grant
Feedback by Mira Grant
Release Date: Mid Oct
Mira Grant’s Newsflesh trilogy was one of the more popular from the recent zombie fiction phenomenon. Basically, it follows a group of reporters in a post zombie outbreak world who are trying to get to the bottom of why it happened while also exposing the corruption and conspiracies of those who seek to gain from it. Feedback is set during the early part of the series and is almost like an alternate version of the first book. It’s got different characters, but they’re basically doing the same thing. It really feels like Grant had a bunch of variant ideas and decided to present them as a parallel story. That said, you really should read the original Newsflesh trilogy before reading this one because there are a few casual references to events from it in Feedback that would be suspense destroying spoilers if you haven’t. I personally think that the bubble has pretty much burst on the whole zombie thing, but if you were a fan of the original series then this is a chance to go back to that world.
arnopp
The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp
Release Date: Early Oct
It’s no secret that I like strange books, so Jason Arnopp’s creepy new thriller The Last Days of Jack Sparks is right up my alley. It starts with journalist Jack Sparks, who is dead. Well, he’s dead now because he died while writing the book that you’re reading, though if you’ve just started it then you’re at the part where he’s still alive, if you follow me. Anyway, he’s investigating occult phenomenon and has been pretty free on social media with his opinions on the occult and those who believe in it. After taking to twitter to mock an exorcism he witnessed, Jack finds himself at the centre of a surprisingly large social media storm. This is nothing new for him, whether they think he’s a hack or a rebel, people talk about Jack. Then a chilling thirty second film appears on his youtube channel. Jack claims not to know anything about the film and that it wasn’t him who posted it. A few days later, Jack is dead. For the first time, files and notes found among his papers and affects reveal the terrifying truth of his last few days. What you believe is up to you.
fitzek
The Nightwalker by Sebastian Fitzek
Release Date:  Early Oct
The new thriller by German author Sebastian Fitzekhas all of the strange and disturbing qualities that have made him a best seller in Europe. Like his previous books it is a stand-alone novel and also like his earlier work, seems to straddle the crime and horror genres. The protagonist Leon, is an insomniac who when he does sleep is prone to sleepwalking incidents. In the past these nocturnal wanderings turned violent, and he would wake with no memory of them. But that was years ago and through psychiatric treatment he thought he had been cured. Then his wife disappears from their flat under strange circumstances and he begins to wonder if his old condition has returned. Determined to find out for sure he attaches a motion activated camera to his forehead to capture what, if anything is happening while he sleeps. What he sees recorded on it the next morning is almost beyond believing, and leads him into a dark mad world that threatens not only his sanity but his life as well.
macinnes
Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
Release Date:  Early Oct
This is one of those books that no-one is entirely sure about. It could appeal to readers of science fiction, the creepy end of horror, or folks who like the surreal and magical realism. It’s a genre defying book, and that makes it something that I had to have for the store. It begins somewhere in South America, with a man who disappears from a restaurant during a family dinner. The semi retired inspector who takes the case soon discovers that there is something very strange about the case. For a start, the company the missing man worked for doesn’t actually appear to do anything and his colleagues also report seeing a variety of strange physical symptoms is the days before his disappearance. A forensic scientist working on the case discovers some curious micro-organisms that seem related to the case and as the investigator tries to recreate the last movements of the missing man he finds himself drawn away from the city and into the deep rainforest where wonders and terror awaits.
new scientist
The New Scientist Origin of (Almost) Everything
Release Date:  Early Oct
So it’s probably a tad early to be talking about gift type books, but this one is so cool that I felt I had to share it. Infographics are all over the internet, clever visual representations of complex ideas or data are being used to explain all sorts of things. This new book by the editor of New Scientist magazine uses infographics and blocks of light but informative text to explain all sorts of aspects of the world. These are the answers to questions, some of which you may have asked, and others that would never have occurred to you. When did we start drinking alcohol? When did we start living in cities? Why is checking your earwax a good idea before buying deodorant? Alongside these are the sorts of things you would expect, explaining the formation of planets, stars and black holes, but with reference to the latest ideas and research. It’s 250 pages of beautifully illustrated and very readable cool science and trivia. Perfect for early teens and up.
viskic
Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic
Release Date:  Early Oct
This was the winner of the 2016 Australian Crime Writers Association Ned Kelly Award for best first novel. We’ve also got a bunch of signed copies at the moment thanks to Emma’s recent visit to Perth for the CrimeScene conference. Set in and around Melbourne it begins, as these things so often do, with a murder. Caleb Zelic, responds to a message from his friend only to find him dead when he arrives. The only clue is in the text of the message  ‘SCOTT AFTER ME. COME MY HOUSE. URGENT. DON’T TALK ANYONE’. The police have no idea who ‘Scott’ could be and neither does Caleb, but he’s determined to find out. Profoundly deaf since childhood, Caleb is very good at watching and paying attention and with the help of a troubled ex-cop, sets out to find out who killed his friend. Without realising, he’s about to pull on a thread of conspiracy and corruption that will put everyone he cares about in danger.
aryan
Chaosmage by Stephen Aryan
Release Date:  Mid Oct
The third book in the Age of Darkness series, a series that has an unusual structure. While the events in the books are set in the same world and follow chronologically, each book has different characters. While I suppose that they could be read out of order or as stand-alone books, each book assumes the reader has read the earlier ones. Each of the books also has an ending of sorts, while larger events in the world play out in the background. I’ve got no confirmation at this point, but I imagine that there will be more books in this series. This is a world of high magic and war, this time with the addition of zombies (sort of). Voechenka is a city struggling in the aftermath of the Battlemage war. By day the citizens try to survive as best they can with what little resources they have, while at night they defend what is left of their walls from a siege manned by their own risen dead. The fall of the city is only a matter of time, and it’s survival depends on an unlikely trio. Tammy, who has a clue that may unlock the secret behind why the dead have risen. Zannah, a war criminal who is seeking atonement. And Balfruss, who is a traveller, a scholar and like those who are responsible for the current state of the world, a Battlemage.  
belcher
Nightwise by R S Belcher
Release Date:  Mid Oct
Some of you may recognise R S Belcher as the author of a pair of supernatural ‘Wild West’ books last year. With this one he breaks away from that and offers his own contribution to contemporary urban fantasy. This is set in a pretty magic heavy modern world with a morally ambiguous protagonist. Latham Ballard is not a nice guy, but according to rumour he does wield some serious magic. Stories of him raising the dead at age ten and stealing the Philosopher’s Stone back in 1999 might be true, or they might not, but everyone seems to agree that messing with Latham is a bad idea. A promise to a dying friend has him on the trail of an escaped Serbian war criminal, Dusan Slorzack. Unfortunately, in addition to being thoroughly evil, Dusan has a bunch of contacts in the normal and supernatural world, putting him almost beyond reach. Almost is not the same as completely however and Latham is determined to see this through regardless of the personal cost. Since it looks like Dusan has found a way to escape the Illuminati and even the devil himself, the price to keep his promise might me something that even the great Latham Ballard can’t afford. 
chiang
Arrival by Ted Chiang 
Release Date: Late Oct
This is one of those situations that readers tend to hate, and that make booksellers really important. The heads up on this one is that it’s not new. It’s actually a re-issue of Chiang‘s 2002 collection Stories of Your Life and Others that has been retitledArrival to coincide with the new film of the same name based on one of the stories. That said, it’s a collection that deserves a bit of attention since despite winning multiple awards for his short fiction there are still quite a few people who are unaware of his work. The story the movie is based on is Story of Your Life and is about first contact with an alien race whose different perception of time is present in their language. As an earth linguist tries to find a way to communicate with them, she finds that the closer she gets to understanding the more her own awareness of time changes. Other stories include a Babylonian tower holding up the sky over a flat earth and a world where angelic visitations are common and terrifying and yet another where there it is possible to modify your brain to become immune to the effects of beauty. It’s a clever and strange collection and well worth a look if you’re a fan of short fiction. 
polansky
A City Dreaming by Daniel Polansky
Release Date:  Mid Oct
The fact than I’m a fan of Daniel Polansky‘s books is no secret. I’ve been recommending his Low Town fantasy series for years and have featured both of his Empty Throne books in newsletters and on the website. So it’s not really a surprise that I’m excited by his new book A City Dreaming. But it’s more than just my fondness for his work at play here. This is a great book, even if you’ve never read anything by him before. Unlike his previous books, this is urban fantasy and along with shifting the genre he’s writing in Polansky is also trying something different in terms of style. Rather than a straight linear narrative, this is a collection of linked short pieces that each tell their own story while also contributing to an ongoing plot that runs through the book. Primarily it’s about two things, the City of New York and its magical underbelly and M, one of its residents. M is a bit of a layabout, possessed of limited magical ability and even less scruples. He’s someone who’d rather avoid trouble, which is a shame since he seems to be a magnet for it. His current situation is about to send him all over the city, use every bit of magic and call on every favour owed to keep his home going the way of Atlantis. Along the way he’ll encounter the literal wolves of Wall Street, drug addled divinities, hipster zombies and uncover the utterly unhelpful truth about why there are so many coffee shops around lately. 
star wars
Star Wars Propaganda by Pablo Hidalgo
Release Date:  Late Oct
There’s a conundrum at the centre of the Star Wars universe that’s never really been addressed. There’s this apparently evil Empire, run by shadowy nasties with various special powers. Blowing up planets with massive, though somewhat fragile, moon-sized weapons. And everywhere is the humble Storm Trooper, ready at a moments notice to charge in, shoot wide and die an ignominious though often mercifully swift death. Since only the earliest Storm Troopers were clones, it has to be asked ‘Where does the current crop come from?’, and given the fairly poor prospects for surviving any kind of combat ‘Why do they join up in the first place?’. The answer is simple, and in this book you will find it. Imperial marketing at its finest, propaganda and recruitment posters from throughout the Empire. Images of courage and patriotism to stir the blood and send brave young men and women eagerly into the dismembering path of those light sabre wielding Jedi rebels. Over a hundred pages of the propagandists craft from all over the galaxy, many with the back story of the posters creation and the artists willing (or sometimes unwilling) contribution to the glory of the Empire. Includes 10 removable posters that you can use to show your friends and family (and any nearby secret police) that you’re a loyal citizen of the Empire!  
nightvale
Mostly Void, Partially Stars
The Great Glowing Coils of the Universe
Release Date:  Early Oct
Welcome to Night Vale is the quirky podcast that turned into an international phenomenon. On the surface, it’s a local radio show from a ordinary, sleepy little desert town and features a variety of its citizens. It becomes apparent very quickly however, that Night Vale is like no other place and that we’re in the grip of something strangely compelling made up of roughly equal parts high weirdness and humour. Last year saw the release of a successful spin off book from the podcast and an Australian tour of the live show. This month we’re getting a two volume collection of the scripts for the first 49 episodes of the podcast. Full of haunting monologues, surreal advertisements and the heartfelt but disturbingly commonplace eulogies for dead interns, this is must for fans of the series. In addition to the scripts themselves, the books also include thoughts on the series by its creators and cast as well as excerpts from the live shows.