Sad Goodbye

As you might have noticed “Scrying the Fantastic” has not been updated in a while, which for a blog that posts timely accounts of the newest releases is never a good sign. Alas, this is one of those ‘we need to talk’ posts. And we do need to talk, dear readers. First of all, thank you for reading, sticking around and following the blog. We appreciate your support in these early stages, but “Scrying the Fantastic” will no longer be updated.

The Justice League of Bloggers has disbanded. Ominous and sad, but what can one do, when life happens. Shortly after we started, several of our teammates needed to step down, because they had to take care of things off-line. Because time runs short and almost everyone has his or her blog and commitments online, we couldn’t properly organize and fill in the gaps. Soon we were faced with the tough decision to forge on [stumbling, teetering and what not] or just admit that the timing was not right and we had not planned for life and its guerilla tactics.  

As summer creeps on and the individual to-do lists accumulate mass, we were forced to take on the second option. Yeah, it sucks. We had plans and ambitions. We also didn’t want to disappoint anyone, but alas as the [censored] poet says ‘crap happens’.

May 2010 Releases | Abaddon

Children's Crusade by Scott Andrews

Publisher:Abaddon
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-906735-53-1

Release Date: 13/05/2010
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic
Series/Stand Alone: Third novel in a trilogy

Publisher's Blurb: The orphaned children of post-Cull Britain have always been easy prey for gangs, cults and killers. But now something has changed. Organised teams are roaming the country, taking children from their homes and villages, spiriting them away into the night. Jane Crowther is willing to risk everything to rescue them, but to save the children, Jane must confront the woman she used to be, and the man who killed her. This is the third and final year of St Mark’s school for Boys and Girls. But it’s not going down without a fight!




Cold Warriors by Rebecca Levene

Publisher: Abaddon
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-906735-36-4

Release Date: 13/05/2010
Genre: Supernatural Thriller
Series/Stand Alone: First novel in a series

Publisher's Blurb: “You died twenty years ago. Welcome back...”

At the height of the Cold War, the British secret services formed the Hermetic Division, an agency charged with using supernatural means to defend the nation. Its primary mission: to find the mysterious Ragnarok artifacts, said to have the power to end the world. Now, two of the division’s most powerful agents are sent on the trail of a corrupt Russian oligarch who may possess the artefacts. Their perilous journey will take them across Europe and into the darkest reaches of the occult!

The Infernal Game: Cold Warriors is the start of an exciting new series of supernatural thrillers, mixing espionage with diabolism.

May 2010 Releases | Solaris

Circus of Sins by Nathasa Rhodes

Publisher: Solaris
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-906735-72-2

Release Date: 17/05/2010
Genre: Supernatural Thriller
Series/Stand Alone: Third novel in a series

Publisher's Blurb:

When young Hunter recruit Kayla Steele is bitten by a werewolf, she thinks it’s the end of her world. However, little does she know that the real end of the world is not far off. Master vampire, Harlequin, has made a deal with the devil, and plans to commit the ultimate sin by killing an angel and triggering the Third War in Heaven... which could wipe out mankind forever. Kalya must join forces with her ultimate enemies, the werewolves, in order to stave off Armageddon and save the man she loves from the clutches of Hell – or die trying.

The Noise Within by Ian Whates

Publisher: Solaris
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-906735-64-7

Release Date: 17/05/2010
Genre: Science Fiction
Series/Stand Alone: First in a series

Publisher's Blurb: On the brink of perfecting the long sought-after human/AI interface, Philip Kaufman finds his world thrown into turmoil as a scandal from the past returns to haunt him and dangerous information falls into his hands. Pursued by assassins and attacked in his own home, he flees. Leyton, a government black-ops specialist, is diverted from his usual duties to hunt down the elusive pirate vessel The Noise Within, wondering all the while why this particular
freebooter is considered so important. Two lives collide in this stunning space-opera from novelist Ian Whates!

Irons in the Fire by Juliet E. McKena

Publisher: Solaris
Format: Paperback
ISBN:978-1-906735-82-1

Release Date: 13/05/2010
Genre: Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: First in a Series

Publisher's Blurb: The start of a brand new epic fantasy series from well known author Juliet McKenna. Irons In The Fire tells of political upheaval born of civil war in the country of Lescar. Carved out of the collapse of the Old Tormalin Empire, the land has long been laid waste by its rival dukes, while bordering nations look on with indifference or exploit its misery. A mismatched band of exiles and rebels are agreed that the time has come for change. Full of rich characters and high adventure, this trilogy marks the next stage in the career of this popular writer.

May 2010 Releases | Robinson Publishing

The Mammoth Book of Apocalyptic SF edited by Mike Ashley

Publisher: Robinson
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781849013055

Release Date: 27/05/2010
Genre: Science Fiction
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: Stories of the fall of civilisation, the destruction of the Earth and the end of the Universe itself
The last sixty years have been full of stories of one or other possible Armageddon, whether by nuclear war, plague, cosmic catastrophe or, more recently, global warming, terrorism, genetic engineering, AIDS and other pandemics. These stories, both pre- and post-apocalyptic, describe the fall of civilization, the destruction of the entire Earth, or the end of the Universe itself. Many of the stories reflect on humankind’s infinite capacity for self-destruction, but the stories are by no means all downbeat or depressing – one key theme explores what the aftermath of a cataclysm might be and how humans strive to survive.

May 2010 Releases | Tor UK/Pan Macmillan

Kraken by China Mieville

Publisher: Macmillan
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9780333989500

Release Date: 07/05/2010
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Thriller
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: A dark urban fantasy thriller from one of the all-time masters of the genre
Deep in the research wing of the Natural History Museum is a prize specimen, something that comes along much less often than once in a
lifetime: a perfect, and perfectly preserved, giant squid. But what does it mean when the creature suddenly and impossibly disappears?
For curator Billy Harrow it's the start of a headlong pitch into a London of warring cults, surreal magic, apostates and assassins. It might just be that the creature he's been preserving is more than a biological rarity: there are those who are sure it's a god.
A god that someone is hoping will end the world.

God Of Clocks by Alan Campbell

Publisher: Tor UK
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780330444781

Release Date: 07/05/2010
Genre: Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: Book 3 of the Deepgate Codex

Publisher's Blurb: 'One of Brit-fantasy's stars' - SFX
The gates to Hell have been opened, releasing unnatural creatures and threatening to turn the world into a killing field. In the middle, caught between warring gods and fallen angels, humanity finds itself pushed to the brink of extinction. Its only hope is the most unlikely of heroes . . .
Former assassin Rachel Hael has rejoined the blood-magician Mina Greene and her devious little dog Basilis on one last desperate mission to save the world from the grip of Hell. Carried in the jaw of a debased angel, they rush to the final defensive stronghold of the god of clocks – pursued all the while by the twelve arconites, the great iron-and-bone automatons controlled by King Menoa, the lord of the maze.
But the strange fortress of the god of clocks is unlike anything they could ever have expected. And now old enemies and new allies join in a battle whose outcome could end them all...

Childhood's End by Arthur C Clarke

Publisher: Tor UK
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780330514019

Release Date: 07/05/2010
Genre: Science Fiction
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: A reissue of an all-time science fiction classic
Earth has become a Utopia, guided by a strange unseen people from outer space whose staggering powers have eradicated war, cruelty, poverty and racial inequality. When the 'Overlords' finally reveal themselves, their horrific form makes little impression.
Then comes the sign that the Overlords have been waiting for. A child begins to dream strangely - and develops remarkable powers. Soon this happens to every child - and the truth of the Overlords' mission is finally revealed to the human race...

Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill

Publisher: Pan
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780330514965

Release Date: 21/05/2010
Genre: Horror
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: A spine chilling horror novel from a new British talent...
Some doors are better left closed . . .
In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And it’s been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.
A young American woman, Apryl, arrives at Barrington House. She's been left an apartment by her mysterious Great Aunt Lillian who died in strange circumstances. Rumours claim Lillian was mad. But her diary suggests she was implicated in a horrific and inexplicable event decades ago.
Determined to learn something of this eccentric woman, Apryl begins to unravel the hidden story of Barrington House. She discovers that a transforming, evil force still inhabits the building. And the doorway to Apartment 16 is a gateway to something altogether more terrifying . . .

May 2010 Releases | Penguin UK

The Complete Cosmiconics by Italo Calvino

Publisher: Penguin Classic
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780141189680

Release Date: 06/05/10
Genre: Classic
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: Enchanting stories about the evolution of the universe, with characters that are fashioned from mathematical formulae and cellular structures. They disport themselves among galaxies, experience the solidification of planets, move from aquatic to terrestrial existence, play games with hydrogen atoms - and have time for a love life.

'Naturally, we were all there, - old Qfwfq said, - where else could we have been? Nobody knew then that there could be space. Or time either: what use did we have for time, packed in there like sardines?'


Dracula (RED) by Bram Stoker

Publisher: Penguin Classic
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 97801194332

Release Date: 20/05/2010
Genre: Classic
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: Count Dracula's castle in Transylvania is a hellish world where night is day, pleasure is pain and the blood of the innocent is priceless. When the unsuspecting Jonathan Harker is summoned there to meet the count, he has no idea of the horrors that await him. Soon an epic battle begins, in which Jonathan must protect the living - including his beautiful fiancée Mina - from the gathering forces of the undead.

Books can change lives. Penguin Classics have inspired the imaginations of millions of readers over the world, transforming the way people think and feel forever. And now we have partnered with (RED) to bring you our selection of some of the best stories ever written, books are going to help save lives too.


And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer

Publisher: Penguin
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780141042138

Release Date: 27/05/10
Genre: Science Fiction
Series/Stand Alone: Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Part six of three

Publisher's Blurb: Arthur Dent's accidental association with that wholly remarkable book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has not been entirely without incident.

Arthur has travelled the length, breadth and depth of known, and unknown, space. He has stumbled forwards and backwards through time. He has been blown up, reassembled, cruelly imprisoned, horribly released and colourfully insulted more than is strictly necessary. And, of course, he has comprehensively failed to grasp the meaning of life, the universe and everything.

Arthur has, though, finally made it home to Earth. But that does not mean he has escaped his fate.

For Arthur's chances of getting his hands on a decent cuppa are evaporating along with the world's oceans. Because no sooner has he arrived than he finds out that Earth is about to be blown up . . . again.

May 2010 Releases | Headline Publishing Group

Wintercraft by Jenna Burtenshaw

Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780755370962

Release Date: 13/05/2010
Genre: Young Adult
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: Ten years ago Kate Winters' parents were taken by the High Council's wardens to help with the country's war effort. Now the wardens are back...and prisoners, including Kate's uncle Artemis, are taken south on the terrifying Night Train. Kate and her friend Edgar are hunted by a far more dangerous enemy. Silas Dane -- the High Council's most feared man -- recognises Kate as one of the Skilled; a rare group of people able to see through the veil between the living and the dead. His spirit was damaged by the High Council's experiments into the veil, and he's convinced that Kate can undo the damage and allow him to find peace. The knowledge Kate needs lies within Wintercraft -- a book thought to be hidden deep beneath the graveyard city of Fume. But the Night of Souls, when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, is just days away and the High Council have their own sinister plans for Kate and Wintercraft.

April 2010 Releases | Penguin UK

Demon Defenders: Playground Plague by Jake Lancing

Publisher: Puffin

Age: 8-12

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9780141324616

Release Date: 01/04/10

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher's Blurb: When another experiment goes disastrously wrong and the gang end up falling through the ceiling into the bathroom (where a shower-cap adorned Tabbris sits fuming at his young angel charges) the gang decide a change of leadership is required. Spit takes over and suddenly things seem to be going OK - trouble seems to be a distant memory. That is, until the gang's pet rat goes missing and the footprints in the fridge are bigger than any rat they've ever seen - or ever want to . . .

Angelology by Danielle Trussoni

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9780718155582

Release Date: 01/04/2010
ePub Release Date: 01/04/2010

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher's Blurb: The Nephilim were on the earth in those days Genesis 6:4. When Sister Evangeline finds mysterious correspondence between Mother Innocenta of the Saint Rose Convent and legendary philanthropist Abigail Rockefeller, it confirms Angels walked among us - and their descendants, the cruel Nephilim, still do. Indeed, the Nephilim are hunting for artefacts concealed by Abigail Rockefeller during the Second World War - objects that will ultimately allow them to enslave mankind - and have so far been prevented from reaching their apocalyptic goal by one, clandestine organisation: The Angelology Society. And if the Angelologists are to stand any chance of winning this new battle in the ages-old war, they must find the artefacts first. But their fate rests in the hands of innocent Sister Evangeline, who holds the key to unlocking Abigail Rockefeller's hiding places ...and whose own destiny may yet find her prey to the terrifying Nephilim army, with horrifying consequences for humanity.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

Publisher: Penguin

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9780141047553

Release Date: 15/04/2010

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher's Blurb: While clearing out her grandmother's cottage for sale, Connie Goodwin finds a hidden parchment inscribed with the name Deliverance Dane. And so begins the hunt to uncover the woman behind the name, a hunt that takes her back to Salem in 1692 ...and the infamous witchcraft trials. But nothing is entirely as it seems and when Connie unearths the existence of Deliverance's spell book, the Physick Book, the situation takes on a menacing edge as interested parties reveal their desperation to find this precious artefact at any cost. What secrets does the Physick Book contain? What magic is scrawled across its parchment pages? Connie must race to answer these questions - and reveal the truth about Salem's women - before an ancient family curse once more fulfils its dark and devastating prophecy...

April 2010 Releases | Newcon Press

Conflicts edited by Ian Whates

Publisher: Newcon Press
Format: Ltd Edition Hardback/Paperback
ISBN: Hardback: 9781907069109, Paperback: 9781907069116

Release Date: April 2010
Genre: Sci-Fi
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: A spaceship hurtles into the unknown carrying humanity’s last hope, but does it also carry the seeds of its own doom? The galaxy’s ultimate facilitator finds himself pursued by relentless enemies, while, of greater importance, there’s a puzzle to be solved. A trivial disagreement between two off-duty super soldiers out for some R&R escalates and escalates, eventually endangering an entire world. Thirteen tales of human striving, of ingenuity, brilliance, desperate action, violence, and resolution. Thirteen tales of Conflict, of Science Fiction at its absolute best. All stories are original.

1 - Introduction – Ian Whates
2 - Psi.Copath – Andy Remic
3 - The Maker’s Mark – Michael Cobley
4 - Sussed – Keith Brooke
5 - The Cuisinart Effect – Neal Asher
6 - Harmony in My Head – Rosanne Rabinowitz
7 - Our Land – Chris Beckett
8 - Fallout – Gareth L. Powell
9 - Proper Little Soldier – Martin McGrath
10 - War Without End – Una McCormack
11 - Dissimulation Procedure – Eric Brown
12 - In the Long Run – David L. Clements
13 - Last Orders – Jim Mortimore
14 - Songbirds – Martin Sketchley


The Unlikely World of Faraway Frankie by Keith Brooke

Publisher: Newcon Press
Format: Ltd Edition Hardback/Paperback
ISBN: Hardback: 9781907069123, Paperback: 9781907069130

Release Date: April 2010
Genre: Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: We’ve all dreamt of Faraway, a place so like the world we know but where we make the rules. For Frankie Finnegan, a boy whose sister has died, whose family is in meltdown and whose school life is blighted by bullies, such dreams have a keener edge. Until one day he wakes up in Faraway. His World; His Rules; His Dream; where Grace is still alive and his parents can be happy again.
Yet it soon becomes clear that he’s not the only one with power in Faraway, and the mysterious ‘Owner’ doesn’t take kindly to interference. Things start to unravel, and Frankie’s Dream slides inexorably towards Nightmare…


Orgasmachine by Ian Watson

Publisher: Newcon Press
Format: Ltd Edition Hardback/Paperback
ISBN: Hardback: 9781907069147, Paperback: 9781907069154

Release Date: April 2010
Genre: Sci-Fi
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: Forget Stepford Wives; this goes way beyond anything seen in Stepford.

The Three Laws of Feministics:
1. Your body is not your own; it belongs to another. Therefore you may not damage it nor, through inaction, allow it to be damaged.
2. You must obey all orders given you by your owner (or in cases of loss of ownership, by any man) even if such orders conflict with the First Law.
3. You may not injure any man, nor through failure to comply with the Second Law, cause him displeasure or mental injury.

Women as chattels, as customised sexslaves; bodies freakishly modified to their owners’ dictates, personalities preset to order. Welcome to the world of the Orgasmachine. But Jade and Mari escape their masters and dream of revenge, of revolution, of freedom…

April 2010 Releases | BBC Books

Doctor Who: The Forgotten Army by Brian Minchin

Publisher: BBC Books
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 184607987X
Release Date: 22/04/2010
Genre: Sci-Fi/Tie In
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: 'Let me tell you a story. Long ago, in the frozen Arctic wastes, an alien army landed. Only now, 10,000 years later, it isn’t a story. And the army is ready to attack.’

New York – one of the greatest cities on 21st century Earth... But what’s going on in the Museum? And is that really a Woolly Mammoth rampaging down Broadway? An ordinary day becomes a time of terror, as Ice Age creatures come back to life, and the Doctor and Amy meet a new and deadly enemy. The vicious Army of the Vykoid are armed to the teeth and determined to enslave the human race. Even though they’re only three inches high.

With the Vykoid army swarming across Manhattan and sealing it from the world with a powerful alien forcefield, Amy has just 24 hours to find the Doctor and save the city. If she doesn’t, the people of Manhattan will be taken to work in the doomed asteroid mines of the Vykoid home planet. But as time starts to run out, who can she trust? And how far will she have to go to free New York from the Forgotten Army?

A thrilling, all new adventure featuring the Doctor and Amy, as played by Matt Smith and Karen Gillan in the spectacular hit series from BBC Television

Doctor Who: Night of the Humans by David Llewellyn

Publisher: BBC Books
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 1846079691
Release Date: 22/04/2010
Genre: Sci-Fi/Tie In
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: 'This is the Gyre – the most hostile environment in the galaxy...’

250,000 years’ worth of junk floating in deep space, home to the shipwrecked Sittuun, the carnivorous Sollogs, and worst of all – the Humans. The Doctor and Amy arrive on this terrifying world in the middle of an all-out frontier war between Sittuun and Humans, and the countdown has already started. There’s a comet in the sky, and it’s on a collision course with the Gyre...

When the Doctor is kidnapped, it’s up to Amy and “galaxy-famous swashbuckler” Dirk Slipstream to save the day. But who is Slipstream, exactly? And what is he really doing here?

A thrilling, all new adventure featuring the Doctor and Amy, as played by Matt Smith and Karen Gillan in the spectacular hit series from BBC Television

Doctor Who: Apollo 23 by Justin Richards

Publisher: BBC Books
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 184607200X
Release Date: 22/04/2010
Genre: Sci-Fi/Tie In
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: 'For a few moments this afternoon, it rained on the moon...'

An astronaut in full spacesuit appears out of thin air in a busy shopping centre. Maybe it’s a publicity stunt. A photo shows a well-dressed woman in a red coat lying dead at the edge of a crater on the dark side of the moon – beside her beloved dog ‘Poochie’. Maybe it’s a hoax. But as the Doctor and Amy find out, these are just minor events in a sinister plan to take over every human being on earth. The plot centres on a secret military base on the moon – that’s where Amy and the TARDIS are.

The Doctor is back on Earth, and without the TARDIS there’s no way he can get to the moon to save Amy and defeat the aliens. Or is there? The Doctor discovers one last great secret that could save humanity: Apollo 23.

A thrilling, all new adventure featuring the Doctor and Amy, as played by Matt Smith and Karen Gillan in the spectacular hit series from BBC Television

April 2010 Releases | Pendragon Press

Silversands by Gareth L Powell

Publisher: Pendragon Press
Format: Hardback/Paperback
ISBN: 9781906864064
Release Date:10/04/2010
Genre: Sci-Fi
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb:In an age where interstellar travel is dangerous and unpredictable, and no-one knows exactly where they’ll end up, Avril Bradley is a Communications officer onboard a ship sent to re-contact as many of these lost souls as possible.

But a mysterious explosion strands her in a world of political intrigue, espionage and subterfuge; a world of retired cops, digital ghosts and corporate assassins who fight for possession of computer data that had lain undisturbed for almost a century. . .

This is the debut novel from the critically-acclaimed author of the short story collection The Last Reef, Gareth L Powell, with stunning cover artwork by Vincent Chong.

April 2010 Releases | Random House/Century

Star Wars - Fate of The Jedi: Backlash by Aaron Allston
Publisher: Century/Lucas Books (Random House)
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 184605687X

Release date: 15th April 2010
Genre: Science Fiction/Space Opera
Series/Standalone: Fourth in a series

Publisher Blurb:

Repercussions from the dark side’s fatal seduction of Jacen Solo and the mysterious plague of madness afflicting young Jedi continue to wreak havoc galaxy-wide in STAR WARS™: FATE OF THE JEDI: BACKLASH. Having narrowly escaped the deranged Force worshippers known as the Mind Walkers and a deadly Sith hit squad, Luke and Ben Skywalker are in pursuit of the now Masterless Sith apprentice. It is a chase that leads to the forbidding planet Dathomir, where an enclave of powerful dark side Force-wielders will give Vestara the edge she needs to escape—and where the Skywalkers will be forced into combat for their quarry and their lives.

Meanwhile, Han and Leia have completed their own desperate mission, shuttling madness-stricken Jedi from Coruscant to safe haven in the Transitory Mists and beyond the grasp of Galactic Alliance Chief of State Natasi Daala. But the bold maneuver has intensified Daala’s fury, and she is determined to shatter Jedi Order resistance once and for all.

Yet no greater threat exists than that which still waits in the depths of the distant Maw Cluster: A being of pure, ravenous dark-side energy named Abeloth calls out across the stars to Jedi and Sith alike. For some it may be the ultimate source of answers crucial to their survival. For others it could be the ultimate weapon of conquest. But for all, it is a game-changing—and life-altering—encounter of untold magnitude and a tactical gambit with unimaginable consequences.

April 2010 Releases | Quercus

Freedom by Daniel Suarez

Publisher: Quercus

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 1849161763

Release Date: 01/04/2010

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Series/Standalone: Sequel to Daemon

Publisher Blurb:

The Daemon is now firmly in control and moving towards its endgame, using an expanding network of real-world, dispossessed darknet operatives to tear civilization apart and build it anew. As the global economy begins to fail, the world's most powerful organizations - monolithic corporations, complete with armies of their own - prepare to fight their unseen enemy. When a brutal civil war breaks out in the United States, former detective Pete Sebeck, now the Daemon's most powerful though reluctant operative, must lead a small band of enlightened humans to protect the new world order. Amid conflicting loyalties, rapidly diminishing human power and the possibility that anyone can be a daemon operative or a corporate spy, Sebeck knows that he embodies the last hope that freedom can survive the information revolution.

Black Hills by Dan Simmons

Publisher: Quercus
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 1849160880

Release Date: 18/04/2010
Genre: Fantasy/Historical
Series/Standalone: Standalone



Publisher Blurb:

Paha Sapa, 'Black Hills' is a Red Indian shaman who as a young boy at the Battle of Little Bighorn takes the ghost of the dying General Custer into his own body. Sixty years later as an old man working as a dynamiter on Mount Rushmore, he plots to blow it up. Meanwhile, Custer finds himself trapped in a strange, dark place and begins to write sensuous, heartbreaking missives to his beloved wife. Thus begins an intricate narrative that sweeps across decades of American history, building up a portrait of one country's relentless expansion and what was lost and destroyed in its path. Black Hills is historical fiction with Dan Simmons' trademark twist. He weaves in real places, events and people with his own uniquely weird take on reality to create a portrait of a world that is hilarious and tragic, spiritual and disturbing.

The Leaping by Tom Fletcher

Publisher; Quercus
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 1849161356

Release Date: 29/04/2010
Genre: Horror
Series/Standalone: First part of a series



Publisher Blurb:

Jack finished university three years ago, but he's still stuck in a dead-end job in a sinister call-centre in Manchester. When the beautiful (and rich) Jennifer comes into his life he thinks he has finally found his ticket out of there. Trouble is that his boss is interested in Jennifer as well, and there's something strangely bestial about him...So when Jennifer buys Fell House, a mysterious old mansion out in remote Cumbria, a house party on a legendary scale seems like the perfect escape. But as the party spins out of control on a seemingly neverending night, they must face up to the terrifying possibility that not all their guests may be human - and some of them want to feed. An astonishing and innovative blend of horror, folktale and disturbing realism, The Leaping is the first instalment in what is shaping up to be a genre-defining series.

April 2010 Releases | Abaddon

Empires of Salt by Weston Ochse

Publisher: Abaddon
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-906735-32-6

Release Date: 15/04/2010
Genre: Science Fiction
Series/Stand Alone: 8th Book of a Series

Publisher's Blurb: The Olivers have a chance to make a new home at Salton Sea. Looking forward to California fun, sun and adventure they are unprepared for the ecological devastation they find. The sea is rotting, the town of Bombay Beach is dying and the citizens are like bait, waiting to be plucked from their homes by what comes from the sea. Beware the coming of the green, they say. Beware the coming of the night.



Engines of the Apocalypse by Mike Wild

Publisher: Abaddon
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-906735-37-1

Release Date: 15/04/2010
Genre: fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: 6th Book of a Series

Publisher's Blurb: Giant dwarven sirens rise from the ground and, all across Twilight, magic stops. Blamed for the emergence of these machines Kali Hooper faces execution until a mysterious stranger offers her a deal. In order to keep her life, Kali is to help find the tyrannical head of the Final Faith, Katherine Makennon. Kali joins old enemies and unexpected allies in an epic quest that pits her against the dark machinations of the Pale Lord and reveals secrets not even she could have guessed at!

April 2010 Releases | Gollancz

Halfway to the Grave by Jaeniene Frost

Publisher: Orion Books (GOLLANCZ)
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780575093775

Release Date: 08/04/2010
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series/Stand Alone: Book 1 of the Night Huntress series

Publisher's Blurb: Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield hunts the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father. When she's captured by bounty hunter vampire Bones, she finds herself forced into an unholy partnership – but it's one she soon starts to warm to. The first in the New York Times bestselling Night Huntress series is a smart, sexy affair and perfect for fans of the True Blood TV series.

Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill

Publisher: Orion Books (GOLLANCZ)
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780575094055

Release Date: 08/04/2010
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series/Stand Alone: Book 2 of the Chicagoland Vampires series

Publisher's Blurb: Vampires have assumed an almost celebrity-like status. Relations between them and humans remain civil, but that might change when word gets out about some vampires rounding up humans like cattle for feeding. Our heroine Merit is asked to be a liaison between humans and vampires, and to keep the more unsavoury aspects of their lifestyle out of the public eye. But someone isn't so keen on peaceful co-existence. An ancient grudge is about to resurface.

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Publisher: Orion Books (GOLLANCZ)
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9780575090903

Release Date: 08/04/2010
Genre: Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: Companion novel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Publisher's Blurb: Gabry lives a quiet life, secure in her town behind the Barrier. But there are threats even the Barrier can't hold back; Gabry's mother thought she left her secrets behind in the Forest, but, like the dead in their world, secrets don’t stay buried. Carrie Ryan's second novel returns to the world of The Unconsecrated in another gripping page-turner which is set to match the success of its predecessor.

New Model Army by Adam Roberts

Publisher: Orion Books (GOLLANCZ)

Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9780575083615

Release Date: 15/04/2010
Genre: Science Fiction
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: In the future war will be everyone's choice. 20 years from now the UK is falling apart. Civil war has broken out. But this is a new kind of war fought by a new kind of army. An army of free men, free to decide when to live, when to die. Adam Roberts' new novel is a story of love and war, but a new, more frightening war.

Tome of the Undergates by Sam Sykes

Publisher: Orion Books (GOLLANCZ)
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9780575090293

Release Date: 15/04/2010
Genre: Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: Book 1 of The Aeon's Gate series

Publisher's Blurb: A manuscript that contains all you need to open the undergates has been stolen. And you don't want the undergates open. On the other side are countless invincible demons, and they want out. Lenk and his misfit companions have to get it back. Full of razor-sharp wit and characters who leap off the page, plunging the reader into a vivid world of adventure, this is a fantasy that kicks off a series that could dominate the second decade of the century.

The King of the Crags by Stephen Deas

Publisher: Orion Books (GOLLANCZ)
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9780575083783

Release Date: 15/04/2010
Genre: Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: Sequel to The Adamantine Palace

Publisher's Blurb: Prince Jehal has murdered, poisoned and betrayed his way to the top. There is a new speaker for the realms, opposition has been crushed, now he just has to enjoy the fruits of power. And yet, the dragons are stirring... In The King of the Crags Stephen Deas has created an epic world, vivid characters, a plot full of betrayals and the most awesome dragons fantasy has ever seen.

The Dragon Factory by Jonathan Maberry

Publisher: Orion Books (GOLLANCZ)
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780575086968

Release Date: 15/04/2010
Genre: Horror
Series/Stand Alone: Sequel to Patient Zero

Publisher's Blurb: Having protected the world from a zombie plague in Patient Zero, Joe Ledger and his crack combat team are thrown into an even more frightening crisis. A genetic-engineering program has been used to create the ultimate fighting machine – soldiers bred for war, soldiers with greater strength, higher reaction speeds and an utter disregard for pain. It's enough to make anyone long for zombies...

April 2010 Releases | Voyager

The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett

Publisher: HarperCollins Voyager
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9780007276165

Release Date: 01/04/2010
Genre: Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: Book 2 of The Demon Trilogy

Publisher's Blurb: The Deliverer has returned, but who is he? Arlen Bales, formerly of the small hamlet of Tibbet's Brook, learnt harsh lessons about life as he grew up in a world where hungry demons stalk the night and humanity is trapped by its own fear. He chose a different path; chose to fight inherited apathy and the corelings, and eventually he became the Painted Man, a reluctant saviour. But the figure emerging from the desert, calling himself the Deliverer, is not Arlen. He is a friend and betrayer, and though he carries the spear from the Deliverer's tomb, he also heads a vast army intent on a holy war against the demon plague...and anyone else who stands in his way.

April 2010 Releases | Snow Books

Burton & Swinbourne in the Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack

Publisher: Snow Books
Format: Harback/Paperback
Release Date: 01/04/2010

ISBN: 9781906727505
Genre: Sci Fi/Fantasy
Series/Standalone: First in a Series

Publisher Blurb:

It is 1861, and Albertian Britain is in the grip of conflicting forces. Engineers transform the landscape with bigger, faster, noisier and dirtier technological wonders; Eugenicists develop specialist animals to provide unpaid labour; Libertines oppose restrictive and unjust laws and flood the country with propaganda demanding a society based on beauty and creativity; while The Rakes push the boundaries of human behaviour to the limits with magic, sexuality, drugs and anarchy. Returning from his failed expedition to find the source of the Nile, explorer, linguist, scholar and swordsman Sir Richard Francis Burton finds himself sucked into the perilous depths of this moral and ethical vacuum when the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, employs him as a Spy. His first mission: to investigate the sexual assaults committed by a weird apparition known as Spring Heeled Jack; to find out why chimney sweeps are being kidnapped by half-man, half-dog creatures; and to discover the whereabouts of his badly injured former friend, John Hanning Speke.

Bloodletting by Michael McBride

Publisher: Snow Books
Format: Paperback
Release Date: 01/04/2010

ISBN: 9781906727437
Genre: Horror
Series/Standalone: Standalone


Publisher Blurb:

Without order nothing can exist, without chaos nothing can evolve. The butchered remains of twelve year-old Jasmine Rivers are discovered in the cellar of an abandoned farmhouse on the desolate eastern plains of Colorado, the fourth mutilated body found in the last two months. The FBI is still searching for the missing parts of the previous three. Hundreds of miles away in Arizona, eleven corpses are exhumed from the Sonoran Desert. They've been mummified and bundled in the traditional Inca style. But the Inca lived in South America, and these bodies aren't centuries old. Seemingly unrelated victims that share a common cause of death: exsanguination. Special Agent Paxton Carver follows the trail of blood, which leads him to the continuation of genetic experimentation that began during World War II and a designer retrovirus capable of altering human chromosomes. Can he track down the virus and prevent further exposure before the real bloodletting begins?

Flu by Wayne Simmons

Publisher:Snow Books
Format: Paperback
Release Date: 01/04/2010

ISBN: 9781906727192
Genre: Horror
Series/Standalone: Standalone


Publisher Blurb:

There's a nasty flu going round. An epidemic, they call it. The posters say to cover your mouth when you sneeze, and throw away the tissue. But such simple measures won't stop this flu. Because when you catch the flu, armed police come and lock you in your house to die alone. When you catch this flu, it kills you in days. And when you catch this flu, two hours after it's killed you, your eyelids snap open again... FLU is a pacey, terrifying, frighteningly real zombie horror story. 

April 2010 Releases | Orbit

The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells

Publisher: Little, Brown (ORBIT)
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781841497570Release Date: 01/04/2010
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: Book 2 of the Sabina Kane series

Publisher's Blurb: Sabina Kane doesn't have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her own grandmother, leader of the vampire race, wants her dead. So when she arrives in New York to meet her mage relatives, the reunion puts the fun in dysfunctional. Not only is mage culture completely bizarre, but everyone seems to think she's some kind of 'Chosen' who'll unite the dark races. Sabina doesn't care who chose her, she's not into destiny. But the mages aren't Sabina's only problem. In New York's Black Light District, she has run-ins with fighting demons, hostile werewolves and an opportunistic old flame. Sabina thought she'd take a bite out of the Big Apple - but it looks like it wants to bite back.


Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Publisher: Little, Brown (ORBIT)
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781841497990Release Date: 01/04/2010
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: Book 5 of the Mercy Thompson series

Publisher's Blurb: Being a mechanic is hard work. Mercy Thompson, for instance, just spent the last couple of months trying to evade the murderous queen of the local vampire seethe, and now the leader of the werewolf pack - who's maybe-more-than-just-a-friend - has asked for her help. A book of fae secrets has come to light and they're all about to find out how implacable - and dangerous - the fae can be. OK, so maybe her troubles have nothing to do with the job. But she sure could use a holiday ...


The Magician's Apprentice by Trudi Canavan

Publisher: Little, Brown (ORBIT)
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781841495903

Release Date: 01/04/2010
Genre: Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: Prequel to Black Magician trilogy

Publisher's Blurb: In the remote village of Mandryn, Tessia serves as assistant to her father, the village Healer - much to the frustration of her mother, who would rather she found a husband. But her life is about to take a very unexpected turn. When treating a patient at the residence of the local magician, Lord Dakon, Tessia is forced to fight off the advances of a visiting Sachakan mage - and instinctively uses magic. She now finds herself facing an entirely different future as Lord Dakon's apprentice. But along with the excitement and privilege, Tessia is about to discover that her magical gifts bring with them a great deal of responsibility. Events are brewing that will lead nations into war, rival magicians into conflict, and spark an act of sorcery so brutal that its effects will be felt for centuries ...



The Poison Throne by Celine Kiernan

Publisher: Little, Brown (ORBIT)
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781841498218Release Date: 01/04/2010
Genre: Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: The first book in the Moorehawke Trilogy

Publisher's Blurb: Young Wynter Moorehawke returns to court with her dying father, but her old home is cloaked in fear. Once-benevolent King Jonathon is now a violent despot, terrorising his people while his son Alberon plots a coup from exile. Then darkness spreads as the King appoints Alberon's half-brother Razi as heir. Wynter must watch her friend obey his father's untenable commands, as those they love are held to ransom. And at the heart of matters lies a war machine so lethal that none dare speak of it. The kingdom would belong to its master, yet the consequences of using it are too dire to consider. But temptation has ever been the enemy of reason.


May Contain Traces of Magic by Tom Holt

Publisher: Little, Brown (ORBIT)
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781841495064Release Date: 01/04/2010
Genre: Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Publisher's Blurb: There are all kinds of products. The good ones. The bad ones. The ones that stay in the garage mouldering for years until your garden gnome makes a home out of them. Most are harmless if handled properly, even if they do contain traces of peanuts. But some are not. Not the ones that contain traces of magic. Chris Popham wasn't paying enough attention when he talked to his SatNav. Sure, she gave him directions, never backtalked him, and always led him to his next spot on the map with perfect accuracy. She was the best thing in his life. So was it really his fault that he didn't start paying attention when she talked to him? In his defence, that was her job. But when 'Take the next right' turned into 'Excuse me,' that was when the real trouble started. Because sometimes a SatNav isn't a SatNav. Sometimes it's an imprisoned soul trapped inside a metal box that will do anything it can to get free. And some products you just can't return.


Changes by Jim Butcher

Publisher: Little, Brown (ORBIT)
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781841497136

Release Date: 01/04/2010
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: Book 12 of the Dresden Files

Publisher's Blurb: I answered the phone, no big deal, until I heard the message: 'They've taken our daughter.' Harry Dresden, professional wizard, has never faced anything like this. Arianna Ortega, Red Court vampire, blames Harry for her husband's death - and she's out for revenge. So her discovery that Susan Rodriguez had borne Harry a daughter was an unexpected gift. Arianna's next step was to kidnap the girl and she plans to use her blood in a violent ritual sacrifice designed to kill Harry, Susan and their daughter. With the White Council of Wizards and the Red Court in a state of detente, Harry finds himself alone except for a handful of allies - resources utterly inadequate to challenging the Red King and his entire vampire Court. With the life of his child at stake, Susan's humanity hanging in precarious balance and with his own death looming, Dresden must find a new source of strength. In the past, there had always been a line Harry wouldn't cross, and though dark powers have tempted him time and again, he never gave in. But then, only his own life was at stake.


The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Little, Brown (ORBIT)
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781841497129

Release Date: 06/04/2010
Genre: Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: The third book in the Darkest Powers trilogy

Publisher's Blurb: The nail-biting climax to Kelley Armstrong's bestselling Darkest Powers trilogy - Chloe Saunders is fifteen and would love to be normal. Unfortunately, Chloe happens to be a genetically engineered necromancer who can raise the dead without even trying. She and her equally gifted (or should that be 'cursed'?) friends are now running for their lives from the evil corporation that created them. As if that's not enough, Chloe is struggling with her feelings for Simon, a sweet-tempered sorcerer, and his brother Derek, a not so sweet-tempered werewolf. And she has a horrible feeling she's leaning towards the werewolf...


Tales of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Little, Brown (ORBIT)
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781841499178

Release Date: 13/04/2010
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: Collection of short stories set in the Otherworld series

Publisher's Blurb: Kelley Armstrong's gripping and imaginative short stories are brought together in a fantastic new collection. A young vampire learns the heavy price of his new existence; black witch Eve Levine meets Kristof Nast, her soul mate and her nemesis; Lucas Cortez, lawyer, sorcerer and unwilling heir to his father's Cabal, sets out on a case that will change his destiny; Paige Winterbourne discovers just how fraught a white (witch) wedding can be and Elena Michaels begins her unwitting journey to a new life ? as the only female werewolf in the world ...These brilliant, self-contained stories are a perfect introduction to the series and a wonderful addition to the existing novels. Tales From the Otherworld will delight fans and curious new readers alike.


Watcher of the Dead by J V Jones

Publisher: Little, Brown (ORBIT)
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781841491608

Release Date: 15/04/2010
Genre: Fantasy
Series/Stand Alone: Book 4 in the Sword of Shadows series

Publisher's Blurb: In the frigid wasteland of the north, Raif Sevrance, Watcher of the Dead, has endured many trials to lay claim to the renowned sword known as Loss. But the price of wielding the legendary weapon is high, and Raif is unsure if he is willing to pay it. Ash Marsh, Daughter of the Sull, still struggles to come to terms with her heritage, and the knowledge that the Watcher, armed with Loss, could be the one who will save the Sull ? or end them. Raina Blackhail, widow of a murdered ruler and wife of his brutal successor, has seen her clan disgraced and has, herself, taken up the mantle of chief. But there are enemies both beyond her gates and within. And in the murky swamps of the Stillwater, two children will learn the secrets of the Marsh clan. Secrets so old they threaten everything ...


The Orphaned Worlds by Michael Cobley

Publisher: Little, Brown (ORBIT)
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781841496337

Release Date: 29/04/2010
Genre: Science Fiction
Series/Stand Alone: Book two of Humanity's Fire

Publisher's Blurb: Darien is no longer a lost outpost of humanity, but the prize in an intergalactic power struggle. Hegemony forces have a stranglehold over the planet and crack troops patrol its hotspots while Earth watches, passive, rendered impotent by galactic politics. But its Darien ambassador will soon become a player in a greater conflict. There is more at stake than a turf war on a newly discovered world. An ancient Uvovo temple hides access to a hyperspace prison, housing the greatest threat sentient life has ever known. Millennia ago, malignant intelligences were caged there following an apocalyptic war. And their servants work on their release. However, Darien's guardians have not been idle, gathering resistance on the planet's forest moon. Knowledge has been lost since great races battled in eons past, and now time is short. The galaxy will depend on the Uvovo reclaiming their past - and humanity must look to its future. For a new war is coming.