2012 Upcoming Releases-Fantasy & Horror

I had bad feeling about Higgins book. The name of protagonists are not russian or soviet names, just some kind of author inventions, impossible mismatch of names and families from different nationalities. Seems he didn't do any substantial research into general soviet/russian history/language, not saying about stalin's russia. Just another "Winds of Khalakovo". In my experience no research into subject is symptomatic of sub par literature.
PS the site of the book is in quite bad taste - samovars, WWII fallen memorials and Malevich painting all in ugly mix.
The only thing missing are white bears drinking vodka while dancing on lenin tomb.
( http://www.memoriousland.com/index.html )
 
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mjolnir said:
Francis Knight's Fade to Black, about a mage whose powers feed on pain who lives in a vertical city, also sounds like it could be good fun, potentially.
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Aww, thanks. Hope you like it.

*outs self as Francis Knight*
 
Hi Francis: welcome!

*outs self as Francis Knight*
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LOL. The secret's out, though I thought you'd *outed* yourself HERE.

Well done on the contract. Looking forward to reading more.

Mark
 
I did yes, but I reckon about two people read it, so I double outted, just to be sure:D
 
Via the Wertzone: Remember that collection of two novella-length stories set before The Lies of Locke Lamora that Scott Lynch was working on at one point, The Bastards and the Knives? Well, it's still on, apparently. To be published some time *after* The Republic of Thieves, regardless of when the latter is released. I could be remembering incorrectly, but I seem to recall this being a reprint collection, with Subterranean Press holding the first rights to the two individual tales, which they would initially print separately before Gollancz printed them together in the UK. Whether Subterranean is still involved is, so far as I can tell, unclear, though I'd assume so, and if so Gollancz's edition would have to follow theirs, probably by some months.

Via Westeros: John Jarrold, John Gwynne's agent, has now confirmed that So Deep a Malice, the latter's debut epic fantasy, has undergone a title change to Malice, and that yes it will be published in December 2012. We new this, but I don't think it'd been confirmed, so that's nice. I still don't like the title change; I think it's forgettable and bland. I mean, it might be that the book is precisely all about malice, and exploring malice, and thus this generic one-word title is entirely appropriate, but bluntly I doubt it. And I liked So Deep a Malice. [I seem to recall book 2 -- it is a series -- being called Terror of Heaven; does this mean it's now called "Terror"? Hope not.] The holiday release window is more worrying, though; does this ever work for debut authors not massively trailed by mainstream presses? I feel very out of line saying this, being a fan with little knowledge of the industry, but I'd be curious what they're smoking in the Tor UK offices -- some kind of substance which makes them think those covers they keep giving Mark Newton's novels will somehow induce people to fling money, evidently, as others have said --, and I hope they know what they're doing, because this sounds like it could be a good book.
 
mjolnir said:
I feel very out of line saying this, being a fan with little knowledge of the industry, but I'd be curious what they're smoking in the Tor UK offices -- some kind of substance which makes them think those covers they keep giving Mark Newton's novels will somehow induce people to fling money, evidently, as others have said --, and I hope they know what they're doing, because this sounds like it could be a good book.
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I think a few of us UK members are wondering what Tor UK are smoking.

Adrian Tchaikovsky, for example, had a format change on his books (I think Heirs, book 7, came out in TPB and the larger MMPB size whereas the previous six are smaller size only), and they've also redone the covers for it. Personally I think Jon Sullivan's covers are good, but they always paled next to Pyr's covers (also by Jon Sullivan), and I'm a little on the fence with the new ones.
 
Thats cool about the Lynch books.

I've been looking forward to the Gwynne book myself, not a good idea at all with the title change, I suppose it'll have some goofy cover art. Why dont they get cool people to do whats cool? WTF lol
 
New synopsis for the John Gwynne book:

A black sun is rising … Young Corban watches enviously as boys become warriors under King Brenin’s rule, learning the art of war. He yearns to wield his sword and spear to protect his king’s realm. But that day will come all too soon. Only when he loses those he loves will he learn the true price of courage. The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed shields in battle, the earth running dark with their heartsblood. Although the giant-clans were broken in ages past, their ruined fortresses still scar the land. But now giants stir anew, the very stones weep blood and there are sightings of giant wyrms. Those who can still read the signs see a threat far greater than the ancient wars. Sorrow will darken the world, as angels and demons make it their battlefield. Then there will be a war to end all wars. High King Aquilus summons his fellow kings to council, seeking an alliance in this time of need. Some are skeptical, fighting their own border skirmishes against pirates and giants. But prophesy indicates darkness and light will demand two champions, the Black Sun and the Bright Star. They would be wise to seek out both, for if the Black Sun gains ascendancy, mankind’s hopes and dreams will fall to dust
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I like it.
 
Thanks for posting this; have been waiting for a new blurb for that eagerly. I like it too. It sounds big. Operatic. In a word: epic. Very very cool. To get the hair-splitting out there, that second sentence is dire: "as boys become warriors ... learning the art of war". As opposed to the art of pastry-making, as is common in warrior school. Redundant phrase. Sounds dumb. But the rest of it ... I like. A lot. Shall certainly need to import this one, and hopefully a North American publisher will bring it to the States and the Frozen Northlands sooner than later.
 
Jeffrey Ford's got a new collection of short stories, Crackpot Palace, due out mid-August. Looking forward to them (The Empire of Ice-Cream, from a previous collection, is one of my favourite short stories).

41MB6HZuPEL._SS500_.jpg
 
I just seen this on a blog, NK Jemisin has a new trilogy in the works.

Quote here from Jemisin off the blog;

New series for N.K. Jemisin


The author of the Inheritance trilogy (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Broken Kingdoms and The Kingdoms of Gods) and the newly released Dreamblood duology (The Killing Moon and The Shadowed Sun) announced that she sold a new series to Orbit books. That's great news for the author and more interestingly, the description is particularly enticing:




Been sitting on this for a brief while, but finally got the okay to spill the beans. I’ve sold a new trilogy to Orbit! Can’t tell you much about it yet — it’s the Untitled Magic Seismology Project (UMSP) that some of you have seen me talking about here now and again; that was the reason for the research trip to Hawaii a few weeks back. I’m working on the first book now, but I don’t like talking much about my works-in-progress until they’re more complete. So suffice it to say that this will be a postapocalyptic epic fantasy trilogy, set in a world of seismic magic users and enigmatic nonhumans called stone-eaters. I’m experimenting with writing the kind of trilogy that follows a single character through mutliple books; this is the first time I’ve ever wanted to try doing so. And while the books have tentative titles for now, I think I’ll hold off on sharing those, given my usual track record with titles (i.e., they usually get changed. Lots.) Let’s just keep calling this the UMSP for now.


So, WOO HOO!! Wish me luck and steady wordcount!
 
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Jay Kristoff's debut epic fantasy / steampunk novel, Stormdancer, will be published in both the UK and North America in September. The book sounds potentially very fun; a lot of the blurbs and advance praise place emphasis on the "Japanese" setting, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand it could be way cool. On the other hand it could be merely cosmetic and exploitative [as I believe someone commented the big Peter Higgons book, Wolfhound Century, appears to be in danger of being with regards to Russian folklore and Soviet era history.] Very interested, though; cautious but enthusiastic. Here's the blurb:

Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her father are commanded to capture one for the murderous Shogun of the Shima Isles, they fear their lives are over. After disaster befalls the mission, Yukiko finds herself stranded in the wilderness with only the crippled griffin Buruu for company. Working together, the pair make a stand against the authorities, facing intrigue, betrayal and murder in the hope of seeing their homeland saved and Buruu flying again. The first installment of an exciting new fantasy series, Stormdancer is sure to electrify the growing numbers of steampunk fans as well as lovers of classic epic fantasy.
With Stormdancer, Jay Kristoff presents the Shogunate of Shima, a stunningly original dystopian steampunk world.
 
Forgive me if this was mentioned already, but I didn't see it on the first page. Strangeness and Charm by Mike Shevdon will be released May 29th. This is the third book in the Courts of the Feyre series through Angry Robot Books. I just finished it last night (and joined the forum today), so I thought I'd share. Great book. It kind of reminds me of Avengers if it took place in England.
 
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I admit I still need to try his stuff, but I know there are some people round here very fond of Warren Ellis. Here's amazon's blurb for his new novel, Gun Machine, which isn't technically a 2012 release, as it'll be published in January evidently. It also sounds like it may not be sff strictly speaking, though based on even my near-nonexistent knowledge of the Warren Ellis wheelhouse I'm sure it'll be plenty weird enough. Going by the fact there're author blurbs for it on amazon, it sounds like Gun Machine is done, making it at least somewhat more likely it'll come out when amazon says it's meant to.

After a shootout claims the life of his partner in a condemned tenement building on Pearl Street, Detective John Tallow unwittingly stumbles across an apartment stacked high with guns. When examined, each weapon leads to a different, previously unsolved murder. Someone has been killing people for twenty years or more and storing the weapons together for some inexplicable purpose.

Confronted with the sudden emergence of hundreds of unsolved homicides, Tallow soon discovers that he's walked into a veritable deal with the devil. An unholy bargain that has made possible the rise of some of Manhattan's most prominent captains of industry. A hunter who performs his deadly acts as a sacrifice to the old gods of Manhattan, who may, quite simply, be the most prolific murderer in New York City's history
 
Kazz Wylde said:
Oh man, That Ellis book sounds pretty good.
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I enjoy stories along this line, like Lieber's "Smoke Ghost" and Our Lady of Darkness, also Ellison's "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" and T. E. D. Klein's "Nadelman's God." I'm curious what Ellis does with the premise.

Randy M.
 
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