Anticipated & Looking Forward to 2010

**Bastard** · December 9th, 2009, 12:47 AM

Ah, right SF... but since I see Retribution Falls so often mentioned in the Fantasy section I assumed it was some sort of hybrid. I haven't read it yet, waiting for my copy to arrive.

**WhiteWolf** · December 9th, 2009, 06:54 AM

Appearing on the Horror shelves:

- BLACK HILLS by Dan Simmons, February. Continuing in the vein of THE TERROR and DROOD, a historical fiction/horror novel set after the battle of Little Bighorn and apparently deals with the possession of a Sioux warrior by the ghost of General Custer. Simmons never disappoints.

- DEAN KOONTZ'S FRANKENSTEIN: LOST SOULS, by Dean Koontz, June. Following the success of his paperback-original trilogy that re-imagined the second coming of Victor Frankenstein as a bio-engineer in 21st century New Orleans, three more novels are now planned for hardcover release.

Also, while nothing is official, I'm holding my breath for the announcement that a fifth Odd Thomas novel will be published later in 2010, probably in November if Koontz sticks to his schedule.

And as for fantasy, which I am still a sort of a late-blooming reader in, I would say that I highly anticipate A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, having read only A GAME OF THRONES, but my plan from the beginning has been to read only one of these books a year. Hopefully then, by the time I get around to reading ADWD, the next book will be close or already released, and my wait won't be as terribly long as others'. If GRRM can take forever to write these books, then I have no problems taking forever to read them.

I'm excited that SHADOWRISE is ready for publication. Like his MS&T books, I can now plan to read all of the books closely together, even though I'm now hearing from his official website that the final book has ballooned up over 1500 pages and will be split in half to make it a final tally of four volumes for the series. But since they will both be finished, I don't expect that the second half of SHADOWRISE (probably with a new title?) will not be held back long for release after the first half is out, which should be in the spring.

**Cranky Hamster** · December 9th, 2009, 09:37 AM

FWIW I think Retribution Falls is clearly fantasy and not SF. It doesn't have any future tech (though it does have a lot of unobtainium-based handwave tech); it's just fantasy in a more advanced steampunk setting than the usual medievaloid worlds.

There seem to be a lot more debuts in 2010 than there were in 2009 (although my faulty memory may be to blame here) which has got me pretty excited. The Westeros list is longer/more thorough but I like suciul's lists because they give me a hint about early reactions.

**suciul** · December 9th, 2009, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by Cranky Hamster

FWIW I think Retribution Falls is clearly fantasy and not SF. It doesn't have any future tech (though it does have a lot of unobtainium-based handwave tech); it's just fantasy in a more advanced steampunk setting than the usual medievaloid worlds.

There seem to be a lot more debuts in 2010 than there were in 2009 (although my faulty memory may be to blame here) which has got me pretty excited. The Westeros list is longer/more thorough but I like suciul's lists because they give me a hint about early reactions.

I see what you see about RF and I do not disagree overall, but I do not think that future tech in itself defines "sf-nal" vs "f-nal" - I do not see that much future tech and there is necromancy too in Newburry and Hobbes bks by G. Mann and those I would have a harder time thinking of as fantasy and not sf; on the other hand steampunk like Alchemy of Stone and Heart of Veridon are very f-nal. So for me Retribution Falls is one day fantasy, one day sf so to speak

Thank you for the kind words about the list - one thing to note is that I intend to read (or try in several cases where I am not sure if I will finish them) pretty much what's there and in the sf list so my list is very personal and far from comprehensive.

Of the (unread) debuts I am very, very excited by Left Hand of God, Tome of.., Bitter Seeds and one I forgot to list “The Dream of Perpetual Motion” by Dexter Palmer

Two more debuts I forgot but I will get and try soon are:

The River Kings' Road by L. Merciel (Robert liked it a lot as I read his review tbp later - very traditional but very entertaining fantasy in his opinion)

The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer - this one Robert was more mixed on but it seems just the book for me

"Imprisoned aboard a zeppelin floating high above a steampunk metropolis, greeting-card writer Harold Winslow is composing his memoir. His only companions are the disembodied voice of Miranda Taligent—the only woman he has ever loved—and the cryogenically frozen body of her father, the devilish genius and industrial magnate, Prospero Taligent."

**Werthead** · December 9th, 2009, 05:22 PM

White Luck Warrior has dropped back to Spring 2011, I believe, but the other thriller I believe is still down for a 2010 release.

The second half of Shadowrise is, I believe, called Shadowheart, which sounds like a romantic vampire novel or something. Shadowfall would be a more logical, if cliched, title.

**PeterWilliam** · December 9th, 2009, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by Werthead

The second half of Shadowrise is, I believe, called Shadowheart, which sounds like a romantic vampire novel or something. Shadowfall would be a more logical, if cliched, title.

It could say Twilight on it, but as long as it comes with a "Tad Williams," I'm buying.

**Psylent** · December 11th, 2009, 04:11 AM

Originally Posted by Cranky Hamster

There seem to be a lot more debuts in 2010 than there were in 2009 (although my faulty memory may be to blame here) which has got me pretty excited. The Westeros list is longer/more thorough but I like suciul's lists because they give me a hint about early reactions.

2009 seems pretty devoid of debuts. Almost every author that I thought was a debut had an asterisk after the word. Mark Charan Newton (one novel published by a small press), Daniel Fox (actually Chaz Brenchley), C.C. Finlay (actually Charles Coleman Finlay), Matthew Sturges (writes comics), Ken Scholes (short story collection), James Enge (his book is actually a set of short stories).

Stephen Deas and John D. Brown are the only fantasy authors I can think of that are actually completely new this year. Granted, that's extremely arbitrary on my part.

Anyways it looks like we've got at least 10 new epic fantasy writers debuting in 2010. I'm looking forward to the reviews:
Sam Sykes (Tome of the Undergates)
N.K. Jemison (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms)
Jon Sprunk (Shadow’s Son)
Ari Marmell (The Conqueror’s Shadow)
Liane Merciel (The River King’s Road)
Blake Charlton (Spellwright)
Colin Buchanan (Farlander)
Paul Hoffman (Left Hand of God)
Anthony Huso (The Last Page)
Karen Azinger (The Steel Queen)

**DurzoBlint** · December 11th, 2009, 04:46 AM

Paul Hoffman (Left Hand of God) Already ordered this one and looking forward to reading it.

**suciul** · December 11th, 2009, 07:50 AM

Originally Posted by Psylent

2009 seems pretty devoid of debuts. Almost every author that I thought was a debut had an asterisk after the word. Mark Charan Newton (one novel published by a small press), Daniel Fox (actually Chaz Brenchley), C.C. Finlay (actually Charles Coleman Finlay), Matthew Sturges (writes comics), Ken Scholes (short story collection), James Enge (his book is actually a set of short stories).

Stephen Deas and John D. Brown are the only fantasy authors I can think of that are actually completely new this year. Granted, that's extremely arbitrary on my part.

Anyways it looks like we've got at least 10 new epic fantasy writers debuting in 2010. I'm looking forward to the reviews:
Sam Sykes (Tome of the Undergates)
N.K. Jemison (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms)
Jon Sprunk (Shadow’s Son)
Ari Marmell (The Conqueror’s Shadow)
Liane Merciel (The River King’s Road)
Blake Charlton (Spellwright)
Colin Buchanan (Farlander)
Paul Hoffman (Left Hand of God)
Anthony Huso (The Last Page)
Karen Azinger (The Steel Queen)

While I get the general thrust of the post, it is not 100% accurate in so far Sam Sykes has a short story in the anthology Dragons, Ari Marmell has written bunch of tie-ins, NK Jemisin has published bunch of ss and that's the ones I know offhand because I read/saw those, so it's possible more authors above have been published.

Outside of pseudonyms where indeed I strongly disagree that a work published as such is a debut if the author has published original novels before in the genre, I think that it's fair to call debuts if they are first genre novels published in the majors - eg DA Durham published major historical fiction novels, but Acacia qualified as debut, and I argue the same is valid with most of the authors named above like K. Scholes, MC Newton, M. Sturges...

**Cranky Hamster** · December 11th, 2009, 08:47 AM

I think it counts as a "debut" if it's the author's first novel-length work, so to me The Windup Girl was a "debut" even though Bacigalupi had published a lot of short stories (and awesome ones) before that novel.

Not that the definition matters too much to me; I just want to know if the books are good.

This post from Publishers Weekly caught my eye too: http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog...930051193.html

If that's accurate (and I'll note here that I don't always agree with PW's reviews 100%, but even if I agree with 50%, that's a lot of notable books), 2010 is shaping up to be a pretty good year in the genre.

**Raule** · December 11th, 2009, 09:06 AM

Just realized that Yann Martel has a new one coming out next year (in June). It will be an animal allegory about the Holocaust.

**suciul** · December 11th, 2009, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by Cranky Hamster

I think it counts as a "debut" if it's the author's first novel-length work, so to me The Windup Girl was a "debut" even though Bacigalupi had published a lot of short stories (and awesome ones) before that novel.

While I generally agree with your take, debuts are perceived differently than mid-list novels, so many times they get considerably more coverage and this is why the clamor to be considered a debut; also the one award for sff debuts (the Campbell) has specific rules of eligibility so DA Durham was eligible for Acacia despite being a known and critically successful novelist for a while, while for example Mark Van Name was not eligible on the publication of his first novel because of some obscure ss published a while ago.

So I generally call a debut any major league published first genre novel but I agree that there are different interpretations. Pseudonyms though do not count and I get annoyed when they are called debuts while the author has published sff novels before since that is cheating.

**Psylent** · December 11th, 2009, 02:44 PM

For me debut means newbie. If Ari Marmell has written tie in fiction then he's not a debut author to me. If you've written short stories I will still think of you as a debut author, but not if you've published a short story collection. I can get excited about authors like Richard Morgan giving fantasy a whirl or Kazuo Ishiguro trying SF out but I already know what sort of stories they're going to write, their styles, characters, tics, structures, and language. If I know what to expect then it isn't really a debut to me.

Though as I noted before, my distinctions are extremely arbitrary.

**suciul** · December 11th, 2009, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by Psylent

If I know what to expect then it isn't really a debut to me.

That's an excellent point but many times I would invert it as follows: suppose an author wrote ss that I am very excited about, or a non-sff novel I liked, then I sure am looking forward much more to their sff "debut". Looking at the 2010 "debuts" I have on my final list

Tome of the Undergates by Samuel Sykes
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N K Jemisin
Spellwright by Blake Charlton
The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman
Shadow's Sun by John Sprunk
Passion Play by Beth Bernobich
The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi
Veteran by Gavin Smith
Servants of the Underworld - A. DeBodard
The Bookman - L. Tidhar
The Conqueror’s Shadow by Ari Marmell
The Poison Throne (and sequels) by Celine Kiernan
Bitter Seeds - Iain Tregilis
The River Kings' Road by L. Merciel
The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer
The Steel Queen by Karen Azinger
The Last Page by Anthony Huso
Farlander by Colin Buchanan

the upcoming Sam Sykes Tome of the Undergates, which sounds very cool based on what I heard, has one so-so review from the lucky UK reviewer to get it

and for some reasons has the *perfect vibes for me* of all debuts above in the "traditional/new" epic mould so leaving steampunk or the weirder Left Hand aside.

Since Mr. Sykes had a short story out in the Dragons/Dann anthology (co-written but seems to be mostly his) I checked it out and I truly liked what was there, so I am even more excited about the novel...

Coming back on the debut issue, there is this tendency of more exposure (new and shiny always gets more exposure these days after all) so I have nothing against enlarging the notion within reasonable limits and I stated my limits earlier, but I can see and respect why other people have other limits so to speak...

**Seegee** · December 11th, 2009, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by Bastard

Ah, right SF... but since I see Retribution Falls so often mentioned in the Fantasy section I assumed it was some sort of hybrid. I haven't read it yet, waiting for my copy to arrive.

Bastard I actually read RF as a hybrid, sci-fi/fantasy. I loaned it to a sci-fi liking friend, who liked it, that it had sci-fi in it, whereas he saw it as a totally fantasy novel. For mine there are elements of both. Whatever it is eventually becomes immaterial, because it's just a bloody good read. If I had to make a 2009 top 10 RF would be in it.