewCon Press,
* Wingrove, David The Empire of Time (Random House/Ebury/Del Rey UK 978-0-091956-15-8, £14.99, 478pp, tp) SF novel, first in the Roads to Moscow series.
May 2014
SF Novels 3
Fantasy Novels 14
Horror Novels 1
Paranormal Romance 1
Anthologies 5
Collections 0
Reference 0
History/Criticism 0
Media Related 0
Young Adult 4
SF 0
Fantasy 3
Horror 1
Paranormal Romance 0
Other 0
Omnibus 0
Art/Humor 0
Miscellaneous 1
Total New: 31
Reprints & Reissues: 20
Total: 51
Year to Date
SF Novels 29
Fantasy Novels 55
Horror Novels 8
Paranormal Romance 3
Anthologies 8
Collectioans 7
Reference 0
History/Criticism 0
Media Related 8
Young Adult 15
SF 3
Fantasy 10
Horror 2
Paranormal Romance 0
Other 0
Omnibus 2
Art/Humor 2
Miscellaneous 5
Total New: 147
Reprints &
Reissues: 114
Total: 261
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BESTSELLERS
LOCUS BESTSELLERS
Numbers indicate weeks on list, and position last month.
HARDCOVERS
1) Skin Game, Jim Butcher (Roc) 1, -
2) Mirror Sight, Kristen Britain (DAW) 1, -
3) The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Steadfast, Jack Campbell (Ace) 1, -
*) Words of Radiance, Brandon Sanderson (Tor) 3, 3
5) Cauldron of Ghosts, David Weber & Eric Flint (Baen) 2, 2
6) Midnight Crossroad, Charlaine Harris (Ace) 1, -
7) The Serpent of Venice, Christopher Moore (Morrow) 1, -
8) The Martian, Andy Weir (Crown) 4, 4
9) Valour and Vanity, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor) 1, -
10) Crown of Renewal, Elizabeth Moon (Del Rey) 1, -
PAPERBACKS
1) A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (Bantam) 47, 2
2) A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin (Bantam) 41, 7
3) A Dance With Dragons, George R.R. Martin (Bantam) 8, 1
4) The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss (DAW) 13, -
5) The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Guardian, Jack Campbell (Ace) 1, -
6) Red Planet Blues, Robert J. Sawyer (Ace) 1, -
7) A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin (Bantam) 38, -
8) A Feast for Crows, George R.R. Martin (Bantam) 40, 6
9) Earth Afire, Orson Scott Card & Aaron Johnston (Tor) 1, -
*) The Wise Man’s Fear, Patrick Rothfuss (DAW) 3, -
TRADE PAPERBACKS
1) Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie (Orbit US) 5, 1
2) Authority, Jeff VanderMeer (FSG Originals) 1, -
*) Sparrow Hill Road, Seanan McGuire (DAW) 1, -
4) A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (Bantam) 19, -
5) A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent
, Marie Brennan (Tor) 1, -
MEDIA-RELATED
1) William Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back, Ian Doescher (Quirk Books) 3, 1
2) Star Trek: Serpents in the Garden, Jeff Mariotte (Pocket) 2, 3
3) William Shakespeare’s Star Wars, Ian Doescher (Quirk Books) 9, 2
4) Star Trek: The Lost Era: 2319: One Constant Star, David R. George III (Pocket) 1, -
5) Star Trek: The Klingon Art of War, Keith R.A. DeCandido (Gallery) 1, -
GAMING-RELATED
1) Forgotten Realms: The Adversary, Erin M. Evans (Wizards of the Coast) 2, -
*) Forgotten Realms: The Companions, R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast) 9, 2
3) Forgotten Realms: Charon’s Claw, R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast) 13, -
*) Forgotten Realms: Gauntlgrym, R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast) 16, -
5) Forgotten Realms: Companions Codex I: Night of the Hunter, R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast) 3, 1
Recent releases dominated the hardcover list with Skin Game by Jim Butcher (a Dresden Files novel) taking the top spot, followed by Mirror Sight, the fifth book in Kristen Britain’s Green Rider series. L.E. Modesitt, Jr.’s Cyador’s Heirs (Tor) was the new runner-up, with 49 titles nominated, up from 43 last month.
On the mass-market list, titles by George R.R. Martin jockeyed for the top position with A Game of Thrones returning to the top spot, followed by A Clash of Kings at number two. The new runner-up was Silver Mirrors by A.A. Aguirre (Ace). There were 67 nominated titles, up from last month’s 56.
Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice remains first on the trade paperback list for the second month in a row, with Authority by Jeff VanderMeer and Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire tied for second place. Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch (Gollancz) was the new runner-up. There were 36 nominated titles, the same as last month.
William Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back by Ian Doescher claimed the number one spot for a third month, with Jeff Mariotte’s Star Trek: Serpents in the Garden at number two. There were no new runners-up, with 12 titles nominated, down from the 13 titles last month.
Forgotten Realms dominated the gaming-related list, taking all five spots. Forgotten Realms: The Adversary by Erin M. Evans and Forgotten Realms: The Companions by R.A. Salvatore tied for the top spot, followed by a tie for second between Forgotten Realms: Charon’s Claw and Forgotten Realms: Gauntlgrym, both by R.A. Salvatore. There were no runners-up, with 13 nominated titles, up from last month’s eight.
Compiled with data from: Bakka-Phoenix (Canada), Barnes and Noble (USA), Borderlands (CA), McNally Robinson (two in Canada), Mysterious Galaxy (CA), Toadstool (two in NH), Uncle Hugo’s (MN), University Bookstore (WA), and White Dwarf (Canada). Data period: May 2014.
Bestsellers continue after ad.
B&N/B. Dalton (print)
HARDCOVERS
1) Skin Game, Jim Butcher (Ace)
2) A Shiver of Light, Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley)
3) Earth Awakens, Orson Scott Card & Aaron Johnston (Tor)
4) A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
5) Rogues, George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois, eds. (Bantam)
6) Words of Radiance, Brandon Sanderson (Tor)
7) The Martian, Andy Weir (Crown)
8) Shattered, Kevin Hearne (Del Rey)
9) The Girl with All the Gifts, M.R. Carey (Orbit US)
10) Robogenesis, Daniel H. Wilson (Doubleday)
PAPERBACKS
1) A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
2) A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
3) A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
4) A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
5) A Feast for Crows, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
6) Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card (Tor)
7) The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien (Del Rey)
8) Affliction, Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley)
9) The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams (Del Rey)
10) Dune, Frank Herbert (Ace)
TRADE PAPERBACKS
1) Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (Simon & Schuster)
2) A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
3) The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins)
4) A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
5) The Remaining, D.J. Molles (Orbit US)
MEDIA-RELATED
1) Darth Vader and Son, Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle)
2) Vader’s Little Princess, Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle)
3) William Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back,
Ian Doescher (Quirk)
4) William Shakespeare’s Star Wars, Ian Doescher (Quirk)
5) Godzilla, Greg Cox (Titan)
GAMING-RELATED
1) Forgotten Realms: Herald, Ed Greenwood
(Wizards of the Coast)
2) Forgotten Realms: The Companions, R.A. Salvatore
(Wizards of the Coast)
3) Forgotten Realms: Companions Codex I: Night of the Hunter,
R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast)
4) Halo: Mortal Dictata, Karen Traviss (Tor)
5) Warhammer 40K: Commissar, Andy Hoare (Black Library US)
audible.com (audio)
SCIENCE FICTION
1) The Android’s Dream, John Scalzi (Audible Studios)
2) Earth Awakens, Orson Scott Card & Aaron Johnston (Macmillan Audio)
3) The Martian, Andy Weir (Podium Publishing)
4) 11-22-63, Stephen King (Simon & Schuster)
5) Off to Be the Wizard, Scott Meyer (Brilliance)
6) A Hymn Before Battle, John Ringo (Audible Studios)
7) Dune, Frank Herbert (Macmillan Audio)
8) The Dark Between the Stars, Kevin J. Anderson (Audible Studios)
9) Dust World, B.V. Larson (Audible Studios)
10) The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
(Random House Audio)
11) Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card (Macmillan Audio)
12) Forsaking Home, A. American (Penguin Audio)
13) Ready Player One, Ernest Cline (Random House Audio)
14) The Stand, Stephen King (Random House Audio)
15) Steadfast, Jack Campbell (Audible Studios)
16) Rogues, George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois (eds.) (Random House Audio)
17) Earth Unaware, Orson Scott Card & Aaron Johnston (Macmillan Audio)
18) Robogenesis, Daniel H. Wilson (Random House Audio)
19) Cibola Burn, James S.A. Corey (Recorded Books)
20) Brilliance, Marcus Sakey (Brilliance)
FANTASY
1) Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, Diana Gabaldon (Recorded Books)
2) A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
3) Shattered, Kevin Hearne (Random House Audio)
4) A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
5) Skin Game, Jim Butcher (Penguin Audio)
6) A Feast for Crows, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
7) A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
8) A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
9) Outlander, Diana Gabaldon (Recorded Books)
10) The Girl with All the Gifts, M.R. Carey (Hachette Audio)
11) Words of Radiance, Brandon Sanderson (Macmillan Audio)
12) Storm Front, Jim Butcher (Buzzy Multimedia)
13) The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson (Macmillan Audio)
14) Spider’s Bite, Jennifer Estep (Audible Studios)
15) Dragonfly in Amber, Diana Gabaldon (Recorded Books)
16) The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss (Brilliance)
17) A Shiver of Light, Laurell K. Hamilton (Penguin Audio)
18) Fool Moon, Jim Butcher (Buzzy Multimedia)
19) The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien (Recorded Books)
20) The Hobbit,
J.R.R. Tolkien (Recorded Books)
Return to In This Issue listing.
NEW AND NOTABLE
Buckell, Tobias S. Hurricane Fever (Tor 6/14) The author’s signature blend of ecological SF and thriller elements shines in this sequel to Arctic Rising. Former spy Prudence ‘‘Roo’’ Jones, a supporting character in the first volume, takes center stage here when he’s forced to come out of retirement to investigate the murder of an old colleague against a background of catastrophic climate change in the Caribbean, with Buckell’s roots in the region providing richness and authenticity to the setting.
Corey, James S.A. Cibola Burn (Orbit US 6/14) The fourth volume in the Expanse series by Corey (AKA Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck) sees humanity leaving the solar system to colonize worlds abandoned long ago by mysterious aliens, with a focus on the tribulations of refugees settling a planet dubbed New Terra. ‘‘It’s always a pleasure (about which I refuse to feel guilty) to have at hand a commodious story-space waiting to be filled with wonders and adventures.’’ [Russell Letson]
Guran, Paula, ed. The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror: 2014 Edition (Prime Books 6/14) The latest in the annual anthology includes 32 of the best stories from 2013, with work by some of the biggest names and most talented voices in the genres, including Laird Barron, Elizabeth Bear, Neil Gaiman, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Lisa Tuttle, and Kaaron Warren. Includes an introduction by the editor.
Hearne, Kevin Shattered (Del Rey 6/13) The urban fantasy Iron Druid Chronicles is still going strong in its seventh volume, with hero Atticus O’Sullivan’s apprentice Granuaile finally becoming a full druid in her own right and Atticus’s old mentor Owen Kennedy, long frozen in time, returned to life to join the ongoing battle against Loki and other hostile gods.
Horton, Rich, ed. The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy: 2014 (Prime 6/14) The annual anthology by one of Locus’s own short fiction reviewers features 35 of the most outstanding SF/F stories from last year, with work by living legends and rising stars including Theodora Goss, Maria Dahvana Headley, James Patrick Kelly, Ken Liu, Karin Tidbeck, Howard Waldrop, Peter Watts, and E. Lily Yu. Includes an introduction by Horton about non-Anglophone SF.