* Shan, Darren Zom-B Underground (Simon & Schuster UK 978-0-857-07756-1, £12.99, 212pp, hc, cover by Cliff Nielsen) Young-adult horror novel. Book two in the series. Shan is a pseudonym of Darren O’Shaughnessy.
* Smith, Gavin Crysis: Escalation (Orion/Gollancz 978-0-575-11570-5, £9.99, 294pp, hc) Tie-in novel based on the background of the game Crysis 3. A paper-over-boards edition.
Tchaikovsky, Adrian The Air War (Macmillan/Tor UK 978-0-330-54132-9, £8.99, 653pp, tp, cover by Alan Brooks) Reprint (Tor UK 2012) fantasy novel, eighth in the Shadows of the Apt series. Copyrighted by Adrian Czajkowski.
* Tidhar, Lavie The Bookman Histories (Angry Robot 978-0-85766-298-9, £12.99, 1019pp, tp, cover by John Coulthart) Omnibus of The Bookman (2010), Camera Obscura (2011) and The Great Game (2012).
Tiernan, Cate Eternally Yours (Hodder & Stoughton 978-1-444-70703-8, £14.99, 455pp, hc) Young-adult paranormal romance novel, third in the Immortal Beloved trilogy. Copyrighted by Gabrielle Charbonnet.
* Tucker, Mike Doctor Who: The Silurian Gift (BBC Books 978-1-8499-0558-9, £1.00, 99pp, tp) Tie-in novella. Published for World Book Day.
* Vardeman, Robert E. God of War II (Titan 978-0-8576-8089-1, £6.99, 310pp, pb) Gaming tie-in novel, second in a series based on the video games.
February 2013
SF Novels 9
Fantasy Novels 20
Horror Novels 0
Paranormal Romance 1
Anthologies 0
Collections 1
Reference 0
History/Criticism 1
Media Related 10
Young Adult 10
SF 4
Fantasy 4
Horror 2
Paranormal Romance 0
Other 0
Omnibus 2
Art/Humor 0
Miscellaneous 2
Total New: 56
Reprints &
Reissues: 49
Total: 105
Year to Date
SF Novels 13
Fantasy Novels 35
Horror Novels 2
Paranormal Romance 1
Anthologies 3
Collections 1
Reference 1
History/Criticism 1
Media Related 11
Young Adult 24
SF 8
Fantasy 14
Horror 2
Paranormal Romance 0
Other 0
Omnibus 4
Art/Humor 0
Miscellaneous 2
Total New: 98
Reprints &
Reissues: 82
Total: 180
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BESTSELLERS
LOCUS BESTSELLERS
Numbers on list indicate months on list and position last month.
HARDCOVERS
1) A Memory of Light, Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson (Tor) 2, 1
2) Necessity’s Child, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Baen) 1, -
3) A Dance With Dragons, George R.R. Martin (Bantam) 20, 3
4) The Daylight War, Peter V. Brett (Del Rey) 1, -
5) Ever After, Kim Harrison (Harper Voyager US) 2, 2
6) Etiquette & Espionage, Gail Carriger (Little, Brown) 1, -
7) Cold Days, Jim Butcher (Roc) 4, 4
8) A Natural History of Dragons, Marie Brennan (Tor) 1, -
9) The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson (Tor) 3, -
10) Homeland, Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen) 1, -
PAPERBACKS
1) Fair Game, Patricia Briggs (Ace) 1, -
2) A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (Bantam) 32, 1
3) A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin (Bantam) 29, 2
4) A Feast for Crows, George R.R. Martin (Bantam) 28, 3
5) The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien (Del Rey) 39, 5
6) City of Dragons, Robin Hobb (Harper Voyager US) 1, -
7) Shadows in Flight, Orson Scott Card (Tor) 1, -
8) Existence, David Brin (Tor) 1, -
9) A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin (Bantam) 29, 4
10) Dangerous Gifts, Gaie Sebold (Solaris US) 1, -
TRADE PAPERBACKS
1) The Emperor’s Soul, Brandon Sanderson (Tachyon) 1, -
2) Warm Bodies, Issac Marion (Atria) 1, -
3) A Rising Thunder, David Weber (Baen) 1, -
4) Blood Oranges, Kathleen Tierney (Roc) 1, -
5) The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) 31, 5
*) World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, Max Brooks (Crown) 33, 2
MEDIA-RELATED
1) Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse, Troy Denning (Del Rey) 1, -
2) Star Trek: Allegiance in Exile, David R. George III (Pocket) 2 3
3) Star Trek, the Next Generation: Cold Equations, Book II: Silent Weapons, David Mack (Pocket) 2, -
*) Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, James Luceno (Del Rey) 6, -
*) Star Wars: the Last Jedi, Michael Reaves & Maya Kaathyrn Bohnhoff (Del Rey) 1, -
GAMING-RELATED
1) Forgotten Realms: Charon’s Claw, R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast) 5, -
2) Warhammer 40,000: Angel Exterminatus, Graham McNeill (Black Library US) 1, -
A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson remained in first place on the hardcovers list by a huge margin, while Sharon Lee & Steve Miller’s Necessity’s Child debuted in second. The new runner-up was The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke (Orbit US), out of 39 titles nominated, down a bit from the 46 we saw last month.
Fair Game by Patricia Briggs debuted at number one on the paperback list, with A Game of Thrones slipping to second place. The runner-up was Blackveil by Kristen Britain (DAW) with 58 titles nominated, down from last month’s 60.
Brandon Sanderson’s The Emperor’s Soul scored the number one spot on the trade paperback list this month. The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination, edited by John Joseph Adams (Tor),was the new runner-up, with 43 titles nominated, up from the 40 we saw last month.
Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse by Troy Denning debuted in first place on the media-related titles this month, and there was no new runner-up. There were 13 titles nominated, down from last month’s 15.
Forgotten Realms: Charon’s Claw by R.A. Salvatore was first in the gaming-related titles, with no new runner-up. There were only eight titles nominated, down quite a bit from the 20 we saw last month.
Compiled with data from: Bakka-Phoenix (Canada), Barnes and Noble (USA), Borderlands (CA), McNally Robinson (two in Canada), Mysterious Galaxy (CA), Saint Mark’s (NY), Toadstool (NH), Uncle Hugo’s (MN), White Dwarf (Canada). Data period: February 2013.
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B&N/B. Dalton (print)
HARDCOVERS
1) Frost Burned, Patricia Briggs (Ace)
2) A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
3) A Memory of Light, Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson (Tor)
4) Bloodfire Quest, Terry Brooks (Del Rey)
5) Shadow of Freedom, David Weber (Baen)
6) The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien (Del Rey)
7) Ever After, Kim Harrison (Harper Voyager)
8) A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
9) The Gate Thief, Orson Scott Card (Tor)
10) The Daylight War, Peter V. Brett (Del Rey)
PAPERBACKS
1) The Host, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
2) A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
3) A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
4) A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
5) A Feast for Crows, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
6) The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien (Del Rey)
7) A Song of Ice and Fire box set, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
8) Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card (Tor)
9) Existence, David Brin (Tor)
10) Slashback, Rob Thurman (Roc)
TRADE PAPERBACKS
1) The Host, Stephenie Meyer
(Little, Brown)
2) Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (Simon & Schuster)
3) A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
4) The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
5) A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
MEDIA-RELATED
1) Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Michael Reaves & Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff (Del Rey)
2) Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse, Troy Denning (Del Rey)
3) The Walking Dead: The Rise of the Governor, Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga (Dunne)
4) Doctor Who: Touched by an Angel, Jonathan Morris (BBC Books)
5) Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan, Drew Karpyshyn (Del Rey)
GAMING-RELATED
1) Forgotten Realms: Last Threshold, R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast)
2) Halo: Silentium, Greg Bear (Tor)
3) Forgotten Realms: Charon’s Claw, R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast)
4) Warhammer 40K: The Death of Antagonis, David Annandale (Black Library US)
5) Forgotten Realms: Neverwinter, R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast)
audible.com (audio)
SCIENCE FICTION
1) The Host, Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Audio)
2) 14, Peter Clines (Audible Frontiers)
3) World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, Max Brooks (Random House Audio)
4) Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card (Macmillan Audio)
5) The Sound of Rebellion: The Human Division, Episode 8, John Scalzi (Audible Frontiers)
6) The Observers: The Human Division, Episode 9, John Scalzi (Audible Frontiers)
7) This Must Be the Place: The Human Division, Episode 10, John Scalzi (Audible Frontiers)
8) The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams (Random House Audio)
9) 11-22-63, Stephen King (Simon & Schuster Audio)
10) A Problem of Proportion: The Human Division, Episode 11, John Scalzi (Audible Frontiers)
11) Quicksilver, Neal Stephenson (Audible Frontiers)
12) Ready Player One, Ernest Cline (Random House Audio)
13) The Stand, Stephen King (Random House Audio)
14) Dimension of Miracles, Robert Sheckley (Audible Frontiers)
15) Shadow of Freedom, David Weber (Audible Frontiers)
16) Dune, Frank Herbert (Macmillan Audio)
17) The Dog King: The Human Division, Episode 7, John Scalzi (Audible Frontiers)
18) Wool Omnibus Edition, Hugh Howey (Broad Reach)
19) King of the Vagabonds, Neal Stephenson (Audible Frontiers)
20) The Back Channel: The Human Division, Episode 6, John Scalzi (Audible Frontiers)
FANTASY
1) A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
2) A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
3) Frost Burned, Patricia Briggs (Penguin Audio)
4) A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
5) The Gate Thief, Orson Scott Card (Blackstone)
6) The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien (Recorded Books)
7) A Feast for Crows, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
8) Lover at Last, J. R. Ward (Penguin Audio)
9) A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
10) Twice Tempted, Jeaniene Frost (Harper Audio)
11) The Fellowship of the Ring, J. R. R. Tolkien (Recorded Books)
12) The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss (Brilliance)
13) The Two Towers, J. R. R. Tolkien (Recorded Books)
14) The Return of the King, J. R. R. Tolkien (Recorded Books)
15) A Memory of Light, Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson (Macmillan Audio)
16) The Lost Gate, Orson Scott Card (Blackstone)
17) Monster Hunter Legion, Larry Correia (Audible Frontiers)
18) Monster Hunter International, Larry Correia (Audible Frontiers)
19) Outlander, Diana Gabaldon (Recorded Books)
20) Forgotten Realms: Gauntlgrym, R. A. Salvatore (Audible Frontiers)
Return to In This Issue listing.
NEW AND NOTABLE
John Joseph Adams & Douglas Cohen, eds., Oz Reimagined (47North 2/13) This homage to L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz includes 15 original tales that reinvent the world and characters of the classic novel in radical ways, with stories by Orson Scott Card, Theodora Goss, Ken Liu, Rachel Swirsky, Jane Yolen, and more. Includes an introduction by Gregory Maguire.
James P. Blaylock, The Aylesford Skull (Titan 1/13) One of the founding fathers of steampunk brings back his beloved character Langdon St. Ives and his old nemesis Dr. Ignacio Narbondo, who has a dark plot that involves a stolen skull – and kidnapping someone St. Ives holds dear. ‘‘Blaylock has a keen eye for zaniness… but amid delightful absurdities, The Aylesford Skull won’t neglect keen minds, and equally urgent feelings.’’ [Faren Miller]
Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, eds. Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells (Tor 3/13) The 18 stories of ‘‘gaslamp fantasy’’ are sure to delight aficionados of neo-Victorian fiction, with work from Elizabeth Bear, Jeffrey Ford, Kathe Koja, Tanith Lee, Maureen McHugh, Delia Sherman, Catherynne M. Valente, and others.
Thoraiya Dyer, Asymmetry (Twelfth Planet 3/13) This debut collection by the award-winning Australian SF writer gathers four SF and fantasy stories, all original. Includes an introduction by Nancy Kress.
Peter Higgins, Wolfhound Century (Orbit 3/13) This impressive debut begins a new series that combines elements of detective stories, political thrillers, alternate histories, and fantasies. Vissarion Lom is an investigator for a totalitarian state reminiscent of Stalinist Russia, tasked by the secret police to hunt down a terrorist through a world made strange by the presence of angels, giants, and an endless forest, among other monsters and magic. ‘‘An excellent debut and an excellent opening.’’ [Faren Miller]
Nalo Hopkinson, Sister Mine (Grand Central 3/13) When conjoined twins Makeda and Abby are separated, only Abby retains the magic inherited from their family of godlets, and Makeda strikes out on her own. ‘‘The tale really begins and ends with the two sisters, trying to negotiate between love and freedom, and trying to survive one hell of a family.’’ [Gary K. Wolfe]
Alya Dawn Johnson, The Summer Prince (Levine 3/13) The acclaimed author presents her YA debut, set in a future Brazil where a talented young artist meets her city’s Summer King, raised from the lowest strata of society but fated to die as a sacrifice after reigning just a year. Together, they work to transform their corrupt city through art – before his time runs out.
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Kit Reed, The Story Until Now (Wesleyan 3/13) This retrospective volume, aptly subtitled ‘‘A Great Big Book of Stories’’, collects 35 of the acclaimed author’s most compelling stories from the past 50 years, ranging from her 1958 genre debut ‘‘The Wait’’ to 2013’s ‘‘The Legend of Troop 13’’, arranged not chronologically but by ‘‘preoccupations… a politer word for what drives me than obsessions.’’ Includes an introduction by Gary K. Wolfe.
Adam Roberts, Adam Robots (Gollancz 1/13) One of our most ambitious (and puckish) authors collects 24 stories, two original, many of which take beloved SF tropes in unexpected directions. Roberts reinvigorates subjects ranging from time travel and immortality to robots and genetic engineering – and even a fresh take on the classic Adam and Eve tale.
Karen Russell, Vampires in the Lemon Grove (Knopf 2/13) The author’s debut novel Swamplandia! was a Pulitzer Prize finalist last year, and now she brings us her second story collection (after 2006’s St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised By Wolves), this time gathering eight pieces of literary fiction touched with magic and the surreal. Two of these – the title story and ‘‘The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach’’ – were previously reprinted in volumes of the Best American Short Stories series.
Deb Taber, Necessary Ill (Aqueduct 3/13) This debut novel from the short story writer
(and editor for Apex Books) is an ambitious postapocalyptic tale about a woman thrust into an isolated community of genderless people (‘‘neuters’’ or ‘‘neuts’’) who rely on logic and science, and who strive to re-establish ‘‘balance’’ by releasing plagues designed to keep the human population in check.
John Varley, Good-Bye, Robinson Crusoe and Other Stories (Subterranean 4/13) This collects 11 vintage stories not otherwise currently available in book form, some seeing print for the first time in 25 years, arranged as a ‘‘Grand Tour’’ of the solar system (with a couple of exceptions). Includes classics like ‘‘Blue Champagne’’, ‘‘Retrograde Summer’’, and ‘‘The Manhattan Phone Book (Abridged)’’, plus an introduction by the author and story notes. ‘‘The freshness and vividness of these stories after nearly four decades suggests that Varley’s work belongs in the permanent canon.’’ [Russell Letson)
Jack Vance, Magic Highways: The Early Jack Vance, Volume Three (Subterranean 3/13) For the latest volume in the ambitious series collecting the SF Grand Master’s early stories, editors Terry Dowling & Jonathan Strahan have chosen 16 pieces from the ’40s and ’50s, including several about Vance’s series character, Magnus Ridolph. ‘‘They’re all pretty entertaining, straightforward pulp adventure, and here and there is a hint of the ingenuity, imagination, and verbal playfulness that characterized Vance’s later work shines through.’’ [Gardner Dozois]
Ian Whates, ed., Solaris Rising 2 (Solaris 4/13) The second ‘‘New Solaris Book of Science Fiction’’ continues the esteemed SF anthology series with 19 original stories by Paul Cornell, Nick Harkaway, Nancy Kress, Robert Reed, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Vandana Singh, Allen Steele, and others.
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TERRY BISSON: THIS MONTH IN HISTORY
May 1, 2020. Mayday! In the first intercontinental general strike, Mujeres Unidas shuts down an estimated ninety percent of shops, schools, hotels, factories, and websites in North and South America. The union, which formed in 2016 as a Walmart ‘‘associates caucus,’’ demands universal health care and child care.
Locus, May 2013 Page 23
