New Hardcovers: Aug 27-Sep 3, 2012

by Richard Kadrey
A Sandman Slim Novel. "Getting out of hell is just the beginning. What do you do after you've escaped Hell, gone back, uncovered the true nature of God, and then managed to become the new Lucifer? Well, if you're James Stark, you have to figure out how to run Hell while also trying to get back out of it . . . again. Plus there's the small matter of surviving. Because everyone in Heaven, Hell, and in between wants to be the fastest gun in the universe, and the best way to do so is to take down Lucifer, a.k.a. James Stark. And it's not like being in L.A. is any better—a serial-killer ghost is running wild and Stark's angelic alter ego is hiding among the lost days of time with a secret cabal who can rewrite reality. Starting to care for people and life again is a real bitch for a stone-cold killer." Harper Voyager, 416 pages, Aug 28.

by Brandon Sanderson
"Stephen Leeds, AKA 'Legion,' is a man whose unique mental condition allows him to generate a multitude of personae: hallucinatory entities with a wide variety of personal characteristics and a vast array of highly specialized skills. As the story begins, Leeds and his 'aspects' are drawn into the search for the missing Balubal Razon, inventor of a camera whose astonishing properties could alter our understanding of human history and change the very structure of society. The action ranges from the familiar environs of America to the ancient, divided city of Jerusalem. Along the way, Sanderson touches on a formidable assortment of complex questions: the nature of time, the mysteries of the human mind, the potential uses of technology, and the volatile connection between politics and faith." Subterranean, 88 pages, Aug 31.

by Mike Resnick
"Resnick's Menagerie is a collection of previously published short fiction by Mike Resnick, all of which involve animals, whether real or imaginary: from dogs to werewolves, and from elephants to dragons. The collection includes eighteen stories; of them, one winner of the Hugo Award, four nominees for the Hugo Award, one nominee for the Nebula Award, and two winners of the American Dog Writers Award for Best Short Story, in different years." Silverberry Press, 304 pages, Sep 2.

by Alex Raymond, Dean Mullaney (Editor)
"The "Definitive Flash Gordon & Jungle Jim" will present every Sunday strip by Raymond from both classic strips together for the first time, in the oversized 12" x 16" champagne edition format. Created by Raymond in 1934, "Flash Gordon" is arguably the most famous science fiction comic strip of all time. It follows the adventures of the title character and his companions - Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov - as they leave Earth to discover the source of meteors that are threatening the planet, and get waylaid on the planet Mongo, where they battle the evil Ming the Merciless. The three Earthlings encounter one strange race after another, from the water-breathing Shark-Men of the Undersea Kingdom, to the winged Hawkmen, to the ferocious Tusk-Men. All the while, Flash finds himself in the arms of one beautiful woman after another - much to Dale Arden's chagrin." IDW Publishing, 176 pages, Aug 28.

by Ted Naifeh, Warren Wucinich
Courtney Crumrin, Volume 2. "When the night things of Courtney's community start causing trouble, it's up to the girl to find out why. The town's powerful coven of mystics thinks it knows who to blame, but Uncle Aloysius doesn't believe their simple explanation. His misgivings start Courtney down a twisted path that leads to the true mastermind behind all the horror! But does Courtney stand a chance against a being that powerful and manipulative?" Oni Press, 144 pages, Aug 29.

by Tom Lloyd
Twilight Reign 5. "After his pyrrhic victory at Moorview, King Emin learns the truth about the child Ruhen—but he is powerless to act. Instead, he must mourn his dead friends while his enemy promises the beleaguered peoples of the Land a new age of peace. The past year has taken a grave toll: the remaining Menin troops seek revenge upon Emin, daemons freely walk the Land, and Ruhen's power is increasing daily. And yet, a glimmer of hope remains. There is one final, desperate chance for victory: a weapon, so terrible only a dead man could wield it, and only a madman would try. But if they do not grasp this opportunity, King Emin and his allies will be obliterated as Ruhen's millennia-old plans are about to bear terrible fruit. If his power continues unchecked, Ruhen will achieve total dominion—and not just over mankind, but over the Gods themselves. One way or another, the future of the Land will be decided now—written in the blood of men." Gollancz, 448 pages, Aug 30.

by Mike Resnick, Steven H Silver (Editor), Vincent di Fate (Illustrator)
"Between 1989 and 2012, a span of 23 years, the members of the World Science Fiction Society have seen fit to honor Mike Resnick with 36 Hugo nominations, 30 for his fiction, more than any other science fiction author. The 30 nominated short stories, including the five winning tales, are included in this volume. As you read through these stories, you'll find Theodore Roosevelt attempting to bring civilization to the Congo...and to London. you'll return, with some regularity, to Africa, whether a mythical version existing on a terraformed asteroid or the historical birthplace of humanity along the Olduvai Gorge. Love and loss are depicted whether for a missing spouse, an old friend, an author one has never met, or a copper-skinned Martian princess. Walk in the dusty footsteps of Koriba or see what it is like to live with Dr. Frankenstein, his monster, and Igor. Like the fables which are embedded in so many of these tales, these stories will entertain and make you think. Without seeming to, Resnick adds layers of depth to even the most innocuous-seeming story. And when you are finished, you'll find yourself thinking about all they have to say." ISFiC Press, 660 pages, Aug 30.

by James P. Blaylock, Jon Foster (Illustrator)
"A skeletal hand clutching an iron key lies hidden within a mermaid's wooden sarcophagus; a hand-drawn map is stolen from beneath the floorboards an old museum; an eccentric sleeping inventor dreams of a passage to the center of the hollow earth, and by dreaming of the passage, brings it into being.... Pursued by kidnappers thinking of riches and murder, Katherine Perkins and her two cousins, junior members of The Guild of St. George, must descend into the depths of the hollow earth in order to return the Sleeper to his ancestral home on the shores of Lake Windermere. But to awaken him might mean the end of his dream, the closing of the Windermere Passage, and the three intrepid explorers marooned in a savage land forgotten by time itself.... Set in the world envisioned in James Blaylock's The Digging Leviathan." Subterranean, 224 pages, Aug 31.

by Brian Aldiss
"An Exile on Planet Earth presents a selection of Aldiss’s essays that look back at the landmark events in his life. Writing with eloquence and raw honesty, Aldiss reveals unexpected connections between his life and literary work. From boarding school and boyhood summers spent alone at the shore comes the lonely boy playing on the beach in Walcot. The bitter break-up of Aldiss’s first marriage is revealed to be the inspiration behind the post-apocalyptic Greybeard, in which a nuclear accident results in a world without children. Exile is a recurring theme throughout Aldiss’s work, and the essays shed light on the ways in which he identified with this theme and constructed elaborate metaphors informed by it. Also included is Aldiss’s introduction to H. G. Wells’s War of the Worlds and an imagined conversation with English novelist Thomas Hardy." Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, 179 pages, Sep 1.

by E M Forster
Collectors Library. ""The Machine Stops" was first published in November of 1909 and is the one science fiction story in this collection, pre-dating both "Brave New World" and "1984". It tells of a dystopian future - 'the machine' has taken over the lives of men and it has an uncomfortable resonance today when so much human activity depends on computers. Forster referred to his stories as 'fantasies' and they contrast the freedom of paganism with the restraints of English civilization, the personal, sensual delights of the body with the impersonal, inhibiting rules imposed by society. Rich in irony and alive with sharp observations on the surprises life holds, the stories often feature violent events, discomforting coincidences. This volume includes all twelve stories published during Forster's lifetime." Crw Publishing, 360 pages, Sep 1.

by Brian Froud, Wendy Froud
"Not since Brian Froud’s conceptual design work with Jim Henson on the classic films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth has he created a faerie world with such imagination, dimension, depth, and detail. Trolls features new and classic work by both Brian and his wife, Wendy, woven together along with artifacts and symbols of the natural world to create a fascinating revelation about the world of trolls. The book explores trolls and troll culture, revealing their philosophies, their home life, and their world attitudes through their tales, mythology, and archaeology. Trolls affirms that trolls are real, that they have lived and are living now. The texture of the world and the deeply immersive, cinematic images will appeal to the legions of fantasy—and Froud—fans." Abrams, 144 pages, Sep 1.

by Kevin J. Anderson, Neil Peart
"A remarkable collaboration that is unprecedented in its scope and realization, this exquisitely wrought novel represents an artistic project between the bestselling science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson and the multiplatinum rock band Rush. The newest album by Rush, Clockwork Angels, sets forth a story in Neil Peart’s lyrics that has been expanded by him and Anderson into this epic novel. In a young man’s quest to follow his dreams, he is caught between the grandiose forces of order and chaos. He travels across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy with lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life. The mind-bending story is complemented with rich paintings by the five-time Juno Award winner for Best Album Design, Hugh Syme." ECW Press, 304 pages, Sep 3.