The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss
Release Date: Early Apr
I’ll be honest and admit that I like a good mash-up or reworking of a classic. I’m also a fan of early science fiction and horror, which is why I’m a fan of this one. Orginally released last year, this is the cheaper paperback version that I hope will tempt folks. The Strange Case of The Alchemist’s Daughter begins with Mary Jekyll who has been left destitute by the sudden death of her parents. As desperate for answers as she is for money, she sets out to find her father’s former friend and the man thought to be responsible for his death, Mr Hyde. There is a significant reward for his capture and she has heard he’s nearby. What her pursuit actually uncovers is Hyde’s daughter Diana, a feral child raised by nuns. With the aid of the great Sherlock Holmes she continues her search for Hyde encountering other women who understand the strange and mysterious all too well. Catherine Moreau and Justine Frankenstein have their own tales to relate, and together these women discover that there is something larger that unites their experiences. A secret society of scientists is trying to recreate the horrors familiar to all of them and they may be the only ones who can stop them.
Head On by John Scalzi
Release Date: Late Apr
This is the sequel to Scalzi‘s 2012 science fiction crime novel Lock In. Like the first it’s a stand alone, and while you don’t have to read the first one I think you’d get a better idea of the world and characters if you did. Again the book focuses on the changes in society due to the outbreak of Hayden’s Syndrome, a disease that leaves sufferers trapped in their own bodies unable to move at all. Technology allows these people to interface with robot-like bodies that enable them to interact with the world, though not without some prejudice. America’s fastest growing sport however is a Hayden only affair, since the point of the game is to chop off an opponent’s head with a sword and carry it across the scoring line. With all the actual play being done by robots controlled by Hayden’s victims the sport is violent while also being perfectly safe. Until one of the players dies for real. Clever SF crime that’s not too dark, has some cool wry humour and manages to stay true to both its inspiring genres.
Sea of Rust by C Robert Cargill
Release Date: Late Apr
This is a totally original take on the post-apocalyptic world. To begin with, all the characters are robots or artificial intelligences. They still struggle and compete for resources and at times you forget that they’re not human. Then they do something that reminds you. The protagonist, Brittle is a scavenger who lives in the wastes. Far away from the massive AI’s that control the cities. It’s a dangerous place and when a robots body can be broken up for parts there’s a real motivation to turn anyone you see into ‘salvage’. Brittle has survived for years by wits, but is now desperately in need of a replacement part and to secure it agrees to take an impossible job. Take a robot on the run from a massive city AI through the danger filled desert called the Sea of Rust. Supposedly they’re going to save the world, or at least their world, but first they have to go to the place where it all began and find out the truth about the event that doomed humanity to extinction.
Blackwing by Ed McDonald
Release Date: Mid Apr
This was a feature review when it came out last year in trade paperback. It was also my favourite debut novel of the year and probably my favourite fantasy too. But there are a lot of folks that prefer the smaller, cheaper paperback versions and since we’ll have those this month I thought a reminder was in order. This is a first-person grimdark fantasy with great characters and a very interesting magic system. It’s also got some delightfully gritty protagonists and antagonists and has an episodic structure so you get an ending, kind of. If you’re a fan of Patrick Rothfuss, Mark Lawrence, Scott Lynchand Joe Abercrombiethen this is definitely one for you. If you’d like to read my review, nip over to the website. Book two in the series, Ravencry, is due in June.
29 Seconds by TM Logan
Release Date: Early Apr
Part of the new trend in crime novels that moves away from detectives and police and has ordinary (at least they seem that way) people as protagonists. This one has a bit of a twist however. When Sarah Hayward rescues a girl in trouble she doesn’t expect there to be consequences. But there are. The girl’s father is a dangerous man with a rigid personal code. In his mind he now owes Sarah a debt and he always pays his debts. The way he intends to pay is simple, he calls Sarah and asks for a name. Sarah knows what will happen to the person she names, and there a people in her life that make it almost intolerable. One name and then it happens. No connection to her. 29 Seconds is all it takes to change your life, because we’ve all had a time when we’d have had name to give. But would you?
White as Milk Red as Blood by Franz Xaver Von Schonwerth
Release Date: Mid Apr
If you’re interested in folklore, particularly European then Franz Xaver Von Schonwerthis someone you should be familiar with. A contemporary of the Brothers Grimm he was known for his desire to represent old stories and tales as he heard them rather than adjusting them to appeal to readers the way the Girmms did. As a result his work tends to be darker and more violent. This is selection from a collection of his works discovered in 2009. It’s presented in hard cover and is heavily illustrated by contemporary artists in a woodcut style. I’m not sure at this stage how much content this shares with the 2015 Schonwerth The Turnip Princess, but it does have a different translator so even if some of the stories are the same it might be interesting comparing them.
Scourged by Kevin Hearne
Release Date: Mid Apr
We’ve been waiting a while for this one. Seven years and two publishers, but this month we get the final Iron Druid book. There’s not really that much more to say about this one. If you’ve read the others then you know that this is the final confrontation between Druid Atticus and the Norse gods Loki and Hel who are trying to bring about Ragnarok. If you haven’t then there are eight earlier books you’ll want to read before this one, particularly if you’re a fan or urban fantasy with lots of Celtic and Norse Mythology and magic.
The Man From the Diogenes Club by Kim Newman
Release Date: Early Apr
This book is the collected stories of The Diogenes Club, Britain’s most secret and most valuable asset. While Sherlock Holmesfans may be aware of one of its members, there are others and when inevitable disaster looms it is invariably someone from the Diogenes Club who averts it. The stories centre around one member in particular, fashion addict and sometime psychic Richard Jeperson. The stories range from the sixties to the present and offer a heady mix of real and imagined people and events heavily seasoned with all sorts of speculative fiction tropes. It even comes with an appendix to help you figure out which is which.
Gods Monsters and the Lucky Peach by Kelly Robson
Release Date: Early Apr
Set about 250 years in the future this starts as the story of humanity reclaiming the planet from the follies of the past. The protagonist, Minh is part of the first generation to leave the underground habitats and begin the serious process of restoration. With the discovery of time travel, the alternate plan B of just moving to the past becomes an option and Minh is one of those chosen to go back more than 4000 years to survey the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. While there she discovers that there is something not quite right about what is going on and the mysterious group that controls time travel. There is a lot of buzz about this one and a lot of reviewers are raving about it.
The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross
Release Date: Late Apr
Even though there are a lot of folk tale inspired books around, I’m always up for more. This one by Australian author Leife Shallcross is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast from the perspective of the beast. Befitting the fairy tale style of the original, the language is very descriptive with lots of narration of the characters feelings. Style and atmosphere are important parts of this book, so make sure that’s what you’re in the mood for. It’s tagged young adult, so the content is suitable for all ages.
Swimmer Among the Stars by Kanishk Tharoor
Release Date: Early Apr
I’m a fan of peculiar and unusual fiction and since I’ve got plenty of customers that like it too, the store has developed a fairly large selection of odd books. Swimmer Among the Stars is the latest addition and it’s another short story collection. Most of the stories are not quite what I’d call science fiction or fantasy, but it’s the overall strangeness I was after with this one. This is for fans of Borges and Keret.
The Armored Saint by Myke Cole
Release Date: Early Apr
Myke Cole is better known for his military thriller/ urban fantasy Control Point series (I know that sounds odd, but they really are very good), but this new book is the first in a fantasy trilogy. I don’t know too much about it except that it’s got a woman protagonist, magically powered war machines, heroes and evil religious tyrants. It’s part of the TOR novella range so its short-ish at 200 pages, but it is also a quite nice looking hard cover and only $22.99 so well worth it in my opinion.