[Werthead]

Certainly that time of year again. I've just been copying and pasting this list across six or seven forums now...

The books coming out in 2007 that I plan to read in the same year are:

1. A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin
Book 5 of A Song of Ice and Fire
ETA: Late 2007 (touch wood)

Unfortunately delayed from this year, the fifth volume in the fantasy epic brings back all the characters missing from the fourth book, introduces some new ones (for the last time) and, generally, unleashes hell on the Seven Kingdoms.

2. Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
Book 2 of The Gentleman Bastard
ETA: 21 June 2007

The Lies of Locke Lamora was the big fantasy debut of 2006 and the already-finished sequel is sparking a lot of pre-publicity hype eight months before publication.

3. The Aspect-Emperor: Book One by R. Scott Bakker
Book 1 of The Aspect-Emperor (duh)
ETA: Very Late 2007 (US/Canada), May 2008 (UK)

The second of the three series that together tell the story of The Second Apocalypse starts in late 2007. Apparently this is to the earlier Prince of Nothing Trilogy what Lord of the Rings is to The Hobbit.

4. Reaper's Gale by Steven Erikson
Book 7 of The Malazan Book of the Fallen
ETA: 2 April 2007 (UK/Canada), June 2008 (USA)

The sixth book in this series, The Bonehunters, was somewhat of a disappointment, but Book 7 will hopefully put the series back on track.

5. Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
ETA: 5 March 2007

Kay's first urban fantasy has already attracted some fantastic reviews. The film adaption of his novel The Lions of Al-Rassan (by the guy who did The Last Samurai and Glory) may also surface, but probably not until the end of 2008.

6. The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton
Book 1 of The Void Trilogy
ETA: September 2007

The sequel trilogy to PFH's Commonwealth Saga, picking up 1,200 years after the events of Judas Unchained.

7. The Children of Hurin by JRR Tolkien
ETA: 16 April 2007

Several different drafts of this story - told in brief form in The Silmarillion - have been combined to give us a huge new Middle-earth tale. One of the highest-profile releases of 2007.

8. The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds
ETA: 19 April 2007

A new stand-alone SF novel in the same universe as his earlier Revelation Space Trilogy.

9. Storm of the Dead by Paul Kearney
Book 3 of The Sea-Beggars
ETA: Late 2007

Kearney's excellent nautical epic fantasy continues to its penultimate volume. Hopefully Kearney's earlier, superb Monarchies of God series may be reprinted as well, but probably not until 2008.

10. A Sword from Red Ice by JV Jones
Book 3 of Sword of Shadows
ETA: December 2007

The much-delayed penultimate volume of Jones' Sword of Shadows Quartet (itself a sequel series to her earlier Book of Words Trilogy) was finished some months ago, but publishing problems will keep it off the shelves until late next year.

Night of Knives by Ian Cameron Esslemont, Making Money by Terry Pratchett and The Sworn Sword by George RR Martin all just fail to make the grade, NoK and TSS because they have been already published in different forms and MM because, well, I'm a bit behind on Pratchett and probably won't catch up before it comes out.

The Born Queen by Greg Keyes, the conclusion to his Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone sequence, looks promising for a late 2007 release. I'm looking forward to this coming out as I can then go and read Book 1!

Ink by Hal Duncan is also out in 2007. Again, I'm waiting for this so I can go back and read Vellum.

Shadowplay by Tad Williams, the sequel to Shadowmarch is out in February 2007, but I'm waiting for the third book to come out before going back and starting on the series from the start.

Early hopes for 2008 are Neuropath by R. Scott Bakker, A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan (the long-awaited end to WoT, although this could slide to 2009), Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson, Return of the Crimson Guard by Ian Cameron Esslemont and The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch.

Of course, there are many more books released pre-2007 that I'm planning to read in 2007:

The Confusion and The System of the World by Neal Stephenson
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
Gridlinked by Neal Asher
Woken Furies by Richard Morgan
The Affirmation and The Glamour by Christopher Priest
In the Ruins and Crown of Stars by Kate Elliott
Stardust, Coraline and Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman

[Rob B]

Nice list Wert, hard to disagree with much of them. Of course I'm really looking forward to the next Martin book. As for the remainder of your list, since I know Lynch's second book comes out next year that will probably be at the top of the list, right alongside The Children of Hurin.

As a big fan of Tad Williams, I'm really lloking forward to Shadowplay. I'm also looking forward to Sean Williams's third Book of the Cataclysm, The Hanging Mountains (http://pyrsf.com/HangingMountains.html).

The debut novel that looks really interesting is Joe Hill's Heart Shaped Box, Neil Gaiman had some very high praise (http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2006/08/you-have-luggage.html) for it.

Speaking of Neil, he's got a couple coming out:
Interworld
M is for Magic

[Evil Agent]

What about the final volume in Robin Hobb's Soldier Son Trilogy, Renegade's Magic? Unless I missed it, I didn't see it on the list. This is one of my highest anticipated books for 2007.

I'm also very excited about Martin's A Dance with Dragons, Tolkien's Children of Hurin, Erikson's Reaper's Gale, Bakker's Aspect-Emperor, and Kay's Ysabel. Looks like it's going to be a good year! (I don't think I've ever looked forward to so many new books in the same year before).

(off topic, there are also some good movies slated for 2007!).

[Murrin]

Most of the ones I'm interested in have already been mentioned, so i'll just throw in:
The Modern World, Steph Swainston
Un Lun Dun, China Mieville

[Mithfânion]

Speaking of Neil, he's got a couple coming out:
Interworld
M is for Magic

Is that more of his young adult/children's stuff?

My list, mixing SF and Fantasy:

1. Dance with Dragons- late 2007

How long would Martin have to finish it if he wants it released by say October/November? April at the latest?

2. Aspect Emperor-Bakker- Fall 2007

It seems that Scott has decided that he is not returning to any communication on the internet until he has actually finished writing the book. He seems to be a lot like Iain Banks in that he goes into these really long and intense writing stretches, and then takes a break. Hasn't done anything online since February this year, but there was one interview with him on Inchoatus which was from May, in which he said AE was shaping up to be very cool. Last official word from him was that he was slated for a Summer 2007 release, but I expect it will be a bit later.

3. Children of Hurin-JRR Tolkien/Christopher Tolkien - April 2007

From the recent news I gather that there will not be much material in this book and that it's main benefit will be to have a big, coherent tale without distortions. I still wonder if they will at least include The Wanderings of Hurin from HoME 11, but somehow I doubt it. Still, awesome tale and I will be having the Alan Lee illustrated edition.

4. Ysabel-Guy Gavriel Kay - January 2007 Canadian Edition

Really looking forward to it, vry good advance buzz and a great premise. I buy it when it comes out January 9th in Canada.

5. The Broken Kings- Robert Holdstock- January 2007 ( Uk)

Obscure to way too many people, I really like his new Merlin Codex, of which this is the concluding volume which has a superb premise.

6. The Godless World part 2- Brian Ruckley- October 2007

Book 1 was very interesting and leaves off with a cliffhanger concering the best character which has me hunkering for more. Very good new series.

7. Sword from Red Ice- JV Jones-December 2007

Despite Jones claiming it would be November, Orbit at least has decided on December. Still no word from TOR US about a release date though. Anyway, a book I'm really looking forward to, even if it hard to believe we still have to wait a full year for it.

8. Axis- Robert Charles Wilson-June 2007

This looks like it could be even better than The Spin, and become one of the premier SF novels of our time. Focusing on the Arch, the Hypotheticals and a universe " billions of years older and more complex than ours".

9. Red Seas Under Red Skies- August 2007 ( US)

I prefer to wait a month longer for the US edition. I suppose this book could go on in a very interesting direction since they're leaving Camorr. I hope Lynch maintains having interesting minor and secondary characters and that he keeps the Bondsmagi in.

10. Reaper's Gale-Steven Erikson - April 2007

I've still got loads of catching up to with when it comes to Erikson and I've found him rather hit-and-miss sofar, but I have to say that this book has all the hallmarks of looking like it will be the best one yet.

11. Before they are hanged- Joe Abercrombie - March 2007

Looks like the second volume broadens the story somewhat and maintains the interesting central characters.

12. Bright of the Sky- Kay Kenyon- April 2007

Very good looking new Scifi-Fantasy combination from Kenyon, published by Pyr.

13. Spindrift - Allen Steele- April 2007

Interesting new SF novel about first contact with an apocalyptic alien force.

14. The New Space Opera- edited by Jonathan Strahan- June 2007

Looks like a fantastic collection of Space opera short stories by the masters of the current SF field.

15. Black Man- Richard Morgan- May 2007 ( published as "Thirteen" in the US).

This one took him a long time to hammer out. The premise sounds better to me than any of his other novels though since I am not that much into cyperpunk and noir detectives.

16) Fall of Kings- David Gemmell- September 2007

Others:

Lord of the Silent Kingdom- Glen Cook. I haven't read the first one yet but this one looks very good. Something Erikson fans might like I think. Glen Cook tackling a bigger story than his Black Company books.

Hilldiggers-Asher- But first I have so many other Asher books to read, and this is a standalone when I was hoping the follow up to Polity Agent ( Line War) would be out soon.

The Prefect-Reynolds- Looks good but I haven't even read his Revelation Space novels.

[Dragonz]

I'm going for the 3rd Eragon book as I thought the 1st two were good.
Empire

[Radone]

Fatal Revenant by Stephen Donaldson (hopefully it comes out in 2007).

[zorobnice]

Are we forgetting our very own Gary Wassner who will be releasing book four of the Gemquest series in April 2007, called Revenge of the Elves I think.

[Werthead]

Fatal Revenant is due out in November 2007.

As for Hobb: I lost interest in her after struggling through Ship of Destiny. She can create good characters and has some nice prose, but she is unable to pace her stories in a reasonable way. The stories of both Farseer and Liveships could have been told in half their page-counts. The last volumes of each series were unnecessarily, sometimes tediously padded out. I may get back to her one day, but not in the near future.

Axis is a book I do plan to read. I found Spin rather ordinary and not really deserving of its Hugo win, but the story was interesting enough that I'll pick up the sequel. However, I do wonder if part of Spin's success was the sheer inexplicable nature of events. Sitting down and spelling out what happened may not be a great idea (as when Clarke tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for Rendezvous with Rama and we got the disappointing sequel trilogy).

Abercrombie is an author I haven't read yet, but The Blade Itself is the next book I'll pick up when the Christmas money starts rolling in. Talking to him here and on Westeros it's clear that he's a cool guy and the reviews for the book have been very positive.

Morgan is an interesting writer. Altered Carbon is the book I'm currently reading and it's reasonable. If I enjoy the rest of the book, certainly I'll take a look at his other work.

Oh yeah, I need to catch up on Mieville. I enjoyed Perdido Street Station, so I need to get around to King Rat, The Scar, Iron Council, Looking for Jake and Un Lun Dun. Don't know if I'll fit them all into 2007 though.

[KatG]

1. Dance with Dragons- late 2007

How long would Martin have to finish it if he wants it released by say October/November? April at the latest?

Oh no, they've probably got the cover and the end bits all worked out already, and they can produce pretty fast, so as long as he finishes by early August, and gets his last edits done in a few weeks, we're good. :)