Release Week: 12 July 2022
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Release Week: 12 July 2022
Posted on 2022-07-12 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn
IT'S A DISCWORLD AFTER ALL:
- New editions of Discworld are coming our way in huge batches and the first handful of these is out, with the "Rincewind" storyline (The Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Eric, Sourcery, and Interesting Times) going first, read by Colin Morgan, Peter Serafinowicz, and Bill Nighy. Already some subreddit discussion here!
PICKS:
What Moves the Dead By: T. Kingfisher, read by Avi Roque for Macmillan -- "When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania. What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves. Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all."
The Extractionist By: Kimberly Unger, read by Justis Bolding for Recorded Books -- "Elias McKay is an Extractionist. As an “Xwire” with a head full of experimental mites, he specializes in pulling minds out of virtual space and getting them back into their bodies intact. He’s one of the best. But he’s fallen on hard times. After getting banned by the government from doing lucrative legal work due to a past indiscretion, McKay picks up slightly shady gigs wherever he can find them—a far cry from his former glory days. His latest job takes him to Singapore for a quick extraction of a corporate bigwig, but things go from bad to worse when hired muscle, secret black ops agents, and hackers attack him and his client."
We Lie Here: A Thriller By: Rachel Howzell Hall, read by Alaska Jackson for Brilliance -- "A woman’s trip home reveals frightening truths in a twisty novel of murder and family secrets by the New York Times bestselling author of And Now She’s Gone and These Toxic Things."
Half Outlaw By: Alex Temblador, read by Luzma Ortiz for Blackstone -- "Looking for the missing half of herself, a woman goes on one last ride with the motorcycle club that raised her and gets more than she bargained for."
Wake the Bones: A Novel By: Elizabeth Kilcoyne, read by Bailey Carr for Macmillan -- "The sleepy little farm that Laurel Early grew up on has awakened. The woods are shifting, the soil is dead under her hands, and her bone pile just stood up and walked away. After dropping out of college, all she wanted was to resume her life as a tobacco hand and taxidermist and try not to think about the boy she can’t help but love. Instead, a devil from her past has returned to court her, as he did her late mother years earlier. Now, Laurel must unravel her mother’s terrifying legacy and tap into her own innate magic before her future and the fate of everyone she loves is doomed."
Sirens & Muses: A Novel By: Antonia Angress, read by Rebecca Lowman for Random House -- "Four artists are drawn into a web of rivalry and desire at an elite art school and on the streets of New York in this magnificent debut for fans of Writers & Lovers and The Goldfinch."
The Mermaid of Black Conch: A Novel By: Monique Roffey, read by Ben Onwukue and Vivienne Acheampong for Random House -- "n 1976, David is fishing off the island of Black Conch when he comes upon a creature he doesn’t expect: a mermaid by the name of Aycayia. Once a beautiful young woman, she was cursed by jealous wives to live in this form for the rest of her days. But after the mermaid is caught by American tourists, David rescues and hides her away in his home, finding that, once out of the water, she begins to transform back into a woman."
Upgrade: A Novel By: Blake Crouch, read by Henry Levya for Random House -- "At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little...sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep. But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways. The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy. Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost."
Into the Mist By: P.C. Cast, read by: Lorelei King for Dreamscape -- "The world as we know it ends when an attack on the U.S. unleashes bombs that deliver fire and biological destruction. Along with sonic detonations and devastating earthquakes, the bombs have also brought the green mist. If breathed in, it is deadly to all men—but alters the body chemistry of many women, imbuing them with superhuman abilities."
August Kitko and the Mechas from Space By: Alex White, read by Hayden Bishop for Orbit -- "When an army of giant robot AIs threatens to devastate Earth, a virtuoso pianist becomes humanity's last hope in this bold, lightning-paced, technicolor space opera series from the author of A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe."
Crying in the Bathroom: A Memoir By: Erika L. Sánchez, read by the author for Penguin -- "From the New York Times bestselling author of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, an utterly original memoir-in-essays that is as deeply moving as it is hilarious."
Death and the Conjuror By: Tom Mead, read by Jake Ruddle for HighBridge -- "A magician-turned-sleuth in pre-war London solves three impossible crimes."
Assemble Artifacts Short Story Magazine: Summer 2022 read by Ron Butler, Natasha Soudek, Erica Sullivan, Kirsten Potter, Zoë Watkins, Erin Bennet, and Grover Gardner for Blackstone -- "A short story magazine that assembles a thrilling new mix of stories from genres including horror, science-fiction, comedy, and suspense. Buried at the heart of every story in the magazine is a unique artifact, an object that has inspired our storytellers to create a big idea, an irresistible question, a new immersive world, or a sense of wonder."
SERIES WATCH:
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy: A Monk and Robot Book, Book 2 By: Becky Chambers, read by Em Grosland for Macmillan -- "After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home. They hope to find the answers they seek while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe."
The Hedge Witch: Threadneedle, Book 2 By: Cari Thomas, read by Gabrielle Nellis-Pain for Harper -- "Rowan is visiting her aunt—Winne the hedge witch—in the Welsh countryside, to get back to nature and hone her skills, as well as taking a break from her annoying sisters and enjoying some peace and quiet. However, Rowan soon comes to realise that hedges are a serious business and this isn’t quite the opportunity to rest and escape she thought it might be."
Ymir: Violet Wars, Book 2 By: Rich Larson, read by Alan Medcroft for Orbit -- "Yorick never wanted to see his homeworld again. He left Ymir two decades ago, with half his face blown off and no love lost for the place. But when his employer's mines are threatened by a vicious alien machine, Yorick is shipped back home to hunt it."
Into the Narrowdark: Last King of Osten Ard, Book 3 By: Tad Williams, read by Andrew Wincott for Penguin -- "The High Throne of Erkynland is tottering, its royal family divided and diminished."
Firetide Coast: The Monstrous Heart Trilogy, Book 3 By: Claire McKenna, read by Elaine Claxton for Harper -- "The epic conclusion to the Monstrous Heart Trilogy; a magical tale of intrigue on dark waters and a love story for the ages. The perfect gothic gaslamp fantasy—ideal for fans of V.E. Schwab and China Mieville."
Winter Work: A Claire Saylor Series Novel By: Dan Fesperman, read by Dan Fesperman for Random House -- "An exhilarating spy thriller inspired by a true story about the precious secrets up for grabs just after the fall of the Berlin Wall—from the acclaimed author of The Cover Wife."
Chrysalis: A Thriller: Dr. Jeremy Logan, Book 6 By: Lincoln Child, read by Johnathan McClain for Random House -- "Centered on a dominant tech company — Chrysalis — whose groundbreaking virtual reality technology is redefining the way we live...and possibly introducing a catastrophic danger to the world."
BACKLIST WATCH:
The Book of Dreams: The Demon Princes Series, Book 5 By: Jack Vance (1981), read by Stefan Rudnicki for Skyboat -- "Five intergalactic criminal masterminds raid the tranquil world of Mount Pleasant, leaving behind only ruin and slaughter—and the orphaned child Kirth Gersen, who comes to manhood swearing to take bloody revenge. Now Gersen roams the galaxy, bringing vengeance to the Demon Princes one by one, in Jack Vance's classic series of hard-boiled space opera."
A Time of Omens: Westlands Series, Book 2 By: Katharine Kerr (1992), read by Ruth Urquhart for Tantor -- "In Deverry, the volatile history of humanity continues as a dashing young king journeys to his throne in disguise, fulfilling an ancient prophecy. In the Westlands the exiled lord Rhodry travels anonymously as a silver dagger—a mercenary—as he did in his youth, following a destiny that will take him from the grassy plains of the elven peoples to the hills and towns of Deverry, where dark forces are gathering."
A Hard Day's Knight: Nightside Series, Book 11 By: Simon R. Green (2011), read by Dan Calley for Tantor -- "London Proper. It's been years since I've been back-and there are good reasons for that...."
INDIE WATCH:
- Soul Fraud: The Debt Collection, Book 1 By: Andrew Givler, read by Michael Mola for Sad Seagull -- "Matthew Carver has a terrible life. Seriously--it's awful. It is so bad that Dan the Demon is shocked when Matt turns down his infernal offer: 10 years of a blissful life in exchange for his soul. But Dan is a salesman behind on his quota, and his demonic managers are running out of patience. He forges Matt's signature on the dotted line, stealing his soul and thrusting him into a supernatural world he never knew existed."
MOST MISSING:
The Long List Anthology Volume 7: More Stories From the Hugo Award Nomination List edited by David Steffen -- "Every year, supporting members of WorldCon nominate their favorite stories first published during the selected year to determine the top five in each category for the final Hugo Award ballot. This is an anthology collecting more of the stories from that nomination list to reach more readers."
Brian W. Aldiss (Modern Masters of Science Fiction) by Paul Kincaid (University of Illinois Press) -- "Brian W. Aldiss wrote classic science fiction novels like Report on Probability A and Hothouse. Billion Year Spree, his groundbreaking study of the field, defined the very meaning of SF and delineated its history. Yet Aldiss’s discomfort with being a guiding spirit of the British New Wave and his pursuit of mainstream success characterized a lifelong ambivalence toward the genre."