Pal Gwenda points out the online version of Locus’ Forthcoming Books list through next September and asks what we’re lusting after.
I’ve gone through the list and tried to pick out the top three each month, where “top three” is defined as “three I am most excited about reading”, which is not necessarily the same thing as “three I am predicting will be the best written”.
One thing I did notice about this is that I seem to read a lot of series fiction, despite my general pretense of disdain for “the trilogy as marketing device”–Ironically it’s often authors who impressed me with their stand alone fiction that I end up reading in series form. Just on the list below there’s Liz Williams, Elizabeth Knox, Michael Marshall (Smith), Justina Robson, and Karl Schroeder who hooked me with great standalones and now have me reading (and enjoying) their series.
If you disagree, feel free to tell me why, but I’m much more open to you telling me which things I should be interested in that I don’t know enough to know I should be, than to you telling me why the things I already know I’m interested in are things I shouldn’t be. If you can parse that sentence, then you’re welcome to comment. 🙂
Lists, with comments, after the jump.
- Powers, Tim • A Soul in a Bottle • (Subterranean Press, nva, hc)
- Stross, Charles • Missile Gap • (Subterranean Press, nva, hc)
- Williams, Tad • Rite • (Subterranean Press, cln, hc
Apparently next month is “all Subterranean Month”. I actually have all of these things pre-ordered in the most limited forms, so my booklust here will definitely be fulfilled.
A new Powers is always an event, even if it’s a short one, so that’s the clear winner for the month, but I am also interested in seeing how Williams works at the short length, and seeing Stross do the Cold War + Creepy thing should also be good.
- Friedman, C. S. • Feast of Souls • (DAW, hc)
- Moore, Christopher • You Suck: A Love Story • (HarperCollins/Morrow, hc)
- Park, Paul • The White Tyger • (Tor, hc)
- Vance, Jack, edited by Terry Dowling & Jonathan Strahan • The Jack Vance Treasury • (Subterranean Press, cln, hc)
I couldn’t get down to three for this month. Clearly the Vance collection will be the Most Awesome, but new Moore is always “read on the day it gets here”, and the Park is the third in the highly-enjoyed-by-me Roumania series. And then there’s Friedman, who seems to much less beloved by the genre masses than by me. I’ve really enjoyed all of her stuff–the standalones more than the fantasy series she did–and so any new work is welcome here.
- Duncan, Hal • Ink • (Macmillan UK, hc)
- Hill, Joe • Heart-Shaped Box • (HarperCollins/Morrow, hc)
- Williams, Liz • Bloodmind • (Macmillan/Tor, tpb)
The second month of 2007 is a big month for second books of various kinds. Duncan’s second part of the Book Of All Things should be a very enjoyable followup to Vellum. Joe Hill’s second book (but, I think, his first novel) should be an interesting followup to 20th Century Ghosts. (I will actually probably not get the book this month, since I’m getting the Subterranean edition, but who knows.) And Bloodmind is the second book in a series that started with Darkland. Like everything else of Williams’ I enjoyed Darkland, and I’ve been waiting for this once since I finished it–at least I have been since I got over the rude surprise of finding out it wasn’t a standalone novel.
- Banks, Iain • The Steep Approach to Garbadale • (Little Brown UK, hc)
- Knox, Elizabeth • Dreamquake • (Farrar Straus Giroux, nvl-ya, hc)
- Larbalestier, Justine • Magic’s Child • (Penguin/Razorbill, nvl-ya, hc)
One of my SF-reading high points of the last few years was finally getting around to reading Banks’ Culture novels. This lead to reading all of his other works. I know nothing about The Steep Approach To Garbadale, but I don’t really need to–I already know I’ll be getting it.
The other two are both books by Southern Hemisphere writers (one Kiwi, one Aussie), both books by female writers, both nominally YA books, and both the concluding books in their respective series. I’m quite looking forward to both.
- MacLeod, Ken • The Execution Channel • (Little Brown UK/Orbit, hc)
- Marshall, Michael • The Intruders • (HarperCollins UK, hc)
- Steele, Allen • Spindrift • (Ace, hc)
The Marshall was an easy pick–I’ve been a fan since he was a writer of slightly mad science fiction and went by the name Michael Marshall Smith. His more mainstream thrillers, written as Michael Marshall, have been fun–especially for the muted SF elements within them. I don’t know anything about The Intruders, but I’ll assume since it’s being written as Marshall that it will be a thriller. I’m still excited about it.
MacLeod is generally good for some well thought-out hard SF, and his politics are more appealing to me than many other authors, so that’s always interesting.
I honestly think that Steele is still coasting on how happy his first few paperback originals made me. Space bikers doing orbital construction work while listening to the Grateful Dead apparently get you a really long free pass.
- Crowley, John • Endless Things • (Small Beer Press, hc)
- Duncan, Dave • Mother of Lies • (Tor, hc)
- Robson, Justina • Selling Out • (Orion/Gollancz, hc/tpb)
The final Aegypt series book! I repeat: IT’S HERE. Good on ya to Gavin and Kelly for snatching this one up for Small Beer.
Robson’s Selling Out is the sequel to the well-received by me Keeping It Real, and is thus automatically on the list.
Dave Duncan is not one of the writers you hear the hip kids buzzing about, but for a good story, well told, he always delivers. This is the sequel to Children of Chaos. At some point I need to spend some time tracking down the parts of his back catalogue that I haven’t read.
- Effinger, George Alec • A Thousand Deaths • (Golden Gryphon Press, cln, hc)
- Hughes, Matthew • The Commons • (Red Deer Press/Robert J. Sawyer Books, tpb)
I only see two in June: one is the collection of eight works by the much-missed Effinger, including the entire novel The Wolves Of Memory, which I have wanted to read for quite a while. Apparently it’s the one Effinger felt was best written.
I also always enjoy Matthew Hughes, although I’m starting to wish he would branch out more from his role as Canadian Jack Vance cover band. I mean, he’s a REALLY GOOD Vance cover band, but I’ll be happier when it’s his voice with lots of Vancean influence, rather than him trying to be Vance.
- Baker, Kage • Sons of Heaven • (Tor, hc)
- Bull, Emma • Territory • (Tor, hc)
- Gentle, Mary • Ilario • (HarperCollins/Eos, hc)
I believe I have made my feelings on The Territory clear.
Sons of Heaven is supposed to be the final Company novel. Not only do I want the answers, but I’ll probably have to reread the entire series (including the shorts) in one shot when this does come out.
Illario is apparently set in the same milieu as Ash, which impressed me, so I’ll look forward to that. Thank God I didn’t just write off Gentle after the painful badness of Grunts–I would have missed so much.
- Gibson, William • Spook Country • (Putnam, hc)
- Schroeder, Karl • Queen of Candesce • (Tor, hc)
- Willis, Connie • A Connie Willis Treasury • (Subterranean Press, cln, hc)
I don’t have to explain the Connie Willis, surely.
I’m still generally floored by Gibson as well, so no need to explain there.
Karl Schroeder always makes me think, and when you combine that with space swashbuckling, you get a load of goodness. This is the sequel to Sea of Suns, which was delightful.
- Le Guin, Ursula K. • Powers • (Harcourt, hc)
- Pierce, Tamora • Beka Cooper: Bloodhound • (Random House, nvl-ya, hc)
- Wolfe, Gene • Pirate Freedom • (Tor, hc)
The Wolfe should go without saying, of course. He’s a genius.
The Le Guin is the final part of the Books Of The Western Shore (Gifts, Voices), so I’d like to see how that wraps up.
Despite the fact that she is apparently crap at writing comic books, I generally like Pierce’s YA fiction, despite the fact that I am both older and more male than the target audience, so I’ll do plan to read her new one as well.
