The Queen of Crows by Myke Cole
Release Date: Mid Oct
This is the sequel to The Armored Saint and book two in the Sacred Throne Trilogy. Like the first book it’s technically a novella, though a reasonable sized one at 250 pages. It’s fantasy with a mechanical-alchemy motif that’s quite interesting and some very good action and battles scenes. Imagine the cool parts of Japanese robot armour anime transposed into gritty fantasy.
Tales From the Inner City by Shaun Tan
Release Date: Early Oct
While he is most famous for his art, Shaun Tan is an accomplished writer as well and he showcases both in this new collection of short stories, musings and poems accompanied by his beautiful illustrations. Happy, sad, poignant and profound, this is a wonderful introduction to his work for anyone unfamiliar with it, and everything you love about it if you’re already a fan.
Brothers in Blood by Amer Anwar
Release Date: Mid Sept
There are loads of great new crime novels coming out all the time, but I think this one deserves a bit of attention. Not only did it win the CWA debut novel award, but it’s also got a set-up that just makes you curious. Our protagonist is a Muslim ex-con who is trying to get his life back together when his Sikh employer’s daughter goes missing. Pressured into helping to find her, he finds himself pulled into a web of lies, murder and revenge. The missing daughter trope might be an old one, but filtered through cultures we don’t normally see in crime fiction, I think this is going to be a very interesting variation.
Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend
Release Date: Late Oct
If you’ve got younger readers, or you’re a fan of young adult fiction, and you’re not already on board with the Nevemoor books, then you need to start! This is the second in the series and returns to our snarky and irrepressible heroine Morrigan Crow, safe in her new home with her troubles behind her. She’s discovered her magical powers and achieved her goal of joining the Wundrous society. Her adventures are far from over however, and she may discover that her unique powers may be a curse rather than a blessing. We’ll be carrying Wundersmith in paperback and hard cover.
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
Release Date: Early Oct
This is the fourth and final part of the Murderbot series of novellas, and sees the eponymous Murderbot returning home to confront the GreyCris company and perhaps bring them to justice. But who will believe a rogue robot who claims to have rejected its own programming because it was evil? A very cool exploration of AI and morality.
The Electric State by Simon Stalenhag
Release Date: Early Oct
This large format book is an unusual mix of novel and art portfolio. Minimalist prose and close to a hundred powerful images tell the story of a girl and her robot companion as they travel across a post apocalyptic version of nineties America in search of her missing brother.
Map Of Days by Ransom Riggs
Release Date: Early Oct
We return to Miss Peregrine and the peculiar children in the aftermath of Library of Souls. Jacob is back home in Florida and his friends are with him, safe and happy. The discovery of an underground bunker that belonged to his grandfather Abe changes all that by revealing that the evil they thought they had defeated may have only been part of something much bigger. Presented with the same mixed prose and odd photos as the previous books, but with the addition of more recent and colour images as well.
Wraith by Joe Hill
Release Date: Mid Oct
I don’t carry many graphic novels, but sometimes something so interesting turns up that I just have to. Wraith is one of those. It’s a companion work to Joe Hill‘s 2012 book NOS4R2 and explores the back story of the book’s bizarre antagonist, Charlie Manx. Will we discover the secrets behind the pocket reality he calls Christmasland? Who knows? What I do know is that Joe Hill is no stranger to working in this medium, so it’s safe to assume that we will get something enthralling, clever and very disturbing.
Tales Of Bauchelain & Korbal Broach by Steven Erikson
Release Date: Mid Oct
This is one for fans of Erikson‘s Malazan Empire series, and returns to everyone’s favourite pair of necromancers for three new adventures. In these novellas, they predictably lie, cheat and murder their way into and out of trouble, even becoming noblemen if only for a while. They’re a long way from lovable scoundrels, but there’s something about them that keeps you reading anyway.
Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman
Release Date: Early Oct
This beautifully illustrated novella set in the world of Philip Pullman‘s His Dark Materials isn’t really new, but it’s a re-issue of a book that hasn’t been available for quite a few years. Set during Lyra’s years at Oxford, it’s the story her discovery of the details of the first meeting of ballonist Lee Scoresby and the Arctic Bear Iorek Brynisson. It’s a pretty important bit of back-story if you’ve read the series, and with a bunch of re-readers and new readers thanks to the release of The Book of Dust, it’s a well timed release for those who missed the first time.
Priest of Bones by Peter McLean
Release Date: Early Oct
In a change of pace from the urban fantasy Drake series, this new book is a gritty gimdark fantasy. The setting feels a bit more than medieval, but not quite as advanced as that of the flintlock fantasy titles like Brian McClellan‘s Powder Mage. It’s a first person narrative that starts with a soldier coming home to find everything has been taken from him, journeys through the seedy underworld of a broken city and ends up back where he started, at war. Mark Lawrence and Ed McDonald both do positive cover quotes so if you like them, you’ll like this.
Melmoth The Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin
Release Date: Late Oct
This latest addition to the recent wave of reprinted horror classics was originally published in 1820 and inspired many other gothic horror stories, including Oscar Wilde‘s The Picture of Dorian Gray. It’s a story of family secrets and dark pacts that travels across the world in the telling. It’s also a bit of a morality tale, can be quite didactic, and at 700 pages is a long tale. Well worth the effort for old school horror fans though.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Release Date: Early Oct
This is a re-issue collector’s edition rather than a new book, but it’s such a nice edition that I thought it deserving of a mention. It’s the first in a series of folk-tale inspired fantasy novels that are suitable for all ages and are already very popular in store. This version is a very stylish illustrated hardcover and well worth adding to any gift ideas list.
The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding
Release Date: Early Oct
This is a classic fantasy story, told in third person, with a magic sword, world saving quests and a group of reluctant heroes thrown together who seem by chance to have complimentary skills. Yep, been there, done that. So has Chris Wooding. That’s why his versions of classic tropes add a layer of mean to everything, which makes a very big and very interesting difference. Heroic and grimdark at the same time, great fun.