2012 Upcoming Releases-Fantasy & Horror

[Mithfânion]

Particularly interested in:

Unholy Consult- Bakker
Daylight War- Brett ( if that comes out, unclear sofar)
Endlords- JV Jones ( confirmed for 2012 by author)
City of Dragons- Hobb
Seven Princes-Fultz
The Troupe-Bennett
Some kind of Fairy Tale-Joyce
The Twelve-Cronin
Coldest War-Tregillis
The new Jeffrey Ford short story collection
Red Country-Abercrombie
Republic of Thieves-Lynch

And of course the World of Ice and Fire concordance book. Hopefully that will not consume too much of GRRM's time and working on it may serve as inspiration.

[RolandDeschain]

Has he changed his mind again? The next one (after Orb, Sceptre, Throne, which is set in Darujhistan and is the sequel to Erikson's Toll the Hounds) was supposed to be Assail and the last one was going to be set on Jacuruku. But City in the Jungle sounds like a reference to Jacuruku.

Yes I believe "City in the Jugle" is the Jacuruku book, and I've read an interview with Esselmont where he said Assail was the last of these novels.

[Werthead]

And of course the World of Ice and Fire concordance book. Hopefully that will not consume too much of GRRM's time and working on it may serve as inspiration.

AFAIK (you can always ask Ran for an update in the subforum on Westeros) the book's first draft is done, some of the illustrations and maps are already done and what GRRM is doing right now is an editing pass and possibly a second draft, building on the first (by the other writers). I believe the deadline for it is the end of the year.

[Werthead]

Yes I believe "City in the Jugle" is the Jacuruku book, and I've read an interview with Esselmont where he said Assail was the last of these novels.

According to his April 2011 interview, City in the Jungle is the book he's working on now, and will be followed by Assail.

[kidsan]

[B]

City of Dragons (The Rain Wilds Chronicles: Book Three by Robin Hobb, due Feb 7th

I didnt realise there was to even be a 3rd book in this series.

Once i would have been so excited about a new Hobb release but i found the 1st two books to be sooooo slow that i have all but given up on her.

[rsullivan9597]

For those who have been reading the Riyria Revelations...the final book in the series Percepliquis WILL be released separately from the Heir of Novron book and the will both be coming out in January 2012.

A new standalone book by Michael J. Sullivan entitled Antithesis which is not in the Riyria Revelations World will be released as soon as contracturally allowed which will probalby mean July 2012.

[Heather Myst]

That is great news rsullivan. I love the Riyria series. It reminds me of the Scott Lynch Locke Lamora series.

Can you give us any info on the plot of Antithesis?

[Contrarius]

I'm reading the Jesse James Dawson books (there's only two so far), by KA Stewart.

It's refreshing to see a hero who is an unashamedly noble man. Jesse follows bushido, has a wife and a daughter, no dark tragic history, no half demon heritage, no nuthin awful. He's not a Gary Stu by any means, just a good imperfect man who is trying to do the right thing.

Sometimes I feel as though the author is trying a little too hard to be funny, and perhaps because of the hero's nobility there isn't as much emotional or moral complexity as there might be in some UF, but these two books are still entertaining. It will be interesting to see where Stewart goes from here.

[rsullivan9597]

That is great news rsullivan. I love the Riyria series. It reminds me of the Scott Lynch Locke Lamora series.

Can you give us any info on the plot of Antithesis?

I've not written the "official back copy yet" but the basic premise is that it is set in modern times with settings in Washington DC, New York, and Las Vegas. It's Michael's take on the classic good vs evil battle. After the universe was formed positive and negative residue was bound into two forces and endowed to two different humans. They basically keep the world in balance and have power limited only by the weilder's imagination. The balance is upset when the receipient of the "good" force dies before it can be passed onto its designated receipinet. If falls to an unsusecting bystander who knows nothing about its source, or that there is an opposing force.

That's a really lame write up but it's the "gist" of the book.

[rsullivan9597]

I'm reading the Jesse James Dawson books (there's only two so far), by KA Stewart.

It's refreshing to see a hero who is an unashamedly noble man. Jesse follows bushido, has a wife and a daughter, no dark tragic history, no half demon heritage, no nuthin awful. He's not a Gary Stu by any means, just a good imperfect man who is trying to do the right thing.

Sometimes I feel as though the author is trying a little too hard to be funny, and perhaps because of the hero's nobility there isn't as much emotional or moral complexity as there might be in some UF, but these two books are still entertaining. It will be interesting to see where Stewart goes from here.

Contrairus - thanks for this recommendation - I've never heard of it before and it looks "right up my alley" I just downloaded the first one.

[Contrarius]

Woops, sorry, looks like I put that in the wrong thread!

[suciul]

I started looking more carefully at 2012 books and for January - March my top fantasy expected releases are:

1: “Heir of Novron” by Michael J. Sullivan. Release Date: January 31, 2012. Published by Orbit. (FAN / Omnibus).\
2:“The Master of Heathcrest Hall” by Galen Beckett. Release Date: March 27, 2012. Published by Del Rey. (FAN).
3.“The Daemon Prism” by Carol Berg. Release Date: January 3, 2012. Published by Roc. (FAN).
4:“Throne of the Crescent Moon” by Saladin Ahmed. Release Date: February 7, 2012. Published by DAW. (FAN).
5:“The Outcast Blade” by Jon Courtenay Grimwood. Release Date: March 26, 2012. Published by Orbit. (FAN).
6:“The Ruined City” by Paula Brandon. Release Date: February 28, 2012. Published by Del Rey. (FAN).
7:“Kings of Morning” by Paul Kearney. Release Date: February 28, 2012. Published by Solaris. (FAN).
8:“The Black Mausoleum” by Stephen Deas. UK Release Date: March 15, 2012. Published by Gollancz. (FAN).

Next I will look at April - Jul/Aug

[Mithfânion]

Synopsis for possibly interesting debuts from the UK:

So deep a malice-John Gwynne- published in March by Tor UK.

With echoes of Celtic myth, wonderfully realised characters, dark magic, and a deeply engaging storyline, John Gwynne’s debut announces the arrival of a major new talent.

With one foot in Celtic myth and the other loosely straddling the imagined beginning of the Roman empire, this fresh and original fantasy takes two worlds, old and new, and demonstrates the clash that will occur when the modern tries to overthrow established traditions.

Set on a continent called the Banished Lands, populated by men and giants, dark forests, dreadwolves and draigs; this debut fantasy follows the story of Corban, a young man who just wants to become a warrior, but whose path will lead him to so much more. Populated with original and engaging characters, set in a primal, feral world, soon to become the battleground of angels and demons, this is a tale of love and betrayal, truth and courage, friendship and loyalty.

An epic and intimate coming-of-age tale filled with mystery, Machiavellian politics, adventure, joy and tragedy, So Deep a Malice will have instant appeal to readers of George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan.

Empire of the Saviours by AJ Dalton, May, Gollancz:

An exciting new voice in fantasy, with a new world, a new mythology, and a new hero...

In the Empire of the Saviours, the People are forced to live in fortified towns. Their walls are guarded by an army of Heroes, whose task is to keep marauding pagans out as much as it is to keep the People inside. Several times a year, living Saints visit the towns to exact the Saviours' tithe from all those coming of age - a tithe often paid in blood.

When a young boy, Jillan, unleashes pagan magicks in an accident, his whole town turns against him. He goes on the run, but what hope can there be when the Saviours and the entire Empire decide he must be caught?

Jillan is initially hunted by just the soldiers of the Saint of his region, but others soon begin to hear of his increasing power and seek to use him for their own ends. Some want Jillan to join the fight against the Empire, others wish to steal his power for themselves and others still want Jillan to lead them to the Geas, the source of all life and power in the world.

There are very few Jillan can trust, except for a ragtag group of outcasts. His parents threatened, his life in tatters, his beliefs shaken to the core, Jillan must decide what side he is on, and whether to fight or run...

The Traitor Son by Miles Cameron, June, Gollancz:

First in an epic fantasy trilogy by a stunning debut fantasy novelist.

The Traitor’s Son is the story of a mercenary knight and his men in a world full of trials, battles and danger. Accepting a commission to protect a small community against the savage creatures besieging them, the knight is quick to realise he and his men need help.

The King is the only one who can provide it. But why should the King answer the call, when he has his own battles to fight? And why is the wayward knight so reluctant to request his aid in the first place?

Dark, violent, and brilliantly observed and written, this will be an ideal series for fans of Joe Abercrombie, George R.R. Martin and A-list epic fantasy fiction.

[suciul]

Synopsis for possibly interesting debuts from the UK:

The Traitor Son by Miles Cameron, June, Gollancz:

As 2011 had The Traitor's daughter as the just relased fantasy debut (and a very good one, the best traditional fantasy debut I've read this year when almost all the rest misfired for me), I see that in 2012 it's the turn of the son, though here he seems to be traitor... Original titles, what can one say...

[mjolnir]

Very major Coldest War news for Ian Tregillis fans:

Found this on Tregillis's blog yesterday; can't believe it isn't all over the internet, as it's a couple weeks old now. Maybe it's out of date and the situation has since changed?

According to a blog entry from a couple weeks back, The Coldest War is still looking good for a summer 2012 release in hardcover; the substantive edits and copyedit are done, and from what I recall the final galley pass is happening now.

The audio edition, however, will be released a full six months early via audible.com, on December 20, 2011. Tor has signed off on this as a way of alleviating the massive and easily avoidable gap between releases. The final novel, Necessary Evil, is in an advanced state, and is tentatively scheduled for April 2013, so it sounds like all happiness for this series at the moment. Rejoyce!